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- The new president of 
LeMoyne-Owen College tonight

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on Behind the Headlines.

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[theme music]

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

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Thanks for joining us.

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I am joined tonight by 
Dr. Andrea Lewis Miller,

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new president of 
  LeMoyne-Owen College.

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Thanks for being here.

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- Thank you for having me.

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It's a pleasure.

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(Eric)  
  Absolutely.

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

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

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You are a Memphian.

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We'll get to your background.

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But returning now to the school.

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I should note 
great significance.

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The first female president.

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

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know about LeMoyne-Owen 
College that they should know.

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

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history of really working with 
students who probably would not

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

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

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We take them from where they 
are and produce really great

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graduates to do well.

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

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that's evolved over time?

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

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The college started out  
really providing teachers

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for Memphis City Schools.

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It was long standing 
history of providing teachers.

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- About a thousand 
students give or take.

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- About a thousand, mhm.

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- And historically  
black college.

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How many historically  
black colleges are there

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in the United States right now?

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

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- Private and state.

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What's the importance of that?

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

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

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the kind of experiences that 
makes them very comfortable

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being somewhere else.

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And because we are a 
small environment,

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very nurturing, they feel 
more comfortable coming to us,

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many of them.

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Now many of them 
can go anywhere.

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

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that we're small and we nurture.

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And that's very 
important sometimes.

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- What percentage of 
kids live on campus?

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- Oh, probably 
about, hmm, about..

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Not quite a third but maybe.

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- Most from Memphis or 
the greater Memphis area?

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

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- And is that a higher 
and higher priority?

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I'll get Bill here in a second.

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

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it always been the case?

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(Miller)  
  Dormitories?

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- Well, that.

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Let's start with that.

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How has that changed?

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

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we didn't have dormitories.

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And so, we have a 
very nice dormitory now,

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

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as a professor.

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But that has evolved over time.

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- And the 
recruitment nationally?

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That was the other thing.

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- Yeah, because we 
do have dormitories.

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

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except our athletes.

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And so, now that we 
have dormitories,

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there's a nationwide 
recruitment effort.

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

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in higher education is that 
institutions have to be able to

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meet students where they are.

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

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You have students who  
are not necessarily there

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for a four year degree.

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They may be there 
for job training,

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for job certification.

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

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

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

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programs, academic programs and 
training programs with the needs

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of business and industry.

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Typically, community colleges 
have been very good

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at doing that.

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But I think more four year 
colleges and universities are

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beginning to do that.

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So, that's a change.

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LeMoyne-Owen has 
traditionally been liberal arts.

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

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programming with the needs of 
business and industry because

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that's important.

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And we value our liberal arts 
tradition but we also recognize

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that we have 
students who sometimes,

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the liberal arts curriculum 
may not be what they need.

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And so, we need to 
give them options.

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

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teachers that come out 
of LeMoyne-Owen College?

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- Not as high as 
they once were, no.

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But we need to reclaim 
that tradition I think.

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I think it's very 
important that we do.

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Because I think 
that K through 12,

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that's a very important 
population of students that need

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so very much these days.

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And I'd like to have 
teacher education,

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especially alternative teacher 
training to be a center of

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excellence at LeMoyne-Owen.

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

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County Schools and the 
alternative school district and

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provide the kind of individuals 
they need to be teachers,

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and principals, and 
counselors, and the like.

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

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following Johnny Watson 
who was also an alum.

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And you came here from community 
colleges in Baton Rouge most

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recently and before that..

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- Lake Charles.

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Solwela Technical 
Community College.

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

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Obviously it's home.

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

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mentioned and how 
education is very different.

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

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

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

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universities in the area.

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

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to transform the school into 
something very different but

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something that also would meet 
the needs of the students that

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we serve and the 
communities that we serve.

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So, that's..

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I like being a part of 
making things very different.

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

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

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

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Again, the 
academic programming..

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I don't think that  
we can just stay

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with the liberal arts tradition.

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

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something different 
other than liberal arts.

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So, that.

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We need to develop a niche.

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

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had a niche.

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And so, we're looking at 
information technology,

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information systems.

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We're looking at that.

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

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looking at.

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

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

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going to graduate school or 
getting into the job market in

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

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LeMoyne-Owen.

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

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at this point.

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Is LeMoyne-Owen 
College at the right size?

