Professors Must Lead the Way

At the start of the pandemic, the day Seattle University shut down to in-person instruction, Dr. Quinton Morris, Loyola Endowed Professor of Music and Professor of Violin, was struck by an uncomfortable realization—professors were grievously unprepared. And as the day turned into weeks, then months, he watched as the roots of the current crisis in higher education took hold.

College enrollment is on the decline nationwide, many students are arriving on campus without the skills that were once common among first-year students and the value of a college education is being questioned in light of its cost.

On that first day of the shutdown, Dr. Morris realized professors did not know how to use Zoom and weren't used to teaching online. And most were not accustomed to building relationships with young people or people who serve young people through online portals.

“Look, we were in a moment of real crisis, we were in a global health crisis,” says Dr. Morris, discussing the topic of his Red Talk—“The Ivory Tower as a Community Bridge”—happening on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., in Piggott Auditorium.

Despite the chaos of the shutdown, Dr. Morris sees a missed opportunity in the pandemic that, years later, has helped lead to the crisis in higher education. “We were so consumed with our own crises that we did not as a collective turn to the community, specifically students in public schools, and ask, ‘How can we help?’”

Red Talks is an ongoing speaker series, presented by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in partnership with the Office of the Provost, that elevates voices at SU across disciplines.

Taking up the Jesuit value of meeting people where they are, Dr. Morris’ Red Talk will be an invitation to reflection, connection and action. He will encourage faculty not only to visit middle and high schools, but also to build enduring relationships that inspire and empower young people, especially those in underserved communities, helping them see themselves as part of the Seattle University story.

For Dr. Morris, the message he plans to share, one deeply rooted in his own teaching journey, is both reflective and hopeful. “What kind of students do we want to welcome into our university? Whose lives do we most want to touch?” he asks. “If we truly believe in their potential, we must reach out with intention, build trust and make sure they know they belong here.”