Social Justice and the Value-Proposition of College: A Conversation with Patricia McGuire

Patricia McGuire is president of Trinity Washington University, a Catholic women's institution in Washington, DC. Over three decades of leadership, she has committed the university to the service of Black and working-class women in their home community; Trinity's student body is now 90% women of color and 50% Pell-eligible. Pat McGuire is also become a vibrant, influential voice for racial equity and economic equality in higher education. Here we discuss Trinity's social-justice mission, the public responsibilities of higher ed and higher ed leaders, and her own personal journey.

Readings:

Patricia McGuire, "How Higher Education Can Atone For Its Long History of Racism" (Chronicle of Higher Education, July 26, 2019)

Patricia McGuire, "How Higher Education's Data Obsession Leads Us Astray" (Chronicle of Higher Education, October 27, 2019)

Patricia McGuire, "Colleges Share the Blame for the Assault on Democracy" (Chronicle of Higher Education, January 8, 2021)

The Way Forward is a production of Bringing Theory to Practice; to learn more about our work, visit us at www.bttop.org. Send us your thoughts—and suggestions for future episodes—at info@btop.org. The podcast is produced by Jabari Butler, and Dan Rudin composed our music.