Senior level administrators\u27 perceptions of African American students\u27 campus involvement and its impact on Retention at Public Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Southeast region of the United States

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceptions of senior level administrators of African American students\u27 campus involvement and its impact on retention at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the Southeast Region of the United States. The study also explored perceptions of senior level administrators regarding the roles of academic affairs and student affairs in providing opportunities for African American students to become involved in campus life. The study relied on Tinto\u27s Theory of Student Departure and Bean\u27s Student Attrition Model as theoretical foundations to better understand the interaction between engagement in campus life and graduation and retention rates of African American students.^ The researcher interviewed 10 public HBCU senior level administrators. The findings indicated that African American students\u27 campus involvement positively impacts student retention at HBCUs. The senior level administrators perceived that campus involvement connected students to the university in multiple ways and added value to the educational process by allowing students to apply what they learned in the classroom. The participants also reported that collaborative efforts between academic affairs and student affairs were critical to creating student involvement opportunities that were meaningful and beneficial. Pre-college characteristics and lack of student financial resources were viewed as factors that impact the retention of African American college students enrolled in public HBCUs in the Southeast Region.