African American Male Academy (AAMA)
The University of Memphis launched the African American Male Academy designed to increase graduation rates following former President M. David Rudd’s well-received testimony to the House Committee on Education and Labor's Subcommittee on "The Cost of Non-Completion" in May 2019. The African American Male Academy is an aggregation of 19 culturally responsive, wholistic student support programs designed to increase access and completion rates by cultivating scholar identities, using strengths-based best practices and completion grants from donors. The University of Memphis is nationally recognized as one of the top 12 universities in graduating African American students (Diverse Magazine).
Three cohorts comprise the African American Male Academy: the middle school student cohort, undergraduate student cohort, and graduate/professional student cohort.
The Affiliate Board
Who are the affiliates? The African American Male Academy affiliates are made up of male faculty, staff, or graduate students at the University who identify partially or fully as African American and possess a post-secondary degree or certification. They embody a culture of brotherhood amongst the Academy and offer advice and mentorship to African American male students.
Meet the Affiliate BOard