The school reports that Stewart is donating $100,000 to create scholarships for communication students and multiple enhancements to ASU’s communication department.
The presentation will occur during the Homecoming game between ASU and Jackson State University on Saturday, Oct. 8.
“It’s so important to give back, and it’s a blessing and an honor to be able to do that and help support the growth of HBCUs and prepare the current students with resources and an education to thrive after college,” said Stewart.
Stewart explained the importance of the funds mostly going toward the communications department for scholarships and other departmental and student needs.
“I’m passionate about supporting the communications department,” added Stewart. “Not only did it teach me the curriculum of my major, but it also was the catalyst to lead me on my path in the entertainment industry. Believe it or not, what I learned still impacts my business daily.”
The music executive, real estate developer, tech investor, and humanitarian graduated from ASU in 2003 with a B.A. in communications. Today he has been recognized on Billboard’s prestigious “40 Under 40,” Variety’s 2018 and 2019 “Hitmakers” list, Billboard’s 2020 “Power List,” and ASU’s 50 under 50 class. He is also best known for discovering and developing multi-platinum selling, Grammy-nominated singer Khalid.
Stewart said from his childhood growing up in Atlanta to his college days at ASU, he always loved music, film/television, and the arts.
“What I didn’t know during my time at ASU, I was becoming an entrepreneur,” shared Stewart.
“Whether I was throwing parties or selling CDs on campus, everything was feeding my soul’s purpose and my entrepreneurial spirit even back then. It all came together and put a spotlight on my true talent all sparked by my love of the arts, communication, and music.”
– Courtney Stewart
Audrey Parks, Director of Development, Office of Institutional Advancement at Alabama State University said that the university appreciates Stewart’s support for ASU students and his alma mater.
“We are very proud of the wonderful example he is to our community and young people. He is the kind of individual we hope to nurture at Alabama State University,” said Parks.
Stewart said he is committed to the advancement of HBCUs and plans to continue to support ASU scholars.
“This isn’t the end of my support for Alabama State. This is just the beginning. I’m so grateful that I attended ASU. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I made lifelong friends, and I was groomed to become the man I am today,” Stewart concluded. “I learned valuable lessons inside and outside of the classroom which to this day still influences me as the leader, mentor, and businessman I am today.”
Savannah State University and Grand Valley State have partnered to allow undergraduate students at Savannah State to eventually qualify for in-state tuition at Grand Valley in one of three master’s degree programs not offered at Savannah State.
Some students at Savannah State University now have the opportunity to pursue their master’s degree at a lower cost thanks to a new partnership between the university and Grand Valley State.
GPB reports that on Tuesday, the universities signed an agreement that allows undergraduate students at Savannah State to eventually qualify for in-state tuition at Grand Valley in one of three master’s degree programs that are currently offered at Savannah State. These programs include cybersecurity, criminal justice, and communications.
Per the agreement, there will also be funding for campus visits to Grand Valley, scholarship opportunities, internships prior to transfer, graduate assistantships, and industry-sponsored fellowships.
Savannah State University president Kimberly Ballard-Washington speaks at a signing ceremony at the HBCU’s campus, as Grand Valley State University president Philomena Mantella watches remotely from her office near Grand Rapids, Michigan. Credit: Benjamin Payne / GPB News
Savannah State vice president and interim provost Sametria McFall said that Grand Valley State is interested in diversifying its programs. “And we’re interested in making sure that our students have opportunities for programs that take them to and fro as they get to experience the world and share their talents around the world” McFall added.
“In this day and age, it’s just so important for our students to have the opportunity for additional professional development, additional academic development with little or no expense so that they can start their careers fresh and not under the weight of debt.”
– Sametria McFall, Savannah State Vice President and Interim Provost
According to GPB, the two universities are planning to add engineering and biomedical science to the agreement by the end of the current academic year. The agreement also will include full-ride scholarships for at least two Savannah State students.
“Agreements such as this are near and dear to my heart,” said Grand Valley State Dean of Engineering Paul Plotkowski at a signing ceremony held at Savannah State. “I’m a first-generation college student myself, and I went to school at the school I went at in large [part] due to finances.”
“No institution offers everything, but together we can open up a great deal of more avenues for success [and] opportunity for the students,” Plotkowski said.
Grand Valley State University vice president B. Donta Truss (right) speaks alongside Grand Valley State engineering dean Paul Plotkowski. Credit: Benjamin Payne / GPB News
McFall says part of the reason the partnership came to be is due to the ties some leaders at Grand Valley have to the University System of Georgia. This includes Grand Valley State Vice President B. Donta Truss, an Atlanta native and former administrator at Fort Valley State University and Albany State University.
