Eugene Telfair, 54, and Robert Nixon, 45, were sentenced to federal prison on Thursday, January 27, 2011 for federal crimes arising from their embezzlement of more than $134,000 in federal HUD grant funds, announced United States Attorney Pamela C. Marsh, Northern District of Florida.
At the conclusion of a four-day jury trial held last November in Tallahassee, Telfair, the former president of the FAMU Federal Credit Union, and Nixon, the former Director of Florida A&M University’s Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce were convicted of embezzling money from an organization receiving federal funds, conspiracy to commit that offense, and misapplication of monies entrusted to the care of a federally insured credit union.
Evidence presented at trial established that in 2008, Telfair and Nixon embezzled $134,255 in the form of four checks drawn on a FAMU Credit Union account containing HUD grant funds. Between 2002 and 2004, $324,000 in FAMU funds derived from HUD grants were deposited into the credit union account to fund a micro-loan program to assist small businesses in the Tallahassee area.
While some of the monies in the account were used to make micro-loans and to fund related projects of the Institute on Urban Policy, more than half of the $324,000 in grant monies in the account went into the pockets of Telfair and Nixon. Telfair himself legitimately took $32,800 as an administrative fee for running the program between 2002 and 2004.
Between June and December of 2008, however, the two men decided to split much of the unused balance of grant funds in the account, with Nixon writing Telfair approximately $14,000 in checks from the account, and then later both men writing each other a $60,067 check on the account. Defendants attempted to disguise the checks as administrative and consulting fees, and created false personal services contracts and tax documents to make the payments appear legitimate. Between 2002 and 2009, the taxpayer identification number on the grant account was changed three times. Read Full Article
Florida A&M University President James H. Ammons announced Tuesday that he will temporarily suspend the induction, enrollment, initiation, membership intake and recruitment for all student clubs and organizations until fall 2012.
Ammons also announced the cancellation of the 2012 Summer Band Camp.
“Our top priority is the health, safety and well being of students,” said Ammons. “We are convening a panel of experts and outstanding thinkers to provide advice and recommendations on the operation of student organizations. Before we enter into a new student intake process, we should have the benefit of the work coming from the committees and the investigations.”
Ammons made the decision to suspend intake and other membership activities after discussions with student leaders, advisors and other university personnel.
“I totally support this effort,” said Breyon Love, president of FAMU Student Government Association. “This issue of hazing has had a far-reaching impact on the university and I believe that we need to pause for a moment to make sure that all of our students are ready to seriously move in a direction which will result in a complete culture change. We want to make sure every student knows about the personal responsibility they have in making sure we wipe out hazing on our campus.”
According to Ammons, the temporary suspension on initiation and membership intake is effective as of January 31, 2012.
Ammons delivered the news at a mandatory campus wide forum on safety which included a panel discussion by a group of campus administrators who focused on the assistance available to the campus community when safety issues arise and what the reporting responsibilities are for students, faculty and staff.
According to university officials, any organization in violation of the temporary suspension will be suspended as a campus organization in accordance with university guidelines.
Ammons told the group he has decided to cancel the band camp in light of the on-going investigation and the plans to convene a FAMU Board of Trustees Anti-Hazing Committee that will review how FAMU will best govern band activities. Ammons said he would like to give this panel, the board and the administration the opportunity to do a thorough review before reinstating any marching band programs. Referenced from 27.
“In no way have we terminated our curriculum in music,” said Ammons. ‘We have a group of talented music faculty who prepare students for great careers in music and other pursuits. We will continue this very important academic program for the benefit of any current students or future students that might choose to pursue this degree. We have also continued our scholarship support of students who meet the appropriate criteria and will continue to do so, pending the availability of funds.”
The Southern Jaguars are three weeks into the spring semester – the first semester they’ve had a four-day class week.
Back in October, Southern University switched to a four-day school week. That means no more Friday classes for students and staff. Chancellor James Llorens says it was something that’s been discussed for years, and recently the university decided it could be a way to save money by cutting energy costs.
