good morning South by Southwest oh no no no no no pay attention you may not know this I’m president of a traditionally black school all proper traditionally black faculties are based on the black church custom the black church custom is a call-and-response custom within the black church you aren’t getting to only present up and sit there you possibly can’t simply sit there and be a participant we’d like you the black church custom stands on over 150 years of black ministers who’ve stood earlier than congregations and implored them to do extra to do higher to have interaction so once I say good morning I do not simply need you to say good morning again I do not simply suppose it might be good I am not saying we’re in mass and we’re Catholic I am saying that I would like you to provide me again the power I offer you so let’s go to church let’s begin off with good morning South by Southwest there we go I’m so thrilled to be right here I’m right here as a result of I used to be impressed as a toddler I used to be impressed not by instructional heroes I wasn’t impressed by John Dewey I wasn’t impressed by Confucius I wasn’t impressed by any of these superb people like Jaime Escalante I used to be impressed by Thurgood Marshall I used to be impressed by Thurgood Marshall was like Thurgood thanks you for that each one proper I used to be impressed by Thurgood Marshall however not the Supreme Courtroom Justice model of Thurgood Marshall as inspirational as spectacular as he was I used to be impressed by the third group Marshall who got here earlier than that I used to be impressed by the Thurgood Marshall who’s a highschool pupil on the coloured highschool and by the best way he went to a highschool in Baltimore that simply to verify individuals remembered who they have been was known as the coloured coaching college and highschool in Baltimore as if all of the black individuals who have been there as a result of that is all who have been there we’re gonna neglect who they have been okay he went to the coloured Excessive College and Thurgood Marshall was a mischievous pupil okay he obtained in a little bit little bit of hassle however that is the distinction between then and now when Thurgood Marshall obtained in hassle he wasn’t marched out of faculty in handcuffs by a police officer he was instructed to memorize the US Structure okay now take into consideration that for a second that meant that his lecturers understood that there was an untapped present there that there was brilliance there that they have been going to problem him they have been going to push him ahead and so when he did that he tapped into a spot that he might go think about what occurs you probably have lecturers who believed in you that a lot that see you as a star and never a felony that’s spectacular Thurgood Marshall left the coloured Excessive College in Baltimore and he went to Lincoln College for school he was an honor pupil at Lincoln College however after that he found that he failed he did one thing similar to many people who’ve utilized to regulation faculties he did not get into the primary regulation college of his alternative he failed at that he failed not as a result of his grades weren’t adequate he failed not as a result of his LSAT rating wasn’t adequate he failed as a result of he wasn’t white sufficient Thurgood Marshall wasn’t permitted to go to the College of Maryland as a result of he was black that despatched him on a path to Howard College that modified all of our lives as a result of at Howard College he bumped into the sensible genius of Charles Hamilton Houston the the the the I am sorry Charles Hammond who was the Dean of Howard’s regulation college and collectively that relationship for the subsequent 30 years despatched us on a path that modified America I used to be impressed by the model of Thurgood Marshall who stood earlier than the physique of the regulation the establishment of the regulation and made it do issues it had by no means accomplished earlier than he took it and refashioned it and repurposed it and pushed it ahead he compelled it to do issues for individuals it was by no means designed to do them for he took an establishment and used it for social change I’m right here earlier than you right now as a result of that model of third Grand Marshall inspiring me that model of Thurgood Marshall pushed me ahead that model of Thurgood Marshall challenged me to take a look at increased training and consider it in a different way it’s due to that model of Thurgood Marshall however I am right here this morning to speak to you about Paul Quinn School and what we prefer to name what we prefer to name not that what we prefer to name nation-building all proper pay attention there is a motive why I am the faculty president not the IT director okay so if we’ll discuss Paul Corey school we’ll speak concerning the historical past of Parker in school first we have been based in 1872 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church right here in Austin School within the basement of Metropolitan Church AME all proper if you have not been there visited it is a great college it’s led by Paul Quinn School graduate right now we existed in Austin School for 5 years then we moved to Waco the place we existed from 1877 to 1990 and Waco the varsity was generally known as Waco School after which it was given the title Paul Quinn School after Bishop William Paul Quinn who was Bishop of the Western District of the AME Church for over 30 years after that Paul Quinn moved to Dallas and this is the factor Paul Quinn School present in 1872 a traditionally black school was based similar to all the opposite HBCUs to teach free slaves and their progeny that is what we have been based to do and when that’s your mission you might be educating individuals who come to you with out a lot cash who in lots of circumstances come to you with out a lot coaching as a result of if we bear in mind again in 1872 there have been no prep faculties popping out of slavery proper you did not go to slavery prep to arrange you for school all proper it was unlawful to proper it was unlawful to learn so our cost has at all times been to seize the maintain to like into left and that’s what we do however 100 and thirty plus years of doing that for college students who come to you with out many assets does not construct a billion greenback endowment no actually it creates a state of affairs the place you might be with out for a lot of your existence so the years of constructing a method out of no method of doing extra with much less left the varsity in a fragile state and by 2006 the Boston Sultan group had accomplished a research which mentioned that Paul Quinn School had a yr to 18 months to dwell then if there weren’t dramatic adjustments made in that point the varsity can be compelled to shut its doorways now that’s the time that I obtained a cellphone name from the brand new chair of the board who requested me if I might prefer to be President so this is the factor when individuals name you and give you a job you did not apply for one or two issues is occurring even one you are superb and individuals are simply sitting