Black History Month is a celebration of the moment we are living in with a clear-eyed view of the groundbreaking paths that were paved by others.
From my position of leadership at a top public research university in the world, I hold in my sightline the leaders who came first. As the first Black chancellor of the University of Maryland, John Brooks Slaughter endured the hardships that accompany being the first at anything, so that my hopes and potential could be inclusive of just about everything.
Dr. Slaughter passed away last year. His legacy stands in a category all its own (“John Brooks Slaughter, trailblazing leader at University of Maryland, dies,” Dec. 12, 2023).
He was a Black engineer who, like me, rose to the highest ranks of higher education. I am struck by how similar our professional paths have been, while also acknowledging that it is still somehow rare. I hold great optimism for Dr. Slaughter’s legacy and what it means for building more Black leadership.
Long before I even considered the opportunity of becoming a university president, Dr. Slaughter was working behind the scenes and on a national stage to build the infrastructure for more diversity in STEM, academia, student bodies and ranks of leadership. He ushered in true diversity at the University of Maryland and everywhere we went from the U.S. Navy Electronics Library to Occidental College later in his career.
Dr. Slaughter was generous in seeking talent and offering chances to others. He did this for countless academics and scientists, but for me, it linked our professional lives forever. While I was pursuing my undergraduate degree, Dr. Slaughter planted the seed for my growth as his eventual successor as university president here at Maryland. He did this by awarding a National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering scholarship to me that helped carry me through my undergraduate years at Berkeley.
When Dr. Slaughter took the helm as National Science Foundation director, our paths continued to cross. I listened as he gave keynote speeches, always underpinned by a passionate theme: he told me that every place he went, he was told he was the first Black person to achieve any number of accomplishments. And he was building toward a world where Black achievement was so abundant, there was no need to keep track of first, second or third. He felt that excellence was everywhere and opportunity was everywhere. And this was how I came to learn that diversity and excellence are inextricably linked, but sometimes the missing link is opportunity.
This Black History Month, I honor John Slaughter for the opportunities made possible for me and other Black leaders across academia. I proudly carry on his legacy by leading an institution of higher education that is deeply committed to access and opportunity for every academically talented student seeking a world-class education.
And I stay mindful that with every scholarship awarded, we are making education possible for our next future leader in higher education.
— Darryll J. Pines, College Park
The writer is president of the University of Maryland.
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