Higher Education

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership, Matthew Lynch

Adopting a Transformational Leadership Style

Transformational leadership is all about perception. It only works if it is able to influence the core—the follower’s feelings. Charismatic and inspiring, transformational leaders are well versed the power of language and imagery. “Transformational characteristics” are included in training courses, but the personal effort of the leader determines whether transformational leadership is achievable.

The positive connection between transformational leadership and job characteristics is so strong, we should almost expect an opposite result in organizations that do not employ  it. When switching to a transformational style of leadership,  a principal or dean must understand how he or she is to influence task perception. The shaping of daily tasks in a transformational manner helps foster positive perceptions among followers.

Transformational behaviors are a continuous process. A school intending to convert to this style should assess the departments where it is needed. The organization should include transformational components in their yearly assessments, such as 360-degree feedback and managerial surveys. These could replace needs assessments.

Transformation doesn’t happen overnight, but it is worthwhile for any school to build on these principles, since the long-term effects enrich the entire institution. Students learn leadership from the school. Transformational leadership in student affairs would help ensure that students initiate this leadership later in life.

Combating Negativity Through Transformational Leadership

Meta-analytic research has produced evidence of a positive relationship between transformational leadership and work-related results. These findings demonstrate that transformational leaders make work meaningful by providing autonomy. Followers of transformational leaders feel strongly that their work is esteemed and self-congruent.

Transformational leaders motivate by increasing self-efficacy in followers, by facilitating social identification within a group, and by linking organizational values to follower values. This allows followers to feel more determined in their work and augments their perceived empowerment.

While cynicism and intentions to quit are widely considered symptoms of employee negativity, initial research in organizational behaviors has considered them to be generalized traits. Recent studies found cynicism to be a specific construct; a reflection of the followers’ perception of the leader. Cynicism is a product of ineffective leadership and lack of participation and consultation in decision making.

Transformational leadership encourages a feeling of empowerment in all followers. There is an inverse relationship between cynicism and transformational leadership, because persons under a highly transformational leader are usually intellectually stimulated and constantly challenged to be open-minded. Various studies have demonstrated relationships between follower empowerment and job satisfaction, decreased anger and frustration, and a sense of organizational attachment.

Intention to quit (ITQ) is another form of employee’s negative reaction to poor leadership. Factors that have been linked to ITQ include poor pay, and lack of job satisfaction and goal commitment. Employees are unlikely to have ITQ toward an organization where their need for efficacy is met in their respective job responsibilities. Highly resilient followers are more likely to adapt after setbacks at work, rather than leave the organization.

Universality of Transformational Leadership

Is transformational leadership a universal style of leadership, or is it regional or culturally limited? Many sources have attempted to carry out cross-national studies to establish this.

A study by Boehnke, Bontis, Distefano, and Distefano investigated the existence of universally consistent behaviors. They sampled 145 senior executives in two divisions of a global petroleum company and its subsidiaries around the world.  One of the major findings of the study was that the basic dimensions of leadership that produce extraordinary performance are universal, with little variation in the six different parts of the world sampled. However, some leadership differences were attributed to the different corporate cultures in the two company divisions.

In the final result, transformational leadership is identified as consistent with a clear majority of sampled behaviors, as provided in the executives’ descriptions of their version of exceptional organizational performance. Terms such as visioning, intellectual stimulation, team building, coaching, and inspiring behavior appeared in 68% or more of the responses. All those attributes refer to a transformational style of leadership.

It is intriguing to note that the only non-transformational characteristic in more than half of the reports was “recognizing and rewarding,” at 62%, which is an element of the transactional style of leadership. It is apparent that transformational leadership is widely accepted as an exceptional leadership technique. It is applicable in all kinds of organizations, including the school setting. Whether you are a practicing leader or someone who aspires to become one, you would be well advised to add transformational leadership to your repertoire.

References

Transformational leadership is a theory of leadership that was developed by James Burns (1978), and has been written about by many other scholars since then. To read more of James Burns’ work on transformational leadership and other topics, click here to visit his Amazon.com page.

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Matthew Lynch published in Equity, Higher Education

Feet on campus, heart at home: First-generation college students struggle with divided identities

**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.**

Linda Banks-Santilli, Wheelock College

First-generation (FG) college students, or students whose parents have not earned a four-year degree, face unique psychological challenges.

Although perhaps supportive of higher education, their parents and family members may view their entry into college as a break in the family system rather than a continuation of their schooling.

In families, role assignments about work, family, religion and community are passed down through the generations creating “intergenerational continuity.” When a family member disrupts this system by choosing to attend college, he or she experiences a shift in identity, leading to a sense of loss. Not prepared for this loss, many first-generation students may come to develop two different identities – one for home and another for college.

As a former first-generation college student who is now an associate professor of education, I have lived this double life. My desire to help other first-generation students resulted in research that provides insights into the lived experiences of first-generation students at Wheelock College, a small college in Boston, Massachusetts, that has a high percentage of first-generation students. In 2010, 52% of our incoming undergraduates were first-generation college students.

Nationally, of the 7.3 million undergraduates attending four-year public and private colleges and universities, about 20% are first-generation students. About 50% of all FG college students in the US are low-income. These students are also more likely to be a member of a racial or ethnic minority group.

Why do they decide to go to college?

Most first-generation students decide to apply to college to meet the requirements of their preferred profession. But unlike students whose parents have earned a degree, they also often see college as a way to “bring honor to their families.”

In fact, studies show that a vast majority of first-generation college students go to college in order to help their families: 69% of FG college students say they want to help their families, compared to 39% of students whose parents have earned a degree. This desire also extends to the community, with 61% of FG college students wanting to give back to their communities compared to 43% of their non-first-generation peers.

