Augusta State University is one of 13 University System of Georgia institutions to share in a grant from the Lumina Foundation to increase the number of African American males earning bachelor’s degrees. ASU will receive a $20,000 grant, and as part of the funding, the university will participate in a collaborative effort with the Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB), a student-centered, student-run organization committed to removing educational barriers for black males.
“We are looking forward to this new collaborative effort that will allow ASU’s Talented Tenth organization to become affiliated with SAAB, a nationally recognized organization,” says Ms. Karen Mobley, director of student development.
Through this collaboration, ASU will also participate in a national pilot research project that will be conducted by SAAB’s third-party evaluator, the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning. The project will involve 15 SAAB chapters and will analyze the psycho-social factors that have contributed to SAAB’s overall success. The data will assist the University System in finding ways to improve the retention and graduation rates of African American males.
“There is no doubt that the work that Augusta State University is doing today will provide our African American male students with a predictable, successful future for generations to come. A college-educated African American male has the potential to affect not only the matriculation rates at ASU, but is able to drastically affect his socioeconomic status, his family, and his community,” says Ms. Mobley.
“The African American Male Initiative (AAMI) supports the continuing efforts to enhance the enrollment, retention, and graduation of African American males within the USG’s colleges and universities,” says Arlethia Perry-Johnson, USG’s AAMI project director.
Dr. Regina Clark-Smith, University System of Georgia, and Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe, founder and executive director of SAAB visited the ASU campus on Sept. 30, where following a lunch with university officials, held a forum with ASU students, faculty, and staff.
Sep 30, 2009
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