Renewed emphasis on gaps in college success for minorities

Minority achievement in science majors continues to lag, a new report indicates.

By Stacy Teicher Khadaroo | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

from the May 2, 2008 edition

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For Eric Adolphe, the price of an engineering degree included homelessness and hunger. Attending The City College of New York in the 1980s, he was down to his last $1.75 and had to skip breakfast so he could buy train fare to get to a crucial exam. He says he'll never forget his stomach growling loud enough for classmates to hear: "I'm competing with kids from all over the world ... having had nothing to eat for about two days."

A scholarship from the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) came just in time to turn Mr. Adolphe into a symbol of the American dream instead of another college dropout. He went on to employ 400 people in one of the top black-owned engineering companies on the East Coast.

Now NACME is sounding an alarm, noting in a report Thursday that if trends don't change in education, there won't be enough Eric Adolphes to keep the United States competitive. The organization joins a number of groups that have been highlighting the gaps in college success for underrepresented minorities, particularly in science majors. They're also promoting strategies they believe can help close those gaps, whether it's mentoring minority college students, reaching out to show inner-city kids that science can be cool, or directing more financial aid to the students who need it most.

"We need to be concerned about maintaining American preeminence in science, engineering, and technology, and the reality is that unless we bring young minorities into [these] careers in dramatically increasing numbers, we're not going to be able to maintain that competitive edge," says Irving Pressley McPhail, NACME's executive vice president.

While 30 percent of undergraduates are Latinos, African-Americans, or American Indians, these groups make up 12 percent of bachelor's degrees in engineering, NACME reports. They are projected to make up nearly 40 percent of college students by 2025, so preparation in younger grades needs to pick up pace, Mr. McPhail says.

Currently, only 4 percent of these minority students finish high school "engineering eligible," having passed requisite math and science courses. That lack of preparation shows up in the high rate at which students drop out of science majors in college, experts say. Many of them have trouble passing core courses.

NACME calls on educators, businesses, and government to tackle the challenges together. And for successful programs to continue, McPhail says, leaders in all three sectors need to stand up to the "anti-affirmative action movement."

The New York City College of Technology (City Tech) in Brooklyn has addressed these issues head on. As part of the Black Male Initiative (BMI) at the City University of New York (CUNY), it's working to recruit and retain more people in science, technology, and engineering. The program is open not only to African-American males, but to any student who wants mentoring and the possibility of partnering with professors on scientific research.

Participants are exposed to what it would take to earn a master's or PhD. "We have built this model around high expectations ... and [giving] attention to students individually," says Sonja Jackson, dean of curriculum and instruction.

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