|
Listen to this article here
|
Atlanta’s Morehouse College has found a new way to empower Black men to finish their college degrees. Morehouse is a member of the consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). It created an online program called 2U with reduced tuition costs for those men who haven’t finished their degrees.
Over 2 million Black men have started a college degree program but did not complete it for a variety of reasons, according to the census bureau. Dr. David A. Thompson, President of Morehouse College, was troubled by this statistic, particularly in light of the double standard Black men are expected to adhere to, in which they must have more credentials than their white counterparts when it comes to career opportunities. Dr. Thomson wanted to create an initiative to help Black men finish their college programs. He hopes it will make students become competitive candidates in the job market.
Morehouse offers cheaper, online program
The Morehouse 2U program offers online degrees at a reduced cost to students with some college experience. This helps Black men who were on-track to finish their degrees. It’s an educational resource for those who’ve turned away by financial pressures. Or, in other cases, job opportunities that drove them away from completing their degrees.
Dr. Thompson continued, “We know that the difference between having a college degree and only having a high school degree on average amounts to a $1 million difference in lifetime income.” This, combined with historic wealth inequity among people of Color due to racist policies like redlining and exclusionary banking systems has led to an income inequity gap that is rarely closed by people without college degrees.
2U at Morehouse College, an HBCU that has served Black men over its 150-year history, will also provide resources for Black returning students to complete their online degrees, offering computers and hot spots, along with other technology. Applicants for the program must be non-traditional students, or those returning after a long school absence.
To learn more about Morehouse College’s new initiative for Black men to finish their college degrees, go to the Morehouse Online 2U website. Applications for Morehouse 2U are available now.