Over the summer, we were delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Taiyon Coleman as our new Dean of Liberal Arts and Academic Foundations at NHCC. A few weeks into her role, we sat down with Tai to ask her some questions.
Get to know NHCC’s newest dean in the Q&A, below!
- Is this your first dean role and what do deans do every day?
Yes, this is my first dean role. In general, the dean provides educational management, support, leadership to support student success, faculty, policy and program development, the college, and other programs within their assigned purview within the college and within the larger system.
- What made you interested in this role and in NHCC in general?
In 2002, I was hired to work at NHCC as an English faculty member. It was my first tenured faculty job, and I worked here until 2006. I loved it! I wasn’t interested in being an administrator back then, but as time went by after two and a half decades of teaching at the university and college level, I felt like I could contribute positively within an administrator role. There is a lot of teamwork that goes into this role. We are all working to achieve the same goals, and I think bringing my experience into this role will help me serve.
- What are your goals in this new job?
I have three main goals. My number one goal is to work and learn. My number two goal is to serve, support, and lead; and my number three goal is to be a good team member and support the NHCC mission and student success.
- Do you have a proudest accomplishment?
My children are my proudest accomplishments! I have three children, aged 22, 14 and 12. My 22-year-old daughter just graduated from college, my 14-year-old will be starting 9th grade in the fall and my 12-year-old will be starting 7th grade in the fall.
- How do you like to spend your free time?
In my time you can find me, reading, (I am a nerd) and spending time with my family. They keep me busy! But I am trying to let them fly and do their own things. Now is the time for them to step into who they are.
Follow-Up Questions:
Going off proudest accomplishments, you also have a doctoral degree, correct?
Yes, I earned a PhD in English Literature and Culture with a minor in African American and African Diaspora Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin-Cities as an Archie Givens Collection of African American Literature Research Fellow. I also hold a master’s (MA) degree in English from Iowa State University and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities.
I have always loved reading, writing, and teaching, and I love the pursuit of knowledge. It is like the lyrics in Mariah Carey’s song, Butterfly, “Spread your wings and prepare to fly… So spread your wings and fly, butterfly.” (I love Mariah Carey) and I think flying is part of the human experience, we just have to spread our wings. Education allows you to fly. To work in the field of education, you have to be hopeful. Be hopeful, especially for those who thought education was not possible. Do not be afraid to fly!
Previously, did you have deans who inspired you, that you now look to as positive reminders of what it means to be a dean?
Yes. I have had the privilege of working with deans who inspired me, absolutely! They have also all been deans who were faculty too.
While a professor at St. Catherine University, Dr. Tarshia Stanley, (who is now the provost at Wagner College in NY), was my dean. Dr. Stanley, an Octavia Butler scholar, always reminded me that there are so many ways to be an academic and to always be open to change and growth as a methodology to best teach and serve. According to one of my favorite books, Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler, the only thing we (humans) know and can trust is change. Change is the one guarantee in life, and I believe that understanding, not being afraid of change, and embracing change to let it teach and shape us to better see and serve is a huge part of education.
At Iowa State University my TRIO advisor and the former assistant Dean in the Graduate College, Dr. George Jackson, taught me that, “life is where you get your education, and in college is where you earn your degree.” In college, I was a Ronald E. McNair Scholar at TRIO, and I can tell you that I would not be here at this point in my career without the support of TRIO. Dr. George Jackson, Director of TRIO, was influential to me (and so many others) because he showed that when you touch one you can make a difference, and I hope to do just that in my work and life.
At MCTC, Dr. Derrick Lindstrom also inspired me while I was tenured faculty there. Through my faculty and my administrative/committee work as MCTC faculty, I came to understand and appreciate how community college fits into overall equity. Back in the day for me like many students today, access to a degree (an education) meant life or death and whether I could eat or not. But over time, especially through my work at MCTC, I learned that education is also all about equity and access and that equity and access is relative to the unique identity and experiences of each individual student.
Ultimately, I trusted my deans and their leadership and mentorship, which I believed helped to make me a better faculty and team member. The deans that inspired me acted with integrity. These were leaders who cared, and they did their best and set an example.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
My book was published over the summer in June with the University of Minnesota Press and is titled, Traveling Without Moving: Essays from a Black Woman Trying to Survive in America.
Thank you for making the time for this Q&A, Tai. We enjoyed getting to know you and we wish you the best in your new role!