50 years and going strong.THERE'S AN ALMOST TANGIBLE sense of excitement at the United Negro College Fund The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is a Fairfax, Virginia-based American philanthropic organization that fundraises college tuition money for African-American students and general scholarship funds for 39 historically black colleges and universities. this year. It started with a telethon tel·e·thon n. A lengthy television program to raise funds for a charity. [tele- + (mara)thon. that was broadcast in January simultaneously from New York's historic Apollo Theatre Apollo Theatre During and after the Harlem Renaissance, a centre of African-American popular music on 125th Street in New York City's Harlem district. Built in 1914, it hosted musical performers such as Bill Robinson, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Duke and a Hollywood studio. It mushroomed with a 50th Anniversary Gala. In March, the excitement became downright visible with the close of the organization's fiscal year 1994, which saw fundraising hit a record high and administrative costs administrative costs, n.pl the overhead expenses incurred in the operation of a dental benefits program, excluding costs of dental services provided. dip below 17 cents per dollar raised, giving the UNCF UNCF United Negro College Fund, Inc. UNCF United Nations Children's Fund (formerly UNICEF) UNCF Unione Nazionale Cacciatori Falconieri one of the best such ratios of any educational nonprofit group. Despite a decrease in the rate of growth in charitable giving, the UNCF last year raised a record $58 million in its annual campaign. It has maintained a vital connection with corporate America while continuing to woo the support of prominent Americans. "The backbone of any charity is public trust," says Daniel Langan, director of information for the National Charities Information Bureau in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . "UNCF has the confidence of the people, and that means everything." Langan says the UNCF has been able to avoid the problems besetting be·set·ting adj. Constantly troubling or attacking. besetting adjective chronic other nonprofits, such as United Way of America United Way of America: see community chest. , by keeping administrative and fund-raising costs low. "When people see that the money is going where it's supposed to go that makes them want to give more. Plus, there's a lot of unpopular causes out there. How can you argue against education?" Langan asks. These days, there's also excitement surrounding the UNCF's move from its corporate location in New York to offices in Fairfax County, Va., scheduled to have been completed in August. The UNCF will then be closer to most of its 41 private colleges and universities and 54,500 students, which will further reduce administrative costs. (With the exception of Wilberforce University Wilberforce University, at Wilberforce, Ohio, near Xenia; African Methodist Episcopal; coeducational; chartered and opened 1856. Wilberforce provided one of the first opportunities for African Americans to pursue advanced academic training. in Ohio, all UNCF schools are in southern states Southern States U.S. Confederacy government of 11 Southern states that left the Union in 1860. [Am. Hist.: EB, III: 73] Dixie popular name for Southern states in U.S. and for song. [Am. Hist. .) [CHART OMITTED] But make no mistake about it. UNCF is an organization whose greatest challenges lie ahead. If it is to see a 75th anniversary, UNCF must continue to uncover new resources to fund and supply its schools. UNCF's three biggest challenges seem to be fundraising, fundraising and fundraising. If their schools are to remain competitive, money must be raised for capital improvements, to keep tuition costs low and to make individual curricula creative and innovative. The organization is developing new funding sources and plans to make UNCF schools among the best buys for the educational dollar. This year, for example, UNCF got Bloomberg Financial Markets to donate $2.6 million worth of computer terminals to its schools. And, if anything can be learned from this organization's noteworthy past, it's that UNCF has the ability to succeed despite any odds, pulling together a group of supporters who'd make strange partners in any other setting. "We must provide assistance to our institutions at every level. We have to put them in a position to be competitive with other schools," says William H. Gray William H. Gray may refer to:
