How Minority Students Experience College: Implications for Planning and Policy (review)

In the 20th century, significant contributions were made by members of the higher education community to increase our understanding of the needs and concerns of students of color in traditionally White colleges and universities. We now understand that even though some minority students come to college with limited academic preparedness, it is what occurs within the institutional environment that matters most in determining their academic success (Astin, 1993; Pascarella & Terenzi, 1991). We learned that while all students grow and develop best in academic communities that foster opportunities for involvement both in- and- outside of the classroom (Kuh et al., 1991), validating agents both inside and outside of the institution are sometimes needed for students of color in White institutions because their involvement is often impeded because of issues related to their ethnicity and cultural differences (Rendon, 1994). Finally, we read research reports, attended national conferences, and even participated in various institutional workshops that helped us explore our own biases towards these student groups. From all of these endeavors, we came to understand that no single solution exists to improve the retention and academic success of our growing minority populations. It takes a combination of these initiatives, plus a willingness to listen to those we spend our time and resources attempting to help, which is precisely what How Minority Students Experience College: Implications for Planning and Policy provides: the experiences of minority students in their own words. The book represents one of the most recent studies of the new millennium to investigate the status of students of color in traditionally White college and universities with a particular focus on their experiences outside the classroom.