Terrell L. Strayhorn – författare

Presenting new empirical evidence and employing fresh theoretical perspectives, this book sheds new light on the challenges that Black Students face from the time they apply to college through their lives on campus.The contributors make the case that the new generation of Black students differ in attitudes and backgrounds from earlier generations, and demonstrate the importance of understanding the diversity of Black identity.Successive chapters address the nature and importance of Black spirituality for reducing isolation and race-related stress, and as a source of meaning making; students’ college selection and decision process and the expectations it fosters; first-generation Black women’s motivations for attending college; the social-psychological determinants of academic achievement, and how resiliency can be developed and nurtured; institutional climate and the role of cultural centers; as well as identity development; and mentoring. The book includes a new research study of African American male undergraduates who identify as gay or bisexual; discusses the impact of student-to-student interactions in intellectual development and leadership building; describes the successful strategies used by historically Black institutions with at-risk men; considers the role of parents in Black male students’ lives, and the applicability of the “millennial” label to the new cohort of African American students.The book offers new insights and concrete recommendations for policies and practices to provide the social and academic support for African American students to persist and fully benefit from their collegiate experience. It will be of value to student affairs personnel and faculty; constitutes a textbook for courses on student populations and their development; and provides a springboard for future research.

Presenting new empirical evidence and employing fresh theoretical perspectives, this book sheds new light on the challenges that Black Students face from the time they apply to college through their lives on campus.The contributors make the case that the new generation of Black students differ in attitudes and backgrounds from earlier generations, and demonstrate the importance of understanding the diversity of Black identity.Successive chapters address the nature and importance of Black spirituality for reducing isolation and race-related stress, and as a source of meaning making; students’ college selection and decision process and the expectations it fosters; first-generation Black women’s motivations for attending college; the social-psychological determinants of academic achievement, and how resiliency can be developed and nurtured; institutional climate and the role of cultural centers; as well as identity development; and mentoring. The book includes a new research study of African American male undergraduates who identify as gay or bisexual; discusses the impact of student-to-student interactions in intellectual development and leadership building; describes the successful strategies used by historically Black institutions with at-risk men; considers the role of parents in Black male students’ lives, and the applicability of the “millennial” label to the new cohort of African American students.The book offers new insights and concrete recommendations for policies and practices to provide the social and academic support for African American students to persist and fully benefit from their collegiate experience. It will be of value to student affairs personnel and faculty; constitutes a textbook for courses on student populations and their development; and provides a springboard for future research.

Belonging in Higher Education: Perspectives and Lessons from Diverse Faculty illuminates autoethnographic stories of belonging in higher education in the United States. Chapter counter/stories are contributed by African American, Asian American, Latinx American, Indigenous American, and BIPOC individuals who work in diversity-related positions in the academy. Chapters are written by faculty who work in different institutional contexts such as Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs); minority-serving institutions (MSIs) like Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); and institutional types such as community colleges, teaching-focused, and research-focused institutions. Chapter authors represent a range of diversities, coming from a variety of inter- and transdisciplinary backgrounds in terms of their fields of study and research foci, including Education, Psychology, Sociology, and Gender Studies. The counter/narratives in the book celebrate diverse experiences and offer unique and useful insights about how to foster what foreword author, Michael Eric Dyson, refers to as “deep belonging,” particularly for those who have been ostracized, marginalized, or expelled while working in higher education. This critical volume is an essential reading for researchers, faculty, administrators, and graduate students in Education, Sociology, Psychology, Student Affairs, African American Studies, and Asian American Studies. Additionally, it offers crucial insights for individuals who are key stakeholders in foregrounding policy that centers belonging for diverse faculty.

Winner of “Society of Professors of Education 2025 Outstanding Book Award Honorable Mention”

Belonging in Higher Education: Perspectives and Lessons from Diverse Faculty illuminates autoethnographic stories of belonging in higher education in the United States. Chapter counter/stories are contributed by African American, Asian American, Latinx American, Indigenous American, and BIPOC individuals who work in diversity-related positions in the academy. Chapters are written by faculty who work in different institutional contexts such as Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs); minority-serving institutions (MSIs) like Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); and institutional types such as community colleges, teaching-focused, and research-focused institutions. Chapter authors represent a range of diversities, coming from a variety of inter- and transdisciplinary backgrounds in terms of their fields of study and research foci, including Education, Psychology, Sociology, and Gender Studies. The counter/narratives in the book celebrate diverse experiences and offer unique and useful insights about how to foster what foreword author, Michael Eric Dyson, refers to as “deep belonging,” particularly for those who have been ostracized, marginalized, or expelled while working in higher education. This critical volume is an essential reading for researchers, faculty, administrators, and graduate students in Education, Sociology, Psychology, Student Affairs, African American Studies, and Asian American Studies. Additionally, it offers crucial insights for individuals who are key stakeholders in foregrounding policy that centers belonging for diverse faculty.

