Lessons learned in public education

In every role I have held during the past 28 years–public school teacher, college professor, academic dean, provost, and now as chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff–I have remained guided by a single question posed by Paul LeBlanc, president of Southern New Hampshire University: Are the decisions we make truly for the benefit of our students?

This question grounds my leadership philosophy. It compels us to examine our policies, traditions, and instincts with a clear lens: student success. It redirects our focus from institutional convenience to student outcomes, from inertia to intentionality.

That mindset took root for me in the high school classroom. My students brought with them challenges typical of young people navigating school, home, and identity, but they also brought a deep desire to learn and succeed. When I was their age, my world was shaped by local realities–family, school, neighborhood. My students were increasingly navigating a globalized world, influenced by constant exposure to national and international events through social media. Their lives were shaped not only by what happened in their communities but by what they saw online–conflict, opportunity, injustice, and possibility.

Meeting students where they were meant recognizing the complexity of their realities, even when they were not always visible. I learned that holding high expectations while offering meaningful support is not a contradiction. It is an obligation.

Those early lessons shaped my approach to higher education leadership. At North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State and later Winston-Salem State University, I saw how well-meaning policies could create barriers for students navigating complex lives. We restructured advising, modernized curricula, and rethought support systems, not to make college easier, but to make success more achievable. Students did not need the system lowered to them. They needed it redesigned to meet them halfway, recognizing that many students, regardless of designation (first-generation, second-generation, Pell-eligible), often struggle to navigate the complex machinery of higher education, which can be laden with bureaucracy and unclear processes.

One of the most important lessons I learned as an educational leader came from Dr. Harold Martin Sr., former chancellor of both North Carolina A&T and Winston-Salem State University. He emphasized the importance of staying laser-focused on metrics that matter–the data points that directly affect student growth, development, and readiness. It is not enough to track activity; we must measure impact. That requires intentionality, strategic vision, and disciplined execution. The Center for Creative Leadership refers to this as D-A-C: direction, alignment, and commitment. The direction must always center on the student–the very reason the institution exists.

When I became provost at Winston-Salem State, then Chancellor Dr. Elwood Robinson gave our executive cabinet a lasting charge: We must build an educational ecosystem, not an egosystem. In an ecosystem, every element supports student growth and institutional health. In an egosystem, decisions revolve around personal agendas or departmental silos. That distinction shaped how I lead today.

At UAPB, Arkansas’ only 1890 land-grant HBCU, we are focused on building that kind of ecosystem–one grounded in student access, affordability, and upward mobility. About 63 percent of our students come from within the state. Many are the first in their families to attend college. All come to UAPB seeking opportunity, and our job is to help them turn that opportunity into success.

We offer degrees in high-demand fields like nursing, aquaculture, engineering, teacher education, and agriculture. These programs align with the workforce needs of Arkansas and the Delta region. The results speak for themselves. According to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, UAPB ranks No. 858 out of 4,500 colleges in return on investment, with a 40-year net present value of $1.25 million.

Our value extends beyond the classroom. According to the United Negro College Fund, UAPB contributes $99.3 million in annual economic impact and supports more than 1,100 jobs. Our 2021 graduating class alone is expected to earn $1.1 billion in lifetime income, a 71 percent increase over what they would have earned without their degrees.

We are also expanding our research footprint. In 2023–24, UAPB invested nearly $11.9 million in research and development, qualifying for the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s designation of Research Colleges and Universities. With additional investment–particularly in doctoral programs aligned with regional needs–we are positioned to become a Research 2 institution (high spending and doctorate production). This would further amplify our ability to serve Arkansas and the broader southeast region.

To sustain this progress, we must continue asking hard questions: Are our decisions aligned with student needs? Are we building an institution that adapts to the challenges of the present and the promise of the future?

I believe in meeting students where they are, but also believe in seeing them for who they are capable of becoming. That is the charge that noted child psychologist Haim Ginott so powerfully captured: ‘If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.’ This mindset is at the soul of education, and it is the standard I hold as a leader.

At UAPB, we are committed to sustaining this kind of institution–an educational ecosystem that meets students where they are, and equips them to go even further.

That is the promise of a land-grant education. And it is the promise I intend to keep.

Dr. Anthony Graham is chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

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