Minority Student Academy Receives Grant
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College’s Minority Student Leadership Academy recently received a $20,500 grant from the North Carolina Community College System Office to provide mentoring and coaching services to minority males.
A-B Tech started its Minority Male Mentoring Program in 2008 to address low retention and graduation rates of minority male students. A year later, the program was renamed the Minority Student Leadership Academy, and female students were invited to join. The Academy currently operates through funding from the North Carolina Community College System Office and a Sisters of Mercy grant.
Major components of the Academy include assistance with course scheduling, creation of a graduation plan, academic preparation workshops, career development workshops, and leadership development opportunities. Tutoring is also provided through the Minority Student Leadership Academy. Members can apply for group tutoring sessions or one-on-one tutoring.
Dr. Joseph Fox, Chair of the Business Administration Department, coordinates the Minority Student Leadership Academy; Phyllis Utley, Minority Student Recruiter, is lead academic coach.
“Academic preparation workshops focus on topics such as note taking skills, study and test taking strategies, time management techniques, and identifying academic and college resources. Career development workshops focus on resume writing, job interviewing skills, and creating a career development plan,” Fox said.
The mentoring component seeks to match members with community volunteers working in fields in which students have identified an interest for future employment. Mentors are asked to share their work-related experience with students, provide advice about gaining entry into the field, and assist with business networking opportunities. Mentors complete a short orientation and training program before being assigned a student.
The coaching component of the Academy consists of working one-on-one with participants to review their academic progress, creating a graduation plan, and providing resources to assist with progress toward graduation.
A final component of the Academy is leadership development, in which members participate in workshops for developing personal responsibility and accountability, establishing personal and professional goals, and attending leadership/motivational conferences and workshops.
At present there are 154 students (86 females and 68 males) enrolled in the Minority Student Leadership Academy. Any student may join, but special emphasis is placed on the needs of minority students, diversity issues, and cultural awareness.
For more information about the program, contact Dr. Fox at [email protected] or Phyllis Utley at [email protected].
About A-B Tech Community College
A-B Tech offers associate degrees, diplomas or certificates in more 50 curriculum programs through its five academic divisions: Allied Health and Public Service Education, Arts & Sciences, Business & Hospitality Education, Emergency Services, and Engineering & Applied Technology. The Division of Economic and Workforce Development/Continuing Education offers opportunities for specific job training and retraining and personal enrichment classes.
A-B Tech enrolls nearly 27,000 curriculum and continuing education students, and an estimated one in four Buncombe and Madison residents has attended a class at the College.