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Does it need to be..

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Does it need to have  
a larger student body?

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Does it need to have  
a smaller student body?

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

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

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from is that we are 
very tuition dependent.

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

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I would like to see 
maybe five years from now,

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five to seven years from  
now that the college has

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about 2500 students.

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

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at about 1500.

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

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and recruitment?

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

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We need to do more 
online programming.

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

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offer some 
licensures and certificates.

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And we need to think about 
alternative campuses or places

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

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not at 807 Walker.

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

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So, we will have to 
have some branch campuses.

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- Does some of that 
involve, you know,

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partnerships with other 
community organizations,

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with businesses?

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- Absolutely.

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We have to be very 
strategic about that growth.

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

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The growth will be in..

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

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example, which we don't offer.

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

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and industry and be very 
strategic about what new program

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we will provide.

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Because we want to make sure 
that when a student finishes

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

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school or go into 
the world of work.

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

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it's been a rough..

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Everybody was hit hard 
in the Great Recession.

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

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because states have 
cut back their budgets.

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All these reasons.

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

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

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everyone would say you 
would not like to do.

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A million and then a million.

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Maybe roughly two million 
over a two year period.

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Do you feel like you are in 
financially strong shape?

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- Yes, we are now.

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

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And that's why 
those things happen.

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And so, what we have to 
concentrate on is increasing

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the endowment.

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- Okay, yeah.

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So, when you say 
tuition dependent,

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you mean you want to supplement 
with the endowment money and

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grants and other things?

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

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

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students from fall to 
fall or from fall to spring,

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it impacts us.

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And we need to 
move away from that.

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

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to make sure you 
increase your endowment.

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- What does it cost a year?

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- About 10,000 in 
tuition and fees.

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And then the dormitories, 
depending on single,

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

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

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dormitories,  
14,000 to 15,000.

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- Which is a lot of money.

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

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

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

245
00:11:29,422 --> 00:11:31,958
inflation in healthcare  
and they have big fights

246
00:11:31,958 --> 00:11:32,959
about Obama Care.

247
00:11:32,959 --> 00:11:37,597
But the inflation at  
colleges is really amazing

248
00:11:37,597 --> 00:11:40,967
across the country.

249
00:11:40,967 --> 00:11:42,101
Does this put you..

250
00:11:42,101 --> 00:11:44,604
So, you've got 
schools that are 67..

251
00:11:44,604 --> 00:11:47,473
I mean, just the numbers  
are, you know, astronomical.

252
00:11:47,473 --> 00:11:49,475
Is that an advantage 
for you in some ways?

253
00:11:49,475 --> 00:11:51,811
I mean, it's expensive but a 
whole lot less expensive than

254
00:11:51,811 --> 00:11:53,880
some of these other 
schools that kids might look at.

255
00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:55,515
- Yeah, in some ways.

256
00:11:55,515 --> 00:11:58,718
But what we look at is what's 
the tuition of the students

257
00:11:58,718 --> 00:11:59,719
in the area.

258
00:11:59,719 --> 00:12:04,591
That's who I think in some ways 
we are competing with the most

259
00:12:04,591 --> 00:12:05,658
I think.

260
00:12:05,658 --> 00:12:09,095
And so, as a private institution 
we are a little bit more than

261
00:12:09,095 --> 00:12:12,198
the state schools, like the 
University of Memphis or..

262
00:12:12,198 --> 00:12:14,200
Well, maybe not so much for 
the University of Memphis.

263
00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:16,202
Certainly the community college.

264
00:12:16,202 --> 00:12:22,141
But, you know, 91 or 94% of our 
students are on financial aid

265
00:12:22,141 --> 00:12:25,144
and probably almost as 
many on Pell Grants.

266
00:12:25,144 --> 00:12:27,046
- Was there a change?

267
00:12:27,046 --> 00:12:29,048
I should have 
researched this before.

268
00:12:29,048 --> 00:12:31,584
Pell grants were mentioned 
in the recent budget deal.

269
00:12:31,584 --> 00:12:34,354
Was there a change to 
that or did I make that up?

270
00:12:34,354 --> 00:12:36,356
- No but they're 
looking at change.

271
00:12:36,356 --> 00:12:38,358
But I don't know 
that absolutely.

272
00:12:38,358 --> 00:12:39,359
Yeah.

