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Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education, list, Matthew Lynch

5 Factors that Influence the Future of HBCUs

When HBCUs (or historically black colleges and universities) first began popping up in America, they were a necessity to higher educational paths for African American young people. Benefactors like John Rockefeller founded Spelman College in Atlanta (named after his wife, by the way) in order to give black students a shot in a nation still very much in the throes of Jim Crow laws. Most of the 105 HBCUs were founded in former slave areas that still presented steep challenges for African Americans that aspired to higher education but faced discrimination in predominantly white college settings.

HBCUs fulfilled their original intent. Some of the nation’s brightest and most influential minds came out of HBCUs. Langston Hughes was a Lincoln University graduate. Martin Luther King Jr. earned his degree from Morehouse College. Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, education expert Marva Collins and Brown University President Ruth J. Simmons all earned degrees from HBCUs (from Tennessee State University, Clark Atlanta University and Dillard University, respectively). These powerful pillars of the African American community were able to achieve optimal success in life because of the education they received from HBCUs.

What about now? Do ambitious African American students really need a HBCU to achieve success? Perhaps a more poignant question is this: does it help or hinder the African American community when its members attend a HBCU today?

With various HBCUs closing their doors for good, the question is more pertinent than ever. Saint Paul’s College was forced to close its doors in 2013 after an unsuccessful merger attempt and unsustainably low enrollment figures. Atlanta’s Morris Brown College filed for federal bankruptcy protection after finding itself $35 million over its head.

Let’s take a look at five factors that will determine the future of HBCUs in this country.

  1. HBCUs are STEM powerhouses. HBCUs are important hubs for developing the greatest STEM minds in the nation, with 65 percent of all Black physicians and half of all Black engineers graduating from HBCUs. The Tuskegee University College of Engineering and Alabama A&M University of College Engineering, Technology and Physical Sciences are not just top engineering schools among HBCUs – they are among the best in the nation. Spelman College is the second largest school in the nation that sends Black undergraduates on to medical school. Jackson State University receives the highest amount of HBCU federal research funding every year, at $68 million, and is known for its “research intensive” programs.

Claflin University students work alongside the South Carolina Center for Biotechnology and receive hands-on industry training and connections in the field long before graduation. Xavier University of Louisiana has a consistently top-ranked pharmacy program and is a sought out school for those hoping to advance to medical school. Florida A&M University consistently ranks at the top of all colleges that graduate Black students with doctorates in natural sciences and engineering. In June, Fayetteville State was awarded a $718, 000 government research grant that included plans to oversee STEM instruction to local high school students. The advancements these schools are contributing to STEM fields are not just relevant, they are groundbreaking and an asset to the industries the graduates eventually serve.

  1. Government-mandated policy changes may damage HBCUs. In October of 2011, the U.S. Department of Education adjusted its lending policies for these popular, and in many cases necessary, loans to align more closely with what a traditional bank would require in the way of income and credit worthiness. All colleges took a hit with these changes, but HBCUs lost an estimated $50 million in the first full year these changes took place. For many HBCUs, the college population is made up of first-generation students with parents who often have not set aside the funding for a college education, but want to contribute financially. When PLUS loan eligibility changed, it felt like a blow directed at HBCUs.

Additionally, Governors like Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal and Mississippi’s former governor Haley Barbour have announced plans to merge HBCUs with each other or other predominantly white institutions in moves that are intended to slash state operating costs. Treating any two HBCUs as institutions that are alike enough to merge without incident is flawed though. Planning to merge a HBCU with a predominantly white schools is even more off-base. These individual schools have their own histories, their own student cultures. Perhaps it makes financial sense to merge HBCUs with others similar in size or scope, but it undermines the collective institutions, undercutting their autonomy and what they can offer to potential students.

  1. HBCUs are still havens for disadvantaged students. The achievement gap in K-12 learning may be narrowing, but it is still exists. Even minority students who end up graduating from high school drop out of college at higher rates than their white peers. While all types of colleges are picking up on this weakness and looking for ways to retain students, many HBCUs stand out as examples of how to succeed at having students return after freshman year. A U.S. News ranking lists Spelman College (at 88 percent retention), Morehouse College (82.5 percent), Howard University (82.3 percent), Florida A&M University (79.5 percent) and Winston-Salem State University (78.3 percent) as the top five HBCUs for having students return to campus after freshman year.

