Improving Success for College Men of Color
The USC Race and Equity Center has been awarded over $4.7 million in private foundation grants for Takeoff, a multiyear initiative that aims to innovate approaches to student success at community colleges and four-year postsecondary institutions across the United States. Participating colleges benefit from $75,000 subgrants, free coaching, practically-useful professional learning experiences, quantitative surveys, a resource library, and substantive networking opportunities.
Takeoff colleges and universities develop strategic, campus-specific efforts to improve the experiences, academic success, and outcomes of undergraduate men of color. Innovation, measurable impact, and sustainability are required components of each institutional initiative. Every college has a six-person team comprised of administrators, faculty, staff, and at least one student. Each team is paired with a coach who offers inspiration and expertise, furnishes helpful resources, provides feedback on the institution’s innovation plan, and holds team members accountable for forward progress and alignment with the five Takeoff principles.
SECTION TOPICS:
Takeoff Principles
These five principles are deeply and measurably embedded into each institution’s Takeoff innovation:
Using Evidence
Synthesizing and using existing evidence to address racial inequities that disadvantage college men of color. Doing so requires resisting imprecise, generic generalizations about racial/ethnic groups, and instead using disaggregated data to address population-specific challenges.
Accepting Institutional Responsibility
Discarding deficit perspectives on college men of color and refusing to view those students’ communities as problems. Instead, acknowledging institutional shortcomings and empowering employees to fix policies, practices, conditions, and deficit mindsets that negatively affect men of color.
Applying Complex Understandings
Recognizing the nuanced interconnectedness of systems and conditions that work together to both support and cyclically disadvantage men of color. Also accounting for and redressing historical negligence and harm, as well as resisting simplistic activity-based remedies.
Appreciating Intersecting Identities
Recognizing how race intersects with gender, citizenship and documentary status, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, language, ability, religion, and a range of identities that college men of color possess and perform.
Pursuing Structural, Systemic, and Policy Change
Working to dismantle systems of oppression and institutionalized racism by strategically using research to inform policy, practice, and curriculum on behalf of college men of color.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities Cohort
The USC Race and Equity Center launched our second Takeoff cohort in 2025. Over 80 four-year colleges and universities applied for membership in our inaugural cohort. These 12 HBCUs were selected:
Albany State University
Albany, Georgia
Clark Atlanta University
Atlanta, Georgia
Edward Waters University
Jacksonville, Florida
Florida A&M University
Tallahassee, Florida
Fort Valley State University
Fort Valley, Georgia
Grambling State University
Grambling, Louisiana
Hampton University
Hampton, Virginia
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma
Lincoln University
Lincoln University, Pennsylvania
Norfolk State University
Norfolk, Virginia
Talladega College
Talladega, Alabama
Xavier University
New Orleans, Louisiana
Community College Cohort
The USC Race and Equity Center launched Takeoff in 2023. Over 150 community colleges applied for membership in our inaugural cohort. These 15 were selected:
Bakersfield College
Bakersfield, California
Bunker Hill Community College
Boston, Massachusetts
Community College of Baltimore County
Baltimore, Maryland
Cosumnes River College
Sacramento, California
Edmonds College
Lynwood, Washington
Fullerton College
Fullerton, California
Greenville Technical College
Greenville, South Carolina
Ilisagvik College
Utqiaġvik, Alaska
Kapi’olani Community College
Honolulu, Hawai’i
Lehigh Carbon Community College
Schnecksville, Pennsylvania
Long Beach City College
Long Beach, California
Northeast Lakeview College
Alamo Community College District
Universal City, Texas
Phoenix College
Maricopa Community Colleges
Phoenix, Arizona
San José City College
San José, California
SUNY Hudson Valley Community College
Capital District Educational Opportunity Center
Troy, New York
Team Takeoff
Takeoff Coaches
Dr. Mike Muñoz, President
Long Beach City College
Takeoff Head Coach
Amanuel Gebru, Ed.D.
Los Angeles City College
Cristobal Salinas Jr., Ph.D.
Florida Atlantic University
Daniel Soodjinda, Ed.D.
California State University, Stanislaus
David Jones, Ed.D.
New Jersey Institute of Technology
David Pérez II, Ph.D.
Syracuse University
Edward Bush, Ph.D.
Cosumnes River College
E.J.R. David, Ph.D.
University of Alaska
Frank Harris III, Ed.D.
San Diego State University
Mark Sanchez, Ed.D.
Southwestern College
Oscar Patrón, Ph.D.
Indiana University
Sefa Aina
Pomona College
Victor Sáenz, Ph.D.
University of Texas at Austin
Wendell Hall, Ph.D.
Equivolve
William Syms, Ed.D.
West Los Angeles College
