Delineating the Ways That Key Institutional Agents Provide Racial Minority Students With Access to Social Capital in College

Abstract

This study focuses on the characteristics of institutional agents who can and do facilitate racial minority student success by providing them with access to social capital in college. Individual semi-structured interviews with 60 Asian American, Black, and Latino undergraduates reveal that key institutional agents who positively influence those participants’ success and provide them with access to social capital share four common characteristics: They (a) Share common ground with those students, (b) provide holistic support for those students, (c) humanize the educational experience, and (d) provide proactive support for those students. Implications for research and practice are discussed.