Paul Quinn College surprised 6th and 7th grade students with acceptance letters during a special event at Frederick D. Haynes III Global Preparatory Academy. Get the full story from Demond Fernandez at local Dallas station WFAA below.
Credit: WFAA
About 90 students from Frederick D. Haynes III Global Preparatory Academy received college acceptance letters from the HBCU during a special Signing Day event.
Some sixth and seventh grade students in Dallas Independent School District can say they are one step closer to realizing their college dreams.
Students at the Frederick D. Haynes III Global Preparatory Academy learned they would be receiving acceptance letters to Paul Quinn College. The announcement was solidified during a ceremonial “Signing Day” event on Thursday afternoon.
There was a certain sense of excitement, as Haynes Global Prep Academy students marched from their new building on the Paul Quinn College campus to a gymnasium.
“We get to see things that people have never seen. And we have different opportunities,” said seventh grader Xavier Gutierrez.
The Haynes Global Preparatory Academy is a new and small middle school that opened in 2021. It’s the first Dallas ISD school of it’s kind on an historically Black college and university campus.
The students and their families are beaming with pride and excitement, knowing the connection to the campus and the students’ future college careers are about to become greater.
Paul Quinn College President Dr. Michael Sorrell gathered with the school’s namesake Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III, and the Haynes Global Preparatory Academy community to announce each student would receive acceptance into the historic college, upon successful graduation from high school.
“I want to go to college because most of my family members didn’t, and I want to be that one person that changes everything,” said Gutierrez.
Remember, the students are sixth and seventh graders right now. They already have guaranteed commitment letters to a college, in hand. Most students get college acceptance letters their senior year of high school.
School administrators describe the partnership between Paul Quinn College and Dallas ISD as promising.
“By us giving students a college acceptance letter at the age of 11 and 12-years-olds, we are truly living out our vision and mission and allowing our students to dream,” said the school’s principal, Dr. Christopher Barksdale.
About 90 middle schoolers received the college acceptance letter during the inaugural Signing Day ceremony.
“Now that it is a guarantee that I’m being accepted to a college, it makes me even more excited to go,” said seventh grader Aliya Randolph.
The students said they know their families are proud and excited about their futures.
Jarvis Christian College will offer its first master’s degrees in spring 2023 after receiving approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
The approval also sets the stage for Jarvis to move from college to university status if approved by the school’s trustees.
Jarvis is set to offer a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ).
“The approval to offer master level degree programs is another milestone in the history of Jarvis Christian College,” said President Lester Newman. “I am proud to announce this expansion into graduate degree opportunities to our students. The fact that this announcement comes in the same year that we celebrate our 110th anniversary makes it all the more significant and memorable. Jarvis Christian College is moving forward, debt free and building momentum for the future.”
Benson Kariuki, dean of the Jarvis business department, said the program is suitable for business professionals who want to move into leadership roles as administrators or managers.
“This MBA program focuses on ensuring that learners succeed in the marketplace by enhancing their business knowledge, acumen and leadership skills to make them promotable and employable in new and greater positions,” Kariuki said.
The new Master of Science in Criminal Justice at Jarvis is open to students with bachelor’s degrees in any discipline, said Saliba D. Mukoro, criminal justice professor and special assistant to the vice president for academic affairs, graduate studies and specialized accreditation.
“This program will prepare students for a wide variety of career positions in the fields of law enforcement, courts and corrections,” he said.
“The program’s 36 credit hours can be completed between one or two years, depending on the student, and also prepares those students who choose to pursue a doctorate in criminal justice. The program will initiate with an online option and add a face-to-face option within the first few semesters.”
Accreditation provides students confidence that their degrees from accredited institutions have value and live up to the institution’s promise of worth in higher education, according to a statement from Jarvis.
The mission of Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is to assure the educational quality and to improve the effectiveness of its member higher education institutions in the southern states.
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania launched its new cybersecurity program, aimed at enhancing diversity in the science and technological workforce. The program begins in February, and students from Delaware, Philadelphia, and Chester counties who have never been to college are eligible to apply.
The first 25 students to complete the 6-month course may be eligible for certification and job opportunities
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania launched its new cybersecurity program, aimed at enhancing diversity in the science and technological workforce. The program begins in February, and students from Delaware, Philadelphia, and Chester counties who have never been to college are eligible to apply.
As part of an effort to enhance workforce diversity in technology, Cheyney University launched its new cybersecurity program. The six-month course will allow students to receive professional training and enhance the percentage of Cheyney students working towards careers in STEM fields.
Through funding from the Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, and with help from creative partnerships with PSECU and AT&T, the hybrid program will begin in February. The first 25 students in the initial cohort of the program may be eligible for professional certification and jobs through an effort by the program’s funding partners.
“We want to help reduce and ultimately eliminate disparity in representation in this professional sector while addressing the needs of cybersecurity,” said Kizzy Morris, Cheyney’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer. “This is another example of how our public-private partnerships are providing real-life job skills in some of the most innovative and demanding careers.”
Through this and other efforts to increase diversity in workforce development, the nation’s first historically Black college has seen an uptick in students majoring in STEM from 13% in 2017-2018 to 25% in fall 2021. The university hopes to see 30% of its student body majoring in biosciences and technical fields within the next two years.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists cybersecurity as one of its fastest growing industries, with a projected 33% growth between 2020 and 2030.