273
00:12:39,359 --> 00:12:41,027
- How much is a Pell Grant now?

274
00:12:41,027 --> 00:12:43,496
- The average award is per year.

275
00:12:43,496 --> 00:12:47,467
It's about 4800 or 4600.

276
00:12:47,467 --> 00:12:49,469
- We've talked a bunch 
about community college.

277
00:12:49,469 --> 00:12:51,337
The Drive to 55 program.

278
00:12:51,337 --> 00:12:53,339
Again, you're two months into 
this and just back to Memphis.

279
00:12:53,339 --> 00:12:55,842
But Governor Haslam 
rolls that out last year.

280
00:12:55,842 --> 00:12:56,843
Correct, Bill?

281
00:12:56,843 --> 00:13:00,380
Which is to guarantee at least a 
community college education to

282
00:13:00,380 --> 00:13:01,781
every high school student.

283
00:13:01,781 --> 00:13:04,083
Is that a good thing for 
LeMoyne-Owen or is that a

284
00:13:04,083 --> 00:13:05,551
competition with LeMoyne-Owen?

285
00:13:05,551 --> 00:13:06,586
- I think it's a great thing.

286
00:13:06,586 --> 00:13:08,588
I applaud the governor for that.

287
00:13:08,588 --> 00:13:09,689
I think that's awesome.

288
00:13:09,689 --> 00:13:12,425
And the college,  
LeMoyne-Owen now is

289
00:13:12,425 --> 00:13:14,427
a Tennessee Promise Institution.

290
00:13:14,427 --> 00:13:15,428
(Eric) 
   It is?

291
00:13:15,428 --> 00:13:16,429
- Yes.

292
00:13:16,429 --> 00:13:18,831
And we're looking at 
some associate degrees,

293
00:13:18,831 --> 00:13:20,099
that's why.

294
00:13:20,099 --> 00:13:23,403
And so, we've had to 
request and document that.

295
00:13:23,403 --> 00:13:26,172
And so, we are now a 
Tennessee Promise institution.

296
00:13:26,172 --> 00:13:28,174
- So you'll be able to 
issue associates degrees.

297
00:13:28,174 --> 00:13:30,209
Will you also potentially get 
kids -- and maybe you do now,

298
00:13:30,209 --> 00:13:32,845
I don't know -- who have gone to 
community college and then want

299
00:13:32,845 --> 00:13:34,847
to kind of finish 
out the bachelor's.

300
00:13:34,847 --> 00:13:35,848
- We do have some transfer.

301
00:13:35,848 --> 00:13:38,551
Not as many as we 
would like but we do.

302
00:13:38,551 --> 00:13:40,553
- Theoretically, there's a 
bigger pool of those kids over

303
00:13:40,553 --> 00:13:41,554
the next few years.

304
00:13:41,554 --> 00:13:45,058
- And I think that in this area, 
there are enough students that

305
00:13:45,058 --> 00:13:49,562
are not going to any college 
that we don't have to compete.

306
00:13:49,562 --> 00:13:52,932
There's enough out there 
for all of us to serve.

307
00:13:52,932 --> 00:13:59,172
- And, of course, so much of the 
state funding that is involved

308
00:13:59,172 --> 00:14:01,974
in higher education is 
now not tied to enrollment.

309
00:14:01,974 --> 00:14:06,345
It's tied to completions, 
yeah, and performance as well.

310
00:14:06,345 --> 00:14:10,016
And LeMoyne-Owen College 
is a private institution.

311
00:14:10,016 --> 00:14:13,820
But how does a  
private institution feel

312
00:14:13,820 --> 00:14:16,522
those kind of pressures?

313
00:14:16,522 --> 00:14:22,795
- I think that any perspective 
student or parents want to know

314
00:14:22,795 --> 00:14:27,100
those kinds of data that will 
tell them what our retention

315
00:14:27,100 --> 00:14:32,238
rates are, graduation rates, 
whether we get students to

316
00:14:32,238 --> 00:14:34,741
graduate school, how well 
we place students into the

317
00:14:34,741 --> 00:14:36,042
competitive job market.

318
00:14:36,042 --> 00:14:39,746
So, it's something 
that we should do.

319
00:14:39,746 --> 00:14:42,548
We haven't done as well as I 
would like for us to have done

320
00:14:42,548 --> 00:14:44,884
in terms of getting 
the data out there.

