Thanksgiving 2014

6th annual dinner for students with the Kimbroughs. We started in Little Rock at Philander Smith once Benjamin was born, deciding not to try to travel for both holidays. Plus that year we had a number of students from the Bahamas who could not get home. So it started in 2009 and we have done 3 in Little Rock and now 3 in New Orleans. Always a good time and a lot of food gets eaten!

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Death of a King

Last night I had a chance to hang out with some cool folks- Dr. Francis, Mary Matalin and Mayor Landrieu as we welcomed Tavis Smiley for a small reception for his new book, "Death of a King.: He spoke for about 10-15 minutes and made me want to read it immediately. The book covers the last year of King's life, from April 4, 1967 to April 4, 1968.

Those at the reception were stunned by the facts the book reveals, particularly how King was shunned by everyone, not just President Johnson, but the NAACP and Urban League. This is definitely a must read for anyone wanting to understand King beyond "I Have A Dream."

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Law School Admissions Council Law School Forum

On October 17th a group of 20 Dillard pre-law students attended the Law School Admissions Council law school recruitment forum. We had the biggest group, something other schools had to notice. We've stepped up our efforts to assist students who want to become lawyers, especially when the number of diverse lawyers is not keeping up with the diversity of the nation. This includes an AWESOME LSAT prep course that has generated eye-popping numbers.

In the next few weeks we'll be making an announcement about the next phase in this program. This will occur when we host Benjamin Crump who will be our 5th Ortique lecturer on law on society. The first was Attorney General Eric Holder in 2010. With the Ferguson decision probably announced by then, he will be visiting campus at an important time in this country's history. Definitely a must attend event.

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Misty Copeland

How many times have you been on a college campus for a lecture, 800 people show up, and many of them are girls under 18? I don't think I've ever seen it before... until last Tuesday. I happened to see a clip of the ABC News Person of the Week on Misty Copeland, an African American ballerina. The idea was intriguing to me so in August I started to make it happen.

Misty Copeland was that person to make this happen. It was powerful watching all of those little faces transfixed on Misty, the soft spoken dancer who was very aware of her role in history. But the highlight was the questions by girls as young as 5. Very rarely do they have a chance to speak in front of large crowds, but last week was their night. And they stepped up!

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#EducateOurMen... at Dillard!

Last weekend at the Soul Train Music Awards, MC Lyte and the Hip Hop Sisters Foundation awarded their first 3 scholarships to young men so that they may enter Dillard University next fall. Each young man received a $50K scholarship.

Having had a chance to talk with MC Lyte on a couple of occasions, I know she is extremely genuine. I am also thankful she chose Dillard as a partner. I am excited about the possibilities.


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Basketball Season underway

Finally had a chance to see our 14-15 women's basketball team. They were 2-1 headed into Saturday's game with Auburn at Montgomery. I definitely saw a much improved team.

It came down to the wire and the visitors snuck out a win. But this team has great promise and I will be looking forward to watching them grow.

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Happy Birthday Benjamin!

Born on election day in 2008 (and first baby in the US with Barack in his name in honor of President Obama), Benjamin turned six today.

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Halloween 2014

 

 

A dragon, Hermione, and an Angel (or so she says!)

 

 

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Kevin Powell visits DU

I have always believed it is important to augment and supplement the education on a campus with guests, especially those who bring a different perspective to everyone. Recently we hosted Kevin Powell for 2 days as a scholar in residence. His major evening talks were around domestic violence, but he spoke to our freshman convocation group, to faculty, and to several classes.

Kevin has been active in a number of areas for decades. I first met him in 1997 when he spoke at Old Dominion University, and we have been in touch over the years. Scenes like the one above are what college should be like- students hungry to interaction, discussion and debate.

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