The grant provides scholarships for an additional 75 teachers seeking certification as school principals in public schools in Texas. The award also provides $200,000 for the study of at least two longer-standing school leadership programs in New York City and around the country, according to Joe Breshears, executive director of development at the UNT Dallas Campus.

“An already outstanding curriculum will be refined as needed to remain state-of-the-art and at the cutting edge of training programs for school leaders,” Breshears said. “We are grateful to the Meadows Foundation for their investment in this program that will increase the number of new, high-quality principals in our partner school districts and public education as a whole.”

The master’s degree program in educational administration with principal certification at the UNT Dallas Campus has grown rapidly over the past two years. In the fall 2007 semester, graduate admissions increased 205 percent at the new campus, located on Houston School Road near the intersection of I-20 and I-35E.

Most of that gain was attributed to new “cohorts” in the educational administration program. The “cohort” model helps students form a network of support as they progress through a master’s program together. Administrators at the UNT Dallas Campus expect a large influx of students into the program again this fall, especially after the award from the Meadows Foundation.

John Ellis Price, vice chancellor of the UNT Dallas Campus, said the award from the Meadows Foundation lines up with the founding mission of the campus and its stated goal of increasing the number of citizens in Dallas and the North Texas region who hold bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

“By providing this grant, the Meadows Foundation has enabled us to extend affordable education to even more teachers who will become principals,” Price said. “Good principals instill educational values in students. Those values will promote education and help us achieve our objective of seeing students move on from high school to college. We are delighted that the Meadows Foundation has seen the value in our leadership program for school principals.”

By Jazzy

Education and hard work are the consistent mantra that permeates the essence of the American Dream. Education, as we know, is not created equally nor is it extolled equally. Schools in lower socioeconomic areas are rife with underperforming curricula, in desperate need of updated teaching materials, and innovated ideas to excite beaten down students to achieve a goal they believe unattainable in the first place.

For many students in lower socioeconomic areas the belief that they have a chance to enter college is surreal. Many struggle with the basics because they are never driven to learn or even taught but rather pushed on to the next level. For those not lost in the public school systems they head off to college earn their degree and look forward to their future. A future, according to the America dream, should grant them privileges and entrance into a new world far from what many of them knew.

Even though -according to data-there is a closing in income among Black household incomes in comparison to their white counterparts, a glaring disparity exists between white men and black men to the tune of approximately $10,000 with the same degree and experience.

Soledad Obrien mentioned in the CNN special Black in America that White men who are ex-cons are more likely to receive a job offer in comparison to black men with an education, because the perception is that black men are lazy and don’t know how to dress properly.

There are no more visible chains and shackles than these biases, but what remains is far more pervasive, unjustified perceptions and insidious stereotypes that are used as excuses to permit and mask underlining racial prejudices; be they conscious or subconscious.

So what then happens when you do everything according to the playbook and you still come up short? How do we keep young Black adults encouraged when they realize that even with the Great American Equalizer they still come up short?

“Cedar Valley College is a community college that truly serves its community,” Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson said. “The faculty and administration work hard to meet the needs of the students, and the students work hard to balance their schoolwork with the other responsibilities in their lives. I am proud that Cedar Valley College is in my District, and I congratulate it on receiving this grant.”

Cedar Valley College is a Minority Serving Institution with an enrollment of almost 5,000 students. It will use the grant money to improve both retention of students and student success, with a focus on enhancing instruction and academic services.

Grants made by the U.S. Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions Program are designed to enable institutions of higher education to improve academic quality, institutional management and fiscal stability, as well as increase their self-sufficiency.

DALLAS - The University of North Texas Dallas Campus has selected Peter Pincemin Johnstone, chief academic officer of Penn State University’s Abington College in Philadelphia, to serve as its new deputy vice provost. Maxine Rogers, vice chancellor for administration and finance with the Baton Rouge Community College System, has also been named the campus’ first director of finance and administration.

