Minority Serving Institutions America's Underutilized Resource for Strengthening the STEM Workforce (2019) / Chapter Skim
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A clear takeaway from the projected demographic profile of the nation is that the educational outcomes and STEM readiness of students of color will have direct implications on America's economic growth, national security, and global prosperity. Accordingly, there is an urgent national need to develop strategies to substantially increase the postsecondary and STEM degree attainment rates of Hispanic, African American, American Indian, Alaska Native, and underrepresented Asian American students.
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In fact, more undergraduate students (from all backgrounds) are enrolled in STEM fields at four-year MSIs than at four-year non-MSIs, and when taken together, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions produce one-fifth of the nation's STEM bachelor's degrees.2 Moreover, the individual contributions of these institutions to STEM degree completions (measured as a proportion of all completions)
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MSIs with a mission-driven, intentional focus to support the success of their STEM students strive to maintain an effective balance by employing diverse faculty and staff, providing environments that customize student learning and cultivate leadership skills, and offering role models of various ethnic backgrounds, while also ensuring that the institution, faculty, and students are equipped to meet the high standards and expectations for quality in STEM teaching, learning, and research. describes MSIs' student populations, reviews the nation's current investments in MSIs, and examines what works at MSIs, particularly the under-resourced MSIs, to overcome long-standing challenges and expand educational opportunities for their students.
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The sources of evidence reviewed by the committee included results from a commissioned literature search, conducted by the study's consultants at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Minority Serving Institutions; findings resulting from discussions at nine MSI site visits; expert testimony and presentations of data and information at two open session meetings; and committee members' own research expertise and experiences working with and on MSI campuses. These varied sources notwithstanding, one of the most challenging aspects of this study was to contend with the limited available evidence on the effectiveness of programs to bolster student success at MSIs.
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(2) Institutional responsiveness to meet students where they are Because student populations of MSIs include a high percentage of students of color and low-income students, these institutions have a particular need to design and implement policies and practices that intentionally support nontraditional student bodies, particularly those in STEM fields, who may need additional academic, financial, and social support and flexibility given the unique demands and rigor of these fields.
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, and the philanthropic and private sectors -- along with a shared commitment from MSIs themselves is needed. Such investments include support that enables MSIs to recruit and retain high-quality faculty, to procure and maintain state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities, to offer extraordinary academic and social support services to students, and to compete effectively for access to the federal grants and contracts that fuel important research discoveries, innovation, and scientific advancement for our nation.
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This does not always mean a move toward a "STEM for all" focus, for the committee firmly believes in a balanced set of experiences for students at MSIs that give them rich exposure to the humanities, arts, business, and classical education -- along with experience in science, engineering, and medicine.3 But MSIs may need to conduct internal analyses of their departmental and disciplinary strengths and capabilities, invest more heavily in campus research support systems that will enable them to attract external grant and contract dollars, conduct outreach to new partners and funders, and identify the unique value add of their institutions in ways that highlight a competitive advantage to potential funders. It may mean that the leaders of MSIs -- including trustees, presidents, and provosts -- become more "STEM savvy" regardless of their own disciplinary specialties, so that their investment decisions are based on a deeper understanding of the relationships between investments in STEM education and research and the capacity of their graduates to thrive in the 21stcentury workforce.
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Such leaders set high expectations, meet students where they are when they enroll on campus, and deploy innovative academic and social support systems to ensure that their students achieve at high academic levels and are prepared for careers in the 21st-century economy. Advancement in leadership training and succession planning is critical for the development and implementation of sustainable programs and policies that support STEM education that bolster student success at MSIs.
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will distinguish a meaningful, sustaining partnership for all parties involved. Summary of Recommendation 3: Leadership from within MSIs, non-MSIs, government agencies, tribal nations, state agencies, private and corporate foundations, and professional, higher education, and scientific associations should prioritize efforts to establish new or expand current mutually beneficial and sustainable partnerships that support education, research, and workforce training for the nation's current and future STEM workforce.
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Such agencies include but are not limited to the Department of Education, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, tribal nations, state agencies, private and corporate foundations, and local, regional, and national businesses. Summary of Recommendation 8: To more effectively measure MSIs' returns on investments, and to inform current and future public-private partnership initiatives, Congress should prioritize actions to enhance the clarity, transparency, and accountability for all federal investments in STEM education and research at MSIs, including the production of an annual MSI STEM Research and Procurement report.
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Summary of Recommendation 10: Federal and state educational agencies, state legislators, and other entities that utilize indicators of institutional success, including for accountability purposes, should reassess and refine methods of measuring student outcomes to take into consideration institutional missions, faculty investment, student populations, student needs, and institutional resource constraints. IN CONCLUSION MSIs have great potential to serve as a larger part of the solution to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM and to promote the diversity of perspectives that drive innovation and discovery and advance the nation's global impact.
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