Black students in California offered CSU, UC alternatives at HBCU virtual college fair
President and CEO Dr. Alan Rowe and his wife, Donna, founded the U-CAN foundation in 1988 when looking to enroll their son in a four-year college or university. They realized the limited resources and programs for Black students and started a foundation that would shape scholars in Sacramento – and California – for the next 40 years.
The HBCU college fair has now expanded throughout the entire state of California.
The United College Action Network (U-CAN) is hosting its 21st Annual Historically Black College and University (HBCU) College Fair online, in accordance with public health regulations.
U-CAN’s goal is to give California’s Black student population the opportunity to attend a four-year university. What started with just five students admitted in 1989 has grown to thousands of students accepted to various HBCUs across the country with their on-the-spot admission annual college fair.
The fair began on Wednesday and will end on Saturday. Registration is free and available every day of the virtual fair online at ucangotocollege.org.
The webinars will be recorded and available online at ucangotocollege.org until Dec. 31.
An alternative to CSU and UC
“Realizing that everybody wasn’t going to go to a UC or a CSU, we started a program on a dream and a vision that every student should have an opportunity to go to a four-year college and university,” said Dr. Rowe of his purpose for finding U-CAN.
Upon graduation from high school, many black students in California don’t have the same opportunity or option to attend a four-year university. Only 35% of Black high school graduates are eligible to attend school in the University of California or California State University secondary education system.
According to a 2019 report, only 4% of CSU’s average enrollment were Black students, with Sacramento State barely above that average at approximately 6%. UC Davis is slightly higher at 4% while the average for the UC system is at 2% for Black student enrollment.
These disproportionate enrollment percentages at UCs and CSUs offset those of HBCUs.
Historically Black College and Universities enroll 10% of the country’s black students, and the graduation rate is 40%.
A college fair for all
“We started developing more programs in our local high schools for kids that were interested in going to HBCUs or at least wanted us to help them with a post-secondary (education) plan,” said U-CAN Deputy Director Barbara Evans.
U-CAN recommends anyone who anticipates attending an HBCU or four-year university to register. Students of all ages and grade levels, including GED and community college students, are encouraged to attend. Registration is completely free and available every day of the virtual fair online at ucangotocollege.org.
Participants have the opportunity to speak with representatives from over 40 HBCUs throughout the country, including historic universities like Clark-Atlanta, Howard, Florida A&M, Fisk University, Morehouse, Spelman, and Texas Southern University.
Many of these HBCUs have educated leading and notable Black professionals. Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris graduated from Howard University, the late-Congressman John Lewis graduated from Fisk University, and Rapper 2 Chainz graduated from Alabama State University.
Students and parents will be able to speak with representatives from different colleges, attend virtual tours, and complete and submit admission credentials for evaluation. In some cases students can also apply and receive on the spot scholarships.
U-CAN will host two more fairs in February and May 2021.
The U-CAN HBCU college fair is aimed at African-American students, but welcomes any student regardless of race, religion, creed, color, background, or place of origin.
“We see that the Howard Universities, the Spelman’s, the Clark-Atlantas, the Gramblings, the Tuskeegee, the Texas Southern’s, the Delaware States – all of these universities and colleges had something in common and that was to educate the total person. Not just their minds, but their morals, their values, and their spirits,” said Dr. Rowe.
For further information or registration details, you can visit ucangotocollege.org or call U-CAN at (916) 396-2832.
(This article was edited and updated after published)
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 12:59 PM with the headline "Black students in California offered CSU, UC alternatives at HBCU virtual college fair."
