Although African Americans report the lowest graduation rates in the United States--approximately 35% at undergraduate level--the rate is lower for African American males (30%) than African American females (37%). The performance of African American males in higher education is influenced by faculty role models and faculty expectations of their performance, although literature on the subject is scarce. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory case study was to understand recent African American male college graduates' perceptions of how faculty expectations and role models affected their motivation to persist to graduation. Interviews with the 12 participants from the case group revealed five key themes: (a) Diversity among faculty contributes to overall positive experiences of students and enhances persistence, (b) high faculty expectations and encouragement of African American males to attain their full potential are important for students' persistence, (c) students' effort is paramount, (d) role models encourage students' persistence, and (e) family and personal reasons also motivate persistence. These findings affirm previous research and theory on student persistence and motivation, thus informing future research, theory, and practice. The additional knowledge on the effect of faculty role models and expectations on persistence could help to increase students' persistence by promoting role modeling and raising of faculty expectations. Leaders can also leverage it during policymaking to increase student motivation and persistence among vulnerable groups. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]