Identifying the Problem

Since it’s founding in 2005, the A2MEND group has worked collaboratively to identify many of the social and institutional factors leading to underachievement in African American males at the college/university level. One of the factors recognized as influencing underachievement at the college level are high school achievement rates. In California, “an estimated one in four African American students drops out of school.” This dropout rate is significantly higher than that of White, Filipino, and Asian students. In addition to identifying alarmingly high dropout rates for African American students, the percentage of African American males failing the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) is also a clear indicator influencing underachievement at the college level. For the class of 2006, only 63% of African Americans passed both sections of the exam. In addition, passing rates for female students was 5% higher than for males. By identifying trends that deter students from college early on, A2MEND has been able to highlight areas of needed attention to address at their upcoming summit.

A2MEND has paired their findings on factors that influence underachievement at an early stage with research related to the current trends in degree attainment and college performance among African American males. As highlighted in Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling’s Higher Education Report, the importance of college is increasingly important as “90% of the fastest-growing jobs in the new knowledge-driven economy will require some post-secondary education.” Among men ages 18-29, only 7.5% of African Americans earned a college degree or higher, compared to 17.3% for whites males, and 34.7% for Asian males in 2005. Specifically examining community colleges, 31.1% of African American Males aged 16-24 attended community colleges, compared to only 22.6% of whites. These findings have helped A2MEND identify the importance of working collaboratively with community colleges to address the institutional barriers to education for African American males.

In examining student services offered to students, A2MEND has evaluated research on transfer rates from the California State University System. For the fall of 2006, a total of 722 African American males transferred into CSU’s; 87 at the lower division level, and 635 at the upper division level. Many colleges reported no transfers for African American Males, with the highest level of transfers coming from City College of San Francisco and the El Camino College District. These stark figures, especially contrasted to higher transfer levels for white and Asian students, illustrate the obvious need for a re-examination of the student services provided to African American males. A main goal of the upcoming summit is to address these critical issues and work towards changing the future course for African American males in higher education.

In addition to focusing on issues related to African American male student success throughout high school and college, A2MEND has also examined research related to disparities among African American Male Administrators and Faculty. According to the U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics, less than 1% of Professional Staff, 9.44% of Executive Staff, and 5.62% of Faculty at colleges and universities across the nation were African American in Fall 2003. This disparity illustrates that the social and institutional factors leading to underachievement in college have a lasting effect on African Americans at the post-graduate and professional level. Based on this research, A2MEND has developed four distinct strands for the African American Male Summit. The four strands: the Administrative Strand, Faculty/Instructional Strand, Student Support Strand, and Student Strand, will allow participants from various educational roles to discuss the important issues facing African American males in education from their own unique vantage points. The goal of this collaboration is to effectively uncover the barriers to education for African American males.

Recognizing the Cause

The organizations sponsoring the event have a history of working to improve the educational opportunities for minority student groups. Coastline Community College, located in Fountain Valley, California, serves students from diverse social and economic backgrounds. Coastline offers a variety of support and retention programs to students, and their professional staff is excited about working collaboratively with A2MEND to promote social equality and better serve students.

The A2MEND Organization

A2MEND is an organization comprised of African American male administrators whose mission is to:

Utilize their scholarly and professional expertise to foster institutional change within the community college system. We aim to create an affirming academic and professional environment for African Americans with a particular focus on African American male students, faculty, staff, and administrators.

The group initially met at a weeklong program called Admin 101 sponsored by the Association of California Community College Administrators (ACCCA). Here, seven African American male administrators met informally for the first time to discuss the issues facing African American males in higher education today. The group decided to stay in contact as a way to continue to collectively problem solve and share research with one another. Soon after, they started a non-profit 501c(3) organization called A2MEND. Currently, the A2MEND Board Members include:

• Dr. Mark Robinson, President
  Vice Chancellor of Student Development, City College of San Francisco
• Dr. Shalamon A. Duke, President Elect
  Dean of Student Services, Coastline Community College
• Dr. Edward Bush, Vice President
  Vice President of Student Services, Riverside Community College
• Dr. Scott Thayer, Secretary
  Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Pasadena City College
• Dr. Patrick Jefferson, Treasurer
  Dean of Special Programs, Los Angeles Southwest College
• Mr. Amanuel Gabru, Past President
  Director of CAHSEE, Los Angeles Southwest College
• Mr. Dyrell Foster, Historian
  Director of Student Life, Mt. San Antonio College
• Dr. Byron Breland, Member at Large
  Dean of Student Affairs, Long Beach City College
• Dr. Walter Jones, Member at Large
  Associate Dean of Student Services, Los Angeles Valley College

Since its founding, the group has gathered and discussed research, formed a mentor program, and developed a scholarship program. The inaugural African American Male Summit in March is the result of A2MEND’s deep dedication to raising awareness, discussion, and community engagement regarding the issue of barriers to success for African American males in higher education.

The conference is a turning point for the critical issue of African American male success in higher education. The conference in March is a call for membership, sponsorship, mentor-ships, and donations on behalf of attendees and community members. The partnership of Coastline Community College and A2MEND in addressing the vital issues facing African American males in higher education is the first step towards creating the institutional change needed to best assist African American males in their successful pursuit of higher education. This move towards an equal future is essential, and requires the support of students, college and university employees, and the community to create effective institutional growth.

To learn more about A2MEND, visit the organization online at: http://a2mend.org/.

About the Author

Mark Robinson, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor of Student Development
City College of San Francisco, California

Dr. Mark Robinson is the Vice Chancellor of Student Development at City College of San Francisco. An advocate for African American male achievement and equality, Dr. Robinson is the President and Co-Founder of the non-profit organization A2MEND: African American Male Education Network and Development. Dr. Mark Robinson currently resides in San Francisco where he enjoys spending time with his wife Lindsay and two sons, Nathan and Marcus.