Men About Progress

Men About Progress (MAP), is an initiative established by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Lansing Community College (LCC) to increase, encourage, and support the inclusion and educational success of male students of color, particularly African- American males (AAM). Housed within the Caesar Chavez Learning Center, MAP serves as an intentional intervention to assist program participants in both, their academic and their career endeavors while promoting and advocating for an improved educational experience at LCC and enhanced quality of life.

Mission Statement:

Men About Progress at Lansing Community College mission is to help minority males complete their educational goals, network and give back to the community.

Vision Statement:

Men About Progress (MAP) at Lansing Community College seeks to increase the graduation rate and unity among minority men through mentorship, academic enrichment and community service engagement activities.

As a male empowerment initiative designed to address the specific needs of undergraduate men of color, MAP encourages participants to excel personally, academically and professionally while gaining valuable leadership skills at LCC. The initiative engages participants in a variety of educational programs, developmental mentoring opportunities, and co-curricular experiences all designed to empower men of color to at LCC to be successful.

By aligning itself with the CCLC, MAP is able to foster a supportive environment for students to learn, grow and belong as active members of the LCC community and as individuals. Through educational, cultural, and social programming activities, participants are exposed to numerous opportunities to prepare them for real world success.

Men about Progress Four Pillars

• Academics
• Career Exploration
• Community Service
• Belonging

Goals of MAP are the following:

• Strengthen the secondary-to-higher education pipeline to enable many more black male students to attend college;
• Increase admission and graduation rates at the Lansing Community College;
• Improve faculty and staff education to prepare campus to address the needs of the men of color;
• Improve the employment prospects for black males after leaving LCC;
• Reduce the attrition rate of men of color at LCC;
• Establish benchmarks and hold the campus and accountable for addressing the needs of men of color, particularly AAM;
• Provide strong campus leadership on the challenges facing black youth and men in the greater Lansing community and beyond.
• Improve math skills among men of color

The objectives of MAP are the following:

• Recruit AAM from diverse socioeconomic populations and localities;
• Educate AAM through a structured, tiered program designed to help them navigate the resources (including academic support offices and program, financial assistance, and student life and engagement) that exist at LCC to be successful.
• Support and challenge men of color at LCC to achieve academically.
• Retain AAM at LCC through continued support programs.
• Promote involvement and inclusion in leadership activities, both on-campus and in the community.
• Promote community service and engagement.
• Facilitate and promote developmental mentoring.

Events/Activities

Men About Progress (MAP) actively participates and establishes partnerships with the Lansing community and the initiative provides opportunities for men of color at LCC, both locally and nationally. In addition to bi-weekly tutoring/study tables and mentoring sessions, numerous workshops, trainings and dialogues are held monthly to empower students. All meetings are held during the academic year in the Caesar Chavez Learning Center (Arts & Sciences Building, Room 1313). These meetings are held every Tuesday at 4:30 pm and anyone can attend.

• Career Exploration
• Time Management/ Organization Skills
• Transition to College/ I Can Succeed at this
• Self-Motivation/ Goal Setting
• Advocating for Self/ Communication
• Emotional Intelligence/Resilience
• Understanding your Options/Making Decisions
• Brother to Brother (B2B)