321
00:14:44,884 --> 00:14:47,653
But it's critical.

322
00:14:47,653 --> 00:14:52,158
And private or not, the 
numbers tell the story.

323
00:14:52,158 --> 00:14:54,427
And one of the things that 
we have to do being a private

324
00:14:54,427 --> 00:14:57,029
institution is that we 
have to raise money.

325
00:14:57,029 --> 00:14:59,398
And people want to 
give to successes.

326
00:14:59,398 --> 00:15:02,101
And so, we've got to be able to 
tell our story and we've got to

327
00:15:02,101 --> 00:15:05,705
be able to show the data 
whether the state is holding us

328
00:15:05,705 --> 00:15:07,039
responsible for it or not.

329
00:15:07,039 --> 00:15:09,008
And if you..

330
00:15:09,008 --> 00:15:15,348
The Federal Government Title 
4 will produce score cards on

331
00:15:15,348 --> 00:15:19,418
anyone that's receiving  
Title 4 Aid Pell Grants

332
00:15:19,418 --> 00:15:22,789
and some of the loans.

333
00:15:22,789 --> 00:15:25,158
So, the data is still out there 
for even private institutions.

334
00:15:25,158 --> 00:15:30,329
- And the job is more of a 
challenge in that regard because

335
00:15:30,329 --> 00:15:32,398
of some factors that  
are beyond the control

336
00:15:32,398 --> 00:15:34,133
of any college administrator.

337
00:15:34,133 --> 00:15:36,369
Students now..

338
00:15:36,369 --> 00:15:39,672
I think back in my day  
it was four years

339
00:15:39,672 --> 00:15:40,873
and that was accepted.

340
00:15:40,873 --> 00:15:46,245
Now I think the average is five 
to six years to complete and get

341
00:15:46,245 --> 00:15:47,246
your degree.

342
00:15:47,246 --> 00:15:49,549
- And we've done a survey.

343
00:15:49,549 --> 00:15:54,587
And at least 80 to 90% of our 
students are working full time.

344
00:15:54,587 --> 00:15:57,590
Not part time but full time 
as they're going to school.

345
00:15:57,590 --> 00:16:00,993
And that impacts 
their ability to persist.

346
00:16:00,993 --> 00:16:05,865
Often times we think students 
don't persist because they're

347
00:16:05,865 --> 00:16:07,600
not doing well.

348
00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:10,036
Students are not 
persisting, what we're finding,

349
00:16:10,036 --> 00:16:13,239
is because they don't 
manage their time well.

350
00:16:13,239 --> 00:16:16,342
And if they have to give up 
something because it gets to be

351
00:16:16,342 --> 00:16:18,344
too much, it's 
going to be school.

352
00:16:18,344 --> 00:16:22,081
- But as I understand it, if 
you work with an employer,

353
00:16:22,081 --> 00:16:25,117
if an employer is involved 
at some higher education

354
00:16:25,117 --> 00:16:28,754
institutions, they are able 
to make accommodations in the

355
00:16:28,754 --> 00:16:33,593
schedule for working students if 
they're a part of an agreement.

356
00:16:33,593 --> 00:16:34,927
- Absolutely.

357
00:16:34,927 --> 00:16:36,162
And that is always very good.

358
00:16:36,162 --> 00:16:38,664
That's always a very good thing.

359
00:16:38,664 --> 00:16:41,267
- We talked about funding.

360
00:16:41,267 --> 00:16:45,371
Obviously student loans are 
a big part of financial aid.

361
00:16:45,371 --> 00:16:47,106
I had many, many student loans.

362
00:16:47,106 --> 00:16:49,108
I still have some 
coupon books somewhere.

363
00:16:49,108 --> 00:16:52,445
But there's a lot of 
conversation in the country and

364
00:16:52,445 --> 00:16:54,780
the higher-ed community 
about too much loan debt.

365
00:16:54,780 --> 00:16:56,382
What is your take on that?

366
00:16:56,382 --> 00:16:59,318
Are kids taking on too 
much student loan debt?

367
00:16:59,318 --> 00:17:01,721
Is that not a good investment?

368
00:17:01,721 --> 00:17:05,358
- I think to some 
extent they are.

369
00:17:05,358 --> 00:17:09,428
Only to the extent that they are 
not informed about how the debt

370
00:17:09,428 --> 00:17:11,030
can impact them later on.

