Presidential

In academia there are ranks or positions for just about everything. There are major divisions of faculty and staff, and each division comes with a million different subdivisions and many different ranks for each of those. However, at the top of them all is the office of the President. I’m not going to write here and pretend to know what all a university president has to deal with on a daily basis, but I can imagine that over the past 12 months it has been far more than it has ever been before. 

Over the past 12 months I’ve received copious amounts of emails about virtual course pivoting, cancelling classes, cancelled graduations, new schedules, covid protocols, sports guidelines, etc. And behind each of those emails was a discussed and thought over decision that in most cases was probably not easy to come to. With each one of those decisions came criticism, some of that criticism may have been fair, but let’s be honest, in this polarized and heightened political atmosphere most of it probably was not fair. In full disclosure, I myself have had my own criticisms about some of those decisions. 

In the arts we tend to feel marginalized a good bit, and in fairness nationally we are typically last to receive adequate funding, facilities, and faculty. I type this right now in a building that has survived 17 U.S. Presidents. This marginalization at times can make those of us in the arts feel a bit jaded about our upper administrations. But despite how we feel we have to recognize that at this time we owe them. We owe them our respect, our admiration, and our appreciation for guidance and leadership through an unprecedented time. 

Here at Southern Miss our president Dr. Rodney D. Bennett lead us with poise and resolve through a time unlike any other. From where I sit, which is fairly low in the grand scheme of things, he was transparent, forthcoming, fast, and efficient. He worked well with community leaders in government, commerce, and health and they together kept Hattiesburg as safe as I feel it could’ve been. Through his leadership the University of Southern Mississippi even increased enrollment during a time when many thought we would lose half of our students. 

I’ve written a lot about leadership lately, and in full disclosure it has been because I’ve seen some very poor leadership from some positions. With that said it feels good to do something to honor good leadership and great leaders, to point out the weight that some leaders must bear and to show gratitude for their service.

As a way to pay my own respect and appreciation, and to commemorate his successful leadership I completed this portrait as a gift to Dr. Bennett. 

This gift titled: “Leadership: A Portrait of Dr. Rodney D. Bennett”, drawn in graphite, drew upon several reference photos of Dr. Bennett in leadership. A candid pose was selected to capture a moment, unscripted, and unposed as if to be caught off guard as the entire world was at that time. While the act of signing, a metaphor for action occurring through the moment. The head tilts forward toward the darkness a universal symbol for the unknown while a light upon the head and shoulders helps to be a guiding beacon and a symbol of his leadership.

After meeting with the president this past week and learning that both the portrait and letter to him will be framed together and displayed I cannot help but feel a sense of pride and reflect on how my appreciation for him is returned by his own appreciation, a sign of excellent leadership. So with that I can assuredly say that at the top, Southern Miss is in excellent hands and has a bright future ahead of it. #SMTTT