And while their families often view them as their “savior,” “delegate,” or a way out of poverty and less desirable living conditions, many first-generation students struggle with what has been described as “breakaway guilt.”

First-generation students are torn between family and college expectations. Eva the Weaver, CC BY-NC

Their decision to pursue higher education comes with the price of leaving their families behind.

They may feel they’re abandoning parents or siblings who depend on them. And families too may have conflicted feelings: first-generation college students’ desire for education and upward mobility may be viewed as a rejection of their past.

Perceived as different at home and different at school, first-generation college students often feel like they don’t belong to either place.

The challenge of higher education is to recognize the psychological impact that first-generation status has on its students and to provide help.

First-generation students lack resources

Not all first-generation college students are the same, but many experience difficulty within four distinct domains: 1) professional, 2) financial, 3) psychological and 4) academic.

Most of all, they need professional mentoring. They are the ones most likely to work at the mall during the summer rather than in a professional internship. They can’t afford to work for free, and their parents do not have professional networks.

Often, first-generation students apply only to a single college and do that without help. They can’t afford multiple application fees and they are unsure of how to determine a good fit, as their parents have not taken them on the college tour.

Many FG students fill out the financial aid forms themselves. As one FG college student explained:

“They put all these numbers down and expect you to know what each one means. My mother doesn’t know and she expects me to find out and then tell her how it all works.”

FG students worry about the families they leave behind and try to figure out how to support them.

One first-generation student managed to enroll in college but was still worried about her mother’s lack of support. Miles away from home on a college campus for the first time, she divided her time each semester between paying her parents’ bills online and completing her assignments. Her parents didn’t own a computer or know how to use one.

Stigma of being a first-generation college student

Colleges need to recognize that FG students do not easily come forward to seek help.

Even though there are many successful former FG role models, such as First Lady Michelle Obama, US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and US Senator from Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren, there is considerable stigma associated with FG status.

Stigma forces some students to be invisible. Javier Garcia, CC BY-NC-SA

As a result, some FG college students may choose to remain invisible. Once they identify, their academic ability, achievement and performance may be underestimated by others. Their background is viewed as a deficit rather than a strength. And they are unnecessarily pitied by others, especially if low-income.

In extreme cases, other students and faculty may question their right to be on campus. Low-income, first-generation college students may arrive to college with fewer resources and more academic needs, making them targets for discrimination.

In a recent New York Times video on FG students at Ivy League colleges, a FG college student at Brown University who was born in Colombia told faculty that she was from New Jersey to avoid having to reveal that she was a first-generation college student.

But, there is another side to the story as well.

There are FG college students who view their status as a source of strength. It becomes their single most important motivator to earning their degree. These students are driven and determined. They can perform academically in ways that are equal to or even better than students whose parents have earned a degree.

These students too may benefit from a FG support group to help alleviate the internal pressure they place on themselves to succeed.

How colleges can help FG students

First-generation college students need customized attention and support that differs from students whose parents have earned a degree. They need to feel like they belong at their college or university and deserve to be there.

Higher education, with its unique culture, language and history, can be difficult for first-generation college students to understand. Students whose parents have attended college benefit from their parents’ experiences.

They come through the door understanding what a syllabus is, why the requirement for liberal arts courses exists and how to establish relationships with faculty. They can call their parents to ask for help on a paper or to ask questions about a citation method. They can discuss a classic novel they have both read.

This FG research has raised awareness on the Wheelock campus that has led to positive change. In 2014,the college applied for a First In the World federal grant to help implement a new FG program. Though we were not awarded a grant in the first round of competition, we will continue to seek funding.

Colleges and universities have the ability to redesign their institutional cultures, teaching practices and academic support services to be more inclusive of first-generation college students.

For instance, they can offer required courses in a variety of different formats (hybrid, on-line, face-to-face) and timings (between semesters, during summers) to help FG students reduce degree completion time and save money.

They can recruit former FG faculty members to advise and mentor FG students. A FG web page for FG students and families can be created that features success stories, user-friendly financial aid as well as scholarship information, and links to other opportunities.

With the right support from institutions of higher education, FG students can earn their degree, reinvent themselves and reposition their families in positive ways for generations to come

________________________

Linda Banks-Santilli is Associate Professor of Education at Wheelock College

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

Read the original article.

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

Leading Successful HBCUs: Part I

Many HBCUs have closed over the last three decades and many are in serious trouble financially and in terms of leadership.

Here to discuss this issue is President William B. Bynum of Mississippi Valley State University.

Q: First, what would you say has been the principle function of HBCU’s in the last three decades and what, on a related issue, do you think have been the particular challenges to these types of institutions in the United States?

A: We know that HBCUs, of course, were created to deal with the educational gap and all that was happening to folks of our race. What is little known, though, is HBCUs have always been open to and granted access to other races. However, the principal function has been, of course, to make sure that there’s an educated population within the African-American race and to make sure that those upward mobility opportunities were afforded African-Americans so that we could have similar opportunities to advance in this country, as have other races.

We never got to separate but equal, but of course the opportunity was – I think folks knew that it would be in the better interest of the country to have an educated black citizenry. That’s why HBCUs, of course, were created. Ultimately, it is in the best interest of the country to have that educated citizenry.

The major issues that are facing HBCUs – the challenges – are the lower enrollments that we are seeing now. Obviously, we know that there’s a significant gap. Only 3% of blacks who are choosing higher education are choosing HBCUs. That number is significantly down from where it was pre-1970. We know that’s a major issue: low enrollment.

