Engagement in Practice: Accessing Engineering Stakeholder Perceptions at HBCUs During COVID-19 by Leveraging University Leaders and Partners

Abstract

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has created a global crisis disrupting life as we know it, negatively affecting the overall economy, and abruptly transmuting the traditional methods, experiences and abilities of higher education institutions' stakeholders (e.g., administrators, faculty, staff, students). While this unprecedented lockdown impacted all post-secondary institutions, many minority serving institutions (MSIs), including historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), were under resourced as they already face challenges that include smaller endowments, less funding from alumni, and lower levels of federal investment. To investigate this impact, a collaborative group of academic leaders worked together to develop instruments and collect data from HBCU stakeholders to better understand the impact of COVID-19. This paper will detail how the research network, encompassing multiple institutions and a minority serving professional engineering society, came together to effectively ensure the success of a project centered on providing a voice to members of the HBCU community during a global crisis.