The Smithian

...contretemps over Jay-Z’s rap about his Cuba trip might be a useful entry point to address Rand Paul’s curiosity as to why...African-Americans do not vote for Republicans. The Drudge Report and the Republican National Committee have taken a deep interest in the matter, out of what is either a strange belief in the literal truth of rap lyrics or a persistent habit of linking President Obama to hip-hop culture in a way that might alienate mainstream white Americans. Paul’s speech [at historically black Howard University] omitted his party’s long and continuing use of black culture as a political wedge.

Howard University is concluding the broadest academic review in its 143-year history, hoping to shed weak programs and bolster strong ones to compete in the increasingly fierce contest for America's top black scholars.

The tough choices at Howard reflect changing times for the nation's 105 historically black colleges and universities. Black colleges once held a monopoly on black students.

Today, HBCUs compete with everyone else for the college-bound African American...Critics "make the arguments that without Howard, their disciplines would not be as diverse. To a large extent, that's true, " said Alvin Thornton, a renowned Howard scholar who led the academic review under Ribeau. "The question is, can Howard continue to be the source of that diversity across such a broad list of disciplines?"

As millions of college students make their way back to class, so too is ABC News' student project: ABC News on Campus. For its third year, the program has added Howard University to the growing list of college news bureaus ... ABC News on Campus is a partnership with top journalism schools designed to educate and mentor talented college students. In its first year, five schools—ASU, Syracuse, the University of Florida, UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Texas—took part. "We are thrilled to be partnering with Howard University to help shape the next generation of young journalists," said John Green, executive producer of Special Programming and Development at ABC News. "Howard University has a great tradition and dedication to journalism education, and we are excited to welcome its students into the ABC News on Campus program."