Happy Mardi Gras

We're deep in the Mardi Gras season- balls, parades, King Cake- you name it. New Orleans is an interesting place to live during this season. It was really easy to get used to it, as I think the culture here is one of the endearing qualities.

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Prospective Honors Students

As part of the Bleu Devil Classic Weekend, we hosted prospective honors students from across the nation, hoping to convince them to attend Dillard. A very strong group with diverse interests, they had a full weekend of activities. This is definitely a good event for us, one that I believe we can grow in the future.

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Brain Food: Jason Riley

 

 

I love bringing hard core conservatives to speak at HBCUs! Probably one of the best ways to engage people in great dialogue. Jason Riley did just that. His new book, "Please Stop Helping Us," indicts liberal policies that he says have actually harmed black people.

 

Riley argues against minimum wage in that it prevents job growth. He says affirmative action is now a discriminatory program. He says the current civil rights leaders essentially have monetized racism. And he suggests that Blacks really need focus on culture- attitudes toward family and education- to solve problems.

 

The book is an interesting read, and Riley is pretty confident in his positions. He did not waiver during Q&A, which I gave him a lot of credit for even coming to speak to a crowd that probably disagrees with most of what he says. I want my students to be able to do just as he does- have courage of conviction no matter the audience. That alone is a great lesson.

 

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King Day at Alabama State University

Yesterday I had the great honor of serving as the keynote for the annual King Convocation at Alabama State University. The new president, Dr. Gwen Boyd, is a fantastic speaker, so it was a great honor to be invited.

I was SO impressed with the students. I first spoke at ASU in 2002 to do a workshop for Greeks and those interested. Every time I have been on the campus the students have impressed me. Plus I saw two terrific high school groups, including the choir behind me in the photo that was awesome.

Next year Dillard will begin holding King convocations like this one. It was a first class event, great energy, and I guess the speaker did okay!

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A Decade as President

 

This past Saturday I served as the commencement speaker at Delaware State. Commencement is always a great event, so I was pleased to accept the invitation. Saturday was December 13th. On that day, in 2004, I began my work as president of Philander Smith College.

 

 

So today would have been that day, this Monday. 10 years a president is a long time. You can tell because my hair is whiter and there is less of it. There are lots of memories during that time. Always the best part of being a president is working with students and families. When you can watch someone progress and then enter their careers, get married and start families-there is nothing quite like it. It is always special to see those who don't have a clue finally get it along the way. That is the reason why I do what I do.

And yet, I think many people have an unrealistic impression of the presidency. It is a LONELY job. I am very blessed to have a wife who has been a higher ed attorney (assistant to the president) and worked in student affairs, so she really understands what I do. This is her calling too, and she often does so much for our students on her free time- people really have no idea.

But you never expect to have people dislike or even hate you because you have to make a decision they don't like, or many times, they just don't like you because you are simply the president! Right before I moved to New Orleans a colleague said, "Why would anyone want to be a president?" This job takes a toll on you and your spirit, so being grounded in your faith is the only way to survive a presidency, because you have to survive. Simply stated, if you don't know Jesus, you don't need to become a president!

So we'll see what the future holds. The first decade went quickly so I am looking forward to a second decade. This is definitely a calling.

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Ortique Lecture on Law & Society: Benjamin Crump

Last Tuesday we held the 5th annual Ortique Lecture on Law and Society. The lecture is in honor of Justice Revius Ortique, Dillard graduate who was the first African American on the Louisiana Supreme Court. His family, including wife, daughter and son in law have been tremendous supporters of the university.

We hit the jackpot this year with Benjamin Crump, who spoke roughly one week after a grad jury did not indict the officer in the death of Michael Brown. Crump, a new generation of civil rights attorney, captivated the crowd as he spoke about several civil rights cases and provided a broader understanding of the issues. He also spent time with our pre-law students prior to his open lecture. A standing-room only crowd was not disappointed.

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Dillard's Center for Law and Public Interest

8 days after the grand jury in Ferguson returned with no indictment, and less than 24 hours before a grand jury in Staten Island did the same thing, we announced our new center for law and public interest. There is clearly a need for more of us to look more closely at law and public interest, government, and policy. Hopefully our efforts will be meaningful in this regard.

My announcement is below. It provides the historical context by which we enter this new endeavor.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByZdwNtAIOguQ1h6RHplQVU0Zk0/view?usp=sharing