Where do I begin, I started my Ph.D. journey five and a half years ago as a full-time, out-of-state, doctoral student at Rutgers University-Newark in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA). While completing the degree, I was also working full-time as the Associate Director of the City University of New York Black Male Initiative (CUNY BMI) before being promoted to University Director of CUNY BMI, approximately three years ago. Needless to say, this journey has included many obstacles. Working and going to school full-time. Paying out-of-state tuition using my savings and credit card. Being President of the Queens Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi for four of those six and half years. In addition, getting married last year to my better half (not that getting married was an obstacle, it was a major milestone that required my time and attention). I mention all of this, because after completing my coursework with a 3.91 GPA, I had used up all of my savings and maxed out my credit card. This made me question finishing, because I could not afford it and I had so many other obligations. Consequently, I took a year off to advocate for myself and regroup. Thereafter, I received a fellowship from the College Board, a scholarship from the Congressional Black Caucus, and a Diversity Scholarship from SPAA. These awards allowed me to pay for the remainder of my schooling. The Congressional Black Caucus Spouses Education Scholarship I received not only helped me pay for some of my dissertation credits toward the Ph.D., but it gave me the additional confidence I needed to apply for other scholarships and fellowships as well as advocate for funding from my department. Winning this scholarship renewed my confidence in my abilities and propelled me to succeed. According to the education leaders at The College Board, I was selected as an inaugural Fellow from a national pool of high caliber candidates who have devoted their careers to furthering the cause of equity in education.
According to the 2017 Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED), 54,559 individuals in the U.S. received a doctorate degree. Black males accounted for 2.2% (1202) of the 54,559 individuals who received a doctorate degree. Consequently, Black males with doctorate degrees accounted for .000004 of a percent of the overall U.S. population in 2017. The SED is an annual census conducted since 1957 of all individuals receiving a research doctorate from an accredited U.S. institution in a given academic year. It is sponsored by six federal agencies: the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Endowment for the Humanities, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Working with CUNY BMI has informed the conceptual framework of my dissertation research that is titled, Equity as an Outcome: The Use of Performance Information to Address the Achievement Gap in Higher Education for Men of Color. My inspiration and motivation on my educational journey has been to rewrite the Black male narrative that says, I should have been incarcerated or deceased by now. I want to rewrite the Black male narrative that says, men of color cannot be academically successful. I want to rewrite the Black male narrative that says, men of color have to be products of their environments. I want to dispel these notions, create paths for other men of color, and serve as an example. Subsequently, on March 30, 2017 I successfully defended my dissertation and became Dr. Jermaine Wright.