LaVar J. Charleston

Differential gender effects of a STEM-based intervention: an examination of the African American Researchers in Computing Sciences program

The Computing Research Association (CRA) was formed in 1972 as the Computer Science Board (CSB), which provided a forum for the chairs of Ph.D.-granting computer science departments to discuss issues and share information (CRA, 2009). Since 1989, women have never accounted for more than 24% of the computer science faculty at any given rank (e.g., assistant, associate, or full professor). Currently, women represent 21.7%, 15.4%, and 11.7% of computer science faculty at the assistant, associate, and full professor ranks, respectively. Women have been as much as 24% of the Ph.D. graduates in computing in a single year. Since 1998, African Americans have never accounted for more than 2.0%, 1.4%, and 0.7% of the assistant, associate, and full professors, respectively, in computer science. Furthermore, African Americans have never accounted for more than 2% of the Ph.D. graduates in computer science in a single year over that same time period. It appears women and African Americans overall are underrepresented among the ranks of computer science faculty, but to what extent?

African Americans in the U.S. computing sciences workforce

An exploration of the education-to-work pipeline.

What style of leadership is best suited to direct organizational change to fuel institutional diversity in higher education

Abstract Implementing diversity agendas within decentralized, loosely coupled, and change-resistant institutions such as colleges and universities is a global challenge. A shift in the organizational climate and culture is imperative to produce the change needed in order for a diversity agenda to thrive. Higher education scholars have consistently identified leadership styles as being among the chief contributing factors to successful institutional change, especially as it relates to diversity agenda efforts. This chapter first reviews the literature on forms of diversity agenda, paradigms of change and leadership style and then synthesizes results from 10 cases on proven strategies and offers implications on how different leadership styles can be applied to fuel institutional diversity efforts.

Differential Gender Outcomes of Career Exploration Sessions for African American Undergraduates: An Examination of a Computing Science Outreach Effort at Predominantly White Institutions

Increased efforts are being made by key entities (e.g., the National Science Foundation) within the United States to support various strategies aimed at broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Consistent with these efforts, strategic attention has been placed on targeting African Americans in the computing sciences. Previous research on computing sciences intervention efforts (e.g., Chase & Okie, 2000; Hale, 2002) revealed that even when positive outcomes occur, they tend to vary by gender. As such, this study examined the differential gender outcomes of a computing sciences outreach effort aimed at broadening participation of African Americans in degree programs and career options at predominantly White institutions. The results of this study highlight the need to address the varying needs of targeted participants based on gender when designing and implementing similar programs.

Arizona’s Rising STEM Occupational Demands and Declining Participation in the Scientific Workforce: An Examination of Attitudes among African Americans toward STEM College Majors and Careers

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2008), science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) occupations constitute a growing sector of Arizona’s economy. However, the number of African Americans earning degrees related to these occupations has not kept pace with this growth. Increasing the participation of African Americans in STEM education fields and subsequent related occupations in Arizona is vital to growing and maintaining the state’s economic stature. This objective is made even more compelling given that each year, from 2008– 2018, there are 3,671 projected job openings in STEM fields in Arizona. This study explores the extent to which the attitudes held by African Americans in Arizona toward STEM related majors and careers influence their likelihood of joining the state’s scientific workforce. Our analyses reveal the importance of career consideration, confidence in one’s ability to be successful in a STEM related field, and family support of the pursuit of STEM education and careers.

Beyond the GameTM: Transforming Life Outcomes of Black Male Collegiate Student-Athletes

Abstract This chapter explores the complexity of issues surrounding Black males and athletics in higher education. Multiple studies over the past decade and a half have depicted an oppositional relationship between athletics and academic achievement. Research suggests that media imagery, stereotyping, and other non-academic influences on African American males who participate in intercollegiate athletics tend to result in an over-identification with professional athletes, sports, and perceptions of great value associated with physical performance activities and a simultaneous under-identification with academic performance, scholarly identity, and student development. These pressures ultimately limit career options outside of athletics. In an effort to combat these issues, Beyond the Game™ (BTG) Program, a program described in this chapter that was developed in Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory (Wei LAB) and implemented at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, seeks to harness curricular, co-curricular, and on-the-field leadership training to strategically develop and support post-graduation options. This comprehensive, multi-faceted program directly confronts the challenges student-athletes face when they exhaust their eligibility status but have yet to identify viable career alternatives to professional sports. This chapter explores the main tenants of the program, established with a group of Division 1 NCAA-affiliated college athletes as participants.

African-American Researchers in Computing Sciences: Expanding the Pool of Participation

This chapter explores the known reasons why African-Americans do not pursue or persist in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in general and in computing sciences in particular. Likewise, this chapter presents data showing low numbers of African-Americans within computing science faculty ranks. The African American Researchers in Computing Sciences (AARCS) model will be examined and presented as an intervention aimed at increasing the number of African-Americans pursuing doctoral degrees in computing sciences. In addition, empirical findings are analyzed and used to demonstrate the AARCS model’s ability to create behavioral, affective, and cognitive change in African-American undergraduate students in the computing sciences.This chapter explores the known reasons why African-Americans do not pursue or persist in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in general and in computing sciences in particular. Likewise, this chapter presents data showing low numbers of African-Americans within computing science faculty ranks. The African American Researchers in Computing Sciences (AARCS) model will be examined and presented as an intervention aimed at increasing the number of African-Americans pursuing doctoral degrees in computing sciences. In addition, empirical findings are analyzed and used to demonstrate the AARCS model’s ability to create behavioral, affective, and cognitive change in African-American undergraduate students in the computing sciences.

Preparing the Next Generation of African American Computing Science Faculty: A Response to the Obama Administration’s Scientific Workforce Priorities

Abstract Purpose Recent educational initiatives by the Obama Administration have highlighted the need for more racial and ethnic diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields (The White House, 2011). While African Americans are underrepresented in faculty positions nationally, accounting for only 5.2% of all academic faculty across all disciplines (Harvey, W. B., & Anderson, E. L. (2005). Minorities in higher education: Twenty-first annual status report. Washington, DC: American Council on Education), the underrepresentation of African Americans in STEM fields such as computing science is even more severe. According to a recent Computing Research Association (CRA) Taulbee Survey, African Americans represent just 1.3% of all computing sciences faculty (CRA, 2006). Design/methodology/approach This paper examines the benefits of one program that specifically seeks to fulfill the Obama Administration’s initiatives by addressing this disparity in higher education. Findings The program helps prepare doctoral students for the academic job search process in an effort to increase the ranks of African American faculty in computing sciences.