The role of historically black colleges and universities in American STEM education

This paper positions the discussion of leveraging Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the effort to increase diversity in STEM Education. STEM Education can be prominently featured at HBCUs with the outcome of producing STEM graduates that enter into technical fields. As HBCUs shift from their initial founding and look to achieve strategic success in other areas, STEM Education would seem to be a natural fit. However, as with many well-intentioned goals at HBCUs, the ability to be successful in STEM Education hinges on several criteria, including funding, external corporate partnerships and internal collaborations. Given the roadblocks that HBCUs face and have been able to overcome, thus far, anchoring themselves as a cornerstone in STEM Education could prove to be a shift they could master. We conclude with five research questions that should further be explored by HBCUs as an extension of their STEM Education goals. HBCUs are unique institutions that will continue to play a pivotal role in America's postsecondary educational system. Participation in STEM education is just one of the many ways their role will continue to be solidified.