Experts Warn Flawed University Policies Hinder Minority Success in S&T

Roosevelt Johnson, AGEP program director at the NSF

Poor academic advising, inadequate financial aid, flawed admissions policies, and a lack of mentors often lead to a hostile campus culture in which many underrepresented minority social, behavioral, and economic sciences (SBE) graduate students struggle to succeed, according to a study group meeting of university department chairs and faculty leaders hosted by AAAS.

Many of the 40 participants, all from universities participating in the National Science Foundation SBE and Alliances for Graduate Education in the Professorate (AGEP) Program, reported that among the most successful techniques for promoting minority academic participation and success was the formation of strong relationships between students and faculty members and other campus staff.

Vincent Hutchings, University of Michigan

"Universities should encourage relationships that bond, bringing people together that share similar experiences, as well as bridge, bringing people together from different backgrounds," said Douglas Steigerwald, graduate director of economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "We need to expand the pool of [advisor and mentor] backgrounds and remind students and professors that they do not need to look alike to offer quality advising."

For others like Juan Battle, professor of sociology at City University of New York Graduate Center and Hunter College, one-on-one, personal attention is very effective in recruiting competitive minority candidates.

"I was recruited to the University of Michigan by an African-American. That made a big difference," recounted Battle, who is African American.

The two-day event, entitled "Evaluation Capacity Workshop for Department Chairs & Faculty Leaders in SBE," took place on 5-6 October at AAAS in Washington, D.C.

AGEP was established by the U.S. National Science Foundation in 1998 when it awarded eight universities nearly $2.5 million each to significantly increase the number on underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Today, AGEP includes 22 alliances with over 80universities.

Steve Small, UC Berkeley

"When you have a successful model, don't just present its implications. Also show how you did it," Johnson suggested.

While many previous AGEP events focused on increasing minority participation in STEM programs, this meeting invited academic leaders from the social, behavioral, and economic (SBE) fields. Twenty-three institutions are currently involved in AGEP SBE.

As part of the initiative, AAAS and Campbell-Kibler Associates, Inc. were given a three-year research grant to evaluate the effectiveness of AGEP in all science and technology fields and to fund meetings between officials from participating universities.

Specifically, AAAS and Campbell-Kibler were asked to: a) develop a framework for evaluating graduate student recruitment, admissions and selections, and academic support and mentoring; b) periodically collect and analyze multi-year graduate student data; and c) organize evaluation capacity-building meetings for provosts, graduate deans, department chairs, faculty, and staff.

A secondary goal of the AGEP program is to increase the number of minorities entering the professorate, who in turn, may become advisors for the next generation of minority students.

This may prove difficult, said one university official.

"I know of more than one African-American woman, who after three or four years of graduate study, told me nothing would be more painful than to become a professor," the department chair recounted. He added that comments like hers reflect the sometimes hostile culture of some universities towards minorities.

"Some professors are racist or outright hostile - not everyone has good intentions," he remarked.

Echoing a similar point, Vincent Hutchings, chair of the political science department at the University of Michigan, stated that some applicants offered significant financial aid fail to examine campus culture to ensure that they are a good fit.

"Sometimes students, minority and otherwise, are lured by the relatively marginal increases in money and do not take into account the academic fit that a department may provide," he said.

In addition to discussing campus culture, the study group highlighted the importance of a well-designed, standard assessment framework through which universities can evaluate progress and identify areas that need more attention.

Roosevelt Johnson, AGEP program director at the NSF, noted that the overall goal of programs like AGEP is not simply to increase the number of minorities in Ph.D. programs.

"I could get a university to enroll five underrepresented minority students if they offer five fellowships," said Roosevelt Johnson, AGEP program director at NSF. "AGEP is not about that—it's about institutional and departmental change."

Johnson added that it is up to university leaders to individually evaluate their programs to target the specific stage at which their programs are losing minority students.

"Is it an issue with the number of applicants, the number of acceptance offers, the number of students who enroll, or their graduation rate," he asked the participants. "All of these are related, but each would have a slightly different solution."

Johnson added that universities must communicate with each other about successful policies and initiatives.

Yolanda George

"When you have a successful model, don't just present its implications. Also show how you did it," Johnson suggested.

Yolanda George, deputy director of Education and Human Resources at AAAS, stressed that communication between universities serving minorities is essential.

"Leadership meetings with the AGEP SBE chairs and faculty leaders help us to identify and disseminate realistic strategies and practices for broadening participation in the SBE doctorate workforce," George concluded.