Undergraduate Research Opportunities in an Applied Economics Program: Expanding Pathways for Economics Majors (and Beyond) at Land-Grant HBCUs

Reviewed by: Black Men in College: Implications for HBCUs and Beyond ed. by Robert T. Palmer and J. Luke Wood Royel M. Johnson (bio) Robert T. Palmer and J. Luke Wood, eds., Black Men in College: Implications for HBCUs and Beyond. New York, NY: Routledge, 2012. xi + 212 pp. ISBN 9780415893848 paper. Undoubtedly, the current state of education for Black men in the United States is dismal. Unfortunately, this is not a new phenomenon. History provides a salient reminder of society's inability to provide equitable opportunities and resources for the advancement of Black men. The underachievement, lack of inclusion, and backward progression of Black men within American society, particularly in educational settings, is a trend that demands immediate attention. The challenges of reversing these negative circumstances, however, are daunting. It at once requires reconceptualization of the plight of the individual (Black Man), while transforming the broad, yet piercing issues that have impeded them—social, political, economical, psychological, and educational issues that are deep-rooted in the fabric of American culture. Though society champions a rhetoric of concern and a desire to advance the status of all people, including Black men, these very same practices and policies are framed in ideologies of oppression, prejudice, and marginalization. This dilemma has positioned Black males in the lower echelons of society, creating perhaps a lower set of expectations for them across a number of arenas. Accordingly, the longstanding marginalization of Black men has great consequences on their educational attainment. This is most visible in the representation of Black men in college. Much of the failure to enroll, educate, and retain Black men in college can be attributed to the treatment of them as a homogenous group. Over the last 20 years, educational research focusing on the experiences of Black men in college has evolved, acknowledging various subpopulations within the community of Black male collegians. Disaggregating data concerning this population has been particularly important in highlighting the ways in which Black men differ in their perceptions, performance, and interests, thereby dispelling myths of monolithic experiences. Still, there is relatively little empirical research that examines Black [End Page 111] males across multiple institution types. For example, there is a paucity of research on Black male students attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), despite the instrumental role that HBCUs play in producing almost 20% of Black undergraduate degrees, while only making up 3% of the institutions of higher education in this country. Black Men in College: Implications for HBCUs and Beyond, edited by Robert T. Palmer and J. Luke Wood, seeks to fill this gap in the literature, providing important information about how to effectively support and retain Black male undergraduates at HBCUs. Not only does this edited collection shine light on the important role HBCUs play in educating Black male college students, but it also acknowledges the abundant diversity within the Black male population, within these institutions, and the need for further exploration of these areas. In their contribution, the editors of the book provide a comprehensive examination of data regarding Black males attending HBCUs. Using extant literature, they identify the gaps, arguing for more intentional investigations of the within-group differences of Black males at HBCUs. Much of the present research on this population, they argue, "treats this subgroup as monolithic, assuming homogeneity of their experiences, challenges, and supports" (p. 11). Chapters 2 and 3 look at the experiences of two distinct subgroups at HBCUs, high achievers and gay Black men. In chapter 2, Marybeth Gasman and Dorsey Spencer provide insight on the experiences of Black men at HBCUs who have been able to effectively navigate their experiences in college, ultimately achieving high levels of success. They argue that "too often, Black men at HBCUs are seen as underperforming and underprepared for higher education.... However there are many Black men who are eager to pursue all avenues of support in college" (p. 24). They additionally conclude with recommendations for practice and research, urging HBCUs to play a more intentional role in providing spaces for faculty interaction as well as undergraduate research. More specifically, there is a need for a large scale, longitudinal study of Black students at HBCUs and Black men in particular...

