Veronica Walker
Published: Auguest 23 2004
PJC enrollment of African-Americans, especially black men, has shown little growth for more than 13 years, reflecting nationwide trends, but PJC leaders are vowing to reverse the trend here.
African-American men accounted for only 13.7 percent of 11,534 male enrollees last year. The head count of black males was just 1,579.
Since 1992, African-American male enrollment at PJC has fluctuated between about 11 and 14 percent of total male enrollment. This record is too modest for those who think minority enrollment should better reflect minority population in the area.
The college hopes to improve these figures.
“Billboards, flyers, television ads and campus catalog covers include minorities in photos to attract more minority students to the campus,” counselor Anthony Harris said.
College leaders such as Dr. Earl Evans, head of counseling, and Dr. James Callaway, registrar, regularly attend minority events in the community and encourage enrollment.
But the new chairman of PJC’s Board of Trustees is not so sure the college is really getting the school’s message out to the minority segment of the market. “We just have to know what reaches the market that we are really trying to do something with,” Gerald McKenzie said. “That’s just part of the overall strategy of communication. We have to do something different.”
McKenzie said he is very happy with the overall effectiveness of PJC as an educational institution. But he is looking for ways to get the minority community to take a more active role.
McKenzie said he will focus on furthering awareness of minority issues. “They have to be put out there,” he stated firmly.
McKenzie believes it’s all about communication and education. He said the majority of the population does not focus on African American issues. “I can’t blame them. People tend to focus on the things that they are interested in, comfortable with, and used to. It’s up to us to put our own issues out there.”
One of the issues is the cost of higher education, which can dig deep holes in the pockets of struggling low- income families.
“PJC sets extra efforts into making college tuition cost affordable by creating minority programs and awarding scholarships,” Harris said.
Among such programs is Project Challenge, a program that gives black males a “jump start” in higher education. Funded by PJC and through grants, the program’s mission is to increase African American enrollment from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties by providing free classes and minimum-wage jobs on campus to participating students.
The task of increasing black college enrollment is not new. In 1992, the year Project Challenge was born, community leaders were expressing concern about the rage and frustration experienced by young African-American males, many of them unemployed, who were being criticized for their poor grammar and diction on TV and elsewhere.
PJC accepted the challenge to reach out to youths like these 13 years ago, when a student affairs team came up with the design for Project Challenge.
Potential students hear about the Project Challenge program through church announcements, newspapers and word of mouth. Those eligible are African-American males who meet admission requirements, would not have attended college otherwise and range in age from 18 to 44.
The curriculum has four parts: career planning, study-skills development, self-esteem enhancement and educational motivation. Class time is from 8 to 9:35 a.m., Monday through Thursday each summer term. After class, students work from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., making minimum wage and gaining valuable work experience.
In Summer D term this year, about 30 males joined Project Challenge and 10 females applied as well. Females are only considered for the program if not enough males apply. The 10 females were offered one free class after Dr. James Martin, vice president of student affairs, found funds to cover expenses.
The program focuses on males because substantially fewer black men have been enrolling in colleges than black women.
The program pushes students to learn skills for success. Those who attend class, go to work and maintain a “C” average will complete the program successfully. PJC counselor Isaac Turner said that about 75 percent of the students remain active in college after finishing the program.
Turner joined the Project Challenge program in 2001, where he now teaches a College Success course. Andrae Green, one of Turner’s student, said he learned about the program by word of mouth. Although Green started as a freshman graphic design student at Florida A&M University, he lost interest in higher education when his grades slipped from the lack of time management and proper study skills.
Green came back home looking for the support to make him secure at reaching his goals.
“This program is my second chance. I realize a lot of things I did before that I could have done better if I had the knowledge I learned in college success class,” Green said.
He realizes he was not prepared for a four-year college immediately after high school graduation.
McKenzie agrees with Green that the transition from high school to college can be very tough. “My motivation to get through college was, I was fortunate to reach out for help and when I reached out somebody was there to help me. I think all students need that.”
As for what the college has been doing to improve minority participation, McKenzie said, “PJC is putting out a lot of effort, but the results are not what the board wants or the school wants. It’s all about the results. We need to see things happen.”
The new board chairman does not have any answers right now, and he doesn’t know all the numbers. “The few numbers I have seen don’t look good to me,” but he intends to get a historical perspective on the situation and gain a better understanding.
“The number of African Americans enrolled in this school is not just a PJC problem, it’s a community problem, and it is going to take everybody,” McKenzie said. He believes it is up to the Board to set the tone and priorities for the college.
Harris believes that as long as programs such as Project Challenge are around and make an impact, “minority enrollment will increase.”
“You have to startsomewhere,” he said.
McKenzie wants something more: “Young people have to see people like them in their lives every day who have achieved some degree of success by having a higher education.”