Civility and Culture In Our Time: Reflections on Leadership
Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, president emerita of Spelman and Bennett colleges, will speak on "Reflections on Leadership." A reception follows the talk.
The talk is part of a four-lecture series, "Civility and Culture in Our Time," which will examine the notion of civility as an essential requirement for successful leadership in the 21st century.
The series pays tribute to Esther Terry, who retired last year as chair of the W.E.B. Du Bois Department Afro-American Studies, and who currently serves as associate chancellor and interim vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life. To celebrate and sustain the model of civility over adversity exemplified by Terry during her 19-year tenure as department chair, the lectures will be presented this year as part of campus-wide diversity programming. The talks are sponsored by the College of Humanities and Fine Arts and Afro-American Studies.
Cole, who taught in the Anthropology and Afro-American Studies departments from 1970-83 and served as associate provost for Undergraduate Education from 1981-83, has had a long and distinguished career as an educator and humanitarian.
Cole made history in 1987 when she became the first African-American woman to serve as president of Spelman College and is the only individual to have served as the president of the two Historically Black Colleges for women in the United States. She is also professor emerita at Emory University, where she retired as Presidential Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Women's Studies and African American Studies.
Her work as a college professor and president, her published works, her speeches and her community service consistently address issues of racial, gender and all other forms of discrimination. Much of her work in the interest of equality and social justice is now centered in her role as the Chair of the Board of the Johnnetta B. Cole Global Diversity and Inclusion Institute, founded at Bennett College for Women.
Cole began her college studies at Fisk University and completed her undergraduate studies at Oberlin College. She earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Northwestern University.
The author of numerous publications for scholarly and general audiences, Cole's most recent publication is a book co-authored with Beverly Guy Sheftall, "Gender Talk: the Struggle for Women's Equality in African-American Communities."
Cole is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Anthropological Association. She is on the editorial advisory board of Souls and The Black Scholar. She is on the advisory committee of America's Promise and the National Museum of African History and Culture. She also serves on the advisory board of the Atlanta Falcons.
Cole chairs the board of directors of the National Visionary Project. She serves on the board of Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe, TransAfrica Forum and the United Way of America. She also serves on the board of directors of Merck & Co., Inc. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, The Links, Inc. and the National Council of Negro Women.
In addition to 52 honorary degrees, including one from UMass Amherst in 1989, Cole has received numerous awards, including the TransAfrica Forum Global Public Service Award, the Radcliffe Medal, the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, the 2001 Alexis de Tocqueville Award for Community Service from United Way of America, the Joseph Prize for Human Rights presented by the Anti-Defamation League, the Uncommon Height Award from the National Council of Negro Women, the John W. Gardner Leadership Award from the Independent Sector, and the Lenore and George W. Romney Citizen Volunteer Award from the Points of Light Foundation.
The next lecture in the series will be presented April 30 by Jessica B. Harris, a noted cookbook author and professor of English composition at Queens College. The other lectures are being planned for the fall semester.
Directions & Parking
Goodell is located west of the campus pond and Old Chapel, and is easily identified by its portico with four white columns at the entrance. Public parking is available in the Campus Center parking garage or in Lot 32 across Mass. Ave. Handicapped parking is located on the north side of the building on Hicks Way.