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Best black colleges: Spelman scores big financial, academic and "Sisterhood" gains - Special Section On Historically Black Colleges And Universities
SISTERHOOD. That's the popular sentiment of those who pass through the gates of Spelman College. Whether they are students, faculty, staff, trustees or alumnae, the common thread weaving these lives together is a bond as old as time--it is a family of Sisters. And they are fiery in their commitment to continuing the tradition of excellence that has marked the school since its beginning.
"Many of us involved with Spelman are passionate about that college," says Dr. June Gary Hopps, chair of the board of trustees and a Spelman alumna. "It is a commitment, a lifelong journey."
Set on 34 acres dotted with historic and thoroughly modern buildings just west of downtown Atlanta, Spelman College rises as an academic and cultural oasis amidst an urban landscape. As the oldest historically Black college for women in the United States, the college has experienced phenomenal growth since missionaries Sophia B. Packard and Harriet E. Giles taught those first classes to 11 students in the basement of Friendship Baptist Church in 1881.
With more than 2,000 enrolled students, a new president, two impressive new buildings and plans in place for more renovation of some of the most historic buildings on campus, Spelman is poised for even more expansion in this first decade of the 21st century.
The college's endowment is the richest of all Black colleges, and has grown roughly 86 percent since 1995, from about $123.4 million to $229 million last year. That's second only to Howard University, which has an endowment of $324 million, but is a university and receives federal aid. Because of the relatively small student body, Spelman's endowment is worth approximately $114,500 per student, which by far outdistances all other Black institutions.
The next richest Black colleges after Spelman are Hampton University and Morehouse College, which had endowments of $175 million and $101 million, respectively, according to the latest report of the Chronicle of Higher Education.
This is a spectacular achievement in view of the fact that many Black colleges are facing life-threatening economic problems, including dwindling endowments. How did Spelman do it? Spelman officials and other analysts point first to spectacular gifts, including the $20 million gift from Bill and Camille Hanks Cosby, and a number of large and less-publicized gifts from corporate sources. The college has also been increasingly successful, according to senior officials, in persuading alumnae to make relatively large contributions. No less important in all of this, administrators say, is wise management by college financial officers.
Robert (Danny) Flanigan Jr., vice president of business and financial affairs and treasurer at Spelman, says the college succeeded because of its diversified investment portfolio and calculated risks. Spelman has a reputation for balanced budgets as a result of a "pay-as-you-go" philosophy of financial management. The college has also ridden the wave of success in the stock market in recent years. While last year's tech-driven stock market decline hit many institutions in the negative column, Spelman was still able to improve by 4 percent.
"Are we satisfied? Absolutely not," says Flanigan.
That's the prevailing opinion for many college officials. They do not plan to rest on their laurels. There's definitely more work to do, says Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, recently named Spelman's ninth president.
"Spelman College is operating from a position of strength--in that it has a history of balanced budgets," says Dr. Tatum, who moved into Reynolds Cottage, the president's official residence, in July. "I think the treasurer, the past president and the board of trustees have done an excellent job in stewarding the college's resources. It's not a college in crisis, by any means. But it's very clear that there are ambitions that Spelman College has and that I have for Spelman that will require more resources."
Those resources will undoubtedly help Spelman become more competitive on the global stage, as it seeks to compete not only with other historically Black colleges and universities, but also traditionally White institutions with strong liberal arts traditions such as Mount Holyoke, Smith and Wellesley.
"One of the realities that Spelman is coming to terms with is that it is an excellent institution that is no longer competing primarily with other HBCUs for its students," says Dr. Tatum, who had been acting president and had a long career at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. "It's competing with historically White colleges that are able to offer things in terms of scholarships, campus amenities, specialized programs, that Spelman does not have. Those institutions have more money."
Campus officials say that former presidents Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole and Dr. Audrey Forbes Manley established a sound infrastructure and long-range plan. Under Dr. Cole's leadership, the campus saw the construction of the Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D. Academic Center in 1996, a multimillion-dollar project made possible by a $20 million donation from Bill and Camille Hanks Cosby, the largest gift from an individual to any historically African-American college.
