In Maryland, apparently it means that a historically black institution should not have to face any competition that might cause students to decide to choose other educational options.
Inside Higher Ed has the story. The Maryland higher ed commission has approved a new MBA program at Towson State and the University of Baltimore, but the Maryland Senate has passed a bill that would force the termination of the new Towson/Baltimore school, even though it is already attracting more applicants than the existing MBA program at Morgan State. Rather than compete on the merits, Morgan State officials have gotten their friends in the legislature’s black caucus to kill off the competition. Political skulduggery always requires a smokescreen and in this case it’s that allowing the new MBA program to continue “would violate the letter and spirit of desegregation.” Allowing students to choose has nothing whatsoever to do with “desegregation,” but political smokescreens usually don’t have even the slightest plausibility when you stop to think about them.
I count this as Reason #7823 why politics and education should be kept separate.
