UNDERSTANDING HOW INSTITUTIONAL INITIATIVES CONTRIBUTE TO MINORITY MALE STUDENT PERSISTENCE AND SUCCESS IN A COMMUNTY COLLEGE SETTING : A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY

Abstract

This comparative case study examined how institutional initiatives contribute to minority male student persistence and success in two Southeastern community colleges. Using Padilla’s local model of successful minority students (LMSMS) (Padilla, 1997) as a framework, six themes and 12 subthemes emerged from semi-structured interviews of 10 African American males. Findings of this study revealed that (a) meaningful interactions with minority male mentors and college staff contribute to minority male persistence and success; (b) college student success courses contribute to minority male student persistence and success by assisting students to become aware of campus resources for success, and (c) student clubs and organizations, especially minority male mentoring programs, contribute to minority male persistence and success through engaging activities and peer support. Theoretical implications of this study include inserting peer support and hunger in Padilla’s LMSMS lack of nurturing barrier. Finally, practical implications for community colleges included the following: (1) implement aggressive financial aid assistance for minority males; (2) require enrollment in a College Success Course during the first semester of enrollment; (3) create food pantries and meal plans for community colleges; (4) fund campus clubs and organizations to reduce fund raisers and increase student service learning; (5) dedicate facility resources for the minority male mentoring programs; (6) incorporate minority male students in recruiting efforts to increase enrollment of minority males by demonstrating a welcoming, nurturing, peer supported environment; (7) allocated institutional funds to support minority male mentoring programs; (8) implement minority male learning communities and cohorts; (9) scale up minority male mentoring programs to impact a larger percentage of students, and (10) provide professional development for staff and faculty regarding the importance of meaningful student interactions and the barriers minority students have to overcome to pursue higher education.