The Critical Conversations Speaker Series is returning for its third year.
First-generation college student, author and Harvard University assistant professor Anthony Jack will kick off this academic year’s slate on Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. in Room 2550 of the Mell Classroom Building.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Jack on campus to discuss his research on the experiences of low-income students within the academy,” said Taffye Benson Clayton, associate provost and vice president for inclusion and diversity, in a news release. “The continuation of Critical Conversations Speaker Series explores how our shared values of free speech and civil discourse are being both critically discussed and thoughtfully applied at Auburn University.”
Jack, assistant professor of education, is working to transform the way diversity and inclusion are addressed in higher education. His recent book, “The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges are Failing Disadvantaged Students,” looked to reframe the discussion around the relationship between poverty and higher education.
“It’s one thing to graduate with a degree from an elite institution and another thing to graduate with the social capital to activate that degree,” a statement from Jack read in the University’s press release.
His book was named the 2018 recipient of the Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize by the Harvard University Press.
In the book, Jack discusses two distinctly segregated groups. The first, the privileged poor, come from low-income, diverse backgrounds who attended elite, prep or boarding schools before attending college.
The second group is what Jack calls the “doubly disadvantaged.” Students in this group come from underprivileged backgrounds without the prep schools to soften their transition to college.
Although both groups come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, Jack says the former group has more “cultural capital” to navigate and succeed in college.
Jack is a junior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows. His work has been cited by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, The National Review, The Washington Post, American RadioWorks, WBUR and NPR.
The Critical Conversations Speaker Series began in fall 2017 when Ivy League professors Cornel West and Robert George, who have considerably different political views, had a moderated dialogue. The impetus of the event was to be a model of civil discourse for students.
The amount of speakers has declined each year since the series began. There were nine scheduled events during the 2017-2018 academic year, and there were three speakers in the 2018-2019 academic year. Currently, Jack is the only scheduled speaker.
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