Talking about Things that Matter: Conversations about ......• Held faculty and staff breakfast discussions in September and April on all three campuses. • Held brownbag lunch discussions

Talking about Things that

Matter:

Conversations about Class and

Race

Presented by Lynne Boone and Steven

Murray

The Communities

• Economically

disadvantaged

• The rural South

• Reputation for

racial divisiveness

American Association of Community Colleges

Annual Convention, April 9-12, 2011, New

Orleans

The College: Phillips Community

College of the University of

Arkansas

•One college with three

campuses

•Three communities

•Reputation for being the

neutral ground



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Year One: Conversations about

Class



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What We Did • Provided every college employee with a copy of

Payne, DeVol, and Smith’s Bridges Out of

Poverty at the August in-service.

• Held breakfast discussions in September and

April on all three campuses for faculty and staff.

• Held brownbag lunch discussions in November

and March.

• Posted notes of discussions online.



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What We Did • Showed PBS documentary of Discounted

Dreams at an all-day in-service in October.

• Large group discussion led by chancellor.

• Small group discussion led by mix of

administrators, faculty, and staff.

• Posted notes of discussions online.


Annual Convention, April 9-12, 2011, New Orleans

What We Did • In February held a day-long Bridges workshop

for all faculty and staff.

• Led by Phillip DeVol, co-author of Bridges Out of

Poverty and author of Getting Ahead in a Just-

Gettin’-By World: Building Your Resources for a

Better Life.

• Provided Bridges Out of Poverty workbook to all

faculty and staff.



What We Learned

• We cannot change the characteristics that our

students bring to us; we can change how we

respond.

• Most of our faculty and staff do not understand

most of our students.

• Students who have grown up in generational

poverty do not lack skills; they lack the skills

needed to succeed in college and in the

workplace.

• We need to be more directive. American Association of Community Colleges


What We Learned • Student success doesn’t occur in a vacuum; it

occurs within the context of family and

community.

• We must address all obstacles to success, not

merely academic issues.

• We must be community developers.



Year Two: Conversations about

Race



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What We Did

• At August in-service presented a calendar of events

using Nathan McCall’s Them as our common reader.

• Provided all college employees with a copy.

• Held breakfast discussions in September and April on

all three campuses for faculty and staff

• Held brownbag lunch discussions in November and

March

• Posted notes of discussions online

What We Did • At the August in-service presented a calendar of

events using Nathan McCall’s Them as our

common reader.

• Provided all college employees with a copy of

Them.

• Held faculty and staff breakfast discussions in

September and April on all three campuses.

• Held brownbag lunch discussions in November

and March.

• Invited McCall to a February in-service.

• Posted notes of discussions online. American Association of Community Colleges


What We Learned • It’s easier to discuss Them than us.

• We can acknowledge the bear in the corner—

and survive.

• We’re not as color blind as we would like to

pretend.

• We are a more inviting college to Barlow than to

Tyrone.

• Issues of race are not resolved by merely

reading a book and discussing it.



Year Three: Conversations

Continue



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Conversations about Class

• Monthly breakfast

discussions.



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Engaging the Community in

Conversation



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What We Did • Hobo Breakfast Kickoff

• Book discussions in a variety of venues

• A film series • Attractions in a Golden Eye

• To Kill a Mockingbird

• A Member of the Wedding

• The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

• Children Film: Kitt Kittredge: An American Girl

• Presentation by Virginia Spencer Carr,

author of The Lonely Hunter: A Biography of

Carson McCullers



What We Learned • There’s real value in bring different segments of

the community together.

• We need to move from ad hoc to structured.



Year Four: Creating a Structure

for Continued Conversation

• Partnered with Clinton School for Public

Service to develop a curriculum for

conversations about race: • Developed a curriculum for a small-group,

grassroots, dialogue-to-action approach.

• Trained facilitators.

• Pilot-tested the curriculum.



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Year Five: Where We’re Headed

• Begin delivering the curriculum to faculty

and staff during Fall 2010 semester.

• Begin delivering the curriculum to PCCUA

students and to external community Spring

2011.

• Explore opportunities for collaboration with

UALR’s Institute on Race and Ethnicity.



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How We’ll Measure Our Progress

• Use SENSE and CCSSE results to measure

internal progress.

• Measure external progress by replicating

UALR/Pulaski County’s survey on racial

attitudes.



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Contact Information Lynn Boone

Vice Chancellor for

Student Development

(870) 816-1235

[email protected]

Steven Murray

Chancellor

(870) 816-1233

[email protected]

www.twitter.com/sfmurray1950

www.facebook.com/stevenmur

ray



Orleans

Documents

Talking about Things that Matter: Conversations about ......• Held faculty and staff breakfast discussions in September and April on all three campuses. • Held brownbag lunch discussions