The Impact of Covid-19 on the Student Success of African American Males at a Community College

The purpose of this correlational, quasi-experimental study is to explore the impact the
COVID-19 pandemic had on the persistence and completion rates of African American males in
a mentorship program at a Midwestern community college. Academic data, enrollment data,
membership data, and dates of membership for each student in two different groups were
evaluated and compared. One group includes African American male students who met the
criteria of membership in a campus mentorship program while enrolled at the college before the
pandemic. The second group of African American males includes students in the same campus
organization while enrolled at the college during the COVID-19 pandemic with a start date of
Spring 2020 or later. The results of the analyzed data indicate that there are statistically
significant differences between the pre-COVID and post-COVID groups in term-to-term
retention.