Graduation rates. We’ve come under fire because of our published graduation rates and how we are faring against other types of institutions with greater resources. That’s been an issue or challenge. However, whenever those facts and figures are given, they never account for or control for the fact that HBCUs are dealing with the first-generation college population. And in terms of socio-economic difference and where our students are coming from, there’s a significant disadvantage. Unfortunately, people are comparing as if it’s an apples to apples comparison, when you and I both know that’s way far from the case.

When you look at the few amount of resources HBCUs have been given, one of the facts I like the most is, while we only receive 3% of the black-going college population, HBCUs are producing between 16 and 17% of the degrees that are earned by African-Americans.

Q: Given the social shifts we have seen in the last three decades and the challenges to HBCU’s, what do you feel needs to be done to preserve these institutions?

A: First and foremost, let me be very clear on the record that there is still a significant need for HBCUs in this country. We are still a relatively young country when it comes to integration and full participation by African-Americans.
For some reason, even though we saw Civil Rights laws in the late ’60s and early ’70s come to pass, people are assuming that a lot distance can be made up in the 40 years since that time. You and I both know, as educators and researchers, that that’s not a long time. But people are expecting HBCUs to have made up all of that gap, even though they haven’t been provided with the amount of resources they need in order to do so.

But here’s what I’d like to get at. First, they are still needed and necessary because HBCUs still provide a sense of nurturing and mentoring that predominately white institutions still are not able to do. I make a point every time I speak to a high school student, students who are considering higher education, to emphasize the fact that HBCUs have an entire campus that is dedicated to their success – not two or three persons who are responsible for minority students. You’ve got a whole culture and environment of people who are invested in the history and success of those people at HBCUs and because of the population that is being served.

If HBCUs close, those other schools are not seeking to serve those students who we serve, who may be coming under-prepared from high school but simply need some remedial work. You can gauge one thing, but you can never gauge a person’s heart and how much determination and willingness they’re willing to put into something.
I think HBCUs give people that opportunity to demonstrate that, despite what they may have dealt with in earlier life, if they have the wherewithal and the drive and ambition, that they can be extremely successful people.

What we need to do to stop the conversation about closure and merger and those things is there’s no doubt we’ve got to find new ways to navigate the terrain. The days of more coming is not there. We’ve got to be very resourceful. We need to be sure that we are sending the message that we, again, are open to all races. We know there’s no doubt we need to build our endowments. Of course, you and I know that there are only about five HBCUs that have endowments above $100 or $150 million. Endowments are what sustain an institution, so we’ve got to make sure that we’re building our endowments.

And, of course, we’ve got to continue to produce high-quality graduates that compete in a global society. That’s going to be extremely important. Of course, our graduates continue to exemplify themselves. One of the other figures I like, which I don’t have the exact percentages, are the number of Ph.Ds., like you and I, in this country. A large percentage of those persons started out at historically black colleges and universities. That is extremely important.

Finally, the online programs. Because of what is happening in terms of being able to reach those non-traditional learners and students, HBCUs have to be very nimble and really look at improving their online classroom offerings.

Q: Obviously the last three decades have seen shifting trends in education with African American students and other minority students accepted at a whole range of higher education institutions but how have HBCU’s responded to these trends in particular?

A: You’re absolutely right. As we just talked about, as I look at that pre-1970 number of our students who went to HBCUs versus the three percent it is now, we are facing stiff competition. Obviously, because most young people today have been raised in a totally different era and time, they are used to certain things. They are more open. Obviously, they are more technologically savvy, and they’re used to amenities that oftentimes are not as available at HBCUs.

There’s no doubt that when we’re comparing Mississippi Valley against Old Miss and Mississippi State, our physical plants aren’t the same. A lot of those students are choosing those other predominately white institutions because, physical plant-wise, all the HBCUs have not been able to keep up the way other schools have.
We say today, students make decisions as they’re walking, meaning what they see. “What type of room am I going to be living in?” Obviously, we all know there is a preference for single rooms, not the double occupancy small room. We know the tendency is for individual or small group showers, not the gang [?] showers we often see in older residence halls. We know students want to see wireless all over the place. We know students want to see knew student unions and recreation centers.

Unfortunately, because of those low endowments, because of some of the lack of funding received from institutions, we haven’t been able to keep up with those predominately white institutions. That’s a major reason why we’re losing students.
I’m always saying while need to do some of those things, we need to continue to stay true to our mission. That is the holistic development and education of students. We need to maintain our small class sizes and our individual attention and the fact that we really do nurture students. We need to stay true to those missions.

Often, what has happened is that a lot of HBCUs have become — and this is a little more controversial statement, so let me see if I can say it correctly — we’ve changed our mission and our focus by trying to chase other schools, and we really just need to stay true to our mission.

For instance, there are schools that I know about and have been affiliated with who had good retention rates and good graduation rates, to have sought to “recruit” a better quality student. They have changed their admission standards in order to go after a higher SAT or GPA or ACT score student. In turn, they were not looking to serve students who had historically done extremely well at those institutions.

I think we have to be very careful at HBCUs about what we’re really chasing. Again, we need to get back to the basics and get back to our foundation. We need to really understand we have a certain niche, and our niche is being able to work with students and prepare students and wrap our arms around them, give them the support and individual attention and nurturing they need, so that they can, indeed, really prosper and graduate. We should not be too focused on trying to compete with what are supposedly better quality students.

Personally, I don’t believe in that. As a sociologist, I know that you look at a student’s high school grade point average. What has happened is too many HBCUs put emphasis on SAT and ACT scores, which we of course know our students don’t do as well on. However, many schools are changing their standards and putting more weight on a one-time test as opposed to what students have demonstrated during the course of their academic career in high school.

