College President
DH worked hard through high school to achieve good grades, with a clear career goal. His journey took some turns through 3 different college majors until he found a path of long-term interest to support himself while helping others.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
DH’s father was a paint store salesman; his mother was a part-time, home-visiting, cosmetics salesperson. Neither of DH’s parents had attended college; if he did, he would be considered a ‘first-generation college student.’
CHILDHOOD THOUGHTS OF AN ADULT CAREER
DH aimed to become a broadcast journalist. He loved math, science and “Late Night with David Letterman” and thought it would be fun to talk to different people on various topics.
DH wanted a career where he could “just think. It seems like the greatest job would be to be like Socrates (Greek who lived from 470 to 399 BC, credited with founding Western moral philosophy) but you can’t do that anywhere.” (Editor’s note: Good luck finding a job where you’re paid just to think interesting or clever thoughts solely for your own benefit. And please let me know if you do! Note that being financially supported by your wealthy family, just to sit and think about and for yourself, is unhealthy both mentally and physically and doesn’t count as a self-supporting career.)
EDUCATION
DH was a high-achieving high school student, commended by the National Merit Scholars program. He was all set to go to a major university known nationally for its writing program, which was a logical choice for anyone hoping for a career in broadcast journalism. But, a basic writing course, in which he was required to complete a two-page paper every day, was uninteresting to DH and convinced him that he had chosen the wrong college major.
Realizing that he preferred physics and calculus to writing, three weeks into his first semester, DH changed his major to civil engineering, but that second career path also didn’t provide a long-term career interest for him.
“Perhaps”, thought, DH, “college wasn’t for me”. For a ‘fleeting moment’ DH pondered moving to Arizona to become a motorcycle cop.
DH eventually found his passion within a third choice of academic courses, earning a Bachelor’s degree in human development and social policy. Later, he achieved both Master’s and Ph. D degrees in sociology, the study of the development, structure, and function of human society.
(Editor’s note: Sociology careers in education include teaching, admissions counselor, and public health educator. Business and industry career opportunities include such jobs as bank representative, human resources manager, consumer relations specialist, merchandiser / purchaser, technical writer, quality control manager and market analyst. For those interested in research and ‘crunching numbers’ positions where a sociology background is relevant include statistician, data analyst, census researcher, interviewer, criminology researcher, market, and consumer researchers.)
CAREER PATH IN EDUCATION WITH SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO DUTIES
DH’s first post college jobs followed a path through the world of higher education: initially as a sociology professor, later as a ‘chief academic officer’ (usually the second-ranking education official after the college dean; oversees interdisciplinary units and support teams to promote student learning, teaching, research, recruitment of students with academic promise and related student success areas; other job titles for the same responsibilities include provost, vice president and vice chancellor).
In July, 2018, DH was named President of Union College, the first Black man to hold that position at the private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York.
CAREER SATISFACTION
Always mindful of his working-class roots, DH has advocated for diversity, equity and inclusion, launching a capital campaign that surpassed its $300 million goal nearly a year ahead of schedule, plus an initiative that would allow all students to participate in extracurricular activities.
DH plans to continue his work around race and poverty, in recognition of his parents’ dedication to their careers and support of his life journey. Said DH” It’s a long way from where I started. I feel very lucky to go from that kid who needed financial aid to a college president.
ADVICE TO HIS 18-YEAR-OLD SELF
“It’s OK to not know what you want to do (through high school and early on thereafter). Be flexible and try lots of things.”
The “DH” career story is based on a news article by Melanie Burney published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on 9/18/22
