AUSTIN, Texas

“We’re an open-door institution, but not enough African-American men are finding that door,” said Dr. Stephanie Bulger, explaining to NISOD Conference attendees about an ambitious plan the Wayne County Community College District has launched to enroll 1,000 Black men within the next five years.

Bulger, vice chancellor for curriculum and learning technologies at WCCCD, was among the 2,200 attendees to descend on Austin, Texas, this week for the 30th Annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence. Hosted by the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin through its National Institute for Staff & Organizational Development (NISOD) outreach arm, conference sessions focused on a host of issues designed to enhance community college teaching and learning.

Among the numerous conference sessions touching on diversity issues was a panel discussion focused on, “Effective Strategies for Attracting, Retaining and Graduating African American Males in Community Colleges.”

Panelist Bulger gave a presentation on Project M.E.N. (Male Education Network), which is focused on boosting the number of Black males on college campuses. Bulger says though WCCCD’s service area includes Detroit, which is more than 80 percent Black, less than 30 percent of the students on WCCCD campuses are Black males, as females of all races comprise the bulk of students.

Launched in the fall of 2007, Bulger says Project M.E.N. is a partnership between churches, Wayne County and the WCCCD. The county and the religious community provide financial support for the initiative, and the WCCCD provides access to financial aid and student support services for students enrolled in the program. Additionally, Bulger says that the religious community provides crucial mentoring for students in the program, which is led by men.

“This project was started because we noticed that there are some African-American males that were really on the margins of our city — homeless, ex-offenders, drug abusers,” Bulger said. Noting that not enough Black men were accessing the open-enrollment college, she said that 40 men are currently enrolled in the program.