According to Freeman Hrabowski, the president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, STEM fields in higher education need to better serve students from underrepresented backgrounds. Hrabowski came to Smith Mon., Oct. 29 to talk about this as part of the Presidential Colloquium series.
As president of UMBC, Hrabowski is passionate about making education more accessible to all Americans. Only a minority of Americans pursue higher education, and even fewer pursue STEM degrees. Moreover, many who at first intend to pursue a STEM major often instead graduate with a non-STEM degree. Out of those who do graduate with STEM degrees, few come from underrepresented backgrounds. People of color, women and first-generation college students tend to be highly underrepresented.
Moreover, few degrees are granted to students from underrepresented groups, especially students of color. Hrabowski noted that many of the students receiving PhDs tend to come from other countries or have a parent from another country. He explains that this is due to the way STEM is taught in the United States. Children, especially girls, are taught to dislike STEM subjects. They learn the basics but are not encouraged to find enjoyment in STEM, especially.
He believes that institutions of higher education have to do more to increase diversity on their campuses, especially within STEM fields. Additionally, these institutions must better prepare students to enter graduate school. At UMBC, Hrabowski has focused on giving undergraduates opportunities to do research with faculty. He has also focused on recruiting brilliant students from a variety of backgrounds. Because of his work, UMBC has produced the highest number of African American alumni that have earned PhDs and MDs.
Hrabowski’s talk was incredibly inspiring, as he explained why students from all backgrounds, not just the most privileged, deserve a quality education. Hrabowski is working towards putting a greater emphasis on STEM in the American education system and encouraging students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue degrees in STEM fields — not only as undergraduates but also in graduate school. Overall, his talk was insightful and made me realize how important diversity is in higher education.
