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From: News & Observer Monday, January 13, 2003 6:01AM EST
President Shaw's journey nears end
http://www.shawuniversity.edu/president/president.htm
Shaw University President Talbert O. Shaw, left, talks to Vaughan Whitten, vice president for student affairs, as they walk across campus.
Staff Photos by Chris Seward
Staff Photo by Sher Stoneman
Shaw University President Talbert O. Shaw, right, talks with Erica Chitams, left, and Aisha Anderson in the school cafe. Shaw is attentive to students and 'really listens,' says senior Kimberly Nixon.
By CINDY GEORGE, Staff Writer
RALEIGH -- To many, Talbert Oscall Shaw is the man who saved Shaw University.
He never intended to become a college president. But his journey took him up the academic ranks through several colleges and landed him in his toughest challenge -- 15 years leading the oldest historically black university in the South.
But Shaw, who turns 75 next month, said he's ready to begin a new life of retirement.
He wants to step away while he's winning.
"You now see Shaw when it is riding the waves. You should have seen Shaw 15 years ago," he said, in his British-tinged Jamaican accent. "I am very pleased with the fact that I took Shaw, that was there teetering on the brink of extinction, and brought it to the point where there is a great degree of viability."
The story was quite different in 1987.
Talbert Shaw was a tenured professor and dean of arts and sciences at Morgan State University in Baltimore and associate pastor of Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington. One Sunday, a parishioner, Benni Singleton, then a member of the Raleigh school's presidential search committee, pulled him aside. Would he be interested in taking charge of Shaw University?
"The name sounds good,'" Shaw replied, adding that he was perfectly comfortable at Morgan State. Still, he gave Singleton his credentials.
"Shaw needed financial stability, strong leadership and a person who knew where to put the pieces and where to put the people in order for it to grow. I thought he had those kind of qualifications," said Singleton, a 1952 graduate and former national alumni association president.
Weeks later, Shaw was in charge of a fledgling school he had visited only once -- for his interview.
He inherited a college in financial shambles. There was no endowment. Money was missing. Alumni and professors had mortgaged their homes to pay the bills. Enrollment was declining. Morale was in the tank.
Folks were ready to give up.
"Shaw was at its lowest ebb and on the verge of closing its doors," said Talbert Shaw, who is not descended from the school's first benefactor. "What I had known is that Shaw had a series of short-term presidents and there were some problems here. But you really don't know the problems until you come here and sit in the chair."
His plan was to attack broad objectives but remain focused on raising money.
All the while, he cloaked the turnaround in the uplifting mantra "Strides to Excellence: Why Not the Best?" -- a slogan he hammered as the university's overriding philosophy. Today, it's printed on nearly every school publication.
Rebuilding momentum
The new president immersed himself in building a financial base and repairing the school's reputation. He worked to secure gifts from corporations, alumni and the General Baptist State Convention, with which the college is affiliated. Shaw restructured debts and contracts to save money.
He joined boards, from the downtown Rotary Club to the Chamber of Commerce, to rub shoulders with business elite who could invest in the school. And Shaw surrounded himself with a cabinet of vice presidents to keep the school running while he hunted for the financial fuel to make the machine run.
Students noticed the changes and more enrolled.
In 1994, a cover story in The Chronicle of Higher Education called Shaw University a school that had regained momentum.
"He's done marvelously well," Singleton said. "It takes a certain kind of person to be president of a school like Shaw University. The person has to raise money for the school, establish relationships with a cross section of people and effectively get their financial and political support.
"He freed Shaw from financial bondage."
The historic school, founded in 1865 to train black preachers and teachers, was poised for a revival.
With debts repaid, and gifts from alumni and corporations and tuition rolling in, Shaw focused on a series of building projects, including science hall and divinity school renovations. Under his watch, the college also transformed a dilapidated city block in Southeast Raleigh into a residence hall, an improvement for the campus and the community.
In 1996, the largest single building project in the school's history was christened the Talbert O. Shaw Living Learning Center.
It is a fitting tribute to a man who loves his students, said senior Kimberly Nixon.
"He's very, very attentive to students' needs. He's not only authoritative in his position, but he knows how to humble himself to approach students and their needs. He really listens to students," said Nixon, 21, who got to know Shaw during her reign this year as Miss Shaw University. Enrollment was at 1,600 students when Shaw arrived and has jumped to 2,700.
"Shaw is very small, so everyone is kind of like family. I think there will be a dip in morale when he leaves, because it's kind of like losing a family member," Nixon said.
