Sharon Fries-Britt

Research Interests

Minority students, minority high achievers, underrepresented faculty.

Bio

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). Her research examines the experiences of high achieving Blacks in higher education and underrepresented minorities (URMs) in STEM fields. Recent work examines within group experiences of native and non-native Blacks in higher education. Dr. Fries-Britt is one of the faculty co-leads and authors of the recently published ACE report Speaking Truth and Acting With Integrity Confronting Challenges of Campus Racial Climate based on a collaboration with the University of Missouri, and the American Council on Education, to study campus racial climate.

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 and the National Science Foundation where she is co-principle investigator on a grant to explore the academic trajectories of black transfer engineering students from community colleges. She is a member of the American Institutes of Physics (AIP) National Task Force to Elevate African American Representation (TEAM-UP).

Dr. Fries-Britt currently serves as the coordinator (2017-2019) for the higher education concentration. From 2013-2015 she was the Director of the Higher Education, Student Affairs and International (HESI) Program. Prior to her academic career Dr. Fries-Britt 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 38 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 Outstanding Faculty Award, Office of Multiethnic Student Education (2016), the Faculty Achievement Award, President’s Commission on Ethnic Minority Issues (2012) and she was the (2011) recipient of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Mentoring Award.

Fellowships

Research Associate, National Association for Black Physicists
Consortium on Race, Gender and Ethnicity

Honors & Awards

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.

Publications

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

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 Report.

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., 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

Fries-Britt, S.L. & George Mwangi, C.A. (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.

Fries-Britt, S. L., Villarreal, R. C., Elías McAllister, D., & Blacknall, T. (2012). K-12 teachers: Important bridges to success for African-American students. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 18(4).

Fries-Britt, S. L., Burt, B., & Franklin, K. (2012). Black males majoring in physics: How HBCUs are making a difference. In R. T. Palmer & J. L. Wood (Eds.), Black men in Black Colleges: Implications for diversity, recruitment, support, and retention (pp. 71-88). New York: Routledge Press.

Fries-Britt, S. L. & Holmes, K. M. (2012). Prepared and progressing: Black women in physics. In C. R. Chambers & R. V Sharpe (Eds.), Black female undergraduates on campus: Successes and challenges (pp. 199-218). United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Fries-Britt, S. L., Rowan-Kenyon, H. T., Perna, L. W., Milem, J. F., & Howard, D. G. (2011). Underrepresentation in the Academy and the Institutional Climate for Faculty Diversity. Journal of the Professoriate, 5(1), 1-34.

SELECTED INVITED TALKS

Fries-Britt, S.L. (2018). Leadership Development Program, Diversity and inclusion, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Md.

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). Affirming Students and Cultivating Success. UMKC Advising Summit, September, Kansas City Missouri.

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.

Fries-Britt, S.L. (2015). High Achieving Black Males. University of Michigan, National Center for Institutional Diversity.

Louis, D., Fries-Britt, S.L. & Turner, B.K., (2015). ASHE Council for Ethnic Participation, How to Make Mentoring Work.

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)

Center for Education and Training
University Diversity Leadership Council
Numerous campus departments

2005-2008:United States Secret Service (Consultant on Race, Equity and Diversity)

2006-Present: Princeton University (Consultant on Race, Equity and Diversity)

Office of Human Resources (ongoing)
Provost office 2012-2013 Capacity Building for Diversity
Residential and Dining Services Training

2008-2010- Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT

Provost Office: Initiative for faculty race and diversity.

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”

Grants & Projects

“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, 2010-2011, (Evaluator), Awarded $10,000.

“Study of Race Equity and Diversity in 19 Southern and Border States.” Lumina Foundation for Education, 2004-2006, (Co-PI), Awarded $323,800.

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, 2004-2006, (PI), Awarded $25,000.

“Evaluation of Civil Rights Summer Internship Program.” Harvard Civil Rights Project, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights, 2001-2003, (Co-PI), Awarded $4,000.

Recipient of Diversity Initiative Faculty Support Award. Sponsored by the Office of Human Relations, University of Maryland, College Park, 2001-2001, Awarded course release equivalent to 10% of salary.

“Gifted and Talented Black Students.” Graduate School, University of Maryland, 1996-1996, (PI), Awarded $26,000.