. >> grambling's president frank pogue said the curtain was pulled back on hbcus. >> the hurdles we have faced are more public now but there has always been hurdles. i don't know of a single hbcu that was ever funded at the very beginning, or even now we are not equally funded now. so we have always had to make something out of nothing. >> according to a recent ford foundation study, 9 hbcus have had their accreditation threatened since 1979. while a handful of hbcu presidents have resigned this year alone. left amid a down graded credit rating and a drop in enrollment. >> i definitely think howard its position as one of the top if not the very top hbcu, has a ripple effect on every single hbcu. what howard does so does other hbcus. it is important that we do what we're able to do serve the underserved an the underrepresented. >> educating blacks who are prohibited by law from attending all white institutions. until the mid 1960s, hbcus were the only college options for most blacks. today they remain steeped in legacy and tradition. although the 105 hbcus represent less than 5% of the co