And just last year, work was completed on the $34 million Albro-Falconer-Manley Science Center, a 116,000-square-foot labor of love for Dr. Manley, a scientist who placed great emphasis on that field during her five-year tenure. "This building really sets the tone for Spelman for the next century," says Dr. Manley on her last day as president. "The world is science. Spelman women really deserve the best that Spelman can offer."
With that film foundation in place, the administration's goals have shifted to the academic arena. Administrators and trustees plan to launch a new capital campaign, with money geared toward improving faculty salaries (the yearly mean for lecturers up to professors is $51,964) and providing more scholarships and financial aid to students.
And for the woman who finds herself a student at Spelman College, walking across the oval signifying the emotional and historic center of campus, the journey begins with desire. Talk to any incoming freshman and you get a sense that she came to Spelman for more than an education. Several spent their summer on campus in the college's science program so that they can get a jump on the science curriculum. What they find here has been described as "mystical," even "unexplainable" and those who've been on campus for two decades can hardly define it. What these young women do know is why they chose to become a Spelmanite. And the competition is fierce.
Applications are on the rise, and only about half who apply are offered admission. The average SAT composite score for entering freshmen is far above the national average and ranks among the top for HBCUs in the country. In 1998, Spelman was awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious honor society. Spelman is one of just four HBCUs with that distinction.
"I needed to know that I'm not the only one," says Ingrid Chiles of Greenville, S.C., of her decision to attend Spelman. "That there are other African-American women out there like me who are ambitious and are trying to uplift their people."
They are drawn by Spelman's academic reputation, its rich tradition of preparing women for leadership and service, and even the city itself. They have high expectations of themselves and their experience. And that experience is well-rounded and diverse. Spelman does not operate in a vacuum, and the college is fast gaining a reputation as an international center. Students represent not only 45 states, but also 19 foreign countries. And they have 26 fields as well as special pre-law and pre-medicine sequences from which to choose a major.
"I wanted to come to Spelman because I wanted to be in an area where there was a large density of positive, professional African-American people," says Jacqueline Drakeford, a freshman from Washington, D.C. Her goal for her first school year? "Making a 4.0. Definitely."
And those charged with guiding these students through their four years on campus are equally committed to excellence. More than 83 percent of full-time faculty members hold Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees and the student-faculty ratio is an astounding 14:1. Spelman's 156 faculty members are there because they want to be there. After the Civil Rights Movement, Spelman faced the dilemma that many other HBCUs faced. Some of the finest instructors and professors were lured away by traditionally White institutions. Those who stayed and those who came later have been witness to an explosion of growth, particularly in the science field. And many of those with daughters say their children want to attend the college.
Dr. Albert N. Thompson Jr., who has been a chemistry professor at Spelman since 1981, says the number of chemistry faculty has tripled since he started, from four to 12. And word has gotten out that Spelman is not only a liberal arts college, but also a place for scientific research. Roughly 34 percent of the students at Spelman are science majors. And Spelman ranks second in the production of students who attend medical school.
"I think there's a reputation, now," says Dr. Thompson. "Not only that Spelman's a good place to major in science, but also that there's a good support system here."
Dr. Kevin Johnson, who joined the music faculty at Spelman three years ago, says it was the desire to teach at an historically Black college that brought him to Spelman. Johnson explains the college's strengths by paying perhaps the highest compliment.
"I have a daughter who's attending Spelman in the fall," says Johnson, who directs the Spelman College Glee Club. "My wife Celeste and I decided that she [Danielle] needed to come to Spelman because it does a very good job of instilling a sense of purpose and self-esteem ... Here at Spelman, all of the ladies are encouraged; all of them have wonderful role models in the professors here--from the president on down. And they really do leave Spelman with a high sense of what they can become."
And the list of what they can become is endless. There's a long list of distinguished women who have walked across the oval at Spelman: Marion Wright Edelman, Ambassador Ruth Davis, Tina McElroy Ansa, Pearl Cleage, LaTanya Richardson, Alice Walker and many others.
Dr. Mona Phillips, a sociology/anthropology professor who has been on campus since 1985, says there's a "special energy" that happens in the classroom and on the campus that she can't really get anywhere else. "I wanted to be in a place where I was doing more than just imparting knowledge," says Dr. Phillips. "There's an incredible amount of energy. It's inspiring."
COPYRIGHT 2002 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group
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