The Black College and University Act defined a historically black college and university (HBCU) as one that existed before 1964 with a historic and contemporary mission of educating blacks while being open to all. An HBCU must either have earned accreditation from a nationally recognised accrediting agency or association or be making reasonable progress toward accreditation. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights conducted a briefing on May 5, 2006, to assess the educational effectiveness of HBCUs. This book discusses HBCUs and examines why minority college students who begin their college studies intending to major in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) leave these disciplines in disproportionate numbers before graduation.