Clark University - Clark News fall 2003
In Closing (fall 2003)
Clark’s new Provost opens the academic year
Provost David Angel delivered the keynote address at Fall Convocation ceremonies on Aug. 27. In his remarks, Angel discussed the "three signatures" of a Clark education: "our capacity to create synergies between scholarship and teaching; our commitment to making a difference locally and globally; and our international presence and world view."
In the following excerpt from his address, Angel comments on this year’s summer reading book for first-year students and highlights the impact teaching and scholarship can have on the world.
"This year the chosen text was Beverly Tatum’s book ‘Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?’ Professor Tatum, who is the president of Spelman College and a psychologist by training, wrote the book to deepen our understanding of race and racism in America and ultimately to stimulate discussion about what we can and should do about it. Professor Tatum notes that the provocative question that makes up the title of the book serves as a conversation starter—even for those who ordinarily avoid such conversations. The book argues for the importance of talking about race and racism—even when talk is difficult and when the outcomes are unknown. Earlier this week the book met its initial goal—initiating conversation—and I think it fair to say the book met with quite a range of reactions—from resonance to frustration. But in some ways, that is the point—we are all positioned differently relative to race and racism, and we need to talk.
"Clark University is not isolated from these concerns. Recent Supreme Court decisions have drawn attention to the role that race plays in the admission process for colleges and universities. The University of Michigan argued that a diverse student body—diverse by many criteria from race to gender, income and country of origin—contributes positively to the education of all students. I share this view. But access to education is only one part of the puzzle. We must also pay attention to how and what we teach, and to the applications of science and of creative activity that accompany our work. Scholarship and teaching can be a powerful force for positive change and it is our responsibility to ensure that this is the case at Clark University."
The full text of Angel’s address is on the Clark Web site at www.clarku.edu/convocation.
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