Black colleges reaching out to locals

Erica Johnson

Monday, Nov. 25, 2002 | 11:18 a.m.

When Melanie Phelan attended a luncheon Saturday honoring Johnetta B. Cole, the president of a historically black women's college in Greensboro, N.C., she realized she'd been missing out on a world of information.

Phelen, a senior at Silverado High School, had heard about the luncheon through her debutant social group, but she'd never heard of the college.

"I'd never heard of Bennett College before today," she said. "Most of my friends don't talk about going to black schools. If they do, they talk about going to bigger schools like Howard University."

Phelan, who recently applied to the University of Nevada, Reno and Pepperdine University, said while colleges visit her school to recruit students, no historically black colleges have ever come.

It's up to local school officials to tell students that historically black colleges are an option, she said.

"We need counselors here in Las Vegas to talk about these schools," Phelan said. "What I have heard, I've heard from my community, not through my school. If schools spread the word, I think more students would go."

Reaching out to local students like Phelan who are unaware of historically black colleges and universities such as Bennett College was one reason the new president made the trip to Las Vegas, Cole said.

The luncheon, sponsored by the Las Vegas chapter of Bennett's alumni association, was held at the Golden Nugget. Tickets were $50 per person.

The fund-raising effort came in light of recent financial struggles plaguing many historically black institutions, most of which are located in the South.

Morris Brown College in Atlanta, for instance, last month announced that the school could close its doors due to financial instability and debt.

With about 486 students enrolled this semester and a marked drop in enrollment during the past few years, Bennett College is facing its own financial challenges, Cole said.

Many of the school's buildings, which were built in the 1920s, desperately need remodeling, she said. The school also needs money to finance resources for the school's science program and recruit new students.

Councilman Lawrence Weekly attended the Las Vegas fund-raiser, along with members of the Urban Chamber of Commerce, local high school students and members of several other local African American organizations.

Cole said the luncheon was held to raise money for Bennett College while increasing awareness about the significance of historically black schools.

"We live in a country that is still plagued by racism and sexism," she said. "To be in an environment that is as free of those two things as you can possibly imagine is magical. It can be a life-changing experience."

The planned recruitment efforts are needed, particularly on the West Coast where there are no historically black colleges, said Marion Bell, a Las Vegan and national president of Bennett's alumni association.

Only two Las Vegans are currently enrolled at Bennett, she said.

Bell said she hopes social events such as the luncheon will encourage local students to apply to black universities.

"There needs to be more enlightenment here in Las Vegas where black schools are concerned," she said. "Our goal is to recruit more students to see Bennett flourish and sustain itself. These colleges are so needed."

Each high school in the Clark County School District has a career college center, in which students can get information on colleges nationwide, said Jane Kadoich, director of the Clark County School District's guidance program.

The district doesn't sponsor college campus tours, she said.

But it does target minority students applying to college through its Culturally Diverse Scholarship and Financial Aid workshops, Kadoich said.

The next workshop for black high school juniors will be held Feb. 11 at the West Las Vegas Library from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The district on Nov. 4-6 held its annual college fair at Cashman Field in which about 6,000 sophomores, juniors and seniors attended.

The fair usually has a booth for historically black colleges, Kadoich said, but there was no booth this year.

"The school district makes it a point to invite all schools to the college fair," she said. "It depends on the individual school's budget whether they can attend or not."

Cole, who began her tenure in July, said Bennett College officials and alumni will next semester be making an effort to contact students through similar recruiting events.

She will also launch a national campaign in January in which she will ask foundations, corporations and wealthy individuals for donations to the school.

As president of the historically black, all women's Spelman College in Atlanta from 1987 to 1997, Cole raised more than $113.8 million for the school.

Christine Pendleton, a junior at Bennett from Columbus, Ga., who attended the luncheon, said she'd like to see more students from the area enroll.

"I knew I wanted to go to a black college," she said. "It's helped me grow and develop in so many ways. But it seems like no one really knows about black schools on the West Coast."

While Bennett's population is nearly 100 percent African American, the school welcomes students of all backgrounds, Cole said.

"The reason we don't have a more diverse student body is not because we're turning them down, but because people haven't discovered what a great deal we are," she said. "And I believe that will change in the next few years."

Bennett's tuition is $14,000 per year. The school is currently accepting applications for the spring semester.

But misconceptions about the quality of education offered at historically black institutions also keep some students from applying, Cole said.

"The biggest misconception is that these schools are second rate or second class," she said. "That's nonsense. What is different is that the professors are genuinely engaged in their students. They genuinely care about their students and they challenge their students to reach upward."

Cole said historically black colleges and universities help students build the self-confidence students need to face the realities of life after college.

"I would never deny the benefit of going to Harvard or Yale," she said. "But being fully in touch with yourself is another matter. I believe that being fully in touch with yourself is what guarantees success."