Urban Male Initiative

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                  
July 2, 2012

CONTACT:    Margo Aldrich    
Director, Community Development
Community College of Denver
303.851.5686 (cell)
303.556.2411 (office)
Margo.aldrich@ccd.edu

Urban Male Initiative, Helping Males Succeed in School and in Life

(Denver, CO.)  Derrick Martin, a Denver native and two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants, will share his experiences and words of wisdom with participants in the Community College of Denver’s (CCD) Urban Male Initiative on Friday, May 25, 2pm-4pm.

CCD has launched Urban Male Initiative (UMI), a program for men who are students at CCD. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by urban males, CCD developed UMI to support academic success, provide opportunities for personal and professional growth through leadership development, service learning and intentional investment in life skills.

Through a series of special programming, events and activities, UMI encourages academic achievement, completion of degree programs, and successful transition to a four year university or the workplace.  UMI participants meet with an advisor, have one on one meetings with a faculty, staff, or community mentor once a month, attend a monthly Critical Conversation session (life and leadership discussions with community role models), as well as individually scheduled tutoring sessions. In addition the Early Alert program identifies students who need academic intervention.  With early intervention students get the help they need to stay in school.

Ryan Ross, Dean of Student Support at CCD, said, “male students face different challenges than women and are less likely to seek out help if they need it.  We developed UMI to give students the support they need when they need it, and help them stay focused and in school.”

Community College of Denver (CCD) is a leading point of entry to higher education for the City and County of Denver. CCD provides a cost effective college education, along with access and opportunity for nontraditional students, workforce development and training resources for local organizations, and community partnerships. For more information, visit www.CCD.edu Information on occupations, rates for completion and placement, program costs and median loan debt can be found at www.ccd.edu/gainfulemployment