THE EFFECT OF FACULTY MENTORING ON
AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE STUDENT
RETENTION AT A MIDWESTERN COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
Charles Cunningham
Counselor, Madison College
Jeff Galligan
Senior Advisor, Madison College
Dissertation Research Presentation
March 10, 2014
INTRODUCTION
Statement of the Problem
• African-American males face considerable challenges in college.
• Colleges and universities struggle with low persistence and high
dropout rates for African-American males across the country
Madison College follows these national trends.
• Mentoring programs have not been adequately examined as
strategies to improve retention
• Madison College’s strategy for addressing low retention of African-
American males is the creation of the Faculty-Student Mentoring
Program
• The Faculty-Student Mentoring Program at Madison College has
not been evaluated for its impact on retention
Purpose of Study
• Examine the effects of faculty-student mentoring on the
retention of African American male students at a
Midwestern Community College
• Explore what components of a faculty-student mentoring
program contributes to African American male student
success
• How does a faculty-student mentoring program impact the retention
of African American males attending a Midwestern community
college?
 What components of the faculty-student mentoring program
contributed to students’ retention?
Literature Review
• Mentoring Research (Dr. Daniel Levinson, 1978)
• Student Involvement Theory (Dr. Alexander Astin, 1984)
• Faculty-Student Mentoring (Dr. Bharah, 2009)
• Supportive campus climate (Strayhorn & Terrell, 2007a)
• Faculty-Student Mentoring on African-American Males at Four-Year Colleges
(Harris, 2007)
• African-American male student retention at community colleges (Mears, 2011;
Foster, 2008)
• Faculty-Student Mentoring on African-American Males (Isaacs, 2011; Wood &
Turner, 2011; Brown, 2007; Bass, 2011; Beckles, 2008)
Research Methods
• Research Design – Qualitative Study
• Conducted one-on-one interviews with 13 African
American Male Students in the Mentoring
Minority Male Scholars Program
• Analyzed data through content analysis using
NVivo10 qualitative analysis software
• Identified five themes
Study Results: 5 Themes
• Faculty-Student Relationship
• Academic Guidance and Support
• Motivational Factors (Intrinsic and Extrinsic)
• Peer Group Support
• Institutional Connectedness
Quote:
• “Obviously my mentor helped me stay in school and keep
going because I was going to stop at one point, but I think
that helps a lot. You need someone to tell you to keep
going. Of course, I don't want to let my leaders or
mentors of the program down, so my goal has been
stronger. I know I'm going to finish school, and it gave me
a reason. Just like a parent--you don't want to let them
down, because they put all that time and effort in for you
to be successful. So you want to be successful…It just
give me more confidence. I've been more confident in
myself with somebody telling me, “You can do it,” and
sometimes you just need that.”
Theme 1: Faculty-Student Relationship
• Participants revealed that their mentors provided them
with individual tutoring, academic guidance, counseling,
leadership development and personal support.
• Participants identified their relationships with their
mentors, the academic guidance and support they
received from their mentors, and the personal support
they experienced in the program as three critical
components of the faculty-student mentoring program.
Theme 1: Faculty-Student Relationship Continued
• Results showed that participation in the faculty-student
mentoring program at Midwest Community College played
a critical role in African American male students’ decisions
to stay in school despite academic and personal
challenges they often experience in college.
• The study reinforces how faculty mentors can play a
critical role in helping African American male students
transition effectively to the community college
environment.
• This study supports studies by Brown (2007) and Harris
(2007) studies that highlight the benefits of mentoring on
African American male retention at a community college
Quote:
• “I just want it to be known that with this program, it gives a
first year student a sense that when times get hard or if
they get hard, it's help out here. Like you said, some of
the mentors are math teachers, and this mentor is an
English teacher and its resources that the group provided
for you. We had a lot of academic resources in our group
with teachers that help, and volunteers, and mentors.
That's what I was saying if I haven't said that already. The
academic resources that the group provided for the
students who would most likely probably wouldn't go to
the tutoring center or the library. That’s what I think.”
Quote:
• “It's affected me positively, because before I got into the
program I was having a little bit of trouble academically. It
got me back on schedule as far as progress reports and
everything. It just showed me how to keep on top of what
I'm doing. Before then, I didn't even think about checking
my grade. I was just doing the work and then waiting till
the end to see the results.”
Theme 2: Academic Guidance and Support
• Academic guidance and support from mentors played a
significant role in participants’ decisions to stay in school.
The mentors provided academic guidance and support in the
form of individual tutoring, academic monitoring, and
academic skills development.
• Academic workshops provided participants with academic
skills such as effective note-taking, test-taking, and writing
skills needed to successfully complete their coursework.
•.
Quote:
• “Mentor encouraged me to keep going. Like last semester, I
was almost ready to just give up, but talking with you, and other
mentors, and other faculty, and my teachers as well, I was able
to get back on track basically get through the semester and
come back this semester more positive and ready to go.”
• It's making me believe more that I can succeed. Like I said, I
had a bad semester and it kind of took my courage down a little
bit, but after being able to talk to people my confidence level is
back up. Just wanting to succeed and do better for my family.
My kids--to let them see that there is something better out there
in life than the things that you know me, myself, that I was
shown. Just to show my kids (pause) to get them an early
start. I want them to see there are positive things that can
happen when you just work hard.
