Why Our Bands Matter

Self-Actualization

College should be an experience that not only involves learning, but also encompasses self-discovery and self-actualization. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) provide a nurturing, supportive environment that affirms, empowers and positively reinforces students to confidently and successfully pursue their life and purpose both professionally and personally after graduation.

According to the newest data from an ongoing Gallup-Purdue University study, which is the largest of its kind and has now collected data from 50,000 college alumni over two years, attempts to measure whether colleges are doing enough to help students’ well-being in life after they graduate. It measures five “elements of well-being,” described as social, financial, purpose, community and physical elements. The survey also asks graduates if they remember having had a professor who cared about them, made them excited to learn or encouraged them to follow their dreams — which Gallup refers to collectively as being “emotionally supported” while in college.

About 55 percent of black HBCU graduates said they “strongly agreed” that their college or university “prepared them well for life outside of college,” compared to less than 30 percent of non-HBCU black graduates. More than half of HBCU graduates reported “thriving in purpose well-being,” compared to 43 percent of black graduates from non-HBCUs.

While 29 percent of black graduates who did not attend an HBCU said they were “thriving in financial well-being,” 51 percent of black HBCU graduates reported doing so. Black graduates of HBCUs were more than twice as likely as those who graduated from predominantly white institutions to recall feeling supported by a professor.

HBCUs disproportionately enroll low- income, first-generation and academically underprepared college students –precisely the students that the country most needs to obtain college degrees.

About half of black HBCU graduates said their college or university was “the perfect school” for them, compared to 34 percent of non-HBCU black alumni.

Nearly half said they couldn’t “imagine a world” without the HBCU they attended. Only 25 percent of black graduates of predominantly white institutions agreed.

Post-graduate Job Placement

When Fortune 500 companies seek diverse prospective employees, they first and foremost look to HBCUs as a prime-recruiting destination. Graduates of HBCUs annually are placed at some of the most prestigious companies in the world including, but not limited to, Goldman Sacs, Apple, Amazon, Nike, Boeing, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, Accenture, and many others.

Become a Part of a Robust Global Network

HBCUs attract gifted and talented young men and women to their campuses from around the globe. Attending an HBCU will provide an opportunity to connect to and establish important lifelong relationships. Members of the HBCU student and alumni network are not only bonded by shared experiences, but are also encouraged to support each other long after graduation.

The Unique HBCU Experience

The college experience should rank among the best periods of a person’s life. HBCUs provide a special opportunity to enjoy a set of traditions and dynamic experiences that are unique to each campus. From New Student Orientation, homecomings, Greek life, sports and spirit events, attending an HBCU offers a wide spectrum of both educational and social engagement opportunities.

A critical element of the HBCU experience also is rooted in the classroom.

HBCUs provide an intimate learning environment that cultivates close relationships between the students and professors in a manner that stimulates the educational experience and prepares the student to compete in a growing global society.

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