Abstract
The aim of this study is to examine and explore factors that impact the successful growth of student diversity at colleges and universities in the United States of America. Special emphasis is placed on America’s five decade struggle since the 1970s to increase college access and success for underserved youth. The paper reviews select federal policies and collaborative efforts by higher education institutions to diversify the population of college students, toward realizing the potential of untapped talent. In addition, the authors review and examine statistics and trends in graduation rates for undergraduate students from First-Generation (FG), Underrepresented Minority (URM) and/or Low-Income (LI) backgrounds, and highlight programs at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) that have demonstrated improvements in graduating URM undergraduate students. Likewise, the study describes initiatives that have attempted to address the graduation gap in higher education. Readers will have an opportunity to learn about the premier national program promoting diversity and academic achievement. The study closes with a discussion and evidence for continued national interest and attention to building successful academic enrichment, support, and achievement programs for students from diverse backgrounds.
Highlights
With an eye on America’s stagnating economic growth and competitiveness in the global marketplace, postsecondary education enrollment and graduation rates have consistently been a part of the national political and economic dialogue
The purpose of this paper is to review historical trends in access and graduation success for students who identify as Black Indegenous and People of Color (BIPOC), those who are first in their families to graduate from college and/or from low income families
We have narrowed the scope of institution type to Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) and did not examine cohorts of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI), nor Tribal Colleges which have better graduation success with students who identify as Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)
Summary
With an eye on America’s stagnating economic growth and competitiveness in the global marketplace, postsecondary education enrollment and graduation rates have consistently been a part of the national political and economic dialogue. The Spring 2020 Term Enrollment report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reports consecutive declines in projections for post secondary enrollments from 2016 through 2020. Historical barriers for students from First-Generation (FG) and/or Underrepresented Minority (URM) backgrounds persist and are evident in enrollment, and graduation rates at U.S higher education institutions. The authors recognize that Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) are not a monolith, and represent a diversity of the socio-economic backgrounds. A. Griffin’s (2020) identifies six barriers to access and success that are common for some students of color:
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