Today is graduation day for Megan Thee Stallion! Many around the world are congratulating the super star for keeping up her TexasSouthern University studies despite being at the top of her rap career. Get the full story from Jade Lawson at Good Morning America below.
Megan Thee Stallion is getting hotter by one degree. The Grammy-winning artist received a bachelor’s degree in health administration from Texas Southern University on Saturday.
“Megan Pete, a.k.a. Megan Thee Stallion, is one of 843 graduates who will celebrate their accomplishments achieved at Texas Southern University,” the university announced in a statement.
Ahead of the big day, the hitmaker took to social media to share her excitement and inspire her fans.
“I want y’all to remember that you can do whatever you wanna do and be whoever you wanna be, cause look at me,” she wrote.
The Houston native started her college journey at Prairie View A&M University, another historically Black college or university in Texas. Pete is rooted in a rich legacy of HBCU alumni following in the footsteps of her mother, grandmother, aunt and uncle, who all attended PVAMU. She later transferred to Texas Southern, where she will cross the stage today.
Despite fame, she vowed to finish college not only for herself but for the influences in her family –- her grandmother and late mother, Holly Thomas.
The rapper has been a strong advocate for higher education, awarding several college scholarships to students over the last two years and proving to be an inspiration for millions of her fans.
Crossing the stage, she joins a prestigious roster of HBCU alumni who are activists and entertainers, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Oprah Winfrey, Jesse Jackson, Taraji P. Henson, Michael Strahan and Stephen A. Smith.
This has been a breakout year for Pete. She took home awards for best rap performance and best rap song for her No.1 hit “Savage” at the 63rd Grammys.
In November, she was honored at the 2021 Glamour Woman of the Year awards, when she took a moment to embrace her accomplishments as a college student rather than a hip-hop phenomenon.
“I win a lot of awards as Megan Thee Stallion, but tonight I choose to accept this award as Megan Pete,” she said, “a soon-to-be college graduate from Houston, a woman who has built a successful career in a male-dominated industry.”
Megan Thee Stallion plans to open an assisted living facility in Houston, which she has said will provide more opportunities for graduates and economically support her home city.
Texas Southern University will be represented well when alumnus Michael Strahan goes on a very important trip in Houston this weekend. This Saturday, the current host of Good Morning America, and former NFL star and will be blasting into space! Read the full story from Pooja Lodhia at local station ABC13 below to learn more about the student and professor that have been invited to witness when Strahan blasts off! It’s an opportunity that neither thought they would ever have.
Credit: ABC 13
When GMA host Michael Strahan blasts off on a Blue Origin rocket, one lucky student and one lucky professor from his alma mater will be there to watch.
“He told me, I was like, ‘Woah! Mind blown,'” laughed Angel Mata, a senior at Texas Southern University.
“I’m just completely blown away,” added aviation professor Ed Pataky. “I grew up with the space program. Never saw a launch, and now I get to do it.”
Texas Southern University is the only institution in the state that offers a four-year Aviation degree. At least 80 students are enrolled in the program.
“If you think about it, in some of these neighborhoods in Houston, you’re never going to get an opportunity to speak to a pilot or an aircraft mechanic,” explained TSU Director of Aviation Dr. Terence Fontaine.
Texas Southern is the only HBCU in the country with flight simulation programs.
Fontaine hopes the Blue Origin launch will inspire more students to pursue aviation – a field that has historically lacked diversity.
“It’s a beautiful field, aviation. I’ve loved it all my life, so just trying to give back and try to help these kids realize something I’ve realized my whole life,” Fontaine said. “For these kids to be able to talk to somebody like Michael, who walked the same hallway that he did, I think means a lot.”
With its December release, Steven Speilberg’s adaptation of West Side Story is perhaps the most highly anticipated musical of the year! Follow lovebirds Tony and Maria in the classic story as they fall in love despite being caught in the middle of a fierce neighborhood gang rivalry. Academy Award winner Speilberg directed and produced the film, while Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tony Kushner wrote the screenplay!
Our exciting West Side Story HBCU Roundtable featured actresses Rachel Zegler (Maria), Ariana DeBose (Anita), and actor David Alvarez (Bernardo). If you’re familiar with the West Side Story play or original 1961 film, you’ll appreciate this ensemble. In the film, Maria is swept off her feet for the first time by Tony, who has tried to turn his life around after being a member of the racist Jets gang. But with her brother Bernardo serving as head of the rival Sharks gang, the relationship immediately becomes a problem. Through it all, in their shared apartment, it is Anita who tries her best to support the polarizing interests of the brother and sister.
We had the golden opportunity to sit down with a few cast members of the film, and we hand-picked several HBCU students to ask them the questions. From asking about the historical context of the film, to what it takes to make it in the industry, the students wanted to cover it all. Comedian Kyle of the Mic hosted the roundtable, with students representing HBCUs such as Bowie State University, Texas Southern University, Howard University, and Grambling State University.
Cameron Nolan of Morehouse College: In the 1961 West Side Story film, one could say the central theme was following your heart, and doing so despite what the world may say. So as actors, actresses, performers- really creators in general, how do you stay encouraged in pursuit of your dreams?
Anita: It’s an ongoing thing every day is different, I can tell you that. I’ve personally been working in the industry for 10+ years and I’ve had lots of success and it looks very shiny on the outside, but you get to the sparkly moments it’s been a real roller coaster. So many different microaggressions I’ve experienced. It’s been really intriguing to see how I present. I’ve been deemed ethnically ambiguous. I’ve been told I’m not black enough for one part, I’ve been told I’m not Latina enough for another part. But if I could just live in the gray, I was very hireable. So I think ultimately in order to keep going in an industry where you don’t feel seen, you have to have undying faith in yourself. Belief that you have something to offer, and the realization that just because one door doesn’t open doesn’t mean that another one won’t. You keep knocking down the doors until the one door opens, or the two doors open, and the people that see you, those are your people. And you start changing their minds, because if you change one mind you can change another mind. Beyond that, there’s no recipe. I don’t think there’s a recipe for keeping yourself going beyond holding on so tightly to your dreams, and a decent amount of self-care!
David: I think a big thing is it’s really about persistence. It’s about having confidence in yourself and what you have to bring to the table. Because a lot of times people out there are just not gonna believe in you. They’re just not gonna believe in you. And you’ve got to be that person to look at yourself in the mirror and say ‘I can do this, I believe in myself, I know my worth and I have a lot to offer to this world.’ So it is a roller coaster ride like Ariana said. You have great moments, but behind those great moments is 1,000 failing moments and it’s about not letting those failures get to you. I mean now that we’re here it’s incredible to know that all this hard work, all these learning experiences and can be brought to the table in a meaningful way, and also being part of this project is opening so many doors for so many communities to be able to trust themselves and be valued and be respected. So I’m just very fortunate to be a part of this and it’s not an easy ride. It’s not an easy ride at all. But if you love the art, if you love what you do, it is worth it in the end.
Rachel: It’s remembering that other people’s success is not in any way your failure. Root for your friends, we notice. It’s putting good out and getting good back. The universe works in a very real way. But it’s also a lot of hard work and it’s not just showing up to every attempt it’s not showing up. You know in my case it’s not showing up to every audition for other people but it’s showing up for myself and making sure that I am there and I am centered and I am ready because I can’t give 100% if I’m not at 100%. So take care of yourself beyond everything and just remember to root for other people’s successes as well. Learn from them.
