Paradigm Shift: Infusing Research into Teaching and Learning at Claflin University

Abstract

Claflin University is leading the way in graduating underrepresented minorities at the bachelor’s level and preparing them for graduate school in STEM. Claflin University is a small liberal arts institution with the primary focus on teaching. However, because of the national demand for STEM professions, and the gap between the supply and demand, Claflin administrators were astute enough (14 years ago) to realize that in order to be effective as a teaching institution, there must be a delicate balance between teaching and research. For the state of South Carolina which has the third largest percent population of African Americans (31%) in the country, educated and trained minorities in the STEM fields are in even higher need as they can serve as role models and help build up a minority higher education pipeline within their home towns. HBCUs are central to this mission of increasing minority participation in STEM and have been playing a vital role in educating underrepresented groups. Therefore, Claflin University made a courageous decision (14 years ago) to enhance the role of research-based teaching, specifically in STEM. This synergistic move would bolster Claflin’s competitiveness as a teaching institution with a strong and sustainable research core.

Citation

Peters, A.W. and Tisdale, V.A. (2015), "Paradigm Shift: Infusing Research into Teaching and Learning at Claflin University", Infusing Undergraduate Research into Historically Black Colleges and Universities Curricula (Diversity in Higher Education, Vol. 17), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 47-61. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-364420150000017003