Sharon Fries-Britt is a Professor of Higher Education at the University of Maryland, College Park in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education and Special Education (CHSE). Dr. Fries-Britt is a University of Maryland Distinguished Scholar Teacher. Her research examines the experiences of high achieving Blacks in higher education, underrepresented minorities (URMs) in STEM fields and issues of race, equity and diversity. Dr. Fries-Britt has published widely within peer-reviewed journals, and she has served on the editorial boards of The Journal of College Student Development, The Journal of Diversity in Higher Education and the College Student Affairs Journal. Her research has been funded and supported by the Lumina Foundation, National Society of Black Physicists, National Science Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Dr. Fries-Britt is a co-author and co-editor of the forthcoming book Building Mentorship Networks to Support Black Women: A Guide to Succeeding in the Academy (Routledge Press). She was one of the faculty co-leads of a national case study of the University of Missouri recovery process following the campus racial unrest of 2015. This work is in collaboration with the American Council on Education (ACE) and has resulted in two national monographs the first published in 2018, Speaking Truth and Acting with Integrity Confronting Challenges of Campus Racial Climate examines the impact of the racial crisis for the university. The second monograph released spring 2020, Leading After a Racial Crisis: Weaving a Campus Tapestry of Diversity and Inclusion provides important insights for how leaders can address campus tensions following a racial crisis. Other lines of research examine the relationship building of Black males and faculty in STEM and within group experiences of native and non-native Blacks in higher education. Dr. Fries-Britt was a member of the American Institutes of Physics (AIP) National Task Force (2018-2020) to Elevate African American Representation (TEAM-UP) in physics. She is a co-PI on a National Science Foundation grant (2018-2021) to explore the academic trajectories of Black transfer engineering students from community colleges.
Prior to her academic career she served as a senior level administrator in higher education, and she has consulted extensively with colleges and universities, foundations, governmental agencies, national organizations and private industry on issues of race, equity, diversity and leadership. With over 40 years of professional experience in the field of higher education she brings a wealth of knowledge, insight and experience to both research and practice. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the AERA 2021 Social Justice in Education Award, the UMD Alumni Excellence in Research Award (2019), UMD Outstanding Faculty Award Office of Multiethnic Student Education (2016), the Faculty Achievement Award, President’s Commission on Ethnic Minority Issues (2012), and the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Mentoring Award (2011).
AERA Social Justice in Education Award, 2021
Distinguished Scholar Teacher, University of Maryland, 2019
Excellence in Research Award, Alumni Association, University of Maryland, 2019
Outstanding Faculty Award, Office of Multiethnic Student Education, 2016.
Faculty Achievement Award, University of Maryland, President’s Commission on Ethnic Minority Issues, 2012.
Mentor of the Year, Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), 2011
Community Service Award, University of Maryland’s, Black Faculty and Staff Association, 2002.
Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award, Department of Education Policy and Leadership, 2001.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Fries-Britt, Kezar, A, Wheaton, M., McGruire, D, Kurban, E. & Dizon, J.P.M (2020). Leading After a Racial Crisis: Weaving a Campus Tapestry of diversity and inclusion. ACE Monograph (release date June 22nd).
Adrianna Kezar & Sharon Fries-Britt (2020) Navigating a Campus Racial Crisis: Building Capacity, Leading Through Trauma and the Recovery Process, Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 52:2, 89-93, DOI:10.1080/00091383.2020.1732795.
Fries-Britt, S.L. & Lewis-White, D. (2020). In pursuit of meaningful relationships: How Black males perceive faculty interactions in STEM. The Urban Review.
George Mwangi, C.A., Daoud, N, Peralta, A. & Fries-Britt, S.L. (2019). Waking from the American Dream: Conceptualizing racial activism and critical consciousness among Black immigrant college students. Journal of College Student Development
Kezar, A., Fries-Britt, S.L, Kurban, E., McGuire, D and Wheaton M. (2018). Speaking Truth and Acting with Integrity Confronting Challenges of Campus Racial Climate, ACE Monograph.
Fries-Britt, S.L (2017). It Takes More Than Academic Preparation: A Nuanced Look at Black Male Success in STEM. Journal of African American Males in Education. Summer 2017, Vol 8 (1).
George Mwangi, C.A., Fries-Britt, S., Peralta, A.M., Daoud, N. (2016). Examining intra-racial dynamics and engagement between native-born and foreign-born Black collegians in STEM. Journal of Black Studies, 47(7), 773-794.
