Ivory Tower Indeed: Addressing Structural Barriers to Higher Education for Students of Color and Making College Accessible for All

Ivory Tower Indeed: Addressing Structural Barriers to Higher Education for Students of Color and Making College Accessible for AllEducation is a difference maker and game changer for the future today as it was yesteryear! But not all opportunities are created equal. Unfortunately, for students of color, education often does not happen unless they are given the opportunities to get into higher learning institutions. Ivory Tower Indeed: Addressing Structural Barriers to Higher Education for Students of Color and Making College Accessible for All is a powerful medium in which young

Education is a difference-maker and game-changer for the future today as it was yesteryear! But not all opportunities are created equal.

Unfortunately, for students of color, education often does not happen unless they are given the opportunities to get into higher learning institutions. Ivory Tower Indeed: Addressing Structural Barriers to Higher Education for Students of Color and Making College Accessible for All is a powerful medium in which young black and brown boys aspiring to attend college find powerful insight to assist them with their journeys to college.

Offering a first-hand account of some of the things that impede black and brown boys’ entry into best and proper-fit colleges and universities throughout this country and abroad, reading their answers’ rich and robust primary data encourages closer examination of the problems plaguing students of color and inspires change.

Providing invaluable insight to public high schools, colleges, universities, and higher learning institutions all over the world, Ivory Tower Indeed assists educators, administrators, planners, advisors, counselors, and school staff see the urgent needs associated with recruiting, retaining, and graduating black and brown boys.

About the Author

Dr. Keith E. Robinson is an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University in the School of Business Management, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland at College Park, and a guest instructor at Michigan State University. He has been a member of Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) International American University Chapter #1051 (Research, Leadership, Service) for five years, where he currently serves as Vice President of Programs.

Recently, Robinson served in the position of Director of Education Activities/Executive Director, where he had the opportunity to forge strategic partnerships with public schools in our seats in the City of Alexandria, VA and Arlington, VA. He is also a highly decorated Navy veteran.

A jazz enthusiast and jazz drummer, Robinson loves playing the drums and always has. He is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., whose mission is to promote brotherhood, develop future leaders, and be advocates for public schools and the communities they serve.

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Reviews

Review of Ivory Tower Indeed: Addressing Structural Barriers to Higher Education for Students of Color and Making College Accessible for All by Dr. Keith E. Robinson.

"One of the most critical, informative, and compelling books recently published is the thought-provoking Ivory Tower Indeed by Dr. Keith Robinson. Through the extensive research cited by Dr. Robinson in this work, along with innumerable interviews, the author presents the ongoing challenges experienced by students of color who aspire to attend colleges and universities, yet struggle to overcome barriers that largely do not exist for their white peers."

"Dr. Robinson elaborates on three Key Findings that identify the barriers that these students face: Cost; Determining Goodness of Fit (the ability to visit all types of colleges and universities so as to find the appropriate one for each individual, regardless of cost and logistics); and The Admissions Process, which is in great need of redesign and which often looks at applicants’ activities that are not available to all and thus cannot be considered in a competitive situation.

The Key Takeaways put forth five recommendations, all of which can be embraced by educators and non-educators alike. All readers of this book can find areas in which they can become actively involved in changing the landscape for students of color, while affirming the right of all students to attend institutions of higher learning and to do so by their own choice.

While many readers and other interested persons are well aware of many difficulties mentioned, Dr. Robinson hones in on the causes and proposes solutions that can be promoted by all individuals, whether or not we have given them personal consideration or action before.

Dr. Robinson, through this timely and pro-active book, invites all citizens to consider their realm of influence and their call to action in how each of us can contribute to the effort of ameliorating barriers and building new pathways for all students, especially those of color, to enter and remain in higher education in institutions of their choice. In this way, the talents and abilities of all students, including those whose strengths and desires have been hidden or discounted to emerge and contribute to American life in countless positive ways.

Dr. Keith Robinson is a public school system educator, university professor, and an active member of Phi Delta Kappa International, the honorary organization of educators worldwide, and has served as an officer in various capacities."

--Katherine A. James, Ed.D., Ph.D, Educator, Member Emerita of Phi Delta Kappa