September 24, 2024 • 21 mins
Unlock the secrets of pioneering social change and transformative finance in our latest Mindful Marketplace episode. What if your community could own and manage its housing, bypassing traditional homeownership? We delve into cooperative housing models, neighborhood real estate investment trusts, and community capital funds that offer these groundbreaking possibilities. We also spotlight the ongoing battles of gig workers, with a particular focus on Uber and Lyft drivers in Minneapolis standing against corporate lobbying for fair wages. Additionally, we address the mounting credit card debt crisis among young people and its broader economic ramifications in an era of high inflation and steep borrowing costs.
Our conversation with Dr. Glennell Lee Pruitt, President of Jarvis Christian University, sheds light on the unique hurdles smaller institutions face in gaining resources and recognition. Dr. Pruitt shares how Jarvis Christian University is creatively using its assets to tackle local social issues, underscoring the power of investing local dollars back into local communities. Learn about the importance of recognizing the unique strengths students bring to their education, and stay tuned for part two of our chat, where we explore more innovative approaches and discuss the impactful Fishing Differently conference. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in social innovation, community investment, and the future of education.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Joel (00:00):
What if investing in each other could change the world?
I'm Joel Skeen with bizradious,and this is the Mindful
Marketplace.
Welcome, welcome, so glad tohave you here on BizRadioUS.
I am Joel Skeen for the MindfulMarketplace.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
(00:21):
If this is your first time withus on this show we bring on the
people in business, in finance,in entrepreneurship, in
education and in communitydevelopment who are really
questioning the assumption thatthere's more than one bottom
line.
It's where we learn how toconnect our values and our
(00:42):
communities to our businesses,to our money and to ourselves.
I'm really excited to get totalk today with the president of
Jarvis Christian University, drGlennell Lee Pruitt, about the
innovation that she is involvedin when it comes to using
university assets to be able toactually solve some social
(01:04):
problems.
So I'm really excited to get todive in with her today.
But first we got to hit thebalance sheet the assets,
liabilities, debts andinvestments.
Okay, so first, in the assetscolumn, I want to talk about an
article that I saw here inForbes talking about room for
innovation within cooperativehousing.
(01:25):
So this article is by RogerValdez and it presents an
alternative approach tohomeownership, challenging the
traditional 30-year mortgagemodel, and it explores
innovative concepts such asneighborhood real estate
investment trusts, direct publicofferings, real estate
investment cooperatives andcommunity capital funds.
These are all offeringpotential solutions to the
(01:47):
challenges of financing andowning real estate that keeps
getting more difficult.
Valdez also highlights the needfor government intervention to
support wealth generation amongthe less affluent and to
repurpose existing housingsubsidies, making it relevant
for individuals and familiesseeking alternative paths to
(02:12):
homeownership and wealthbuilding.
Valdez also explores thecooperative housing model and
its potential to provide a newavenue for homeownership.
Along with the discussion ofinnovative financing models, he
makes a compelling read forthose interested in real estate,
housing finance andcommunity-driven initiatives.
All right.
Next, in the liabilities column,I want to talk a little bit
(02:32):
about the gig platforms, who arefighting against fair wages for
their workers.
So this is an article by DerekKerr about the intense lobbying
efforts by Uber and Lyft inresponse to a minimum wage law
for ride-hail drivers in thecity of Minneapolis.
Drivers, supported byorganizations like the National
Employment Law Project, pushedfor higher pay and better
(02:55):
working conditions for thedrivers.
Uber and Lyft, however,responded to the proposed
minimum wage claiming that itwould make markets too expensive
and lead to significantdecrease in ride requests.
The companies also threatenedto actually leave Minneapolis if
these laws were implemented,but ultimately, after a veto by
the governor, tim Waltz, therewas a task force formed to study
(03:19):
this issue and the driverscontinue their efforts at the
local level, emphasizing theimpact on predominantly black,
immigrant and low-income drivers.
I wanted to highlight thisstory as it sheds a light on the
power dynamics between the gigeconomy, workers and large
corporations and the challengesfaced by gig workers, including
things like low pay, lack ofbenefits and the impact of
(03:41):
opaque algorithms on theirearnings and the impact of
opaque algorithms on theirearnings.
