Top 10 Greatest HBCU Basketball Players Of All-Time

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10. Avery Johnson, Southern University

“As a high school senior in 1983, Johnson led New Orleans’ St. Augustine High School to a 35–0 record and the Class 4A Louisiana State Championship. Johnson matriculated at New Mexico Junior College before moving on to Cameron University, and finally Southern University, with whom in his senior season in 1988 he led the NCAA with 13.3 assists per game, a senior and all-time record that still stands. Upon graduation in 1988 Johnson was not selected in the NBA Draft. After a summer season with the USBL’s Palm Beach Stingrays, however, Johnson was signed by the Seattle SuperSonics and managed to spend the next 16 years playing in the NBA, including stints with the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and Dallas Mavericks. A true journeyman as a player, occasionally being traded, or even waived, mid-season, Johnson is best known for his time with the San Antonio Spurs (1991, 1992–1993, 1994–2001), particularly his integral role on the 1999 Spurs team that won the NBA championship against the New York Knicks in which he hit the championship-winning shot in Game 5. The San Antonio Spurs retired Johnson’s number 6 on December 22, 2007 in a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers. He was also inducted into the “San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame” on February 20, 2009.”

9. Pee Wee Kirkland Norfolk State University

“He played varsity basketball at Charles Evans Hughes High School and was made an All-City guard. He was awarded a scholarship and attended Kittrell College and was on the basketball team averaging 41 PPG. He then attended Norfolk State University and played on the basketball team, teaming up with later NBA star Bob Dandridge. His teams had phenomenal years. The Spartans won the CIAA title in 1968 with a 25-2 record; they lost in the second round of the NCAA Division II Men’s Tournament. The next year their record was 21-4 and they lost in the first round of the D-II tournament. In 1969 he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the fourth pick in the thirteenth round. It is speculated that he turned the offer down, because he was making more money being a drugdealer. At the time, the opportunities offered to him outside of the NBA were far more lucrative, in terms of financial gain and public recognition.Kirkland then got caught up in street life activities and eventually landed in prison, first in 1971 in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.”

8. Earl Lloyd, West Va. St

“Nicknamed “The Big Cat”, Lloyd was one of three African-Americans to enter the NBA at the same time. It was only because of the order in which the teams’ season openers fell that Lloyd was the first to actually play in a game in the NBA. The date was October 31, 1950, one day ahead of Cooper of the Boston Celticsand four days before Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton of the New York Knicks. Lloyd played in over 560 games in nine seasons, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound forward averaged 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Lloyd played in only seven games for the Washington Capitols before the team folded on January 9, 1951. He then went into the U.S. Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, before the Syracuse Nationals picked him up on waivers. He spent six seasons with Syracuse and two with the Detroit Pistons before retiring in 1960.

Lloyd retired ranked 43rd in career scoring with 4,682 points. His best year was 1955, when he averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds for Syracuse, which beat theFort Wayne Pistons 4-3 for the NBA title. Lloyd and Jim Tucker were the first African-Americans to play on an NBA championship team. Lloyd once said; “In 1950, basketball was like a babe in the woods; it didn’t enjoy the notoriety that baseball enjoyed.” Like Lloyd, Clifton and Cooper had solid but not spectacular careers.

According to Detroit News sportswriter Jerry Green, in 1965 Detroit Pistons General Manager Don Wattrick wanted to hire Lloyd as the team’s head coach. It would have made Lloyd the first African-American head coach in American pro sports. Dave DeBusschere was instead named Pistons player–coach. From 1972 to 1973, Lloyd did coach the Pistons and was a scout for five seasons.”

7. Darrell Armstrong, Fayetteville St.

“Armstrong first signed with the NBA as a free agent for the Orlando Magic in late 1994–95, playing just 3 games with 10 points and 8 minutes of action. In 95–96 he played just 13 games in 41 minutes, scoring 42 points total. He saw 67 games in his first full season on the roster in 1997–98, averaging 6 points per game in 15 minutes per game off the bench. Armstrong won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award and the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1999, thus becoming the first player in NBA history to win both awards simultaneously. In a 1999 game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Armstrong stole an inbounds pass and streaked to the other end of the court for a game winning layup as time expired. He subsequently became the starting point guard for the Magic. His career year was in 1999-00, averaging 16.2 ppg in 31 mpg. During his nine years in Orlando, the team never posted a losing record, making the post-season seven times. Armstrong was released by the Pacers on October 1, 2007, and signed with the New Jersey Nets after clearing waivers. He appeared in 50 games in 2007–08, averaging 2.5ppg in 11.0 minutes, and buried three 3-pointers in his final appearance of the season. After retiring, Armstrong re-joined the Mavs, as an assistant coach.”


