Chapter 10: The Contribution Of Historically Black Colleges And Universities To Stem Graduate Degree Production Among Black Collegians

Increasing the participation of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields is a national policy priority. Case in point: President Barack Obama recently challenged the nation in his State of the Union address to regain its status as a global leader with the highest proportion of postsecondary graduates in the world by 2020 (Obama, 2009). Increasing the number of U.S. citizens who possess the skills and technical knowledge needed to participate globally in an increasingly advanced economy sustains, if not enhances, the country’s positioning as a global leader. But, meeting this national goal of producing large numbers of skilled technical professionals in STEM fields requires the nation to broaden the talent pool from which it draws. For far too long, the U.S. has depended upon a STEM workforce that was predominantly male and White. As the predominant complexion of the country continues to change from White to “majority minority,” colleges will need to do a better job recruiting and retaining students in higher education such as women, Latinos, Native Americans, and African Americans.