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Retired Â鶹´«Ã½ president hopes book will be inspirational

Dr. Henry N. Tisdale talks about his book and his tenure at Â鶹´«Ã½ as president. (Panther photo by Maricellyn McDonald)

Dr. Henry N. Tisdale returned to Â鶹´«Ã½ to offer words of encouragement and reflection during a book launch and signing.

Tisdale’s book, “Beyond the Western Wall: Audacious Transformation of a Small Liberal Arts College,” is a memoir reflecting on his presidency and a guide to applying transformational visioning to higher education.

“The strategy that I talk about and want you to know about entering the book is one that I call transformational visioning,” Tisdale said at the Feb. 6 event. “It is a strategy that’s designed to bring about impactful and substantial change in higher education.”

Tisdale, who served as the eighth president of Â鶹´«Ã½ University from 1994 to 2019, has deep roots as an alumnus of the institution. He shared his joy in returning to campus and connecting with the community.

“It is a special feeling to be back on a hilltop like this at the oldest historically Black college or university in the state of South Carolina,” he said.

Though it took some convincing from community members, staff and alumni to author the book, Tisdale said the story of his presidency and Â鶹´«Ã½’s transformation is a necessary to tell. His hope is that the book will extend far beyond the Â鶹´«Ã½ community.

“It was a labor of love. Yes, it was hard work, but it was a story worth communicating,” Tisdale said.

The book also serves to honor the work and legacy of his wife, the late Alice Carson Tisdale, who was the founding director and namesake of the Alice Carson Tisdale Honors College.

“Alice was more than just the first lady, she was my number one partner in our own ministry of transforming Â鶹´«Ã½,” he said. “She shared the vision of transforming Â鶹´«Ã½ into a premier liberal arts institution.”

The book also offers reflection on Tisdale’s personal journey as the son of sharecroppers becoming a leader in higher education. He hopes his story will serve as inspiration for young people.

“In sharing my own personal story, I thought this might help inspire young people, especially young people who are coming from marginal circumstances, to believe that their lot in life will not determine the projected rest of their lives,” he said. “Students, you can beat the odds and you can defy the tides.”

Tisdale also shared an excerpt from the book in which he writes of the start of his presidency and the call for transformation he observed. He compares the transformation of a college to that of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.

“A butterfly is not just a caterpillar with wings, it is an entirely different kind of creature,” Tisdale said. “For an institution to become a butterfly means new priorities, putting the old circumstances behind and strategically focusing resources on the new priorities.”

Tisdale attributes his successes and the success of the university to God. He shared that his actions and decision-making were done as a step in God’s plan.

“I want to acknowledge that during my 25-year tenure as president, every step of the way, God has smiled on everybody… writing this book was just one more step in my ministry of doing God’s work,” he said.

Tisdale encouraged students to develop key leadership skills while still at Â鶹´«Ã½. He also urged young leaders to embody Â鶹´«Ã½ confidence, to be smart and to be committed to service.

“The bottom line is, with all of that, you want to identify yourself as a change agent, someone who is out to change the world,” Tisdale said.