Importance of Understanding Minority-Serving Institutional Designations and Associated Abbreviations in Contemporary US Higher Education

Abstract

Prefixes and suffixes in pharmacy might suggest a drug class, generation, or mechanism of action. As pharmacy educators, we also use an alphabet soup of acronyms and abbreviations to describe board certifications or professional organizations and our affiliation to them. Although we may be experts in nomenclature and abbreviations related to health professions education, sometimes, we also have to remind ourselves to be humble and embrace a learning mindset relative to the abbreviations and naming conventions used more broadly in higher education and in other fields. This article discusses the use of abbreviations in minority-serving institutions as well as the financial, historical, and political implications surrounding their names and definitions. The need to appreciate institutional designations and what they represent is not unique to minority-serving institutions or solely the responsibility of personnel who lead diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts. Appreciating what institution designations mean is a logical first step toward discovering and acting upon the possibilities to facilitate and support the success of all learners recruited into the pharmacy profession.