HBCUs rank high among schools contributing to public good

The seventh annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge is slated for Sunday at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

This year’s matchup features Bethune-Cookman of the MEAC against Prairie View A&M of the SWAC. The game will be televised on ESPN at noon.

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On Saturday, three former NFL Pro Bowl players – long-time Detroit Lion Robert Porcher III (South Carolina State) and NFL Hall of Famers Ken Houston (Prairie View A&M) and Larry Little (Bethune-Cookman) – will lead a group of five honorees at the Legends Reception. Also being honored are Vice Admiral David Brewer III (Prairie View A&M) and poet-educator Nikki Giovanni (Fisk University).

Each will receive an HBCU Trailblazer Award in recognition of his or her lifetime achievements.

ESPN sportscaster Jay Harris will host the event.

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Historically black colleges and universities made a strong showing in the 2011 Washington Monthly College Rankings, which were released Tuesday.

“Unlike U.S. News and World Report and similar guides, this one asks not what colleges can do for you, but what colleges are doing for the country,” the magazine states. “Are they educating low-income students, or just catering to the affluent?”

Here are some of the findings:

Jackson State University, at No. 9, was the only HBCU ranked among the nation’s top 10 colleges and universities.

Among liberal arts schools, Morehouse College was ranked No. 2 (down from No. 1 last year). Spelman College was ranked No. 4, up from No. 8 last year.

Tuskegee University was ranked as the nation’s No. 1 baccalaureate college. Elizabeth City State University was ranked No. 5, and Claflin University in Orangeburg, S.C. was ranked No. 10.

SC State University was ranks among the top 10 schools for enrolling the most cadets in its ROTC program, which was established in 1947 and has produced 15 generals.

Washington Monthly, a bimonthly publication covering politics, government, culture and the media, rates schools based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: Social Mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), Research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and Ph.D.s), and Service (encouraging students to give something back to their country).

CLICK HERE to see the latest rankings.

By Qcity Staff
http://www.qcitymetro.com/news/articles/orlando_prepares_for_the_meacswac_challenge0518524.cfm