Kendal Robinson of Howard University: West Side Story was deemed significant by the United States Library of Congress, and was also selected for the National Film Registry in 1997. In this film, can we expect the same impact and significance in the Steven Spielberg 2021 film, and also what culturally relevant themes can we expect to see?
Rachel: I think it still holds the same cultural relevance so I do expect our film to have that same impact, but there’s also cultural sensitivity but I think the 1961 film lacked severely. It’s the way that the culture is represented on all fronts. There was a big historical context overhaul that was done with Tony Kushner’s script and it was a real conversation surrounding racial tension, political tension, social tension, the 1957 climate for someone and the Robert Moses clearance project that was displacing low income communities out of their homes if you lived in a certain 20 blocks to make away for the Lincoln Center for the performing arts which was a rich white person thing, that all of these low-income communities that were being forced out of their homes wouldn’t even be able to enjoy. So not only is that the reason I think it will be culturally impactful because it’s a conversation that’s still ongoing and that we’re still having surrounding gentrification today. But it’s also the type of cultural conversation you can expect from our film.
The full roundtable conversation is up now on our HBCU Buzz YouTube, so be sure to tune in. Just as importantly, make sure you watch the new West Side Story out in theaters beginning December 10, 2021!
The Alabama Community College System released an announcement today that a history-making decision has been made. H. Councill Trenholm State Community College has appointed its first female president with the selection of Dr. Kemba Chambers! Get the full story through the ACCS release below.
On Wednesday, Chancellor Jimmy H. Baker announced the appointment of Dr. Kemba Chambers as President of H. Councill Trenholm State Community College. Chambers is the first female to serve in this capacity at the college.
Chambers has 25 years of higher education experience and currently serves as Interim President at Trenholm. She previously served as Interim Associate Vice Chancellor of Teaching and Learning and Chief Instructional Officer at the Alabama Community College System, and Executive Vice President and Vice President of Instructional Services at Trenholm State. Chambers has served in various leadership roles at four of Alabama’s community colleges including serving as Interim President at Coastal Alabama Community College in Bay Minette and J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College in Huntsville. She also served at Calhoun Community College in Decatur and Chattahoochee Valley Community College in Phenix City.
“The future of Trenholm State is bright with Dr. Chambers at the helm,” Baker said. “Her familiarity with the college combined with her vision and commitment to creating opportunity for students and the greater community, makes her the ideal leader for Trenholm State. “
Chambers earned an Associate of Arts degree from Chattahoochee Valley Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Mathematics Education from Columbus State University. She earned a Master of Science in Secondary Mathematics Education from Troy University, an Educational Specialist in Educational Leadership from Troy University, and a Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Administration from Auburn University.
“Opportunities abound at Trenholm State and it’s an honor to serve as President at the college at such an exciting time,” said Chambers. “I look forward to working alongside not only our outstanding faculty, staff, and students at Trenholm but with community leaders across the River Region to continue to provide opportunities for a better future through education and workforce training.”
Dr. Chambers’ tenure as President at Trenholm State Community College will begin on December 15, 2021.
If you’ve gotten the life-changing opportunity to attend an HBCU, it’s easy to list examples about why the experience is top tier. From the community, to the culture, to the food, to the friends, to the classes and professors, it’s hard to pick any one reason to go. Yet for high school students preparing to choose a college for themselves, the choice may not be so clear-cut. Recently an episode of The Last O.G. did a great job of capturing that experience these young students have when they’re flooded with choices. It definitely made us be more grateful for choosing an HBCU!
(Credit: TBS)
If you haven’t seen “The Last O.G.” yet, you’re missing out s. In the show, Tray (played by legendary comedian Tracy Morgan) comes home to Brooklyn after a 15-year prison sentence to find that his neighborhood has gone through a lot of changes. And as it turns out, his former girlfriend Shay (TIffany Haddish) had twins, a boy and a girl, that he had no idea about. Always one to work hard, Tray’s baby girl Amira (Taylor Mosby) is finally at the point where she’s preparing to pick the right college for her. Surprisingly for her, college presentation day at her high school doesn’t go as planned.
In what’s become our favorite episode of the fourth season, “Know Thyself” explores what it’s like for Amira to choose a college in the middle of an identity crisis. She initially believes she wants to attend a well-known Predominantly White Institution (PWI). In part, she is influenced by her white friends, who she feels she fits in with the most. During the college’s presentation, she is snubbed more than once by her dream school. Her father Tray wants to boldly call out how problematically she is being treated, but it only embarrasses her more. In this encounter, you can see her trying to distance herself (both with family and with her choice in school) from what may be considered too ghetto, or too Black.
Taylor Mosby plays Amira in “The Last O.G.” (Credit: Warner Media)
Without giving too much away, just know, ironically, that it’s an HBCU that ultimately validates her and encourages her to take up space. It’s a tough experience that many HBCU students can attest to. HBCUs were literally created because Black students were not welcome to be educated at pre-existing colleges and universities around the country. So while the acceptance to a PWI may feel like an honor to a student like Amira, it may not necessarily be the best choice to help them blossom in their own skin.
Make sure you catch the “Know Thyself” episode to discover which college Amira ultimately chooses. “The Last O.G.” airs on TBS every Tuesday at 10:30/9:30 CST.
Tennessee State University basketball player Hercy Miller arrived to the university to much fanfare, but unfortunately his stay was short lived. Get the full story on why she is leaving TSU in the story from Mike Organ at the Tennessean below.
Hercy Miller, left, with his hip-hop legend Master P., committed to play basketball Friday at Tennessee State. (Credit: Submitted to Tennessean)
Master P is committed to leveling the playing field for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, but for now his son Hercy Miller is transferring from the Tennessee State basketball program because of what the hip-hop mogul believes is a lack of medical resources within the athletics department.
Master P, whose name is Percy Miller, said his son did not receive proper medical attention after suffering a hip injury in the Tigers’ first game of the season Nov. 9 against Alabama A&M, and an improper diagnosis nearly led to the end of Hercy’s playing career.
“We’ve got a great program at Tennessee State, we’ve got great people, we loved the culture, we just don’t have enough trainers,” Master P said. “We don’t have enough medical people to take care of what needs to be taken care of. We don’t have the technology that the Dukes and all these major universities have. An injury like this could have been prevented.”
Master P told The Tennessean on Tuesday he does not blame the medical staff at TSU and instead blames the disparity in medical resources between major universities and HBCUs on an overall lack of funding.
Earlier this year, a report by the Office of Legislative Budget Analysis estimated TSU had been underfunded by as much as $544 million in land-grant funding over the years.
However, TSU athletics department officials told The Tennessean the school’s sports medicine department, which includes seven fulltime sports medicine employees, isn’t understaffed or underfunded compared to schools its size.
“The issue is not that we’re underfunded at all,” TSU director of sports medicine Trevor Searcy said. “It’s actually the opposite. The issue is that since (athletics director Mikki Allen) has been here we’ve been growing and when you grow your facilities have to grow as well and that’s what we’re in the process of doing now.”
