Summer/Fall 2002 (Vol. 116 No. 1) (PDF) - Spelman College: Home

What land does Spelman own and how didwe come to acquire it?The land acquisition project is something that is reachingfinalization. It’s not completely final yet, but we have asmall amount of acreage…east of the College’s campus,beyond Read Hall. We’ve been working with Atlanta HousingAuthority (AHA) in a land swap arrangement to acquiresome of the acreage that previously was a part of HarrisHomes. That is a process we’re working on with MorehouseSchool of Medicine and Morehouse College. When all ofthat reaches fruition, it will give the College some space sothat we won’t be completely landlocked.building opened. I was also here forthe groundbreaking and the sitededication of the Science Center.However, I was not prepared forthe deterioration of the neighborhood.I had been on and off campus,but I had come to Spelman on themain streets like Lee Street, Westviewand Ashby. I’d seen urban decay inmany cities so I recognized it immediately.That got my attention.What challenges did theCollege have to overcomefor re-accreditation, underyour leadership?The Southern Association of Collegesand Schools (SACS) visitingteam was very clear about areaswhere we needed to make immediateimprovements, if we were goingto get through accreditation – studentservices, the Science Buildingand some management processes such as registration.They cited us for not having a strategic plan. They hadcited us 10 years earlier on that issue. We were landlockedand they wanted to know what we were going to do aboutthe campus for the future. Well, I had to drive them downLee Street and show them what we were working on withAHA, and that we did have some options.Many thought we were landlocked beforeyou came up with this creative alternative.How did you see what others did not?Well, I had a lot of help. I also felt after I arrived on campusthat we were landlocked. I looked around, and I drovearound. Then, I talked to many people and I got pointed inthe right direction.I was told by someone who was very helpful upon myarrival that I should talk to Ms. Renee Glover, head of theAtlanta Housing Authority, which I did. I hadn’t been oncampus but a few weeks when I went to see her. A land swapis not an unheard of entity so we explored the possibilitywith her and she was very encouraging that there would besome opportunities. Now, it hasn’t been easy. It’s taken a lotof time. We haven’t signed the final document yet, but Ihave every expectation that this land agreement withAtlanta Housing Authority will be finalized.Former Spelman PresidentDonald M. Stewart was one ofthe presenters during the NAASCBlue Diamond Awards.Photo: James RobinsonWhat are some other key developmentsthat will need to take place to improve thecampus?All the buildings on the oval are under historic preservationdetermination. Packard and Sisters Chapel are among thenext buildings that are historic and already scheduled forrenovation. The Board of Trustees has already approvedRockefeller Hall for renovations. That will allow us to movesome of the administrative functions back into Packardand Rockefeller Halls.When you learned the Science Centerwould bear your name along with Dr.Helen Albro and Dr. Etta Falconer, whatwas your reaction?The Science Building will probably stand forever as themonument to my return and I cannot deny that, and that’ssomewhat overwhelming. Pride is not what I feel. Peoplesay, “You must be very proud.” Pride is not what I feel. It’sawe. It’s wonder. I never thought at any time during myassociation with Spelman as a student or as a trustee or asa first lady that I would have a building at Spelman withmy name on it. That never occurred to me and the fact thatit happened is really quite wonderful. … It’s really themost gratifying thing probably that will ever happen to mein my life – more than being Acting Surgeon General,more than being Deputy Assistant Secretary, more thanbeing President of Spelman. The thing I feel most deeplyabout is knowing that Spelman women now have a firstclass,state-of-the-art facility, second to none. There aresome research universities that would love to have a buildinglike that. That, to me, is a major achievement.In your first two weeks as Spelman’s firstalumna president, you identified someimmediate areas that you wanted todevote your attention towards. What weresome surprises?There were no surprises. I had not resided on the campus in21 years, but I had been on campus many times and I hadbeen involved with the College. I served as the leader of thealumna fundraising effort for Dr. Cole when the ScienceInitiative started, and I was on campus when the CosbyS U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 0 23