| This study examined how social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, are fostering engagement and social capital among students in leadership roles at a historically black institution. Social media have features designed to promote engagement and connections among individuals and entities. African American millennials are among the most passionate adopters of social media. Using a quantitative analysis, the study determined that there is a positive correlation between the amount of time spent on social media and how often social media is used for purposes related to the higher education environment. The findings suggest that social media could play a role in student engagement when students utilize it to foster relationships among their peers because doing so produces the social capital they need to navigate college. This information could be useful to college administrators in the areas of academic and student affairs, admissions, enrollment management and university relations as they seek to understand social media's potential as a tool of engagement and academic persistence. |
