Bowie State University Receives MacArthur Foundation Funding

Grant Used to Investigate Significance of HBCUs and Why Students Attend

 

MEDIA CONTACT: David Thompson, dlthompson@bowiestate.edu, 301-860-4311   media@bowiestate.edu

(BOWIE, Md.)—Bowie State University student researchers are exploring why students choose historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and the institutions’ community impact, thanks to a subaward from a MacArthur Foundation grant led by the University of Maryland, College Park, and the Volcker Alliance. 

The study, “From the Perspective of an HBCU Student: A Mixed-Methods Study on Campus Experiences,” tasks students with gathering and analyzing peer data while addressing key challenges facing HBCUs. 

Bowie State will receive $119,000 to conduct the project through Oct. 2025, with an expected extension to Oct. 2026, including an additional $123,000. Seven students from diverse fields will examine factors influencing HBCU enrollment decisions, guided by Assistant Sociology Professor Anas Askar. Co-principal investigators from Bowie State’s Department of Behavioral Sciences and Human Services will provide oversight. 

“Students will be compensated to methodologically conceptualize and operationalize variables, collect data, and provide data analysis of the information they gather through interviewing HBCU students,” said Askar, the cohort’s advisor. “In addition, there is a survey that HBCU students will be asked to complete as a part of the study. My co-principal investigators and I plan to guide the students theoretically and methodologically throughout the project. In addition, students can collaborate with faculty to publish the research findings in a peer-reviewed journal.” 

“I’m very excited to be able to conduct research before I graduate in May,” said Jesse Kelly Jr., a sociology major. “One of the topics I’m interested to learn about is how students who are not Black feel about attending an HBCU and the advantages. This is great experience for me because I want to continue my education and earn a Ph.D.” 

The university created a special topics sociology course to deepen the seven students’ understanding of their research’s value to Bowie State and other HBCUs. Findings will be presented at a conference in July 2025. 

“My reason for choosing to attend an HBCU is probably different from other students at HBCUs,” said Destini Coleman, a senior majoring in child and adolescent studies. “I’m just starting to embrace the research and gaining more insight into how a student’s cultural background can play a significant factor in determining to attend an HBCU.” 

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About Bowie State University
Founded in 1865, Bowie State University is the first Historically Black College/University (HBCU) in Maryland and one of the ten oldest in the country. Bowie State has earned the ‘Research College and University’ designation in the 2025 Carnegie Research Activity Classification. As a leading institution of higher learning, Bowie State offers more than 65 bachelor's, master's, doctoral and certificate programs across arts and sciences, technology, business, education, healthcare and related disciplines. The university provides high-quality and affordable educational opportunities in a supportive environment that empowers students to think critically, make new discoveries, value differences and emerge as leaders in a highly technical, rapidly changing global society. For more information about Bowie State University, visit bowiestate.edu.