Alcorn State University Selects Two-Time Alumnus Raynoid Dedeaux As Director of Athletics

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Alcorn State University has chosen new athletic director, and he has graduated from the university to begin this April! Get the full story about new director Raynoid Dedeaux from Alcorn State Athletics below.

Alcorn State University (ASU) President Felecia M. Nave, Ph.D., announces the selection of Raynoid Dedeaux as the university’s next director of athletics. He will begin his duties on April 1.

Dedeaux, who is no stranger to Lorman, Miss., played football for the Braves and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Alcorn State University in secondary education and athletic administration. He returns home with nearly two decades of Div. I athletics administration experience.

“We are elated to welcome AD Dedeaux back to Alcorn,” said Nave. “As a former student-athlete and alumnus, he understands Alcorn’s solid winning tradition. He is a proven leader with a track record of success as a fundraiser and innovator.

During the search for the next director of athletics, Alcorn partnered with Collegiate Sports Associates (CSA), a nationally recognized executive search firm specializing in intercollegiate athletic hiring for colleges and universities. In addition, an advisory search committee was used to ensure that multiple, diverse voices were part of the process representing current and alumni student-athletes, university leaders, and donors.

“I am truly humbled and honored to have been selected to serve as the next Director of Athletics at my alma mater,” said Dedeaux. “I would like to thank President Nave and the search committee for trusting me with this awesome responsibility. President Nave’s vision for the entire university, coupled with the alumni’s collective passion for greatness, made this the right choice for my family and me. I am excited to get to work building on Alcorn’s rich history and working with Brave student-athletes, coaches, and stakeholders to create this institution’s next chapter of excellence.”

Dedeaux had been with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) since 2006, and in January 2022, he was named Deputy Commissioner, serving as the league’s No. 2 behind Commissioner Sonja Stills. He is a highly qualified professional with extensive experience managing sports operations. Also, Dedeaux brings expertise in strategic sports planning, corporate partnerships, revenue generation, budget management, and negotiations.

“AD Dedeaux’s record shows us that he has what it takes to lead Braves Athletics into the future,” said Dr. Tracy Cook, chair of the search committee and vice president of student affairs. “We wanted someone who understands Alcorn’s culture of excellence in athletics and can rise to the occasion to meet the needs of our student-athletes and coaches. I want to thank our stakeholder groups, April Stampley, committee support staff; and the search committee members for their hard work and dedication throughout this process.

As the Brave’s new director of athletics, Dedeaux will plan and direct intercollegiate athletics’ overall administrative and operational activities for the school. Dedeaux takes over an Alcorn athletic program with a rich and winning history. Alcorn is home to champions and scholars amassing a stellar championship record in football, having captured the SWAC East Division crown and appeared in the SWAC Football Championship game in all six seasons in which the team participated, taking home the conference title four times (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019).

In women’s tennis, Alcorn won the SWAC Championship in 2016 and appeared in the title match in back-to-back years (2018, 2019).

Softball had back-to-back SWAC East Division titles in 2017 and 2018 and a SWAC Championship game appearance in 2021. Women’s soccer reached the SWAC Tournament for the fourth time in program history in 2021. In 2021, the women’s cross country team claimed the first cross country championship in the program’s history.

Academically, 203 student-athletes have earned degrees since 2016. In 2018-19, 133 student-athletes posted grade point averages of 3.0 or higher, and 13 of the 15 athletic programs achieved cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or higher.

In January 2021, Dedeaux was elevated to Senior Associate Commissioner for Championships and Administration. Previously, Dedeaux has served the MEAC as Assistant Commissioner for Championships, Director of Championships, and Assistant Director of Championships and Compliance.

Dedeaux has supervised the MEAC’s football and men’s basketball operations and officiating programs for football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball, and softball. In addition, he served as the conference’s liaison to the head coaches and Directors of Athletics, and he also was the overall manager of the conference’s annual Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament.

During his time with the MEAC, Dedeaux has overseen a marked increase in attendance at the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament throughout his tenure with the conference.

At the forefront of innovation among FCS football conferences, Dedeaux led the MEAC in becoming the first FCS league to implement instant replay for football. He also established the use of Vokkero hands-free communications devices for on-field football officials, and he has also supervised the NFL’s HBCU Careers in Football forum and helped launch the MEAC Digital Network.

As the MEAC’s liaison to several high-profile corporate partners, Dedeaux has worked with Nike, ESPN, the NFL, Coca-Cola, Russell Athletic, and Spalding.

Dedeaux helped generate revenue, to the tune of over $20 million for the conference’s member institutions, with research and executing corporate partner activations. $12.5 million of that came from negotiations with Nike.

During Dedeaux’s tenure, the MEAC saw such sports as women’s volleyball, women’s bowling, indoor track & field, baseball, and softball broadcast on a number on ESPN platforms, in addition to football and basketball.

Before his tenure with the MEAC, Dedeaux spent a year as the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance at Coppin State University. On top of his responsibilities to ensure the school’s 14 Division I programs were compliant with NCAA and MEAC regulations, Dedeaux also oversaw game operations for the department.

Before joining Coppin State, Dedeaux interned at the MEAC from August 2004 to June 2005, working primarily in the Office of the Commissioner. He also managed ticket operations, scheduling, and vendors/exhibitors for the 2005 MEAC Basketball Tournament.

Dedeaux is currently a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA). In addition, he served on the NCAA Division I Sports/Management Cabinet, NCAA Olympic Sports Committee, and NCAA Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet Committee.

Dedeaux began his professional career as a physical education teacher in Jackson, Miss, working as an assistant track & field and football coach.

A native of DeLisle, Miss., Dedeaux is married to Shamika, and has a daughter Kristyn Marie and son Raynoid Cameron II.

Harris-Stowe State University To Officially Swear In First Black Woman President Tomorrow

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Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) is looking forward to officially welcoming current interim president Dr. Latonia Collins Smith into her new role. Tuesday, she will make history as the very first Black woman to sit as president at Harris-Stowe State. Learn more about the educator and leader, who will be sworn in tomorrow, in the full story from Kelsee Ward at the St. Louis, Montana local news station KMOV 4 below.

Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) has announced Dr. Latonia Collins Smith as the 21st President of the university. 

Dr. Collins Smith is the first Black woman President of HSSU. She follows the legacy of Ruth Harris, the first Black woman President of Stowe Teachers College in 1940. 

She was appointed the Interim President in June 2021 and now plans to assume the Presidency in March. Her higher education career began at HSSU in 2010. She now has more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience.

Dr. Collins Smith previously served as the co-principal investigator of a $5 million National Science Foundation grant to strengthen STEM in Missouri. She also serves as chair of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Statewide Celebration Commission of Missouri. 

During her time as Interim President, the university raised more than $3.5 million in scholarships, donations, and grants. In 2020-2021, HSSU graduated with its largest class in the university’s history and increased its six year graduation rate by 6.3 percent. 

“Dr. Collins Smith exemplifies Harris-Stowe’s core values of Personal Growth, Respect, Innovation, Diversity, and Excellence. She has demonstrated her extraordinary ability to connect with all of our stakeholders and to catapult Harris-Stowe forward in these critical times,” said Michael McMillan, chair of the Board of Regents. 

Dr. Collins Smith has received multiple awards, including the Frankie Muse Freeman/Norman R. Seay Commitment to St. Louis Award with McMillan at the St. Louis City NAACP 110th Anniversary Celebration and Freedom Fund Dinner. 

Amid Increased HBCU Threats, Virginia Governor To Request Emergency Funding For Campus Security

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As more and more HBCUs receive bomb threats, the Virginia governor has plans to do something about it through increased security. Get the full story from Christina Maxouris and Raja Razek at CNN below.

Source: CNN

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday he is planning to ask lawmakers for emergency funding for campus security at historically Black colleges and universities following an alarming pattern of bomb threats at HBCUs across the state — and the country. 

Among them, Norfolk State University, which received a bomb threat on Friday, according to a statement from Javaune Adams-Gaston, the university’s president. University officials asked the campus community to shelter in place while authorities secured the area, the statement said. 

“As we continue our course for the semester, we will have to stay strong and support each other so that we can achieve the many tasks that we have set before us,” the president added. “While the impact of COVID-19, threats targeted towards HBCUs, and global conflict, is significant, we remain strong.”

Hampton University, a historically black university in southeastern Virginia, also received a threat earlier this week, according to CNN affiliate WTKR. “It definitely takes a toll on us mentally,” one student told the affiliate.

“I am angry and deeply concerned by the recent pattern of bomb threats plaguing our Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” the governor said in his statement, adding he spoke with the presidents of HBCUs in the state on Friday.

“Next week, I will ask the General Assembly to provide emergency funding to our HBCUs for security and campus safety,” Youngkin added. “I am committed to harnessing state resources to support these institutions and will work together with them on a continued coordinated response that ensures the safety of our HBCU students and faculty.”

The FBI said Wednesday it was continuing to “aggressively investigate” ongoing bomb threats that have targeted HBCUs, houses of worship and other faith-based and academic institutions.

“From January 4 to February 16, a total of 57 institutions across the country were targeted,” the FBI said in a statement. “The bomb threats have been made in phone calls, e-mails, instant messages, and anonymous online posts.”

FBI agents have been conducting “hundreds of interviews,” the statement said. No explosive devices related to the threats have been found, the FBI said.

“The FBI is investigating these cases as racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and hate crimes,” it added.

Iota Phi Theta Applauds The Nomination Of Ketanji Brown Jackson To The United States Supreme Court

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#HBCUfam, let’s applaud the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court.

In a social media post, beloved Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. congratulated Jackson on her nomination, saying that it is an excellent way to top off Black History Month.

*Side note 📝: #BHM is 24/7 + 365.

“Judge Jackson is a historical high point in our nation’s legal system. For too long, the perspective of Black women has been missing from the deliberations of our Supreme Court justices.”

The fraternity continued: “Like the nomination of Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court in 1967, Judge Jackson’s nomination is cause for America to celebrate and for the Black community to honor this accomplished woman. There could be no greater exclamation mark for” this month.

Per The Guardian:

“She has always wanted this. Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden’s nominee to fill the supreme court seat left vacant by the retirement of Stephen Breyer at the end of this term, said that she wanted to become a judge one day in the yearbook from her Miami high school. By then she was already a champion in national oratory competitions, sharpening the skills of rhetoric and cadence that are the stock and trade of ambitious lawyers. Her parents – an attorney and a school principal – saw their daughter’s potential, and helped her to hoist herself from her middle-class origins onto the path followed by ambitious lawyers from more patrician backgrounds.She went to Harvard for undergrad and then to Harvard Law, eventually clerking on the court for Breyer himself – a justice known to be particularly picky with his clerkships.

She seems to have pursued the law with single-minded devotion since she was very young, committing herself to the profession with all the passion and devotion of a vocation.

But her legal career took her to places most supreme court justices’ careers have not: In addition to her standard bona fides in private practice and later on the federal bench, she served on the United States Sentencing Commission, working to assess federal criminal sentencing practices and advocating for reduced sentences for drug offenders. Later, she served as a federal public defender in Washington. This makes her the first former public defender nominated to the court, and the first since Thurgood Marshall with extensive criminal defense experience. Her nomination signals a respect for a field of legal practice with great moral authority but little respect from the legal establishment: advocating for the rights of criminal defendants and the poor.

When Biden nominated Jackson to a seat on the DC circuit court just last summer, the post was widely seen as a stepping-stone to the supreme court itself: Jackson had already been all but anointed as Breyer’s successor. She sailed through that confirmation, even bagging three Republican votes. The ease of her last appointment, even amid the backdrop of her future one, suggested that Senate Republicans had not been able to manufacture controversy from her record, a failure on their part that suggests remarkable discipline on Jackson’s. She seems to have behaved in a manner becoming a federal judge her whole life. It’s as if she was born wearing a black robe.”