“At the end of the fiscal year we’ll see what our energy costs were and see if that did afford us a significant…we believe there is a savings involved. It’s hard to quantify right now,” said Llorens.
It’s only been three weeks, but Llorens says they already know what a shorter week means for students.
Actress and singer Tatyana Ali on Wednesday will headline a daylong conference at Howard University aimed at building self-esteem among teenage girls.
Ali is best known for her role in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She is the keynote speaker at the 20th Annual Woman to Woman Conference hosted by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
In this Oct. 15, 2011 photo released by BET, actress and singer Tatyana Ali is honored with the Young, Gifted and Black Award at the 6th annual Black Girls Rock! Awards in New York. (Scott Weiner - AP)
Past headliners included the Dorothy Height, president emeritus of the National Council of Negro Women and Valeisha Butterfield, founder of Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network.
“This year, we aimed to get younger speakers that could relate to the girls and could give them advice on how to get started, because they mostly just got there themselves,” said Karla McKenzie, chair of the conference’s speakers committee.
The conference, started in 1992, introduces 14 to 18-year-old young women to positive role models in the arts, sciences, humanities and business. On Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., nearly 400 young ladies from Washington area high schools will is a series of discussions regarding empowerment, professionalism and job options. Read Full Article
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will come to Norfolk for at least the next three years, officials will announce at a news conference Thursday morning at Scope.
The MEAC and Norfolk have agreed to a three-year contract, with a two-year option to renew, to play the tournaments at Scope beginning in March 2013, according to sources who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to release the information.
City officials, led by Vice Mayor Anthony L. Burfoot, have long tried to attract the MEAC tournaments to Norfolk, saying it will fill hotel rooms and restaurants and increase the city’s profile.
Norfolk State and Hampton University play in the MEAC, whose champions gain automatic bids to the NCAA tournament. Its men’s basketball championship game is televised on ESPN2.
Hampton won both the men’s and women’s tournaments last year. Norfolk State currently leads the MEAC men’s basketball race.
The tournament has not attracted large crowds in recent years, but Norfolk officials have contended that moving the tournament to Scope could change that – noting that two league members are in Hampton Roads and seven others are within a 4-1/2-hour drive of Norfolk.
This year’s tournaments will be played from March 5-10 in Winston-Salem, N.C. Read Full Article
This spring, two deserving Grambling and Southern University students in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program will each be awarded a $3,000 scholarship from CH2M HILL. The scholarship checks were presented by CH2M HILL Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, Howlie Davis, to the Presidents of Southern University and Grambling State during the Bayou Classic football game.
CH2M HILL has long been an advocate of STEM education, and is actively involved in educating children and students through programs such as Engineers Week, World Water Monitoring Day, and a myriad of classroom interactions and presentations for elementary through college-age students in local Louisiana communities. The firm also offers an engaging internship program where the majority of the interns are placed in permanent engineering jobs within the company upon completion. These scholarships reflect CH2M HILL’s commitment to promoting science education in Louisiana.
This year, Latrice Hardy, a CH2M HILL intern and Southern University engineering student, was honored at the Bayou Classic as the 2011 Employee of the Year. The firm’s Operations and Management Business Group President, Elisa Speranza, presented Latrice with the award. “We’re so proud of Latrice, and glad we could be a part of a great tradition celebrating the contributions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the Bayou Classic,” Speranza said. “Their efforts to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Math align very well with our commitment to education.”
Last year, CH2M HILL recognized Joshua Joseph as Employee of the Year. He was a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Southern University where he received his B.S. in Civil Engineering. He currently serves as a Senior Technologist for the Water Business Group in CH2M HILL’s Baton Rouge office.
CH2M HILL has delivered environmental, water and wastewater projects throughout Louisiana. The firm is assisting the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans in providing safe drinking water through restoration of the City’s water supply system from Hurricane Katrina damage. Including the implementation of a $1.3B Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) Control and Wastewater Facilities Program in Baton Rouge and Program Management for the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, the firm works closely with the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) to undertake coastal protection and restoration projects.