6. Rick Mahorn, Hampton 

Derrick (Rick) Allen Mahorn (born September 21, 1958 in Hartford, Connecticut) is a retired American NBA basketball player who, at 6’10”, played power forwardand center. He is currently a radio analyst for the Detroit Pistons.Mahorn was dubbed by Piston announcer George Blaha the “Baddest Bad Boy of them all.” Mahorn gained a reputation for physical play, which he used to compensate for his relatively limited leaping ability. He served as a team leader of the Detroit Bad Boys teams of the late 1980s.

 

5. Ben Wallace, Virginia Union 

As an undrafted player, he was signed as a rookie free agent by the Washington Bullets on October 2, 1996 after playing in Italy. In 1999, Wallace was traded to theOrlando Magic along with Tim Legler, Terry Davis, and Jeff McInnis for Ike Austin.On August 3, 2000, he was traded along with Chucky Atkins to the Detroit Pistons for Grant Hill, in what was at the time considered a one-sided trade; Hill had planned to sign with Orlando as an unrestricted free agent, but the sign and trade deal allowed Hill to receive a slightly more lucrative contract while Detroit received at least some compensation for losing its marquee player. Since the trade, Wallace won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, and 2005–06 seasons, and was selected to six All-Defensive teams. In the 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons, he led the league in both rebounds and blocked shots, the first to do so since Hakeem Olajuwon. In 2003, he was voted by fans to the first of his four NBA All-Star Game appearances as a center for the Eastern Conference.

4. Charles Oakley, Virginia Union

Oakley was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended Virginia Union University. He placed in the top ten in rebounds per game five times between 1987 and 1994 (second in 1987 and 1988). In all but one of these seasons he played the full complement of 82 games. Due to his durability he actually placed in the top ten in total rebounds 6 times and led the league in total rebounds twice (1987 and 1988). In 1994, he became an NBA All-Star and was chosen to the league’s All-Defense 1st team. Drafted in 1985 by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Oakley’s draft rights were traded to the Chicago Bulls. Oakley provided another scoring option and steady offensive and defensive performances to an up-and-coming Bulls squad led by Michael Jordan. He earned All-Rookie Team honors in 1986. In 1998, Oakley was traded by New York to the Toronto Raptors for blossoming star Marcus Camby. For the Raptors, he provided a veteran presence to a young team that included Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. Oakley, in his final three seasons, played for the Bulls again, followed by the Washington Wizards and theHouston Rockets. For the Rockets, he was briefly reunited with former Knicks personnel Mark Jackson, who was the veteran point guard behind Steve Francis;Patrick Ewing, who was an assistant coach with the Rockets; and head coach Jeff Van Gundy, former head coach in Oakley’s days in New York City. As recently as 2007, it was publicized that Oakley, at age 44, wanted to make an NBA comeback. He claimed Dallas, Miami, Cleveland and New York were interested but said he would “not back cheap”.He was hired as assistant coach of the Charlotte Bobcats on December 23, 2010. Oakley currently ranks 14th all-time in NBA games played with 1,282 games.

3. Willis Reed, Grambling State 

In 1964 Reed was drafted 10th overall by the Knicks, where he quickly made a name as a fierce, dominating and physical force on both ends of the floor. Reed made an immediate impact with the Knicks. In March 1965 he scored 46 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, the second highest single-game total ever by a Knicks rookie. For the season, he ranked seventh in the NBA in scoring (19.5 points per game) and fifth in rebounding (14.7 rebounds per game). He also began his string of All-Star appearances and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year. Reed proved to be a clutch playoff performer throughout his career. He gave an early indication of this in 1966–67 when he bettered his regular-season average of 20.9 points per game by scoring 27.5 points per contest in the postseason. In his first seasons with the Knicks, he played power forward and later gained fame as the starting center. Despite his relatively average stature for a basketball player, he made up for his lack of height by playing a physical game, often ending seasons with respectable averages in blocking and rebounding. (He stood 6-foot-10 when contemporaries such as Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stood 7-1 and 7–2, respectively.)

2. Earl “The Pearl” Monroe

From an early age, Monroe was a playground legend. His high school teammates at John Bartram High School called him “Thomas Edison” because of the many moves he invented.

Monroe rose to prominence at a national level while playing basketball at then Division II Winston-Salem State University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Under the coaching of Hall of Fame coach Clarence “Big House” Gaines, Monroe averaged 7.1 points his freshman year, 23.2 points as a sophomore, 29.8 points as a junior and an amazing 41.5 points his senior year. In 1967, he earned NCAA College Division Player of the Year honors and led the Rams to the NCAA College Division Championship.

In 1967, the two-time All-American was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) in the first round of the NBA draft (2nd overall pick). He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in a season in which he averaged 24.3 points per game, and scored 56 points in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers. This still stands as the third-highest rookie total in NBA history. It was also a franchise record, later broken by Gilbert Arenas on December 17, 2006.