KYW reports that anyone from Delaware, Chester, and Philadelphia counties who have never been to college before are eligible to apply for the program.
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education provided funding for the program through their #Prepared4PA grant initiative, which aims to increase workforce credentialism through creative partnerships. Cheyney’s program is the third workforce development plan funded by PSSHE, with previous pilots announced in June 2021 at Shippensburg and Millersville Universities.
“The communities and regions we serve need creative, workforce-aligned programming like that being produced through the #Prepared4PA program,” said Dan Greenstein, state system chancellor. The organization published six competency maps based on their findings of industries that are in-demand.
These include information technology, energy, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, finance and insurance, and agribusiness. #Prepared4PA says that listing these industries are meant to serve as a “first strong step” toward building resources for Pennsylvania job-seekers, students, and workers.
Robert Massey, WSSU Head Coach; Credit: WSSU Athletics
Former HBCU star and NFL player was offered the position as head football coach of Winston-Salem State University.
Robert Massey, 56, is a North Carolina Central University alum who has been promoted from the interim head coach (7-12 record since 2019) to full-time head football coach of the Winston-Salem State Rams. Massey has been a professional player and assistant coach. He also became an excellent high school and collegiate coach.
After a nationwide search, Winston-Salem State offered Massey the position with nearly 40 candidates interested in the role. WSSU board of trustees offered him a new four-year contract which includes a $90,000 per year salary.
“I’m humbled to be in this position, and I’m grateful,” Massey said in the news conference announcing the choice to be the 10th head football coach in the storied history of the school. “I don’t take this opportunity lightly and we are going to work hard to get us back to where we belong.”
The New Orleans Saints selected Massey in the second round of the 1989 NFL Draft. Mass was a starter at cornerback from 1989 to 1990 for New Orleans.
Massey started 32 games in two seasons, intercepted five passes, recovered two fumbles, and made 165 tackles with the Black and Gold before joining the then Phoenix Cardinals from 1991 to 1993.
After stints with Detroit (1994-95), Jacksonville (1996), and New York (1997), Massey entered coaching with the Giants and left to become head coach at Hillside High School from 1999-2002.
NCCU hired him as its receivers and defensive backs coach from 2003-2004.
Later, Massey was an assistant coach in the HBCU ranks with Shaw University and Winston-Salem State University to help both programs win a combined four CIAA Football Championships.
One interesting point about Massey’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic was that his team maintained an accumulated 3.0-grade point average.
Delaware State University is one of at least two universities in the state of Delaware requiring an extra level of protection from COVID-19 below. Get the full story from Brandon Holveck at Delaware News Journal below.
Credit: William Bretzger
The University of Delaware and Delaware State University are requiring students to receive a COVID-19 booster shot before the beginning of their spring semesters.
The announcements came as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge in the face of the widespread delta variant and the emerging omicron variant, both of which are more transmissible than earlier strains of the virus. Research indicates the protection afforded by the initial vaccine doses wanes over time.
DSU announced Thursday it is delaying students’ return to campus by two weeks. The spring semester will begin virtually on Jan. 10. Students are required to have the booster by Jan. 24, the day classes are scheduled to return in person.
As part of its announcement, DSU said faculty and staff are “expected to get the booster as well.”
UD students must get the booster by Jan. 24 unless they previously received an exemption, the school announced last week. The mandate applies regardless of whether students are taking classes on campus, online or in a hybrid format. UD’s spring semester begins Feb. 7.
Over the past two weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases in Delaware has increased 35%. The weekly case average and number of hospitalizations are the highest they’ve been since January.
Last week, UD reported 117 cases between students and employees. It was the school’s highest mark since the week beginning Sept. 5. UD averaged fewer than 50 cases per week during the fall.
According to the university, 91% of students are fully vaccinated, meaning they received two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Tuskegee University has announced the appointment of Reginald Ruffin as the new athletic director and head football coach. Ruffin is the former Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach of Miles College.
Ruffin’s appointment comes at a crucial time as the athletics department prepares for the upcoming football recruiting season. Ruffin’s leadership will allow Tuskegee to get off to a quick start this spring.
“We are excited to see the return of Reginald Ruffin to Tuskegee,” said President Charlotte P. Morris. “He has proven himself a leader in SIAC football, and we look forward to him taking our program to the next level.”
Ruffin returns to Tuskegee after completing one of the most successful decades in the history of Miles College and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. In nine seasons at the helm of the Golden Bears, Ruffin has led the program to four SIAC championships and an additional SIAC Championship game appearance. The school has also made two NCAA postseason appearances. Over nine seasons, Ruffin has won more than 60 percent of his games, going 59-39 overall, and was named SIAC Coach of the Year three times.
Ruffin spent five seasons at Tuskegee as the defensive coordinator and linebacker coach from 2006-2010. As defensive coordinator at Tuskegee, Ruffin had the SIAC (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) top scoring, pass, and rushing defense in 2007. His team’s defense finished second in scoring and among the leaders in most defensive categories in 2008 and posted the league’s top defense in 2009.
Before his first stint with the Golden Tigers in 2002-2003, he served as athletic director and head football coach at Choctaw County High School in Butler, Alabama. Other stops included times at West Georgia, his alma mater, North Alabama, and Jackson High School in Jackson, Alabama.
