About the Report

Social Venture Partner members asked Dr. Joseph Silver to review the progress at Camelback High School since 2009 and confirm what they were seeing, a major turnaround in the culture and student outcomes. They also asked Dr. Silver to opine as to which of the many programs that the principal and SVPAZ had implemented were the most helpful and vital to the turnaround. Finally, they asked how to sustain and replicate the apparent success at Camelback High School. Dr. Silver visited Phoenix several times during his study of the outcomes at Camelback High School during which visits he:

The main focus of the three workshops was to establish a time line of events since Dr. Gestson had become principal. As noted in the report, after his review Dr. Silver opined that Camelback High School has been moved from a “failing school” to a “school with promise.” He was particularly in agreement with Dr. Gestson’s early efforts to change the culture with the idea that student outcomes could not improve without that improved culture. Culture in this context means safety and attitudes of students and staff. Download the report here.

The change at Camelback High School is real.

– Silver and Associates report, June 10, 2013

The change is real

Excerpted from the Silver Report, this document highlights the results of the changes made at Camelback High School. Download this report to read what the students have to say about the transformation at their school. Download Camelback High School Now: What the Students are Saying (.pdf)

 “Students are valued at Camelback High School.”

– CBHS student

About Dr. Joseph H. Silver, Sr.

Dr. Joseph H. Silver, Sr. is the Managing Partner of Silver and Associates, a full service higher education consulting firm. The firm has a fifteen year track record of assisting colleges and universities solve complex problems, accreditation issues, and developing sound strategic planning. Dr. Silver was an Advisor to the firm for many years and recently assumed the position of Managing Partner. Dr. Joseph H. Silver Sr. served as President of Alabama State University. A dynamic and innovative educator and leader, Silver was described as having the “expertise, background and vigor to continue the University’s important Vision 2020 Plan and its academic and physical transformation, well into the 21st century.”

Highlights

• Vice President of the Commission on Colleges at the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
• Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
• Vice President for Academic Affairs at Savannah State University
• Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Clark Atlanta University
• President Alabama State University
• Managing Partner of Silver and Associates, a full service higher education consulting firm
• Recipient of the leadership award from the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education’s (AABHE) (going forward, the award has been named the “Joseph H. Silver, Leadership and Mentoring Award” in his honor)
• Presented the NAPAHE (National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education) 2014 Award for Professional Achievement

Dr. Joseph H. Silver, Sr. Bio

Dr. Joseph H. Silver, Sr. is the Managing Partner of Silver and Associates, a full service higher education consulting firm. The firm has a fifteen year track record of assisting colleges and universities solve complex problems, accreditation issues, and developing sound strategic planning. Dr. Silver was an Advisor to the firm for many years and recently assumed the position of Managing Partner. Dr. Joseph H. Silver Sr. served as President of Alabama State University. A dynamic and innovative educator and leader, Silver was described as having the “expertise, background and vigor to continue the University’s important Vision 2020 Plan and its academic and physical transformation, well into the 21st century.” Over his career, he has developed the reputation of a transformational and innovative leader with great vision and principled ethics. He has sound strategic planning skills and is championed as a strong academic thinker who is well positioned throughout the academy and in the community. His work is recognized on the regional, national and international levels. In March 2012 Dr. Silver received the leadership award from the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education’s (AABHE) and, going forward, the award has been named the “Joseph H. Silver, Leadership and Mentoring Award” in his honor. Prior to the position at Alabama State University, Silver was employed Clark Atlanta University where he served as provost and vice president of Academic Affairs. He is credited with being the architect of the university’s new strategic plan and its implementation. As provost, he also has served as one of the leading fundraiser for the university. Dr. Silver was asked by the president to develop the reorganization plan for the university. After developing the plan, he led the implementation of the reorganization of the university. As a result, the university is more streamlined, more efficient, and more student-centered. He led the university’s successful effort to prepare the Fifth Year Report for submission to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Dr. Silver developed the following innovations while at Clark Atlanta University: the Global Leadership Academy; the Center for Leadership, Academic, and Student Success; the Friends of the Provost for Access and Success; and the new budget review process. Over the past 35 years, Silver has held leadership positions of increasing responsibilities, beginning at Kennesaw State College, first as a tenured associate professor of political science and later as assistant to the president and director of minority affairs and EEO officer. He served as an administrative fellow with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and was later named assistant vice chancellor of Academic Affairs. After serving in the University System’s office, Silver was appointed vice president for Academic Affairs and professor of political science at Savannah State University, a dual role in which he served until 2006. The institution experienced unprecedented growth and expansion during his time there. Silver’s depth of expertise and breadth of leadership experience aided in his success in the role as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Clark Atlanta University, the position in which he served from January 2010 to his selection as ASU’s President. After his success at Savannah State, Silver was named vice president of the Commission on Colleges at the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, where he helped to shape regional and national educational policies and issues, working with institutions across 11 southern states.  He also provided leadership and technical assistance on accreditation matters, supervising accreditation teams in evaluating institutions, as well as member institutions working to meet accreditation standards. He was the principal author of the Commission on Colleges’ “Diversity Statement” and quickly became a highly sought-after authority on the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). A native of North Carolina, Silver earned the B.A. degree in political science (summa cum laude) from St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C., and the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in political science from Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University). He also engaged in summer study at Oxford University, APS- Stanford University and the American Judicature Society. Silver is married with two children.