However, Master P said he was never comfortable with TSU’s medical staff during Hercy’s time there and is perplexed by officials who are satisfied with the status quo.
“How can we help HBCUs if we’re going to sugar coat the truth? Then we are failing the next generation,” he said. “What do we need to fundraise for if staff members are saying we have everything we need?”
Timeline of Hercy Miller’s injury
Hercy Miller was cleared after the injury, Master P said, by TSU’s medical staff to play in the next game four days later. The freshman played nine minutes against Norfolk State and then 17 minutes in the following game against Fisk.
Master P remained concerned about Hercy’s injury, so TSU sent Hercy to a doctor who said he needed to take six months off to allow the injury to heal. Hercy was ruled out for the season on Nov. 30 after averaging 10.2 minutes in six games.
Master P then took Hercy to be evaluated by a specialist.
“The specialist said if we would have waited any longer he probably wouldn’t have been able to play basketball anymore because next his ACL was going to go out and all other kinds of injuries,” Master P said.
“That’s when I said I have to bring awareness to what’s going on at all these HBCUs — underfunding with no resources. I’m going to be with all the HBCU programs to bring awareness to this but I’m not going to sacrifice my son’s career and his future.”
Master P said Hercy has returned home and will begin rehabilitating the injury Monday and is open to returning to the Tigers if changes are made.
“If they got the right funding and resources and doctors and nutrition like all the rest of the state-funded schools,” Master P said. “He loved the coaches, he loved the school, he loved Nashville, my family loved Nashville.”
Tennessee State freshman Hercy Miller has reportedly entered the transfer portal (Credit: Tennessee State Athletics)
How TSU compares to other programs
Since he was hired in 2020, Allen has made it a goal to improve TSU’s sports medicine staff. On Tuesday, he said he is satisfied with the progress that has been made.
The staff works closely with orthopedic surgeon Damon Petty, who also serves as team physician for the Tennessee Titans.
The size of the TSU athletics medical staff pales in comparison to major college programs — Tennessee and Vanderbilt each have 37 staff members ranging from directors to athletic trainers to rehabilitation specialists to interns — but it is comparable to schools closer to its size.
Austin Peay, which competes in the Ohio Valley Conference along with TSU, has seven fulltime sports medicine staff members, including four fulltime athletics trainers, two interns and one graduate assistant. Austin Peay also has a team doctor who attends all home games.
Middle Tennessee State, which competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision, has 11 sports medicine staff members — six full-time certified athletic trainers and five certified graduate assistants.
“In terms of what we look like right now, I’m definitely comfortable with where we are,” Allen said. “I always want to grow and there are always going to be times when you have to assess the organization at-large and say ‘I need to make a tweak here from a personnel standpoint.’ But it’s all relative to the sports programs that we service and the amount of kids in our program and I feel good about that right now.”
Allen said he is not discouraging Master P from trying to help HBCU programs.
“What it looks like in the HBCU space, Master P has been on other campuses and what it looks like there it might not look like here so I can’t speak on that,” Allen said. “But I’ll tell you that we’re the best in this space and not only in this space but I’ll put us up there with other conferences as we continue to grow and reach heights we’ve never reached.”
Transfer won’t impact Hercy Miller’s NIL deal
Hercy Miller agreed to $2 million name, image, likeness sponsorship deal with Web Apps America after signing with TSU.
He was a three-star prospect who said he also has scholarship offers from Vanderbilt, LSU, UCLA, Southern Cal, Missouri, South Carolina, Arizona and Georgetown.
Master P said Hercy’s NIL deal is still intact as long as he remains a college athlete.
Artist Sean Kernick takes a break from his mural to honor NCCU coach LaVelle Moton on Salibury St. in downtown Raleigh on Tuesday, Nov. 23. 2021. (Credit: Juli Leonard)
The last name of the accomplished coach and leader is painted in five, giant letters on a wall in the city that saw him rise from a childhood of struggle to college basketball stardom.
N.C. Central University basketball coach LeVelle Moton is seeing his life and those who helped him on his journey celebrated in a new mural on South Salisbury Street in downtown Raleigh.
Moton, 47, says he wanted the piece to represent something his grandmother told him: “When you leave this earth and people remember you as a basketball player, you’ve done a poor job of living.”
“It’s an ultimate blessing,” Moton told The News & Observer in an interview. “It’s not really about LeVelle Moton, it’s about the people and organizations that supported me.”
Moton’s story is one of the hope and perseverance, he said.
He was raised by his single mother, Hattie McDougald, amid economic struggle in a neighborhood with drugs and violence in southeast Raleigh.
The mural is just a short drive from Lane Street park, the “sanctuary” where he spent his childhood playing on the court, which he told The N&O in June formed “the fabric, the foundation, of who I am.” The park was named after him in 2019, and he has since invested in fixing it up.
Focusing on basketball and his future led Moton to chase his dreams in Durham, where he became a college star.
Moton was one of the nation’s best NCAA Division II players and has won several Outstanding Coach and Coach of the Year awards, taking the Eagles to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament wins three years in a row.
But he didn’t to it alone. Moton said.
“I wanted (the mural) to serve the community, and I wanted the community to feel they had a helping hand and lending hand in that guy on that wall,” he said.
He has worked to pay it forward, investing in affordable housing near his neighborhood, and running the Velle Cares Foundation, a philanthropic effort to educate and enrich organizations that work with young people and families.
Moton said the basketball season has kept him too busy to see Raleigh-based artist Sean Kernick’s work in progress. But excited friends and fans have been sending him photos and posting about it on social media.
You’re cordially invited to the mural unveiling this Friday, December 10th at 12pm…at the intersection of Salisbury & Hargett St… pic.twitter.com/SiDEqmzJwm
Talks with the city about commissioning a mural began before the pandemic, around the time his childhood park was named after him, he said. The Raleigh Murals Project helped to finalize the plan, which Kernick began working on in October and is supported by funding by the PepsiCo South Division.
The initial design was developed by Moton’s friend Adam “Azhea” Williams, an artist and designer who came up with an idea of a photo collage of Moton. He then pitched shifting the design to a series of collages: Moton’s family, his upbringing and the other people and places that shaped his journey, such as the Jones Street apartment he grew up in, and a logo of the Raleigh Boys & Girls Club.
It would have been unjust to exclude the support a poor child from southeast Raleigh found on his rise to success, he said.
Tasked with bringing the design to life is Kernick, using a vast array of spray paint cans to create the meticulous detail of the mural.
Artist Sean Kernick works on the finishing touches of his mural to honor NCCU coach LaVelle Moton on Salibury St. in downtown Raleigh on Tuesday, Nov. 23. 2021. (Credit: Juli Leonard)
This mural speaks to this area, this community, in terms of someone who grew up here, has contributed to here,” Kernick said. “I think that’s a key component for murals to have impact, is for them to actually connect to the places where they exist.”
The mural, about 40 feet high, is on a wall connected to a parking deck building owned by McNeill Mays Properties and faces a parking lot owned by The Car Park.
It’s among the largest in downtown Raleigh and one of the bigger pieces of public art to use photorealistic elements in the area, Kernick said.
The centerpiece of the mural is the “T” of Moton’s last name, under which he’s painted sitting coolly in a gray suit surrounded by his trophies.
