Best College or University for African American Students

Brittany Jones

Business Research Methods

Dr. Beckles

December 4, 2009

Table of Contents
Abstract 3
Introduction 4
Literature Review 5
Methodology 6
Conclusion 7
Limitations 7
Recommendations 8
References 9
Appendix 10 Abstract
For many African Americans the idea of attending college is usually a dream, unless he/she plays a sport. Now it is much easier for high school graduates to attend college and it is no longer just limited to those who play sports. A lot of those students are first generation college students. While it is important to attend college a lot of African American students do not finish college. So when choosing a university or college it is very valuable to know the retention and attrition rate of that particular institution. This paper will discuss the importance of attending college in the African American community, the factors that contribute to the decision of what college to attend and the role diversity plays in that decision.

Introduction
Attending College is an observable, positive trend in the African-American community. The decision to attend college results in several important choices for future students, such as deciding which type of college to attend. There are approximately 1,800 four year colleges nationally.
Certain factors students African Americans in particular should look for when choosing a college to attend: graduation rate, retention, academic achievement across the board, diversity and social environment. While many things contribute to a student’s decision to attend college, one of the most important factors is usually overlooked. That factor is whether that student is actually mentally prepared to attend college. Many students finish high school and are told that the next step is to go to college. While the idea of attending college is nice, it is very rare that a student gets proper preparation for the next level.
Often time when people discuss diversity in university it usually geared toward traditionally white institution recruiting minorities. In contrast HBCUs also need to implement diversity on their campuses also. Diversity is an important theory in education; it helps to enhance the educational experience. In a diverse atmosphere students can learn more intensely, think deeper and more complexly. Most colleges and universities share a belief that diversity in their student bodies, faculty and staff is important for them to them to fulfill their primary mission: providing a quality education.

Literature Review
According to Mortenson (as cited in Gilliam (2006, p. 2.) “National statistics has shown the average of 25% to 30% of students do not return to their first college for their sophomore year.” This usually occurs because many incoming freshman are not ready for the college environment. For many students it is their first time being on their own, and having the responsibility of taking care of themselves. In fact this is true for many students so therefore the retention rate among African Americans is significantly high in contrast to whites. It is estimated that American colleges and universities lose approximately 1 billion dollars a year from first- year attrition.
In comparison with Gilliam, Gong notes that pre college preparation is inadequate especially in the African American community. According to Gong (2006) “the mismatch theory” is for those traditionally white institutions to increase their minority enrollment, but the number of minorities who fit match the school criteria is low. Therefore, the institutions lower their admission standards for minority students. This strategy for enrolling African Americans may seem like good idea but overall it does not benefit the students. These students are not academically on the same levels as their peers which can lead to that student dropping out or attending another institution.
According to Credle et al. (2008) majority of African American students look for an environment that is socially friendly and the number of scholarships that are available among other things when considering a college or university to attend. “…factors such as social life, the frequency and severity of racial incidents, the availability of scholarships, general reputation, and employment placement rates are also included in the definition of "best" college.”
In comparison with white universities, HBCUs are not judged on the same scale. When referring to the “best” school, HBCUs graduation and retention rates are not as important as their social factors. The idea of high enrollment is actually weighed more heavily. In the study done by Virginia Pilot (as cited in Credle et al. 2008 p.52) it is found that the total African-American student population at University of Virginia (UVA) is approximately 1,150, which means at maximum, 975 (assuming an 85% graduation rate) of these students will graduate in six years. In comparison, Hampton University, a Virginia-based HBCU, ranked number 3 on the Black Enterprise list, has a graduation rate of 54.2 percent (approximately 3,300 students) during 2005, and a total population of approximately 6,000 students. This study shows that the percentage of African Americans graduating from a predominately white institution is significantly higher. But the actual number of students graduating from an HBCU is much greater.
According to Journal of Black Higher Education (as cited in Henderson 2007, p.2) identified seven factors that are believed to be possible explanations for the differences in Black student graduation rates. The seven factors are delayed enrollment, part time enrollment status, self-dependent for college financing, having children or other dependents, being a single parent, lacking a high school diploma, and being employed full-time while attending college. These factors play a major role in students’ chances of graduating. Without these seven factors it is still very hard for students to graduate, so if any of these factors come into play either graduation can be delayed or not achieved at all.
Methodology
The methods used in the study conducted by Credle et al. (2008), were a series of questions asked to a sample size of 411 influential African Americans in 2005. “The term influential African-American is defined by the researchers as those members of the black community publicly acknowledged as at the top of their chosen field.” (Credle et al. 2008 p. 54).
The methods used in Henderson and Kritsonis (2007), A review of the literature was conducted utilizing keywords such as “African-American college students”, “Black college students”, “profiles of college students”, “graduation rates of Black college students”, and “psychosocial factors associated with Black college students”.
The methods used in Gong (2006) were varies surveys that focused on race, gender, and standardized test score specifically the ACT.
Conclusion
The prospect of attending college is highly favorable there are many factors that should be considered before going to college. Various research has been done that highlights the pros and cons about attending college. In the research conducted by Gong the result highlight the fact that predominately white schools enroll minorities but those students are not academically competitive with their peers. While Gilliam argues that in order for students to successful in college he/ she should have a mentor and a connection to the university in which the student attends. Henderson proposes that in order for a student to be successful at an HBCU, he/ she have to commit to being a student and not outside social forces hinder that commitment. In the study of how to determine the “best” college, Credle points out the advantages that traditional white institutions have over HBCUs. All of these studies were conducted in different formats they all point out the differences in traditional white institutions and HBCUs. A few important factors that an African American student should look at are the graduation rate, retention, academic achievement across the board, and the social environment. Limitations in the research were notably absent from the empirical literature on graduation rates of African-Americans is research on psychosocial variables, the determination of influential African Americans, and how researchers usually look at the percentage of African American students graduating from traditionally white institutions instead of the actually number of students. Recommendations for these studies are a difference in population sample, and researchers should consider all variables instead of limiting.

