When you think of Detroit and think of higher education Wayne State University is the place to be.
However you might be surprised to learn the number of black students who boast about degrees from Wayne State.
In fact two years ago, only one in ten African American students earned a Bachelor's degree within 6 years.
Why is that number so low? We went in search of answers.
If you look inside Wayne State University's Student Union it's packed with hundreds of students of all nationalities. Outside, on campus, 3,000 students now live in the dorms, plus Midtown is booming.
With the addition of the Mike Illitch School of Business it should attract even more students, but when it comes time to graduate where are the black students.
Sharvai Thomas is in her 4th semester at Wayne State and she says some kids she started with aren't even at WSU anymore.
From 2009-2015 the number of black students dwindled from about six thousand to just over three thousand, that's a 50 percent drop.
Dylan West is now a Sophomore and doing fine.
Dylan says, "Renaissance High School in Detroit was very focused on college prep we had huge work loads we had close deadline we had to get work produced on time."
According to a report by Non-Profit Education Trust, more than 44 percent of white students graduate within 6 years. Two years ago, only one in ten black students could say the same.
Cash Caldwell is a graduate of Wayne State. Caldwell says, "It's very alarming. I would think at Wayne State here in the heart of the city, we would not have such a low graduation rate."
Dylan West says, "It's our struggles with education, you wonder if you can survive in a system that's not really made for you."
Wayne State Provost Keith Whitfield came to Wayne State less than a year ago from Duke University. He says finances, the curriculum and math requirements are often road blocks to graduation for black students.
Provost Whitfield says,"The math competency requirement was dropped in May of 2016."
With smart phones and computers, Whitfield says nationally educators are now pondering what role does math play in a 21 century education and how much do you really need.
Sharvai Thomas says math was the hardest class she ever took in her life and she's glad she doesn't have to take anymore.
Provost Whitfield says, "It was so clear that this was something truly keeping a lot of students from graduating."
Vanetta Towns earned her degree, but says the business curriculum for Human Resources was overwhelming.
Towns says when you compared the workload at Wayne State verses Oakland University it was vastly different -a different pace, the course load was different, Oakland did not require as many stats courses, accounting and finance.
Provost Whitfield says Wayne State has its challenges.
Provost Whitfield says, "We're an open access school and so we take students that have lower credentials who sometimes would not be able to come to school."
Wayne State, a top research school, is now reviewing curriculum and the way some classes are taught.
When asked is it unfair to compare a Wayne State Wniversity to a University of Michigan, to a Michigan State University, even to an Eastern Michigan in terms of their student body, rovost Whitfield was quick to answer, yes, very much so.
Provost Whitfield says, "We're an urban serving University and we sit in the heart of Detroit and to some degree that's what our identity is, we think of ourselves as Detroit's University."
Ninety-eight percent of students come from a 100 mile radius, and many are from the Detroit Public School District.
Provost Whitfield says, "The challenges DPS has had, we experience."
For now things seem to be going in the right direction. As of January the overall graduation rate is 40 percent, that's up 8% from two years ago and for African Americans it's up from 12.3% to 17.2%.
Five years from now, the goal is to have a 50 percent graduation rate and to close that racial gap.
To naysayers and people who want to throw darts at WSU, Provost Whitfield says, "You better keep an eye on us we're doing all the right things."
Next year, Wayne State will be celebrating it's 150 year anniversary, and they're hoping the graduation rate will continue to move upward in the right direction.
