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Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Any athletic benefit from merging black, white colleges?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A state lawmaker in Georgia wants the State University System to consider merging a pair of historically black universities with nearby white-majority schools to save money. (See story)
The schools under consideration for merger would be Savannah State University and white-majority Armstrong State in Savannah and Albany State University and white-majority Darton College in Albany. The only other historically black college in the State University System - Fort Valley - isn’t under consideration and schools such as Morehouse and Clark Atlanta are private institutions and not under the State University System umbrella.
To say that this is a sensitive subject would be an understatement. My colleague Laura Diamond has a blog focusing on the academic and historical side of this subject and you can read some of the passionate responses on her blog by clicking here.
From an athletic standpoint, would there be any benefit to merging the schools? Neither Armstrong nor Darton field football teams, so the impact on the gridiron would be minimal at best.
And what about other HBCUs? Has there ever been any discussion about merging with nearby white-majority institutions for cost-cutting or athletic-enhancing reasons? How would a discussion merging Tennessee State and Middle Tennessee play out? What about Jackson State and Millsaps? Delaware State and Delaware?
Personally, as a former Savannah State Tiger, I believe the institution has its place in history and should remain untouched. Unfortunately, it’s not my decision to make.
So, what are you thoughts on the subject? Would there be any potential athletic gain from merging historically black and white-majority schools that are close in proximity to each other?
Editor’s Note: To continue this conversation, join Leo Willingham’s most recent blog by clicking here. Also, for more news and notes on Black College football, click here and visit the AJC’s HBCU football page.
