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

Section: Opinion

Tiger by the Tail?

I never thought I’d find myself defending Tiger Woods. But, alas, I am here. By now, we all know the details of Tiger Woods’ storied career. He has re-written the PGA record book and is the world’s highest-paid athlete. And he is Black. I mean, Cablinasian. But, I digress. Legend has it that Tiger’s black […]

December 1, 2009

Assimilation and Adaptation Needed to Improve Latino Student Success

Adapting institutions to better serve Latino students is not without criticism. Some in higher education believe Latino students should assimilate rather than have institutions adapt to meet their strengths and needs. These critics say our higher education system is the best in the world, and thus, rather than “forcing” an institution to change, students should […]

December 1, 2009

Why I’m Thankful for Theory

Recently I collaborated with a colleague on a presentation of a paper. In preparing for the presentation she was concerned about offering a theoretical discussion of our work because she thought it would alienate the audience. Her rationale for this perspective was based in her belief that presentations should be “straightforward” and that a discussion […]

November 30, 2009

‘See What Had Happened Was…’

Lincoln’s fall semester ends in early December, which means Thanksgiving is just a brief respite before the rush of the last week of classes. Over the past few days, I’ve been getting my share of e-mails from students concerned about passing my courses. When the semester began, I made my expectations clear: no excuses, no […]

November 29, 2009

Too Fat to Graduate? Lincoln University’s Fitness Requirements

News media recently reported that Lincoln University in Pennsylvania was requiring their students who have a body-mass index (BMI) over 30 to pass a physical fitness course in order to graduate. This policy, which has been in existence for a few years, is just now getting media attention and is being objected to by some […]

November 29, 2009

Understanding Identity Politics in a Classroom

When I taught at Penn State and Temple universities, my classrooms were mostly White save for a handful of Black and Brown faces. The toughest thing for me to come to grips with was the fact that I was a person of color teaching students who had rarely interacted with minority educators. Those dynamics were […]

November 18, 2009

Creating an Army of Latino College-goers

I recently attended a football game and was struck by the assertive approaches by military recruiters to engage the males in attendance. It reminded me of several focus groups we held with Latino students across the country and their comments that the military was more aggressive in recruiting them than any college. Given the national […]

November 17, 2009

Looking Forward Rather Than Backward

Last Thursday, I attended the “Unfinished Business: National Dialogue on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the 21st Century” meeting at Morgan State University. Most of the conversation centered on the inequity that continues to exist in public higher education, especially in the Southern and border states. During the presidents’ roundtable, the speakers detailed […]

November 16, 2009

Self-Hatred on Steroids: Sammy Sosa’s Extreme Makeover

Not since Michael Jackson’s de-pigmentation have we witnessed the likes of Sammy Sosa’s shocking skin lightening. Have you seen him? Since the pictures surfaced last weekend, there has been much speculation about the former slugger’s strange metamorphosis. People wondered: Is he ill? Has he lost his mind? Is he trying to be white? […]

November 11, 2009

Graduate School A Viable Option For HBCU Students

In June, I became the first member of my family to receive a Ph.D. To clarify, I have aunts and uncles with Ph.D’s, but I was the first to be educated entirely in the United States. In the decade or so since I received my undergraduate degree, I have done some things I’m proud […]

November 10, 2009

Getting Ready for the Praxis Exam

If your education students are a bit nervous or fidgety this week in class, here’s why: On Saturday, thousands of college students and pre-professionals across the United States will arise early in the morning — earlier than most college classes start — and trek to a nearby site to take the first battery of […]

November 10, 2009

Success Starts With A Support System

My niece is in the first grade and this weekend I helped her finish her homework. She had to complete a one-page report on capuchin monkeys and create a habitat in a shoebox depicting the monkeys in their natural environment. We spent time on the Web looking at videos and investigating what the monkeys ate […]

November 9, 2009

Racial Mis-Profiling Affects Black Men More Acutely

In my previous column, I took the position that Black men tend to bear the brunt of many of society’s frustrations and are often targeted in a negative manner. Well, in response to my column, I received a few e-mails and phone calls from people from various backgrounds. My supporters said they were glad someone […]

November 9, 2009

From the Ideal to the Real: A Daughter of the South Reflects on Obama’s First Year

“What a difference a year makes.” And when it comes to President Barack Obama, never has this truism been more, well, true. This time last year, I was euphoric —to the point of numbness. When I received official word that Barack Hussein Obama was elected 44th president of the United States, I was beside myself. […]

November 5, 2009

The Role of the Parent-Educator in Strengthening Urban Public Schools

The national debate on urban public education in the United States consistently involves strategies for improving K-12 academic achievement and contributes to our country’s educational performance globally. While strategies to improve academic achievement continue to evolve on the national front, in urban contexts one of the most valuable mechanisms to facilitate this achievement exists within […]

November 5, 2009

All Style, No Substance

The Rev. Bernice King has been elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Her election has been the biggest news to break out of the traditional civil rights organizations since the NAACP had a funeral for the N-word. The reality is organizations such as the SCLC, the NAACP and others have marginalized themselves by […]

November 4, 2009

Clare’s Couch: Keeping it real mentoring

I was invited to attend a mentoring session for junior faculty. Typically I don’t have time or I find some reason NOT to attend. You know, one more meeting. Although I consider myself a “team player” (depending on the game), I am just not “feeling” those little get-togethers anymore. Now don’t get me wrong, I […]

November 4, 2009

Learning When to Flip the Code Switch

When I was a teenager, I struggled to fit in with my peers because I always felt like an outsider in a society defined by a Black-White paradigm. I was uncomfortable in my own skin until I was 20 or 21, when I realized that being an Indian-American who could mix easily with diverse communities […]

November 3, 2009