Xavier University of Louisiana: Routinely Beating the Odds - ACS

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Xavier University of Louisiana: Routinely Beating the Odds Downloaded by UNIV OF FLORIDA on December 27, 2017 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date (Web): October 26, 2017 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2017-1256.ch003

Stassi DiMaggio* Department of Chemistry, Xavier University of Louisiana, 1 Drexel Dr., New Orleans, Louisiana 70125, United States *E-mail: [email protected]

Xavier University of Louisiana has developed into the recognized leader in producing African-American graduates earning undergraduate degrees in Chemistry and is consistently ranked in the top 25 universities awarding Bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry overall. The methodology for its success in these areas is a result of a multi-faceted, gradient system that encourages students’ development from freshmen to seniors, teaching them how to be successful in a challenging college setting and beyond. This is accomplished through extensive faculty advising, early academic alert systems, peer-instruction, and abundant, timely classroom feedback. As a community of faculty, staff, and students, the Chemistry Department continues to strive to keep Xavier a national leader in promoting diversity within the professional Chemistry community.

History of Xavier Xavier University of Louisiana, founded in 1925 by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, is the only historically Black and Catholic institution of higher education in the United States. Xavier’s founding mission was to offer higher education to Black youth, who were denied admission to area colleges and universities at the time. Today Xavier continues its traditional commitment to produce well-educated graduates positioned to become leaders in the community. Xavier continually promotes the mission of creating a more just and humane society by preparing its students to assume roles of leadership and service globally. Xavier students are equipped in a diverse learning and teaching environment that © 2017 American Chemical Society Nelson and Cheng; Diversity in the Scientific Community Volume 2: Perspectives and Exemplary Programs ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

incorporates all relevant educational means, including research and community service.

Downloaded by UNIV OF FLORIDA on December 27, 2017 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date (Web): October 26, 2017 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2017-1256.ch003

Demographics Xavier University is a predominantly undergraduate institution (PUI) and is also classified as one of the 107 remaining Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the country. The Carnegie classification of Xavier places it in the category of Master’s Colleges & Universities: Small Programs, while the university focuses on providing a liberal arts education. It has over 200 full-time faculty members and offers courses in over fifty majors at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels with an average total enrollment of around 3,000 students. Interestingly, over 80% of the 2,000 students enrolled as undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences are STEM majors (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), and 25% of undergraduates are Chemistry majors. In addition, most of the students are considered underrepresented in science and engineering because they constitute smaller percentages of science and engineering degree recipients, and of employed scientists and engineers than they do of the population (1). 70% of the total student body is African American, 13% are Asian American (mostly Vietnamese), and 3-4% are Hispanic. The Xavier student body is typically 70% female and more than 93% of Xavier’s undergraduates qualify for need-based as well as other forms of financial aid (2).

History of Xavier’s Growth in Chemistry and the Biomedical Sciences Xavier’s reputation and success in the sciences is unique. It is rare that a small, liberal arts university, especially an HBCU, has over 80% of its students as STEM majors. Moreover, the Chemistry Department played a major role in securing this reputation with 25% of the campus majors being Chemistry or Biochemistry, and the vast majority of other STEM majors minoring in Chemistry. The groundwork for Xavier’s reputation and success in the sciences began in the 1970s. This campaign was spearheaded by Chemistry Professor, Dr. J.W. Carmichael, who came to Xavier in 1970 as an Assistant Professor. He took the job, he says, under two conditions “I told them I needed to be able to go home [to New Mexico] in the summer to get some real Mexican food, and that I only wanted to teach freshmen.” He immediately understood the importance of establishing success in the first year for students coming to college underprepared from high school. He decided that instead of compelling students to compete against one another, better-prepared students should be encouraged to help their classmates. Accordingly, Dr. Carmichael and his faculty colleagues established a Chemistry curriculum that fosters an environment of collaboration between faculty and students, and among students with their peers. During that time Dr. Norman C. Francis, currently President Emeritus of Xavier, appointed Dr. Carmichael to be the Pre-Medical Advisor. Here, he continued to work with fellow faculty members 36 Nelson and Cheng; Diversity in the Scientific Community Volume 2: Perspectives and Exemplary Programs ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


