Regions adds HBCU – themed cards to check card lineup

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13683573-largeBIRMINGHAM, Alabama –Regions Bank (NYSE: RF) has added historically black colleges to its lineup of universities whose logos it offers on debit cards.

Alabama A&M University,Alabama State University,Florida A&M University andTennessee State University-themed cards are now available.

Tom Brooks, head of cards and payments for the bank, said the new cards are part of Regions’ expanding relationship with historically black collegesand universities.

“Regions is proud to support the pride and passion associated with HBCUs – not only in our ongoing involvement with the schools, but also in letting their fans and graduates show their support, too,” Brooks said in a prepared statement.

The bank also offers cards with the logos of the University of Alabama, Auburn University, the University of Florida, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

Howard University Launches HBCU Sirius XM

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936029_10151538646337185_1217576327_nWashington, D.C. (November 14, 2013) – The Howard University Radio Network is announcing a new station is being added to its ever-expanding platform.  HBCU Channel 142 on SiriusXM  launches today, Thursday, Nov. 14th at 12 a.m. and will be a collective blend of programming from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, offering a unique look in to the black higher education experience.

HBCU will bridge the gap between alumni, current, and prospective students through information and entertainment.   “Howard University is excited to serve as the anchor for the HBCU Channel on SiriusXM.  This is an excellent platform to showcase the extraordinary stories and success of our HBCUs,” said Interim President Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick.  “Our partnership with sister institutions on this groundbreaking effort reflects our continued commitment to collaboration and broadcasting excellence.”

HBCU will be a resource for students and faculty of each institution to work together to educate and empower.  The channel will include informational, educational, entertainment and cultural programs from a network of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, initially featuring American Baptist College, Hampton University, Jackson State University, Prairie View A&M University, Virginia State University, Tennessee State, and Howard University. “With the launch of the HBCU Channel, we are building on the success we have had with SiriusXM. We are excited about the possibilities of this latest venture,” said Howard University Radio Network General Manager Jim Watkins

The management and delivery of programming is provided by Howard University’s Radio Network, located on the university campus. “As an HBCU alumnus of both Howard University and North Carolina Central University, I’m delighted to return to my alma mater and direct this channel that I hope will soon become America’s most listened to voice of HBCUs,” added Jay Holloway, HBCU Director.  Additional colleges and universities are expected to sign-on to the channel in coming months.

SiriusXM granted Howard University a lease to create two channels on the satellite radio system in 2011.  The other channel, H.U.R. Voices on SiriusXM 141 launched in November 2011. For more information visit www.HBCUradionet.com.

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Spelman College wins at Atlanta Magazine’s ‘Groundbreaker of the Year’ Awards

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Atlanta’s No. 1 ranked school was a winner at Atlanta Magazine’s ‘Groundbreaker of the Year’ Awards, which honor visionary people and projects, for their commitment to educate Spelman women and the world on wellness.

The November 2013 issue of Atlanta magazine will feature Spelman’s unusual move to drop its athletic department for a Wellness Program that now bolsters to help “all 2,100 students instead of just a few”.

Spelman’s president Beverly Tatum told The New York Times she was startled by the school’s athletic budget of $900,000 for the 2012-13 academic year: “It seemed like a lot of money for 80 students.”

Historically black Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas is also being praised for turning its football field into an organic farm that will produce 17,500 lbs. of food for Cowboys fans this season.

Paul Quinn College says no to football, reaps rewards

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The late legendary head coach Vince Lombardi said that a “school without football is in danger of deteriorating into a medieval study hall.”

In most cases this hypothesis proves to be true. But Lombardi would have been overwhelmed by the sight of the football field at Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas.

Michael Sorrell, arriving at historically black Paul Quinn in 2007, did the unthinkable—in football-nuts Dallas.  President Sorrell opted to cut the university’s football program.

Because of a small enrollment of just 250 students, financial limitations and poor alumni giving Sorrell sensed Paul Quinn football was “something economically we could not justify.”

_Michael_Sorrell_02“We are standing on the precipice of an economic day of reckoning in higher education,” Sorrell said. “I think there will be more schools to do this. I think we’re just early.”

“Predictably, we had folks who were, I guess, the reaction was loud,” Sorrell said.

Today however, six years removed from the end of Paul Quinn football, the football field has turned into an organic farm and will produce 17,500 lbs. of food for Cowboys fans this season.

