Stacy Danley has been fired as director of athletics at South Carolina State. (Provided)
South Carolina State has fired athletic director Stacy Danley effective immediately, the school said in a statement on Aug. 9.
“S.C. State University has made the decision to move our athletics programming in a different direction,” school president Alexander Conyers said. “We thank Mr. Danley for his service to the university. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”
The school also announced that Keisha Campbell has been appointed interim director of athletics. She’s a member of the school’s athletics hall of fame in basketball and is a former Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player of the year.
Danley, a former football player at Auburn, had been at S.C. State since 2017 after stints as AD at Alabama State and Tuskegee.
His department has been embroiled in controversy in recent months. Former women’s basketball coach Audra Smith filed a lawsuit alleging Title IX violations last February, and was fired the next day.
And former men’s basketball coach Murray Garvin sued the school last March, saying his program was underfunded. Danley was named in that lawsuit.
Garvin’s contract was not renewed in March of 2021.
Campbell previously served as head women’s basketball coach at S.C. State, was athletics director for Hampton University and worked as director of championships for the NCAA.
S.C. State recently named former West Virginia assistant Erik Martin to coach men’s basketball, and hired Rutgers women’s assistant coach Timothy Eatman as women’s basketball coach.
Back-to-school season is officially here, and college freshmen are about to embark on what has long been called the “best four years of your life.” As exciting as college is, navigating the waters of a new environment can be scary and lonely but don’t worry, HBCU Buzz has got you! Here are five tips to survive your freshman year at college.
Prioritize your Education, Keep Your Grades Up
Start your freshman year off with good grades and land a high GPA. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re not spending the next four years trying to recover from a bad freshman year GPA. It might seem hard trying to balance academics with fun, but remember why you’re there and make the best of it by finding friends you can study with. Go to class, build a relationship with your professors, ask for assistance when needed, and stay on top of due dates by simply reading the class syllabus.
Get Out Your Room and Go to Events
During your freshman year, there are going to be several events catered to the freshman class, go to them! This is a great opportunity to meet people and get adjusted to your new home away from home. Cast your fears aside and go it alone if you have to, you don’t want to miss out on forming lifelong friendships and maximizing your college experience.
Find a Mentor
Having a mentor to steer you in the right direction during college has been very beneficial for many students. Finding the right mentor your freshman year can help guide your path regarding campus life, career advice, and personal matters. Some campuses may offer mentoring programs for students to connect with potential mentors, while some students may have to go out and find their mentors themselves. Students should consider what they want in a mentor and connect with upperclassmen, professors and faculty members, or alumni who align with their values.
Get Involved! Find Clubs and Orgs on Campus
Find ways to serve your campus and make your mark early on by looking into organizations and clubs freshmen can join. You may also consider impacting your class by becoming a student leader with a position in SGA. Whatever you choose, make sure you make an informed decision and commit to it.
Be Optimistic
They don’t call college the “best four years of your life” for nothing, embrace the college experience and be optimistic about the journey. These are the times that you’ll look back on fondly for years to come. Your college experience is what you make of it, so make it count, make lots of memories and go in with a positive attitude.
Your freshman year can become one of the best years of college by following these tips. You only get to do it once, so take it all in and enjoy this awesome opportunity of reinvention. We wish all incoming freshmen the best of luck this school year!
After four years, a UMES Extension bus tour will be highlighting farms and more across stops including Virginia State University! of Learn more in the story by Bay To Bay News.
UMES Extension Farm Bus Tours last held in 2018 resume Aug. 31-Sept. 1 to include a stop at the Virginia State University College of Agriculture’s annual field day.
UMES Extension’s Farm Bus Tour will be back on the road August 31 and September 1 for a visit to Eastern and Central Virginia, including a stop at Virginia State University College of Agriculture’s annual field day.
The tour, highlighting farms with sustainable and innovative agricultural practices, is returning after a four-year hiatus.
“Despite the many challenges farmers are facing today, there remain strategies and alternative methods for increasing farm profits,” said Berran Rogers, coordinator of UMES Extension’s Small Farm Program and organizer for the event. “Stops along the tour will introduce unique marketing approaches aimed at helping farmers work directly with the customer and leaving the middleman out-improving the bottom line.”
A sample of the stops lined up for the tour, Rogers said, include Virginia’s Bees Knees Farm & Creamery in West Point, Riverside Produce Farm and Muscadines in King William and Slade Farms in Surry.
Recipient of the Virginia Cooperative Extension’s 2021 Small Farm Outreach Program Volunteer of the Year, Bees Knees Farm & Creamery has been operating for five years and offers diversified sustainable meat (pork, chicken, turkey and goat), along with cheese and goat milk from the 20-acre farm. Tour participants can gain information on its diversified marketing strategy, including on-farm sales, farmers markets, online sales with drop-off points, food hubs and agritourism.
Described by VCE agents as “one of the most productive and immaculate farms in the region,” Riverside Produce Farm and Muscadines is a contender for the organization’s 2022 Farmer of the Year. The 40-acre farm wholesales their produce (melons, heirloom tomatoes and adding muscadine grapes next fall) to stores and food hubs.
