Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday!

Seventy-five years ago this fall, two smart, academically prepared African-American freshmen, George Horne and Elmer Bell, enrolled, walked onto our campus, and forced the university to face its 80-year history of segregation. Given that the first integration of Black students into public schools had taken place over 110 years earlier when Caroline Van Vronker enrolled in Lowell High School in Massachusetts in 1843, our university had to examine its default participation in a segregated Missouri education system. The admission of George Horne and Elmer Bell in 1950 caused a reset and commenced our transition from segregation to desegregation and on our way to integration.

You see, Missouri’s 1875 State Constitution had stated that “Separate free public schools shall be established for the education of children of African descent.” The result? Establishments of, well, “separate free” universities such as Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. At the same time, the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment had stated that “… no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” The question then was, did “separate free” accommodations violate the "equal" of the 14th Amendment? Not according to the 1896 doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson, which was subsequently overturned by Brown v. Board of Education.

Here at S&T, then named Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, and more broadly at the University of Missouri System, the concept of “separate but equal” was challenged by students like Lloyd Gaines and Lucile Bluford who argued that their program of interest did not exist in the “separate but equal” institutions within the state of Missouri. They helped pave the way for others, including George Horne and Elmer Bell Jr.

Interestingly, in a poll of our students in March of 1950, 78% of students favored desegregation. In fact, one headline read, “… two negro students are enrolled at MSM.” “… they are living in the new dormitory and eat in the same cafeteria. No difficulties of any kind have been experienced.” This example highlights that people have always been ahead of institutions. S&T had become desegregated. But was it integrated? Here is how a contemporary sociologist, Preston Valien, assessed the situation: “If integration is defined as the participation of Negro and white students in extra-curricular and school related activities, as well as classroom activities, it becomes apparent that we are dealing largely with desegregation and not integration.”

In the time span of 13 years, from 1950 to 1963, the number of Black students enrolled at S&T (MSM) grew from two in 1950, to 10 in 1963, for a total of 23 students. Many of the Black students were involved in extracurricular activities, student organizations, religious groups and clubs. Our campus historian, Professor Larry Gragg, has tried to answer the question of “were our African American students successful in our early years?” One proposed measure is how many successfully completed the university’s rigorous curricula in the 1950s and ‘60s? How many of our Black students graduated in the context of a graduation rate of 50% of all students at the time? The answer? 14 of the 23 students graduated and pursued productive careers, which was significantly higher than the general student population's graduation rate. So, is success a good metric of integration? Were the Black students and other minorities integrated during the early years of desegregation or merely desegregated? Are the minorities in our universities integrated today? Good question, I think. Regardless, what are the metrics other than graduation success? 

According to Oxford Bibliographies, “Desegregation is achieved through court order or voluntary means. ‘Integration’ refers to a social process in which members of different racial and ethnic groups experience fair and equal treatment within a desegregated environment.” In other words, “integration requires further action beyond desegregation.”

Clearly, as a university, we have come a long way from the darker days of discrimination and imposition of limitations. Recognizing how far we have come, and what we have yet to achieve, will fuel our aspirations to become the truly integrated and welcoming university that we all desire.

Warmly,

-Mo.
 
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Mohammad Dehghani, PhD
Chancellor
mo@mst.edu | 573-341-4116

206 Parker Hall, 300 West 13th Street, Rolla, MO 65409-0910
chancellor.mst.edu