In the article, kerr also tellsa really great story about the
driver's resilience anddetermination to advocate for
fair wages and better workingconditions, showcasing their
efforts to engage withpolicymakers at the local
community to address theirconcerns.
All right.
Next, in the debts column, Ineed to talk about credit card
(04:03):
debt, especially for youngpeople.
So the increasing struggle ofconsumers to pay credit card
bills is a significant concernthat should have far-reaching
implications for the economy.
This trend, particularly amongyoung individuals, raises
questions about the financialstability of a significant
proportion of the population.
(04:23):
The potential impact onconsumer spending and the
overall economy is a cause forconcern, especially in the
context of the Fed's efforts tocombat high inflation.
So to share the credit carddebt that is, more than the
share of credit card debt that'sover 90 days overdue has gone
up to over almost to 11% duringthis first quarter, marking a
(04:46):
12-year high.
This represents a significantincrease from about 8% just a
year ago.
The rise in severedelinquencies is particularly
pronounced among individuals intheir 20s and 30s, who typically
have lower earnings and savings.
The Federal Reserve's decisionto raise its key interest rates
to combat high inflation hasmade borrowing more expensive,
(05:08):
affecting mortgages, auto loansand credit cards.
The combination of thesefactors has raised concerns
about the potential impact onour consumer spending and just
overall economy.
Now just a reminder that myagency, skeen Financial, is
providing all of our listenersof the Mindful Marketplace with
a free, customized report on howto actually best eliminate
(05:30):
personal and business debt,based on your unique situation.
So lots of families are usingthis report to learn the
different strategies for how toget out of debt and who are able
to eliminate their debt in halfthe time or less.
So go to SkeenFinancialcom andget an appointment booked to get
(05:51):
your free report on your owndebt situation there.
Lastly, in the investmentscolumn, I want to highlight a
writing by a friend of the showa friend of mine now Michael
Schumann, who wrote about ESGinvesting.
So if you've ever heard aboutenvironmental, social and
government's investing, you'llknow that there's a lot of talk
(06:13):
around it.
A lot of prominent politicianswill criticize ESG investing as
quote-unquote woke capitalismthat prioritizes liberal goals
over investor returns.
This has led to a series ofanti-ESG bills outright banning
taking this data intoconsideration being used in
several states, aiming atpenalizing investors who
(06:33):
consider environmental andsocial governance issues when
making investment decisions.
However, schuman highlights theunexpected negative impacts of
these anti-ESG bills, such as anincreased borrowing costs for
municipalities and significantfinancial losses for states and
retirement systems.
He also emphasizes theimportance of allowing consumers
(06:55):
, investors, workers andcompanies the freedom to make
their own market choices, asadvocated by free market
principles.
Schuman sheds light on thepolitical and economic
implications of growingopposition to ESG investing, and
this is, I think, an importantissue, and another resource on
this topic is a conversation Ihad last year with Max Mintz, a
(07:17):
values-based investor from lastyear, about the misconceptions
around ESG and how, in his mind,it's more about mitigating
long-term risk than it is aboutany particular ideology.
All right, that is the balancesheet.
So very happy to get to talkwith Dr Pruitt here today.
Thank you so much for being onthe show, welcome.
Dr. Pruitt (07:39):
Thank you, thank you and thank you for that
information.
I I took notes while you weresharing it.
Joel (07:45):
thank you, oh yeah, yeah, good, I uh, I uh.
You know I I started doing thatbalance sheet because, um, I
just felt like there was a needfor more, for more news about
this stuff, and so I I'm glad itresonates with you it does, it
definitely does yeah, for thosewho don't, uh, don't know.
You don't know about jarvis.
Um, tell us a little aboutyourself and about your
(08:05):
background.
Dr. Pruitt (08:06):
Sure, Well, as you mentioned earlier, I'm Glennell
and I'm the 13th president ofJarvis Christian University.