Florida A&M University President James Ammons says campus police and the Tallahassee Police Department are investigating another suspected case of hazing.
This latest case is related to a spring 2011 initiation ceremony involving the university chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, a national band fraternity. The incident was reported in late November and then turned over to campus police.
The information was given to the FAMU Board of trustees who have been meeting weekly since the scandal surrounding the death of FAMU drum major Robert Champion back in November. Tallahassee authorities acknowledged the new hazing case last week but said they couldn’t provide details.
7 FAMU students have been arrested in other hazing incidents but no arrests have been made in Champions death.
Tallahassee authorities acknowledged the new hazing case last week but said they couldn’t provide details.
Dr. Rebecca Griffin at the Susan G Komen Grant table at Virginia State.
The Central Virginia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® awarded the VSU Student Health Center a second $50,000 grant to continue funding its PEAM (prevention, education, access, and mammograms) breast cancer awareness and prevention program to the VSU campus community and the greater Petersburg community. The grant funding period begins February 1, 2012 and ends January 31, 2013.
The first grant awarded in 2011 enabled 87 women in the greater Petersburg community to receive mammograms at no cost. Many of the women, some 50 and older, had never had the test done even though members of their immediate family were diagnosed or even died from breast cancer. The VSU Student Health Center also provided breast educational services to over 1,000 persons in the greater Petersburg community, through churches, community centers, sorority/fraternity meetings and health fairs. The Center also participated in the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® held in Richmond last May and designed a breast cancer homecoming float which included 100 male walkers during VSU’s annual homecoming parade.
“We will do our part in the greater Petersburg community to eradicate this dreadful disease that has constantly destroyed and disrupted numerous lives. Our goal is a life without breast cancer,” stated Dr. Rebecca B. Griffin, Director, VSU Student Health Center.
The Center’s nursing staff, project coordinator as well as female college students, who are called peer educators, are trained to provide outreach to various groups in order to reach the targeted population of women of color residents in the greater Petersburg area, who are over 40 years old or those under 40, who have a family history of breast cancer making them high risk. Women who require additional treatment will be referred to Bon Secours Richmond Health System’s “Every Woman’s Life Program” and Southside Regional Medical Center’s (Petersburg, VA) program for uninsured women.
On January 24, 2012, The Central Virginia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® awarded $587,944 in local grants to several organizations, including Centra-Southside Community Hospital, Central Virginia Health Services, Inc., the Fan Free Clinic, the Halifax Regional Health System, and VCU Massey Cancer Center just to name a few. The event, sponsored by Dominion Resources Services, Inc., was held at Dominion’s Innsbrook Technical Center in Glen Allen, Virginia, with a special welcome from The Honorable Dr. William A. Hazel, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
For additional information and to receive a referral for a mammogram, please contact Dr. Rebecca Branch-Griffin, Director or Mrs. Tanya Satterwhite, Nurse Practitioner at 804-524-5711.
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer. For nearly 30 years, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® has worked to end breast cancer in the U.S. and throughout the world through ground-breaking research, community health outreach, advocacy and programs in more than 50 countries with a special focus on low-resource and developing nations. For more information, please visit komen.org or komencentralva.org.
Soon the William Exum Center at Kentucky State University will be the setting for raising the awareness of cancer. On Saturday, February 4, 2012, KSU will put on a doubleheader against Miles College for the Play 4Kay and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Coaches vs. Cancer suits and sneakers games.
Play 4Kay, formerly known as WBCA Pink Zone, is an initiative that allows a nation of coaches to raise awareness and funds for cancer research on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The official charity is the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is a charitable organization which is committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against women’s cancer. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is in partnership with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and The V Foundation.
The late Kay Yow is the former NC State University head women’s basketball coach. She served as the catalyst for Play 4Kay after her third recurrence of breast cancer in 2006. Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and passed away on January 24, 2009.
