Bowie State Students Mentor High Schoolers in Computer Camp

Fifteen high school students are learning how to build robots and create mobile apps during the 4th annual CPU Computer Camp for African-American Boys at Bowie State University.

For the first time, the camp – started by Dr. Daryl Stone, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science – received a grant from the Mid-Atlantic Consortium-Center for Academic Excellence, which is providing $10,000 each year for five years to support the cost of BSU undergraduate and graduate students who work as camp counselors.

Eight more students are learning computer programming in a complementary “Girls Who Will” camp for girls, under the direction of Dr. Quincy Brown, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science. Dr. Stone said his work on his dissertation prompted him to start the CPU Camp. In an examination of “clogs” in the pipeline of African-American males entering science, technology, engineering, and technology (STEM) fields, he found that educators need to introduce African-American boys to STEM fields in middle and high school to make a significant difference.

Often, because African American students aren’t introduced to the possibilities in STEM careers until college, they may not have taken the most challenging math and science classes or taken their class seriously, which limits their opportunities in STEM careers, he said.

“What we try to let them know is that there’s a big gap in the number of jobs available in STEM and the number of people who are majoring in STEM,” Dr. Stone said.

Not only do the male campers learn about STEM fields, they also participate in lessons twice a week on what it means to be a man, like a recent session on managing a household budget.

The camp has yielded positive outcomes. Three past participants are in college now, and two are studying in STEM fields, Dr. Stone said. Last year, 26 out of 30 participants said in post-camp surveys that they would consider applying to Bowie State.

The BSU camp counselors are also getting a lot out of the experience. Kourtney Ramseur, a BSU senior in computer technology, said one of her favorite lessons was when a Microsoft-certified professional showed them how to create an app that notifies the user of a new post on a blog.

“Really, this is all new to me. I’m learning right along with them,” she said.

Justin Edwards, BSU senior in computer technology, also sees the impact of the camp on the high school participants. “It sparks something inside of them. As camp counselors, we’re telling them about the experiences we faced in college and giving them the idea that you need to be focused when you get here.”

Referenced from BSU

PVAMU Business Students Compete in NABA Competition

Four students from Prairie View A&M University are enjoying their summer sharpening their skills, engaging in entertaining social activities, and networking with several recruiting partners from Fortune 500 companies.

PVAMU juniors Dorothy Gordon, Jonathan Amos and Clarencia Weeks, and senior Ariel Walker, all accounting majors, were given the opportunity to compete at this summer’s National Association of Black Accountants convention in Phoenix, Arizona. Each student was selected by accounting firm KPMG, a professional service network, to participate in the competitive Case Study Competition.

One of nine universities contributing in the competition, the PVAMU group focused on American multinational Banking Corporation JPMorgan Chase & Co. By conducting extensive research, the students learned some of the company’s basic fundamentals, and received in depth insight on its accounting structure.

The group traded business cards with Fortune 500 companies, other competition participants from different institutions, and submitted resumes to companies such as Google, Coca-Cola, and accounting firms PWC, Earnest Young, and KPMG.

About Prairie View A&M University: Established in 1876, Prairie View A&M University is the second oldest state-sponsored institution of higher education in Texas, and provides equal educational opportunity to increasing numbers of persons from under-served populations.

Referenced

Central State Students and Faculty Summer Research in Senegal

With funding from the National Science Foundation, faculty and student from Central State University will take part in a summer trip to Senegal in the summer of 2012 and 2013 for environmental research projects.

The Ohio State University graduate students and Dr. Richard Dick, Professor of Microbiology from the School of Environmental and Natural Resources at OSU will be accompanying the team as well.

The trip will begin by the team traveling to Dakar, capital city of Senegal, West Africa and then travel to eastern Sahel region for two months to study improving agricultural productivity threatened with desertification, which is essentially soil degradation.

The group’s objective will be to study how the woody Sahel shrubs co-exist with row crops. In addition, they will be able to lift water hydraulically from more than 30 meters below the soil surface.

CSU students, OSU graduates and local scientists will be conducting experiments examining the role of soil microorganisms in this biologically based cropped agrecosystem.

An experienced interdisciplinary team in molecular microbiology, soil physics, plant ecology and agronomy have  assembled and ready to take on this project since the spring of 2011.

