Story by Starla
Pointer. Photo by Marcus Larson. McMinnville News-Register/N-R 8/2/2018
A poster
of Muhammad Ali is the first thing visitors see when they enter Miles Davis’ office at Linfield College.
Linfield’s
new president intentionally placed the poster in pride of place opposite the
door. Below, he put a display case that holds a boxing glove, signed by the
Olympic gold medalist and heavyweight champion of the world.
“One of
my heroes. He stood for something,” said Davis, who became the McMinnville
school’s 20th president in July.
Davis
said he grew up watching Ali’s fights. But even more than he admired his
prowess in the ring, he respected the boxer’s character.
“He was
willing to sacrifice for his principles,” he said. “He wasn’t trying to be
popular; he had a sense of principles he lived by.”
Ali, for
instance, was banned from boxing for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War in
1967. A conscientious objector, he famously said, “I ain’t got no quarrel with
them Viet Cong ... my conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some
darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America.”
He also
observed — as quoted by Martin Luther King Jr. — “we are all, black and brown
and poor, victims of the same system of oppression.”
Ali was
convicted of violating selective service laws requiring all young men to serve
if drafted. He was sentenced to five years in prison. Although he was released
on bail, stripped of his boxing title, he was unable to find work.
In the
ensuing decades, however, he not only returned to boxing, but came to be known
as an advocate for peace. Ali, who died in 2016, is remembered with respect.
“His was
a needed voice,” the new Linfield president said. “He was a good man, a
principled man.”
Davis said
he hopes to bring “that level of principle” to his new position.
“I won’t
be as braggadocios,” though, he said, joking about Ali’s signature style of
selling himself.
Following
a nationwide search, Davis was chosen in January to succeed Thomas Hellie,
Linfield’s president since 2006. Hellie retired June 30.
Davis is
the 11th fulltime president to occupy the office in Melrose Hall, which was
built in 1929 during the term of Leonard Riley; three interim presidents also
have used the office in the northeast corner of Melrose.
The
first African-American president in Linfield’s 160-year history, Davis moved to
Oregon from Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. He was dean of the
university’s Harry F. Byrd Jr. School of Business.
Shenandoah,
where he had worked since 2001, is, like Linfield, a private liberal arts
institution. Both schools have multiple campuses -- Linfield has a bachelor’s
degree nursing program in Portland in addition to its McMinnville location.
McMinnville
and Winchester share many similarities, as well, he said. And both have strong
town-and-gown ties.
Davis
said colleagues had been encouraging him to become a college president. When
the Linfield job opened and he learned about the school and its community, he
decided the time was right.
He is
excited about the new opportunity. But on July 1, his official starting date,
he said he was struck by what an awesome responsibility he’d taken on.
“When I
speak, I won’t have as much opportunity to speak for Miles,” he said. “I’m
speaking for Linfield College. I take that seriously.”
He said
he plans to speak less often than he listens and “observe more than do things
that make me observable.
“I have
an obligation to represent this college well. That’s very humbling,” he said.
“I have an extreme sense of humility. I know what I know, but I also know I
don’t know everything.”
Davis
said he views his role as president not as a change agent, but as a questioner.
He plans to examine all areas of the college with an eye toward what’s working
well and what will serve the college in the future.
“The
more we can leverage the great abilities and skills of the people here, the
more we can solve things,” he said.
He said
he also wants to preserve time-honored traditions. “Linfield has a great
foundation,” he said.
One
issue the school immediately needs to address is enrollment, Davis said.
Linfield
isn’t alone in that; sustaining and building enrollment is a mission shared by
colleges across the U.S.
“A lot
of people are questioning the value of education and the cost,” he said, “but
no one talks about the cost of ignorance.”
Instead
of simply adding up the cost of tuition, room and board, he said, families need
to look at college as an investment that will give students tools for life.
Surveys
have shown college graduates earn more than peers without degrees, he
said, and that Linfield graduates out-earn those from other schools. “You get
what you pay for,” he said.
But, he
acknowledged, Linfield is not the ideal school for everyone. Students and their
parents need to decide the best fit for them. If they’re looking for a quality
education in a small setting with personalized learning, he said, Linfield
would be a great choice.
Linfield
has a lot going for it, Davis said: Caring professors and staff members who’ve
been with the school many years; top academics that prepare students for
careers and further studies; opportunities for collaborative research;
innovative programs such as the wine studies major and minor; great athletic
teams; and a nursing school whose graduates are in demand.
With
those assets, 160 years of tradition and a beautiful, 143-acre campus, it
“almost sells itself,” he said. But college officials can’t depend on that.
“We need
to show what we do,” Davis said. “I plan to make a little more noise. I’ll toot
the horn for Linfield College.”
Davis
said he feels as if “all my life I’ve been in training to be in this role.”
His
experiences have taught him empathy with students from a wide range of
backgrounds, including first-generation college students and those who need
financial aid in order to afford higher education — the majority of Linfield
students, in other words.
“I know
what it’s like to struggle,” he said. “I had grants, and I had to pay back
student loans, but education was worth the sacrifice.”
He
continued, “I want potential students, who may wonder if college is right for
them, to look at me and say ‘I can do that.’”
Davis
grew up in an inner-city neighborhood in Pennsylvania. His parents ensured he
was exposed to a wide range of enriching experiences, including opera
performances, he said.
He
recalled that early learning experience in July when he attended “The Marriage
of Figaro” during the inaugural Aquillon Music Festival at Linfield. The school
provides many such enrichment activities for the community, in addition to
having a positive impact on the local economy, he said.
After
graduating from high school in 1977, Davis attended community college for two
years. He worked to support himself and his family.
He
attended Duquesne University, then earned a bachelor’s degree from Bowie State
University. He attended The George Washington University for his doctorate in
human and organizational sciences.
He
served in the Navy, stationed in Hawaii. That experience helped spark his love
of travel — he’s since visited, worked or spoken in 63 countries. From one
speaking engagement, he brought home a gift: A nameplate with his name in both
English and Hindi.
Davis
set the nameplate on his desk when he moved into the Linfield president’s
office. Behind it, he arranged books neatly on the shelves. A musical
instrument shines from the top shelf — he doesn’t play brass himself, but he
used it at a costume party when he dressed as the other Miles Davis, a jazz
musician.
He likes
to keep his shelves and his office neat, he said — ironic, he joked, since he
studies organizational chaos theory.
Now starting
his second month as president, Davis is looking forward to students flooding
back to campus for the fall term. He said he’s been impressed by the spirit,
curiosity and enthusiasm of those he’s met thus far.
“Students
are really why I do what I do,” he said.
He feels
privileged to be at Linfield — and to work in higher education.