Ruffin is a 1998 graduate of the University of North Alabama and holds a Master’s degree in Education Administration from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. During his playing days at the UNA, he became the Lions’ second three-time All-American and is the only Lion to be named All-America at two different positions: a defensive end in 1995 and 1996 and a linebacker in 1997. A four-year starter, he established a school record with 34 career sacks and the school single-season sack record with 11 in 1994. During his career, the Lions went 43-9 and won two Division II National Championships. In 2020, he was inducted into the UNA Athletic Hall of Fame.
In 1994, Ruffin was selected Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year. In 1995, he was selected first-team All-Gulf South Conference, first-team CoSIDA NCAA Division II All-South Region, third-team CoSIDA NCAA Division II All- American, third-team C. M. Frank All-American, and honorable mention Football Gazette All-American in 1996. Ruffin was selected second-team All-American in 1996 by the Associated Press, CoSIDA, Football Gazette, and All-Gulf South Conference and first-team CoSIDA All-South Region. In 1997, he was selected first-team All-American by the Associated Press, Football Gazette, American Football Coaches Association, and second-team All-American pick by Daktronics as a linebacker.
A scene from the University of the District of Columbia campus in February 2020. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)
Funds will support scholarships for students at the only public university in the nation’s capital.
One day in June, the University of the District of Columbia’s president received a tantalizing email. The sender told Ronald Mason Jr. that he represented an anonymous individual who wished to make a substantial donation to fund scholarships. “We put together a proposal quickly,” Mason recalled. Soon, UDC landed a $300,000 check for a program to support students.
But the donor wasn’t done. Weeks later, the intermediary came to the main campus on Connecticut Avenue in Northwest Washington. Mason met with the representative for an hour and gave him a tour.
Another check to support scholarships arrived in mid-December in a FedEx package, this one for $2 million.
The total gift of $2.3 million set a record for a private donation to the only public university in the nation’s capital, eclipsing UDC’s previous high mark of $1.5 million from an estate in 2009. The latest gift is a relatively modest sum for the arena of higher education philanthropy. Record donations in the range of tens or hundreds of millions are what tend to draw headlines.
Still, this gift has delivered a strong vote of confidence for a university that, like many others around the country, has faced enrollment declines during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I do not know who the donor is,” Mason said in a videoconference interview on Dec. 21. “I cannot say who the intermediary is. But I know the check was good, and we’re going to put it to good use.”
For UDC, the largesse comes at an opportune time. Two years ago, before the virus struck, federal data shows it had about 4,500 students. For fall 2021, it counted about 3,500 — a drop of roughly 22 percent. The public health crisis and economic whiplash of the past two years took a major toll on the education plans of current and prospective college students in the city and the Washington region.
These issues have been especially acute for the communities UDC serves. More than half its undergraduates have enough financial need to qualify for federal Pell grants.
UDC is an unusual academic hybrid. It operates simultaneously as a community college and a university with bachelor’s and graduate programs, including a law school. For D.C. residents, tuition and fees total about $3,700 a year at the community college level and $8,600 a year for the four-year undergraduate program. Those charges represent the list price before financial aid. Students from outside the city pay more, but UDC offers a special rate for those from neighboring suburbs in Maryland and Virginia.
One hindrance to recruiting students from afar: There are no dormitories on the main campus. UDC is essentially a commuter school.
The new gift is intended to be spent over the next three years on a scholarship program UDC calls DAWN, for Developing America’s Workforce Nucleus. The idea, Mason said, is to “allow more students — especially those from underrepresented and economically disadvantaged groups — to pursue their educational goals while reducing their financial burdens.” Some scholarships will be set aside for students who demonstrate community leadership or commitment to solving community problems. Others will be allocated among various fields of study, from engineering to business and public administration.
The gift could also have symbolic impact as UDC strives to solidify its claim to be a flagship institution for the city, comparable to the public flagship schools in states nationwide.
Formed in 1977 through the merger of three schools — including one that traced its origins to 1851 — UDC has sometimes struggled to raise its profile in a regional market that includes American, Catholic, Georgetown, George Washington, George Mason, Howard and Trinity Washington universities, as well as the University of Maryland. Most of its students come from the D.C. public school system and public charter schools, and more than 70 percent are African American. It is designated as a historically Black university.
Just before the pandemic, UDC had begun a marketing campaignto the city’s residents. Mason’s pitch: “We are affordable and high quality.” Mason, who came to the university in 2015, is its longest-serving president. He said the school in recent years has strengthened its faculty and operations. He wants to raise enrollment significantly. The endowment totals about $56 million.
Federal data shows about 42 percent of first-time, full-time students who entered UDC in 2014 seeking a bachelor’s degree graduated within six years. Such metrics are of limited value for schools like UDC that have many part-time and transfer students, as well as others who are seeking associate’s degrees. Student retention rates — a gauge of stability — were rising before the pandemic.
The pandemic-spurred campus shutdowns of spring 2020, as well as public health scares and economic flux, have hammered schools everywhere, including UDC.
Among the challenges it faces, UDC must reckon with a federally funded program, the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant, that offers the city’s students direct financial support to enroll in public universities elsewhere, historically Black institutions or private universities within the District. UDC students are not eligible for those grants, on the grounds that the university also offers an in-state discount to city residents. The exclusion from the grant program is an enduring sore point for the university’s supporters.
Andrew Flagel, president and chief executive of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, which includes UDC, said the new gift sends an encouraging signal about the university and its place in the region. “We can reinvest in our own community, work toward retaining our best and brightest and lift up the students who need our support,” Flagel said.
