Alabama A&M University is celebrating important milestones this year. Not only is it celebrating its 150th academic year, the HBCU is also welcoming its largest first-year class in years. A large part of newly enrolled students are Black men, a demographic typically underrepresented in higher education.
Black men represent a large portion of Alabama A&M’s incoming first-year class
The university introduced 2,157 preliminarily registered first-year students during its annual Torch Lighting Ceremony, according to HBCU Gameday. The Class of 2029 includes 42% of male students. Incoming freshmen hails from 40 states and five countries. About 60% will live on campus, which is double the national average.
Black men have been underrepresented in higher education for decades
Alabama A&M’s enrollment of Black male students is higher than the national average. In 2022, they made up 26% of HBCU students, compared to 31% in 2005 and 38% in 1976, according to a report published by the American Institute for Boys and Men.
“That 25 percent, you feel that in every class, you feel that on the yard, you feel that at events,” Calvin Hadley, an assistant provost for academic partnerships and student engagement at Howard University, told Inside Higher Ed. There are “far more females on campus than males.”
Several factors may explain this trend, including financial, cultural and social barriers: “There are some signs of hope,” American Institute for Boys and Men president Richard Reeves said. Still, “there are many, many more signs that there’s a big problem here.”
Alabama A&M will be celebrating its 150th anniversary through Sept. 12 with a monthlong Bulldog Welcome Experience. The HBCU will host orientation workshops, leadership sessions and events like the NPHC Yard Show, talent showcases and its Louis Crews Classic football game.