round considering we must always give that man this job now for those who consider that you simply’re additionally loopy all proper you are an egomaniac and you do not deserve a job you want psychological well being coaching and professionals okay that is not the way it works greater than possible it is the second motive nobody else wished the job alright so I perceive that I obtained this job as a result of nobody else would take it as a result of why else would you hand a job to begin with no coaching in increased training no coaching in it I had by no means had a job in training I’ve by no means taken a category in training some extent that my sister who’s an virtually 30-year trainer in Chicago likes to remind me of commonly okay actually I am going to offer you a window into our sibling relationship once I known as her I used to be a part of a bunch we have been negotiating to buy the Memphis Grizzlies if we had been profitable I might have been the president of the franchise and I get a name whereas I am driving ask out Kevin Durant shout-out to you to your love there that is proper there’s solely three of you up this early as a result of the remainder continues to be down on sixth Road okay however the my sister I known as I mentioned pay attention sis the chair of the board simply provided me the presidency of Paul Quinn a lot that is incredulous proper she’s like oh in fact they did she’s like that is essentially the most ridiculous factor ever okay she mentioned to begin with you are shopping for a basketball group once I know you haven’t any cash okay she mentioned secondly individuals simply name you up and give you a job when you’re driving down the freeway she’s like have you learnt you might be she mentioned you’re the Black Forest Gump proper it is similar to stuff simply occurs to you simply out of nowhere she’s like what’s subsequent so that you’re gonna be a part of me Olympic group enjoying ping-pong like that is ridiculous so right here I’m I am providing a job that I’m extremely unqualified for proper I’ve no coaching and I get there and I understand that we’re in hassle and we’re in hassle not in a method that you simply’re in hassle that you simply perceive intellectually however you perceive emotionally there was no path ahead for us by merely doing what different faculties did however they have been doing it longer and higher that wasn’t going to work for us we weren’t that kind of establishment we did not have these kind of assets our method ahead was going to must be via doing one thing totally different and that totally different for us was turning the establishment round and saying if we have been going to design a college for right now’s period for right now’s college students what would that appear to be if we have been going to demand our place in increased training how would we try this how will we break down these doorways as a result of let’s be clear increased training is filled with a kind of elitism that’s stifling okay I’ve spent my whole life in these establishments my levels are from Oberlin shot out to my Obi’s in the home proper Overland Duke and plan Pitt College of Pennsylvania it Quaker love all proper however Paul Quinn School is in a kind of establishments proper so our method forwards gonna must be one thing totally different we have been gonna must be much less of a faculty and extra of a motion and that is what we turned we determined sufficient of being Paul Quinn School let’s turn into the Quinn I nature and the coordination exists as a result of we perceive one thing that many individuals do not and that’s this roses can develop out of concrete roses can develop out of concrete at Parkland School our college students are college students that different individuals have a look at and dismiss their college students that come from locations the joob most of you do not wish to go however but right here they’re and so they have survived that they’ve thrived in that situation you wish to discuss grit that is grit you wish to discuss dedication that is dedication that is Jasmine Norman she’s from Memphis Tennessee she was the salutatorian in her class yearly we do an train with the group known as expensive world the place our college students get a possibility to put in writing what displays them on their our bodies these aren’t tattoos okay these are messages she is declaring I’m a rolls they grew from the concrete so how about we create establishments that make it a little bit simpler for roses to develop out of concrete listed here are our college students the scholars at Parkland School 80 to 90 % of our college students are Pell Grant eligible 80 to 90 % I am at all times fascinated once I learn these articles about faculties they are saying oh we’re making a lot progress now we have 10% of our pupil physique which might be Pell grants ooh what tempers you desire a cookie proper you desire a cookie as a result of you might have 10 15 % of Pell Grant college students stroll in my footwear stroll in our world 80 to 90 % of our college students in any given yr are Pell Grant college students 70 % of our college students have zero anticipated household counts Lucian’s you wish to discuss full pay we’re full want and that could be a totally different world and we’re by no means going to show our again on that as a result of we all know one thing different individuals do not know their hell of much more of them than there are the opposite ones proper so let’s go get these college students and educate them methods to finish their cycles of disruption and dysfunctionality the typical acct scores is 17 so what that is simply numbers on a web page perhaps the issue is not that you simply could not be taught perhaps the issue is individuals can educate you proper so we’ll educate 23 % of our college students are Latino and I do know this story black school and other people get a little bit miffed at that prefer it’s traditionally black okay I imply we’re nonetheless a lot black I promise you that each one proper however we’re so safe with our blackness we’re so safe with our tradition that we do not concern welcoming different individuals’s proper we are able to rejoice you thanks we are able to rejoice you with out diminishing us and we perceive that 40 % of our college students come from outdoors the state of Texas proper we’re a nationwide establishment that may be very various and we’re happy with that now we have an ethos as a result of if you are going to have a motion it’s important to have an ethos all proper ethos is we over me the wants of the neighborhood supersede the desires of a person and the coordination you aren’t getting to be egocentric we exist as a result of we perceive that each one of us do extra than simply any of us we’re collectively we’re a unified physique we’ll put the wants of others forward of our personal private desires you don’t get to be egocentric on this sport proper egocentric individuals destroy the materials of communities and we’re attempting to construct not destroy now we have values now we have the 4 hours of quintile management we demand that you simply depart locations higher than you discovered them