Predominantly White Institutions Research Articles

“Tone It Down”: The Whitewashing of Black Women Doctoral Students’ Research and Scholarship at Predominately White Institutions—Implications for Social Work Doctoral Education

ABSTRACT While there is growing research on the structural and institutional barriers experienced by Black women faculty at predominantly White institutions (PWIs), little is known about the systemic marginalization faced by Black women doctoral students at these institutions, particularly those in doctoral social work programs. Given the increasing number of Black women doctoral students in social work programs at PWIs, there is a need to understand how social work doctoral education upholds institutional whiteness through attempts to whitewash Black women’s research and scholarship. This article contextualizes the experiences of Black women social work doctoral students using Black feminist thought perspective. The authors provide implications for social work doctoral education to dismantle structures that facilitate whitewashing experiences for Black women doctoral students.

“You Hide Pieces of Yourself”: Navigating White Spaces as U.S. Missionaries of Color

While extensive research has been conducted on the experiences of racial and ethnic minorities in predominately white institutions (PWIs) in the United States, there has been little research that examines the experiences of U.S. racial and ethnic minorities that serve for religious reasons with PWIs in international settings. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand how race shapes the relationship of long-term U.S. missionaries of color with their missions organization and teammates. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with sixteen long-term U.S. missionaries of color serving internationally. The findings point to a number of ways that race shapes the experiences of these missionaries and have important implications for cross-cultural workers of diverse backgrounds as well as cross-cultural work teams and sending organizations. The results also point to the need for more research on diverse work teams in international settings.

Experiences of agency in historically underrepresented racial and ethnic dental faculty at predominantly white institutions.

Historically underrepresented racial and ethnic (HURE) dentists remain underrepresented in dental education and dental practice, and surprisingly, little is known about the factors that enable them to thrive. The lack of information about their experiences is a critical gap in the literature. The purpose of this critical qualitative study is to describe how HURE dental faculty in predominantly white institutions (PWIs) exercise agency to thrive and advance in academic promotion when faced with challenges and adversity in the workplace. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2021 and 2022 with HURE dental faculty from 10 different institutions. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the construct of agency and tenets of critical race theory to understand how they thrive in their institutions. HURE dental faculty experienced racism as normal from both faculty and students. Racism centered around white faculty guarding access to white spaces, including things that should be open to everyone like meetings and information about promotion. To counter this, HURE faculty engaged in individual agency by fighting for their perspectives to be heard, proxy agency by seeking and building relationships with mentors and colleagues who could use their whiteness to create change, and improvisational agency by going outside their institutions for support. To thrive in PWIs requires HURE faculty to exercise various forms of agency to directly or indirectly advocate for themselves as professionals. These findings have implications for dental leaders to change their existing structures and improve the work environments for HURE dental faculty.

Defining the Contours of a Participatory Action Research Counterspace Developed by, for, and about Black Women in Higher Education

Although critical participatory action research (CPAR) has been cited as a means to cultivate more equitable systems in education, its promise has not been fully realized as a mechanism to enhance the experiences of minoritized cultural groups in U.S. higher education. As outsiders within academia who are multiplicatively marginalized, Black women’s engagement in CPAR demonstrates unique potential to address this gap. In this paper, I introduce an agentic diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging strategy embedded in a critical action research methodology known as a participatory action research counterspace (PARC). After situating the proposed methodology in existing literature, I describe a PARC study involving a group of Black women students, faculty, staff, and administrators at a predominantly white institution (PWI), as well as the defining contours of the methodology. A discussion outlining the benefits of the PARC methodology for Black women enrolled and employed in higher education is also included.

