Alabama State University Alum Brandon A. McCall To Make Broadway Debut In ‘Lion King’

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Alabama State University alumnus Brandon A. McCall will be playing Simba on Broadway after a series of trials and tribulations, and a pandemic, that eventually led him to get the lead! Get the full story from Alec Harvey at Alabama News Center.

Brandon A. McCall is a graduate of Jackson-Olin High School and Alabama State University.

The last time Brandon A. McCall was on stage as Simba in “The Lion King” was Wednesday, March 11, 2020, in South Bend, Indiana, just as COVID-19 was becoming prevalent in the U.S.

“We had a show that last night, and we had a meeting to talk about what was going to happen,” he says. “We were going to shut down for two weeks, but that, of course, didn’t happen.”

Three weeks later, it became permanent, and the cast and crew scattered. McCall, a graduate of Jackson-Olin High School and Alabama State University, came back to Birmingham, where he spent the pandemic with his wife, child, mother and sister.

“The only positive was that it gave me time to be with my family, and I love them to death,” he says.

During the summer, McCall received an email about the tour starting back up, and he was excited. But then a call came – the general manager of the Broadway company asking if he’d like to play Simba on Broadway.

“I said, ‘Are you serious? Don’t play with me,’” McCall says. “I told him, ‘I can’t tell you how happy I am to receive this call.’ He said, ‘I can’t tell you how happy I am to make this call.’”

When the curtain rises at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre on Sept. 14, McCall will be making his Broadway debut as Simba in “The Lion King.”

BIRMINGHAM BEGINNINGS

“The Lion King,” it turns out, was one of McCall’s favorite movies growing up in Birmingham. It also was McCall’s first exposure to Broadway-caliber theater, when the national tour came through and the JCCEO Yes Ambassadors – a youth theater troupe – was able to see it.

McCall was a member of that troupe from age 12 until he graduated from Jackson-Olin in 2007.  At ASU, he was head drum major in 2009, but he left the band his last two years to focus on his theater studies.

“I realized that being a drum major was not going to be a profession, a thing that provided food for my family and a house over their heads,” McCall recalls. “It was a reality check for me.”

He honed his craft further at ASU and, after graduating in 2011, worked for a year in Sacramento, California, where he earned his Equity card. Being a member of Actors Equity allows actors to audition and be cast on Broadway and in other Equity productions.

In 2012, Equity card in hand, he came home to Birmingham, married his college sweetheart, Denika Whitt-McCall, and found Red Mountain Theatre. There, he not only appeared in shows such as “The Wiz,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Dreamgirls,” but Executive Director Keith Cromwell introduced him to Lynn Marks, who became his agent.

The first audition she sent him to? “The Lion King.”

“I didn’t get it then, but the casting director saw potential in me,” McCall says.

TRY, TRY AGAIN

A year later, McCall auditioned for the role of Simba again.

“It was one of the best experiences I’ve had,” McCall says. “Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’ had just come out, so we were excited about that, and it was a bunch of young black men rooting for each other. We were all in this room, rooting for each other. There was a lot of support and encouragement and pride in the room that day.”

Again, McCall fell short of being cast. “But I remember leaving that place, not feeling defeated but feeling like it was some sort of victory,” McCall says.

A few months later, it was a real victory. McCall was cast in the ensemble and as understudy to Simba on the national tour. He joined the tour in June 2018. Sixteen months later, he was no longer an understudy – he was cast in the role of Simba in the national tour.

“I remember calling my wife, my mom and my sister, and I think I said something like, ‘Hey, this is Simba speaking,’” McCall says. “They got quiet and then yelled, ‘You got it!’”

That was October 2019, and five months later, everything came to a halt.

LIGHTS OF BROADWAY

McCall spent the bulk of his pandemic time in Birmingham with his wife and now 4-year-old daughter. (They also have a 1-month-old daughter). And though he loved being in Birmingham, he’s excited to be in New York and getting ready to get back on stage again.

And not just getting ready to get back on stage. Making his Broadway debut. In one of the biggest shows on Broadway. In a show whose anthem, “Circle of Life,” takes on a whole other meaning these days.

“That opening number will be something that no one will ever forget,” McCall says. “The crowd will feel the energy. The cast will feel the energy. I’ve already told people that I’ll probably just be a big baby when Rafiki does her opening call. Just bring the tissue.”

Simba, too, has a song, “Endless Night,” that will be emotional for McCall. In the show, Simba is singing about his father, who has died even though he assured Simba everything would be OK.

“When I first got the principal role on tour, my mother-in-law passed in 2018, and when I sang that song, I thought of her,” he says. “Now, going through the pandemic has added to the song. I’m talking to those who might still be unemployed or lost a loved one. I think about all the people that need to hear that. There’s not a night that I can go out and sing that song and just sing it. I need to feel it and be able to convey that message to the audience so they can leave the theater knowing that the sun will rise and they can get through it.”

The American Heart Association Selects 2 Tuskegee University Researchers To Study Hypertension

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Two professors at Tuskegee University are studying hypertension after winning a piece of $20 million in grants from The American Heart Association. Learn more in the statement from Kawana McGough at Tuskegee below.

The American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary organization dedicated to a world of longer, healthier lives, has awarded $20 million in grants to five research teams focused on finding ways to prevent high blood pressure in underserved populations. The pair from Tuskegee University will support the fast-track advancement of science to prevent hypertension particularly in communities of color.

The American Heart Association selected Dr. Clayton Yates, professor of biology and director of the university’s multidisciplinary Center for Biomedical Research and Dr. Norma Dawkins, professor and head of the Department of Food and Nutritional Science to work on the project. Tuskegee’s role will be beneficial in providing insight to developing solutions that address concerns such as food insecurity and limited access to recreational facilities.

“This award will enable the development of tailored interventions to overcome a number of barriers that residents in the Black Belt are facing, such as achieving health equity in the prevention of hypertension,” explained Yates.

The research project will focus on hypertension prevention in underserved populations with historically the highest prevalence of this mostly preventable, but potentially deadly condition.

The Health Equity Research Network (HERN) on the Prevention of Hypertension is part of the multi-pronged approach of the American Heart Association’s unprecedented pledge to aggressively address social determinants of health while working to improve health equity for all communities.

“High blood pressure is a leading risk factor of heart disease and stroke that can often be prevented or managed if diagnosed and treated properly. However, there are significant racial and ethnic disparities in both the prevalence of hypertension and its management,” said Donald Lloyd-Jones, M.D., Sc.D., FAHA, president of the American Heart Association and chair of the department of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “Uncontrolled hypertension is particularly acute in communities of color. We are excited to launch this new research initiative to support the fast-track advancement of science to prevent hypertension with a focus on health equity.”

In addition, other team members on the grant include the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine and Public Health. A team of scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in Baltimore, NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City and Wayne State University in Detroit will lead the community engaged research projects. A separate team at NYU will serve as the coordinating center for the network to help train the next generation of hypertension health equity researchers, providing consultation and guidance, compiling data reports, and coordinating the administration of the initiative.

“High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke that can often be prevented or managed if diagnosed and treated properly. However, there are significant racial and ethnic disparities in both the prevalence of hypertension and its management,” said Robert J. Dabal, M.D., president of the American Heart Association in Birmingham and chief of the section of congenital heart surgery at UAB and Children’s of Alabama. “Uncontrolled hypertension is particularly acute in communities of color. We are excited to launch this new research initiative to support the fast-track advancement of science to prevent hypertension with a focus on health equity.”