As a comparison point, the top 10 predominantly white institutions, or PWIs, had retention rates that ranged from 97.5 to 99 percent – BUT the retention numbers for minority students was lower. The campus culture and student-centric programs at these PWIs are stellar but it also stands to reason that the students attending top PWIs, like Brown University and the University of Notre Dame, are predisposed to staying in college anyway – while HBCUs have many more obstacles to overcome when convincing and encouraging their attendees to stay. HBCUs are also proving to be thought leaders when it comes to advancing rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender students, with Morehouse College offering its first LGBT course this past spring.

  1. With other affordable and flexible options such as online schools, fewer people may be drawn to HBCUs.

Perhaps the largest factor crippling HBCUs today is the prevalence of online college programs. From schools like the University of Phoenix which is completely online to individual programs offered by traditional campus schools, students who need college-work-family flexibility are finding it outside HBCU campuses. All demographics have flocked to online schooling, but minorities have been especially targeted. HBCUs have traditionally been viewed as places for underdogs, but online schooling programs have overtaken that description with the combination of convenience and a wide array of programs.

However, HBCUs are still an affordable option for many students and often come with generous financial aid packages. For example, HBCUs like Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, Mississippi cost as little as $4,940 for in-state students for an entire academic year (before any grants or financial aid) or just under $7,000 for in-state students who choose to live on campus. Even out of state students get a pretty good deal – adding just $1,000 more to that total.

Even HBCUs with top billing offer affordable routes for their students, like Howard University in D.C. that saw 52 percent of students in 2012 with their financial needs fully met.

  1. Infrastructural problems may hinder progress. HBCUs were not well-prepared for the changes in loan policies. As far as online schooling is concerned, most HBCUs are just finally implementing full-degree online programs and embracing the idea that our students don’t need to be on a physical campus to benefit. Yes, the campuses of HBCUs are their biggest advantages, steeped in history and a palpable air of shared struggle. This doesn’t mean we should force our students to set foot on our campuses, or not come at all.

A lack of stability in leadership and investment in students through equipment and resources are also issues that have plagued some HBCUs.An essay written by a recent HBCU graduate who declined to name her school specifically expressed shock at the under-sophisticated classrooms and technology resources at her HBCU. She maintains that she would rather see her former school be shuttered than donate money to it.

With a lot of changes that make education more accessible in other schools, HBCUs are going through some growing pains when it comes to staying relevant. All is not lost, though—providing a safe space for black students, embracing diversity, and playing to their strengths (such as STEM) can help HBCUs keep their place in our current landscape.

Read all of our posts about HBCUs by clicking here.

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Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership, Matthew Lynch

Emotional Leadership Preparation

When we look at all the data available on cognitive, intellectual, and philosophical views of leadership, and their combination with other frameworks, we see the power of emotions. Simply put, emotions generate knowledge, and emotionally acquired knowledge is strongly influenced by teachers’ and leaders’ understandings(or lack thereof) of their emotions. There is hope of a shift in school culture from one of emotional silence, to one of emotional engagement. Such a change would likely impact leader confidence, focus, well-being, and effectiveness, and could challenge leaders to redefine their schools.

The emotional philosophy framework shows progress on four levels. First, there is actual and implied emotional silence, in which emotions and their importance are denied. The next level allows self-evaluation and evaluation of others from an “emotional absolutism” perspective; emotions are considered either right or wrong, and are rewarded or punished according to externally defined rules. However, internal emotional knowledge is denied. In the third level of shifting emotional theory, emotions begin to periodically appear on the leadership agenda. This level is experienced when there is a deeper emotional link with oneself and others.

The fourth stance is that of resilient emotional relativity: a deepened and unified use of emotional knowledge and individual meaning, with others included in daily activities. In this phase, problem-solving and relationship-building are enacted as people learn to interpret emotion and remain calm when they are with others.
There is compelling evidence, based mainly on primary/elementary schools, showing that principal leadership has significant indirect and direct effects on student learning. The indirect effects largely depend on how much leaders create, alter, or refine the working conditions in their schools to nurture positive emotions towards teaching, develop teachers’ instructional skills, and use those skills in the students’ best interests.

