Two years after Hurricane Katrina, faculty ranks at New Orleans' historically Black colleges remain noticeably shallower than before the floods. The languishing numbers mirror a decline in student enrollment. Xavier University of Louisiana's student head count, for instance, has lingered at about 73 percent of the pre-Katrina enrollment, a…

America's few Black classics professors have overcome contempt and criticism to contribute a unique perspective to the study of the ancient world. Dr. Patrice Rankine, an associate professor from Purdue University, has grown used to the irony. As one of the few Black classicists teaching at an American university, he has drawn plenty of skepticism…