Journalism at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Governance and Accreditation

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are facing challenges to their continued existence on several fronts. One is fiscally, as federal funding for education has been cut and the responsibility for paying for higher education has been levied on students and parents. Another challenge is the amount of endowment dollars available to them and lastly, there are questions today as to if HBCUs are still needed in a society that has allowed African-Americans to attend Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). The third are the challenges placed on institutions, as a whole, and specific departments, in attaining and maintain accreditation. Finally, how are administrators handling these challenges during the pandemic and their own health and well-being?

This book explores journalism accreditation at HBCUs and is informed by many years of research into how journalism units have acquired and lost accreditation. The book also examines Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and how they are navigating accreditation and financial challenges. The book will be of interest to faculty, students, scholars and administrators of journalism studies.

Dr. Jerry Crawford II is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Multicultural Program in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas. He teaches graduate and undergraduate classes consisting of mass media theory, ethics, multimedia reporting, and special topics. Dr. Crawford has published over 20 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapter, and conference proceedings (combined) and has presented his work at over a dozen conferences - receiving paper awards. He is the immediate past chair of the Professional Freedom & Responsibility (PF&R) Committee for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and served on the association’s Board of Directors. He has won several teaching awards at the University of Kansas, including Mortar Board Award (2018). His research interest is the governance and accreditation of units/departments/schools of journalism, primarily those located at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Dr. Crawford’s research is informed by a wealth of experiences - having attended, studied, visited, and conducted research at over 70 HBCUs. He has over 25 years of professional media experience in management.