On the other hand, the direct effects are based on the nature and quality of the leaders’ relationships with their teaching colleagues and the impact those relationships have on the overall emotional climate in the school. To build a climate of belonging, the leader needs to listen to, appreciate, and honor the feelings and ideas of teachers, and create social spaces and structures in the agenda of the school for genuine dialogue about instructional improvement.

Building a sustainable climate is based on the leaders’ ability and willingness to understand the complex internal states that motivate teachers’ actions, and to develop shared dreams of what the school can be. To achieve success, the leader must keep in mind both his or her own emotions, and those of the teachers. It is also important for leaders to take emotions seriously, and, as a result, engage others in reflecting on the emotional toll of their own work. As we have seen, emotional wounds can provide rich opportunities for fresh perspectives and self-discovery, as well as new learning.

By opening up to their own feelings, leaders are able to connect with others’ feelings. When they listen sincerely to the hopes and ideas of colleagues and staff, their leadership efforts are more likely to shift from directing to enabling. This shift will in turn increase positive perceptions among all stakeholders in the school, as they work together toward a common goal.

 

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Matthew Lynch published in HBCU's, Higher Education, Matthew Lynch

3 Ways the Ivy Leagues Are Increasing Campus Diversity

America has a love-hate relationship with its eight Ivy League universities. For the majority, these elite schools are seen as unattainable places, reserved for those with superhuman high school transcripts and the deep pockets to afford to attend. Graduating from one is generally viewed as writing the ticket to a comfortable life, though, and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn’t be impressed with your framed Princeton or Columbia degree.

Ivy Leagues are the butt of jokes where snobs are the punchline and often considered out of the league, in both price and performance, for the average American high schooler. Ivy Leagues are viewed as places for already-rich, white Americans to pat each other on the back on their way to acquiring even more wealth. As with most things that are generalized and over-simplified, Ivy Leagues have more complexity in student, faculty and alumni diversity than is often portrayed.

Look at our own President – a minority Harvard graduate who married another minority Harvard grad, made a name for his down-to-earth approach to politics, and went on to become the leader of the free world. Is President Obama an extreme exception, or are we missing the story of true diversity at these stereotypically elite schools?

The truth is somewhere between the extremes. With the right direction, however, Ivy Leagues could really make some headway in improving diversity on their campuses in the next half-decade and could set the example for the rest of America’s university landscape. Here’s how.

  1. By reaching out to students a few years before they start college. Ivy League schools aren’t just waiting for minority, first-generation and other disadvantaged future applicants to come to them – they are reaching out, and early. Every Ivy League school is a member of the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success which offers a portfolio-type program for college admittance. This portfolio is intended to start in 9th grade and is often accompanied by guidance from university officials on high school academics and additional items that will boost their final file for consideration.These portfolios are about more than test scores and report card grades. A “locker” portion allows room for creative work, like visual art and essays. By allowing this application system, Ivy Leagues are setting the stage for students early in their careers, giving them a better chance at earning admittance when the time comes.It will be a few years before this portfolio system is proven to work, at Ivy Leagues and the other 70+ schools that implemented its use in 2015. The fact that these schools have pinpointed the need to approach and guide students so early in their high school careers is important though. It shows that the schools in the coalition are serious about being proactive in diverse recruitment and are willing to put in the work to make get more disadvantaged students on their campuses.
  2. By targeting more lower-income students. For all their apparent strides to be more diverse, Ivy Leagues can’t deny the facts of where they stand today. First, there is the issue of money that simply can’t be ignored. Admitting students without concern for whether they can afford the school or not is a luxury of Ivy Leagues, whose alumni giving dwarfs that of typical universities. They can afford to pay the tuition of students who could otherwise not find the money to attend, giving them an advantage when it comes to diverse recruitment.Even with all that additional money, though, Ivy Leagues are still mainly made up of affluent students. Nationally, 38 percent of undergraduate students earn Pell grants, earmarked for students from low-income families. Only 12 percent at Yale and 13 percent at the University of Virginia received Pell grants in the 2013-2014 academic year.
  3. By making sure all kinds of students are represented. It’s not all bad news though. Brown University has some promising stats when it comes to its ability to recruit and graduate more diverse students. In its class of 2019, 59 percent of Brown’s accepted students went to public schools. All 50 states are represented, along with 85 nations. Sixty-one percent will need some form of financial aid to afford Brown attendance, and 45 percent identified as African American, Latino, Asian American or Native American (which still means it is a Predominantly White Institution, but not by much).Cornell’s class of 2019includes 700 first-generation students, 45 percent female and 48 percent who identify themselves as students of color.

