97: A Million Ways To DEI with Esteemed Professor Kathleen McElroy

Kathleen McElroy was tapped to lead a new journalism program at her alma mater—Texas A&M, a university that boasts the largest student body in the entire country. Her experience included decades at the New York Times and a reputation for promoting diversity in the workplace. With fanfare usually reserved for college coaches and athletes, McElroy’s signing ceremony took place in the center of the campus not too far from a prominent former Confederate general’s statue—Lawrence Sullivan Ross. But the university buckled under backlash. A watered down job offer fell apart and was ultimately rejected after powerful individuals close to A&M expressed opposition over her previous work in diversity. Consequently, a forthcoming state law banning diversity measures at public colleges has only added more political fuel to a controversial fire. So did it take a million dollar settlement for regents to get the result they eventually wanted all along? Join us as I SEE U host Eddie Robinson talks candidly with UT-Austin’s Journalism Professor, Dr. Kathleen McElroy. She opens up about her quest for encouraging young students to pursue journalism in helping them find their own unique voice in becoming accurate, unbiased storytellers. McElroy also explores how growing up in Third Ward, Houston provided a sense of empowerment that would essentially shape her into the celebrated woman she is today.