Cheyenne Barber, 23, a senior at UDC who serves on its board of trustees, said the donation has energized students. “It’s very exciting news,” she said. “The whole UDC campus is ecstatic about it.”
Barber came to UDC after stints at Hampton University in Virginia and the College of Southern Maryland. She aims to graduate next spring with a bachelor’s degree in business management. She said she was drawn to the university for its affordability and has been impressed with the caliber of its programs.
“A great education,” she said. “It really feels like a second family for me.”
Clark Atlanta University will get the support needed to fund a solar generator project thanks to Georgia Power and Microsoft. Get the full story from the official release below.
Credit:Blueprint Magazine
Georgia Power and Microsoft today announced more than a $200,000 investment in support of Clark Atlanta University’s (CAU) Makerspace and Advanced Manufacturing Lab. The lab is developed to give entrepreneurial undergraduate students the opportunity to expand their knowledge, skill set, and market competitiveness in the renewable energy space. Through the program, students will build an advanced solar powered generator that will ultimately serve as a back-up energy source for their campus, while supporting predominantly African American communities in the Atlanta area.
With the financial investment from Georgia Power and Microsoft’s Community Empowerment Fund and University Relations team, CAU students and faculty will also experiment with solar capabilities around increasing Wi-Fi internet access and supporting emerging 5G technology infrastructure. Further, this investment will give work opportunities for students in an innovative and sustainable sector while creating intellectual property through a community enterprise venture.
“Through this partnership with Microsoft, Georgia Power is proud to support opportunities for students and our state’s future workforce that will enhance their knowledge, skills and interest in the renewable energy space,” said Bentina Terry, senior vice president of Regional Affairs & Community Engagement at Georgia Power. “As a committed partner and champion of Historically Black Colleges & Universities across Georgia, we are excited to partner with CAU’s students on this entrepreneurial venture that closely aligns with our sustainability and philanthropic goals.”
In addition to providing a back-up energy source for communities during power outages, students of the program will have the opportunity to support their local communities with solar power at outdoor events and engagements.
“Microsoft is honored to partner with Georgia Power and Clark Atlanta University to support the solar powered generator student venture to empower education and workforce development in the sustainability sector,” said Rahul Joshi, director of Datacenter Community Development, “The Microsoft Community Empowerment Fund awards are an important way for the company and our employees to contribute to stronger, more resilient communities.”
The Microsoft Community Empowerment Fund, created and managed by Microsoft’s Datacenter Community Development team, is designed to support community-led and prioritized projects, increase collaboration among contributors and award recipients, and develop ecosystems that help deliver common community priorities. Through this approach, Microsoft hopes to achieve long-term, systemic, and holistic outcomes in the communities in which it operates.
“Clark Atlanta University is thankful to both Microsoft and Georgia Power for this amazing partnership in support of our scholars. Initiatives like this provide invaluable experiences and opportunities for our students ultimately preparing them to be successful in the workforce, and that is our mission and goal here at Clark Atlanta University,” said President George T. French Jr., Ph.D.
CAU students are currently working on a prototype of the first solar powered generator. Projects like this align with Clark Atlanta’s student leadership development goals in 2022.
Central State University has selected former NFL player Kevin Porter as its new head football coach.
Porter comes to CSU with nearly two decades of coaching experience, including head coaching stints at Fort Valley State University, Avila University and Point University.
“During our national search, we received an influx of interest from qualified candidates. Throughout the process, Coach Porter stood out as the person with the right mindset and characteristics best suited to lead Marauder football into a new era. Coach Porter comes to CSU with a championship pedigree and a wide array of experiences as a coach and player on all levels of the game.” CSU Athletic Director Tara A. Owens said in a release. “Under Coach Porter’s guidance, we believe our student-athletes will flourish on the field and in the classroom. As Coach Porter prepares to lead our football program, we look forward to establishing a sustainable culture of positivity and success.”
Porter will make his CSU coaching debut in September against Winston Salem State University at the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic in Canton.
“It is an honor to be selected to lead the football program at Central State University. CSU has tremendous history and tradition. With the opportunity to work alongside the dynamic and innovative leadership of President Jack Thomas and Director of Athletics Tara A. Owens, I believe we can build CSU into a perennial championship contender,” Porter said in a release. “As the University continues to experience a period of growth and unprecedented success, we are going to build a football program that represents Central State University with pride and integrity. I look forward to leading our student-athletes as we move forward into a new era of Marauder football.”
At FVSU, Porter led the Wildcats to the 2016 SIAC Championship and returned to the title game in 2017. Porter’s four-year tenure at FVSU is considered to be one of the most successful eras in Wildcat football history. During his time coaching at FVSU, Porter earned SIAC Coach of the Year honors once and developed 19 All-SIAC student-athletes.
Porter began his coaching career in the Arena Football League in 2000. He was the head coach with the Pensacola Barracudas in 2000, the Macon Knights from 2001 to 2003 and the Kansas City Brigade from 2006 to 2008.
n 2009, Porter served as defensive coordinator for Mid America Nazarene University, where his unit ranked as one of the best in the Heart of America Conference. In 2010, Porter took over as the head football coach and athletic director at Avila University. The next season, he served in the same roles at Point University. Before his assignment at FVSU, Porter was the assistant head coach & secondary coach at the University of West Georgia.
