Supporting Underrepresented Minority Students: An Exploration of Faculty Perceptions, Motivations, and Actions

• In Event: Underrepresented and Underserved Students: A Focus on Institutional Assessment and Responsibility

Abstract

Fostering the success of underrepresented minority students in college requires faculty to take on the crucial role of preparing these students to navigate the complex world of academic culture, discourse, and networks. Yet, scant literature exists on how faculty conceive this role, how they regard their support of underrepresented minority students, and why they do or do not go “above and beyond” their formal responsibilities to help ensure these students’ success. Drawing on faculty interviews about supporting students in STEM fields at three four-year Hispanic-serving institutions, I examine how faculty describe their perceptions, motivations, and actions on behalf of students of color. In addition, I consider how faculty contextualize their efforts within their institutional environments.

Author

• Cheryl Dy Ching, University of Southern California