The goal for this project is to raise funds to go towards research and “living with cancer” organizations. Fans are encouraged to donate via the Thorobreds’ Play 4Kay team website, http://www.play4kay.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp to help them reach their goal of raising $500.
In conjunction to the Play 4Kay game, the Coaches vs. Cancer game will be played. Coaches vs. Cancer is a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) which is nationwide. The program empowers basketball coaches, their teams and local communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer. Coaches vs. Cancer flourished from a concept by former head coach of the University of Missouri’s men basketball program Norm Stewart. Norm Stewart is a member of the NABC and also a cancer survivor.
The concept was adopted in 1993 and turned into a nationwide effort to unite coaches across the country in the common mission to provide help and hope to all people facing cancer. Today, more than 2,000 Division I, II, and III college coaches are involved in the program.
KSU Athletics’ battle against cancer begins at 1 p.m. at the women’s basketball game and continues 3 p.m. with the men’s game. There will be a table set up to make donations and all proceeds go to cancer research. You can learn more about Play 4Kay and the Kay Yow Cancer Foundation at www.play4kay.org. To obtain more information about Coaches vs. Cancer visit www.cancer.org/coaches.
Deeply rooted in the black community, and the leading source of news for the HBCU community, HBCU Buzz has expanded its portfolio in support of President Barack Obama for his re-election in the 2012 President Election through the HBCUs for Obama initiative. The young minority population was instrumental in Obama’s 2008 election victory, and, specifically, the young African-American had the highest youth turnout rate of any racial/ethnic group since 1972.
Luke Lawal Jr. CEO / President of HBCU Buzz Inc.
During his time in office thus far, President Obama has made higher education and affordable tuition a priority because every family has the right to be able to send their children to college. Obama’s efforts to strengthen HBCUs have included a budget to strengthen programs, repairs, renovations, and construction projects, and the acquisition of new HBCU educational facilities, as well as new loan funding. Obama signed an executive order to strengthen the White House Initiative on Historically Black College and Universities February 2010.
Today, there are 105 black colleges in 19 states and the District of Columbia continuing to achieve the academic excellence started at Cheney University of Pennsylvania in 1837. This election, I urge you to not take your education at our prestigious black colleges for granted. In 1870, Congress passed the 15th Amendment for black suffrage but because of “black codes,” including the literacy tests and poll taxes, many minorities were still denied the right to vote. This presidential election let’s show our support for President Obama who has made strides in the black community, with HBCUs, and among college students by putting Americans back to work, reforming wall street and helping to protect consumers, making college more affordable, ending the war in Iraq, an delivering affordable healthcare for all Americans.
Let your voice be heard.
Are you in?……. HBCU Buzz is in!
Get Involved today. http://hbcusforobama.com
“Go girl, go girl, go girl! Ambition!” This eight letter word has been transformed over the past year by Maybach Music Group artist Wale. The DC native has become extremely popular over the past two years with the release of several mixtapes. One of Wale’s most popular songs is “The Ambitious Girl”, quoted in the opening of the article. If you are unfamiliar with this song, he describes his ideal girl -one who is enrolled in college, striving to make her dreams become reality. Later in the song, he says
“I wanna see something else in you before I invest in you/ Ambitious Girl, what’s it hittin’ for?/ I’d rather you tell me to hit you later because you gotta finish a paper/ than to be in my face asking me for a Rosé cup”.
This is a rather inspiring song for several ladies who find themselves experiencing writer’s block while writing term papers or dissertations. I myself have had this song at the top of a study playlist I have named, “Ambitious Girl” since the song came out. This is around the time I had noticed how the Ambition Movement had gained popularity.
Since the song’s release, this movement led by Wale has had a snowball effect on the hip hop community. Now, you can find merchandise, such as wristbands and tee-shirts, and even more permanent decoration like tattoos have been seen online, some even re-tweeted by Wale himself.
It has even caused a phenomenon in the collegiate community. “After hearing ‘No Days Off’ and ‘Ambition’ it motivated me and makes me feel more serious about life. It also caused me to take more pride in my race, as I see people grinding harder regarding work and school. More people are starting to look for jobs and are considering graduate degrees,” says VUU Junior Shaquille Thomas.
