In today’s Pope Center piece, Jay Schalin writes about the troubles facing Shaw University and St. Augustine’s College. Both are struggling. Shaw would probably have already folded but for a federal loan engineered by former Rep. Bobby Etheridge. Perhaps the two schools could survive if they merged, Schalin argues.
Look at the disturbingly low average SAT scores at the schools: a combined math and English 765 at Shaw and 835 at St. Augs. Those are very low scores, and half of the students are below them, meaning that many students desperately need remedial work. Even with remediation, it’s doubtful that many are capable of anything in the vicinity of college-level work. Among those students who graduate, what are their employment prospects?