Higher Education Male Achievement Collaborative

Starting a conversation about men’s issues on campus can be daunting. Our next?HEMAC?virtual event will feature three leaders – Belmont University’s Ed Magee, University of Oregon’s Dr. Arian Mobasser, and Umpqua Community College’s Dr. Rachel Pokrandt – discussing how they approach conversations on their campuses, and sharing practical advice and lessons learned. ? HEMAC?partners, please make sure you are registered to attend via the portal. If you are not yet involved in?HEMAC?and would like to learn more, please reach out to us via?menincollege.com?– we’d love to connect with you.

HEMAC?is growing! We are thrilled to welcome our newest partner, Vermont State University.?HEMAC?partners are united in our shared goal of improving outcomes for men in higher education, and benefit from the opportunity to collaborate and share best practices, research, and lessons learned. Learn more & get involved at?www.menincollege.com.

#ICYMI: HEMAC co-founder, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, hosted the 2024 Student Success US Conference with Inside Higher Ed and Times Higher Education. More than 500 attendees from 200 colleges and universities gathered to share ideas and best practices. “Hosting this conference reflects the Volunteer community’s commitment to student success,” said UT Vice Provost for Student Success Dr. Amber Williams. “By uniting national and international experts and innovators, we inspire fresh ideas and strategies to support our students where they are. Together, we’re shaping the future of higher education.” Read a recap of the conference: https://lnkd.in/g26viG-K

What we’re reading: A report from Education Northwest and The Ford Family Foundation found that rural high school students in Oregon - especially men - have lower rates of college enrollment, persistence, and graduation than nonrural students. Read more about their work and how to better support rural student decision-making about life after high school:?https://lnkd.in/eYqBNPid

What we’re reading: A report from Education Northwest and The Ford Family Foundation found that rural high school students in Oregon - especially men - have lower rates of college enrollment, persistence, and graduation than nonrural students. Read more about their work and how to better support rural student decision-making about life after high school:?https://lnkd.in/eYqBNPid

Male Stagnation in Doctoral Programs Recent trends at the doctoral level show mixed outcomes for men. While numbers have stabilized in some areas, men face stagnation or decline in fields like psychology, veterinary science, and law. Over the past 40 years, men’s share of degrees at all levels has decreased. In 1980, men earned 51% of bachelor’s degrees and 73% of doctoral degrees. By 2022, these figures had dropped to 41% and 43%, respectively. This gender shift in doctoral degrees has been driven by rising participation from women. While men’s share declined, the absolute number of men earning doctorates increased until around 2013, then stagnated. Men still hold a majority in research doctorates (e.g., PhDs), but the gap has narrowed since the 1990s. The decline slowed after the 2000s, and gender distribution has stabilized in recent years. However, fields like psychology and education show significant drops in male participation. Men now earn just 25% of psychology PhDs and 27% in education, indicating a decline both in share and absolute numbers. The male MD share has decreased from 75% in 1981 to 47% in 2024. After 1981, the number of male MDs fell, rose briefly, and then dipped again after 2019. Women now outnumber men in recent medical school graduations. Additionally, men are now in the minority in dental, pharmacy, and veterinary schools. While male enrollment has grown slowly in dental and pharmacy schools, veterinary programs have seen a 40% drop in male enrollment over the last 40 years. Men’s share in law schools has dropped from over 90% in 1970 to 44% in 2022. Although women’s enrollment rebounded post-Great Recession, men’s enrollment continued to decline. Women’s gains in #HigherEducation are clear successes. However, male stagnation in doctoral programs and certain fields deserves attention to promote balanced educational progress and professional representation. Read the full #research brief: https://lnkd.in/gdkiHPvg

#HEMAC?partner spotlight: Seeking to increase male student enrollment, the University of Montana convened a series of focus groups and learned that many prospective students were interested in the outdoors. The University developed and sent a series of marketing materials highlighting its hunting class, forestry program, and recreational opportunities to prospective and admitted students last spring - and housing deposits from men increased. Learn more & connect with other institutions seeking to improve outcomes for men at?menincollege.com.

In a recent study, Pew Research Center found that one million fewer young men are enrolled in college compared to 2011. Richard V. Reeves, founding president of the American Institute for Boys and Men, spoke with PBS News Hour's Geoff Bennett about how America's education system as a whole doesn't seem to be working as well for boys as it is for girls. "The main reason for that is…girls are outperforming boys. So you can see it from the beginning from kindergarten all the way through high school. And so if you look at, for example, high school GPA, which is a very good measure of success, take the top 10 percent of high school students. Two-thirds of them are girls. That obviously affects what's going to happen in the college system too," Reeves explained. Watch the full video: https://lnkd.in/ghruh9Rj

Men of color have some of the lowest college enrollment and graduation rates. Our next HEMAC partner event features leading scholars and practitioners from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, University of Southern California, University of Washington, and University of Washington Tacoma sharing their insights and how they are responding on their campuses to make higher education work better for men of color. Visit menincollege.com to learn more about HEMAC and how you can get involved.

What We’re Reading: Don’t miss this deep dive into the gender gaps in college enrollment and graduation rates across institutions and degree types from the American Institute for Boys and Men. Women are 9 percentage points more likely than men to be enrolled in college in the fall following high school graduation, and more likely to graduate from a four-year institution in four years, too. Read more:?https://lnkd.in/gnzEuayC