N.C. Schools Earn Praise Of Blacks

N.C. Agricultural & Technical University placed ninth, the highest among N.C. universities.

Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, UNC-Chapel, and Duke University bunched together at 18th, 19th and 20th, respectively; N.C. Central University followed at 31st.

The top nine schools in the ranking are all historically black colleges and universities.

The top non-HBCU on the list was 10th-ranked Stanford University, which has only a 5 percent black population.

The ranking were compiled from survey responses of 506 African-American professionals employed by the 987 universities studied, including college presidents, faculty members and admissions administrators.

The actual rating was calculated based on the average academic rating from the survey, the average social rating, the percentage of black undergraduates, the percentage of black undergraduates at the university and the percentage of black graduates.

The HBCU's scores were adjusted to compensate for their high percentages of black students.

J.B. Milliken, UNC-system vice president for public affairs, said the placement of three UNC-system universities in the top 50 of the rankings demonstrates that UNC-system schools welcome minority students.

Milliken said the ranking of the institutions can be attributed to an emphasis on gauging and meeting the needs of students on every campus.

"There is a strong emphasis on each campus on student satisfaction," Milliken said.

Jerome Lucido, UNC-CH director of undergraduate admissions, said this is not the first time UNC-CH has placed highly in this type of survey.

In November, the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education ranked UNC-CH in the annual U.S. News & World Report's top 25 for percentage of black students.

He added that the most important aspect of the survey was not the university's ranking but the fact that it welcomes the black community.

"It is not important where you are ranked but simply the fact that you are ranked," Lucido said.

He said UNC-CH has this type of environment because of strong minority student organizations, respected minority faculty members and a general atmosphere of acceptance.

"One of the unique things about Carolina and the history of Carolina is the climate," Lucido said. "It is one of civility and one of respect for individualism."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.