He and teammate Wes Unseld quickly became a formidable combination in Baltimore, and Monroe became a cult hero for his ability to run the fast break and for his circus-like shots. He said, “The thing is, I don’t know what I’m going to do with the ball, and if I don’t know, I’m quite sure the guy guarding me doesn’t know either. On February 6, 1970, he set an NBA record with 13 points in one overtime in a double-overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons (another mark since surpassed by Arenas).

1. Sam Jones, North Carolina Central University 

Jones spent all of his twelve seasons in the NBA with the Boston Celtics who drafted him in the first round in 1957. Jones was known as a clutch scorer, and scored over 15,000 points in his career. He participated in five All-Star Games, and is usually recognized as one of the best shooting guards of his generation.

Jones was named to the All-NBA Second Team three straight years (1965–67) and he played on ten championship teams (1959-66 and 1968-69) — a total exceeded only by teammate Bill Russell in NBA history. He was 6-foot-4 (1.93 m) and weighed 200 lb (97 kg). Jones was originally claimed by the Minneapolis Lakers, but returned to college upon completion of military service, and therefore voided NBA rules. Jones’ perfect form when shooting a jump shot, along with his great clutch shooting led opponents to nickname him “The Shooter”. He was particularly adept shooting the bank shot, where the shooter bounces the ball off the backboard en route to the basket. Many coaches including UCLA’s great John Wooden believe that when a shooter is at a 20 – 50 degree angle to the backboard and inside of 15 feet, a bank shot is always the preferred shot. At 6-foot-4, Jones was the prototype of the tall guard who could run the floor, bang the boards and had a rangy offensive game that gave opponents fits. One of the “Jones Boys” in Boston, Sam teamed with K. C. Jones in the Celtics’ backcourt to create havoc in NBA arenas around the country.

He led Boston in scoring in the 1962-63 NBA season (19.7 points per game), 1964-65 NBA season (25.9) and 1965-66 NBA season (23.5). He produced four consecutive seasons averaging 20 points or better (1965–68). He owns Boston’s fourth best single-game scoring output (51 points vs. Detroit Pistons on October 29, 1965). He scored 2,909 points in 154 playoff games , 15th best in history.

Top Five HBCU Dj’s 2012

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DJ Chubb E. Swagg (Howard University)

A native of Los Angeles, California , Dj Chubb E. Swagg, born Terrell Williams is a battle/club/mixtape disc jockey currently attending Howard University. Formerly a concert pianist over the past 13 years, Williams retired the piano when he came to Howard for a set of turntables. Leaving audiences in awe at any event and performance, DJ Chubb E. Swagg was now in high demand not only at Howard University but also in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia club scenes. A Howard University Campus Pal and head station DJ at WHBC 830am/Channel 51, Williams is no stranger to on-campus involvement spinning at Howard Homecoming, Bison Ball, Cafe Nights, Freshman Week, Inauguration Galas and much more. No stranger to celebrities, Williams has been called in to D.J. shows for Iyaz, Travis Porter, Pretty Ricky, Fabolous, Big Sean, and many more. With mixtapes reaching over thousands of downloads a piece, Dj Chubb E. Swagg is a staple in the HBCU community and nationwide.

DJ Treble(Hampton University)

Started dj’ing in 2008 while he was attending Hampton University in Virginia. He has rocked a variety of venues from parties and fashion shows, to school and community service events. HU’s diverse population forced DJ Treble to become engulfed in several different genres of music. As a result he can mix Hip Hop, R&B, Pop, Reggae, Club, Gogo, Dubstep, and Oldschool records. DJ Treble is now back in his home state, Maryland, continuing to perform and showcase his skills. There isn’t a strong enough adjective available that can express his passion for dj’ing. Dj Treble is proficient in using various types of sound equipment, scratching, beat matching, mash-ups, and other DJ skills that enhance a listener’s experience.  Able to skillfully mix Hip Hop, Pop, R&B, Reggae, Club, and Go-Go records.  Adept at determining what the audience wants and tailoring the music to meet their needs.

DJ Fresh (Kentucky State University)

Hands down the best DJ in Kentucky. A student of Kentucky State University, DJ Fresh became a dj by accident. One day a friend of mines got sick and he couldn’t continue the party, DJ Fresh got on and the crowd reaction said enough. First major event he worked was during Kentucky State University 07 Kappa’s Kode Red. Advice in his own words for upcoming Dj’s: “Everybody going to want the spot you have, so when you get there don’t think you there to stay, the moment you think your spot secure that’s when somebody takes it from you.”