Porter played collegiately at Auburn University. During his time as a Tiger, Porter was four-year starter. He earned All-American honors and was selected to the All-Southeastern Conference Team twice. In 1984, Porter was named Defensive MVP in the Liberty Bowl and earned a spot on Auburn’s Team of the Century.
A third-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1988 NFL Draft, Porter made an immediate impact during his first season, appearing in 15 games and making seven starts. At the conclusion of the season, Porter was selected to the NFL All-Rookie Team as a safety. He spent six years in the NFL, ending his career with the New York Jets.
Porter and his wife, Annjela, have two sons, Jacob and Kellen.
Central State University will hold an on-campus press conference in January to publicly introduce Porter .
Morgan State University President David K. Wilson will serve as keynote during a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday commemoration next month. Get the full story from the Purdue University release below.
Morgan State University President David Wilson (Credit: Amy Davis)
David K. Wilson, whose transformative leadership as president of Morgan State University, Maryland’s preeminent public urban research university, has guided the historically Black university in Baltimore to new heights as a top-level research institution, will keynote Purdue University’s Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative celebration in January.
The lecture will take place at 7 p.m. Jan. 18 in Stewart Center’s Loeb Playhouse on Purdue’s campus. It is free and open to the public and also will be livestreamed online.
Wilson’s lecture is part of a week of events celebrating the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., including a Day of Service focused on the theme of food justice and coordinated by Purdue’s Civic Engagement and Leadership Development office. Among the events will be a concert Jan. 19 by the internationally celebrated Morgan State University Choir. Renowned for its stirring performances, the choir performs a repertoire of gospel and contemporary popular music. The choir is noted for its emphasis on preserving the heritage of the spiritual, especially in the historic practices of performance. Morgan’s choir will be joined onstage by members of Purdue’s Black Voices of Inspiration and Purdue Musical Organizations for portions of the evening’s concert.
Additional events and programs will be released at the start of spring semester.
Wilson is a former chancellor in the University of Wisconsin system, associate provost at Auburn University, and associate provost of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. He was appointed president of Morgan State in 2010, and the university has soared since. Under his leadership, Morgan has:
Achieved an elevated classification of R2, a status reserved for doctoral universities with high research activity. Morgan is on the path to become the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to reach R1.
Completed the $250 million Anniversary Campaign, the largest in the school’s history.
Undertaken more than $1 billion in campus construction and planned construction for state-of-the-art institutional and academic facilities.
Secured the university’s largest ever research contract, a $28.5 million contract from NASA.
Broadened its academic offering with the addition of more than 40 new degree programs to its present number of 140 (up from 96 a decade ago) and introduction of the internationally known and accredited School of Global Journalism and Communication (2013) and the College of Interdisciplinary and Continuing Studies (2021) – home to Morgan Completes You.
Significantly increased retention, graduation rates and enrollment. Morgan welcomed its largest incoming class of first-year students and its highest student enrollment in the university’s history in fall 2021.
“President Wilson inspires the nation, and we are thrilled to have him share his experiences and motivate people to personal, civic and even career action,” said John Gates, Purdue’s vice provost for diversity and inclusion. “As we honor the legacies of these two great institutions and our emergent partnership, I expect that we will engage with Dr. King’s vision of the beloved community. We invite all to join us for these exciting events.”
Born and raised in the small town of McKinley, Alabama, Wilson was the first person in his family to attend college. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science in 1977 and a Master of Education degree in 1979 from Tuskegee University. He continued his education at Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he earned an additional Master of Education (’84) and a Doctor of Education degree (’87). He is the author of two books and more than 20 articles in scholarly journals and other publications.
Among the leading voices in higher education administration, Wilson has served on numerous boards including the NCAA Board of Governors and Division I Board of Directors (as head of the NCAA Standardized Test Score Task Committee and member of the NCAA Finance Committee), Lumina Foundation Board of Directors, National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST’s) Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology, HBCU/China Network (chair), Maryland Cybersecurity Council and the Maryland Longitudinal Data System Governing Board, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the Association of American Colleges and Universities (Finance Committee chair).
Wilson was profiled in a Baltimore Sun story in September as an honoree for the newspaper’s 2021 Business and Civic Hall of Fame.
Robert Massey was hired as the head coach at Winston-Salem State after the school conducted a nationwide search. Credit: Allison Lee Isley/Lee Newspapers
Meet the new boss; same as the old boss.
Winston-Salem State has hired Robert Massey as its full-time head football coach. He had been the interim head coach since May of 2019, but won’t have that label anymore.
After a national search with close to 40 applicants, Athletics Director Etienne Thomas and Chancellor Elwood Robinson decided to stay with Massey despite his 7-12 record in the two seasons he has been the head coach.
“I’m humbled to be in this position and I’m grateful,” Massey said in the news conference announcing the choice to be the 10th head football coach in the storied history of the school. “I don’t take this opportunity lightly and we are going to work hard to get us back to where we belong.”
The school’s board of trustees approved the decision at around 3:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
Massey guided the program through a COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when there was no football season. Instead, he kept the team together and they accumulated a 3.0 grade point average during the academic year.
The Rams have a long way to go to be contenders in the CIAA, but by keeping Massey they are giving him and his young staff another chance. Massey said he loves that he has young assistant coaches such as Marvin Bohannon, Kam Smith, Markus McElveen, Corey Stewart and Malcolm Gaither. Bohannon, Smith and Stewart are all WSSU graduates and McElveen played for Massey when they were both at Shaw.
