Correspondence: Natalie T.J. Tindall, Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Oklahoma, 395 W. Lindsey, Room 3021, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA. E-mail: ntindall@ou.edu

¹has obtained her PhD and is an assistant professor of public relations and strategic communication at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She has research interests in diversity in media, identity and power, risk and health communication, activism, and fundraising/philanthropy. She is an active member of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the National Communication Association, the National Black Public Relations Society and the Public Relations Society of America.

Received 14 December 2008; Revised 14 December 2008.

Abstract

The former president of Morehouse College, Dr Benjamin E. Mays, once said, 'Higher education for Blacks has always been in a precarious position. These institutions were founded on short grass financially, and they live today on short grass.' Today, many public and private historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have found success in fundraising endeavors, with the schools taking advantage of the opportunities extended to them. Although these colleges are not on the same long, financial grass as are other institutions with larger endowments, larger advancement staff and larger alumni pools, the advancement offices and top fundraisers at public HBCUs are striding toward greater fiduciary goals and heights. This paper examines the experiences of 27 institutional advancement officers at public HBCUs. The practitioners interviewed believed that they were in the dominant coalition that guided the university's decisions. However, practitioners were constrained or limited in their roles by the lack of financial or personnel support for their function. The fundraisers enacted the expert prescriber, problem-solving facilitator and technician roles described by Kelly (1998).