The projects, which commence on Oct. 1, 2021, include:

EPIPHANY: Equity in Prevention and Progression of Hypertension by Addressing barriers to Nutrition and Physical Activity at the University of Alabama at Birmingham – led by Andrea Cherrington, M.D., M.P.H., professor in the Division of Preventive Medicine. This team will work with 16 churches in rural Alabama. From those churches, they’ll recruit Black adults with elevated blood pressure not treated for hypertension to take part in one of two interventions. People from eight of the churches will receive group health education and personal computer tablets to access online cooking shows and exercise classes. People in the other eight churches will receive group health education, access to online cooking shows and exercise classes, plus peer support from a trained Community Health Worker to help set and meet diet and physical activity goals. Churches randomized to peer support will also receive funding for community-level interventions to promote healthy foods and/or physical activity opportunities.

Other investigators at UAB are Suzanne Oparil, M.D., professor in the Department of Medicine, School of Medicine; Paul Muntner, Ph.D., associate dean for research, Shakia Hardy, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Epidemiology and Lonnie Hannon, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health. The UAB team will also work in collaboration with investigators from Tuskegee University, including Drs. Clayton Yates and Norma Dawkins.

Wilberforce University Partners With Kennesaw State For Entrepreneurship Initiative

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With the goal of opening up entrepreneurship opportunities to both schools, Wilberforce University and Kennesaw State University Get the full story from Paul Floeckher at Kennesaw State below.

Robin Cheramie, left, and Mark Wilson

Kennesaw State University is teaming with one of the nation’s oldest historically Black universities to advance entrepreneurial and academic opportunities at both institutions.

In a formal agreement, Kennesaw State’s Robin and Doug Shore Entrepreneurship Center in the Michael J. Coles College of Business will partner with Wilberforce University’s Mark and Shelly Wilson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation to promote entrepreneurial practices through student projects, faculty collaboration, research and mentorship during the 2021-22 academic year.

The partnership was initiated by Atlanta businessman Mark Wilson, who has ties to both universities as a Coles College of Business advisory board member and a Wilberforce alumnus and the benefactor of WU’s center. Wilberforce, located near Dayton, Ohio, is the country’s oldest private, historically Black university owned and operated by African Americans.

“Kennesaw State and Wilberforce will benefit from the strength of each university’s unique talents and enable long-term growth of our programs through this sustainable partnership,” said Robin Cheramie, dean of the Coles College of Business. “So much can be gained from sharing diverse ideas and perspectives, and this partnership provides great potential for collaboration between these two outstanding institutions. We thank Mark Wilson for leading this initiative that has the potential to impact many lives.”

With faculty members from both universities serving as mentors, Kennesaw State and Wilberforce students will collaborate on entrepreneurship projects aimed at developing and implementing solutions to community-based issues. Student activities, such as KSU’s Enactus team that promotes socially responsible entrepreneurship, can serve as a platform for collaboration across student populations.

“The memorandum of understanding between Wilberforce University and Kennesaw State University provides a roadmap of how two diverse institutions can enhance education worldwide,” said Johnny D. Jones, provost of Wilberforce University. “What makes this opportunity unique is that, as two diverse historical institutions, we both are proud to serve our students.”

Future plans for the partnership include opportunities for joint research, a student-faculty exchange, and other academic initiatives that will promote student and faculty success at both institutions.

Howard University Cancels Tuesday Classes Amid Ransomware Attack

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Howard University has decided to cancel classes today, the first day back after the long Labor Day weekend, after a ransomware attack. The class cancellation comes after officials noticed unusual activity at the school’s network. With no guaranteed solution in sight, Howard has shared that by 2 p.m. during upcoming days, it plans to announce if classes are in session again. Get the full story from Olafmihan Oshin at The Hill below.

Credit: stock

Howard University announced the cancellation of classes after being hit with a ransomware attack last week, though it said there was no evidence of personal information being stolen. 

In a news release Monday, Howard said that its information technology team detected unusual activity on the school’s network on Friday, prompting an investigate into the situation. 

“Based on the investigation and the information we have to date, we know the University has experienced a ransomware cyberattack,” said the historically black university in Washington, D.C. 

The university said Tuesday’s classes will be canceled due to the attack, adding that the campus will be open for essential employees only and advising nonessential employees to stay at home. 

“We are currently working with leading external forensic experts and law enforcement to fully investigate the incident and the impact,” it said in the news release.

“To date, there has been no evidence of personal information being accessed or exfiltrated; however, our investigation remains ongoing, and we continue to work toward clarifying the facts surrounding what happened and what information has been accessed.”

This comes as some major U.S. companies such as Colonial Pipeline and food processor JBS USA have spent millions to recover from ransomware cyberattacks this year. 

Howard has engaged both the FBI and the D.C. government about the ransomware attack and has said it will implement new online safety measures to protect student data and its facilities. 

Importance of HBCU Bands Highlighted After Performances Cut During Football Game Broadcast

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Over the weekend, Florida A&M University battled Jackson State University on the field at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. While HBCU alumni students, parents and fans were looking forward to the game, the event surprisingly became a prime example as to how important HBCU bands are. The highly-anticipated HBCU bands performances during the halftime show were not broadcast, and because many feel it’s just as important that the game itself, it’s caused many vocal advocates to ensure it never happens again. Get the full story from NewsOne staff below.

Jackson State Tigers running back Peytton Picket (22) stiff arms Florida A&M Rattlers linebacker Derrick Mayweather (52) for additional yards during the Orange Blossom Classic game between the Florida A&M Rattlers and the Jackson State Tigers on Sunday, September 5th, 2021, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. | Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty

Jackson State edged FAMU in a close college football game, but for many viewers, that was beside the point.

A pair of stories historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) squared off on the football field on Sunday, but it wasn’t the score of the closely contested nationally televised game on all-sports cable network ESPN that fans were talking about when the clock struck zero.

https://twitter.com/MarkJonesESPN/status/1434619846503936006

Instead — while fans and especially alumni of the dueling Florida A&M Rattlers (FAMU) and Jackson State Tigers were happy to see Black college football getting some coveted national TV time — there was one glaring absence that seemed to get most of the attention despite the game being decided by a single point: The halftime show.

It didn’t help that FAMU and Jackson State are routinely credited for having the top bands, amplifying the level of anticipation viewers had for the game’s halftime performances.

https://twitter.com/lilduval/status/1434621376929861635

Exacerbating issues is the fact that halftime shows at HBCU football games carry a certain cultural significance beyond entertainment value.

Whether it was because of ESPN’s well-documented diversity issues or just an overall tone-deaf lack of awareness, somebody at the network decided against televising the HBCUs’ bands performing at halftime, a portion of the game that is arguably more important to some fans than whoever has more points after the end of four quarters.

The omission prompted viewers to take to social media and express what seemed to evolve from disbelief to become full-blown outrage.

The game carried much significance aside from the bands, including the fact that Sunday was the first time that FAMU’s football game played a game in more than a year after the Tallahassee school shut down its program because of the pandemic.