Winner of “Society of Professors of Education 2025 Outstanding Book Award Honorable Mention”

Moving beyond the theories traditionally used to describe college student development, this engaging book introduces social psychological theories that address the most relevant issues in higher education today. Covering theories of ecological systems, sense of belonging, prejudice and discrimination, positive psychology, social capital, personality theory, mentoring, and hope theory, this book promotes the understanding and application of social psychological theories to various higher education contexts. Examples from diverse student populations encourage learners’ application to situations in their own contexts. Comprehensive enough to be used as a main text but accessible enough to be used alongside another, this important textbook bridges research, theory, and practice to help practicing and aspiring higher education and student affairs professionals effectively work with college students.

Special Features Include:

• Reflective exercises that combine theory and practice and help students apply their knowledge solving problems.

• Case studies and scenarios for further connections to the reader’s university and college settings.

• Guiding questions that encourage students to think beyond the current literature and practice.

• List of further readings and references for readers to explore topics in more depth.

Moving beyond the theories traditionally used to describe college student development, this engaging book introduces social psychological theories that address the most relevant issues in higher education today. Covering theories of ecological systems, sense of belonging, prejudice and discrimination, positive psychology, social capital, personality theory, mentoring, and hope theory, this book promotes the understanding and application of social psychological theories to various higher education contexts. Examples from diverse student populations encourage learners’ application to situations in their own contexts. Comprehensive enough to be used as a main text but accessible enough to be used alongside another, this important textbook bridges research, theory, and practice to help practicing and aspiring higher education and student affairs professionals effectively work with college students.

Special Features Include:

• Reflective exercises that combine theory and practice and help students apply their knowledge solving problems.

• Case studies and scenarios for further connections to the reader’s university and college settings.

• Guiding questions that encourage students to think beyond the current literature and practice.

• List of further readings and references for readers to explore topics in more depth.

This book explores how belonging differs based on students’ social identities, such as race, gender, sexual orientation, or the conditions they encounter on campus. Belonging—with peers, in the classroom, or on campus—is a critical dimension of success at college. It can affect a student’s degree of academic adjustment, achievement, aspirations, or even whether a student stays in school. The 2nd Edition of College Students’ Sense of Belonging explores student sub-populations and campus environments, offering readers updated information about sense of belonging, how it develops for students, and a conceptual model for helping students belong and thrive. Underpinned by theory and research and offering practical guidelines for improving educational environments and policies, this book is an important resource for higher education and student affairs professionals, scholars, and graduate students interested in students’ success.

New to this second edition:

This book explores how belonging differs based on students’ social identities, such as race, gender, sexual orientation, or the conditions they encounter on campus. Belonging—with peers, in the classroom, or on campus—is a critical dimension of success at college. It can affect a student’s degree of academic adjustment, achievement, aspirations, or even whether a student stays in school. The 2nd Edition of College Students’ Sense of Belonging explores student sub-populations and campus environments, offering readers updated information about sense of belonging, how it develops for students, and a conceptual model for helping students belong and thrive. Underpinned by theory and research and offering practical guidelines for improving educational environments and policies, this book is an important resource for higher education and student affairs professionals, scholars, and graduate students interested in students’ success.

New to this second edition:

Living at the Intersections: Social Identities and Black Collegians brings together 21 diverse authors from 14 different institutions, including our nation’s most prestigious public and private universities, to advance the use of intersectionality and intersectional approaches in studying Black students in higher education.

Chapters cover a diversity of topics, ranging from spirituality to sexuality and masculinity, from Black students at HBCUs to those in STEM majors, and a host of issues related to race, class, gender, and other identities. Authors draw upon a wealth of data including national surveys, interviews, focus groups, narratives, and even historical research. A smooth blend of anthropology, historiography, psychology, sociology, and intersectional approaches from multiple disciplines, this book breaks new ground on the “who, what, when, where, and how” of intersectionality applied to social problems affecting Black collegians. The authors go beyond merely stating the importance of intersectionality in research, but they also provide countless examples, recommended strategies, and tools for doing so. This book is an important resource for higher education and student affairs professionals, scholars, and graduate students interested in intersectionality and Black collegians.