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Charlie Nelms had audaciously big dreams. Growing up black in the Deep South in the 1950s and 1960s, working in cotton fields, and living in poverty, Nelms dared to dream that he could do more with his life than work for white plantation owners sun-up to sun-down. Inspired by his parents, who first dared to dream that they could own their own land and have the right to vote, Nelms chose education as his weapon of choice for fighting racism and inequality. With hard work, determination, and the critical assistance of mentors who counseled him along the way, he found his way from the cotton fields of Arkansas to university leadership roles. Becoming the youngest and the first African American chancellor of a predominately white institution in Indiana, he faced tectonic changes in higher education during those ensuing decades of globalization, growing economic disparity, and political divisiveness. From Cotton Fields to University Leadership is an uplifting story about the power of education, the impact of community and mentorship, and the importance of dreaming big.
The renowned leader in higher education provides “a testament to the power of aspiration, character and education to overcome poverty and adversity” (Michael L. Lomax, President & CEO, United Negro College Fund). Charlie Nelms had audaciously big dreams. Growing up black in the Deep South in the 1950s and 1960s, working in cotton fields, and living in poverty, Nelms dared to dream that he could do more with his life than work for white plantation owners sun-up to sun-down. Inspired by his parents, who first dared to dream that they could own their own land and have the right to vote, Nelms chose education as his weapon of choice for fighting racism and inequality. With hard work, determination, and the critical assistance of mentors who counseled him along the way, he found his way from the cotton fields of Arkansas to university leadership roles. Becoming the youngest and the first African American chancellor of a predominately white institution in Indiana, he faced tectonic changes in higher education during those ensuing decades of globalization, growing economic disparity, and political divisiveness. From Cotton Fields to University Leadership is an uplifting story about the power of education, the impact of community and mentorship, and the importance of dreaming big. “In his memoir, the realities of his life take on the qualities of a good docudrama, providing the back story to the development of a remarkable educational leader. His is ‘the examined life,’ filled with honesty, humor, and humility. While this is uniquely Charlie’s story, it is a story that will lift the hearts of many and inspire future generations of leaders.” —Betty J. Overton, Director, National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good
In the years immediately following the Civil War--the formative years for an emerging society of freed African Americans in Mississippi--there was much debate over the general purpose of black schools and who would control them. From Cotton Field to Schoolhouse is the first comprehensive examination of Mississippi's politics and policies of postwar racial education. The primary debate centered on whether schools for African Americans (mostly freedpeople) should seek to develop blacks as citizens, train them to be free but subordinate laborers, or produce some other outcome. African Americans envisioned schools established by and for themselves as a primary means of achieving independence, equality, political empowerment, and some degree of social and economic mobility--in essence, full citizenship. Most northerners assisting freedpeople regarded such expectations as unrealistic and expected African Americans to labor under contract for those who had previously enslaved them and their families. Meanwhile, many white Mississippians objected to any educational opportunities for the former slaves. Christopher Span finds that newly freed slaves made heroic efforts to participate in their own education, but too often the schooling was used to control and redirect the aspirations of the newly freed.
Think you know what it takes to be an effective leader in higher education? You might be surprised. Think you know what it takes to be an effective leader in higher education? You might be surprised. Why is it so difficult to find and hire college and university presidents? Perhaps search committees are recruiting in all the wrong places. In The New College President, Terrence J. MacTaggart and Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran share the stories of seven exceptional presidents from diverse backgrounds. Drawing on hundreds of interviews, these vivid, deeply researched narratives depict the life stories and academic careers of university presidents whose unconventional backgrounds helped them grow into uniquely qualified leaders. The university presidents whom MacTaggart and Wilson-Oyelaran profile exhibit strengths of character and perspective developed through a range of challenging life experiences. Personal qualities like grit, resilience, compassion, and intercultural competence—along with academic credibility—contribute to their effectiveness as chief executives and are critical to presidential success in a fraught era of higher education. MacTaggart and Wilson-Oyelaran, who developed a "forensic" model for improving presidential searches that requires a much deeper look into personal leadership strengths and weaknesses than is typical in current search practices, are uniquely qualified to write this book. They present a fresh perspective on higher education leadership and actionable recommendations to improve presidential searches while arguing that a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is not just a moral imperative, but a valuable opportunity to recruit extraordinary leaders. Featuring Jeffrey Bullock, Waded Cruzado, Mary Dana Hinton, Freeman Hrabowski III, Robert Jones, Kwang-Wu Kim, and Mary Marcy
Blevins's study increases our understanding of the history of southern agriculture by providing a valuable model of a story repeated throughout the South.