“Hopefully, kids and people in general can look at that mural and use it as purveyor of hope,” Moton said. “Even when times get tough, when adversity and opposition kicks in, they have to know that God has put them on this earth for a reason.”
Former Prairie View A&M University football head coach Eric Dooley is heading to a head coaching Southern University at Baton Rouge! Get the full story from The Advocate, written by Jim Kleinpeter with a contribution from Perryn Keys.
The-Prairie View coach Eric Dooley speaks to reporters July 13, 2018, in Birmingham, Ala. Dooley, a New Orleans native and longtime Souterhn assistant, is set to take over as the Jaguars’ new head coach. (Credit: Andrea Mabury)
Eric Dooley is coming home.
The Prairie View head coach and former longtime Southern University assistant has agreed to take over the Jaguars, the school announced Monday.
Dooley, who guided Prairie View to the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game this season, will be introduced in a news conference at noon Tuesday in the A.W. Mumford Field House.
Dooley, 56, replaces interim coach Jason Rollins, who took over in May when Dawson Odums resigned following the SWAC’s abbreviated spring season. Odums spent nine-plus seasons at Southern, winning four Western Division titles and the outright SWAC championship in 2013.
Rollins led the Jaguars to a 4-7 record this fall. They dropped four of their final five games, including losses to their top three rivals — Florida A&M, Jackson State and Grambling.
Southern did not specify what role, if any, Rollins will have with the program moving forward and has not yet announced contract terms for Dooley, who finished his fourth season in charge at Prairie View.
Dooley’s coaching journey has brought him back where he started. He is an alumnus of the Southern system, having earned his undergraduate degree at SUNO in 1999 and his master’s degree from the Baton Rouge campus in 2005.
A New Orleans native and Fortier High School graduate, he was a wide receiver at Grambling in the late 1980s, and after a brief playing career in Canada, Dooley got his big break in 1997, when joined Pete Richardson’s staff. He stayed at Southern through 2010, working for 13 years under Richardson and one more under Stump Mitchell.
Dooley had several duties at Southern but spent most of his time as wide receivers coach, playing a vital role in some of the most dominant offenses in the SWAC.
The Jaguars won four SWAC titles during that time (1997-99, 2003) and two Black college national championships (’97, ’03).
All the while, Dooley, with his easygoing nature and earnest approach, earned a reputation as an effective recruiter, reeling in some of Louisiana’s best hidden-gem athletes to Baton Rouge.
Dooley left Southern in 2011 to become offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arkansas-Pine Bluff under Monte Coleman. The Golden Lions’ offense improved each year on Dooley’s watch, and in 2012 they won their first outright SWAC championship since 1966.
Dooley then moved to Grambling, where his offense averaged at least 31 points per game and ranked first or second in the SWAC in scoring each of his final three seasons.
That led to Dooley’s fourth stop at a SWAC school. At 52, he got his first shot at being a head coach, taking over at Prairie View in 2018.
He got off to a slow start. Prairie View went .500 over his first two years, and the Panthers managed just three wins in the 2021 spring season, undone by COVID-19.
This year, however, was a breakthrough. Prairie View roared out of the gate, winning seven of its first eight games to claim the Western Division.
The Panthers entered Saturday’s SWAC championship game on a losing streak, having dropped three straight — including a surprising 24-19 home defeat against Mississippi Valley.
Dooley coached four seasons at Prairie View and compiled a 20-16 overall record with a 16-9 mark in SWAC play.
Jackson State defeated Prairie View 27-10 in the title game.
Two days later, Southern announced Dooley as the 20th head football coach in school history.
He takes over a program teeming with potential but in need of a boost. Though the Jaguars came close several times under Odums, their SWAC championship drought now stands at eight years. Since the legendary Arnett W. Mumford retired in 1961, the Jaguars have gone through 12 coaches. Only two of them won an outright SWAC title — Richardson (five times) and Odums (once).
Norfolk State University recently announced a big surprise to its students: Pharrell Williams will be delivering the commencement address for graduates later this month! The musical legend has worked tirelessly to support HBCU students, and now, he will be able to share his admiration for their hard work in person! Get the full story from the Norfolk State University release below.
Pharrell Williams, the Grammy-winning producer and Oscar-nominated songwriter from Virginia Beach, will speak during the in-person ceremony at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall on campus on Dec. 11 (Credit: Stephen M. Katz/Daily Press)
Pharrell Williams will deliver commencement address to Norfolk State University’s December graduates
Music superstar Pharrell Williams will deliver the commencement address to Norfolk State University’s December graduates of the Class of 2021, the university announced.
The ceremony will take place in-person at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall on campus on Dec. 11, starting at 9 a.m. It will also be available to view via livestream on NSU’s website, www.nsu.edu.
Williams, a Virginia Beach native, has been an advocate for racial justice in his home state. The Grammy-winning producer and Oscar-nominated songwriter played a critical role in Gov. Ralph Northam’s announcement last year that Juneteenth would become a paid holiday for state employees.
Williams also helped organize Something in the Water, a music festival at the Oceanfront, which debuted in 2019. But he said the event would not return in 2022 with a letter to Virginia Beach city officials in October.
The letter attributed his decision to the city’s “toxic energy” and what he described as the city’s failure to take a stand on the fatal shooting of his cousin Donovan Lynch by a Virginia Beach police officer earlier this year.
In addition to conferring degrees for nearly 400 students at the ceremony, NSU will also award Williams a Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree.
To attend the ceremony, all invited guests must have a ticket, which is provided by their prospective graduate, according to a release from the university.
NSU also requires attendees either provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of the commencement ceremony.
Spring 2022 will signify the first semester that Bowie State University will offer fully online degree program. Get the full story from the BSU release below.
The Bowie State University College of Education, building on its legacy as the first program at the university, leads the way into the future by offering BSU’s first fully online degree programs beginning in the spring 2022 semester.
Bowie-are now accepting students into the cohort based online programs. Partnerships have been established with school districts in Maryland and Pennsylvania to enhance professional and leadership development of their local educators, but the new online offerings open the door for more students to opt in.
“These programs that we’ve traditionally offered in on-campus and hybrid formats have produced educational leaders in the classrooms and administrations of local school districts for many years,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Carl B. Goodman. “The addition of this new fully online option will enable educators in more distant school districts to the north, south or even far west to benefit from our research-based programs.”
Goodman noted these programs are the forerunners of five additional program that will be available online in fall 2022. Two graduate programs, computer science and management information systems and three undergraduate programs, computer science, computer technology and criminal justice, are accepting applicants for fall enrollment. The undergraduate programs will primarily target adults seeking to change careers.
“This expansion of some of our strongest programs into the online modality is part of our strategic goal to diversify program offerings at Bowie State to better accommodate the varying needs of prospective students,” said Goodman. “In addition to specifically redesigning the courses for online delivery, our faculty have undergone extensive professional development to enhance online teaching practices to improve student engagement, persistence and course completion.”
Goodman said the cohort model was selected for BSU’s initial online programs as it provides opportunities for students to move through the programs taking the same classes together. “The students get to know each other and develop a bond to support each other to succeed,” he said. “That commitment to a supportive academic environment is at the core of the Bowie State University experience.”
