South Carolina State University is yet another HBCU to use CARES Act funds to wipe the debts of its HBCU students. Get the full story from Ayelet Sheffey at Business Insider below.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
South Carolina State University just became the latest school to act on the $1.7 trillion student-debt crisis in the country.
Last week, South Carolina’s only public Historically Black College or University (HBCU) announced it was wiping out $9.8 million in student debt, clearing the account balances of more than 2,500 students who were previously unable to afford returning to college. According to the press release, the vast majority of students who received notification of debt cancellation were either not yet registered for the next semester because of past-due account balances, or who have stopped attending college entirely because they couldn’t afford to pay.
“Our university was founded on the tenet of providing students with access to a quality affordable education,” Acting President Alexander Conyers said in a statement. “That’s exactly what we intend to do. No student should have to sit home because they can’t afford to pay their past due debt after having experienced the financial devastation caused by a global pandemic.”
This debt cancellation was made possible through $4 million from President Donald Trump’s CARES Act and $5.8 million from President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
Even though Biden has not yet enacted broad student-debt cancellation, a growing number of schools have been using his money to get the job done themselves. Insider reported in May that Delaware State University canceled over $700,000 of its students’ debt using Biden’s stimulus, and at least 11 HBCUs so far have done the same thing.
Leslie Young, a freshman at South Carolina State, said in the press release that without this debt cancellation, she would have had to sit out on the next semester.
“Honestly, hearing this news brings tears to my eyes,” Young said. “My family is very low income. I was in a deep depression because school means everything to me. Without it, I felt like I was giving up on my dreams.”
In terms of broad debt cancellation, the pandemic pause on student-loan payments is set to lift in October, and many Democrats are calling on the president to both extend the pause on payments and cancel $50,000 in student debt for every borrower.
“About 40% of people with student loan debt weren’t able to finish their degrees—so now they’re stuck trying to pay college-graduate-sized bills on high-school-diploma-sized salaries,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote on Twitter. “We’re fighting to #CancelStudentDebt because people need relief.”
With fundraising often being a major hurdle for HBCUs, any money that can be saved is valuable. Lane College in Tennessee has now taken initiative with its energy in a move that will now save the college an estimated $11 million. Get the full story from Gallatin News below.
Credit: WBBJ
Lane College, a historically black college in Jackson, Tennessee, is set to save roughly $11 million through a new Energy Savings Performance Contract with Entegrity. The liberal arts institution, which has been providing accessible and affordable education for nearly 150 years, will benefit from campus-wide upgrades addressing energy needs as well as student and faculty comfort.
President of Lane College, Dr. Hampton, in conjunction with the Board of Trustees, spearheaded the effort to improve facilities and enhance the overall student experience by making a sustainable financial investment without increasing the cost of tuition. “We want every building to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for students, reflecting the quality of education that students are receiving on campus,” said Dr. Hampton.
The college partnered with Entegrity, an energy services company headquartered in Arkansas with an office in Memphis, to address deferred maintenance needs and invest in the areas where students spend the most time. Lane College’s tailored scope of work includes an LED lighting retrofit, water conservation measures, and HVAC upgrades to maximize energy savings. Entegrity will also install new aluminum windows that will improve envelope efficiency and update the aesthetics of the campus’s buildings without compromising their historical appeal.
Credit: Lane College
“HBCUs have historically received less funding than their counterparts, causing deferred maintenance to take valuable time and money from educational endeavors. Removing facility issues from the college’s plate will allow them to place more of their focus on education and look toward the future of their institution,” said Chris Ladner, Founding Partner of Entegrity.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, indoor air quality has emerged as a significant factor in safely reopening educational facilities. Lane College has taken this energy savings contract as an opportunity to implement infection control and improve the indoor air quality of campus buildings to help ensure student safety. “We wanted to address these changes creatively while also building a better environment for the students,” said Dr. Hampton, “This project allows us to focus on our current students while preparing our facilities for the future graduates of Lane College for years to come.”
Dr. Henry Givens Jr., who led Harris-Stowe State University for over 3 decades, has sadly passed away. He was a history-maker, and a dedicated leader. Learn more about Ross’ legacy in the St. Louis Public Radio article by Gloria S. Ross.
Dr. Henry Givens (Credit: Harris-Stowe State University)
Henry Givens Jr., the university president whose name became synonymous with Harris-Stowe, the college he rescued, transformed, nurtured and led for more than three decades, has died.
In a 1993 profile, Givens said that it was “a pleasure to work in my own town, among the friends that I grew up with.”
He grew up in St. Louis’ storied Ville neighborhood, 10 minutes from the small teaching college that he would lead for 32 years. When he arrived in 1979, many thought the school was on the brink of extinction. Givens had other ideas.
During his tenure, Harris-Stowe’s student enrollment tripled, one building morphed into seven, and the single elementary education degree grew to 14 baccalaureate programs.
Givens, who once said he never dreamed he could be a university president, died today at his home in St. Louis of unknown causes.
He was always keenly aware of why and for whom he worked.
“If this place closed down, 98 percent of our students wouldn’t be able to go to college,” he said in his profile in “Lift Every Voice and Sing: St. Louis African Americans in the Twentieth Century.”
