For Our Edification

029 | HBCU Fundraising Disparities

WRITE TO BEAR ALMS
On May 27th, USA Today published the article, "How funders, school leaders can step up to combat philanthropic disparities faced by HBCUs.” The only problem is that I felt the article need a bit more fundraising and philanthropy meat on the bone. Cue our resident fundraising and philanthropy expert--Dr. Halima Leak Francis!
Having researched fundraising capacity-building at HBCUs, Halima talks about why these fundraising disparities in exist. She also discusses what funders value in their relationships with institutions and more.
References:
How funders, school leaders can step up to combat philanthropic disparities faced by HBCUs (USA Today): https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/05/27/hbcus-philanthropic-funding-continues-to-favor-white-institutions/70254668007/
Changing the Odds: Lessons Learned from the Kresge HBCU Initiative:  https://kresge.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Changing-the-odds_lessons-learned.pdf 
Making Bricks without Straw: The Kresge HBCU Initiative and Fundraising at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Halima's dissertation): https://www.proquest.com/openview/f7f14fea88534469d95891934e9ea01f/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750
Listen again:
Understanding Black Philanthropy:  https://forouredification.podbean.com/e/black-philanthropy/
What Is a Philanthropic Identity? https://forouredification.podbean.com/e/philanthropic-identity/ 
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

028 | No Shame in the Struggle, Part 2

Halima and I continue our conversation about how people struggle with shame. This part of the conversation goes deeply into leadership. We tackle how chaos aggravates one's feeling of shame while hiding others' feelings of shame. We also go into how organizational culture plays into individuals' feelings of shame and also how accountability can be weaponized.
So, how do we deal with feeling shame in the struggle? Halima believes that tapping into our creativity could be a great answer.
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

027 | No Shame in the Struggle, Part 1

It's so refreshing to have Halima back on the mic with me! She had something serious on her heart and wanted to share it with the "For Our Edification" audience. Halima wants you to know that there's no shame in the struggle. 
She has ever so wise words about the importance of showing up when you're in the middle of the struggle and how she works through moments of struggle, even in her job as an educator. Finally, find out why Halima says it all comes down to your "why." This is part one of pure inspiration.
By the way, part of the inspiration for this episode is our good friend and mental health professional Leslie Brown who appeared on episode 4 to talk about the mental health benefits of giving and episode 12 to give her thoughts (along with Dr. Von Eaglin) about the psychology of fraternity and sorority hazing.
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

026 | The Grind of Higher Ed Marketing, Part2

In this second part of my conversation with Joel Goodman, we talk a bit more about website strategy for colleges and universities. But, an interesting moment happens when we get real about how burnout looks for higher ed marketers and what it's like having to manage egos. Finally, we learn about Joel's new podcast, "Appendix B," which he co-hosts with his Bravery Media colleague, Kristin Van Dorn.
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

025 | On My Brain: No More ’Soft Skills’

I had something on my brain. No more "soft skills!" Find out why I believe that term needs to go.
References:
LinkedIn: Why I Hate the Term 'Soft Skills'
Medium: Soft Skills: Origin, where it comes from and Concept
National Career Development Association: Why We Should Stop Using ‘Soft’ Skills
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not necessarily reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

024 | The Grind of Higher Ed Marketing, Part 1

Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of higher ed marketing podcasts that explore what it's like sitting in the seat of a higher ed marketer. It sounds like fun, right? The truth is that it is an incredibly fun job, but things also get quite real. One podcast that candidly explored the world of the higher ed marketer is "Thought Feeder," on which I had the pleasure of appearing. 
I invited, "Thought Feeder" co-host and principal/CEO of Bravery Media, Joel Goodman, to join me on "For Our Edification" to chat about what he heard from guests about the challenges and the victories of their work. Our conversation turned into a pretty interesting direction, as we also picked apart the internal politics that higher ed marketers endure in managing their college/university websites. It got so good, that this is a two-part interview.
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

023 | Social Media Management

Doing social media for a brand can't be all that different from doing it for a personal account...right? A lot of folks, including hiring managers, still haven't gotten the memo. As a higher education marketer who has managed social media for three institutions, I know how different and emotionally taxing social media management can be for a brand.
Jon-Stephen Stansel, who is the director of social media for Chaotic Goods studios and who has managed social media in higher ed, also knows all too well. JS visited "For Our Edification" to put the role of social media manager into perspective. By the way, JS is also the co-host of the podcast "Thought Feeder." Learn more about him by going to jsstansel.com.
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

