Georgia Southern Launches Program to Put More Men of Color in the Classroom

The Call Me MISTER® program on the Armstrong Campus will admit its first students this fall. The program seeks to increase the number of teachers from a broader and more diverse background, particularly focusing on recruiting and mentoring African American men. According to national figures, only 2% of all teachers in the U.S. are Black men. Call Me MISTER®, which originated at Clemson University, is an acronym that stands for Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models. Georgia Southern is one of only three higher education institutions in Georgia, and the only one in southeast Georgia, that offers the mentorship program. Calvin Walton, Ph.D., lecturer in the College of Education (COE), was named the program director.

“Our goal is to have a major impact on Savannah-Chatham County Schools,” said Walton. “We have to do a better job in the area, the state and the nation to recruit and properly develop African American males to become teachers. Black students with Black teachers perform better. Research shows that. So, we need to do what we can to allow diverse students to see themselves reflected in their teachers and have the opportunity to perform at the highest levels.”

Georgia Southern has also partnered with the Georgia Army National Guard in efforts to support the program through a joint opportunity for students to participate in Call Me MISTER® and enlist in the National Guard. Sgt. First Class Todd Friedel of the Georgia Army National Guard and the University’s Director of Military and Veterans Services Col. George Fredrick played an integral role in efforts to bring the program to Georgia Southern.

“Having a partnership with the College of Education makes our recruiters more aware of what a full-time career in education for the state of Georgia and a part-time state of Georgia National Guard career can look like,” explained Friedel. “As recruiters, we touch the lives of many Black males in the state, and this allows us to share with them the opportunity to serve your community both as a soldier and educator.”

COE Associate Dean for Administration and Faculty Affairs Tracy Linderholm, Ph.D., spearheaded the initiative to bring Call Me MISTER® to Georgia Southern after she was approached by Sgt. Friedel and Col. Fredrick with the idea.