However, not everyone is feeling the movement that everyone is appreciating and attempting to become involved in #TeamAmbition. “I feel like this has gone too far and become more of a bandwagon thing for some people. Personally, I have been ambitious prior to all of this,” says VUU Junior David Gardner.
In the title track off the album, Wale exclaims “They Gonna Love Me For My Ambition!” Regardless of the myriad of personal viewpoints one may have on the Ambition Movement one thing is certain: it is indeed a movement and Wale and his MMG label mates are on top of the game right now.
T.I and Tiny: Family Hustle. Every Monday night on VH1 at 9pm
It’s Christmas time for the Harris family and T.I. wants to teach the kids the importance of giving back. Every Christmas, T.I. returns to his old neighborhood and gives out presents to the kids. This year will be different- he wanted to get the Harris kids involved in the gift giving season.
T.I.’s oldest son, Messiah has written a children’s book along with the help of his mother and his father wants to turn it into a play that the family can perform. However, Messiah is not as outgoing as his siblings. He is more reserved and instead of going outside to play, he would rather stay in and read a book. As the star of the play, T.I. urges Messiah to step out of his shell and discover his inner “monstrosity”. After getting a lesson in confidence from his dad, Messiah pushes his shy demeanor to the side and along with the rest of the family brings his story to life for the children.
Alabama State's Philip Crawford collides with Texas Southern's Aaron Clayborn during Monday's game at the Acadome. / DAVID CAMPBELL/ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY
Alabama State 66, Texas Southern 59 (OT)
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Ivory White scored 21 points and Phillip Crawford added 17 as Alabama State rallied to beat Texas Southern in overtime on Monday night, snapping a three-game losing streak.
Texas Southern entered halftime leading 32-18 and pushed that lead to 48-30 behind five straight points from Fred Sturdivant. However, Alabama State (8-13, 5-4 Southwest Athletic Conference) used a 22-6 run over the final 9 minutes to cut the deficit to 54-52.
White’s layup with 3 seconds left sent the game into overtime. Crawford had 11 during the run and White had eight as the Hornets outscored Texas Southern 36-22 in the second half.
Alabama State controlled overtime, making the first three baskets and sinking four free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the victory.
Texas Southern (7-14, 6-3) took seven 3-pointers in overtime, connecting on just one. Sturdivant led the Tigers with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Mississippi Valley State 77, Grambling 59
ITTA BENA, Miss. — Paul Crosby scored 19 points and Kevin Burwell added 16 to keep Mississippi Valley State unbeaten in Southwestern Athletic Conference play with a 77-59 victory over Grambling State on Monday night.
The Delta Devils (10-11, 9-0) also got double-doubles from Cor-J Cox and Terrence Joyner, who each scored 11 points, with Cox adding 10 rebounds and Joyner 10 assists. Amos Sturdivant grabbed 12 rebounds for the Delta Devils.
MVSU built a 35-24 halftime lead, shooting 48.3 percent (14 of 29) in the first half, including 7 of 11 on 3-pointers, to 29.2 percent (7 of 24) for the Tigers (3-16, 3-6). Burwell was 4 of 5 on 3-pointers for the game.
Brandon Dorsett scored 17 points and Quincy Roberts 16 for Grambling State, and Peter Roberson added 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Grambling State committed only 12 fouls, limiting the Delta Devils to three free throws, which they made.
Calvin Stoudemire has put on quite a show for the LeMoyne-Owen Magicians.
If you saw the back of a college basketball jersey reading Stoudemire and saw Lake Wales, FL was his hometown, according to the roster; you’d probably be baffled, right? Amar’e got drafted right out of high school the typical basketball fan would think.
Relax, it’s not a myth. It’s Calvin, the younger brother of the New York Knicks superstar. This Stoudemire plays ‘Magician’ ball at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, TN, a total diversion from his original basketball plan.