to overcome the disparities found in the education and preparation of young, Black students that resulted in a significant underrepresentation of African-American medical doctors. Dr. Carmichael, working with fellow Chemistry Professor Dr. John Sevenair, developed a coordinated, uniform curriculum in freshman General Chemistry courses as well as Organic Chemistry courses. This was a drastic change, recalls Dr. Warren Ray, Professor of Chemistry and Xavier class of 1965. “When I was a student, class was [solely] lecture-based, and [still] even as [I was] an early faculty member. Carmichael greatly improved instruction.” This course coordination serves as the cornerstone for the multi-faceted, gradient system (Figure 1) that develops students from freshman to seniors and teaches them how to study and be successful in a challenging college setting and beyond. The Chemistry Faculty work together to write supplemental, tailored workbooks for use by all faculty teaching these courses. The faculty write and grade weekly tests and drills, not only to assess students but also to evaluate whether they need to adjust their teaching. The faculty collaborate to make departmental midterms and finals as a method of internal quality control. They also provide students with shared syllabi and office hours so that students may seek out the help of any faculty teaching that course, not just their own instructors. Faculty submit early alerts several times throughout the semester informing academic advisors of any issues the students may have. The academic advisors meet regularly with students to keep them on track. Additionally, the freshman Chemistry course sequence gives the students incentives to meet with their advisors each week.

Figure 1. Model for year-specific support, early intervention, and advising of students. Furthermore, faculty meet weekly with the peer drill instructors, the student tutors, tutoring center coordinators, and the undergraduate laboratory teaching assistants to develop a peer-led supplemental teaching environment. These actions are supplemented by a formalized peer-mentoring program that creates the studentcentered, collaborative environment envisioned by Dr. Carmichael (Figure 2). 37 Nelson and Cheng; Diversity in the Scientific Community Volume 2: Perspectives and Exemplary Programs ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


Figure 2. Model for faculty feedback, through the classroom and advising, for student success at Xavier. It begins and ends with student collaboration and mentorship. Permission received for the use of Xavier’s logo.

While these efforts require an enormous amount of work, the faculty commit because of the proven track record of success this system enjoys. The programs were designed by faculty and have been expanded and sustained by faculty over the years. Faculty see first-hand, every day the results of their efforts which encourage them to continue these interventions. Dr. Sevenair writes in his seminal publication, “As a result of introducing a nontraditional course structure, students significantly improved their performance in Organic Chemistry. Sustained improvement for six years strongly suggests the improvement is real, and not the result of a Hawthorne Effect.” In fact, after adopting this system, students’ percentile ranking on the ACS exam increased by 15 percentile points and the pass rate of Organic Chemistry increased from 41% to 64% (3). This model has been so successful in Chemistry that it has spread to other departments in the University, as well as to other universities seeking to mimic Xavier’s success. Xavier alumni regularly attribute their post-graduate preparation in part to the structure and philosophy of the department. Ms. Dominique Benson, Chemistry Doctoral student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Xavier class of 2015, states, “The best thing about the Chemistry Department at Xavier is becoming a part of a department that feels like family. The faculty have an open door policy and there are numerous resources on campus to aid students in being successful. Xavier’s Chemistry Department offers a vigorous program that will prepare any student for the next stage.” To this day, faculty follow in the footsteps of Dr. Carmichael, whose dedication to the students is indisputable. He states his only motivation was whether or not he could “wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and feel good about what I did the day before. Did I do the best for the students?” It is safe to say that in his 46 years at Xavier, the answer is undoubtedly “Yes.” 38 Nelson and Cheng; Diversity in the Scientific Community Volume 2: Perspectives and Exemplary Programs ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


