Setting a New Agenda for Student Engagement and Retention in Historically Black Colleges and Universities

International contributors in higher education, student affairs, teaching, student retention, and education policy issue a call to action for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The book begins with an overview of strengths and weaknesses of existing retention strategies directed toward black students, then offers ideas, frameworks, and cases for student engagement, retention, persistence, and success. Some areas discussed include the first-year experience, HBCU writing centers, HBCU-based learning communities, strategies for HBCUs to increase undergraduates in STEM and medicine, and technology and the HBCU. There are also ideas on how to strengthen engagement for white students in African America history courses, and how to prepare African American males for careers in information technology and computer science.

[...] Racial tension and the development of contemporary advocacy groups like Black Lives Matter coincides with the challenges of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as these institutions compete with Primarily White Institutions (PWIs) to retain African American populations. Challenges are many and finding a balance between tradition and progress calls for efficiency and innovation without compromising educational quality. This book gathers research in this area and serves as a mechanism for engaging dialogue that will impact the success of the HBCU.
Retention strategies are soundly addressed in chapters 1-4 with emphasis on the whole student; support is essential and chapter 4 ("Multi-tiered Systems of Support") replicates a model for support at the college level. Strong students need to have good grades and paralleling that are mentoring, professional commitment, productivity, and creativity from peer students and faculty; chapters 5-10 demonstrate learning experiences and options including distance learning and how this is best assumed with an Afro-centric appeal for students. Chapters 11-13 focus on the correlation between gender and race, embracing topics like engagement of white students in a HBCU or promotion of education for African American males. The concluding chapters focus on the finites of computer science programs and black doctoral students and career goals. Information is both theoretical and practical. Systemic ideas can be replicated or modified for other institutions. Additionally, ideas may be used in other minority schools or in PWIs. This book is a call to action for student engagement and retention with subtopics of funding, digital inequality, disabilities, and other factors effecting educational opportunity. Underlying much of this work is the idea that performance enhances retention and how to best improve education experience. [...]
Setting A New Agenda for Student Engagement and Retention in Historically Black Colleges and Universitiess recognizes the challenges of enrolling students and authenticating their educational experience through engagement during their college years. This professional development source will be well used by educators, instructors, counselors, career coaches, and those devoted to the whole student pedagogy.