By Stephen Bao-Loc-Trung

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were first founded before the Civil War to provide education for African-American youths who had been prevented from studying at established universities due to discrimination. With the support of African-American churches and the Freedmen’s Bureau, a government agency focused on providing aid to displaced refugees and freed slaves in the South, these colleges managed to survive. Once the Morrill Act of 1890 made it mandatory to have HBCUs established, especially in the old Confederate South, HBCUs were able to come about in Louisiana. According to Dillard University’s website, Straight College and New Orleans University, two established colleges in Louisiana since the 1800s had to make a decision. The Great Depression and the burden of Jim Crow segregation provided a combined sense of purpose, prompting the two schools to begin planning a merger. In 1935, both schools chartered Dillard University under the name of a distinguished academician and active proponent of the education of African Americans, James Hardy Dillard. It aimed to offer a traditional liberal arts curriculum and emphasize a close engagement with the local community and continues to achieve this today. 

Dillard University is one of the only six historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Louisiana and one of three in New Orleans. Compared to Xavier University and Southern Univeristy of New Orleans with their larger campuses and sizes, Dillard University can be considered overlooked being in the 7th Ward and Gentilly neighborhood. It would probably surprise people to learn that Garret Morris, a famous actor and comedian who was one of the original members of the SNL cast, graduated from this campus. However, it does not compare to the real shocker in that another alum is Martin Luther King Sr. He is the father of perhaps the most influential Civil Rights leader in American history, Martin Luther King Jr. and many will likely not even suspect that he obtained a doctorate from this school. Dillard University is smaller and less famous than other HBCUs in the state despite being the first HBCU in Louisiana and still struggles with issues that normally plague HBCUs such as lack of funding and infrastructure. However, its community and size make it a preservering college and haven for those who want an education. Whether it be the motivated staff or the unique sense of community from its smaller scale, Dillard University has a charm that is difficult to find elsewhere and exemplifies HBCU culture. 

That does not mean that it is excluded from the struggles that plague all HBCUs, as they have long been receiving less government funding than their non-HBCU counterparts. According to NOLA.com, Governor John Bel Edwards states that the longstanding funding inequities between Southern University and LSU in Baton Rouge have been up to 1.1 billion dollars in the past three decades. Many HBCUs around the country suffer from this unequal amount of federal funding with reports from the American Council of Education finding that compared to their predominantly white counterparts, HBCUs have been underfunded by at least $12.8 billion over the last three decades. While Dillard University is not in threat of bankruptcy, the lack of funding it receives hurts programs, supplies, infrastructure, and innovation, all the while perpetuating a history of inequality that HBCUs were created to combat. Dillard University is more tuition-dependent than its non-HBCU counterparts, with a 45% tuition dependency compared to 37%. They receive 8% less overall revenue from private gifts, grants, and contracts and a 16% higher reliance on federal and state funding compared to their counterparts. This is even more burdening with HBCUs experiencing a 42% reduction in federal funding per full-time equivalent student and an endowment lag of 70%. With a lack of funding from the government compared

to other schools and a demographic burdened by debt, these schools, including Dillard University, struggle with providing the highest quality education to their communities. 

HCBU students also are statistically the highest in the amount of money borrowed for undergraduate studies according to race. With a decrease in the amount of money that would be provided by the Biden administration’s work on canceling student loans, these payments only seem to be increasing due to the yearly rising costs of tuition across the country. This is also causing much frustration in the African American communities, as more action is called for on Biden’s part, as activists from groups such as the Debt Collective have wiped out $10 million from HBCU student debt and the president is accused of not doing enough. With students being burdened by debts, surprised by taking on loans they didn’t initially comprehend, or afraid of attending college due to the cost or risk of financial failure, HBCUs worry about their students becoming potentially harmed for studying at their facilities. 

Turshá Hamilton, an associate professor of biology, has said, “There is less funding, especially federal funding. We find ourselves persevering to teach. We need to get our students to the next level, and it requires a lot of work to do it.” The students and staff at HBCUs show perseverance and effort because their backgrounds and lack of resources demand them to work hard. Professor Hamilton said, “that the community is persevering. A lot of the staff and students come from backgrounds that are not necessarily prepared for higher education. They don’t know the careers they are going into. This community works hard and effort gives rewards. It’s what our job needs us to do for them.” 