Plus, students overseeing the project are paid $10 an hour to work on the farm.

“I am in love with what we are doing with the field,” said Shon Griggs, Jr., a legal-studies major who played football at his Atlanta high school. “It is exciting and I have learned so much. I have personally gotten more out of the farm than the football field.”

“When I played football, I was able to strengthen my body. Here, we are impacting community, changing lives, teaching kids, and learning about nature,” he said.

Now with a marveled academic reputation, Sorrell has no regrets. In fact, Paul Quinn College is experiencing one of the greatest turnarounds in the history of higher education and was named the “2011 HBCU of the Year”.

“We turned our football field into an organic farm…it has made us a national leader on this issue,” Sorrell said.

“There are no regrets. We didn’t have the resources necessary to change and really build a football program in the way we wanted to do it. This is what was right for us.”

About Paul Quinn:

The mission of Paul Quinn College is to provide a quality, faith-based education that addresses the academic, social, and Christian development of students and prepares them to be servant leaders and agents of change in their communities.

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Preparing teachers in the 21st century

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03obamaspan1HBCU’s have made enormous strides in education; preparing, qualifying, certifying and empowering young men and women that have chosen teaching as their choice of career. Either by personal choice, family heritage or passion for helping youth; educators and education are unquestionably the foundation for any progressive society to succeed.

Since the explosion of industrialization and automation of industry, educators have trained, guided and mentored the workforce that allows this nation to be a global leader. Without educators no society can be productive, progressive and embrace a paradigm for reforms to improve the lifestyles and living conditions of its people.

Education at HBCU’s has at times been viewed as nontraditional because the focus being on skills and skill sets of service. Preparing students of color to perform duties and services that enabled them to be of value in a society that struggles with accepting Blacks in positions of leadership not servitude. HBCU’s have and are modernizing and adapting as the career structures change. The development of industrialization, automation and technology requires HBCU’s to adapt how they teach future educators.

During my participation in the two day event of Microsoft Innovative Educators training opened my eyes wider to the broader world of Educational Technology and Teacher Training.

It is paramount that educational institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities incorporate ways to integrate technologies that empower future educators, preparing them to infuse  instructional strategies that incorporate dynamic technologies and align their instruction with standards, Common Core, Benchmarks that ensure Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) of students.

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Morehouse man Ted Colbert named CIO of Boeing

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Ted-Colbert-BoeingAnother Morehouse man is stepping up in a big way.

Boeing, the world’s leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined, has named Ted Colbert chief information officer and vice president of the company’s Information Technology organization.

“Ted’s extensive background in Information Technology strategy and his years of successful leadership will ensure the continuity and successful implementation of the strategies we have put in place to achieve the critically important objectives of supporting and protecting our global operations with the most capable, reliable and secure IT systems in the world,” said John Tracy, Boeing chief technology officer.

“We appreciate the job Kim Hammonds has done in positioning the IT organization for leadership, and we’re confident that Ted will take our team to new levels of performance for our customers and our employees.”

Fellow alumni Jeh Johnson is President Barack Obama’s pick to lead the Homeland Security Department. His confirmation hearing starts Wednesday.

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Michelle Obama edges into a policy role on higher education

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MICHELLE-articleLarge“I’m here today because I want you to know that my story can be your story,” Mrs. Obama is to tell students at Bell Multicultural High School in Washington on Tuesday, according to an advance text of her remarks. “The details might be a little different, but so many of the challenges and triumphs will be just the same.”

The first lady will add that whether students want to be doctors, teachers, mechanics or software designers, “you have got to do whatever it takes to continue your education after high school — whether that’s going to a community college, or getting a technical certificate, or completing a training opportunity, or heading off to a four-year college.”

Aides in Mrs. Obama’s office said she would visit other schools around the country and use social media to appeal to students, conveying the message that higher education is a door to a wider world. Mrs. Obama, the daughter of a pump worker at the City of Chicago Waterworks, graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School.

Many of Mrs. Obama’s supporters have been eager to see her use her résumé — before coming to Washington, she was an associate at the Sidley Austin law firm and a health care executive in Chicago — and her role as the first black first lady to expand her agenda. While she has also worked to help military families, her best-known initiative promotes healthy eating.

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Bethune-Cookman drops to No. 2 in HBCU Coaches Poll

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After controlling the No. 1 position for most of this year’s football season, the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats suffered a heart wrenching defeat to MEAC foe Norfolk State—dropping to the No. 2 spot in the HBCU Coaches Poll.

