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- The new president of
LeMoyne-Owen College tonight

on Behind the Headlines.

[theme music]

I'm Eric Barnes, publisher of
the Memphis Daily News.

Thanks for joining us.

I am joined tonight by
Dr. Andrea Lewis Miller,

new president of
  LeMoyne-Owen College.

Thanks for being here.

- Thank you for having me.

It's a pleasure.

(Eric)
  Absolutely.

And Bill Dries, senior reporter
  with the Memphis Daily News.

So, you've been in
the job two months.

You are a Memphian.

We'll get to your background.

But returning now to the school.

I should note
great significance.

The first female president.

Tell me something I don't know
or the people of Memphis don't

know about LeMoyne-Owen
College that they should know.

- What they probably don't know
is that the college has a long

history of really working with
students who probably would not

otherwise do well at some of the
other colleges that are here.

And we do a lot of
nurturing and we bring students.

We take them from where they
are and produce really great

graduates to do well.

- And has that always been the
mission or is that a mission

that's evolved over time?

- No, that's a mission
that has evolved over time.

The college started out
really providing teachers

for Memphis City Schools.

It was long standing
history of providing teachers.

- About a thousand
students give or take.

- About a thousand, mhm.

- And historically
black college.

How many historically
black colleges are there

in the United States right now?

- Oh, maybe about 119 or
120, private and state.

- Private and state.

What's the importance of that?

- I think that we still have
students who come to us who are

coming from homes where they
don't have parents to give them

the kind of experiences that
makes them very comfortable

being somewhere else.

And because we are a
small environment,

very nurturing, they feel
more comfortable coming to us,

many of them.

Now many of them
can go anywhere.

But I think one of the reasons
why many choose to come to us is

that we're small and we nurture.

And that's very
important sometimes.

- What percentage of
kids live on campus?

- Oh, probably
about, hmm, about..

Not quite a third but maybe.

- Most from Memphis or
the greater Memphis area?

- No, we recruit from
all over the country, yes.

- And is that a higher
and higher priority?

I'll get Bill here in a second.

But has that been a higher
priority in recent years or has

it always been the case?

(Miller)
  Dormitories?

- Well, that.

Let's start with that.

How has that changed?

- Well, when I was a
student at LeMoyne-Owen,

we didn't have dormitories.

And so, we have a
very nice dormitory now,

state of the art, that we didn't
have even when I was there

as a professor.

But that has evolved over time.

- And the
recruitment nationally?

That was the other thing.

- Yeah, because we
do have dormitories.

Prior to the dormitories,
most of our students were local,

except our athletes.

And so, now that we
have dormitories,

there's a nationwide
recruitment effort.

- Dr. Miller, the phrase that I
keep on hearing from educators

in higher education is that
institutions have to be able to

meet students where they are.

And it seems as if
students are in so many places.

You have students who
are not necessarily there

for a four year degree.

They may be there
for job training,

for job certification.

How much is higher education
changing as we speak in general?

- I think in a lot of
ways it's changing.

There is a focus now and there
has to be a focus on aligning

programs, academic programs and
training programs with the needs

of business and industry.

Typically, community colleges
have been very good

at doing that.

But I think more four year
colleges and universities are

beginning to do that.

So, that's a change.

LeMoyne-Owen has
traditionally been liberal arts.

But we now are looking at
how do we begin to align our

programming with the needs of
business and industry because

that's important.

And we value our liberal arts
tradition but we also recognize

that we have
students who sometimes,

the liberal arts curriculum
may not be what they need.

And so, we need to
give them options.

- Are the numbers as high as
they once were for the number of

teachers that come out
of LeMoyne-Owen College?

- Not as high as
they once were, no.

But we need to reclaim
that tradition I think.

I think it's very
important that we do.

Because I think
that K through 12,

that's a very important
population of students that need

so very much these days.

