Any school as old as Howard has produced "trailblazers," but in Howard's case, they're strongly in entertainment and politics, which are personality cults. They're a numbers game. Relatively few in cream rising to the top areas of the sciences or business or even academia (from their own wiki).
As for "underfunded," it's a private school. They have relied heavily on the "HBCU" designation for corporate welfare as opposed to earned revenue. They attract a bright student because of their historical designation, then underserve them on the Administrative side. With proper leadership they wouldn't be referred to as a "Black Ivy." They'd be referred to as an "Ivy."
Over half a billion endowment to serve an enrollment of only 10,000. That's not "underfunded."
Over $40,000 per year to attend Howard. On average, for a family making poverty - $50,000 the net cost after schollies is $23,000. But if you make over $110,000 your net cost is only $17,000.
Howard and HBCUs in general were created to SERVE the disenfranchised. ?
The graft and mismanagement on the money side is public, similar to what almost doomed Central St but on a bigger scale. They have underachieved and rely more on their name than on performance.
Granted it was chartered to educate freed slaves so of course it would have a social engineering bend, hence the large number of politically active alum, As most know their law school led the push to destroy separate but equal in the courts. As for the proliferation of so many outstanding entertainers, i don't know they are just cool like that. The wiki page probably didn’t do their Business and Science alum justice more so out of the fact that politicians and entertainers are easier to name and are more likely to be famous.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Howard_University_people
That being said HU has had a decent impact in other fields also
Over the last decade Howard University was the number one producer of Black Grads that went on to get STEM PH.D.s
Forty percent of the black dentists in this country are produced by two schools—Howard and Meharry.
Howard has probably produced more African American women surgeons than any other institution in this country.
First Black Woman Doctor to receive a patent for a medical invention (pioneer in Cataract surgery) Patricia Bath
First Black admitted to Johns Hopkins
2018 number 1 undergrad school in sending Black Applicants to Medical School
First Black to graduate Harvard Business school
Ed Welburn at one time the highest-ranking African-American in the global automobile industry
https://www.theverge.com/2016/4/7/11383754/gm-ed-welburn-global-design-retirement-michael-simcoe
Or Eddie Brown the Oracle of Apopka one of Wall Streets greatest untold stories
https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoin...streets-greatest-untold-stories/#3ccf87ae60c0
Not too long ago they were the number one producer African American Generals in the United States Military.
I see you mentioned Central State, do you have a problem with Wilberforce also, I happen to be closely related to a couple of graduates of that school also, as I tell folks if there was no Wilberforce there would be no me.
As for funding when James Cheek took over as president he conducted a study comparing Howard to 11 Historically White College Universities (HWCU) with similar characteristics including having a teaching hospital and Howard was dead last in funding in every category even Federal funding even though Howard was created by Federal Charter and was the only one of the 12 schools actually authorized to receive federal funding.
https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/james-cheek-39
Of course funding at Howard isn’t the only HBCU to suffer this fate
https://diverseeducation.com/article/73463/
Funding at HBCUs Continues to be Separate and Unequal
As for cost
The smallest Ivy league endowment is at least 6 times as large as Howard’s. Case Western here in Cleveland has an endowment 2 times as large and cost almost $30,000 more a year. Housing at Howard will cost you about the same amount as it would at Akron U, even though the Dorms in DC are next door to homes with property values 7 or 8 times that of the homes near Akron U dorms.
