Reminisce, reconcile, & reclaim: A qualitative study centering Black alumni and their engagement with their undergraduate predominantly White institutions

Brewster, Courtney E.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129399 Copy

Description

Title

Reminisce, reconcile, & reclaim: A qualitative study centering Black alumni and their engagement with their undergraduate predominantly White institutions

Author(s)

Brewster, Courtney E.

Issue Date

2025-04-22

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Lee, Sharon S

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Lee, Sharon S

Committee Member(s)

• Pak, Yoon
• Commodore, Felecia
• Justice, Patricia

Department of Study

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ed.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Administrators
• African American
• Alumni
• Black
• Colleges
• Diversity
• Engagement
• Equity
• Faculty
• Generosity
• Higher Education
• Identity
• Inclusion
• Philanthropy
• Predominantly White Institution
• PWI
• Race
• Staff
• Students
• Undergraduate
• Universities

Abstract

As colleges and universities influence perspectives, affiliations, and status, the responsibility and accountability required to equip constituents to work within a global society are essential in shaping alumni's experience for engagement. This descriptive qualitative study utilizes Social Identity Theory (Tajfel, 1974; Turner & Oakes, 1986) and Self-Categorization Theory (Hogg & Terry, 2000; Tajfel, 1974) frameworks, in addition to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Alumni Engagement Task Force Metrics, volunteer, experiential, philanthropic, communication (2018), and “the rule of the 5T’s, a definition of women’s philanthropy”, time, talent, treasure, ties, and testimony (Loehr, 2025) conceptual frameworks to analyze data through interviews. Realizing how predominantly White institutions’ culture and priorities situate themselves to engage Black/African American alumni provides an opportunity to explore how experiences with faculty, staff, administrators, community members, and their peers affect their level of engagement. Through thoughtful inquiry into the history of philanthropy’s effect on higher education and illustrations of how Black/African American community members engage, centering their narratives is crucial to illuminating the themes revealed in the study: connection, corrective action, education, engagement, generosity, and restructuring systems. Additionally, the categories participants cited reflect their racial identity connections, involvement with students, faculty, staff, and administrators, and their overall experiences as undergraduate students and alumni. Furthermore, it is important to recognize how the sub-themes are influenced by the impact of positive and negative experiences around institutional classroom and campus experiences, practices, and the values and commitment participants uphold for the Black/African American community. Conclusively, it is essential that institutions intentionally define an ethos that affirms and moves to embed practices for culturally responsive engagement.

Graduation Semester

2025-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129399

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2025 Courtney Brewster

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