Kappa Leadership Institute - Chicago

Today, I received the published of my dissertation: Redefining “Success”: The Study of Black Males’ Perception of success in Higher Education.

Abstract: Diversity has become an important characteristic of higher education; however, in manyhigher education institutions, the admission, enrollment, and support of a diverse studentpopulation remain a challenge, especially concerning the admission, retention, and graduation of Black males (Lee & Keys, 2013; Lynch, 2014; Nelms, 2010; Palmer et al., 2014). Due to the widening graduation gap that exists between Black males and other majority races and concerns that they are disappearing from college and university campuses across the country, tesearcher Michael Washington (2013) questioned whether Black male college graduates are becoming an endangered species. Washington expressed his concern that Black males are endangered in higher education. Despite Increased efforts to promote educational opportunities for Black males in higher education, many researchers argued that, although institutions are making good efforts to improve the outcomes of Black males, their strategies are, in the best cases, outdated and, in the worst cases, counterproductive (Harper, 2014; Palmer et al., 2013). A plethora of research reinforced the hypothesis that Black males are very severely
disadvantaged and lack the ability to perform well, and thereby, are incapable of college
success (Davis, 1994; Palmer & Maramba, 2011). Using a phenomenological approach, this research aimed to understand the factors that influenced black males’ success in college and identify common themes that emerged from their experiences. The findings revealed several key things that contributed to black males’ success  in college, including familiar empowerment, the praxis of endurance, the ethos of adaptability, the ecology of Hope and the persona of excellence. These themes highlight the importance of family support, self-advocacy, mind shifts, community networks, and a presentation of oneself in achieving success in college, and provides triumphant stories of how Black males’  cultural capacities put things within their control to help them deal with those things that were out of their control. This research and findings manifested into a conceptual framework developed from the research called “ The Ecology of Success Model”  and provides valuable insights for higher education institutions to improve support and retention rates for Black male students.

All of you helped me reach this point (family, friends, coworkers, Brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi, and especially my Kappa League and Link Unlimited students)!

I need everyone to "show up and show out," so please join me, and let me know below if you plan to attend my virtual 1-hour presentation of my research and reveal my ground-breaking: “Ecology of Success Model.”

Given the recent overturning of Affirmative Action by the Supreme Court this past June and the results that followed California's Proposition 209 Affirmative Action ban (Prop 209) in 1996, it was imperative that we and higher education institutions understand and continue those elements that ensure the success of Black Males in college, and that they know them from the perception of Black males that have been successful in college.

My research title: Redefining "Success": The Study of Black Males' Perceptions of Success in Higher Education.

The University of Pennsylvania's Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Monday, April 22nd: (1:30 PM ET/12:30 PM CT/ 10:30 AM PT) - (1-hour)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://upenn.zoom.us/j/96364671590?pwd=NkpYL1VlbGZzdWZtRE9wZkl0RFNvQT09

Meeting ID: 963 6467 1590
Passcode: 594707

upenn.zoom.us

DON’T ALLOW A DESERVING YOUNG MAN TO MISS THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY!

All 9th through 11th-grade young men striving to attend a top-tier college should apply to be in this program. The Kappa Leadership Institute—Chicago, a leading nonprofit college readiness program for high school young men.

More information about the Kappa Leadership Institute – Chicago and access to our online admission application can be found on our website at KAPPALEAGUECHICAGO.ORG.

The Kappa Leadership Institute – Chicago, commonly referred to as the Chicago Kappa League Program, mission is to provide educational college readiness opportunities for economically disadvantaged and/or underrepresented minority males, primarily, African American high school youth. In so doing, it integrates mentorship, service initiatives, and leadership principles to foster academic success, personal development and global understanding and in*******al harmony. Since 2005, the program has successfully transformed the lives of over 900 young men in the Chicago metropolitan area. Our 100 percent college acceptance rate, for our graduating seniors, creates a path for each of our students to become self-reliant and productive citizens.

Our success results:

>100% of our seniors since 2005 were admitted into the "tier 1" college/university of their first choice.
>83 % of our seniors with the help of our program have achieved a 28 or higher on the ACT Exam.
>82% of our students have a GPA of 3.431 or higher on a 4.0 scale
>86% of our seniors received "Full tuition" scholarships to colleges.
>$17.3 million in total scholarships over 4 years awarded to our seniors

‪Meet your Team: Mr. Rodney Gore, long-time director and college admissions advisor. ‬