Head over to The Guardian to read more.

https://apple.news/AEAJ0XICsTjK-FZ3slVyhlw

Amid ECSU Threat, Norfolk State Also Received Bomb Threat Friday

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Norfolk State University and Elizabeth City State University sadly received bomb threats today. Get the story from WTKR News 3 staff below.

(Credit: News 3)

Norfolk State University and Elizabeth City State University have both received bomb threats early Friday morning.

These two schools are the latest historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) around the nation to receive bomb threats.

The Norfolk State University Police Department has issued an all-clear regarding this morning’s bomb threat. The campus has resumed to normal operations and the incident is still under investigation.

An all-clear was also issued at ECSU after law enforcement inspected the dorms and perimeter buildings. Students are now allowed to return to their residence halls, but are still asked to shelter in place as local and federal law enforcement agencies are still on campus.

Later Friday, ECSU officials announced all operations are back to normal on campus. 

The FBI is in charge of the investigation.

The ECSU Police Department received a call Friday morning from an unknown number with a bomb threat. Within minutes, the university was executing its emergency response plan to alert and evacuate campus, and law enforcement partners had responded to the scene.

Every building on the ECSU campus was searched, and no threat was found.

The university has returned to normal operations, and employees will resume their normal working schedule.

“We are grateful that students, faculty and staff are safe and sound.  Thank you to the University Police Department and our law enforcement partners who acted quickly and supported us in responding to this threat today,” said Chancellor Karri G. Dixon. 

The two schools posted that they received threats on social media to inform the public.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin released a statement on the recent pattern of bomb threats made to HBCUs across the country:

“I am angry and deeply concerned by the recent pattern of bomb threats plaguing our Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Today, I spoke to the presidents of Virginia’s HBCUs regarding the disturbing repeated threats on their schools. Next week, I will ask the General Assembly to provide emergency funding to our HBCUs for security and campus safety. I am committed to harnessing state resources to support these institutions and will work together with them on a continued coordinated response that ensures the safety of our HBCU students and faculty.”

– Gov. Glenn Youngkin

Student And Recent Graduate of South Carolina State University Among Victims Of Fatal Crash

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The lives of a South Carolina State University student and recent graduate were sadly taken in a recent car crash in Orangeburg, and others were injured as well. Get the full story from staff at the T&D below.

An early Friday morning crash took the lives of one current South Carolina State University student and a recent S.C. State graduate. Three others were injured in the accident.

“Our hearts break for the families of the beautiful souls we’ve lost,” SC State Interim President Alexander Conyers said. “There are no words that will dull the pain currently being experienced by their immediate families.

“The entire Bulldog Family extends our prayers and heartfelt condolences at this very difficult time. Even though we are sad today, we cherish the good memories and reflect on how our beloved students positively impacted our lives,” Conyers said.

The deceased are recent graduate Zeleria Simpson of Charleston and current student Shemyia T. Riley of Greenville.

Simpson was a former standout guard for the Bulldogs women’s basketball team who graduated in May 2021 with a degree in criminal justice and law enforcement administration.

Riley, a junior majoring in social work, was a Dr. Emily England Clyburn Honors College Scholar and recently named a 2022 Shining Star by the S.C. State University Foundation.

“S.C. State is a close-knit family, so we know these tragic events are having a ripple effect across our campus,” said Dr. Tamara Jeffries-Jackson, S.C. State vice president for student affairs. “When something of this magnitude happens here, we must come together to comfort and support one another with compassion.

“The entire team in Student Affairs is here to help our students through this difficult time,” Jeffries-Jackson said.

The two-vehicle crash remains under investigation.

The university is making counselors available to students, faculty and staff members who may need help coping with this tragic loss. Contact the Office of Counseling and Student Development at (803) 536-8698.

Tougaloo College Receives $10 Million From Netflix CEO and Film Producer Wife

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Patricia Quillin and her husband, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, have donated $10 million to Tougaloo College! Get the story from the Associated Press below.

Netflix CEO stand with Tougaloo College President Carmen Walters during the announcement. (Credit: Twitter)

A private, historically Black college in Mississippi is getting $10 million from the head of Netflix and his wife, a film producer.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings visited Tougaloo College on Monday to talk about the donation from himself and his wife, Patricia Quillin, news outlets reported.

“This $10 million donation is really just a small bit of what’s needed to provide kids the opportunities that Tougaloo can offer,” he said, according to WAPT-TV.

College President Carmen Walters said the gift will create scholarships, The Clarion Ledger reported.

Half will endow need-based scholarships, and the other $5 million will help Tougaloo students at Brown University, an Ivy League school in Rhode Island, Sandra Hodge, Tougaloo’s vice president of institutional advancement, told the newspaper.

Hastings said he and his wife learned about the small school in Jackson because of its 58-year-old partnership with Brown.

“The capital gap in our country is substantial at every level between household wealth and college endowments,” said Hastings, who received his undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College in Maine. “This is the beginning of a great partnership with a great college a lot like the one I went to, except for the endowment.”

Tougaloo’s partnership with Brown University lets students, faculty and administrators participate in exchange programs, fellowships and research.

The gift to the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership is the largest it’s ever received, Hodge said.

Walters said that will help support four or five students attending Brown for graduate programs for medicine and public health — and help them avoid pricey loans.

Hastings said that in the past five years he and his wife have focused on giving to historically Black colleges, after years of giving to programs for kindergarten through high school.

“HBCUs have been so successful in producing Black lawyers, Black doctors, engineers, dentists – all the professional classes. And it’s a less well-known story in white America,” he said.

In 2020, Tougaloo received $6 million from philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott, and said it was the largest amount it had ever received from a single donor.

Arrest Made In Fatal Attack On Lincoln University Students

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An arrest has been announced in the fatal stabbing of Lincoln University of Pennsylvania student Jawine Evans. Get the story from Mensah M. Dean and contributing staff writer Ryan W. Briggs at The Philadelphia Inquirer below.