So what will the class of 2025, 2030 and beyond look like at Ivy Leagues? Please leave your thoughts.

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Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education

How to organize your college freshman school schedule

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.**

A guest column by Brooke Chaplin

When you first meet with your school counselor, they’ll more than likely advise you to take a light load your first semester of freshman year. If you’re like many new college students, you’ll probably be surprised to hear a school official telling you to cut back on credits or take the easier general classes. While it might be surprising, it’s the best advice you can be given when you’re starting out and on your own for the first time. Arranging a loaded schedule to get your degree as fast as possible could affect your entire student career, so it is best to plan wisely. 


When you’re new to college life, it can take some time to get acquainted with the change. You’ll need to learn how to read your curriculum, how to keep track of due dates, and how to balance heavy loads of homework and arrange your class schedule. Here is some valuable alumni advice to help you learn from the mistakes of those who went before.

Choose a Class Time Where You Are Alert and Ready for Lectures 
The whole purpose of paying to attend college is to gain knowledge. If you decide you want to get a specific class over with early in the day, you could be putting yourself at a disadvantage. Some students like getting up bright and early, while others are night owls and are more productive later on. Consider when you are alert and look for classes in this time frame so you know will be ready to attend and learn. There is a reason why more students miss class in the morning than in the afternoon. 

Leave Time Between Classes For Mental Rest 
College professors can throw a lot of information at you in a single sit down. You may be typing pages of notes, reading dozens of slides, or having a class discussion that requires some serious critical thinking in class, and then watching film you will be quizzed on in another. If you go straight from one class to the next, you will have no time to rest or process what you have just learned. Whether you are coming from a psychology class for your sociology degree or heading out of a simple fitness course, give yourself some time to get organized before you get on to the next class. Giving yourself a short breather will help you retain information better.

Register For Your Classes As Early As Possible 
As a freshmen, you have never experienced what it is like to see that a class has reached capacity before you were able to register. Prerequisites are very popular because all students must take them. To ensure you get the classes you want, you should register the moment you are able to. 

Scheduling is all done online now that schools have online registration tools. Be sure to consider how challenging courses are, what other obligations and priorities you have, and how long you could spend on your studies. By being prepared, you can strengthen your chances of success during your first year as a college student.

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Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking and gardening. For more information on building a schedule for online courses like a sociology degree contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan.

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Matthew Lynch published in HBCU's, Higher Education, Matthew Lynch

Reforming College Debt, Part II: Possible Solutions

There aren’t many people who will dispute the value of a college education. College graduates tend to have higher levels of job satisfaction and quality of life. The cost of those efforts is steep for the individual though – to the tune of $35,200 college debt on average for 2013 graduates. On Wednesday I looked at the statistics associated with the cost and payoff of a college education and also some federal efforts to make those payments more affordable once a degree is earned. Today I want to look at some specific ideas that aim to bring down the initial cost of a college education and to help students avoid thousands in interest over time.

Last week, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio spoke about his own efforts in his home state of Florida, and perhaps on a federal level, to make college attendance a shared cost. Rubio is no stranger to college debt. When he arrived at the U.S. Senate, he still had $100,000 in outstanding student loans. Rubio has been upfront about his modest upbringing and also the power his education gave him but he has acknowledged that the cost is too high. The basics of his college plan would allow private investors to pay for the tuition of college students in exchange for a portion of their earnings later on. This would mean the students acquired no traditional debt and would not start out their careers in the hole – at least not in a typical way.

While I like the out-of-the-box thinking of this plan, it raises more questions than answers. At least when a student takes out a federally-backed loan or even a private one that meets federal regulations, there is some protection for the student. I worry that allowing too many private investors in on the college lending game could mean more financial pressure on the borrowers. And what happens if a student finds him or herself unemployed for a long period of time? Or unable to work due to injury? These are all issues that would certainly be addressed before legislation was drafted and approved but there are already some red flags that pop up in this hands-off government approach to college debt reform.