It was also the latest game for Jackson State Head Coach Deion Sanders, a Hall of Fame football legend and former NFL star who took over the Tigers last year with a vow to help raise the national profile of HBCU football.

Sanders has delivered and then some, even following a pandemic-shortened season and a brief dust-up with the media earlier this summer.

But none of that mattered to fans who tuned in on Sunday to watch the Rattlers and Tigers on ESPN specifically to see their bands perform.

To the uninitiated, HBCU bands performing during halftime are bucket list-level must-see material.

Adding to that truth is the fact that HBCU bands’ performances as we know them today — complete with second-to-none dance steps while still perfectly carrying a tune — are largely credited to Dr. William P. Foster, FAMU’s band director nearly 70 years ago who incorporated the lively moves into routines that favored modern music over traditional military songs.

“Now when students and families gather to attend several HBCU football games, the most anticipated part is the half time performance,” HBCU Buzz wrote in a still-relevant piece about the significance of HBCU bands published a decade ago. “For many, the band’s halftime performance is the main reason for their game attendance and support of the university. It is the heightened feeling of ecstasy and school spirit the band performance exhilarates that causes an always memorable time of love and fellowship.”

The absence of the above was the source of Sunday’s outrage on social media.

ESPN went on a media blitz ahead of this college football season bringing attention to its dedication to televising HBCU games. It would seemingly follow that the network also would do its due diligence and follow through with its commitment to Black college football.

While it was not immediately clear if the viewers’ complaints were heard by ESPN’s bosses, it will becrystal clear on Thursday, the next time ESPN is scheduled to televise another HBCU football game — Edward Waters plays against Benedict on ESPNU — as part of a record-setting number of Black college football games on TV and streamed online this fall.

NFL Legends Deion Sanders And Michael Strahan Partnered For JSU Game Day Suits

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Jackson State University football coach Deion Sanders is leveling up his team! While recently teaching the importance of the confidence that comes from dressing well, he thankfully had a good friend step in to assist with the efforts! Learn about how how “Coach Prime,” the JSU Tigers, and former NFL player Michael Strahan all came together in the full story from Meredith Cash at Insider below.

JSU players in their new suits. (Credit: Ahmon Lott)

Deion Sanders and Michael Strahan have more in common than the gold jackets hanging in their closets.

The NFL legends and Pro Football Hall of Famers are both committed to bringing historically Black colleges and universities — or HBCUs — the recognition and resources they deserve.

Motivated by the murder of George Floyd, Sanders decided to take his first job as a collegiate head coach at the Mississippi HBCU Jackson State University. Strahan — an alumnus of an HBCU — is a strong proponent of his alma mater, Texas Southern University, as well as the network of more than 100 HBCUs across the US. He told Insider that he was “extremely happy” to see Sanders take a coaching role in his former athletic conference and was eager to assist however he could.

Michael Strahan, left, and Deion Sanders on the set of “Good Morning America.” Heidi Gutman/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

Sanders wanted his entire team dressed to the nines for their first game day — in accordance with the swagger and flamboyance baked into his “Prime Time” nickname. (He’s now “Coach Prime,” in line with his new role.) Strahan — who launched his own brand in 2015 alongside business partner and SMAC Entertainment cofounder Constance Schwartz-Morini — is the kind of suave dresser Sanders thought could help.

“He’s one of the sharpest guys on television, if not the sharpest guy on television,” Sanders told Insider on a call that also included Strahan. “Please don’t tell him I said that.”

Strahan is a longtime partner of Men’s Wearhouse and has his own line of suits through the brand. He was well-positioned to make the Tigers players and coaching staff look dapper ahead of their Orange Blossom Classic matchup against Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.

So Strahan hooked up every player and coach with custom suits.

‘If you look good, you feel good’

Sanders had plenty of other challenges to address when he arrived on campus; the team didn’t have enough helmets, nor did the school have a suitable practice field. It’s not an uncommon situation for HBCUs, Sanders said — he described the programs to Insider as “often overlooked and underfunded.”

Once those issues were addressed, Sanders made travel attire a priority. After all, he abides by the motto, “If you look good, you feel good” — which is now plastered on the walls inside Jackson State’s football facilities.

“I know somebody who prides themselves on looking good and feeling good,” Sanders said. “And he lives it. He embodies it. And he is a dear friend, and he has a lot of money — let me pick up a phone and call this guy: Michael Strahan.”

Strahan was receptive to the idea. But in typical Prime Time fashion, Sanders wanted to take his team’s garb to the next level. A self-described extremist, Sanders decided to “forget off-the-rack,” Strahan said. He said he wanted instead to design custom suits for his players and coaching staff.

“We’re going to go and do it Coach Prime’s way,” Strahan said. “We’re going to change every button, every pocket, every seam. We’re going to do the collar and the inside. We’re going to do everything to it.”

Schwartz-Morini — the CEO and managing partner of SMAC Entertainment, a talent-management company that represents both Strahan and Sanders — wasn’t surprised by Sanders’ fastidiousness.

“If you know who Prime Time is,” she said. “You know these aren’t your average suits.”

Crafting custom suits for more than 100 people 

Schwartz-Morini tapped Koral Chen, who works in business development for SMAC and the Strahan brand, to lead the effort. Chen liaised between Sanders and the Men’s Wearhouse staff as the flamboyant, fashion-forward coach developed his designs. Then she worked with the brand to iron out the logistics of outfitting roughly 150 people.

“The hardest part was that no detail went unseen by Deion,” Chen told Insider.

Chen and Men’s Wearhouse facilitated an on-campus pop-up shop for the fittings, with a team of tailors taking measurements.

Despite working under a time crunch, the tailors also made a point “to do it in a way that makes every individual feel really special,” according to Carolyn Pollock, the chief marketing officer of Men’s Wearhouse’s parent company, Tailored Brands Inc.

Mission accomplished, according to Coach Prime.

“They just felt so wonderful,” Sanders said. “You should’ve seen their faces. They lit up when they walked into that room. … It was phenomenal.”

Two Jackson State players show off their new suits. (Credit: Ahmon Lott)

The suits are meant to build confidence on and off the field

When Jackson State’s team touched down in Miami on Wednesday ahead of its highly anticipated matchup, the Tigers — donning their new suits — exuded the bravado famously ascribed to their coach. Sanders even likened the custom suits to his golden Hall of Fame jacket, a reminder that “you earned it — you did the doggone thing.”

Strahan, who wears a suit from the same line every morning on “Good Morning America,” said he thought a clean look like that “gives you a sense of confidence and a sense of pride.”

“When you’re wearing those suits with a team, it’s a sense of community,” he said. “You have a frame of mind that you’re going into this game to be accountable to each other from the beginning.”

Strahan added: “And accountability and teamwork are the only way you win.”

All this is especially important at HBCUs, Strahan said, where sports programs are often “underappreciated.” 

“I want to build so much pride in these HBCU kids that when they step out into the world after their football career — or during their football career if they’re fortunate enough to go to the next level — that you have other kids who see it and want to be a part of it, too,” he said.

Plus, Schwartz-Morini added, the suits may come in handy after college: “If they can feel this good in a suit for a game, how good are they going to feel in the suit for a job?”