We’ve got to be very careful how we respond to some of those trends, but in the case Mississippi Valley, we’re going to stick to our foundation. We’re going to stick to our mission in terms of what we were founded to do. We’re going to continue working with students who desire higher education who understand, “I may not be as prepared as I needed to be for college; however, I’ve got a heart, I’ve got a willingness, I’ve got a desire to learn. If I’ve got a caring, dedicated, committed faculty, while I may enter at one point on entryway, I’m going to be even with those students at Ole Miss and Mississippi State by the time I exit.”

Q: Although you just started your tenure at Mississippi Valley State University, you have been very successful at righting the ship through a number of different policies and programs. What, in general terms, has been your approach to preserving the legacy of MVSU, while making much need changes?

A: I think I’m shifting it because what happens, unfortunately – and you know this –what I’m trying to do is refocus faculty, staff and students on why we really exist. Why we’re here. That is, of course, being more student-centered and making more decisions in terms of what is best for our students.

My approach has been laying out expectations, creating an environment of transparency and producing a collegial working atmosphere. My vision for MVSU incorporates individuals working across the board to achieve our goals. I don’t believe in silos. I believe we indeed have to work as a team and across division lines if we’re really going to make sure the students persist.

We’re building on a traditional framework that work here while I incorporate those new ideas that will help sustains and contribute to the relevance of Valley. The vision, in case you haven’t heard it yet, that we’ve set is something that already existed on the campus. I’m just putting a new twist and a new emphasis and making it crystal clear what we mean. That vision is One Goal, One Team, One Valley.
That one goal is student success. We’re going to be about student success. Enrollment, holistic development, retention, graduation and career advancement. All decisions that we make need to be made with students first and foremost in mind. Not our ourselves as individuals, but what’s best for our students.

The one team is the university and community working together. It is extremely important that the university, especially a university like Valley in the area we’re in, that we make inroads and make it very clear that we want to partner with community stakeholders who are interested in this institution and see us an asset. We’re going to do that and make sure I’m reaching out to folks and letting folks know, “We want to be your education institution of choice.” For this area, this region, we want to be that institution. We’re working with the community to build those partnerships.

Finally, the one Valley, that is students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the institution actively demonstrating school pride and spirituality that is second to none. In case you didn’t catch that, that’s school pride and spirituality. The spirituality is intentional in the sense that that’s one of those foundational things we need to reconnect to in terms of an HBCU. When a student is connected spiritually – and I’m not talking about any specific religion; I’m talking about to a higher being and a different energy source – a student then gets grounded. They have a new perspective. As a result, they tend to persist longer. Some of those things are not about necessarily changing the academy, but getting folks in the academy to think in a totally different way. The institution has become too much about us as faculty and staff, as opposed to about serving the students who we enter for.

Here’s a quick example of what I mean by student-centered decision making that I’ve shared with the staff here. If there is an office that has two or more employees, there’s no reason that office should be closed any time during the 8:00-5:00 work day. What has happened is, often times because I want to go to lunch with a particular person or with whomever I’m working with, I may close that office down for an hour while I go to lunch, not understanding that that student who is in class or other activities, you never know when that student is going to need to frequent your office. For that student to have just a small amount of time to come to an office and then see a sign or no sign and no one in the office, that’s not being student centered.

Being student centered is, if there are two or more people in an office, that office should never close during the day. They should straddle their lunch hours so that the office is open the entire 8:00-5:00 workday. That’s what I’m trying to do – to get people to think differently about who we are really here to serve and to make sure students get a return on their investment for the dollars they are investing in their education.

Well, that concludes part I of my interview with President Bynum. In Part II, the president will continue to dispense expert advice on how to lead successful a HBCU.

Read all of our posts about HBCUs by clicking here.

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Matthew Lynch published in Diversity, Higher Education

Do full-ride scholarships really increase college diversity?

The cost of going to college can be a deal-breaker. Even with Pell grants, scholarships, and some student loans, the overwhelming ticket price of higher education is a major deterrent. This is especially true for minorities, first generation college students, and those coming from low socio-economic backgrounds. There is both a legitimate concern over what that college degree will cost, as well as a cultural barrier that often tells these students a college education is just not for them (both within their circles, and outside them).

But what if colleges were to take away cost as a factor – completely? Throughout the country there are schools that are combatting low diversity numbers with a novel idea: full-ride scholarships for those who qualify.

Now full-ride scholarships are certainly nothing new. They’ve been given out to promising students, and those in financial need, and athletes for decades. What’s so different about this new slew of full-ride initiatives is that they acknowledge a lack of diversity and are targeting minorities, women and underserved students.

The University of Michigan recently rolled out a full-ride scholarship program that targets students as young as 7th grade. The Wolverine Pathways initiative seeks to find students of academic promise from racial and socioeconomic disadvantage and give them a chance to earn a full ride to the university by the time they graduate from high school. Students will be paired with tutors and mentors in three academic sessions per year. If they complete the sessions successfully, and are then accepted to the university, they will be given a scholarship for four years.

It’s certainly needed at Michigan, where only 12.8 percent of the 2015 freshman class are minorities. The school saw a dip from the height of its minority representation (which was only 13.8 in 2015) after affirmative action was struck down for college admissions. Since then, the university claims it has looked for ways to boost its diversity – and the Wolverine Pathways program could finally do just that.

Arizona State University also announced a full-ride program for new MBA students in the fall of 2016 that is designed to improve diversity. Based on the student’s residency, the scholarship could be valued as high as $94,000.

