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Broadening Participation in American Higher Education—A Special Focus on the Underrepresentation of African Americans in STEM Disciplines

Abstract:The article places current efforts to increase the participation of underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the context of societal changes of the past 50 years. Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), describes key experiences that contributed to his development as an educator, including his participation as a child leader in the 1963 Children’s March in Birmingham, Alabama. These experiences informed development of the university’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program, which is focused on preparing students from underrepresented groups to complete STEM doctorates and pursue research careers. The approach taken in this strengths-based program has been applied broadly, both on and off campus, and it has led to the development of an institutional culture that embraces academic innovation and student success.