Another college payment idea that is arising across the country is a state-run repayment program that is similar to Rubio’s private investor one. Already in Oregon the Pay It Forward program has been approved (though not yet enacted) that will give students their public college education upfront, free of cost, in exchange for paying the state a portion of their earnings post-college. Supporters bill it as a “debt free” alternative to a college education, but like Rubio’s plan there is still money owed at the end of the college term that does impact actual earnings. It will be interesting to keep an eye on Oregon in the coming years to see how the program impacts the first groups of students who take advantage of it.

What if a public college education was completely free, though? That’s the approach Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam wants to take when it comes to the state’s community colleges. At his State of the State address, he called for free tuition at Tennessee’s community colleges in order to improve the state’s reputation as one of the least educated. Haslam proposed that the money to pay for it come from the state’s lottery earnings that would be placed in a $300 million endowment fund. While a short-term solution, I’m not sure that this is a sustainable payment plan. But if even one class of students in the state are able to take advantage of it, that may make a huge positive impact on Tennessee’s long-term economic outlook.

Paying something for a college education is reasonable, I think, but the current setup puts an undue burden on the nation’s young people and as a result, the entire economy suffers.

What creative cost and repayment options for a college education would you like to see implemented?

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Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education

The New 1st Step in the College Search and Application Process

With more than 4,000 public and private two- and four-year colleges in this country, finding the right one is not just a challenge—for many it can be overwhelming.  Without a clear college search roadmap, many students fail to explore the full range of schools available to them.

But luckily for high school students, there’s a new, innovative, free website to simplify the college search process: CollegeFindMe.com.

Unlike other college search engines, CollegeFindMe makes it easy for colleges and universities to find you! When you log onto the site, you’ll be asked to fill out an academic and personal profile. This assessment will allow you to share a full picture of your talents, interests, and achievements so that admissions offices will get to know you as more than just an SAT or ACT score.

Then use the site’s three different search engines to look for colleges by filling in different criteria. Once you have a list of options, you can easily check off boxes and add them to your “My College” list.

Simultaneously, college admissions officers will be able to review students’ confidential profiles to search for students or demographics that best fit their admission criteria. With CollegeFindMe, colleges will have a direct channel to send applications, fee waivers, invitations to visit their campus, or scholarship offers to attractive candidates that they otherwise might never have reached.

Today’s high school guidance departments are stretched to the breaking point.  The national ratio of students to counselors is nearly 500 to 1, and research from the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights shows that one in five U.S. high schools has no school counselor on staff, a deficit that impacts most those families in greatest need of help.

“A U.S. Department of Education survey found that guidance counselors provide an average of 38 minutes of college search/application advice per high school student—and that’s over a four-year time frame,” says CollegeFindMe CEO Christina Bai. “While some families are able to spend thousands of dollars on supplemental college guidance, that option is out of reach for most families.”

“This is truly an equalizer,” explains company spokesperson Josef Blumenfeld from EdTech180.  “All students deserve the chance to attend the college of their dreams.  Sadly, non-affluent families often can’t fill the gap left by over-burdened high school guidance departments, and they don’t know where to turn.  By using CollegeFindMe as the first step in their college search and application process, all students can start down the right path to the right college.”

CollegeFindMe hopes to level the playing field by giving all students the chance to find the perfect place. Or, better yet, sit back and let the right college find you.

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Matthew Lynch published in International Education

10 mandatory websites for international students

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.**

A guest column by Julie Petersen

When you applied to a school in a different country, you were enthusiastic about the change. You expected to meet tons of friends and benefit from your freedom as much as possible. However, international studies come with huge responsibilities that will bring you back to reality.

Before you even start adapting to the new environment, you’ll realize that it’s hard to manage your expenses, understand your professors, and complete all academic projects you’re expected to submit. That’s why you need to rely on the following websites, which are meant to make the life and studies of an international student less stressful.

Educational Resources for International Students

  1. Elevate. This is your personal brain trainer! Elevate is an app that enables you to develop a comprehensive sets of reading, speaking, listening, and writing skills. They are all important for your education! The app is very entertaining, so you won’t even realize you’re boosting your English skills along the way. It doesn’t matter whether you get the correct answer or you make a mistake; you’ll always get a chance to practice more and become better.
  2. Common Errors in English Usage. No matter how hard you tried to master English grammar and vocabulary throughout your studies, it will be difficult to express yourself entirely in this language. You’ve been focused on grammar and syntax rules, but do you know which mistakes to avoid? At this website, you’ll get access to detailed explanations of the common errors in English usage. When you learn how to avoid these slips, you’ll instantly become a better speaker and writer.
  3. CliffsNotes. At this website, you’ll find effective study guides, literature notes, and test prep materials that will make your studies much easier. In addition, CliffsNotes offers words of the week and tips on how to enhance your lifestyle. When you don’t have a time to read a particular book for class, the literature notes in this database will save you from a bad grade.
  4. International Student. This website is a necessary addition to your set of tools. It enables you to search for products and services for international students, such as insurance, loans, textbooks, prepaid SIM cards, and more. You can also use the Student Job Search tool if you’re ready to start making money throughout your studies abroad. The blog is awesome; it offers information on different majors, so you’ll understand which degree will ensure you the best future.
  5. AU-Assignment-Help.com. At this website, you can get professional writing assistance for any academic project. The project was launched by Australian educators, who understood that most students faced difficulties when they had to write essays, assignments, research papers and other projects. When you ask for help, you’ll be paired with a tutor who understands the particular area of study, so you’ll get detailed guidance through the planning and writing process. This learning experience will certainly help you meet the expectations of the professors in your university.

Tools that Help You Balance Your Lifestyle

  1. WhatsApp. WhatsApp is available as a web-based tool and an app for Android and iOS. It will enable you to catch up with your friends and family at any time. If you have a girlfriend back home, it will be easier to maintain the relationship knowing that you’re always be available for each other. In addition, WhatsApp is a great tool for organizing study sessions and meet-ups with your new friends.
  2. Google Maps. When you find yourself in an unknown city, it’s hard to get to the right places on time. That’s why you have Google Maps – a tool that will always help you find the right way. The tool works well in warning you about crowded traffic. It also shows bike routes, so you’ll have no problem finding your way regardless of the type of transport you choose.
  3. Converter Plus. The new currency can make spending confusing. You might never be aware of the amounts you spend, so you can easily end up wasting $20 on tea. Don’t make such mistakes. Converter Plus is an awesome app that enables you to convert currencies and units in an extensive list of categories. Suddenly, you’ll understand that the need to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and Meters to Feet is not that frustrating after all.
  4. OnTrees. When your budget is limited, it’s difficult to decide what expenses are mandatory and which ones you can live without. OnTrees will help you manage your money effectively. You can track your activity and see how much you are spending on a daily basis. Then, you can analyze the expenses according to type, data and account. When you have such detailed presentation of your expenses, it will be easier for you to plan them thoughtfully.
  5. Eventbrite. You don’t want to miss a concert, an exhibition, or another cultural event in the new city? Eventbrite will help you realize the lifestyle you imagined when you planned your studies in another country. The tool enables you to search by location and buy tickets for different events you are interested in. Plus, you’ll see which of your friends are attending, so you can easily find company.

International students have to invest double efforts if they want to achieve the goals they have set. The new environment imposes many challenges, but there is no issue you cannot overcome without commitment. You’ll also need the right resources to support you on that journey, so you should start exploring the above-listed websites with no delay.               

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Julie Petersen is a young blogger and writer, who features the latest educational and career trends in her articles. At present time she is working on her first ebook dedicated to e-learning technologies. You can contact her via LinkedIn.

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Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education, Policy & Reform

Guns on campus: there will be no artist or doctor once the trigger is pulled

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.**

Jeffrey Alan Lockwood, University of Wyoming

As a rational academic, living in one of the most conservative states, where legislators are planning to allow firearms in virtually all public places, including the University of Wyoming, I have labored to understand my own deep antipathy to the idea of my students and colleagues being armed.

Gun advocates and opponents can each fire off statistics; however, the debate will not be resolved with data when the fundamental conflict is a matter of ideals. I could dredge up statistics about the frequency of gun accidents, while advocates could offer numbers showing that people with concealed gun permits rarely shoot innocent bystanders.

But dueling spreadsheets fail to get to the heart of the issue. Rather, my resistance to a well-regulated militia crossing the quad between classes is rooted in non-quantifiable principles.

Fear undermines classroom learning environment

The proliferation of virtual courses notwithstanding, the soul of a university remains its classrooms. These are the places of genuine human engagement, debate, thought, and passion. Students must come prepared -— ready to learn (by having done the reading), ready to argue (by thinking critically about ideas), and ready to change (by cultivating intellectual humility).