“I am happy to be home, I am happy to be amongst family, but more importantly I am happy to be able to help students become more successful,” Truss said at the ceremony.
According to the university, the program is set to launch this fall through a $1 million initiative called Enhancing the Humanities at PVAMU. Its creation also fulfills a long-held vision of President Ruth J. Simmons as she made it a priority to establish an AAS program at PVAMU.
In a press release, the university states that “the new Bachelor of Arts in AAS Program will prepare the emerging generation of leaders to communicate effectively, think critically, research and examine any field of work through a comprehensive cultural lens.” The new program is funded in part by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, an anonymous contribution, and a matching grant.
CREDIT: THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE
“A part of the HBCU experience for many students is a journey to self-identification, Blackness, and trying to understand the Black experience better,” said Jeanelle Hope, Program Director and Associate Professor of African American Studies. “It [African American Studies] provides students with the language to understand the world around them and an opportunity to engage key theories, concepts and methods that seek to make sense of the Black experience and amplify our narratives.”
Establishing this program is a huge accomplishment for PVAMU, as many HBCUs don’t have an AAS program.
According to the university, in 2020, over 1,200 graduates earned a degree in African American and Black studies, with the top producing universities being Yale, the University of Florida, and the University of California-Los Angeles. Only a handful of HBCUs have AAS programs, including Morehouse College and Howard, Florida A&M, Morgan State, and Claflin Universities, to name a few.
Sophomore biology major Jalen Elrod attended a majority white high school and was shocked to discover that PVAMU didn’t have an AAS program when she first enrolled. “It’s significant that Black students learn about our history at our HBCUs because it’s often bent and changed to fit other narratives in today’s social climate,” she said.
Dr. Hope expects the program to attract students interested in culture, history, and social justice but believes every student could benefit from taking an AAS course.
“African American studies differs from other disciplines because it’s about our lived experience, so it feels familiar. But there’s a lot that students don’t know about the Black experience across the diaspora, history, space, and time,” said Hope.
Hampton University announced that the Foundation for Grammy awarding-winning artist Missy Elliott has provided a gift of $20,000 to fund a new, current-use scholarship for the Atlanta Chapter of the National Hampton Alumni Association (NHAA).
“Missy Elliott hails from Portsmouth Virginia, and we thought it fitting that her contribution allowed us to fund this important scholarship for students. We are so excited to able to help students with the funding this contribution will allow,” said George White, President of the Atlanta NHAA Chapter.
The national NHAA President, Willie Williams, said, “We have embarked on a 12-month effort to raise funds for students who are unable to get their tuition and other fees covered. We call it our Gap Funding scholarship. Without help from generous donors, our students would be unable to remain at Hampton and; therefore, in many cases, would be unable to complete their college education. We will be forever grateful to Ms. Elliott and her foundation for their support.”
An event was held earlier this year and proceeds from that event are also being put toward the new Atlanta Chapter’s Current Use Scholarship fund
The Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris is set to address students and faculty at South Carolina State University’s Fall Convocation on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
The Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris addressed students and faculty at South Carolina State University’s Fall Convocation on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Harris was accompanied by US Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to welcome the largest freshman class in 15 years to the campus of SC State in Orangeburg. This comes just months after President Joe Biden delivered the commencement speech at SC State in December 2021.
This is also Harris’ third time visiting South Carolina since taking office in 2020. She visited the Greenville-Spartanburg area in June 2021 and was in Columbia for a fundraiser for the SC Democratic Party in June 2022.
“South Carolina State University is honored to welcome Vice President Harris back to our campus,” SC State President Alexander Conyers said.
“Her visit is a golden opportunity for our students to hear directly from the highest-ranking woman in this nation’s history. Her achievements are motivational for all of us at SC State, especially for our young minority women” Conyers continued.
Since Tuesday was National Voter Registration Day, the Vice President delivered remarks on the importance of participating in the election process and making one’s voice heard when it comes to causes like climate control, women’s rights, and gun violence.
“Your vote is your voice and we need your voice, we need you to lead America forward and President Biden and I will be with you every step of the way.”
– Vice President Kamala Harris
“You are students united by the pursuit of excellence,” she said. “There is no barrier that you can not break, so as Vice President of the United States to seize on that. In this moment our nation needs your leadership,” Harris said in her address.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona also spoke on how the administration is working to enhance and support HBCUs. “That’s why for us investing in HBCUs including infrastructure and research capacity is a priority for the Biden- Harris team,” he said.
Harris also held a roundtable discussion about mental health and other issues important to young Americans with students at Claflin University during her South Carolina trip.
