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ERIC Number: EJ949688
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 0
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1052-5505
EISSN: N/A
Circle of Strength: Tribal Colleges Aim to Recruit and Retain Native Male Students
Pember, Mary Annette
Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education, v22 n4 Sum 2011
As tribal colleges aim to retain Native male students, they're finding that talking, drumming, construction, and spirituality may keep men in school. Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College (LCOOCC, Hayward, Wisconsin) is just one of the tribal colleges across the country looking for innovative ways to attract and retain more men. Postsecondary enrollment and graduation rates for men continue to lag behind numbers for women. This is hardly a new story for either tribal or mainstream colleges and universities. Since there is a dearth of data regarding this gender disproportion, however, the causes remain elusive. In an attempt to address that issue, a number of tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) have added disciplines such as agriculture and farming, automotive technology, building trades, computer science and technology, corrections, engineering, and environmental science. LCOOCC Student Services Director Paul Grahovac started the Men's Talking Circle to help male students deal with problems and challenges that affect their enrollment and attendance at college. The circle is modeled on a traditional Native talking circle in which a talking stick is passed from one participant to another who then speaks free from interruption. Men's Talking Circle mimics the basic ideas of the talking circle in which people can sit on a peer level and interact. Although there is no empirical evidence that the Men's Talking Circle works, it has played a major role in recruitment and retention of American Indian males at LCOOCC.
Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education. P.O. Box 720, Mancos, CO 81328. Tel: 888-899-6693; Fax: 970-533-9145; Web site: http://www.tribalcollegejournal.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A