Higher Education Commons^™

The Church: A Salient Support System For African-American College Students, Odelet Nance

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

This article builds on a previous qualitative study examining the role of religion in the lives of five African-American college students at a Predominately White Institution (PWI). Through a constructivist lens, the stories of first-year students revealed how their church informed their college experiences. This article describes how churches provided support for students through the theoretical frameworks illustrated by Alexander Astin, Jacqueline Mattis, and Robert Jagers. Churches and Predominately White Institutions are encouraged to form partnerships to strengthen and enhance support systems for African-American college students.

Research has shown that having an effective support system affects social and academic integration …