Redistributing Resources for Men of Color in Higher Education

Latino men and men of color programs: Research-based recommendations for community college practitioners.

“…Such programs promote success for MoC through service-learning opportunities and professional skills development (Keflezighi et al, 2016) and provide increased access to mentoring, advising, and face-to-face opportunities with peers, faculty, and staff, in addition to providing emotional and social support (Brooms et al, 2018; Elliott et al, 2018; Gardenhire et al, 2016). Most importantly, they cultivate sense of belonging and validation for Latino men (Huerta & Dizon, 2021; Jones & Sáenz, 2020) with multiple marginalized identities (e.g., undocumented, part-time status, working class), as they navigate institutions not originally designed to meet their educational aspirations (Pérez, 2017; Salinas et al, 2019; Vasquez et al, 2020). These programs help students negotiate academia through their support as institutional agents that value race and gender (Person et al, 2017).…”

“…For MoC programs, it is imperative to move beyond the so-called “boutique programs” (CCCSE, 2014, p. 5; Mellow & Heelan, 2008), given they are not “economical” (Crisp, 2016, p. 105), and instead institutionalize programming efforts that are intentional about collaboration. This calls for upper-level practitioners to appropriately fund them (e.g., CCCSE, 2014; Huerta & Dizon, 2021; Torrens et al, 2017) for a collective impact, in particular for HSIs, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). To positively impact MoC at scale and to close student access and success equity gaps, practitioners must establish hard-money funding instead of continuous grant search funding—that is, moving past HSI and TRIO grant projects toward institutional practices.…”

“No Space for Humanizing Us:” Men of Color Identifying Institutional Needs at a Rural University

“…Collectively, the scholarship on college men of color and men of color programs in higher education highlights that when campuses provide specific spaces and resources for men of color to form communities, it results in students feeling empowered and increasing academic engagement (Brooms et al, 2018; Huerta, in press; Huerta & Dizon, 2021). However, a majority of the scholarship on these student populations and their experiences in higher education center urban communities, which does not capture the racial and gendered dynamics in rural spaces.…”

“…The low college degree attainment for men of color has drawn national concern and response from higher education, and others, on how to best address how college climates contribute to diminished persistence and retention rates that lead to high attrition (Huerta et al, 2021; Huerta & Fishman, 2014; Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Locks et al, 2008). In higher education spaces, faculty, staff, and leadership are unclear of the best strategies or practices to support men of color (Clark et al, 2013; Huerta & Dizon, 2021), and this creates a void on the unique ethnic, racial, and gendered needs for this group of students. Much of the current scholarship understands how the personal and environmental challenges impacts men of color, but this body of work is centered on students in large, urban, selective public and private four-year institutions (Brooms et al, 2018; Harper, 2015; Huerta & Fishman, 2014; Pérez & Sáenz, 2017; Sanchez et al, 2012), and does not account for men of color in rural colleges and universities.…”

Systemic Response: Developing a Strategic Response to Support Young Men of Color during COVID-19 Pandemic

“…While campus engagement with peers has a positive impact on graduation, retention and satisfaction, student centered engagement removes responsibility from institutions to commit resources towards supporting men of color [11,12]. Huerta and Dizon [13] highlight the need to redistribute resources and develop initiatives that address the needs of men of color in higher education. Similarly, Harper [14] outlined five things that campuses can do to meet the needs of men of color, including the need to recognize the unique differences amongst men of color and the need to develop programs and support services that take their needs as men into account.…”