CSU faculty that will be traveling with the students include Drs. Cadance Lowell, CSU Biology Professor, and Krishna Kumar Nedunuri, Chair of the Department of Water Resource Management. Both professors are working with senior Water Resource Management major and recent graduate Thaddeus McCants, senior Biology major Owen Cofim and sophomore Biology major Ariel Jackson throughout the past year in preparation for the trip.

Spelman Student Named Dalai Lama Fellow for 2012-2013

Thekia Cheeseborough, Class of 2013, was recently named a Dalai Lama Fellow for the 2012-2013 academic year at Spelman College. The Dalai Lama Fellow is a program that is dedicated to working across differences, protecting the environment, diminishing violence and promoting peace and alleviating poverty.

This program is consistent with addressing pertinent and perplexing problems in our society today. It also identifies itself as a perpetual membership in a community dedicated to ethical leadership in an interrelated world. This program is devoted to displaying an intrinsic love toward the people and entities that need it the most, people who the masses neglect.

Cheeseborough is the first Spelman student to participate in this program. This speaks volumes to the HBCU community because of the effect that a young black woman can have in our world full of violence and poverty. She will receive $10,000 to build a project pertaining to the eradication of poverty.

Cheeseborough says, “I am constantly engaged in discussions about how I am going to change the world in the future.” “I wanted to seize the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of teenage girls in my surrounding community by encouraging educational attainment,” said Cheeseborough. “Education is the key that unlocks doors of endless possibilities.” Interestingly, the education that Cheeseborough is receiving at Spelman is unlike any education anywhere else. One must remember that HBCU’s are dedicated to preparing students for social justice in our world of injustice. This program makes social justice for Cheeseborough beyond theoretical but, practical.

Source

Cheyney University to Host National Summer Transportation Institute

High school students in the Pennsylvania area are gearing up to attend Cheyney University’s National Summer Transportation Institute. According to a university press release, the program is in support of the Federal Highway Administration’s vision to develop a diverse, well-qualified workforce for the transportation industry in the 21st century.

The NSTI is a 4-week, non-residential program in which students are introduced to different careers in the field of transportation. Several activities throughout the program will serve to give students an opportunity to develop their understanding of the field and apply their knowledge to real life situations. Students attend lectures and speak with individuals and organizations in order to formulate solutions to transportation problems faced by the community. They will also build a model bridge under supervision.

The program also consists of field trips to places such as the Chester County and Philadelphia airports, the Helicopter Museum and the Port Authority. The program will begin on July 25th and continue until August 19th.

The NSTI has been held at CU since its national inception in 1993. To date, the NSTI is held at 67 colleges and universities throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. The goal of the NSTI is to allow secondary school students to become familiarized with careers in the field of transportation and to promote growth in the field. The host site structure of the national program serves to afford students from all over the country the opportunity to participate.

NFL Hall of Famer Willie Lanier to Speak at VUU

Hall of Fame middle linebacker Willie Lanier will be the guest speaker for the 2012 Football Kickoff Banquet at Virginia Union University Friday, August 10, 2012. The event will be held at 6 p.m. in the Henderson Center on the VUU campus in Richmond, Va.

Lanier attended Maggie Walker High School in Richmond, Va., and played college football at historically black Morgan State University where he was a two-time member of the Small College All-America Team. He was a second-round choice of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1967 draft and played 11 seasons for the team from 1967 through 1977.

Widely known and well respected for being the first black star to play the difficult position of middle linebacker, Lanier made the American Football League All-Star team in 1968 and 1969. He was selected to the Pro Bowl from 1970 through 1975, and later became a part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

The Virginia Union Panthers will kick of their 2012 season on September 1 against the Benedict College Tigers at 7:00 p.m. at the Historic Hovey Field in Richmond, Va. For ticket information and table reservations, please call the VUU Department of Athletics at (804) 342-1484.

About Virginia Union University: Founded in 1865, Virginia Union is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia known for being a premier liberal arts institution of higher education and a center of excellence.