Once a corn and soybean “big tractor” farmer on many acres, the third generation owner of Slade Farms has converted his operation to two acres of organic produce and heirloom seed plots, specializing in sweet potato slips and elephant garlic. The farm motto is “Responsible Farming with Profitable Results.” Keeping old varieties alive to preserve for future generations is his passion.
The Farm Bus Tour, funded in part by the “Increasing Farmers Access to Resources and Management Solutions” (IFARMS) initiative, is targeted toward small-scale and new and beginning farmers, Rogers said. Some of the focus areas include direct marketing, value-added products, agritourism, specialty crops, sustainable farming practices, woodland opportunities and natural conservation.
The tour starts (8 a.m.) and ends (7 p.m.) at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore campus. Registration includes bus transportation to three to four farm visits, educational packets, light refreshments and one night hotel accommodation on Wednesday, Aug. 31, in addition to VSU’s field day on Thursday, Sept. 1.
Registration is open at https://farmbustour2022.eventbrite.com with more information to come. Fees are $75 for a single registrant and $125 for a party of two. The deadline to register is Aug. 24. Anyone in need of special services or accommodations must call 410-621-5450, ext. 106 two weeks in advance by Aug. 10.
North Carolina A&T State University continues to be awarded record-breaking funding. Learn more in the story N.C. A&T release by Todd Simmons, Jamie Crockett and Jackie Torok below.
Sponsored research activities at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University expanded significantly in fiscal year 2022, supported by a second-consecutive record year in contracts and grants to A&T faculty: Researchers earned $97.3 million in awards.
That marked an increase of $19.2 million over the previous fiscal year and a nearly 62% in total research funding over the past two years. Faculty across the university are increasingly prominent as principal or co-principal investigators on significant federally funded projects of interest to North Carolinians and the world of science more broadly.
A&T faculty also were awarded eight U.S. patents in FY22 – the most ever in a single fiscal over the university’s 132-year history.
Among the many projects to win funding are efforts to keep food service workers safe from airborne viruses, increase flood-mapping capabilities, reduce household energy expenses, expand Alzheimer’s disease research frontiers and improve automatic speech recognition systems.
“It’s important to underscore that this funding, awarded competitively, is earned through the creativity and focus of our talented faculty,” said North Carolina A&T Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. “It enables them to make important, impactful advances in such areas as autonomous vehicle technology, biomaterials, nanoengineering and more.
“I’m grateful for the outstanding effort they collectively put forward.”
Projects that received funding included:
A $1.05 million N.C. Department of Environmental Quality grant to principal investigator Raymond Tesiero, Ph.D., in support of two research projects that will provide cost-effective solutions to low-income housing challenges by helping homeowners save energy and reduce household expenses. This and other research and apprenticeship projects in clean energy were piloted alongside colleagues Balakrishna Gokaraju, Ph.D., and Greg Monty, Ph.D., whose work resulted in a major award from the U.S. Department of Commerce last week.
A $600,000 USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant to lead investigator Salam Ibrahim, Ph.D., will help establish an airborne virus transmission laboratory model to create and disseminate best practices to keep employees safe and address gaps in evidence-based decision-making that the COVID-19 pandemic revealed in the food-processing industry.
A $473,615 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant to Leila Hashemi Beni, Ph.D., will support her team’s work to address gaps in flood extent mapping capabilities by using drones to gather data that is challenging to capture otherwise. The data will assist regional and federal agencies to better manage rescue operations and assess damages following a major storm event.
A $324,000 National Institutes of Health National Institute of General Medical Sciences grant to lead investigator Yeoheung Yun, Ph.D., will expand previous Alzheimer’s disease research by supporting Yun’s development of a reproducible, 3D membrane-free neuro-gliovascular-immune system. If successful, this project will “reduce animal use, fill the scientific gap between in vitro and vivo models and accelerate drug screening and discovery.” Yun, who has also designed a brain mini model to study Alzheimer’s disease, won the 2022 O. Max Gardner Award, the top annual recognition for faculty members in the UNC System, for his contributions to the field of bioengineering.
A $320,565 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for collaborative research on speech science to improve automatic speech recognition systems that are becoming ubiquitous in modern life. Joseph D. Stephens, Ph.D., is the principal investigator for the project, which has received funding through the NSF Build and Broaden Program. “We will help the science to become more inclusive by investigating how human listeners understand variable speech, and will help diversify the field by increasing the capacity and involvement of students from groups that are underrepresented in speech science,” said Stephens.
“Our faculty are deepening their leadership and reputations across numerous areas of scientific interest, both on their own and in collaboration with peers across campus and around the country,” said Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development Eric Muth, Ph.D. “The growth for which they were responsible last year is not only great for the projects they’re involved in now, but for those they will pursue in the future.”
Research funding is already off to a brisk start in the current fiscal year, with a $23.7 million American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge grant announced last week from the U.S. Department of Commerce to create an energy workforce training program.Additional funding for A&T to work with other state and historically Black universities to diversify and expand the research workforce – as well as study in partnership with other North Carolina universities the microbial communities that inhabit the structures in which we live, work and play – will be announced today.
