Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are responsible for educating 20 percent of the nation’s college students and nearly 40 percent of the nation’s students of color. This growing group of institutions is essential to higher education and moving toward a more equitable society. This important book focuses on the challenges faced by MSIs within the larger higher education context and provides practical solutions to address these challenges. From performance-based funding, to issues of being dually designated MSIs, to articulation agreements with community colleges, to college readiness, the authors tackle the most important topics in higher education by exploring these varied topics through the lens of MSIs.

There are over 20 million young people of color in the United States whose representation in STEM education pathways and in the STEM workforce is still far below their numbers in the general population. Their participation could help re-establish the United States' preeminence in STEM innovation and productivity, while also increasing the number of well-educated STEM workers. There are nearly 700 minority-serving institutions (MSIs) that provide pathways to STEM educational success and workforce readiness for millions of students of colorâ€"and do so in a mission-driven and intentional manner. They vary substantially in their origins, missions, student demographics, and levels of institutional selectivity. But in general, their service to the nation provides a gateway to higher education and the workforce, particularly for underrepresented students of color and those from low-income and first-generation to college backgrounds. The challenge for the nation is how to capitalize on the unique strengths and attributes of these institutions and to equip them with the resources, exceptional faculty talent, and vital infrastructure needed to educate and train an increasingly critical portion of current and future generations of scientists, engineers, and health professionals. Minority Serving Institutions examines the nation's MSIs and identifies promising programs and effective strategies that have the highest potential return on investment for the nation by increasing the quantity and quality MSI STEM graduates. This study also provides critical information and perspective about the importance of MSIs to other stakeholders in the nation's system of higher education and the organizations that support them.

Explores the particulars of minority-serving institutions while also highlighting their interconnectedness.

This volume explores the unique experiences of student affairs professionals at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in the US. In doing so, it highlights broader challenges faced by MSIs and highlights ways in which these have been countered by effective student affairs practice. Recognizing that the role of student affairs practitioners at MSIs often differs from that of their contemporaries in other types of institution, this volume offers important insight into the context of student affairs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Predominantly Black Institutions, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander- Serving Institutions. Drawing on rich qualitative data, chapters identify examples of best practices to foster student growth, ensure culturally relevant approaches, and enhance collaboration between academic and administrative departments. The volume thereby showcases the important contribution that these institutions, and the professionals within them, make to the US Higher Education landscape and the success of minority students. This text will benefit researchers, academics, and educators with an interest in student affairs practice, higher education management, and inclusive education. Those interested in the sociology of education as well as race and ethnicity studies will also benefit from the volume.

In an increasingly diverse United States, minority and low-income students of all ages struggle to fit into mainstream colleges and universities that cater predominantly to middle-income and affluent white students fresh out of high school. Anchored in a study conducted at twelve minority-serving institutions (MSIs), Educating a Diverse Nation turns a spotlight on the challenges facing nontraditional college students and highlights innovative programs and practices that are advancing students’ persistence and learning. Clifton Conrad and Marybeth Gasman offer an on-the-ground perspective of life at MSIs. Speaking for themselves, some students describe the stress of balancing tuition with the need to support families. Others express their concerns about not being adequately prepared for college-level work. And more than a few reveal doubts about the relevance of college for their future. The authors visited the four main types of MSIs—historically black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander–serving institutions—to identify strategies for empowering nontraditional students to succeed in college despite these obstacles. Educating a Diverse Nation illuminates such initiatives as collaborative learning, culturally relevant educational programs, blurring the roles of faculty, staff, and students, peer-led team learning, and real-world problem solving. It shows how these innovations engage students and foster the knowledge, skills, and habits they need to become self-sustaining in college and beyond, as well as valuable contributors to society.

Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)—specifically Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)—have carved out a unique niche in the nation, serving the needs of low-income, underrepresented students of color. Covering foundational topics relating to MSIs, chapter authors explore how salient issues across the landscape of higher education play out within the MSI context. Undergirded by national data and key literature, A Primer on Minority Serving Institutions provides graduate students, scholars, and researchers a full picture of the work and contributions of MSIs and urges them to think about MSIs as part of the larger higher education landscape.

Strong, effective, and innovative leadership is critical for institutions of higher education, especially for Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). Indeed, research and examples have shown leadership instability among some types of MSIs, while discussions and research on effective leadership for other MSIs is noticeably absent from the extant literature. In this volume, noted experts, researchers, and leaders discuss opportunities and challenges for leadership across the full range of MSIs, while creating a dialogue on leadership models and best practices. Chapters explore issues at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions(HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). This book helps higher education and student affairs scholars and administrators unpack contemporary leadership issues and strategies, and synthesizes best practices to help MSI leaders increase the effectiveness and sustainability of their institutions.