Graduate and Professional School Statistics According to the U.S. Department of Education, Xavier continues to rank first nationally in the number of African-American students earning undergraduate degrees in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Specifically, Xavier is consistently ranked by the American Chemical Society (ACS) as #1 in awarding Bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry to African Americans. Xavier is also consistently ranked among the top 25 universities in the nation in awarding Bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry overall. These are astounding statistics, considering that Xavier has an undergraduate student body of approximately 2,000, where many of the other universities in the top 25 have enrollments 10-times that size. Recent data also show that Xavier is a national leader in the number of its STEM majors who go on to receive PhDs. According to the National Science Foundation statistics, Xavier regularly ranks in the top ten in the nation in producing African American students who go on to earn Science and Engineering PhDs. Within the divisions of Mathematical & Physical Sciences and Social & Behavioral Sciences, approximately 1 out of every 3 students is enrolled in a graduate or professional school during the fall semester after graduation. Chemistry, the largest major of those divisions, is responsible for the bulk of those numbers. And while Xavier was not always known for the quantity of its STEM undergraduates, it seems it was always known for the quality. When Dr. Leonard Price, Professor of Chemistry and Xavier class of 1957, was a student, he was encouraged by his Physics professor to pursue graduate school. He chose the University of Notre Dame and recalls, “in the early 60s there were very few African Americans at [Notre Dame] and fewer in graduate school. There were even fewer in the sciences, but those who were, were all from Xavier.” Nearly all undergraduate students who intend to apply to Xavier’s College of Pharmacy are Chemistry majors. It is therefore unsurprising that Xavier is consistently among the nation’s leaders in awarding Doctor of Pharmacy degrees to African Americans. In fact, it is estimated that 25% of all of the Nation’s Black Pharmacists graduated from Xavier’s College of Pharmacy. In addition to leading the nation in awarding Chemistry degrees, Xavier’s Chemistry Department has played a significant role in the University’s national reputation in producing health professionals. Since 1993, Xavier has consistently led in the nation not only in placing African American students in medical schools but more importantly, placing students who successfully complete their medical education. By comparison, as seen in Table 1, the #2 school for undergraduate students who complete medical school, Howard University, has over 7,000 undergraduates and the third ranked school, University of Florida, has over 32,000. In fact, the acceptance rate of Xavier graduates is almost twice the national average, and over 90% of those who enter medical school from Xavier complete their degrees. Students see direct links from their Xavier education to their career success, as exemplified by this statement from Asia and Ashley Matthew, MD/PhD Candidates at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Xavier class of 2012. “Majoring in Chemistry at Xavier University of Louisiana has equipped us with the ability to see a problem, analyze the problem, and develop a solution; 39 Nelson and Cheng; Diversity in the Scientific Community Volume 2: Perspectives and Exemplary Programs ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

all of these are skills that great physicians acquire during their studies. We owe many of our successes to the great education we received as Chemistry majors at Xavier.”


Table 1. Top undergraduate institutions producing Black or African-American medical graduates (4) vs undergraduate enrollment (1, 5–13). In 2011, a total of 60 medical school graduates were Xavier alumni. By comparison, 22 were Harvard alumni. Undergraduate Institutions Producing Black or African American Medical School Graduates, 2011

# of undergraduates (recent year)

1. Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA

2,185

2. Howard University, Washington, DC

7,013

3. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

32,781

4. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

6,700

5. Duke University, Durham, NC

6,485

6. Stanford University, Stanford, CA

6,980

7. Spelman College, Atlanta, GA

2,135

8. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI

28,395

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

18,415

10. Yale University, New Haven, CT

5,453

Chemistry Department Demographics These successes are a result of more than just tailoring classroom instruction and providing supplemental resources for students. Xavier’s success springs from a community within the Chemistry department that promotes not only knowledge in the field, but also the professional development of the students, and the insistence on community service by all members of the Department. The Chemistry Department at Xavier has 26 faculty members, and currently over half of the faculty are women compared to most universities, where female faculty are still a significant minority (14). About two-thirds of the faculty are research active and most have federally-funded research projects, totaling on average $2-4 million in research funding each year. In addition to individual research grants, Chemistry faculty also serve as PIs of multiple university-wide grants such as the NIH BUILD, NIH MARC, NIH RISE, NSF PREM, and NASA grants. These and other grants provide scholarships to students each year and, together 40 Nelson and Cheng; Diversity in the Scientific Community Volume 2: Perspectives and Exemplary Programs ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


