ABSTRACT
Higher education research has identified the success of four-year historically black colleges (HBCs) in meeting the academic and developmental needs of their students in ways that majority institutions do not. There is consistent reporting of higher retention rates, higher self-esteem, and greater satisfaction with the overall college experience at HBCs. An examination of two-year historically black colleges is in order to determine whether the same results accrue to students that attend these institutions. Therefore, this chapter will explore the definition, origins, and evolution of the historically black two-year college. The history of black higher education will be used to contextualize the development of this group of institutions, including the social issues that drove their founding and the curriculum debate that continues to cloud institutional roles. Partly through the use of a case study, this chapter will identify lessons that might be learned from the work of two-year HBCs so that majority-culture institutions, both two-and four-year, can work more effectively with black students.