George Mwangi, C.A., Peralta, A.M., Fries-Britt, S. & Daoud, N. (2016). Exploring the academic motivation and experiences of international students of color in STEM. In K. Bista & C. Foster, International student mobility, services, and policy in higher education (pp. 197-211). Hershey, PA: IGI Global
George Mwangi, C.A.& Fries-Britt, S.L. (2015). Black Within Black: The Perceptions of Black Immigrant Collegians and their U.S. College Experiences. About Campus, 20(3), 16-23.
Fries-Britt, S. L., & Snider, J. (2015). Mentoring outside the line: The importance of authenticity, transparency and vulnerability in effective mentoring relationships. New Directions in Higher Education.
Fries-Britt, S. L., George Mwangi, C. A., & Peralta, A. (2014). Learning Race in a U.S. Context: An Emergent Framework on the Perceptions of Race Among Foreign-born Students of Color. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. 7(1) 1-13.
Fries-Britt, S. L., George Mwangi, C. A., & Peralta, A. (2014). The acculturation experiences of foreign-born students of color in STEM. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 51 (4), 349-361.
Fries-Britt, S. L., Burt, B., & Johnson, J. M. (2013). Black students in physics. The Intersection of academic ability, race, gender and class. In T. L. Strayhorn (Ed.), Living at the intersections: Social identities and Black collegians. New York: Information Age Publishing, Inc.
SELECTED INVITED TALKS
Fries-Britt, S., Lee, J. (2019). International Students in Higher Education: National Academies of Science Roundtable on Systemic Change in Undergraduate STEM Education, September 12-13, Washington DC.
Fries-Britt, S. (2019). Keynote address: Building Success from the Inside Out. Men and Women of Color, Honor & Ambition Conference, University of Missouri System, Columbia Missouri.
Fries-Britt, S. & McDonald K. (2019). Speaking Trust and Acting with Integrity: Confronting Challenges of Campus Racial Climate. University of Denver.
Cornwell, G., Fries-Britt, S., & Maxwell, D. (2019). Are You Ready for Shared Governance? Association of Governing Boards (AGB) Board Professionals Meeting Orlando Florida.
Aw, F., Fries-Britt, S., Espinosa, L. & Flannery,T. (2019). Communicating Meaningfully no Issues of Diversity in an Age of Hate Speech. PRSA CHE Summit, Washington D.C.
Fries-Britt, S. (2019). Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education. Leadership Development Program Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Maryland.
Fries-Britt, S., Holloway, M, McDonald K. & Owens S. (2019). Building Capacity for Diversity and Inclusion, National Association for College and University Attorneys (NACUA). Seattle, Washington.
Fries-Britt, S. & McDonald K. (2019). Speaking Trust and Acting with Integrity: Confronting Challenges of Campus Racial Climate. University of Michigan.
Fries-Britt, S. & McDonald K. (2019). Speaking Trust and Acting with Integrity: Confronting Challenges of Campus Racial Climate. Michigan State University.
Fries-Britt, S. (2019). Speaking Truth and Acting with Integrity: Confronting Challenges of Campus Racial Climate. Princeton University, The Division of University Services.
Cartright, A., Fries-Britt, S. & McDonald K. (2019). Speaking Truth and Acting with Integrity: Confronting Challenges of Campus Racial Climate. ACE national conference Philadelphia.
Fries-Britt, S. (2019). Speaking Trust and Acting with Integrity: Confronting Challenges of Campus Racial Climate. NASPA, Coffee With Kevin.
Fries-Britt, S. (2019). Speaking Truth and Acting with Integrity: Confronting Challenges of Campus Racial Climate. American University, Washington D.C.
Fries-Britt, S.L. (2018). Gender Equity and Workplace Climate, College of Engineering, Bucknell University, Lewisburg Penn.
Fries-Britt, S.L. (2017). Women in STEM Conclave Keynote Address: Cultivating the imprint in your soul: Living and leading from the inside out.
Fries-Britt, S.L. (2016). Princeton University, Enhancing Diverse Learning Environments, Human Resources Department.
Milem, J. Frye, J., Fries-Britt, S.L., Shorter-Gooden, K. and Waters, R. (2016). Strategic Planning for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Higher Education. Association of American Colleges and Universities, Washington DC.
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED RESEARCH
2018-2021 (Co-PI) Broadening Participation in Engineering to study transfer student’s experiences in Engineering from 4 Maryland community colleges. National Science Foundation, Awarded $553,000.
