Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are a significant and necessary component of American higher education and should be treated and perceived as such. However, this has not been the case. Despite their lengthy track record of making significant contributions toward the advancement of Black people, HBCUs have faced discrimination.…

Minority-serving institutions (MSIs) are institutions of higher education that serve high concentrations of minority students who, historically, have been underrepresented in higher education. Many MSIs have faced challenges in securing adequate financial support, thus affecting their ability to develop and enhance their academic offerings and…

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) represent a small percentage of all institutions in the U.S. but educate a large portion of all black and Latino students, many of whom are low-income and first-generation college attendees. Given the population growth of these students overall, both HSIs…

This study focuses on 15 foreign-born students majoring in physics who are also racial/ethnic minorities. We address the research question: What are the acculturation experiences of foreign-born Students of Color majoring in physics? Berry's (2003) theory of acculturation and Bandura's (1994) theory of self-efficacy were substantive…

The study was designed to assess the impact of three predominantly black colleges upon Family Independence (FI), Peer Independence (PI), Liberalism (L), Social Conscience (SC), and Cultural Sophistication (CS), as defined and measured according to the College Student Questionnaires (CSQ). The CSQs were administered to students as entering freshmen…

Black colleges provide the supportive environment, opportunities for participation, and intellectual stimulation which enhance student learning and ultimate success. Important repositories of black culture, they articulate and manifest its values. Without these qualities, even institutions with greater physical or financial resources fail to meet…

A Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) study was conducted in 1988 to examine perceptions of college climate among black students at predominantly white colleges and white students in historically black colleges. Data were obtained from 20 historically black and 20 predominantly white institutions which participated in the 1977 and 1978 SREB…

Study investigated the relative freshman-year cognitive impacts on black students enrolled in 2 historically black and 16 predominantly white colleges. Results indicated general parity in standardized measures of reading comprehension, mathematics, critical thinking, and composite achievement between black students attending black colleges and…

The freshman survey data reported here have been weighted to provide a normative picture of the college freshman population for persons engaged in policy analysis, manpower planning, administration, educational research, guidance and counseling, as well as for the general community of students and parents. The survey instrument was the Student…

This paper presents the results of eight analyses based upon data from the National Study of Student Learning (NSSL), a 3-year longitudinal research project begun in 1992 to examine the influence of academic and nonacademic experiences on student learning, student attitudes about learning, student cognitive development, and student persistence.…

The essays in this volume center around John Dewey's mandate that American democracy requires civic engagement to realize the potential of its citizens and its communities, and that education is the key to that engagement. Following an introductory chapter, "Higher Education and the Development of Civic Responsibility" (Anne Colby and Thomas…