But will these and other full-ride programs actually work?

Finances are certainly an obstacle when it comes to creating diverse college campuses but it is not the only issue. College freshman from homes with no college graduates are at a higher risk of dropping out that first year. Students who have never learned basic life skills, including how to budget and pay bills, often get overwhelmed at college and drop out to start earning immediate money instead.

Then there is the whole idea of young people being handed something they don’t truly understand the value of – and squandering it. It’s usually a decade or more later when college dropouts of all races and backgrounds look back and realize that they probably should’ve stayed in school. That’s around the time their college-educated peers are finally paying off those student loans, advancing in their careers, and finally cashing in on the quality of life that a college education provides. It’s very difficult to explain to an 18 or 19-year-old student the total value of a college education, both in the immediate and over the long term. Not having to pay for that value could translate into students who do not respect that education the way they should. This is not a point specific to minorities, but to young people in general.

So how can colleges and universities bring in diverse students, retain them, and graduate them debt-free?

It starts with the teaching and mentorship structure, like the one Michigan has in place, but needs to continue to college campuses. Students who we know are statistically more likely to drop out need hands-on guidance counselors, and mentors, and professors who work hard to keep them engaged and learning. There needs to be retention programs in place that actively check in on progress and don’t simply offer an open-door policy. All of this is vital if colleges are serious about having a diverse student population that succeeds on its grounds.

For programs like the one at Arizona State, it also means more targeted recruitment. If you say you are lowering financial barriers in order to bring in a more diverse student group, then you must find that student group and offer them spots. That takes a lot of dedication but is well worth it.

The bottom line is this: Simply giving students free access to a college degree is not enough for those students to succeed. Colleges and universities offering these types of programs need to recognize how the financial constraints of college are simply one issue on the road to attaining a degree. Academic support, mentorship, cultural inclusion and so many other factors must also play a role in these incentives for them to truly be successful at boosting campus and workplace diversity.

Matthew

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Matthew Lynch published in Equity, Higher Education

Diverse Conversations: Supporting LBGTQ College Students

Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered or questioning (LGBTQ) students go through a period where they struggle to fit in or feel alienated by their student body. It is important to understand their perspectives and address common feelings they may have as they enter or continue their college experience. So how do we support LBGTQ college students?

Dr. Victor Schwartz, Medical Director of The Jed Foundation, a leading not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting emotional health and preventing suicide among college students, answers a few questions regarding issues many LGBTQ students face and how college students and campuses can promote acceptance and more inclusive communities.

Q: Is mental health or suicide an issue among LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning) students?

A: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth face many social factors, like discrimination or bullying that can lead to feelings of isolation and potentially depression. Suicide is the leading cause of death among LGBTQ teens, and transgendered teens are 20 times more likely to contemplate, attempt or complete suicide than their heterosexual counterparts.

Q: How can I help someone who may be struggling?

A: If you know someone who may be struggling with their sexuality, make sure they know you are supportive and willing to talk about anything. Let them make decisions about their sexual orientation on their own terms and when they are ready. If someone reveals their sexual orientation to you, it is important to be supportive and allow them to talk through their feelings and fears. Coming out can be a difficult process and it helps to have a strong support network.

Q: What can I do if I see someone being discriminated against?

A: Cultural attitudes about sexuality are slowly improving, but there are still people in our society who are intolerant of personal differences and discriminate against people who are perceived as different. Harassment and abuse should never be tolerated. It’s our responsibility to stand up against discrimination and harassment. If you see someone being treated unfairly, reach out to that individual and report it to an authority figure. It’s important not to assume these issues will resolve themselves. Being bullied, mistreated or discriminated against can make it more likely someone will become distressed or worse.

Q: What is being done to help LGBTQ students?

A: Most college campuses have groups dedicated to promoting the emotional wellbeing of LGBTQ students. There are also many organizations that have been created to bring awareness of challenges these students face daily and educate their peers on the boundaries and language to use to respect these students. Organizations such as Love is Louder work online, through the media and in communities to strengthen emotional health by building resiliency, creating connectedness, promoting acceptance and equipping advocates to support their peers. The Love is Louder movement has already inspired hundreds of thousands of people around the world to take action to feel more connected, support others and get help if needed.

Q: What is Love is Louder Movement?

A: Love is Louder was started by The Jed Foundation, MTV and Brittany Snow to support students feeling mistreated. Individuals, communities, schools and organizations have embraced Love is Louder as a way to address issues like bullying, negative self-image, discrimination, loneliness and depression. In 2012, students from Trinity School in New York City made videos expressing support for their LGBTQ peers. It has become a social movement where students are changing their school’s culture. The Love is Louder movement made this program, now called Straight Up Love is Louder, national so all students in schools across the country can work together to make their communities more supportive and inclusive.

Q: What are some things I can do to help build resiliency and increase connectedness?

A: To be an advocate to support your peers, start by:

• Identifying yourself or someone they could go to if they needed to talk or seek help.
• Override the internal and external negative voices by shifting perspective.
• Practice positive behaviors that are proven to lessen and prevent symptoms of depression: primarily gratitude exercises and doing things to improve their community and help others.
• Be aware of word choice; be empathetic to how other people feel.

Q: Where can I go for more information?

A: For more information, visit http://www.loveislouder.com or http://www.loveislouder.com/straight-up/.

This article originally appeared on www.diverseeducation.com.

 

 

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Matthew Lynch published in HBCU's, Higher Education

Some HBCUs struggling with NCAA academic requirement

A new NCAA requirement that governs if a college or university’s athletic teams will have the ability to compete in the postseason is hitting some HBCU’s pretty hard.