The Vice President continues to make stops as national HBCU week kicks off hoping to encourage high school students to enroll.
The Atlanta Daily World reports that The Painted House, co-founded by Rapper, Ja Rule, and his business partner Herb Rice, is donating $25,000 from initial sales of its first NFT project Black is Beautiful to select HBCU partners.
The Atlanta Daily World reports that The Painted House, co-founded by Rapper, Ja Rule, and his business partner Herb Rice, is donating $25,000 from initial sales of its first NFT project Black is Beautiful to select HBCU partners.
The Painted House hosted its first check presentation, donating $10,000 to Morehouse College for their “Morehouse in the Metaverse” initiative.
The donation presentation happened during HBCU NY week at the “On The Yard,” A Celebration of the Black is Beautiful NFT project by artist Nick Davis event hosted by The House of First and The Painted House. Taking place at Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club, it consisted of a digital art exhibit showcasing the Black is Beautiful NFT art on all 8 large screen TVs in the Jay Z suite of the club.
In partnership with House of First, The Painted House’s project Black is Beautiful features 1,000 unique, one-of-one collectible NFTs that depict the raw emotions of Black Americans navigating both the joys and struggles of everyday life in America.
According to The Atlanta Daily World, The Painted House has vowed to support HBCUs to further help communities of color with access, education, and insights to empower the next generations of creative minds. Additionally, ten percent of secondary sales will be allocated to an HBCU impact fund which will be selected by community voting and community proposals.
Warrick said she’s looking forward to relaxing and spending more time with family, especially her grandchildren. She plans to return to her hometown of San Antonio, Texas.
“I … didn’t expect to be here this long,” Warrick said during a news conference to announce her plans. “But you know, the job called me, God called me and we were able to accomplish miracles. Believe me, we were able to accomplish a lot in a short period of time … I’m ready to pass the torch on to the next person to take up the race.”
Warrick was originally appointed as an interim president but said the role began to feel like a mission she was called to fulfill, The Tuscaloosa News reported. She became Stillman’s seventh president in April 2017. At the time the college faced many financial and academic challenges.
“I was tasked with a real challenge, and my husband’s a finance guy and he said, ‘You’ll be home in three months.’ It was just that bad,” Warrick said. “But I figured God didn’t send me here to close the college down. And we were going to do what we had to do, to make sure that the college was going to be strong again and flourish. And now, after five and a half years, we’re there.”
According to a news release, Stillman is now debt-free after $40 million of debt has been either paid off or forgiven under her leadership.
“The college has gone through some very rocky times and she has been the anchor that has kept us on track. She has raised the brand of the institution and enhanced the college’s reputation,” said Donald Comer, chair of the school’s board.
Warrick has held various positions in higher learning prior to her tenure at Stillman
She was named Interim President for both South Carolina State University and Grambling State University. She has also served as Assistant Professor in the Division of Management, Policy, and Community Health at the University of Texas School of Public Health, Center for Health, Promotion and Prevention Research, and then Associate Professor and Director of Environmental and Occupational Health at Florida A&M University. She also served at Elizabeth City State University as a Tenured Full Professor of Pharmacy, Dean, and Chief Research Officer.
Warrick was then appointed a Senior Fellow at the Howard University School of Pharmacy, Center for Minority Health Services Research, and was elected county-wide to the Board of Trustees of the Alamo Colleges where she served as Vice-Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee.
Prior to entering the field of higher education, Warrick had an illustrious career as a pharmacist and health services researcher. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Howard University and is a Registered Pharmacist in Texas and Indiana. She earned a Master of Science in Public Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University.
Warrick said she will continue to play a role at Stillman after her departure and cherishes the memories she made there.
“I will cherish the outpouring of support from the local community, the state and the alumni that has contributed to the success that we have achieved during my tenure,” Warrick said. “Stillman is now a place where a new president can build on the teaching, research and the community service that we established in the past five years.”
The HBCU Founders Initiative (HBCUFI), a nonprofit organization committed to supporting HBCU entrepreneurs and their businesses, launched the Look Book in early July.
The HBCUFI Look Book is a first-of-its-kind database that showcases HBCU student or alum-founded startups to investors. The goal is to make it easier for investors to discover the diverse talent coming out of HBCUs and for companies to promote their business to investors from all over the world.
HBCUFI’s President and Nex Cubed CEO Marlon Evans
The database is composed of the company’s name, summary, industry, funding stage, funding history, the amount raised, website, founder names, and LinkedIn profile for investors to see.