that you simply dwell a life that issues that you simply depart from wherever you might be and you like one thing higher than your self these are simple requirements depart locations higher than you discovered meaning decide up your Starbucks cup earlier than you allow proper begin easy depart locations higher than you discovered them dwell a life that issues you will have a legacy individuals are going to speak about you after you allow how about we make certain they are saying the issues that you really want them to say how about they are saying you lived a life that was regal otherwise you lived a life that made a distinction within the lives of others how about your story is a narrative for the ages depart from wherever you might be everybody’s a frontrunner you possibly can apply main and every little thing you do from day in and time out do not wait for somebody to faucet you and say oh by the best way you are gonna lead now apply main daily so when the clarion name comes you’re ready and love one thing higher than your self discover a trigger discover one thing to dedicate your life to and spend your life doing that chasing that however it your causes your self you might have failed miserably your trigger should be bigger than you it should be higher than you like one thing higher than your self now we have a personality check did you select the tougher proper over the simpler flawed with no dad or mum regard for self-interest once more we’re driving you again to this notion of selflessness make good choices we inform our college students garments miles do not get fats while you come from under-resourced communities you might be taught that you do not have a voice you might be taught that your voice does not matter and also you have been taught that daily since you go searching and nothing adjustments the poverty that you simply see continues day in and time out what message does that ship that tells individuals you do not matter you do not have an opinion and we do not care so we’re instructing our college students rise up arise communicate up you might have the power to make your voice heard we count on you to make your voice heard let’s make your voice heard collectively enable us to assist amplify your voice closed mouths don’t get fed within the coronation thanks then and this can be a little totally different for traditionally black faculties we expect you might be our variety with out being our shade little-known historic truth traditionally black faculties have been by no means all black proper bear in mind we began proper out of slavery who have been our lecturers for those who weren’t allowed to learn it proper who knew methods to learn it proper white individuals proper so traditionally black faculties at all times had people who find themselves variety and never simply our shade there’s room for everybody on the desk we simply wish to know that we’re all consuming from the identical dish that makes a distinction so listed here are beliefs we expect poverty is evil we expect the concept individuals dwell in poverty on this nation is embarrassing is reprehensible and determines that that calls for to be modified that is what we consider we expect debt is dangerous okay what what’s the logic behind telling people who find themselves poor that the best way out of poverty is that the best way out of poverty is cash proper our messaging is all flawed okay and you may speak to me about low cost charges for those who cost sixty thousand {dollars} and also you give a pupil thirty they nonetheless must give you thirty that does not work that is dangerous math we consider everybody can be taught everybody can be taught the difficulty is are you able to encourage them are you able to encourage them do you like them sufficient you care sufficient to determine methods to educate them and never simply educate the best way you are most comfy with after which we consider and that is extremely vital that our subsequent should at all times be higher than our now our subsequent should at all times be higher than our now universities are right here as a result of they perceive that concept it’s a guess on the long run so let’s consider that allow’s remind our college students of that the place you might be right now the place you begin doesn’t must be the place you end we are able to change that that is our components we preach hope we apply persistence we instill resilience we’re entrepreneurial in our ideas and actions as a result of we spent lots of time hanging out with the individuals at Babson School and we depart with love and a very powerful considered one of these is main was cherished once I was a younger school president I used to be wired I simply turned 40 I used to be annoyed I used to be in command of a faculty that was failing and there was no assure this was going to work and I confronted the very actual risk that Paul Quinn School might have survived reconstruction might have survived Jim Crow however it could not survive my presidency and that scared the daylights out of me and someday on campus I obtained into an argument with considered one of my male college students and it wasn’t fairly it was not the excessive level of my profession okay yelling at one another we would have used some language that you simply would not discover on the SAT proper however we have been going at it and we’re having this argument and he follows me up the steps to my workplace and we we get in my workplace and he breaks down in tears I do not know what to do with that proper I used to be too far gone okay I used to be too far like what’s flawed with you what fortunately I had considered one of my employees members within the workplace with me she comforted him after which she took him out of the workplace after which she got here again and turned her consideration on me now she was the quintessential southern mom okay she sat within the chair she appeared down on the flooring then she appeared up at me and she or he mentioned child I Met Your Mom and your mom was powerful on you she mentioned however you might have by no means spent one second of your life questioning for those who have been cherished she mentioned actually you present all of the traits of somebody that is been / cherished did you simply throw some shade I imply did you simply on the low discuss my mama so she mentioned so for you while you hear powerful you solely know love but when you have not know love how would you hear the rest however powerful she mentioned I do know you like them however if you need them to know you like them if you need them to comply with you to belief you you should lead with love the only greatest management recommendation I acquired in my life there was nothing higher than that lead with adore it saved my presidency is saved my college and admittedly saved my life as a result of I ended performing from a spot of Rage and began performing from a spot of affection and love has made all of the distinction so our ethos our values our beliefs now stuff our aim now we have one aim it’s a easy aim it defines every little thing about us and our aim is that this we wish to finish poverty interval