Streetcar will extend to Johnson C. Smith

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In an effort to break a six-month stalemate over the city’s capital budget, Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx proposed two new spending plans Monday – including one that eliminates $119 million for a streetcar.

Foxx is one of the biggest champions of the streetcar, arguing that it will spark economic development on the city’s distressed east and west sides. But after an unsuccessful push to find a City Council majority to back it, the mayor appears willing to part with the streetcar, for now. read more…

Rose retained as Hampton Pirates’ head football coach

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Mr. Novelle Dickenson, Director of Athletics at Hampton University, announced on Monday that Donovan Rose will be continuing as Hampton University’s Head Football Coach.
Since Rose’s return to Hampton in 1991, the Pirates have won 14 championships, graduated over 225 student-athletes and placed over 50 players in professional leagues. Rose has developed and placed several players in the pros and recruited several players who were either drafted or became free agents in the NFL.

In four seasons as head coach, Rose has gone 21-22 – including a personal-best 7-4 in 2011. The Pirates went 3-7 this past season, going 3-5 in the MEAC. read more…

Delaware State University to host first December graduation ceremony

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Delaware State University is gearing up for its very first December commencement ceremony this weekend.

Nearly 200 DSU students are eligible to take the graduation walk on Dec. 15 at Memorial Hall on the DSU campus in Dover. The university is expecting approximately 150 to participate.

The school decided to start hosting December commencement ceremonies due to the increasing number of students graduating. read more…

Bowie State launches energy campaign

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Bowie State University will launch an advocacy campaign to engage students, faculty and staff in a series of initiatives to reduce campus energy consumption and increase personal commitments to sustainability. A $ 25,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation will help fund the initiatives.

“This funding from Verizon comes at just the right time and will move us closer to achieving our energy conservation goals,” said Bowie State President Mickey L. Burnim. “When it comes to sustainability, we want to lead by example. Our goal is to engage our students, faculty and staff, and expand outreach to the community so we can have a real impact on the environment.” read more…

HOWARD ANNOUNCES FOUR ADDITIONS TO VOLLEYBALL ROSTER

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Howard University head women’s volleyball coach Shaun Kupferberg is proud to announce the addition of four student-athletes to the 2013-14 Lady Bison roster.

“I am very proud that these ladies are joining our current team to lead us into the future of Bison volleyball.  When people think of Howard, they think of excellence and this is a great step in bringing that distinction back to the volleyball program,” said Kupferberg of the four 2013-14 newcomers.

From New Orleans, La., hails 5’7″ outside hitter Katherine Broussard. read more…

WSSU Aims To Be First HBCU D-II Football Champ

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Winston-Salem, NC — If you’re headed south at any point over the next few days and see some red and white streak past, it might belong to a Winston-Salem State University fan.

The Rams are playing in Saturday’s NCAA Division II National Championship game in Florence, Ala., and they’ll have plenty of support. Not only will WSSU fans being cheering them on, but the team is vying to become the first from a historically black college or university to win the D-II football title.

“Saturday, we had some CIAA teams that brought their football teams here to watch us play [in the semi-final game],” WSSU assistant athletic director for media relations Kevin Mann said. “They realized this was part of their history, not just our history.” read more…

HBCU: Players to watch in 2013

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Arkansas-Pine Bluff really pulled off an impressive win in the SWAC championship game, rallying from a two-touchdown deficit to defeat Jackson State 24-21 in overtime and win the conference title.

There were a lot of big plays in this game, including some by players who will be back next season. With the HBCU season in the history books, it’s time to take a look at the players to watch for 2013.

Here are the top five HBCU players heading into next season.

Quarterback/Arkansas-Pine Bluff Benjamin Anderson: Anderson, a 6-foot-3 sophomore, put on quite a show in the SWAC championship game, throwing a record-setting 95-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Willie Young with two minutes remaining to take the game into overtime. Anderson completed 13 of 25 passes for 225 yards and one TD. He also gained 36 yards on the ground and scored one rushing touchdown. The first-team All-SWAC selection was the game’s Offensive Most Valuable Player.

Alabama State running back Isaiah Crowell: Crowell was third in the SWAC in rushing with 842 yards. The 5-11 sophomore transferred from the University of Georgia to Alabama State. He had four 100-yard games and scored 15 touchdowns, which led the SWAC.  read more…

Angel Tree ‘Lights Up’ Howard University

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WASHINGTON– Hundreds of Howard University students gathered recently at Cramton Auditorium to wrap gifts for underprivileged children in DC during the Angel Tree Project Wrapping Party.

The Angel Tree is a service initiative that provides Christmas presents to elementary school students. The project provides gifts to approximately 230 students and are presented to the schools during individual receptions. The University’s Chapel Assistants have spearheaded this service project annually for the past 13 years.

