Strategies for Greater Inclusion of Indigenous Students in College Science Programs

The substantial underrepresentation of American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawai'ian (AI/AN/NH) students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) majors at United States colleges and universities results from systemic barriers in higher education. Efforts to address inequities have thus far not led to increases in AI/AN/NH student participation in STEM at the national level. In fact, while the AI/AN/NH population in the United States is increasing, there was a 17.0% decrease in the number of bachelor's degrees awarded to Indigenous students in STEM during the period 2012-2021. This work reports on steps that can be taken in a variety of types of institutions of higher education to serve our Native students in STEM more effectively. These steps are reported as a series of rationales, followed by practical descriptions of implementations. Ideas for enhancing the Indigenous experience in the academy, together with examples of successful programs, are detailed. These include raising faculty and institutional cultural competency, addressing inequities in college preparation within the K-12 system, making college STEM courses more inclusive, improving one-on-one advising and mentoring, engaging students in research, helping students overcome isolation, and providing physical spaces to build community. Implementation of these strategies will bring vast new talent to the STEM workforce, contributing to increased technical innovation and economic growth.