Still Here

Abstract

This study explores perceptions of the academic, social, and institutional forces that shape success for African American male students attending a 4-year, predominately White public college in southern New Jersey. This study utilized an interview-based qualitative research method to examine African American male students’ social and academic experiences at a small, predominantly White, liberal arts college in southern New Jersey. Attention to the experiences of African American male students attending White colleges is particularly important because issues surrounding social receptivity (i.e., the general acceptance of an individual or group’s presence) are factors that play a significant part of the students’ learning experience. This study found that in 21st-century America, the African American male students’ perceptions of and experiences with social receptivity at a predominantly White institution (PWI) can have a significant impact on the students’ learning experience. The major themes of this study that emerged were “Level of Preparation for College Life at a PWI,” “Lack of Belonging in a New Social Environment,” “Feelings of Social and Personal Isolation,” and “Feelings of Negativity Toward the Faculty.”