Fayetteville State University in North Carolina has established the Bronco MILE (Male Initiative on Leadership and Excellence). The effort is aimed at increasing the retention and graduation rates of African American male students at the university.
Recently, the university sent a group of Black men to the QUEST Conference in Baltimore where they were exposed to seminars and workshops on achieving success in higher education. Members of the Bronco MILE are encouraged to “lead together, to grow together, and to graduate together.”
D. Jason DeSousa, assistant vice chancellor for student retention at Fayetteville State University and leader of the Bronco MILE initiative, started a MILE program when he was an administrator at Morgan State University. Within four years there were 500 members of the group.
Before coming to Fayetteville State earlier this year, Dr. DeSousa was vice president for student affairs at Savannah State University in Georgia. Previously, he was assistant vice president for student affairs and enrollment management and associate professor of higher education at Morgan State University in Baltimore.
Dr. DeSousa is a graduate of Morgan State University. He holds a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and an educational doctorate from Indiana University.
