Walking The Talk In Harlem
When TC dedicated its Harlem offices in December as the new Edmund W. Gordon Campus, it marked more than the life work of an exceptional scholar and human being.
When TC dedicated its Harlem offices in December as the new Edmund W. Gordon Campus, it marked more than the life work of an exceptional scholar and human being.
"The importance of Teachers College having a true presence in Harlem cannot be overestimated," says Darlyne Bailey, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean. "To solve issues of educational equity on a national scale, we must first address them here in our own community. The Edmund W. Gordon Campus is about truly walking that talk."
The new campus is home to The TC Education Zone Partnership--the College's network of collaborations with New York City public schools in underserved areas; to the TC Reading and Math Buddies, TC students who work daily with children in four neighborhood schools; and to the Institute for Urban and Minority Education (IUME), founded and still run by Gordon himself.
As many speakers at the dedication ceremony in December pointed out, IUME, along with other early efforts by Gordon--the College's Richard March Hoe Professor Emeritus of Psychology--is in many ways the forerunner of TC's Campaign for Educational Equity.
"Fifty years ago, when even I was a very young man, Dr. Gordon had already founded a health clinic for the children in Harlem," wrote Congressman Charles Rangel, whose remarks were delivered in absentia by David Jones, President and CEO of the Community Service Society. "Where would countless disadvantaged children be without the support of Federal Head Start programs, which his voice and founding role established an educational foundation for countless youth?"
The 85-year-old Gordon remains an active force at the College, having recently taken on the role of senior advisor to The Campaign for Educational Equity. His fellow faculty members certified that fact through a resolution--read aloud at the campus dedication by Professor Lambros Comitas--to place an inscribed plaque in Main Hall naming Gordon an "esteemed colleague, superb scholar, man of vision."
"This motion, unlike most that reach the floor of that august body, will be passed unanimously and enthusiastically," Comitas said.
Published Thursday, Feb. 23, 2006
