THE WORK OF

Much of Neighborhoods Without Borders’ work is done in the memory of Tendaji Ganges, an educator and community activist on behalf of all children. He sought to ensure equitable access to opportunities for success is available to every single one. Indeed, he acted to open those doors that were often inequitably opened or entirely closed, depending not one’s qualifications but rather on skin color, culture, religion, and/or economic status. Tendaji’s mission: Save lives of young people every day by permanently propping the door open to educational success.

After establishing his life’s mission at such prestigious academic institutions as Princeton, Northwestern, Norther Illinois University, Chicago State University, and Earlham College, Tendaji was enticed by then chancellor Charlie Nelms to bring his mission the University of Michigan-Flint. Little did Nelms, UM-Flint or the citizens of Flint realize the gift they received when this workaholic professional arrived on our doorstep and set out to ensure that Flint’s school children were inspired and supported to realize their dreams of higher education, careers of choice, and control of their lives.

Tendaji established the UM-Flint Office of Educational Opportunity Initiatives (EOI) to open those doors for K-12 students and college students. Many sorts of support programs offered by EOI prepared K-12 students for their transition to college. Other programs monitored new college entrants and holistically addressed needs that might put those students at risk of not completing their programs.

Tendaji was as active in the Flint community as he was on the campus, building networks across education and service agencies to reach those his office sought to serve. He was well known in the city’s service community for his willingness to work and his thoughtful approach to addressing the issues he and others confronted.

When a number of community agencies was unable to get additional funding for a service program they collaborated on, Tendaji said to the group, “We don’t need money to continue to work together.” Those entities that remained at the table founded Neighborhoods Without Borders.

Tendaji Wasifu Ganges grew up in Trenton, NJ, where his high school guidance counselor told him wasn’t college materials. An excellent, Tendaji did an end run around her and went off to Princeton, where he completed the Upward Bound Program. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, then returned to Princeton to run the program he had previously attended. He would go on to serve as the vice president of the Board of Trustees of Antioch.

At the same time, he earned a master’s degree in counseling from Newark State College in Union, New Jersey. In 1973, he began building and directing programs that reach middle and high school students, introducing them to the possibility of college as a pathway in life. He counted among his success stories doctors and lawyers, teachers and Ph.D.’s, and many other professionals, as well as successful individuals, parents and participating citizens in communities throughout the country.

Tendaji dedicated over 40 years of his life to pre-college and college level students by serving as a mentor, teacher, consultant, senior level administrator, as well as in a variety of other roles. During almost 20 of those years, he served as the executive director of the Office of Educational the University of Michigan-Flint.

He was inducted as a Nigerian chief on July 25, 2009, and proudly adopted his Nigerian name. “Tendaji” means “hardworking.” Scholarship programs in his name include a UM-Flint scholarship, the Urban League of Flint-Black Scholars Program, and the Antioch College Scholarship. Tendaji Wasifu Ganges died on April 17, 2015, leaving a lasting legacy of “doing something” in Flint to make the world more educationally equitable for young people. He was 66.