Despite intents to increase the number of people of color (POC) within environmental fields, diversity in environmental disciplines lags far behind the 38% racial/ethnic minority population in the U.S. Contrasting this discrepancy, research has demonstrated that POC as undergraduates are interested and prepared for work in environmental fields. However, for POC within this pipeline to environmental careers, a climate of racial/ethnic diversity and a broadly inclusive curricula are pivotal factors. Insofar as race/ethnicity are constituents of identity, they are essential to social-ecological contexts of environmental justice. Furthermore, identity diversity lends itself to cognitive diversity, promoting creativity and innovation in science and research.
We sought to understand the experiences of POC in undergraduate environmental science and studies programs using grounded theory methodology. We interviewed undergraduates who self-identify as racial/ethnic minorities and have a declared major in environmental science/studies at two private universities in Chicago. Interviews examined motivations for entering environmental fields, perceived barriers and supports to academic success, and suggestions to improve racial/ethnic inclusion within environmental degree programs. We analyzed data across interviews via coding, categorizing, and memo-writing to identify emergent themes.
Results/Conclusions
Preliminary analyses indicate that professors can enhance the academic experiences of POC at two levels: 1) through professors who identify as POC themselves, and 2) through the content a professor exposes within courses. On the first level, POC faculty can cue comprehension of unique academic experiences associated with backgrounds entwined in racial/ethnic identities, which POC students want environmental programs to acknowledge. On the second level, POC seek recognition by peers through exposure to content that POC find relevant to their experiences. Professors are facilitators of dialogue surrounding diversity, enabling critical thought to avoid dismissing the roles of race/ethnicity in reproducing disparate outcomes that POC perceive to be set in failures to acknowledge them in the first place. These results can be instructive to higher education environmental programs in the recruitment and retention of a racially diverse student body, thus strengthening the pipeline of POC to environmental careers.