Men of Color in Higher Education

“The title of this volume alone, Men of Color in Higher Education: New Foundations for Developing Models of Success, inspires intrigue in educators and administrators who are concerned about the relative dearth of men of color in higher education. The absence of men of color in higher education and the regular portrayal of their poor academic performance has been propelled by deficit discourse contending that men of color are defective and inadequately suited for the academy. This volume interrogates this perspective and counters studies and programs that have largely been guided by the presumption of men of color’s academic 'deficiency.' It intimates that college and university approaches (or lack thereof) to educating men of color are habitually insufficient and offers compelling evidence that supports 'a strengths-based approach' as a model for success for academic institutions that aspire to effectively educate Black, Native American, Latino, and Asian American and Pacific Islander men.”

“Men of Color in Higher Education embraces asset-based models like the one developed at UMBC – and it holds practitioners accountable for being precise about what we mean when we talk about improving student success and providing better support for students of color. Whether examining the outcomes of Asian and Pacific Islander or African American students, the authors make a compelling case for nuance and precision. Not only must colleges and universities carefully examine student outcomes by gender and race, but they must go further in disaggregating data.

Perhaps the most powerful promise presented by Men of Color in Higher Education is that if we can help our most vulnerable students succeed, we can ensure that all students experience the type of education that is at the heart of the American dream.”

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President - , University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Foreword—Freeman A. Hrabowski, III

Preface—Ronald A. Williams

1) The Problem of Patriarchy—Edmund T. Gordon and Celeste Henery

2) Intersectionality—Robert T. Teranishi and Loni Bordoloi Pazich

3) Ahistoricism in the Native American Experience—LeManuel Bitsóí and Lloyd L. Lee

4) Masculinity: Through a Latino Male Lens—Victor B. Sáenz and Beth E. Bukoski

5) (Re)Setting the Agenda for College Men of Color: Lessons Learned from a 15-Year Movement to Improve Black Male Student Success—Shaun R. Harper

Contributors

Index

Ronald A. Williams

No information

LeManuel Bitsóí

LeManuel Bitsóí currently serves as an associate in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. In addition, Dr. Bitsóí is the lead Native American scholar for an initiative focusing on men of color sponsored by the College Board. As an advocate for minority scientists and scholars, Dr. Bitsóí also serves as the secretary for the board of directors for the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Latinos and Native Americans in Science. Dr. Bitsóí previously served as the Diversity Action Plan Program director in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, and as Training Director for the FlyBase Model Organism Database in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard, where he directed training programs for underrepresented minority students interested in pursuing genomic sciences at the undergraduate and postdoctoral levels.

Edmund T. Gordon

Edmund T. Gordon is the chair of the African and African Diaspora Department as well as an associate professor in anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin. His teaching and research interests include: Culture and power in the African diaspora, gender studies (particularly Black males), critical race theory, race education and the racial economy of space and resources. His publications include Disparate Diasporas: Identity and Politics in an African-Nicaraguan Community, 1998, UT Press.

Shaun R. Harper

Shaun R. Harper, PhD, is a professor in the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, and is the USC Race and Equity Center Executive Director. He is an expert on racial, gender, and LGBT issues in corporations, law firms, Hollywood production companies, and universities. He also is an expert on college sports. He offers organizations live, and high-quality virtual experiences on a range of topics pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion in business and on campus.

Dr. Harper has consulted with more than 200 businesses and institutions on strategies related to equity, diversity, and inclusion. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and other academic publications, and procured $13 million in research grants. He is presently working on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Business, his 13th book. His research has been cited in over 12,000 published studies. The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fortune, Washington Post, Black Enterprise, and several thousand other news outlets have quoted Professor Harper and featured his research. He has been interviewed on CNN, ESPN, and NPR.

Prior to becoming a faculty member, he was Assistant Director of MBA Admissions for the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Dr. Harper spent a decade at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a tenured full professor.

Victor B. Sáenz

Victor B. Sáenz is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a Faculty Fellow with the Division of Diversity & Community Engagement and a faculty affiliate with the Center for Mexican American Studies. Dr. Sáenz received his PhD (2005) and a Masters degree (2002) from UCLA in Higher Education & Organizational Change. He also holds a Master’s degree (1999) from the LBJ School of Public Affairs and a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics (1996) from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Sáenz was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.

Robert T. Teranishi

Robert T. Teranishi is Associate Professor of Higher Education at New York University, co-director for the Institute for Globalization and Education in Metropolitan Settings, and a faculty affiliate with The Steinhardt Institute for Higher Education Policy. Teranishi's research is broadly focused on race, ethnicity, and the stratification of college opportunity. He has provided congressional testimony regarding the Higher Education Reauthorization Act and No Child Left Behind, informed state policy decisions related to selective college admissions, and his research has been solicited to inform U.S. Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action and school desegregation. Teranishi was recently appointed by Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan to the U.S. Department of Education’s Equity and Excellence Commission, and was named one of the nation's top "up-and-coming" leaders by Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Teranishi is also the recipient of the Daniel E. Griffiths Research Award and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Faculty Award from NYU. His work has been supported by the Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Walmart Foundation, WT Grant, USA Funds, ETS, and the College Board. Prior to his position at New York University, Teranishi was a National Institute for Mental Health postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute. He received his B.A. from the University of California Santa Cruz in Sociology and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California Los Angeles in Higher Education and Organizational Change.