DADvocate

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has begun looking at ways to increase male enrollment and, hopefully, graduation rates. The reason for the actions is this:

Women outnumber men at institutions of higher learning across the nation and Alaska is no exception, said Judy Kleinfeld, the director of northern studies at UAF who researched the growing gender gap on UA campuses.

Women make up 61 percent of the enrollment on the university's 16 campuses statewide, but the gap widens significantly when researchers consider the number of women versus men who complete degree programs, especially among Alaska Natives.

UA ranks second in the nation in the divide between the number of women who receive bachelor's degrees compared with men. The gap is even wider at the certificate and associate program levels.

Nationally, men make up less than 44 percent of college enrollment.

It doesn't take a genius to see that this disparity will harm the earning power, economic status, etc. of males as a group if allowed to continue. More:

What's needed is a cultural change in how teachers and parents approach education for boys, some officials said.

"We use to think it was the girls that needed extra attention to succeed in school, but now we know that boys need just as much, if not more, attention," Kleinfeld said.

The UAA College of Education has been training teachers to try different methods of classroom instruction to better reach all students, Schneider said.

The university is seeking to make a concerted effort on all 16 of its campuses to improve opportunities for male students. The article is a must read and clearly describes the problems and potential solutions. I hope some universities in the lower 48 take notice.