Central State Embarks On ‘Great Opportunity’ by Joining SIAC

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The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) will be gaining a new member in the Marauders of Central State University.

The SIAC has been around for a little over 100 years and have been home to a number of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) . A tradition that continues to this very day. The only public HBCU in Ohio, Central State, was granted full membership access to the division after the other conference schools came to an unchallenged decision.

CSU president, Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, announced the news through a press release today. In the release President Jackson-Hammond mentions how the opportunity to join the SIAC is a “great opportunity” and that it “enhances the collegiate and academic experience”.

Central State University has been a partial member since 2013, they only participated in conference play for football. For all other sports The Marauders are members of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, which they joined shortly before they were recognized as a NCAA Division II institution in 2004.

Central State will finish the remainder of the sports season in the GMAC, before fully switching over to the SIAC at the close of the 2015 spring season.

For the latest in HBCU sports, stay tuned to The Buzz.

Kentucky State University Measures Quality with Real Data

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We are often asked how higher education institutions measure their quality. The answer is there are many ways. Higher education institutions are evaluated, assessed and accredited at the institution and at the program levels. For Kentucky State University and other higher education institutions in the 11 Southern states, institutional accreditation is provided by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOM). read more…

Johnson C. Smith Will Expand Online Education with $1.75M Duke Endowment Grant

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Charlotte Business Journal

Johnson C. Smith University has received a $1.75 million grant from the Duke Endowment to expand its online offerings for adult students.

Those funds will support expansion of Metropolitan College, which offers undergraduate adult degree programs in business, criminology and social work as part of the Charlotte university.

Plans call for the addition of two online degree programs to increase capacity and diversify the university’s tuition revenue streams. read more…

Huston-Tillotson Professor Spends a Year Living in Dumpster

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The New Zealand Herald

Jeff Wilson’s life had all the trappings of a conventional adult existence.

For starters, he was living in a comfortable, 280sqm Texas, home with a large walk-in wardrobe, an easily accessible bathroom and a US$1600 (NZ$2181) monthly mortgage payment. He had a professorship at a state university, an hour-long commute and a matrimonial social arrangement with a fellow professional.

Today, Wilson has none of those things – and insists that he’s never been happier.

Between then and now, there was a divorce, a new job in a new city, a surrendering of worldly possessions, a new social arrangement with a new romantic partner and – perhaps most importantly – an olive green rubbish skip that he called home. read more…

New Web-Series at Southern Sheds Positive Light

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“On the Yard SU” is Southern University’s very own weekly film series about what’s going on in JaguarLand. Co-Director/Co-Producer Perry White, who also serves as the host, uses the series to show the university in a positive light.

This pilot episode begins with welcoming students back to campus. White talks about the events that went on during the first week back “On the Yard.” Some of the events were their “Jags Get Fit” combine, Pretty Wednesday as well as the Honda Battle of the Bands.

You can also follow the instagram page @OnTheYardSU.

Stay tuned to The Buzz for the latest on HBCU news. 

World Star Hip-Hop Partners With Meagan Good and Tamara Bass

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World Star Hip Hop (WSHH) is known best for its fight compilations, underground hip hop videos, and vixen models, but the well-known site is thinking outside of its usual ratchet box.

Within the past few years, web series have taken over the internet, giving people an alternative to regular cable television. It looks like World Star wants a piece of that lucrative pie. The Hip-Hop based site has partnered with Co- Director Meagan Good and Creator Tamara Bass, to premiere a scripted original web series called All That Matters.

The series follows the newly engaged couple Joy (Tamara Bass) and Kevin (Tracey Dukes). The relationship is turned upside down when Joys’ sister drops her daughter off on the two because she can’t handle it anymore.

If World Star and web series doesn’t sound weird to you, trust me you’re not the only one. Vibe Magazine sat with Bass and Good for an interview, and asked the two how they feel the show will be perceived since it will be fostered on WSHH. “Of course, there are going to be people who ask us why World Star Hip Hop? There are already going to be a bunch of people who are already frequent World Star visitors and think this is something they’re not going to want to watch. We’re prepared for all that. My thing is, if World Star Hip Hop is trying to change the direction of where they’re going and wanted someone to be the first, why not us?” Bass said.

Episode one of All That Matters Premiered on March 9. Good stated “What we really wanted to do was bring more stories that have more of our faces, more women stories and more family stories that are from different outlooks and different slices of life.”

Sway Calloway is executive producer of the web series and according to Bass, he is an advocate for pushing the show. “I proposed this project to him and he immediately came on board with the financing of the pilot episode and has been a proponent for pushing it. Anything we need in terms of access to his radio audience, him, or whatever we need from him, he’s ready to give” Bass Said

Though the first episode of the series is simply setting up the rest of the season, it’s already proving to be an interesting body of work.