Inclusive excellence through digital learning: an undergraduate research experience to pilot cross-institutional collaboration between a historically black university and a predominantly white institution

ABSTRACT Increasing diversity in higher education and the workforce requires undergraduate students to learn to work together effectively to address scientific and social issues. Our goal is to learn how best to facilitate teamwork among students from Historically Black Universities (HBU) and Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) to promote collaborative learning. We analysed the evolving knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of participating students as they developed close working relationships through a ‘study-within-a-study’ design where student pairs (one from an HBU and one from a PWI) conducted their own research project while we analysed how these students interacted with their partners. The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) rubric of Intercultural Knowledge and Competence was used to develop a set of codes for assessing transcripts of student meetings. AACU defines six attributes of this rubric including cultural self-awareness, cultural worldview frameworks, empathy, verbal and nonverbal communication, curiosity, and openness. Our pilot results suggest that students willing to engage collaboratively with others from different cultural or educational backgrounds can display attributes of intercultural competence, while those not willing to engage in the collaborative process may not exhibit such competence. We also learnedthat students require the same initial preparation necessary for the assigned project.

“Campus racial climate matters too”: Understanding Black graduate students’ perceptions of a president’s response

This qualitative, descriptive single case study examined Black graduate students’ perceptions of campus racial climate at a predominantly white institution (PWI) and how they were shaped by a president’s response to racialized incidents. A greater understanding of how Black graduate students’ narratives reveal how whiteness inhabits the PWI and the president’s responses to racism presented. Guided by the Multi-contextual Model for Diverse Learning Environments (MMDLE) and Critical Race Theory, I unpack whether or not Black graduate students are prioritized in presidents’ responses to racialized incidents and larger campus racial climate conversations. This study’s findings further illustrate the significance of the role of the presidency when addressing issues of race and racism, and how their responses have the power to disrupt or harm both the personal experiences of individuals and the broader campus racial climate for Black graduate students.

A Review of Black Student-Athletes’ College Experiences, Athlete Activism, & Activism in Summer 2020

Black student-athletes have been highly stereotyped on college campuses for many years and have faced much racism and discrimination. In the summer of 2020, many of these athletes began sharing their negative experiences on social media as part of the wave of social activism that spread across the country after the death of George Floyd. Many also called for change both at their respective universities and at the societal level. This review first discusses Black student-athletes, including literature examining their experiences at Predominantly White institutions (PWIs). It will also share the history of athlete activism for professional and student-athletes, examples of Black athletes using their positions as agents of change in relation to social justice movements, and how student-athletes view activism. It concludes with a section discussing why it is necessary to provide student-athletes with a platform to speak out.

Chicana/Latina feminista plática methodology as a praxis of solidarity for Black women and women of color contingent faculty at a predominantly white institution (PWI)

Rooted in the history of women of color feminisms along with the everyday pedagogical practices that occur in Chicanx/Latinx communities, CLF plática methodology stems from the recognition that Chicanx/Latinx communities are experts of their lives who engage in knowledge production and theory every day. In this conceptual essay, we explore how utilizing a CLF plática methodology while working as contingent faculty at a PWI in north Texas helped us to craft a praxis of solidarity that: developed community; provided a relationship and the space to strategize on how to respond to white supremacist violence; presented opportunities to discharge and heal; as well as opportunities to celebrate and engage in collaborative mentorship and now, collaborative research with each other.

Impostor syndrome among minority medical students who are underrepresented in medicine

