CHAPEL HILL - As an N.C. Central University graduate I am disappointed that NCCU offered an unapproved bachelor's degree program through the New L.I.F.E. College at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga. Although some say the program was created to provide high-quality educational opportunities, it was a violation of university and UNC System governance and accreditation policies. The organization that accredits NCCU says these degrees "do not carry the same weight as a regular NCCU ... degree.")

The primary motivation behind this academic sleight of hand was not venal or criminal. Rather it was a response, in part, to growing pressure on public historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to increase outside funding as state support has declined.

Few HBCU leaders possess the skill set to be successful in an increasingly competitive fundraising environment in which HBCUs are pitted against each other and their majority counterparts.

In trying to meet NCCU's fundraising goals, former Chancellor James Ammons apparently cut corners by accommodating the educational agenda of Atlanta Bishop Eddie Long, an NCCU Board of Trustees member (and alumnus), who had established a K-12 complex and was looking to expand his educational empire. Long donated $1.4 million to NCCU -- the largest amount ever given by an alumnus -- in what could be seen as a quid pro quo for his own NCCU branch. Ammons resigned before the news of the Atlanta satellite campus became public.

NORTH CAROLINA'S 11 HBCUs (both public and private) have long been plagued by weak administrative leadership. Sterling exceptions were retired presidents Prezell Robinson and Talbert Shaw, who rescued St. Augustine's University and Shaw University (in Raleigh) from the brink of insolvency during the 1960s and 1970s. Currently, Clarence Newsome of Shaw and newly hired Stanley Battle (N.C. A&T State University), Charlie Nelms (NCCU) and Donald Reaves (Winston-Salem State University) have strong track records in fiscal management and the requisite experience to increase alumni giving.

After taking office in 2006, UNC System President Erskine Bowles evaluated administrative and fiscal management capacity at the system's 16 campuses. Shortly thereafter he facilitated leadership transitions at several institutions, including most of the HBCUs.

Solutions to what can be termed a crisis in HBCU leaders' administrative preparedness should include: (1) a revamping of the chancellor/president selection process, (2) a focus on customer service and (3) a dismantling of an autocratic management structure.

First, the campus-level selection process for leaders is a key stumbling block in HBCU development. The primary criteria, frequently unstated, have been ethnic affinity, whether the applicant has graduated from the HBCU to which s/he is applying (or another one), and administrative experience in an HBCU.

Not one of these criteria necessarily lends itself to acquiring the best candidate. Search committees must seriously consider applicants who have managed large majority campuses (as has the present NCCU chancellor), those in leadership roles at major foundations, those from the financial sector of higher education (as is the case for the recently hired Winston-Salem State University chancellor) and those with experience in business and industry, rather than those from academic and student affairs who now predominate.

Second, HBCU leaders must begin to focus on customer service. HBCU students have long complained about their treatment by faculty and staff. Initiatives to address these concerns have been implemented at Clark Atlanta University and NCCU in an effort to improve campus climate. Resolving this issue will benefit HBCUs in recruiting top-tier students and in future fundraising campaigns as satisfied customers become generous donors.

Third, the administrative structure of most HBCUs remains largely autocratic. The chancellor/president is nearly always the highest-paid campus employee and often presents himself/herself as the most knowledgeable about all functions of the university -- from academic affairs to buildings and grounds. Leaders and their lieutenants tend to run roughshod over administrators and faculty irrespective of their line authority and rank. There is limited opportunity for discussion and adoption of ideas and programs that do not emanate from the top.

HBCUs will be unable to achieve sustainability and growth if they continue hiring leaders who employ unproductive administrative and fiscal strategies. The need to change organizational behavior will become more urgent as the HBCUs prepare students for a 21st century domestic and global economy that is increasing in demographic diversity.

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