An Examination of Student Involvement as a Factor Impacting the Graduation of Black Males in Higher Education Opportunity Programs at Four Colleges In Western New York

Abstract The primary purpose of this study was to examine the extent that involvement promotes persistence towards graduation for Black males participating in New York State’s Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). The general question was, “Which factors, if any, promote graduation for Black males in the Higher Education Opportunity Program? To build an answer, a cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted to identify and examine the college experiences of HEOP students who were currently enrolled or had recently graduated from four independent higher education institutions in New York State. Participants in this study included 147 currently enrolled and recently graduated students from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Nazareth College, Saint John Fisher College and Syracuse University. All data were analyzed using SPSS generated frequencies and descriptive statistics for each research question. The major findings of this research seemed to indicate that some academic activities such as attending class and engaging with faculty in and outside of class may promote graduation for Black males in HEOP. Also, participation in some co-curricular activities may promote graduation for Black males in HEOP. Off -campus involvement such as spending time with faculty as a guest in their home proved to benefit the participants of the study. Institution involvement initiatives such as Admissions Tour Guide, attending lectures, and athletic events suggest little if any, positive persistence of Black males enrolled in HEOP toward a college degree