[Mb-civic] Colleges helping colleges - Ruth Simmons & Shirley Tilghman - Boston Globe

[William Swiggard]

Colleges helping colleges

By Ruth J. Simmons and Shirley Tilghman  |  October 9, 2005

OUR DISTRESS in witnessing the epic destruction and loss of life that 
Hurricane Katrina inflicted on the most vulnerable citizens of the Gulf 
region is compounded by the evidence that we are still far from 
overcoming the social and economic disparities that many Americans hoped 
we were closer to eliminating.

As the relentless images so vividly demonstrated, our nation's problems 
of social, racial, and economic inequality and instability are 
persistent and real, but they need not lead to despair. Education offers 
a remedy, and therefore we must make it a priority to rebuild not only 
homes and businesses, but also institutions of higher education in 
Louisiana and Mississippi that were damaged by the hurricane.

Universities and colleges around the country quickly responded to the 
hurricane and, each in its own way, offered to help. Within days of the 
flooding, many developed plans based on a tacit but shared conviction: 
that students whose schools were closed by the hurricane should continue 
their studies because their skills would be needed as never before to 
rebuild their communities. Universities offered expedited enrollment 
programs, waived tuition in many cases, and provided assistance with 
travel, room, and board -- the kind of support that academic 
institutions are uniquely positioned to offer. Thousands of students 
have benefited and are now well into the semester's studies at their 
host institutions.

Now we must turn to the long-term needs. Hurricane Katrina has done 
considerable damage to institutions of higher learning in New Orleans 
and elsewhere in the storm's path. Several of those colleges and 
universities are precisely the ones that have been working to transcend 
social divisions, explicitly serving students from disadvantaged 
circumstances, providing unique systems of support designed to ensure 
success for students who face long odds. Many were created because of 
racial discrimination. They have been doing their work for decades 
deliberately, passionately, and largely out of the public eye.

Dillard University in New Orleans is one such institution. A month ago, 
this historically black university was home to nearly 2,000 students, 
most of them from disadvantaged backgrounds. Today, much of its campus 
lies in ruins. Some of its buildings were flooded by as much as eight 
feet of water, while a fire left five of them in ashes.

But as Katrina has so vividly demonstrated, our nation has a need for 
institutions like Dillard and other historically black colleges and 
universities, such as Tougaloo College in Mississippi and Xavier 
University of Louisiana, which have made it possible for thousands of 
young people of color to pursue their aspirations, enter the middle 
class, succeed in their careers, and raise the living standards of their 
communities.

Recently, Brown and Princeton universities announced a partnership with 
Dillard University that will, over the long term, help restore it to 
full operation and, we hope, expand what it can offer its students in 
the future.

We will offer the kind of assistance that only universities can. Among 
other steps, we will send experienced personnel from our campuses to 
assist Dillard with restoring academic offerings, developing plans for 
classrooms and research space, and providing equipment for its faculty 
and students. Much has been lost at Dillard and in communities damaged 
by Hurricane Katrina. Thousands of jobs at higher education institutions 
in the region have been jeopardized, creating further anguish and 
uncertainty for those affected. Thousands of students are rightfully 
wondering whether the country will care enough about them to ensure that 
they and other young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Gulf 
region will receive the education that they, as citizens of a great 
democracy, deserve.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/10/09/colleges_helping_colleges/
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