Vice Chancellor John Ellis Price, chief executive officer of the UNT Dallas Campus, said the appointments round out the campus’ executive leadership team, which will ultimately be responsible for transitioning the campus from a satellite of the UNT flagship in Denton to Dallas’ first four-year, public university.
“We had a rich and diverse pool of applicants for both positions,” Price said. “The candidates selected were the best fit for the mission and vision of our campus. Both Dr. Johnstone and Maxine Rogers are experienced administrators in higher education. I believe they will well serve our students and the citizens of Dallas and the surrounding communities in North Texas.”

Johnstone, a noted author and professor of criminal justice specializing in white collar crime in Europe, is originally from the United Kingdom. There, he attended London Guildhall University, where he received a bachelor of arts degree in legal studies and an earned doctorate in criminal justice. He also attended the University of Sussex, where he earned a master of laws degree in international criminal law. He held teaching posts at the University of Northampton and London Guildhall University.

When he arrived in the United States eight years ago, he served as professor of criminology at Barton College in North Carolina, and later as a professor of criminology, department chair, and associate dean in the College of Human Ecology at East Carolina University.

Johnstone said the UNT Dallas Campus presents an opportunity unlikely to recur in his lifetime - that of founding a major public university in a large American city.

“The opportunities to make an impact on the climate of higher education in North Texas really are unparalleled,” Johnstone said. “I consider it a privilege to be chosen as a part of the effort to raise the high school graduation and college-going rates in Dallas through programs such as Early College High School, and through the formation of new undergraduate academic programs that capture students’ interests and respond to market demand.”

Johnstone said he will begin his duties at the UNT Dallas Campus by providing leadership in developing policies that will make the campus’ transition to four-year status easier. He also said he looks forward to “expanding the horizons” of students in Dallas through international education and “niche” academic programs.

“International education is of utmost importance to me,” Johnstone said. “In today’s global climate, it is an indispensable asset for each student who has had the opportunity to travel abroad. Together with this emphasis, we also will be searching for ways to establish new academic programs that will lead students toward burgeoning career fields such as human services management, health care management, education, and the sciences.”

Rogers, who has served the community college system in Baton Rouge since 2002, said the UNT Dallas Campus would not only develop outwardly, but inwardly as well. Her job, she said, will be to develop a solid system of financial governance that will ensure the growth of the future UNT Dallas for years to come. At the Baton Rouge system, she assisted with the oversight of a six-building, $73 million construction project. She also coordinated and developed a $22 million budget for the campus, which opened its doors in 1998 and now has more than 6,600 students.

“I believe that the financial resources of a university are a sacred trust,” Rogers said. “The community and the state expect that we provide rigorous oversight of the resources devoted to us in the state’s budget. The UNT Dallas Campus has always fared well financially under the leadership of Dr. John Ellis Price, and I intend to help carry on that tradition.”

Rogers attended Prairie View A&M University, where she earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration. She also received an MBA from Amberton University (formerly Amber University) in Garland, Texas, and attended the College Business Management Institute at the University of Kentucky.

Prior to her position with the Baton Rouge system, Rogers was vice president for business services at Brookhaven College, a component of the Dallas County Community College District. She also was dean of financial affairs and director of business operations there. She previously served at Northlake and El Centro colleges, and at the district office of the Dallas County Community College District.

“Much of my life has been devoted to educating the citizens of Dallas, and I am proud to be returning to the city I call ‘home,’” Rogers said. “I look forward to utilizing my skills and experience to contribute in making the future UNT Dallas a thriving success.”

Johnstone will assume his duties July 1. Rogers will begin her employment with the university July 7.

As some of you are aware, Dallas ISD does not have an ethics policy. As a matter of fact, the newly re-elected Board President Jack Lowe’s company has received over $9 million from the district while he has been a sitting board member. Can you imagine one of the Black board members reaping these types of benefits while sitting on the school board? The pressure from the media, not to mention the local community would be immense to force him/her to resign from the board.

I would like to commend Board Member Carla Ranger for having to courage to bring this issue to the board and the public prior to the bond election. Can you believe she could not even get a second on the motion to discuss an ethics policy? What is really going on? How low will Jack Lowe continue to get contracts for his company while sitting on the board? It is time for us to tell Jack Lowe that he must go.

Also Online

Read previous editorials and commentary on Dallas’ north-south gap

Given the historic nature of this endeavor and what it could mean for our city, I had figured the school would have gained a higher public profile by now. Sure, there are ancillary billboards about town, but I would like to see an all-out media assault, along the scale of what the Dallas County Community College District has executed in years past.