ObjectivesImpostor syndrome (IS) is prevalent in medical professionals. However, little is known about the prevalence of IS among medical trainees and those who are underrepresented in medicine (UiM). Even less is known about the experiences of UiM students at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) and historically black colleges/universities (HBCUs) relative to their non-UiM peers. The purpose of this study is to investigate differences in impostor syndrome among UiM and non-UiM medical students at a PWI and a HBCU. We additionally explored gender differences in impostor syndrome among UiM and non-UiM students at both institutions. MethodMedical students (N = 278) at a PWI (N = 183, 107 (59%) women) and a HBCU (N = 95, 60 (63%) women), completed an anonymous, online two-part survey. In part one, students provided demographic information, and in part two, students completed the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale, a 20-item self-report questionnaire that assessed feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt surrounding intelligence, success, achievements, and one's inability to accept praise/recognition. Based on the student's score, the level of IS was measured and placed into one of two levels: few/moderate IS feelings, or frequent/intense IS feelings. We conducted a series of chi-square tests, binary logistic regression, independent sample t-tests, and analysis of variance to test the main aim of the study. ResultsThe response rate was 22% and 25% at the PWI and HBCU, respectively. Overall, 97% of students reported moderate to intense feelings of IS, and women were 1.7 times more likely than men to report frequent or intense feelings of IS (63.5% vs 50.5%, p = 0.03). Students at PWI were 2.7 times more likely to report frequent or intense IS than HBCU students (66.7% vs 42.1%, p< 0.01). In addition, UiM students at PWI were 3.0 times more likely to report frequent or intense IS compared to UiM students at HBCU (68.6 % vs 42.0%, p = 0.01). Computation of a three-way ANOVA with gender, minority status, and school type revealed a two-way interaction indicating that UiM women scored higher on impostor syndrome than UiM men at the PWI and HBCU. This trend was not observed among non-UiM students. ConclusionsImpostor syndrome is informed by gender, UiM status, as well as environmental context. Efforts to provide supportive professional development for medical students should be directed towards understanding and combatting this phenomenon at this critical juncture of their medical career.

The impact of attending historically Black colleges and universities on cognitive decline in Black adults: A longitudinal analysis in the KHANDLE and STAR cohorts.

Black students attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs) versus historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) report more harmful discrimination and develop worse mental health outcomes, potentially offsetting the established benefits of college for lowering dementia incidence. Black participants in two cohorts (the Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences [KHANDLE] and the Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans [STAR]) who had attended college (N=716) self-reported the college name (classified as HBCU vs. PWI) and completed three waves of executive function (EF) and verbal episodic memory (VEM) assessments. HBCU effects on cognitive level and decline were estimated using adjusted linear mixed-effects models. HBCU (vs. PWI) attendees averaged better EF (β=0.05 [-0.22, 0.32]) and VEM (β=0.21 [-0.06, 0.46]) at age 70 though neither association was statistically significant. HBCU attendance was associated with slightly faster VEM decline (β=-0.03 [-0.05, 0.00]). Harmonized analyses with larger studies are needed to estimate important effects of HBCU attendance. Higher education is robustly linked to lower dementia risk, yet Black-White inequities persist among college-educated adults. Black students attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs) versus historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) report more harmful discrimination and develop worse mental health outcomes, which may offset the established benefits of college for lowering dementia incidence. HBCU (vs. non-HBCU) attendees averaged better executive function and verbal episodic memory (VEM) at average age 70, though confidence intervals were wide and associations were not statistically significant, and averaged slightly faster decline in VEM. Harmonized analyses using larger nationally representative studies are likely needed to avoid underestimating the health effects of HBCU attendance.

Recruiting, retaining, and supporting graduate students of color in PWI education and human services programs

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of alumni of color in two graduate programs at a predominantly white institution (PWI) in rural Virginia. Through an electronic survey, alumni from a communication sciences and disorders (CSD) program and an educational leadership program reflected on their perceptions of their program’s recruitment, retention, and mentorship efforts for graduate students of color. Results showed that while graduate students of color in the educational leadership graduate program indicated a high level of support, some changes may need to be made in the CSD program to address the unique needs of graduate students of color. Future directions and addressing overarching needs for graduate students of color are discussed.

A quare theory analysis of black gay men college students at predominantly white institutions

Because there is a lack of research related to Black gay men college students, this study presents experiences of five participants who attend predominately White institutions (PWI). Framed by quare theory, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted for each participant. The thematic analysis demonstrates strong correlation to what it means to be a Black man in America who happens to be gay. To that end, it is with hope that this article informs researchers of the complexities and intersectionality of Black gay men college students and how they navigate collegial White spaces.