Check the show out here. 

 

Grambling Partners with HBCU Radio Network

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The News Star

Grambling State University has partnered with Howard University to provide programming to its radio channel for historically black colleges and universities (HBCU).

This partnership provides a unique opportunity for students to produce a radio program for a Sirius XM channel.

The HBCU Channel, which is featured on Sirius XM Radio Channel 142, is offered by Howard University to highlight and focus on the activities of HBCUs and their contributions to the African Diaspora. read more…

Robin Thicke & Pharrell Williams to Pay Family of Marvin Gaye Over $7M: ‘Blurred Lines’ Infringement

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The Root

Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were ordered Tuesday to cough up nearly $7.4 million to Marvin Gaye’s children after a judge found that the duo copied Marvin Gaye’s music to create their 2013 hit single “Blurred Lines,” the Associated Press reports.

“Right now, I feel free,” said Nona Gaye, Martin Gaye’s daughter. According to the AP, she wept as the verdict was being read.

Gaye went on to describe how she felt free from “Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke’s chains and what they tried to keep on us and the lies that were told,” she explained.  read more…

Waka Flocka Flame Cancels University Of Oklahoma Concert: ‘I Am Disgusted In The Actions Of SAE’

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Huffington Post 

As anti-racism protests continue to take place on the University of Oklahoma campus following a viral video clip displaying Sigma Alpha Epsilon chanting racist lyrics about their chapter, it appears the college is also beginning to experience backlash from entertainers.

According to an Instagram post, Waka Flocka Flame has cancelled his upcoming April concert at the University due to SAE’s offensive behavior.

“I know for a fact the whole school and SAE don’t agree with those kids actions so know that I’m not mad at the whole #SAE just those disgusting kids,” the rapper wrote on Monday to his 1.1 million followers. “We can’t change history but we damn sure can create our own future #DeathToRacism.”

Read more here.

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Common will be WSSU 2015 Commencement Speaker

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Award-winning recording artist and actor Common will be the speaker for Winston-Salem State University’s 2015 commencement on Friday, May 15, at 9:45 a.m. in Bowman Gray Stadium.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Common as our commencement speaker considering his recent accomplishments, both as a musician and an actor,” said Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson. “While he has been performing for more than 20 years, he certainly has hit another level in his career. More importantly, he continues to strive to inspire young people to take advantage of all the opportunities they are presented and to work diligently to fulfill their individual potential. I know he will have a message that will have a positive impact on our graduates and I also know how excited they are to have him be a part of their commencement ceremony.”

A two-time Grammy Award winner, Common won the 2015 Academy Award and the 2015 Golden Globe Award for best original song for his work with John legend on “Glory” from the film “Selma,” in which he co-starred as 1960s civil rights movement leader James Bevel. Also one of the country’s leading hip hop artists, he debuted in 1992 with the album “Can I Borrow a Dollar” and gained notable mainstream success through his work with the Soulquarians. Common earned his first Grammy Award in 2003 for best R&B song for “Love of My Life” with Erykah Badu and his second Grammy for best rap performance by a duo or group for “Southside” which featured Kanye West.

In addition to his recent appearance in “Selma,” Common will star in the soon-to-be-released “Run All Night” with Liam Neeson. He made his major movie debut in 2007 as villainous mob enforcer Sir Ivy in “Smokin’ Aces” and appeared alongside Denzel Washington in “American Gangster.” His other film credits include “Wanted,” “Street Kings,” “Terminator Salvation” and the comedy “Date Night.”

Common is the founder of the Common Ground Foundation, a non-profit that exposes underserved inner-city young people to new opportunity through the creative arts. Over the past 12 years, the organization has broadened its focus also to include mentoring, a summer camp and creating job-training experiences for youth throughout the City of Chicago, Common’s hometown. Last year, the Foundation hosted its inaugural Spring Youth Business Conference to provide students with job readiness skills. Also launched in 2014 was the AAHH! FEST hosted by Common, a one-day community-wide musical celebration that also provides a variety of job-related experiences for students. The Common Ground Foundation has been recognized by CNN Heroes and BET Hip Hop Awards as a philanthropic organization doing great work in urban communitie

Fayetteville State Nursing Program Gets Upgrade

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FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) –The lab on the third floor of Fayetteville State University’s nursing building works like several wings in a hospital.

Patients with contusions, bruises, breathing, and eating problems are cared for by FSU students. Some of the patients even talk. No one calls the patient a dummy. On the third floor, each has a name.
However, the nursing program at FSU hasn’t always been this high tech, or functional.

