A Letter to the President

• In Event: Revealing Often Unseen Barriers to College

Abstract

Nationally, although enrollment of Black and Latinx students has increased over the last few decades, research shows us that students of color do not persist in predominantly white higher education institutions at the rates of their white peers (NCES, 2019; McClain & Perry, 2017). This paper is written in the form of a letter to a University President from an employee of the campus who is advocating for the incorporation of one evidence-based approach to supporting marginalized students – transition programs. Such initiatives have been shown to enhance academic confidence and increase persistence as students begin their higher education tenure (Grace-Odeleye & Santiago, 2019; Douglas & Attewell, 2014; Cabrera et. al, 2013).

Author

• Priscilla Bell, University of Florida