2010-2011, (Evaluator), “Evaluation of Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP), Bridge to the Doctorate in STEM.” Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, Awarded $10,000.
2004-2006, (Co-PI), “Study of Race Equity and Diversity in 19 Southern and Border States.” Lumina Foundation for Education, Awarded $323,800.
2004-2006, (PI), Grant sub-contracted as part of “Broadening Participant in Physics: Fall Regional Meetings and Spring Annual Conferences of the National Society of Black Physicists.” DMR-0400699, Awarded $25,000 (yearly).
SELECTED CONSULTANCIES
2001-Present: Johns Hopkins University (Consultant on Race, Equity and Diversity)
2005-2008:United States Secret Service (Consultant on Race, Equity and Diversity)
2006-Present: Princeton University (Consultant on Race, Equity and Diversity)
2008-2010- Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT
Chaired Dissertation Committees
2006 Roni M. Ellington (PhD, Curriculum and Instruction) – “Having Their Say: Eight High-Achieving African-American Undergraduate Mathematics Majors Discuss their Success and Persistence in Mathematics”
2007 Alycia A. Marshall (PhD, Mathematics Education) – “Black/African American Students' Perceptions of Mathematical Success and Mathematical Success Factors at a Community College”
2007 Shawna Acker-Ball (PhD, Higher Education) – “A Case Study of the Influence of Family on First-Generation College Students’ Educational Aspirations Post High School”
2008 Jeff Van Collins (PhD, Higher Education) – “Stating a Claim Upon Which Relief Can be Granted: Examining How the Development of Standards of Care and Changes in Public Policy Surrounding Public Education Potentially Validate Conditions for Educational Malpractice”
2009 Toyia K. Younger (PhD, Higher Education) – “The Case for Degree Completion: African American Transfer Students at a Traditionally White Instituton”
2010 Joelle I. Davis Carter (PhD, Higher Education) – “Factors Influencing the Engagement of White Undergraduates Attending Public Historically Black Universities”
2012 Belinda Jung-Lee Huang (PhD, Higher Education) – “Navigating Power and Politics: Women of Color Senior Leaders in Academe”
2013 Jennifer M. Johnson (PhD, Higher Education) – “A Different World: African American, First Generation College Students at a Selective University”
2013 Kimberly M. Holmes (PhD, Higher Education) – “The Perceived Undergraduate Classroom Experiences of African American Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (STEM)”
2014 Chrystal George Mwangi (PhD, Higher Education) – “A Family Affair: AfricanImmigrant Families Conceptualizing and Navigating College Choice”
2016 Tykeia Robinson (PhD, Higher Education)-Exploring An integrative Graduate Research Traineeship (IGERT): Using Organizational Culture to Understand how programs work.
2017 Domonic Rollins (PhD, Student Affairs)-Navigating Racism in Higher Education: A Grounded Theory Study of Black Male Administrators.
Co-Chaired Dissertation Committees
2007 Rebecca E. Thomas. (PhD, Higher Education) – “Pathways to the Baccalaureate: A Longitudinal Study of Sequence Differences by Parents' Education Level”
2010 Christine Pour Mahan (PhD, Higher Education) – “First to the Finish Line: A Case Study of First Generation Baccalaureate Degree Completers in the University of Maryland Student Support Services Program”
2011 Yvette D. Mozie-Ross (PhD, Higher Education) – “An Examination of High School Graduates Who Identify Teachers as Influential in their Choice of College”
2012 Jennifer Vest Frank (PhD, Higher Education) – “Expanding the Role of Maryland Community Colleges in K-12 Teacher Preparation: Benefits and Costs of Implementing the Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) Degree”
2012 Dora Elías McAllister. (PhD, Higher Education) – “Mexican American First-Generation Students' Perceptions of Siblings and Additional Factors Influencing their College Choice Process”
2018-2021 (Co-PI) Broadening Participation in Engineering to study transfer student’s experiences in Engineering from 4 Maryland community colleges. National Science Foundation, Awarded $553,000.
2010-2011, (Evaluator), “Evaluation of Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP), Bridge to the Doctorate in STEM.” Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, Awarded $10,000.
2004-2006, (Co-PI), “Study of Race Equity and Diversity in 19 Southern and Border States.” Lumina Foundation for Education, Awarded $323,800.
2004-2006, (PI), Grant sub-contracted as part of “Broadening Participant in Physics: Fall Regional Meetings and Spring Annual Conferences of the National Society of Black Physicists.” DMR-0400699, Awarded $25,000 (yearly).