And I'd like to have
teacher education,

especially alternative teacher
training to be a center of

excellence at LeMoyne-Owen.

I think we need to go back there
and really reconnect with Shelby

County Schools and the
alternative school district and

provide the kind of individuals
they need to be teachers,

and principals, and
counselors, and the like.

- You are the second alum to
be president of the college

following Johnny Watson
who was also an alum.

And you came here from community
colleges in Baton Rouge most

recently and before that..

- Lake Charles.

Solwela Technical
Community College.

- So, when this job came
open, what drew you to it?

Obviously it's home.

- Well, I think when you
think about the times that you

mentioned and how
education is very different.

I think that LeMoyne-Owen as
it is today has to be very

different if it's going to be
extremely viable and if we're

going to be able to compete with
the rest of the colleges and

universities in the area.

So, what really excited me about
coming back was the opportunity

to transform the school into
something very different but

something that also would meet
the needs of the students that

we serve and the
communities that we serve.

So, that's..

I like being a part of
making things very different.

- Two months into the job,
do you know specifically what

different looks like or is
this a process to move toward?

- I'm having some idea of
what that difference looks like.

Again, the
academic programming..

I don't think that
we can just stay

with the liberal arts tradition.

We have got to branch out and
look at something different,

something different
other than liberal arts.

So, that.

We need to develop a niche.

I don't know that since teacher
education that the college has

had a niche.

And so, we're looking at
information technology,

information systems.

We're looking at that.

We're looking at engineering
and some other things that we're

looking at.

So, we have got to be able
to say to individuals in the

community if you want a degree
that's going to guarantee you

going to graduate school or
getting into the job market in

this area or that area, you
might want to think about

LeMoyne-Owen.

- The residence hall is I think
about a year or two old

at this point.

Is LeMoyne-Owen
College at the right size?

Does it need to be..

Does it need to have
a larger student body?

Does it need to have
a smaller student body?

- I think it needs to
be a little larger, I do.

I think that one of the things
that we are trying to move away

from is that we are
very tuition dependent.

And so, I think that
we do need to have..

I would like to see
maybe five years from now,

five to seven years from
now that the college has

about 2500 students.

But within the next three
years, I'd like to see us

at about 1500.

- To do that is expensive or is
it just a matter of hard work

and recruitment?

- I think it's not as
expensive as one would think.

We need to do more
online programming.

We need to get into not just
the bachelor's degree but maybe

offer some
licensures and certificates.

And we need to think about
alternative campuses or places

where students might can go and
take a particular program that's

not at 807 Walker.

So, I don't think we could
have 2500 where we are anyway.

So, we will have to
have some branch campuses.

- Does some of that
involve, you know,

partnerships with other
community organizations,

with businesses?

- Absolutely.

We have to be very
strategic about that growth.

And so, that growth
can't be in everything.

The growth will be in..

I think we ought to offer some
programs in allied health for

example, which we don't offer.

And so, we have to really get
with the chamber and business

and industry and be very
strategic about what new program

we will provide.

Because we want to make sure
that when a student finishes

with that program that he or
she can really go onto graduate

school or go into
the world of work.

And like a lot of, I mean,
schools just generally,

it's been a rough..

Everybody was hit hard
in the Great Recession.

Schools were hit hard because
alumni didn't have as much money

because states have
cut back their budgets.

All these reasons.

LeMoyne has had a couple of
rough years in terms of drawing

down money from its endowment
to -- at a rate that I think

everyone would say you
would not like to do.

A million and then a million.

Maybe roughly two million
over a two year period.

Do you feel like you are in
financially strong shape?

- Yes, we are now.

And I think most schools are not
as tuition dependent as we are.

And that's why
those things happen.

And so, what we have to
concentrate on is increasing

the endowment.

- Okay, yeah.

So, when you say
tuition dependent,

you mean you want to supplement
with the endowment money and

grants and other things?

- Right now probably 75% of the
budget is dependent on tuition.

