This study investigated the factors that contribute to African American males successfully completing a baccalaureate degree. Employing a qualitative research design, the author conducted focus group interviews with African American male graduate students (n=11). Participants identified four factors as being significant contributors to their successful completion of a baccalaureate degree:(1) having an epiphany about the importance of higher education; (2) having access to the resources needed to attend and persist in an institution of higher education; (3) having a mentor, and (4) being resilient when faced with obstacles. Implications for institutions of higher education are discussed.Keywords African American males . Higher education . Baccalaureate degree Over the last decade and a half, an increasing number of studies and reports have focused on what appears to be a disconnection between African American males and institutions of higher education (
Employing qualitative interviews framed by a phenomenological approach, this exploratory study had a cohort of African American male tenured professors (n=12) describe the thematic structure of their experience of successfully advancing in the professoriate and earning tenure from an institution of higher education. The participants' descriptions revealed that the structure of the experience was comprised of five interrelated themes: (1) mentorship; (2) organizational support; (3) culture/background; (4) collegiality, and (5) networking. Implications for institutions of higher education and recommendations for current and future African American male tenure-track professors are discussed.Keywords African American men . Tenure . ProfessoriateSignificantly decreased rates of high school and college graduation, disproportionately high rates of involvement with the criminal justice system, and the elimination of many affirmative action programs have contributed to a steep decline in the numbers of African American men coming through the educational pipeline (Cole and Barber 2003; National Center for Education Statistics 2000; Warde 2008). As a result of this decline, those African American men who do progress through the educational pipeline and choose to pursue a career in the professoriate are thought to be in great demand in the academy (Cole and
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