Nature of Student Affairs Work at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, The

Journal of College Student Development, Nov/Dec 2006 by Hirt, Joan B, Strayhorn, Terrell L, Amelink, Catherine T, Bennett, Belinda R

In general, then, administrators at HBCUs are practical in their approach to their jobs but handle their jobs in a highly professional way. Their work environment is student centered and driven by a commitment to service.

Racial Uplift and Empowerment

Interestingly, another major theme emerged from our data analysis that related to racial uplift and empowerment. Although it is important to note that this theme fell outside of the pace of work, how work gets done, and work environment framework, its salience to the work of administrators at HBCUs is no less important. In fact, it represents a powerful, unanticipated finding.

This is particularly noteworthy as HBCUs were founded as a means of uplifting the quality of life for African Americans in the U.S. (Anderson, 1988). Informants in this study talked at length about their desire to "give back." This involves giving back to their race:

It's important to me that I'm dealing with children or students that are from backgrounds such as mine-you know, similar to mine. So I feel like I'm giving directly back [to my race].

The commitment to racial uplift also entails giving back to the Black community, in particular to those at HBCUs. Consider the following:

I don't know if you're familiar with the movie, Pay It Forward?. I never actually saw the movie, but I saw enough of the commercials for it, and then looked it up on a Web site to make sure I had the concept right. And I probably don't have the whole thing, but certainly I have endeavored to pay it forward . . . .The good things that have been done on my behalf during my life and particularly during my college years. And encourage the students I talk to to do the same thing, whatever field of endeavor they go into.

I think the sense of accomplishment, and for me-and I've worked in this business for a long time-being really, really able to give back. And knowing that I'm in an area that I feel is MY purpose in life. And to be able to really give back and to be a part of molding and shaping another young person's life, especially young African Americans. And that is my greatest joy.

Not only did participants note their desire to give back to the Black race but a number of administrators noted that they chose to work at HBCUs to give back to the institution which, in many cases, was their alma mater:

I happen to be a graduate of [name of] University, and by doing so I was fortunate enough to be able to come right out of school and go into the workforce first with the United States Job Corp Center for a very minimal time, and then have the golden opportunity to come back to [name of] University, which is my alma mater, to work. And I guess the most gratifying thing is that it gives me an opportunity to say thank you to not only the HBCU that I had an opportunity to come back and work for, but to have that experience that I know that's going to be something that will carry me on and be rewarding to me for the rest of my life.

Yeah, that's the best part of the whole deal and that's why I, like many other people, that's the main reason I got involved in the first place. [I] was looking forward to the opportunity of working with students, to kind of repay the debt the I owe the people who worked with me when I was a student [at an HBCU]-helped me and my peers to develop, get some appreciation for ourselves and life and all the rest of it.