And so, if we have even a
slight decrease in the number of

students from fall to
fall or from fall to spring,

it impacts us.

And we need to
move away from that.

But the way to get away from
being so dependent on tuition is

to make sure you
increase your endowment.

- What does it cost a year?

- About 10,000 in
tuition and fees.

And then the dormitories,
depending on single,

double, could be anywhere
from about 3,000 to 5,000.

So, I'd say on the average,
if you're living in the

dormitories,
14,000 to 15,000.

- Which is a lot of money.

But it's a lot less than
a lot of other places.

I mean, and this whole kind
of in the national trend,

this look at, you know, people
focus a lot on sky rocketing

inflation in healthcare
and they have big fights

about Obama Care.

But the inflation at
colleges is really amazing

across the country.

Does this put you..

So, you've got
schools that are 67..

I mean, just the numbers
are, you know, astronomical.

Is that an advantage
for you in some ways?

I mean, it's expensive but a
whole lot less expensive than

some of these other
schools that kids might look at.

- Yeah, in some ways.

But what we look at is what's
the tuition of the students

in the area.

That's who I think in some ways
we are competing with the most

I think.

And so, as a private institution
we are a little bit more than

the state schools, like the
University of Memphis or..

Well, maybe not so much for
the University of Memphis.

Certainly the community college.

But, you know, 91 or 94% of our
students are on financial aid

and probably almost as
many on Pell Grants.

- Was there a change?

I should have
researched this before.

Pell grants were mentioned
in the recent budget deal.

Was there a change to
that or did I make that up?

- No but they're
looking at change.

But I don't know
that absolutely.

Yeah.

- How much is a Pell Grant now?

- The average award is per year.

It's about 4800 or 4600.

- We've talked a bunch
about community college.

The Drive to 55 program.

Again, you're two months into
this and just back to Memphis.

But Governor Haslam
rolls that out last year.

Correct, Bill?

Which is to guarantee at least a
community college education to

every high school student.

Is that a good thing for
LeMoyne-Owen or is that a

competition with LeMoyne-Owen?

- I think it's a great thing.

I applaud the governor for that.

I think that's awesome.

And the college,
LeMoyne-Owen now is

a Tennessee Promise Institution.

(Eric)
  It is?

- Yes.

And we're looking at
some associate degrees,

that's why.

And so, we've had to
request and document that.

And so, we are now a
Tennessee Promise institution.

- So you'll be able to
issue associates degrees.

Will you also potentially get
kids -- and maybe you do now,

I don't know -- who have gone to
community college and then want

to kind of finish
out the bachelor's.

- We do have some transfer.

Not as many as we
would like but we do.

- Theoretically, there's a
bigger pool of those kids over

the next few years.

- And I think that in this area,
there are enough students that

are not going to any college
that we don't have to compete.

There's enough out there
for all of us to serve.

- And, of course, so much of the
state funding that is involved

in higher education is
now not tied to enrollment.

It's tied to completions,
yeah, and performance as well.

And LeMoyne-Owen College
is a private institution.

But how does a
private institution feel

those kind of pressures?

- I think that any perspective
student or parents want to know

those kinds of data that will
tell them what our retention

rates are, graduation rates,
whether we get students to

graduate school, how well
we place students into the

competitive job market.

So, it's something
that we should do.

We haven't done as well as I
would like for us to have done

in terms of getting
the data out there.

But it's critical.

And private or not, the
numbers tell the story.

And one of the things that
we have to do being a private

institution is that we
have to raise money.

And people want to
give to successes.

And so, we've got to be able to
tell our story and we've got to

be able to show the data
whether the state is holding us

responsible for it or not.

And if you..

The Federal Government Title
4 will produce score cards on

anyone that's receiving
Title 4 Aid Pell Grants

and some of the loans.

So, the data is still out there
for even private institutions.

- And the job is more of a
challenge in that regard because

of some factors that
are beyond the control

of any college administrator.

