WEEK 14- Non-Governmental Actors and Non-Profits

Some important leadership lessons from civil rights leaders (Medgar Evers was an NAACP field secretary in Mississippi in the 1950s and the 1960s before he was assassinated by a white racist; Douglas Conner was the first black physician in Starkville):

• Hard work and family support are important- Medgar Evers, Douglas Conner both had supportive hard-working parents, who instilled those values into them. Evers had worked as an insurance salesman in the Delta with workdays from 6AM to 7PM. Conner in his early days worked 13-hour days for 6 days of the week.
• Religious values can inspire people- Christianity turned Medgar Evers from an angry young man who had admired the violent anti-colonialist Mau Mau’s of Kenya into a non-violent activist; Martin Luther King espoused the non-violence of a Gandhi; Charleston church goers forgave the racist shooter, inspired Governor Nikki Haley to get rid of the state's visible display of the Confederate flag; non-violent marchers victims of police violence in Alabama inspired Kennedy to back the Civil Rights Act.
• Never give up motto- K.C. Morrison's book (Aaron Henry of Mississippi: Inside Agitator) showed that African American Mississippians had to take the lead to mobilize and fight to finally obtain their voting rights in the 1960s. Medgar Evers was assassinated, but he ended up honored by burial in Arlington National Cemetery (he was a veteran) while his assassin eventually was convicted and died in prison. Doug Conner's adopted son Richard Holmes was the first African American student at MSU. It took Mississippi African American civil rights lawyers over 15 years to force state officials to draw equitable state legislative districts which increased the number of black elected officials.

American public universities today receive so little money from state governments that they are like non-profits. One example of a transformational leader who led MSU into being a world-class university is Dr. Mark Keenum. Some leadership lessons he provides:

• Having deep roots in a state can increase concern for and commitment to the people of that state. Dr. Keenum graduated from Corinth High School, earned three degrees from MSU, and married an MSU graduate Rhonda. With a PhD in Agricultural Economics, he served as an Assistant Professor in the MSU Department of Agricultural Economics, was a Legislative Assistant for Senator Thad Cochran for 7 years and then the Senator's Chief of Staff for ten years. He helped lead the effort to ensure federal support for Mississippi's recovery from the devastating Hurricane Katrina.
• A substantive area of expertise enhances a university president's academic and public leadership roles. As a global food security expert, Dr. Keenum is the former chair of the  Board for International Food and Agricultural Development, a U.S. presidential appointment, as well as chairs the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. This helps lead the university's international research reputation, and enhances student opportunities for Washington D.C. internships and international study abroad.
• It is important to have a high-quality leadership support team. MSU Vice Presidents include (among others): a Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, who is a Distinguished Professor and is a high energy person who has spearheaded MSU and Starkville's technical research and economic development efforts; a Vice President for Student Affairs who spearheads a very extensive and successful student involvement and leadership operation thru student organizations and community engagement projects; a Vice President for Development and Alumni who has led an ambitious fund-raising effort that enhances the academic environment thru student scholarships; a Vice President for Budget and Planning who is able to keep the university's ambitious and comprehensive programs funded despite decade of a relatively level budget provided by state lawmakers; and a Vice President for Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine whose Extension programs serve the state's agricultural industry and whose 4-H programs provide leadership opportunities for high school students of diverse majors.
• Expanding one's job description can enhance the organization's mission success. Dr. Keenum's leadership class provides undergrads a chance to meet with other accomplished public leaders; his mentoring of the Presidential Scholars and other undergrads helps students, such as Truman Scholar and political scientist Jamie Aron; impressive undergrad students often mention a high school event that he hosted in the President's Home or his personal visit to their high school as decisive in their decision to come to MSU; his one-on-one talking with potential donors attracts many donations such as student scholarships.
• One's subordinates (faculty, students, staff) can retain Confidence In and respect for leaders with such attributes. (Example of an unofficial faculty "leader" successfully urging an opinionated Faculty Senate President to be supportive of such an institutional leader, and backing the university’s successful effort to stay open during the Covid pandemic year)
• Recent institutional successes that he spearheaded include: housing a U.S. Presidential Library (Grant); establishing a Phi Beta Kappa chapter.

Summary of 10 important leadership traits stressed in this course. This list of key traits is based on speeches by MSU President Mark Keenum (commencement speech, 2023), and Provost David Shaw (2019 job interview speech):

• Show Integrity
• Hard work is important, outwork others
• Respect for others; be open minded, see others' points of view
• Teamwork (we all depend on others)
• You need courage; you will face challenges, but believe in who you are
• Personal faith, God has a plan for you; impact others, make the world a better place
• Be Optimistic
• Focus and put your time into what is important
• Be flexible and nimble, as our society's needs are changing
• Be able and willing to delegate work