College initiative aimed at recruiting, retaining black male students

AURORA, Ill. - Officials at Waubonsee Community College had noticed it for a while.

Across the country, African-American males graduate at a substantially lower rate than their peers. Among the 10,000 students at WCC, there are 700 African-Americans enrolled, with just 250 of them being male, who have a 58 percent retention rate, compared to 70 percent for all students.

It's an issue that had been noticed and discussed by the higher-ups at the school.

But that concern did not turn into an initiative until WCC President Christine Sobek and