VCU's Department of Chemistry is among top producers of Bachelor of Science Degrees for blacks

By Malorie Burkett

RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Chemistry has been identified by Chemical & Engineering News online as a top producer of Bachelor of Science degrees for blacks at non Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

In spite of a slightly downward drift in the totals of chemistry graduates among all races at American colleges and universities, VCU’s Department of Chemistry is working to raise the ranks of underrepresented races in chemistry studies.

Compared with their proportion of the general population and of well-represented Asians, African-Americans along with Hispanics and Native Americans are still substantially underrepresented.

“This department, small by the standards of judging Ph.D. departments in chemistry, takes seriously the need to bring underrepresented groups into the enterprise so that this country can sustain and build upon its capabilities in medicine, engineering, and science,” said Fred Hawkridge, Ph.D., chair of VCU’s Department of Chemistry.

According to the article published last month, VCU ranks 19th overall out of 1,041 institutions in producing Bachelor of Science chemists. In addition, VCU ranks 8th in producing Bachelor of Science chemists who are black.

Of the 16 schools producing the most black chemists, VCU and North Carolina State University are the only non-HBCU’s listed. Though the rankings do not provide a separate category for non-HBCU’s, VCU is clearly the number one producer of Bachelor of Science degrees for blacks at non-HBCU’s.

“It is important for colleges and universities to produce chemists to continue to support the country's continued production of materials for use in medicine, construction and technology and to develop new products with superior efficacy and performance,” Hawkridge said.

For the article, visit http://pubs.acs.org/isubscribe/journals/cen/81/i06/html/8106chemistryclass.html.