Jeffrey Coleman, assistant director of multicultural affairs, took a hard look at the data and decided to do something: Of 72 black men who enrolled at UNCG in 2003, only 19.4 percent graduated within four years and 45.8 percent graduated within six years.

So Coleman went straight to the source – the students. What are your goals for college, he asked them, and what barriers distract you from those goals?

Wanting to improve retention rates and achievement for black men at UNCG, Coleman last year launched Rites of Passage. The program helps black men reach their goals despite distractions caused by negative stereotyping, sexuality issues, unhealthy love relationships, balancing work with school and other problems.

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