The doctorate degree program in educational leadership is designed for educators who are already serving in leadership roles in K-12, higher education and district level leadership. It focuses on applying analytics in educational management, instruction, communications, policy and organizational performance.
The master’s degree in culturally responsive teacher leadership promotes equity, access and inclusivity in teaching, while helping educators become influential leaders in diverse learning communities. Students can complete this accelerated program in 12 months, with eight-week course sessions. Students pursuing the master’s degree in reading education learn to guide and instruct different age groups and reading levels as they develop both literacy knowledge and pedagogical practices to use in the classroom and other settings as reading and literacy specialists.
Apply online for spring and fall enrollment. Applicants should indicate interest in online programs on the application.
Tate was a challenging and authoritative voice on everything from hip-hop to hardcore, and also made his own significant musical impact with projects like Burnt Sugar
Greg Tate, one of the most incisive, insightful, and influential cultural critics of the past 35 years, has died. His publisher Duke University Press confirmed the author’s death to ARTnews, though a cause of death was not confirmed.
“Hard to explain the impact that Flyboy in the Buttermilk had on a whole generation of young writers and critics who read every page of it like scripture,” The New Yorker’s Jelani Cobb wrote on Twitter, aptly summing up the effect that Tate’s iconic 1992 essay collection had on the world. “It’s still a clinic on literary brilliance.”
Tate was born in Dayton, Ohio and, after studying journalism and film at Howard University, moved to New York in the early Eighties. Along with future Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, singer D.K. Dyson, and producer Konda Mason, he co-founded the Black Rock Coalition in 1985. The collective asserted the Black authorship of rock & roll, and sought equitable treatment for Black artists across genres. “The BRC opposes those racist and reactionary forces within the American music industry which undermine and purloin our musical legacy and deny Black artists the expressive freedom and economic rewards that our Caucasian counterparts enjoy as a matter of course,” reads the organization’s manifesto.
Tate joined the staff of The Village Voice in 1987 and quickly established himself as a challenging, encyclopedic, and brilliantly witty voice on everything from hip-hop to hardcore and free jazz. (His first cover story was on Nigerian singer King Sunny Adé.) “Being a 25-year-old music freelancer for the Voicemeant your number-one goal in life — free passes to any show at any venue in the city — was answered,” Tate wrote in a 2017 remembrance of his early days there. “But it also gave you street cred you didn’t even know you had among a wide swath of characters — club bouncers, burly Latino locksmiths from the Bronx who took your check and proclaimed themselves fans of your byline, label execs, musical icons, and rising rap stars.”
Five years later, he published the now-classic Flyboy in the Buttermilk, where he turned his critical eye on Ice-T, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Public Enemy, George Clinton, and more. “Those who dismiss Chuck D as a bullshit artist because he’s loud, pro-black, and proud will likely miss out on gifts for blues pathos and black comedy,” he wrote in a 1988 piece on Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. “When he’s on, his rhymes can stun-gun your heart and militarize your funnybone.”
“[W]hen the Brains play hardcore it is with a sense of mission and possession more intense than that of any of the sadomasochistic Anglo poseurs who were their models,” he wrote in a 1982 appreciation of Bad Brains. “And yet, though locked into the form by faith and rebellion, the Brains inject it with as much virtuosic ingenuity as manic devotion.”
Tate’s writings paid tribute, but also took his subjects to task when necessary — even when that meant questioning his literary heroes, like Amiri Baraka. “The beauty as well as the bullshit of Baraka has always been how eloquently he’s managed to confuse his head with the Godhead, his mental problems with the world’s ills, his identity complex with those of all black people,” reads one passage in Flyboy. And when chronicling the music he loved, he never shied away from feminist critique. “Last album PE dissed half the race as ‘Sophisticated Bitches,’ ” he wrote, calling out Public Enemy’s portrayal of Black women. “This time around, ‘She Watch Channel Zero?!’ a headbanger about how brainless the bitch is for watching the soaps, keeping the race down.”
“Part of what’s so valuable about Tate’s role as a cultural critic is the way he negotiates the contradictions that underlie Black American culture,” noted scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. wrote in the introduction for Flyboy. “What Tate understands is that culture, Afro-American culture in particular, is never a matter of either-or. He can both celebrate the energizing pull of cultural nationalism and register its limitations, moral and intellectual.”
Tate kept writing for the Voice through 2005; contributed to The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and many other outlets; and would go on to publish several other noteworthy books, including Midnight Lightning, which Tate called “a Jimi Hendrix Primer for Blackfolk,” and a Flyboy sequel that featured pieces on Sade, Björk, Azealia Banks, and Joni Mitchell, as well as further examinations of Baraka, Hendrix, and Davis. (Tate praised Banks for “how effortlessly [she] rains snappy rhyme combinations on heads like Sugar Ray Leonard once bongo-drummed on furthermuckers’ noggins.”)
Throughout his career, he stayed current and remained a passionate advocate and potent critic of the work that moved him. His instantly recognizable style fused Black vernacular with a deep historical savvy and the interdisciplinary spirit of academia. (In 2015, reviewing Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly for Rolling Stone, he wrote, “Roll over Beethoven, tell Thomas Jefferson and his overseer Bull Connor the news: Kendrick Lamar and his jazzy guerrilla hands just mob-deeped the new Jim Crow, then stomped a mud hole out that ass.”) He was also active in music for decades, establishing his own inter-genre ensemble Burnt Sugar, where he played guitar, conducted spontaneously in the manner of New York avant-jazz trailblazer Butch Morris, and brought together his diverse musical interests, from free jazz to funk and psychedelic rock.
Upon the news of his death, a slew of prominent writers posted tributes. “[N]o language for how thankful I am to have lived in a time where I could learn from Greg Tate,” wrote Hanif Abdurraqib. “[T]he first step to it is mimicry and who we are all mimicking is greg tate…the greatest…and the kindest, so generous with his time and that brain,” wrote Doreen St. Felix. “Just heard that my friend, my mentor, one of the greatest writers of his generation Greg Tate passed away last night,” wrote Touré. “He was a genius and his writing was amazing and I learned a ton reading him.”
Dominique King, a Howard University alumna, is paving a way for HBCUs to get the financial support they need with her app I Heart My HBCU. Get the full story from Marybeth Gasman’s Forbes article below.
Dominique King, Founder and President of I Heart My HBCU (Credit: I HEART MY HBCU)
The average rate of alumni giving at the nation’s 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) has hovered around 10% for the past few decades, with private HBCUs having slightly higher rates of giving than their public counterparts. However, some HBCUs have alumni giving rates that any college in the country would covet. Claflin University, in Orangeburg, South Carolina, for example, has an alumni giving rate of nearly 48%. Spelman College, in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina — institutions that educate Black women — both boast a nearly 39% alumni giving rate. These three small colleges work hard to instill a culture of giving from the first day students arrive on campus, resulting in committed alumni and ample giving.
Recognizing that HBCU alumni might give more if giving was easier, Howard University alumnus Dominique King founded I Heart My HBCU, a mobile app that allows people to donate their spare change to HBCUs. The app works like other spare change technology — allowing users to round up their credit and debit card purchases and donate to five of their favorite HBCUs. Users can also make monthly or one-time donations to HBCUs using the app.
