Date of Degree
2024
Degree Name
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
Department
Department of Counseling and Higher Education (CAHE)
Director
Jacqueline Mac
Committee Members
Quortne Hutchings; Xiaodan Hu
Keywords
Racism, Black men, Belonging, Acceptance, Culture, Identity, Relatability, College, Support Programs, Success Units
Abstract
ABSTRACT
YOU BELONG HERE: HOW THE AFRICAN AMERICAN SUCCESS UNIT SUPPORTS A SENSE OF BELONGING FOR BLACK MEN AT AN
URBAN INSTITUTION IN CHICAGO
Joyce Elam, Ed.D.
Department of Counseling and Higher Education
Northern Illinois University, 2024
Jacqueline Mac, Director
This case study focuses on Black men and their experience of connectiveness, inclusion and belonging as a student at an institution where they account for a significantly low percent of the student body. The research found that departments dedicated to the support of Black men students is significant in their acceptance and Black identity while on campus. This study found that participants experienced racism in the classrooms and experienced being the sole Black person in the classroom. The participants discussed the effects of the absence of Black professors, peers and administrators by explaining that Black representation is necessary for their feeling of acceptance. Participants shared how the African American Success Unit created a home space where they felt heard, welcomed, vulnerable, and connected despite feelings of being an outsider at other places on campus. Participants also discussed how the success unit exposed them to Black culture representation, events, and programs specifically dedicated to Black men, and its positive affect on their sense of belonging on campus. The researcher allowed students to express their personal experiences through open interviews and artifacts. Students utilized their artifacts as representation of why Black experiences on campus were essential to
their acceptance. The knowledge gained through this research would assist in higher education’s creation of more departments dedicated to the retention, success, and belonging for Black men.
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses and dissertations are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors, unless otherwise indicated.
Recommended Citation
Elam, Joyce, "You Belong Here: How The African American Success Unit Supports A Sense Of Belonging For Black Men At An Urban Institution In Chicago" (2024). Dissertations of Practice. 43.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-disspractice/43
