Cleopas Samudzi

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Dr. Cleopas Samudzi is the present Dean of the Missouri Academy, and has been since February of 2004.

Education

Work History

Student Impressions

Superficially, Cleo is a short, tubby, black man with a short Afro and a Jamaican accent. Unfortunately, student encounters with him tend to be precisely that: superficial. Occasionally he might say something worth listening to, but he has a way of speaking that placates the listener with disinterest. He has an apparent lack of respect for any opinions that run counter to his own, and little to no regard for any traditions that don't fit with his vision of what the Academy should be. I don't mean simply to insult him; I have deleted several lines that amounted to no more than that. However, I have very little positive to say about the man. His recruitment efforts seem to be more effective than those of his predecessor, and that is no bad thing. I think he genuinely cares about the future of the Academy, but I do not like what he is turning it into. It was a refuge for students that felt stifled or impeded by traditional schools, but under his leadership it is becoming more a college fast-track program. I think perhaps for many, myself included, Cleo's administration is a symbol of the death of the idealism present in the earlier years, and his willingness to break so cleanly from past policies made him an easy target. Even understanding that, it is difficult to like him. -Chris Johnson, Discoverer


From the perspective of a student of the Class of 2010, I see Dr. Cleo much differently than described in the above comment. While Cleo is often criticized for his manner of speaking, every word is says is measured carefully before spoken. Never will he make a false statement, and he makes sure to adequately and fully describe what he speaks of. For this reasons, students may often get bored with him; however, I feel it is an indication of the massive amounts of time he spends considering the issues that are brought to him. It also shows that he has more respect for students than to simply ignore them or decree something without justifying it. When it comes to opinions opposite of his own, I would agree that it would, at first, appear that Cleo is initially dismissive. However, when you consider that Cleo has spent the past six years discussing with students almost every issue imaginable, it makes sense that he has established opinions. The key to capturing his attention is through formality and demonstration of professionalism: Often, students come up with a half-baked idea and rush to talk to Cleo about it, or have some whim they think would be best for the Academy. Obviously, most these ideas are shot down, and students are disgruntled. If the time is taken to formalize, prepare, and support opinions, on the other hand, Cleo will always consider the proposal, and is often times responsive. Most ideas he rejects, however, never make it to this point because the authors, during the formalization process, realize the flaws in the idea. As for what he is "turning the Academy into", I feel Cleo has accomplished much good, and is taking the institution in the correct direction. Cleo is working to make the Academy more prestigious in the eyes of high schools and colleges. This leads to having a more selective admissions process for the Academy (increasing the quality of students) and aiding graduates in the college admission process. The Academy may have started as a refuge for stifled, advanced students, but I feel that there is nothing wrong with its current incorporation of average students willing to put in extra effort to get a jump-start on college. Admittedly, this can lead to a high dropout rate (just look at my class! 59% retention!), but students should have the option. Eventually, however, I would like to see the Academy receive so many applications each year that we can run at full capacity, and still only accept the best of the best. This is the path Cleo is working ceaselessly to take us down, and I commend him for it. -Alum2010


To simply summarize Dean Samudzi as a short, tubby black man is not only patronizing, but also degrading and defaming of his character: firstly, he's not Jamaican, he's from Zimbabwe. Everything that I have to say is not only positive from a student's perspective, but also that of his child. I know firsthand that my father toils and works far harder than he should to make sure that this institution is an upstanding and excellent one, not only for current Academy students but also for those to come. On weekend mornings, he is undoubtedly working on Academy-related business, most recently being his efforts to plead with the state to not cut the Academy's budget. His tactics for dealing with people with differing opinions may not be the best all the time, but he always receptive for the opinions of the students. These opinions may not be implemented because he has a clear vision of what he wants the Academy to become, and I believe that his vision is that of excellence. The early idealism of the Academy as a "refuge" for high-achievers has by no means disappeared, but the program has ALSO become somewhat of a college preparatory program. The reason he was "so quick" to break from the past was because from the conception of the institution (he was instrumental to the Academy's being), he had an opinion of what he wanted it to be, but it was obviously over-ridden by the very first dean. He had a vision and a direction, and he is following it. Frankly, if you don't like the Academy or the philosophies of those who are in charge of it, there's absolutely no reason for you to return to a place that you so dislike. Honestly though, that is not my father's fault. He is simply a man who cares very deeply about education and the welfare of each and every student in this place, and this is something you will discover by just talking to him. Sure, he may have a few "irritating" quirks like being a little long-winded when speaking or seeming like he doesn't care about your opinion by being unwavering in his opinions (but if one would take the time to speak to him regularly, one would learn that he's a very open-minded and accepting person, or telling lame jokes, or saying "um" all the time; and of course he's an easy target, he's an authority figure! But I firmly believe that he has been nothing but an asset to the Missouri Academy, and as long as he is the Dean, he will CONTINUE to be an asset. I can, as my fellow 2010 alum did, only commend him for his tireless efforts (trust me, I've seen him falling asleep on the couch in the evening after having worked on Academy stuff for an entire afternoon) and as long as he is at the helm of this ship, I can only see greater success. I can only appreciate all that he has done for me both as a father, and all that he has done (or tried to do) for everyone else, and all I can do is thank him. -Zoe Samudzi, Class of 2010

Sources

Missouri Academy Staff Page


Academy Deans:

Russell Pinizzotto   |   Edward Farquhar   |   Cleopas Samudzi

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