Preface / Crystal Renée Chambers, Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe -- You go girl! : trends in educational attainment of black women / Sacha D. Blalock, Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe -- Analyzing the female advantage in college access among African Americans / Su Jin Jez -- Gender differences in self-actualization / Allan Okech, Crystal Renée Chambers -- Black women's experiences with racial microaggressions in college : making meaning at the crossroads of race and gender / Joanna Lee Williams, Tanya M. Nichols -- A way of making it : black reentry females' success and challenges to undergraduate education / Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz -- The culture of competition : identifying the unique experiences of domestic and international black student-athletes / Noel Harmon, Khalilah Doss, Saran Donahoo -- Sending an SOS : how social support networks contribute to the success of black lesbians at predominantly white institutions / Chutney Walton Guyton, Ferlin McGaskey -- African American high-achieving girls : STEM careers as options / Wanda B. Coneal -- Differential gender outcomes of career exploration sessions for African American undergraduates : an examination of a computing science outreach effort at predominantly white institutions / Jerlando F.L. Jackson, LaVar J. Charleston -- Prepared and progressing : black women in physics / Sharon Fries-Britt, Kimberly M. Holmes -- Hoping for the unexpected : African American women as STEM educators / Wynetta Y. Lee, Janet A. Guyden, P. Gayle Harris Watkins.

Since the 1976, increased attention has been paid to the diminishing numbers of Black males in higher education, and rightly so: the total numerical enrollments of Black female undergraduates has outstripped their male counterparts by a factor of nearly 2 to 1. Since intervention, however, the enrollment growth rate among Black males (60%) exceeded that of Black females (40%) (NCES, 2008). Needless to say, this good news was is welcomed by many. However, as Cole & Guy-Sheftall (2003) have pointed out, it may be misguided to assume that improving the status of black men will single-handedly solve all the complex problems facing African American communities. Are we indirectly neglecting Black females? And what of their future? The purpose of Black Female Undergraduates on Campus is to identify both successes and challenges faced by Black female students accessing and matriculating through institutions of higher education. In illuminating the interactive complexities between persons and place, this volume is aimed toward garnering an understanding of the educational trajectories and experiences of Black females, independent of and in comparison to their peers. Special attention is paid to women pursuing careers in the high demand fields of teacher education and STEM.

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