A new college is not as flashy as a football stadium or a gigantic outlet mall, but its impact would be far greater. We draft ex-athletes and celebrities to help spread good news and drum up support for those arenas and malls, so I propose we do the same for UNT-Dallas. For starters, why not identify and recruit a local personality who can partner with the campus’ CEO, John Ellis Price, to raise community awareness about the school?

Certainly, this school still faces enormous challenges. It was recently announced that UNT-Dallas will not even become a stand-alone campus, independent of the main Denton campus and offering its own degrees, until fall 2010 – at the earliest.

The school was originally set to open in 2007; that date was moved to 2009 when enrollment did not pick up as fast as officials had hoped. Current enrollment stands at 766 full-time students.

While this delay is a prudent move by Mr. Price and North Texas Chancellor Lee Jackson, every effort must be made to ensure that the opening date doesn’t slip further.

I can’t help but wonder if the school’s southern Dallas location has affected its ability to reach its goal of 1,000 full-time-equivalent students. The Houston School Road campus is situated in one of the most scenic parts of Dallas, with great access to Interstates 20 and 35E. Yet this area of southeast Oak Cliff is also one of the most forgotten sections of our city.

In reality, the school’s location presents an opportunity, not a negative, when you consider its proximity to many DISD schools. The state’s Closing the Gap plan calls for getting an additional 500,000 students to participate in higher education. According to the report, “reaching the goal will require increasing participation from every population group, but especially Hispanics and blacks.”

Those two groups make up 90 percent of the DISD student population and would make a solid base for the burgeoning campus. A public school here would help cut down on the expenses of moving away for college or the commuting costs for those looking at Arlington, Denton or Commerce.

Additionally, UNT-Dallas is offering scholarships of up to $2,500 to students who take on a full load of daytime classes. I’d like to see the city match that scholarship for DISD graduates who meet university’s scholarship requirements. Given that finances are generally the major factor for students who are trying to decide between colleges, such aid could be another way to help reach that 1,000-student goal.

The time is now for the people of Dallas to stand behind the University of North Texas at Dallas. State Sen. Royce West mustn’t be the only person in town championing the university. Let’s not squander this opportunity to achieve something so great.

PROMOTION AT UNT’S DALLAS CAMPUS: PRICE NAMED VICE CHANCELLOR

DALLAS — UNT System Chancellor Lee Jackson announced today the reappointment of John Ellis Price as the chief executive officer of the University of North Texas Dallas Campus. Price was first appointed over the campus, the future UNT Dallas, in 2001.

Price will “continue to oversee the day-to-day operations of the UNT Dallas Campus as its chief executive officer and spokesperson, ensuring that the future UNT Dallas meets its short-term and long-term goals. He has done a very good job of nurturing relationships that will enhance the new university and help us meet the goals of the Dallas community and its students,” Jackson said.

Jackson also said that Price’s title would change from vice provost to vice chancellor, reflecting a clear line of authority within the UNT System. “His duties have grown in proportion to the growth of the Campus, and much of his work is now with me and various external groups, not just with UNT Denton,” Jackson said.

The UNT Dallas Campus began operations in the Spring 2000 semester and was designated by the state legislature to become the first and only public university within the City of Dallas. Enrollment began with only 55 students, but has risen to more than 1,800. The largest increase in enrollment occurred during the Fall 2007 semester, when the student headcount rose to 1,874, a 32 percent increase from the previous fall semester.

Most importantly for the UNT Dallas Campus, the full-time equivalent student enrollment rose to 814 in the Fall 2007 semester, a 22 percent increase over the previous fall. Under current legislation, the UNT Dallas Campus must reach 1,000 FTE before administrators open UNT Dallas, a comprehensive, four-year university.

Price said the growth of the UNT Dallas Campus has been “rewarding, but challenging.”

“More than anything, I realize that the growth of the UNT Dallas Campus would not have been possible without a great faculty and staff, all of whom are committed to fulfilling the mission of the Dallas Campus and the future UNT Dallas,” Price said.

