Leadership Through Shared Governance

Films, books, and cultural media often lead us to believe that college administrators dole out policies from the sanctity of their offices, never leaving the ivory tower to see how those policies shape campus life. That’s not the case for Jim Ewers Jr. (’81Ed.D.), a College of Education alumnus with a storied career in higher education leadership.

Until his retirement in 2012, Jim held vice president roles at four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including Livingstone College, Dillard University, Savannah State University, and Edward Waters College. He also served as an associate dean at Miami University Middletown. Student affairs administration was the throughline connecting these experiences.

For Jim, movement through physical spaces on campus was key. He describes his leadership style as “Management by Walking Around,” or MWA, a process whereby he would very literally leave his office every day in order to engage with students and colleagues in more informal settings.

“I developed a philosophy that made sure my office wasn’t the only meeting space where I had interactions with colleagues and students,” he said. “I made it a point to MWA every day.”

 “The college was a melting pot of people and passion. These folks had definite ideas about education and where they wanted to be. To be able to be a part of that educational culture really made an indelible mark on my career.”

Studying at the College of Education was foundational, Jim said, because it shaped his educational mentality. He recalls graduate seminars that embodied the principle of a “marketplace of ideas,” where a diversity of perspectives, research methodologies, and social justice values were articulated–and debated–by faculty and students alike.

It was this emphasis on dialogue that ultimately motivated Jim to develop a philosophy of shared governance, he said. “People don’t want to know how much you know until they know how much you care,” he added. 

Caption: Jim is a member of the Black Tennis Hall of Fame, and, as a student athlete at Johnson C. Smith University, he set (and still holds) the record for winning 34 consecutive tennis singles matches.

Jim revisited that central idea of respect-based leadership time and time again in his career as a higher education administrator. Working with students at several HBCUs offered an opportunity to guide Black youth toward the same paths Jim himself took.

“I believe I gave students a real sense of my being, of my life experiences,” he noted. “To be able to relate to some of the stories that young people would tell me, it was so fulfilling.”

Growing up in Winston-Salem, N.C., Jim experienced what it was like to live in a racially segregated society. He excelled both academically and athletically thanks to the support of his teachers and coaches, and attended Johnson C. Smith University–itself an HBCU–on a tennis scholarship. 

By the time Jim graduated, his interests had shifted from political science to teaching. He pursued his master’s degree at Catholic University–a predominantly white institution–in Washington, D.C. It was a major turning point in his experience of academic culture.

“It really broadened my horizons,” said Jim. “One of the first nights I was there, I took a cab, and then I walked up and down Pennsylvania Avenue, just to take in the ambience of the nation’s capital.”

D.C. set the stage for Jim’s career in education. He taught history and government at Ballou High School. As he learned the ins and outs of being an educator, he also developed his acumen as a tennis coach. He helped several students secure athletic scholarships to Johnson C. Smith University–a very meaningful achievement, he added, because it preserved his connection with HBCUs.

By the time he enrolled at UMass, Jim had a clear sense of the transformative power of higher education. He credits the College of Education with instilling an unwavering sense of confidence within himself, a sense of purpose that anchored all of his future roles in the academy.

“To have a UMass degree…it has an international reputation,” said Jim. “It’s a cornerstone of higher education.”