Givens wasn’t about to let that happen on his watch.
Services are pending.
Beyond integration
Givens grew up at 4349 North Market St. in the Ville, once the city’s black cultural center. Acclaimed black historian Julia Davis, for whom a library is named, lived on his street.
She taught Givens at Simmons Elementary School, which he described as “the best elementary school in the city of St. Louis.” He felt the same about Sumner High School, from which he graduated in 1950.
In 1954, Givens graduated from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, the Supreme Court struck down school segregation–and Stowe Teachers College for blacks was folded into white Harris Teachers College. The Stowe name disappeared and did not claim its rightful place alongside Harris until 1976.
Right out of Lincoln, Givens began teaching fifth and sixth grade and physical education at the old Douglass School in Webster Groves. He was the school’s only male teacher.
“I loved it,” he said, but he was about to become a full-time administrator.
To integrate Douglass, administrators wanted a program “unlike anything in the nation” to attract white students.
Givens designed such a program. He had walls torn down and floors carpeted. He introduced team teaching and multiage grouping of students. Then he sold the new concept to the community.
White teachers and students flocked to the school, which became the model for today’s magnet schools. Within two years, Douglass was fully integrated with a two-year waiting list and top national achievement levels.
He became principal of Douglass in 1967 and subsequently assistant to the superintendent of schools. He earned a master’s degree in education at the University of Illinois-Urbana and a doctorate in urban education and school administration at St. Louis University. He later did postdoctoral work in higher education administration at Harvard University.
A changing mission
In 1973, Givens became the first African American assistant commissioner of Missouri’s Department of Education, where he orchestrated the merger of the Berkeley and Kinloch school districts with the Ferguson-Florissant School District.
He left the commission to accept the job of president of Harris-Stowe State College in 1979, just as control of the financially ailing school was being transferred from the St. Louis Public Schools to the state. State Sen. J.B. “Jet” Banks, once Missouri’s highest-ranking black official, led the legislative effort.
Most observers thought Givens would be overseeing Harris-Stowe’s demise. Instead, he built the college into a midtown landmark and community meeting place.
There was only one building, which formerly housed Sumner High School, and the school offered only an elementary education degree.
When he retired in 2011, the original building bore his name because he had changed the landscape of the school’s midtown location and created a full-fledged campus.
His vision and shrewd negotiating added six buildings, including two residence halls and a student center to accommodate approximately 2,000 students.
He paid the city $10 for the land under the decaying Laclede Town federal housing and $10 for the old Vashon Community Center and its three surrounding acres. Later, he persuaded the state to give the school a great deal on a building to house a satellite business school in south city.
It took 12 years to persuade the legislature to permit Harris-Stowe to offer more degree programs. He succeeded in 1993, with the help of U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, then a state senator, who wrote the legislation.
“We stuck with it and never gave up,” Givens once told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
With the restriction lifted, he quickly began raising funds from local business and community leaders. The school added 13 degrees, including criminal justice, business administration and urban studies.
In 2005, with its expanded curriculum, the school replaced “College” with “University.”
Two campuses at once
In 1987, Givens succeeded in getting Harris-Stowe the federal designation as a historically black institution. It’s one of two in the state, the other being Lincoln University, Givens’ alma mater.
The move was not made to erase half of the school’s heritage; it was another effort to keep the school afloat. The status made Harris-Stowe eligible for as much as $2 million annually.
That same year, Gov. John Ashcroft (whose nomination for U.S. attorney general he would later oppose) asked Givens to take over his financially strapped alma mater. For months, he split his time between the two campuses, working six days a week.
“I didn’t even know where I was,” Givens said in “Lift Every Voice.” But he reduced Lincoln’s projected deficit from $1 million to $50,000.
By carefully cultivating business relationships, he became a prolific fundraiser. The year prior to his retirement, Givens led a $45 million fundraising campaign, the most successful in the school’s history.
But sometimes, business relationships were fraught.
For 30 years, prominent black leaders and members of Civic Progress, executives from the region’s largest companies, met monthly to discuss racial issues. The meetings ended in 1998, when Givens and other group members said they were not treated as equal partners in the dialogue.
(Credit: Wiley Price)
St. Louis’ racial divide was his only disappointment, he said in his profile.
“We’re doing a lot of good,” he said, “but St. Louis is not going to be a great city until racism is wiped out.”
No matter the obstacle, Givens persevered and willingly shared his optimism and expertise.
From its inception in 1986 and for the next 25 years, Givens chaired the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statewide Celebration Commission. It became the second-largest celebration in the nation paying tribute to King.
He served as a consultant for the State Department’s American School in Lima, Peru, and was recognized by more than 100 national, state and local organizations for his service.
Proud to be
Henry Givens Jr. was born inSt. Louis, the third of Henry Givens Sr. and Catherine Lucille Johnson Givens’ four children.
His mother was a homemaker whose activities included volunteering with the Pine Street YMCA. The “Y” ran Camp Rivercliff near Bourbon, the first camp in Missouri operated by and for African Americans. It’s where Givens spent his childhood summers.
