Darrin Rankin:  

Darrin is from Marrero, Louisiana. Dr. RANKIN is a published author, and has presented internationally his academic research in China, Japan, South Africa and the neatherlands. He is married. His schools include John B. Ehret High School. He later attended and earned degrees and certifications from Loyola University, Syracuse University, Harvard University and Jackson State University (PHD). He works(ed) at Lone Star College System, Lonestar College Kingwood, Marygrove College. Darrin's interests include Higher Educaton, Politics, American History. Music he likes includes Fans of John Coltrane, Iamcelmusic, Temptations. Books he likes include Friedrich Nietzsche, Anton Chekhov, William Shakespeare. Movies he likes include Blazing Saddles, Purple Rain, Dodgeball. TV shows he likes include Discovery Channel, Saturday Night Live, Planet Earth. One of Darrin's favorite quotes is:""The moral arc of the Universe is long but it bends towards justice." Dr. Martin Luther King "The ultimate litmus test of the way a man judges your character is his own character." Dr. Darrin Q. Rankin "The problem with the anger in our youth today is that the anger has no context and it is not informed by historical perspective....so it's just anger....uninformed, empty, with no purpose, no focus and is therefore impotent and useless in effectuating positive change. It only perpetuates negative actions and destructive reaction." Dr. Darrin Q. Rankin "Music at its best...is the grand archeology into and transfiguration of our guttural cry, the great human effort to grasp in time our deepest passions and yearnings as prisoners of time. Profound music leads us--beyond language--to the dark roots of our scream and the celestial heights of our silence. " — Cornel West (The Cornel West Reader) "My aim is not to provide excuses for black behavior or to absolve blacks of personal responsibility. But when the new black conservatives accent black behavior and responsibility in such a way that the cultural realities of black people are ignored, they are playing a deceptive and dangerous intellectual game with the lives and fortunes of disadvantaged people. We indeed must criticize and condemn immoral acts of black people, but we must do so cognizant of the circumstances into which people are born and under which they live. By overlooking these circumstances, the new black conservatives fall into the trap of blaming black poor people for their predicament. It is imperative to steer a course between the Scylla of environmental determinism and the Charybdis of a blaming-the-victims perspective. — Cornel West (Race Matters) Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. Mahatma Gandhi When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always. Mahatma Gandhi The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. Mahatma Gandhi You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. Mahatma Gandhi". More about Darrin:"Introduction of Dr. Rankin as COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER. LSC-Kingwood May 2011............................................. Dr. Rankin's favorite activity is time with his family and ensuring that his three sons grow up to be "positive transformative leaders...and strong, positive men." Dr. Darrin Q. Rankin, vice president of Student Success at Lone-Star College Kingwood, is a man who has committed his life to serving others. The fastest and largest system in Houston, Lonestar College System serves 85,000 students with five independant colleges and several extended campuses...Those who know him best will tell you that he lives by the motto, “to whom much is given much is required.” Joining LSC-Kingwood in July 2010, Dr. Rankin has more than 24 years of higher education experience. He has served eight institutions of higher learning and has a national reputation of being a leader in education. With a tremendous heart for students, Dr. Rankin’s passion focuses on student advocacy and student success. He is regularly sought out nationally as a speaker for student-related and professional events. Throughout his accomplished career, Dr. Rankin has demonstrated a strong commitment to addressing varied needs throughout his community as well as the educational, personal development and enrollment-related needs of students, which includes assuring access and success for first-generation college students and students traditionally under-represented in higher education. In 2001, motivated by the birth of his first son, he founded AAIM, the African American Institute for Males, which has received awards from two mayors in New Orleans. He has authored and coauthored several grants for the UNCF (United Negro College Fund), the Teagle Foundation and the Andrew Mellon Foundation, which were funded in excess of $1 million to address community issues and focus on students’ access and success. In 2006, Dr. Rankin made a "surprise" guest appearance on the Montel Williams Show after successfully petitioning for the adolescent child of a mother, who was severely burned and attacked by her husband in a domestic violence situation, to get into college. Dr. Rankin's work and determination helped the adolescent receive a full tuition, books, room and board scholarship to the university...Expand for more