The Dillard community is not only hardworking, but its legacy stems from the solidarity of HBCU culture and the desire of its staff to repay the opportunities given to them by HBCUs. Mark Raymond, Director of Academic Technology and Distance Education and Adviser to WDUB Radio, said it clearly. “HBCUs in the state have always served a community that has always been served to. HBCUs always have had a purpose in the community for people of color and those who want a fair chance at education. So, they serve the community and many communities are welcome. They have offered opportunities and help those who are sometimes underserved better than predominately white institutions (PWIs). Colleges like Dillard, there is no greater emphasis on culture in the US.” When asked why they wanted to work at Dillard University, Hamilton, being an Xavier graduate, claimed it was her dream to give back to the community in ways that other schools wouldn’t be able to and Raymond claimed he felt like he was compelled to. The amount of care given to professors like Raymond and Hamilton from being HBCU alumni leads to them being some of the many staff at Dillard who work to repay what was given to them. 

While the previous statement of HBCU graduates becoming HBCU staff can be considered common at other such institutions, it’s the unique size that builds subsequent connections between the staff and students that sets the university apart. Raymond said, “It’s a small university. Very low student-to-teacher ratio. It’s like an extended family kinda ratio. We would know family members throughout tenure because of how close everyone gets. It’s a small school. It’s warm and family-like. It’s probably the exact opposite of what you would find at larger colleges, and everyone should know your name by the end of the first final.” For comparison, Dillard University had about 1200 undergraduate enrollments in 2022, while Xavier University had about 6000. For size, Dillard is approximately 55 acres while Tulane University is 110 acres and Xavier is 175 acres. Rather than letting these statistics be a weakness, Dillard converts them into strengths by having its staff, students, and parents form close ties professionally and geographically in a way not many colleges can do. 

Thu Nguyen, who is a program administrator at Dillard, has said, “It’s crazy how you work with students and expect to never see them again. Then you’re talking with them over the summer or being

involved with their work over the year. You become able to recognize emails, the way people write, and their handwriting. Staff too. We all are willing to help each other. We’re not just coworkers. Everyone just seems to understand each other. We wish each other well during holidays or advise each other to get some sleep early. Get some rest. You have to try this sandwich. Yeah, I’ll visit the doctor with you. Stuff like that.” 

Dillard Univeristy’s small scale allows the enthusiasm of its teachers to shine brighter with a staff that can be more motivated than the rest of the state. Professor Hamilton said, “I was excited. I have been in academia for many years. I wanted to work at an HBCU specifically. It was one of my dreams.” The job they take is difficult. Professor Raymond said, “It was a challenge to make Greek into English and help the students understand the principles and concepts that [he] was working on teaching. The programs are significant investments in steeping students with technology and knowledge. I believe in the programs here.” Dillard University and HBCUs have a cyclic nature where the community is provided for and the community gives back. This is not a slight against teachers at other colleges, but it is an admiration for the unique culture created by these schools. Dillard University specifically emphasizes this through it being the first HBCU in Lousiana and the first HBCU with a sound architectural plan in 1935, and its committed teachers genuinely want to be there because they say that their past makes them want to improve the current generation’s future. It’s a give-and-take nature where everyone is eventually provided for equally. 

Dillard University serves as a symbol of legacy for the African-American community. It’s a generational product that can perpetually pass on the desire to support the community, as is the case with the current staff. Hamilton said, “ I get to teach every day, and it was good in a sense that I get to help the next generation get taught like I was. It was great for me because I got to teach young people like how my teacher taught me.” This is not a solitary case found at Dillard, but its small size allows the community aspect to be exemplified. Where else can the majority of students and their families be known and familiar to the staff? Where else can a student buy Tupperware from DollarTree for the staff or share the best Po-Boy spots nearby the campus? Where else can staff and students know the president as “Hip Hop Prez”? 

Dillard University is one of the best examples of HBCUs in the country due to its ability to continue on the sense of tradition and legacy that comes as a product of HBCUs and also perseveres against the struggles impounded upon these schools through its tight-knit and motivated community. The staff’s connection to its students through their constant communication, close engagement, and distinct student-to-teacher ratio allows an engagement normally not found at other HBCUs. Its small size and unique sense of community create a dedication from the staff to their work unrivaled in the education industry with its desire to continue the tradition of supporting the next generation as they once were. It is unfortunately burdened by a lack of funding that is a symptom of a long-lasting plague that came across from a history of discrimination in the country. Its students suffer as well with higher chances of student loan debts and overall socioeconomic burden. However, Dillard University has and will continue with its tradition of fighting for its community. Its past includes activists and writers from Lawrence D. Reddick, Horace Mann Bond, St. Clair Drake, and many others who contributed to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the NAACP, and Brown v. Board of Education. Its present includes Dillard University’s Center for Racial Justice bringing about system change to policing and law enforcement through a partnership with police departments, the sheriff’s office, and graduate, and professional schools to give lectures, research, advocacy training, civic engagement, and political participation. Its future will be the continuation of the University’s commitment to its community and the preservation of its culture.