Albany State University (ASU) is launching a new program that focuses on helping incoming students succeed. The program, University College, will serve as a national model for how to effectively prepare first-year students for university-level expectations, bridge the gap between first-year students’ natural interests and academic success, and promote on-time graduation in every major.
“Providing a transformative first-year experience is key to supporting an effective transition to higher education for freshmen. This additional support will lead to an increase in retention rates, as students will learn to balance student life, and prepare for the academic rigor of upper-level courses,” said ASU President Marion Ross Fedrick.
The students will participate in engaging and innovative learning communities where they will spend time exploring academic-related events and student engagement activities. In the learning communities, a cohort of students will enroll in three linked courses, centered around a specific theme. These courses are not an extra requirement but are required core courses or pre-requisites for a major. The Learning Communities include Future Nurses, Future Teachers, Speaking the Language of Criminal Justice, Songs in the Key of American History, Men Achieving Purpose, The STEM Community, The American Dream, and Embracing Global Commerce.
While the faculty to student ratio at ASU is 1 to 20, University College participants will attend classes on an even smaller scale. They will have dedicated advisors, as well as study abroad, internship, and on-campus work opportunities.
Students will enter their sophomore year as self-regulated learners committed to learning and invested in their academic success. They will have selected appropriate academic, networking and career opportunities, and will recognize the importance of self-care as a critical component of student success.
“University College is a place where first-year students will learn, grow, and build community. The program will touch every first-year student and provide both academic and non-academic support,” said Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Tiffany Pogue.
University College is founded on three principles to create and deliver best practices that foster the education, career development and student success of first year students; collaboration, connection, and engagement.
The community is invited to the University College Launch and Ribbon Cutting on Thursday, August 11 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The event will take place on the ASU East Campus, on the second floor of the James Pendergrast Library. Activities will include a tour of the program space, an introduction of the themed learning communities, and a welcome for the inaugural University College class.
Bands culture is an integral part of the HBCU experience, and some HBCU alumni don’t want some high schoolers to miss it! Learn more in the story by staff at The Grio.
During the two-week summer camp, students play instruments and learn discipline and dance.
During the Northside United Summer Band camp, students play instruments, learn dance and discipline. At the end of the two weeks, families and neighbors are invited to watch them perform on the stage of the North Community High School.
The performance is the high-energy, “show style” marching band technique that is popular at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The camp is the brainchild of three art enthusiasts who are also HBCU alumni, the Star Tribune reports.
The Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands marching band performs on Sept. 23, 2016 on the South Lawn of the White House during a reception in honor of the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. Three graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities teach show-style marching band techniques to Minnesota students during a two-week summer camp. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Minnesota is not home to any HBCUs, so for the second year the three have offered a free marching band camp (including instruments) to Twin Cities students from fifth to 12th grade regardless of musical abilities, the Star Tribune reports.
The two-week camp is the result of a collaborative effort between staff at North Community High and LoveWorks Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, a predominantly black charter school whose students are kindergarteners through eighth grade. Camp leader Arthur Turner III (Shaw University), music teacher D’Shonte Carter, 25, and her husband Deondré Carter (both grads of Virginia State University) — the camp’s drumline instructor — work in different capacities at LoveWorks Academy.
“We hope that we’re igniting the fire that will give them a tool to be able to take their lives from where they currently are to wherever they want to go,” said Turner, executive director of LoveWorks Academy. He grew up in Norfolk, Virginia listening to the Norfolk State University marching band.
Sixteen-year-old DJ Gipson of Maple Grove High School may now feel a little fire. Though he admits to drumming in the school’s music room, he did not want to attend the camp. “My mom forced me to,” he said. But … he believes his mother did the right thing. “I would have just been outside right now, doing nothing.”
As for Terriana Carter-Ricks, the 14-year-old dancer who will start classes at North Community High in the fall, appreciates the “rigor” of the camp. “I like that they push us more.”
The Carters and Turner believe they “are the only HBCU graduates teaching show-style marching band techniques in Minnesota,”according to the StarTribune.
D’Shonte Carter — a music teacher at LoveWorks Academy where she was once a student of then-music teacher Turner — hopes the performance that will mark the close of this year’s camp will lead to funding for arts programs for the entire year. The students “learn this for two weeks, and then in reality they don’t continue to learn during the school year,” said Carter to whom Turner introduced the marching band style performance during her LoveWorks Academy student days. “And there’s obviously a thirst for that. They want to do this. So do families. So my hope is that we as a state, and as this city, continue to provide these opportunities to students.”
Turner hopes students will see marching band as a pathway to scholarships, college and a successful career.
“Kids fall in love with sports because you hear about the million-dollar contracts. They don’t realize that you can be a principal musician for the orchestra and make pretty good money.”
Veteran coach Cyrus “Cy” Alexander is joining the men’s basketball staff at Alcorn State University.
On Tuesday, Aug. 9, Alcorn State announced that Alexander will be working under the direction of men’s basketball head Coach Landon Bussie. Alexander joins Ben Mandelbaum as the second assistant coach to join Bussie’s staff in the last 10 days. With these two additions, Bussie has completed his staff for the upcoming 2022-23 season.
