Graduation Rates, Gender Disparity Causing Concern

 

By Eboni Farmer -- Black College Wire   

According to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, in 2007 Howard University had a graduation rate of 60 percent, up two points from the rate the journal reported in 2006.

That rate, for those graduating within six years, is 16 points above the national average graduation rate of 44 percent for Blacks nationally.

The Journal for Blacks in Higher Education calls the 44 percent graduation rate "dismally low."

Howard is one of only seven HBCUs, which include Fisk University and Claflin University, that graduate more than half of their students.

Alvin Thornton, Howard's Associate Provost of Academic Affairs, said Howard graduates 50 percent of its students within four years, a rate that he says the university is working to increase.

Thornton said that one of the key components in increasing the graduation rates at Howard is when students first step foot on campus during orientation.

"Students have to have clear understanding of the academic process at a university when they get here," Thornton said.

Thornton stressed the importance of students balancing life outside of the classroom which in many cases is a defining factor on whether or not they will graduate.

In addition to balancing extracurricular activities, Thornton said the university's financial aid office is encouraged to stretch every dollar to ensure that financial instability will not prevent students from graduating.

One area that Howard is paying close attention to is its male students. Thornton said that the board requires regular reporting on the male student matriculation, retention and graduation rates.

David Richardson, a graduate with a degree in political science, said it took longer than the four-years he expected to graduate in but that didn't deter him from his ultimate goal.

"It took me an extra year," Richardson said. "It wouldn't matter if it took me another year as long as I didn't give up and kept reaching for my goal."

Richardson is among the increasing number of Black males who earn their bachelors degree from a college or university.

The Journal for Blacks in Higher Education holds data from 1990 to 2007 showed that the Black male graduation rate increased from 28 percent to 37 percent.

Still, Black women at Howard and universities and colleges across the country are surpassing Black males in large percentages. In 2007 Black women had a graduation of rate of 48 percent an 11 point difference to Black men.

Having taught for over 30 years, Thornton understands the importance of reaching out to male students so that they matriculate at higher rates.

"I don't think that males approach the academic arena with the same sophistication as women do," Thornton said.

Thornton said from his experience men do not seek counseling or advising from professors or advisors with the same rigor that he has seen women do.

"As professors and advisors its our job to make sure we are engaging with him to the same degree we are with females," Thornton said.

He also said that male athletes tend to graduate at higher rates than males who do not participate in sports programs.

"It could be because they are in a more disciplined setting or because they get tutoring on a consistent basis,"Thornton said.

The university is conducting a study, the Black Male Student Initiative, which will scientifically evaluate why males in high school are able to produce the SAT scores and GPA scores but miss the mark when they enter college.

Among HBCUs, Spelman College has the highest graduation of Blacks with 78 percent, but the college does not top the overall list of schools with the highest Black student graduation rate . Although Harvard University has a small Black enrollment, it tops the list with 96 percent, with Yale trailing at 94 percent.

Thornton cited their selection process.

" Students who are accepted into institutions like Harvard and Yale usually come from backgrounds that show that they will be successful and graduate at high rates," Thornton said.

In addition, Thornton said that students who attend universities with very large endowments usually have substantial financial assistance.

" Getting our students to graduate at rates of 90 percent and higher would only make our institution greater than . . . it already is," Thornton said.