Advancing a Framework for STEM Caring Intelligence for Academic Administrative Leadership to Broaden Participation: Perspectives of HBCU Provosts

Abstract

Concerns over student retention and development within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) higher education present a need for research that examines educational caring in STEM leadership. This work purports that senior academic administrative leadership's positional influence and caring intelligence are necessary to cultivate and sustain caring STEM environments. Building on cross-disciplinary scholarship on academic caring, the STEM Caring Intelligence Framework for Academic Administrative Leadership is proposed as five interrelated dimensions of caring intelligence: STEM caring, academic caring, administrative caring, leadership caring, and champion-driven caring. The proposed conceptual framework and a thematic analysis were used to examine caring intelligence within the interview transcripts of seven provosts at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), who were identified as STEM supportive. Atlas TI software was used for management of the data, coding, and assistance with thematic analysis. Extending previous scholarship tested with HBCU deans, the findings substantiate the relevance of the framework for understanding characteristics of STEM caring intelligence of provosts serving as chief academic officers. All seven provosts’ reflections on STEM leadership promoted at least one of the five dimensions of caring intelligence that were proposed in the framework. STEM caring and champion-driven caring were found to be the most common dimensions present in the provosts’ reflections on their STEM leadership and efforts to broaden participation. Thus, the reflections of the participating HBCU provosts provided a narrative for the practice and study of caring in STEM leadership. Implications for future research are discussed.