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When the University System of Georgia in November announced plans to merge Albany State University and nearby Darton State College, officials said that the combined institution would preserve Albany State's mission as a historically black institution.
But when a new mission statement was released last week, it contained no mention of the historically black mission. And the lack of that mention led several hundred students -- many of them dressed in black -- to protest at Albany State, The Albany Herald reported. Curtis Fluker, a senior, said, "It’s not 1965 anymore; it’s time to live in color. We really don’t care who comes to school here as long as we can protect the school’s legacy. This is not about the name of the school, but the new mission statement. Nothing is given to you at an HBCU, you have to earn it."
The HBCU Roundtable, which advocates for historically black colleges, posted the photo at right.
Art Dunning, president of Albany State, said more documents on the consolidation plan would provide places to include the historically black university mission.
Officials of the university system did not respond to an email from Inside Higher Ed asking why the historically black mission was not included in last week's document.