that is it now these of you on the market that did not clap you would possibly suppose effectively that is probably not what faculties and universities are presupposed to do they’re supposed to fret about commencement charges and retention charges and do analysis yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah okay I perceive all that we fear about retention charges and commencement charges that is why we have raised our commencement charges over 20 % since I have been there and we’re gonna increase it one other ten % over the subsequent couple of years that is why our retention fee has grown by greater than thirty 5 % throughout my presidency and this yr for the primary time first-time freshmen from fall to spring eighty 9 % of them got here again now there are individuals who will inform you that faculties with 90% pell grant college students cannot try this effectively you possibly can’t try this for those who’re attempting to be a university however you rattling positive can do it for those who’re being a motion proper as a result of for those who’re a motion you method your college students in a different way you stand of their footwear you stroll the place they stroll all proper we’re right here to finish poverty our motivation for ending poverty is sort of easy 45 million Individuals dwell in poverty 45 million Individuals dwell in lives which have meals insecurity they’ve substandard training which might be crammed with crime and concern that is not proper our motivation is that for the primary time ever within the historical past of this nation greater than half of the scholars in public Ok via 12 training live free and diminished lunch lives are you able to think about that you simply for those who weren’t at school you may not eat that is not proper greater than 50% of scholars who’re in school right now are on Pell grants so let’s do some math right here that quantity was created earlier than the general public faculties turned to majority free and diminished lunch college students now that that’s majority quantity what do you suppose goes to occur to the Pell Grant quantity it’ll skyrocket that is not proper we do not want individuals to inform us what it is like in these communities as a result of we go to those communities I do not want my recruiters to inform me what the colleges are like as a result of I’ve gone to the colleges okay I’ve walked the neighborhoods that my college students come from I’ve walked the hallways of their faculties I’ve sat of their lessons I’ve been chilly when they’re chilly I do know what it is like to not see any chalk any markers on the board I’ve seen that as a result of I cared sufficient to get my behind behind my workplace and go see the place my college students are coming from if I can ask you to return to my home I feel it is solely proper that I come to yours when that when the place your college students are coming from it impacts you it adjustments you poverty adjustments you and look I am unable to fake that I grew up in poverty as a result of I didn’t however my mother and father grew up in poverty my father by no means went to varsity in a single technology entrepreneurship modified my household on my father’s facet for a person who by no means stepped foot on his sons School campus – a son who’s a university president so do not inform me what’s not attainable however when you see poverty up shut when you see how your college students lead dwell how does that not change you ways does that not make you offended how does that not make you annoyed how does that not make you wish to change every little thing about that equation to finish poverty and we are able to discuss whether or not faculties are the suitable locations to do it or not however this is what I do know the individuals who might do one thing about it aren’t proper have a look at this headline billionaire has made a lot cash final yr they may finish excessive poverty seven instances over and but excessive poverty nonetheless exists it’s nonetheless with us and it isn’t like individuals in poverty haven’t got entry to Google they’ll learn this headline so what are they left considering nobody cares effectively what we care and we’re an establishment that’s devoted and dedicated to ending poverty so that is what we’ll try this’s why we turned our establishment outward to handle the wants of the communities we serve that is why we problem different faculties and universities to do it as effectively now look let’s be clear that is messy okay it isn’t well mannered it isn’t simple it does not make you standard at cocktail events proper you present up you’ve got obtained your drink in your hand it is like so inform me what’s your philosophy on quantum physics effectively my college students cannot eat so I am gonna put quantum physics on the Shelf proper now oh you are simply too heavy you are simply too heavy proper that does not make you standard however it’s obligatory so we did not begin out with this philosophy however some issues occurred alongside the best way we have been in a meals desert we have been nearer to town rubbish dump than we have been a grocery retailer let that sink in for a minute we’re a four-year school that was nearer to town rubbish dump then we have been a grocery retailer and it was like that for effectively over 20 years what message is that is in that neighborhood what message that is within the kids that grew up in that neighborhood so we’re in a meals desert and I am considering how laborious can it’s to get a grocery retailer or eating places I do know individuals they’ve at all times been good to me we had nice time at their cocktail events and dinners I am going to simply ask spent two years and other people stored turning me down one of the best reply I obtained was from a pal of mine who’s serving to me who mentioned that the final grocery retailer they went to would not assist us as a result of the individuals in that neighborhood did not appear to be their purchasers their neighborhood is overwhelmingly black and Hispanic and poor so that you’re saying that black and Hispanic people who find themselves poor do not deserve a grocery retailer okay so we obtained man proper we obtained mad after which we obtained fortunate obtained a name someday from Tremmel escrow I did not know trammel escrow I assumed it was a prank name proper I assumed it was considered one of my buddies being a jerk okay name him again seems oh he is journey escrow proper and he says I prefer to go to lunch effectively we go to lunch and we’re sitting in lunch and we hit it off and throughout the early levels of my presidency I at all times went I known as up different school presidents went to their campuses went to speak to them to get their recommendation all proper to see what it’s that I may very well be doing higher and the way we might assist the varsity and what’s at dinner one evening with Gerald Turner the president of SMU and he gave me nice recommendation he mentioned everytime you’re with individuals of means ask them for one thing proper get them within the behavior of supporting you and your establishment so that is my first time since