LSU Black Male Leadership Initiative
Hosts Second Annual LSU Preview Day
The LSU Black Male Leadership Initiative, or BMLI, recently hosted the Second Annual LSU BMLI Preview Day. The program is designed to provide young Black males with insight into college life, encourage preparation for college while still in middle or high school, and highlight the experiences of Black college men at LSU.
Nearly 200 Black male students' in grades 7 through 9 from local middle and high schools attended the event. The LSU BMLI Preview Day included a campus tour, information session from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Student Aid, the opportunity to meet BMLI Fellows and LSU faculty and staff, and tour the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes. Participating schools included Glasgow Middle School, McKinley Middle Magnet School, Park Forest Middle School, Broadmoor High School, Mentorship Academy, Scotlandville Magnet High School and Pointe Coupee Central High School and McDonough 35 College Preparatory High School from New Orleans.
During their visit to the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes the visiting students met with Assistant Vice Chancellor and Executive Director Kenneth Miles and his staff about their future collegiate goals. One of the many lessons shared with the group was about destiny and choices Miles said, "the decisions that they are making right now will determine their destiny, that's why it is important for them to put themselves in a position to have choices and to realize that their success will not happen by chance but by design."
LSU recently enrolled the largest African-American student freshmen class reaching 3,054, which surpassed the previous high of 3,035 students set in 2002. As a result, "This fall marks the largest Black male undergraduate enrollment in LSUs history, which further provides credibility of the effectiveness of programs like LSU BMLI Preview Day" explains, Vincent Harris, graduate assistant for Equity, Diversity and Community Outreach and graduate coordinator of BMLI.
"The LSU BMLI Preview Day is an opportunity for Black male students to experience the rich opportunities available to them as they begin preparing for college. It is our hope that programs like Preview Day and the BMLI Fellows Program help solidify how attending college, particularly LSU, can provide academically and socially relevant experiences," said Chaunda Allen, assistant to the vice provost for Equity, Diversity and Community Outreach and director of Multicultural Affairs.
LSU BMLI Preview Day was made possible by the Office of Equity, Diversity and Community Outreach, Office of Multicultural Affairs, the College of Engineering, University College, the Center for Academic Success, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Student Aid, the LSU Ambassadors, Mike the Tiger, and the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletics.
The Black Male Leadership Initiative Fellows Program is a retention and leadership development program established by the LSU Office of Equity, Diversity & Community Outreach and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. For more information or to support BMLI, contact Chaunda Allen at 225-578-4339, by email at bmli@lsu.edu or visit the BMLI website at www.lsu.edu/bmli.