The Impact of Shifting Funding Levels on The Institutional Effectiveness of Historically Black Colleges and Universities

While there exists extensive research on the historical development of Historically
Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States, there is limited research
focused on the current development of HBCUs in terms of institutional effectiveness and
strategic planning. This gap in the research is particularly relevant in the midst of shifts
in state funding that have occurred over the past decade. This research study is designed
to move further towards filling this research gap by determinations through the
examination of: (1) the interplay of fiscal issues and institutional effectiveness in relation
to the historic mission, strategic efforts, and state mandates within the context of HBCUs;
(2) the perceived institutional effectiveness of HBCUs by key internal and external
stakeholders; and (3) the alignment of HBCU mission statements with mandated metrics
of institutional effectiveness. Using a qualitative research design, an exploratory multisite
case study was employed across two institutions. Nine key HBCU stakeholders such as the Presidents and the Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Financial
Affairs, and Alumni Affairs were interviewed to gain their perspectives on institutional
effectiveness in relationship to shifting funding, heightened accountability, planned
strategies to address these issues, and how these issues directly impact institutional
effectiveness at HBCUs. Interviewee perspectives of shifts in funding were examined
using a researcher-developed conceptual framework. In addition to conducting
interviews, the researcher engaged in document review of relevant university documents,
as well as a review of funding patterns of state allocations retrieved from the Integrated
Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Data from the three sources were
triangulated and a two-layered coding strategy was used for further analysis. Findings
from this data analysis were then used to address the five research questions presented in
this study. The findings revealed that fluctuating shifts in state allocated funding has
created a complex environment for HBCUs. Key HBCU administrators held similar
perspectives, that in the midst of such a complex environment, emergent institutional
response strategies have been put into place to maintain HBCU institutional effectiveness
within the context of the historic HBCU mission.