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Martin Luther King’s Legacy: Creating A Culture of Student Success At HBCUs 

Writer's picture: Tia TeamerTia Teamer


Martin Luther King Jr. is surely the most famous HBCU alumni, having entered Morehouse College at age 15 and graduating at 19. Martin Luther King Jr.’s experience at Morehouse College shaped not only his activism, but also his pursuit of excellence. 


During his time at Morehouse Dr. King met great social activists, thinkers, theologians, and educators who became mentors. Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, the Morehouse president who is considered the architect of the college’s reputation for excellence, proved to be an incomparable inspiration to King.


President Mays introduced him to the Indian social reformer Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings and his method of nonviolent protest. Professor Samuel W. Williams exposed him to Henry David Thoreau’s “Essay on Civil Disobedience.” 


Dr. King  wrote, “We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.”


At Teamer Strategy Group, we amplify this message and support HBCUs in their continued effort to transform their learners by creating a culture of student success. Creating a culture of student success involves intentional efforts to care for individual students, foster belonging, and align institutional practices with a student-focused approach.

To foster a culture of student success, institutions must first define student success and the core elements that shape their students’ experience. When developing this definition, institutions must keep in mind the diverse student population they serve and eliminate equity gaps that impede a students’ sense of belonging. 

TSG defines student success as how well learners are prepared to accomplish their current and future academic, personal, and professional (career) goals through the development of knowledge, a sense of responsibility and self-reliance provided by the college or university they choose to attend.

What are the steps to define student success? 

  1. Step One – Discovery

    1. Institutions must understand the history of their organization;

    2. Develop and identify its mission; identify the vision as a guiding principle;

    3. Establish core values of the organization;

    4. Create goals and objectives and

    5. Engage students in the development of this definition whether it be through focus groups, surveys, etc. 

 

  1. Step Two- Reflection

    1. This step focuses on analyzing your institution’s previous definition of student success in comparison to the outcomes of the discovery period.

What do you see as the similarities in discovery and engagement of how your institution defines student success?

  1. Step Three-Draft A Definition of Student Success

    1. Using the information from the discovery period and comparison to other definitions of student success, create your own definition of student success.

After developing your definition, institutions must be intentional in creating a plan to assess where they excel, but more importantly, where they need improvement. 

  1. Step Four- Create A Culture of Student Success through Socialization

How do we create a culture of student success? 

  1. Define the institution’s vision, mission, goals, objectives, delivery systems, articulating the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders, and establish key relationships.

  2. Provide a comprehensive and sustainable system to support stakeholders in implementing student success strategies based on student needs.

  3. Establish defined and ongoing opportunities to engage, listen to, collaborate with key stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, industry representatives, employers, and other postsecondary institutions, on challenges and opportunities for student success.

  4. Establish defined and ongoing opportunities to communicate across key stakeholders on challenges and opportunities for student success.

  5. Ensure internal and external alignment of policies, initiatives, and funding, as well as coordination and collaboration among key divisions, units and departments that support student success.

  6. Apply a defined process for collecting, storing, analyzing, and discussing student success data to ensure that institutions are supporting the intended impact and outcomes of the students they serve.


As we reflect on the continued changes in today's society, TSG makes every effort to continue our transformative work and develop innovative strategies to uphold the legacy of HBCU graduates such as Martin Luther King Jr. 



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