Category: Wisdom
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Climbing ladders in life is supposed to be the surest way to more impact. For example, in universities, the ladder is mapped out with precision: start as an assistant professor, earn tenure, advance to associate professor, then full professor. From there the rungs shift to leadership—program chair, department chair, dean, provost, and if you’re lucky,…
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Recently, while watching What’s Next? The Future with Bill Gates on Netflix, I was struck by his comment that we don’t truly know how AI is teaching itself (!?). The idea lingered with me, and I realized that unleashing AI is a lot like letting a dog loose in your yard without a leash. You hope it…
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I have met many African Americans who are angry at Latinos for voting in large numbers for Donald Trump. The frustration is not abstract. It comes from watching a community that has endured the brunt of racism, voter suppression, and systemic inequality for generations now see another community lean into a candidate whose platform repeatedly…
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In August 2025, George Mason University’s first Black president, Gregory Washington, faced a demand that speaks volumes about race, power, and leadership in higher education. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights wrongly concluded that GMU’s faculty diversity practices violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. As part of a proposed resolution,…
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You may have thought I’ve been blogging too much about dictators and authoritarianism lately. There is a reason for that. Today, Donald Trump looked into the cameras and said the quiet part out loud: “Maybe people like dictators.” Are you paying attention? This is how authoritarianism works—not in a single cataclysmic moment, but in small escalations…
Cloaking Inequity 