His father worked multiple jobs to support the family: driving for a printing company, repairing radios and TVs, even deejaying local dances, sometimes assisted by his sons.
The dapper Givens had a singular work path. He said choosing education was his “proudest achievement,” second only to marrying Belma Evans in 1955, and raising their children.
Givens was preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Robert T. Givens Sr., Leon Arthur Givens and Armetta Givens Whitmore.
Survivors include his wife and their two children; a son, Keith Givens of Phoenix; a daughter, Stacy Givens of St. Louis; and three grandchildren.
Memorials would be appreciated to Harris-Stowe State University:http://go.hssu.edu, send to 3026 Laclede Ave., St. Louis, MO 63103, or call 314-340-3366.
A Mississippi Valley State University graduate just made history at a wildlife agency that has been around since 1932. Colonel Jerry Carter is the first Black Chief of Law Enforcement at Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks! Get the full story at the in the MDWFP release below.
Credit: MDWFP/Facebook
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks is pleased to announce the promotion of Lt. Col. Jerry Carter to Colonel, and Chief of the Law Enforcement Bureau with the Agency. In this capacity, Colonel Carter will oversee the daily operations of one of the State’s premier law enforcement organizations with more than 160 sworn officers deployed statewide.
Colonel Carter is a native of Morgan City in Leflore County, Mississippi and is the third sibling of five children born to the late Joe and Elnora Carter. He is a 1982 graduate of Leflore County High School in Itta Bena, and a 2018 graduate of Mississippi Valley State University where he received a bachelor degree in criminal justice, and will complete all requirements for a master’s degree in 2021.
A proud U.S. Army veteran, Colonel Carter began his career with the department in 1988 as a Conservation Officer assigned to Leflore County, and moved successfully through the ranks having served in various county enforcement, and leadership capacities. His previous assignments include Boater/Hunter Education Administrator, Coordinator of Communications, Commander of the Honor Guard, Emergency Management Coordinator, and Commander of the North Mississippi Law Enforcement Region to name a few.
Colonel Carter is now making history in the State of Mississippi by becoming the first African American to become Chief of the Law Enforcement Bureau since the creation of the agency in 1932. He credits this achievement first to God, family, friends, colleagues past and present, and the sporting public of Mississippi.
“I am truly grateful for this opportunity afforded me by the Executive Director Dr. Sam Polles, and my predecessor Colonel Steve Adcock, and the trust placed in me to move the Law Enforcement Bureau forward. I am totally committed to the agency’s mission, and to providing quality law enforcement services to the citizenry of our Great State” said Carter.
Today Kentucky State University‘s President M. Christopher Brown II suddenly resigned from his position amid formal inquiries into the university’s finances. Unfortunately, this is Brown’s second time resigning as an HBCU president over finances, as he also once headed Alcorn State University. Learn more about this unfolding story by Sylvia Goodman at the Louisville Courier Journal below.
Source: Lexington Herald Leader
Kentucky State University President M. Christopher Brown II submitted his resignation to the KSU Board of Regents during a special meeting Tuesday.
The meeting had been convened to appoint an external auditor “to review the current financial status of Kentucky State University,” according to its agenda.
The board unanimously accepted Brown’s resignation, with two members absent.
“We anticipate a cordial, collaborative and seamless transition and wish Dr. Brown well as he follows his interest in other professional endeavors,” board chairperson Elaine Farris said in a statement.
The board voted to appoint Clara Ross Stamps, who served as senior vice president for brand identity and university relations, as the acting president and appointed Gregory Rush as the new chief financial officer.
“As the Kentucky State University community comes together, with a renewed appreciation for our collegiate campus atmosphere and a commitment to our core mission and values, I am humbled and energized by the opportunity to serve our students and community following what has certainly been a time of unprecedented change,” Stamps said. “I pledge to labor with our faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters, and will be accessible, transparent, accountable, and communicative, so together we can positively impact the lives of our students and society while advancing Kentucky State onward and upward.”
In December 2013, following criticism over $89,000 spent on his presidential house without proper bidding, the Alcorn State board hired a forensic auditor to investigate the school’s finances and placed Brown on administrative leave, after which he resigned.
The KSU board will discuss details on the search process for the university’s next president at its September quarterly meeting.
Texas Southern University student Megan Thee Stallion has made history again. She has broken several records for her music, and now she has broken yet another one on the cover of Sports Illustrated! Get the full story from Karu F. Daniels at NY Daily News below.
Megan Thee Stallion continues to make history.
The record-breaking hip hop star has become the first rapper to land a Sports Illustrated cover, appearing on the August issue of the legendary sports magazine.
On the 58th installment of the annual swimsuit edition — on stands Thursday — Megan sizzles on the front of the magazine wearing a $40 zippered nude bikini from her new Fashion Nova swimwear collection.
(Credit: James Macari/Sports Illustrated via AP)
The “Hot Girl Summer” lyricist, whose birth name is Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, shared the news on Instagram Monday morning.
“Thee first female rapper on the cover of @si_swimsuit,” she wrote on the social media platform. “I want to thank all the strong women in my life who inspired me to love my body and live my best hot girl life. It means the world to me to be on this cover DREAM COME TRUE!!”
