Steps to Effective Leadership

Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Ph.D., President, Bennett College for
Women, Greensboro, North Carolina.

Dr. Johnnetta Cole's career as a college and university professor and administrator spans over three decades. Dr. Cole made history in 1987 by becoming the first African American woman to serve as president of Spelman College. In May 2004 she became the first African American to serve as Chair of the Board of United Way of America. Johnnetta Cole is President Emerita of Spelman College and Professor Emerita of Emory University from which she retired as Presidential Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Women's Studies and African American Studies. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Anthropological Association. Her work as a college professor and president, her published works, her speeches and her community service, consistently address issues of racial, gender and all other forms of discrimination. Johnnetta Cole serves on the board of the Carter Center, the National Visionary Leadership Project, and the United Way of Greater Greensboro. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Merck & Co., Inc., and the Atlanta Falcons. Dr. Cole consults on diversity matters with Citigroup. Also, she is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, The Links, Inc. and the National Council of Negro Women. Dr. Cole is the author of numerous publications for scholarly and general audiences. Her most recent publication is a co-authored book with Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall: Gender Talk: The Struggle for Women's Equality in African American Communities. Cole has a long and distinguished career as an educator and humanitarian. In addition to 50 honorary degrees, Dr. Cole has received numerous awards, including the TransAfrica Forum Global Public Service Award, the Dorothy I. Height Dreammaker Award, the Radcliffe Medal, the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, the 2001 Alexis de Tocqueville Award for Community Service from United Way of America, the Award for Education presented at the 90th Anniversary Celebrations of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and The Joseph Prize for Human Rights presented by the Anti-Defamation League. Cole began her college studies at Fisk University and completed her undergraduate degree at Oberlin College. She earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Northwestern University.

Improving Graduate Rates—Not Rocket Science: Smaller, More Selective Schools Do Best

Richard Fry, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, Pew Hispanic Center, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Richard Fry is a demographic economist, with expertise in the analysis of established U.S. education, labor market, and language data sets. He pursues an empirical research agenda on Latino educational, economic, and social outcomes. Fry's research focuses on the value and development of productive skills, particularly among Hispanic youth populations. He is one of the nation's prominent scholars on measuring Latino educational attainment and college participation. His research has been published in numerous journals, including the American Economic Review, Industrial and Labor Relations Review, and Contemporary Economic Policy. At the Center, Fry authored Latinos in Higher Education: Many Enroll, Too Few Graduate, an influential analysis underlining the importance of college persistence for Latino undergraduates. Richard Fry is currently engaged in research on the impact of Hispanic geographic dispersion on Hispanic schooling and the trends in the educational outcomes of foreign-born youth attending U.S. schools. Fry earned his Ph.D. at The University of Michigan.

Sustaining Our Gains—Building on Best Practices

William B. Harvey, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Officer, Diversity and Equity, University of Virginia, Charlottsville, Virginia

Dr. William Harvey, a nationally known higher education expert on diversity in colleges and universities, was appointed as the first Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity by the President of University of Virginia to lead university's initiatives (November 2005). Dr. Harvey, has served for the past five years as Vice President of the Center for Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Equity at the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C. Prior to undertaking his assignment at ACE, Harvey was Dean of the School of Education and Deputy Chancellor for Educational Partnerships at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Harvey's career in higher education spans over 35 years and crisscrosses academic and administration positions. Bill Harvey has long been a strong voice on matters of diversity and equity in higher education. "He has focused much of his academic career on these issues and on the people most directly affected by them, both in the classroom and through his writings," University of Virginia president said. "I look forward to the impact he will have on our curricula, on teaching and learning within the University, and on the larger community. He brings a record of successful advocacy for the proposition that in order to serve our society justly, American universities must be inclusive and supportive of all of their students and faculty members. The work he has done in a variety of professional assignments has gained him national prominence and prepares him well for leading the University's diversity initiatives." It was the depth of that commitment that attracted Bill Harvey to U.Va. "Few institutions have looked so comprehensively at the issue," Harvey said. "The range of engagement that is expected of this position, and the fact that it has direct responsibility to the president, were central to my decision. It was clear that the University of Virginia was interested in transformation at all levels of the institution." In addition to his teaching and administration career, Harvey has written extensively on diversity issues. Most recently he co-authored ACE's Twenty-First Annual Status Report on Minorities in Higher Education, and a chapter titled Deans as Diversity Leaders in Frank Hale's book, What Makes Racial Diversity Work in Higher Education. Harvey, 57, earned an Ed.D. from Rutgers in 1980.

Co-Presenter:
M. Rick Turner, Ph.D., Dean, Office of the African-American Affairs, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904

M. Rick Turner has served as the Dean of the University of Virginia's Office of African-American Affairs since August 1988. Since his arrival, the University has boosted its African-American graduation rate to 87%, among the highest of any other public institution in the nation. Prior to coming to UVA, Dr. Turner served in various student affairs positions of leadership at institutions across the nation, including the University of Connecticut, University of California-Irvine, and Stanford University. In addition to his role as Dean, Dr. Turner also serves as adjunct faculty member of the University of Virginia's Department of Sociology, teaching courses on "Sociology of the African-American Community" as well as multicultural education. He has served as a consultant/speaker for numerous education foundations, higher education institutions, public and private schools, community organizations, and municipal and federal agencies. He has also spoken and written extensively about African-American academic achievement; affirmative action; and the recruitment, retention, admission and graduation of African-American students, other students of color, and student athletes. Dr. Turner is the founder of the Saturday Academy, an educational enrichment program for families. He is active in community affairs, working closely with parents and children. He is currently the president of the N.A.A.C.P. Charlottesville/Albemarle branch. For his work, Dr. Turner has received numerous awards, including the Crispus Attucks Award for Higher Education Leadership, the Ron Brown Award for successfully educating African-American youth and other students of color, the Parents Advisory Association Warrior Award for his student advocacy, NAACP Award for his commitment to the needs of the community, and Outstanding Black Faculty/Staff award for his devotion to his students. During the spring 2001 convocation exercises, Dean Turner was awarded the prestigious Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, given in recognition of excellence of character and service to humanity.

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