Sense of belonging is a basic human need, which has been consistently correlated with positive educational outcomes such as good grades, retention, and satisfaction in college. Using a quasi-experimental research design, we analyzed data from 115 respondents to assess the impact of a short video intervention on first-year students' sense of…

Prior scholarship has established that myriad factors shape college students' sense of belonging, including aspects of one's campus environment, namely students' living arrangements and learning conditions (Johnson et al., 2007). To this end, many colleges and universities established cultural centers, first-year seminars within year-long…

Drawing on findings from the author's recently published COVID-19 study (Strayhorn, 2022), the purpose of this article is to highlight some of the major lessons that HEI leaders learned while navigating the uncertainties of the global pandemic, especially in terms of fostering a strong sense of belonging. First, the author defines sense of…

This chapter presents a new model for fostering effective, collaborative partnerships between academic and student affairs at Minority-Serving Institutions, using an illustrative case study from a historically Black college/university (HBCU) located in Tennessee. After laying the context for collaborations in higher education, the author presents…

Urban public universities play a critical role in the higher education enterprise. In this article, Strayhorn draws on Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and semi-structured interview data to provide a national portrait comparing predominantly White and historically Black public universities, as well as identifying factors that…

The purpose of the study was to estimate the relationship between academic achievement in college, as defined by first-year grade point average (GPA), and self-authorship among African American first-year students at an HBCU (N = 140), using hierarchical linear regression techniques. A single research question guided this investigation: What is…

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) represent one of many types of institutions in the American system of higher education. Comparatively little attention has been given to the campus' executive leader, namely the president. Our study describes early twenty-first century contributions to and challenges of public land-grant…

This study analyzed data gathered from interviews with professionals at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to examine the nature of relationships student affairs administrators form with students. The data were interpreted through the guardianship conceptual framework found in African American feminist literature. Results reveal…

While a growing body of literature documents the effectiveness of summer research programs in stimulating Black students' interest in graduate study, data are rarely disaggregated, resulting in a lack of knowledge of how subgroups of participants experience and benefit from program involvement. Moreover, given that Black students matriculating in…

Using an expanded econometric model, this study sought to estimate more precisely the net effect of independent variables (i.e., attending an HBCU) on three measures of labor market outcomes for African American college graduates. Findings reveal a statistically significant, albeit moderate, relationship between measures of background, human and…

This qualitative study examined the nature of work for 70 administrators (67% female, 33% male) who provide services to students at historically Black colleges and universities. Data were collected by administering the "National Professional Life Survey (NPLS)" that asked respondents about their work, relationships with others on campus, and the…