with the individual research grants, provide paid research training opportunities for students to conduct cutting edge research in Chemistry and Biochemistry. There are, on average, 60-70 students actively pursuing scholarly research in the Department during any given semester, including summer. The faculty host (and even sometimes cook for) weekly research seminars year- round where outside chemists and students present their current findings. Students who do research in the department also travel to a variety of national conferences to present their work to the community at large, and there is always a large group of Xavier students who attend the national ACS meeting in the spring of each year. The Chemistry Department faculty publish about 40 papers on average per year in scholarly journals, and undergraduate student co-authors are common. This, however, was not always the case at Xavier. Like many other predominantly undergraduate universities, and in particular HBCUs, the facilities and resources at Xavier were not always state-of-the-art. In the 1970s, Xavier’s Chemistry Department was still housed in army barracks lacking air-conditioning. Dr. Joyce Corrington, then a Professor of Chemistry and the Director of Research at the University, decided that Xavier could do better than those early buildings which were occasionally inhabited by stray cats and their fleas. Through her grant writing efforts, Xavier was awarded federal funding that ultimately resulted in the Norman C. Francis Science Building which houses the physical and biological sciences today. Even with the beginnings of rapid growth and expansion of the university, the members of the Xavier community remained focused on their original mission. Dr. Corrington recounts that faculty meetings were more like “sitting around the breakfast table with family” as like-minded individuals working towards a common goal. The Chemistry department continues to foster the feeling of family by specifically recruiting scholarly faculty who are committed to teaching undergraduates and training them in the lab. And most importantly, by recruiting those faculty who are committed to Xavier’s mission. Dr. Cheryl Stevens, former Chair of the Department of Chemistry and the former Associate Dean of Scholarship at the University, helped to build a highly competitive department for research funding and create a “culture that focuses on student engagement” by assuring faculty had access to a modernized “physical infrastructure and the financial resources to support their work.” She worked to ensure faculty were able to reduce their teaching loads through funded research proposals so that they could successfully develop their scholarship, but more importantly, “to have the time to give students a good quality experience in the lab.” This is an area in which Xavier excels, and as she succinctly states, “everybody wants to put money into that.”

Chemistry Club and Other Departmental Outreach Xavier is proud to have a large and active ACS student member chapter. The chapter has been recognized by the ACS as an Outstanding Chapter for 10 41 Nelson and Cheng; Diversity in the Scientific Community Volume 2: Perspectives and Exemplary Programs ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


of the past 12 years, with annual student participation exceeding 100 members. The student chapter and the Department regularly send 25 or more members to the ACS national meeting each year, where most attendees present their research projects. The club also has an enthusiastic program of outreach activities in local schools, with many of these projects funded by grants that have been written and managed by students. Members have a strong dedication to community service, with a particular focus on introducing science to younger students and generating enthusiasm for Chemistry among underrepresented groups. The members also serve as peer-mentors to new freshmen, supporting Xavier’s philosophy of student collaboration and peer-support. They work closely with the faculty in activities, from making recruitment calls to high school students to performing safety inspections in the research labs. The Xavier ACS student chapter is an integral part of the Chemistry Department and enhances the departmental community greatly. Xavier faculty are also extremely committed to service and model the commitment expected from the students. Each year, faculty contribute to dozens of activities and programs that foster enthusiasm and advance knowledge in Chemistry in K-12 students. This is done through a variety of ways, including bringing high school students to campus and the Department, going to high schools through the “Speaking about Science” program, providing information about careers in Chemistry to high school students, attending college and career fairs, and participating in monthly STEM NOLA activities. STEM NOLA is a monthly hands-on workshop for K-12 students created to inspire and engage members in the surrounding communities about the opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Volunteers design and deliver activities, programs & events that bring inspiration, motivation and training to all STEM stakeholders, specifically focusing on underserved communities, across the city of New Orleans. Faculty know that many of the reasons African-American and Black students pursue STEM degrees at lower rates have to do with unequal education in the K-12 years. They see this outreach as an extension of St. Katherine Drexel’s mission for members of the Xavier community. In turn, many graduates continue to support the mission of Xavier by choosing careers that allow them to mentor underrepresented students in all parts of the STEM pipeline. Dr. Nyote Calixte, Director of Academic Engagement, Natural and Quantitative Sciences at Duke University and Xavier class of 2007, recalls her undergraduate environment as she fulfills her role as an academic advisor to new, undergraduate STEM students, particularly women of color. "The chemistry department was more than just a place for majors- for me, it was a place I felt supported. As a first-generation student with ambitions to study chemistry, this support made all the difference in my success. Through the department I was challenged to be my best self, whether as an emerging scientist, scholar or peer mentor. I had the unwavering support of ALL the instructors in my department, each of which knew and greeted me by name, making it feel more like family. My preparation, achievements, and wellbeing mattered to my department. So, I have no doubt that the reason I am successful today is because of the familial and genuinely supportive environment created by the chemistry department and its faculty.” 42 Nelson and Cheng; Diversity in the Scientific Community Volume 2: Perspectives and Exemplary Programs ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.


