Howard University is a tier one school that remains in the top 100 of the best colleges and universities list released annually by U.S. News and World Report. Each year, Howard receives thousands of applications from eager students anxious to fill the seats of the historical giants who came before them. Last year alone, Linda Sanders-Hawkins, director of admissions says that more than 7,000 applications were received.
But the question is, who is applying? If you take a closer look at the makeup of Howard's classrooms, you'll notice the continuance of a trend that is taking place at many colleges and universities across the United States: women outnumber the men.
Where are the boys? In his annual State of the University address given in May 2007, President H. Patrick Swygert unveiled the reality of the issue, saying,"Of the 10,500 students enrolled in the university, 65% of our university students are women, so it's more than a two to one [female to male] ratio again. As last year, our female enrollment exceeds, our male enrollment in all of our schools save one. Engineering Architecture and Computer Science is the only exception."
Over time many studies and research projects have been conducted to identify factors that indicate why African- American men aren't attending school at the same rate as African-American women. There are some experts that point to a waning lack of interest in learning in young boys beginning in elementary school when the shift is taken from hands-on activities towards a more critical thinking approach.
Some, like Temple University student Jeffery Young credit a lack of support by school administrators and teachers early on, that often lead to disruptive behavior and overall acting out."When I was younger, I felt like there was more focus on female students and students that weren't black. It was as if we [black males] had already been given up on before we had any real chance to showcase our talents and intellect," the senior political science major said.
This lack of interest that breeds disruptive behavior may be an issue deeper than most would like to recognize. The Justice Policy Institute, a Washington-based research and advocacy group that supports alternatives to incarceration has found that the number of African-American men incarcerated has grown three times as fast as the number in colleges and universities. The statistics are alarming. In Minorities in Higher Education a report sent by Kellee Edmonds from the American Council on Education shows that at 35 percent, the graduation rate of black men is the lowest of any population.
To address the general problem, schools like Virginia State University (VSU) where the student population is 60 percent female, are now taking a special approach to the recruitment process.
Ron Neal, an admissions counselor at VSU said that they try to get on more collegiate tours, especially those that are males only or have more of a male focus. They also pursue a lot of different networking opportunities within these groups, but general efforts remain the same. When asked why he thinks the statistics are so lopsided, Neal said, "Society. A lot of [black] males aren't motivated and don't think about longevity in life. [Essentially] I truly believe that women just mature faster." At Howard, similar initiatives have been taken to alleviate the gender gap issue on campus.
In 2006, the university hosted a Gentlemen Scholars program. The program consisting of 50 male students who had already been accepted into Howard aimed to facilitate the recruitment and retention of black men who are talented in the areas of leadership and scholarship.
"In an effort to address the under-enrollment of males in higher education, especially African-American male students, Howard University Office of Admission is working with the Gentlemen Scholars initiative to increase the number of males entering colleges and universities," Linda Sanders-Hawkins, Director of Admission told the university relations office.
Though moves are being made to combat the growing concern that African- American males don't view higher education as an option, students like sophomore legal communication major Andrew Jones feel that the problem can never really be rectified.
" I think it is something that will take the time and continued effort of the entire black community to rectify, it is a generational problem, thus it will take a generational solution to solve it," he said.
In the mean time, all students and community members should adopt an each one, teach one mentality that gives younger children hope and let them know that higher education is an option available for everyone.
is a member of the 