Jarvis has been here in Hawkins, Texas, which is East Texas
kind of, between Dallas andShreveport, Louisiana, on
Highway 8, a rural.
(08:26):
It's a rural community, beenhere since 1912, was founded in
1904 by three women and it'svery interesting because the
women who came together probablyit was unusual in 1912 for them
(08:47):
to because it was black womenand a woman who was married to a
Confederate soldier who deededthe land here that we currently
sit on, over 500 acres of landto start Jarvis Christian
Elementary School at the timefor, quote unquote, Negro
children, Right, and from thatmoment on we have now become a
(09:09):
university and so designated asa historically black university
here in Hawkins, Texas.
Joel (09:17):
It's a historically black university here in Hawkins,
texas.
Yeah, and I, you know we live.
I live in the in the Southeastnow in North Carolina and around
.
You know the Georgia area andin the Southeast here there's a
lot of, there's a fair amount ofHBCUs.
I don't know if there's thatmany out further out in in Texas
and in the Western part, Iguess, for those who don't know
what, what, what is an HBCU?
(09:38):
What makes that designation andwhat challenges or what's
different about an HBCU fromanother school that someone
might have heard of?
Dr. Pruitt (09:47):
at the time of the designation served black young
people who were not able to beadmitted to white institutions.
They are primarily found in theSouth.
(10:09):
A vast majority are in theSouth and we understand the
dynamics of the South.
So you can kind of understandwhy that would be the case.
So you can kind of understandwhy that would be the case.
But here in Texas actually wehave five private HBCUs and
there are two public HBCUs,large HBCUs, but they're here
(10:36):
and the difference is really formost people there's a different
sauce than most people say,that special sauce that we have
at HBCUs that we're morepersonal.
It's a family environmentbecause, especially in the
private setting where we arehere at Jarvis, it's a small
school, less than 700, 800students, which means we get an
(10:59):
opportunity to know studentspersonally.
At Jarvis, as with some otherinstitutions of higher learning,
the students who come to uscome to this rural environment
from an urban setting andusually they come from an urban
setting and urban high schoolsthat have not really prepared
them for college, which meansthat puts the onus on us to make
(11:22):
sure that we get them preparednot only for college but to
leave here and ready to go andchange their communities.
Joel (11:30):
Yeah, what is that like for the students that are coming
to your school?
What you know, where are theycoming from and what are you
know?
What are the challenges thatthey're facing?
Dr. Pruitt (11:42):
Yeah, the majority of the students that decide to
make Jarvis Christian Universitytheir higher education home
come from Dallas and HoustonLarge, of course, metropolitan
areas.
Some of them come stillchallenged with reading and
writing and math challenges, notbecause they can't do it, it's
(12:04):
just because in some cases theycame from high schools that
didn't expect them to go tocollege and therefore the
investment in them was minimaland unfortunately, when they get
here they have the challenge oftrying to adapt to transition
to college education where it'smore independent, it's less
(12:26):
hands-on, but what we find hereat Jarvis and in most HBCUs
faculty are prepared to workwith those students with those
challenges and work directlywith them.
One thing that we say here atJarvis we accept you the way
that you are, but you cannotleave the way that you come.
(12:47):
You got to leave better and yougot to leave a better person
and you have to leave better togo out and make a difference in
the world.
Joel (12:56):
Yeah, you know, I'm reminded a little bit.
It kind of ties into aconversation I had at the end of
last year with a gentleman whois a social entrepreneur.
He started a business which wasa tech platform to help mentor
students who were leavingdisenfranchised or difficult
(13:16):
school districts and wouldactually be able to have a group
of mentors on this platformthat they can work with, who are
in the industry that they mightbe going into and can utilize.
Really, he said utilize notjust advice or maybe even some
money here and there that thosementors may be able to give to
those students, but he said thereal magic of it was the social
(13:40):
capital.
I'm wondering if you can speaka little to the social capital
that your students have cominginto school versus when they're
leaving.
Dr. Pruitt (13:53):
I think and if I can take this approach, I think
unfairly in most terms we do notassess their social capital
that they bring with them.
I don't think fairly, because weassess it based on our
experiences.
