Of all the industries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education has experienced one of the most foundational disruptions to its traditional model, displacing in-person classes and a vibrant campus life for virtual coursework done at home. This challenge of translating the college experience to an online format has only been compounded by pre-existing social issues exacerbated by the pandemic. Facing financial hardship, many students, especially within communities of color, have deferred enrollment or been unable to utilize the tools that make at-home classes possible, like designated study spaces or adequate technology. These inequities that low-income students and students of color have encountered during the pandemic threaten to have long-term impacts on their education for years to come.

Join Asia Society Southern California for a discussion of the educational divide in the time of COVID, featuring Duke University president Vincent Price, Virginia Commonwealth University president Michael Rao and Howard University president Wayne Frederick. Each will offer his expertise on the subject, including how their universities have worked to advance social justice and reckoned with racial inequity. Executive Director, Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment & Sports, University of California, Los Angeles Jay Tucker will moderate.

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Speakers:

Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick was appointed the seventeenth president of Howard University in 2014. He previously served as provost and chief academic officer.  Most recently, the Howard University Board of Trustees selected Dr. Frederick to serve as the distinguished Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery.

Dr. Frederick has advanced Howard University's commitment to student opportunity, academic innovation, public service, and fiscal stability. He has overseen a series of reform efforts, including the expansion of academic offerings, establishing innovative programs to support student success and the modernization of university facilities.

Dr. Frederick received his B.S and M.D. from Howard University. Following his post-doctoral research and surgical oncology fellowships at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Frederick began his academic career as associate director of the cancer center at the University of Connecticut. Upon his return to Howard University, his academic positions included associate dean in the College of Medicine, division chief in the Department of Surgery, director of the Cancer Center and deputy provost for Health Sciences. He also earned a Master of Business Administration from Howard University’s School of Business in 2011.

Vincent Price is the 10th President of Duke University, where he is also Walter Hines Page Professor of Public Policy and Political Science in the Sanford School of Public Policy and Trinity College of Arts and Sciences.

A leading global expert on public opinion, social influence, and political communication, President Price came to Duke in 2017. Since arriving on campus, he has turned his attention to the future of the university, developing a strategic framework focused on five core principles: empowering people, transforming education, building community, forging partnerships, and engaging a global network. He has also overseen a series of major new initiatives at Duke — including a comprehensive commitment to anti-racism, continued strategic advancement of the arts, implementing next-generation residential programs, investing in Duke science and technology, and broadening and deepening engagement with Durham and the surrounding region.

Under Price’s leadership, Duke has continued to build on its global reputation for innovation and service. President Price also oversaw the launch of the undergraduate program at Duke Kunshan University, a unique, joint venture liberal arts university in Kunshan, China. Closer to home, the university is helping to grow the already-thriving research and technology ecosystem in the Research Triangle region and finding new opportunities for experiential and team-based learning across disciplines. President Price also oversees Duke Health — a leading academic medical center — and one of the most successful collegiate athletics programs in the nation.

Price earned his PhD (1987) and MA (1985) in Communication from Stanford University and a BA magna cum laude (1979) in English from the University Honors Program at Santa Clara University. Born and raised in southern California, Price and his wife Annette are the proud parents of two adult children. In their free time, they can often be found walking their doodles, Scout and Cricket, on the Al Buehler Trail in Duke Forest.

As president of Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Health System since 2009, Michael Rao, Ph.D., leads a nationally premier, urban public research university with a comprehensive medical center that is among the best in the commonwealth. VCU educates more than 31,000 students from 101 countries in more than 220 degree and certificate programs. VCUarts Qatar – located in Doha’s Education City – is internationally recognized for excellence in art and design.

President Rao has led strategic efforts in student and faculty success, research, serving the public good, and regional development. Home to a diverse population, VCU educates and graduates more Pell-eligible and first-generation students than its counterparts in Virginia. As one of the largest employers in Virginia, VCU’s economic impact on the state exceeds $6 billion annually.

As a university with the designation of “Community Engaged” with “Very High Research Activity” from the Carnegie Foundation, VCU’s place among national universities continues to rise.  U.S. News & World Reports placed 22 graduate programs in the top 50 with two receiving top placement. VCU School of the Arts is among the top-ranked schools of arts and design in the nation. The university is ranked no. 20 and no. 38, respectively, by the National Institutes of Health for addiction studies and neuroscience research.

President Rao holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida.

Moderator:

Jay Tucker is a marketer, educator and technology leader with more than 20 years of experience in the technology, academic and entertainment sectors. At UCLA’s Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment and Sports (MEMES), Tucker is responsible for the center’s vision, thought leadership, educational offerings and major events, including the annual PULSE conference and the MEMES Media, Entertainment and Sports Summer Institute. He also serves on the board of the Southern California chapter of the Society for Information Management (SCSIM) and speaks at academic and industry events, covering digital technologies and media, technology startups and other topics.

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