Yesterday during lunch I went over the the Clinton School of Public Service to hear Arthur Brooks of the American Enterprise Institute (and formerly of Syracuse University). It ended up being a great session about fundraising.

http://www.arthurbrooks.net/

His research basically proved the Scriptures (and he talked about that fact as well). So essentially, give and it will be given back to you in good measure.

People who contribute charitably actually increase their wealth. He cited data on the wealthy who gave before their level of wealth. The charitable also are happy people, and are viewed as leaders, both qualities add value to the person and increases their earning potential.

In fact, those who give are 43% happier than those who don't. He shared that if Americans, already the most charitable people in the world, increased our giving by only 1%, that would add $39 BILLION to the economy! Now that's a real stimulus package.

So this was a great lecture. The lesson is simple: give and you'll be better for it. In fact, he argued that those who give actually get more than the charitable organization that receives. Of course, Philander Smith College is a great place for you to give so that you can receive all of these benefits.

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Here are some scenes from the annual Little Rock alumni Christmas breakfast.

Rev. Maxine Allen

Lydia and Adria Kimbrough

Danita Paige

Psalms 150

Our speaker, Attorney Carla Johnson '2005

The family of the year: The Loves. Their parents sent NINE children to PSC.

And they presented a check for a book scholarship (part of a multi-year commitment)

Board Chair Larry Ross challenging alums

Closing with the Alma Mater

Yesterday we invited a few community leaders to hear about the progress of our justice project. This semester, our major focus was convening our advisory board in October. That was a huge success and we will publish a short summary of the meeting. Our next step is to work on developing a signature academic program to compliment the new initiative. This will be my spring 2010 project.

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Today I participated in a panel at the UNCF Institute for Capacity Building that was timely considering the news about the Morehouse appropriate dress policy which has garnered national attention.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/17/college.dress.code/

So I was joined by Dr. Tony Pinkard of UNCF, Dr. James Moore of Ohio State University, and Dr. William Bynum of Morehouse College. The moderator was Dr. Bryant Marks who directs the Morehouse Male Initiative.

We had a robust conversation. My point was that I did not want schools to jump on the dress code bandwagon since Morehouse's policy is part of a broader context of the 5 wells: well read, spoken, traveled, dressed and balanced. Too many of the policies are now used punitively when we really should form relationships with students and then help change their behaviors, in love.

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In 2001 I believe, in my second year as Vice President for Student Affairs at Albany State University in Georgia, I started what I called the freshman lunch program. During orientation, I told students and their parents that it was important for them to get connected to people on campus, so if they would gather 2 or 3 friends, we would go to lunch and talk.

Of course, most didn't take me up on the offer. I mean, would a VP REALLY take us to lunch? But I did, and each year the program grew. By the time I left, I had lots of upperclass students coming saying they didn't get their freshman lunch!

So during my first fall at Philander Smith College, now as a president, I kept the program going. So now it really is mind blowing for students and parents- the PRESIDENT is offering to take me to lunch? Nah, can't be true. But each year more and more students have accepted the challenge.

So our 2009 freshmen have taken the program (and my wallet) to new levels. I have already had lunch with about 29% of the freshman class, higher than any of the past three years when I started tracking this program. And I still have a full semester to go!

The conversation is based on research questions designed to determine how things are going for new students. Of course, retention during the first year is critical as students face homesickness, adjusting to college both in and out of class, and academic difficulty. So I ask questions such as "Use a simile to describe your first semester in college" and "What's the best/worst part of being a college student".

So I am able to get some good feedback from students on their experience, as well as learn students names and something about them.

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For my freshman colloquium class, the mid-term assignment was to write an op-ed on an issue important to them, and them submit it for publication. Three of my 18 students had their pieces published, which was great! Here are their articles.

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Just added! T.O and Sapphire!

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So, the third time was a charm. Columbus Short finally made it to Philander Smith College. His two previous engagements were postponed because the flu doesn’t care who you are! So there was a lot of excitement for his visit.

Of course, with him starring in the film “Stomp the Yard,” and I being the expert on Black fraternalism, my introduction talked about the history of stepping. I even tricked the crowd to make them think I was going to step right then and there (by the night’s, both Columbus and I stepped).

He talked about “When your dream meets your destiny” which was essentially his life story until now. He shared his struggles openly with the students, really trying to find himself as a young man. He shared his father was a police officer in Kansas City and was killed when Columbus was one. So he felt some of his struggles were due to his father’s untimely demise.

He also shared his struggles with faith, trying to understand his talents and how to use them. I was fascinated that at the age of 20 he was directing Brittney Spear’s In The Zone tour, after spending two years traveling the world with Stomp! He did attend a performing arts high school in Orange County, CA, and said he learned to dance in roughly one month.

He said that “celebrity let’s people hear you for some reason.” This is one of the reasons why we mix in a few celebrities with Bless the Mic. They may not be the most profound or accomplished lecturers, but I have seen them connect with students in a way many of us older folks can’t. I wish more celebrities realized their power and if they used it for good, we really could better our communities. Columbus Short is a good example.

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