Making history has become a common occurrence for the Houston native. Earlier this year, the “Savage” lyricist became the first female rapper since Lauryn Hill to take home the Grammy for Best New Artist, and her hit collaboration with Cardi B, “WAP,” instantly broke streaming records after its original release.
She is also the first woman to have three No. 1 streaming songs within the same year — those tracks being “Savage” featuring Beyoncé, “WAP,” and “Body.”
Megan Thee Stallion follows Queen Bey as the first music artist to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue since the former Destiny’s Child frontwoman did in 2007.
Megan, 26, joins tennis star Naomi Osaka and transgender model Leyna Bloom — featured on separate covers — for a theme centering around community.
Wearing a glossy black mesh-paneled Norma Kamali swimsuit for her cover, the four-time Grand Slam singles champion is the very first female Black athlete grace the front page.
In a video, the 23-year-old icon — whose likeness was used for a new Role Models Barbie doll that was released last week — said she was “so proud to be the first Japanese and Haitian women to grace one of the covers.”
Bloom also makes history as the magazine’s first transgender cover model of color.
“Among the many things we’ve learned over the past 18 months is how much we value being a part of a community, and how much we miss that interaction when it’s taken away,” Sports Illustrated editor MJ Day said with Monday’s unveiling of the cover images. “This issue represents the culmination of a powerful community — coming together during challenging times to make history.”
Today the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) has announced its 2021 Preseason All-SWAC Football selection! Additionally, top talent was chosen. An Alabama A&M University player earned Preseason Player of the Year for example. 10 Southern University Jaguar players were named to the team as well. Read the entire list of winners and see the predicted order of finish, which is in the official release from SWAC below!
The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its 2021 Preseason All-SWAC Football selections and Predicted Order of Finish on Tuesday during SWAC Football Media Day. The preseason all-conference teams, individual award winners, and predicted order of finish were voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
Alabama A&M’s Aqeel Glass was named SWAC Football Preseason Player of the Year while Southern’s Jordan Lewis was tabbed SWAC Football Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Alabama A&M’s Glass rewrote the record books this past season as he went 67-of-113 for 1,084 yards passing and 13 touchdowns during the regular season. One of 16 finalists for the prestigious Walter Payton Award as the national’s top FCS player, Glass was also twice named Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Player of the Week.
He would also add National Player of the Week honors from Stats Perform FCS and BOXTOROW. In large part due to his performance, the Bulldogs delivered the first undefeated regular season for the program since 1966, won the SWAC East Division for the first time since 2011, while also winning the league championship game with a 40-33 win over UAPB.
(Credit: Trevon Ware, 318 Photo)
Southern’s Lewis proved to be a matchup nightmare for opposing offensive lines this past season with his quickness off the end leading the SWAC in sacks with 10.5 for 73 yards and tackles for loss with 15.0 for 82 yards.
He completed the Spring season with 27 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and one forced fumble. For his efforts Lewis was named the Buck Buchanan Defensive Player of the Year. The two-time SWAC Defensive Player of the Week also garnered BOXTOROW National Player of the Week and LSWA Defensive Player of the Week this past season.
The league’s 2021 Predicted Order of Finish has Alabama A&M tabbed to win the SWAC Eastern Division tallying a total of 122 points. Florida A&M (109) was picked to finish second followed by Jackson State (80), Alabama State (76), Bethune-Cookman (71), and Mississippi Valley State (25).
Alcorn State (128) was picked to finish in first place in what will be the Braves debut season in the SWAC Western Division. Southern (108) was projected to finish in second place followed by Grambling State (85), Prairie View A&M (78), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (68) and Texas Southern (37).
A complete listing of the preseason all-conference teams, individual award winners, and predicted order of finish is listed below.
Predicted Order of Finish
SWAC Eastern Division Alabama A&M (122) Florida A&M (109) Jackson State (80) Alabama State (76) Bethune-Cookman (71) Mississippi Valley State (25)
SWAC Western Division Alcorn State (128) Southern (108) Grambling State (85) Prairie View A&M (78) Arkansas-Pine Bluff (68) Texas Southern (37)
Preseason Player of the Year Aqeel Glass- Alabama A&M
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Jordan Lewis- Southern
2021 Preseason All-SWAC Football First Team Offense
Position
Name
School
QB
Aqeel Glass
Alabama A&M
RB
Ezra Gray
Alabama State
RB
Jarod Sims
Southern
OL
Mark Evans II
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
OL
Brian Williams
Southern
OL
Dallas Black
Southern
OL
Ja’Tyre Carter
Southern
OL
Johnathan Bishop
Southern
WR
Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim
Alabama A&M
WR
Josh Wilkes
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
TE
Ethan Howard
Southern
2021 Preseason All-SWAC Football First Team Defense
Position
Name
School
DL
Jordan Lewis
Southern
DL
Christian Clark
Alabama State
DL
Jalen Ivy
Southern
DL
Andrew Ogletree
Alabama State
LB
Keonte Hampton
Jackson State
LB
Aubrey Miller Jr.
