Stem Models of Success: Programs, Policies, and Practices in the Community College

Publisher Marketing: A volume in Contemporary Perspectives in Race and Ethnic Relations Series Editors: M. Christopher Brown II, Alcorn State University and T. Elon Dancy II, University of Oklahoma As the U. S. focuses on positioning itself to retain and advance its status as a world leader in technology and scientific innovation, a recognition that community colleges are a critical site for intervention has become apparent. Community colleges serve the lion's share of the nation's postsecondary students. In fact, 40% of all undergraduate students are enrolled in community colleges, these students account for nearly 30% of all STEM undergraduate majors in postsecondary institutions. These students serve as a core element of the STEM pipeline into four-year colleges and universities via the community college transfer function. Moreover, community colleges are the primary postsecondary access point for non-traditional students, including students of color, first-generation, low-income, and adult students. This is a particularly salient point given that these populations are sordidly underrepresented among STEM graduates and in the STEM workforce. Increasing success among these populations can contribute significantly to advancing the nation's interests in STEM. As such, the community college is situated as an important site for innovative practices that have strong implications for bolstering the nation's production and sustenance of a STEM labor force. In recognition of this role, the National Science Foundation and private funding agencies have invested millions of dollars into research and programs designed to bolster the STEM pipeline. From this funding and other independently sponsored inquiry, promising programs, initiatives, and research recommendations have been identified. These efforts hold great promise for change, with the potential to transform the education and outcome of STEM students at all levels. This important book discusses many of these promising programs, initiatives, and research-based recommendations that can impact the success of STEM students in the community college. This compilation is timely, on the national landscape, as the federal government has placed increasing importance on improving STEM degree production as a strategy for America's future stability in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. Informed by research and theory, each chapter in this volume blazes new territory in articulating how community colleges can advance outcomes for students in STEM, particularly those from historically underrepresented and underserved communities Contributor Bio:  Wood, J Luke J. Luke Wood is an Assistant Professor of Administration, Rehabilitation, and Postsecondary Education at San Diego State University. He also is co-director of the Minority Male Community College Collaborative (M2C3), a national project that partners with community colleges across the U. S. to enhance access, achievement, and success among minority male community college students. He is also the founder and current editor of the "Journal of African American Males in Education", chair of the Multicultural and Multiethnic Education Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association, and chair-elect for the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Council on Ethnic Participation (CEP). Dr. Wood has authored nearly 70 publications, including more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles. He is author of three textbooks: "Community College Leadership & Administration: Theory, Practice, and Change" (2010), "Leadership Theory in the Community College: Applying Theory to Practice" (2013), and "Ethical Leadership and the Community College: Paradigms, Decision-Making, and Praxis" (Stylus, in press). He also is editor of "Black Men in College: Implications for HBCUs and Beyond" (2012), "Black Males in Postsecondary Education: Examining their Experiences in Diverse Institutional Contexts" (2012), "STEM Models of Success: Programs, Policies, and Practices in the Community College" (in press), and "Community Colleges and STEM: Examining Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Minorities" (2013). Dr. Wood received the 2013 Barbara K. Townsend Emerging Scholar Award from the Council for the Study of Community Colleges and the 2010 ASHE CEP Mildred Garcia Award for Exemplary Scholarship. Contributor Bio:  Palmer, Robert T Robert T. Palmer is Associate Professor of Student Affairs Administration at the State University of New York, Binghamton. In 2011, Dr. Palmer was named an ACPA Emerging Scholar and in 2012 was recognized as an Emerging Scholar by the American Education Research Association for his scholarship on multicultural and multiethnic populations.