Black Like Me: Black College Student Perceptions of Racially Similar College Presidents

There is a strong interest in higher education to enroll a diverse student body, including groups from historically underrepresented populations. This is particularly true within the Black American community, where Black women have increased their presence in higher education yet Black men continue to account for only a small fraction of all college enrollment. To help increase the enrollment of Black men, some institutions have explored and put into place mentoring programs and have looked to symbolically demonstrate that higher education is a welcoming place by spotlighting college presidents who share similar demographic characteristics. The current study was designed to describe the perceptions of Black male college students concerning their institution where a Black male college president was in place. These findings included a range of reactions from the creation of hope and making a difference to perceptions of indifference and even anger. The study illustrates the importance of critically examining role modeling and mentoring as a strategy to help recruit and retain students from diverse backgrounds.