The Norfolk State Spartans managed to edge over the Wildcats in a 27-24 triumph, now moving to 3-7 on the year. Jackson State’s come-from-behind win against Alabama A&M pushes the Tigers to the top spot on the Coaches Poll but still trails behind the Winston-Salem State Rams in the Media Top 10 Poll at No. 3.

Here is the full ranking:

2013 Boxtorow FCS HBCU Football Coaches Poll

Week 11

(Records through November 9, 2013)

Rank          School                                      W-L     Pts.      Last Week

1.               Jackson State (12)                      8-2       144      2

2.               Bethune-Cookman (2)                8-2       124      1

3.               South Carolina State (1)             7-3       120      3

4.               Tennessee State (1)                   8-3       112       5

5.               Alcorn State                                8-3        77        9

6.               Southern                                     6-4        75        8

7.               Alabama State                            6-4        65       4

8.               Prairie View A&M                        5-5        31        6

9.               Delaware State                           4-5       29       10

10.             North Carolina A&T                    5-4       20        7

 

2013 Boxtorow HBCU Football Media Top 10 Poll

Week 11

(Records through November 9, 2013)

Rank          School                                      W-L     Pts.      Last Week

1.               Winston-Salem State* (11)        9-1       136      2

2.               South Carolina State (1)           7-3       123      3

3.               Jackson State (2)                      8-2       119      4

4.               Bethune-Cookman (1)              8-2       118      1

5.               Tennessee State                       8-3       93       5

T-6            Alcorn State                               8-3       53        9

T-6            Virginia State                              9-1       53        8

8.               Southern                                   6-4       44       10

9.               Alabama State                          6-4       36        6

10.             Tuskegee                                  8-2       34        7

2003 Most Distinguished HBCU Grad awarded $72.9M

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lonnie copyTuskegee University graduate Lonnie Johnson has been awarded nearly $73 million in royalties from toymaker Hasbro Inc., according to news reports. Johnson Research and Development Co. and founder Lonnie Johnson have been in a royalty dispute with Hasbro since the company filed a claim against the giant toy company for underpaid royalties, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution said.

Johnson holds more than 100 patents in a wide range of innovative technologies, but he is best known as inventor of the popular Super Soaker water gun, which has generated approximately $600 million in sales and has made him a hero to children nationwide.

Before launching his own businesses, Johnson served with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a senior systems engineer on multiple space-based programs, including Galileo, the Cassini Mission to Jupiter, and the Mars Observer. More recently, he has led an advanced technology research and development company that specializes in developing environmental and energy-related products in areas such as heat transfer, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and control systems. He also owns Excellatron Solid State, LLC, another high-tech company that introduced a multilayer lithium ion battery which represents a major breakthrough in battery technology. read more…

President of Central State University, Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, offers advice on taking risks

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Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, who has held Central State University’s top office since July 1, offered some advice on risk taking:

“Taking a ‘big leap’ is the action one takes to accomplish what others think is an insurmountable task,” she said. “It’s seeing every challenge as an opportunity. When taking a ‘big leap’ I always think about who will be affected by my actions; the team of ‘others’ who should be a part of the action; and the long-range impact the action will have on future recipients.”

Jackson-Hammond is the eighth person and the first woman to lead the historically black school in its 126 years.

About Central State:

Central State University is Ohio’s only predominately African American public institution of higher education. The University actively promotes diversity in its student body, faculty and staff, even as the institution adheres to its core historical responsibility to educate young African American men and women.

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Brian Stewart, Morgan State University student, allegedly rejected from fraternity because he is gay

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Brian-StewartA fraternity at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD, is coming under fire after members allegedly rejected a pledge because of his sexual orientation.

Brian Stewart, a former White House intern, had long dreamed of becoming a member of his university’s Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity because his childhood pastor and mentor had been a part of the organization.

He received a rejection letter the day after his interview from Alpha Iota — Morgan State University’s chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. Then, shortly after his denial by the fraternity, Stewart, through an undisclosed source, received a series of messages exchanged between members of the fraternity regarding his application.

One message, in part, reportedly stated that members of the fraternity should “give him the perception of a fair and equal opportunity” in terms of his rejection. Another message allegedly used an anti-gay slur.

“I couldn’t even be angry because I was so hurt,” he told the Baltimore Sun.