The Academic Progress Rate, or APR, is the rule that the NCAA uses to “hold institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term,” according to diverseeducation.com.

This new rule makes it so that all Division 1 schools would be judged by the same APR.

That’s a mouthful.

But APR is judged in four-year periods, so some of the HBCU’s facing expulsion from postseason play are being judged on academic performance starting in the 2013-14 school year.

According to diverseeducation.com, some of the schools that may be on the outs are Florida A&M University, Savannah State University, and Prairie View A&M University. There are 7 HBCU’s with teams facing penalties.

In an effort to comply, those HBCUs, and other schools, are seeking a deferment of at least one year so that they may show improvement in “their performance in the classroom.”

Also–the NCAA gave “limited-resource institutions” “more flexibility to meet the APR standards.”

Still, with HBCU’s already low funding and state legislatures slashing money that goes towards higher education, some of them were bound to struggle.

Hopefully the NCAA grants the APR extension that will allow these HBCU’s to comply with the order. Disrupting athletic programs could mean some serious financial and morale consequences on the HBCUs involved.

Read all of our posts about HBCUs by clicking here.

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Matthew Lynch published in HBCU's, Higher Education

How much trouble are HBCUs really in?

According to essence.com, the plight of HBCUs is quite serious. From finance issues to declining graduation rates, some of the latest stats regarding how well, or maybe bad, HBCUs are doing is quite alarming. How much trouble are HBCUs really in?

By way of of a study published in Newsweek, “fundraising is a major problem for HBCUs.”

The study gives a comparison of the two of the nation’s “richest” schools in terms of how they are sectioned. Howard University receives nearly $590 million from the government, which on the surface, seems like a lot of money.

But compared to the funding that Brown University receives, Howard is dwarfed. Brown is on the receiving end of over $3 billion in government funding each year.

Brown has a bustling alumni base that donates generously. Not saying that Howard doesn’t as they certainly have proud alumni. Yet the differences are hard to miss.

Moving further along in the study, a new book suggests that HBCUs are seriously on the way out. There are currently 104 HBCUs, but as the book predicts, that number will dwindle down to just 35 soon.

Then there is the declining graduation rate and enrollment numbers at HBCUs and the peril is nearly tangible.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has a plan to underpin HBCUs by funding them with over $25 billion. That still may not be enough.

Some of our nation’s best minds have come out of HBCUs. Saving them should be at the top of our list of educational priorities and we should fight to find new ways to make these schools relevant.

Read all of our posts about HBCUs by clicking here.

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Matthew Lynch published in Equity, Higher Education, Matthew Lynch

Diverse Conversations: Alternate Pathways to the College Presidency

In the past, college presidents from other schools and college vice presidents have most often ascended the ranks to fill empty presidential seats. While this still happens about 19 and 25 percent of the time, respectively, other leaders like provosts and deans are increasingly being considered to fill the college president vacancies. Some schools even search outside the college community to find leaders from other industries that fit the bill. There is really no hiring formula that applies to all college president spots and a “qualified” candidate could feasibly jump several levels of hierarchy to claim the spot.

Lately the academy has turned to former military officers to help lead their institutions. Recently, I sat down with Gen. Charles Krulak, president of Birmingham-Southern College to speak to him about how he used his distinguished career in the military to transition to a successful career in academia.

Q: What drove your decision to enter academia following your military career?

A: I did not actually join academia right after my military career. Rather, I first became the chairman and CEO of an international bank. Then I joined the board of a professional football team here in the United States and a professional soccer club in the United Kingdom, as well as the boards of Union Pacific and Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold. It was only after all those activities that I realized that what I missed more than anything was the relationship I had in the U.S. Marine Corps with the young men and women of today. The desire to reconnect with the next generation of leaders led me to seek a college presidency.

Q: Why did you choose Birmingham-Southern College?

A: Interestingly, I had never even been to the state of Alabama, nor had I ever heard of Birmingham-Southern. My name had come up in presidential searches for three other colleges or universities when I was invited to visit the city of Birmingham on an unrelated matter. While I was here, a friend who knew I was looking for a new challenge told me about BSC, which was currently looking for a new president. My wife and I visited campus and we spent six hours on an individual tour in which we replicated all the activities we had experienced while going through the interview process elsewhere. At the end of those six hours, we knew without a doubt that BSC was the place for us. Why? First off, the quality of the students. We found great young men and women of character who were clearly more driven to serve on Main Street than to profit on Wall Street. Second, we met a remarkable, selfless faculty who truly believes that the education they provide can and should be life-changing. Third, I encountered a staff who clearly saw that their main purpose was to serve the student and the faculty members who teach the students. All in all, there was a unique sense of family that I found at no other campus.

Q: How has your military background influenced your presidency?

A: As a military officer, I spent a lifetime around men and women who truly reflected the diversity of our nation. While BSC is a welcoming campus that has always strived for diversity, when I arrived, I didn’t encounter the magnitude of diversity I was accustomed to. That has now become a priority for the whole college, and we’re taking proactive steps to address the situation. Although we’ve just started out, we’ve become a more representative campus in a very short time, and that includes students, faculty, and staff. For instance, in the class that matriculated this fall, 22 percent identified as Asian American, Hispanic, African American, Pacific Islander, Native American, or multiracial.
Another thing: the military is often seen as a very hierarchical organization with little room for consultation or discussion. The reality is totally different. And so I’ve tried since arriving at the college to make sure communications remain open and to strive for transparency and informed debate, especially between administrators and the faculty. I really want to make sure I get input from the broadest possible perspective, especially as we shape the college’s future.

