Bowie State University News July 24, 2019 Prestigious Award Aids BSU Researcher in Developing Black Male Teachers Dr. Julius Davis to Establish Center for Research & Mentoring of Black Male Students & Teachers A Bowie State University mathematics education researcher, selected for the distinguished University System of Maryland professorship, will establish a center to encourage more young black male students to enter the education profession, where they are underrepresented. Dr. Julius Davis is one of three USM faculty awarded the Wilson H. Elkins Professorship, which will provide him with $44,000 to establish a Center for Research and Mentoring of Black Male Students and Teachers to support black male high school students who are interested in a career in education. The highly competitive Wilson H. Elkins Professorship supports professors and researchers who demonstrate exemplary ability to inspire students and whose professional and scholarly endeavors make a positive impact at their universities, on their students, the entire system and beyond. Established in 1978, it is named for Dr. Elkins, a former Rhodes Scholar and president of the University of Maryland. "It's humbling and an honor to receive such an award. It feels great to know that the University System of Maryland thought that it was worth the investment to create a center for research and mentoring of black male students and teachers at a historically black university," said Dr. Davis. "It's great to be on the cutting-edge by trying to create a center focused on black male students and teachers. We'll be creating it from the foundation up." The center's goal is to support a pipeline of black males joining the ranks of Maryland's educators, especially those who specialize in teaching high-demand fields in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). He plans to recruit 25-50 local students to participate in the center's workshops, mentoring programs and field trips throughout the 2019-20 school year. These young people and their families, as well as current Bowie State students, will learn more about the diverse and rewarding opportunities in the profession. Drs. Sean Coleman and Wil Parker from BSU's Department of Educational Leadership will also help to support the center's work. "I'm excited to start working with the young men. I do research, but I really want to impact what's going on in the community, where the work matters most," said Dr. Davis. "I hope that it will create a national reputation for Bowie State to be a center for excellence for looking at black male students and black male teachers." Attracting More Black Males to the Profession Before receiving the award, Dr. Davis had established a research collaborative with faculty from Bowie State University, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Loyola University, studying black male students and teachers. He has also worked on similar projects with researchers from around the nation. The new center will build on that work - he hopes to use it as an opportunity to conduct additional research on what motivates black male high school students to become teachers, with the goal of attracting more black males to the profession. "We know very little about what's going on at the high school level in terms of young men who are interested in education, so I'm hoping to make a contribution in that area of research," he said. "When I think of all the black males who have been in my life, like teachers and family members, they provide me with a window to explore who I want to be as a black male. To develop more black males in education and in STEM fields, students need to see more people who look like them, so they can envision how they can enter into those fields." Because school districts struggle often to fill positions with qualified teachers, especially in STEM, Bowie State's nationally accredited teacher education programs offer a pathway for high school students who are looking to build a successful career. "When our education students graduate, most of them have a job. I've taken students to conferences, and school districts from all over the nation are eager to hire them," he said. "We hope to be a resource for school districts who are looking to produce homegrown teachers and increase their population of black male teachers. Hopefully, the students in the program will be coming to Bowie State. That's the ultimate goal." SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> Honor the ancestors, honor the children and those yet to come. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/