Jackson State
LB
Kolby Watts
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
DB
Jalon Thigpen
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
DB
Irshaad Davis
Alabama State
DB
Chase Foster
Southern
DB
Caleb Brunson
Mississippi Valley State
2021 Preseason All-SWAC Football First Team Specialist
Position
Name
School
K
Spencer Corey
Alabama A&M
P
Aubrey Grace
Alabama State
RS
Tyrin Ralph
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
2021 Preseason All-SWAC Football Second Team Offense
Position
Name
School
QB
Skyler Perry
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
RB
Gary Quarles
Alabama A&M
RB
Caleb Johnson
Mississippi Valley State
OL
Jonathan Williams
Alabama A&M
OL
Jeremiah Stafford
Southern
OL
Noah Hayes
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
OL
Atondre Smith
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
OL
Nicholas Roos
Bethune-Cookman
WR
Zabrian Moore
Alabama A&M
WR
Tyrin Ralph
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
TE
Terrence Ellis
Alabama State
2021 Preseason All-SWAC Football Second Team Defense
Position
Name
School
DL
Michael Badejo
Texas Southern
DL
Jason Dumas
Prairie View A&M
DL
Jerry Gardner
Mississippi Valley State
DL
Renaldo Flowers
Florida A&M
LB
Isaac Peppers
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
LB
Armoni Holloway
Alabama A&M
LB
Untareo Johnson
Bethune-Cookman
DB
Amari Holloway
Alabama A&M
DB
Naytron Culpepper
Alabama State
DB
Kenan Fontenot
Grambling State
DB
Markquese Bell
Florida A&M
2021 Preseason All-SWAC Football Second Team Specialist
Position
Name
School
K
Zack Piwniczka
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
P
Chris Faddoul
Florida A&M
RS
Ezra Gray
Alabama State
*Student-athletes that were selected to the Spring 2021 All-SWAC Team at the conclusion of the season retained their respective spots on the team, open positions were filled with the next highest vote recipient and in any instances where that was not possible those positions were voted upon.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday made American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson a commander of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest award, for helping “change the destiny of the United States” and with it, the world.
Jackson, 79, who had gallbladder surgery this year and is being treated for Parkinson’s disease, had visible difficulty walking. The founder of the Rainbow/PUSH coalition and two-time U.S. presidential candidate sat beside the podium as Macron spoke at a ceremony in Paris.
“He’s a visionary with talent for uniting and leading people, whose moral and physical courage… has helped him to overcome adversity and change the destiny of the United States, our oldest ally, and to change our world for the better,” Macron said at the gathering at the presidential Elysee Palace.
Speaking in English, the French president called Jackson “a great friend of France” and “very popular in our country, but not just in our country.”
Macron recounted Jackson’s life, from his childhood in segregated South Carolina to his work with Martin Luther King Jr. and his activism in Chicago. After draping a red ribbon with a medal around Jackson’s neck. Macron clasped his hand amid applause from the small invited audience. Jackson did not make any remarks during the ceremony.
Credit: Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS
The civil rights leader has remained active despite his health problems. He has advocated for vaccinations against COVID-19 in Black communities with below-average inoculation rates.
Through Chicago-based Rainbow/PUSH, the 1984 and 1988 candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination also has continuing to advocate for voting rights. Last month, Jackson he was arrested and ticketed for obstructing traffic during a voting rights demonstration near the U.S. Capitol.
Macron described the world of “institutionalized inequality” that Jackson grew up in and that shaped his future as a civil rights leader. He recounted Jackson’s failed bids for the presidency and said, “You paved the way for those who came after.”
Referring to Barack Obama’s election as the first Black president of the United States, the French leader asserted that “2008 would definitely have been impossible without your fights and your contribution.”
Macron also recount:ed a “less-known story for which you never sought credit,” Jackson’s 1990 role in freeing French hostages. During the first Gulf War, citizens from several countries trying to stop the invasion of Kuwait were taken hostage by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Macron said Jackson negotiated the release of French citizens “and thanks to you, they were safely returned to their families.”
Bethune-Cookman University‘s Integrated Environmental Science department will be strengthened after the university joined the Florida Institute of Oceanography Consortium! Learn more about the new partnership in the official release from B-CU below.
Recently, Bethune-Cookman University was welcomed into the Florida Institute Of Oceanography Consortium. The Florida Institute of Oceangraphy, or FIO, consists of 32 members including state universities. The mission of FIO is to provide infrastructure support to facilitate collaborative research and education related to Florida’s coastal and ocean environment, and to serve as a coordinating body across academia, state and federal agencies, ocean science organizations and the private sector in addressing new opportunities and problems to be solved through research, education and outreach. FIO is an enabler, a facilitator and coordinator.
“The FIO membership, and its representative Council, is the bedrock of our organization. We are pleased to have Bethune-Cookman University and the Florida Ocean Alliance join our ranks as they greatly increase our reach to the breadth of what Florida’s ocean science and education community has to offer,” said FIO Director Dr. Monty Graham.
This membership will greatly enhance B-CU’s Integrated Environmental Science Department which focuses on large-scale coastal and watershed issues and challenges. B-CU is also leading the Halifax River Watershed Sustainability Initiative and is a member of the NOAA Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems.
