AsAmSt Faculty Interview: Sam Museus
Educational Experiences:
University of Minnesota: B.A. in History & Sociology
University of Minnesota: M.A. in Higher Education
Penn State University: Ph.D. in Higher Education
Areas of Academic Expertise and Interests:
Race and Culture
Campus environments
Underrepresented college students success
Current Research Projects/Community Work:
• A study focused on understanding how the organizational culture of college transition programs influences low-income and minority students college choice processes
• A study designed to examine how campus cultures contribute to racial/ethnic minority student success at predominantly White colleges that have proven effective at retaining and graduating students of color
• A study focused on understanding how incongruence between racial/ethnic minority students home and campus cultures shape their experiences
• A comprehensive study aimed at understanding how remedial education affects low-income and racial/ethnic minority student success
• Securing funds to study racial/ethnic minority student success in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields
• Working on publishing a book focused on conducting research on Asian Americans in higher education
Biography:
Originally from Minnesota, Asian American Studies affiliated professor, Sam Museus, decided to come to the UMASS Boston campus because of its social justice-oriented higher education program, dedicated faculty, urban mission, and diverse student body, as well as the opportunity that the university offers to connect with undergraduate students in the Asian American Studies program. His research interests are aimed at understanding the role of race and culture in low-income and racial minority college students experiences and outcomes. In addition to his interests in studying race and culture, Sam is deeply interested in issues regarding access and success among underrepresented students in higher education. He feels that everyone should have the opportunity to attend and succeed in college. Sam's passion for social justice peaked and shifted when he entered the field of higher education. Sam recalls being at a university where there was a lot of racial tension in the campus climate. He explained that, there were certain groups that were extremely marginalized. There was an incident during which members of the Republican student organization on campus had a party during which they dressed up as members of the Ku Klux Klan. And, there were death threats received by Black student leaders on campus. These and many other experiences prompted Sam to shift his research interests from educational policy to focusing on institutional environments and the experiences and success of historically underrepresented college students.
Sam is currently teaching courses on qualitative and quantitative research methods in the Higher Education Program at UMASS Boston. He also spends time contributing to the university community by serving on committees for faculty searches, curriculum approval, and strategic planning. Sam has connected with students in the Asian American Studies program, acting as a mentor for those students and making efforts to be readily available so he can provide them with support. Sam also supports the Asian American community at UMASS by conducting research on Asian Americans and other racial minorities in higher education. Although his connections to the Asian American Studies program aren't as strong as he would like, he foresees strengthening those connections in the future by collaborating on research with students and teaching courses in the program.
*If you could pick any superpower in the world, what would it be and why?
Sam said being able to absorb powers and other people's skills.
DAY IN THE LIFE... OF AN ASIAN AMERICAN UMB FACULTY MEMBER
6:00am - This is way too early =o)
7:00am - Wake up and get ready (e.g., shower and organize)
8:00am - Get coffee and head to campus
9:00am - Arrive on campus, check mail, and respond to email
10:00am - Program meeting
11:00am - Program meeting (cont.)
12:00pm - Lunch with faculty or students
1:00pm - Department meeting
2:00pm - Meetings with other faculty or students
3:00pm - Meetings with other faculty or students (cont.)
4:00pm - Create lesson plans for class
5:00pm - Create lesson plans for class (cont.)
6:00pm - Head home
7:00pm - Workout
8:00pm - Eat dinner
9:00pm - Focus on research (e.g., writing proposals and papers)
10:00pm - Research (cont.)
11:00pm - Research (cont.)
12:00am - Sleep!