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McNair Scholars urged to become leaders in academia
Held Oct. 3-4 in Clayton Hall, the conference, attended by more than 150 students from 26 universities nationwide, featured student research presentations, a graduate school fair and workshop, as well as a premier showing of works from the Paul R. Jones Collection at UD. One of 156 programs nationwide, UD’s Ronald E. McNair Baccalaureate Achievement Program honors physicist Ronald McNair, the second African-American astronaut in space, who was among those who died aboard the space shuttle “Challenger” in 1986. In welcoming McNair Scholars, directors, faculty advisers and guests to the first national conference held at UD, President David P. Roselle reminded participants of the importance of the conference theme, “Developing Excellence in Academia and Beyond.” At the conference banquet on Oct. 3, Roselle said, “The research presentations that I read today makes this look like a conference of very mature academics. We offer our thanks for your sharing this work, and we encourage you to explore research and explore academia.” While encouraging the McNair Scholars to pursue their dreams in graduate school and beyond, Roselle also challenged participants to consider the possibility of a career in higher education. “When you are thinking about a career path, think seriously about academia,” Roselle said. “Being a faculty member at a good university is really a fabulous job, and one that I would encourage very much.” Roselle noted that the academic achievements of McNair Scholars at UD indicate UD is continuing the tradition of academic excellence begun by Francis Alison in 1743. “The first class taught by Dr. Alison was 12 in number, but three of those 12 young men signed the Declaration of Independence, a tradition that the University is very proud of,” Roselle said. “The McNair Program makes us believe that we are now educating leaders just as we did in 1743.” Leadership also was the theme of keynote speaker Tatum, who also is an author and clinical psychologist. Described by Roselle as a “fourth-generation college professor,” Tatum earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wesleyan University, and her master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Raised in Bridgewater, Mass., Tatum is the author of the critically acclaimed 1997 book, “Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race.” A higher education veteran with more than 22 years of experience, including as dean and acting president of Mount Holyoke College, Tatum said that being a college administrator and president were not in her plans when she began her academic career.
Tatum compared the challenge of becoming a leader to responding to a ringing phone that no one else seems to hear. “I want you to imagine that you are in a room and that the phone is ringing, but nobody seems to hear it,” Tatum said. “You start to wonder if it is your imagination or that maybe the phone is not ringing at all.” Eventually, Tatum said, you do realize that the phone is definitely ringing, and that someone needs to answer it. “Throughout our lives, at least certainly throughout my life, I would see a situation and say, ‘Someone needs to respond to this,’” Tatum said. “Not seeing anyone else step up to do it, I answered the call.” In addressing the issue of developing leadership potential, Tatum referred to Parker Palmer, whose book “Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation” explores the issue of leadership as a concept that most people resist. “Palmer said that ‘For better or worse, I lead by word and deed, just because I am here doing what I do,’” Tatum said. “He also said that we all have the courage to lead, and often do so without knowing it.” Tatum said that, according to Palmer, vocation and leadership encompass the ability to do new things in new places without totally understanding why. “Sometimes, that is the choice we are asked to make,” Tatum said. “I actually had to make that choice when I was asked to go to Spelman College. I had never lived in the South, I didn’t know anyone there, and my family was in Massachusetts. Yet, it seemed like a good idea. Now, I know it was a great idea.” Besides being president of Spelman College, Tatum said that the most compelling aspect of her career as a trained clinical psychologist and academic is addressing the issue of racism in American society. This interest in racial identity began for Tatum growing up as an African American in a mostly white community. “Most people are interested in topics that have some biographical connection in one way or another,” Tatum said.
The class proved successful, and many of her students, most of whom were white, said it was the best course they had ever taken, and some said that it had changed their lives. Tatum said that while she was surprised at the praise from her students in their course evaluations, she also was aware what a powerful impact the educational experience had on them. “It had created an opportunity to talk about a topic that people don’t usually get a chance to talk about in a constructive way,” Tatum said. “I was convinced from that moment that it is the social responsibility of teachers to help students understand the ways in which racism operates in their own lives and what they can do about it.” Tatum said she also asked the students to think about their spheres of influence and how they could do something about racism. Tatum said the course also caused her to think about her own sphere of influence and how this might be expanded beyond the college classroom. This re-evaluation eventually led her to work with teachers, principals and school district administrators. “Really, thinking about leadership and how our spheres can be expanded has led me to think about the fact that if we understand how to do this, we can do anything that we care very much about,” Tatum said. “You need to be able to identify your sphere of influence and how to expand it. I hope you will think about this as you think about your future careers, wherever they might lead you.” Tatum also asked conference participants to consider the concept of leadership as an outgrowth of the pursuit of academic excellence and career goals. “As you do what you do with excellence, you do not know who you are influencing,” Tatum said. “One of the things that I would urge you to do is think about how to be intentional about it, because there are some things about which you truly want to influence people.” While reminding students that leadership and the pursuit of excellence require a great deal of hard work as well as some tough choices, she also emphasized the importance of maintaining an inner balance while meeting classroom and career challenges. “If you want to be a leader,” Tatum said, “you have to be grounded internally, whether that takes the form of traditional religion or some other way of expressing your inner sense of balance and awareness.” Tatum said that she is often sustained and guided by family values, such as treating others the way you would like to be treated and being a force for good in the world. “This is a room full of people who have the capacity to be a force for good in the world,” Tatum said. “When that phone rings, I hope you will have the courage and wisdom to answer it, because if you do, it is destined to give you a life full of satisfaction and joy.” Article by Jerry Rhodes To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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