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HBCU Buzz Spotlight on Sierra Hadley: Miss District of Columbia Teen USA 2012

DC Native Sierra Hadley proudly wears her crown as the reigning Miss District of Columbia Teen USA 2012 as the trophy of her hard work and ambition. Using the tragic passing of classmate Alonzo Guyton, Hadley decided to stop living small and created a bucket list to keep her focused on attaining her goals in life. Hadley used her passion to help people to motivate her as she prepped for her first pageant spending hours working on her walk, talent, and hair.

Miss Sierra describes feeling nervous and unsure if she was ready before she took the stage, especially after an untimely fall backstage before the evening portion. Ultimately Miss Hadley recovered her balance and used her self-confidence combined with her endearing personality to sway the judges.

Since winning, Hadley continues to pride herself on being a key player in making a difference in her community. Basing her platform on building confidence in youth thru fitness and health initiatives, Miss Hadley continues to use community service to start making changes. While her community service roster lists food drives, toys for tots, and volunteering at the YMCA, Miss Sierra lists her work with the troops as her most memorable experience. “We made the most unusual care packages,” says Hadley, “We tried to send things that people don’t normally send.”

A rising sophomore at Howard University, Sierra studies nursing with the goal of becoming a neonatal nurse practitioner but only after she runs for Miss DC after her current term ends.

Hadley advises those who want to follow in her footsteps to practice but always remember their personality. “The best advice I ever got was to remember that nobody likes a Pageant Patty or someone who isn’t relate-able,” says Hadley referring to girls who are dry and boring from over practicing. She also recommends potential contestants keep calm, smile thru their bloopers, and most importantly remaining true to themselves.

Anxiously preparing for her next pageant, Sierra  has been engulfed with shopping for dresses, practicing new hair styles, and most importantly perfecting her walk.

Hadley will take the stage on July 28th to compete for Miss Teen USA. Vote for her here: missdistrictofcolumbiausa.com The winner of the fan vote automatically gets a spot as a semifinalist.

TSU Music Professor Travels to World Saxophone Congress

Another Tennessee State representative is recognized, as Dr. Paula Van Goes was selected to travel to St. Andrews Scotland as a part of the World Saxophone Congress along with around 1,000 other musicians from around the world.

Dr. Van Goes will be performing a piece written by Rademes Gnattali, a Brazilian composer, called Conceritino for Alto Saxophone on July 14th. This performance will be her debut at the World Congress along with around 200 other talented musicians.

Dr. Van Goes has previously toured throughout the United States as well as Bolivia, Brazil and Ukraine with the flute, clarinet, and saxophone. As both an instructor and a musician she has won many awards and presented many Brazilian works as well as musical pieces promoting the saxophone as a classical instrument.

Dr. Van Goes holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Masters of Arts in Music from the University of Missouri-Kansas and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Maryland.

Article Source: TSU Press Release

Mitt Romney Booed at NAACP Convention

On Wednesday, July 11, 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney addressed the 103rd NAACP Annual Convention in Houston, Texas where he spoke on civic engagement. Romney, who hopes to “represent all Americans, of every race, creed, and sex orientation… from the poorest to the richest and everyone in between,” if he wins office, was booed by an audience highly in favor of President Barack Obama (D).

Like most Republican Presidential candidates at the NAACP Convention, Romney looked as if he was the odd one out during his speech—a lone soldier trying to persuade an audience whose views are much different from his.

Shortly into his argument for election, Romney thanked the audience for their hospitality, and said he enjoyed the gospel music that was displayed.  “I do love that music,” Romney said. “I have to tell you, I do love listening to that organ music, and the piano.”

The Republican Presidential candidate focused on issues such as education, equal opportunity, unemployment rates in the black community, and creating new jobs throughout his speech. Romney said the fight for equality for all Americans is far from over and if the black community seeks change, he is the right candidate for the job.

“Many barriers remain. Old inequalities persist. And some ways, the challenges are even more complicated than before,” Romney said. “If equal opportunity in America were an accomplished fact, black families can send their sons and daughters to public schools that truly are for the hope of a better life.”

Romney talked about the overall unemployment rate in the black community (how it has grown from 13.6 percent to 14.4 percent) and appeared to have full consideration from the crowd until he criticized Obamacare for spending “over a trillion dollars more than what we take in every year.”

“I’m going to eliminate every non-essential, expensive program I can find, that includes Obamacare,” he said before the audience started to boo him. But like a true leader, Romney composed himself, waited for the audience to settle down, and explained his position.