After receiving last season’s SWAC Coach of the Year, Bussie has added two accomplished assistant coaches to his staff in order to continue pushing the program forward.
Alexander’s impressive resume includes serving as head coach of notable programs such as North Carolina A&T, South Carolina State, and Tennessee State. He has compiled more than 375 wins throughout his career as a head coach, all while winning six Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournaments. He has also won six MEAC regular season titles.
“Cy is a veteran coach that I’m just excited about having on my staff,” expressed Bussie. “I know I can learn from him and become a better head coach just from having him within the program. He just brings so many things to us, and I can’t say enough good things about him.”
Morgan State University is making strides to go where no other HBCU has gone and gain R1 status.
As of right now, no HBCU in the nation has R1 status, Morgan State University is seeking to change that. R1 status means “Doctoral/Very High Research Activity” and is the highest ranking awarded by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Morgan State President David Kwabena Wilson says the University is fit for the title.
“It’s so important for Morgan to be a resident on the penthouse level of research because there’s no other institution—no other HBCU—on that floor like us, and we’re moving boldly towards reaching the higher echelon of Carnegie Classified universities,” said Wilson “Attaining R1 (‘very high research’) classification is a lofty goal for Morgan, but we are primed for the challenge, understanding that attaining R1 will not only raise our profile within the research and scientific community but also help to ensure Morgan students have access to the expertise, facilities, and curricula to prepare them for an increasingly competitive marketplace.”
SOURCE: MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
According to Technical.ly, there are the main criteria for R1 schools to fulfill:
Award at least 20 research/scholarship doctoral degrees during the update year, which takes place every three years and
Score high on the Research Activity Index calculation, which is an aggregate level of overall and per capita research activity. The calculation takes research spending and research hiring measures before dividing it by the number of full-time assistant, associate and full professors.
According to Technical.ly, Wilson described the center as the university’s “North Star.”
“It underpins Morgan’s 10-year strategic plan and our campus’ full commitment to providing upward social and economic mobility for our students,” said Wilson. “It is quintessential that we are preparing Morgan graduates for the work of the future and the future of work. We are intentional about achieving R1 classification and this intentionality is rooted in investing wisely in ourselves.”
Maryland Higher Education Secretary Dr. James D. Fielder describes this striving toward R1 status as an opportunity to create more equity in STEM fields.
“The R1 distinction recognizes the strength and quality of the institution’s research programs, and the diversity perspective of these programs are critical to promoting positive change for our state’s workforce and our robust economy,” Fielder toldTechnical.ly. “The distinction would also allow Maryland’s HBCUs to further engage with industry, and to increase student diversity within STEM education programs, which is an integral part of the Maryland Higher Education Commission’s four-year State Plan.”
Dr. Willie E. May, Morgan State’s vice president for research and economic development told Technical.ly. “Let’s face it. It’s a merit badge, we’ll proudly wear that merit badge, but as I was trying to make a point: What we have to do is make sure that we continue to serve our community and prepare students to be successful in their careers, in life — and prepare them to support this country in our global competitiveness.”
Morgan State has a 10-year strategic plan to reach R1 status by 2030 but May believes the university is on track to reach it by 2027. He added that the university will strive to support the surrounding community by being Maryland’s preeminent public urban research university.
“We’re not going to try to be Hopkins, College Park or UMBC,” May said. We’re going to focus an increasing amount of our research on addressing problems of the urban condition.”
Florida Memorial University is one of the few HBCUs that provide an aviation program.
According to Zippia, Black pilots make up less than 2% of commercial pilots nationwide and FMU is seeking to change that.
During an interview with NBC News, the chairman of Florida Memorial University’s board of trustees and an FMU alum, William McCormick noted how a Florida Memorial alum, Capt. Barrington Irving once held the record as the youngest person to fly around the world at 23 years old. They are looking to produce more Black pilots like Irving, but finances raise an issue.
According to ATP Flight School, a flight school program for an experienced student costs $71,000 and may cost as high as $91,995 for a student with no experience. This is why McCormick stresses the importance of community support and partnerships.
“A lot of kids who don’t look like me can come to the program because they can afford to pay for flight time,” McCormick said. “We have to fix that so our students from an HBCU can join the program with ease, too. We want to be a pipeline for Black pilots just like we did with teachers and principals. But we need partnerships with people who care” McCormick told NBC News
McCormick found the community support he was looking for in Freddie Figgers, owner of Figgers Communication, the nation’s only Black-owned telecommunications. Figgers teamed up with Vince Young, a Black car dealership mogul, and former pilot, to donate $50,000 to FMU’s aviation program.
“When I learned about how outstanding the aviation program is at Florida Memorial, we at the [Figgers] Foundation felt the need to help,” said Figgers. “I understand the road to becoming a pilot is long and hard and carries a large price tag, and we as a community have to do our part to change the numbers and give our kids a chance to be great.”
As a former pilot Young highlighted the importance of aviation. “Having something to hang on to like aviation really allows you to discover that there are no ceilings and that you can keep growing” He said. “It just makes you so much better, more focused, and more skilled at everything you do.”