Sanders and his team are increasing the spotlight on HBCUs, Strahan said

Jackson State’s outfitting endeavor has prompted other schools — HBCUs and Power Five programs alike — to inquire about hookups of their own. Pollock said Men’s Wearhouse hoped this wouldn’t be “just a one-off.”

Sanders and his team are increasing the spotlight on HBCUs, Strahan said

Jackson State’s outfitting endeavor has prompted other schools — HBCUs and Power Five programs alike — to inquire about hookups of their own. Pollock said Men’s Wearhouse hoped this wouldn’t be “just a one-off.”

“We’re trying to figure out how we do that in a way that … allows us to scale and do it more efficiently,” she said. “We’re pretty excited that we’ll be able to bring this to more people.”

Sanders’ main focus now, though, is leading his team against Florida A&M. The Orange Blossom Classic was once seen as an unofficial championship game for HBCU football programs. But the event lost momentum in the 1960s after the end of segregation led many Black players to take their talents to schools besides HBCUs.

Eventually, the historic game stopped altogether. 

JSU coaches exit their flight to Miami. (Credit:Ahmon Lott)

Now, for the first time since 1978, the game will go on. This Sunday, Jackson State will play in front of thousands at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, where the NFL’s Miami Dolphins play their home games.

“To actually now turn on ESPN — and I’m talking about the main one — and see HBCUs speaks volumes,” Strahan said.

To Sanders, he added: “This all happened once you started.”

Sanders is uncharacteristically bashful when credited with bringing new attention to HBCU sports. But his decision to coach at Jackson State did seem to influence other former pros. The former Tennessee Titans star Eddie George subsequently took the helm at Tennessee State, and Sanders said NFL stars like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed have expressed interest in coaching at HBCUs, too.

As a product of an HBCU, Strahan knows the influence these coaches can have on their players and the communities around them. When Sanders took the coaching job, Strahan added, “I knew exactly what those kids were getting.”

“They were getting someone who had picked themselves up and become successful to the highest level in anything and everything that they’ve ever decided that they wanted to do,” he said. “And they were going to be able to see that person in the flesh.”

Michael Strahan speaks after his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Strahan speaks after his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

He added: “That’s one thing that you miss at an HBCU sometimes.

“You miss actually seeing that person in the flesh, that person there to encourage you, to guide you and do what’s best for you with no agenda other than making you as best as you can be.”

N.C. A&T Announces It Has Reached Highest Student Enrollment Ever

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With over 13,300 students, North Carolina A&T State University has officially reached the highest amount of students enrolled at one time ever! Learn more about how this historic moment came to be in the official N. C. A&T release below.

Courtesy of N.C. A&T

More than 13,300 students are enrolled at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University this fall – the largest headcount ever for the 130-year-old university, campus leaders announced today.

Those students are the university’s most academically high-performing ever, with an average GPA of 3.7 and average SAT score of nearly 1,079.

The overall enrollment of 13,322 marks North Carolina A&T’s eighth consecutive year of growth, as well as the eighth straight year it has been the largest historically black university (HBCU) in the nation. Though the new student body includes growth at nearly every rank and level, a surge in first-year students was the major driver of this year’s increase: 2,930 freshmen are enrolled this fall, a 37.17% jump over 2020.

The new enrollment pushes A&T closer than ever to its Fall 2023 goal of 14,000 students – a number that Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr., has said A&T is well on track to meet. A&T has grown by 25% under the leadership of Martin, who joined A&T as chancellor in June 2009, while the average entering GPA has increased from 3.06 to 3..7

“We set ambitious and strategic goals for the expansion of our university because we know that as a doctoral, land-grant, research institution, we could and should have greater impact on the education of our students and upon the communities we serve,” said Martin. “It’s important to understand that this growth is enhancing quality and academic performance, not undermining it. We are attracting the highest-performing high school graduates in the history of our university, both from North Carolina and beyond.

“In so doing, we’re making major contributions to a highly educated, well-prepared and diverse work force and entrepreneurial sector for our state.”

The new enrollment figures come on the heels of new collegiate rankings released by Washington Monthly earlier this week that named A&T the top-ranked HBCU in the country and one of the country’s top 135 national universities overall.

Other highlights of the 2021 Fall enrollment report include:

  • For the third consecutive year, graduate student enrollment likewise climbed, from 1,623 in 2020 to 1,726 – an increase of 6.35% and A&T’s largest graduate enrollment ever. That growth was driven by a 12.16% increase in new doctoral students. With new online master’s and Ph.D. programs ready to launch this year, further graduate student growth is imminent.
  • Nearly 11,600 undergraduates are enrolled at A&T, significantly more than last year’s 11,130 total. A&T is now 846 students over its 2023 goal of 10,750 undergraduates.
  • Enrollment at the transfer student level continued to climb, as well, with growth of 2% this fall. A&T’s student body now includes 780 new transfer students.

“The outstanding academic programs and faculty of our university continue to make it a destination of choice for students, scholars, faculty and researchers around the nation and beyond,” said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Beryl C. McEwen. “It’s exciting to see our aspirations for North Carolina A&T come to fruition, and to see that interest in the university shared by so many accomplished individuals.”

Edward Waters Marks Highest Enrollment In Two Decades

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Edward Waters University has surpassed its enrollment for the first time in over two decades! Get the official states in the EWU release below.

University Realizes 14% Overall Single Year Enrollment Growth Leading To Over 1100 Students Enrolled While Welcoming Largest Class of New Students On Record

Jacksonville, Florida – Overall enrollment at the newly named Edward Waters University (EWU) has increased by a stunning 14%as marked at the close of its fall registration period on Friday, August 27, 2021. The phenomenal single-year, double-digit percentage enrollment increase culminated in a final fall 2021 enrollment count of 1104 students at Florida’s first historically black college or university (HBCU) and first private institution of higher education—the highest overall enrollment the institution has seen in close to twenty years. Relatedly, the university simultaneously welcomed its largest class of new students on record as a total of 531 new students enrolled at the state of Florida’s and Jacksonville’s newest university, which represents a 27% increase in total newly enrolled students at EWU over fall 2020 and a 50% increase over fall 2019.

“This tremendous development for our university is further evidence of our continuing advancement and forward movement as a ‘destination institution’ of choice amongst parents and prospective students who are increasingly selecting Edward Waters for their higher educational future,” said Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., President and CEO of Edward Waters University.  

“We’re equally ecstatic that this year’s enrollment outcome is also indicative of substantial progress being made towards enhancing the retention of our Tiger students as this latest overall enrollment effort indicates that we were successful in retaining nearly 80% of our students from spring 2021 to fall 2021,” President Faison stated.   

Accordingly, and despite the challenges wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the university is experiencing a comprehensive institutional renaissance marked by remarkably rapid growth as this year makes the second consecutive year of increased total enrollment at EWU leading to an awe-inspiring 18% increase in overall student enrollment over the past two academic years (i.e., overall student enrollment increased by 4% in fall 2020 and by 14% in fall 2021). Accordingly, the university received nearly 7,000 applications for the current 2021-2022 academic year which represented a 17% increase in total applications received by the university over fall 2020.  

“This incredibly positive enrollment outcome was the result of a lot of really hard work by all of the members of our cross-institutional S.E.R.T (Strategic Enrollment and Retention Team) and particularly Mr. Kendrick Dunklin, our Executive Director of Enrollment Management whose team worked collaboratively to achieve this signature high overall and new student enrollment mark,” said EWU Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Matriculant Services, Dr. Jennifer Price.