“Bethune-Cookman University is honored to be invited to join the FIO community of marine researchers and educators in Florida who not only are helping us to assess and protect our wildlands and aquatic ecosystems, but also to prepare graduates to become change-driven scientists,” said Dr. Will Berry, Provost. “FIO will enable our students to collaborate with their peers at other institutions and prepare them to meet the growing need for talented professionals in ocean and coastal sciences. In addition, FIO will provide our faculty and students with linkages to the extensive weal of expert knowledge in the field throughout the state. This will help us to equip our students with a thorough understanding of oceangraphic and marine issues through classroom education combined with experiential learning in the field.”
ESports is a booming industry, and Benedict College is making sure that its students will have the tools to make waves in the field. Learn more about this great news from today’s release from Benedict below.
Source: The Hype Magazine
Students at Benedict College can earn a bachelor’s degree in Esports Administration this fall. The new major consists of required core classes in Esports and Sports Management. Esports will be a part of the Health and Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Department in the School of Education, Health, and Human Services.
“Benedict College has been carefully monitoring this growing industry, and our industry forecast was a key motivator in establishing the program,” said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis. “We believe our students will become leaders and decision-makers in the emerging ecosystem of Esports. They will master a combination of skills related to planning, organizing, managing, budgeting, and marketing. They will not only be the BEST in gaming but the BEST in game design and management.”
Many students may have initially gained interest in Esports through recreational gaming activities that have risen in popularity in the past few years. “In keeping with Benedict’s strategic plan to offer transformational learning experiences, our innovative Esports Administration curriculum is designed to prepare students to create new applications and to engage in all facets of the industry,” noted Dr. Janeen Witty. “The embedded experiential and co-curricular initiatives combined with the academic rigor of the courses will provide a strong network of learning opportunities for talented scholars who are interested in this fast-growing field.”
Paula Shelby, an Esports Commissioner, and the Chairperson of the HPER Department, launched the Esports Club a year ago. The club quickly gained popularity while hosting and winning several tournaments. “Our Esports major seeks to prepare students to work in the Esports professional, collegiate, public, and private schools’ arenas, as well as recreational centers” stated Dr. Shelby. “Our Esports program of study also provides our students with a solid foundation for continued graduate studies in the sporting discipline.”
The HPER Department has developed an academic program that introduces the gaming culture to the Benedict community by focusing on Esports through gaming techniques, development, and content creation. Students will also learn management skills for facilities, fiscal, team, and personnel.
The College has partnered with Blaze Fire Games and for certifications. Blaze has over 250 Esports Micro-Credentialing certificates that the students can attain. In addition, several credentialing opportunities were embedded into each one of the Esports and Sport Management Classes.
After recently joining SWAC, Florida A&M University will be taking part in the conference’s football media day. Learn more about the day, which is the first that players have had since the pandemic, in the article by Rory Sharrock at the Tallahassee Democrat below.
FAMU players Bell, Forbes to join Simmons at SWAC media day in Birmingham.
Next on the list of firsts for Florida A&M as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference is its participation in football media day, scheduled for Tuesday at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel at 10 a.m. CST.
A live stream of the outing airs on ESPN3. FAMU alumnus Tiffany Greene will co-host the program with her broadcast partner, Jay Walker.
FAMU representation includes head coach Willie Simmons along with safety Markquese Bell and offensive lineman Keenan Forbes.
FAMU safety Markquese Bell had two interceptions in the 27-21 win over Southern on Saturday, September 21, 2019 (Credit: FAMU Athletics)
All 12 head coaches and two student-athletes from each team will be in attendance.
“I’m excited to do media day in person. It’s the first time we’re doing this since COVID-19. I’m looking forward to being in Birmingham to meet with the coaches and preview a great season,” Simmons said.
The head Rattler also acknowledged having Bell and Forbes at media day is beneficial for them as well as the football program.
“This is a great opportunity for Markquese and Keenan to get some exposure,” Simmons said.
“They’re two phenomenal football players. They should extend their career beyond FAMU in the NFL. Markquese and Keenan will represent FAMU well here at media day.”
Bell and Forbes were First Team All-MEAC players in 2019. Their status as key figures is the reason for the invitation to media day.
Being in the fold with college coaches and their peers in the SWAC is being viewed as a noteworthy honor.
“This means a lot to represent FAMU and my teammates at SWAC media day. It’s a big accomplishment and I’m very grateful,” Bell said.
FAMU offensive lineman Keenan Forbes practices his pass blocking during a board drill (Credit: Rory Sharrock/Tallahassee Democrat)
Forbes is happy about being in the SWAC. However, he puts the conference realignment in perspective.
For him, it’s about suiting up and maintaining the same high level of excellence on the field from the MEAC.
“I feel great going to another conference. But at the end of the day, we have one goal of winning games and winning a championship,” Forbes said.
FAMU opens fall camp on Saturday, Aug. 7.
This begins the march toward the season opener versus Jackson State in the Orange Blossom Classic at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. That game is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 5 at 3 p.m.
Virginia State University has joined Virginia Union University and several other HBCUs that have agreed to waive student fees for students amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full story on where the funds came from and which fees will be cleared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch story by Colbi Edmonds below.