Historically Black colleges and universities, (HBCUs) have been educating African Americans and other students of color for over 100 years (Brown, Donahoo, & Bertrand, 2001). Unlike other institutions, HBCUs were founded on and continue to be united by the distinct mission of positioning, preparing, and empowering African American students to succeed in what many perceive to be a hostile society (Brown, Donahoo, & Bertrand, 2001, p. 559). In comparison to predominantly White institutions (PWIs), past research suggests that HBCUs have been the primary higher education institutions for African Americans (Allen, Epps, & Haniff, 1991; Garibaldi, 1984). Stated differently, Roebuck and Murty (1993) found that HBCUs were the undergraduate institution to 75% of all African Americans with earned doctorates, 80% of all African American federal judges, and 85% of all African American medical doctors. Based on this trend, it can be assumed that HBCUs educate African American counselors at a higher rate than PWIs. Therefore, if HBCU counselor education programs are not accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), the largest counseling accrediting agency, what are the reasons?According to CACREP (2009), at the time of the larger study, there were 25 HBCU counselor education programs without CACREP accreditation and five that were accredited by CACREP. These five were North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, North Carolina Central University, Jackson State University, South Carolina State University, and Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College (CACREP, 2009). These institutions of higher learning are public and state-supported and are among the largest HBCUs in the country.The establishment of CACREP was preceded by more than two decades of extensive preparation of standards development and adoption including Standards for the Preparation of Secondary School Counselors in 1967, Standards for the Preparation of Elementary School Counselors in 1968, and Guidelines for Graduate Programs in Student Personnel Work in Higher Education also in 1968 (Sweeney, 1992). Leaders of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) were responsible for beginning the discussion on the importance of establishing standards for the preparation of counselors and counselor educators and since 1981, CACREP has accredited graduate-level counseling programs in more than 200 colleges and universities (CACREP, 2008).Bobby and Kandor (1992) surveyed counselor education professionals to determine if a particular set of standards was a hindrance to seeking and achieving CACREP accreditation. The two researchers found that the cost of the accreditation process, a fear of decreased enrollment, and a belief that the standards were too prescriptive were common perceptions among the participants (Bobby & Kandor, 1992). Holcomb-McCoy, Bryan, and Rayhill (2002) studied professional school counselors to determine to what extent they rate the CACREP school counseling standards as important to their actual work as school counselors. The participants rated each of the standards to be nearly equally important, except for the knowledge and skill requirements as they relate to program development, implementation, and evaluation. The findings imply that survey participants did not perceive this standard to be as important to their work as professional school counselors (Holcomb-McCoy, Bryan, & Rayhill, 2002).McGlothin and Davis (2004) studied mental health and professional school counselors, as well as counselor educators on the perceived benefit of the 2001 CACREP core curriculum standards. Their findings coincided with the findings of earlier studies that analyzed the benefit of the CACREP core curriculum (Bobby & Kandor, 1992; Cecil & Comas, 1986; Vacc, 1992). The overall 2001 CACREP core curriculum standards that were perceived to be most beneficial were human growth and development and helping relationships. …

INTRODUCTION This Article is a result of the authors' participation in the Association of American Law School's Crosscutting Program (The More Things Change ... : Exploring Solutions to Persisting Discrimination in Legal Academia) at the Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., in January 2015. Th[e] Program dr[ew] from empirical data, legal research, litigation strategy, and personal experience to both further conversations about the persistence of discrimination in the legal academy and activate strategies for addressing ongoing structural and individual barriers. Intersectional bias compounds many of these challenges, which range from the discriminatory actions of colleagues and students, to the marginalization of particular subject areas in the curriculum, to structural hierarchies in the profession [at HBCUs generally, and more specifically at HBCU law schools]. (1) Surely one of the most striking features [also observed by the authors] of human dynamics is the alacrity with which those who have been oppressed will oppress whomever they can once the opportunity presents itself. (2) This Article examines several major issues that persist for Black female faculty generally, but more specifically at HBCUs. Nevertheless, examples have been extracted from a cross-section of female faculty members who have encountered similar instances of discrimination or discriminatory practices against female colleagues. After the Introduction, Part I offers an overview of the history/evolutions of HBCUs. Part II analyzes analogous systems, which operate similarly to and influence historically black colleges and universities. Part III develops the concept of women pretexting authority (WPA). Part IV discusses legitimate processes and mechanisms to address infractions at HBCUs after female faculty complain. Part V proposes recommendations to address the persisting problem, until a conclusion is finally reached in Part VI based on the arguments set forth in the analysis. I. History and Evolution of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Law Schools Founded in the 1800s, the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities--HBCUs--have the mission of providing access to higher education for society's underprivileged and disenfranchised. (3) In an effort to assist with the education of newly freed slaves in the post-Civil War era, the federal government created HBCUs. (4) The purpose was to help newly freed slaves gain employment through an industrial education rather than provide knowledge, which was the primary purpose of predominately white institutions (PWIs). (5) A. Private and Public There are 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America, and all have contributed to the nation's growth. (6) Forty HBCUs are four-year public institutions and forty-nine are private; there are eleven two-year public institutions and five two-year private institutions. (7) B. The Six Law Schools at Historically Black Colleges and Universities The authors hail from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University, one of six HBCU law schools. David A. Clark School of Law, University of the District of Columbia, Florida A&M University School of Law, Howard University School of Law, North Carolina Central University, and Southern University Law Center complete the list. (8) The emergence of these institutions afforded Blacks the chance to attend law schools and become successful practitioners. (9) Although Black women entered the legal profession as a result of the Black law school movement, the women pioneer graduates of these law schools, unlike their male colleagues, did not gain (10) Thurgood Marshall was one of the Black legal practitioners who received notoriety. As a result of his many contributions to the Civil Rights movement and to the plight of Blacks and other minorities, Texas Southern University asked if Marshall would endorse its law school and allow it to bear his name. …