371
00:17:11,030 --> 00:17:13,633
I think it is a 
great investment.

372
00:17:13,633 --> 00:17:16,435
But I think what has 
traditionally happened..

373
00:17:16,435 --> 00:17:21,674
Not enough training and 
information has been given to

374
00:17:21,674 --> 00:17:26,712
students about their 
responsibility and making sure

375
00:17:26,712 --> 00:17:28,714
that they follow 
up in repayment.

376
00:17:28,714 --> 00:17:30,316
- A lot of it..

377
00:17:30,316 --> 00:17:32,351
I mean, when you boil  
it down, it seems that

378
00:17:32,351 --> 00:17:33,352
when you boil it down..

379
00:17:33,352 --> 00:17:36,289
And this is very close to my 
heart because I borrowed my way

380
00:17:36,289 --> 00:17:38,291
through college  
and graduate school

381
00:17:38,291 --> 00:17:39,292
and it was a great investment.

382
00:17:39,292 --> 00:17:42,028
And so, I bristle sometimes at 
these articles that seem to say

383
00:17:42,028 --> 00:17:44,030
that all student 
loan debt is bad.

384
00:17:44,030 --> 00:17:46,332
For me and my 
situation, it was incredible.

385
00:17:46,332 --> 00:17:50,703
But when you boil down some of 
the better articles you find,

386
00:17:50,703 --> 00:17:53,039
where the real abuses 
about debt are coming in,

387
00:17:53,039 --> 00:17:55,041
some of the for-profit colleges.

388
00:17:55,041 --> 00:17:59,111
Does that just make you angry as 
an educator and somebody who's

389
00:17:59,111 --> 00:18:02,048
working with kids at community 
colleges and people working full

390
00:18:02,048 --> 00:18:04,050
time jobs, not 
just part time jobs.

391
00:18:04,050 --> 00:18:06,085
And you see some of these 
for-profit schools really

392
00:18:06,085 --> 00:18:07,620
scamming kids.

393
00:18:07,620 --> 00:18:09,488
- Yeah, it's very unfortunate.

394
00:18:09,488 --> 00:18:10,623
It's unfortunate.

395
00:18:10,623 --> 00:18:14,126
And again, I think the most 
unfortunate thing is that

396
00:18:14,126 --> 00:18:17,263
students don't have the 
information that they need.

397
00:18:17,263 --> 00:18:21,400
One of the things that people 
also talk about is that you've

398
00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:25,638
got to be able to 
pay those debts back.

399
00:18:25,638 --> 00:18:29,875
Sometimes students don't 
know when the loans are due.

400
00:18:29,875 --> 00:18:34,113
But the federal government holds 
the institution responsible for

401
00:18:34,113 --> 00:18:37,416
making sure that the students 
are paying their loans in a

402
00:18:37,416 --> 00:18:38,417
timely manner.

403
00:18:38,417 --> 00:18:41,587
And we get something 
called a default rate.

404
00:18:41,587 --> 00:18:43,923
Each institution 
that provides loans,

405
00:18:43,923 --> 00:18:47,860
the federal government will 
calculate a default rate.

406
00:18:47,860 --> 00:18:51,263
And if the default 
rate gets to be too high,

407
00:18:51,263 --> 00:18:55,735
then you jeopardize not only 
your ability to provide loans

408
00:18:55,735 --> 00:18:59,305
but you jeopardize your 
ability also for Pell.

409
00:18:59,305 --> 00:19:02,742
So, the colleges have to take 
responsibility for educating

410
00:19:02,742 --> 00:19:07,079
students on when 
loans become due.

411
00:19:07,079 --> 00:19:10,282
Because if they miss a semester 
or two and they plan to come

412
00:19:10,282 --> 00:19:13,019
back, well the loan is due 
unless they do something.

413
00:19:13,019 --> 00:19:15,021
There are things 
that they can do.

414
00:19:15,021 --> 00:19:18,891
So, I think in the past, I don't 
think colleges have done a great

415
00:19:18,891 --> 00:19:25,097
job of educating students about 
loans and how it all works.

416
00:19:25,097 --> 00:19:29,201
- You must have a staff of just 
people who need counseling

417
00:19:29,201 --> 00:19:30,202
and so on.

418
00:19:30,202 --> 00:19:32,772
- That falls on 
financial aid, yes.