Under Gray's leadership, UNCF has increased charitable donations while lowering administrative costs. Gray succeeded Christopher F. Edley, who led the organization from 1973 until 1990. Gray, the highest ranking black member of Congress when he left, is seen by many as a gifted politician, adept at public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most and possessing an invitation into the corporate boardrooms that UNCF must reach. Gray did, however, raise more than a few eyebrows earlier this year when, in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of UNCF's 50th Anniversary year, he accepted a temporary post from President Bill Clinton as special advisor to Haiti. "He's done a good job. Gray is a good public relations man and very brilliant," says Dr. Wilbert Greenfield, senior presidential scholar of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education higher education Study beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. , the Washington-based group that represents the country's 117 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the African American community. They are often liberal arts colleges or universities. . Greenfield, former president of Johnson C. Smith University Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is a private, co-ed, four-year liberal arts institution of higher learning located in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina; it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. JCSU is also a historically black college. in North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. and Virginia State University Virginia State University, at Petersburg; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1882 as a normal and collegiate institute, opened 1883, became a normal and industrial institute in 1902. , said UNCF has traditionally connected the town (corporate America) with the gown (academia), and Gray has the skills and connections to take that historic partnership to a new level. Gray has a tough act to follow. Edley guided the UNCF from a "mom and pop Mom and Pop An adjective denoting a small-scale and family-like atmosphere, often used to describe these types of businesses and investors. Notes: A mom-and-pop business is typically a small family-run business. " type operation to the most visible black charity in the country. When Edley took over, UNCF was raising slightly less than $10 million annually. The year he left, UNCF took in $48.5 million. Edley also helped secure UNCF's $50 million donation from publisher and philanthropist Walter H. Annenberg--the largest donation ever received by the organization. And during Edley's tenure, Bill Cosby William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr., Ed.D. (born July 12 1937) is an American actor, comedian, television producer, and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a vanguard role in the 1960s action show I Spy. donated $20 million to Spelman College Spelman College: see Atlanta Univ. Center. Spelman College Private, historically black, women's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Ga. Its history is traced to 1881, when two Boston women began teaching 11 black women, mostly ex-slaves, in an Atlanta in Atlanta--the largest individual donation to a black college in history. UNCF provides money for each of its college's general funds, training for professional staff, help in local fundraising and money for capital improvements. UNCF, through its 25 regional offices, is the primary fundraiser for its 41 colleges. The colleges are run independently, but are afforded the luxury of spending less time on fundraising since that's coordinated through the national office. Gray, the preacher turned-politician-turned-educator who still preaches, doesn't see UNCF's mission as a noble goal, but as a necessary tool for the survival of black America--a nurturing device that's still unequaled in taking kids from all walks of life and turning them into doctors, lawyers, scientists, journalists and politicians. Sixty percent of all UNCF students are the first in their families to attend college. "The Harvards and the Yales can take a diamond and make it shine brighter. But we can take a piece of coal and turn it into a diamond," says Gray. AN IDEA "WORTH TOYING WITH" TAKES SHAPE Financing higher education for blacks has always been an uphill battle Uphill Battle was an metalcore band with elements of grindcore and noisecore. The group was based out of Santa Barbara, California, USA. History Uphill Battle got some recognition releasing their self-titled record on Relapse Records. , but that struggle worsened in the early 1940s when the economy took a sharp downturn due to the Great Depression and World War II, reducing gifts and donations from foundations and benefactors. During those pre-civil rights years, black colleges were one of the few common meeting grounds for blacks and whites and the only private institutions of higher learning open to blacks in the South. Dr. Frederick Patterson, president of Tuskegee Institute at that time, wrote to the heads of other private black colleges to see if they were also having difficulties raising money. Patterson, who published his findings in a 1943 Pittsburgh Courier article, urged his counterparts to pool their resources in order to survive those tough times. "At least, during these critical times, a unified financial campaign for several Negro colleges seems to be an idea worth toying with," Patterson wrote in that January 30, 1943 article. His idea took shape a year later, on April 25, 1944, with the founding of the UNCF. By raiding their own meager mea·ger also mea·gre adj. 1. Deficient in quantity, fullness, or extent; scanty. 2. Deficient in richness, fertility, or vigor; feeble: the meager soil of an eroded plain. 3. general fund accounts and appealing to foundations such as the Julius Rosenwald Fund and the General Education Board, presidents of 27 colleges and universities raised $100,000 that year to start their campaign. Their collaborative effort was an immediate success, raising $765,000 in 1944--three times the total the schools had been able to raise independently the previous year. That campaign was also the start of UNCF receiving support from prominent Americans, without whom the organization probably would not have succeeded. