Models of Success at Minority Serving Institutions

December 3, 2012

There are many models of success at minority-serving institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Tribal colleges and universities. Clifton Conrad (UW-Madison School of Education) and colleague Mary Beth Gasman (University of Pennsylvania) study these “models of success” and how they might be duplicated to develop more diversity within higher education. Having focused initially on nine institutions, they have received additional funding to study three institutions that serve Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). They will document retention, learning, and degree attainment over the next two years, looking at their environments, student success initiatives, institutional data, peer relationships, and faculty-student relationships. By December 2013 Conrad and Gasman plan to have a panoramic view of student success at minority-serving institutions and how these “models of success” can be duplicated to develop more diversity within the higher education landscape. The “Models of Success” project is funded by the Lumina Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and USA Funds. More information is available here.