022 | Change Management

When there are major changes in any company or institution, the focus is often on what the leaders will do. But how do major moves, such as leadership changes or mergers and acquisitions, affect the employees?
Change management expert, Dr. Robin M.L. Johnson, joins the podcast to provide insight about the very important role of emotional intelligence and how organizational changes affect those not in power. Robin is the founder and chief change leadership advisor for DesignOrg Solutions.
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

021 | Bigger Than Deion

Deion Sanders' leaving Jackson State University to take the football head coach job at the University of Colorado inspired lively debate on social media and sports talk shows. And, somehow, quite a few folks decided that Sanders "saved" HBCUs!
I brought in Jackson State alum and PR professional, Eddie Brown, to discuss the bigger issue--how Jackson State and other HBCUs provide opportunities to the Primes of the world and also why HBCUs don't need heroes. Learn more about Eddie's agency, Brown Public Relations, at http://www.brown-pr.com/.
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

020 | Son of a Saint

On January 1, 2022, the mentoring organization, Son of a Saint, celebrated its 11th anniversary. It came from the vision of Bivian “Sonny” Lee, III who wanted to help young men without fathers in their homes. Lee's vision resulted in one of New Orleans’ most respected nonprofit organizations.
On the old Eddie Francis Podcast Show a few years back, Halima and I had a chat with Sonny about Son of a Saint’s work and the road that he personally traveled to change the lives of the young men his team serves. What started as Sonny simply doing what he thought was right has grown into a fully functioning nonprofit with a diverse staff of case managers, finance people, mental health specialists, marketing professionals, etc. as well as a diverse class of mentees.
Want to see where Son of a Saint is headed? Enjoy this video.
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

019 | Mental Health in Sports

My dude David Grubb paid the podcast a visit again to talk sports. This time, we had a rich conversation about mental health in sports. David is a sports reporter who has been in the locker room with pro athletes after crushing defeats and he has seen the effects that injuries have had on athletes' mental health. He is even open about managing his own mental health. David commented on Naomi Osaka, we chatted about what athletes don't own us, and I explain why I am no longer a sports fan.
Check David out on "Crunch Time" on 103.7 The Game, "Hard in the Paint," MLBbro.com, The Bird Writes, and The Bird Calls on Spotify.

018 | To Be Creative (and Black)

There is no doubt that creativity is ever-present in our lives, but how much do we take away from ourselves when we don't invest in our creativity? And do we take creativity seriously in the Black community? After watching the documentary "The Creative Brain," I had questions.
I turned to a couple of great, creative friends, Khalilah Elliott and Jamal Sterling. Khalilah is the founder and chief disruptor of Gafford Communications, and Jamal is an actor and educator. Both also host the arts and entertainment podcast "Whatever We Want with Jay & Kay." Besides creativity in the Black community, we talk about the creative process, barriers to creative output, finding creativity in whatever you do, and why it's good for creativity to make people nervous.
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

017 | Apple Fried Apple

When 6th grade teacher, Dee Holt, told his class that he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, they joked that he was a member of "Apple Fried Apple." Then Holt decided to take it further and turn seven of his students into a "line" of "Seeds." Apple Fried Apple captured the hearts of many Divine Nine members and even the nation. 
My fellow Alpha brother did me the honor of joining me on "For Our Edification" to talk about how Apple Fried Apple. Most importantly, we chatted about how D9 members in education leverage their memberships to expose their students to higher education, especially HBCUs.
The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

016 | Motivational Speaking

Does motivational speaking get you...motivated? With so many motivational speakers out there, some question whether or not they hold real value. At the same time, maybe there isn't enough motivation out there. 
To talk this out, I turned to an old speaking colleague of mine, Mark Wiggins. Mark is a speaker, author, trainer and host of the "Off the Bench" podcast. We talk about how he got into the business, when he realized that his words were reaching people and what motivational speaking does for folks' identity and value. And Mark also talks about why the word "until" is special.

015 | On My Brain: My Obsession with Narcissism

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that, at times, I reference narcissistic leadership (#narcissisticleadership). You may even believe that I have somewhat of an obsession with narcissism. The reason narcissism tends to be such a big deal to me is 1) my professional experiences and 2) I researched narcissism in leadership for my master's degree. What a revelation! In this episode, I break down what narcissism does to followers' identity and value and I also explain why narcissism is an actual epidemic.
RESOURCES
The Narcissism Spectrum Model
"Why Is Narcissism Increasing Among Young Americans?"