And when you really think aboutit, they have brought with them
(14:15):
survival skills, they havebrought with them coping skills,
they have brought with themexperiences that really leads to
reciprocity in relationships,right, because they have learned
(14:37):
how to survive some verydifficult situations, and so,
therefore, the thing that wework toward doing is, first of
all, helping them understand andidentify their strengths that
may seem like are not valuable,but they are, because they have
actually made it to the pointwhere they are and then what we
have to help them do is learnhow to utilize those strengths
(15:03):
in a way that puts them in apositive position to move
forward.
Communication skills right,you're saying exactly what we're
saying, but you're speaking inyour own voice, and so we have
to help them understand how theycan still say what they're
saying in their voice, but in away that can be understood and
(15:25):
articulated, so that they'll beable to move forward.
So I often say to faculty hereat Jarvis we want students to be
us, but they're not us.
They come with their ownstrengths and it is not our role
to strip them of that.
It is to enhance what theybring with them.
Joel (15:46):
Well, and it sounds like too just helping them understand
that, you know, maybe they'vebeen underestimated.
Dr. Pruitt (15:52):
They have been underestimated, absolutely,
absolutely.
Joel (15:57):
Yeah, you know you mentioned there being a strong
sense of community at the school.
I know that you're also new tobeing the president in a way.
I remember you said in somewriting I saw that you wrote
where you said I neveranticipated becoming a
university president.
(16:20):
I guess I'm wondering if,through your work in education
though throughout the years, isthere anything that surprised
you or any story that stands outto you that was a really kind
of teaching moment for you inthe way that you view leading
education.
Dr. Pruitt (16:42):
Several, even though I'm new here as the president.
I've been here for 12 years asprovost and vice president for
academic affairs, and one thingthat stands out to me more than
anything is the caste systemthat exists in higher education.
(17:04):
And let me share with you why Isay that that exists in higher
education, hmm, um, and let meshare with you why I say that.
Joel (17:11):
Yeah, I'd love to hear more what you mean by that.
Dr. Pruitt (17:14):
Um, there are, in higher education, uh,
institutions that are consideredto be the flagship institutions
Uh, they're the institutionsthat entrepreneurs,
philanthropists, people who havemoney, pour money into those
institutions.
Then there are the institutionslike Jarvis Christian
(17:36):
University small institutionsdoing more, really, with less,
that people don't know about.
That people haven't heard ofthat.
We don't get invited to thetable.
That's one of the excitingthings about Fishing Differently
and that conference, and we'lltalk about that later.
Most small institutions are notinvited to the table with people
(17:58):
who have the resources toassist them, and so what we have
to do is find innovative waysof getting attention, and
usually and you're a person whoyou know about investors and
philanthropy people want to givemoney on scale, not realizing
(18:23):
that their dollars can go awhole lot further.
Ten million dollars to, let'ssay, Howard University they're
Howard University in the capitalcity, but ten million dollars
to Jarvis is like a hundredmillion.
Oh, yeah, right, because itgoes further.
(18:43):
With us, we could do more forour students, we could do more
for the university to enhancewhat we're doing, and so I think
(19:04):
that's one of the things itrelates to how do we help our
students to move forward at thesame scale as yours if we've
never considered or neverinvited in the room or at the
table.
So I guess that would be oneyeah.
Joel (19:22):
Yeah, and that's what I'm excited to dig in with you on
part two of this discussion.
Just so everyone knows we'redoing a two-part conversation
here, because what we talk a lotabout on this show in a lot of
ways is how people can and themovement that's really kind of
coming out right now on peoplebeing able to invest their money
not just into the biginstitutions like Wall Street,
(19:43):
like the bond market or any ofthese big things, but also ways
that they can invest that moneyback into their own local
communities, whether that's intolocal businesses, local real
estate, local housing projects,but ways to keep our money in
our own communities, because weall know shop local is great,
but how can we actually start toinvest local?
And what I'm excited to dig inwith you on part two here is a
(20:06):
new innovative way that you guysare actually using the
university assets to do some ofthat local investing and to
solve local social problems thatyour community faces with those
local dollars.
