CSU Young Males of Color Consortium Receives $3.2 Million to Improve Higher Education Access, Support, and Retention
The California State University (CSU) Young Males of Color (YMOC) Consortium, a collaboration spearheaded by and housed at CSUDH, has received $3,235,000 to support its goal of creating systemic change leading to increased retention and graduation of male students of color.
The new funding will enable YMOC to expand its reach by developing institutional partnerships between 16 CSU campuses and their affiliated community colleges. Together, the institutions will create effective intersegmental program models and strategy recommendations for supporting male students of color that can be replicated across the state.
“Community college is often the primary pathway for men of color to enter higher education in California,” said Matthew Smith, co-founder and co-director of YMOC and CSUDH Senior Associate Vice President of Student Life/Dean of Students. “If we’re truly going to move the needle in terms of success, we have to make sure they are successfully navigating community college and making the transition to four-year institutions.
“Furthermore, men of color programs are often underfunded and understaffed. This seed money will be crucial in helping our institutional partners achieve their objectives and dream beyond their resources.”
YMOC builds on the CSU’s Graduation Initiative 2025, and anticipates increasing the transfer, retention, and graduation rates of up to 800 students during the three years of funding. Long term, YMOC will measure success based on institution-specific and community-focused changes aimed at improving outcomes for male students of color.
“Excellence, access, support, and community are cornerstones of the CSU and the Dominguez Hills campus,” said CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham. “We have to interrogate and understand the experiences of Black, Latinx, Asian Pacific Islander, and Native American young men, and how our institutions can dismantle and appropriately address the barriers and inequities that inhibit their success.”
The transformative gift is from four funding organizations, all of which support access to and persistence in higher education for underserved groups: Ballmer Group ($1.5 million), College Futures Foundation ($700,000), ECMC Foundation ($585,000), and Ichigo Foundation ($450,000).
“What makes this funding so unique is that we entered into pre-award conversations with all four organizations at the table together,” said William Franklin, co-founder and co-director of YMOC and CSUDH Vice President of Student Affairs. “We would not only like to thank them for funding the initiative, but also for serving as thought partners. With a challenge so huge, if we want to make a collective impact, it starts with courageous conversations.”
YMOC was established in 2017 in response to the urgent need to transform higher education to improve outcomes for young men of color. The consortium operates across the 23-campus CSU system to develop educators, strengthen student success strategies, and establish evaluation metrics for programs.
Latest Campus News
- Kennedy Center Honors Toro Student PlaywrightWhenever CSUDH student and aspiring playwright Wayne Sam needs inspiration or motivation, he glances over at an old typewriter that was given to him by his late grandfather. “He was a writer as well,” says Sam. “He really wanted me to write and pushed me forward. He promised me his old typewriter when he passed. […]
- Toro Softball Reaches West Super RegionalToros Top Northwest Nazarene 3-1 To Advance To NCAA West Super Regional
- CSUDH Esports Wins 2024 Cal State CupOvercoming fierce competition, the CSUDH Esports Overwatch 2 Team claimed first place in the second annual Cal State Cup, a one-day bracket exclusive to CSU campuses. For the second year in a row, the tournament was also broadcasted from the Toro Esports Academy, which features a state-of-the-art broadcast booth. Joined by the CSUDH administration, officials […]
- Metro CEO, Apple Executive Among Keynote Speakers at CSUDH CommencementThe CEOs of Metro and First 5 LA, along with leaders from Apple, Toyota, the entertainment industry, and philanthropic activism will keynote the six Commencement ceremonies for the CSUDH community on May 17 and 18. The 2024 CSUDH Commencement keynote speakers: More than 4,000 graduates will receive their degrees at CSUDH’s Commencement ceremonies, which will […]
- 2024 Faculty Awards Honor Six Outstanding Educators2024 Faculty Awards Recognize Six Outstanding Educators The 2024 Faculty Awards Reception was held on April 30, with six members of the CSUDH faculty receiving honors for their contributions to the university. The awards are presented each year to selected faculty members for outstanding achievement in a variety of areas—from research and scholarship to lecturing […]
- Famed Writer Delivers a Lesson in Courage, Calls for New Voices to RiseJ. Michael Straczynski doesn’t much care for rules. As a student at San Diego State University, he risked expulsion by bluffing his way into two writing courses taught by celebrated writer and educator Norman Corwin. Straczynski didn’t get expelled, and Corwin became a lifelong friend and cherished mentor. But he understood the risks, and therein […]