READ: When Colleges Close: Leading in a Time of Crisis
Declining enrollment and a series of mounting financial hurdles have forced many small colleges to permanently shutter their doors in recent years. In When Colleges Close, authors Mary L. Churchill and David J. Chard, the former leaders of Wheelock College, explain how they began preparing early for a future in which their institution of 1,100 students would no longer be financially viable. Through intense teamwork and strategic planning, the college’s administration was able to merge with Boston University in 2018. While the historic Wheelock is no longer a stand-alone institution, its story reveals how the leaders of small colleges can — and likely must.— learn to adapt to the changing higher education landscape or cease to exist entirely. Published by Princeton University Press
WATCH: Homeroom
Homeroom is a documentary that captures a microcosm of the American high school in 2020. An official Sundance Film Festival selection, it follows the diverse senior class of Oakland High School in California as they navigate classes and adolescence during a global pandemic. At the same time, the students confront growing racial tensions and community efforts to eliminate their school district’s police department. Emmy Award-winning director and cinematographer Peter Nicks incorporates the students’ perspectives through self-recorded social media videos and testimonies, offering viewers a glimpse into the struggles and hopes of those coming of age in a revolutionary year. Streaming on Hulu
LISTEN: Throughline: James Baldwin’s Shadow
Eddie Glaude, chair of the Center for African American Studies at Princeton University, guides listeners on a 45-minute journey exploring the impact and philosophy of writer James Baldwin. Glaude shares excerpts from some of Baldwin’s most influential essays and dissects his societal criticisms to show how they can help us understand contemporary race relations. The episode begins with Baldwin’s account of seeing a Black man violently arrested by police officers in front of a crowd of onlookers at a train station, thus preparing listeners for a somber reflection on how history repeats itself. Available at npr.org/podcasts●
