HBCUs: An Unheralded Role in STEM Majors and a Model for Other Colleges

Published in The Chronicle of Higher Education

In this article by Ken Leichter, he outlines the benefits and successes that historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have achieved for supporting African American students in completing majors that lead to higher paying jobs – particularly in the STEM disciplines. He contrasts this success with research evidencing the challenges and poor retention outcomes seen at other colleges and universities. He offers the HBCU model as one that should be preserved because of its success, but also as a leader from which other institutions can learn from in order to better address their own disparities in outcomes and service to African American students.