The Chapel Assistants consist of a diverse body of students who share a common goal of strengthening their spiritual relationships with Christ. The organization is most known for their assistance in weekly Chapel services held on campus and service to the community.

Jaimee Johnson, a sophomore political science major and active chapel assistant, was the coordinator for this year’s Angel Tree Project.

“The purpose is to make sure that every DC child has something to open on Christmas,” said Johnson. “Most of us at Howard are very privileged, we can’t even imagine the type of situations they have to go through. It’s a chance for us to be able to give them something”

As coordinator, Johnson is responsible for reaching out to the participating schools and collecting donations for gifts from HU organizations.  The students who receive the gifts, also called Angels, are then sponsored by the participating University organizations. From there, the organizations provide their services in wrapping the many donated gifts during the Wrapping Party that occurred Friday afternoon.

“It was a lot of hard work. We have been planning since the summer,” said Johnson, “but it’s worth it”

Organizations participating in the Wrapping Party included the College of Arts and Sciences student council, School of Communications student council, Ubiquity, Cascade, and students who simply wanted to lend a helping hand.

“I love giving my time to help kids,” said Monique Johnson, a junior psychology major and Wrapping Party participant. “It was nice to see people come out and help. It’s always a good feeling to help out.”

The schools whose students will receive gifts are Cleveland Elementary, Garrison Elementary, HD Cooke Elementary, and Tubman Elementary. America’s Promise, a mentoring organization whose priority is to end the high school drop out crisis, also has Angels who are being helped because of the Project.

Angels are chosen by the faculty of the receiving schools and organizations. An Angel’s academic performance and financial need are considered when making these decisions.

Miss College of Engineering, Architecture & Computer Science of Howard University Dolce Lawless also reflected on her experience.

“I love helping kids. A lot of people in this area are underprivileged and don’t have a lot of opportunities,” said Lawless. “If we can help them with a simple Christmas present, that’s great.”

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FAMU Faces 1-yr Accreditation Probation Period

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Florida A&M University will be placed on one year of probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Official word from accrediting body SACS is still to come, but FAMU’s Interim President Larry Robinson informed his Board of Trustees by phone this afternoon. Robinson and other FAMU officials are at the regularly scheduled SACS meeting going on in Texas.

FAMU remains an accredited institution during the probationary period.

Robinson told trustees SACS officials would make an on-campus visit within the next six months.

The accrediting body in June questioned FAMU officials about the university’s control over the Marching 100, in the wake of drum major Robert Champion’s death, among other questions. SACS officials also sought assurances about FAMU’s financial controls, elements that are key reasons for the probation.

SACS, the primary accrediting body for universities in the Southeast, has been monitoring FAMU’s plans to address student safety and new policies for its band program along with its response to audit and finance questions.

The SACS action comes fewer than six months after the university was notified the accrediting body was beginning an inquiry.

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Morehouse Announces New LGBT Course for Spring 2013

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Some would say Morehouse College consists of a homogeneous demographic though it regularly boasts of having an aura of diversity that is often ignored from the outside looking in. This realization of diversity has taken new form as the gay/straight alliance and student advocacy group, SafeSpace, through the hard work of Dr. Michael Hodge of the sociology department, has officially received the green light to launch a special topics course on Black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history and culture to be offered for credit Spring 2013.

The idea came to fruition when SafeSpace’s Special Project and Events Coordinator Marcus Lee partnered with Yale University professor Dr. Jafari S. Allen to pitch the project. Allen focuses on the intersections of queer sexuality, gender and blackness.

“He’s very interested in gender non-conformity among people of color, and I’m interested in that as well,” Lee said. “I told him that I don’t have much direction here at Morehouse because many of the professors whose focus is on sexuality often focus on diseases and not really cultural critique. So he recommended that he teach a class via Skype.”

Both well versed and experienced in the field of sexuality and gender expression, Dr. Allen currently teaches courses on the cultural politics of race, sexuality and gender within Black Diasporas and has authored various publications, including “Crucial Palimpsest: Re-Reading Brother to Brother” and currently “Black Queer Here and There: The Social Poesis of Diaspora” (tentatively titled).

Fixed to extend his expertise to the students of Morehouse College, Allen is sure to make a mark and set quite a high standard of excellence through his course.

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Arrest Made In Morgan State University Shooting

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According to the Associated Press:

Baltimore police have arrested a 20-year-old Washington man in the shooting of a Morgan State University football player.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi (guh-lee-EHL’-mee) says Keith Robertson confessed to the shooting, which occurred around 1 p.m. Friday near a residence hall.

Robertson was taken into custody shortly after the shooting, when police say he was seen running from the scene. A semi-automatic handgun was recovered nearby.