Massey broke down twice during his news conference, the first time after introducing his young assistant coaches. He said they stuck by him during the entire process.
“I love you guys — and I know I don’t say it enough — but you mean the world to me and I’m ready to fight with you guys as we build this thing,” Massey said.
The other time Massey broke down was when he talked about starting a scholarship in his mother’s name, Annie Belle Massey, that would benefit a student at WSSU and also a football player with two separate scholarships. He has already donated $10,000 of his pay to get the scholarships rolling.
“This is something that I’m very proud about because she’s the one that told me when I was in college (N.C. Central) I needed to get a degree,” Massey said, fighting back tears. “And that’s something I’m adamant about when I recruit players now. Football is important, but getting that degree sets you up for life.”
Thomas praised Massey at the end of last season, and said she would give him ample opportunity to interview for the job.
After Massey, 55, replaced Kienus Boulware, who was fired in May of 2019, the Rams went 4-6. Massey went 3-6 last season and in his two seasons went 7-12, but the Rams haven’t been factors in the CIAA’s Southern Division since 2016.
In his three stops as a head coach at Livingstone, Shaw and WSSU, Massey, a former player in the NFL, has compiled a 23-56 record.
Robinson said there was plenty that stuck out for him during the interview process with Massey.
“One of the lowest points we had in the season was after our loss to Chowan (73-7), but he stood tall,” Robinson said. “We had a conversation and he told me we would get better and do the right thing. And also his sense of values and how he treats his players.
“If I had a son that was interested in football, I would want him to play for Robert Massey.”
One thing that will have to change if WSSU is serious about contending in the CIAA is that it needs to have more than just 22 scholarships. That’s a far cry from the maximum of 36 allowed in Division II.
Earlier this week, Thomas talked about trying to get to 30 scholarships in football.
Bowie State, the CIAA champion, and Fayetteville State, the Southern Division champion the past four seasons, are winning without 36 scholarships. The Bulldogs have around 18 scholarships, according to Clyde Doughty, Jr., the athletics director at Bowie State.
When WSSU was in the Division II championship game in 2012 Coach Connell Maynor had 29 scholarships as they went a school-best 14-1. Since then, the scholarships have dwindled for football and that has resulted in the program becoming a middle-of-the pack team in the CIAA.
“It’s about getting more resources, and we have to work with the university to partner for more scholarships,” Thomas said. “We would like to get toward 30 and then work toward the maximum (of 36 for Division II) but we know that’s going to take some work.”
Robinson said he’s determined to increase the scholarship dollars. Thomas said part of her plan is also to work with corporate sponsors to help raise revenue.
“To have a successful program you have to have the right amount of resources,” Robinson said. “What AD Thomas and I have done is look not only at football but at all our sports as to how to get additional resources. As you know athletics is mainly funded by student fees and beyond that we have to fund raise.”
Thomas said: “We realize that corporations don’t want their sponsorship money going toward scholarships, but if we can move money around from other areas to gain more scholarship dollars we will certainly look at doing that.”
According to Thomas, who was hired in January of 2020 and has only been through one football season, there were close to 40 applicants for the vacant job.
“We thought the search went smooth and there was interest from all over the country,” Thomas said.
Massey will get a four-year contract worth $90,000 a year. The last full-time coach, Boulware, was getting $130,000 a year, but Thomas said that extra money would go toward another full-time assistant coach.
For the two and half years that Massey was the interim, he was making around $62,000 a year. He was the defensive coordinator under Boulware, but was elevated to head coach on an interim basis in the spring of 2019.
Massey came to WSSU in 2016 as a defensive backs coach. That’s the last time WSSU won the CIAA championship.
Darryl Perkins, who lives in Rural Hall, has been a Horn’s member for several years. The Horn’s Club is one of the main fund-raising clubs for WSSU athletics. Perkins is a 1976 graduate of WSSU and is an active alum.
“We need resources in the worst way,” Perkins said about the hiring of Massey as the permanent coach. “We can be unhappy and wait until the wheels fall off or we can roll up our sleeves and encourage more giving or more fundraising. I would like to be 12-0 like everyone else….But this is my university, but I’m not disgruntled. It’s my job as an alum to try and do all that I can to help the university succeed on the football field.”
Several high school band members have each been offered a significant scholarship to attend Langston University! The exciting offer came amid 60 band members visiting the HBCUs. Get the full story from Click2Houston below.
Credit: Click2Houston
Students learned of the scholarships to Langston University during a tryouts trip to Oklahoma
All nine senior members of the Worthing High School Marching Pride of Sunnyside Band have received $50,000 scholarships to play for Langston University, the Houston Independent School District announced Monday.
The scholarships were announced during a trip to Oklahoma for band tryouts back in November, but were made widely known on the school’s blog last week.
“The best moment of the trip was seeing the excitement of my seniors once they received their scholarships – nine students with over $50,000 each,” said band director Kuan Mitchell. “I couldn’t have written the script any better.”
All 60 members of the band, including its dancers, traveled to Langston University on Nov. 12. The university is a historically Black college 40 miles north of Oklahoma City. The students toured the campus, practiced with the Langston University band, and met its director, and were able to perform during the football game with the university band, according to the school’s blog about the scholarships.
Principal Everett Hare also took part in the trip and called the scholarships a “major achievement.”