Romney then spoke about the changes that would occur if he was chosen as the next President of the United States of America, and at the end of the speech, he received a standing ovation.

“Should I be elected president, I will lead as I did when I was governor [of Massachusetts],” said Romney. “If you want a president who would make things better in the African American community, you are looking at him.”

Conversely, the 96 percentage of black American voters who supported Obama back in 2008 would probably think differently.

State Farm to Drop Sponsership for the Bayou Classic in 2013

Since 1974 State Farm has been the title sponsor for the historic meeting Bayou Classic in New Orleans, LA every year. The “Classic”,  showplace for HBCU rivals Grambling State and Southern University, will be played in the newly renovated Louisiana Superdome for the November 24, 2012 game.

But effective in 2013, the partnership between State Farm and the Bayou Classic will be ending according to State Farm officials.

“State Farm is continually evaluating all of its sponsorships and marketing strategies and periodically making adjustments,”  says David Beigie,  State Farm’s Vice President of Public Affairs.  Beigie also said the company is looking to have a “more of an on-the-ground presence and engage more directly with” its customers or potential customers.

For the 2012 Classic, State Farm will be the presenting sponsor for the Bayou Classic Thanksgiving Day parade, run advertisements during the game, provide scholarships and support other activities.  But after that, the nearly 20-year partnership is over.

Even with the ending of this partnership, there seems to be no worry for the future of the Bayou Classic tradition.

“It will not change the game or the experience, ” says Jeffrey Ory with the New Orleans Convention Company which manages the Bayou Classic. ” With the addition of all the new events– like the Bayou Classic Parade and the HBCU Institute, more sponsors and more companies are coming to us wanting to be a part of it.”

About the Classic: Historic Rivalry – 39th annual meeting of HBCU rivals Grambling State University and Southern University: The Bayou Classic is a football game and so much more! The Bayou Classic commemorates historically black colleges and universities, academic achievement, tradition, sportsmanship, marching bands, and friendly competition. The “Classic” is an exhibition of the high standards of academic achievement deeply embedded in the  traditions of the two institutions. Bayou Classic Link

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FAMU President James Ammons Resigns

ON Wednesday July 11, 2012 FAMU President James Ammons resigned from the university which is currently facing scrutiny and investigation following the tragic death of FAMU band member Robert Champion earlier this year.

In a letter to the chairman of the university’s governing board, Ammons said his decision came after “considerable thought, introspection and conversations with my family.”

Ammons resignation, which takes effect October 11,2012,  is the same month that defendants will begin their trial in the hazing death of Champion. Eleven FAMU band members face felony hazing charges, while two others face misdemeanor counts for alleged roles in Champion’s hazing. They have pleaded not guilty. Hazing that involves bodily harm is a third-degree felony in Florida.

University trustees, who say the resignation came as a surprise, voted to hold an emergency meeting Monday to discuss a replacement and the specific terms of Ammons’ resignation.

The resignation is yet another blow to the University following the hazing death in November, which led to the suspension of its famed Marching 100 band until 2013 and the springtime resignation of the band’s veteran director.

Hours before Ammons’ announcement Wednesday, Champion’s parents added the university to a lawsuit they had brought against the bus driver, whom they alleged stood guard outside the bus while the hazing took place.

The Champions claim Florida A&M University officials did not take action to stop hazing even though a school dean proposed suspending the band because of hazing concerns three days before their son died.

 

 

Hometown Glory: The Story of a Town United

On September 6, 2012 the Bowie State Bulldogs will face the Benedict Tigers in a regular season football game. The twist however is that this regular season conference game between two Historically Black institutions will be televised, nationally, on CBS sports. A right usually reserved for big time college football programs (see Navy, Alabama and Notre Dame) or conference championship games has been reserved for two of the smaller Division II football programs in the land. A great accomplishment for African American’s across  the U.S. but an even greater accomplishment for a small Maryland town where crime, poverty and corruption persists and destroys the dreams of many of its black men.