419
00:19:32,772 --> 00:19:37,043
We have a financial aid office 
and counselors who do that and a

420
00:19:37,043 --> 00:19:38,044
lot of other things.

421
00:19:38,044 --> 00:19:39,045
But, yeah.

422
00:19:39,045 --> 00:19:41,047
- Just about five 
minutes left, Bill.

423
00:19:41,047 --> 00:19:46,786
- And parents and students have 
to more consumer like than they

424
00:19:46,786 --> 00:19:48,054
once were.

425
00:19:48,054 --> 00:19:53,059
I mean, and of course you're 
dealing with someone who is 18,

426
00:19:53,059 --> 00:19:56,295
19 years old at the 
outset in many cases.

427
00:19:56,295 --> 00:19:59,565
But there is more information 
available about these things

428
00:19:59,565 --> 00:20:03,302
like retention rates as 
you mentioned for students.

429
00:20:03,302 --> 00:20:09,375
So, are students always as well 
adjusted as they should be to

430
00:20:09,375 --> 00:20:13,512
understanding that system on 
top of the academic system here.

431
00:20:13,512 --> 00:20:15,614
- You mean the financial system?

432
00:20:15,614 --> 00:20:17,883
No, not in many cases.

433
00:20:17,883 --> 00:20:20,953
Especially the 
students that we serve.

434
00:20:20,953 --> 00:20:24,957
No, they're not always well 
versed or educated on that.

435
00:20:24,957 --> 00:20:28,094
And it's our responsibility 
to help them with that.

436
00:20:28,094 --> 00:20:31,964
- A couple of other 
things, kind of national issues.

437
00:20:31,964 --> 00:20:34,967
There have been, you 
know, these horrific..

438
00:20:34,967 --> 00:20:37,970
Horrific mass shootings 
in lots of circumstances.

439
00:20:37,970 --> 00:20:43,109
But there have been some -- 
a notable number I guess on

440
00:20:43,109 --> 00:20:44,110
college campuses.

441
00:20:44,110 --> 00:20:46,579
What do you do about that?

442
00:20:46,579 --> 00:20:48,714
What can you do?

443
00:20:48,714 --> 00:20:51,717
- You make sure that 
everybody -- students,

444
00:20:51,717 --> 00:20:56,956
staff, faculty, and our security 
department and everybody -- are

445
00:20:56,956 --> 00:21:00,326
very aware of the possibilities 
and that they are looking around

446
00:21:00,326 --> 00:21:04,964
them and that they report things 
that may not seem like it's

447
00:21:04,964 --> 00:21:07,767
anything but they need to be 
able to report anything that's

448
00:21:07,767 --> 00:21:08,801
very suspicious.

449
00:21:08,801 --> 00:21:11,937
And the training, of course.

450
00:21:11,937 --> 00:21:12,938
Lots of training.

451
00:21:12,938 --> 00:21:16,308
Lots or practice in case 
something should happen.

452
00:21:16,308 --> 00:21:19,512
But you can never 
be too careful ever.

453
00:21:19,512 --> 00:21:23,849
- I know that Texas has passed, 
and maybe other states have

454
00:21:23,849 --> 00:21:25,851
passed, these campus carry laws.

455
00:21:25,851 --> 00:21:27,586
Texas is allowing students to.

456
00:21:27,586 --> 00:21:28,821
Do you see more of that coming?

457
00:21:28,821 --> 00:21:30,156
- I hope not.

458
00:21:30,156 --> 00:21:33,893
I think that's 
potentially very dangerous.

459
00:21:33,893 --> 00:21:36,228
- I know people who've 
thought real hard about that,

460
00:21:36,228 --> 00:21:38,864
that their son is going to be in 
a physics class with somebody.

461
00:21:38,864 --> 00:21:41,167
It's just a 
strange, strange time.

462
00:21:41,167 --> 00:21:44,003
- I hope that we don't 
get very far on that.

463
00:21:44,003 --> 00:21:48,774
I understand why 
one would want to.

464
00:21:48,774 --> 00:21:49,842
But I think it's..

465
00:21:49,842 --> 00:21:53,345
- Everyone wants to do anything 
possible to protect them.

466
00:21:53,345 --> 00:21:54,346
So, okay.

467
00:21:54,346 --> 00:21:56,348
The neighborhood that you're in.