Commitment to Local Section and National ACS The Xavier Chemistry Department has had a long history of supporting the Local Section of the ACS. Seven faculty members and one student have served on the Louisiana Local Section Executive Board in the past decade alone. These individuals have developed new programming such as the Science Café and the Chemistry on Tap series, both of which are held biannually. They are also responsible for many of the student member offerings such as dinner talks, awards banquets, travel grants, Earth Day events, and National Chemistry Week outreach. Xavier faculty and student members were heavily involved in planning and volunteering for the 2010 66th SWRM/62nd SERMACS Joint Regional Meeting and have already begun planning the 2020 meeting. In fact, due to aggressive fundraising, marketing, and attendance the 2010 SW/SE Joint Regional Meeting was one of the most financially successful ACS regional meetings to date. Both the Finance Chair and the Fundraising Chair were faculty members at Xavier. The Xavier ACS student chapter, supported by a programming grant, planned and implemented the undergraduate program in partnership with Loyola University of New Orleans, which produced a robust program with keynote speakers focused on various careers in chemistry, effective community outreach, an undergraduate poster session, graduate school sessions, and a social. In the past decade alone, the National Meeting of the ACS has been held in New Orleans twice, with a third being held in 2018. Xavier traditionally provides the vast majority of student workers and volunteers for these meetings. Xavier faculty members have started and continue to chair the local chapter of the Younger Chemists Committee. Regular events and speakers are planned that are tailored to the students’ needs. The committee also compiled and maintains a list of contacts at local and regional businesses that serve as potential employers for recent Chemistry graduates. Xavier and the Chemistry Department continue to make a strong commitment to educating African-American students in the Sciences and preparing them for careers in the Chemical, Biomedical, Pharmaceutical, and STEM-related fields. Since 2005, Xavier has weathered one of the largest natural disasters in U.S. history, the largest economic downturn since the great depression, and fundamental changes in the college financial aid programs which disproportionally impact HBCUs. Despite these unprecedented challenges, the Xavier Chemistry Department has awarded over 550 Bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry during this time period, with the vast majority going to African-American students, and most of those are women. The Chemistry Department continues to strive to keep Xavier a national leader in promoting diversity within the professional Chemistry community.

Acknowledgments The author would like to acknowledge Dr. Teresa Birdwhistell for her help facilitating and conducting the personal interviews sited as well as for her keen eye for proofreading. She would also like to thank Dr. Michael Adams for providing information on the student chapter as well as for his fact-checking. 43 Nelson and Cheng; Diversity in the Scientific Community Volume 2: Perspectives and Exemplary Programs ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

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44 Nelson and Cheng; Diversity in the Scientific Community Volume 2: Perspectives and Exemplary Programs ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2017.

Xavier University of Louisiana: Routinely Beating the Odds - ACS

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