The NCAN community had the honor of hearing from Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum–award-winning author, clinical psychologist, and interim president at Mount Holyoke College–at the 2022 NCAN National Conference in Atlanta on Sept. 12. In the plenary session moderated
by Achieve Atlanta Executive Director Tina Fernandez, Dr. Tatum shared stories of how her life experiences have guided her toward the work of promoting postsecondary attainment.
Dr. Tatum has been a key leader in advancing higher education opportunities in the Atlanta area and beyond, including 13 years as president of Spelman College. She serves on the governing boards of Achieve Atlanta and Morehouse College and has authored
books on racial identity development theory and the implications of racial segregation in schools. Thus, NCAN was proud to present Dr. Tatum with the Bob Craves Champion of College Access Award, which commemorates individuals, organizations, and corporations
that have made remarkable long-term contributions to increasing college access and success for underrepresented students.
Born just months after the Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. the Board of Education decision in 1954 that ruled racial segregation in public schools as unconstitutional, Dr. Tatum explained that her life was shaped by the fact that she was born in the
Jim Crow South. Despite the Brown decision, Florida at the time did not want to desegregate their schools but was still obligated to provide access to education, which they did by providing transportation to another state. Her parents didn’t want
her and her older brother to be educated in a segregated system, so they made the move to Massachusetts. “Race and racism have played a role in my family’s life from day one,” she said.
As the daughter of two educators, it seemed as though Dr. Tatum was destined to become an educator herself. Although her younger self was determined not to become one, she eventually found herself teaching too. She became interested in psychology at the
age of 16 and continued on the path to obtain a Ph.D. in clinical psychology when she was offered a part-time teaching job for a college course titled “Exploration of Racism.” Dr. Tatum accepted the teaching job and found it to be a powerful experience.
She received feedback from her students at the end of the semester saying, “This course has changed my life,” and “Everyone should be required to take this class.” She found that teaching about racism proved to be such a compelling experience and
she decidedly followed that interest through.
With a wealth of experience in the realm of higher education, Dr. Tatum is more than familiar with the benefits a degree can bring. Higher education prepares students for a life of critical thinking, active engagement in their community, democracy, and
wise decision-making, she said. “It prepares you for freedom in terms of what choices you’re going to be able to make in your life,” she added.
“People with college degrees live longer, not just because they have more money, but because they are able to make choices that facilitate better health,” Dr. Tatum explained. “There are so many positive life outcomes that are associated with a quality
education that I think we don’t acknowledge.”
Despite all the benefits that higher education can bring, not everyone has the access to pursue a postsecondary degree. “We know that it was illegal to educate. When we talk about education being linked to freedom, that’s why you don’t educate people
who are enslaved. And so to that extent, we understand that denying access to education has been historically intentional, and one could argue is still intentional, in terms of limiting choices,” Dr. Tatum said. “If everyone had a choice, there are
some jobs they wouldn’t want to do. And if we need those jobs done, then they need to limit access so that there’s a captive population for which they can undercompensate. . . . You can trace today’s economic structure to its roots in the system of
slave wages.”
The lack of affordability is one of many barriers to higher education, and millions of students must resort to taking out loans to afford undergraduate tuition and fees. However, that financial support is often not enough to get students to the finish
line of their postsecondary education.
“Debt without a degree is a disaster,” Dr. Tatum stated. “If you’re going to start down the higher education path, you don’t get the benefit unless you finish. So those students who take on debt and aren’t able to finish, in some ways, are worse off than
when they started. Anytime a student starts the process, we want them to be able to finish.”
This statement set the tone for the rest of the NCAN conference, the first to be held in-person since 2019. Through workshop sessions and roundtable discussions, attendees gained knowledge on how to best support their students, whether it be through enhancing
their advising practices, centering students’ voices in policymaking and advocacy, understanding the mental health support students may need after the social isolation brought on by the pandemic, and even by taking care of themselves so they can take
care of their students. “If you make a lot of withdrawals, you better make a lot of deposits,” Dr. Tatum concluded.
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