The Office of African-American Affairs is reporting positive results from their highly specialized advising program geared towards undergraduates.
The OAAA implemented their new phase of “cluster advising” several years ago, after observing a discrepancy between the rate of graduating African-American students the rate of students graduating with a GPA of 3.4 or higher, OAAA Dean Maurice Apprey said.
“[GPA is] where graduate schools, professional schools, and the most competitive workplaces recruit from,” Apprey said.
Though the number of African-American students graduating with a GPA of 3.4 or higher has doubled in the last five to six years as a result of this “cluster advising,” the program focuses on much more than GPA and academic performance, Apprey said.
This method of “skill building to destination” incorporates skill sets like self-branding, emotional maturity, project management, facilitating groups, team building and leadership identity, Apprey said.
Practicing these skills helps students to excel not only in the University’s academic setting, but to “do well in the world,” said OAAA Assoc. Dean Patrice Grimes.
“This is a moment in time when many [aspects of the program] are converging,” Grimes said.
Components of the advising initiative include Project RISE peer counseling, the GradSTAR academic performance improvement program and partnerships with Counseling and Psychological Services to better prepare students for life after graduation.
These programs started as small scale operations which were then transformed gradually through incremental innovation, or “short bursts,” into full-fledged programs, Apprey said.
One “short burst” is the Black Leadership Institute, a four to five session workshop which has increased in popularity over the last five to six years and is meant to educate and build skills relevant to culturally informed leadership. The program provides students with a forum to discuss a series of eight different subjects throughout their time at the University.
BLI is offered by the Luther P. Jackson Black Cultural Center, which is also open late on weeknights for additional peer advising and a safe study space for students.
BLI President Sydney Shavers, a third-year Commerce student, said the organization has been a great base for several aspects of her life as a student.
“It has given me the foundation to do well in school and extracurricular and grow my leadership skills,” Shavers said.
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