Whether the Mississippi Legislature will vote to merge colleges and universities based on recommendations from Gov. Haley Barbour appears on its way to being defeated - at least for now.

Although I did not attend a histocally black college or university - HBCU - many of my family members and friends did, and possibly would not have received college degrees if they had not.

These institutions are defined in the Higher Education Act of 1965 as "...any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary (of Education) to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation."

Since 1980, these institutions have been recognized by the White Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities to have a significant role in the education spectrum - "... to overcome the effects of discriminatory treatment and to strengthen and expand the capacity of historically black colleges and universities to provide quality education."

The original executive order issued by President Jimmy Carter has been renewed by each administration that followed: President Ronald Reagan in 1981; President George Bush in 1989; President Bill Clinton in 1993 and President George W. Bush in 2002.

Although African Americans and other minorities were given access to education at any U.S. institution of higher learning by the 1965 law, many times the HBCUs were the most affordable and best choice for disadvantaged students.

Through the United Negro College Fund - UNCF - which supports 39 HBCUs, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation established Gates Millennium Scholars to expand access to higher education for African Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asian Pacific Americans and Hispanic Americans.

"The Bill amp& Melinda Gates Foundation established this initiative to encourage and support students in completing college and in continuing on to earn masters and doctoral degrees in disciplines where ethnic and racial groups are currently underrepresented," the UNCF Web site says. "The Gates Millennium Scholars awards will enable thousands of young Americans to attend undergraduate and graduate institutions of their choice and be prepared to assume important roles as leaders in their professions and in their communities."

In addition to the three state-supported HBCUs which the governor recommended for merger - Alcorn State University, Mississippi Valley State University and Jackson State University - there are two private four-year HBCUs in Mississippi - Rust College in Holly Springs and Tougaloo College in Tougaloo.

On this Martin Luther King holiday weekend Rust College hosted its 16th National African American Student Leadership Conference, drawing to the campus several hundred student leaders of all races from more than a dozen states. There they heard presentations and participated in workshops to prepare themselves in the manner the Gates Foundation funding envisioned.

Many of the nation's noted African American leaders - including the Rev. Martin Luther King - were products of HBCUs.

On those campuses there are many more opportunities for African American students to assume leadership roles and obtain broader training for the types of responsibilities that await them beyond the college campus, both in the world of work and in their communities.

Lena Mitchell is the reporter for the Daily Journal Corinth Bureau. Contact her at 287-9822 or lena.mitchell@djournal.com.