Press release from Brookdale Community College
On Friday, April 10, the Brookdale Community College Black Student Union will partner with the Monmouth Ocean County Pan Hellenic Council to host the first Minority Male Initiative program on the college’s Lincroft campus.
Scheduled to begin at 8:30 am, the free conference will include workshops and an expert panel discussion centered on the benefits of earning a college degree, and the unique challenges faced by black and Latino males in higher education.
According to a 2012 report by the National Center for Education Statistics, only 34 percent of black males earned a bachelor’s degree within six years of enrollment in college, as opposed to 59 percent of white males.
“In many cases, the academic success rates of males of color are the lowest in comparison to other groups,” said Fidel Wilson, assistant Brookdale professor and a counselor in the college’s Equal Opportunity Fund program. “As post-secondary degrees have become more valuable in today’s workforce, this has become a national concern.”
“The conference is only the beginning of what will be a major push on the part of Brookdale to increase support for our minority males,” Wilson added.
The four-hour Male Minority Initiative will feature workshops on topics such as financial stability, “jobs versus careers” and the challenges of navigating a college degree program.
The panel discussion, offered during lunch, will feature local educational authorities and community leaders such as Dr. Webster Trammell, retired vice president of development, community and government relations at Brookdale.
The Male Minority Initiative will be held in Brookdale’s Warner Student Life Center, 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft. Parking is in Lots 6 and 7. All attendees must RSVP in advance. To register or for more information, email [email protected].
