GREENWOOD, SC (WIS) -
Steve Coleman is a teacher. But to his students, he's more like a motivational coach.
"Education is obtainable," he said.
He drills that message into his students at Piedmont Technical College in Greenwood. It's a message he wants every black man to hear.
"The enrollment, retention and completion rates of African-American males has always been very low," said Coleman.
It's a problem, he said, not just at PTC, but at many colleges and universities. According to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, only 36% of black men who start college graduate.
"As an educator who's in a position to do something about it, it makes me feel responsible," said Coleman.
So last spring, he created Project Genesis, a program that targets 91 black men enrolled at PTC. Coleman said a $2.4 million dollar grant provides mentorship, academic monitoring, career development and leadership to students.
The program also places special emphasis on recruiting students into careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
Jerome Green is studying to become an HVAC technician. His classmate Derrick Butler hopes to become a leader at his manufacturing job.
Both say the program is life-changing.
"Sometimes we feel that we can't do nothing else," said Green. "We think everyone else has an upper hand on us. But with this program here, it shows you that you can do anything you want to do. All you have to do is put your mind towards it."
"You first have to have that drive and then there are resources out there for you," said Butler. "Project Genesis is one of them."
Coleman says he will know if Project Genesis is successful.
"The simple answer is taking these students' start dates, projecting when their completion dates would be, and sitting in the auditorium and watching them walk across the stage to get their degrees."
For more information on Project Genesis, contact Piedmont Technical College:
http://www.ptc.edu/
864-941-8603 or 864-941-8324
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Students in Project Genesis at Piedmont Technical College