that dinner with somebody it means in order that’s it so I am sitting there we’re consuming I used to be like channel the the individuals in our neighborhood they really want a grocery retailer it could be great to have a grocery retailer tremble with out lacking a beat says what I am actually captivated with neighborhood gardens neighborhood gardens sweet goes all about neighborhood gardens now I am no genius however I acknowledge I am not getting a grocery retailer okay so my response is Trammell I’ve lately turn into fascinated by neighborhood gardens myself proper so he says effectively if I gave you cash for neighborhood backyard do you might have someplace to place it on campus that is like yeah we might put it on the soccer discipline proper and he mentioned are you able to try this I used to be like I am the president into no matter I wish to do okay now what I forgot to inform you was the primary act of my presidency was I terminated the soccer program okay which upsets my soccer participant alums to no finish all proper and other people at all times discuss oh you are so courageous for chopping soccer look I did not come Soccer College of Texas okay we work it we weren’t enjoying on TV we weren’t successful nationwide championships okay so we put the soccer we put the backyard on the soccer discipline and other people discover out about it and a few operate maybe you come to go to and the Betsy of us say hey that is actually fascinating I mentioned what we must always do we must always flip the entire soccer discipline right into a farm after which they ask me once more they’re like are you able to try this I used to be like I am the president so I mentioned effectively do you might have an agriculture program and I say no and so they say effectively do you might have somebody to run the farm and I used to be like I do not like the place that is trending I mentioned I will be proper again so I run out to my help desk and I known as the youngest employees member and I mentioned pay attention did not you main in economics at Spelman School and Spellman school is an all girls’s school it is superb there is a shameless Spellman plug as a result of my spouse is a Spelman alum and I’ve to go residence after this okay so she says sure I did I used to be like nice you might be gonna run our farm and she or he mentioned she says we do not have a farm I used to be like we’re about to have a farm he says I do not know something about farmers I do not care about that simply google it okay simply google it that’s actually how our farm began okay she google what grows in Dallas hey it seems lots of stuff ladies in Dallas okay so from that second eight years in the past our farm has grown over 50,000 kilos of meals we give away thanks thanks we give away 10% of every little thing we develop we name it tithing to the neighborhood after which we promote the remainder of the meals to space eating places and shops however who our largest buyer is the Dallas Cowboys proper yeah so this is the factor now we have now despatched extra most cancers than the felt that we ever did soccer gamers so the image right here that is James and Darcy they run the farm they’re extraordinary individuals they love what they do this can be a image in entrance of our new farmers market which they began this summer time this previous summer time and we’re terribly happy with them we turned the establishment outward to pressure individuals to cope with the thought of meals insecurity and the way it impacts individuals in city areas and I am proud to say that as of final yr town lastly obtained round to serving to us get a grocery retailer and so now the neighborhood has a grocery retailer thanks so coping with poverty into the meals desert that is one quantity two town about seven or eight years in the past got here up with seven years in the past got here up with this concept that they wished to show the rubbish dump into an excellent rubbish dump proper and the biggest rubbish dump within the southwest and so they have been going to try this with out doing any neighborhood influence research with out doing any city corridor conferences my college students and I discovered we turned it into a category proper after which the scholars took possession of it and so they created a motion the I’m NOT trash motion whether or not we aren’t trash motion now in case you are a historian that we borrowed that from the Memphis sanitation employees strike the I’m a person alright that is utilizing your historical past that is utilizing your information base the scholars got here up with nice slogans groceries not rubbish proper that is genius we did not win however we impressed a bunch of individuals to file a lawsuit in opposition to town which completely prevented them from doing that plan so our college students change that truth so we’re taking that training and we’re turning it outward we’re addressing the wants of the neighborhood we serve we enter the meals desert and we stopped an environmental injustice from occurring however perhaps the most important factor that we have accomplished that we’re doing is we’re coping with this concept the price of increased training we’re a piece school we turned a piece school as a result of there have been two issues that we needed to acknowledge primary our college students could not afford the training quantity two our college students have been graduating and so they weren’t ready for the workforce now that is not simply us we’re simply essentially the most clear about it as a result of this is the truth one trillion {dollars} of pupil mortgage debt within the market $37,000 is the typical pupil mortgage debt for undergrad that is not simply Paul Quinn college students that is all people everybody has that drawback about preparation let’s discuss this truth virtually 80% of all employers count on their entry-level hires to return to them with real-world work expertise meaning they are not getting these college students from us put together to do the roles they should do 50% of faculty college students want the faculty had given them route extra real-world expertise it isn’t working the present technique of upper training the present practices does not work for almost all of people who find themselves going via it you wish to know one thing else the scholars are already working 70 plus % of dependent school college students work greater than 20 hours per week eighty % of unbiased college students work greater than 30 hours per week the scholars are already working however they’re working in jobs that make it tough for them to succeed academically so what if we modified all that what if we introduced the work contained in the Academy and controlled it in a method the place it match with the scholars tutorial objectives now I want I might inform you that we simply wakened one morning this however the actuality of it’s we obtained the thought from the crystal ray Community I used to be in Detroit visiting the detroit crystal ray and speaking to their president he defined the mannequin to me and that i mentioned why would not this work in increased training he mentioned it does there the