“It’s a new day,” said Dr. Afua Arhin, the department chair for the program. “It’s definitely a new day. It’s a good day.

Arhin was tapped to join the faculty after the nursing program was essentially shut down by Chancellor James Anderson. In 2009, students were not passing the National Council Licensure Examination, known as NCLEX. The students were unable to practice in the field.

“I love a challenge,” Arhin said. “Somebody from North Carolina called and said there’s a challenge and are you willing to attack that challenge in Fayetteville.”

Arhin came to Fayetteville from Grambling State University where she’d overhauled a nursing program as well. At FSU, Arhin found the remnants of a lot of inexperience. read more…

Apple Commits Over $50 Million to Diversity Efforts

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Fortune

A flashy new smart watch isn’t all Apple has up its sleeve. The company is donating more than $50 million to organizations that aim to get more women, minorities, and veterans working in tech.

It’s a big week for Apple. On Monday the iPhone-maker unveiled the latest addition to its ecosystem of devices, a smart watch whose price will range from $350 to $18,000. On Tuesday, the company kicks off its annual shareholders’ meeting in Cupertino, Calif.

But there’s more. In an exclusive interview with Fortune, Apple’s human resources chief Denise Young Smith said the company is partnering with several non-profit organizations on a multi-year, multi-million-dollar effort to increase the pipeline of women, minorities, and veterans in the technology industry—and, of course, at Apple.

“We wanted to create opportunities for minority candidates to get their first job at Apple,” said Young Smith, who took over as its head of HR a little over a year ago. (Before her current role, the longtime Apple exec spent a decade running recruiting for the retail side of the business.) “There is tremendous upside to that and we are dogged about the fact that we can’t innovate without being diverse and inclusive.” read more…

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Grambling State Police Now Wear Body Cameras

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GRAMBLING, LA (KSLA) – Grambling State University police are now wearing body cameras, thanks to a grant the department received last year.

Interim Police Chief Howard Caviness, who began working at GSU last year, said getting the cameras for the force was one of his top priorities. He helped make that happen last month.

“I’m used to having a camera on me all the time from my undercover days. I knew it was there for my protection as well as theirs (citizens),” Caviness said in a news release. read more…

Denzel Washington Will Deliver Commencement Address at Dillard

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NEW ORLEANS – Academy Award winning actor Denzel Washington will deliver the commencement address at Dillard University in early May, the school announced Tuesday.

Washington will give the address to the 247 graduating students on May 9 at 8 a.m.

“We are excited to have Denzel Washington as our 2015 Commencement Speaker,” said Walter M. Kimbrough, president of Dillard. read more…

Fort Valley State University Signs Agreement with Albany Tech

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Albany CEO

Albany Technical College and Fort Valley State University will hold an articulation agreement signing ceremony on Monday, March 9, 2015, beginning at 10 a.m. in the Executive Board Room of Albany Tech’s Logistics Education Center at 1704 South Slappey Boulevard.

The goal with the articulation agreement is to provide Associate of Applied Science graduates of Albany Tech’s Electronic Engineering Technology program with an opportunity to continue on with Fort Valley State University to earn their Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering Technology.

“This signing will be a tremendous benefit for Albany Technical College, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology program and its students,” said Manual Hall, Chair of the Electronics Technology programs at Albany Technical College. read more…

FAMU Baseball: Best Week All Season

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Tallahassee Democrat: Bryan Henry Column

We just experienced our best week of the baseball season so far at Florida A&M.

We went 3-1 and won our second straight MEAC series over Savannah State. The best part about the whole thing is that we are still not playing our best baseball. There is so much room to get better in a lot of different areas.

But at the same time, you do not want to be playing your best baseball right now. You want to be playing your best baseball at the end of the season when it is tournament time.

This is still a time for learning and correcting mistakes. And that process continues with a two-game home series against Mercer that started Tuesday.

I think the biggest difference right now is that the guys are getting to play and experience game repetitions. There is not a better way to learn than to actually play and go through a situation game speed.

You can practice until you turn blue in the face but it is extremely hard to duplicate game speed. Look at Major League Baseball’s spring training. Those guys do about one week of practices, mostly to make sure pitcher’s arms are game ready, and then they play games. They play every day to make sure they are ready for the season. It also gives teams a chance to evaluate guys trying to make the team in game situations.

It is simple. You have to play consistently to get a feel for the game and we are on a stretch now where we have played seven straight games without being rained out. A routine is starting to be established and baseball players need routine. Of course, now that I have talked about it, we will get rained out soon.

That is just the way it goes. read more…

 

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