McCormick has high hopes for the future of the aviation program at FMU.
“We have young people who are very interested in this field,” he said. “The hope is that the airlines will partner with us and increase the chances of our students getting in and through flight school.”
In a new TikTok video posted by @zyiaalexys, the new recruits can be seen practicing their flips and flexing their skills in the gymnastics gym. The video has over three hundred thousand views and has received many supportive comments.
One user said, “As a retired gymnast who always wanted her hbcu to have a gymnastics team I almost shed a tear cause seeing this is beautiful.” Another user showed their support for the new team saying, “Oh it’s over for these other universities.”
Although the roster for the new team has yet to be updated on Fisk’s Athletics website, 15 recruits have been confirmed on the Fisk gymnastics Instagram page.
Leading the new team to victory is the newly appointed Athletic Director and new Gymnastics Coach Corinne Tarver. Tarver is the first Black gymnast to win an NCAA all-around title in 1989 and was named a U.S. National Team member during the 1985-1986 season. She also has a national floor title and two team titles with Georgia, in 1987 and 1989, to her name.
The future of gymnastics at Fisk is bright according to President Dr. Vann Newkirk. “Fisk University has always been an educational leader and this women’s gymnastics program will embody all the qualities that define the Fisk experience: excellence, determination, and a commitment to a better tommorrow” Newkirk said in a statement.
Getty Images and Denny’s announced their new partnership and grant at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, during the Preserving the History of HBCUs Together panel discussion.
The panel’s participants consisted of Brenda Lauderback, Denny’s Board Chair; Cassandra Illidge, Vice President of Global Partnerships and Executive Director of the HBCU Grants Program at Getty Images; and Thomas K. Hudson, J.D., President of Jackson State University.
From left: Thomas K. Hudson, J.D., president of Jackson State University, Brenda Lauderback, Denny’s board chair, Cassandra Illidge, vice president of global partnerships and executive director of the HBCU Grants Program at Getty Images, and EBONY Media’s Chief Operating Officer Keija Minor. Image: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images. SOURCE: EBONY
Ebony reports that through this partnership Denny’s will disburse stipends to students attending the HBCUs who have been chosen as the recipients of the Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs. These HBCUs include Claflin University, North Carolina Central University, Jackson State University, and Prairie View A&M University.
This program will support the digitization of the visual history of HBCUs so that it can be “honored, revered and accessed for years to come” according to Ebony. Getty Images plans on making over 100,000 photos will be available for licensing in the “Historically Black Colleges & Universities Collection” on their website.
“First, I want Getty Images to work with every HBCU. Second, I would love to see Black archivists—I want to see students come out of school and be employed at companies like EBONY or Getty Images or Denny’s or back at Jackson State, said Illidge. “Ultimately, the goal of this program is to make a difference in the way the world views history and this will provide a wealth of content for publications and textbooks to be filled with historical events that are relevant to us and were photographed by us.”
In partnership with the Getty Family and philanthropic organization Stand Together, the grants are committing $500,000 towards the digitization of HBCU photographic archives, with the respective HBCUs retaining full ownership.
“We want to have many more students to have the opportunity to work in their schools and working to digitize all of their images, giving them an experience they may never have had if they didn’t have this program in place,” said Lauderback. “Also, the opportunity for many more HBCUs to be a part of this program—we want to this grow. We know that if we can control our narrative in our schools and amongst our people, we are better off. We don’t need other people telling our story.”
Recent legislation on abortions has affected colleges and universities nationwide, especially HBCUs. Learn more about the important conversation that HBCU leaders just had with Howard University alumna and US Vice President Kamala Harris in the story by Erika DuBose at The Black Wall Street Times.
Vice President Kamala Harris listens to attendees during a roundtable with college presidents about reproductive rights at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex, in Washington, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Vice President Kamala Harris recently hosted a roundtable discussion about the effects of abortion restrictions on college students. The first Black VP met with leadership from several colleges and Universities.
Harris was joined by Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. The two hosted a discussion about the health, safety, and well-being of college students during a time when reproductive rights are being trampled.
According to the White House, restrictions on abortion disproportionately affect college students. Black college students, in particular, face unique challenges.
Nearly three-quarters of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) are located in states with strict abortion restrictions. HBCU students face many barriers to accessing reproductive healthcare – and comprehensive health education.
HBCU students in red states face barriers to reproductive healthcare, abortion
According to Kalaya Sibley, a college student at Dillard University, an HBCU in Louisiana, “I believe everyone should have a right to make decisions about their bodies. Knowing that people who look like me, and even just women in general, have to experience these roadblocks … is defeating.”
Data has shown that young, Black women forced to carry a pregnancy are less likely to graduate college with a higher degree. Additionally, women who experience unintended pregnancies are four times more likely to end up living under the federal poverty line.
Additionally, the cost of abortion is a barrier for many women. Medical abortions can cost up to $750, while procedural abortions can be twice that cost.
And that’s just one of the reasons VP Harris considers these conversations about college students to be integral. She gave accolades to college leadership who are continuing to provide access to abortion care for their students, faculty, and staff.