References:

Credle, S.H., Maheshwari, S. & Davenport, J.P. (2008). An Alternative Ranking Methodology of the Best Colleges and Universities for African- Americans. Global Journal of Business Research, 2, 49-66.

Gilliam, J.C. & Kritsonis, W.A. (2006). National Impact: The Effects of Mentorship on the Level of Retention for African American Freshman Students Attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Doctoral Forum National Journal for Publishing & Mentoring Doctoral Student Research, 3, (1) 1-6.

Gong, Y. (2006). The Divergence of the River: Examining the Effect of Academic “Mismatch” on College Students’ Early Attrition. Illinois Education Research Council, 1-27

Henderson, F.T. & Kritsonis, W.A. (2007). Graduation Rates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A Review of the Literature. Doctoral Forum National Journal for Publishing & Mentoring Doctoral Student Research, 4, (1) 1-11.

Appendix A:
Graduation Rates for HBCU’s in 2005
Spelman College (GA)---76%
Claflin University (SC)---75%
Miles College (AL)--69%*
Fisk University (TN)---62%
Lane College (TN)---61%
Morehouse College (GA)---58%
Voorhees College (SC)-- 56%*
Tougaloo College (MS)---55%*
Hampton University (VA)--53%
Howard University (DC)-- 53% %
Xavier University of Louisiana (LA)-- 52%
Tuskegee University (AL)---51%
South Carolina State University (SC)--51%
Elizabeth City State University (NC)---51%
North Carolina Central University (NC)---46%
Winston-Salem State University--44%
Florida A&M University (FL)--43%*
North Carolina A&T State University (NC)--43%*
Johnson C. Smith University (NC)---41%
Lincoln University (PA)---40%
Morgan State University (MD)---39%*
Bowie State University (MD)---38*
U, of Maryland at Eastern Shore (MD)---37*
Virginia State University (VA)---36%
Dillard University (LA)--36%
Bowie State University (MD)-- 36%
Bennett College (NC)---36%*
Jackson State University (MS)--35%
Bethune-Cookman (FL)---34%
Grambling State University (LA)---31%
Shaw University (NC)---31%
Prairie View A&M University (TX)---31%
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania (PA) --30%*
Delaware State University (DE)-- 30%
Albany State University (GA)--28%
Clark Atlanta University (GA) --27%
Benedict College (SC)---27%
Coppin State University (MD)--24%
Norfolk State University (VA)-- 23%
Alabama State University (AL)-- 23%
Morris Brown College (GA)-- 23%
Central State University (OH)---22%
Virginia Union University (VA) --21%
U. of the District of Columbia (DC)-- 20*%

Appendix B:
Freshman-to-Sophomore Year Attrition Rate by Race/Ethnicity and Gender
Race/Ethnicity Male Female Total n Black 26.9* 23.9 25.1 3695
Latino 24.2** 19.6 21.5 2051
Asian 12.8*** 8.5 10.6 2607
Native American 25.6 10.7 19.1 68
White 16.4*** 14.3 15.2 26762 Other 20.7 18.9 19.6 4423

Total 17.8*** 15.7 16.7 39606

Source: Illinois Enrollment Research Council

Note. Chi-square test of gender difference within race/ethnicity significant at * p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.