He’d planned to go to a basketball preparatory school before entering a major Division-I school, preferably in his home state of Florida. However, during his last Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) summer tournament, Magician head basketball coach William Anderson spoke with an AAU coach and asked to speak to young Stoudemire.
Stoudemire, who majors in finance, decided that it wasn’t about D-I or D-II, he realized something greater right before signing with LeMoyne-Owen: “I just want to go get my education and play ball.”
Now a senior, Stoudemire was truthful about the difference he may have experienced at another school. “I can say, a D-I would probably offer more publicity,” he said after imagining seniority-based ESPN highlights that revolve around his name.
He gets special recognition around the LeMoyne-Owen campus for being Amare’s younger brother, citing “even if I have a mediocre game…people think I’m good regardless of how I play. I get noticed just because of him (Amar’e).”
There have been numerous times when people, including his own coaches, have asked him if he is in fact Amar’e Stoudemire’s brother – kids would even mosey by trying to get a good look. “At first, it got aggravating, but the older I got, the more I knew how to handle it,” he said. He’s even been dubbed ‘Little Amare’ by some people.
But basketball, for him, is more than the advantages that come with having a NBA superstar for an older brother. Stoudemire said he’s truly grown to love the game. “Basketball teaches you life lessons: loyalty, honestly, trustworthiness. It taught me to be a motivator…it’s formed me into a stronger person,” he said. Basketball at LeMoyne-Owen couldn’t be any better for him on and off the court.
Usually, the Magicians return home for the summer. But this past one, Coach Anderson encouraged his team to stay in Memphis and prepare for the upcoming season. Because social amenities in the city were scarce, the team practiced literally every day which brought them closer together.
“That’s one thing about LeMoyne-Owen basketball, we’re bonded,” he said, “Every one of my teammates is like my brother, and I learned the respect of brotherhood.” Of course he meant a different type of brotherhood versus the one with Amar’e or his other three brothers. He also has four sisters.
Growing up, his mother compelled him and his siblings to play sports year-round as a way to limit mischief and, originally, baseball was Stoudemire’s first love. He rejected basketball until he reached the eighth grade.
Seeing the elder Stoudemire go from playing basketball at a simple park to getting drafted by the NBA’s Phoenix Suns ninth overall out of Cypress Creek High School in 2002, a similar scenario seemed unimaginable for Calvin when he was younger but he says embraces the challenge now. “If it can happen for him (Amar’e), maybe it can happen for me too,” Stoudemire said.
The intense pressure that Amare’s NBA status brings to Stoudemire demands excellence from the LeMoyne-Owen forward. For many years, everyone compared him to his brother saying he couldn’t live up to the standards. “It caused me to work on my game every summer because people thought I should be like him,” he stated. He said, at times, he was discouraged because he knew he wasn’t as good as his brother. “I have to perform at the top level every night,” he said.
According to Stoudemire, results of his hard work have begun to show. Last year, he wasn’t in the top ten of the SIAC in any statistical category, but things have changed this season as he ranks ninth in the SIAC in scoring (13.8 ppg), rebounding (7.5 rpg), and steals (1.9 spg) while ranking fifth in field goal percentage (.527) and third in blocked shots, averaging nearly two blocks per contest. He called it “coming from the bottom to the top.”
Stoudemire, who was named the SIAC Player of the Week earlier this season, emphatically says, “Hard work got me here.” His improved play also has the Magicians in the midst of the SIAC regular season title race, after finishing ninth last season.
Calvin says Amar’e supports him as long he’s doing something positive. “That takes pressure off of my mom,” Stoudemire said.
When Stoudemire (Calvin) was a sophomore at LeMoyne-Owen, he lost both grandparents within three weeks of one another. “My grandma and granddad were a great part of my life because they helped raised me, too,” he said, “It’s hard to see my mama going through it and there’s nothing you can do about it. I learned to pray and depend on God to get me through.” He said Amare, though, will always provide a helping hand.