Firm hand
Born the ninth of 10 children, Talbert Shaw spent most of his career studying religion. He served as a minister in his native Jamaica and the Bahamas before moving to the United States in the late 1950s and earning his master's degree and doctorate in ethics from the University of Chicago. He taught religion and ethics for 10 years before becoming interim dean of the Howard University Divinity School in Washington, then dean of arts and sciences at Morgan State for 11 years.
That experience in college administration served him well at Shaw.
Enrollment increased; debts were paid and the endowment swelled to $15 million -- thanks, in part, to a groundbreaking $10 million gift from attorney and alumnus Willie Gary.
The quality of the faculty also improved: 70 percent have Ph.D's today, up from 52 percent when Shaw arrived. Ever the student of ethics, Shaw instituted character education into the core curriculum, a requirement for all students that makes Shaw stand out among colleges.
Still, the president has his share of detractors. The university stopped granting tenure years ago, before Shaw took office, leaving few professors on campus with job security -- and the ability to speak freely. Some did comment off the record, saying Shaw was well-liked by students, but feared by many faculty.
But Shaw defends his firm administrative style, saying it was necessary to build and sustain the school's dramatic growth. He also said the board of trustees remained confident in him, never turning down his proposals.
Nathaniel Hinton, Student Government Association president, said all the good Talbert Shaw has done far outweighs any negatives.
"Just look at where Shaw was and where it is now," said Hinton, a 21-year-old senior. "That's a big accomplishment for one man -- not that he did it by himself -- but it took his leadership to do it."
Probably the biggest stimulus of alumni support and public interest in the school came this fall when football returned to Shaw for the first time since 1978.
Still, even as a lame duck, Talbert Shaw pushes for more. He'd like to see three new buildings spring up on the campus: a wellness center, a fine arts center and a child development center, all part of a 10-year plan that includes an enrollment of 10,000.
Travel and leisure
Though he planned to retire Dec. 31, Shaw agreed to stay until the trustees choose his successor. Board members are expected to name him president emeritus, and he will remain a Shaw consultant. Gary, now chairman of the board of trustees, could not be reached for comment.
Shaw and his wife, Marlene, a retired middle school principal, will move into a home they purchased in Boca Raton, Fla. Shaw plans to rest a few months, then get to work on his autobiography, "Because of the Odds."
He wants to travel, first going on a safari in Kenya or Tanzania, then to see the Great Wall of China.
But he's also ready to relish some simple pleasures. Since he can stay up later, he looks forward to watching comedian Jay Leno, host of his favorite late-night talk show, more often.
President Shaw's journey nears end
http://www.shawuniversity.edu/president/president.htm
Shaw University President Talbert O. Shaw, left, talks to Vaughan Whitten, vice president for student affairs, as they walk across campus.
Staff Photos by Chris Seward
Staff Photo by Sher Stoneman
Shaw University President Talbert O. Shaw, right, talks with Erica Chitams, left, and Aisha Anderson in the school cafe. Shaw is attentive to students and 'really listens,' says senior Kimberly Nixon.
By CINDY GEORGE, Staff Writer
RALEIGH -- To many, Talbert Oscall Shaw is the man who saved Shaw University.
He never intended to become a college president. But his journey took him up the academic ranks through several colleges and landed him in his toughest challenge -- 15 years leading the oldest historically black university in the South.
But Shaw, who turns 75 next month, said he's ready to begin a new life of retirement.
He wants to step away while he's winning.
"You now see Shaw when it is riding the waves. You should have seen Shaw 15 years ago," he said, in his British-tinged Jamaican accent. "I am very pleased with the fact that I took Shaw, that was there teetering on the brink of extinction, and brought it to the point where there is a great degree of viability."
The story was quite different in 1987.
Talbert Shaw was a tenured professor and dean of arts and sciences at Morgan State University in Baltimore and associate pastor of Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington. One Sunday, a parishioner, Benni Singleton, then a member of the Raleigh school's presidential search committee, pulled him aside. Would he be interested in taking charge of Shaw University?
"The name sounds good,'" Shaw replied, adding that he was perfectly comfortable at Morgan State. Still, he gave Singleton his credentials.
"Shaw needed financial stability, strong leadership and a person who knew where to put the pieces and where to put the people in order for it to grow. I thought he had those kind of qualifications," said Singleton, a 1952 graduate and former national alumni association president.
Weeks later, Shaw was in charge of a fledgling school he had visited only once -- for his interview.
He inherited a college in financial shambles. There was no endowment. Money was missing. Alumni and professors had mortgaged their homes to pay the bills. Enrollment was declining. Morale was in the tank.
Folks were ready to give up.
"Shaw was at its lowest ebb and on the verge of closing its doors," said Talbert Shaw, who is not descended from the school's first benefactor. "What I had known is that Shaw had a series of short-term presidents and there were some problems here. But you really don't know the problems until you come here and sit in the chair."
