Created Equal: WSU official on efforts to improve graduation rates among Black students

As a university in the majority-Black city of Detroit, Wayne State University is expected to serve Black student’s aspirations in ways that are different from other universities. However, a recent article by Amelia Benavides-Colon at the Chronicle of Higher Education reported that after a decade-long period of growth, Wayne State University’s Black graduation rate had taken a dip in 2022.

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Darryl Gardner, Wayne State University’s Vice Provost for Student Success, Support, and Engagement, joined the show to discuss how the university is addressing this problem. He detailed the scholarship opportunities available to lower-income students and students who are Detroit residents, the cohorts within various colleges at the university focused on supporting marginalized students, and the institution-wide focus on helping marginalized students gain wealth and stability.

He also talked about his time as a student at Wayne State University in the Mathematics Department, the importance of finding your community as a marginalized student and how the university is investing in helping their Black students feel at home.

“I happened to find my people at lunch during new student orientation, but now that’s built into our programming,” he said. “Lots more community building activities for students to know and understand who are going to be those people that they can count on and that can count on them to ensure that they stay successful and ultimately finish their degree.”

Guests: 

• Darryl Gardner is the Vice Provost for Student Success, Support, and Engagement at Wayne State University

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.