DJ K Threat -(Morehouse College)

Also known as  Gil Debergh, is arguably the best DJ in Atlanta. Born in 1988, he lives in a small village nearby the Belgian coast. Innitially he was listening to hip-hop, house and dance music, but at age 13 he discovered dnb/jungle music. Two years later, he started collecting vinyl together with DJ Teknic. Later on he met DJ Gonzo & Process & Second Vision and together they formed LOW FREQUENCY. They started to organise partys all over flanders and cause of that he had the chance to play together with some international names such as: DJ Hidden, Limewax, Cooh, Donny, Robyn Chaos, Evol Intent, Ewun, Eye-D, Ladyscraper, Enduser, Capital J, Belladonakillz, , Krumble, AK47, Wisp, Tugie, Trasher, Murderbot, D.I.S., Semiomime, Goth Trad, Candie Hank, Bochum Welt, Atiq, Feldermelder … And nationals: X&Trick, Igneon System, Droon, Greyone, Matar, Dj Mèche, Flameboy, K-os, Antichristus, Skull, Sim on Korfunkle, Ozwald, Spookane, Ndm, Dead Kat, Wasp… Nowadays his sets are a mixture between DnB, Darkstep and Industrial Hardcore. Containing artists such as: The Outside Agency, Current Value, I:gor, Limewax,…

DJ Weatherman (North Carolina A&T)

Born Roger Weathers in the exhilarating city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The “Weatherman” first knew he wanted to become a DJ when he was in middle school when he first saw a pair of turntables. Instantly, he knew this is what he wanted to do for a long time. His interest deepens as he met a local DJ and started learning more by getting personal advice and reading various DJ magazines to see what else he could learn. Later, he started building a massive collection of music and fell in love with it all. He then enrolled into North Carolina A&T State University where he met even more local dj’s who were more than willing to take him under their wing and mentor him. The “Weatherman” used his extroverted personality and campus connections to land his first couple of gigs and it was history from there. Some Dj’s who influenced the weatherman were both local and national. His favorite DJ is DJ Jazzy Jeff and aspires to duplicate and exceed his achievements. His local influences included DJ Red October, DJ Phalse ID, DJ Ern, and DJ Pyro. Being the 2-time “I Am Music and Media” DJ of the year in 2010 & 2011, The Weatherman Has been invited to do more dj battles and events. His biggest accomplishment to this date was being discovered by SRC/Universal Motown RocNation’s Melanie Fiona. She heard him DJ at an event and decided to take him on the road with her on tour in different cities as her official DJ on her personal tour as well as different stops on the Trey Songz “Say Ahh” tour. He is now moving forward to advance his career and grow as a DJ. The weatherman is currently working local gigs in the southeast and working on mixtapes. He is now looking to branch out even more to test his self and learn because he loves a good challenge.

By advancing science innovation, this federal official is helping Historically Black colleges compete.

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John Silvanus Wilson Jr., executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, knows the value of HBCUs — even if it seems these days that too many others don’t. Amid growing doubts about their relevancy and benefits, and fears that black colleges could be facing extinction, Wilson has the task of persuading 32 federal agencies to invest in the institutions.

By changing the HBCU narrative from a story of need and challenges to one of strength and opportunities, Wilson has led the way in steadily increasing such funds — from $728 million in 2008 to $783 million in 2009 to $853 million in 2010 — with an emphasis on escalating curriculum and research in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Wilson says that the emphasis comes at the direction of President Obama, who has made STEM education a key priority of his administration. By training more American students at the top levels of science and math achievement, the president seeks to build a globally competitive workforce, discover new ideas and generate more jobs — and he wants African Americans and HBCUs to play a major part.

Among others, grants and agreements established in the past two years include:

* $9 million from the Department of Energy to nine HBCUs (including Benedict College, Denmark Technical College and South Carolina State University) for science and technical research, combining coursework, DOE field work and applied research.

* $28.5 million from NASA to Morgan State University, for research supporting NASA’s earth-and-space science projects, including the areas of atmospheric chemistry, oceanography and polar climate change.

* Research partnership between the U.S. Army’s Research, Development and Engineering Command and Morgan State University, giving students direct access to the technological advancements at the nearby Army facility.

* $51.5 million from the Department of Agriculture for 18 HBCUs (including Alabama A&M University, Fort Valley State University, Southern University, Prairie View A&M University and West Virginia State University) for providing technical assistance to rural businesses and developing educational materials around renewable energy sources.

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Long Live the King – Memorial Day – Washington DC

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What a day to be in D.C.

The enormous crowd, the warm sunny day, the energy—everything was perfect when I visited the MLK Memorial on Tuesday and indeed it was a memorable experience, for more reasons other than the first African American being memorialized on the National Mall. It’s not everyday that one gets to see history for the first time, so I insist that everyone go see the MLK Memorial. