The University of the Virgin Islands to host the second annual International Colloquium on Black Males in Education
(UVI) The University of the Virgin Islands will host the second annual International Colloquium on Black Males in Education at 8 a.m. on Oct. 24-25, in the Administration and Conference Center first floor conference room on the St. Thomas Campus. The theme of the colloquium is “The Status of Black Males in Education and Society: Beyond the Continental Divide.” Educators and students from universities throughout the mainland United States will exchange ideas and views regarding the global dynamics of black males in the educational pipeline. The colloquium will offer a diverse array of programs that serve to elicit intellectual thought, discussion and ideas that can be implemented to serve and improve the experiences of black males throughout the world.
The colloquium is co-sponsored by universities with initiatives that work to improve the condition of black males. These include the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory, Ohio State University’s Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male, Clemson University’s Human-Centered Computing Lab, the University of North Carolina-Charlotte’s Urban Education Collaborative and UVI’s Male Initiative.
“UVI was chosen to host the colloquium because of its commitment to recruit male students and encourage them to graduate and become productive members of society,” said Dr. Haldane Davies, UVI special assistant to the president. “The UVI Male Initiative through the Man-Up Conference, Junior University program, Academic Jam and other activities has had a positive impact on the lives of many male students across the territory. This is the second annual event and UVI is privileged and honored to be its host.” The first event took place last year at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.
Delegate to Congress Donna M. Christiansen along with UVI’s President Dr. David Hall, Interim Provost Dr. Camille McKayle and Dr. Davies will be among the presenters at the colloquium. Undergraduate and graduate student participants attending the colloquium will take part in workshops designed to enhance their academic and professional profile. UVI students will have the opportunity to showcase their research and talk with conference attendees about their projects. Interested faculty should contact the Office of the Provost for more information on how to attend and benefit from the conference.
The colloquium will feature many presentations on a variety of topics. Congresswoman Christensen will discuss “Male Academic Achievement in the Virgin Islands: Workforce and Social Implications.” The pedagogy keynote address will be given by Kimberly A. Worthy, Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science teacher and 2009 District of Columbia Teacher of the Year. Worthy will discuss “Classroom Instruction Strategies that Empower Black Boys to Learn.”
Additionally, Chance W. Lewis, of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte will discuss “Black Male Teachers in the United States Kindergarten through 12 grade Schools: A National Examination into Working Conditions, School Climate and Teacher Attitudes.” Leonard N. Moore, Louis Harrison, Jr. and Darren Kelly, of the University of Texas-Austin, will examine the topic “Changing the Game: When Black Professors Mentor Black Male Athletes.” The final colloquium event will be an evidence-based decision making keynote address and dinner banquet titled “Harnessing the Research We Know on High Achieving African American Males to Inform Policy and Practice.” David Johns, executive director of the White House Initiatives on Academic Excellence for African Americans will be the presenter.
The Colloquium on Black Males is expected to help build the body of research literature on the topic of males in education; inform practitioners of approaches that could be used in dealing with males as a means to improving opportunities for success; encourage more relevant research on the topic of black males in education; and increase the awareness of faculty, staff and students of the applicability of the research findings to our various situations.
Interested persons can register online at http://weilab.wceruw.org/colloquium/. The general registration fee is $400. The local registration fee is available with a subsidy. For more information, contact Dr. Haldane Davies in the Office of the President at hdavies@uvi.edu or by calling (340) 693-1004.