Six Steps for Cultivating Successful Undergraduate Research

Background: There is a growing interest in addressing health care disparities faced by underrepresented/ underserved (U/U) populations across all fields of medicine. To that end, my goal was to introduce to the undergraduate (UG) and graduate (G) bioengineering classes that I teach the challenges faced by U/U patients as regards state-of-the art cardiopulonary support technologies (CPST) for treatment of end-stage cardiac or pulmonary failure. Methods: At the University of Pittsburgh (UoP) I teach two separate UG artificial organs (AO) classes; one class focuses on cardiac assist devices and the other on pulmonary assist devices. I also teach the cardiac assist module for a G cardiovasuclar organ replacement class. Through a long-standing NSF-funded collaboration with North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (Greensboro, NC), a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), I also teach my AO classes to NCAT students. The NCAT courses are taught remotely (via ZOOM). For the past several years, the term projects for my UG and G artificial organs classes at UoP and NCAT have focused on i) investigating health inequities/ disparities in CPST as applied to U/U patients; and, ii) proposing innovative improvements to current CPST that benefit, particularly, U/U patients. Students are asked to address the following in their term papers and class PPT presentations: 1) current state-of-the art in CPST; 2) limitations of current CPST as applied to U/U patients; 3) unmet clinical needs for U/U patients; 4) the feasibility of the proposed innovative improvements from a product specification, regulatory and societal viewpoint. Results: Students identified numerous reference materials that highlight the inequities/ disparities that U/U patients face. The American Heart Association, the CDC and NHLBI all maintain detailed epidemiological information related to the term project topic. There also exists a plethora of peer-reviewed published articles in this regard; a few examples being, Frech et al, “Ventricular Assist Device Technology and Black-White Disparities on the Heart Transplant Wait List.” Progress in Transplantation 2021; 31(1): 80-87; Nyak et al, “Understanding the Complexity of Heart Failure Risk and Treatment in Black Patients.” Circulation Heart Failure 2020; 13: 301-314. Among the student term project topics were, “Improving VAD Technology for the African American Community;” “Blood Pressure Measurement and Management in Black Ventricular Assist Device Users;” “A Multi-Factor Approach to Improve African American Heart Health;” “Innovative Design for Cystic Fibrosis in Women of Color.” Conclusions: Student response to the term project assignment was positive. Meetings with the students demonstrated the students’ interest in the topic. The ultimate success of this assignment will be achieved, if these students are sensitive to the special needs of U/U patients and incorporate these needs in their design of biomedical devices.

The Importance of Scientific Publishing: Teaching an Undergraduate How to Swim the Entire Length of the Pool

This reflective overview describes the benefits of participation in authentic undergraduate research for students at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). The department of chemistry and biochemistry at Hampton University has an undergraduate research environment that empowers and fosters a success-oriented research experience for our diverse students. By engaging undergraduate students in research early in their careers, we successfully motivate students to make informed decisions about pursuing STEM careers and entering graduate schools with high confidence. Our structured undergraduate research experiences are created within an inclusive environment that instills a sense of belonging and recognizes the talent all our students bring to STEM. We reflect on our experiences using faculty-student research collaborations within nurturing support systems that leverage African American culture while setting high expectations to improve scientific skills and retain our HBCU students in STEM.