During a time when people are increasingly isolated due to the Covid-19 pandemic, King believes HBCUs need a tool that fosters community. The I Heart My HBCU app intentionally goes beyond a “set and forget” platform — typical of spare change apps — and attempts to attract new users and keep them engaged through activities.
King set up alumni chat rooms to foster engagement around HBCUs. Alumni are able to come together and reminisce about their HBCU experiences, which helps to foster additional giving. According to King, “While HBCU alumni are large in numbers, preserving our HBCUs will take a community effort. I Heart My HBCU’s chat integration takes the app from just being a donor marketplace to a donor community for HBCU alumni and friends of HBCUs to network, exchange ideas, support other Black-owned businesses and, most importantly, support HBCUs.”
King wants to bring financial support to HBCUs because her own experience at Howard was vital to her success: “the culture was uplifting and played a role in giving me the confidence to be a tech entrepreneur.” Given King’s interest in tech-based marketing, she could have directed her idea towards many other areas of need, but her plan was “to preserve the rich heritage of HBCUs and combat challenges that lead to the closures of some of these great institutions.”
Of note, King wants users to think about supporting all HBCUs and not just the one from which they graduated. Thus, users choose five HBCUs for their spare change to benefit. With this approach, King is spreading the wealth throughout the HBCU community and ensuring that users learn about all HBCUs. “When creating this app, it was important for me to encourage HBCU alumni to support all HBCUs. Users can easily adjust how much or how little of their spare change they share to their five favorite HBCUs,” says King.
King recently partnered with Xavier University of Louisiana, located in New Orleans and known for its stellar record of placing African Americans in medical school. Research on income mobility finds that the Xavier, while enrolling large numbers of low-income students, has a higher income mobilityrate than any other HBCU, and a higher rating than comparable Predominantly White Institutions as well. Specially, nearly 80% of Xavier graduates reach incomes on par with the median U.S. earner (i.e. middle class status). Xavier University has a relatively strong alumni giving rate at 17%; however, given how many of the institution’s alumni become doctors, and its track record in terms of income mobility, there is considerable potential for growth.
Through the partnership with the I Heart My HBCU app, Xavier students, alumni, and friends will be able to connect and raise funds to support scholarships, academic programs, campus enhancements, and the institution’s endowment. During the two-year partnership, Xavier and I Heart My HBCU jointly aim to have 10,000 people join the Xavier University donor community, and for every new donor who signs up, I Heart My HBCU will donate an additional $1 up to $10,000.
According to Lacrecia Jones, Director of Alumni Relations & Annual Giving at Xavier, “Not only does the spare change app serve as a way to reach donors and raise money for the university, but it is also providing a way for Xavierites to reconnect and remain connected no matter where they are in the world.” Xavier is particularly excited about the spare change app because it creates a space for donors who may not be able to contribute large amounts. Executive Director of Advancement Services at Xavier, Kendra Tircuit shared, “We want to ensure that everyone understands that every donation counts, no matter how big or small. Those smallamounts add up and allow us to make big changes on Xavier’s campus.”
HBCU alumni are known for being fiercely loyal and frequent visitors to their alma maters. Yet, their giving rates do not correspond to this loyalty. The I Heart My HBCU app provides an avenue for anyone anywhere to donate spare change to any HBCU in the country and King is hoping it makes a difference in alumni giving.
Ariana DeBose as Anita in 20th Century Studios’ West Side Story.
At a time where a pandemic and more seems to be pushing us apart, the perfect movie is here to bring us all together. The legendary tale of West Side Story is coming back, and it’s better than ever. When the new film adaptation premieres December 10, 2021, you’ll find yourself entranced by new talent and a fresh twist on the old musical.
West Side Story was an instant hit when it originally emerged in 1957. It tells the story of two adversarial street gangs in New York, and the forbidden love caught in between their chaos. Tony, a tennager with ties to the white “Jets” gang, falls head over heels for Maria, who happens to be the sister of the rival Puerto Rican “Sharks” gang’s head member. The tension of the rivalry produces not only love, but ultimately tragedy as well. Inspired by the tale of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story was first written as a book by Arthur Laurents. With ensuing success, it was turned into a hit Broadway musical that has toured for decades and even an award-winning film, which premiered in 1961 and featured big names like Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno.
The 2021 adaptation of this film has been crafted by some heavy hitters in entertainment! Produced and directed by veteran filmmaker Steven Speilberg, this year’s adaptation of West Side Story is in great hands.The cast features Angel Elgort (Baby Driver, The Fault In Our Stars), introduces actress Rachel Zegler as his love interest, and even features a return from Rita Moreno! The newest screenplay was written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tony Kushner. It was produced with the help of Tony Award-winner Kevin McCollum and Academy Award-nominee Kristie Macosko Krieger. When it comes to the music, they pulled together the best of the best. The music team includes legendary conductor Gustavo Dudamel and Academy Award-nominee composer and conductor David Newman, who helped craft the score, Additionally, Grammy-nominee Matt Sullivan served as executive music producer. The dance numbers that have become a key part of the Story will receive a fresh update from Tony Award winner Justin Peck. The cast features Angel Elgort (Baby Driver, The Fault In Our Stars), introduces actress Rachel Zegler as his love interest, and even features a return from Rita Moreno! Moreno, who is one of only three entertainers in the world to receive an Academy, Emmy, GRAMMY, Tony, and Peabody Awards, is an executive producer on the film.
VIewers can anticipate that the new film will maintain the magic of the original story, while also being updated for the times. Spielberg recently shared that pulling the remake together was both a complex and rewarding project. complexity of the remake. “West Side Story is arguably the greatest score ever written in the theater, and that’s not lost on any of us,” he said. “It’s very intimidating to take a masterpiece and make it through different eyes and different sensibilities without compromising the integrity of what is generally considered the greatest music ever written for the theater. But I believe that great stories should be told over and over again, in part to reflect different perspectives and moments in time into the work.”
Speilberg’s adaptation comes at a very pivotal time in our country. Centered around xenophobia, or the prejudice of people from other countries, there is much that can be connected to real situations today. In the film, it is the mindset of the Irish-descent members of the “Sharks” street gang as superior that creates the tension with the Puerto Rican members of the “Jets” and their community at large. Much can be connected to the United States’ changing demographics thanks to an influx of Mexican, Asian, and Haitian nationals for example. With the original West Side Story film adaptation winning 10 Oscars, we’re looking forward to how this year’s version will tell the story in a refreshing way.
Catch West Side Story when it premieres in theaters December 10, 2021.
Morris Brown College has just selected a success businessman to head its Institutional Advancement & Corporate Relations. Learn more about Dr. Rashad Richey in the MBC News release below.
(Credit: Dr. Rashad Richey)
Dr. Rashad Richey, Emmy-nominated broadcaster, political strategist, news analyst, business executive, professor, lecturer, entrepreneur, and fundraiser, has been named Director of Institutional Advancement & Corporate Relations at Morris Brown College.
Dr. Richey is well-known for higher education policy advocacy and previously served as a department chair of adult learning at Beulah Heights University. In addition to his directorship role at Morris Brown, Dr. Richey will also serve as an adjunct professor for the institution.