Marlon Evans, President of HBCUFI says that they are encouraging all companies founded by an HBCU student or alum to join the HBCU Look Book. “Whether they’re a Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, B, or C Company, I think it’s important for all of those companies to be reflected,” said Evans. He’s looking to shift the mindset of the investor community around what’s possible for HBCU-led companies. “If we can show, hey, look at these four or five companies led by HBCU founders that are now raising Series C rounds, that gives a level of comfort when they [investors] see another HBCU group come to them.”
The Look Book is an extension of HBCUFI’s work supporting HBCU founders on their entrepreneurial journey. HBCUFI supports HBCU founders by offering programs, events, and financial and advisory resources.
HBCUFI partnered with seven HBCUs for the first time for their new Fall and Spring Pre-Accelerator program. Students from Elizabeth City State University, Spelman College, Prairie View A&M University, Morgan State University, and North Carolina A&T University have the opportunity to complete an eight-week program designed to help them build their businesses. At the end of the program, students will be eligible to receive non-dilutive program awards in support of MVP development. Students and alumni who didn’t attend one of the seven participating universities will be able to participate in a Fall-only virtual accelerator.
Evans details the hands-on approach the organization takes to help the participants be successful in building their businesses. “The founders come to us with an idea and we help them think about their go-to-market strategy, customer acquisition and discovery, how they’re going to raise capital, and milestones they need to hit in order to raise money from different investors.”
Evans advises blossoming HBCU entrepreneur students to join the accelerator programs and to take a chance on their business idea. “I just think as a student, that’s the best time to explore, see what’s possible, it’s a great experience, you’ll learn a lot in terms of just that entrepreneurial mindset,” Evans said. “If you have an idea, give it a go. Try to flesh it out and see where you can take it.”
Talladega College has added two award-winning leaders to its coaching staff. Junior Noel has been named head soccer coach and Tim King has been named golf coach.
Talladega College has added two award-winning leaders to its coaching staff. Junior Noel has been named head soccer coach and Tim King has been named golf coach.
“Coach King and Coach Noel have a wealth of experience, outstanding credentials, and a proven ability to bring out the best in student-athletes. In addition to helping teams win on the playing field, they are committed to developing future leaders who are equipped to excel in life,” said Talladega College Vice President and Athletic Director Michael Grant. “They have both been recognized for fostering academic success while simultaneously achieving impressive conference results.”
Head Coach Junior Noel is a former international soccer player and brings over 20 years of coaching experience to Talladega. He previously served as head women’s soccer coach at Alcorn State University, where he led the team to a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) tournament appearance. Prior to joining Alcorn State, he was head men’s and women’s soccer coach at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. At Copiah-Lincoln, he led the women’s soccer team to a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Academic Team Honorable Mention.
Coach Noel immigrated from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in 1994 when the University of Mobile awarded him a soccer scholarship. There he served as team captain and helped lead the Rams to a four-year composite record of 64-21-4 with three national tournament appearances. He capped off his collegiate career by collecting Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year plaudits and was drafted Number 3 in the A-League draft by the Hampton Road Mariners.
At the University of Mobile, Coach Noel obtained a bachelor’s degree in marketing/general business administration from the University of Mobile. He also earned an English FA Coaching Certificate. After graduating he played professionally in Virginia, Kentucky, and Mississippi before beginning his coaching career.
As for award-winning golf instructor Tim King, he has an extensive coaching background that includes three seasons at Martin Methodist College. In his first two seasons at Martin Methodist, his teams finished in the top 5 eight times. In his first season, the men’s team finished second in the Southern States Athletic Conference Championship. At the time, this was the best conference championship finish in the program’s history.
Coach King is also the co-founder and executive director of North Alabama Junior Golf Association and the founder of NextGen Golf and Sports Management, a collegiate golf recruiting consulting company. He has been a member of the PGA of America since 1999 and is PGA American Development Model Certified (ADM) and PGA Modern Coach Certified. He is also a US Kids Level 1 Certified Coach and a member of the Positive Coaching Alliance. His junior golf experience includes the First Tee Gulf Coast where he served as the tournament director for the Greater Pensacola Junior Golf Association and was responsible for overseeing the Bubba Watson Divot Derby and the A. Downing Grey Cup events.
Coach King is a past recipient of the PGA Dixie Section Junior Golf Leader of the Year Award and Favorite Teaching Professional by the readers of the Tennessee Valley Golf News. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Athens State University and an MBA in sports management and leadership from Northcentral University.
Tougaloo College is set to receive $420,000 from the federal government to support campus security and the mental health of students and faculty in response to this year’s nationwide bomb threats targeting HBCUs.
Tougaloo College is set to receive $420,000 from the federal government to support campus security and the mental health of students and faculty in response to this year’s nationwide bomb threats targeting HBCUs.