And so I'm really excited toget to dig in on that and get to
dig into more about the FishingDifferently conference and why
you, why that conference is soimportant to you to be involved
(20:29):
in as well.
So for all of you listening outthere, make sure to tune in next
week same time.
Here you can also listen on allof the different podcast
networks iTunes, spotify.
We are on YouTube now as wellas you know Stitcher, buzzsprout
, iheartradio, all of the rest.
So please subscribe, pleasecheck out Jarvis Christian
(20:49):
University and Glenelg Pruitt.
And until next time, rememberwe are each other.
What if investing in each other could change the world?
I'm Joel Skeen with bizradious,and this is the Mindful
Marketplace.
Welcome, welcome, so glad tohave you here on BizRadioUS.
I am Joel Skeen for the MindfulMarketplace.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
(00:21):
If this is your first time withus on this show we bring on the
people in business, in finance,in entrepreneurship, in
education and in communitydevelopment who are really
questioning the assumption thatthere's more than one bottom
line.
It's where we learn how toconnect our values and our
(00:42):
communities to our businesses,to our money and to ourselves.
I'm really excited to get totalk today with the president of
Jarvis Christian University, drGlennell Lee Pruitt, about the
innovation that she is involvedin when it comes to using
university assets to be able toactually solve some social
(01:04):
problems.
So I'm really excited to get todive in with her today.
But first we got to hit thebalance sheet the assets,
liabilities, debts andinvestments.
Okay, so first, in the assetscolumn, I want to talk about an
article that I saw here inForbes talking about room for
innovation within cooperativehousing.
(01:25):
So this article is by RogerValdez and it presents an
alternative approach tohomeownership, challenging the
traditional 30-year mortgagemodel, and it explores
innovative concepts such asneighborhood real estate
investment trusts, direct publicofferings, real estate
investment cooperatives andcommunity capital funds.
These are all offeringpotential solutions to the
(01:47):
challenges of financing andowning real estate that keeps
getting more difficult.
Valdez also highlights the needfor government intervention to
support wealth generation amongthe less affluent and to
repurpose existing housingsubsidies, making it relevant
for individuals and familiesseeking alternative paths to
(02:12):
homeownership and wealthbuilding.
Valdez also explores thecooperative housing model and
its potential to provide a newavenue for homeownership.
Along with the discussion ofinnovative financing models, he
makes a compelling read forthose interested in real estate,
housing finance andcommunity-driven initiatives.
All right.
Next, in the liabilities column,I want to talk a little bit
(02:32):
about the gig platforms, who arefighting against fair wages for
their workers.
So this is an article by DerekKerr about the intense lobbying
efforts by Uber and Lyft inresponse to a minimum wage law
for ride-hail drivers in thecity of Minneapolis.
Drivers, supported byorganizations like the National
Employment Law Project, pushedfor higher pay and better
(02:55):
working conditions for thedrivers.
Uber and Lyft, however,responded to the proposed
minimum wage claiming that itwould make markets too expensive
and lead to significantdecrease in ride requests.
The companies also threatenedto actually leave Minneapolis if
these laws were implemented,but ultimately, after a veto by
the governor, tim Waltz, therewas a task force formed to study
(03:19):
this issue and the driverscontinue their efforts at the
local level, emphasizing theimpact on predominantly black,
immigrant and low-income drivers.
I wanted to highlight thisstory as it sheds a light on the
power dynamics between the gigeconomy, workers and large
corporations and the challengesfaced by gig workers, including
things like low pay, lack ofbenefits and the impact of
(03:41):
opaque algorithms on theirearnings and the impact of
opaque algorithms on theirearnings.
In the article, kerr also tellsa really great story about the
driver's resilience anddetermination to advocate for
fair wages and better workingconditions, showcasing their
efforts to engage withpolicymakers at the local
community to address theirconcerns.
All right.
Next, in the debts column, Ineed to talk about credit card
(04:03):
debt, especially for youngpeople.
So the increasing struggle ofconsumers to pay credit card
bills is a significant concernthat should have far-reaching
implications for the economy.
