Fortunately for Livingstone’s students, faculty, staff and alumni, the board accepted Dr. Jenkins’ plan and hired him.
The college hasn’t looked back.
In February 2006, Dr. Jenkins arrived to a college that was experiencing major financial challenges. Today, an air of professionalism and dignity permeate the Livingstone campus, and the college, according to three years of independent audits, has become financially sound.
Folks are coming on board with Dr. Jenkins’ plan to implement a holistic approach to learning at Livingstone, one that strives to teach students not just what they need to know in the classroom but also life skills.
“I came here with the idea of a holistic college,” Dr. Jenkins said in an interview. “I had been a college president for 21 years prior to coming here ... all at historically black colleges and universities (HSCU). I saw trends and practices that convinced me that there were some specific things that could be done to improve the performance of disadvantaged students.”
So what has Dr. Jenkins done at Livingstone?
For starters, he has implemented the college’s version of the 10 Commandments, which says among other things that students won’t wear doo rags, provocative dress or pants below the waist, won’t miss class, use profanity or engage in fights.
And he’s focusing less on standardized tests like the SAT, which many argue is culturally biased and not a good measure of a student’s academic ability, while ensuring students who want to attend Livingstone can — even if they come in through the college’s Summer Bridge Program which targets those with academic deficiencies.
“I decided as a condition of accepting the position, instead of demanding higher admissions standards with an SAT as the determining factor, I would extend educational opportunities to students who might not otherwise have gotten in somewhere,” Dr. Jenkins said. “I asked the board members to allow me to construct a learning environment that would improve student performance at a level that would allow them to, in fact, catch up with those students at other institutions and demand a higher standard to graduate.”
Dr. Jenkins is also demanding that students act professionally — not just while they’re in the classroom, but also during school assemblies and when they’re representing the college at off-campus functions.
“There’s no doubt that people on campus recognize the brilliance in what Dr. Jenkins is trying to do,” said State Alexander, Executive Assistant to the President/Public Relations Director. “Upon graduation, Livingstone students will possess the necessary knowledge to succeed in their chosen fields, but the beauty of Dr. Jenkins’ holistic approach is they’ll also have the required life skills to ensure they’re well-rounded, productive citizens.”
So, what do folk on campus think of Dr. Jenkins’ approach, and more importantly, is it catching on?
“It’s a very unique concept in the sense that we’re preparing our students for more than just academics,” said Dr. Gary L. Callahan, Dean of The Holistic College. “We’re trying to advance them spiritually and financially, and we’re helping them understand and look at their health.”
The health component is particularly important, Dr. Callahan said, because of illnesses like diabetes and hypertension that affect African-Americans disproportionately.
Dr. Callahan said he thinks people are buying into Dr. Jenkins’ vision slowly, but surely.
“I think because it’s such a shift from what we normally do in higher education it’s a slow process of having people come on board, but the numbers of people working toward it and embracing it are growing,” he said.
And just why is a “Holistic College” necessary at Livingstone?
“Because of the background of the students we bring to Livingstone College, you have to have a very structured environment,” Dr. Jenkins said. “Seventy-one percent of students at Livingstone College are first-generation college students. Because many of them did not take the college preparatory curriculum in high school, we cannot leave it to them to design their own learning program. We have to structure that program to compensate for the courses they didn’t take or weren’t exposed to in high school. In other words, there are no options for them; it’s all built in.”
Changing behaviors is key to Dr. Jenkins’ approach.
“Because of their backgrounds, some of them have developed behavior patterns that aren’t conducive to an academic learning environment,” he said. “Our challenge is to address these issues in the holistic approach so we’re able to change their behavior. We believe if we can change their behavior, we can change their attitude. And part of our reason for starting the holistic college is to show our students how they can defy the odds.”
To that end, Livingstone freshmen aren’t allowed to have cars on campus, and students can’t live off campus until their senior year. All students must take Spanish and get certified in CPR, and there’s a mandatory, weekly assembly for students, faculty and staff alike.
Enrollment is up at Livingstone, where the 2009-2010 freshman class was the largest in school history. Likewise, graduation rates are up.
“We’re seeing glimmers of progress, ...” Dr. Jenkins said. “The freightliner’s not turning as fast as I would like for it to, but I’m convinced if we stay this course we’ll get there.”