Here they are tested and challenged. This is where they flounder and flourish. Arming students seems inimical to learning. The presence, even the possibility, of a loaded weapon casts a pall over classroom discussion.

Arming students is inimical to learning as classrooms are meant to provide a safe space for intellectual growth.
K W Reinsch/Flickr, CC BY-NC

Fear undermines the openness and vulnerability necessary for learning. When getting ready for class means preparing to die (or to kill), an academic community has failed.

I remember going back home to Albuquerque – a city with a violent and property crime rate well above the national average– for Christmas when our kids were little to find that my parents had installed burglar bars in their windows. I was overwhelmed by a sense of sadness that the city of my youth had failed so miserably that the people barricaded their homes.

Universities are meant to be safe spaces

My parents were free to live behind bars to protect their property, and the legislature wants to free me to arm myself in the classroom to guard my life. Somehow, these don’t feel like liberties. I want to work at a university that is big enough to provide students with a hundred opportunities and small enough to notice one anguished student.

Maybe I’m safer if a student in my seminar is carrying a gun. For that matter, maybe I’d be safer if I wore a Kevlar vest while lecturing. But I don’t want to teach where we prepare to shoot and be shot. I don’t want to be a part of failure. In all likelihood, no armed student will take (or save) my life. But the same cannot be said of that student’s life.

Suicide rates are already high

Suicide rates on college campuses are appalling. I said that numbers wouldn’t resolve the issue, but the fact is that suicide rates among young adults has tripled since the 1950s, having become the second most common cause of death among college students. Given current statistics, the University of Wyoming with an enrollment of 14,000 can expect at least two thousand of these students to contemplate suicide, two hundred to make an attempt, and perhaps two to succeed.

I was the first person to arrive on the scene of two suicide attempts when I was in college. I mopped up a lot of blood, but razor blades are not all that effective. Guns work much better. Filled with shame, my friends asked me to hide the evidence and lie in the emergency room. I did.

They were both extremely intelligent young men. But laboring under enormous stress and failed relationships, on a dark, lonely night, collapsed into a moment of utter despair. Lonely but not alone -— nearly half of all university students report symptoms of depression.

Enough of the numbers. Consider this simple statement from a college athlete who was battling depression: “If I’d had a gun, I’d have probably put a bullet in my head.”

Campus grounds are not for killing or being killed

Perhaps my perspective is darkened by experience, but my deepest fear is not that a student with a gun comes to my classroom in the morning, but that the student leaves his dorm room in a body bag that evening.

Campuses are places fraught with doubt, conflict, angst, disorientation, and drama. A university education is not easy intellectually -— or existentially. College is where assumptions die, identities expire, and beliefs perish. But this should not become a place where students come to kill or be killed.

A university should be where the dying dream of being an engineer is resurrected as a graphic artist, where an identity as a straight Christian gives way to being a gay ethicist, and where the parental narrative of being a biology teacher is reborn as a student’s own aspiration of becoming a doctor.

But once the trigger is pulled, there will be no artist, philosopher, or doctor. Maybe I’m an idealist, but how else does one avoid cynicism and fatalism? If we aren’t willing to imagine and risk, then there’s no “good fight” left in the professoriate. An academic life worth living requires courage, hope, defiance and compassion. It does not require guns.

The issue of guns on American campuses is a subject of vigorous debate. By 2013, at least 19 states had introduced legislation to allow guns on campus. Seven states now allow concealed weapons on campus. We carry here both sides of the debate. Today, we are carrying this article opposing concealed weapons on campuses. Later this week, we will be carrying another article arguing in favour of guns on campus.

_____The Conversation

Jeffrey Alan Lockwood is Professor of Natural Sciences & Humanities Director of the MFA program in Creative Writing, Department of Philosophy at University of Wyoming.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

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Matthew Lynch published in Diversity, Equity, Higher Education

Multicultural recruiting: What colleges do it best?

By Matthew  Lynch

At least on paper, America’s colleges and universities are interested in creating a diverse student population. Though not perfect in practice, U.S. college campuses are increasingly becoming more nuanced in their population makeups in order to more accurately represent the greater population. Part of this is just a reflection of a changing society but some of it has to do with schools effectively recruiting a student body that has plenty of diversity. This includes recruitment efforts to bring in low-income, first-generation college, immigrant and other minority students.