In order to fully understand the implications this game has for the town of Bladensburg in Prince Georges County Maryland we must start in the year 2007. Late August on a hot Saturday morning 20 seniors on a football team that were 2 years removed from a win less 2005 season now had hopes of making history, becoming the first football team from Bladensburg High School to qualify for the Maryland state football playoffs, to go to state, since 1991. One of the unquestioned leaders on that team was Beks Amadi, who had just come off an all state season as a junior.  Beks was primed for a breakout season and ready to become a football star. Everyone on the team had not had the pleasure of being all state selections the year before, some were going into their first Varsity football season, a freshman, who would come to be known as “Big Baby”, Joshua Wade headlined that group.  Young, brash and misunderstood (as many of the young men from Bladensburg are) Joshua Wade had trouble fitting into his role on the varsity football team (one he would eventually become quite comfortable in).  Despite huge expectations the Bladensburg High School Football team of 07 went 5-5 (two games won by forfeit).  The end of the season culminating in a 32-28 loss to a Suitland program which would be known for winning two championships in 5 years under coach Nick Lynch. A game well fought but also the realization of potential never fulfilled for a group of 20 young men who had just played their last game in the Maroon and White of Bladensburg High School. The most important part of that cold November day however was the fact that it marked the beginning of a new Era. Beks Amadi would go on to play in the county all star game (one of three players selected from Bladensburg for the first time in years) and with his subsequent graduation it was now “Big Baby’s” time.

From 2008-2010 there were two things that you would undoubtedly hear at a Bladensburg High School Football Game. The first AWWWWWWWWWWWW MUSTANGS… the rallying call for a community searching to find its place in the world.  The second was a saying you would hear often… “Yea Big Baby”.  You see for 2 seasons at Bladensburg High School Joshua Wade embodied the community he grew up in. Young and ready to take on the world, if only he could figure out how. Big Baby went on to lead the county in Sacks as both a sophomore and a junior and receive first team all county honors before transferring to McKinley Tech in the district his senior season. He would receive over 10 scholarship offers to play football for many top flight programs in America including Illinois, Louisville and West Virginia, An achievement not seen at Bladensburg in decades. Despite this success, For whatever reason, when it was time for signing day in the spring of 2011, these offers disappeared and left Joshua Wade searching for where he would attend school. At which point Benedict College stepped in and quite literally saved Wade’s life. You see Bladensburg has a hold on men, and if you don’t leave when you have the opportunity to, you may never. Luckily Joshua went to Benedict and starred in the team’s spring football game as a freshman. I remember the questions of “who dat boy” from the fans in the stands in their South Carolina Accent said in a way that we could barely decipher but was perfect to them… There would be no question of who Joshua Wade was after the game… Big Baby had arrived.

Bowie State had a defensive end last year by the Name of Delano Johnson who signed as a free agent to play for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. At 6’4 270 he has the make up to physically dominate the game and he will probably go down as one of the best players in school history. All that said, he finished second on the team in tackles… to Bladensburg’s own Bek’s Amadi. Standing at maybe 5’10 and pushing 215 pounds Amadi is the shining example of the fact that sometimes it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but rather, the fight in the dog. And believe me, fight is what Beks did in order to reach the summit he currently finds himself on. In the same time period that Wade starred on the High School level Bek’s had graduated from Bladensburg… played his freshman season at Division 3 Salisbury State university, transferred back home due to personal reasons, sat out a year and proceeded to star for Bowie state as a Junior.  You see a lot of kids don’t have the courage in themselves and their ability to pursue their dreams at all cost… Beks did however, and I would like to think a small part of that can be attributed to the lessons he, myself and many others learned through the trials and tribulations endured at 4200 57th Avenue Bladensburg Maryland, “Work aint hard, Boss man aint mean” coach E used to say. The saying epitomized the workman attitude present all over the town, in 13-18 year olds that played football at Bladensburg, an attitude that would always breed future success. I have never heard it put better than this…”When you endure so much for so long with so little, you truly believe that you are qualified to doing anything with nothing.”… And you know what, Dammit we are!

Before I depart the pages of your Computer screen, Magazine, Newspaper, etc I would like to close with this. Earlier I stated that Bladensburg has a way of holding onto a man, I in no way intend for you to take that as good or bad, but rather just the way things are. You see if not for the people who did stay around to coach or support these two young men, they may not be where they are now. I feel as though my town is capable of anything and this game is proof.

