De’Arbreya Lee
Staff Writer
In an effort to prevent more African American males from becoming part of a trend of dropping out of college, Jackson State University and four other universities are working together to launch a Destination Graduation Policy Initiative.
According to a 2004 article in the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, nationwide from 1998-2000, there was a decline in the graduation rate of black men, and over the past 16 years, that rate has only risen to about 36 percent.
Destination Graduation Policy Initiative (DGPI) is funded by a grant from the Lumina Foundation. This initiative consists of five participating colleges and universities, which include with Jackson State as the lead institution, along with Alcorn State University, Hinds Community College, Dillard University, and Miles College.
According to the Lumina Foundation website, the foundation believes that education provides the basis for individual opportunity, economic vitality and social stability. With its partners, the foundation works to meet workforce demands and close gaps in attainment for groups not historically well-served by higher education, through the offering of financial assistance through grants.
Although each institution has specific goal for their initiative, they all share the common goal, to increase the graduation numbers in African American males.
The Retention Advisory Board include: Co-Chair Marcus Chanay, Vice President for Student Life; Principal Investigator Priscilla Slade, Assistant to VP Research/Visiting Professor in Entrepreneurship; Co-Chair Rodney Washington, along with a other faculty, staff and students.
“For us, our African American Male initiative is to prepare mentoring models,” said Chanay. “We want to support, motivate and empower our young men.”
The focus for Jackson State’s initiative came from two surveys, conducted in the fall of 2011 and the spring of 2012 where several men expressed needs in several areas that might be aided through positive mentorship. Chanay stated that the initiative will occur in a number of phases that will hopefully carry on into future generations, with the end result being greater retention and success for African American males. Goals and objectives include professional development, leadership development, and academic assistance.
For more information about the initiative and on attending the next meeting to be held on February 23, 2012, contact the Office of Student Life at 601-979-2241