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, beginning a long tradition of White House support, endorsed the organization; John D. Rockefeller Jr. chaired one of its committees, lending his name to a charity for the first time; Winthrop W. Aldrich, chairman of Chase National Bank, served as national treasurer; and Walter Hoving, president of Lord & Taylor, served as UNCF's first national campaign chairman. That tradition has continued, with former President George Bush's brother now serving as chairman of UNCF's national board. Jonathan Bush, president of the New York-based investment company bearing his name, said UNCF's cause appeals to all Americans, then and now, and that appeal is what has attracted such broad support. Bush say it's a simple equation: By the year 2,000, blacks will make up a significantly larger percentage of the workforce and HBCUs have proven themselves as the best resource to educate that segment of the country's population. "It's paramount that leadership come from this large percentage of the country. The major challenge is to expand the work that we're doing so that the colleges will be able to expand," Bush says. While the 1940s were marked with momentum and vigor for UNCF, the 1950s brought new, tougher challenges. First, there was the need for a capital campaign to fund improvements at the schools, and the organization launched its first in 1951, with Rockefeller donating securities worth $5 million. (By 1957, $14.6 million had been raised.) Even tougher than the need for capital improvement money were the questions raised following the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education Brown v. Board of Education (of Topeka) (1954) U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court ruled unanimously that racial segregation in public schools violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. decision in 1954, which led some to question the need for private black colleges that, essentially, segregated blacks. BECOMING PART OF AMERICAN CULTURE Despite questions and ever changing challenges over the years, UNCF has continued its mission, each year finding new ways to raise money. The timeless slogan it adopted in 1972--"A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste"--institutionalized the importance of educating black Americans. And UNCF's fundraising events, such as the "Lou Rawls Parade of Stars," are known worldwide. The questions that began in the 1950s, challenging the need for black colleges, have never died. But few can argue with the achievements of UNCF and HBCUs generally. Today, HBCUs enroll 17% of all black college students, yet graduate 33% of all black students who receive bachelor's degrees; and 43% of black students who've earned doctorate degrees did their undergraduate work at HBCUs. "Black culture is very, very important in giving a person a sense of past, present and future direction," says Yale professor James Comer, a Howard University graduate who calls HBCUs the "carriers of black culture." "They [HBCUs] give students a sense of belonging. Sometimes it's very hard for a black student to get a sense of belonging at Yale or anyplace else," Comer says. The biggest single argument in favor of attending a UNCF college may be the alumni they've produced--a virtual Who's Who of Black Americans who have changed the world. They include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Leontyne Price, Andrew Young, Maynard Jackson, Hazel O'Leary, Dr. Joycelyn Elders, Douglas Wilder, Nikki Giovanni, and Spike Lee. In addition to enjoying corporate support from America's largest companies and foundations, UNCF continues to get celebrity help. Scholarship funds have been established by Yoko Ono and Spike Lee. Sports legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson annually sponsors a benefit basketball game for UNCF. And money has been raised through proceeds of concerts and record sales, by artists such as Prince, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. FACING NEW CHALLENGES, FORMING NEW DIAMONDS The UNCF seems destined des·tine tr.v. des·tined, des·tin·ing, des·tines 1. To determine beforehand; preordain: a foolish scheme destined to fail; a film destined to become a classic. 2. to continually answer that 1954 and every-year-since-then question of whether black students should be segregated on their own campuses, in an era in which diversity and multicultural values are fighting to take center stage. Gray does not see that question as a threat, but just a cost-of-doing-business issue that seemingly will never go away. He says the justification for HBCUs is no different from the justification for Jewish universities such as Brandeis or Catholic institutions such as Notre Dame or St. Johns. Such questions may always be raised, but there's no debate that total enrollment at UNCF schools have steadily increased since 1986 and costs have remained low. In 1993, the average cost of tuition and fees at UNCF colleges was $4,848, which is considerably less than the fees charged by other private