African American Student Persistence at a Predominantly White Institution

• Published in: The journal of college orientation and transition Vol. 20; no. 1
• Main Authors: Bourke, Brian, Bray, Nathaniel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing 19.12.2019
• Subjects: african american; campus climate; cultural; persistence; prejudice; pwi; retention; social
• DOI: 10.24926/jcotr.v20i1.2821
• ISSN: 1534-2263

Persistence in college among African American students continues to remain low compared to persistence among White students. Often, the focus in examining this issue has been on institution-wide retention efforts, which can ignore socio-cultural elements that can influence the decisions of individual students to persist at an institution; however, persistence may rely on a combination of institutional factors and socio-cultural elements. The purpose of this article is to present findings from a research project that highlight institutional factors and socio-cultural elements that influence the persistence of African American students at a predominantly White institution. The findings from focus groups with African American students suggest that they persist despite a “cold” campus climate and ongoing experiences with racism and prejudice at Southern State University [pseudonym].