Meanwhile, HBCU presidents and other college leadership have vowed to continue supporting their students. Thomas K. Hudson, the President of Jackson State University, plans to continue providing comprehensive reproductive education and care to students on campus and off.
And that matters to students like Sibley, who is considering where to attend law school in the wake of the Supreme Court dismantling Roe V Wade. According to Sibley, “I don’t see myself attending law school in a southern state,” she stated, mentioning Jim Crow and the history of slavery in Southern States. She continued, “the limiting of abortion access was the cherry on top for me.”
Dr. Yolanda Page, a alumna and former vice president for academic affairs of Dillard University, will be moving on to another HBCU. Learn more about how she will be taking her talents to Savannah State University the release below.
Dr. Yolanda W. Page arrived at Dillard as a first year student in 1987. As is the case for so many other Bleu Devils, Page quickly came to love “Fair Dillard,” and that showed throughout her career. She began her academic career as an English instructor at Dillard in 1994. She also served as chair of the English Department and as assistant dean of humanities. After leadership stints at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Page returned to Dillard in 2013 to serve as vice president for academic affairs. The Shreveport native has announced that she will be moving on from Dillard to take over as provost at Savannah State University, the oldest institution of higher learning in Savannah, Georgia and the oldest public HBCU in the state.
In her new role, Page will be responsible for planning, developing and implementing the overall academic vision and goals for Savannah State. The Georgia HBCU has an enrollment of approximately 3,600 students. Savannah State boasts 30 baccalaureate majors and degrees, five graduate programs, and nearly 150 faculty.
“Dr. Page is a dedicated daughter of Dillard who has made major contributions through accreditation, re-establishing nursing at Dillard, obtaining approval for a master’s in nursing, and establishing a strong pre-law program. We wish her well as provost,” said Dr. Rochelle L. Ford, president of Dillard.
In the coming weeks, Ford will announce an interim vice president for the Division of Academic Affairs.
Under Page’s leadership, Dillard has experienced a number of successes in academics. The University’s nursing program experienced improvements after a self-imposed restructuring. As a result the last three cohorts have met the NCLEX pass rate requirement. Most recently, the nursing program announced its plans to offer a Master of Science in Nursing which will be the first graduate program in Dillard’s history. The business program achieved national accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. The University also implemented online courses for the first time and now offers its criminal justice degree online. Dillard also reaffirmed its ten-year SACSCOC accreditation through 2030. In addition, since 2013 the Division of Academic Affairs has secured approximately $35 million in state and federal funding. Of that amount, Page secured approximately $4.9 million in external funding through her own grant writing efforts and relationships.
Page has received numerous awards in recognition of her leadership including the Council of Independent Colleges Chief Academic Officer Award in 2020 and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education recognized her as one of 25 Outstanding Women in Higher Education (2017).
“It goes without saying that leaving Dillard is bittersweet,” said Page. “I met my husband at Dillard, we were married in Lawless Chapel and my sister is a Dillard nurse, so this is like leaving a part of myself behind.”
A 1991 graduate of Dillard, Page served on the Student Government Association and became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Beta Upsilon chapter.
Page will continue to serve at Dillard until she begins at Savannah State on September 6.
Edward Waters University just added a new leader to its Intercollegiate Athletics department. Learn more in the EWU release below.
The Edward Waters University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has selected Marquita Mines as the new Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field and Cross Country Head Coach.
Mines comes to Jacksonville after spending two seasons as the assistant indoor/outdoor track & field coach at Division III Roanoke College. During her first indoor season, Mines mentored 13 top 8 finishers including an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Indoor Conference Champion in the high jump, two Third Team All-ODAC members, and 4 Maroons who claimed All-South Region honors. During the outdoor season she had 10 top 8 finishers including Two Third Team All-ODAC members. Her first year also saw 16 Maroons who recorded personal best performances
Prior to her time at Roanoke, Mines spent five seasons with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore coaching staff (2017-21) as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, working with the sprinters, jumpers, and multi-event participants during the indoor and outdoor seasons, while also assisting cross country runners in the fall. While at UMES, Mines led several athletes to All-Mid Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) finishes and All-East Region honors. She also coached the 2018 MEAC Outdoor Conference Champion in the Javelin.
Mines enjoyed a fantastic career as a student-athlete for Christopher Newport University, where she won six NCAA All-American honors for track and field, ultimately earning induction into CNU’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.
In her professional career Mines became a fixture in Virginia’s track and field scene, serving as the head coach for J.R. Tucker High School in Henrico, Virginia from 2012-2017. Under her leadership, the Tigers girls’ team won their first conference title, and Mines earned a pair of Coach of the Year accolades. Mines cracked the college coaching circuit as an Assistant Volunteer Coach with Virginia Commonwealth University.
Mines received her undergraduate degree in Leisure Studies with a Concentration in Sports and Wellness Studies before obtaining a master’s degree in Sports Management with a certification in Athletic Administration for Southern New Hampshire University.