Mississippi Today reports that the funding will come from a U.S. Department of Education initiative called Project SERV, or “School Emergency Response to Violence,” which provides short-term support to educational entities that have experienced a traumatic event.
Tougaloo is receiving much more than the original amount promised by the department when applications opened in March. Originally, it said grants would range from $50,000 to $150,000, but Tougaloo will receive nearly half a million dollars for a year’s worth of additional staff.
Schenika Harrison, a special projects director who applied for the grant, said the funds will cover two trauma therapists to help counsel students whose mental health was affected by the threats, three security officers to help patrol the 500 wooded acres of campus, and about 20 adjuncts to make it easier for faculty to take mental health days.
Carmen Walters, Tougaloo’s president many people on campus still struggle with “the shock and trauma of dealing with bomb threats at 4 o’clock in the morning, being awaken out of your sleep, not being able to walk the buildings freely and having everyone say, ‘look for any packages that look unfamiliar.’”
“That’s a lot of trauma for our kids that they shouldn’t have to deal with,” she added.
So far, Tougaloo is the only HBCU in Mississippi that has received the funding. According to Mississippi Today, Jackson State is still working on its application with the goal of using the funds to create an “emergency central hub” on campus.
Despite more than one-third of the country’s 101 HBCUs receiving bomb threats earlier this year, the FBI has yet to announce any arrests.
In February the FBI identified six “tech savvy” juveniles as persons of interests.
POLITICO reported that the FBI told the House Oversight Committee in March no arrests have been made due to “‘challenges with attribution’ because ‘some of [the threats] come from encrypted platforms.’”
According to Mississippi Today, Walters said that despite the Department of Education providing “phenomenal” support to HBCUs this year, she was frustrated with the grant application process for Project SERV because it seemed needlessly competitive.
“When you say, ‘a grant process,’ it makes me feel that it’s competitive, that I’m competing against my colleagues,” she said.
Tougaloo is also in the process of applying for grants to replace keyhole locks in the campus dorms with scan-and-swipe technology.
Morgan State plans to partner with Ascension St. Agnes Hospital to launch a for-profit, private medical school aimed to open in 2024.
“Let’s do this for Baltimore, let’s do this for our community,” said Dr. John Sealey, Founding Dean of the proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine at MSU.
According to CBS Baltimore, Morgan State will give underserved minority students an opportunity to live, learn and work in Baltimore.
“If you want to be a doctor there, you’re going to be a doctor there,” Dr. Sealey said. “That’s the whole important aspect of it. You see it, you dream it and you do it.”
The university is anticipating for 700 students and 150 employees to make up the medical school. They believe that there will be an economic impact that will go beyond the college and hospital campuses.
“The economic impact of this school over the course of the next 10 years is probably about $1.2 billion,” said Dr. Sealey.
The school and Ascension St. Agnes hope to not only give back to Baltimore but the rest of the US by producing the next generation of physicians.
“There’s a shortage in the next 10 years, anywhere between 35,000 to 120,000 physicians in the United States of America.”
We want to make sure we’re doing our part in training that next generation and we also want to make sure that the physicians we’re training are coming from the community they’re going to serve,”
– Ascension St. Agnes Chief Medical Officer, Jon D’Souza.
As a community hospital, Ascension St. Agnes said future students will receive training that you can’t find everywhere.
“It’s going to have a strong emphasis on population health. That means we don’t just fix a problem when it becomes a medical issue, we work within communities to prevent problems,” said D’Souza.
Clark Atlanta University welcomes back 2009 alum, Alfred Jordan as the new head basketball coach.
Prior to Jordan’s new role, he has acted as an assistant coach at Clark Atlanta, The University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and most recently he was the associate head coach at Morehouse College.
“Returning to my alma mater is an extreme blessing. I’m honored to lead, mentor, and teach such an amazing group of young men,” said Jordan. “Working at Morehouse was surprisingly a great joy for me. Even though they are our rivals, they are still a wonderful organization, and I consider my time spent there a huge success. But now I’m ready to get to work here at my alma mater Clark Atlanta University.”
Jordan said that his foundation as a Clark Atlanta graduate has significantly impacted how he coaches and approaches life.
He says the “I’ll find a way or make one” motto is ingrained in him, and it’s how he comes to every goal and task. “It’s how I approach any obstacles that may try to stop me from achieving those goals.”
The knowledge and lessons learned here at CAU have had an unquantifiable impact on me regarding being a coach, a mentor, and an educator.”
