Black Men’s Perceptions of Sense of Belonging with Faculty Members in Community Colleges

Leveraging Student–Faculty–Staff Partnerships to Implement Inclusive Curricular Reform in Chemistry Education

“…Over the years, colleges and universities have taken various approaches to better understand and meet the needs of students with marginalized or underrepresented socioeconomic and cultural identities. − Despite efforts to diversify faculty and student populations, representation remains a primary issue outside of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). − Observable changes in racial diversity may contribute to an increased sense of belonging and student satisfaction, but some experiences of exclusion and marginalization cannot be redressed by institution-wide policies. ,− Students arrive on campus already carrying adverse childhood experiences, varying access to educational opportunities, and unpredictable prior relationships with academic mentors. ,,, These factors are known to affect student self-efficacy and, subsequently, students’ likelihood of success in higher education. Mainstream acknowledgment of the impact of these factors is supported by the shift away from SAT, ACT, and other standardized exams as predictors of student collegiate success. − Harmful experiences for marginalized students, staff, and faculty also persist on our campuses, including experiences of tokenization, microaggressions, − race-lighting, , and other covert forms of racism.…”

Institutional responses to state policy: Using student voice to prioritize equity

“…Strawberry, like other minoritized students in higher education (Newman, Wood, & Harris, 2015), experienced exclusionary advising in which the existing services on campus did not meet her needs. Advising offices at community colleges may lack the finances, tools, or time necessary to support adult students returning to college after prolonged absences.…”

“…It may seem that sense of belonging and the open access mission of community colleges (Martinez & Munsch, 2020) are at odds with one another due to the high diversity of learners enrolled at these institutions, but leaders must not ignore this tension. As a community college education becomes more feasible for students, like the adult learners in this study, leaders at community colleges must understand the students they serve to better close the completion gap (Martinez & Munsch, 2020; Newman et al., 2015). Action steps community college leaders can take to promote sense of belonging, especially among adult students on campus, include: on‐boarding new employees (faculty and staff) to aid in understanding student demographics and needs and available supports and resources; intentionally engaging new employees about student demographics specific to the institution in order to allow faculty and staff to be responsive to needs present at the institution rather than be surprised or unaware of these; and providing specialized attention to the needs of specific student populations in order to aid in developing programs and response protocols that are unique to adult students (Martinez & Munch, 2020).…”

Peer mentorship and academic supports build sense of community and improve outcomes for transfer students

“…Sense of belonging can be closely tied to belief that a student, especially a student of a marginalized identity, may be successful in an academic program ( 20 , 29 ). At the community college level, a sense of belonging is often fostered in small classes where students are able to connect with faculty, and this sense of belonging to one’s campus community can be disrupted following transfer to a much larger institution ( 30 , 31 ).…”