Abstract:

In the United States, there are about 181,500 male Division 1 student-athletes (National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), 2019). In traditional revenue producing sports (football and men's basketball) almost 50% of these athletes are African American men. At the same time, African-American men only make up 2.9% of the university student population and the odds are not good that these young men will graduate with only about 45% to 55% of them receiving a diploma within 6 years of enrollment (Harper, 2016; NCAA, 2019). Compare this figure to an overall 76.3% graduation rate at these schools (Harper, 2016). Graduation rates for African American student athletes in Power Five schools are somewhat higher than the general African American student population with a graduation rate at around 60%, however this is a low figure when compared to an almost 70% graduation for all college athletes combined (Harper, 2016).

Numerous factors related to this disparity in graduation rates are important to consider here, but are beyond the scope of this abstract. In the context of the current evaluation, it is critical to explain that sports are often more important to these young men than academics are because sports are seen as the only vehicle to a career and financial security. Many college athletes expect to play at the professional level however in reality, only an estimated 2% of college athletes attain professional status (NCAA, 2019). Pressure to be drafted by professional teams influencers young men to make decisions about their university careers based on perceived playing time and coaching style at any given university. Less playing time than expected or coaching changes lead to transfers that decrease the chance of graduation. Conversely, most athletes who go up in the draft do so after two or three years at a university and many do not finish their degrees. The average length of time that a football player plays professionally is about 3 to 6 years and the average for men’s basketball is 4-5 years (National Football League, n.d.; National Basketball Association, n.d.). These short career windows and no college degree leave these young men with fewer career options at a young age. Increasing graduation rates for these men will expand career opportunities. Helping these students to expand perspective or create a “plan B” can not only help them see the benefit in obtaining a degree but can also help them to be more successful in doing so.

The iBelieve Initiative is a program at a power five university created by an athletics academic support unit in response to the statistics shared above. Exclusively for African American males, both student athletes and general students, this program emphasizes owner mindset as a way of helping young men to visualize and move toward success in academics and career. Goal setting and moving through adversity with resilience supports better performance in academics and more thoughtful decisions about degree completion and career.

This presentation will outline the program and share evaluation results. Attributional style, black identity, grit and athletic identity were recorded for all participants along with qualitative results from one on one interview with the participants. Salient results will be shared with the audience along with thoughts about what the presenters have learned from the process and how the program will be expanded moving forward.

Keywords:

Graduation rates, retention, student success.