Presenting new empirical evidence and employing fresh theoretical perspectives, this book sheds new light on the challenges that Black Students face from the time they apply to college through their lives on campus.The contributors make the case that the new generation of Black students differ in attitudes and backgrounds from earlier generations, and demonstrate the importance of understanding the diversity of Black identity.Successive chapters address the nature and importance of Black spirituality for reducing isolation and race-related stress, and as a source of meaning making; students’ college selection and decision process and the expectations it fosters; first-generation Black women’s motivations for attending college; the social-psychological determinants of academic achievement, and how resiliency can be developed and nurtured; institutional climate and the role of cultural centers; as well as identity development; and mentoring. The book includes a new research study of African American male undergraduates who identify as gay or bisexual; discusses the impact of student-to-student interactions in intellectual development and leadership building; describes the successful strategies used by historically Black institutions with at-risk men; considers the role of parents in Black male students’ lives, and the applicability of the “millennial” label to the new cohort of African American students.The book offers new insights and concrete recommendations for policies and practices to provide the social and academic support for African American students to persist and fully benefit from their collegiate experience. It will be of value to student affairs personnel and faculty; constitutes a textbook for courses on student populations and their development; and provides a springboard for future research.

This book reports findings from the National Study of Black College Students, a comprehensive study of Black college students' characteristics, experiences, and achievements as related to student background, institutional context, and interpersonal relationships. Over 4,000 undergraduates and graduate/professional students on sixteen campuses (eight historically Black and eight predominantly White) participated in this mail survey. Using these and other data, this book systematically examines the current state of Black students in U.S. higher education. Until now, our understanding has been limited by inadequate data, misguided theories, and failure to properly interpret the Black American reality. This volume challenges our assumptions and contributes to the growing body of knowledge about Black student experiences and outcomes in higher education.

As more Americans are attending college, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are now in a position where they must directly compete with other institutions. While other colleges and universities might have more resources and stronger infrastructures, HBCUs provide better opportunities to meet the needs of students of color. Setting a New Agenda for Student Engagement and Retention in Historically Black Colleges and Universities explores the innovations that HBCUs can enact to better serve and prepare the next generation of African American leaders, and to be more competitive in the higher education landscape. As students need different forms of support throughout their academic career, it becomes necessary to engage them through mentorship, programming, and classroom management. This book is a valuable resource for educators and administration at HBCUs, sociologists, policy makers, and students studying education science and administration.

What is the purpose of black colleges? Why do black colleges continue to exist? Are black colleges necessary?Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are at the same time the least studied and the least understood institutions of higher education and the most maligned and the most endangered.This unique study examines the mission of four-year HBCUs from the perspective of the campus president, as a foundation for understanding the relevance and role of these institutions. This is the first research to focus on the role of presidents of black colleges; is based on extensive interviews with fifteen presidents; and takes into particular account the type of campus environments in which they operate.Unlike community colleges, women’s colleges, men’s colleges, and Hispanic-serving colleges, Black colleges are racially identifiable institutions. They also vary significantly in, among other characteristics: size, control (public or private), religious affiliation, gender composition, and available resources. Although united in the historic mission of educating African Americans, each black college or university has its own identity and set of educational objectives. The book examines how presidents define and implement mission in the context of their campuses, view the challenges they face, and confront the factors that promote or hinder implementation of their missions.

Black Men in College provides vital information about how to effectively support, retain, and graduate Black male undergraduates. This edited collection centers on the notion that Black male collegians are not a homogenous group; rather, they are representative of rarely acknowledged differences that exist among them. This valuable text suggests that understanding these differences is critical to making true in-roads in serving Black men. Chapter contributors describe the diverse challenges Black men in HBCUs face and discuss how to support and retain high-achieving men, gay men, academically unprepared men, low-income men, men in STEM, American immigrants, millennials, collegiate fathers, those affiliated with Greek organizations, and athletes. Recommendations for policy and practice to encourage retention and persistence to degree completion are grounded in extant theory and research. This text is a must-read for all higher education faculty, researchers, and student affairs practitioners interested in addressing the contemporary college experiences of Black men in postsecondary institutions.

This title is an IGI Global Core Reference for 2019 as it provides solution-oriented approaches to confronting, confirming, and mitigating perpetual disparities within the educational system. Containing research from researchers across the U.S., this publication covers comprehensive research on access to education, racial battle fatigue, and mentoring programs. Overcoming Challenges and Creating Opportunity for African American Male Students is an essential reference source that supports the development of more widespread solution-oriented approaches to confronting, confirming, and mitigating any perpetual disparities that may exist among these students. Featuring research on topics such as access to education, racial battle fatigue, and mentoring programs, this book is ideally designed for administrators, policymakers, educators, scholars, researchers, students, and academicians seeking coverage on the many factors that influence African American male success in various educational contexts.

The latest book in the Key Issues on Diverse College Students series explores the state of Black women students in higher education. Delineating key issues, proposing an original student success model, and describing what institutions can do to better support this group, this important book provides a succinct but comprehensive exploration of this underrepresented and often neglected population on college campuses. Full of practical recommendations for working across academic and student affairs, this is a useful guide for administrators, faculty, and practitioners interested in creating pathways for Black female college student success. Whether this book is read cover to cover or used as a resource manual, the pages contain critical insights that should be taken into serious consideration wherever Black women college students are concerned.