Historically Black Colleges and Universities have a high success rate of graduating their students — 8.5% of Black undergraduate students attend HBCUs, yet almost 18% of the Black STEM bachelor’s degrees are awarded from HBCUs. Of the top eight institutions that graduate Black undergraduate students who ultimately go on to earn doctorates, seven are HBCUs — one-third of all Black students who have earned doctorates graduated with bachelor’s degrees from HBCUs.
To study and model the successful practices of HBCUs, the U.S. National Science Foundation is establishing the HBCU STEM Undergraduate Success Research Center (STEM-US), with the aim of applying these practices broadly in higher education. Data collected will help explain how the educational advocacy and social support provided by HBCUs consistently produce a greater sense of well-being, higher percentages of STEM graduates and, ultimately, STEM doctorates.
NSF is awarding $9 million to establish the center, led by researchers from Morehouse College, Spelman College and Virginia State University. Researchers will study the successful broadening participation practices of 50 HBCUs and develop evidence-based interventions with the aim of transforming mainstream education.
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