The front entrance of Lincoln University where a student’s sister killed another student during a fight last week. (Credit: Mensah M. Dean)

Chester County police have arrested a Philadelphia woman and charged her with stabbing three Lincoln University students ― one fatally ― during a dorm-room brawl last week.

Nydira Smith, 39, was arrested Wednesday night and charged with first- and third-degree murder, homicide, possession of an instrument of crime, four counts of aggravated assault, and three counts each of reckless endangerment and simple assault, according to online court records, for allegedly stabbing Jawine Evans, 21, and two others.

Smith’s brother attends Lincoln and was involved in the fight, according to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office.

Smith, of the 7100 block of Ardleigh Street in East Mount Airy, is being held without bail and is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing March 8.

During a Thursday morning news conference at the historically Black university, law enforcement officials declined to discuss a motive for the attack but disclosed that Smith was allowed onto the gated campus because she is related to a student.

Jawine Evans, seen playing basketball in high school. He was stabbed to death Feb. 16 during an attack inside a dorm room at Lincoln University, where he was a student. (Credit: Provided by former coach)

“We treat close family members as extended members of the community,” said Marc Partee, Lincoln’s director of public safety and chief of police. When Smith drove to the front gate she presented her identification, verified her brother’s information, and said she was there to pick him up, he said.

“At that point, [Smith was] allowed on the campus.”

Partee characterized Smith’s actions as “a breach of the trust” rather than a breach of security. A comprehensive review of the incident is being conducted, he said, “to see if there is anything we can do in terms of best practices across the field, with the help of all of our resources.”

Evans’ parents said they were stunned by what they called lax campus security and have hired high-profile attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr.

Chester County District Attorney Deborah Ryan said she had no doubt Smith committed first-degree murder given that she armed herself with a knife and drove an hour and a half from her home to the campus “to join in a fight with the intent to kill.”

She said the deadly violence was “a parent’s worst nightmare. We send our children on to college for them to grow, to become independent, and to become productive members of our communities. Losing a child in a senseless and tragic incident like this is devastating not only to the families involved in this incident, but to the entire Lincoln University community.”

Partee said counseling services and comfort animals were made available to students in the aftermath of the violence.

(Credit: Lincoln University Police Department)

The bloody brawl erupted inside the Thurgood Marshall Living Learning Center shortly after 9 p.m. During the fight, one person wielding a knife attacked three students, resulting in the death of Evans, of Philadelphia, who was stabbed in the neck and pronounced dead at the scene.

The two injured students, Eric Dickerson, and Clifton Walker, both 22, were treated for non-life-threatening wounds at Christiana Hospital in Wilmington.

The DA’s Office said investigators recovered three videos of the incident including one that shows Evans yelling, “She stabbed me,” and clutching the right side of his neck. That video also shows the moment that Smith plunged the knife into Evans’ neck, causing him to stagger backward with a traumatic arterial bleed from his neck, the office said.

Smith is also seen making stabbing motions toward the surviving two victims, while at least six more students were in the immediate vicinity, the office said.

Investigators recovered security footage from Lincoln University that shows a maroon Infiniti registered to Smith entering the campus at 9:07 p.m. — just before the stabbing — and leaving at 9:22, Ryan’s office said.

The Philadelphia Police Department located the Infiniti on Feb. 17 and, that same day aided by Chester County detectives, executed a search warrant at a home where the car was located on the 7100 block of Ardleigh, Ryan’s office said.

Chester County DA Deb Ryan, shown in this file photo, announced the arrest Thursday of Nydira Smith, 39, for the Feb. 16 stabbing death of Jawine Evans, 21, on the campus of Lincoln University. (Credit: Jose F. Moreno/Staff Photographer)

Bloodstained clothing matching what Smith was seen wearing on video during the murder was recovered, as was a set of knives from the home that had one knife missing, Ryan’s office said.

Additional evidence included medical paperwork from Chestnut Hill Hospital indicating that Smith sought treatment for a laceration to her hand, and human blood was found inside the Infiniti.

Housed on a 422-acre campus in Lower Oxford Township, Lincoln was founded in 1854 and has operated as a public, state-related institution since the 1970s. Among its prominent graduates were Thurgood Marshall, the first Black person to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court; Langston Hughes, the celebrated poet who rose to fame during the Harlem Renaissance; and Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana. In 1946, Albert Einstein accepted an invitation to visit Lincoln to underscore his support for civil rights.

Despite that history, some parents complained about campus safety and faulted university officials for a lack of discipline.

“What has happened over time is they have allowed kids to party, drink, and drug,” said Carmina Taylor, a former president of the university’s parents’ association whose son graduated from Lincoln in 2016. “It’s a free-for-all.”

Meanwhile, Evans’ family and friends are preparing to bury him Friday.

A flier announcing the “final game” for Jawine Evans on Friday at the Met. (Credit: Social media)

Beverly Evans, his mother, said in a statement: “My husband and I are devastated over the loss of our beloved son, Jawine. We thought he would be safe on the campus of Lincoln University, and never dreamed such a terrible thing could happen there.

“We’re stunned at the lax university security, but extremely grateful to Chester County law enforcement for catching Jawine’s killer, and for DA Ryan’s comments showing she is taking a strong public stand to bring his killer to justice.”

Evans’ funeral is scheduled for Friday at the Met Philadelphia venue at 858 N. Broad St. A public viewing will begin at 8 a.m. followed by an 11 a.m. service. Interment will be at West Laurel Hill Cemetery.

Elizabeth City State University Evacuated After Bomb Threat

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Today Elizabeth City State University was affected by a bomb threat sadly. Get the story from Kate Murphy at the News & Observer below.

Elizabeth City State University is an historically Black university in the northeast corner of North Carolina. (Credit: Elizabeth City State University)

Elizabeth City State University is evacuating campus after receiving a bomb threat Friday, making it the latest historically Black campus in North Carolina to be targeted in a recent string of threats at HBCUs across the nation.

