Virginia State College (VSU) is making historical past as soon as once more—this time within the classroom. The college has formally launched a brand-new course titled “The HBCU Household,” turning into the primary establishment within the nation to supply an HBCU Research course housed in a Household & Client Sciences division.
Supplied below the course code FACS 425, the category explores the distinctive ways in which traditionally Black faculties and universities perform as prolonged households. From legacy enrollment and campus traditions to see assist programs and generational affect, the course takes a deeper look into how HBCUs form the cultural and emotional lives of Black college students and households.
“This new educational providing displays our dedication to being a preeminent HBCU,” stated Dr. Jada Brooks, the interim chair of the Division of Household and Client Sciences, who may also lead the course.
This isn’t the primary time VSU has damaged floor on this house. Again in 2020, Dr. Cheryl Mango launched HIST 349: HBCU Historical past, acknowledged as the primary official interdisciplinary HBCU Research course within the nation. Now, with the addition of The HBCU Household, VSU is increasing the lens—this time from a household programs and cultural perspective.
Why This Course Issues
HBCUs aren’t simply establishments—they’re household. From the second college students step on campus, they’re coming into a legacy that spans generations. This course goes past statistics and historical past to look at the lived expertise of HBCU life—how establishments nurture, shield, and uplift their college students like household would.
College students enrolled within the course will interact with subjects akin to:
Multigenerational HBCU attendance
Campus rituals and traditions
Assist programs inside HBCU communities
How HBCUs affect Black household construction and values
It’s a tutorial deep dive into the emotional and cultural ties that make these establishments so highly effective.
A Nationwide Instance
The course may also assist the work of VSU’s Nationwide HBCU Research Knowledge Assortment and Analysis Middle, which focuses on preserving and elevating scholarship round Black faculties. With each HIST 349 and FACS 425 in its catalog, Virginia State is positioning itself as a nationwide chief in formal HBCU Research—bridging disciplines like historical past, sociology, and now, household sciences.
The Greater Image
Virginia State’s new course isn’t nearly checking bins—it’s about shifting narratives and reclaiming educational house. As HBCUs proceed to achieve nationwide consideration, it’s essential that the individuals who dwell, work, and graduate from these establishments are additionally writing the books, educating the programs, and framing the analysis.
And VSU is ensuring that occurs.
The course launches in Fall 2025, and enrollment is now open to college students desirous about exploring the deeper which means behind HBCU tradition and neighborhood.
Backside Line
Virginia State College is proving as soon as once more that HBCUs don’t simply make historical past—they train it. With the launch of The HBCU Household, the college isn’t simply increasing its curriculum—it’s increasing the best way we examine, perceive, and honor Black instructional areas.
For extra tales on how HBCUs are pushing the tradition and the classroom ahead, go to our
