H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management
Black Alumni Meeting - Summary Notes
Washington DC
March 6, 2003
A meeting was organized by Stanley Tucker MS 1978 and Marie Coleman of the Heinz School to bring together Black alumni. The purpose of the meeting was to update alumni on current happenings at the school, initiate the formation of an alumni network, and enlist the alumni to help the Heinz School in achieving its diversity goals. More than 50 people attended the session in Washington, DC. The overall spirit was very positive, with the alumni group identifying several possible next steps and ways that they could organize and help the school.
In Attendance
Heinz School Alumni and Students (by class year) |
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| Peggy Van Lowe MS 1972 Michael Horton MS 1973 Wayne Perry Ph.D. 1975 Sharon Freeman MS 1977 Kathy Hatcher MS 1977 Sal Majied MS 1978 Tom McLamore MS 1978 Beverley Wheeler MS 1978 Stanley Tucker MS 1979 Reginald Henry MS 1980 |
Chris Cager MS 1983 Dennis Gordon MS 1983 Leon W. Heyward MS 1983 Veronica Freeman MS 1985 Kristi Guillory MS 1987 John A. White MS 1990 Jake Jones MS 1992 Eric L. Dixon MS 1995 Maria Montgomery MS 1996 Nigel Gardner MS 1997 Gregory Huckstep MS 1997 Marla Posey-Moss MS 1998 |
Chad Carter MS 2000 Cordell Carter, II MS 2000 Latoya Conners MS 2001 Toureia Williams MS 2001 Landon Witcher MS 2001 Iris Bond MS 2002 Laray Scott MS 2002 Shawn Buckner MS 2003 Brandie Knazze MS 2003 |
Heinz Staff |
Guest |
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| Marie Coleman, Director of Development David Eber, Associate Director of Admissions Ann English MAM 1999, Director of Admissions Amy George, Associate Director of Admissions Martina Jacobs, Director of Alumni Relations Jamie Lovas, Alumni Relations Assistant Martha McGivney MS 1995, MS Program Director Brenda Peyser, Associate Dean Mark Wessel, Acting Dean Tyrone Wrice, Associate Director of Career Services |
Lema Bostock (applying to Ph.D. program) | |
Synopsis of Meeting
Keynote Luncheon Speaker: Congressman Elijah Cummings
Congressman Cummings set the tone with an inspirational speech urging Heinz alumni to appreciate the opportunities that they have had in their lives and to continue to work to make those same opportunities available to others.
The Congressman told of his many friends whose dreams were shattered along the way. "They were constantly told what they couldn't be instead of what they could be. If you can chip away at the baggage, get rid of the negativity of people putting you down, you can succeed. And that's what happened to all of you."
He charged the group to make it possible for the next generation to succeed by -
- Reminding children of their greatness;
- Being an example- there is someone watching you although you may not know it;
- Exposing kids to the kinds of jobs that you do - they do not know what you do so they can't even dream of becoming what you have become. In order to dream you have got to see something to dream about;
- Staying involved -- support the scholarships, meet with a kid at least once a year.
In appreciation for Congressman Cummings time, Tom McLamore generously offered to make a donation to a charity in honor of the congressman. Anyone interested in also doing so may contact Stanley Tucker.
Heinz School Updates
Acting Dean Mark Wessel gave an overview of what is happening at the school. Overall, the school is doing well - strong rankings, prestigious faculty and high quality students. The school has grown tremendously over the years and continues to distinguish itself in many areas. Key challenges going forward are faculty retention, diversity, growing the financial resources of the school, filling intellectual "gaps" and finding employment for graduates in this difficult economy.
Dean Wessel, along with staff from admissions, alumni relations and development gave updates on diversity initiatives at the school and across the university. Carnegie Mellon University has led an effort on behalf of 35 universities to file an Amicus Brief in support of the University of Michigan and its Supreme Court case challenging their practice of Affirmative Action. Other challenges facing the school include the decline of the PPIA Fellowship program, challenges to summer programs designed specifically for minority students as a result of the University of Michigan case, identifying and recruiting applicants, providing adequate financial aid and the creation of a supportive environment for students of color, and minority faculty recruitment and retention.
Alumni Discussion
The alumni then opened it up to discussion. Below are select comments from the participants:
- We may have had a tough time at Carnegie Mellon University, but much of what we learned there helped us to get where we are. Carnegie Mellon is going to be around for a long time and given that they are going to be at the cutting edge in technology, doesn't it make sense for us as Black alumni to be involved and take advantage of the knowledge, innovation and intellectual capital that is there? The Carnegie Mellon degree is our calling card and as stakeholders we should do what we can to help the school.
- The alumni are the best recruiters for the school, especially for African American students. We know what type of student will make it through the Heinz school we can be candid with them about both the negatives and positives but overall it was positive.
- When talking to students, emphasize the fact that Carnegie Mellon is putting themselves on the line in the Michigan case - there is a potential loss of government money.
- Several alumni mentioned that there was a Black Alumni Organization in place many years ago to provide support and help to the school - it's time for us to get back to business and reinvigorate the networks that we once had.
- Money is important - would be great to have this group commit to giving.
- Money is a key issue for most African American students - the school has to provide support or help prospective students find sources of funding to support their educations - the students might not know of the wide range of options out there.
- Additional ideas for recruiting include:
- Don't forget the Midwest -- it is an important market and since everyone focuses on east and west you may miss out on strong minority candidates there. Many strong students who might not know of CM there.
- Marketing materials could be improved to reflect people of color; or special targeted publications to students of color.
- Many students do not know about public policy degrees. Therefore, make the connection for prospective students about how this degree will help them achieve their goals - perhaps through highlighting alumni and how the degree helped them.
- We need to make a commitment not just talk about helping.
Next Steps
Three specific next steps were discussed. Volunteers are being sought for all areas. Please contact Stanley Tucker at stanley.tucker@mmggroup.com or (410) 333-2550 to volunteer or to discuss the various next steps.
1. Fundraise to support Fellowships for Black Students:
- The Otto Davis Fund is now fully endowed.
- Student support is critical for many students.
- The Heinz School presented a giving chart for raising $1M over 5 years to support fellowships for minorities candidates.
- The Black alumni could mobilize and create a new fellowship named for Marion Oliver and Norman Johnson, two early staff members of the Heinz School who had significant impact on diversity during the early years of the School.
2. Help the School Recruit Black applicants:
- The Black alumni want to challenge themselves to help the Heinz School reach 25% African American students in the MS program.
- Challenge alumni to help with recruiting - volunteer to help out by
- Recruiting one student per year to apply to the school;
- Calling prospective candidates;
- Visiting one school per year to recruit for the Heinz School.
3. Revive the Black Alumni Organization
- Revive the creation of a formal network that can provide a unified voice and organizational structure for the Black alumni of the Heinz School.