– Coach Alfred Jordan
During Jordan’s time at CAU, he played point guard for the Panthers and graduated in 2009 with a degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. He went on to spend eight seasons as an assistant coach at CAU and was part of three Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship teams, including the regular season championships in 2009-2010 and the SIAC tournament champions in 2011 and 2017.
During his last two seasons at Clark Atlanta, Jordan served as the recruiting coordinator. He lead the Panthers to a 45-18 overall record with back-to-back NCAA Division II tournament appearances.
He then followed former CAU head coach Darrell Walter to serve for two years as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. There Jordan recruited four-star guard Markquis Nowell and Ruot Monyyong, a top-50 JUCO recruit. Nowell and Monyyong earned 2019-20 first-team all-Sun Belt honors while helping lead the team to a 21-12 record and a regular season championship. Another Jordan recruit, Kamani Johnson, was named all-Sun Belt third team.
Most recently, Jordan was the associate head basketball coach at Morehouse for the 2021-2022 season. During his time at Morehouse, the team won the Eastern Division regular season championship and tied the school’s longest winning streak (18 consecutive games).
“What you can expect to see from Clark Atlanta Men’s Basketball is a well-disciplined, high-energy team that always leaves everything they have on the court,” said Jordan. “We are going to be ambassadors of CAU both on and off the court, and we’re going to continuously raise the bar of what it means to be a Clark Atlanta Men’s Basketball player.”
President and CEO of Benedict College, Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis was honored by the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. during a ceremony in Atlanta on September 23.
The National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. is an organization recognizing and honoring distinguished alumni HCBUs for their contributions to the HBCUs.
Artis became Benedict’s first female president in 2017. Under her leadership, the university was awarded the 2019 American Council on Education (ACE) Fidelity Investments Award for Institutional Transformation. This award recognizes institutions that have responded to higher education challenges in innovative and creative ways and achieved dramatic results in a short period of time. Benedict was also named 2019 HBCU of the Year by the HBCU Digest.
CREDIT: WLTX
Dr. Artis is no stranger to impressive titles and honors.
In 2018, Aris was named “Female HBCU President of the Year” by HBCU Digest. In 2019, she was named to Diverse Issues in Higher Education’s “Top 35 Leading Women in Higher Education.” In 2020, Dr. Artis was named “President of the Year” by Higher Ed Dive for her leadership in navigating the unprecedented challenges of 2020.
She spoke highly of her newest distinction of National Black Alumni Hall of Fame inductee. “I am deeply honored to be recognized by my alma mater, West Virginia State (College) University, and inducted into the National Black Alumni Hall of Fame.
“It is imperative that individuals who have matriculated through HBCUs and achieved a measure of personal and professional success be highlighted as examples of the transformative power and educational quality of these extraordinary universities.”
Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis
Benedict College alumnus I.S. Leevy Johnson was also inducted into the National Black Alumni Hall of Fame along with Dr. Artis.
Johnson, who has practiced law in South Carolina for over forty years and is recognized as one of the top criminal attorneys in the state, was inducted as a Lifetime Achievement Inductee.
The two join the esteemed list of over 300 inductees who have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Legendary Opera Singer Leontyne Price, Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall, TV Maven Oprah Winfrey, and Ambassador Andrew Young.
Benedict College also received a check for $10,000 from the HBCU Change Foundation for scholarships, internships, and career opportunities to deserving students at HBCUs.
On Wednesday, Spelman College announced that the university is set to receive a $5.7 million grant from the Simons Foundation to support faculty in science and mathematics.
The grant will pay half the salaries of 10 STEM faculty members allowing them to spend more of their time conducting research and providing research opportunities to students.
“The Simons Foundation is hoping to help Spelman address the disparity in the experience of its faculty compared to that of most other research institutions,” says David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation. “This differential in the Spelman faculty experience not only slows its faculty’s career development, it denies students the opportunity to participate in research themselves during their undergraduate years.”
According to the university, Spelman’s faculty members often shoulder greater teaching loads than typical top research universities, while also investing a great deal of time in mentoring Spelman’s students, which limits the amount of time faculty are able to devote to research.
“Thank you to the Simons Foundation for your generous support which will help our science and mathematics faculty strike a more optimal balance between their teaching responsibilities and research goals,” said Helene Gayle, M.D., M.P.H., president of Spelman College. “As the #1 producer of Black women with PhDs in STEM, this is a gift that will keep on giving through the enrichment of our students’ STEM studies experience.”
The National Science Foundation ranks Spelman as the top producer of Black women who go on to earn doctorates in STEM fields, and the college said it’s trying to double the number of graduates who eventually earn doctorates.
