Men of Color Empowerment Summit

The MEN OF COLOR EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT is a comprehensive forum on issues of the importance of education, best practices and choices to increase graduation rates and promote acheivement for men of color enrolled at Iowa State University and beyond.

The mission of the Men of Color Empowerment Summit is to aid efforts to improve the achievement for and experiences of men of color enrolled at Iowa State University.  The Summit is focused specifically on racially and ethnically minoritized men-identified students.  

The Summit will: 

• Address systemic, social structures that inhibit men of color from achieving high success in their educational careers. 
• Bring together faculty, staff and students for a day of inspiration, networking, and success stories.  
• Deconstruct narratives and build consciousness as to who men of color are and encourage their drive to serve as agents of positive change within their respective communities. 
• Emphasize the importance of education, best practices and choices to increase graduation rates. 
• Encourage participants to come away with a greater sense of purpose, accountability, motivation and dreams of what their future holds for them as responsible men.   
• Raise awareness of the changing U.S. demographics by enhancing the experience of men of color through involvement and engagement, preparing them for a global mindset. 

The Summit will be guided by the following themes: 

• Career/professional development 
• Entrepreneurship
• Masculinity/personal identity
• Retention rates, graduation and student achievement   
• Social/community engagement