The two brothers are in constant communication. The younger looks up to the older because they’ve experienced many of the same hardships and one made it through. The other is waiting for his chance to do the same and even if he does it in a way that is different from his older brother, it’ll be good enough for him.
“People expect me to be like Amar’e, but I’m Calvin Stoudemire. I’ll never be Amar’e.”
In a press release issued by the Atlanta school, Franklin will remain at the college until the end of the 2012 academic year. Then he will take a sabbatical as a Scholar in Residence at Stanford University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Institute.
“I look forward to a sabbatical during which I intend to travel, write, speak and interview leaders about the condition of boys and men in the U.S. and around the globe, research that I began years ago in my book, ‘Crisis in the Village,'” said Franklin.
A 1975 graduate of the all male school, Franklin plans to return after his stint at Stanford.
Morehouse’s board of trustees named him President Emeritus and Distinguished Professor, the college’s highest honor.
“I am grateful to the board of trustees for the invitation … and the opportunity to continue supporting the mission of Morehouse in a different way,” Franklin said.
Under Franklin’s leadership, he helped increase alumni giving from 17% to 36%, three times the national average, according to the school’s press release. Franklin also helped generated more than $60 million in federal grants and contracts and $33 million in support of the college’s comprehensive campaign, during its quiet phase, from corporations, foundations and individual donors.
“Dr. Franklin has served an integral role leading the renaissance of Morehouse, and his dedication is greatly appreciated,” said Robert Davidson, chairman of the Morehouse College Board of Trustees. “In addition to his years of service, Robert has led by example, dedicating a substantial portion of his time to community service, which is one of the core values that Morehouse seeks to instill in each and every one of its students. We will miss him as the Board endeavors to find a successor who will help to usher the college into a new era.”
Davidson said the trustees have already started “a rigorous search to identify a successor and Franklin is committed to a smooth and seamless transition.”
If a new President has not been selected by July 1, Franklin has agreed to stay on board until Dec. 31.
Stillman College junior Ladarius Rhone and Lane College senior Anthony Collier have been named SIAC Men’s Basketball Co-Players of the Week and LeMoyne-Owen senior Shonice Sprouse has been SIAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week. LeMoyne-Owen senior Teshawn Byron has been named SIAC Men’s Basketball Newcomer of the Week while Miles College junior Courtney English has been named SIAC Women’s Basketball Newcomer of the Week.
Rhone, a native of Fairfield, AL, averaged 17.6 points and 11.3 rebounds in three games, including 27 points and 15 rebounds in Stillman’s 87-79 win over Paine. The 6-foot-5, 185-pound forward also averaged 1.3 steals and one block on defense while helping lead the Tigers to a 2-1 record for the week, which also included a win against conference-foe against Kentucky State in overtime. Rhone is currently averaging 14.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, which rank fourth and second in the SIAC respectively.
Collier, a native of Detroit, MI, averaged a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in two games. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound forward also averaged two steals and one assist while helping lead the Dragons to a 2-0 record for the week with wins over Stillman and Tuskegee.
Sprouse, a native of Memphis, TN, averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds in two games. The 5-foot-7 guard also averaged four assists while averaging 1.5 blocks and one steal on defense, helping lead the Lady Magicians to a win over Albany State. Sprouse currently leads the SIAC in scoring at 18.2 points per game and ranks second in the SIAC at nearly four assists per contest.
Byron, a guard from Staten Island, NY, averaged 18.5 points and six rebounds in two games. The 6-foot-7 Lambuth University transfer also averaged two assists and two steals while helping lead the Magicians to a 2-0 record with wins coming against Albany State and Fort Valley State.
English, a forward from Atmore, AL, is named the top newcomer for the third consecutive week after averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds, including posting 25 points and 12 rebounds in a 65-58 win over Claflin. The 6-foot junior college transfer also averaged two steals and one assist per game while helping lead the Lady Bears to a 2-1 record, which also included a win over Fort Valley State.
For the latest stats, standings, and updates regarding the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), visit our website at www.thesiac.com.
