When you first come into the office various higher education issues, I was with Dr. Orlando Taylor. He took me there to meet his longtime colleague and co-founder of the magazine, Dr. Bill Cox. As I listened to their wide-ranging conversations about the people they knew or had known and the projects they had worked on together, I was fascinated by their long-standing connections to one another. They shared a common ethos of advancing people of color through mentoring and training in their respective fields.
Over the course of our long association, I have traversed the field of higher education with Dr. Taylor. In one memorable instance, we stood at the entrance to the Graduate Council's annual meeting, where many people came to welcome Orlando. It was like a reception line at a wedding, it took hours to get into the room! Another time, I hosted an event at the President's residence in Santa Barbara, and my nephew, a speech-language pathologist, said in awe: “That’s Orlando Taylor! He wrote the foundational text for my public speaking course.” Everywhere we went, Orlando knew how to win the hearts of people with his scholarship and research, from his shy nephew to the president of a prestigious university. He had a dignified demeanor, but he always had a cheerful cheer and a bright smile.
Orlando had a long and storied career spanning over 50 years. He mentored generations of students and colleagues, leading to his long service at Howard University as one of only three black faculty members and the first black tenured professor at Indiana University. He considered it his personal goal to look after everyone's professional development. Almost everyone he met had a personal Orlando story. Most say, “He made me think I could do more and be more accomplished.”
Orlando was my senior advisor and served on the Fielding Graduate University cabinet. My senior team and I have been very fortunate over the years thanks to his guidance, wisdom and experience.
Looking back, there are three powerful ideas he left us with.
We can't do anything alone. Whether it's about university partnerships or advancing people of color in STEM fields, Orlando often says this. He understood the power of relationships in accomplishing great things. He accomplished much by spending time with others, truly listening, helping when he could, and being present.
Mentoring Means Influence. Through his dedication to personal counseling and mentoring, he has shown that one person can have a greater impact by teaching others so they can go on to do good work. He knew the power of his mentorship because he had a good teacher himself. He loved hearing stories about his mother going back to school and how it affected him. He was adept at telling his story in a way that gave him space to reflect on his own experiences.
Respect the good work of others. Orlando had a knack for appreciating the achievements of others and respecting them as broadly as possible. On one occasion, he gave a moving speech about the life and work of Dr. Marie Fielder, one of the leaders of San Francisco's school desegregation movement and a founder of Fielding. Sometimes he would send flowers to people for their joys, sorrows and accomplishments. He respected people. In a society increasingly divided by divisions, he was always thinking about ways to bring people together and recognize the best in each other.
In a more academic context, Dr. Taylor's most recent research has shown that education continues to be in a state of flux. Higher education in a changing worldThis book, co-edited by Orlando with Dr. Nicole Retland and Dr. Katherine McGraw, outlines knowledge and insights for understanding and adapting to the rapid pace of change in the 21st century. This publication reiterates the global challenges facing university leadership, how universities can succeed in a competitive environment, and the role of HBCUs. You can get more information within the page.
At Fielding, he will continue his work through the Marie Fielder Center for Democracy, Leadership, and Education and the Center for Advancing STEM Leadership (CASL). The Marie Fielder Center promotes research that addresses today's educational and social issues through innovative change, equity, education, and justice. CASL, an initiative of the Marie Fielder Center, was established as a joint venture in 2016 with funding from the National Science Foundation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP). It currently includes more than 30 HBCUs focused on research, education, knowledge translation, and outreach.
Dr. Taylor passed away in January 2024. Many would say there will never be anyone like Orlando again. My perspective is that Orlando dedicated his life to ensuring that there were many “Orlandos” in the world – people who had the belief that human beings can always do better individually, for each other, and for society. His last words to me two weeks before he passed away were, “Keep going. “I love you.” He said, let's keep going together in that spirit.
Dr. Katrina S. Rogers is President of Fielding Graduate University.