Empowering Change: Timothy K. Eatman to Speak at the 2024 Plenary Lecture

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Timothy K. Eatman, Ph.D., is the Inaugural Dean of the Honors Living-Learning Community (HLLC) at Rutgers University in Newark. On Tuesday, October 8th at 5:30 p.m., Eatman will join the UMass Honors community to speak at the 2024 Plenary Lecture in the Student Union Ballroom. 

Eatman was born and raised in Harlem, New York, and went on to attend Pace University for his undergraduate studies. He then attended Howard University to obtain his master’s degree before heading to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to complete his Ph.D. Eatman’s research explores institutional policy and equity issues in higher education. As an educational sociologist and publicly engaged scholar, Eatman works to challenge inequity in all forms.

After spending several years in the Midwest, Eatman moved back to New York to work at Syracuse University, where he was tenured and served as an associate professor of higher education in the School of Education. Today, Eatman serves as the founding dean of the Honors Living-Learning Community at Rutgers University.

Eatman shared his background and love for community engagement and service learning, discussing the intersection of those interests with the Honors community at Rutgers.

“The connection is very solid, and we have our students engage with community partners like the Institute for Social Justice, Ironbound Community Corporation, Racial Healing and Transformation Initiatives, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. There are so many ways that students can engage as they’re going through their college experience that helps them to respect the community and Indigenous-based knowledges.” 

Eatman also shared that he hopes the Honors students will “gain a sense of agency about being positive change-makers in the world.” He hopes that the program will challenge students to develop acute critical thinking skills that will allow them to engage in discourse with carefulness and humility.

“Don't debate someone just to tear them down, debate so you can understand the ideas and build relationships that'll thrive and make the way that we communicate and the way that we sit together in humanity more meaningful and more helpful to this democratic experience.” 

Eatman’s passion for the intent behind the Honors Living-Learning Community is abundantly clear, and he will be sharing more about this at the 2024 Plenary Lecture. He plans to discuss the intersection of disciplines and how we can take that knowledge and use it to work in our communities, sustaining our society and creating a beautiful world.

If you are interested in hearing more about Eatman’s experience and outlook on education and community, be sure to join us on October 8th at 5:30 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.