Purpose Due to the increasing workforce demands within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields and the changing demographics of the USA, broadening participation efforts for black and African American students in STEM graduate programs have increased. However, this population has not yet reached parity in undergraduate STEM degree attainment, contributing to lower enrollment rates at the graduate level. The dominance of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the preparation of black students for graduate programs suggests a need to better understand the structural, cultural and institutional factors of these institutions that support prospective black students as they explore and apply to graduate school. This is particularly true for black women as they are an untapped opportunity to diversify the STEM workforce. Design/methodology/approach Taking an asset-based approach through the lens of intersectionality, this study analyzed open-ended survey responses submitted by black women who completed undergraduate STEM degrees from HBCUs. The survey focused on their experiences and pathways toward pursuing and completing their graduate degrees. The methodological process focused on analyzing six open-ended questions from a population of 75 black female-identifying individuals. Findings Results of this qualitative analysis show that mentoring and guidance around graduate school opportunities, positive faculty relationships, summer research opportunities and professional development opportunities, such as conferences, were all critical factors in their decisions to apply to and attend graduate school. Practical implications Recommendations are provided for current leaders, faculty and mentors of students at HBCUs and non-HBCUs on best practices to encourage, support and prepare black female students for graduate education. Originality/value The findings highlight the nonmonolithic state of black females who graduated from HBCUs and how their experiences vary depending on the institution type. In addition, most of the literature on the experiences of these historically excluded groups within STEM has been presented through a deficit-based lens. This study does the opposite, contributing significantly to the body of literature.

Building a Pipeline.

Black maternal health scholars on fire: Building a network for collaboration and activism.

In 2012, President Barack Obama introduced a plan to increase the number of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) graduates by 1 million over the next 10 years through the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology initiative (Seadler, 2012). Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) play a pivotal role in helping the United States of America achieve a national priority to expand careers in STEM disciplines. HBCUs graduate 40 percent of Black students graduating with degrees in biological science, physics, chemistry, astronomy, environment sciences and mathematics (Jackson, 2013; Owens et al., 2012; Palmer, Davis, & Thompson, 2010).The purpose of this article is to elucidate factors that are important to the long-term success of HBCUs in preparing STEM students, by summarizes data from the Minority Male STEM Initiative (MMSI), which was collected by The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). Although the surveys focused on the needs of minority males, both male and female STEM students participated in the surveys. The purpose of the MMSI surveys were to understand how university administrators, STEM faculty, and students of color in STEM disciplines currently navigate the path to recruiting, retaining and graduating underrepresented students in STEM disciplines.The original study focused on STEM students from 1,442 underrepresented students across 14 institutions, including 3 HBCUs. However, this report will outline findings that are relevant to HBCUs. Details of the survey instruments, procedures, methods of recruitment, and participants are available in A Quest for Excellence (Toldson & Esters, 2012). Survey results revealed a variety of characteristics and practices of the institutions, faculty, and administrators who prepare minority students for STEM fields.Lesson Learned from STEM Faculty and University AdministratorsContent analysis methods were used to summarize faculty members' and administrators' optional open-ended comments regarding their universities' commitment to recruiting, retaining and graduating minority students in STEM fields. The number of unique comments made about university practices were identified and then manually sorted into three broad categories: proactive practices, ambivalence or indifference, and obstructive practices. SPSS Text Analysis for Surveys was used to facilitate manual coding and sorting of the comments into more discrete categories.Recruitment and OutreachFaculty and administrators were asked to describe any recruitment or outreach activities by their institution specifically designed to encourage underrepresented students to consider a major and career in the STEM disciplines. Of the more than 200 faculty members and administrators who took the survey, only 33 provided a response to this inquiry.Institutions with proactive practices were able to list specific programs and initiatives that bolstered outreach efforts. Specific programs listed included the National Science Foundation (NSF) Bridge to the Doctorate Program, Alliance for Minority Participation (AMP), Upward Bound, and university-initiated minority programs. Many other university representatives gave statements that reiterated their commitment, which listed specific programs. Several respondents noted that they were not aware of any university initiatives to recruit students of color in STEM disciplines. Key terms included scholarships, mentors, faculty, community, research experiences, and learning community.Evaluating SuccessFaculty and administrators were asked how their institution evaluates the success of its efforts to attract, recruit, retain, and graduate students of color in STEM fields. In total, 43 participating faculty members and administrators responded to the inquiry. Most of the respondents who indicated that they have a formal evaluation process were mandated to collect data to maintain external funding. …

Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs) can benefit from patent licensing revenues from the transfer of patented technologies into the commercial marketplace because these added revenues can help research institutions become more sustainable financially. However, many ERIs struggle to succeed in technology transfer. This study describes the development of a university technology transfer supply chain network sustainability tool that private and public Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs) can use to become more self-reliant financially. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are ERIs and are used as a case study. HBCUs lag behind their peer non- HBCUs because historically they have been under- served and were originally established largely as teaching and blue collar trade schools. Some doctoral HBCUs desire to strengthen their research activities. Systems dynamics is the process of combining the theory, method and philosophy necessary to analyze the behavior of a system in order to provide a common foundation that can be applied whenever it is desired to understand and influence how things change over time. Applying the systems dynamics approach, a budget resource planning tool was developed using a linear programming optimization technique. This study illustrates that classic industrial uses of linear programming optimization techniques can uniquely be used to optimize budget resource planning for sustainable HBCU supply chain networks and other emerging research institutions. This study contributes to the improved execution of technology transfer projects through better budget resource planning.

Enhancing Nutrition and Obesity Research Collaborations across Institutions: Lessons from a North Carolina Focus Group.

Introduction: The Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities Program (GMaP) Region 1 North (R1N) is one of seven NCI GMaP Regional “hubs”, covering the states of KY, ME, MD, NH, VA, VT, WV and DC. A primary goal of GMaP R1N is to facilitate the career development of the next generation of underrepresented cancer researchers by promoting and increasing applications to the NCI Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) Program. CURE provides funded training opportunities to students at all career levels to ensure a continuum of career development opportunities in cancer health disparities (CHD) research. CURE is an underutilized option for training for underrepresented minority (URM) students interested in CHD research. GMaP R1N developed and piloted an outreach program targeted to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with the goal of increasing interest in CHD research and increasing awareness of CURE among HBCU students. Methods: GMaP R1N staff conducted a series of planning calls with NCI GMaP staff to develop a customizable agenda for HBCU pilot events. The group decided on the name “CURE Tour” for branding purposes for promotion and advertising. The agenda for the events included: a) presentation from an experienced CHD researcher; b) presentation from a former CURE trainee regarding his/her experiences; c) introduction to the GMaP Program; and d) knowledge quiz about presentation content (with prizes for winners). GMaP R1N staff developed relationships with staff at HBCUs for promotion of the events and logistics. Pilot “CURE Tour” events were implemented in the spring of 2019. Results: A total of 99 students attended three “CURE Tour” pilot events at Delaware State University (n=38); Coppin State University (n=44); and Morgan State University (n=17). Approximately 98% of attendees were undergraduate students with 2% graduate/doctoral students. Students (n=81) completed post-event surveys. 98% reported learning something new about CHD/CURE that they did not know previously. 92% responded that the event was engaging; 63% expressed interest in CHD research; 66% said they were interested in applying for CURE funding; 96% said they would tell a friend about the event; and 90% reported that they would participate in a future event. Conclusions: The GMaP R1N “CURE Tour” pilot was effective at reaching a primarily undergraduate population of URM students at HBCUs who are interested in CHD research careers. All “CURE Tour” attendees will be tracked in the future regarding CURE funding and CHD careers. The agenda for the “CURE Tour” events was successful in keeping students engaged and providing new information to them regarding CHD research and CURE. Based on the success of the pilot, the same methods will be followed in developing future “CURE Tour” events at other HBCUs. In addition, materials and methods can be used to replicate “CURE Tour” events in other GMaP Regions and for other URM student populations. Citation Format: Mabinty Conteh, James Zabora, Laundette Jones, Mark Cromo, Julia Houston. The Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities Program “CURE Tour”: Increasing awareness of the NCI Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences Program through outreach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr B003.

To represent its population, the nation should have a diverse science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. It is known that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) serve as key producers of minority STEM graduates. As such, HBCUs have contributed to the diverse workforce. Therefore, this chapter examined the role of presidents at HBCUs in broadening participation in STEM fields. Presidents at four HBCUs participated in a semi-structured interview. The four academic leadership frames (structural, human resources, political, and symbolic) were used to explain the factors that have contributed to HBCUs' success rates. Identified factors were providing students with research and internship opportunities, having an adequate STEM curriculum, having appropriate faculty and personnel at the institution, having financial resources, and creating an environment that was nurturing and supportive of students.