Inaugural Speech Excerpts
Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum was officially
installed
as
the
ninth
President
of
Spelman College on Saturday, March 22, 2003. The theme
of
the inauguration was In Search
of
Social
Justice:
Liberal
Arts
Education
in the 21st Century.
Below
are
excerpts
from
Dr.
Tatum's
inaugural address titled, Spelman:
The
Next
Generation.
EXCERPTS:
- ...Though
I
am
a clinical
psychologist
by
training,
my
most
recent
graduate
degree
is
a master's
degree
in
Religious
Studies
from
Hartford
Seminary.
My
adviser
was
the
president
of
the
seminary,
Barbara
Brown
Zikmund.
On
the
day
I completed
my
degree
requirements,
she
and
I discussed
my
future
plans.
She
asked
me
if
I had
considered
becoming
a college
president.
When
I said
I was
thinking
about
the
possibility, she told me, “You
can’t
be the president of just
any college. You have to
find one that you can truly
love because the work is
so demanding, you work
24 hours a day, seven days
a week. But, she said, “You
will do a lot for your
lover.” And
in this first year, I
have
come to understand quite
clearly what she meant.
I love Spelman College,
and I consider it a tremendous
blessing to stand here
before
you today publicly accepting
the call to serve as
the
ninth President of Spelman.
-
From
its earliest days, Spelman
was a beacon of opportunity
for
Black women in an otherwise
dark landscape. The power
of the Spelman College
education
was
demonstrated in the fact
that over 37 percent of
the
graduates from 1928-1953
earned graduate and professional
degrees,
a remarkable achievement
in an era marked by overt
racial and gender discrimination.
-
Spelman's
mission:
An
outstanding historically Black
college for women, Spelman
promotes
academic excellence in the liberal arts, and develops the intellectual,
ethical, and leadership potential of its students. Spelman seeks to empower
the total person, who appreciates the many cultures of the world and commits
to positive social change.
That
is a mission you can
love.
At the heart of this
mission
is the notion of leadership – a
holistic understanding
of leadership development
that includes mind,
body, and spirit – an
understanding of leadership
that includes the cultivation
of wisdom and an understanding
of social justice.
The
technological advances
of the 21st century
will provide unanticipated
opportunities for all
of our students. They
will have access to
ample information,
but will they possess
the wisdom
to use it for the common
good? At Spelman College,
we want the answer
to be yes. We seek to
develop
a clear sense of collective
responsibility and
ethical
leadership to prepare
our students for wise
stewardship
of their world. It
is our heritage and
our calling.
-
As
global conflict escalates,
and we now are engaged in
war, war that will disproportionately
effect the communities of
color who send their young
people to the front lines,
and whose needs will be
neglected as the cost of
war rises, the voices of
Black women are needed now
more than ever. Our mission
calls us to be intentional
about the cultivation of
their leadership.
- What
does this mean for Spelman
College in practical terms – how
will we focus our energies
over the coming years? We
have a five-point plan consonant
with our mission.
Academic
Excellence
Continual striving for academic excellence – through
the recruitment and retention of the next generation of faculty committed to
the residential liberal arts college model of excellence in teaching, continual
growth in scholarship, and shared responsibility for service – and through
the recruitment and retention of strong students, continually seeking to improve
our capacity to provide financial support so that there will be no economic
barriers for the best and the brightest to come to Spelman.
Leadership
Maintaining our focus on leadership development through civic engagement
and community service – with the establishment of a leadership center
as one avenue to bring together a number of leadership-related initiatives
into a synergistic whole.
Improving
Our Environment
Improving
our environment – on campus and off – attending to
our infrastructure (renovating buildings, and improving technology), but
also working with our community partners to enhance our neighborhood and
create new opportunities for the residents of the West End.
Increasing
Our Visibility
Increasing
our visibility – so that the accomplishments of our students,
our faculty and staff, and our alumnae – are apparent to everyone.
We do not want to hide our light under a bushel – we want to be a beacon
in higher education. We have been in the past, and we want that light to
shine even more brightly in the future.
Exemplary
Customer Service
And finally, we want to be a model of exemplary customer
service. The Spelman
College motto, “Our whole school for Christ” hearkens to our
founding by Christian missionaries, but it has continuing relevance today
not because we expect everyone to be a Christian. We know we have a multicast
community, and we celebrate that fact. Our motto still has relevance because
at the core of Christian teachings is the principle of “hospitality” – welcoming
the stranger. Treating others the way you want to be treated. At Spelman
College our definition of excellence should include a pervasive sense of
hospitality and generosity of spirit for each other and everyone who passes
through our gates.
Academic
Excellence
Leadership
Development
Improving
our Environment
Visibility
of our Achievements
Exemplary
Customer Service
Spelman
ALIVE – strong,
vital, and productive well into
the 21st century – that
is our goal.
...We
don’t
know
what
the
future
holds,
but
we
do
know
Spelman
women
will
help
shape
the
future.
We
want
to
be
sure
that
they
are
ready
and
that
Spelman
remains
ALIVE – a
strong
and
vital
learning
community.
