By Melanie Duronio ’26
Features Editor
Now that the 2023 school year has ended, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s year as Interim President is complete. After a long career at Mount Holyoke College, she will assist president-elect Danielle R. Holley’s transition this July before returning to Atlanta “to retire again.”
Dr. Tatum first worked at Mount Holyoke as a faculty member in the Department of Psychology and Education in 1989. She taught a course called the Psychology of Racism, during which she wrote her best-selling book “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations about Race.”
“Years later, I still sometimes hear students I taught in that class tell me they are still using the information they learned in my class, which is very satisfying,” Tatum said when speaking about her experience at Mount Holyoke.
Dr. Tatum became Dean of the College in 1998 as a member of President Joanne V. Creighton’s senior leadership team and served as acting president in Creighton’s place in the Spring of 2002, at which point she was recruited as the president of Spelman College. She remained there for 13 years before returning to Mount Holyoke as Interim President.
In honor of Dr. Tatum’s service to Mount Holyoke, the Board of Trustees dedicated the Blanchard Hall Unity Center to her during a ceremony on May 5, She recalls it being “a delightful surprise!”
“Dr. Tatum has made unique and extraordinary contributions to Mount Holyoke College over the last 21 years,” Board of Trustees President Karena Strella ’90 said. “The space ties in with Dr. Tatum’s legacy … We knew we wanted to honor Dr. Tatum with a named space on campus and the Unity Center was a natural fit.”
Photo Courtesy of Karena Strella.
Karena Strella and Beverly Daniel Tatum stand in the newly-named Beverly Daniel Tatum Unity Center.
The Unity Center opened alongside the Blanchard Community Center in 2018 and serves as a space for students to gather and engage in conversations about their experiences, differences, and similarities. It also houses the MoZone Peer Educators, the First Generation and Low Income Partnership student organization and the SGA Students of Color Committee. Strella stated that it is “an expression of the College’s commitment to be an inclusive and collaborative community.”
“Having a space designed to bring students of all backgrounds together to engage in dialogue is very important. Colleges and universities need to do more to provide such opportunities,” Tatum said. “I am proud that MHC has such a space, and I am truly honored by the Trustees’ decision to add my name to it.”
The Beverly Daniel Tatum Unity Center will primarily serve as a space for intergroup dialogues, a University of Michigan program that “seeks to bridge social and cultural divides and effect social change,” as stated by Mount Holyoke. It was first introduced by Tatum as Dean of the College.
According to Mount Holyoke’s website, intergroup dialogues, also known as IGD, engage individuals through small group discussions about social issues. It aims to develop participants’ skills with active listening and purposeful sending, as well as their understanding of power, privilege, and oppression.
As Interim President, Tatum prioritized IGD. She hired Dr. Kristie Ford, a nationally regarded expert on IGD, as a Presidential Fellow to further expand IGD as a teaching tool in the classrooms and as a leadership and skill-building opportunity for students.
“I thought developing a course built around techniques used in intergroup dialogue would give students a very important leadership development opportunity,” Tatum said. “In today’s polarized society, there is even more need now to create this kind of learning opportunity for MHC students in our diverse campus community.”
Ford conducted focus groups with students and led professional development workshops for faculty and staff. As of July 1, she will be a tenured faculty member serving as a Professor of Sociology and Critical Race and Political Economy.
In addition to IGD, Tatum focused on building community and improving morale after COVID. She created events for people to reconnect, including a Walking Club and Yoga Class for faculty and staff to exercise together and a “Bright Lights” celebration for “food, fun, and fellowship” at the end of the semester. A Good Idea Fund was also launched for faculty and staff to submit ideas for future events.
She also emphasized the importance of showing support for students by attending art exhibits, concerts, and recitals.
“It matters to them if the president shows enough interest in what they are doing to attend their events,” Tatum said. “While it is never possible to attend everything that happens on campus, I tried to show up to these events as often as possible to let people know their work was valued and appreciated.”
Tatum also worked to highlight the “authentic boldness” and accomplishments of alumni through the “Launching Leadership” conversation series. Most took place at the President’s House with a different group of students and alums invited each week for dinner. She remembers it as her “favorite activity of the year.”
Other goals of Tatum’s included MHC further progressing on its major institutional projects. These include the Summit Project, Facilities Master Plan, Energy Master Plan and deciding on the New and Improved Mission Statement.
With the year behind her, Dr. Tatum is looking forward to spending time with her friends and family, becoming re-involved with the non-profits in the Atlanta community, and writing another book. In September, she will visit Mount Holyoke to celebrate President Holley’s inauguration.
“I spent 13 wonderful years at Mount Holyoke College at a pivotal time in my career. MHC gave a lot to me during those years, and I was happy to give something back to Mount Holyoke this year,” Tatum said.
Tatum leaves Mount Holyoke with this advice to students: to “stay hopeful” and remain committed to change.
“To be an effective change agent, you have to be in it for the long haul — it requires a sustained commitment … But without hopefulness, there is no persistence. Maintaining hopefulness is essential. … Always remember that change is possible, and you can make it happen!”