“I’ve never seen it where all of them earned scholarships,” Hare said. “Other schools also took part, so it was competitive.”
Hare said the experience was potentially life-changing for all members of the band, even the underclassmen.
“Some of the students had never visited a college campus,” he said.
Worthing alumni now attending Langston answered questions from the students who traveled from Houston.
The Worthing band will represent Houston at next year’s National 4th of July celebrations in Washington, D.C., according to the district.
Supported by celebrities like Michael B. Jordan and Serena Williams, the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic went off without a hitch. While the HBCU basketball games, college fair, performances, and more were worth tuning into, there’s a bigger stake in the inaugural event in the long term. Get the full story from Michael LoRé at Forbes below.
The inaugural Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic featured four HBCU men’s basketball programs. Credit: Rich Schultz/Getty Images
Legacy is everything to Michael B. Jordan.
“I just want to be known as someone who helps people, who made it easier, brought people together and afforded other people opportunities that I had,” Jordan says. “While I’m here now and have the momentum, I want to set up things for other people so when I’m gone, this shit can keep going.”
Motivated by his desire to provide opportunities for others, especially students, student-athletes and alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the Emmy-nominated actor/producer partnered with Invesco QQQ, Turner Sports, WME Sports, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, and Scout Sports and Entertainment to host the inaugural Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic on December 18 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
In addition to a men’s college basketball doubleheader broadcast nationally on TNT featuring Delaware State University vs. North Carolina Central University and Howard University vs. North Carolina A&T University, the day also included a college fair, slam dunk contest, career fair, musical performance by Cordae, and startup pitch competition in a celebration of HBCU life, culture and community.
“You can’t just talk about it, you gotta walk it,” Jordan, 34, says. “I wanted to lead by example and be the first one to put my money where my mouth was and go forward with this. Now I need help, I need other people to follow. I need other people to see this is what’s going on over here and say, ‘How can I be involved? How can I help?’
“You see CP3 with what he’s doing and how he’s been supporting HBCUs, Melo, Bron, J.R. Smith going back to college. You start to make alliances with people who are going to make HBCUs not just a talking point and a cool moment, but cool in general, an aspirational place to be.”
Joining Jordan in his support of HBCUs during the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic was 23-time singles Grand Slam champion Serena Williams. Via Serena Ventures and MaC Venture Capital, Williams and Jordan invested $1 million in construction industry management app TracFlo, whose app streamlines contractor documents and workflow operations for construction projects. Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s Thirty Five Ventures served as an advisor during the pitch competition, which was sponsored by Audible and Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator.
The investment is crucial to an underrepresented and under-supported demographic in venture capital—Black and Latinx founders raised $2.3 billion in 2020, representing just 2.6% of the total $87.3 billion in funding that went to all founders that year according to Crunchbase.
For Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Swin Cash, who serves on the Board of Advisors for Invesco QQQ’s financial education program How Not to Suck at Money, the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic provides much-needed and much-deserved resources and opportunities that aren’t as easily accessible to HBCU students and student-athletes compared to those at Power 5 Conferences and/or predominately white institutions (PWIs).
“I didn’t think about all the different things I had at my fingertips or that I was able to have access to when I was playing at UConn because it was just there,” says Cash, New Orleans Pelicans vice-president of basketball operations and team operations. “If you look at a lot of HBCUs, they may not have the same level of resources, and an event like the Legacy Classic bringing those opportunities means a lot to those students. I was happy to see the thought process wasn’t, ‘Hey, we’re just going to play a basketball game.’”
Jordan, who previously challenged Hollywood to hire, support and amplify more Black creatives, says the Legacy Classic will continue to grow and evolve with the goal of turning it into more of a tournament while also including women’s basketball, egaming and other educational and career opportunities around coding and computer science.
“You look at all these other invitationals and classics that are out there that get nationally televised games, that get the notoriety, and get the investors, you don’t really have that system so you have to start somewhere,” Jordan says, “so I figured I’d start here in my hometown of Newark.”
New York City was the place to be last Saturday during this year’s Hillman Homecoming. Presented by Mastercard and sponsored by Amazon’s Black Employee Network (BEN) NY Metro Chapter, the event was created in 2014 to celebrate our HBCU culture and the alumni and supporters that keep their legacies alive. The annual event is not to be missed, but if your invite got lost in the mail this year, allow us to give you the rundown on everything that went down!
When it comes to HIllman Homecoming, you can expect the same homecoming energy that you would find on your own campus. Set at the famous 40/40 Club, music sets were rocked by entertainers like DJ Aktive, of Jimmy Fallon’s That’s My Jam and tours for Janet Jackson and Diddy. Virginia State University alum DJ Economix and DJ Two1Five were also on the turntables. They kept the good vibes going along with partner Tito’s Handmade Vodka, who kept the drinks flowing with a special list of signature cocktails. The event was hosted by celebrity North Carolina A&T State University alumnus Terrence J. There were also appearances from celebrities like Michael Rainey Jr. of hit TV shows like Power and Ghost, plus entertainer TravQue.
All the fun isn’t for nothing, as it’s all to give back to New York area high school students! Through the Puissance HBCU Scholarship, high school students planning to attend HBCUs in the fall will receive the financial support they need. 2021 marks this fundraiser’s fifth year, and a jarring $7,500 was raised! The nonprofit was founded by Howard University and Hampton University alumni, and has since grown to have alumni of N.C. A&T, Morehouse College, and Florida A&M University. Over $25,000 has been awarded to HBCU students all over the country, allowing them to enter their freshman year with the confidence they need to succeed.