Dr. Richey has interviewed everyone from United States Vice-President Kamala Harris to Ice Cube. He is Host of the award-winning Rashad Richey Morning Show on News & Talk 1380 – WAOK and Political Commentator for The People’s Station V-103 FM (the largest urban station in America), where he was voted Best Talk Radio Personality by readers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (first African American to receive this distinction) and Most Trusted Voice in Atlanta by the Atlanta Business Journal.
Dr. Richey is an Emmy nominated Political Analyst for CBS News Atlanta and television anchor for the acclaimed national TV news show, ‘Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey’, which airs live daily on multiple networks. Moreover, Dr. Richey is President of Rolling Out Magazine, the largest free-print urban publication in America with a monthly readership of 2.8 million and combined social media following of over 500,000. Rolling Out covers political, entertainment, cultural, and business news.
Dr. Richey has received various honors for his policy-centric leadership, including The President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from United States President Joe Biden, Congressional Proclamation from US Congressman Hank Johnson, and The Whitehouse Volunteer Services Award.
Dr. Kevin James, President of Morris Brown said, “I am excited to select Dr. Rashad Richey for this important role. His business acumen, experience, personal and corporate relationships will lend well to the forward progress of the institution. Dr. Richey will be a valuable resource in assisting me in working with major corporate donors.”
Dr. Richey is on the Board of Directors at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital and a member in good standing with the American Association of University Professors, National Black MBA Association, Atlanta Press Club, Atlanta NAACP, and the Black Law Students Association.
Dr. Richey earned his Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Master of Business Administration from Beulah Heights University. He completed his Doctor of Education from Clark Atlanta University, where his research focused on federal policy and student outcomes in higher education. Additionally, he obtained a certificate in Executive Leadership from Cornell University and is currently matriculating at Birmingham School of Law completing his Juris Doctor Degree.
Founded by formerly enslaved religious leaders at Big Bethel AME Church in 1881, Morris Brown College is the first college in Georgia to be owned and operated by African Americans. The iconic Fountain Hall and the current Morris Brown campus are where Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois wrote “The Souls of Black Folk” in 1903. Notable alumni include Alberta Williams King, mother of Martin Luther King, Jr., and James Alan McPherson, the first Black writer to win a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Florida A&M University‘s seventh president has unfortunately passed away. Learn more about former FAMU president Walter L. Smith from Andrew Skerritt at FAMU Forward below.
Walter L. Smith, Sr. Ph.D., the seventh president of Florida A&M University (FAMU), died in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday, November 25, 2021. The former athlete, scholar, historian, and education leader was 86.
FAMU President Emeritus Smith was also the second president of Roxbury Community College in Boston, Mass.
Notable achievements during the Smith’s eight-year tenure at FAMU include the addition of undergraduate and graduate studies; the expansion of the Black Archives; several new and improved facilities, a boost in sports, the expansion of Bragg Memorial Stadium, and reaccreditation of the several professional education programs.
“I was saddened to learn of the passing of Florida A&M University’s seventh President and President Emeritus Walter L. Smith, Ph.D. Dr. Smith left an indelible mark as the University’s leader from 1977 to 1985, developing new academic programs and steering FAMU in the right direction,” said Robinson, FAMU’s 12th President. “We’re thankful for his leadership and celebrate his legacy and join the Smith family, friends and Rattlers around the world in celebrating a life dedicated to service and one well-lived.”
Walter Lee Smith Sr. took an unconventional route on his journey to becoming an international education leader.
Early Years
Born in Tampa on May 13, 1935, Smith grew up in Cairo, Ga., Tallahassee, and Harlem, N.Y. In high school, he was a stellar athlete in track, basketball, and baseball. When he was FAMU president, Smith fondly recalled the days he played atop the rolling hills of Florida A&M College (FAMC), where his parents both worked.
A high-school dropout at the age of 16, Smith spent his young adult years in Harlem, where he found work as a messenger and racks pusher in the New York Garment district before he joined the U.S. Army. He served for 30 months during the Korean War. After his discharge at age 23, Smith enrolled at Gibbs Junior College in St. Petersburg, Fla., where he became president of the student government association.
Smith returned to Tallahassee and earned two degrees from FAMU – the Bachelor of Arts in biology and chemistry, and the Master of Education in administration and supervision.
In 1965, Smith was recruited by the U.S. Office of Education (USOE) where he became a program officer in facilitating the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Title I of the 1965 Elementary Secondary Education Act. He worked specifically with school districts in the eight Southeastern states in the development of desegregation plans and compensatory education programs for students and teachers throughout the south. He also helped to develop desegregation and graduate education training centers for African American administrators at select universities. This included the University of Miami and the Desegregation Center at FAMU under the direction of the late Dr. James Beck.
Smith was later recruited from the USOE by the National Education Association (NEA) to assist in breaking down racial barriers in teacher organizations in the Southeastern states. He also assisted in the development of collective bargaining concepts for classroom teachers. Smith became the first assistant executive director of The Florida Education Association, and the programs he developed in human relations in Florida received the National Rosena Willis Award from the NEA in 1971 and 1972. For his work in developing strong human relations programs throughout Florida and other states, Smith was awarded a full scholarship by the African American Institute of African Studies to study abroad. Throughout the summer of 1971, he studied at universities in Ghana, Togo, Dahomey (Benin), and Nigeria.
Upon completion of his doctoral coursework at FSU in 1972, Smith was recruited by Hillsborough Community College (HCC) as assistant to the president. He was later promoted to collegiums director, dean and provost at HCC.
Additionally, Smith served as assistant to the dean of FAMU’s School of Education from February 1972 through January 1973. He earned a doctorate in higher education administration from Florida State University in 1974 and was named president of Roxbury College that year.
FAMU’s 7th President
On August 11, 1977, the Florida Board of Regents appointed him FAMU president. His appointment began in September. He was inaugurated as FAMU’s president on April 22, 1978. Smith, who served until 1985, is recognized for being a valiant advocate for his alma mater.
While Smith was president of FAMU, the University grew from seven to 11 schools and colleges. Among those added were the School of Allied Health Science, School of General Studies, the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication, the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and a Division of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education. In 1984, the University was granted the authority to offer its first Doctor of Philosophy degree, the Ph.D. in pharmacology. The ‘80s also saw the expansion of the Gaither Athletic Center, which included the construction of a new Women’s Athletic Complex equipped with a track, an Olympic pool, men’s and women’s weight training rooms, and softball and baseball fields. Bragg Memorial Stadium was renovated and expanded to accommodate 25,000 spectators, and a modern field house was erected.
Additionally, new facilities were constructed to house the Schools of Allied Health Sciences, Architecture, Business and Industry and Nursing. Construction and renovation projects amounted to more than $34 million. As the University prepared to observe 100 years of its existence, the Smith administration launched the Centennial Celebration Fund to establish a University Endowment, which has grown to more than $150 million.
In 2007, the University named the School of Architecture and Engineering Technology building for him and acknowledged his accomplishments while president. Naming the building after a living person required an act of the Florida Legislature, and that body approved the request in 2006. Smith was instrumental in obtaining the funding to design and construct the original building for the School.
President Smith talking to students during his tenure. (credit Meek-Eaton Black Archives)
Rodner Wright, dean of the renamed School of Architecture and Engineering Technology, said Smith’s dedication to and support of the School continued throughout his presidency. Wright was hired as dean in 1996, after the Smith Administration.