work faculties I mentioned these are rural areas why would not this work in an city location he mentioned nobody’s tried it that was music to our ears we obtained our board and by the best way now we have this extremely supportive board as a result of you possibly can’t do any of this except you might have a board that thumb offers you the thumbs up and ours occurs to be a board that’s progressive and believes in innovation and we’re blessed for that okay however we turned an city work school the primary one within the historical past of the USA we’re the primary HBCU the primary minority serving establishment and we’re happy with that however let me inform you what it means to be a piece school to begin with all the scholars that dwell on campus are required to work proper they work between 10 to fifteen hours every week some college students work on campus and jobs and our places of work however the true plus of this program is the company work program the place college students go off campus they work in faculties like parish episcopal they work in corporations like encore AT&T JCPenney FedEx they’re getting real-world expertise along with going to class they’ve a piece transcript they’ve an instructional transcript so what they’re taught to suppose and that they are thought to do our college students obtain an annual money stipend proper for those who work off campus you get $2,000 for those who work on campus you get $1,500 as a result of our college students want cash proper they want these assets we additionally create the choice for our college students who graduate solely lower than $10,000 of debt for 4 years okay thanks thanks that is vital as a result of once more the best way out of poverty just isn’t debt okay it isn’t after which the opposite factor we did was we removed textbooks have you learnt how costly textbooks are so unknowingly and unwittingly we created a caste system in our lecture rooms the scholars who might afford the textbooks and the scholars who could not and the scholars who could not afford the textbooks they did not purchase they weren’t buying the textbooks as a result of they did not like the fabric they wanted the cash to do one thing else with it why would we try this why would we ship that message once we understand it and we are able to do higher so we removed textbooks we solely use open supply supplies proper and it is figuring out amazingly effectively now that is our mannequin that is how we pay and the scholars pay to go to high school we used to cost virtually twenty 4 thousand {dollars} a yr final yr we cost fourteen thousand 4 hundred ninety 5 {dollars} now that is not the little hidden price like that is not tuition after which we do not inform you about room board and costs no that is every little thing tuition room board charges all of it you possibly can come to Parkland School and pay lower than $15,000 a yr okay this is how that will get paid for bear in mind nearly all of our college students are Pell grants so the Pell grants price virtually $6,000 that knocks out tuition then the work program offers you a $5,000 credit score that is the eleven thousand of that fourteen 4 thousand fourteen thousand 4 hundred ninety 5 already lined okay then from there the typical pupil picks up about twelve hundred extra {dollars} in help which leaves twenty 300 {dollars} of unmet want which implies you possibly can graduate from school solely $9,500 now I need you to see one thing there is not any endowment lurking behind us protecting another price okay our endowment is a rounding error for most colleges all proper so we do not have the luxurious of utilizing that that is the way you handle issues and be good stewards of your assets in order that’s now I gave you our historical past I talked about how we obtained to this place however let’s discuss nation-building 2.0 let’s discuss what’s coming subsequent and I’m extremely enthusiastic about what’s coming subsequent this is what we’re doing we’re making a nationwide system of city work faculties all proper so we’re gonna have a community and we’re gonna have a consortium the community goes to be Paul Quinn’s everywhere in the nation we’re coming to your city okay so we’ll open up Paul Quinn’s which might be united by a standard system of teachers and a standard administration group proper which is able to enable us to chop price and we’ll cross these financial savings right down to the scholars and each pupil will get this similar kind of training then we’ll discuss in a second all proper however not each college is gonna wish to be Paul Quinn we respect as a lot as we won’t perceive why not we respect that okay so we’re making a consortium and by the best way once I say we’re creating we’re doing these items in actual time we anticipate having our subsequent campus presence open by the autumn we’re assembly on the College innovation alliance this coming April to kind a bunch for the consortium of faculties which might be gonna go ahead and embrace this technique okay so you possibly can come be a part of us and we’ll educate you ways to do that mannequin and you’ll do it with a household of establishments which might be devoted to working collectively and fixing this drawback for our college students collectively and we do not care concerning the dimension we’re not Institute look it is just like the title of my dissertation dimension does not matter proper it does not matter we we consider that small faculties can do massive issues and we exist for that so this is how we’ll try this now you’ve got heard about we over me you perceive the work mannequin now let’s discuss studying we’ll introduce and implement beginning within the fall one thing known as actuality based mostly training actuality based mostly training and this is what that signifies that signifies that we’ll embody the scholars life experiences of their classroom supplies all proper so first the best way you do that’s experiential studying by having the scholars do the work program secondly you do it by creating project-based studying that’s fused with entrepreneurial thought and motion so how about this may you think about for those who have been taught to resolve the issues that have been vital to you that you simply have been taught to resolve the issues of your life think about for those who’re a pupil from an under-resourced neighborhood that could be a meals desert and as an alternative of going to economics and studying about charts and graphs that you would be able to’t work out the place the hell they’re presupposed to go anyway wait I may need been speaking about me however as an alternative of doing that that you simply have been taught how the economics of inner-city dwelling add to the truth that there are not any grocery shops what for those who’re taught methods to cope with that what in case your classroom turns into your life what for those who’re in group initiatives as a result of this is what we all know there are set of abilities that each one college students should have to achieve success proper all of us having the ability to work in teams is considered one of them you might have to have the ability to