Deryl Hatch, an assistant professor of educational administration in UNL’s College of Education and Human Sciences, has been invited to join a new faculty affiliate program at the University of Texas at Austin designed to connect P-16 practitioners and administrators with relevant research on Latino males’ educational experiences.

Latino males have the lowest high school graduation, college enrollment and college completion rates of any subgroup. The affiliate program, part of an initiative known as Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success), seeks to promote research on young males of color to improve their educational outlook. Hatch is one of 12 inaugural affiliates in the program.

“Project MALES is designed to increase our understanding of the reasons why Latino men have not achieved greater levels of postsecondary success,” said Department of Educational Administration chair Brent Cejda. “With over 60 percent of Latino and Latina undergraduates attending community colleges, Dr. Hatch’s research interests and expertise align closely with this project and also support the departmental focus on access and success for all students.”

Hatch’s research focuses on community college environments and how they intersect with student experiences to foster equitable access, quality and success in higher education – particularly for traditionally underserved and underrepresented populations.

“Demographic changes mean that the success of the United States, its citizenry and democracy are inextricably linked with the future success of youth from rapidly growing historically underserved and underrepresented minority groups,” Hatch said.

“The majority of men of color who enroll in college opt to begin in community colleges, which are fantastic for being closely attuned to the needs of the community, but which are typically underfunded and don’t always serve these men well. The mentoring focus of Project MALES fits well with my interest in student success courses and support programs that help students make a successful transition to college that can ensure better outcomes and greater equity.”

The affiliate program also includes researchers from the University of Arizona, Texas A&M University, Iowa State University, California State University, Miami University, Eastern Michigan University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Texas at Austin. For more information, visit http://ddce.utexas.edu/projectmales.

“We are both pleased and honored that Deryl has been selected as one of the inaugural affiliates of this important initiative,” Cejda said.