The victim was 20-year-old Tyrell Okoro, a sophomore offensive lineman on the football team. Guglielmi says detectives believe there was a previous dispute between Robertson and the victim.

Morgan State spokesman Clinton Coleman says Robertson is not a student at the university. Morgan State has an enrollment of about 6,000. There was another nonfatal shooting on the campus in September.

 

$35 Million Fundraising Goal at Harris-Stowe University

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ST. LOUIS, MO (December 3, 2012) – Harris-Stowe State University has officially launched its 2013-2018 fundraising campaign with a goal of $35 million. For the past two years, Harris-Stowe has been in the silent stage of the campaign and raised more than $15 million to date, which started with a $1 million donation from Anheuser-Busch to the university’s Anheuser-Busch School of Business.

The theme, “Forward to New Horizons,” symbolizes the institution’s plans to take the university to the next level under new leadership, including new degree programs, an aggressive recruitment and retention effort and more academic collaborations with other universities.

“Even during times of economic uncertainty, universities must still partner with corporate entities to assist in fundraising and be able to continue offering superior educational opportunities,” said President Albert Walker, Ed.D. “Our students deserve the very best in academic programs and services, and I’m confident with the support that we have had in the past, that we can reach our goal and move forward.”

The kick off, which was held at BlackFinn American Grille in the St. Louis Galleria, attracted private donors, as well as representatives from Edward Jones, Morgan Stanley and First Bank, in addition to alumni and current students, all of whom spoke about their love for Harris-Stowe and why they chose HSSU to meet their higher education needs. Entertainment was provided by Angela Sutherlin, an HSSU junior majoring in Education, who had been seen on last season’s “American Idol.”

“It was our goal to showcase our best and brightest students,” said Assistant Vice President for Communications, Marketing, Alumni Affairs & Development Courtney McCall. “Our latest fundraising effort centers on our students and providing them the financial resources needed to help them realize their dreams. The thought of being able to do that is extremely exciting.”

The highlight of the evening was a presentation of $100,000 from Fresh Ideas, the university’s campus dining service. Its area manager, Darryl Sevier encouraged other donors to follow in his company’s footsteps and do their part in supporting an educational landmark that has served as the scholastic foundation for so many first-generation college students.

 

Harris-Stowe State University, located in midtown St. Louis, is a four-year institution that offers 14 degree programs in the areas of Accounting, Business Administration, Biology, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Health Care Management, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Information Sciences and Computer Technology, Mathematics, Middle School Education, Professional Interdisciplinary Studies, Secondary Education and Urban Affairs. Ranked byU.S. News as one of America’s Best Colleges in the Midwest, the university, which has been in existence for more than 150 years, offers the most affordable bachelor’s degree in the state of Missouri.

 

Source:                                                                                                                                                Courtney McCall, mccallc@hssu.edu

Call to Action: HBCU’s Film Contest for HIV/AIDS awareness

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In honor of World AIDS Day 2012, The Wright Group (TWG) is excited to announce the Her Story Film Competition (HSFC) presented by Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW): The HBCU Project and the Partnership to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence and HIV initiative.

To enter the HSFC Contest, HBCU students are encouraged to go to http://www.herstoryfilms.comfor the entry form and instructions.  Qualifying films will be under 10 minutes in length.  Submissions must be received by Friday, February 15, 2013. Any student at least 18 years of age who is currently enrolled at an HBCU with good standing is invited to submit a short film.  EVAW staff and a committee of HBCU students, alumni and public health educators will determine semi-finalists for a panel of judges to review.

Among those judges to review the semi-final submissions are actress Wendy Raquel Robinson, who is best known for her role as Tasha Mack on BET’s top-rated series “THE GAME” and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Amazing Grace Conservatory (www.AmazingGraceConservatory.org).  Joining her will be community advocate Shane Jenkins,Director of HIV/AIDS Programs and Social Efforts for the Magic Johnson Foundation (http://magicjohnson.com/foundation/).

The primary goal of the student film competition is to address the void and lack of digital public health educational tools, that focus specifically on the HIV/AIDS and violence against women for African-American college students (18-24 years of age).

In addition the film contest will serve as a professional development opportunity for HBCU students to develop themselves as future independent artist who are aspiring to become actors, filmmakers and directors.

“We are grateful to our student leaders, partners, sponsors and judges for their time and dedication to this film contest.” said Amelia Cobb, Founder and Director of Ending Violence Against Women.  “I am also very excited about creating this opportunity for HBCU students and ultimately providing a national platform where their creativity, culture, stories and talent can be used for public health education by their peers.”

For more information please visit:  www.hbcuendingviolence.com

 

2 HBCU’s look to new academic platform: Massive Open Online Courses

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In this day and age online course enrollment continues to grow at exponential rates. With online enrollment reaching tens of thousands in individual courses, MOOCs have demonstrated an enhanced sociability that has enthralled U.S. higher education and news media. The phenomenon recently motivated The New York Times to dub 2012 as “the year of the MOOC.”

