U of A Online Ed.D. Helps Fuel Economic Growth in Mississippi Delta

Tim Lampkin built an organization to invigorate economic growth in the Mississippi Delta, and it was seeing success. But he wanted a stronger foundation from which to lead. 

An online Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Adult and Lifelong Learning from the University of Arkansas can prepare professionals to lead community change through many forms of education. For Lampkin, it became a tool in his work to create jobs and expand opportunities across the Mississippi Delta. He wanted to better understand adult learning theory, particularly informal learning, to further his goal of helping people in the Delta unlock their potential.

He already had college degrees from Mississippi Valley State University, Delta State University, and Bellevue University. But he wanted to explore more deeply three questions:

• Why do people learn?
• How do they learn?
• What do they do with what they learn?

So, he enrolled in the Doctor of Education program in Adult and Lifelong Learning at the U of A. 

"For me, it was never about a title or the status of having a doctorate; it's about showing people what's possible when they pursue learning," Lampkin said.

The program focuses on assessment, design, and implementation of educational programs for adult learners at all stages of development and all types of educational settings. What he learned helped Lampkin apply theory directly to real-world challenges, an approach especially valuable for professionals working outside traditional classroom settings.

 

Higher Purpose Hub

Just three years after graduating with his doctorate, Lampkin was honored in March with the Distinguished Public Service Award from the College of Education and Health Professions at the U of A. The U of A alumni award was the latest among numerous awards and fellowships Lampkin has received from state, regional, and national organizations.

The U of A award celebrates an alumnus who has fostered a caring culture and improved people's lives through civic engagement, community service, and volunteer efforts. Lampkin is the founder and executive director of Higher Purpose Hub, based in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

"We started in February 2016 as the Higher Purpose Academy, and our first official event focused on business ownership," he said. "Then, we pivoted to include a layer we like to describe as capital matchmaking. We deploy grants and help people get access to loans by working with financial institutions. Over the years, we have disbursed $1.6 million through grants, loans, and partnerships and created 400 jobs."

Through Higher Purpose Hub, Lampkin wanted to help other people learn, he said.

"Learning can be a liberating act when people give themselves permission to learn," he said. "No matter where you are, what you look like, where you're from or your age, learning can look different, and that's OK."

He believes that, by acting as a learning coach and an example, he helps more people succeed.

According to its website, Higher Purpose Hub is a regional nonprofit intermediary focused on improving intergenerational economic opportunity across the Mississippi Delta. It works with local, state, regional, and national partners to create impact and serves 20 counties in Mississippi.

 

Path Through the Delta

Lampkin was working at a financial institution in 2015 when he was asked to create a small business development and entrepreneurship initiative. However, his employer decided not to proceed with the plan Lampkin had developed, prompting Lampkin to strike out on his own rather than move into the loan officer role that was offered to him.

"I needed to be out in the community, changing lives, shaking hands, kissing babies, hugging old ladies, out doing work with the community versus sitting at a desk waiting for someone to call me, to need me," he said.

An article about him that came out while he was speaking at a White House meeting of a national rural assembly provided a boost. The Huffington Post story was headlined "Meet the Young Man on a Mission to Transform the Mississippi Delta."

"I thought, 'Whoa, that's a big responsibility,'" Lampkin said. "I don't know if viral was a thing at the time, but that was a viral moment for me. People across Mississippi and the South were reaching out, asking, 'How can I start my own business? How can I be involved?' Millennials were saying, 'Hey, I want to be a part of what you're doing.'"

 

Three Impact Tools

Higher Purpose Hub focuses on three components Lampkin calls impact tools: community education, storytelling, and grantmaking. In 2023, the organization started to really lean into about 20 mostly rural counties in the Mississippi Delta, he said, an area whose population is heavily African American with many households led by women. 

Workshops, events, and trainings focus on families, not just individuals, Lampkin said.

"We work in a collaborative way to come up with solutions to meet the needs of families," he said. "We are reframing these communities from underserved to underestimated."

 

Shaping Leaders in Adult Learning

Lampkin described himself as a sponge, a quick learner, and a deep thinker. He's been able to draw from his experiences to understand how he wants to lead.

"It has been a deep refinement of who Tim Lampkin is," he said. "What type of leader do I want to be? What impact do I want to have on the world? That's deeply rooted in my learning."

Lampkin said he sought a doctoral program that would give him the space and opportunity to explore his three questions. The late Kit Kacirek, an associate professor in the program, told him he'd found the right program.

"She was so supportive and also curious about how I was thinking about learning," he said. "She asked similar questions about me. I got really interested in different ways people learn. I was excited about the concept of informal learning and understanding that mentorship was a form of learning."

People don't have to be in a classroom at a specified time to learn, Lampkin said. They learn from peers in casual situations, such as a trip to the barber shop.

"I thought about my own journey, mentors who shaped my experience and unlocked opportunities for me," he said. "The fact that I had people to call, and they acknowledged themselves as my mentors, was tremendous."

 

Informal Learning in Community Settings

Now, with Higher Purpose Hub, Lampkin is listening to people in the communities the organization serves.

"Everyone does not have the opportunity or access to be in a degree program, but they are still intellectually capable of coming up with solutions, and they are able to reference lessons they have learned in informal ways," he said.

That's where informal learning becomes such an important piece of the puzzle.

A woman who watched her grandmother in the kitchen was not only making memories; she was learning in an informal setting, he said.

"It's amazing what our minds and bodies hold that remind us of memories," Lampkin said. "Somehow those memories morph into better or worse habits, based on the human brain's ability to decipher, is this memory something I need to keep as part of my way of life? People say you're born with talent, but environment also matters, maybe even more importantly for smaller, rural communities. The connective tissue of those communities lends itself even more to deep passion."

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