The first inductee is one of our own- the current Dean of Students here at Auburn University Dr. Johnny Green. The 1985 Auburn graduate recently added another responsibility to his responsibilities- He serves as the advisor to the newly formed Harold A. Franklin Society, a group of African American undergraduate men here at Auburn that formed last semester. Dr. Green has been the Dean of Students since 2006. Before then, he taught in the Political Science Department. He served as director of Auburn University’s Center for Diversity and Race Relations from 2002-2006, and was Chaplain of the Auburn men’s basketball team from 1997-2006. He was a Community Renaissance Fellow with Yale University, and served on numerous committees, panels and task forces at the university, in the community and the Southeast. After graduating from Carver High in Birmingham, Dr. Green got all three of his degrees from Auburn- a bachelor’s in education, a Master of Arts in Public Administration and Public Policy, and a Ph.D. in Political Science and Public Administration as a Presidential Fellow. Dr. Green also played on the football team at Auburn in his younger days as a defensive back. We’ll let him explain his football exploits on his own time. He currently serves as longtime Pastor of White Street Baptist Church. A great role model for us here at Auburn University.
The second inductee ought to be an inspiration for anyone aspiring to be a teacher. Atmore native Mrs. Marva Nettles Collins became famous as the founder and headmaster of Chicago’s Westside Preparatory School. Mrs. Collins started the school in the poverty-stricken Garfield Park neighborhood. The Clark Atlanta University graduate taught in Alabama schools for two years and then in Chicago public schools for 14 years. Mrs. Collins started the school in 1975 and spent the next 33 years educating those in Chicago who otherwise would have no chance at an education. Ms. Collins applied classical education. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote about her efforts, "Working with students having the worst of backgrounds, those who were working far below grade level, and even those who had been labeled as 'unteachable,' Marva was able to overcome the obstacles. News of third grade students reading at ninth grade level, four-year-olds learning to read in only a few months, outstanding test scores, disappearance of behavioral problems, second-graders studying Shakespeare, and other incredible reports, astounded the public." She became so famous that Cicely Tyson portrayed her in the 1981 TV movie “The Marva Collins Story,” which co-starred Morgan Freeman. In 1996 she began supervising three Chicago public schools that had been placed on probation. In 2004 she received a National Humanities Medal, among many awards for her teaching and efforts at school reform. She has written a number of manuals, books and motivational tracts describing her history and methods, and currently (2006) has a web site and public speaking service. Following the 2007-2008 academic year, the Chicago public schools closed down Westside Prep amidst protests, claiming that their budget of $11,300 per student was not enough. The school charged $5,500 for tuition. But did that stop Mrs. Collins and Westside supporters? No. The school has continued online, offering curriculum and other educational materials. Administrators are also looking at other locations for a new school- but it's not known where or when that school will open. Let’s hope that the Chicago Public Schools find a location for Westside Prep, so that Mrs. Collins can continue her mission in reaching out to the unreachable.
