African Americans have long been serious about education. Even when education was denied to black Americans through law, custom, and physical violence, blacks exerted relentless self-determination in the pursuit of literacy. The black church, because of its growth in size, power, and influence, became the logical institution for assisting blacks…

Given the critical role of mentoring in the success of African American males in college, it is essential to gain a deeper understanding of how mentoring programs can best support African American male students and what elements contribute to their success (Henry, 2021). Recognizing that mentoring significantly influences the retention, academic…

The Pell Grant is the foundational need-based student aid program in the United States, providing students of lower socio-economic status a pathway to afford college costs and educational expenses. Currently, over one-third of all U.S. undergraduate students receive Pell. This paper examines federal Pell assistance and institutional costs for…

A college degree is increasingly vital for career mobility and economic success as more employers are requiring greater levels of education and credentials. For more than 150 years, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have played a leading role in graduating black students and have made significant contributions to the workforce…

This study examined the levels of self-efficacy and hope of the students at-risk that participated in a college program with multiple retention initiatives. The students selected were identified as students at-risk due to their high school GPAs and standardized test scores. The initiative focused on enhancing their self-efficacy and hope through…

Student support services are critical to student success, especially at campuses that enroll large numbers of academically under-prepared students. These programs assist students in addressing areas of academic deficiency and provide necessary resources to maximize students' intellectual and social capital while in college. Several…

The primary purpose of "National CrossTalk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher education issues. This issue contains the following articles: (1) U.K. Adopts "Top-Up" Tuition Fees: British Universities Prepare to Compete in a More "American" System (Jon Marcus); (2) "Plain Living": Berea…

These two papers offer critiques of two essays that appeared in "Essays in Twentieth-Century Southern Education: Exceptionalism and its Limits," edited by Wayne J. Urban. The first paper examines Linda Buchanan and Philo Hutcheson's interpretation of the debate which underscored the well-known conflict between Booker T. Washington-W.E.B.…

This book reviews the career of Rufus Ballard Atwood, who served as president of Kentucky State University from 1929 to 1962. The book describes how he was often chosen by whites to represent the African American community on boards and commissions and how these appointments gave him access to the state's political and educational power structure.…

This report examines efforts by 12 formerly segregated states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia) to desegregate their higher education systems and increase educational opportunities for black and other minority students. It found that none of the…

A cultural history of Simmons University from 1879 to 1930 is presented, based primarily on original records, including slave narratives, school annuals, denominational minutes, and newspapers. The account is also a cultural study of black Baptists, especially in their Kentucky denominational institution. This black-owned and controlled school of…

Issues concerning desegregation of U.S. campuses and federal regulation of higher education under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are considered in 12 essays. Titles and authors are as follows: "Title VI Regulation of Higher Education" (John B. Williams, III); "The Production of Black Doctoral Recipients: A Description of…

Hearings on the enforcement of civil rights legislation in higher education and the impact of policies and litigation on compliance are presented. Efforts to desegregate and enhance historically-black state colleges are addressed. Louisiana's civil rights consent decree is outlined, with attention to: governance, student access, student financial…

The "Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Fact Book on Higher Education" is one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of comparative data on higher education. For decades, state leaders, policy-makers, researchers and journalists have used the "Fact Book" to find useful data quickly--and to learn more about…

This book examines the history of 20th century racial segregation in Kentucky higher education, the last state in the South to enact legislation banning interracial education in private schools and the first to remove it. In five chapters and an epilogue, the book traces the growth of racism, the period of acceptance of racism, the black…