This trend, particularly amongyoung individuals, raises
questions about the financialstability of a significant
proportion of the population.
(04:23):
The potential impact onconsumer spending and the
overall economy is a cause forconcern, especially in the
context of the Fed's efforts tocombat high inflation.
So to share the credit carddebt that is, more than the
share of credit card debt that'sover 90 days overdue has gone
up to over almost to 11% duringthis first quarter, marking a
(04:46):
12-year high.
This represents a significantincrease from about 8% just a
year ago.
The rise in severedelinquencies is particularly
pronounced among individuals intheir 20s and 30s, who typically
have lower earnings and savings.
The Federal Reserve's decisionto raise its key interest rates
to combat high inflation hasmade borrowing more expensive,
(05:08):
affecting mortgages, auto loansand credit cards.
The combination of thesefactors has raised concerns
about the potential impact onour consumer spending and just
overall economy.
Now just a reminder that myagency, skeen Financial, is
providing all of our listenersof the Mindful Marketplace with
a free, customized report on howto actually best eliminate
(05:30):
personal and business debt,based on your unique situation.
So lots of families are usingthis report to learn the
different strategies for how toget out of debt and who are able
to eliminate their debt in halfthe time or less.
So go to SkeenFinancialcom andget an appointment booked to get
(05:51):
your free report on your owndebt situation there.
Lastly, in the investmentscolumn, I want to highlight a
writing by a friend of the showa friend of mine now Michael
Schumann, who wrote about ESGinvesting.
So if you've ever heard aboutenvironmental, social and
government's investing, you'llknow that there's a lot of talk
(06:13):
around it.
A lot of prominent politicianswill criticize ESG investing as
quote-unquote woke capitalismthat prioritizes liberal goals
over investor returns.
This has led to a series ofanti-ESG bills outright banning
taking this data intoconsideration being used in
several states, aiming atpenalizing investors who
(06:33):
consider environmental andsocial governance issues when
making investment decisions.
However, schuman highlights theunexpected negative impacts of
these anti-ESG bills, such as anincreased borrowing costs for
municipalities and significantfinancial losses for states and
retirement systems.
He also emphasizes theimportance of allowing consumers
(06:55):
, investors, workers andcompanies the freedom to make
their own market choices, asadvocated by free market
principles.
Schuman sheds light on thepolitical and economic
implications of growingopposition to ESG investing, and
this is, I think, an importantissue, and another resource on
this topic is a conversation Ihad last year with Max Mintz, a
(07:17):
values-based investor from lastyear, about the misconceptions
around ESG and how, in his mind,it's more about mitigating
long-term risk than it is aboutany particular ideology.
All right, that is the balancesheet.
So very happy to get to talkwith Dr Pruitt here today.
Thank you so much for being onthe show, welcome.
Dr. Pruitt (07:39):
Thank you, thank you and thank you for that
information.
I I took notes while you weresharing it.
Joel (07:45):
thank you, oh yeah, yeah, good, I uh, I uh.
You know I I started doing thatbalance sheet because, um, I
just felt like there was a needfor more, for more news about
this stuff, and so I I'm glad itresonates with you it does, it
definitely does yeah, for thosewho don't, uh, don't know.
You don't know about jarvis.
Um, tell us a little aboutyourself and about your
(08:05):
background.
Dr. Pruitt (08:06):
Sure, Well, as you mentioned earlier, I'm Glennell
and I'm the 13th president ofJarvis Christian University.
Jarvis has been here in Hawkins, Texas, which is East Texas
kind of, between Dallas andShreveport, Louisiana, on
Highway 8, a rural.
(08:26):
It's a rural community, beenhere since 1912, was founded in
1904 by three women and it'svery interesting because the
women who came together probablyit was unusual in 1912 for them
(08:47):
to because it was black womenand a woman who was married to a
Confederate soldier who deededthe land here that we currently
sit on, over 500 acres of landto start Jarvis Christian
Elementary School at the timefor, quote unquote, Negro
children, Right, and from thatmoment on we have now become a
(09:09):
university and so designated asa historically black university
here in Hawkins, Texas.
