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March 15, 2004
DH-04 TK 021
Contact: Thomas Knox
(310) 243-3367
Email: tknox@csudh.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Advisory

Black Men’s Summit to Open New Era of Discussion
at California State University, Dominguez Hills

CARSON, Calif. – University President James E. Lyons, Sr. will lead campus administrators, students and staff during the first-ever Black Men’s Summit on Friday, March 26, at 1 p.m. in Welch Hall’s Claudia Hampton Lecture Hall at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). The summit is designed to foster increased discussion about the special experiences African American males face on and off campus.

WHO: CSU Dominguez Hills President James E. Lyons, Sr.

WHAT: First-Ever Black Men’s Summit

WHERE: California State University, Dominguez Hills, 1000 E. Victoria St, Carson

WHEN: Friday, March 26, from 1 – 4 p.m.

At a university where African Americans represent nearly 31 percent of the total student body, the need to establish a recognized forum to analyze and discuss the issues that face Black men has come of age. Walter C. Jones, Ed.D., and director of the university’s Educational Opportunity and TRIO Programs, has organized the Black Men’s Summit in an effort to bring men closer together in understanding their roles as Black men.

“The Black Men’s Summit is an open forum, panel discussion and dialogue examining issues affecting Black men on campus, in the community and in the entire Diaspora,” said Jones who facilitates the CSUDH Black Men’s Group (BMG). “The Black Men’s Summit is an extension of the BMG’s efforts to open a dialogue between older and younger black men in the hope of creating mentorship opportunities and increased understanding.”

Boice Bowman, Ed.D., and vice president for Student Affairs, expects the summit to have a positive impact on the bridge-building process between the university’s Black men and leadership opportunities within nearby communities. “We as Black men serve a distinct role in the communities within our service area,” Bowman said. “Our neighbors expect us to nurture and produce the leaders within our communities. This unique summit should provide the synergy to establish increased programs where we can better educate and service our community members.” Bowman said the summit promises to establish itself as a popular annual event at the university.

CSU Dominguez Hills is home to more than 13,000 students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in 43 undergraduate majors and master’s degrees in 19 fields. For more information, visit the university’s Web site at, http://www.csudh.edu

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