In addition, the overall competitive profile for this year’s newest collection of Tiger scholar students is equally notable as the average grade point average amongst the entering EWU Class of 2025 is an impressive 3.05, up from the reported 2.86 grade point average (GPA) of last year’s new student class.

Moreover, this fall the university is also excited to welcome its third consecutive cohort of high achieving students who are members of the “Gamma Cohort” of the EWU Honors College. This third iteration of twenty dynamically talented and academically gifted Tiger scholars earned an average 3.94 high school grade point average and includes a class valedictorian as well as a student who earned a nearly  6.0 gpa. Even more, amongst the 531 new students matriculating at EWU this fall are over 30 of the institution’s first ever graduate students who are enrolled in EWU’s new fully online Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degreeprogram. As a collective, the graduate students in EWU’s first ever graduate program boast an impressive series of resumes with an average undergraduate grade point average of 3.1, while hailing from locales from throughout the state of Florida and the country including Ohio, Texas, and Alabama.  

“After developing a comprehensive enrollment management and marketing plan that focused on retention and recruitment, we have met our enrollment goal for the fall 2021 semester. This grand accomplishment would not have been possible without the strategic direction of our superlative president & CEO, Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr.,” said Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Donna H. Oliver. 

“We are ready to greet this new class of both undergraduate and graduate students with the quality educational programs and academic opportunities that our returning students have come to expect and our new graduate students will begin to experience at Edward Waters University.  We are overjoyed at the number of students enrolled in our inaugural graduate studies program and we look forward to providing them with a graduate education that is “nulli secundus,” second to none,” said Provost Oliver.  

Propelled by a string of positively performative institutional developments over the past three years the university’s prolific enrollment growth and overall institutional ascendancy has been buttressed by significantly transformative achievements a sampling of which have included the following:

  • A transformational financial recovery and fiscal repositioning leading to a second consecutive year (i.e., FY 20 and FY 21) functioning without operational deficits for the first time in more than a decade;
  • Earning university status via the historic onboarding of the institution’s first-ever graduate degree program—an online Master of Business Administration (MBA) and the forthcoming promulgation of new academic degree programs in Computer and Information Science, Social Work, Forensic Science, as well as a dual-degree program leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing;
  • In 2021, achieving a successful fifth-year comprehensive review by the university’s SACSCOC accrediting body, thereby keeping the university’s accreditation in good standing through 2025;
  • Securing membership as an NCAA Division II member for the first time in the 155-year history of the institution;
  • Establishment of the university’s first ever Honors College, Center for Undergraduate Research, and the A. Philip Randolph Institute for Law, Race, Social Justice, and Economic Policy;
  • Raising $3.1 million within the administration’s first 18-months representing an overall 30% increase in private gifts, pledges, and in-kind support to the university including 100% giving participation amongst EWU faculty and staff and an astounding 85% increase in total EWU Board of Trustee giving to the university;
  • Completion of nearly $10 million of capital, infra-structural, and technological campus upgrades – a sampling of which includes: the construction of the first ever on-campus athletic stadium, complete renovation of the campus STEM/Biology laboratory, outfitting of every university classroom with state-of-the-art SMART classroom technology, onboarding of the university’s first ever CRM and new global ERP system (fall 2021); completion of a multi-million dollar comprehensive renovation of the university’s largest student residential facility; and construction of a new student activity center (fall 2021).  

Elizabeth City State University Reaches Highest Enrollment Since 2013

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Elizabeth City State University is celebrating after reaching a milestone in enrollment that hasn’t been seen in almost 10 years! Learn more in the ECSU official release below.

Elizabeth City State University has experienced the highest enrollment since the fall 2013 semester. According to the fall 2021 enrollment census, released Monday, Aug. 30, total enrollment is 2,054, a 2.6 percent increase over fall 2020.

The recruitment of a freshman class with a strong academic profile, the return of continuing students, and the recruitment of graduate and transfer students are major factors accounting for the enrollment increase. This is also the fourth fall semester to offer the NC Promise Tuition program, offering in-state and out-of-state students affordable tuition.

“Thanks to NC Promise, ECSU is the most affordable public institution in North Carolina, offering a quality education at an affordable price,” Chancellor Karrie G. Dixon said. “Despite these unprecedented times, and the challenges we face during the COVID-19 pandemic, ECSU is thriving. I am excited to see the growing enthusiasm for this university, and I am grateful for the hard work of our faculty and staff.”

According to Provost Farrah J. Ward, the university has seen a marked interest in students who have had a desire to return to campus to complete their degree after distance and hybrid learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, there has been a 5 percent increase in continuing students.  

“We’re excited to see our students come back to campus to continue their education,” said Provost Ward.  

According to Provost Ward, there was a 40 percent increase in returning students – students who have had at least a one-semester break in enrollment. 

“The significant increase in returning students is due to the heightened desire of students to return to ECSU to complete their degrees,” she said.

Over the last several years, ECSU has also focused on strengthening relationships with its community college partners through the establishment of co-admission and articulation agreements. As a result of these efforts, transfer student enrollment has remained high, with 196 students enrolling in programs at ECSU. Graduate student enrollment experienced a 7.6 percent increase over fall 2020. 

Provost Ward, praised university efforts to continue building enrollment despite the challenges of the pandemic. Student retention programs, increased enrollment goals, strong enrollment management efforts, enhanced student engagement and continued support from alumni have contributed to the growth at ECSU, she said. 

 “ECSU’s approach to strategic enrollment has played a significant role in the increase and the team continues to work toward increased goals,” said Provost Ward. “I’m grateful for the collaborative effort which consists of representatives from various departments. Our team includes representatives from admissions, financial aid, student accounts, registrar, university studies, distance education, graduate education, academic affairs, housing and residence life, student affairs, business and finance, auxiliary services, communications and marketing, and information technology.” 

In recent years, the strategic implementation of programs designed to increase the retention and persistence of students has played a significant role in ECSU’s continued growth, she said. Over the course of the last four years, recruitment of new students, process improvements, increased student engagement, a customer-friendly staff, and the support of alumni have made a big impact on enrollment.

“This is a testament to the work of our faculty and staff who recruit quality students, develop academic programs that are in demand, and provide quality instruction,” said Provost Ward.

The top five majors by enrollment for the incoming freshman class are Business Administration, Aviation Science, Psychology, Kinesiology, and Biology. 

Two Grambling State University Faculty Members Selected to Write Biology Textbook

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Open source textbook will be free to high school students who have dual enrollment college classes.

Two leading faculty members at Grambling State University have been chosen to teach a science biology textbook! Learn more about how both women will be helping science students in college excel in the release from GSU below.

Dagne Hill

Two Grambling State University faculty members have been chosen to write a high school science textbook as part of an open textbooks program. Dr. Dagne Hill, head of the Department of Biological Sciences, and Dr. Waneene C. Dorsey, a biological sciences professor, have been selected to develop and write a general biology textbook for high school students who will be attending college.

The Louisiana Library Network (LOUIS) and the Louisiana Board of Regents received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education for the Open Textbooks Pilot Program.