colleges nationally. [CHART OMITTED] At Spelman, enrollment applications increased 92% from 1986-1991. Since then, applications have increased by 11%. Johnnetta Cole, Spelman's president, believes black college students are becoming more discerning in choosing schools that will better serve their interests. "What we give these students is a quality education in an atmosphere that affirms their existence--at half the cost of the private Ivys," says Cole, perhaps UNCF's most visible and well-known college president. "The best justification in the world is that we graduate a proportion of [black] students that is way beyond anything being done by the PWIs [Predominately White Institutions]." Spelman has been recognized as one of the best education buys in the country by both U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report Weekly newsmagazine published in Washington, D.C. U.S. News was founded in 1933 by David Lawrence (1888–1973) to cover important domestic events; he founded World Report in 1945 to treat world news. The two magazines were merged in 1948. and Money magazine. Gray and others at UNCF have determined that, to a large extent, the future success of their schools will hinge upon their ability to preserve what they do well, while connecting into what's happening elsewhere. Recently, UNCF announced an expansion of its student exchange program with Israeli schools and of its National Center for Black-Jewish Relations at Dillard University. UNCF also announced that a delegation of its college presidents would travel to Israel. The organization has a history of taking proactive stances on contemporary issues--in this case, reported deteriorating relations between blacks and Jews--and using them to benefit its institutions. It also has an uncanny ability--dating back to Rockefeller's charitable donations--to get corporate America to support its cause, in a sense convincing them that black minds are terrible things to waste. It is a slight variation of Rev. Jesse Jackson's often used phrase, "We can send them [our children] to Yale, or we can send them to jail"--substituting the names of Philander phi·lan·der intr.v. phi·lan·dered, phi·lan·der·ing, phi·lan·ders 1. To carry on a sexual affair, especially an extramarital affair, with a woman one cannot or does not intend to marry. Used of a man. 2. Smith, Talladega, LeMoyne-Owen and Wilberforce for Yale. In April, Bloomberg Financial Markets donated 83 terminals to UNCF member colleges. The terminals, which are used by stock brokers and financial analysts, will allow UNCF schools to create databases, analyze securities, access job listings and monitor Bloomberg's news wire. "We are committed to enhancing education by providing cutting edge technology that gives students real world experience and prepares them with the skills they need for future employment," Michael Bloomberg, president of the Bloomberg Financial Markets, said in announcing the donation. To make each of its schools more competitive, UNCF has created a database that provides each institution with access to information on funding resources. "That's no different from what the development director at Harvard or Yale already has in his office. And they are the people we're competing with," Gray says, sounding more and more like a preacher focusing on the Scripture. "I think it's great that my son and your son can now go to Duke or Vanderbilt. But we're going to give them a nurturing environment in addition to a good education." UNCF MILESTONES 1943 - 1994 1943 Dr. Frederick D. Patterson Frederick Douglass Patterson (October 10, 1901 - April 26, 1988), born in Washington D.C. and orphaned at the age of two. Patterson would later become president of what is now Tuskegee University (1935-1953) and founder of the United Negro College Fund (1944, UNCF). , president of Tuskegee Institute, urges black colleges to pool their resources and fundraising efforts. 1944 United Negro College Fund is founded. Its first annual campaign raises $765,000. William J. Trent Jr. becomes executive director. 1946 National Alumni Council of UNCF is started. 1948 UNCF establishes area offices with paid staff. 1951 UNCF launches its first capital campaign. John D. Rockefeller Jr. donates $5 million gift. 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, which calls for an end to segregation in education, leads some to question need for UNCF. 1963 UNCF begins its second capital campaign. President John F. Kennedy "John Kennedy" and "JFK" redirect here. For other uses, see John Kennedy (disambiguation) and JFK (disambiguation). John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917–November 22, 1963), was the thirty-fifth President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in donates his Pulitzer Prize money from Profiles in Courage. 1964 Frederick D. Patterson becomes CEO. 1966 Stephen J. Wright becomes CEO. 1969 Harry V. Richardson becomes CEO. 1970 Vernon Jordan becomes CEO. 1972 The slogan "A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste" is adopted. Arthur A. Fletcher becomes CEO. 1973 Christopher F. Edley becomes CEO. 1980 Lou Rawls Parade of Stars is held for first time. 1982 UNCF is admitted to Combined Federal Campaign The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is a program allowing certain charitable organizations to solicit contributions from employees of the Federal Government of the United States. , which allows organizations to receive donations through payroll deductions of federal workers. 