468
00:21:56,348 --> 00:21:58,684
The school has been 
there for how long?

469
00:21:58,684 --> 00:22:03,322
It's moved a little bit but it's 
been in that location forever.

470
00:22:03,322 --> 00:22:04,323
- Oh, yeah.

471
00:22:04,323 --> 00:22:08,360
I don't remember how long it's 
been there but for a long time.

472
00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:10,362
- There's a lot going 
on in that neighborhood.

473
00:22:10,362 --> 00:22:14,066
Soulsville and the STAX 
Academy and some great things.

474
00:22:14,066 --> 00:22:17,837
But there's, you 
know, the building,

475
00:22:17,837 --> 00:22:19,338
the shopping center recently.

476
00:22:19,338 --> 00:22:20,906
The town center.

477
00:22:20,906 --> 00:22:22,908
Again, you're 
only two months in.

478
00:22:22,908 --> 00:22:23,909
But talk about..

479
00:22:23,909 --> 00:22:25,911
Are you a school  
and is it important to you

480
00:22:25,911 --> 00:22:26,912
that you connect?

481
00:22:26,912 --> 00:22:29,582
- Absolutely, absolutely.

482
00:22:29,582 --> 00:22:31,884
The potential is 
just tremendous.

483
00:22:31,884 --> 00:22:35,921
And we've been in conversations 
with individuals there and the

484
00:22:35,921 --> 00:22:39,825
gentleman that just 
purchased the property.

485
00:22:39,825 --> 00:22:40,826
Shadyac, yeah.

486
00:22:40,826 --> 00:22:44,597
I've had a couple of meetings 
with him and he's met with some

487
00:22:44,597 --> 00:22:45,831
of our students.

488
00:22:45,831 --> 00:22:49,535
He's very interested in 
making sure that we connect.

489
00:22:49,535 --> 00:22:52,071
It's an awesome opportunity, 
awesome opportunity.

490
00:22:52,071 --> 00:22:53,072
- You lost..

491
00:22:53,072 --> 00:22:55,074
And I won't go into the details 
because there's all kinds of

492
00:22:55,074 --> 00:22:56,408
ugliness and uncertainty.

493
00:22:56,408 --> 00:22:59,845
But Robert Lipscomb was a 
powerful figure and a really

494
00:22:59,845 --> 00:23:02,181
important figure in the 
history of LeMoyne-Owen.

495
00:23:02,181 --> 00:23:07,419
His loss, just in terms of 
his leadership on the board,

496
00:23:07,419 --> 00:23:08,954
means what?

497
00:23:08,954 --> 00:23:13,559
- It simply means that his 
leadership is not there pending

498
00:23:13,559 --> 00:23:15,894
the outcomes of 
the investigation.

499
00:23:15,894 --> 00:23:16,895
Yeah.

500
00:23:16,895 --> 00:23:20,866
- We've got just a 
couple of minutes left, Bill.

501
00:23:20,866 --> 00:23:25,004
- In talking about what you have 
ahead of you in terms of what

502
00:23:25,004 --> 00:23:28,707
you want to do, it sounds as if 
the first priority here is to

503
00:23:28,707 --> 00:23:31,810
get things the way you want them 
on campus and then work from

504
00:23:31,810 --> 00:23:34,046
there out into the community.

505
00:23:34,046 --> 00:23:36,849
- The first thing that I 
need to do is to listen.

506
00:23:36,849 --> 00:23:38,984
Listen to our internal 
and external stakeholders.

507
00:23:38,984 --> 00:23:42,688
So, my first 100 days, I've 
been involved with listening to

508
00:23:42,688 --> 00:23:46,792
students, faculty, staff, the 
faith community that supports

509
00:23:46,792 --> 00:23:48,494
us, and business and industry.

510
00:23:48,494 --> 00:23:52,698
Because I need to understand 
what people think and feel.

511
00:23:52,698 --> 00:23:54,700
And what are their thoughts 
about where they think

512
00:23:54,700 --> 00:23:55,701
we should be.

513
00:23:55,701 --> 00:23:59,171
And then based on that, I 
have a few thoughts of my own.

514
00:23:59,171 --> 00:24:01,573
But, you know, I want to 
hear what people are saying.