The university issued an alert telling students and employees to leave campus immediately and stay away from the grounds. Students without cars were instructed to meet in the Roebuck Stadium Parking Lot for transportation.

Students with cars were told to report to the South Park Sports Complex immediately.

This threat comes on the heels of FBI investigations of bomb threats at Fayetteville State University, N.C. Central University in Durham, Winston-Salem State University and North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro reported over the past several weeks. None of those threats proved credible, according to university leaders.

UNC System President Peter Hans addressed the recent threats against UNC System institutions at the Board of Governors meeting Thursday, calling them “anonymous threats of violence meant to intimidate and divide us.”

“Over the course of history Black Americans have far too often faced violence and intimidation for daring to learn and study,” Hans said. “The recent bomb scares are a reminder of that painful past and of the barriers that too many of our students still face on the path to a higher education.”

State Senator Gladys Robinson, a Democrat from Greensboro, and Rep. Kelly Alexander, a Democrat from Charlotte and president of the Legislative Black Caucus, issued a statement earlier this week addressing the recent bomb threats during Black History Month.

“These growing threats against Historically Black Colleges and Universities in North Carolina and across the nation should be condemned, and taken seriously,” Robinson and Alexander said. “We applaud the FBI’s active involvement investigating these threats. Those responsible must be held accountable and brought to justice.” ECSU is working with local law enforcement to respond to the situation.

Advocating For HBCUs In The PR Space

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Tennessee State University alumna Aerial Ellis, Ed. D. recently wrote an article on PR News that will help professionals looking to advocate for our HBCU community be successful on all fronts. Read the full article below.

Nearly 20 years ago while attending my beloved HBCU Tennessee State University, Dr. Victoria Sturgeon asked if I could stay after class. A mass communication major, I was surprised when she advised that I should pursue a career in public relations. I started a PR firm immediately after I graduated.

As HBCUs rise to greater prominence, there is a newfound interest in these institutions that is invigorating. For an HBCU alum, I have always known the Black excellence that existed on these campuses.

Now, as a PR professor at a liberal arts HBCU, I am reminded of those who advocated for me every time I connect with student

Beyond Mentoring and Guest Lecturing

Advocacy for HBCU students in PR/communication programs extends past mentoring and guest lecturing during the semester or making occasional contact with career development centers and academic leaders. We must get deeper into our HBCU communities by extending structural, curricular and financial support.

What communicators must remember is that true advocacy only occurs when two specific functions work in tandem–action and communication. With regular and intentional communication that deepens relationships and strengthens the connections between HBCUs and their students, PR pros get to know the culture and talents on these campuses.

With bold and progressive action, PR pros can impact the legacy of these institutions. This can not only improve racial/ethnic makeup of our industry, but create a generational shift for HBCU students and their futures.

Here are a couple of ways PR pros can go beyond and reach real advocacy. 

Action

  • Endow a scholarship for PR/communication majors at an HBCU. Attach a stipend and a paid internship to the deal. Fund this annually and increase the amounts incrementally.
  • Invest in the technical facilities at an HBCU. Contact an HBCU’s development office and say you want to support the greatest financial need in the school’s communication program.
  • Offer to teach a course as an adjunct professor. Consider even transitioning to teaching at an HBCU full-time, if you desire a career shift and have a passion for education.

Communication

In addition to the top five HBCUs that may immediately come to mind, another 100 HBCUs need support. At least 60 percent have a mass communication program in the arts and sciences discipline where students are receiving direct or comparable instruction connected to the PR field.

  • Reach out to HBCU deans and department heads to inquire about their programs. Request a meeting to discover the best ways to forge relationships and brainstorm about partnership opportunities.
  • Connect with HBCU professors closest to your location/region via LinkedIn and email. Inquire about ways you can support their instruction and research.
  • Say yes anytime you are invited to work with HBCU students. Recognize the best approach is to listen, meet them where they are and follow through to help with whatever they may express to you.

I am grateful to my HBCU professor for pulling me to the side so long ago. Her advocacy was the initial nudge that launched my career. That’s the kind of action and communication required for our HBCU students who are bright, brilliant and full of promise.

Real advocacy goes beyond.

N.C. A&T Leaving Big South Conference, Heading To Colonial Athletic Association

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North Carolina A&T State running back Marquell Cartwright (right) runs against South Carolina State in Greensboro, North Carolina, in a 2018 game. North Carolina A&T athletic director Earl Hilton says the Aggies plan on maintaining several rivalries with traditional opponents such as S.C. State. (Credit: Kevin L. Dorsey/N.C. A&T Athletics)

North Carolina A&T State University will be leaving the Big South Conference behind in lieu of the Colonial Athletic Association. Get the story from David Squires at The Undefeated below.

North Carolina A&T State is following Hampton University to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) as early as July 2022 in most sports, after an N.C. A&T board of trustees vote Friday at its meeting. 

The vote followed a unanimous vote by the board’s executive committee, which heard a recommendation Thursday night from athletic director Earl Hilton, whose presentation laid out that N.C. A&T is more in line with the CAA, both athletically and academically, than with the Big South Conference, which the Aggies joined in 2021. 

“The Colonial Athletic Association is consistent with our academic and athletic aspirations,” Hilton told The Undefeated after the meeting. “The Colonial already has four institutions of R1 [Research 1] status, and we’re moving in that direction, in that community of R1 universities.”

The R1 designation is the most elite category for research-focused institutions – considered to have “doctoral/very high research activity” and represents fewer than 4% of public and private universities.

N.C. A&T, currently classified as an R2 university, is considered to have “higher research activity” and aspires to become the nation’s first historically Black college and university (HBCU) with an R1 rating.

The Aggies would join the CAA in all sports in 2022 except football, which would join the CAA in 2023. Bowling will remain in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The slides presented to the committee showed N.C. A&T playing in a CAA South Division that includes Charleston, Elon, UNC Wilmington, William & Mary, Hampton, Towson and associate member Richmond.