Both Morgan State University and Alcorn State University are in talks with a partnership with Udacity, one of the leading MOOC platform organizations.

Morgan State University, reports that it is close to completing an agreement with Udacity that would enable school faculty members to develop courses for delivery through the company’s MOOC platform. The agreement, which Morgan State officials expect to announce publicly by late January, is also supposed to allow Morgan State students the option of earning academic credit for MOOCs taken through Udacity.

“We are moving forward toward a partnership with Udacity through (assistance from) the Thurgood Marshall College Fund,” says Morgan State University president David Wilson. “Morgan (State University) is a serious player in higher education in this country, and we expect to also be at the table to participate in MOOCs and to learn from it.”

A MOOC agreement between Alcorn State University, the second school, and Udacity could happen as early as late spring 2013, according to Dr. Donzell Lee, the Alcorn State vice-provost. The Lorman, Miss.-based Alcorn State is exploring an arrangement similar to what Morgan State seeks, which would allow professors to develop courses on the Udacity platform and enable Alcorn State students to earn academic credit from Udacity MOOCs. Lee says school officials have the fall of 2013 in mind when Alcorn State would like to debut a MOOC through Udacity.

“We’re still in the beginning stages of a collaboration. … One of the things that we like about the Udacity model (of building courses) is that it’s really strong in terms of pedagogy,” Lee says.

Udacity, along with the edX and Coursera organizations, has played a leading role in the emergence of MOOCs. Udacity has focused exclusively on free online courses in the mathematical, computational and physical sciences. The for-profit company typically brings in recruited instructors to its Palo Alto facilities who work with Udacity staff to build entirely new courses. In contrast, Coursera and edX leave course development to their university partners, which are largely elite research institutions.

The participation of elite universities has been essential to the development and popularity of the Coursera and edX platforms. EdX is a nonprofit venture among M.I.T., Harvard University, University of California-Berkeley, and the University of Texas system. Coursera, a for-profit firm founded by Stanford University professors, has enlisted 33 partner schools and leads in total number of courses and student enrollments. More than 1.7 million people have signed up for Coursera courses since launching early in 2012.

“(MOOC platforms) do provide access to courses students might not otherwise have. It’s a great opportunity for students who are mature and who can focus well,” says Dr. William McHenry, executive director of the Mississippi e-Center at Jackson State University.

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Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Celebrates 106 Years

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HBCU Buzz would like to celebrate the tradition, legacy, and future of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Congratulations on 106 years of leadership, brotherhood, and excellence on your campuses, in your communities, and globally.

Founded December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Alpha Phi Alpha stands as the first  Black, Inter-Collegiate Greek-Lettered fraternity. Its founders are known as the Seven Jewels.

For more information on Alpha Phi Alpha please go to:  www.alpha-phi-alpha.com.

The HBCU Buzz Show: Janet Owens, Career Essentials Inc., Owner

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For many, the start of a new year means a new job, new internship, new semester, and new opportunities. Today on the HBCU Buzz Show, we are honored to have Ms. Janet Owens lending her expertise to get you tight and right when looking to apply for a new job or internship in the new year!

With more than 20 years of professional business experience, Ms. Janet L. Owens has dedicated her life to helping both corporations and individuals grow and succeed. Currently, she is a career coach specializing in career readiness strategies and training in addition to being a business development consultant supporting federal government proposal responses.

In conjunction with her proposal work, Ms. Owens is an active career coach who recently established Career Essentials Inc., a career coaching organization wherein she conducts online career coaching and training to equip job seekers with her five-part career readiness program. In addition to her online training and coaching, Ms. Owens has supported various organizations with onsite seminars and support including the Congressional Black Caucus Foundations, 41st Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, in support of their annual job fair. Additionally, she supported the American Small Business Alliances’ 5th Annual HBCU Career Marketplace, providing professional resume critique and coaching to university student leaders. She has also supported Savannah State University’s Empowerment Week as a Keynote Speaker for their Career Readiness Day.

In addition to her career coaching, she runs a consulting practice in the Washington, DC area DC Proposal Professionals, wherein she has worked with various cutting-edge technology giants including L-3 Communications, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), British Aerospace Engineering Systems (BAE), and Scientific Applications International Corporation (SAIC) working various multi-million/billion dollar proposal development efforts in support of the Department of Defense (DoD) Intelligence Community.

Ms. Owens attributes her career and business-related success to providing exemplary customer service while also delivering quality products. She has found that operating in her gift of administration and passion for helping people gain economic stability, as well as mastery of skill and attention to detail, has served as a formula that has contributed to both her personal and business growth and success.

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