Life Experiences of a Black Accounting Student and Faculty Member

ABSTRACTThis article discusses my life experiences as (1) a Black student studying accounting at several predominantly white institutions (PWIs) and (2) a Black accounting faculty member serving at two PWIs for 28 years. I include some personal thoughts, memories, experiences, and lessons learned. After seeing videos of several Blacks suffocated or fatally shot by police officers and civilians, I felt compelled to write this article with the hope that my comments would better sensitize primarily majority accounting faculty to the actual or perceived realities of the world and, more specifically, the academy from the perspective of one Black accounting faculty member. Also, I hope my comments provide some lessons and insights about the need for and benefits derived from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training, initiatives, and programs that help serve to guide our actions and behaviors as we educate the next generation of accounting students for life after college as practitioners and society members.

A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Rural College Students’ Experiences with Ethnic Foods

Introduction: While research about multiculturalism has been conducted in urban institutions, little is known about students from predominately white institutions (PWIs) experiences with multicultural opportunities, such as experiences with ethnic foods. This study aimed to qualitatively capture rural college students’ salient experiences with ethnic food. Methods: College students were asked to respond to two open-ended questions regarding a salient experience with an ethnic food, as well as how their ethnicity plays a role in their food choices. Responses to these questions were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Initial codes were created by two authors separately and then compared to assess for congruency. Results: Three themes were identified from students’ responses. First, students often described the authenticity of their ethnic food experiences, which were defined as experiences that were undisputedly created, marketed, or sold by members of that ethnicity/culture. Secondly, most students clearly conveyed affect when describing their experiences as either positive or negative. Finally, most students specifically mentioned the ethnicity or culture that was associated with the food experience. Conclusions: Overall, most students described authentic and positive ethnic food experiences. This study provides qualitative insight into how one’s homogeneous background/educational environment can impact perceptions and experiences with ethnic foods.

Discouragement, delay, and doublespeak at southern universities: considerations and context for scholars of cultural studies

ABSTRACT Delay and doublespeak have long been effective ways to communicate discouragement to those seeking change within white supremacist systems. Indeed, white Southerners in power have deployed these strategies of resistance at every turn during the decades since the Civil War. This has certainly been true in education. My essay explores examples of these rhetorical strategies still at work to undermine racial progress at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) in the U.S. South.

“To Be Young, Gifted and Black”

Background and Context: Inspired by a photograph of the groundbreaking playwright Lorraine Hansberry that appeared in the New York Times following her unanticipated death in 1965, Nina Simone, pianist, singer-songwriter, and civil rights activist, carefully crafted “To Be Young, Gifted and Black,” a song that later became the anthem of the 1970s Black Power Movement. Like Hansberry, Simone sought to encourage cultural and ethnic pride among young African Americans who found themselves at the crossroads of an identity crisis and a national dismissal of their existence, both funded by racism. Today, African Americans attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs) continue to grapple with these challenges. Purpose/Objective/Research Question or Focus of Study: For this study, we aim to amplify the lived experiences and ontologies of Black music education doctoral students at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) and to identify and confront racialized structures, including dominant narratives that suggest Black folk and their epistemologies are inferior. We seek to add to current scholarship written by Black scholars about Black experiences, while also honoring Black music educators, music teacher educators, and scholars who have come before us and who will follow by speaking truth to power or rather “telling it like it is.” Research Design: We employ storytelling, a key tenet of critical race theory (CRT), to share our experiences of grappling with racialized encounters in four predominantly White doctoral music education programs, highlighting how these experiences impacted our Ph.D. journeys and how we wrestled with them. To examine our experiences, we use CRT in its entirety alongside musical renditions of “To Be Young, Gifted and Black” by Nina Simone, Donny Hathaway, The Heptones, and Aretha Franklin. Data detailing our experiences were collected through five 90-minute semistructured focus group conversations. Using CRT a priori codes and emergent codes, we delved into our narratives and how our intersectional identities along the lines of race and gender compounded the oppression we endured. Conclusions/Recommendations: Our research suggests that Black doctoral students in music education encounter a wealth of racialized structures along their journeys to degree completion. Not only did we grapple with identity politics, but we also wrestled with our White professors’ and peers’ “imagined cultural superiority” (Calmore, 1992, p. 2131). Among our efforts to realize our pathways forward, resistance and counterspace became salient for us in seizing our liberation and defying racism. Because PWIs continue to evade their responsibility in confronting their own racist social order, we fear that African Americans and other students of color will have no choice but to continue to negotiate spaces that are racially hostile and unjust. When PWIs decide to truly become antiracist, their agendas will include, but will not be limited to, reimagining admission and audition policies and practices, dismantling curricula that propagate the functions of Whiteness as property, and terminating racist social agents.

