Several colleges and units within The University of Akron (UA) have teamed with Akron Public Schools (APS) to develop a targeted mentoring program with two important goals — increase retention and graduation rates of UA’s black male students, and enhance preparation of black high school males for admission and retention into secondary education institutions such as UA.
The initiative is named “UA Black Males Mentoring 10th Grader Black Males” and involves UA’s Office of the President, faculty in The LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF) College of Education, College of Health Professions, College of Business Administration (CBA) Institute for Leadership Advancement, and local community representatives spearheaded by the Rev. Jeffrey A. Dennis, senior pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church.
“This initiative is one more example of our goal of giving the most students the best chance at the American Dream — the chance to earn a college degree and live a more fulfilling life,” said UA President Scott Scarborough. “The effect of the collaboration will also elevate community engagement between our city and our students by providing solutions to specific local issues.”
Akron Public Schools Superintendent David W. James said, "We look forward to another worthwhile project with our partners at UA. This helps us help our students meet life's challenges head-on."
Opportunities for UA students
During the pilot phase that began in fall 2015, 10th graders from Buchtel and East Community Learning Centers have been paired with UA student mentors from across several academic disciplines, including business, education, engineering and computer science.
“The program’s two unique features are its focus exclusively on 10th grade black male students and its research-based training content,” says Dr. Bridgie A. Ford, professor in LJFF College of Education. “APS high school principals shared with me and Dr. John E. Queener, professor in College of Health Professions, the need to help and counsel 10th graders – they have a high risk of dropping out or just not staying academically focused,” she explains.
This project, developed by Ford and Queener, directly trained the UA college mentors in the project using the principals of Optimal Psychology (Myers, 1988) and factors that were found to be related to African American males’ perceptions of the racial climate at a predominately white university.
The project also aims to help the mentors become school and community leaders. To this end, the UA students are provided with exposure to leadership training administered by the CBA Institute for Leadership Advancement, led by its director Kevin Smith and funded by The J.M. Smucker Company, and joint engagement with their mentees in a service-learning project coordinated by Dennis.
The pilot phase of the project concludes in spring 2016. Upon evaluation, Ford feels it is expected the program will become ongoing and sustainable.
Media contacts: Dr. Bridgie A. Ford, professor in the LJFF College of Education, 330-972-6734, or alexis2@uakron.edu, or Lisa Craig, 330-972-7429, or lmc91@uakron.edu.
t
Dr. John E. Queener, left, and Dr. Bridgie A. Ford were interviewed on WHBC during UA's Black Male Summit, held April 8-9.