I Am Because of Who You Are, My Pathway To Associate Dean

• In Event: Leading From the Third Space: Pathways to Authentic DEI College of Education Leadership

Abstract

My parents taught me that I am a manifestation of my ancestors, and my legacy will be evident by those who come after me. My parents were full of love, compassion, and grace. They truly believed one can always find peace if one looks for the humanity in others. They did not realize they were teaching me Ubuntu, an African philosophy that “embraces a spirit of caring and community, harmony and hospitality, respect and responsiveness… compassion, reciprocity, and dignity…It is about understanding what it means to be connected to one another (Ncube, 2010, p. 77). These foundational values have guided the path to Associate Dean. This narrative approach chronicles my pathway to Associate Dean.
Introduction
When asked how I became an Associate Dean for Faculty and Community, my gut reaction has always been to say it happened by chance. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time to take advantage of the opportunity. Upon reflection, my value-driven career decisions through life have prepared me to build communities, advocate for social justice, challenge inequities, value human relationships, and promote well-being (Thein, 2023).
My value-driven pathway was not easily apparent. As a Black, middle-class, first-generation student, I needed a college degree, but my career path was uncertain. My first job post-master’s degree was working with adult foster care parents on compliance. The parental clientele, Black themselves, were thrilled a young Masters’-trained Black in a position of authority in a system they deemed unjust and unsupportive. Despite resistance from my supervisor, I advocated for programs that created foster parent communities in which they could share resources. My programming also led parents to attend community college. Many parents desired a degree, but life circumstances often prevented them. Humanizing the adult foster care experience and witnessing their resilience motivated me to continue helping people seek higher education
As a student affairs/higher education professional, I had multiple positions in which I used my values to help students. Those experiences showed me that as a professor it was not enough for me to merely teach classes. I had an obligation to create safe spaces where marginalized individuals could learn from one another and build community. As a professor, I achieved this goal with students by prioritizing grants over publishing articles. This afforded me opportunities to offer students graduate assistantships and create nurturing spaces to discuss research, and discriminatory experiences in academia. For faculty, I co-constructed and implemented workshops to improve their mentoring practices, build collaborative partnerships, and professional networks. These activities increased their understanding of how discrimination negatively impacts students, faculty, and communities. Creating such expansive opportunities for faculty and students was sometimes viewed as going above and beyond expectations of faculty. I viewed this value-driven work as an opportunity to make my parents proud.
The next time I am asked what led me to the role as Associate Dean I will have a new answer. I will answer with one word: Ubuntu!

Author

• Carmen M. McCallum, Eastern Michigan University