Marybeth GasmanUniversity of Pennsylvania professor Marybeth Gasman explores issues of access and retention for students and faculty of color and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, among other things.OpinionFisk University: An American Treasure Worth SupportingI admit that I have a special place for Fisk University in my heart. It is the first historically Black institution I ever visited. The campus is quaint, pretty, and jam-packed with African-American history and treasures. My dissertation, and first book, pertained to Fisk University President Charles S. Johnson and his ability to raise money […]August 15, 2010OpinionInstitutional Level Strategies for Retaining Men of ColorA couple of weeks ago, I served on a panel at the American Public and Land Grant Universities’ Commission on Access, Diversity and Excellence Conference. The panel pertained to the ways in which colleges and universities can recruit and retain men of color in the student ranks. I was honored to be on a panel […]August 1, 2010OpinionColleges and Universities Must Engage Alumni of ColorNote: Nelson Bowman III, director of development at Prairie View A & M University, coauthored this blog post. Unless you haven’t picked up a newspaper, read an online publication, watched TV or been on Facebook in the last couple of years, you have heard that the demographics in the United States are changing — by […]July 13, 2010OpinionTeaching Outside the ClassroomA few years ago, I wrote an article with two of my students (Nia Haydel and Sibby Anderson-Thomkins) entitled Corridors and Coffee Shops: Teaching Outside the Classroom. The article focused on the teaching and learning that occurs when students and professors meet informally. Last week, I had a wonderful moment of teaching and learning with […]June 27, 2010OpinionTen Ways To Retain Faculty of ColorRecently I gave a talk at the American Association of University Professors’ annual meeting. The talk focused on the retention of faculty of color—unfortunately only one White faculty member attended the session. My comments were directed at those in positions of power within historically White institutions—I was saddened that many of these individuals did not […]June 21, 2010OpinionLessons Learned from ‘Setting the Agenda for Historically Black Colleges and Universities’Last week in Durham, N.C., a wonderful symposium took place. It was not business as usual but, instead, an honest look at the future of HBCUs. Although I was one of the speakers, I sat through all the sessions (which brought everyone together in one room) and took about 40 pages of notes. As a […]June 7, 2010OpinionErasing History in TexasLet me begin with a dialogue: My child: Mommy, how could Benjamin Franklin own slaves? Why would he do that? I thought he believed in freedom for everyone. I thought he was a good man. Me: Well, people are complicated. At first Franklin believed Blacks were inferior to Whites, but eventually, through exposure and his […]May 25, 2010OpinionThe Politics of FearArizona Gov. Jan Brewer just signed a law making it illegal for the state’s public schools to teach ethnic studies classes. Tom Horne, the state superintendent for public instruction who supported the legislation, said, “Traditionally, the American public school system has brought together students from different backgrounds and taught them to be Americans and to […]May 16, 2010OpinionHow Do True Beauty and Ultimate Hate Reside Side By Side?Since 2003, I have been taking a group of doctoral students to South Africa during the summer. Every year I am amazed and humbled by the absolute beauty of the country. When I look up at Table Mountain in Cape Town or take the ferry to Robben Island, my breath is taken away by the […]May 2, 2010OpinionRefusing To Define Quality by Anything but Test Scores: Why?Last night I was at a dinner party. The small gathering included eight Ivy League tenured faculty members. Although we were gathered to talk about another matter, the subject of test scores and college admissions surfaced. I won’t go into the details of the discussion, but, as you might expect, I had to say something. […]April 11, 2010Previous PagePage 5 of 11Next Page
