1st Edition
The Evolving Challenges of Black College Students New Insights for Policy, Practice, and Research
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.
Acknowledgements Foreword--Lemuel W. Watson Introduction. The State of Empirical Research on African American Collegians—Terrell Strayhorn 1. Knowing God, Knowing Self. African American College Students and Spirituality—Dafina Stewart 2. Choosing College as a Life or Death Decision. First-generation African American Women’s Reflections on College Choice—Rachele Winkle-Wagner 3. Buoyant Believers. Resilience, Self-Efficacy, and Academic Success of Low-Income African American Collegians—Terrell Strayhorn 4. Focusing on Achievement. African American Student Persistence in the Academy—Fred Bonner 5. Triple Threat. Challenges and Supports of Black Gay Men at Predominantly White Campuses—Terrell Strayhorn, Amanda Blakewood, and James DeVita 6. Challenges and Supports of Student-to-Student Interactions. Insights on African American Collegians—Belinda McFeeters 7. “A Home Aaway From Home”. Black Cultural Centers as Supportive Environments for African American Collegians at White Institutions—Terrell Strayhorn, Melvin Terrell, Jane Redmond, and Chutney Walton 8. The Uniqueness of an HBCU Environment. How a Supportive Campus Climate Promotes Student Success—Robert Palmer and Estelle Young 9. College-Bound Sons. Exploring Parental Influences on the Pre-Entry Attributes of Black Males—Darryl Holloman and Terrell Strayhorn 10. Mentoring and African American Undergraduates’ Perceptions of Academic Success—Tonya Saddler 11. New Directions for Future Research on African American Collegians—Terrell Strayhorn
Biography
Terrell L. Strayhorn is Associate Professor of Higher Education at The Ohio State University, where he also serves as Director of the Center for Higher Education Research and Policy, faculty affiliate in the Department of African American and Africana Studies, and senior research associate in the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity. He is the recipient of ASHE’s 2009 Early Career Award. View his TED Talk "Inalienable Rights: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Belonging" from TEDxColumbus.
Melvin Cleveland Terrell is Vice President Emeritus at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. From 1988 to 2008, Dr. Melvin Cleveland Terrell served as Vice President for Student Affairs at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, Illinois, where he remains Professor of Counselor Education.
Lemuel W. Watson is Associate Professor of Higher Education, Clemson University.
"Challenges that confront Black college students today are different from those faced by earlier generations, but today’s students are hardly a monolithic group, the authors conclude. In this book, 14 scholars look at a variety of issues, including the importance of spirituality for Black students, “life or death” college choice dilemmas for Black women, high achievement in spite of adversity, the environment for gay males on campuses and the challenges for Black male students. The book aims to help researchers, faculty, administrators and students understand the college environment and produce better outcomes."
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education
"Writings on the black collegiate experience at both predominatly white and historically black institutions; topics include parental influence and institutional support."
The Chronicle of HIgher Education
“It appears that we know more than ever about Black students and their needs with regards to academic and social support. However, we continue to be plagued with issues of retention and dropout of minority students, especially our Black students. The issues look the same as they did years ago when campuses begin to seriously consider integration. Yet, the students are not the same, and they come to campus with a multitude of needs that are similar to our past students, but also vastly different. The editors of this book educate the reader to the diversity of how unique our Black students are across various types of institutions. Practitioners in higher education, student affairs, and undergraduate studies should find the chapters relevant to understanding today’s Black college student."
Lemuel W. Watson
