International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
“crisis of masculinity” refers to men in society acting in harmful ways towards themselves or others due to the
culture, or economy (Faludi, 1999).
An increasing number of scholars are investigating the differences in college enrollments based on race
(Bohon, Johnson, & Gorman, 2006). In this article is views the difference within racial groups for example
Cubans, Puerto Ricans and Mexicans (Bohon et al., 2006). And other placing the issues of race, class and gender
as the central tenants of the discussion (Beaties, 2002).
There is an international component of male college enrollments. Research on the issue of male college
going rates, male success rates, and other issues related to male success in education and society has been
conducted in England and Australia (Weaver-Hightower, 2003, p. 472). Germany researchers have also began
raising questions about male success rates in Germany. One of Germany’s most respected weekly publications
has published on the topic (Der Spiegel on-line Oct 16, 2012). Germany's minister of education coordinated a
controversial conference on men's role in society. The issue in Germany is not unlike the issues being raised in
the United States: Is action needed to reverse the trend? In recent years, men in Germany, Austria, and
Switzerland have come together in their respective countries to establish associations focusing on problems
facing men. The Austrian Labor Ministry has even created a section devoted specifically to the subject. In 2004,
the Ministry held the first ever European fatherhood conference (Spiegel 2012).
Some institutions of higher education have taken steps to address these trends. Two recent examples are
University of Oregon and Pearson College Community College in Washington. These two institutions are
beginning to address ways to better serve male college students in a way that makes them successful (Weaver-
Hightower, 2010, p. 30).
Other programs include the Louis Stokes Alliance Minority Participation, which is supported by the National
Science Foundation. This program's target population is male and female minority students. Augustana
University has taken a creative path with its Fraternity Alumni Network (FAN). Fraternity men on campus have
noted that networking is one of the most significant benefits of being involved in Greek life. The program works
on helping with employment upon graduation and with their social networks.
The University of Portland has a program called the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (LXG). This is a
discussion group for men that addresses their needs and desires. It is a group that exists “to give men an
opportunity to come together to talk about something deeper than sports and video games”
(https://pilots.up.edu/web/lxg/home). LXG is a one-year program for men to come together to discuss issues in a
nonthreatening environment. Men are encouraged to continue with the program after the first year to more fully
develop ideas raised and discussed in the first year. There is extensive suggested structure on how to lead
discussion groups (https://pilots.up.edu/web/lxg/structure).
M-Pact is a religious-based program focused on mentoring men for “lives of meaning and making a
difference” (http://mpactmensgroup.webs.com). It is intended to get men involved in service, leadership,
spirituality, vocational reflection, and authentic relationships. M-Pact encourages men to stand up against
violence and abuse of power. Finally its web site notes work to overcome pressures that men face from society
and unbalanced masculinity. Another development in the area of male college enrollments is the American
College of Personnel Association (ACPA). The ACPA had their first conference on masculinities, “Institute of
College Males,” in 2007. It appears that there is a critical mass forming around the topic of masculinity and
higher education and men's changing roles in society.
This investigation was designed to collect data on public higher education in Northern and Southern
California and to see what programs, if any, are being offered to male college students. All three segments of
public higher education were investigated, including community colleges, the California State University
system, and the University of California system. This article targeted a largestate with over 38 million residents
(U.S. Census Bureau, 2013) to look at a large state and to investigate whether its enrollment data mirrored
national data and to investigate educational systems to see whether any actions were being undertaken or
contemplated to address the issue of male enrollments. (California public higher education enrollments are noted
in Table 1.)
Table 1
Year Higher Education System Gender Students
2010 University of California Men 113,048
Women 121,114
Unknown 302
Higher Education System
Total (University of
California) 234,464
California State University Men 175,553
277