Mentoring College Men to Lead the Next Generation of Young Scholars : The Blueprint for Developing Men of Character

Ten years ago, six young men from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, began asking questions about modern manhood. Many boys grow up without positive male role models. Where will they turn for examples? To athletes, rappers, or pop stars? These men decided to be the examples they had always sought.

With the help of author t. leon williams, who championed Buena Vista’s multicultural center at the time, the six students formed a brotherhood known as the Men of Character. They spent hours discussing ideals of manhood: character development, academic achievement, and community engagement. The Founding Brothers were African American, but they embraced universal manhood based on character over color. As their discussions deepened, they took their mission into their community. Through mentoring, a national movement was born.

Mentoring College Men to Lead the Next Generation of Young Scholars contains the Men of Character’s mantra and curriculum. The discussion book is not only a practical application of the brotherhood’s ideals for schools and church groups, it’s also a great read for fathers, stepfathers, uncles, pastors, single mothers, and teachers who want to introduce their boys and young men to positive discussions on manhood.

In a 2000 publication of the New Republic, Youngstown, Ohio was profoundly described as the "Most Crooked City in America." In many respects, Youngstown was regarded as the newly infested drug emporium of the Midwest. T. Leon Williams, a product of Youngstown, utilized the unpredictable life of mayhem to discover his passion for education, marginalized individuals and groups, and service. From very modest beginnings, T. Leon Williams has earned a Bachelor degree from Ohio Northern University (92') in Business Administration and a Master degree of Science of Education from The University of Dayton (95'). Currently, Williams is a doctoral candidate in the School of Religion at Virginia University of Lynchburg in Lynchburg, Virginia (May, 2015). In the spring of 2014, Williams completed six years of service at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina, as the Director of the Multicultural Center and Campus Pastor of One In Christ Gospel Ministry (2008 - 2014). Prior to arriving in North Carolina, Williams served as the Director of Intercultural Program at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa (2000 - 2008). Williams began his career at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio as the Director of Multicultural Development and Assistant Football Coach (1993 - 2000). For the last two decades, Williams has received numerous awards and certificates, such as Staff of the Year, Most Outstanding Speaker, and the John and Connie Klockentager Education for Service Award. Williams has also played a major role in the community serving with United Way of Alamance County, Special Olympics, Loaves and Fishes, Allied Churches, among others. Williams is the author of "The First Year College Experience Handbook: Strategies for Academic Success and Character Development." Williams has also successfully written and directed numerous plays and short stories. In addition to his role in higher education, Williams is a national speaker with CAMPUSPEAK, Inc., and has traveled to 25 different states, reaching more than 10,000 faculty, staff, and students for nearly 15 years. After much success in higher education, T. Leon Williams founded The Institute for Academic Success and Character Education, LLC, an educational network for college, high school, middle, and elementary students. Williams and his wife, Rochelle, and two kids, Sierra and Elijah, reside in Charlotte, North Carolina.