Voices of Asian Americans in Higher Education: Unheard Voices is a unique and historical book. Asian Americans are often portrayed as “model minority,” yet their personal and educational experiences are often unheard. In this book, 10 Asian American educators and scholars present realistic pictures of America’s higher education using personal narratives. The contributors in this book come from different regions and teach in different colleges and universities; and coincidentally, they all endure the “outsider” category formerly as students and now as professors and leaders. This “outsider” status can be emotionally overwhelming and psychologically unnerving. This status hampers opportunities for Asian Americans to grow and maximize their fullest potential. Though they develop different strategies to address their “outsider” label, it does not make it comfortable. But, time and time again, they have proven that they can succeed! In this technological age, we must value unending truths as we educate ourselves and others. We hope that this book will be an educational and informational resource for students, administrators, and faculty in higher education and also educational policy makers and stakeholders.

While a growing number of popular and scholarly works focus on Asian Americans, most are devoted to the experiences of larger groups such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, and Indian Americans. This book presents discussion of underrepresented groups, including Burmese, Indonesian, Mong, Hmong, Nepalese, Romani, Tibetan, and Thai Americans.

Recent discussions and dissemination of information regarding the rapid growth of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) across our nation are creating some awareness among administrators and educators in higher education institutions regarding the extensive diversity of AAPIs, the struggles of some AAPI populations in pursuing and succeeding in higher education, and the lack of support for their educational success. National discourse on AAPIs among educators, policymakers and AAPI communities underscores the need for more research—including more relevant research—that can inform policy and practice that will enhance educational opportunities for AAPIs who are underserved in higher education. The book focuses on diverse topics, many of which do not appear in the current literature. The chapters are authored by an array of distinguished and emerging scholars and professionals at various universities and colleges across the nation. The authors, whose insights are invaluable in understanding the diverse issues and characteristics that affect the educational success of underserved AAPI students, and they represent the ethnicities and cultures of Cambodian, Chinese, Guamanian/Chamorro, Filipino, Hispanic, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Native Hawaiian, Okinawan, Samoan, Vietnamese, and multiracial Americans. The authors not only integrate theoretical concepts, statistical analyses, and historical events, but they also merge theory and practice to advocate for social justice for AAPIs and other underrepresented and underserved ethnic minority groups in higher education.

Readers interested in Michigan history, sociology, and Asian American studies will enjoy this volume.

This report examines the literature on the status of Asian Pacific American (APA) women and is based on a review of research studies, campus climate and diversity reports, focus group and individual interviews representing a range of colleges and universities, and the author's own observations in academe over two decades. The report finds that APA women have demonstrated significant increases in bachelor's, master's, and first-professional degrees over the past decade but continue to lag behind male counterparts. The report also finds that APA women are underrepresented in many fields of study at all degree levels, in doctoral studies, as faculty, and at higher levels of academic administration; that many APA women find an inhospitable campus climate; that they are evaluated differently and lack a sense of community with their colleagues; and that APA professional staff cite invisibility and marginalization. The report notes that the "model minority" stereotype penalizes APA women by assuming they do not need academic or professional guidance and support, and that class and cultural biases reinforce APA women as "outsiders" in academe. Part 1 of this report presents an "Overview of Asian Pacific Americans"; Part 2 considers "Stereotypes, Biases, and Obstacles; and Part 3 focuses on "Asian Pacific American Women and the Academy." (Contains 27 references.) (DB)

This book tells the stories of South Asian Americans in K-12 schools, through a look at their perceptions, experiences, and support needs in school, especially in context of teacher cultural proficiency and belief in “the model minority myth” (the perception of Asians as the perfect minority). This book mixes stories, quotes, and anecdotes with quantitative research in order to paint a multifaceted picture of the varied and complex experiences of Asian Americans in schools. The book examines existing scholarly and popular literature to offer deeper context, and to provide guidance for how educators, policymakers, and the community might improve experiences for South Asian American, and all students, in increasingly diverse schools.

While there are books on racism in universities, few examine the unique position of Asian American undergraduates. This new book captures the voices and experiences of Asian Americans navigating the currents of race, gender, and sexuality as factors in how youth construct relationships and identities. Interviews with 70 Asian Americans on an elite American campus show how students negotiate the sexualized racism of a large institution. The authors emphasize the students' resilience and their means of resistance for overcoming the impact of structural racism.

Lin Zhan, PhD, RN, FAAN Lin Zhan, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the dean and professor of nursing at the Loewenberg School of Nursing at University of Memphis. Dr. Zhan is a Fellow of American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) and her program of research focuses on Quality of Life of older adults and ethnic minorities. She has taught nursing from the BSN to the PhD level courses and has published near 100 articles and edited five books. Dr. Zhan has received numerous awards for Outstanding Leadership in Nursing and Education such as the Extraordinary Leadership Award by the New Jersey Asian American Human and Health Services and an Outstanding Leadership in Nursing and Education award from the National League for Nursing. Dr. Zhan served as a consultant for Partner Harvard Medical International (Boston, MA) in an effort to establish a College of Nursing and Midwifery and Institute of Health Sciences in Islamabad, Pakistan. She also consults for the Square College of Nursing in Bangladesh.

The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population continues to obfuscate the discourse on diversity and higher education institutions. The historical and contemporary experiences of AAPIs in higher education clearly indicate that their presence has influenced and reinforced the importance of diversity in educational environments. To contextualize AAPIs’ participation in postsecondary education, this monograph provides: A historical overview of the “model minority” stereotype The affirmative action debate and AAPIs Their involvement in the education pipeline A discussion of their experiences in college. Implications for future research, practice, and policy are further discussed. Educators, administrators, faculty, policy makers, and researchers who are concerned with diversity issues and the AAPI population will find this monograph an engaging and valuable resource.