515
00:24:01,573 --> 00:24:04,543
And these have been very, very 
good conversations for me to

516
00:24:04,543 --> 00:24:07,579
hear people's 
thoughts about LeMoyne-Owen.

517
00:24:07,579 --> 00:24:11,517
And then from there, we'll 
develop strategies to position

518
00:24:11,517 --> 00:24:13,585
the college and a 
vision, of course.

519
00:24:13,585 --> 00:24:19,725
And that we'll go out and share 
with people and begin to try to

520
00:24:19,725 --> 00:24:20,859
bring in resources.

521
00:24:20,859 --> 00:24:24,463
- You have a PhD in cell 
and developmental biology.

522
00:24:24,463 --> 00:24:27,800
How did you go from 
the lab to running..

523
00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:30,769
Are you still in the lab?

524
00:24:30,769 --> 00:24:32,871
- No, not in a while.

525
00:24:32,871 --> 00:24:37,242
No, I haven't been 
in a lab in a while.

526
00:24:37,242 --> 00:24:38,243
Well, I thought that I..

527
00:24:38,243 --> 00:24:42,448
I never thought that I wanted 
to teach or be in higher ed.

528
00:24:42,448 --> 00:24:45,684
I always thought that I wanted 
to work at a national laboratory

529
00:24:45,684 --> 00:24:47,686
or government 
national laboratory.

530
00:24:47,686 --> 00:24:50,956
But as it turned out, I began 
to work at LeMoyne-Owen as a

531
00:24:50,956 --> 00:24:53,092
faculty member and 
began to do some research.

532
00:24:53,092 --> 00:24:56,228
Had a grant from National 
Science Foundation and really

533
00:24:56,228 --> 00:24:58,230
began to love 
working with students.

534
00:24:58,230 --> 00:24:59,598
And then  
from the students,

535
00:24:59,598 --> 00:25:01,600
I began to love  
academic administration.

536
00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:03,268
And it just kind of..

537
00:25:03,268 --> 00:25:05,270
- And you're a LeMoyne graduate.

538
00:25:05,270 --> 00:25:06,271
But did you grow up here also.

539
00:25:06,271 --> 00:25:07,272
- I grew up in Memphis.

540
00:25:07,272 --> 00:25:09,208
(Eric)  
  And then were gone for?

541
00:25:09,208 --> 00:25:10,209
- Graduate school.

542
00:25:10,209 --> 00:25:11,210
Maybe..

543
00:25:11,210 --> 00:25:13,212
(Eric)  
  And these other jobs and so on.

544
00:25:13,212 --> 00:25:15,214
- Yeah, I've lived 
in other places.

545
00:25:15,214 --> 00:25:17,216
- What's Memphis 
like to return to?

546
00:25:17,216 --> 00:25:18,217
- It's great.

547
00:25:18,217 --> 00:25:19,218
It's good to be back.

548
00:25:19,218 --> 00:25:20,219
(Eric)  
  Has it changed?

549
00:25:20,219 --> 00:25:22,221
- Yeah, I think 
it's even better.

550
00:25:22,221 --> 00:25:24,223
I'm very impressed with 
progress that has been made.

551
00:25:24,223 --> 00:25:25,524
I'm loving it.

552
00:25:25,524 --> 00:25:28,160
And then I have a daughter 
and two little grandboys here.

553
00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:32,297
That's a great deal.

554
00:25:32,297 --> 00:25:33,298
- Alright.

555
00:25:33,298 --> 00:25:34,299
Well, it is great to meet you.

556
00:25:34,299 --> 00:25:36,301
Thank you very much 
for being on the show.

557
00:25:36,301 --> 00:25:37,302
- Absolutely.

558
00:25:37,302 --> 00:25:38,303
Thank you for having me.

559
00:25:38,303 --> 00:25:40,305
(Eric) 
  You get maybe more  
  than two months in

560
00:25:40,305 --> 00:25:41,306
and we'll have you back.

561
00:25:41,306 --> 00:25:42,307
Thank you.

562
00:25:42,307 --> 00:25:43,308
Thank you, Bill.

563
00:25:43,308 --> 00:25:44,309
Thank you for joining us.

564
00:25:44,309 --> 00:25:50,916
Join us again next week.

565
00:25:50,916 --> 00:26:12,337
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566
00:26:12,337 --> 00:26:17,810
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567
00:26:17,810 --> 00:26:21,346
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568
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