The Simons Foundation grant will not only benefit faculty but allow students to participate in research projects during the academic year to further advance their success in STEM fields and graduate study.
Priority funding will go to researchers in areas that align with the grantmaking interests of the Simons Foundation, which include mathematics, physics, and computational within the natural sciences.
The grant will also provide faculty members with funding for supplies, publications, and travel expenses to attend conferences and to join other Simons Foundation investigators at annual meetings at the foundation.
A central goal is to foster connections between Spelman researchers and the other researchers supported by the Simons Foundation.
Social Media Chef Samo Frais Shares How He Keeps His Creativity Flowing In and Out of The Kitchen.
With a huge following on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube, social media chef Samo Frais captivates his audience with his sultry cooking videos. There are several cooking content creators but none seem to come close to doing it like Samo. Through impressive camera angles, skillful editing, and soulful R&B music, Frais captivates his audience leaving them more than just hungry. He creates such a relaxing ambiance for viewers that they may feel as if they were at home watching him cook the meal in person. While cooking may seem like a timely chore to some, it’s a passion and a way to de-stress for Frais. HBCU Buzz caught up with him in an interview to learn more about his love for cooking and how he stays inspired.
What inspired you to start making cooking content?
So I basically started a business and through organically promoting my product, which was a cereal candle, around this time last year. I started shooting, just organic content, like vlogs and my first cooking video. I shot that first one and it did a million views. So really the business that I started and the initial reason, it sort of took a life of its own.
Was cooking something you were always passionate about?
Definitely. Growing up in Detroit, my grandmother cooking food revolved around the holidays, you know, many big moments. So I was always cooking but just never on the concept outside of things for my family, my mother, or friends.
People often compliment the style and relaxing aesthetic of your videos, how does cooking help you to relax? Was cooking always a source of peace for you?
Cooking is definitely a source of peace. It helps me relax. No matter who’s in my kitchen or who I’m cooking for it’s usually good energy, music playing, we’re laughing, good conversation, and really seeing a meal be brought together by hand from scratch and offering that to you know, whoever I’m cooking for, even if it’s for myself. It’s definitely a source of peace, a big source of peace.
When you’re not in the kitchen what are some things you do to relax and unwind at home?
My biggest thing is I’m always playing music and relaxing. Sometimes, which I haven’t been into too much lately, but painting, stuff like that. But mostly just music, relaxing, and just being calm, just being chill.
Music is a huge part of your content aesthetic, what genres inspire/listen to after unwinding from a long day? Is there a process to deciding what song fits the vibe for a video?
I’m really with the old school. So, 80s, 90s, R&B, even early 2000s. So really just that R&B, slow music, real calm, real relaxing, and not a whole lot going on, that’s my sweet spot.
Sometimes when I’m jamming regularly to my playlists before I cook, I’ll hear a song that’s like, okay that’s the vibe, I’m really feeling that. So really when I hear a song, like right now Jacquees “Say Yea” is a song that’s been on repeat, so usually if it comes up a few times before the video, it’s typically how I pick the song.
What do you do when you feel uninspired or have a creative block?
For me when I’m having a creative block, honestly, I would either scroll Tik Tok to get inspired, I follow a lot of cooking pages, and as far as like the theme and the energy of the video, really playing music all the time kind of keeps me in the zone and in the mood so when I go into recording, everything just comes together. So, I would just say surfing Tik Tok is a source of inspiration, Pinterest is a big one as well, just looking a certain things keeps me inspired.
Any advice for beginner self-taught chefs?
Just have fun. Experiment, you’re gonna fail a lot, you know, a lot of my earlier dishes when I was young, they looked good but the flavor didn’t always connect and really translate. So don’t be afraid to fail and really just have fun with it.
We know Texas Southern University is your local HBCU– so we have to ask, are you team Fried Chicken Wednesdays or team Fried Fish Fridays?
I’m gonna have to go with the fried chicken Wednesdays strictly because it’s like, I know what to do with a piece of chicken. It’s so versatile, so yeah, I’m gonna go with chicken.
They say food brings people together, did you cook for friends throughout school/growing up? What’s your favorite/go-to meal that you made?
Definitely, mainly in college because that’s the time when the cafeteria food wasn’t always on point. It was southwest chicken chili, and I cooked it for my other teammates, I’d been on the football team. I remember cooking it one night and literally the next day it was all gone, I fed the whole hallway. So, southwest chicken chili and cornbread was a college favorite.
What is your favorite cooking video that you’ve made so far? As a creative, who’s had hands in cooking, art, and fashion, what would you say are the similarities between fashion and food?
