Desk of the President
Aug 14, 2024
A Think Piece
Written by: Dr. Herman J. Felton, Jr., Wiley University President/CEO and Dr. Tashia Bradley, Wiley University Chief Operating Officer/Vice President for Institutional Advancement
From May 10-25, 2024, Wiley University hosted a series of experiences coined The Revival, an annual event dedicated to fostering student success by integrating spiritual practices and educational outcomes. Spearheaded by President & CEO Herman J. Felton, Jr., Ph.D., J.D., this initiative evolved beyond a simple professional development series to become a forum for reimagining the alignment between purpose and work in higher education.
Purpose brought together five sitting presidents and one former college/university president who shared inspirational expressions of their faith while tying together their calling, purpose, and impact in higher education leadership.
The centering of purpose reclaims the idea of vocation, or calling, as part of the interaction between HBCU professors/administrators and students. The Revival, as envisioned, is an extraction of what HBCUs have been traditionally the experts in - merging purpose and work to generate an environment where one's calling is so profound that student success is the only outcome. Guest “revivalists” reminded participants that this calling must be re-centered in our work if we as institutions are to thrive for generations to come.
Each distinguished speaker offered a glimpse into how their calling and purpose have inspired their vocation in higher education. Laughter filled the room as we gathered around the storytelling of Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack, President and CEO of Claflin University - who shared his journey to serving at one of the nation’s greatest higher education institutions with one of the largest endowments in HBCU history. Dr. Warmack emphasized that it is his calling that grounds him in the work, in a way that generates these significant fiscal and academic results.
Dr. Andrea Neal, Associate Provost for Academic Engagement at Norfolk State University and guest revivalist, centered our focus on purpose-driven work by inviting us to return to our roots, in establishing support that squarely centers first generation college students. Dr. Neal cited that practices centering students’ needs in order to increase their success requires a different level of engagement.
The Revival organizes around the idea that if we can locate our purpose, we can accept our calling and increase impact on the lives of those we are entrusted to engage. HBCUs that are led by purpose-driven leaders offer an opportunity to go beyond the classroom, as examined by guest revivalist Dr. Micheal Sorrell, President & CEO of Paul Quinn University. His explanation of his purpose offers that this work for him is about eradicating poverty. This purpose drives his efforts and is the basis for his community-centric approach We Over Me, which is encapsulated throughout the core branding of his institution. It is how he engages his leadership, and requires those who serve alongside him to grow the institution through hard and heart work.
Continue reading at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/revival-soul-higher-education-wiley-university-tashia-bradley-c5exc/?trackingId=4jMuNpLITZ%2BQoZw3A%2FdoIQ%3D%3D