Credit: Dean Hoffmeyer
Virginia State University announced Friday that it will use CARES Act funding to clear unpaid tuition and fee balances for students who were enrolled during the COVID-19 impact period.
Students who took classes during spring, summer, fall and winter 2020 as well as spring 2021 are eligible to have their outstanding balances paid off.
The university will clear the balances after federal, state and private awards are applied.
“We care about our students and their academic success and want to provide them the privilege of moving forward with a zero balance,” said Donald Palm, provost and senior vice president of academic and student affairs, in a news release. “We believe that relieving them from these balances will provide much-needed relief that will allow our scholars to focus more intently on their academics and degree completion.”
The payoff will apply only to VSU balances, not loans from outside entities, for tuition since March 13, 2020.
VSU joins other universities in Virginia that have announced balance forgiveness with the help of the CARES Act.
Virginia Union University announced June 8 that it was awarding more than $6.35 million to eliminate debt for 1,344 students — 1,192 undergraduates and 152 graduate students.
The Class of 2021 was awarded $1.2 million; other underclassman students were awarded $4.3 million; and graduate students were awarded $778,543.
All graduating seniors finished with zero university debt, and continuing students had their balances fully paid.
The CARES Act money was awarded as financial relief for students to pay off debt at the end of the academic year. In total, 559 students were granted more than $3.1 million. The remaining $3.25 million was awarded by university scholarships and workforce development funds, which allowed students the opportunity to work on and off campus.
“VUU is committed to helping students ease the worry of financial debt due to education loans,” said Hakim Lucas, president and CEO of VUU, in a news release. “These funds helped to reduce the cost of their education, which results in fewer federal and consumer loan applications and less debt.”
Huston-Tillotson University is full of historic buildings, and it is seeking to have that fact be officially recognized by the state. Get the full story on the university’s history in East Austin and what it means for the larger community in the article from James Rambin at Austin Towers below.
View of the Huston-Tillotson University campus in East Austin. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
With its local history dating back to 1875, you might be surprised to discover that Huston-Tillotson University predates the University of Texas as Austin’s first institution of higher learning — and this East Side cultural landmark, originally founded as the segregated city’s only college for African Americans, should soon receive its due recognition with admission to the National Register of Historic Places.
A view of the Huston-Tillotson University campus in East Austin. Image: Wikimedia Commons
With its local history dating back to 1875, you might be surprised to discover that Huston-Tillotson University predates the University of Texas as Austin’s first institution of higher learning — and this East Side cultural landmark, originally founded as the segregated city’s only college for African Americans, should soon receive its due recognition with admission to the National Register of Historic Places.https://www.youtube.com/embed/6zXoS5qOwhk?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent
The Texas Historical Commission is scheduled to consider the draft application for Huston-Tillotson’s designation as a national historic district at its upcoming State Board of Review meeting in September, but as we’ve seen from other recent items, once a potential application reaches the board’s agenda it’s unlikely to face any major challenges, especially considering the clear historic significance of this particular site.
“For more than 150 years, the nominated property has provided educational opportunities for African Americans—from emancipation through the Great Depression, Civil Rights Movement, and today during the Black Lives Matter movement. More than “just” a college, Huston-Tillotson is a landmark where national, state, and locally influential Black leaders, educators, and students converged to learn, worship, share, debate, and socialize.
The 1974 King-Seabrook Chapel and Bell Tower, visible from all sides of campus. (Credit: Huston-Tillotson University)
The university has occupied its 19-acre campus at 900 Chicon Street since 1952, when a mutual consolidation of the city’s two existing HBCUs — the Tillotson Institute and Samuel Huston College — facilitated a rapid expansion of the school’s educational facilities. According to the draft nomination prepared by the City of Austin’s Historic Preservation Office, there are 14 structures on the Huston-Tillotson campus contributing to its historic merit, with 11 of those built between 1951 and 1974.
That time period places the majority of notable architecture at this site firmly on the side of modernism — according to the draft application, “all but two of the historic-age campus buildings constructed after the merger were designed by variations of the partnership between Austin architects Kuehne, Brooks and Barr.” By far the most prominent structure rising from the university’s gently rolling hills is the brick-clad King-Seabrook Chapel and Bell Tower, built in 1974 by the architectural partnership then called Brooks, Barr, Graeber and White in a minimal brutalist style, its sleek bell tower highly visible from the campus-adjacent stretch of East Seventh Street.
Another contributing campus structure retaining a high degree of integrity is the Downs-Jones Library, designed by Kuehne, Brooks and Barr in 1960 and renovated in 2013 by CasaBella Architects — see a tour of the upgraded library below:
A full list of the 14 contributing properties from the draft registration application for what will be called the Huston-Tillotson Historic District is found below — though, as the document points out, the historic merit of this site goes far beyond its buildings.
A Hampton University alumna is rejoicing after receiving the grand prize of artist Pharrell Williams’ program for minority entrepreneurs. Kadidja Dosso plans to use the funds for her business, scholarships, and more! Learn more about her in the article from Alex Littlehales at 13 News Now below.