While nearly every college or university has a diversity policy on the books, some are succeeding in practice more than others. Take a look at these five colleges or universities that are doing an excellent job with multicultural recruiting and how they are making it happen:

Bates College: With its Prologue Program for first-generation and diverse background students, this Maine-based school welcomes these students with a three-day intensive initiation. For new students who want to enter in the fall of 2016, the Prologue Program will offer tours, class attendance, meet-and-greet sessions with faculty members, and even an admission interview. The purpose is to give these students a more accurate idea of what to expect when they arrive as official students.  Literally putting students in classroom seats helps them envision their futures as college students.

Princeton University: Though Ivy League schools are generally regarded as being elitist, many are making large strides to create more diverse campuses. Princeton has specific recruiting tactics that include partnering with the Leadership Enterprise Diverse of America organization to reach talented high school students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. A seven-week summer program is also available for incoming freshman from low-income and other disadvantaged backgrounds in order to help them adjust to the rigors of Princeton before their official time on the campus begins. A release from the university states that the “Class of 2018 has a record 290 students from low-income backgrounds, making up 22 percent of the class; approximately 12 percent of the Class of 2018 are first-generation college students.” These numbers are certainly a reflection of successful recruiting but to get those students across the graduation stage, Princeton recognizes that support programs are necessary too.

University of North Carolina, Charlotte. This public does a great job addressing the needs of students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. The graduation gap between white and Latino or black students at UNC Charlotte is nearly non-existent. In addition, generous needs-based scholarships ensure that these disadvantaged students graduate with less debt. UNC Charlotte also offers a six-week summer “bridge” program that has increased its freshman-to-sophomore retention by 12 percent.

Rutgers University: Though not as traditionally diverse as some of the other schools on this list, Rutgers does have multicultural strengths in two areas: international students and LGBT students. Students from more than 110 countries attend Rutgers, and it is consistently ranked as a top 100 campus for LGBT students. Women represent almost half of the students (49 percent) and just over one-quarter are of Asian descent. Where Rutgers lacks is in African-American representation (just 7 percent) but overall, the university is doing a good job of recruiting diverse students.

When it comes to economic diversity, the Rutgers Future Scholars program is offered to first-generation and low-income middle schoolers who live in the vicinity of the university who show promise for attending it in the future. The students who complete the precollege initiative are given a scholarship to cover tuition for four years. More support for lower-income students comes from an additional Educational Opportunity Fund.

Cornell University: More specifically, the College of Engineering. The department is designed to assist students who are “traditionally underrepresented in engineering.” In 2011, President Obama bestowed the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring on Cornell for its successful attempts at Diversity. Mentoring is a big part of what makes this program so successful. Since 2004, this niche initiative of the larger university has connected minority high school students with mentors who are already in the college program, faculty or working in the field of engineering. The program works because it shows younger engineers-to-be other successful people who look like them.

 

What college-level multicultural recruiting tactics do you believe work the best?

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Matthew Lynch published in Equity, Higher Education

Educational opportunity rises 80 percent since 1970

According to the Historical Report of Opportunity, released by Opportunity Nation and Measure of America, educational opportunity has escalated by 80 percent since 1970. The Report defines Educational Opportunity as the number of children in preschool, the number of high school students who graduate on time, and the number of adults with an associate’s degree or higher. Over the past four decades, Massachusetts improved the most; Nevada, the least.

Between 1970 and 2010, the number of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in preschool increased by nearly four times, emphasizing the growing awareness of the benefits of early childhood education. Studies show that low-income children who attend high-quality preschool are more successful academically and more likely to graduate from high school and enroll in postsecondary education. Some states have cut funding for public pre-K, yet early childhood education continues to be a priority in many states.

Every state experienced growth in the percentage of adults aged 25 or older who obtained at least an associate’s degree. This indicates the changing global economy that requires higher levels of education of employees. During the four decades measured, Americans with at least an associates degree increased by 105 percent.

In 2013, 28 percent of children nationwide were enrolled in state-financed preschool. While 36.3 percent of Americans have at least an associate’s degree, economists predict that by 2020, two-thirds of American jobs will require some form of post-secondary degree or credential.

While Americans should be proud of the educational improvements our country has seen, we need to continue, or even pick up the pace to ensure people possess the skills required to build a powerful 21st-century workforce. This Report acts as a good reminder to value the importance of education as the pathway to many of life’s successes.

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