Students now..

I think back in my day
it was four years

and that was accepted.

Now I think the average is five
to six years to complete and get

your degree.

- And we've done a survey.

And at least 80 to 90% of our
students are working full time.

Not part time but full time
as they're going to school.

And that impacts
their ability to persist.

Often times we think students
don't persist because they're

not doing well.

Students are not
persisting, what we're finding,

is because they don't
manage their time well.

And if they have to give up
something because it gets to be

too much, it's
going to be school.

- But as I understand it, if
you work with an employer,

if an employer is involved
at some higher education

institutions, they are able
to make accommodations in the

schedule for working students if
they're a part of an agreement.

- Absolutely.

And that is always very good.

That's always a very good thing.

- We talked about funding.

Obviously student loans are
a big part of financial aid.

I had many, many student loans.

I still have some
coupon books somewhere.

But there's a lot of
conversation in the country and

the higher-ed community
about too much loan debt.

What is your take on that?

Are kids taking on too
much student loan debt?

Is that not a good investment?

- I think to some
extent they are.

Only to the extent that they are
not informed about how the debt

can impact them later on.

I think it is a
great investment.

But I think what has
traditionally happened..

Not enough training and
information has been given to

students about their
responsibility and making sure

that they follow
up in repayment.

- A lot of it..

I mean, when you boil
it down, it seems that

when you boil it down..

And this is very close to my
heart because I borrowed my way

through college
and graduate school

and it was a great investment.

And so, I bristle sometimes at
these articles that seem to say

that all student
loan debt is bad.

For me and my
situation, it was incredible.

But when you boil down some of
the better articles you find,

where the real abuses
about debt are coming in,

some of the for-profit colleges.

Does that just make you angry as
an educator and somebody who's

working with kids at community
colleges and people working full

time jobs, not
just part time jobs.

And you see some of these
for-profit schools really

scamming kids.

- Yeah, it's very unfortunate.

It's unfortunate.

And again, I think the most
unfortunate thing is that

students don't have the
information that they need.

One of the things that people
also talk about is that you've

got to be able to
pay those debts back.

Sometimes students don't
know when the loans are due.

But the federal government holds
the institution responsible for

making sure that the students
are paying their loans in a

timely manner.

And we get something
called a default rate.

Each institution
that provides loans,

the federal government will
calculate a default rate.

And if the default
rate gets to be too high,

then you jeopardize not only
your ability to provide loans

but you jeopardize your
ability also for Pell.

So, the colleges have to take
responsibility for educating

students on when
loans become due.

Because if they miss a semester
or two and they plan to come

back, well the loan is due
unless they do something.

There are things
that they can do.

So, I think in the past, I don't
think colleges have done a great

job of educating students about
loans and how it all works.

- You must have a staff of just
people who need counseling

and so on.

- That falls on
financial aid, yes.

We have a financial aid office
and counselors who do that and a

lot of other things.

But, yeah.

- Just about five
minutes left, Bill.

- And parents and students have
to more consumer like than they

once were.

I mean, and of course you're
dealing with someone who is 18,

19 years old at the
outset in many cases.

But there is more information
available about these things

like retention rates as
you mentioned for students.

So, are students always as well
adjusted as they should be to

understanding that system on
top of the academic system here.

- You mean the financial system?

No, not in many cases.

Especially the
students that we serve.

No, they're not always well
versed or educated on that.

And it's our responsibility
to help them with that.

- A couple of other
things, kind of national issues.

There have been, you
know, these horrific..

Horrific mass shootings
in lots of circumstances.

But there have been some --
a notable number I guess on

college campuses.

What do you do about that?

What can you do?

- You make sure that
everybody -- students,

staff, faculty, and our security
department and everybody -- are

very aware of the possibilities
and that they are looking around

them and that they report things
that may not seem like it's

anything but they need to be
able to report anything that's

very suspicious.

