Recruiting, Retraining, & Graduating Black Male College Students
The AAMI was formed due to the increasing concern about retention and persistence rates of African American males in higher education. Nationally, African American males complete college at much lower rates than their peers. This has become a major national crisis, particularly at the community college level. Other groups have outpaced African American males not only in enrollment, but also retention.
Some of the reasons for low persistence rates among African American males include a lack of on-campus support services, low or no financial assistance, lack of transportation, a need for childcare, being under prepared for college-level coursework, and a lack of positive role models.
AAMI was created in response to the needs of African American male students and is focused on the following goals:
* Increasing persistence of African American male students at U-Matter CC
* Increasing the academic achievement levels of African American male students at U-Matter CC
* Enhancing the understanding of faculty and staff regarding the challenges faced by African American males as they enter college.
Services Offered:
* Computers, printers, textbooks
* Specialized campus orientation activities
* Peer and community mentoring on a bi-weekly basis
* Tutoring services and study tables
* Leadership development
* Career development
* Ethnic identity development
* Workshops and seminars on study skills, time management, managing transitions, etc.
* Early alert academic monitoring
* Academic advising success coaches
Some of the reasons for low persistence rates among African American males include a lack of on-campus support services, low or no financial assistance, lack of transportation, a need for childcare, being under prepared for college-level coursework, and a lack of positive role models.
AAMI was created in response to the needs of African American male students and is focused on the following goals:
* Increasing persistence of African American male students at U-Matter CC
* Increasing the academic achievement levels of African American male students at U-Matter CC
* Enhancing the understanding of faculty and staff regarding the challenges faced by African American males as they enter college.
Services Offered:
* Computers, printers, textbooks
* Specialized campus orientation activities
* Peer and community mentoring on a bi-weekly basis
* Tutoring services and study tables
* Leadership development
* Career development
* Ethnic identity development
* Workshops and seminars on study skills, time management, managing transitions, etc.
* Early alert academic monitoring
* Academic advising success coaches
Assessment of African American Male Initiative
The AAMI is assessed at the end of each semester and at the end of each calendar year. We hold focus groups with peer mentors and African American male participants and distribute surveys to participants of each cohort. We also analyze university statistics on retention of African American male participants each semester and through graduation.