Mines is a member of several committees, including the United States Track & Field Association, USATF Women’s Commission, and the Virginia Track Coaches Association. She is also a Certified Personal Trainer with American Fitness Professionals & Associates (AFPA) and a Certified Strength and Conditional Specialist with International Sports Science Association (ISSA).
Airlines struggling with shortages want to recruit more diverse pilots, and Florida Memorial University may be the solution. Learn more in the story by Curtis Bunn at NBC News.
Tremaine Johnson. Courtesy Tramaine Johnson.
“We want to be a pipeline for Black pilots,” said William McCormick, chairman of Florida Memorial University’s Board of Trustees.
At Florida Memorial University, a small historically Black university in Miami Gardens, Tremaine Johnson is training to become one of the country’s few Black pilots.
Less than 2% of commercial airline pilots are Black, according to one report, making Johnson’s decision to become a pilot — rather than an air traffic controller, as he’d originally intended — notable. His choice also comes at a particularly crucial time, as airlines around the country experience a pilot shortage due to cutbacks during the pandemic.
At 21-years-old Johnson still remembers the exact moment that inspired his career change: It was when he flew in a plane for the first time last year.
“I could feel us going up and up,” Johnson recalled about his flight to Ohio. “I felt an adrenaline rush.”
As Johnson watched the aircraft separate itself farther and farther from the ground, after a few minutes he heard the captain announce that they were cruising at 30,000 feet.
“I look at my dad and he’s laughing,” Johnson said. “At first, I was thinking, ‘I gotta get off this thing.’ But the pilot hit the thrust and we just started climbing up in the air. I saw the whole Miami below me. I saw the houses get smaller and smaller. I saw the ocean. It was another world up there. And that’s when my curiosity became strong.”
Suddenly, the small plane at Florida Memorial University he’d walked by for years as a student took on new meaning. Florida Memorial is one of a few HBCUs with an aviation program. William McCormick, chairman of Florida Memorial University’s board of trustees and a FMU graduate, proudly shared that a Florida Memorial alum, Capt. Barrington Irving, once held the record as the youngest person, at 23, to fly the 24,600-mile trip around the world. McCormick is confident there are other Irvings on campus.
“But the biggest problem is that flight school is expensive,” McCormick said. Florida Memorial owns a small plane, but purchasing flight time can be prohibitive. A flight school program for an experienced student costs $71,000. With no previous experience, the cost can be as high as $91,995, according to ATP Flight School. McCormick noted that even for an experienced student awarded a $10,000 scholarship to the Red Tail Flight Academy, a school named after the Tuskegee Airmen who fought in World War II, that’s still a hefty price to pay.
“A lot of kids who don’t look like me can come to the program because they can afford to pay for flight time,” McCormick said. “We have to fix that so our students from an HBCU can join the program with ease, too. We want to be a pipeline for Black pilots just like we did with teachers and principals. But we need partnerships with people who care.”
How the local community is stepping up to make it happen
Community support is one of the reasons why Florida Memorial University students will have a fighting chance in aviation. Local inventor Freddie Figgers said he believed in the university’s plan and teamed up with Black car dealership magnate Vince Young to donate $50,000 to the aviation program.
“When I learned about how outstanding the aviation program is at Florida Memorial, we at the [Figgers] Foundation felt the need to help,” said Figgers, the owner of Figgers Communication, the nation’s only Black-owned telecommunications company. “I understand the road to becoming a pilot is long and hard and carries a large price tag, and we as a community have to do our part to change the numbers and give our kids a chance to be great.”
As a former pilot, Young believes that a career in aviation is more than flying a plane.
“Having something to hang on to like aviation really allows you to discover that there are no ceilings and that you can keep growing,” he said. The urgency of safely flying a plane instills diligence and drive, he added. “It just makes you so much better, more focused and more skilled at everything you do.”
Retired pilot Bernard Harrison, 58, can attest to Young’s sentiment. After graduating from Norfolk State University, the Houston resident served as a pilot for 19 years: 12 in the Navy and seven in the Air Force. After leaving the service, Young flew as a commercial pilot for 15 years before taking early retirement from Southwest Airlines.
Bernard Harrison.Courtesy Bernard Hairston
“I had a great career that I loved,” Harrison said. “But I’m glad a program like what we’re seeing at HBCUs exists because it’s a great profession that can be lucrative — and we are nowhere to be found.”
A closer look at the diversity gap in aviation
Harrison recounted walking into pilot lounges at airports and not seeing another person of color. “Just middle-aged white guys. Fox News is blaring on the TV. And everybody’s looking at me like, ‘What are you doing here?’
“It’s been their industry the whole time. The first Black commercial pilot didn’t fly until 1963 — and it took a change in law to get that done,” he added, referring to Marlon Green, who became the first Black pilot hired by a commercial airline after the Supreme Court ruled in his favor. A year later, David Harris became the first Black pilot to fly a commercial plane.
