James B. Ewers Jr.

Members of the academy offer insight into current events and higher education issues that impact people of color.

Using Good Customer Service in the Higher Education Marketplace

I have often said that people don’t want to know how much you know until they know how much you care. Students today have more choices than ever before on what to do when they graduate from high school. If their choice is college, then what will they and their parents be looking for before […]

April 1, 2010

King’s message of hope keeps us together

I couldn’t help but think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as the news broke last night and into the morning about the earthquake in Haiti. The odds are stacked up against this country, yet with prayer and help from others it will survive. The pictures suggest ruin, yet the determination of the people will […]

January 14, 2010

Navigating the Racial Highway in America

If you want to have a good debate or scare people away, then start talking about race. The ‘race’ word is a powerful one in America’s lexicon and seems to bring out passionate feelings in us. It is a catalyst for both change and status quo. It is my thinking that the word race has brought […]

August 8, 2009

Black Males Need the “Old School Approach”

The behavior of some Black males has always been called into question. Adjectives like intimidating, aggressive and rude have been labels that have been affixed to us for as long as I can remember. It seems at times in today’s one-strike-and-you’re-out society that these aforementioned adjectives trump our education and our socio-economic status. It is […]

June 15, 2009

Are a Boy’s Chances Better at Becoming a Sports Star or a Doctor?

I often ask young children, especially boys, what they want to do when they reach adulthood. One of the most repeated answers is that they want to become professional athletes. The two primary sports that they have an interest in, and not to my surprise, are basketball and football. It seems that basketball almost has […]

May 27, 2009

Can Michael Vick Take the Steps to Rebuild His Life?

It was only a few years ago that Michael Vick was playing quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons and riding high. He was slashing and dashing through National Football League lines, and it was a joy to watch him. Now, he is without a ride and grounded. Much was made a while back about Michael Vick, […]

April 22, 2009

African American boys can learn something from President Obama

President Barack Obama’s victory is meaningful to a cross-section of Americans. His candidacy resulted in more new registered voters than at any other time in American history. As we reflect now on his journey, especially his Democratic primary battle with then-Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, it is safe to say that this country was energized by […]

March 31, 2009

The Perils of being young, African American and Male

There is an unhealthy generational gap within the African American male community. It is acute and now more serious than ever. There are some stark differences to what was and what is. Black men my age grew up respecting social customs. For example, we loved our parents and honored our teachers. Our neighborhoods looked out […]

March 18, 2009

America Is Saying ‘Yes We Can’ Because of President-elect Barack Obama

Six years ago many of us could not really say with any authority that we had heard of Barack Obama. Our first real glimpse of him came as he delivered a keynote address at the Democratic National Convention held four years ago. After hearing him speak that evening at the convention, I knew that he […]

November 6, 2008

Stay The Course Or Change Directions Is The Question

As Election Day approaches, we must decide whether characteristics will trump the issues of the day. This conundrum makes for a slippery slope for some of us. Those of us that are voting age have participated in some local, state and national elections where we did not always vote for the “conventional” or for the […]

September 17, 2008

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