Dr. Stephen Perry, the University of Hartford, and Truly Inspirational Educational Leaders

It is still July but I have seen a few colorful leaves falling down in our yard in Amherst. One can sense the anticipation in the air of the new school year beginning. At the Isenberg School of Management we will very soon be welcoming our new Dean, Dr. Mark Fuller, and UMass Amherst will be welcoming its new Provost, Dr. James Staros, a very distinguished scientist, who is joining us from SUNY Stony Brook. With the anticipation comes the excitement about beginnings and renewed energy.

Last week, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I was in Cambridge to teach in Harvard's Executive Education program. After an intense lecture on portfolio optimization plus some extensive walking in Cambridge, which included checking out Professor Henry Louis Gates' house, I had an opportunity to watch CNN's special program on Black in America 2, which was hosted by Soledad O'Brien. The segment on Dr. Stephen Perry, the Founder and Principal of the Capital Preparatory Magnet School, in Hartford, Connecticut, was superb, and it continues to resonate with me. If you get a chance to see the rebroadcast, please do so -- what Dr. Perry has done with his school is amazing. All of those who graduate go on to 4 year colleges and the lives that some of the graduates have led and the obstacles that they have faced demonstrate what a great principal, teachers, and educational institution can accomplish.

What I found out after returning from Cambridge, is that Dr. Stephen Perry received his doctorate in 2008 from the University of Hartford, where my husband teaches! Please see this release for more information.