New Orleans’ HBCUs Find Hope - Dillard University

By Black College Wire and THE BLACK COLLEGIAN

Dr. Marvalene Hughes, President, Dillard University

TBC: You came to Dillard University during a time of great transition. [United Negro College Fund president] Dr. Michael Lomax had recently resigned from his post, and after years of growth and prosperity, many students, alumni and well-wishers were uncertain about the direction of the university. What was your vision for Dillard prior to assuming the presidency?

Dr. Hughes: I was aware that Dillard had a long and outstanding history – almost 140 years, as a matter of fact – with some outstanding programs and that, through time, Dillard had become better and better with those programs. I was aware of the outstanding student body that Dillard had been able to attract, and the many opportunities they had in nursing, science, education, social sciences, business, and the humanities, and I considered it to be a place that I wanted to offer some additional leadership to raise the bar in those areas, and to determine whether or not it would be appropriate to begin to focus differently in order to keep trend with the times, and enable our students to receive some competitive advantages. Of course, that was all put on the backburner with Katrina and … for the last two years, we have focused on recovery.

TBC: Many promises were made in the direct aftermath of Katrina regarding aid and assistance. How much of that aid has materialized and how much was what some might call “lip service”?

Dr. Hughes: It depends on what level you are addressing. I would say that the church community, for Dillard, has been very, very active, and I have been encouraged by the continuation of the support of the Methodist Church, as well as the Church of Christ. They, in fact, increased that support. I have also been encouraged by individual support. In some instances we received the necessary money to reattract students with incentive scholarships. Foundations have been very generous to the extent that their capacity permitted. We had some challenges, frankly, from the federal government and its support of the universities. We eventually managed to convince the legislature to send $95 million to Louisiana for higher education. And instead of appropriating it for our universities, the money went to the Board of Regents, which then said that it was a part of LSU, SUNO, UNO and Tulane. So the competition became very keen, and the amount of support we expected to receive was not forthcoming. Out of that $95 million, we received about $5 million. The U.S. Secretary of Education, however, did make an effort to make us whole by forgiving us for the financial aid that had been forwarded to Dillard and that students had applied for, but could not use because Katrina hit a week after we finished registration. In addition, Dillard University led the charge by lobbying the legislature and Congress to give us a loan for zero percent interest, so that we could restore and reconstruct ourselves. And that, essentially, will enable us to keep our recovery process in motion.

TBC: Dillard is now back on its main campus after spending nearly a year in the New Orleans Hilton, though structurally the institution is not operating at 100 percent. How has the campus changed?

Dr. Hughes: We have been prioritizing our construction so that it addressed the basic needs to get students back on campus, to repair enough classroom space, to have a dining hall for eating, and some recreational space. But I am going to speculate that we are probably at about 55 or 60 percent of our recon- struction. For example, we reconstructed residence halls first. Secondly, enough classroom space to enable students to study. And we made a decision that we were going to significantly enhance those buildings that had not been enhanced for years.

TBC: In June, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) placed Dillard on “warning” status regarding their accreditation after a history of financial non-compliance — a move called unfair by many given the university’s extenuating circumstances. How is Dillard dealing with this challenge?

Dr. Hughes: The challenge, of course, is one that we inherited. And I want to make that really, really clear. The truth is that I was aware of the management of Dillard even before accepting the position. The second week that I arrived, on July 11th, SACS sent a letter registering its concerns, and that further alerted us to the fact that we needed to unravel the fiscal situation for Dillard. And the other truth is that even before Katrina, I had hired a consultant to come in and evaluate the budget. We know how deep the hole is that was there when I arrived. We are prepared to plug that. We have a plan to return it to its stability, and I promise you and others that when I am finished, there will be no such possibility of anyone alleging that my administration has been negligent in any way with managing the budget. Fiscal integrity is at the top of my list.

TBC: Have programs been altered, cut or eliminated?

Dr. Hughes: No, I chose not to eliminate anything. As a matter of fact, we are strengthening and transforming our programs. It is important that you know that we are investing more in our programs and taking them to a different stage. So we are considering the possibility, for example, of graduate programs and deciding to be very selective about that. We, of course, are focused on removing the warning that came as a result of the historical problems. And SACS knows that it was the historical problems, that we have discovered the extent to which it existed, and that we have planned to address it. So it’s a matter of time before we can move beyond, but we are going to move beyond and SACS fully expects it. This crisis that they expected is over.

TBC: I once heard it said that there are no mistakes, only lessons left to be learned. What did you learn from Katrina?

Dr. Hughes: I learned for myself that even though there is not a book that has been written and not a university in the nation that has had to completely restore itself as Dillard has, that I had to write the book. I had to really determine step-by-step what needed to happen to do that. I had to educate myself and lean on other people. I had to lean on the faculty to perform with the highest level of commitment to excellence. I had to lean on the students to believe in us, and they leaned on me and we leaned on each other through the worst part. What I learned is that a community under adverse circumstances can really come together and transform itself.

TBC: For nearly two years, Dillard University has existed under the shadows of Katrina. Aside from the devastation and destruction left in the storm’s wake, what do you want the nation to know most about the “new” Dillard University?

Dr. Hughes: That the university community is so strong, so bonded, and so determined that it does not plan to yield to any force. There is something spiritual about being a member of the Dillard University family. There is something very spiritual about the old, old oaks that are here, the white, pristine buildings, the spacious green. There is something so spiritual and healing about that that it will be preserved.

Article Continues

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This feature is the third in a series of collaborative projects between THE BLACK COLLEGIAN and Black College Wire featuring student journalists’ coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its after-effects. For additional articles and photos, see the extended feature and archived editions online at http://www.black-collegian. com. Photo of Dillard University campus by Shawn Chollette.