1991 William H. Gray III becomes CEO. 1994 50th Anniversary of UNCF THE UNCF FAMILY OF SCHOOLS Barber-Scotia College Concord, N.C. President Asa T. Spaulding Benedict College Columbia, S.C. President David Swinton Bennett College Greensboro, N.C. President Gloria D. R. Scott Bethune-Cookman College Daytona Beach, Fla. President Oswald P. Bronson, Sr. Claflin College Orangeburg, S.C. President Henry Tinsdale Clark Atlanta University Clark Atlanta University (CAU) is a prestigious, private institution of higher education in Atlanta, Georgia. It is an historically black university formed in 1988 by the consolidation of Clark College (est. 1869) and Atlanta University (est. 1865). Atlanta, Ga. President Thomas W. Cole, Jr. Dillard University New Orleans, La. President Samuel DuBois Cook Edward Waters College Edward Waters College is a private college located in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1866 to educate freed slaves and is the oldest historically black college in Florida. The first AME pastor in the state, Rev. William G. Jacksonville, Fla. Interim President Jesse L. Burns Fisk University Nashville, Tenn. President Henry Ponder Florida Memorial College Miami, Fla. President Albert E. Smith Huston-Tillotson College Austin, Texas President Joseph T. McMillan, Jr. Interdenominational Theological Center The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is a consortium of denominational seminaries founded in 1958 through the mutual efforts of four denominations, representing four seminaries, whose mission is to educate Christian leaders for ministry and service in the Church Atlanta, Ga. President James H. Costen Jarvis Christian College This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. Hawkins, Texas President Sebetha Jenkins Johnson C. Smith University Charlotte, N.C. Interim President Dorothy C. Yancy Knoxville College Knoxville, Tenn. Interim President Peyton S. Hutchison Lane College Jackson, Tenn. President Wesley C. McClure Lemoyne-Owen College Memphis, Tenn. President Burnett Joiner join·er n. 1. A carpenter, especially a cabinetmaker. 2. Informal A person given to joining groups, organizations, or causes. Livingstone College Salisbury, N.C. President Bernard W. Franklin Miles College Birmingham, Ala. President Albert J. H. Sloan, II Morehouse College Atlanta, Ga. President Leroy Keith, Jr. Morris Brown College Morris Brown College: see Atlanta Univ. Center. Atlanta, Ga. President Samuel D. Jolley, Jr. Morris College Sumter, S.C. President Luns C. Richardson Oakwood College Huntsville, Ala. President Benjamin F. Reaves Paine College Augusta, Ga. President Julius S. Scott, Jr. Paul Quinn College Paul Quinn College is the oldest African-American liberal arts college in Texas. It was founded in 1872 in Austin, Texas, and was named after William Paul Quinn (1788-1873), the fourth bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The College is affiliated with the AME church. Dallas, Texas President Lee E. Monroe Philander Smith College Philander Smith College is a private, historically black college that is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It is located in Little Rock, Arkansas. The student body averages around 850 attendees, with around 30% of that figure attending part time. Little Rock, Ark. President Myer L. Titus Rust College Holly Springs, Miss. President David L. Beckley Saint Augustine's College Raleigh, N.C. President Prezell R. Robinson Saint Paul's College Several colleges around the world are called Saint Paul's College or St. Paul's College, including:
Shaw University Raleigh, N.C. President Talbert O. Shaw Spelman College Atlanta, Ga. President Johnnetta B. Cole Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole (born October 19, 1936) is an American academic. Cole was the first African American female president of Spelman College from 1987- 1997. She was president of Bennett College from 2002-2007. Stillman College Tuscaloosa, Ala. President Cordell Wynn Talladega College Talladega, Ala. President Joseph B. Johnson Joseph Blaine Johnson (August 29, 1893 - October 25, 1986) was a politician in the U.S. state of Vermont. He was born in Helsingborg, Sweden and became a naturalized U.S. citizen, settling in Springfield, Windsor County, Vermont. Texas College Tyler, Texas President A.C. Mitchell Patton Tougaloo College Tougaloo, Miss. President Adib A. Shakir Tuskegee University Tuskegee, Ala. President Benjamin F. Payton Virginia Union University History By late 1865, the American Civil War was over (which ended slavery in the former Confederate states) and slavery in the United States had officially ended in the Northern and border states as well with the adoption of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Richmond, Va. President S. Dallas Simmons Voorhees College Denmark, S.C. President Leonard E. Dawson Wilberforce University Wilberforce, Ohio President John L. Henderson Wiley College Marshall, Texas President Lamore J. Carter Xavier University New Orleans, La. President Norman C. Francis |
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