A Jackson State University linebacker who previously played at the University of Southern California is facing serious charges after authorities allege he and others defrauded the government of thousands in COVID-19 relief funds. Get the full story from Mark Schlabach at ESPN below.
A Jackson State football player was arrested by federal authorities Monday and is accused of devising a scheme to fraudulently obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-related unemployment benefits, according to a release by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Abdul-Malik McClain, 22, allegedly orchestrated the scheme with other players while he was attending USC in 2020. He pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of mail fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Monday. He was released on $20,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court again Feb. 15.
McClain, a linebacker from Rancho Santa Margarita, California, transferred to Jackson State last December. His name no longer appears on the Tigers’ roster on the athletic department’s website.
According to the indictment, “McClain organized and assisted a group of other football players in filing fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits, including under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program established by Congress in response to the pandemic’s economic fallout. The indictment alleges that the claims — which were filed with the California Employment Development Department (EDD), the administrator of the state’s unemployment insurance (UI) benefit program — contained false information about the football players’ supposed prior employment, pandemic-related job loss, and job-seeking efforts in California.”
The indictment stated that McClain caused at least three dozen fraudulent applications for relief to be submitted that sought at least $903,688 in benefits; at least $227,736 was paid out.
In October 2020, ESPN reported that McClain’s brother, Munir McClain, had been suspended by USC in connection with his role in the alleged scheme. The Los Angeles Times reported that Munir acknowledged that he applied for financial relief from the PUA program but said he was under the impression he qualified because his source of income — reselling high-end shoes — had dried up during the pandemic, the Times reported.
Munir McClain, a wide receiver, transferred to Utah and played in two games this season.
The Justice Department release said the government authorized Bank of America to issue debit cards to the football players, which they allegedly used to make cash withdrawals to fund personal expenses. The government alleges that Abdul-Malik McClain “sought and obtained a cut for helping others file fraudulent UI applications.”
“McClain and his co-schemers also allegedly filed applications in their own names, in the names of other friends and associates, and in the names of identity theft victims,” the Justice Department release said. “According to the indictment, these claims also falsely stated that the claimants were self-employed workers, including athletic trainers and tutors, who had lost work in California as a result of the pandemic.”
Each mail fraud count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The aggravated identity theft counts carry a two-year mandatory prison sentence consecutive to any sentence imposed on the mail fraud counts.
The government’s release did not identify the university or any other players who might be under investigation.
A $2.5 million gift to Philander Smith College will help close the financial gaps for students at the historically Black college recently ranked as among the nation’s top 10 most accessible schools for lower-income students.
Announced as the largest gift in the Little Rock college’s 144-year history, the money comes from an “anonymous donor,” said Roderick Smothers, the college’s president, in a statement Wednesday.
“This monumental donation will provide tremendous opportunities for our scholars who hail from every walk of life. This gesture not only affects the lives of our students but communities across the nation,” Smothers said.
Scholarships — over 250 to be awarded annually for the next three academic years — will help students “push through to the finish line” and complete their degrees, Smothers added. The new initiative will be known as the Generational Access and Affordability Program.
The college enrolled about 700 students this fall, according to the state Division of Higher Education. For students who entered in the fall of 2014, the six-year graduation rate was 34%, according to federal data.
Carmen Bradford, the college’s marketing coordinator, said Wednesday that the donor is an individual, with no additional information available about their identity.
The same donor in August gave $250,000 to Philander Smith College, also for student scholarships, according to Wednesday’s announcement of the gift.
In recent days, Fort Valley State University in Georgia and Talladega College in Alabama — also historically Black colleges and universities — have announced $2.5 million “anonymous” gifts supporting student scholarships.
Philander Smith College ranked ninth among all colleges nationally in its “access rate” for students coming from households where earnings were $46,000 and below, according to a report published last month from the United Negro College Fund’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute.
The report examined all colleges, finding that historically Black colleges and universities made up four of the top 10 four-year schools as ranked by “access rate,” defined in the report as the percentage of students from what’s considered the bottom 40% of household earnings.
Philander Smith College’s “access rate” was 69.1%, according to the report, which highlighted that historically Black colleges and universities had an average “access rate” of 51.3% compared with a nationwide college average of 22.5%.
The report examined 1,285 colleges, including 50 historically Black colleges and universities. Available data on students born in 1980-82 showed that historically Black colleges and universities — with their larger percentage of lower-income students — also had a higher economic “mobility rate,” defined in the report as the share of a college’s students moving from the bottom 40% in household income into the top 60%.
The new Philander Smith College scholarships will range from $1,500 to $5,000 annually and be given out starting this spring, Bradford said, with award amounts to factor in account balances owed by students.
Amounts will average $3,500 per award, Bradford said.
“We really want them to graduate without them having to take out so many loans,” Bradford said.
Priority for the scholarships will go to students majoring in certain career-focused disciplines that include computer science, criminal justice, business administration, social work, biology and education, Bradford said.
Other criteria for the scholarships include demonstrating a commitment to the college’s social justice mission, according to Wednesday’s announcement.
“We are committed to our mission to graduate academically accomplished students grounded as advocates for social justice, determined to change the world for the better,” Smothers said.
