Search | The EDU Ledger

Welcome to The EDU Ledger.com! We’ve moved from Diverse.

Welcome to The EDU Ledger! We’ve moved from Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.

Section: Opinion

Stepping Away from the Brink: Stop Gambling with Racial and Economic Equity

Given the changing education and economic landscape due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an ever-increasing number of low-income students are applying to institutions of higher education.

August 18, 2021

Dr. Edward Summers,

Who Succeeds As An HBCU President?

As of this writing, eleven HBCUs are looking for their next president. I added to that number recently indicating this would be my last year at Dillard, completing 10 years here, and into my 18th as a president.

August 16, 2021

Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough

A Revolution in Teacher Pay is Needed to Recruit and Retain the Best and Brightest

The battle for the future of education begins with motivating the best college and university students to choose to pursue careers in education.

August 13, 2021

Dr. Marcus Bright

Sunisa “Suni” Lee Should Turn Gold Into Gold Under New NCAA Rules

Suni Lee, the 18-year old Olympic Gold medalist for “all-around gymnast,” stepped in when the “greatest of all time” Simone Biles withdrew at the Tokyo games. Lee’s golden moment is captured in images that have been tweeted and shared on social media.

August 12, 2021

Community Colleges

Community College: Advancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Post-COVID Labor Market

This opinion piece provides an example of why community colleges given their role and legacy are well positioned in partnering with the K–12, community-based organization, and business sectors in engaging and preparing America’s diverse workforce to meet the labor market skills of the future.

August 9, 2021

Dr. Walters Picture[219623]

Leadership & Policy

An Open Letter to Trustees of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

Although I have lost count of the number of HBCU presidential vacancies and recent appointments, suffice it to say I believe the number of vacancies is far too high in proportion to the number of HBCUs as a percent of the total number of colleges and universities. The situation is so dire that some presidents are not in office long enough to be officially inaugurated. This is unacceptable, and alumni and other institutional constituents become part of the problem when they refuse to speak out in a constructive manner.

August 6, 2021

How Economic Desperation Feeds the Athletic Lottery

The growth and proliferation of the athletic lottery is based on many people buying into the belief that they too can win despite there being significant odds against it. Many young people have the illusion of there being a much greater likelihood that they will reach the professional ranks than they actually have. The odds of getting there are slim to none regardless of one’s desire to get there.

August 4, 2021

The Future of Black Scholars

In this essay, I will envision what it would look like to have Black faculty have transformational experiences that would lead to them thriving holistically – mentally, spiritually, socially, and physically. I would like to introduce my Model of Black Transformation, a 5-step approach to help us think about Black professors in the future.

August 3, 2021

Maintaining Philanthropic Support at HBCUs that Extends Beyond This Period of Racial Reckoning

This period of racial reckoning has seen many philanthropists celebrate the enormity of HBCUs by providing unprecedented financial donations.

August 2, 2021

Why I Finished My Dissertation, but Quit My Ph.D.

Last month, after finishing my dissertation months ago, I quit my PhD program. Let me explain.

August 1, 2021

Headshot2[216430]

Thank you, Simone Biles!

Like so many sports fans, I felt sympathy for Simone Biles when she stepped away from the Olympic stage to deal with her mental health issues. As a licensed professional counselor, I could not have been more proud to see her seek out the help that she and so many others need.

July 29, 2021

Ishmael Reed’s Undying Faith in Diversity and Multiculturalism

Ishmael Reed, the novelist, playwright, poet, knows a lot of things. Especially Higher Ed. In his novel, Japanese by Spring, Reed imagines a college taken over by Japanese businessmen who restructure the framework of curriculum debate. “Too white” gives way to not enough Zen Buddhism. Breathe deeply. It’s a satire, informed by Reed’s career as a now retired full-time lecturer at UC Berkeley.

July 27, 2021

The Importance of Valuing Diversity Within Research

The world of research has never been more inclusive than it is now. Only 100 years ago, nearly all researchers were white and men. Research participants were primarily white men as well. Classic social science studies including the Stanford Prison Experiment only included college-aged men as participants, while people of color were forcibly experimented upon, resulting in inhumane pain and in some cases, death.

July 23, 2021

The Transferrable Impact of Positive Pressure in Sports and Public Policy

There is a heightened level of immersion and focus that goes into what coaches do every day because the stakes are higher. With higher stakes comes more pressure. Pressure one of the main elements that leads to top level performance on a consistent basis. A lack of pressure leads to complacency which is the enemy of the maximization of one’s potential and purpose.

July 22, 2021

The Violence of Academia Helped Me See One Thing Clearly

I have spent a lot of time reflecting on life and death, for a few reasons. Around this time last year my mother almost died in a car accident. The year prior my dad nearly passed away, having to have back-to-back brain surgeries. In the past few years, multiple loved ones have died. Many of these lives I have yet to even grieve. Ironically, this time period was the peak of when I became most acquainted with academia’s violence.

July 20, 2021

constance iloh photo__ (002)

Advancing Social and Racial Justice Through Higher Education

Over the last few years, there has been national attention given to the social and racial injustices against Blacks and Hispanics across the United States. As a Black man over the age of 40, the first memory of what I believe to have been a blatant display of an injustice was on March 3, 1991 when I watched the Rodney King video. Mr. King laid on the ground in a fetal position while beaten with batons and kicked in the head repeatedly by Los Angeles police officers who claimed self-defense.

July 19, 2021

jonelle knox feat

Coordinating University and Religious Calendars: An Inclusive Practice

Like most university students, at the start of every semester I look at my course syllabi. I skim the course readings and assignments, but what I am really looking for is the calendar. More specifically, I am looking for how the calendar will overlap with the religious holidays I observe. Like most non-Christian university students, I can expect my holidays to be largely overlooked when it comes to course planning and university events.

July 14, 2021

NCAA Name, Image, and Likeness Policy Change Ushers in a New Paradigm

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) adoption of a new policy on July 1 that allowed players to be able to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL), has ushered in a new era for college athletics. It is an inflection point that will create a new paradigm that multiple stakeholders will have to adjust to. It represents a major deviation from a status quo that has been in place for generations. Players will now be able to cash in on the fame that the platform of college sports provides for the first time.

July 14, 2021