Book excerpt: Born out of extreme racism and shepherded through the centuries by enduring hope, the nation's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have educated countless African Americans. These institutions, which boast great diversity, are treasures that illuminate the talent and potential of African Americans. This volume provides an overview of the salient issues facing HBCUs as well as the many contributions that these historic institutions make to our country as a whole. Topics include Historic Origins of HBCUs Desegregation Students Presidental Leadership Faculty and Governance Issues Fundraising Federal and State Policy Curriculum Thoughts about the future With suggestions for additional reading, other references and an appendix of historically black colleges and universities by, this is a comprehensive and much-needed addition to the literature in the field on HBCUs. This is the fifth issue the 35th volume of the Jossey-Bass series ASHE Higher Education Report. Each monograph in the series is the definitive analysis of a tough higher education problem, based on thorough research of pertinent literature and institutional experiences. Topics are identified by a national survey. Noted practitioners and scholars are then commissioned to write the reports, with experts providing critical reviews of each manuscript before publication.