A Lifetime of Learning- Dr. Charles Slater

The only way to truly learn the operations and functions of the world is by doing. As Dr. Charles Slater nears the end of his time in the FERP (Faculty Early Retirement Program) at California State University Long Beach, he reflects on his long impactful career.

Professors are eligible for FERP after 10 years of service and reaching a certain age, they can collect their pension and begin working half time for 5 years. Dr. Slater is currently wrapping up his third year of the program, having 2 years left.

“It means that I just get to take extra time and you don’t feel the tension, the stress, the pressure,” Dr. Slater said. “But you continue to work with students and to do research and do service and participate in everything that goes on at the university.”

Dr. Slater began his journey with teaching with his time in Togo, Africa with the Peace Corps. He went into the experience with the mindset of gratitude for his life in the United States, between his parents, community and a good education. With his vast number of years in the topic of social justice behind him, he now construes his time there in a different way.

“Now I would interpret going to Togo a little differently than I did back then,” Dr. Slater said. “I started out thinking I’m going to help people, but I quickly learned that this is really a 2-way street. I’m going to learn about the people of Togo, and they may gain some things from me. but I was the real winner, because I was able to gain from them all kinds of attitudes about culture. the important things in life and to really live the adventure of being in a community.”

After his time in Togo, his career branched into the field of educational administration. He served as superintendent of schools in Brookline Massachusetts from 1982 to 1987, then in Alamo Heights, Texas from 1987 to 1995. He then felt inclined to teach at the university level due to the opportunity to immerse himself interculturally. The University of the Incarnate Word invited him to teach, which led to a professor exchange program in Mexico.

“That was a new and a fresh start for me to do something that built on my interest in educational leadership,” Dr. Slater said. “But it added Mexico as a place. and I got to know people in Mexico who are to this day friends and colleagues. From there, I was able to expand and get to know people in Costa Rica and then later in Spain.”

His time in Spain resulted in two sabbaticals: one in University of Barcelona in 2013 and the other at the University of Madrid. These two happenings broadened his depth of culture, allowing him to conduct research, interview principles and be truly absorbed into the lifestyles of the country.

“The part of teaching that interests me the most is encouraging people and really taking people who might be a little uncertain,” Dr. Slater said. “Maybe they don’t know whether they can do something or not, and kind of helping to guide them along, and showing them that indeed they can do this, and how.”

Seventeen years ago, Dr. Slater helped form the Educational Leadership doctoral program at CSULB, after successfully helping launch doctoral programs at the University of the Incarnate Word and Texas State University. The initial planning of the program began in 2006, and Slater joined in 2007, the inaugural year of Cohort 1. The most impactful part of his long experience with the program is chairing dissertation committees, 27 in all, helping younger students reshape the future of education to be more equitable for all.

The Ed.D. program has an emphasis on social justice causing many dissertations to explore different facets of equity in education. He chaired 3 dissertations in the newly graduated Cohort 14. Phirin Salinas focused on the early childhood education of Cambodian American children, Oliver Wang centered the benefits of virtual education post-pandemic for students and Anita Chatterjee wrote on skills vital for English learners and their implementations.

He chaired two international dissertations, both being standouts. Hawani Negussie’s dissertation was on early childhood development in Ethiopia, and she went on to build a school there. The other was Fabian Rojas, a professor from Costa Rica who came to the CSULB Ed.D. program and taught at the National University of Costa Rica after. Chairing dissertations does not just abruptly end at graduation, Dr. Slater commonly presents at conferences with former students and publishes articles with them— working hand in hand.

“One of the rewarding things about a career that lasts many years is you get to know so many people,” Dr. Slater said. “You have these associations with all of these people, and the richness of it is to create a network and to connect them with another.”

Being a white man in education, Dr. Slater has had to teach himself how to incorporate racial, gender and power dynamics in the classroom as well as reevaluating his own position. He recalls a white male presenter asking him to take a backseat with asking the first question at a conference.

“There’s a time when it’s important to step back, but then you don’t just step back and watch what’s going on,” Dr. Slater said. “You have to really be listening to what’s going on, and to step with other people and to kind of support the things that they’re saying, to ask the kind of questions of them that will move the conversation forward. So, I think it’s a realization of a position of privilege and it’s trying to use a strategy that advances other people.”

Currently, Dr. Slater’s passion project is working on a collaboration article with Dr. Stephen Glass and Dr. Devery Rogers based on Dr. Glass’s work as a high school principal at two different schools, focusing on his experience as a Black man and helping through social justice. As for what comes post-professorship, Dr. Slater is not planning on slowing down his studies of the world. This Fall, he plans to return to Mexico and is outlining further visits after concluding teaching. He wants to continue Spanish language lessons, travel and live within other cultures and be immersed in all ways.

“I think more than anything, it’s gratefulness for these opportunities to keep learning,” Dr. Slater said. “I hope to find more ways to learn and contribute.”