“This initiative engages instructors of dual enrollment across Louisiana in the curation and creation of Open Education Resources (OERs) for 25 of the state’s general education courses,” Dr. Terri Oaks, the grant’s principal investigator and associate commissioner and executive director for LOUIS, said in a press release.

Dagne Hill

The project could not only reduce the cost of higher education but also eliminate early barriers to participation in post-secondary education.

Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to participate in post-secondary courses for which both college and high school credit may be earned. It can improve college access and degree completion rates by lowering the cost of post-secondary education and accelerating degree attainment, but textbook cost is a barrier to participation.

“I am truly honored to be selected as one of the cohort members to participate in this historic event,” Dr. Dorsey said, explaining that dual enrollment programs give high students a leg up on college credit.

This project will enable and enhance the delivery of OERs and interactive quiz and assessment elements for dual enrollment courses in Louisiana and nationally. The course materials will be released under a license that permits their free use, reuse, modification and sharing with others.

“A lot of times, students do not enroll in dual enrollment programs because of textbook costs,” Dr. Dorsey explained. “When colleges adopt this textbook, it will defray the educational costs for students.”

Dr. Waneene C. Dorsey

Although high school students will be using the textbook, it is also a college biology textbook that can be used at colleges across the nation.

Dr. Dorsey said it is very important that she and Dr. Hill are co-authors because they are facilitating diversity in science.

“One of the glaring issues in science is that people of color do not contribute to science. This is not true.” she said. “By improving the diversity landscape to include underrepresented groups, we are encouraging these students to become scientists.”

Dr. Hill said that she is extremely excited to have been selected to assist in the development of an OER course for one of 25 dual enrollment general education courses.

“Each day my educational mission in biology is to assist and to promote students to excel in education,” Dr. Hill said. “This project will allow me the ability to impact a larger number of students in their journey towards academic success.”

Dr. Hill said the project has the potential to reduce costs and to improve the educational outcomes for approximately 20,000 high school students.  It is estimated that approximately 250,000 of the total statewide student enrollments per academic year will benefit from the project as well.

“This is vital in that it can increase the number of minority students that elect to further their education by attending college,” she said.

Fort Valley State and Tuskegee To Battle In Classic Created To Honor HBCUs

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Both football teams at Fort Valley State University and Tuskegee University are preparing for the highly-anticipated Red Tails Classic this Sunday. The inaugural event is taking place this Sunday in Montgomery, and will in part honor the Tuskegee Airmen! Learn more about the sporting event in the article by Caleb Slinkard at The Telegraph below.

Fort Valley State University football coach Maurice Flowers had a challenging start to his Wildcat career. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) canceled the 2020 season due to COVID-19, and the more than 20-year veteran had to wait until this spring to lead his team on the field.

Fort Valley State University player Slade Jarman (Credit: FVSU)

The Wildcats were successful in their abbreviated season, defeating Shorter University in Rome 36-18 and running away from Erskine, 45-21.

This season, however, will be different. FVSU is planning to play a full complement of games, beginning on a major stage: The Wildcats will travel to Alabama to take on Tuskegee University in the inaugural Red Tails Classic. The event was created by ESPN to showcase Historically Black Colleges and Universities and honor the Tuskegee Airmen.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Sunday in Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl, and will be broadcast on ESPNU, part of an opening week schedule that began with a UAB and Jacksonville State game Wednesday. The Blazers won 31-0.

“I think it’s great to start the season off with a quality opponent,” Flowers told the Telegraph Friday. “They’re a championship program with a championship head coach in Willie Slater. They’re going to be well-coached, athletic and strong.”

Fort Valley last played Tuskegee in 2018, a 17-6 home loss.

Credit: Tuskegee University

“The travel is going to be something we’re familiar with as a team, because we played both games on the road in the spring,” Flowers said. “The big game environment; with the history and tradition of playing winning football at Fort Valley State, you expect to play in big games. 

“It’s great the Tuskegee Airmen are being recognized for all of their contributions as fighter pilots. It’s a tremendous honor to play in the game.”

Flowers said that even though the Wildcats weren’t able to play a full 2020 season, he and his coaching staff have spent the past year and a half building relationships with players, implementing systems on offense, defense and special teams and emphasizing the importance of academics, which has resulted in more than 50 players maintaining a higher than 3.0 GPA.

The Wildcats will play on their recently resurfaced field in their season opener on Sept. 18 against Lane College. That game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Additional games that will be broadcast on ESPN+ include the Wildcats’ Oct. 16 matchup against Morehouse, their Oct. 30 showdown with Savannah State, and the Nov. 6 Fountain City Classic versus Albany State.

“The games being broadcast are a testament to the things that have happened in the past at Fort Valley,” Flowers said. “They don’t put you on TV if they don’t expect you to play a good football game. We talked with the players: when you graduated high school or left a college to come to Fort Valley State, you went with dreams of playing in front of a big crowd, of playing on TV. Now you get a chance to live that dream.”

PepsiCo’s Dedication To Racial Equality Is The Heart Of Its HBCU Support

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In the wake of the racial injustices and turmoil of 2020, companies around the world grappled with how to have difficult but genuine conversations with their workforce. Some left it at a company-wide sensitivity training, others made a solitary social media post. Some companies chose only to donate to select foundations, charging the foundation staff to do the real work. Then there is PepsiCo, which has a storied history of philanthropic efforts toward racial injustices and still chose to reevaluate, reconsider and modernize its policies internally and worldwide, launching its racial equality journey initiative in 2020.

Courtesy of PepsiCo

Led by CEO Ramon Laguarta, PepsiCo’s journey to a worthwhile black initiative started at the most intimate levels of the company. He started by meeting with Black community leaders, as well as workers who were part of the MOSAIC employee resource group. Because it’s important to not catch the racial reckoning “wave,” where equality becomes a last season issue, Laguarta ensured longevity with a 5-year plan. More than $400 million has been set aside for efforts that include adding even more diversity to the PepsiCo workforce and guiding other companies to do the same.

HBCUs are a significant part of PepsiCo’s new initiative, including plans for recruitment at HBCUs and increasing partnerships and core schools. PepsiCo is also supporting an exciting series of events this Labor Day weekend, with the battle of two HBCUs on the field at the 2021 Carolinas Football Classic game presented by Pepsi! During the festivities, the Benedict College Tigers will play against  Allen University’s Yellow Jackets. There will be familiar faces at the HBCU Buzz Tailgate Takeover, with celebrities like Rocsi Diaz, Darren Brand, and Krystal Garner hosting and dj Jae Murphy. With bands being an integral part of the HBCU experience, the weekend will cap off with the “Fifth Quarter Battle,” a face off of  Benedict College’s Band of Distinction and Allen University’s Band of Gold. 

Learn more about PepsiCo’s $400 million, five-year strategy and overall social justice journey, and more. 

Howard University Honors Alumnus Chadwick A. Boseman By Renaming College After Him

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One year after the sudden passing of 2010 Howard University graduate Chadwick A. Boseman, his name will now be immortalized on campus. Learn more about Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts in the People article by below.

Chadwick Boseman (Credit: Rick Rowell Via Getty)

Chadwick Boseman‘s memory will live on at Howard University’s campus.

On Thursday, the university revealed the first look at the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts on Instagram.

“Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts Installation. Yesterday, the letters were installed over the now official Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts. An icon in his own right who has left an immeasurable legacy for the next generation. Thank you Mr. Boseman,” the university wrote in the caption of a video detailing the installation.

