Studies show that mentoring has a significant impact on the educational successes of minority students and the development of their personal and professional identity within their particular field of study. Within these mentoring relationships an environment is created to where students feel comfortable to discuss their various personal concerns that impact their matriculation through their undergraduate experience in a variety of ways. The purpose of this study is to document the experiences of undergraduate African American students majoring in agriculture while enrolled at a predominately white land grant institutions and explore opportunities for using mentoring as a tool and factor in assisting these students in persisting towards their undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech. The foundation of the study was based on Bean and Eaton's Psychological Model of Retention and Rodgers and Summers' Revised model of retention for African American students at PWIs. Findings from this study were articulated by students conceptualization of mentors as a supportive guide in contrast to procedural advising relationships, additionally how students have experiences mentorship with mentors with a range of identities; student interactions within their colleges and departments as well as their both indirect and direct mentorship experiences; their support, interaction and connection to the African American community on campus during their undergraduate tenure; and how the university's bureaucratic structure has an impact on their experience as African American students. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Mentorship has a significant impact on the personal, academic and professional development of student during their undergraduate experiences at four-year institutions, having a large impact on their personal identity as well as how they view themselves within their particular field of study. Within these mentor and mentee relationship an environment is created where both parties develop rapport and understanding among each in order to be able to discuss concerns and interest that they may have that have an impact on their entire undergraduate experience in a number of ways. The purpose of this study is to document the experiences of undergraduate African American students majoring in agriculture while enrolled at a predominately white land grant institutions and explore opportunities for using mentoring as a tool and factor in assisting these students in persisting towards their undergraduate degree. The foundation of the study was based on two student development psychological models. Findings from this study were articulated by students conceptualization of mentors as supportive guide in contrast to procedural advising relationships, additionally how students have experiences mentorship with mentors with a range of identities; student interactions within their colleges and departments as well as their both indirect and direct mentorship experiences; their support, interaction and connection to the African American community on campus during their undergraduate tenure; and how the university’s bureaucratic structure has a impact on their experience as African American students.

Due to an impending STEM shortage facing the United States, it is critically important that students of color are recruited to scientific disciplines. This STEM shortage affects agricultural fields, as many agricultural disciplines are scientifically based. There is currently a lack of students of color within agricultural disciplines when compared to the increasingly diverse make-up of the United States. This qualitative study utilizes the path-goal theory of leadership (House, 1971) and reasoned action theory (Fishbein and Azjen, 2010) to examine the perceptions of administrators regarding the barriers that students of color face within colleges of agriculture at 1862 land-grant institutions. Another important purpose of this study is to identify strategies that department heads, deans, and administrators within colleges of agriculture can use to increase the recruitment and retention of students of color. The study utilized phenomenology, as this method focuses on participants' subjective experiences and interpretations of the world. Eighteen participants at 17 institutions were interviewed about their perceptions of diversity, the barriers that students of color face within colleges of agriculture, and strategies for success. The findings of this study reveal that (1) diversity is a multifaceted and evolving concept that varies from individual-to-individual, (2) students of color face barriers to access, (3) successful recruitment and retention strategies for students of color require investments from administrators, and (4) data validates program success. / Ph. D.