The North Division would include Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra, Northeastern, Stony Brook and Monmouth. Charleston, Wilmington, Drexel, Hofstra and Northeastern do not play football. The Big South is also looking to add Bryant University in Rhode Island for football, which would visit N.C. A&T in 2022 under current plans.

N.C. A&T Chancellor Harold L. Martin told the executive board that joining the CAA was “the right thing to do” for the university and its student-athletes. 

“We take athletics very seriously, as we look to continually, competitively position our university,” said Martin. 

Martin said the CAA was N.C. A&T’s conference of choice two years ago when the Aggies looked at leaving the MEAC, but the distance of some of the schools didn’t make it feasible at that time. 

“With the Colonial Athletic’s plans to expand, create a Southern Division … so I think this is indeed the right decision for our university and for our student-athletes,” he said. 

Martin and Hilton acknowledged that the move to the CAA would prompt N.C. A&T to upgrade its athletic facilities, including its football, basketball and baseball venues. 

In an interview with The Undefeated, Hilton said he made his decision after discussions that included Aggies Hall of Famers, an alumni official and a panel of more than a dozen student-athlete leaders.

Hilton said about 75% to 80% of those who were consulted believed going to the CAA was the best decision.

Hilton said that the process has been more transparent than when the university decided to leave the MEAC for the Big South in 2020.

The remaining 20% to 25% had serious reservations, the biggest of which was the potential for N.C. A&T to lose its connection and traditions with other HBCUs. Some of the dissenters also wondered why N.C. A&T could not remain in the MEAC.

That was also a concern that students from N.C. A&T and Hampton told The Undefeated more than two weeks ago. Hampton announced on Jan. 25 that it would leave the Big South, which it joined in 2018, to join the CAA starting July 2022.

Hilton stressed that N.C. A&T will continue to play other HBCUs and has a 10-year commitment to play the MEAC’s North Carolina Central in football, and is seeking a long-term relationship to play the school in basketball, too.

The Aggies also are committed to continue playing Norfolk State and South Carolina State in athletic competitions, he said.

The conference realignments have upset the plans to play Hampton for homecoming 2022 because the Pirates are playing a CAA schedule and opted out of playing N.C. A&T, which will remain in the Big South for 2022.

Hilton said N.C. A&T did not want to jeopardize the Big South’s automatic bid to the NCAA FCS playoffs. The exodus of Hampton, Kennesaw State, North Alabama and Monmouth left the Big South with only five football-playing members, the minimum required to ensure the automatic bid.

Hilton acknowledged that he had discussions with MEAC commissioner Sonja Stills and reviewed a proposal from the MEAC, but that the Aggies were more in line with the CAA.

“We are sure that North Carolina A&T State University made the choice that is appropriate for them at this time. We wish them well,” said Stills. “The MEAC Council of Chief Executive Officers reaffirms its commitment to a stable and viable Division I athletic conference, inclusive of the current ‘Elite Eight,’ and the MEAC is keeping its options open with regards to membership expansion.”

Stills, in an earlier interview with The Undefeated, said she believes the MEAC is in a good place.

“I see the MEAC flourishing, moving forward,” Stills said. “I don’t see us having to assimilate in order to have a strong athletic program.

“We are just as strong and competitive as we were before, and I think that for us to continue to hold the legacy, the culture that we have … we can still give our fans the competitive great games that we’ve always given without feeling like we have to assimilate to predominantly white conferences.”

Stills said she believes a market exists for the current four HBCU conferences – the Division I MEAC and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and the Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

Indeed, with Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders as head coach, Jackson State University has been the catalyst for a renaissance of HBCU athletics, bringing millions of dollars to the university and the community and becoming the cornerstone of a new deal with the SWAC in Birmingham, Alabama.

That deal prompted Jackson State to end its long-standing Southern Heritage Classic in Memphis, Tennessee, usually in mid-September, to play in three SWAC games in Birmingham over the next three years.

The opening in Memphis has prompted some talk of N.C. A&T playing in the game in Memphis. Hilton told The Undefeated that he has been contacted by the Southern Heritage Classic and plans to return the phone call.

Any such pairing would be for the 2023 Southern Heritage game, as Jackson State announced Monday that it would play in the classic for one last time in 2022. 

Before the full Board of Trustees voted on Friday, Hilton gave a summary of his 40-minute presentation from Thursday night, including showing a series of slides that illustrated that academically and athletically, N.C. A&T is in greater alignment with the CAA than with the Big South. 

Stability of having 13 or 14 football-playing schools and more promising media markets were also among the key selling points. 

Retiree Chuck Coffin (Class of ’76), who recently moved back to the Greensboro area, said he hopes the new league can mean more fans coming to games.  

“The reality is, there is only a few HBCUs that we played that bring fans to us,” said Coffin, a former football player and a season-ticket holder for basketball.

Coffin added that being in the MEAC “hasn’t been great from a revenue point of view…  My gut reaction is, I would not see going back to the MEAC, not after one year.” 

Randall Ponder (Class of ’84), a former Aggies football player who is often among the legions of alum attending athletic events, said that it hurt him when the Aggies left the MEAC but that he understands that N.C. A&T must be progressive. 

“The only reason I’d want them to participate in the MEAC would be purely selfish reasons — because of the Aggie-Eagle Classic and the Celebration Bowl,” said Ponder, who lives in the Atlanta area. “But the reality is, you have to pay bills, and you have to continue to progress. 

“I went through my grieving period, when they announced they were leaving (the MEAC),” Ponder added. “But it’s what I think is best versus what our leaders think is best. You’re never going to satisfy everybody. … It’s not like we’re not still an HBCU; it’s just that our traditions have changed. You can’t stay the same and get better.”

Shelomi Sanders, Daughter of Deion Sanders, Commits To Jackson State University

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Star shooting guard Shelomi Sanders will join brothers Shedeur and Shilo, as well as football coach father Deion Sanders at Jackson State University! Get the full story from staff at The Grio below.

