Two addresses presented at a conference of top administrators of traditionally black colleges are presented. In "The Clarion Call: Imperatives for the Pursuit of Excellence," Robert J. Albright discusses urgent issues in the survival and strengthening of historically black institutions. The paper begins by examining the significance of the Brown vs. Board of Education case in the early transformation of black colleges and proceeds to outline some of the most significant conditions likely in higher education during the period 1987-2000. Suggestions are made for meeting these challenges through innovative strategies, academic policies (freshman studies, institutional assessment, senior thesis, honors programs, joint degree programs, and weeding out the academic program), faculty development (especially computer literacy, writing and speaking across the curriculum, and teacher training institutes), faculty incentives (grants, advanced degree opportunities, distinguished chairs, and excellence awards), and the president's role in institutional improvement. "Recent Developments at Fisk University," by George Neely, Jr., outlines the severe financial constraints facing the institution in 1984 when the new president arrived, and the strategies used to keep the university afloat, including staff reduction, operating cost reduction, and austerity measures imposed while keeping student needs a high priority. (MSE)