Theme 3: Motivational Factors (Intrinsic & Extrinsic)
• All of the participants discussed their fears of disappointing
their mentors, their children, and peers.
• Participants expressed how important it was for them
personally to be successful at school and to be the first in their
immediate family to earn a college degree.
• The participants referenced their mentors 69 times in their
conversations regarding their motivation to persist and succeed
in college.
• Interaction with faculty mentors and participation in the
program were cited as the most important reasons why
participants persisted despite the obstacles they faced in
school or at home that would normally prevent them from
continuing with their education.
Quote:
• “Yeah. It helped me succeed more in my classes--to work
for something. I'm working with a bunch of the guys in the
program, and it helped me succeed because we're all
working towards something. At the end of the semester,
when we're like, “Okay, let's see how everybody did. I
don't want to be that guy at the end of the pole, you know.
(Laughter.) So I try my hardest. just think it's a great
group. If you haven’t joined it, I would definitely
recommend it to anybody. I just think it's great to have a
group of guys that work together. It was nice because no
one didn’t not like anybody for what they were doing.
Everybody had their different goals, and everybody just
seemed to help everyone out, so it's really nice.”
Theme 4: Peer Group Support
• Participants referenced the support they received from
their peer group members a total of 36 times.
• The participants discussed how beneficial it was to
connect with their peers for support.
• All of the participants referenced peer group support as a
critical factor in encouraging them to stay involved in both
the mentoring program and to stay in school.
Quote:
• “It feels like I'm closer to them--the staff and mentors. I
can talk to people and not be scared or embarrassed to
ask questions. Yeah, I feel closer to the college. Like I
can go up and ask someone without feeling embarrassed
or nervous or anything. I feel closer, like we could just be
all one big family.”
• “Yes, I did. I think it helped me feel connected because
when I first started here I wasn't too connected. I felt like I
was lost, and I felt like I was behind everyone, and I just
didn't know what I was doing.”
Theme 5: Institutional Connectedness
• The participants referenced institutional connectedness
35 times in the interviews.
• All of the participants stated that the faculty-student
mentoring program helped them feel connected to the
college.
• Research suggests that supporting connections and
nurturing a supportive and inclusive environment is critical
for increasing retention rates of African American male
students (Mears, 2011, Foster 2008, Elam, 2011 & Iscaas,
2011).
Findings: Research Question 1
• How does a faculty-student mentoring program impact the
retention of African American males attending a
Midwestern community college?
Findings: Research Question 2
• What components of the faculty-student mentoring
program contribute to African American male student
retention?
• Faculty-student relationship
• Academic guidance and support from mentors and staff
• Peer group support – learning community
• Counseling and advising support from mentors and staff
• Academic and life skills workshops
Recommendations
• Institutional Policies:
• Funding
• Welcoming environment reflected in institution’s policies
• Develop Diversity Hiring Programs “Grow Your Own Program”
• institutional policies should allow incentives for community colleges
to develop creative mentoring programs that increase African
American male retention.
• Community college administration can also provide incentive for
Academic Programs, Support Service Personnel, and Student Life
to come up with creative programming that increase African
American male student engagement and connectedness on
campus with the aim of increasing retention.
• Admissions and enrollment play a key role in retention – customer
service and integration Business Model perspective and Student
Development Model
Recommendations
• Student Support Services:
• This researcher recommends that student support services
need to be on the forefront in supporting programs that
increase African American male retention at community
colleges.
• This researcher recommends that student service personnel
think creatively in alternative ways to reach African American
male students on community college campuses.
• The students in this study also expressed how beneficial it was
for faculty and staff to monitor their academic progress in class.
• student support services provides African American male
students with academic workshops focused on academic and
personal life skills that prepare students for success.
Recommendations
Academic Degree Programs:
• This researcher recommends that Academic Degree Programs
attract, recruit, train and retain faculty who are committed to
serving the academic and personal needs of African American
male students at community colleges.
• This researcher recommends that academic degree programs
at community colleges develop informal and formal mentoring
programs for their African American male students.
• Faculty can provide African American male students with a
variety of academic and career support that can increase
retention at community college.
• Faculty in the academic degree programs can help African
American male students navigate the college experience and
also provide a sounding board for career and academic
guidance.
Recommendations
• Student Life:
• The researcher recommends that student life personnel
identify, recruit, train and retain successful African
American male student peer role-models to service as
peer mentors during orientation and by students’ specific
academic program.
• Student life can assist community colleges with providing
African American male students a place on campus to
meet regularly with mentors, peers and staff on campus.
• Student life can also provide incentives to encourage
African American male student participation in campus
extracurricular activities.
Significance of the Study
• Provides Madison College with evidence that mentoring programs
contribute to the retention of African American males.
• Illuminates components of mentoring programs that make a difference
for students to connect them with faculty, peers, and the institution.
• Findings and recommendations can be applied to support programs
across the College.
• Research adds to the literature regarding the importance of supporting
mentoring programs for African American males in higher education,
and in particular at community colleges.
• Community Colleges need to examine and support the needs of
African American male students with prior involvement in the
correctional system.
Questions?
Thank you!
Edgewood College
Doctoral Program in Educational
Leadership (Ed.D.)