Credit: F6S
From a city built on Black history, one Hampton alum is building her own history, now with some help from a Hampton Roads icon.
“An HBCU is to say, ‘Hey, we look like each other, we have a common goal and a shared experience as colored people in America. We can all help each other out,'” said Kadidja Dosso, a 2017 graduate of Hampton University.
Born in west Philadelphia, Dosso wound up attending her uncle’s alma mater, which would be the place where a childhood dream became a reality.
“Since I was 10 years old I said I wanted to own an organic beauty empire. Then my senior year I had to do a report!” Dosso shared, holding up a binder titled Building the Dosso Organic Beauty Empire.
From these peninsula roots and her Hampton University education, Dosso grew her organic cosmetics and beauty business “Dosso Beauty, LLC.” after graduating in 2017 into a now-international business.
Source: Pinterest
But those roots grew this week in a way she never thought possible.
“Yesterday it hit different because it was real, because he saw me.”
On Tuesday, Dosso was officially named the $250,000 Grand Prize Winner of the HBCU Prize from “Black Ambition,” a nonprofit effort from Grammy Award-winning artist and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams that invests in “high-growth startups founded by Black and Latinx HBCU students and entrepreneurs.”
For Dosso, who says she’s been primarily self-funded since starting the business, the influx of money feels almost unreal.
“I was bootstrapping with my money, my savings. I’ve gotten so many no’s from so many grants before,” Dosso said.
According to Dosso, not all of the grant money will go to her business. Dosso plans to set aside portions of it for non-profit mentorship programs and scholarships, an effort to create generational wealth in the Black community.
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science is seeking to increase the amount of minority doctors after receiving $50 million in state funds for a new medical degree program! Learn more about how the university intends to use the funds in the Spectrum News article below.
Credit: LinkedIn
Officials at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science today welcomed a $50 million state grant for their new four-year medical degree program, which they said would increase the diversity of California’s medical community.
“We are deeply appreciative of this support from Governor Newsom and the state Legislature. With this funding, CDU aims to increase the number of Black doctors practicing in the state of California by more than 30% and the number of Latinx graduates by nearly 20%,” CDU President and CEO Dr. David Carlisle said.
“This will not only enhance our attractiveness and reputation as a health professions university, but it will also help us address our mission in a very direct way by providing us the additional resources and infrastructure necessary to train the health professionals who will address the medical needs of the communities where they live and work,”Carlisle added.
The funding was first approved by the state Legislature in early June.
CDU shares a longstanding relationship with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA via the Charles R. Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program, which has trained 28 medical students per year since 1979. The upcoming independent four-year medical education program at CDU is an addition to that partnership and will begin training 60 students annually starting in fall 2023.
LA Care Health Plan recently announced a $5 million grant for the new medical degree program.
A worker hands out testing kits at a mobile Coronavirus testing site at the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, July 22, 2020, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Construction is set to begin in spring or summer 2022 on a new building that will house the program, featuring classrooms, virtual and standard anatomy laboratories, staff and faculty offices, and common spaces to support all students in the university’s three schools and colleges.
CDU is a private, non-profit, minority-serving medical and health sciences university committed to cultivating diversity among health professionals and health equity for underserved populations. It is located at 1731 E. 120th St., in the Watts-Willowbrook area of South Los Angeles.
Kentucky State University will be holding a special meeting to strategize about finances after several accusations and lawsuits. Learn more about what will be address in the article by The State Journal by Austin Horn below.
“Several regents” on the board of Kentucky State University have raised concerns about the state of the school to the governor’s office.
Now, the board of regents just called a meeting for Tuesday morning at 9 a.m., ostensibly to address some of those concerns.
With a closed session scheduled to discuss “pending litigation” and “individual personnel matters,” the board’s agenda lists three potential action items.
Those action items include:
Approval of legal action or settlements
Approval of personnel actions
Approval to engage an external auditor to “review the current financial status” of the university
The first two items are marked under the header “Public Action (if necessary),” coming out of the closed session while the engagement of an external auditor is listed as an action item.
Crystal Staley, spokesperson for Gov. Andy Beshear, confirmed to The State Journal on Saturday that “several” regents have notified the governor’s office about concerns with the state of the school.
“Administration officials have been in contact with regents and the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education to gather more information about the issues they have raised,” Staley said.
WTVQ first reported the concerns raised by regents. The TV station also reported that members of the board were unhappy with the financial status of the university, and that one predicted that KSU President M. Christopher Brown II would resign at Tuesday’s meeting. The State Journal has yet to confirm this with any members of the board.
One anonymous regent pointed out to WTVQ that KSU Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Douglas Allen recently resigned.
Per KSU spokesperson Clara Stamps, Allen submitted his resignation at the end of May, effective June 30. Stamps said that Allen received a “promotion” to another position at a Research II university.
Brown, who was hired in 2017 in a 7-3 vote by KSU’s Board of Regents, resigned from Alcorn State University in 2014 as state investigators were looking into the school’s purchasing practices.
An Associated Press story from the time details Alcorn State’s spending $89,000 on the president’s house without following state bid law, as well as other expenses auditors were researching. After Alcorn State, Brown held positions at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and Southern University.
