Date of Award
Summer 2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Committee Chair
Elizabeth Jones
Abstract
This dissertation explored culturally relevant strategies for Black student leadership development within university multicultural centers, focusing specifically on student leaders affiliated with Black identity-based organizations. Conducted in partnership with a large public land-grant university in the United States Midwest, this study recognizes that traditional student leadership development programs often fail to address the varied cultural realities of Black students. A mixed methods sequential explanatory design approach was used, combining survey data with qualitative interviews and analyzed using a phenomenological lens. Guided by the McKinsey 7S Framework, this study identified strengths and gaps in organizational strategy, structure, systems, style, staff, skills, and shared values. The conceptual framework included Afrofuturism, which imagines equitable futures through a Black cultural lens, and the context, input, process, product (CIPP) evaluation model to propose practical leadership development solutions. Findings revealed that student organizations possessed strong organizational structure, strategy, and systems but lacked consistent training and evaluation mechanisms to ensure leadership preparedness. Leadership transitions occurred without standardized onboarding or skills assessment, often leaving new officers underprepared. The implications of these findings suggest that effective leadership development for Black student organizations must move beyond generic models and intentionally incorporate culturally relevant pedagogies. The study recommended the implementation of a structured leadership curriculum grounded in Afrofuturist principles, emphasizing imagination, liberation, and self-determination. This approach not only aligns with the lived experiences of Black students but also offers a scalable framework that may benefit other historically underrepresented student populations.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Richard D., "Afrofuturism–It's A Different World: Exploring Tools for Culturally Relevant Black Student Leadership Development" (2025). Doctor of Education Dissertations. 254.
https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/education-dissertations/254
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