His plan was to attack broad objectives but remain focused on raising money.
All the while, he cloaked the turnaround in the uplifting mantra "Strides to Excellence: Why Not the Best?" -- a slogan he hammered as the university's overriding philosophy. Today, it's printed on nearly every school publication.
Rebuilding momentum
The new president immersed himself in building a financial base and repairing the school's reputation. He worked to secure gifts from corporations, alumni and the General Baptist State Convention, with which the college is affiliated. Shaw restructured debts and contracts to save money.
He joined boards, from the downtown Rotary Club to the Chamber of Commerce, to rub shoulders with business elite who could invest in the school. And Shaw surrounded himself with a cabinet of vice presidents to keep the school running while he hunted for the financial fuel to make the machine run.
Students noticed the changes and more enrolled.
In 1994, a cover story in The Chronicle of Higher Education called Shaw University a school that had regained momentum.
"He's done marvelously well," Singleton said. "It takes a certain kind of person to be president of a school like Shaw University. The person has to raise money for the school, establish relationships with a cross section of people and effectively get their financial and political support.
"He freed Shaw from financial bondage."
The historic school, founded in 1865 to train black preachers and teachers, was poised for a revival.
With debts repaid, and gifts from alumni and corporations and tuition rolling in, Shaw focused on a series of building projects, including science hall and divinity school renovations. Under his watch, the college also transformed a dilapidated city block in Southeast Raleigh into a residence hall, an improvement for the campus and the community.
In 1996, the largest single building project in the school's history was christened the Talbert O. Shaw Living Learning Center.
It is a fitting tribute to a man who loves his students, said senior Kimberly Nixon.
"He's very, very attentive to students' needs. He's not only authoritative in his position, but he knows how to humble himself to approach students and their needs. He really listens to students," said Nixon, 21, who got to know Shaw during her reign this year as Miss Shaw University. Enrollment was at 1,600 students when Shaw arrived and has jumped to 2,700.
"Shaw is very small, so everyone is kind of like family. I think there will be a dip in morale when he leaves, because it's kind of like losing a family member," Nixon said.
Firm hand
Born the ninth of 10 children, Talbert Shaw spent most of his career studying religion. He served as a minister in his native Jamaica and the Bahamas before moving to the United States in the late 1950s and earning his master's degree and doctorate in ethics from the University of Chicago. He taught religion and ethics for 10 years before becoming interim dean of the Howard University Divinity School in Washington, then dean of arts and sciences at Morgan State for 11 years.
That experience in college administration served him well at Shaw.
Enrollment increased; debts were paid and the endowment swelled to $15 million -- thanks, in part, to a groundbreaking $10 million gift from attorney and alumnus Willie Gary.
The quality of the faculty also improved: 70 percent have Ph.D's today, up from 52 percent when Shaw arrived. Ever the student of ethics, Shaw instituted character education into the core curriculum, a requirement for all students that makes Shaw stand out among colleges.
Still, the president has his share of detractors. The university stopped granting tenure years ago, before Shaw took office, leaving few professors on campus with job security -- and the ability to speak freely. Some did comment off the record, saying Shaw was well-liked by students, but feared by many faculty.
But Shaw defends his firm administrative style, saying it was necessary to build and sustain the school's dramatic growth. He also said the board of trustees remained confident in him, never turning down his proposals.
Nathaniel Hinton, Student Government Association president, said all the good Talbert Shaw has done far outweighs any negatives.
"Just look at where Shaw was and where it is now," said Hinton, a 21-year-old senior. "That's a big accomplishment for one man -- not that he did it by himself -- but it took his leadership to do it."
Probably the biggest stimulus of alumni support and public interest in the school came this fall when football returned to Shaw for the first time since 1978.
Still, even as a lame duck, Talbert Shaw pushes for more. He'd like to see three new buildings spring up on the campus: a wellness center, a fine arts center and a child development center, all part of a 10-year plan that includes an enrollment of 10,000.
Travel and leisure
Though he planned to retire Dec. 31, Shaw agreed to stay until the trustees choose his successor. Board members are expected to name him president emeritus, and he will remain a Shaw consultant. Gary, now chairman of the board of trustees, could not be reached for comment.
Shaw and his wife, Marlene, a retired middle school principal, will move into a home they purchased in Boca Raton, Fla. Shaw plans to rest a few months, then get to work on his autobiography, "Because of the Odds."
He wants to travel, first going on a safari in Kenya or Tanzania, then to see the Great Wall of China.
But he's also ready to relish some simple pleasures. Since he can stay up later, he looks forward to watching comedian Jay Leno, host of his favorite late-night talk show, more often.