The Men's Center at the College of Staten Island
At the College of Staten Island, the Men's Center is committed to empowering men by increasing retention and graduation rates for historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students. Thanks to a grant from the City of New York and managed by the CUNY Black Male Initiative, this initiative provides the necessary support to help students achieve their educational goals and graduate. The Men's Center offers a variety of resources, including a safe space to gather, mentoring, advisement, workshops, tutoring, and work-study opportunities. It's worth noting that all programming at the Men’s Center is open to female students. Similarly, all students, faculty, and staff, regardless of race, gender, national origin, or other characteristic, are welcome to participate in the College of Staten Island’s Men’s Center programming. For more information about the CUNY BMI Funded Projects, please visit the CUNY BMI website
The Black and Latino Urban Male Initiative
The Black and Latino Urban Male Initiative is a student club that was created to tackle the challenges faced by Black and Latino male students at the College of Staten Island. All students are welcome to join and gain insights into the experiences of these young men. Faculty and staff members can also attend upon invitation from the Black and Latino Urban Male Initiative. This club is led by students and advised by Dr. Meche.
Contact Information
Dr. John Meche
Social Justice Associate Director of the Men's Center
Meet Dr. Meche
Dr. John Meche is the Director of the Men's Center at the City University of New York/College of Staten Island and advisor to the Black and Latino Urban Male Initiative. Dr. Meche is a passionate advocate for students from diverse academic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds. He has earned three degrees from the CUNY System - Hostos CC, John Jay College, and Baruch College - and obtained his doctorate in Higher Education from Morgan State University, focusing on Gender, Race, and Ethnicity.
Dr. Meche's research is centered around the challenges Afro/AfroLatino male student populations face. He explores the role of high schools and colleges in promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice initiatives to improve student retention rates. Dr. Meche firmly believes that providing young men with access to quality education can help them succeed, avoid disenfranchisement, and ultimately lead to higher graduation rates.
His dissertation, titled "The Lived Experiences of Males from the African Diaspora in the Community College: A Portraiture Study on Gender, Ethnicity, and Race."