This 2016 photo shows (from left) Shelomi Sanders, Shedeur Sanders and their father, former NFL football player Deion Sanders, at STK Rooftop in New York City. (Credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

Shelomi Sanders, a standout women’s basketball star and daughter of Jackson State University head football coach Deion Sanders, has committed to attend the HBCU. 

The 5-foot-7 shooting guard, who graduates this year from Rockwall-Heath High School in Heath, Texas, will join brothers Shedeur and Shilo on the campus where their father coaches. She made the announcement on Instagram with a photo of herself wearing a Jackson State University uniform and the word “COMMITTED.” 

Coach Sanders commented: “Proud Father.” 

Shedeur Sanders recently led the Jackson State Tigers to a SWAC title, and the freshman quarterback also inked a Name, Image and Likeness deal with Gatorade. As previously reported, in his role with Gatorade, the young athlete will help to increase national exposure for HBCU programs and athletes during the multiyear partnership.

The young quarterback said the deal will “definitely be helping other HBCUs. This is about the numbers. It’s about to go crazy. So right now, we’re still planning on the exact details. I’ll just let you know whenever we got things finalized.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaTci5uj2LM/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=9d9275b1-a881-4118-9505-46e0bcf06449

Shilo Sanders is a sophomore defensive back on the Jackson State football team who led his squad in interceptions. 

Shelomi Sanders is joining the Lady Tigers basketball team, which is currently on a 14-game winning streak. According to The Mississippi Clarion Ledger, the team is four games away from a perfect record. They are expected to be the top seed in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament this spring. 

Coach Sanders made his own announcement of his daughter’s good news on Instagram, writing, “when I tell u GOD is Good GOD is Good! My young daughter @shelomisanders has committed to play basketball for the Back 2 Back SWAC Champions.”

“I love ya, appreciate u and TRUST u with my baby girl,” he added. “Teach her, Challenge her, Develop her to be the best she can be on and off the court. God is so good. 3 kids on campus! … THIS IS WHAT I CALL CHILD SUPPORT.” 

Billionaire Robert F. Smith Launches $1.8M Grant Program For HBCU Students

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Billionaire businessman and HBCU ally Robert F. Smith has once again extended a hand to HBCU students with a new $1.8 million grant program! Get the full story from Jasmine Browley at Essence below.

(Credit: Getty Images)

College is a notoriously tough financial time for many students. With most of their time wrapped up in classes and studying, there’s little left to earn money. What’s worse, if a financial emergency comes up, a large group of students of color aren’t able to ask their family for support. 

Robert F. Smith, the billionaire businessman that famously paid off the student loan debt for Morehouse students in 2020, is back at it again for other HBCU students in need. 

His organization, the Student Freedom Initiative recently announced their partnership with Prudential Financial who is providing $1.8 million in microgrants to HBCU students. According to  a news release, Prudential will also provide paid internships and pro bono services to enable improved financial literacy for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) families and students.

“Student Freedom Initiative applauds the leadership of Prudential Financial and their support for our shared mission of eliminating barriers of access for underserved communities,” said Robert F. Smith, Chairman of Student Freedom Initiative in a news release. “By enabling the launch of the HELPS Program, a vital component of our work to address the holistic needs of HBCU students and families, Prudential’s gift will provide long-needed and often overlooked aid and support persistence of those most vulnerable in our community.”

The Student Freedom Initiative said Prudential’s grant will propel the launch of the Handling Everyday Life Problems for Students (HELPS) Program, a service to address unexpected, one-time expenses disproportionately faced by Black students, furthering Student Freedom Initiative and Prudential’s shared commitment to close the racial wealth gap. 

“At Prudential, we’ve spent decades working to close the financial divide, in part through partnerships that address systemic barriers to economic, social, and racial equity,” said Sarah Keh, vice president, Inclusive Solutions, at Prudential Financial. “As part of our multi pronged strategy to support HBCUs, our partnership with Student Freedom Initiative will help us scale solutions so that more Black students will remain in college and ultimately graduate, putting them on a path to financial security.”

“Over 75% of students at HBCUs are considered low-income, relying on Pell Grants to meet their college expenses. However, for many of these students, these grants are not enough,” added Mark A. Brown, Executive Director of Student Freedom Initiative. 

“During recent onsite visits at multiple HBCUs, we learned from executive leadership and student focus groups that many of our students are unable to overcome financial challenges for expenses that are not directly related to the cost of college. These expenses, left unaddressed, can derail their college plans. In addition, most of these students lack the necessary financial literacy to make informed decisions, though they are asked to sign complex promissory notes that could indebt them well into their adult lives. Further, while some may have support from parents through costly Parent PLUS loans, many of these students have reported feeling personally responsible for any negative effects these loans had on their families. With additional financial support from sponsors, we can ensure that more HBCUs and eligible students will not be forced to choose between their education or their financial wellbeing if met with a hardship during the course of their studies.”

Students may begin taking advantage of Student Freedom Initiative’s HELPS Program starting in the Spring semester 2022.

HBCU Students Get The 411 On Apple TV+’s ‘The Morning Show’ From Star Karen Pittman

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We’ve all seen the morning shows that wake us up with local, national, and celebrity news, but how much do we really know about the people behind the camera? To find out, we recently hosted an HBCU Roundtable with a prominent character behind the hit Apple Original series “The Morning Show.” In this high-octane show, you see the dynamics between women at the office who must balance the burdens of work and home. We spoke to Karen Pittman, whose character Mia Jordan is a go-getter executive producer on the show in season 2. 

The conversation was hosted by Dre Martin, an entrepreneur and two-time HBCU graduate of Grambling State University and Howard University. Martin is also a 2020 honoree of HBCU Buzz’s Top 30 Under 30 awards. Joining Martin and Pittman in the conversation were several HBCU student leaders hailing from HBCUs like Shaw University, Prairie View A&M University, and Bowie State University. Even Miss and Mister Howard University were among the represented. 

