Faculty and male student athletes: racial differences in the environmental predictors of academic achievement

Abstract

Studies have examined the impact of environmental variables on academic achievement among student athletes in the revenue‐generating sports of men’s basketball and football. However, while evidence concerning the positive impact of male student athlete and faculty interaction is virtually unequivocal, we are not certain whether the benefits accruing from particular types of interaction vary across different racial/ethnic groups. This study explores the relationship between male Black and White student athletes and faculty as well as the impact of specific forms of student athlete–faculty interaction on academic achievement. Data are drawn from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program’s 2000 Freshman Survey and 2004 Follow‐Up Survey. The sample includes 1031 White and 739 Black football and basketball players attending predominantly White institutions. Regression results indicate that the impact of the contact or interaction is to some extent contingent upon the specific nature of the interaction for Black and White male student athletes. The findings also suggest that Black and White male student athletes did not benefit equally from their interactions with faculty. Finally, the implications of these findings are discussed among student athletes, faculty and student affairs leaders in order to improve male Black and White student athlete–faculty communication, as well as enrich their overall college experience.