Subject: HBCUs - good reminder for us
From: "Ann O'Leary" <[email-masked]>
To: John Podesta <[email-masked]>, Maya Harris <[email-masked]>, LaDavia Drane <[email-masked]>, Karen Finney <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2015 11:28:34 -0700

O'Malley went to SC to do an HBCU event.  We need to get there and do one
bigger and better - but FYI:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/next-america/education/what-happened-when-omalley-pitched-his-debt-free-college-plan-hbcus

What Happened When O’Malley Pitched His Debt-Free College Plan to HBCUs?

The presidential candidate said the schools have played an important role
in higher education.

College affordability has already become a key talking point
<http://www.nationaljournal.com/next-america/education/jeb-bush-claims-education-record-while-governor-20150803>
for
presidential candidates looking to reel in elusive young voters and
their families.

Martin O’Malley, the Democrat who knew Hillary Clinton would emerge as
his party’s front-runner early but probably didn’t expect Bernie Sanders
to develop such a following, is looking to set himself apart from the
rest of the field.

While most of the candidates have made general overtures
<http://www.nationaljournal.com/next-america/education/how-would-your-favorite-presidential-candidate-vote-on-free-college-20150709>to
would-be college-goers about the need to rein in college costs, the
former Maryland governor has published a fairly detailed proposal to
help people attend public universities debt-free in the next five years,

The plan <https://martinomalley.com/policy/make-college-debt-free/> involves
tying student-loan repayments to borrowers’ income, slashing
tuition, expanding Pell grants, incentivizing colleges to help
students graduate on time, and promoting online and other
nontraditional learning models.

It’s a smart move on O’Malley’s part, since much of the conversation
around making college affordable centers on how to expand access to
populations who have traditionally been left out—students of color
among them.

On Tuesday, O’Malley headed to South Carolina to pitch the idea to
historically black colleges and universities, known as HBCUs.

Touting his record as governor, O’Malley has sought to paint himself
as a candidate who recognizes the importance of HBCUs. While
tuition growth in Maryland during his tenure was low compared to
other states and he increased funding to HBCUs, the state has faced
criticism for historically underfunding
<http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/10/10/230986039/judge-says-maryland-promoted-separate-but-equal-colleges>
the
schools.

“[W]e must be mindful of their role, especially given the fact that
greater numbers of those who traditionally attend historically
black colleges and universities are the first in their family to go to
college,” he said after a lunch with HBCU leaders that included
representatives from schools like Benedict College and Allen
University.

“They face greater economic burdens and come from families of more
humble means. So in our plan we were very mindful of that, and as we
continue to refine it, I think it important that we always link the
cause of our community college to the cause and mission of our
historically black colleges and universities.”

The meeting was closed to press. Phone calls and emails to six of the
state’s HBCUs requesting comment from people who attended the
meeting were not immediately returned, but a spokeswoman from Allen
University said she heard it went well and that O’Malley “answered their
questions.”

It’s a smart move on O’Malley’s part, since much of the conversation
around making college affordable centers on how to expand access to
populations who have traditionally been left out—students of color
among them.

While HBCUs have for decades provided a haven for black scholars,
they’ve struggled in recent years to maintain enrollment as other
universities have opened their doors, and to operate in the face of
cuts to aid and revenue (HBCU students take out loans at higher rates
than college students in general).
ADVERTISEMENT

The schools and their students could use an infusion of hope, and
O’Malley would like to provide it.

He’d also like them to believe his debt-free college plan is more
feasible long-term than Sanders’ free college proposal, which O’Malley
has panned <http://time.com/3950251/martin-omalley-bernie-sanders-college/> as
merely a tuition voucher. In a Democratic field of candidates who
have all called for a higher-education overhaul, the more support
O’Malley can garner early on, the better his chances of staying in the
race. Reaching out to often-overlooked HBCUs is a smart place to start.

-- 
Ann O'Leary
Senior Policy Advisor
Hillary for America
Cell: 510-717-5518