Research related to achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) does not provide a clear understanding of the conditions that influence the experiences and performance of Black women. Studies make it difficult to tease out the forces shaping student aspirations and outcomes in STEM, which can lead to flawed explanations that do not take in account the influence of macro forces that can structure students' pathways to degree. This study addresses these concerns by identifying and exploring the opportunities—both past and present—that facilitate the achievement of Black women undergraduate students in STEM at 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

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Abstract:While it is important for college and university senior administrators to embrace the traditional roles of their administrative positions, senior administrators' interactions with students also shape institutional culture, students' engagement, and ultimately play a role in students' motivation to succeed. This engagement is especially evident in the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) context as senior administrators' engagement with students can directly or indirectly affect how students perceive themselves and their ability to succeed. This article aims to illuminate the role that HBCU senior level administrators play in students' motivation toward success. We also highlight the notion that senior level administrators' role in organizational culture ultimately led historically-disempowered Black women students toward success in even the most historically inaccessible pathways in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The study used semi-structured interviews with 71 Black women STEM students across 10 HBCUs and asked questions to better understand how events in their lives and on their campuses shaped their choice to pursue and persist through a STEM degree program. The study found that the women were highly motivated by their HBCUs' family-like community of support. Integral to this article, this support was not confined to professors and peers, but extended to senior administrators. We conclude that Black women STEM students' perception of their ability to succeed and their motivation is influenced by the institutions' senior administration.

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