A pilot human relations program at Southern University

Abstract

In the clamor for relevant experiences to help predominantly black universities survive, Southern University launched an exciting, comprehensive human relations program. Motivation came in the midst of the student unrest in 1972 resulting in two black male students' deaths. Southern University's concerned leadership in the College of Education selected as a basic approach the Carkhuff Human Resource Development (HRD) model with Aspy's adaptations for teacher education. Implementing this model would enable the University to provide teacher education and human resource development in keeping with demands and challenges of our contemporary society-a society fraught with the impact of future shock. The model's rationale, developing maximal human effectiveness, parallels the university's philosophy and purposes. Facilitating a learning process is congruent with the total educational process. Built-in continuous evaluation we sorely need to determine the model's effectiveness in developing skills for living effectively as well as for helping others to do so. All of these characteristics of the model supported an enviable human relations program within teacher education which ultimately could spread throughout the university and general community. With such a program, Southern could model an effective procedure for other colleges to examine and emulate. Specifically, teachers in training would possess repertoires of skills to draw on in humanizing their classrooms. Through our program others from the university and community might receive help in acquiring human relations skills. This paper details the sequential development of Southern University's human relations program. The descriptions will include: the first graduate course, the human relations skills workshop, and the teacher education program which includes undergraduate, non-certifying concentrations.