I would say it’s a recent one, it’s my banana pudding video. The reason that one is my favorite is because, number one it’s my childhood favorite dessert, and then just like the techniques that I used in that video with the new lenses and direction that I was trying to go, you really see elevation in my work from previous work.
Just expressing yourself creatively, and then being able to explore, whether it’s food, fashion, or art you know, being able to press the button and really express yourself.
As a Houston native, what do you love about Houston’s BBQ scene?
So what I love most about the barbecue scene is definitely the passion and the techniques that we put into our barbecue, it’s definitely a culture down there. The places I frequent in Houston are some of my favorite spots in all of Texas. Their brisket is the best and so is their barbecue sauce.
Define your cooking content in three words.
Relaxing, Hungry, Sensational, that’s the vibe I’m going for.
Given your line of work and interests, what are the three things our readers may be surprised to learn that you cannot live without and why?
My camera, my music playlists powered by Xfinity’s Wifi service—can’t live without that, and of course God.
Are there any special projects in the works that we can look out for soon?
Definitely, I’ll be releasing a virtual subscription-based section on my website for all my recipes, and really like a member space, people can comment asking me different cooking techniques and things like that. So a recipe section on my website should be coming soon.
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On Thursday a class action lawsuit was filed by six Florida A&M University students against the state of Florida alleging decades of discriminatory underfunding of the school.
Their claim is the state prioritizes funding for predominantly white institutions like Florida State University over HBCUs like FAMU.
According to the Washington Post, The complaint says there has been a deliberate effort by the state to undermine FAMU’s competitiveness by letting other public colleges duplicate its academic programs, luring away prospective students. Decades of disparate state funding have prevented FAMU from achieving parity with its traditionally White counterparts, according to the suit. It claims the University of Florida received a larger state appropriation per student than FAMU from 1987 to 2020, amounting to a shortfall of roughly $1.3 billion.
The student’s complaint adds that the alleged funding being held back from FAMU since the late 1980s is over $1.3 billion.
One of the lawyers representing the students is Barabara Hart an attorney and principal at Grant & Eisenhofer, along with attorney Joshua Dubin from New York and a few others from the plaintiffs’ law firm Grant & Eisenhofer.
“It’s something that’s been worked on for quite a while, but then there have also been all these recent things that have gone on with the housing issues and the athletic department, so it all came to a head,” Hart told the Tallahassee Democrat
Hart referenced FAMU’s issues with room shortages before the start of the fall semester, pest infestations, student-athletes facing ineligibility, and the athletics department’s incomplete staff, saying that they all reflect the university’s underfunding problem.
“The lack of fair funding over time just compounds the problem,” Hart added. “We did our research, it all came together, the clients felt very strongly about it and we’re moving forward.”
The six plaintiffs of the case are FAMU students, Britney Denton, Nyabi Stevens, Deidrick Dansby, Fayerachel Peterson, Alexander Harris, and another student who is not identified. The defendants being addressed are the Board of Governors, retiring State University Chancellor Marshall Criser III, st and the state of Florida.
Among the six student plaintiffs are juniors with majors in psychology, math education, engineering, and music industry, a first-year graduate student in chemistry, and Denton, a Doctor of Pharmacy candidate.
“Our school has always made a little go a long way, but we shouldn’t have to,” Denton said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. “There are bright and determined people here who deserve the same level of support and quality of resources as FSU next door or any other state school in Florida. We’re proud to be here, and we want Florida to be proud to support us, and other HBCUs, equally.”
In their complaint, the students accuse the state of executing discriminatory practices against HBCUs for years.
“Throughout its history and up to the present day, Florida has purposefully engaged in a pattern and practice of racial discrimination, principally through disparate funding, that has prevented HBCUs, including FAMU, from achieving parity with their traditionally White institution (‘TWI’) counterparts,” the complaint says.
The historical underfunding of public HBCUs across the country is a hot-button issue generating great debate, especially with the resurgence of growth at HBCUs, the upward social mobility of its graduates, and increased Black political representation.
The lawsuit is reminiscent of past fights in Maryland, Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina for equitable treatment of public HBCUs.
Last year Maryland state legislators settled a 15-year-old federal lawsuit that accused the state of providing inequitable resources to its four HBCUs. Morgan State University will receive $24 million in the 2023 fiscal year, Bowie State University, $16.8 million; University of Maryland Eastern Shore, $9.7 million and Coppin State University $9 million.
Recently FAMU ranked No. 103 nationally among public universities, making it the highest-ranked public HBCU in the country.
“The students love their school, and they want their school to be properly funded,” Hart told Tallahassee Democrat. “They can see and experience the way in which it’s not as well funded as the school across the tracks at FSU.”
