Latino success stories in higher education: A qualitative study of recent graduates from a health science center. Page: 1

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Along every pathway, a little rain must fall. When translated into the world of higher
education, along every pathway to graduation, barriers arise. That is the story for all students, but
for some students, what is a small barrier becomes an insurmountable obstacle, forcing a quick
exit from the world of higher education. Unfortunately, these barriers have been highest for the
groups who have traditionally had the hardest time traversing them-women and minorities.
Years of affirmative action have helped make the barriers a little less daunting. Today in the US,
minority attendance at four-year institutions is approximately 30% (Iowa State, 2004). However,
the introduction of minorities into US higher education has been a slow process. While the
increase in minority representation at four-year institutions after three decades of affirmative
action has improved, there are still areas where minority attendance has yet to reach comparable
levels. The graduate and professional school levels of higher education are two of those levels
and continue to show slow progress in terms of minority participation. In 2001, minority students
accounted for 18.5% of the total graduate student population earning a master's degree, 14.5% of
the total student population earning a doctoral degree, and 23.9% of the total student population
earning a first professional degree (US Bureau of the Census, 2003). This study focuses on these
two levels of higher education, doctoral and first professional degree completion, where the most
inequities still exist.
Minority Attendance at the Academy
The history of minority attendance at colleges is a long and arduous one with some
history being made even today. A push for college opportunities for women and African