ASU receives grant to implement African-American male initiative

Augusta State University is one of 10 University System of Georgia (USG) institutions receiving a grant from the Board of Regents (BOR) to implement programs to prepare more African-American males to attend and graduate from college. The 10 winning proposals were selected from 19 entries that competed for $200,000 in grant funding.

Augusta State was awarded a $20,000 grant—which will be matched by the university—to increase the retention of first-time African-American male freshmen. The Richmond County Board of Education is a key partner in the program, which will include a summer bridge program to help entering freshmen make the transition to university life and support efforts.

“We are pleased that the Board of Regents considered the summer bridge program to be an important tool in preparing young African-American men for the challenges of higher education,” said President William A. Bloodworth, Jr. “The USG Pilot Grant will allow ASU to introduce college planning and preparation at a younger age to begin addressing, and possibly eliminating, some of the barriers that African-American males face in attaining academic success.”

ASU, as well as the University System, is committed to increasing the number of African-American males in higher education. ASU’s minority enrollment is among the highest in the University System, at about 30 percent, of which 24 percent is African-American. Within that figure, females outnumber males about three to one.

The AAMI pilot programs were developed in conjunction with a May 2003 report compiled by a USG Task Force on Enhancing Access for African-American Males. The project, funded by the Georgia General Assembly as part of the Board of Regents’ 2003 Budget, was aimed at identifying why low numbers of African-American males enrolled in and graduated from college. The report’s recommendations are being addressed and implemented through the USG’s African-American Male Initiative.

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