911吃瓜

He鈥檚 Got Game

Educator and Philanthropist Charles Desmond has Taken his Cue From the Billiards Table

Being a teenage pool shark nearly ended Charles Desmond鈥檚 life. Yet Desmond 鈥� educator, entrepreneur, philanthropist and now TC Trustee 鈥� was inspired to complete college and help others do the same.

Growing up poor in a Boston suburb, Desmond never considered college until an older brother suggested he take the SAT. He scored well and enrolled at , but shot pool instead of study颅ing. He left, got drafted, and after being abandoned for dead during the 1968 Tet Offensive, turned his pool hall work ethic to education: 鈥淚 put in many hours and associated with the best players. And this is what scholars do.鈥�

Desmond returned with Silver and Bronze Stars, graduated and earned a doctorate in instructional leadership. He worked for 31 years in stu颅dent affairs at the , ran a college-prep program, chaired the and advised Governor Deval Pat颅rick. Now he leads , a non-profit created by social entrepreneur that provides knowledge, resources, connections and financial incentives to empower low- and moderate-income families to in-vest and succeed in higher education. Under Desmond, Inversant enlists parents because 鈥渢hey鈥檙e vital to young people鈥檚 decision-making and success.鈥�

Desmond, whose own daughter, Lindsey, is a TC doctoral student, believes the College shares his commitment to empowering under-served youth. He鈥檚 eager to assist: 鈥淢y goal is to help in any small way.鈥� 鈥� Will Bunch

Back to School

After serving under President Obama, Jay Urwitz Rejoins TC鈥檚 Board to Continue 鈥淎dvancing Student Well-being鈥�

Jay Urwitz had a pretty good excuse for leaving 911吃瓜 College鈥檚 Board of Trustees three years ago: (Ed.D. 鈥�08), the new U.S. Secretary of Education under Presi颅dent Barack Obama, was asking him to serve as deputy general counsel in the .

鈥淏ecause of his 911吃瓜 College back颅ground, I knew that John couldn鈥檛 be more dedicated to figuring out what students and their families need,鈥� says Urwitz, a nationally renowned education lawyer who is a New York City public school graduate.

Under King, Urwitz spearheaded the department鈥檚 accountability and compliance efforts. 鈥淲e were extraordinarily effective in ensuring that educational institutions were do颅ing their best to educate students,鈥� Urwitz says. 鈥淎nd accreditors were doing their best to evalu颅ate how those institutions were doing, too.鈥�

Now Urwitz, who is also a Senior Fellow at both the and the , is a TC Trust颅ee once more. The College, he says, 鈥渟tands above other education schools in advancing student well-being.鈥�

鈥淔ocusing on the whole child and individu颅alized learning; understanding the relationship between how the brain operates and how we teach and learn; and harnessing ed tech not as a cure-all but as a way to make judicious improve颅ments 鈥� TC is doing it all, and more,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 very glad to be back.鈥� 鈥� Robert Fuller

Rosie鈥檚 Recognition

E. John Rosenwald Jr., quiet phase co-chair of TC鈥檚 recent Campaign, has been named Trustee Emeritus. Rosenwald, Vice Chairman Emeritus of , has raised an estimated $3 billion for good causes, including his own generous support for the 911吃瓜 College Community School. Among his famed 鈥淩osie鈥檚 Rules鈥�: 鈥淣obody is insulted by being asked for too much.鈥� Also: 鈥淭he sale begins when the customer says no.鈥