The mission of the UNT Dallas Campus is to increase the number of citizens in Dallas and the North Texas region who hold bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and implement programs and partnerships that will help to increase the high school graduation and college-going rates in these areas.

Price will maintain his appointment as a tenured faculty member in the Department of Accounting at the University of North Texas.

The UNT Dallas Campus operates under the authority of the University of North Texas in Denton, the state’s fourth largest university, and is a component institution of the University of North Texas System. The Campus currently offers junior-, senior- and graduate-level courses leading to bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The Campus will become freestanding and open as UNT Dallas, the city’s first and only public university, by 2010.

The Dr. Emmett J. Conrad Leadership Program matches highly motivated college students from Senatorial District 23 with jobs, mentors, character building opportunities, and community service programs/projects that will change their lives. The 2008 application process for this program is only on-line. No hard copy applications will be accepted.

Please review the below-mentioned criteria and if you meet the criteria, please apply on-line by going to www.conradleadership.com and completing the application immediately. The initial deadline was April 28. Extended until Wednesday, May 14.

We will initiate the process immediately when we receive your on-line application. Sponsors are anxiously waiting on resumes for their review for early consideration and placement. We are looking for all majors but have special requests for students majoring in mechanical and civil engineering, accounting, criminal justice, psychology, sociology, social work and computer science. These students need higher GPAs and must be at the junior and senior level.

Please make certain that your email address and telephone number(s) on the application and your resume’ are correct and of a professional nature.

If you are unable to apply for this year’s program, we would appreciate you distributing this information to other students that might be interested in the program.

CRITERIA:

• Currently enrolled in 4-year college/university as an undergraduate or graduate student, or enrolled in a medical, dental or professional graduate program
• Permanent residence in Senatorial District 23 (central and southernmost parts of Dallas, Duncanville, DeSoto, Lancaster, Cedar Hill, Cockrell Hill, Hutchins, and Mesquite)
• Complete on-line application
• Provide two references
• Provide electronic copy of college transcript
• Submit 250 word essay entitled “Why is An Internship Important?”
• Provide electronic version of your resume’
• Provide community service/volunteerism reference.
• Minimum 2.25 GPA

The MANDATORY ORIENTATION is scheduled for Saturday, May 17 from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm at the University of North Texas - Dallas Campus located at 7300 Houston School Road in Dallas, Texas. Selection Committee Interviews will take place May 19 – 23, 2008 at the same location.

DISCLAIMER: No applicant is guaranteed an internship placement. The better your interviewing skills, business attitude, resume’, professionalism, and flexibility, the better your chances for placement.

Congresswoman Johnson will discuss STEM education during Congressional Black Caucus address

Washington, D.C. – (May 9, 2008) Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson will deliver the weekly Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) “Message to America” radio address today. Congresswoman Johnson will discuss science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, and the importance of expanding educational opportunity to all young people.

The CBC “Message to America” is distributed nationwide to the affiliate stations of the American Urban Radio Network (AURN).

The text of Congresswoman Johnson’s radio address is as follows:

“Good afternoon. I am Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, and I am pleased to be speaking to you this afternoon on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus.

“In my work as a Member of Congress, I have long prioritized leveling the playing field for minority students. Particularly troublesome to me is the underrepresentation of minorities in science, technology, engineering, and math—or STEM—careers.

“Skin color and socioeconomic status should not determine career choice, and we have been working hard to expand opportunity to all young people, in all parts of the country. The United States is slipping in STEM competitiveness worldwide, and it is a matter not just of our international standing in the world, but of national security, that we maintain adequate funding for science and technology education. Ushering minority students into STEM careers benefits not just the students; it benefits our nation as a whole.

“A crucial element of expanding opportunity is ensuring that all of our schools employ qualified teachers and have up-to-date equipment and materials.

“Recently, the America COMPETES Act was signed into law. This legislation authorized more than $33 billion over fiscal years 2008-2010 for science and technology research and education programs. It will help to prepare thousands of new math and science teachers, and it will strengthen partnerships between industry, universities, and high schools to improve high school science laboratories. The America COMPETES Act provides much-needed support to our schools, particularly to schools in underserved areas.

