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MANdatory“Men of MANdatory do what others are unwilling to do to be successful”
Norm Jones, Ph.D.Dean of Diversity & Assistant to the President
Dickinson [email protected]
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“We want something that looks like a shield or a crest”
Brief History and Overview
• Grew out of conversation in early summer ‘10• Deficit conversation• Critical question: What are we trying to
achieve?• Approach: open enrollment• First cohort: 28 enrolled, 21 completed• Second cohort: 9 enrolled, 9 completed• Third cohort: 10 enrolled, 10 completed**
Brief History and Overview
• Mostly freshmen after the first year• 40 graduates– 15 African American– 12 Hispanic/Latino– 7 Asian/Asian American– 4 South East Asian/Pacific Islander– 2 Int’l. (Nigeria, Kenya)
• Mostly first generation
What is MANdatory
MANdatory is an academic enrichment/leadership program which seeks to create a safe space for men of color to process their experience in the context of race and gender. Through powerful speakers and interactive exercises, participants reframe notions of success based on their own standards of expectation.
Sampling of Programs
Unpacking Success
Many times, it’s not just achievement that needs to be raised but rather our standards of expectation around achievement.
** The Dean’s Challenge
Perspectives on SuccessExample: •Who comes to college?•Imposition of definition for success- connected to notions of privilege.•These men are the men who made it.•They maximized their environments. •They did what they were supposed to do•It is the environment that has deficits, not them.
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The Educational Experience of Young Men of Color: Capturing the Student Voice
Unpacking Success
Even those of us with the best intentions run the risk of suffering from internalized propaganda regarding men of color and the “achievement gap.”
Unpacking Success
The risk of unconsciously framing our initiative as deficit-based holds us accountable for what we’ve dubbed “success articulation”
Success Articulation
Stereotype Threat
• Grew out of a charge from Dr. David Wall Rice, Professor of Psychology at Morehouse College
• He told them to “Whistle Vivaldi”• There is a certain power in naming and uncovering.• Owning the fact that this takes place right on our
campus.• Addressing internalized “otherness”• Particularly important for Asian, Asian-American and
Southeast Asian men.• Knew they were other but not racialized.
Meta Cognition
• Otherness depends heavily on how one is socialized.
• We found that there was a collective otherness felt by each individual. Though nuanced (based on the K-12 experience) it all pointed back to exuded expectation.
• The notion of “unpacking” exposes systemic revelations about otherness and inequities.
MetacognitionNew CORE value: writing•The President’s Journal- given out Day 1•Three scenarios:
You’ve just won the lottery, now what?You have one year to live, now what?If you could be anywhere where would you be and what would you be doing?
•What are you doing here?•What do success look like, smell like, taste like, sound like, feel like?•Graduation speeches•Interview with Malcolm Gladwell about Outliers
Invitation to Rigor
• Three words that say so much• Reality framed positively• Syllabus used as metaphor for the “learning
contract” between professor and student.• Literal de-construction of a syllabus over one
class period• Followed up by a session with faculty of color
using a real student (senior) and a real syllabus and role play.
What we’ve learned
Through survey feedback, interviews, and informal program evaluation, here’s what we know…•There must be something offered both semesters•There must be two layers of outreach•Students appreciate the “rigor” of the program because it’s done in a safe space•Students appreciate acknowledgement of diverse experiences
What we’ve learned
• Students appreciate being held accountable by peers (e.g. class attendance or asking for help)
• Alumni of the program are engaged at an institutional level because of their MANdatory experience (e.g. attendance at graduation or a session)
• Lunchtime discussion is critical• “6 to 8; 10 to 2” is code
Curricular Assessment• Gather data about the pre-collegiate experience.• Build early habits of mind around best practices• Benchmark against “the new normal”• Co-create learning goals and opportunities for
faculty interface• Practice and follow up on the conversations• Encourage written reflection• Infuse messages about learning into campus
diversity programs• Audit the inclusion of “diverse others as scholars”
What they’ve said
“ I treated it like a fifth class”“I never stepped foot in the library before my junior year”“ I didn’t make dean’s list but I came close”“If I can go from being a D student to being a B student, getting an A is possible”“Instead of taking naps I reviewed for class”“ I do better when I let my roommate quiz me”
Next Steps
• Upcoming school year we will focus on data collection and analysis.
• MANdatory documentary • Continue to search for funding• Formalize the alumni network• Bring otherwise disengaged alumni of color
(particularly men) into this journey• Think about opportunities for “interactional
diversity” using MANdatory students as a cohort.
Unpacking Success
Thank you!
Norm Jones, Ph.D.
Norm Jones, Ph.D.Dean of Diversity & Assistant to the President