Joel (09:17):
It's a historically black university here in Hawkins,
texas.
Yeah, and I, you know we live.
I live in the in the Southeastnow in North Carolina and around
.
You know the Georgia area andin the Southeast here there's a
lot of, there's a fair amount ofHBCUs.
I don't know if there's thatmany out further out in in Texas
and in the Western part, Iguess, for those who don't know
what, what, what is an HBCU?
(09:38):
What makes that designation andwhat challenges or what's
different about an HBCU fromanother school that someone
might have heard of?
Dr. Pruitt (09:47):
at the time of the designation served black young
people who were not able to beadmitted to white institutions.
They are primarily found in theSouth.
(10:09):
A vast majority are in theSouth and we understand the
dynamics of the South.
So you can kind of understandwhy that would be the case.
So you can kind of understandwhy that would be the case.
But here in Texas actually wehave five private HBCUs and
there are two public HBCUs,large HBCUs, but they're here
(10:36):
and the difference is really formost people there's a different
sauce than most people say,that special sauce that we have
at HBCUs that we're morepersonal.
It's a family environmentbecause, especially in the
private setting where we arehere at Jarvis, it's a small
school, less than 700, 800students, which means we get an
(10:59):
opportunity to know studentspersonally.
At Jarvis, as with some otherinstitutions of higher learning,
the students who come to uscome to this rural environment
from an urban setting andusually they come from an urban
setting and urban high schoolsthat have not really prepared
them for college, which meansthat puts the onus on us to make
(11:22):
sure that we get them preparednot only for college but to
leave here and ready to go andchange their communities.
Joel (11:30):
Yeah, what is that like for the students that are coming
to your school?
What you know, where are theycoming from and what are you
know?
What are the challenges thatthey're facing?
Dr. Pruitt (11:42):
Yeah, the majority of the students that decide to
make Jarvis Christian Universitytheir higher education home
come from Dallas and HoustonLarge, of course, metropolitan
areas.
Some of them come stillchallenged with reading and
writing and math challenges, notbecause they can't do it, it's
(12:04):
just because in some cases theycame from high schools that
didn't expect them to go tocollege and therefore the
investment in them was minimaland unfortunately, when they get
here they have the challenge oftrying to adapt to transition
to college education where it'smore independent, it's less
(12:26):
hands-on, but what we find hereat Jarvis and in most HBCUs
faculty are prepared to workwith those students with those
challenges and work directlywith them.
One thing that we say here atJarvis we accept you the way
that you are, but you cannotleave the way that you come.
(12:47):
You got to leave better and yougot to leave a better person
and you have to leave better togo out and make a difference in
the world.
Joel (12:56):
Yeah, you know, I'm reminded a little bit.
It kind of ties into aconversation I had at the end of
last year with a gentleman whois a social entrepreneur.
He started a business which wasa tech platform to help mentor
students who were leavingdisenfranchised or difficult
(13:16):
school districts and wouldactually be able to have a group
of mentors on this platformthat they can work with, who are
in the industry that they mightbe going into and can utilize.
Really, he said utilize notjust advice or maybe even some
money here and there that thosementors may be able to give to
those students, but he said thereal magic of it was the social
(13:40):
capital.
I'm wondering if you can speaka little to the social capital
that your students have cominginto school versus when they're
leaving.
Dr. Pruitt (13:53):
I think and if I can take this approach, I think
unfairly in most terms we do notassess their social capital
that they bring with them.
I don't think fairly, because weassess it based on our
experiences.
And when you really think aboutit, they have brought with them
(14:15):
survival skills, they havebrought with them coping skills,
they have brought with themexperiences that really leads to
reciprocity in relationships,right, because they have learned
(14:37):
how to survive some verydifficult situations, and so,
therefore, the thing that wework toward doing is, first of
all, helping them understand andidentify their strengths that
may seem like are not valuable,but they are, because they have
actually made it to the pointwhere they are and then what we
have to help them do is learnhow to utilize those strengths
(15:03):
in a way that puts them in apositive position to move
forward.