Unfortunately, the needle has not moved much since then — although there seems to be some interest from major airlines to recruit Black pilots. In May, Delta hired Eric Hendrick, a retired Navy pilot who attended Norfolk State, though not at the same time as Harrison. He became Delta’s first director of pilot outreach — a pivotal role that Hendrick said will provide more opportunities for Black pilots. Hendrick said he will hire more diverse pilots for the airline; he will oversee Propel, its pathways program, which creates opportunities for potential young Black pilots; and he will supervise Delta’s diversity equity and inclusion program, which includes community and corporate outreach.
Eric Hendrick.Courtesy Eric Hendrick
Hendrick said he was content in retirement, but the importance of the job roused him back to work. “If you’re going to make a difference, you have to be at the table,” he said.
“This position gives me the opportunity to not only do good work for the company by hiring pilots in general, but I also get to write the narrative of how women and minorities get invited into the industry,” he added.
Like Delta, other airlines are starting to think of ways to address the lack of diversity in aviation.
American Airlines has its own flight school, Cadet Academy, where it promotes an “inclusive community” to build diversity among its pilots. American plans to hire 4,000 pilots by the end of 2023. Southwest has Destination 225° Cadet Pathway, which provides support for those with aspirations in aviation. Meanwhile, United has Aviate, a program that focuses on launching pilot careers.
But, Hendrick notes, the lack of diversity is “a very complex issue” to solve because airlines aren’t always focused on investing in programs that specifically target the issue.
“So the airlines are in a pickle,” he added. “We need pilots. We want diversity. They eventually are going to start putting money into initiatives that attract and support Black pilots. ”
Why outreach, educational programs and financial support are needed
Outside of the airlines, there are other efforts to promote diversity, including Sisters of the Skies, which specifically targets young Black women to help create a new pipeline for aspiring Black pilots. And there is the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP), an influential group that works to create pathways for Black pilots into the exclusionary industry.
But Hendrick still feels there is a looming question: “How do we get Black people interested in aviation?”
“It’s just not one of those career fields that we have been exposed to and quite frankly, we don’t see ourselves being able to do,” he said. “So, there’s that hurdle that we have to clear, but we’re willing to do the outreach to make an impact.”
McCormick says this is where Florida Memorial can make a difference.
“We have young people who are very interested in this field,” he said. “The hope is that the airlines will partner with us and increase the chances of our students getting in and through flight school.”
For students like Johnson, that support can’t come soon enough.
“I hope there are people, companies that will support us,” he said. “I really want this. I’m determined to not let the resources be a problem. But they are.”
On a trip to Orlando for his birthday in June, Johnson used his last $250 to take his introductory flight, commandeering a Cessna Skyhawk. He executed 360-degree turns and rapid climbs in altitude. The experience was “incredible,” he said. “Amazing. I didn’t know Florida was full of swamps until I flew over them. It confirmed what I wanted to do.”
Johnson has been accepted into the Red Tails Academy in New York, where in September he will focus on private planes and instrument training, among other technical aspects of flying. “I’m excited because it’s really happening. I know we will have to find resources in the future. But I believe the resources will come. I have to.”
An HBCU education does extraordinary things for graduates’ careers and their health! Learn more in the story by Stephanie Kulke at Northwestern Now.
Further study of inclusive environments is key to fostering physician workforce diversity
A new study focused on Black medical students finds those attending historically Black medical schools report a greater sense of belonging and greater confidence in their scholastic abilities than those in predominantly white medical schools.
A survey administered three times during study participants’ second year of medical school compared the responses from students attending historically Black medical schools (HBCUs) with those attending predominantly white institutions (PWIs).
In addition to finding a greater sense of belonging, the study found HBCU students reported more confidence about being accepted into a top 10 residency and greater residency goal stability than those in PWIs.
“Our findings suggest that Black medical students in PWI schools may experience greater everyday discrimination relative to their HBCU peers that leads to reduced perceptions of their ability to succeed within medical school,” said Sylvia Perry, the study’s senior researcher.
Perry is an associate professor of psychology at Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University and the principal investigator in the Social Cognition and Intergroup Processes (SCIP) Lab. She is also a faculty fellow of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern.
Study co-authors include Northwestern alumnus James Wages ’21, now an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Central Arkansas, and corresponding author Max Jordan Nguemeni Tiako of Harvard Medical School.
The study builds on Perry’s prior research using a self-affirmation intervention to counter the impact of racial stressors that Black medical school students experience in PWIs. While the results indicated that the affirmation did not close the belonging, well-being or residency competitiveness gaps, it did reduce the gap in residency goal stability.
Other past research suggests that Black STEM students at PWIs report struggles with creating an inclusive campus climate, whereas HBCU students perceive STEM disciplines to be diverse and view their institutions as supportive.
Based on the new findings, the researchers recommend PWIs take action to increase representation within the medical field.
“We believe that it is important for predominantly white institutions to signal a commitment and make efforts to increase diversity among trainees and faculty,” Perry said.
“Simply increasing the number of students and faculty of color is not enough,” she added. “These institutions should also focus on increasing underrepresented medical students’ sense of belonging by making the reduction of bias and discrimination explicit priorities. Medical schools must create an environment in which all students can thrive and feel safe.”
Future research will involve better understanding of the environmental factors that contribute to these disparities and providing targeted intervention strategies to increase belonging among PWI medical students.
