Talladega College President Dr. Billy Hawkins had some advice for the next generation of HBCU leaders: “Running a college, you’re running an education business enterprise,” he said. “You’ve always got to keep that first.”
Addressing members of the Higher Education Leadership Foundation’s Beta Cohort—a group of higher education professionals in various stages of their careers and with broad-ranging leadership aspirations—in Salisbury, N.C., this week, Hawkins said it is also important for presidential hopefuls to humble themselves and work as part of a team.
“In this position, you have to learn to say ‘my fault, I messed up,’” he said.
“Learn to give credit when credit is due,” Hawkins continued. “It’s not about you. … You have to make decisions that are in the best interest of the institution. … It’s when the president believes it’s all about him, it’s all about her, that’s when they get in trouble. Because no one person can do this by themselves.”
South Carolina State University Interim President Dr. W. Franklin Evans said that “each and every day, just when you think you’ve learned everything there is to learn, something else pops up.”
“As the president, your job does not stop when you leave the office, it does not stop when you’re not on campus or you’re not in front of board members; it is 24-7,” Evans added.
Some of the leaders addressed a topic that is sometimes whispered about but rarely addressed publicly: board dynamics.
