Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
2-2021
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Sandra Harris
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Karmyn Downs
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Bill Hunt
Abstract
While minority students are enrolling in college at record numbers, their completion rate is significantly lower than their Caucasian peers. This gap is particularly evident among African American men. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe persistence and retention strategies implemented by HBCUs which support successful degree attainment of African American men. Framed by Tinto’s model of institutional departure, a descriptive instrumental case study design utilized data from semistructured online interviews and voluntarily submitted artifacts to explore the academic and social experiences of nine African American men who successfully completed a degree from an HBCU within the last five to 10 years. The overall findings revealed HBCUs have targeted campus retention initiatives which encompass a variety of academic support services. Social experiences are critical to social adjustment and college success. The accessibility of institutional agents, presence of male minority initiatives and mentoring programs, and familial living communities promote persistence. Participants suggested increasing alumni support and community presence, consciousness of social justice issues, proactive and intrusive measures, and financial incentives to further support African American men . Students choose HBCUs for a variety of reasons related to size and environment, family history, desire for the Black experience, and the preservation of HBCUs. Strategies utilized by HBCUs help better retain African American men; such strategies should be considered for implementation at other degree-granting institutions.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Henry, Fetera D., "Persistence and Retention Strategies Implemented at HBCUs That Support Successful Degree Attainment of African American Men" (2021). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 301.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/301