In May, the university announced it would rename its college of fine artsafter the Oscar-nominated actor, who graduated from the university in 2000. 

Boseman spent considerable time advocating for the college to be reinstated, both while attending the school and after he graduated.

“I am extremely pleased that Howard University has chosen to honor my husband in this way and elated that Ms. Rashad has accepted the role as Dean,” Boseman’s wife Simone Ledward Boseman said in a statement at the time of the announcement. “Chad was a very proud Bison — both Howard and Ms. Rashad played integral roles in his journey as an artist. The re-establishment of the College of Fine Arts brings this part of his story full-circle and ensures that his legacy will continue to inspire young storytellers for years to come.”

Boseman died on Aug. 28, 2020, at the age of 43. The Black Panther star passed away at his home surrounded by family after a private, years-long struggle with colon cancer. 

Last week, Viola Davis, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, and more wrote touching tributes to the actor on the 1-year anniversary of his death.

Davis, who worked with Boseman on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, shared a behind-the-scenes photo with Boseman and the film’s director George C. Wolfer while they were filming the movie on Saturday.

“This day last year you left this earth and us,” the actress, 56, wrote. She added, “Man you are missed!!! 💔🙏🏿❤.”

Boseman’s Black Panther costar and real-life friend Jordan, 34, posted a candid photo of the pair during an awards show.

“Not a day goes by bro… Love and miss you but I know you still with us,” he captioned their intimate moment.

Another Black Panther star, Nyong’o, 38, also paid tribute to Boseman on Saturday, sharing an image of herself laughing beside Boseman. 

“I did not know that I could miss both his laughter and his silence in equal measure. I do. I do,” she wrote in her Instagram post.

On Aug. 21, a week before the anniversary of Boseman’s death, his widow, Simone appeared during the Stand Up to Cancer televised event. She gave a performance in honor of her late love.

Dressed in a pastel plaid ensemble, Simone performed an emotional rendition of the tune, “I’ll Be Seeing You.” She was introduced ahead of her performance by Anthony Anderson, who gave a touching tribute to the star.

“Many of us were devastated to learn of Chadwick Boseman’s tragic passing after he privately grappled with cancer for several years,” Anderson said. “The world lost an incredible artist, and a true hero.”

“But before he was a public figure, he was a person like you or me — a son, a brother, uncle, cousin, friend, colleague, husband. Many of us are all too familiar with the fracture a dearly loved one’s passing leaves in the lives of those who love them,” he continued, before introducing the set. “Here to perform a song about living with the reality of loss and finding a way forward is Chadwick’s wife, Simone.”

Morehouse College’s 2021 Homecoming Has Been Cancelled

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With COVID-19 rates climbing back up, Morehouse College had to make an unfortunate decision on the future of next month’s homecoming. Get the official statement from Morehouse’s 12th and current president David A. Thomas, Ph. D. below.

Credit: Morehouse College Atlanta Alumni Chapter

Homecoming at Morehouse is a special time for our community— especially alumni, who renew their bonds of brotherhood by reconnecting in person with each other and by meeting current students. There also is no doubt that the event holds special meaning for our sisters at Bennett College and Spelman College, along with other supporters from all over the world. Unfortunately, because of the escalating spread of the COVID-19 virus in Georgia, the Homecoming festivities scheduled for the week of October 10-17, 2021, including the traditional tailgating, have been canceled and will not be rescheduled. The October 16 football game against Fort Valley State University will be played as scheduled without the Homecoming designation and the number of tickets available to the public will be reduced to allow for physical social distancing in B.T. Harvey Stadium.  
 
As you may know, Morehouse College has worked diligently to create a safe learning and living environment, even as the COVID-19 Delta variant has spread throughout the state and the nation. Through mandatory vaccination policies with limited exemptions, aggressive masking requirements, social distancing, and robust symptom tracking, Morehouse has been able to mitigate the spread on our campus. The near 100% rate of students and employees who have met our vaccination requirement, along with frequent testing and monitoring, has allowed the College to create a relatively closed campus environment where the vaccination and COVID positivity status of each student and employee is known. 

Unfortunately, this week, Georgia broke a record for COVID-19 hospitalizations. The state has the sixth-highest per capita infection rate in the nation and an unprecedented number of young people have become ill with the virus. Given the circumstances, a massive in-person gathering on our campus presents a public health risk to our students which is impossible to ignore. Keeping our students safe is our top priority.
 
In order to fulfill our commitment to maintain a safe campus environment for our students, Homecoming 2021 will be replaced with a student-only fall festival. Access to campus on October 16 will be limited to students and employees at Morehouse and other Atlanta University Center Consortium institutions, game ticket holders, and pre-designated visitors. 
 
We would like to thank the many students and alumni who have provided feedback as we made this difficult decision, which balances the understandable desire of our community to gather together with our need to protect our students’ safety. If each of us does our part to protect one another by getting vaccinated and following other public health guidelines, we will see each other soon. 

NFL Greats Are Brightening The Spotlight On HBCU Football

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HBCU football teams have produced some of the NFL’s greatest players. And instead of moving on, many NFL players have looked recognized the value in teams like those at Florida A&M University, Jackson State University and more. See how NFL greats are putting HBCU football on the pedestal it deserves in the story from Michelle Kaufman at the Miami Herald below.

Deion Sanders made his entrance as Jackson State head football coach last year the way anyone who followed his career would expect — with flash, passion, and bold promises.

Deion Sanders, football coach at Jackson State University, right, speaks while Florida A&M coach Willie Simmons smiles during a May 5, 2021, press conference at Hard Rock Stadium to preview the Orange Blossom Classic. JOSE A. IGLESIAS

The JSU marching band escorted him to his opening press conference, which made national headlines. Before running his first practice or winning his first game, he had already raised the profile of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

The moment Sanders, the former Florida State and NFL star, put on his blue and white JSU gear it became a bit cooler to be a Tigers fan. Recruits and sports reporters who previously overlooked HBCU programs were suddenly intrigued, particularly during a time when racial issues were dominating the news.

Other NFL greats also took note. Former Michigan and NFL running back Tyrone Wheatley accepted the head coach job at Morgan State after consulting with Sanders. Eddie George, Ohio State’s Heisman winner and the Tennessee Titans’ all-time leading rusher, also spoke to Sanders before being hired at Tennessee State in April 2021.

Sanders will bring added exposure to his team and HBCUs on Sept. 5, when the Tigers head to Miami Gardens to play Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic, America’s oldest black college football classic.

The event was started at FAMU in 1933. For 13 years, the game rotated between Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa and in 1947, it was moved to Miami, where the first predominately black teams would play in the Orange Bowl Stadium. Attendance grew from 5,000 to a high of 47,191 in 1961, when FAMU defeated Jackson State to finish the season with a perfect 10-0 record.

Sanders hopes the Classic will showcase HBCU athletes who might not normally get national exposure.

“You’re going to see some draftable athletes, I promise you that,” Sanders said. “This is not just a game. It’s a celebration. It’s an opportunity for us to put our players on stage.”

Sanders, who is referred to as “Coach Prime” these days, took to social media earlier this year to express his disappointment that no HBCU players were selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.

