Our Charge
The Male Enrollment and Graduation Alliance (MEGA) is charged to examine and develop a plan of action to improve (cis/identified) male student outcomes from prospects to active alumni status with a focus on Hispanic/Latino and Black males. The taskforce will publish a report by 7/1/23 inclusive of findings, recommendations, and a repository of best practices.
Contact Us
Daniel Jean, Assistant Provost for Special Programs, EOF and Academic Success jeand@montclair.edu
Carolina Gonzalez, Assistant Dean-Administrative, External and Student Affairs gonzalezca@montclair.edu
Three Focus Areas
Data Collection & Analysis
Develop a sustainable plan to review, collect and analyze enrollment, retention, and graduation data and other data points connected to prospective and current students and alumni.
External/Internal Partnerships
Explore and deepen current and future partnerships related to community engagement, resource allocations and the development of enrollment and post-graduation talent pipelines.
Develop a framework, identify membership, and facilitate ongoing communication with an advisory team with external community stakeholders.
Engagement/Awareness Activities
Coordinate programming and engagement to directly impact prospective/current scholars and includes a nationwide collective of educators, administrators, thought leaders and best practices.
Committee Members and Key Partners
- Daniel Jean, (co-lead Provost Office), Assistant Provost for Special Programs, EOF and Academic Success
- Carolina Gonzalez, (co-lead CEHS), Assistant Dean-Administrative, External and Student Affairs
- Bradley Litchfield, (Provost Office), Assistant Provost for Finance and Administration
- Brianne Baird, (Development) Assistant Vice President, Corporate and Foundation Relations
- Christopher Cottle, (CEHS) Department Advisor, Family Science and Human Development
- Darren Sweeper, (Library), Government Documents and Research Services Librarian
- Dawn Soufleris, (Student Development and Campus Life), Vice President-Student Development and Campus Life
- Donna Lorenzo, (Provost Office), Director of Health Careers Programs and Upward Bound
- Evelyn De Jesus-Quiles, (CHSS), Administrative Support Manager
- Jessica Pichardo, (Community Engagement), Project Coordinator
- Joe Niclas, (Enrollment Management) Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions
- Krista Macchione, (SBUS) Coordinator of Accreditation and Special Projects
- Mia Kirk, (CEHS) Supervisor, Alternate Route Teacher Education Programs, Teaching and Learning
- Michael Hannon, (CEHS) Associate Professor, Counseling
- Natalie Lopez, (University College), Academic Program Coordinator
- Rahjuan Gordon, (Provost Office) Director, Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF)
- Sasha Ortiz, (Provost Office) Associate Director of Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF)
- Temeshia Lemons, (University College), Assistant Director for Advising
- Roman Liera (College of Education and Human Services), Assistant Professor
- E. De’Vaughn Weaver (Bloomfield College), Director, Educational Opportunity Fund
- Jean Conlon-Yoo, (Nursing) Clinical Nurse Specialist/Advising, Success, Education
- TBD: Senate, CSAM, CART, Student Representative
Shortlist of Current Partners: Institutional Research, African-American Caucus, Latina/o/x Caucus, Black Alumni Advisory Council, Hispanic/LatinX Alumni Network, Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Future MEGA Events
Future College Graduate Conference
November 16, 2022 8:30am-1:30pm
- Expected Attendance
- 300 High School Males/School Counselors
- Keynote
- Motivation, the importance of pursuing passions and the college pathway
- Purpose
- To engage prospective Redhawks in the University experience
- Registrants
- Malcolm X Shabazz High School, Ferris HS, University High School, Newark School of Fashion and Design, Central High School, Beloved Community Charter High School, Bard High School Early College, Dickinson High School, Perth Amboy High School, Paterson Arts and Science Charter, People’s Preparatory Charter School, Eagle Academy for Young Men of Newark, Passaic High School, Passaic Academy for Science & Engineering and Preparatory Academy, John F. Kennedy, Newark School of Data Science and Information Technology, Paterson Eastside, and PTECH (formerly known as Panther Academy)
Photo gallery from the Future College Graduate Conference
Male Enrollment & Graduation Alliance Symposium
March 3, 2023 9:30am-2:30pm
- Expected Attendance
- 150 Pre-K to 20+ Educators/Administrators
- Purpose
- To engage educators/administrators nationwide to share best practices, develop enrollment partnerships/pipelines and sustainable networks for future Black/Hispanic male success.
- Details
- Keynote, Ed Talk, Breakouts, Roundtable Chats, Scholar Panel, Commemorative Photo
Media Highlights
MEGA Symposium to Build Pipelines that Bring Black and Latinx Men to College – Diverse Education, October 28, 2022
To attend and graduate college, Black and brown male scholars need more support – OpEd by Daniel Jean in NJ.com, November 3, 2022