“He always referred to me as ‘his dean’ because he was very proud that the SOA was one of the programs that he had started,” Wright said. “He was also very proud that the renovated building was named for him. Whenever I would see him at university events, in town or out of town, he was sure to acknowledge me.”
International Educational Leadership
Following his term as president, Smith was appointed senior Fulbright Scholar at the University of Malawi. During this period in 1985-86, he served as head basketball coach. His team at Chancellor College won the Malawi National Championship. Smith focused on new higher-education initiatives in Africa before returning to the FAMU campus.
Smith’s accomplishments and commendations were many to include the following:
In 1993, Dr. Smith was asked to return to South Africa; later, he became the founding president of South Africa’s first American-style two-year college.
Smith was a U.S. monitor for the 1994 election that brought Nelson Mandela to power as President of the RSA.
In 1998, he was inducted into the FAMU Athletics Hall of Fame for his significant contributions to the program.
Later, in 2002, Smith opened the Dr. Walter L. Smith Library in Tampa, his native city. The privately-owned library/museum is dedicated to enhancing the educational development of the people in his boyhood community.
Later, in 2002, Smith opened the Dr. Walter L. Smith Library in Tampa, his native city. The privately-owned library/museum is dedicated to enhancing the educational development of the people in his boyhood community.
He is survived by his wife Barbara W. Smith; five children, U.S. Army Colonel John L. Smith, Attorney Salesia V. Smith-Gordon, Andre Smith, Walter L. Smith II and Tracy Abrams Butler; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, December 11 at Allen Temple AME Church, 2101 N. Lowe St., Tampa, Florida. FAMU will host a memorial service at 3 p.m. Wednesday, December 15 at the Al Lawson Multipurpose Center, 1800 Wahnish Way, Tallahassee.
Jackson State University won the SWAC title over the weekend, and it’s a historic win for the university. Read the story by Jean-Jacques Taylor at The Undefeated to learn about how Jackson State’s performance has earned the Tigers their first trip to the Cricket Celebration Bowl
Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders (left) is congratulated by Prairie View A&M head coach Eric Dooley (right) after Jackson State beat Prairie View A&M in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game on Dec. 4. (Credit: Rogelio V. Solis/AP Photo)
With its first SWAC title since 2007, JSU will play S.C. State in Atlanta
As the clock wound down in the Cricket Wireless Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game, Jackson State coach Deion Sanders enjoyed the moment.
He laughed with athletic director Ashley Robinson and posed for pictures.
He hugged defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman and linebackers coach Andre Hart.
Jackson State 27, Prairie View A&M 10.
Fittingly, linebacker James Houston provided the game’s biggest play.
He returned a third-quarter interception five yards for a touchdown to break open a close game before a crowd of 50,128 at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Jackson State linebacker James Houston IV (left) tackles Prairie View A&M running back Ahmad Antoine (right) after a short run during the first half of the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game on Dec. 4 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Credit: Rogelio V. Solis/AP Photo)
It was JSU’s school-record 11th win.
The Tigers will play South Carolina State in the Cricket Celebration Bowl on Dec. 18 in Atlanta as the SWAC representative.
“Everybody didn’t believe. High school guy. Pro experience. Knew the game, but you didn’t understand what I was capable of,” Sanders said.
“It’s not arrogant. It’s not cocky. It is what it is — do not let my confidence offend your insecurities in here today. I promise you we believed. The inner core. The nucleus of this team believed we’d be sitting right here today in this moment. We really did.”
Robinson hired Sanders to return the program to the glory days it had under former coach W.C. Gorden.
Gorden went 119-48-5 as Jackson State’s coach from 1976 to 1991. He won eight SWAC titles and made nine playoff appearances.
“It meant a lot. It was huge. It brought tears to my eyes,” Robinson said of sharing the final minute on the sideline with Sanders. “I was thinking about all the things we’ve been through since 2018 — the good and the bad.”
JSU won the SWAC East title for the first time since 2013. The team had not won the SWAC since 2007.
Sanders changed all that with an infusion of swagger and talent.
He used the transfer portal and the best FCS recruiting class to end JSU’s drought.
He did it by recruiting his son, Shedeur, one of the top quarterbacks in the country, to provide stability at the game’s most important position.
All he did was throw for over 3,000 yards with 29 touchdowns and six interceptions as a freshman quarterback.
But the story of this season has been JSU’s defense.
It finished fourth in the nation in total defense (258.3 yards a game) and third in scoring defense (13.5 points). It led all FCS schools with 49 sacks, 11 more than Harvard, which finished second.
The Tigers did it with a litany of transfers, highlighted by Houston, SWAC Newcomer of the Year.
He made the game’s biggest play with 8:20 left in the third quarter when he made a juggling left-handed interception on a screen pass and returned it for a touchdown that gave JSU a 20-10 lead.
“It was over at that point,” Sanders said. “Do you know how hard it is to come from 10 points down against us?”
Houston, a graduate transfer from Florida, entered the championship game with 20.5 tackles for loss (fourth in the country), 14.5 sacks (second) and seven forced fumbles (first).
Defensive tackle Antwan Owens (17 TFL and six sacks) and linebacker Aubrey Miller Jr. (91 tackles, 10.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks) were named first-team All-SWAC. Linebacker Keonte Hampton and safety Shilo Sanders were named to the second team.
Thurman, who played nine NFL seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Cardinals, coached in the NFL for 14 seasons.
He was the defensive coordinator for two years in Buffalo, and he met Sanders when he was the defensive backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens.
“DT has been unbelievable, man,” Sanders said. “… Dennis Thurman, Jeff Weeks, Andre Hart, Kevin Mathis. These guys are good. They study their butts off and they make these guys change gears. You gotta go into halftime and come up with something new and oftentimes that’s not done.”
Thurman has conducted the defense superbly all season.
He did it again against Prairie View A&M, attacking the Panthers’ four- and five-receiver sets with pressure.
Jackson State’s pass rush and constant pressure limited Prairie View A&M’s ability to throw the ball downfield.
Jackson State running back Peytton Pickett (center) follows his blockers as he runs upfield past Prairie View A&M defensive end Kevin Victorian (right) during the second half of the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game on Dec. 4 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Credit: Rogelio V. Solis/AP Photo)
Even when quarterback Jawon Pass had receivers open, the Louisville transfer didn’t have time to step up in the pocket and hit them.
He threw three interceptions and lost a fumble against the Tigers.
He was benched after the Houston interception.
Prairie View A&M managed just 230 yards of total offense. The Panthers completed just 10 passes.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Jackson State pressured Prairie View A&M quarterbacks on 33% of their dropbacks (14-of-42), not including the touchdown pass thrown by wide receiver Ty Holden in the first half. Pass and Trazon Connley struggled mightily against the Tigers’ defense, failing to complete a single pass when they were pressured.
“I think they have a great defense, but we blew some opportunities,” Prairie View A&M coach Eric Dooley said. “I can see it like it just happened.
“No. 82 should’ve had three touchdowns, but the quarterback has to deliver and the line has to protect.”
They couldn’t do either consistently, so JSU is going to the Cricket Celebration Bowl.