Q: What can higher education learn from the military, and vice-versa?

A: The biggest takeaway is that at the end of the day, character counts. The effectiveness of a professor or a staff member—or the president!—is directly related to her or his strength of character, moral courage, and integrity. We need to remember that our role is not just to prepare students mentally, but also to develop their strength of character, for that’s what will sustain them when they’re in the “real world.” The military, on the other hand, could learn a lot from higher education. From an administrative perspective, higher ed. has shown me how to slow down and value the process, especially when it comes to shared governance. From an educational one, we need to remember that there’s a huge difference between simply training young people—that is, loading them up with specific knowledge—and truly educating them to be critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and connectors of ideas. That’s what colleges like Birmingham-Southern do so well, and it’s why the U.S. will continue to be a leader in innovation well into the future.

Q: As a former member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, you’re clearly a strong leader. What do we need to do to create the next generation of leaders?

A: First off, I believe that leaders are made and not born; that you can in fact learn leadership. Also, leaders must have a foundation and that foundation is a strength of character. Thus, as you’re developing young leaders, you must start with that foundation and then build it up from there. The specific traits, methods, and even “tricks” that help make leadership effective are nothing without that basis in character, which is why I feel that’s one of the most important things we help develop as educators.

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?

A: What spare time? Seriously, along with my “day job,” I attend almost every sporting event, performance, and other event on this campus. I love being out there to support the students! And then there’s travel to visit alumni and spread the word about BSC in other cities. My wife and I love to read, do crosswords, and watch movies. But the reality is, at least 90 percent of my time is spent on campus.

We would like to thank General Krulak for participating in this interview.

 

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Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education, Matthew Lynch

Queering Campuses Prompts Reflection, Reform for Universities

Note: The following guest post comes to us courtesy of Jacob Bell, a junior at the University of Maryland pursuing a dual degree in journalism and general biology. He currently works as the staff writer and web content manager for Student Voice and is a general assignment reporter for the University of Maryland’s student newspaper, The Diamondback. Jacob is also the features chair of “Stories Beneath the Shell,” which is an online multimedia publication. You can learn more about Jacob by connecting with him through LinkedIn or following him on Twitter, @realjacobbell.

The word ‘queer’ can mean many things. It can be a noun or an adjective, derogatory or empowering, a reference to gender and sexual identity or a departure from normalcy. It can also be a verb. “To queer something,” according to Dr. Charlie Glickman, a sexuality educator of nearly 25 years, “is to take a look at its foundations and question them.”

For Alex Borsa, a junior molecular biophysics and women’s, gender and sexuality studies double major at Yale University, it is the verb form of queer which matters most. As the president of the university’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Student Cooperative, which serves as the umbrella organization for all of Yale’s LGBTQ groups, Borsa works to increase visibility of queer and marginalized students and make the campus a safer, more inclusive environment.

Borsa achieves these goals, in part, through his participation with IvyQ, an annual, inter-Ivy League LGBTQ conference that attracts 300 to 500 attendees. The conference advocates social organization, political activism and community building among LGBTQ students and groups.

“It is the only time that students are in such a large space comprised of almost only LGBTQ people,” Borsa said. “Being at a social event with 500 queer people is something most people don’t get to experience, [and] does a lot to change people. It was probably the single most transformative process I’ve been to in my college experience.”

Yale hosted the 2013 installment of the IvyQ conference, which has made its way to a different Ivy League school each year since its inception in 2010. Borsa served as a volunteer coordinator for the event, and assisted former Yale conference chair Hilary O’Connell with event production. In spite of a blizzard that struck New Haven, Connecticut, the same weekend as the conference, the Yale IvyQ team was able to deliver an event true to the mission of IvyQ, according to Borsa.

The 2013 conference offered light entertainment, such as dances, lunches and group breakout sessions, as well as 30 to 40 formal colloquiums and workshops from a series of students and guest speakers about topics including gender activism, asexuality, and the meaning of the LGBTQ community now versus in previous decades.

“These are always going to be issues,” Rebby Kern, the media communications and programs manager for Campus Pride, the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to making higher education more LGBT-friendly, said. “But if we can come to a place where we can talk about these issues … in a safe environment, I feel we’ve done our job as far as a movement.”

The conference also prompts discussion on issues, such as class, privilege, mental health, race and racism, that are present across many colleges and universities and affect marginalized groups related to or outside of the LGBT spectrum.

These discussions play a large role in IvyQ’s ability to “queer the campus,” or “challenge, question and deconstruct the status quo,” of the host school, Borsa said.
And as the number and diversity of the voices contributing to the conversation increases, so does the pressure on higher education to improve existing systems.

“I think student voice means not being afraid to challenge large institutions, even the administration itself, on how we think Yale should be bettered,” Borsa added.

In April, Yale held a weekend-long mental health and wellness event to address complaints from students and groups like IvyQ regarding the slow response times and lack of information coming from its Mental Health and Counseling Department, which 22 percent of the student body visits at least once per year, according to a 2011 report.

In the same month, Yale also held Take Back the Night, an event where students shared sexual experiences through speeches, poetry and song to raise awareness about sexual violence and community respect.

“For me personally, the idea of institutional commitment is the big thing,” D. Andrew Porter, a summer fellow at Campus Pride, said. “ [As a movement], we’re not just talking about LGBTQ students, and that’s causing campuses to look at all students who fall under that big umbrella word, ‘diversity.’”

The next IvyQ conference will be held in the fall of 2014 at Dartmouth College, which has received news coverage and student criticism in the past year concerning the school’s handling of homophobia, racism and sexism both on campus and in Dartmouth Greek life. In February, students presented the Freedom Budget, a sweeping reform that enumerated more than 70 actions the college could take that would help confront and diminish discrimination.