“Townview High School, which is located in my district in Dallas, is the top high school in the nation because the local high-tech industry has invested in it. All students in America deserve to go to a school of this caliber.

“The CBC will continue to work tirelessly to achieve this goal.”

Sometimes we must speak inconvenient truth simply because it is the right thing to do. I believe this is such a time.

There is a difference between what is legal and what is right or ethical. For example, the doctrine of “Separate But Equal” was once legal in America. However, it was never right, and finally on May 17, 1954, nine judges dressed in black robes took a moral stand and declared that “in the field of education, the doctrine of separate but equal has no place.”

This Board now has the opportunity to declare that in Dallas ISD the doctrine of mixing “private gain with public service” has no place.

On Sunday, April 20, 2008 an article appeared in the Dallas Morning News under the headline “Dallas ISD hands millions in contracts to top leaders’ firms.”

In that article the Board President is quoted as saying “to ask the company to support me while I’m doing this rather time-consuming volunteer job (at DISD), and also to walk away from a significant chunk of business, was not something I was willing to do.” Is that an accurate statement of what Trustee Lowe said? If so, I am greatly troubled.

Because some don’t like the message–they attack the messenger. Since the article was first published last Sunday, at least one Board Trustee has made several accusations against the Dallas Morning News. Yes, this is the same Dallas Morning News that has regularly been a cheerleader for Dallas ISD and has supported practically every agenda of this administration. Just yesterday, the Dallas Morning News editorial staff again endorsed the May 10th bond proposal.

This board is now faced with an ethical choice–to correct a situation that is not right or to cover it up and refuse to correct it because doing so serves a political agenda.

This is not a question of what is legal. It is a question of what is right and ethical. Ethics has always been a higher standard than politics.

Two months ago on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at our monthly Board meeting, in order to strengthen community confidence as we approach the May 10th Bond Election, I requested that our Ethics and Conflict of Interest Policy (BBF A Local) be placed on the agenda for review and revision. At that meeting, the Board President agreed to do so.

I submitted the following one sentence Ethics Policy Reform for the full Board to consider at the Board Briefing:

Proposed Addition to BBFA (Local) — Ethics — Conflicts of Interest

“After April 24, 2008, the Dallas ISD (the District) may not contract with a business entity in which a Trustee or anyone related to the Trustee has any financial interest.”

Today is April 24, the day I had hoped the full Board would vote on this proposal. Make no mistake, I am well aware of the current dynamics of this Board and how decisions are sometimes made.

It is likely the majority of this Board would have voted against this proposed ethics policy. Yet, this matter must be cleaned up in order to remove this new ethical cloud now hanging over this Dallas ISD Board and its current President.

The Ethics Reform I requested did not appear on the Board Briefing agenda until April 10th — two weeks ago. Then an effort was made to refer it to a committee that I was asked to chair–but in a manner that I believe violated Board policy. After waiting two months, it was expected that this matter would be handled as most others–by the full Board at the Board Briefing.

But there was no discussion of the policy recommendation I had made–only extended discussion about delaying the matter to a subcommittee. I later declined to chair that subcommittee because of reasons I have already shared. It appeared to have been created in a manner which violates Board policy.

The reform I presented was based on the policy of the largest school district in Texas–Houston ISD. In 2004, 4 years ago, Houston established a policy that prevents elected School Board Trustees from doing business with Houston ISD while serving in office. Today I have distributed a copy of the 2004 Houston ISD ethics policy to every Board member.

Prior to the Board Briefing on April 10th, I also presented information to the Board from Susan Combs, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, who in 2003 stated that it is clearly unethical for Board Trustees to do business with the school districts they represent while in office–either directly or indirectly.

Now the Dallas ISD Board must act on this matter with full integrity. The Board should adopt a tough Board policy to end the unethical situation which currently exists, or the District should not contract with any business entity in which the Board President has a financial interest–as long as the current Board President serves as Trustee of Dallas ISD.

Either one or the other. That is the ethical question before us. We must work to build trust and confidence in the community.

This is a serious and necessary matter to address. President Lowe, I ask that you again schedule this ethics reform proposal I have submitted to be placed on the May Board Briefing action agenda and for a vote at the Board Meeting in May.

This is my request. I await your reply.

Carla Ranger