To be honest, When you first walk through the doors (or trailers) of Bladensburg High, In the words of Adele, the people you meet “truly are the wonders of your world.” The people.. the situations, are truly unforgettable. This is evidenced by the longstanding friendships and everlasting camaraderie we all share, something quite frankly you just have to be apart of to understand. So, on September 6th 2012 when Bowie State takes on Benedict College, There will be Bulldogs fans and There will be Tiger fans, and that is how things should be. As I said before, this is huge for HBCU football, but the one thing that will connect both sides, maybe the most important thing to anybody who has ever driven down 57th Avenue is… Bladensburg. And that, to us, is and will always be true… AWWWWWWWWW MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!!

This is dedicated to mustangs past, present and future… mustangs we lost to soon… in the memory and respect of Alphonso Thompson Jr.

Cornell Wade
Bladensburg High School C/O 2009

Pictures Courtesy of Gazette.Net, Bowie State University, Benedict College, Bladensburg High School and Antoine Wade

Closing the Morrill Act Gap founders of many HBCU’s

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act, a law that set a foundation for our nation’s public university system by establishing the first set of land-grant universities. And while some of America’s greatest institutions of higher education were created by the act, it is worth reminding Americans that not one but two Morrill Acts were enacted in the last half of the 19th Century.

Twenty-eight years after the first Morrill Act, a second Morrill Act established many of the nation’s public historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), including Alabama A&M University, Kentucky State University, and North Carolina A&T State University.  The states were given a choice to either admit African Americans, or create separate institutions. Eighteen HBCUs were created in response to that choice.

So this year, we indeed celebrate the first Morrill Act, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on July 2, 1862. But we also recognize that it gave a head start of nearly three decades to 58 originally all-white universities and vestiges of the gap in resources continue today. This year’s celebration is a great time to look ahead. What will public higher education look like in the year 2040?  That will be the year when we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act of 1890.  To what degree will the “Morrill gap” still exist?  Will we see any measurable institutional gap closure in what for most of 150 years has been a racially dual state university system? Will South Carolina State University grow in measurable ways toward the stability and agility of Clemson University? And will Tuskegee University achieve the dream of its founder Booker T. Washington and become an international research institution like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology?

Realizing the best answers to those questions will depend on the moves made by sharp HBCU trustees and presidents. It will depend on their ability to successfully pursue capital enlargement, campus enrichment, strategy development and perception enhancement locally and nationally for HBCUs. It will depend on state governments to correct funding imbalances that continue to perpetuate historical inequities.  And it may also require the federal government, led by the Department of Education, to continue to advance HBCUs in the most creative and innovative ways.

So, here’s to the hard work required to ensure that in 2040, the Morrill Act gap will finally be closed and HBCUs will be celebrated as truly world-class institutions.

John Silvanus Wilson, Jr. is Executive Director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs

ECSU Football Attracts Buzz with 2012 Lindy’s Sports College Football Preview

With the release of the 2012 Lindy’s Sports College Football Preview magazine, Elizabeth City State University has two players grabbing some attention.

Seniors Brad Davis and DaRonte McNeill both were individually recognized on Lindy’s All-Division II preseason teams.

Davis, a defensive lineman and All-CIAA First team honoree in 2011, has been named to the All-Division II Defensive Second Team. All-American McNeill has been marked by Lindy as one of the top four players to watch in Division II in 2012 as their pick for Preseason Offensive Player of the Year

Lindy’s Sports has ranked ECSU at preseason #18 in their top 25.

 

About Lindy Sports: Lindy’s printed its premier edition (SEC Football) in 1982 and has been going strong ever since. Widely recognized as one of the top nation’s top preseason sports magazines, Lindy’s caters to a number of audiences with a network of over 200 writers.  More about Lindy Sports

 

Norfolk State Men’s Basketball Nominated in”Best Upset” Category for 2012 ESPY Awards

And the award goes to…..

It was announced last Wednesday that the Norfolk State men’s basketball team’s NCAA Tournament upset of Missouri was one of four nominees in the “Best Upset” category for the 2012 ESPY Awards.

The 2012 ESPYS ( Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) will be handed out on Wednesday, July 11 at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The live show airs at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Spartan men’s basketball coach Anthony Evans and players Kyle O’ Quinn and Pendarvis Williams have been invited to attend the awards presentation.

There is still time to vote! Link here: ESPY Vote