Houston Center receives grant for study of students at historically black colleges

Published: September 22, 2009

By Hannah Sykes

CLEMSON — The National Science Foundation recently granted Clemson University and two other schools nearly $500,000 to study motivational factors of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students at historically black colleges and universities.

Clemson’s Charles H. Houston Center for the Black Experience in Education will partner with Ohio State University and Winston-Salem State University in the “Mixed Methods Study of the Factors Influencing Recruitment, Retention and Academic Achievement of Undergraduate Females and Males in STEM Disciplines at HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities).” The National Science Foundation awarded the universities $499,890 for the three-year study.

Researchers will investigate such factors as pre-college characteristics and academic experiences at institutions on students’ educational and career outcomes.

Lamont Flowers, distinguished professor of educational leadership and executive director of the Charles H. Houston Center, will serve as co-principle investigator of the study. The center will receive more than a third of the grant money for its role in the research.

“The significance of this study is that it will include the development of research-based best practices for teaching, parenting, mentoring and advising STEM students in college,” Flowers said.

END