We are the presidents of four Alabama historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs)- Miles College in Fairfield in metro Birmingham, Talladega College in Talladega, Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, and Oakwood University in Huntsville. Along with the 33 other private HBCUs that belong to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), we have a track record of enrolling and graduating students from low-income families, the students the nation most needs to get on the path to college and stay there.  HBCUs out-perform non-HBCUs by 14 percentage points when it comes to educating low-income African Americans-and at tuition levels 30 percent lower than at comparable colleges and universities.

 

Collectively, we have graduated over 16,000 students since 1986. Alabama's first African-American federal judge, U.W. Clemon, and Birmingham's five-term mayor Richard Arrington and two-term mayor Bernard Kincaid graduated from Miles College. United States Senate Chaplain Dr. Barry Black and Grammy Award-winning, a cappella group Take 6 graduated from Oakwood University.

 

President Obama pledged to return the United States to world leadership in college graduates-and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has stated that "HBCUs will, and absolutely must, play a critical leadership role in meeting this challenge" of increasing the number of college graduates. The HBCU community is hard at work to meet this challenge.   

 

We are concerned, however, that our ability to build on our record could be imperiled by a plan by the U.S. Department of Education to implement a federal college rating system. Under this new system, factors like a college's graduation rate and the jobs its graduates get after graduation will influence ratings that could also affect student aid availability. Colleges and universities, including ours, should be accountable for the quality of higher education they deliver. Students and families can benefit from getting meaningful information to help them make informed college choices.

 

Nonetheless, the proposed rating system lacks the complexity necessary to adequately evaluate our institutions and would ultimately do more harm than good. It would undermine our ability to give low-income students the education they deserve and that Alabama's economy needs them to have. Indeed, the impact of most college ratings systems has been baleful.  A rating system with the weight of the federal government behind it would almost certainly be worse yet.

 

This plan, while giving the appearance of helping students, would divert attention from what really needs to be done-increasing the student aid that is low-income students' real and greatest need. Pell Grants, for example, the federal government's primary aid program for low-income students, now pay the smallest share of the cost of college in the program's 50-year history.

 

Even if more appropriate rating criteria were substituted, a government rating system would be less than desirable. The history of ratings like those that appear in US News & World Report is not encouraging. Their criteria, like those for the proposed federal rating system, reward the "haves," elite colleges that cater to the needs of well-to-do high achievers, and penalize schools like ours which have dedicated themselves to educating first-generation and lower-income students. In addition, US News-type rating systems incentivize some colleges to change admission standards and student aid policies to increase their rankings, at the expense of students who most need additional support.  

 

Imagine how much more pressure will be exerted by ratings bearing the imprimatur of the federal government, ratings that will not only introduce more complexity and uncertainty into federal student aid programs but also come with the threat of reduced student aid. Imagine the level of regulation that will accrete like barnacles as the government defines the criteria that will lead to higher or lower ratings.

 

It's not too late to stop implementation of the proposed rating system, as suggested by some Congressional legislators. Boost maximum Pell Grant awards and repeal eligibility restrictions so that more low-income students can get financial support. Reduce student loan interest rates and fees, and allow all student loan borrowers to make repayments based on their incomes.

Finally, for maximum return on educational investments, invest in HBCUs. Provide additional federal resources so we can enhance our track record of positive results and grow our capacity to graduate underrepresented students.

 

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