014 | On My Brain: Kamala’s Divine Shout Out

During her vice presidential nomination speech, Kamala Harris gave a shout out to the Divine Nine after mentioning her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. Many of us were pretty excited that she took the time to do so. But why, on the biggest stage of her career and in a such a critical moment, would she do such a thing?
I know exactly why--identity and value. Alpha Kappa Alpha, like so many of our sororities and fraternities, probably helped her figure out who she is and how she influences those around her. Not only that, Divine Nine organizations are built on causes. Listen to me break it down on this episode.
Some Divine Resources:
A Deeper Look at the Divine Nine's Impact | The Huffington Post
Black Greek Success Blog | BlackGreekSuccess.org
Sister Soldiers: A Look at Black Sororities in the Black Lives Matter Movement | Essence
Loretta Lynch hearing: Why all those red suits in the crowd? | Christian Science Monitor
Watch the Yard
Grown and Greek TV
Photo: watchtheyard.com

013 | Being Better: Eric and Maleka Beal

In 2018, on the old Eddie Francis Podcast Show, Halima and I thought it would be great to interview Eric and Maleka Beal, a husband and wife team that lost a combined 300 lbs. Their feat was so impressive that the couple had been featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Dr. Oz," in Essence, and People. Their success also led them to start the health and wellness company Better Choices.
In this great interview, Eric and Maleka talk about how their relationship blossomed and served as a foundation for their health and wellness success with Better Choices.

012 | The Psychology of Hazing

Every September, HazingPrevention.org holds National Hazing Prevention Week to create and share awareness about the dangers of hazing. An instrumental figure in tracking hazing deaths is Hank Nuwer. On the old Eddie Francis Podcast Show, we talked to professional mental health counselors Leslie Brown and Von Eaglin about the psychology of hazing, particularly in the Divine Nine. As a member of a Divine Nine fraternity--Alpha Phi Alpha--I thought it important to talk to a couple of counselors who speak our language, and both came through with great insight about what goes through the mind of potential hazers.
Leslie is no stranger to "For Our Edification". A member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., she appeared on episode 4, "The Mental Health Benefits of Giving". Leslie is a relational counselor with extensive experience working with military veterans, veterans' families, and women/families in substance abuse recovery. She is a doctoral candidate at Barry University where her research interests include the evolution of families, polyamory families, race/class/gender and cultural competency as well as indigenous, and traditional mental health healing modalities. Leslie earned her bachelor's degree from Hampton University in Mass Media Arts and her Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from St. Thomas University (Fla).
 
Von is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. who talks about positive psychology on One Life Radio. Von earned his bachelor's degree in Business Administration and master's degree in Education at the University of North Texas. He has experience working with physically and sexually abused youth, couples, men’s issues, anger management, adolescents, depression, anxiety, and addictions. Von is currently a doctoral candidate at the North Texas where his research focuses on formulating a new approaches to couples therapy using men’s groups.

011 | What Is a Philanthropic Identity?

WRITE TO BEAR ALMS
August is Black Philanthropy Month, so that means it's Halima time! With such a great celebration, there are many who get into the spirit of giving. One's giving should have purpose, however (thus the supporter of "For Our Edification", the Purposeful Philanthropy Foundation). For this edition of the Write to Bear Alms segment, Halima breaks down how having a philanthropic identity can lead to more meaningful giving.
Halima breaks down the philanthropic identity. She defines it, how it feeds into one's reputation, what it means to protect a philanthropic identity, the difference between influence and power in philanthropy, and how to establish a philanthropic identity.

010 | College Isn’t for Everybody

In so many conversations about college, someone inevitably offers up that "college isn't for everybody." There's no disputing that, but we decided to challenge that statement. On this episode for "For Our Edification," we don't challenge its truth so much as we challenge the frequency with which it is said. Specifically, we discuss why that statement does more harm to Black America than any other sector of society.
For this discussion, we lean on Halima's knowledge of education. Having earned her master's degree in Educational Sociology, Halima touches on the history of higher education which includes the complex history of HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). From there, we do a deep dive discussion about what is left on the table by people quickly dismissing college as a viable option for success. Unapologetically, we tie higher education into a critical part of Black America's identity and value.