Literature indicates that while attending a predominantly White institution (PWI), Black men often experience stigmatization and feelings of alienation. Despite concerns of racial tension experienced by Black men at PWIs there is limited research exploring the campus climate perceptions of Black men in college. While Black students may have some similarities in navigating predominantly White campuses, there are relevant differences influenced by the intersection of race and gender. The post-secondary success of Black men has been identified as an area of concern in higher education due to the considerable disparities seen in college persistence and completion rates. However, discourse often focuses on perceived deficits of Black men in college instead of understanding how institutions can better support their success. There is a need to shift the conversation to explore how institutional climate plays a role in the experiences and outcomes of Black men. Research suggests that developing a sense of belonging is influenced by context and environment and can be challenging, but impactful for Black men. The current study seeks to understand the role that perceived campus climate plays in the development of sense of belonging for Black undergraduate men attending a PWI. The guiding research questions were: (1) What are the perceptions of campus climate for undergraduate Black men who attend a predominantly White institution? (2) How does the intersection of racial and gender identity influence the campus climate perceptions of undergraduate Black men? (3) How do the perceptions of campus climate influence the sense of belonging for undergraduate Black men? This qualitative study used various data collection methods including interviews, photovoice, and focus groups to gain an in-depth understanding of participants perceptions and experiences. Using an interpretative phenomenological approach, this analysis offers insights and makes meaning of 12 Black men’s lived experiences and perceptions of their campus belonging while attending a PWI. Eight themes emerged in response to the study research questions. The findings suggest that the campus climate perceptions of Black men are related to the intersection of their race and gender. Additionally, there were salient factors of campus climate that influenced the sense of belonging for participants in the study such as the absence/presence of Black peers and faculty/staff and supportive spaces of cultural familiarity. The findings of this study could have great implications for the future success of Black men as higher education institutions are confronted with declining enrollment and continued disparities in college persistence and graduation rates for their Black male students. / Educational Administration

The purpose of this qualitative research guided by resilience theory was to investigate the experiences of four Black women senior student affairs administrators at predominantly White institutions in order to understand the strategies for success that led to their advancement to senior level positions. Participants included four deans of students and/or vice presidents for student affairs (reporting directly to the president of the institution) at four-year small private predominantly White institutions (enrollment under 5,000). The participants' recounted experiences of tokenism, perceptions of the appearance, perceptions of communication styles, and inequitable compensation. They also reported support systems such as mentors, giving back, and spirituality that influence their thoughts, actions, reactions, decisions, and motivation to continue in the field, in their position, and ultimately in higher education. The implications of the study encourages institutions to provide funding, personnel resources, and training for all employees as well as encourages current Black women administrators to discuss their professional experiences to continue to inform scholarship and practice.

<p>  </p> <p>Mentorship has served as an effective strategy in helping African American college students persist at predominantly White institutions of higher education (Sinanan, 2016). African American students have reported finding these campus environments to be unwelcoming, even racist. These environmental challenges along with the challenges of unfamiliar academic terrain merge to form frequently formidable barriers to their satisfaction and success. The presence of African American mentors has helped African American students overcome the wide range of challenges they face on such campuses. This qualitative study analyzed the perceptions of African American mentors and mentees about the impact of mentorship on the college persistence of the mentees. The target mentorship community was situated at a private school in the Midwest. Semi-structured interviews were used to solicit the experiential knowledge of participants about their lived experiences. The data was codified and thematically analyzed. Six themes emerged from participant responses including (1) targeted mentorship and modeling, (2) belonging, (3) connections (4) advocacy, (5) racism and anti-Blackness, and (6) persistence. These themes fortify the existing research affirming mentorship as an invaluable tool in helping African American undergraduates persist through degree completion. The assertions and recommendations at the conclusion of the study are purposed to assist scholar-activists, university staff, and students with improving the conditions in which African American students’ study and push toward persistence.</p>

This study highlights the personal and descriptive stories, narratives, and accounts that detail the lived experiences of Black, female school principals in predominantly white school districts. Based on the personal experiences of these four Black, female school principals, recommendations are made to predominantly white school districts seeking to meet the needs of Black women serving as leaders within their school districts, organizations, and institutions.

No description available.