It was love at first sight.I remember seeing a copy of Black issues in higher education Albany State University is a historically black university that I attended as an undergraduate journalist in the mid-1990s. At the time I didn't have enough money to become a subscriber, so I either sat down and read a magazine wherever I found it, or I picked it up, read it cover to cover, and then put it back. It was. rightful owner. I was 19 years old when I first touched the pages of this book. black issue; Later this year, I will be 49 years old. Our love story has been a beautiful one for almost 30 years.
was the editor-in-chief of student's voice, ASU's official two-year undergraduate student newspaper. Our advisor, Edith Bradley, argued that if you want to produce great journalism, you first need to consume great journalism and be inspired by the best of it. Although the writing style is different from the newspaper article, black issue It was here that I learned how to write deeply, responsibly, proudly, and eloquently about timely topics that are culturally important to Black professionals. I grew up reading more magazines than newspapers. essence, ebony, jet, and vibrator It taught me how to write broadly and multifacetedly about politics, entertainment, and a variety of other topics in a way that appealed to black readers. But it was the pioneering publications of Dr. William E. Cox and Frank L. Matthews that taught me how to write specifically about black issues, the field I chose during my undergraduate studies.
One of the magazine's hallmarks, which was admired then and remains a tradition today, is the way it blends higher education news with celebration of the contributions of extraordinary professionals. The latter appears most powerfully on the cover. Nearly 30 years later, while waiting for a meeting with ASU's president and other administrators, seeing black faces on most covers compelled me to pick up the magazine. I realized that this was the reason. I love black people. Without a doubt, this 40-year-old publication of his also loves black people. This is why it appeared on the cover of the magazine as it is now known. Diversity: Issues in higher education 3rd time means a lot to me. Seeing the works of black people displayed in this way at a young age inspired me to want to do great, impactful work. Thanks to Jamal Watson and Ronald Roach (former staff writers) for giving me three great covers.
Perhaps as impactful as the cover were the announcements I read in the “On The Move” section over the years. As an undergraduate student leader, seeing Black people in great new jobs showed myself and others like me what was possible. I didn't know the people, but it turned out that most of them were color experts. I was fortunate to have many potential models at an HBCU. That magazine gave me hundreds more all the time. Now that I think about it, this section of The Negro Question was like a child sitting on their front porch, watching the cars go by, daydreaming about what would one day be theirs. Watson wrote an incredibly generous and inspiring story about my transfer from the University of Pennsylvania to the University of Southern California seven years ago. I wonder if these career presentations and features have had the same inspirational impact on today's generation of young Black scholars as they had on me almost 30 years ago.
Ontario Wooden and I went to Albany State together. We took his Kappa Alpha Psi pledge there in the spring of 1998. I then went to Indiana University, the birthplace of our fraternity, to earn my master's and doctoral degrees. The IU Higher Education and Student Affairs Program offered a Ph.D. Students can propose and teach special topic courses for faculty. Wooden and I co-taught a class titled “Black Issues in Higher Education.” In addition to books and articles from peer-reviewed academic journals, a number of articles written after the course's name were also required reading. The course was open to any undergraduate student at her IU, but all of the students who chose to take it were black. Many of them currently work in higher education institutions.Wasn't it for? black issueI never thought I would create such an inspiring space out of wood for Black IU students.
I wrote a nearly 70-page doctoral dissertation proposal on a topic I had sporadically lost interest in. I suddenly abandoned the topic. My supervisor, other professors, and colleagues thought I had lost my mind because my proposal was only one or two drafts away from a successful defense.One day my black issue It arrived by mail. The cover story was about the status of black male students in U.S. higher education. It had a huge impact on my research trajectory. When I read this compelling and incredibly disturbing article, I saw myself, my fraternity brothers, and several of the black men I was coaching at his IU school at the time. did not. As important as it was then (and still is) to document how Black undergraduates failed in higher education, some of them , I felt it was equally important to pursue insight into how they achieved success. That became the topic of my new thesis. It was the precursor to my National College for Negro Men's Achievement Study. I never would have made this change of direction if I hadn't read a life-changing magazine article.
Now, people refer to me as an expert on higher education in general and black issues in particular. For me, Various Editors and staff have been treating me that way since before I actually did. I received my Ph.D. The first time I was quoted was in a magazine. Various About three years later. Since then, I have been quoted and mentioned in its print and online articles every year. I've been named in 64 articles (and probably more), making me one of the magazine's most trusted and go-to sources. I'm not saying this for self-aggrandizement.Instead, by doing so, someone Various The staff treated me, a gay black man, like an expert.
On this 40th anniversary, I publicly honor and applaud this magazine, its founders, and all of its staff who have had such an impact on me as a Black teacher, researcher, journalist, and higher educator. appreciate. leader.i will love you deeply forever Various.
Dr. Sean Harper is a university professor. He is a professor of education and business. Clifford and Betty Allen will chair the Urban Leadership Department. Founder and Executive Director of the USC Race and Equity Center.