Black Student Support Networks

Ezella McPherson is Manager of College Access at the Detroit Regional Chamber and CEO/Founder of Dr. McPherson Coaching, LLC. She is the author of Real Outreach: A Practical Guide to Retaining and Graduating College Students and Dream On! Supporting and Graduating African American Girls and Women in STEM. Tony Laing is Founder/CEO of Laing Equity Education Group, LLC, and has worked in K-12 and higher education across academic affairs, student affairs, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, advising, and study abroad. He has authored several peer-reviewed articles and reports on culturally relevant education, student voice, and equity in education.

"Black Student Support Networks is a critical addition to the research on Black student success in higher education. Its emphasis on what can be learned from both HBCUs and PWIs demonstrates that institutional type makes a significant difference in experiences and outcomes. Much can be learned from our nation’s HBCUs, which provide strong environments of support and nurturing for Black students and from the more limited number of PWIs that are committed to doing the same. The authors provide compelling recommendations for practice that makes the research included within the compendium come alive. A job well done." — President J. Luke Wood, California State University, Sacramento"This edited volume by Ezella McPherson and Tony Laing has earned a place in the growing body of literature that speaks to the unique and invaluable role that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have played in the lives of the Black community and the American higher education landscape. The comprehensive array of lenses through which the authors have looked at the experiences of Black students in both historically Black and predominantly White post-secondary institutions allow the reader to gain a rich understanding of how and why the just-over one hundred HBCUs in the country have played such an outsized role in the preparation of Blacks for the contribution they have undoubtedly made to national life. Data show that the majority of Blacks who earn PhDs in the sciences and engineering have earned their undergraduate degrees in HBCUs. The authors uncover the formal and informal networks of support that HBCUs provide, which serve to nurture ambition, grit, and resilience and provide a buffer against the stereotypes that often erode the performance of Blacks in predominantly White academic spaces. Like the work of educators in the immediate post-slavery period, described by Givens (2021) as "fugitive pedagogy," Black Student Support Networks makes an empirically supported case that successful education of Blacks requires explicit attention to far more than the transmission of content knowledge. It is the provision and nurturing of student support networks that create the environment in which Black education flourishes. This volume makes a critical contribution to our understanding of Black post-secondary education—a contribution that, in 2025, could not be more timely." — Glenda M. Prime, Dean, School of Education and Urban Studies, Morgan State University"Ezella McPherson and Tony Laing's book is relevant and timely. At a time when colleges and universities have been prohibited from using race-conscious policies and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are under intense attack and scrutiny, this book underscores the power of Black students' social networks. Specifically, it emphasizes how higher education institutions could use these networks as one critical tool in their arsenal to help increase the sense of belonging for Black students across diverse institutional types and ultimately their persistence to degree completion." — Robert T. Palmer, Professor and Chair, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Howard University"Black Student Support Networks offers a powerful and timely exploration of the support systems that sustain Black students across diverse college settings. Editors Ezella McPherson and Tony Laing bring together essential insights into the peer networks, faculty relationships, and spiritual communities that foster a vital sense of belonging and resilience for Black students. By comparing experiences at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs), this volume sheds light on both the unique strengths of HBCUs and the innovative strategies Black students employ to overcome isolation at PWIs. A must-read for anyone committed to advancing equity in education, this book is an invaluable resource for creating truly inclusive campuses where Black students can thrive." — Jerlando F. L. Jackson, Dean and MSU Foundation Professor of Education, College of Education, Michigan State University "Chapter three is a must-read for academic administrators, faculty, and Black graduate students. It celebrates the transformative journey of Black doctoral students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the powerful support networks that empower their success. Despite remarkable progress in increasing the number of Black PhD holders, there remains a need to illuminate their experiences and the vital connections that support them. Drawing from qualitative insights of Black PhD graduates, the authors explore how both formal and informal networks nurture a sense of community and belonging among these resilient students. Their findings reveal the indispensable need for intentional support communities—specifically, the roles of mentors, peers, and institutional resources in this journey. By exploring the unique needs of Black doctoral students, this timely research fuels the movement to enhance doctoral education frameworks at HBCUs and offers institutions critical insight in this direction." — Jennifer F. Hamer, Professor, Department of African American Studies, Senior Faculty Mentor, and Founding Director of the Midcareer Faculty Advancement Program, Pennsylvania State University

• DedicationAcknowledgmentsForewordIvory A. ToldsonPrefaceEzella McPherson and Tony LaingIntroduction: Black Lives Matter in Higher Education: A Brief History of Black Students' Access and Enrollment at HBCUs and PWIsEzella McPherson and Tony LaingPart I: Institutional Support at HBCUs: Faculty-Student Relationships and Mentorship1. Exploring How a Campus-Based Teacher Preparation Organization Fostered Leadership, Advocacy, and Synergy in an HBCU Teacher Education ProgramLeta Hooper, Wyletta Gamble-Lomax, Juanita Denee' Kent (f/k/a Ashby Bey), Kayla Moore, and Eric Nelson2."A Different World": Using College Choice to Examine the Lived Experiences of Black Cousins' Doctoral Journeys Through an HBCU and a PWIClaude E. P. Mayo and Ebonee Mayo-Mitchell3. Support Networks for Black Doctoral Students at HBCUs: Insights and ImplicationsCrystal H. Brown and Tony LaingPart II: Institutional Support Programs: Peer Networks and Other Supporters at PWIs4. Building Institutional Bridges: A Systematic Literature Review of Black Students' Experiences in Summer Bridge ProgramsQuortne R. Hutchings and Johnnie L. Campbell Jr.5. Artist Networks and Black Student SupportBeth Balliro and Lyssa Palu-ay6. Examining the Spiritual Experience of Black Doctoral Students Using an African American Spirituality FrameworkFerlin G. McGaskey, Ezella McPherson, Tamekia Wilkins, and Jasmine D. Tilghman7. When the Theory Is Your Life: Embodying Black Critical Theory as a Home Place in the AcademyBlake O'Neal Turner, Courtney Douglass, Mary Johnson, and Alexis Morgan YoungEpilogue: Shaping the FutureTony Laing and Ezella McPhersonAfterwordMelanie CarterList of ContributorsIndex