Writing Tutor Alumni Takeaways: Pros and Cons of Contingency

This essay aims to build upon the Peer Writing Tutor Alumni Research Project (PWTARP), designed by Bradley Hughes, Paula Gillespie, and Harvey Kail (2010), which focuses on what tutors learn about themselves as writers and students. However, the PWTARP survey, like much of writing center scholarship, focuses on student workers attending PWIs (Predominately White Institutions). To help fill the diversity gap in the existing literature, the current study uses the PWTARP survey as a frame of reference to investigate what tutors learned about themselves as writers and students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Based on feedback from a team of current and former tutors, we added questions that addressed demographics, multilingualism, and worker conditions. We conducted a mixed methods case study and collected data via surveys and focus group interviews with tutor alumni before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2022). Our findings connect with many results of the original PWTARP and other responses about economic vulnerability and the emotional labor of tutoring. Also, our survey produced many useful findings about issues related to being a contingent worker, including economic pressures, emotional labor, and professional development.

@BlackAtAuburn: A Preliminary Content Analysis of Social Media Counterspaces

Following the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial justice movement spurred by the police-involved murders of unarmed Black individuals in the summer of 2020, Black students and alumni of predominantly white institutions (PWIs) began to share personal narratives of their experiences with racial trauma on their campuses. In this preliminary analysis, I examine the posts of the @BlackAtAuburn Instagram account to explore themes that may illuminate why these students organized an online counterspace to navigate racial trauma at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. I explore preliminary findings pointing to student distrust in using university resources during heightened racial tensions.

The Real Cost to Remain Competitive: BYU Confronts Racist Past

College sports is a multi-billion-dollar business, and universities are looking for ways to remain competitive, including recruiting and retaining athletes from historically underrepresented groups to predominantly white institutions (PWI), many of which have a documented history of excluding non-white students, including blacks, indigenous peoples, and other people of color (often referred to as BIPOC). This article will examine the legacy of the racist teachings, past controversies, and compromises of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, Mormons) along with persistent struggles to shake off its 130-year-old racist past in efforts for its flagship school, Brigham Young University, to stay competitive in the lucrative Big 12 Athletic Conference. Deeply ingrained in the LDS culture is a politic of religious conservatism. Politics has often been intertwined with organized religion with much influence, and the LDS faith is no different. The cumulation of these interlocking systems generates thoughts, attitudes, and feelings that foster a racial climate at Brigham Young University where black students have reported feeling unsafe and unsupported. While this is a well-documented problem at predominately white institutions (PWIs) across the country, BYU is in many ways unique, given the discriminatory overt policies and practices employed for generations. We contend that the LDS Church’s history of racial marginalization and exclusion of black people made its way into the sports consciousness of the church’s flagship school and is not likely to change anytime soon. Understanding religion in the tradition of Charles Long as an orientation and utilizing Derrick Bell’s notion of racial realism are critical to our analyses. The confluence of politics, religion, race, and sport cannot be easily untangled.

Sharing the Reins: The Role of Administrative Inclusive Leadership in Supporting Faculty‐Led DEIB Initiatives

Sharing the Reins: The Role of Administrative Inclusive Leadership in Supporting Faculty‐Led DEIB Initiatives