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Morehouse and Spelman Students Pose Nude in ‘The Body Issue’

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The Maroon Tiger, the student newspaper of Morehouse College, recently released their version of ESPN’s ‘The Body Issue” that shows 30 students from Spelhouse dressed in nude in response to ‘apprehension of HBCUs when discussing issues related to black sexuality and bodies’.

[quote_box_center]The Maroon Tiger: Last December, a piece entitled “Who’s Afraid of Black Sexuality?” appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education. It received sustained attention. The article detailed apprehension in academic communities to candidly discuss Black bodies and Black sexualities. Nearly a year later, despite some advancement, the apprehension remains.

Reluctant to speak more candidly about black bodies and sexualities, many conservative institutions seem to have slowly begun entering previously uncharted waters regarding sexualities and identities. The changes, though sluggish in comparison to other institutions, are noticeable. A year ago, Morehouse added to its curricula a course on LGBT studies. Other black institutions, in a variety of ways, have followed suit. National discussions concerning mental health and physical wellness have also ensued.[/quote_box_center]

ESPN’s original ‘The Body Issue’ debuted Oct. 9, 2009 with six alternative covers featuring current No. 1 ranked women’s singles player Serena Williams and five other figures in sports.

Apparently, ESPN The Magazine is also a fan of the 12-page Morehouse edition:

Click here to view the digital version

About The Maroon Tiger:

Since 1925, The Maroon Tiger has served as a broad community of students and scholars maintaining a commitment to ethical leadership and promoting a global focus.

Wiley College defeats USC in third rematch of historical debate

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Community-_Wiley_Debate_Team_t580Seventy-eight years ago, Wiley College and the University of Southern California squared off at USC’s Bovard Hall in Los Angeles, California, for an exhibition debate. Wiley College, one of the oldest historically black colleges west of the Mississippi River, defeated USC, and the small school’s victory served as a profound example that skin color is not a determinant of intelligence or abilities. In 2012, the teams met for a second time on Wiley’s campus in Texas, which resulted in both teams as victors.

In the third rematch, held in a capacity-filled auditorium at USC on Friday, October, 25, 2013, the 78-year-old history was repeated when Wiley emerged as the victors. “We are elated about our win, but similarly to our views regarding the 2012 Wiley college and USC contest, we all know that anytime we can come together to celebrate our differences and be tolerant of opposing views, we all win,” said Dr. Haywood L. Strickland, Wiley College President and CEO.

The Debaters: Nathan Leal and Lyle Kleinman for Wiley and Christian Patterson and Clara Purk for USC debated on the topic, “The role of race should be expanded in university admissions.” Wiley argued the negative and USC argued the positive.

USC Debater Christian Patterson stated he was the only black in one of his classes at USC and that without his presence; non-black students could express opinions on minorities based on stereotypes. He held that having diverse classrooms plays a role in dispelling stereotypes. USC debaters further argued that universities need race-conscious admissions for diversity and that diverse classrooms enhance students’ learning experiences.

Wiley’s Debaters Leal and Kleinman stated they, too, believe in having diversity on campus, but they said they oppose the policies applied to achieve it. They argued that race-conscious admissions treat the symptom, a lack of diversity, but fail to address the problem. Schools, they said, must do a better job of preparing all students for admission to elite colleges.

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Obama’s approval rating continues to drop

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For the past several months President Barack Obama has stood upright against opposition from Republicans who want to repeal Obamacare and the government shutdown debacle. But his approval rating has not had similar success as of late.

Obama’s approval rating now stands at 42 percent, an all-time low, reports say.

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Huffington Post:

“The NBC/WSJ pollsters argue that no single reason explains Obama’s lower poll standing,” writes NBC senior political editor Mark Murray. “Rather, they attribute it to the accumulation of setbacks since the summer — allegations of spying by the National Security Agency, the debate over Syria’s chemical weapons, the government shutdown and now intense scrutiny over the problems associated with the health care law’s federal website and its overall implementation.”

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Lincoln University establishes Facebook page promoting sustainability

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The Lincoln University established a ‘Sustainability At Lincoln University – PA’ Facebook page to promote the university’s  sustainability efforts, including its 1,854 Acts of Green recently initiated as part of Campus Sustainability Day (CSD).

Those interested in the university’s sustainability efforts are encouraged to visit and click “LIKE” at www.facebook.com/gogreenlu

The page will represent a hub for information and engagement on sustainability issues at the university.

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