The Consent Decree as a Tool for Desegregation in Higher Education

This chapter examines the governance, faculty development programs, cooperative efforts of proximate institutions, enhancement of predominantly black institutions and monitoring and reporting. It discusses the relative successes of efforts to implement the decree in the above-mentioned five areas of analysis and also discusses the efficacy of the consent decree as a mechanism for policy implementation and for bringing about major transformations in black higher education. The chapter also examines the 1981 Consent Decree as part of a "purposive course of action." In addition to providing the opportunity for faculty members at the predominantly black institutions to pursue the terminal degree, the Consent Decree called for the enhancement of both programs and facilities of these institutions. The policy directly affects the life chances of hundreds of thousands of blacks who look to historically black state institutions for educational opportunities. The Consent Decree and addendum provided numerous elements of change to the policies of higher education in Louisiana.