From the Projects to the Presidencies
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A01=James E. Lyons Sr.
African American Black Male College University
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Ayers v. Fordice
Black-Jewish Relationships
Bowie
California
Category1=Non-Fiction
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Category=DNB
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Category=JBSL
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Claudine Gay
Concordia College Alabama
Connecticut housing project
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Dignity Health Sports Park History
Dillard
Doctoral Programs
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Jackson State
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New Haven
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racism
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
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The North George Conference of the University Presidents
the University of the District of Columbia
UConn Alumni
Underserved communities
University System of Maryland
Youth Motivation
Product details
- ISBN 9781496851444
- Weight: 272g
- Dimensions: 140 x 216mm
- Publication Date: 31 May 2024
- Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
- Language: English
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Raised in a public housing project in New Haven, Connecticut, James E. Lyons, Sr. overcame the difficult circumstances of his childhood to flourish academically, eventually becoming president of six universities—Bowie State University, Jackson State University, California State University Dominguez Hills, Dillard University, the University of the District of Columbia, and Concordia College Alabama. From the Projects to the Presidencies: My Journey to Higher Education Leadership charts Lyons’s personal and educational journey, from saving money for college by shining shoes in front of Yale University at fifteen to returning to the same building thirty-seven years later as president of Jackson State.
Though his mother never graduated high school, she worked hard to provide opportunities for him. Championing his desire to escape what experts considered one of the worst areas of Connecticut, she helped him dodge pitfalls, change course when necessary, and reach his goal of achieving a successful career in higher education. Throughout his journey, there were as many friends supporting him as there were adversaries attempting to hold him back. He successfully navigated both the positive and negative influences in his life. A Jewish mother took him to college and wrote a personal check for his registration. Yet neighborhood "friends" stole all of his clothes so that he could not return to the university after the Thanksgiving recess. Classmates laughed at him because he could not afford to be on the university meal plan. But a track coach invited him over for dinner whenever he was in the neighborhood. Mistaken for a student by the board chair at one presidential interview, he was later embraced by a different board chair who told him, "We know you did a great job at that university, and we would like you to come and do the same for us."
Overcoming his difficult socioeconomic background and the institutional racism that denied educational opportunities to many young Black men, Lyons prevailed despite the odds. His inspiring story illuminates the success and hard work that lead him to dedicate his life to education and bettering the lives of students across the country.
Though his mother never graduated high school, she worked hard to provide opportunities for him. Championing his desire to escape what experts considered one of the worst areas of Connecticut, she helped him dodge pitfalls, change course when necessary, and reach his goal of achieving a successful career in higher education. Throughout his journey, there were as many friends supporting him as there were adversaries attempting to hold him back. He successfully navigated both the positive and negative influences in his life. A Jewish mother took him to college and wrote a personal check for his registration. Yet neighborhood "friends" stole all of his clothes so that he could not return to the university after the Thanksgiving recess. Classmates laughed at him because he could not afford to be on the university meal plan. But a track coach invited him over for dinner whenever he was in the neighborhood. Mistaken for a student by the board chair at one presidential interview, he was later embraced by a different board chair who told him, "We know you did a great job at that university, and we would like you to come and do the same for us."
Overcoming his difficult socioeconomic background and the institutional racism that denied educational opportunities to many young Black men, Lyons prevailed despite the odds. His inspiring story illuminates the success and hard work that lead him to dedicate his life to education and bettering the lives of students across the country.
James E. Lyons, Sr. is a current member of the Board of Trustees of Alliant International University and is Chairman of the Board of Trustees at California College of Arizona State University. He has held roles on the boards of the American Council on Education, the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, the National Institutes of Health’s Task Force on At Risk Drinking, and others. He formerly served as Secretary of Higher Education in the state of Maryland and as president of Bowie State University, Jackson State University, California State University Dominguez Hills, Dillard University, the University of the District of Columbia, and Concordia College Alabama.