work in teams to achieve success on this period of being knowledgeable proper so group initiatives that educate you methods to resolve the issues of your life and we refusing that into all of our lessons now the opposite factor about it’s we’re a liberal arts impressed establishment okay and the impressed is extremely vital all proper as a result of that encourage offers us room to evolve as a result of look I consider within the liberal arts custom I am a product of the liberal arts custom I recognize the pursuits of the thoughts I recognize being a lifelong learner however my college students did not come from my background proper I knew was gonna be okay proper my mother and father had accomplished effectively however how can we not acknowledge the insecurities that households have right now perhaps as an alternative of utilizing a mannequin of the liberal arts that was handed right down to us from the traditional Greeks and I really like the traditional Greeks they appear like cool individuals to social gathering with proper however let’s be sincere the traditional Greeks by no means needed to cope with meals deserts – and griefs by no means needed to cope with crime the best way that the interior cities are they should not Greeks by no means had college homes with out warmth with out air situation their liberal arts are for a special time let’s create some liberal arts for this period how to try this you say I am glad you requested we name it the Quinn ight arts as a result of we model every little thing within the queer nation alright so that is the brand new model of the liberal arts these are the liberal arts for right now we wish to educate the scholars to put in writing to talk to motive and to be digitally studying okay as a result of that is what you should do right now to achieve success on this model of America so we thought what ought to now we have each class embody each class going ahead writing throughout the curriculum we’ll require college students to put in writing as a result of everyone knows if you cannot write you are not going to achieve success proper so each class goes to require college students to put in writing it we all know that if you do not have the power to talk successfully in public you are not going to achieve success both so each class now it is gonna require college students to face up and provides public speeches we additionally know that you’ve got to have the ability to suppose critically and that is greater than having the ability to suppose ought to I exploit snapchat Instagram or Fb or Twitter okay you might have to have the ability to operate at the next stage so now each class goes to require you to have interaction in essential considering and reasoning throughout the curriculum however all of that’s nice however for those who do not acknowledge the place expertise now has in our lives then you might be kidding your self so why do not we educate the scholars to be masters so let’s do digital constructing digital grasp throughout the curriculum now constructed into all of that into the reasoning into the digital mastery it is how we’ll cope with our quantitative lessons as effectively this offers us the chance to convey right now into the classroom and to take college students who began out a little bit bit behind to catch up as a result of let’s be sincere each rose does not bloom on the primary day of spring all proper so let’s plan for lifelong blooming and never simply seasonal blooming this reality-based training coupled with our community of city work faculties is what increased training goes to appear to be and it does not have to only appear to be that within the cities it could possibly appear to be this within the rural areas as a result of we all know that far too usually they’re neglected as effectively that is who we’re that is what we’re that is the way forward for increased training so now we have lined lots of floor this morning and I thanks for taking this journey with me however I additionally realized that I’m additionally along with being a university president a professor so I instructed you what we have been studying we have hopefully discovered it now we’ll return and evaluate it okay all proper so we talked about actions let me inform you the way you create a motion let’s summarize first the keys are making a motion primary failure actions do not begin since you’re completely happy that is not the way it works okay solely in increased training can we count on revolutions to begin from above we expect the colleges who’ve every little thing ought to educate those that don’t have anything what are you going to show us like you do not know what it is prefer to stroll this path we might educate you some issues proper let’s examine you fly with no web let’s examine the way you operate in that world failure the shortcoming to entry the issues that you simply want for the needs that you really want is motivational so that you wish to begin a motion fail first secondly righteous increase your love you both obtained to be actually offended or it’s important to love somebody a complete lot as a result of it causes you to faucet into locations that you’re keen to dedicate your life to that’s extremely vital failure then righteous rage your love you should have a imaginative and prescient you possibly can’t simply be mad proper you possibly can’t simply sit there and be like I am so offended proper now this does not work like I am pretty no it’s important to have an thought of the place you take individuals okay you want a imaginative and prescient now a imaginative and prescient with no plan is foolishness all proper you should have a plan for the way you are going to succeed we consider in that after which lastly you should preserve going my first few years of being a university president individuals laughed at me individuals laughed at me they instructed me I used to be going to be a failure they instructed me I’ll always remember this i sat in a gathering and a sitting school president checked out me and mentioned your college ought to have by no means employed you proper yeah I simply wish to level out I nonetheless have my job proper hey hey do not act like there aren’t some individuals that you simply wish to settle some scores with okay proper I am evolving I simply have not advanced that a lot but okay now these are the keys to making a motion and they’re vital however the final piece of that is extremely vital it is at all times bear in mind it isn’t about you it is about them proper it is about our college students that is Asia morale she’s additionally from Memphis have a look at her face she is hopeful she is worked up I do not ever need her to lose that proper and she or he will not lose that if we put our arms round her and we love her and pay attention I do know we’re in a foul period I am not speaking about creepy love proper I am speaking about genuine love the love that you simply have been presupposed to really feel to your college students proper it’s about them however that is simply initially of that journey it additionally needs to be about them your graduates what are they leaving with what are they