ABSTRACT
Since the late 1980s, several researchers have explored college access, experiences, outcomes, and implications for academically underprepared Black men (Allen, 1992; Cuyjet & Associates, 2006; Fleming, 1984; Hale, 2006; Palmer, Davis, & Hilton, 2009; Palmer & Gasman, 2008). Research has shown that Black men are attending college at signifi cantly disproportionate rates than their White, as well as their Black female counterparts. According to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES; 2010), the gender gap for enrollment between male and female Black students has increased signifi cantly over the last 30 years. In 1976, nearly 54% of Black undergraduates were female. By 2008, women accounted for 64% of the total Black undergraduate enrollment. Further, Black men continue to fall behind Whites (Bernanke, 2007; McDaniel, DiPrete, Buchmann, & Shwed, 2010) and their Black women counterparts in college completion rates. In 2008, Black women represented 68% of degree recipients and received more than twice as many degrees (219,200) as Black men (104,300). Data reported by NCES (2010) show that this pattern was apparent across all levels of degrees, with about twice as many degrees conferred on Black women as Black men at each level. In fact, national data show that nearly 68% of Black men who begin college do not persist to graduation within 6 years (Harper, 2006).