The economy uncertain, education in decline, cities under siege, crime and poverty spiraling upward, international relations roiling: we look to leaders for solutions, and when they don’t deliver, we simply add their failure to our list of woes. In doing do, we do them and ourselves a grave disservice. We are indeed facing an unprecedented crisis of leadership, Ronald Heifetz avows, but it stems as much from our demands and expectations as from any leader’s inability to meet them. His book gets at both of these problems, offering a practical approach to leadership for those who lead as well as those who look to them for answers. Fitting the theory and practice of leadership to our extraordinary times, the book promotes a new social contract, a revitalization of our civic life just when we most need it. Drawing on a dozen years of research among managers, officers, and politicians in the public realm and the private sector, among the nonprofits, and in teaching, Heifetz presents clear, concrete prescriptions for anyone who needs to take the lead in almost any situation, under almost any organizational conditions, no matter who is in charge, His strategy applies not only to people at the top but also to those who must lead without authority—activists as well as presidents, managers as well as workers on the front line.
How I Got Out of the Cotton Field is easy to read--hard to put down. Dr. Raymon Crawford adroitly uses vivid language to weave a remarkable story of a triumphant spirit that is victorious despite heartbreaking challenges. His words paint colorful images that breathe life onto the pages of the book—we smell the aroma of the sweet potatoes roasted in the fireplace as we do the pungent odor of the outhouse—we close our eyes and feel the cool breeze created by the cracks in the walls of the un-insulated house and strain to see by the dim kerosene lamp—we taste Grandma Kelly's scrumptious pinto beans and cornbread—we take the journey with him. Raymon takes the reader on a vicarious journey to the cotton fields of North Carolina, many of us recall, as he wishes, our own cotton fields—we are inspired! We appreciate the fact that there is nothing subtle about the lessons Raymon wants us to glean—in true educator style he enumerates them and as a seasoned military leader, he “commands” us (with his riveting account) to read more, and more, until we reach the end of this compelling book. We learn the lessons. The book is much more than a simple chronology of the writer's journey from the cotton fields of North Carolina to the halls of academia—some of the most Prestigious American colleges and to the corridors of the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense—the Pentagon. It takes each reader on an enthralling trek into the depth of the human spirit.
EBONY is the flagship magazine of Johnson Publishing. Founded in 1945 by John H. Johnson, it still maintains the highest global circulation of any African American-focused magazine.
From a national leader in higher education diversity and equity comes a timely collection of compelling reflections on giving, leading, changing, and advancing. Charlie Nelms grew up as one of 11 children in the Arkansas Delta with parents who believed in education, voting, and land ownership. His parents never had the opportunity to graduate high school, but their faith in the power of education never wavered. They told Charlie and his siblings that they could grow up to be anything they wanted. The reality of apartheid-style racism said otherwise. Segregated schools and "Whites Only" jobs, hotels, restaurants, waiting rooms, restrooms, and water fountains were as common as air. While working in the cotton fields as a young boy, Charlie dreamt of a better life. Due to the deliberate racism of the time, he was among the countless Blacks who received inadequate college preparation. Despite low scores on standardized tests, Charlie graduated from an Historically Black College and University in three years and served as student government president. He went "up North" to earn his master's in College Student Personnel and Higher Education and his doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Indiana University. Charlie was among the first Blacks appointed chancellor of a predominately white university; a university chancellor in Indiana, Michigan, and North Carolina; and vice president of the IU system. He has more than 40 years of experience and leadership in student access, retention, and graduation; institutional effectiveness; and strategic planning. His blogs on these and many other issues, ranging from the personal to the political, have been widely read on the Huffington Post, HBCU Lifestyles, and other influential websites. Charlie's authentic passion for positive social change has made him a highly-sought speaker around the world. He has brought messages of hope and opportunity by sharing his personal story and by mentoring untold numbers of students and faculty, many of whom have gone on to serve as college presidents. In Having My Say: Reflections of a Black Baby Boomer, Charlie shares invaluable insights gleaned from his leadership journey that has taken him from the cotton fields to university board rooms and beyond. His memoir, All Eyes on Charlie, will be published by Indiana University Press.