![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/files\/2020\/06\/Black-Lives-Matter-FB.jpg\")
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Richmond, like cities across the country, has seen protests erupt daily during the past week. Although the murder of George Floyd was the catalyst, the intensity of the protests points to a larger narrative\u2014one of systemic racism that has marred our country\u2019s attempts to create a just society in which all citizens, regardless of race, have access to affordable housing, quality education, health care, decent jobs, and an equitable criminal justice system.<\/p>\n
As dean of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies<\/span><\/a>, I have spent the past week reflecting on how our School can and does contribute to such a just society. Education drives societal change. With its commitment to educating future generations of leaders, the Jepson School plays a key role in creating a more equitable society.<\/p>\n It does so in two broad ways. First, as part of the University of Richmond, the School embraces the University\u2019s values<\/a><\/span> of inclusivity and equity, as well as diversity and educational opportunity. That\u2019s not just talk. Richmond is among only 1 percent of universities nationwide that offers both need-blind admission and a guarantee to meet 100 percent of demonstrated need for traditional undergraduates. These financial aid<\/span><\/a> policies make it possible for students of diverse socio-economic backgrounds to receive a top-tier college education.<\/p>\n But ensuring access to a quality education is not enough. As a School and a University, we also must dedicate ourselves to making our campus a safe, welcoming place for people of all backgrounds. As was underscored in a racist incident on our campus in January, we still have work to do. Students, faculty, and staff continue to collaborate on making our University the place we aspire to be.<\/p>\n The second way the School leverages education as a tool for social change is through our curriculum<\/a><\/span>, which is laser focused on teaching future leaders the history of societal inequities and how to address them. In our Justice and Civil Society<\/span><\/a> course, a prerequisite for our leadership studies majors, students grapple with societal inequities both in the classroom and through volunteer work in Richmond-area nonprofits and public schools. In Critical Thinking and Methods of Inquiry, they learn to analyze and discuss complex issues, including societal systems. Students in our capstone class, Leadership Ethics<\/a><\/span>, critique ethical problems from a broadened moral perspective. And in Theories and Models of Leadership, they learn about different leadership styles and strategies they can employ to effect positive social change.<\/p>\n Our faculty members are leading voices in calls for social change not only in the classroom, but also in the broader community. Dr. Julian Hayter<\/a><\/span>, an expert on civil rights history, is but one example. In the past 48 hours, stories quoting Julian about the current civil unrest in Richmond have appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch<\/span><\/a>, CBS 6 News<\/a><\/span>, and USA Today<\/span><\/a>. By sharing his knowledge, he educates us on historical injustices and how best to move forward.<\/p>\n Education is key to dismantling centuries of social injustice and systemic racism. The Jepson School is educating tomorrow\u2019s leaders to lead the charge.<\/p>\n Photo: A Black Lives Matter protest in New York City in 2016, photographed by Nicole Baster.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Richmond, like cities across the country, has seen protests erupt daily during the past week. Although the murder of George Floyd was the catalyst, the intensity of the protests points to a larger narrative\u2014one of systemic racism that has marred<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":592,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75718,72439,75721,75722],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education-and-equity","category-jepson-school-of-leadership-studies","category-leading-change","category-leading-in-a-crisis"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/592"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1097\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}