The purpose of this study was to associate Astin's (1999) theory of student involvement and Tinto's (1993) theory of student departure as a framework for assessing and understanding the relationships among student involvements, academic performances, rates of retention, and rates of departure for African-American students enrolled at 3 rural Alabama community colleges. A total of 127 Alabama community college students participated in the study by completing the online Community College Student Experience Questionnaire (CCSEQ) at 3 college locations. The researcher used the CCSEQ to investigate the estimate of student gains on their quality of effort, effects of the college environment on the quality of students' efforts, effects of age on the estimate of gain and on the quality of student effort, and to determine if different college environments (institutional effects) influence the quality of students' efforts. The postulates of Astin's theory of student involvement and Tinto's theory of student departure were the theoretical formats used to direct this study. Data collected indicated a number of significant findings. Engaged and involved students performed well academically. The estimate of students' gains was impacted mostly by the quality of students' efforts in course activities, faculty interactions, library activities, computer technology, clubs, organizations, counseling, and career planning. The more engaged and involved rural African-American community college students were, the greater the likelihood that they reached their educational goals. Finally, campus location or "fit" made a difference when student success was considered. Research findings indicated that community college educators at College A and College B needed to make improvements in the college environments to better serve students' academic and developmental needs. [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.]