According
to an October 2007 report by the D.C.-based
American Council on Education, the percentage of
African-American males enrolled in college lags
considerably behind their white peers. In fact, there
are just 708,000 young Black men enrolled in the
nation’s colleges and universities, compared to 4.6
million white males and 1.3 million black
females.
Yet,
in Georgia, results of a five-year-old
program reflect the success of proven strategies
that have dramatically increased the ranks of young
Black men enrolled in that state’s public
institutions of higher education.
Launched
in the summer 2002, the University System of Georgia’s
African-American Male Initiative (AAMI) focuses on
increasing the enrollment, retention, and graduation
rates of Black men throughout the state with a variety
of programs that foster academic achievement,
encompassing tutoring, mentoring, leadership
development, and college visitation.
In
July 2002, there were three known programs in the USG
focusing on improving Black males’ educational
participation. Today, more than 20 such programs at 15
different USG institutions are in
place.
Since
the program’s inception, black male enrollment in the
University System of Georgia has increased by
24.5
percent — from 17,068 in fall 2002 to
21,249 in fall 2007. Most recent numbers for fall 2007
are up 7.4 percent over the previous year, adding
another 1,465 Black males to the ranks of students at
state institutions of higher
education.
On
Friday, Nov. 30
and Saturday, Dec. 1, the first
University System-wide conference of its kind will
assemble more than 250 statewide at
Kennesaw
State
University,
in suburban Atlanta.
There, AAMI administrators, student participants,
notable dignitaries and others will showcase “best
practices,” among a weekend of activities aimed at
enhancing educational outcomes for
Georgia’s African-American male
students.
Arlethia
Perry-Johnson, AAMI Project
Director
“The
University System of Georgia has done pioneering work in
identifying and addressing the educational challenges
faced by Black males, and our work is frequently
benchmarked,” said Arlethia Perry-Johnson, the AAMI
project director. “Our goal is to demonstrate what
works, so that others might replicate, expand and — most
importantly — fund these important programs.”