Pittman’s first question came from Jaylin Drewry of Norfolk State University. He asked, “Why do you think the HBCU community will enjoy The Morning Show?” It’s a

The Morning Show has something for everyone, and especially HBCU students and alumni. When asked by Jaylin Drewry of Norfolk State University why she thought our community would enjoy the show, Pittman had a long list. “THe Morning Show is extraordinarily enlightening about the human condition. You know, what people go through, what people deal with in corporate environments,” she said. It’s also been relatable because of the pandemic.  “Season 2 was informative to remind us what we were going through as human beings right before COVID-19 came and changed our entire life, and our living, and our lifestyle. One of the things that I think is really powerful about the show is that we hope to tell a story that’s original, that’s bold, that’s daring.” Through drama, twists, and comedy, she hopes that people will be able to relate to the show.

She also talked about how her personal perseverance led to her character’s success. “When I came to the show the producers [and] writers didn’t know me as well as some of the other actors on the show. As a theater actor I had worked for years, but I had not yet worked a lot in Hollywood. So I think they were kind of surprised at how the character sort of blossomed, and the depth of her emotional landscape, “ she said. In fact, her character was originally meant to be a man. However, once Pittman was cast, she completely changed how the writers envisioned her character.  “There is a MIa Jordan that lives in me somewhere which is why I think the character is so powerful in me,” said Pittman. 

When Tuskegee University student Crystal Bolden asked about a piece of advice that changed Pittman’s life, she received an answer that all college students need to hear. “The best piece of advice my father gave me was ‘Experience isn’t the best teacher. Get your education.’ That has been transformative in my life,” she said. “It’s helped me to take my education seriously. To use it as a tool to help inform me about who I am and what I’m capable of doing. Sometimes you’ll go through coursework and you’ll think, ‘What does this have anything to do with my life, or what I’m doing or where I’m going, do I really need this?’ And the truth of the matter is any area where you can challenge yourself, there is a lesson in that for you to grow from. For you to expand from and it doesn’t matter if it’s in the classroom or dorm room or cafeteria with your friends, with your ex. There is always a lesson in the experience of educating yourself.”


Learn more by watching the whole roundtable on the HBCU Buzz YouTube page here! Plus, make sure you wake up for the “The Morning Show,” now streaming on Apple TV+.

HBCU Tech Startup Weekend Offers Support To Budding And Established HBCU Tech Startups

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HBCU Tech Startup Weekend presented by Comcast is Saturday February 26, 2022

Entrepreneurship culture has been blossoming at HBCUs, and our community is flourishing. Rather than be forced to use the same old outdated products and services, HBCU students and alumni have flooded our economy with fresh ideas and new ways to live. To help more entrepreneurs gain their footing, a jam-packed event is coming this Saturday!

If you’re interested in launching a tech startup or learning about tech startups that have been launched by HBCU students and alumni , make room for the HBCU Tech Startup Weekend taking place on Saturday February 26, 2022. Presented by Comcast, the one-day event supports HBCU students and alumni in launching and growing tech startups. Attendees will have opportunities to learn how to pitch their tech startup. They will also have the opportunity to participate in the Pitch Competition and Innovation Marketplace, which lends a platform to budding tech startups founded and/or co-founded by HBCU students and alumni.

Ending towards the middle of the day, it’s best to get into this event first thing in the morning! The very first event in this jam-packed day is the Innovation Marketplace, which will highlight tech startups founded by HBCU students and alumni. Participants interested in launching their own tech startups will have a unique opportunity to learn from IPS Legal founder Joycelyn Brown, who will be discussing Startup Launch and Structure– a conversation many entrepreneurs can benefit from by focusing on foundation rather than finished product. Follow-up events will address How to Build and Protect Your Intellectual Property Assets, Founding a Technology Startup as a Person of Color, and more! There is even an event addressing Scaling and Exit Strategy (How To Grow and Make Money), for those entrepreneurs that have gained their footing, and are looking to strategize their next steps!

Throughout the day, tech founders from HBCUs will pitch for an opportunity to win over $30,000 in prizes. 

With partnering booths featuring Comcast, Fearless, Coppin State University’s Center for Strategic Entrepreneurship, Prothymos Technologies, Femigist and more, there are endless reasons to attend. Even if you’re feeling unsure about your entrepreneurial journey, you are welcomed to attend and learn as much as you can! 

To register, click the link here today.  We’ll see you there!

Howard Alumnus Walter Woods Is Meharry Medical College’s New SVP For Institutional Advancement

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Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee has chosen a top healthcare executive as its new Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement. New SVP Walter Woods is an HBCU graduate himself, hailing from Howard University. Get the full story from staff at The Tennessee Tribune below.

Meharry Medical College has named Walter Woods, former CEO of Humana Foundation, as Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement.

Meharry Medical College has named Walter Woods, former CEO of Humana Foundation, as Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement. 

The announcement was made Monday on social media by Meharry President and CEO, Dr. James E.K. Hildreth.

“I look forward to working with him on our Meharry 2026 capital campaign to raise funds to support programs and provide scholarships to our students,” Hildreth said via Twitter.

Woods has a MBA from Northwestern University – J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Evanston, IL, 1989; BBA, cum laude, from Howard University, Washington, DC, 1987; and completed the Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, Palo Alto, California, 2013. 

The Louisville Business Journal reported that Woods stepped down from Humana last year to pursue his passion around addressing financial inequities.

He received acclaim by being recognized through Louisville Business First’s 2019 Most Admired CEO and 2021 Power 50 programs. He also is a member of Louisville Business First’s Leadership Trust, an invite-only network of influential executives and other leaders in Louisville. As part of his participation on the Leadership Trust, Woods penned an op-ed published that spelled out lessons he learned at the Humana Foundation about fostering social connectedness. 

As CEO of Humana Foundation, Woods managed $430 million in philanthropic assets.

In response to Hildreth’s Tweet on Monday, Woods replied, “Honored to join the journey of an institution that continues to be one of the solutions to closing the health equity gap in America.”