going ahead with proper that’s vital however extra importantly it is about your college students who’re coming it is about your college students who graduate however it’s actually concerning the ones which might be coming subsequent okay that is my son okay he is not a freshman at Parkway okay that is my son that is after graduation every year I convey him to graduation as a result of I need him to see what it appears to be like like he has grown up his whole life anticipating that nice issues occur for individuals after they work laborious and so they go to high school that for those who lead a life that’s devoted to service and selflessness that you would be able to change not simply your life however the lives of a neighborhood you probably have management of establishments you possibly can change them to have an effect on social good my son is being impressed by the identical household tree that impressed me by Thurgood Marshall and people people like that that is what nation-building appears to be like like that is the way you create actions you create actions by remembering who you might be and who’s you might be that you simply stand on the shoulders of giants which implies you aren’t getting the selection to be small we should all arise we should stand up we should perceive that that is our time if we enable one other day to go by and performance with no sense of urgency to vary the tutorial experiences of our college students however not simply the tutorial experiences their life experiences if we expect it is okay to provide an a training and the F life now we have failed them now we have been small after they wanted us to be tall so I problem you proper now to return ahead to hitch me to hitch the motion be a part of the Quinn I nation and if you wish to know the way this is some concepts thanks for the distinction of your consideration thanks for being right here this morning I recognize you thanks and thanks I want I might take an image of you standing up so I might present my college students okay some of us have some questions we’ll try to reply as many as we are able to and we’ll run via it so the primary query is what’s your school growth appear to be and the way do you see that is totally different from different establishments based mostly on the distinctive pupil inhabitants that is an awesome query so our school our companions we’re creating the truth based mostly training okay however you should perceive one thing we do not have tenure okay we do not have tenure and it is no massive deal all proper it is no massive deal as a result of nobody’s within the classroom attempting to inform them what they’ll educate proper we’re companions on this journey however now we have to have the ability to transfer in actual time and now we have to have the ability to transfer quick and I’m blessed to have an incredible school that’s led by dr. Chris dowdy who does an unlimited quantity of lifting and an awesome job so our school growth is we’re always offering them alternatives to evolve so we’re enthusiastic about that how is your religion profession contributed to your success pay attention I stroll by religion and never by sight you can’t succeed and what now we have accomplished for those who do not perceive that there’s a increased energy proper I perceive that I additionally perceive that as a result of as a faith-based establishment we see issues commonly that we all know they have been far too many instances I’ve needed to get on my knees and say Lord I’ve obtained nothing else proper after which subsequent morning one thing superb got here and it did not come as a result of I learn a e-book in a single day okay what was your first wind that made you assured that you simply have been doing the fitting factor the costume code the costume code now we have a costume code our college students come to class in enterprise informal and now we have a garments closet and it is we do a delicate youth clothes drive now the garments vehicles are sponsored by JCPenney they supply nearly all of the garments within the closet college students can go and get no matter they want free of charge we took lots of flack for having a clothes draw or having a costume code individuals mentioned effectively they’re school college students they need to pay attention our college students got here to us needing every little thing so we did not have the luxurious of not offering issues so the truth that individuals embrace that costume code gave me the arrogance that our method was gonna be a non-conventional method or an unconventional method what satisfied me to take the job how lengthy will I keep you sound like each individual we try to interview and rent okay effectively satisfied me to take the job was that everybody in my household apart from me went to a traditionally black school for those who went to varsity you went to a traditionally black school I’m Who I’m as a result of these establishments obtained it proper so this can be a thanks for that that is additionally a thanks to these Paul Quinn alums that once I moved to Dallas after regulation college to Duke that took me in and made me really feel like I used to be household regardless that they’d no motive to take action this can be a thanks to them after which lastly it is as a result of I assumed I might make a distinction it wasn’t any extra sophisticated than that how lengthy will I keep why do I’ve to guide proper increased training is de facto fascinating individuals take jobs to get to their subsequent job which implies they are not giving their all to the present job they’ve as a result of they’ve one eye open on one thing else I really like what I am doing if I used to be fearful about my subsequent job we could not have accomplished half the issues we have accomplished as a result of they’re nuts all proper inform us about our schools all of your salaries aggressive that is obtained lots of school members on the market proper so our school salaries have elevated over $20,000 since I have been president proper now that is not sufficient and we’re going via a evaluate of the establishment salaries proper now now we have a compensation committee that’s going via figuring out what do we have to do this is what I’ll inform you we do not lose individuals at Parkland School over cash proper now I took a 40% pay lower once I got here to Paul Quinn all proper so I perceive it hurts however I am not asking anybody to take pay cuts and I do not like individuals being wired over cash if you wish to come to Paul Quinn come see me and for those who match our tradition we’ll discover a solution to make it work proper so the questions have disappeared which I am guessing is the hook okay however let me simply say once more thanks a lot for being right here this morning I’ve I it has been such a privilege and I hope that in your stroll in life and what you do and your jobs and your careers that you’ll problem the established order that you’ll at all times do extra for others and that you’ll do not forget that that is our alternative to make the distinction in lives of people that want us thanks and please get pleasure from South by Southwest