Navigating Change: The Podcast From Teibel Education

Last month, I had the opportunity to have my perspective tested. As someone that works in higher education, you might think that’s not much of a novelty. On the contrary — none of us is immune to cemented positions and calcified opinions. The NACUBO 2018 Annual Meeting was a chance for me to face some of my own, and I walked away with three experiences I wanted to share this week. W. Kamau Bell opened his keynote explaining that he’d been asked not to swear. As a comedian, he’s accustomed to speaking out in the face of controversy and speaking truth to cultural power. His pledge to us was clear: If I do my job right, he told us, I will provoke you, and hopefully not offend. That line, he said, is different for each of you. And push that line he certainly did. Over the course of his talk, he tackled race and class. With the majority of the audience being white, he asked us to question our role as those with privilege and even if we’re doing the right thing, is doing the right thing quietly enough? Does a silen