Alvin J. Schexnider

In this book, retired university president Alvin J. Schexnider shares the lived experiences that shaped his career and the challenges presented by race. About half of his career was spent at white universities. He details how he navigated those challenges in spite of longstanding policies and practices. He examines how certain events of his youth shaped his views on race including segregation, the execution of a Black man in his hometown, lynching in the South, and the pervasive opposition and violence spawned by the civil rights movement. The second half of his career was spent at historically Black universities (HBCUs) where, as a product of one, he felt a sense of commitment. Schexnider provides a unique lens through which his career evolved from the early days of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity (AA/EEO) to the current era of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The book spotlights the continuing role of race in the recruitment, promotion and retention of Black faculty, the challenges to DEI, and its ability to effect change. It contrasts affirmative action and diversity and argues that diversity is more likely to benefit other ethnic groups rather than Blacks based on current trends in higher education. The book concludes with a chapter on the future of HBCUs, a sector of higher education that is currently receiving unprecedented attention but is likely fleeting. This chapter acknowledges the challenges and opportunities HBCUs face and it offers strategies to put them on a sustainable path to secure their future.

Saving Black Colleges makes clear the challenges, opportunities, and prospects for change historically black colleges and universities now face. Schexnider, the former chancellor of Winston-Salem State University, details what he could and could not accomplish, examines how these issues affect other HBCUs, and outlines a practical way forward.Alvin J. Schexnider is the president of Schexnider & Associates, LLC. He previously served as the president of Thomas Nelson Community College and as the executive vice president and interim president of Norfolk State University.

Saving Black Colleges makes clear the challenges, opportunities, and prospects for change historically black colleges and universities now face. Schexnider, the former chancellor of Winston-Salem State University, details what he could and could not accomplish, examines how these issues affect other HBCUs, and outlines a practical way forward.Alvin J. Schexnider is the president of Schexnider & Associates, LLC. He previously served as the president of Thomas Nelson Community College and as the executive vice president and interim president of Norfolk State University.

For much of the nation's history, the participation of blacks in the armed forces was ap­proximately in line with their proportion in the total population. This changed during the 1970s: by 1980 one of every three Army Gls and one of every five marines were black. The reaction has been mixed.Many Americans look with approval on the growth of black participation in military service, since it often affords young blacks educational, social, and financial opportuni­ties that constitute a bridge to a better life not otherwise available to them. But for other Americans, the opportunities are outweighed by the disproportionate imposition of the burden of defense on a segment of the population that has not enjoyed a fair share of the benefits that society confers. From this perspective, the likelihood that blacks would suffer at least a third-and perhaps a half-of the combat fatalities in the initial stages of conflict is considered immoral, unethical, or otherwise contrary to the pre­cepts of democratic institutions.Some also worry that military forces with such a high fraction of blacks entail risks to U.S. national security. A socially unrepresentative force, it is argued, may lack the cohe­sion considered vital to combat effectiveness. Others fear that such a force would be unreliable if it were deployed in situations that would test the allegiance of its minority members. And some have even expressed concern that a large proportion of blacks may raise questions about the status of U.S fighting forces, as judged by the American pub­lic, the nation's allies, and its adversaries.The authors of this book examine evidence on both sides of the issue in an effort to bring objective scrutiny to bear on questions that for many years have been loaded with emotion and subjective reaction. They also discuss the implications for the military's ra­cial composition of demographic, economic, and technological trends and the possible effects of returning to some form of conscription.