In the first installment of our new People of Higher Ed column, we caught up with Dr. Ray Belton, President of the Southern University System and Chancellor of Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The dual job, as both system president and flagship chancellor, is a unique one in the space.
From his perch, Belton is responsible for providing leadership to the system’s two four-year campuses, one two-year campus, agricultural research and extension center, and a law school.
Here, we've captured Belton's quick thoughts on the job — and where he'd be if he weren't leading a college campus.
What’s it like to be the head of the nation’s only HBCU system?
I find it simply to be a privilege [to be entrusted to] push even further what we believe to be the central mission of HBCUs.
For a number of HBCUs, they are facing issues associated with reaffirming their accreditation, they continue to have to respond to questions of their relevance. In spite of that, we nevertheless need to highlight what our strengths are. We need to speak to the fact that we never left our mission of creating leaders, and that continues to have an impact on America.
Admittedly, at Southern, we don’t do as good a job of telling our story either.
In terms of reaffirming relevance, I think that’s something that comes up a lot. What are your quick takes on why HBCUs ARE still relevant in 2017?
A big part of it is being exposed to an environment that enables you to reaffirm who you are, as opposed to an environment where you put a greater emphasis on survival. At HBCUs, there is considerable emphasis on community and positioning one to affect in a positive way his own community, maybe serving as leaders, but maybe just representing the middle class of America and being drivers of the economy who make life what it is for all of America.
There’s an expectation of rigor that is very real at our institutions, but there’s a greater emphasis on student success, not only obtaining a GPA, but also a degree in life to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to access the American Dream. I attribute that to the wide range of matters that our students are exposed to, beyond just algebra and biology.
I think institutions like Southern University, they represent those entities that really have the potential of really affecting a person’s life.
What keeps you up at night?
The greatest challenge is funding. In Louisiana in fact, in the last nine years, funding has been cut 16 times. There comes a point when we begin to question whether we can actually serve our market.
What would you be doing if you weren’t in higher ed?
I actually had never envisioned working in higher ed. When I graduated from high school, I went into the military. I did well in high school, but I hated the institution of education. I enrolled [at Southern University at Shreveport] simply to take advantage of my GI Bill — that’s it. Not to get a degree or anything.
I never really thought about working in such an environment — or my ability to do so. I really enjoyed — at the time [after graduation], I was working at a psychiatric institute and working with families. I guess this is a derivative of that.