African American Alumni Feelings of Attachment to a Predominately White Research Intensive University

The authors examined African American alumni opinions of their experience at a predominately white research intensive university from the development office's perspective. Research on decades of African American alumni opinions of their alma mater is nonexistent. Gender, financial aid and matriculation period were the independent variables. The dependent variables were 8 factors that reflected academic and social life at the university drawn from a 31 item survey. These factors were associated with Tinto's Theory of Student Integration. Gender and financial aid status did not produce more than one significant difference, but matriculation period showed various differences of opinion about the university. For those managing the university's image, like development and admissions, cool responses from older African American alumni can mean that plenty of repair work is needed for this group of university stakeholders. (Contains 1 table.)