And the training, of course.

Lots of training.

Lots or practice in case
something should happen.

But you can never
be too careful ever.

- I know that Texas has passed,
and maybe other states have

passed, these campus carry laws.

Texas is allowing students to.

Do you see more of that coming?

- I hope not.

I think that's
potentially very dangerous.

- I know people who've
thought real hard about that,

that their son is going to be in
a physics class with somebody.

It's just a
strange, strange time.

- I hope that we don't
get very far on that.

I understand why
one would want to.

But I think it's..

- Everyone wants to do anything
possible to protect them.

So, okay.

The neighborhood that you're in.

The school has been
there for how long?

It's moved a little bit but it's
been in that location forever.

- Oh, yeah.

I don't remember how long it's
been there but for a long time.

- There's a lot going
on in that neighborhood.

Soulsville and the STAX
Academy and some great things.

But there's, you
know, the building,

the shopping center recently.

The town center.

Again, you're
only two months in.

But talk about..

Are you a school
and is it important to you

that you connect?

- Absolutely, absolutely.

The potential is
just tremendous.

And we've been in conversations
with individuals there and the

gentleman that just
purchased the property.

Shadyac, yeah.

I've had a couple of meetings
with him and he's met with some

of our students.

He's very interested in
making sure that we connect.

It's an awesome opportunity,
awesome opportunity.

- You lost..

And I won't go into the details
because there's all kinds of

ugliness and uncertainty.

But Robert Lipscomb was a
powerful figure and a really

important figure in the
history of LeMoyne-Owen.

His loss, just in terms of
his leadership on the board,

means what?

- It simply means that his
leadership is not there pending

the outcomes of
the investigation.

Yeah.

- We've got just a
couple of minutes left, Bill.

- In talking about what you have
ahead of you in terms of what

you want to do, it sounds as if
the first priority here is to

get things the way you want them
on campus and then work from

there out into the community.

- The first thing that I
need to do is to listen.

Listen to our internal
and external stakeholders.

So, my first 100 days, I've
been involved with listening to

students, faculty, staff, the
faith community that supports

us, and business and industry.

Because I need to understand
what people think and feel.

And what are their thoughts
about where they think

we should be.

And then based on that, I
have a few thoughts of my own.

But, you know, I want to
hear what people are saying.

And these have been very, very
good conversations for me to

hear people's
thoughts about LeMoyne-Owen.

And then from there, we'll
develop strategies to position

the college and a
vision, of course.

And that we'll go out and share
with people and begin to try to

bring in resources.

- You have a PhD in cell
and developmental biology.

How did you go from
the lab to running..

Are you still in the lab?

- No, not in a while.

No, I haven't been
in a lab in a while.

Well, I thought that I..

I never thought that I wanted
to teach or be in higher ed.

I always thought that I wanted
to work at a national laboratory

or government
national laboratory.

But as it turned out, I began
to work at LeMoyne-Owen as a

faculty member and
began to do some research.

Had a grant from National
Science Foundation and really

began to love
working with students.

And then
from the students,

I began to love
academic administration.

And it just kind of..

- And you're a LeMoyne graduate.

But did you grow up here also.

- I grew up in Memphis.

(Eric)
  And then were gone for?

- Graduate school.

Maybe..

(Eric)
  And these other jobs and so on.

- Yeah, I've lived
in other places.

- What's Memphis
like to return to?

- It's great.

It's good to be back.

(Eric)
  Has it changed?

- Yeah, I think
it's even better.

I'm very impressed with
progress that has been made.

I'm loving it.

And then I have a daughter
and two little grandboys here.

That's a great deal.

- Alright.

Well, it is great to meet you.

Thank you very much
for being on the show.

- Absolutely.

Thank you for having me.

(Eric)
  You get maybe more
  than two months in

and we'll have you back.

Thank you.

Thank you, Bill.

Thank you for joining us.

Join us again next week.

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