From Isolation to Ambiguity: Fiscal Equity, the Perpetuation of Past Discrimination and the Status of the Public Historically Black College and University (Hbcu)

Abstract

Presently, there exists a knowledge gap within U.S. higher education policy circles regarding issues of fiscal equity and adequacy, particularly as they apply to public HBCUs. Through the use of quantitative history and the employment of specialized educational price indexes, such as the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI), publicly funded HBCUs provide an appropriate U.S. higher education model for analyzing general historical funding trends over time and addressing concerns of fiscal adequacy. It is the contention of the author that this study can effectively inform both educational policymakers and the courts to the unique historical funding inequities faced by public HBCUs over time and translate those fiscal disparities into appropriate legal remedies targeted at improving publicly supported HBCUs and their status in relation to the larger public U.S. higher education community.