The Academic Achievement of African American Post-9/11 Veterans at Martin R. Delany State University (Pseudonym of an Actual Historically Black University)

1 online resource (144 pages) : PDF

2017

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

The purpose of this study is to examine the academic experiences of veterans attending historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Following World War II, enrollment at HBCUs was as high as 35%. Broader access at traditional colleges and the proliferation of for-profit colleges and universities (FPCUs) have led to a decline in African American veteran enrollment at HBCUs (Gasman, Baez, Sotello, & Turner, 2008). Many veterans are choosing FPCUs, but they are not receiving the quality education they were promised (Dynarski, 2016). This qualitative case study explored the following: the reasons African American veterans are choosing to attend HBCUs; the challenges they face as student veterans; and the various factors that contribute to their academic success. The theory that guided the study was Critical Race Resilience Theory which draws from Critical Race Theory and Resilience Theory. Data were collected from in-depth interviews with five male and two female African American student veterans at Martin R. Delany State University (pseudonym). The findings indicate that the participants view HBCUs as valuable institutions that provide a welcoming environment. They also reveal that financial support from the Veterans Administration and emotional support from family, friends and other veterans can have a major impact on the academic success of African American veterans. This study has great implications for educational policy reform.

doctoral dissertations

Educational leadership

Ph.D.

African American
GI Bill
HBCUs
Higher Education
Student Veterans
Veterans

Curriculum & Instruction

Wiggan, Greg

Harris, Henry
Campbell-Whatley, Gloria
O'Brien, Christopher

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2017.

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Hewitt_uncc_0694D_11379

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:485