New learning community promotes diversity, leadership

Melvin Jones Scholars Learning Community supporters plan for students in this new University of Nebraska-Lincoln learning community to become leaders both in academic and off-campus settings.

The community is named for former UNL Vice Chancellor Melvin Jones, who died in 1999. M. Colleen Jones, Melvin Jones' widow, is chair of the advisory committee overseeing the community. Jones is assistant professor in management in the College of Business Administration.

Melvin Jones was very much committed to mentoring, Colleen Jones said, and was also very much committed to the university being responsive to all of its students. A goal of his, Jones said, was trying to find ways that students could feel comfortable within the institution even when they are in the minority. The community feeds into that by providing mentoring and helping students navigate the university and the professional environment.

The community, in development over two years, came out of work by the African American faculty and staff caucus, an informal group on campus.

The caucus was concerned about the low numbers of students of color on campus, and how it was difficult to retain them. Research shows that starting students off in a way that is deliberate and purposeful helps retain them. The learning community concept helps bring this about, said Jones.

As with other learning communities, the students live in the same area, in this case a floor in the Abel Hall dormitory. The students take at least one course together -- although the community is not oriented toward any single academic discipline -- and also join in the same activities and workshops.

Students in the community are from African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American cultures. There are 28 students in the first class, with 18 men and 10 women. Most are from Nebraska, but Texas, Colorado, and Georgia are also represented.

There were no criteria for acceptance for the first group. The students, Jones said, have a breadth of experience, are both honors and regular students, and have a variety of abilities.

Initial funding consists of waiving the learning community fee for the students, who will be asked to raise money and do fund-raising for the next class. Students will elect their own government and name committees. A committee will decide which activities to take part in, how to do the fund-raising, and where the group will go for a trip

Jones and other advisory board members work with the Admissions Office to try to find new and different pockets of students to bring into the University of Nebraska. Admissions representatives out in the field talk to students, counselors and parents about learning communities. They let these constituencies know that there is a learning community geared toward students of color. This is helpful especially when a student is making a transition from a large urban environment to Lincoln.

Once on campus, the students are encouraged to develop into leaders.

"We are working with students to help develop their leadership capacity, because we want to make sure they thrive academically but also begin to participate in the university community in a way that will help student governance in residence halls and college student advisory boards," Jones said. "We are really looking to make the university a visibly more multicultural place."

"We want to make sure that we try to encourage students to participate in such a way that will help the institution become more sensitive to their needs, as well as feeling much more of an affiliation to their institution."

A lot of that feeling of affiliation comes through involvement, having good faculty mentors, and encouraging students to have a very close relationship with their faculty, Jones said.

Another aid for students are community navigators that help students find facilities in the city, such as banks, grocery stores, barber shops, and churches. Students will also learn what support is available through campus culture centers. Jones said the hope is for students to participate in programs such as Leadership Lincoln, the NAACP, or the National Council of Negro Women.

Another goal of the community is to foster academic success. Most of the students are taking at least one class together. There are mandatory, joint study sessions but no special tutors. Most students take the classes Minority Experience and Introduction to Agriculture and Natural Resources Leadership. The students also take standard foundation courses in library research and writing skills.

Following is a list of the participants in the inaugural Melvin Jones Scholars learning community.

NEBRASKA

Ansley: Tegra Straight.

Bellevue: Travis King.

LaVista: Teonetta Tellis (will attend in the spring semester).

Lexington: Kevin Zelaya.

Lincoln: Brittany Hodges; Danny Menyweather; Charles Rosas; Jinohn Temple.

Omaha: Stephanie Bradly; Kionna Comer; Ciara Dean; Michael Eiland; Samar Elatta; Aaron Gauff; Nicole Ghahramani; Cameron Lambert; Nomalizwe Mahldngeni-Bryndon; Chris Oliver; Rochell Sousa; Shannon Teamer; Terrence Tryon; Eric Wilson.

ELSEWHERE

Aberdeen, S.D.: Tamielle Harden.

Arlington, Texas: Brenlie Gordon.

Borger, Texas: Felipe Muniz.

Fort Worth, Texas: Marcus Brookins; Kimmieth Fountain; Whitney LeBruce-Nickerson.

Roswell, Ga.: Christopher Slaughter.

CONTACT: M. Colleen Jones, Asst. Professor, Management, (402) 472-3001