Clarence G. Williams grew up in the segregated South and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at historically black institutions, where African-American faculty members mentored him and inspired him to pursue a career in academe. But when Mr. Williams arrived at the University of Connecticut, in 1969, to pursue a doctoral degree in higher-education administration and counseling psychology, black faculty members and students were few. He felt isolated at Connecticut, but one of the people he says played a pivotal role in helping him succeed as a Ph.D. student was a white man.

March 8, 2016 ・ From Chronicle of Higher Education