Leaders of historically Black colleges and universities are grappling with a challenge others in higher education don’t fully share: how to reopen their campuses to a population that has proven especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

Several HBCUs are planning for some in-person classes this fall; others are opting for online-only instruction. And that has its own challenges. Black students who lack sufficient access to resources for online learning could drop out or fall deeper into debt by transferring to a more expensive university closer to home. 

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, El Paso Community College in Texas was already shifting from being primarily an academic transfer institution to expanding more of its career and technical education (CTE) programs because of a local demand for those skills among employers.

It's not alone. More two-year colleges are ramping up their CTE programs to help dislocated and unemployed individuals find good-paying jobs during the current economic climate.