In this paper, we present results and implications from two studies focusing on the participation of African American and Latina/o students in ethnic student organizations. Conducted independently by two research teams, the two studies provide striking similarities in their findings. The combined body of work provides unambiguous evidence for the common assumption that participation in ethnic student organizations at predominantly White institutions bolsters underrepresented students' engineering identity development, persistence, and success in engineering studies and subsequent careers. Findings related to African American student and alumni participation in the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) mirror several findings from the study of Latina/o students in the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). Specifically, results from the two studies share three common themes. Participants describe NSBE and SHPE as 1) providing opportunities for or explicitly emphasizing the development of professional and leadership skills; 2) having access to an engineering role model or becoming a role model themselves; and 3) creating a family-like support system. This paper focuses on the implications for institutional policies and college-level professionals derived from our combined body of work. We advocate for faculty, staff, and administrators to recognize the value of student participation in NSBE and SHPE and actively support student participation in these organizations. Furthermore, we suggest methods and pathways by which these key institutional players may support students; most important of which is through creating academic and social counter-spaces on their campuses. Doing so may ultimately enhance recruitment, transition to college, and persistence in engineering for students of color.

Contribution: This study contributes to efforts to diversify the field of engineering by studying the influence of cocurricular activities on African American students' development of key nontechnical professional skills.Background: The 21st Century workforce requires significant collaboration and communication. For engineering graduates to meet workforce challenges, they must graduate with nontechnical skills. This study operationalized these skills using traits identified in the National Academy of Engineering's (NAE) "Engineer of 2020" report. The NAE also points to the urgent need for the United States to diversify its workforce; broadening the participation of African American engineers is key to doing so. Co-curricular activities help students develop nontechnical professional skills and are particularly important to African Americans at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Research Question: How do African American engineering students attending PWIs in the United States develop nontechnical professional skills through participation in ethnic-specific co-curricular activities?Methodology: This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of 16 participants from one of six engineering disciplines. Each participant was a member of at least one of the following organizations: a Black fraternity or sorority (termed Black Greek Letter organizations), their campus student chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, or an institutionsponsored program for racially underrepresented students such as a minority engineering program.Findings: Data analysis revealed significant evidence that involvement in one or more of the studied ethnic-specific cocurricular activities enhanced African American engineering students' educational experiences by providing resources and opportunities to help them develop professional skills.

This study uses Black feminist thought to explore the experiences of Black women faculty that earned tenure and promotion to associate professor. We found that participants who reported positive experiences on the tenure track received strong support from various sources. Conversely, those devoid of competent support consistently reported negative experiences. Collectively, our participants’ narratives offer insight into the importance of mentoring and departmental leadership to support Black women junior faculty’s well-being and potential career contributions. Based on our theoretical considerations and findings, we argue for more robust mentoring and support policy and praxis for Black women faculty that requires broader investment and participation from university stakeholders at all levels. Finally, we close with directions for future research.

This article unpacks the challenge of culturally responsive teaching in rural community colleges, based on emerging insights from a study of two community colleges in North Carolina. Culturally responsive strategies ask, how do our classrooms welcome the perspectives, voices, and distinctive cultural resources of people of color and other minoritized groups?

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