A group of LGBT presidents in higher education will come together for a meeting Aug. 6-7 in Chicago at the Adler School of Professional Psychology and Roosevelt University. Roosevelt President Dr. Charles Middleton talked to Windy City Times about the meeting and future potential of the group.
Windy City Times: Where did the idea come from for the organization?
Charles Middleton: I think that it sort of emerged organically from a series of conversations some of us were having one-on-one or in small groups of two or three. If you go back just six or seven years, there weren't any of us or just two or three, at the most. Suddenly we realized that there were more and more people that we needed to know and we thought maybe we needed to get together and talk about issues of mutual concern. Somebody said, "Well, why don't we have a meeting?" That might have been [ Adler President ] Ray Crossman, actually.
WCT: So, what is the main goal of the organization?
Charles Middleton: Well, it's not an organization, yet. Right now it's a meeting. One of the issues is, should we have an organization and, if so, to do what. That's an open question at this point; I don't think there's been any systematic thinking about it one way or the other. So, that's one of the purposes of getting together.
Remember, we're all college or university presidents, so we're going to talk about college or university things like enrollment and financial aid and recruiting good faculty and dealing with boards and how do you do your alumni development and all those kind of things that are related to our jobs.
I'm sure we'll talk about how we can support each other and how to do things. I think that there will probably be some discussion about where we can be helpful to other LGBT people who may be in lower level positions, but who might be aspiring to the presidency down the line when they have had more experienceadvocate for them and those kinds of things. But that's just Chuck Middleton sort of speculating and after next week's meeting, I'll know a lot more about what it was and I'm sure we'll have something to say about it that we've all agreed on.
WCT: What else will take place at the meeting?
Charles Middleton: The partners are going to be meeting to talk about an agenda that they have or will set up with regard to the issues that they face as the same-sex partner of a university or college president. We will, of course, have some social time together. Ray and Isince we're both on the board for the Center on Halstedare going to take them up to the Center and introduce them to that amazing facility and talk about how great the city of Chicago is, so we're going to do a little bragging. I'm sure that there'll be opportunities for networkingnot just for the group as whole, but within the group.
WCT: Why do you think there are so few LGBT presidents in higher education?
Charles Middleton: Well, that's a matter of some discussion. I think that, just generally speaking, the LGBT community across society, asa whole, has emerged in the last quarter of the century as a legitimate and recognized and valued community in more and more areas of American society. And higher education as an industry, like every other industry, has been slow to acknowledge at the very highest levels of universities and colleges that LGBT people have and can be exceptional and extraordinary leaders of those institutions.
WCT: What are some challenges that you faced in getting where you are today?
Charles Middleton: I think this is a terrific place; it's always been on the forefront of openness and diversity. So, my challenges here have nothing to do with my sexual orientation. They just have to do with the challenges of being a university president.
It's really a frontier that's opening up. We're going to brag about Chicago, and the LGBT community is part of it.