Communication skills right,you're saying exactly what we're
saying, but you're speaking inyour own voice, and so we have
to help them understand how theycan still say what they're
saying in their voice, but in away that can be understood and
(15:25):
articulated, so that they'll beable to move forward.
So I often say to faculty hereat Jarvis we want students to be
us, but they're not us.
They come with their ownstrengths and it is not our role
to strip them of that.
It is to enhance what theybring with them.
Joel (15:46):
Well, and it sounds like too just helping them understand
that, you know, maybe they'vebeen underestimated.
Dr. Pruitt (15:52):
They have been underestimated, absolutely,
absolutely.
Joel (15:57):
Yeah, you know you mentioned there being a strong
sense of community at the school.
I know that you're also new tobeing the president in a way.
I remember you said in somewriting I saw that you wrote
where you said I neveranticipated becoming a
university president.
(16:20):
I guess I'm wondering if,through your work in education
though throughout the years, isthere anything that surprised
you or any story that stands outto you that was a really kind
of teaching moment for you inthe way that you view leading
education.
Dr. Pruitt (16:42):
Several, even though I'm new here as the president.
I've been here for 12 years asprovost and vice president for
academic affairs, and one thingthat stands out to me more than
anything is the caste systemthat exists in higher education.
(17:04):
And let me share with you why Isay that that exists in higher
education, hmm, um, and let meshare with you why I say that.
Joel (17:11):
Yeah, I'd love to hear more what you mean by that.
Dr. Pruitt (17:14):
Um, there are, in higher education, uh,
institutions that are consideredto be the flagship institutions
Uh, they're the institutionsthat entrepreneurs,
philanthropists, people who havemoney, pour money into those
institutions.
Then there are the institutionslike Jarvis Christian
(17:36):
University small institutionsdoing more, really, with less,
that people don't know about.
That people haven't heard ofthat.
We don't get invited to thetable.
That's one of the excitingthings about Fishing Differently
and that conference, and we'lltalk about that later.
Most small institutions are notinvited to the table with people
(17:58):
who have the resources toassist them, and so what we have
to do is find innovative waysof getting attention, and
usually and you're a person whoyou know about investors and
philanthropy people want to givemoney on scale, not realizing
(18:23):
that their dollars can go awhole lot further.
Ten million dollars to, let'ssay, Howard University they're
Howard University in the capitalcity, but ten million dollars
to Jarvis is like a hundredmillion.
Oh, yeah, right, because itgoes further.
(18:43):
With us, we could do more forour students, we could do more
for the university to enhancewhat we're doing, and so I think
(19:04):
that's one of the things itrelates to how do we help our
students to move forward at thesame scale as yours if we've
never considered or neverinvited in the room or at the
table.
So I guess that would be oneyeah.
Joel (19:22):
Yeah, and that's what I'm excited to dig in with you on
part two of this discussion.
Just so everyone knows we'redoing a two-part conversation
here, because what we talk a lotabout on this show in a lot of
ways is how people can and themovement that's really kind of
coming out right now on peoplebeing able to invest their money
not just into the biginstitutions like Wall Street,
(19:43):
like the bond market or any ofthese big things, but also ways
that they can invest that moneyback into their own local
communities, whether that's intolocal businesses, local real
estate, local housing projects,but ways to keep our money in
our own communities, because weall know shop local is great,
but how can we actually start toinvest local?
And what I'm excited to dig inwith you on part two here is a
(20:06):
new innovative way that you guysare actually using the
university assets to do some ofthat local investing and to
solve local social problems thatyour community faces with those
local dollars.
And so I'm really excited toget to dig in on that and get to
dig into more about the FishingDifferently conference and why
you, why that conference is soimportant to you to be involved
(20:29):
in as well.
So for all of you listening outthere, make sure to tune in next
week same time.
Here you can also listen on allof the different podcast
networks iTunes, spotify.
We are on YouTube now as wellas you know Stitcher, buzzsprout
, iheartradio, all of the rest.
So please subscribe, pleasecheck out Jarvis Christian
(20:49):
University and Glenelg Pruitt.
And until next time, rememberwe are each other.
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