Augusta State University junior Bradley Brown is getting close to graduating, and he knows the importance of reaching his goal.

"I've always wanted to be successful -- just not giving up has been the main drive for me to achieve my goals," said Mr. Brown, who is one year away from earning a bachelor's degree in management information systems.

Augusta State has fewer than 400 black male students -- a statistic Mr. Brown and others say mirrors a national trend that needs to improve.

"There's such a lack of African-American males graduating from high school and getting in college in general," said Mr. Brown, who already has an associate of arts degree and works in information technology services at Augusta State. "There are so few of us that the more of us that can get through college, the better."

Recently, Augusta State received and matched a $20,000 grant from the Lumina Foundation to help black men earn bachelor's degrees. National and local officials say that among all racial and ethnic groups, black men are retained least often in higher education.

"Overall, the goal is to ensure that significantly more black men graduate from college," said Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe, the founder of the Student African American Brotherhood, which is collaborating with Augusta State on the problem.

Augusta State was among 13 University System of Georgia institutions to receive the grant money. It will be involved in a national pilot research project involving SAAB chapters to analyze psycho-social factors. Officials say the data should help find strategies for better retention and graduation rates of black men.

According to the SAAB, more than two-thirds of all black men nationwide who start college don't finish with a bachelor's degree. In 2008, 377 out of more than 6,600 Augusta State students were black men. That represents 7 percent of the school's undergraduates.

The graduation rate for black men who started college in 2002 and received a degree by 2008 was 13 percent at Augusta State and 15 percent statewide. For all students in the University System of Georgia, the rate for the same time frame was 56 percent.

And from July 2008 to June, Augusta State officials say, one associate, 30 bachelor's and 15 graduate degrees were earned by black men.

Part of the grant money Augusta State is receiving will go toward creating a summer program for black male freshmen, offering an orientation class, life skills, public speaking opportunities and special programs with the students' parents in mind, said Karen Mobley, the director of Augusta State's student development.

At Paine College, officials say they also have been focusing on black male students.

The school is working to increase black men's participation in teacher education, said Paine spokeswoman Natasha Carter.

The University of South Carolina Aiken doesn't break down graduation rates by black males and females, but spokeswoman Jennifer Conner said there was a 28 percent graduation rate for all black students who started in 2002 and graduated by 2008.

Reach Preston Sparks at (706) 828-3851 or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com.