“Service to many is the prerequisite of greatness.”-Al “The Inspiration” Duncan
"You can live a good life and still be committed to the well-being of other people.”–Dr. Sherle Boone
Lesson 3:
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out.
The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish."
"Me first! Me first!" says the admin. clerk. "I want to be in the
Puff! She's gone.
"Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in
Puff! He's gone.
"OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager.
The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."
Moral of the story:
Always let your boss have the first say.
Lesson 2:
A priest offered a nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.
The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak."
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way. Upon his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."
Moral of the story:
If you are not well informed in your job, opportunities for advancement will pass right by you.
Lesson 1:
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing her shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands
Before she says a word,
When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?" "It was
Moral of the
If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.
From his days as a freshman at the University of Louisville in ’01-‘02 to receiving his master’s degree in education in May of ’08, two things consistently remain on Harris’ mind: student success and student retention.
Through program development or the daunting task of being a founding member,
I’ll let the man himself tell you more about what’s going on inside the mind of
Al “The Inspiration” Duncan: One of the things that jumped out at me when I looked at some of your career goals is your desire to serve as Dean of Students at a major four-year public college or university. How did you become so passionate about student success?
AD: What do you mean by “hands on”?
AH: They gave me a lot of guidance and mentorship—explaining what to do and not to do. They took a lot of time out of their schedules and became a resource for me.
AD: So their actions made you want to be in a position to do the same for other students?
AH: Yes. As an undergraduate, I was the resident assistant and I worked with the admissions office. One day as I was talking to one of my mentors she suggested that I might want to look at college personnel as a career. So I thought about it and I looked at it and I realized that’s where my passion is. I was always surrounded by younger students that were interested in learning from me. I was like the big brother.
AD: Big Brother Ant, huh?
AH: Right.
"...even though my family—my mother, my aunts, my grandparents, my cousins—told me how important education was, when I got to the university I had to find people who had the same mindset."
AD: So, let’s fast forward to five years from today. Let’s say that you are the Dean of Students at an institution. Give me an example of some of the initiatives that you would put in place to improve student success and retention.
AH: Well, I think that it’s very important to meet students where they are. That’s what we do in SAAB – the Student African-American Brotherhood. It was founded by
AD: True.
AH: So it’s about having good programs, not just the “crayon box” activities, events, and organizations.
AD: Did you call them? “Crayon box” activities?
AH: Right. The crayon box—the basic, typical activities that every college and university has.
AD: That’s pretty funny. So, you want to provide them with some different and refreshing things.
AH: Right!
AD: You just mentioned SAAB—The Student African-American Brotherhood. Is the purpose of that organization to improve African-American male student retention?
AH: Yes. That’s exactly what the purpose of SAAB is.
AD: Well, speaking of young brothers, what is going on with young African-American males today? We are constantly bombarded with negative reports and statistics via the media, but I know plenty of young brothers like you who are making it happen. What I would like to know is: how can we produce more young men like you?
AH: I think it primarily has a lot to do with the statistics that they’re using. For instance, you always hear that there are more African-American males in the prison system than in the classroom…in higher education. But whole reality is you have to look at the age range they usually use: 18-51. Within that age group there are more males in the prison system but if you only look at the college age males then it’s better than what they put out there.
AD: Hmmm…
AH: Young males are not really being sought out. Like, I’m not Greek [in a fraternity], but I have a lot of friends who are Greek and I think the Greek system is great. But it’s not for everyone and on most campuses if you’re not Greek you’re not really involved. You know? The Greek members are the ones who are typically the leaders. But with my experiences there were not a lot of Black Greek organizations consistently on campus so there were a lot of opportunities for others to take leadership roles.
AD: Oh. I understand what you mean. You’re saying that there needs to be more types of organizations that are reaching young African-American males and providing them with leadership opportunities because those that aren’t interested in Greek life are falling between the cracks.
AH: Right, right!
"It comes down to dedication and support. You have to be willing to do the work and you have to have people around who are really willing to do the work."
AD: Did you help start SAAB?
AH: I helped bring it to my campus. One of the new faculty members who graduated from the program and his mentor asked around 11 black males on campus to help get it started at the
AD:
AH: Yes. So, all of us spearheaded the efforts to get more black males involved on campus. SAAB has been there since the fall of ’05. It’s a collective effort. There’s a leader, but everyone has an important role. It’s a place where students can come voice their concerns, share their frustrations, and actually do something on campus. It’s a support group and it has different components. We promote community service, health and wellness, economics…it’s black males holding each other in a positive light and showing support for one another.
AD: That sounds like it’s a powerful program. Weren’t you also one of the founding members of USHR—Undergraduate Students Helping to Recruit?
