MICHEL MARTIN, BYLINE: Remember, a mind is a terrible thing to waste? That's the iconic ad campaign from the 1970s for the United Negro College Fund, an organization of private historically Black colleges and universities. Michael Lomax didn't come up with that phrase. But he's worked to make it a reality for the last 22 years as president and CEO of UNCF, which has helped hundreds of thousands of students access higher education at institutions across the country. The UNCF announced he will retire at the end of the coming academic year, so I thought this would be a good time to ask him about this exciting and tumultuous time for HBCUs. Enrollment and donations are up at many institutions, but the Trump administration is putting intense pressure on programs that serve minority students.
MICHAEL LOMAX: These institutions have tremendous economic impact. They move people from the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder to the middle, to the top rungs. That's good for America. That's the kind of work that we do.
MARTIN: He says UNCF has made that case for HBCUs to lawmakers of both parties.
LOMAX: When we had Democrats in the White House and when we've had Republicans in the White House. We've tried to tell a story at UNCF that HBCUs are nonpartisan and that they're really American institutions which benefit our nation writ large.
MARTIN: President Trump in his first term met with presidents of HBCUs, you know, early. I mean, it was controversial because the meeting was set shortly after that demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, where these neo-Nazis were, you know, marching through the streets. And there were some calls to cancel the meeting. You did go to the meeting. What was that like?
LOMAX: (Laughter) It was a little different from other meetings I've had in the Oval Office over, you know, the 50 years I've been in education. President Trump was very engaging. His team members, some of whom remain with him, were somewhat curious, and it was a bit of a free-for-all (laughter). You know, not quite as structured as meetings have been with him since then. I'll just tell you that every time I've been in the Oval Office, I've been treated with respect. There's been clear understanding of why I am there, what it is we're trying to achieve in behalf of the institutions we represent. And we've had a good ear and a lot of support, frankly.
MARTIN: Has the second Trump administration been as engaged with the HBCUs as it was in the first?
LOMAX: Well, it does so differently. I mean, he's got people who know more about the sector than they did in the first term. We have met regularly with the secretary of education. We meet regularly with members of the president's team. And they know what our priorities are, and they've been responsive.
MARTIN: What are your priorities?
LOMAX: Well, our priorities are strong federal funding in several categories. One of them is block grants that go to the institutions. And so all I can do is say that we've made the case to the president. He's heard what we have to say. He has provided support. Because of the increase in the number of people who want to attend these institutions, we've got to build more infrastructure.
MARTIN: Why do you think it is, though, that so many of the HBCUs have seen this surge in applications? There are those who argue that it's in part because some of these historically or predominantly white institutions are now viewed as hostile in ways that they were not previously - have not been viewed in recent years. You think that's true, too?
LOMAX: I would say that the tolerance for being in - you know, accepted but not brought into the community fully is not as great for this new generation as it was in my generation. I was taught to conform, to meet the expectations when I went from Morehouse to Columbia to Emory. This new generation of students says, meet me where I am, embrace me where I am and make me a part of the community. And I think that's a challenge to a lot of institutions. It's quite different. So I don't think they're more egregiously discriminatory, but I don't think they are the same kind of nurturing and embracing environment that many students want and that they find at HBCUs.
MARTIN: Speaking of challenges, as you and I are speaking now, it's been in the news - this issue around Howard University. Approximately 500 students...
LOMAX: Yeah.
MARTIN: ...Who had been enrolled were informed very recently that they have been unenrolled because they didn't meet certain payment requirements...
LOMAX: Yeah.
MARTIN: ...To enroll. Some of these parents and students argue that the HBCUs have a higher obligation to work with students, particularly first-generation students, than other institutions do.
LOMAX: Yeah.
MARTIN: In the spirit of fairness, I mean, the institution says - I mean, Howard says it has worked with many of these students and that about half of the students who were previously unenrolled will now be reenrolled so that they've resolved their...
LOMAX: Yeah.
MARTIN: ...Issue. But what do you make of that?
LOMAX: Well, let me just say - I'm going to speak now, Michel, as a Howard dad and a Howard granddad. And my granddaughter just graduated last spring. So I can tell you that Howard University communicates with families and students. The reality is that Howard, just like everybody else, has to pay their bills, and the people who attend the institution have to pay theirs.
The truth is getting students to be able to pay because they are good students and they meet all of the academic requirements - they've got to meet the financial ones. And it's much harder to meet those financial ones because the federal government doesn't have, I think, a really good loan policy for students who will need financial support. I don't like students to get into deep debt, but if they can't make their family payments, they've got to have a way of borrowing effectively. And Howard and all these institutions - they can't operate without their revenues.
MARTIN: So what made this the right time for you to step away from this job?
LOMAX: (Laughter) I will turn - I turned 79 this year. When I step away, I will turn 80 that year. Can I please have some time off?
(LAUGHTER)
LOMAX: But I'm going to go work somewhere else. I hope - hint, hint, hint - to be able to go back to where I started this, at Morehouse College.
MARTIN: Teaching?
LOMAX: Teaching.
MARTIN: Oh.
LOMAX: And I want to do what I think old people should be asked to do - share their wisdom, their experiences, and prepare the next generation.
MARTIN: That is Michael Lomax. He is the president and CEO of UNCF. Mr. Lomax, thank you so much for joining us, and congratulations on your tenure.
LOMAX: Thank you, Michel.
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