“There is no way that the next time the draft comes around there won’t be a single person from an HBCU school not drafted,” Sanders said during a May press conference at Hard Rock Stadium. “I promise you that will not happen. Not on our watch.”

Wheatley and George share the same motivation.

“The SWAC and MEAC have always had great coaches, don’t get me wrong, but Deion is called Prime for a reason,” Wheatley said by phone. “His light is the one that shines bright, but the rest of us still get the illumination from it. It does help to have a guy like Deion out there promoting HBCU schools.”

But it isn’t just Sanders and spectacular marching bands the fans will see.

“Fans will see a great game,” Wheatley said. “FAMU’s Willie [Simmons] is a hell of a coach, too. They’re going to see two great coaches with good, disciplined teams. The tradition and atmosphere are great, but without football there’s no marching bands. We need to produce good football. We have to break the stigma that HBCU football is not good football.”

Although HBCUs have turned out 30 Pro Football Hall of Famers, including Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State), Walter Payton (Jackson State) and Michael Strahan (Texas Southern), top high school recruits and NFL scouts tend to focus on the traditional powerhouse programs.

George says Sanders’ decision to lead Jackson State is already having a profound impact on HBCU football.

“Deion has already been a game-changer,” George said. “He told me we can definitely be agents of change and bringing the resources and exposure, changing the way people perceive HBCUs and the way they do business. Deion has always been a trendsetter. There’s only one Prime. One. That’s it. I respect him for that. And the rhetoric he’s pushing is ‘It’s not about me. It’s about getting our conference and kids exposed.’ Highlighting our colleges.”

Sanders, upset that few HBCU players were invited to NFL Combines, helped launch an HBCU combine. His next goal is to have those players be evaluated at the same combine as prospects from schools such as Alabama, Clemson, Michigan and Ohio State.

Both George and Wheatley stressed the importance of TV exposure for their teams and their universities.

“During the games, we can show videos that promote the schools of business, agriculture, dentistry, we can showcase that Oprah Winfrey is a Tennessee State alum,” George said. “People need to see that a lot of successful people graduated from HBCUs.”

Added Wheatley: “It’s very important for TV networks to cover our games because everything is visual now, people want to see it in order to believe it. When I bring recruits to Morgan, they’re like, ‘Wow, this is nice!’ And I say, ‘What did you think it would be like?’ They say, ‘Well, it’s an HBCU.’ The exposure our football teams get can help change that perception.”

Jason Horn, athletic director at Florida Memorial University, a historically black school in Miami Gardens, says having Sanders, Wheatley and George in HBCU coaching jobs is impactful.

“Deion getting the job at Jackson State is newsworthy, it creates a news angle that school wouldn’t get otherwise,” Horn said. “The key now is to continue to build off that.”

Sanders, Wheatley and George were all drawn to their new jobs by something bigger than football.

“This is what I’ve been doing my whole life. I’ve been called to take things to another level,” Sanders said on his podcast 21st & Prime. “What God is calling me to now, I’m ecstatic. It’s my people. It’s my people I get to touch. A multitude of the parents are the same age as me. … I’m so excited.”

Wheatley said social justice issues played a part in his decision to coach at Morgan State.

“The Colin Kaepernick issue, Black Lives Matter, those things first spurred it,” Wheatley said. “I felt as a black man having to choose between football and being black. That was really hard. You had fans losing it, not understanding what was going on. I got tired of explaining myself.

“I’ve been at PWIs [Predominately White Institutions] my entire life in terms of college and pro sports and the more I looked at black colleges, I thought of players like Willie Brown, Harry Carson, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Doug Williams, [Steve] Air McNair and I thought, ‘Why not HBCU? Why not?’ I have a chance to be a coach who can truly empathize with his players because I experienced the same things they have.”

George had similar sentiments.

“College football has become transactional with the transfer portal, Name Image and Likeness, super conferences, it’s becoming like the NFL,” he said. “I see these athletes as men with valuable lives and I want to help cultivate their spiritual life, social life, physical life and mental life.”

George said the Tennessee State job was “a calling” that kept tugging at him after he declined previous offers.

“What drew me was the opportunity to affect lives in a way I never visualized myself doing,” George said. “Given what’s happened with Black Lives Matter, the racial issues we’ve gone through in our country the last 24 months, that definitely raises the profile of HBCU schools.

“The key now is sustainability. This can’t be a flash in the pan or 15 minutes of fame. We want kids to know you can come to a HBCU and have the same type of experience as someone going to Ohio State. You can have a great education, social life, and get to the NFL because if you’re good enough, they will find you.”

Wheatley agreed: “With the Black Lives Matter movement, you have to strike the iron while it’s hot, but you have to keep it hot. During that whole time, I had lots of kids calling, but then parents, high school coaches, 7-on-7 coaches talked to them and said, ‘Hey, you’re bigger than that. You’re better than that. You need to go to a bigger school.’

“Heads are starting to turn this way, but we still have a lot of ground to make up in terms of getting the overall top-notch recruits. Can a Morgan State, Jackson State, can we really go head-to-head with the Alabamas and the Clemsons of the world? Not yet. Are we making strides? Yes.”

XULA, Other Louisiana Universities Affected By Hurricane Ida Relocating Students To Texas

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Hurricane Ida has become a force to be reckoned with, interrupting the plans of ambitious students at Xavier University of Louisiana and other schools in the region. Learn more about what the schools are doing in the Fox 4 News article by Peyton Yager below!

It may be weeks before all of New Orleans regains power. That’s why universities are bringing students to Texas so they can at least continue online classes.

Tulane University bussed students to Houston.

Xavier University of Louisiana is bringing students to a hotel in Downtown Dallas. The first buses will start to arrive late Wednesday afternoon.

Xavier University says students will be here for at least 14 days.

Muna Ugoh is ready to make the road trip from New Orleans to Dallas. The junior at Xavier University of Louisiana and 200 other classmates will load up on charter buses Wednesday morning. 

“I love the idea,” he said.

“Not how I expected to start my school year and to be leaving so soon,” said Xavier University of Louisiana freshman Sanna Williams.

The first full week of classes clashed with Hurricane Ida. Forty-eight hours after the storm, there’s still no power on campus and water is leaking from the roof. 

“Yes, it was terrible,” Ugoh said. “But we are all alright.”

The private HBCU in New Orleans confirms everyone is safe. However, students on Tuesday who stayed were told to pack two bags for two weeks and be ready to relocate to a Dallas hotel. Their rooms and food will all be covered. Remote learning will resume next week from Dallas. 

Sandra Phillips’ son is a freshman. She and her husband live in Massachusetts. 

“We are feeling like, ‘Oh my god. What do we do? Should we fly him out? Should we do this? What is our plan A, B, C here,’” she said. “Yeah, you feel helpless.” 

In Houston, 35 buses arrived Tuesday morning filled with Tulane students also evacuating. They are prepared to stay for a month. 

Meanwhile, Xavier University of Louisiana students prepare for a seven-hour drive. 

“Right now, I am packing to evacuate the building,” Williams said.

Fortunately for Williams, Dallas is home. 

“They are excited to see me back. They have been worried all week,” she said.

Xavier University of Louisiana says it will only return students back to campus when it’s safe to do so. If their parents want to arrange to fly them out of Dallas back home, they are allowed to do that.