The school’s president, Philip J. Hanlon, and then interim provost, Martin Wybourne, released a statement in the wake of the Freedom Budget outlining steps the administration planned to take to address the students’ suggestions, such as allocating millions of dollars to hire and attract a more diverse campus faculty, and expanding a university program that supports minority groups in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

By April, however, student dissatisfaction was not quelled and resulted in protests outside the president’s office and the administration building.

For Nathen Huang, a senior psychology major at Columbia University and leader of Columbia’s IvyQ organization, Dartmouth’s hosting of the conference comes at an opportune time, one in which the school’s administration is primed to listen to the voices of campus students.

“Student voice is the opportunity to offer insights to improve the community or build new relationships that have never been explored before,” Huang said. “Even if not every one who goes to IvyQ comes from the activist community, there are also people who [are involved in other ways], and they’re able to express their own ideas and opinions.”

Going forward, Borsa, Huang and fellow IvyQ members want to increase access to the conference through additional funding so more people can contribute to the discussion. They also hope the organization continues to spark conversation between university officials and students about how to better educational environments.

“It’s important for everyone to think of these things,” Borsa said. “That doesn’t mean you have to be on the front lines of everything, but it does mean that it’s important to think about how social factors shape your everyday life. IvyQ challenges people to see things in a different way.”

(Dartmouth’s Office of Pluralism and Leadership did not respond to Student Voice’s request for comment before this story’s publication).

 

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

Black Men and College Advantages: Fair or Unfair?

There’s no denying that the numbers are dismal when it comes to black young men who attend and graduate from colleges in the U.S. Statistically speaking, black men have the lowest test scores, the worst grades and the highest dropout rates – in K-12 education, and in college too. The school to prison pipeline is a real phenomenon, with state prisons systems determining their future populations with stunning accuracy based on fourth-grade reading assessment scores. The recognition of this educational crisis has led to some strong initiatives targeted at young black men with the intention of guiding them through the college years and to successful, productive lives that follow.

Any college initiatives targeted at a particular group of people are bound to see some push-back from those who are excluded. Despite the obvious need for college incentive programs for the young black men of the nation, there are plenty who complain about the special treatment these young men receive. Even highly-regarded institutions like Stanford University have alumni who have spoken out against affirmative action practices, pointing out that instead of eliminating racial discrimination, these initiatives have actually led to reverse-discrimination on college campuses.

A Gallup Poll found that 67 percent of Americans are against any type of special treatment when it comes to admittance to college based on ethnicity or race, favoring instead a system that admits students based solely on merit. The belief that black, and other minority, college students who are given special considerations for admittance and financial aid are somehow stealing opportunities from other deserving students is certainly widespread and gaining traction.

Black Women Cry Foul

Perhaps the most surprising of those who are vocally against the increasing amount of financial, mentoring and other college transitional services for black men are black women. On the surface, this would appear to be a detrimental activity. Isn’t the fight for equality and opportunities for black men really a fight for all black people? If you ask the black women who are angered by the initiatives available for their counterparts, that answer is “no.” Where is the love for black women with college aspirations – many of whom fall into disadvantaged categories themselves?

Programs like San Jacinto College’s Men of Honor target black male college students with life programs that not only aid in college graduation, but in the development of life skills and networking opportunities. The TRUMPET program implemented at Northeastern Technical College has increased the retention rate for black students from around half to nearly 90 percent. Programs like these that focus on guiding black male college students through the process appear to be working, but is it at the detriment of female black college students?

Why DO black men seem to be hogging all the college initiative programs?

Less Need for Intervention

The truth may lie in the success of black women in college settings without an overwhelming amount of extra help. Black women are enrolling in college at a higher rate than any other group, and black men graduate from college at a rate that is two-thirds lower than their female peers. Black women appear to be a victim of their own successes, it seems, when it comes to being targeted for help to get through college. Of course there are college incentive programs for black women – from on-campus initiatives to United Negro College Fund options – but the overall spotlight seems to favor black men where college encouragement is concerned. And the women resent it.

So what is it about the young women of the black community that seems to inherently better prepare them for the college setting – without as much of an external push to succeed as the black men? What is so different between a sister and brother raised in the same household that leads the female to prioritize college, while the male needs someone else to prioritize it for him?

It can all be traced back to the contemporary setup of black families. You can call it stereotyping or overgeneralizing, but 68 percent of black women who gave birth in 2012 were unmarried and 48.5 percent of black children grow up in single custodial home, with the overwhelming majority of those parents being mothers. The divorce rate for black families is higher than for white or Hispanic families. More black children grow up without the influence of their fathers than any other demographic.
As a result, black women tend to grow up with strong female role models who emulate independence and a self-sufficient lifestyle. These single moms go out and get the job done every day, and as their daughters get older, they realize that there is a better life outside of these constraints – and that college is the path that will get them there. The young men, though seeing the same role models from their mothers, do not have a male version to look up to in many cases.

Which is why college motivation within and without the black community is so vital for these young men. At this point in the nation’s history, they are in the greatest need for the lifestyle change that higher education can provide, and not just for individual growth but for the benefit of the entire nation. Black women, presumably tired of carrying the load for their community, may not be able to see beyond what they perceive as unfair when it comes to their personal circumstances to the long-term goal of a stronger black community. So while the negative feelings of black women college students regarding the advantages afforded their male peers are founded, a look at the long-term benefits of these male-centric initiatives on college campuses may change their perspective.

 

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