MTC's African American Male Leadership Institute hosts second annual conference

Midlands Technical College's African American Male Leadership Institute hosted its second annual conference on November 16 on MTC's Airport Campus. Pictured are members from this year's AAMLI class as well as program coordinators and supporters. Contributed by Midlands Technical College

Midlands Technical College's African American Male Leadership Institute (AAMLI) hosted its second annual conference titled "African American Males in Higher Education: Creating a Vision for Academic and Career Success" on November 16, 2007, on the Airport Campus.

The free conference, which was open to MTC students and the public, was designed to educate the community about the issue of under- representation of African American men in higher education and to provide students with key tools that enhance college success.

The keynote speaker for the conference was Alvin Darden, freshman class dean at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. The conference also included eight breakout sessions on topics such as study skills, the importance of community involvement, and theoretical frameworks for increasing college- graduation rates of African American males.

Speakers for the breakout sessions included Dr. Barbara Anderson, MTC instructor; Henry Bracey, MTC counselor; Dr. Randolph Hawkins with USC Beaufort; Marc Himes with Uplifting Enterprises, LLC; Dr. Robert L. Kirton, executive director of the Richland One Middle College; Anthony Morgan with Kaplan University; Mike Morrison, MTC counselor; and Dr. Dante Pelzer with Winthrop University.

In fall 2006, Midlands Technical College created the African American Male Leadership Institute to address the issue of under- representation of African American men in higher education and increase their retention rates at the college. AAMLI is committed to developing leadership potential and promoting academic and personal success among African American males enrolled at Midlands Technical College.

The African American Male Leadership Institute is open to currently enrolled students at Midlands Technical College. To learn more, go to www.midlandstech.edu/aamli.