AH: Yes.
AD: Is that another mentoring program?
AH: Yes.
AD: Well, obviously you’re serious about mentoring. Why is it so important for someone to have a mentor?
AH: A lot of times, first-time college students don’t have that guide, that person to look at who can show them what they need to do. USHR, for example, is a program designed to mentor to high school seniors. We want to help them before they even get to college so that when they get there they’ll have a familiar face—a big brother or big sister—to go to. They can say “hey, I’m taking these classes. What do you suggest?” And then we can help them with their transition period.
AD: What about the personal impact mentoring has had on you?
AH: Mentoring for me was…well…I was the first person in my family to go to college.
AD: So, you were a first generation to college student.
AH: Yes. So, for me even though my family—my mother, my aunts, my grandparents, my cousins—told me how important education was, when I got to the university I had to find people who had the same mindset.
AD: How did you do that? Because that’s one of the most important things—finding people who have the same mindset as you. Finding people who want to be successful like you is paramount to success, but so many students end up in the wrong crowd. So, how do you find people that are success-minded like you?
AH: It was some trial and error, but luckily for me I had a good network of people that I came from high school with. And we all stayed connected for the most part. You know, as time goes by people move on, but when I got on campus the people I connected with in admissions nurtured and supported me. They saw what I was capable of but it was still some trial and error.
AD: But obviously you didn’t give up. You kept looking until you found the right people.
AH: Right.
"I was always surrounded by younger students that were interested in learning from me. I was like the big brother."
AD: Let’s back track a little bit and talk some more about you becoming the Dean of Students. I believe that’s going to happen for you. One question I get from a lot of students is “What should I do when I’m having trouble with a professor?” So, as the Dean of Students if a student came to you and they were having a problem with a professor how would you handle it?
AH: The first thing I would ask them is whether or not they talked to the professor. A lot of times students come to faculty members or administrators because they don’t know how to talk to professors. They don’t know how to bridge that gap, but they have to at least try to talk to that professor or maybe someone in the department. You have to address the issue. There a so many times when the professor doesn’t even know that there’s a problem to begin with.
AD: That’s true. A student has to make sure that the professor is aware of the problem. Is it safe to say that even if a professor seems a little bit intimidating nine times out of ten he or she really does want to help?
AH: Yes, for the most part. Some professors aren’t “people” people, but there’s normally an avenue that you can take to talk that person. And you have to before you come to an administrator. If you try and things aren’t working out then you come to an administrator, the department head, or dean. You have to give the professor a chance to take care of it.
AD: That’s the truth. Earlier we talked about how you were instrumental in helping to start two organizations on campus. Many students are looking to be leaders or pioneers and start organizations. What are some important keys for starting a student organization?
AH: It comes down to dedication and support. You have to be willing to do the work and you have to have people around who are really willing to do the work. Starting an organization is not the easiest thing in the world to do. There’s a lot of paperwork and steps to go through so you have to have people that are really in it to win it and are determined to get stuff accomplished. Two or three people are not enough because most universities require more than three people to start an organization on campus. Without enough people you’ll just start an organization one year and the next year it’s gone. You need people that are there for the long haul.
AD:
Hey Students! Would you like to be featured in Elevate U and on the homepage of The Black Collegian Magazine?
Today--right in the middle of Black History month where it belongs--is the unofficial, but widely accepted, birthday one of my most influential role models:
With all of that Freddy D (hey…don’t be offended…that’s how we do it in the Hip-Hop generation) floating around in my head, it’s easy to understand why I’m always quoting him.
Do you quote
10. No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellowman without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck.
9. He was whipped oftener who was whipped easiest.
8. Man’s greatness consists in his ability to do and the proper application of his power to things needed to be done.
7. Men may not get all they pay [work] for in this world, but they must certainly pay [work] for all they get.
6. I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.
5. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will.
4. If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning.
3. It’s easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.
2. I didn't know I was a slave until I found out I couldn't do the things I wanted.
1. One and God make a majority.
Honorable mention:
A little learning, indeed, may be a dangerous thing, but the want of learning is a calamity to any people.
I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.
We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future.
A man who would not labor to gain his rights, is a man who would not, if he had them, prize and defend them.
Only as we rise do we encounter opposition.
What are your favorite
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I've spoken at quite a few MLK celebrations this week and I’ve also seen several tributes on TV. So, I’ve heard plenty of people quoting (and misquoting)
Do you quote
10. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
9. Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.
8. Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
7. Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.
6. “Whatever your life's work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.”
5. If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.
4. Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.
3. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
2. In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
1. Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
Honorable Mention:
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.
The time is always right to do what is right.
What are your favorite
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“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”-Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson
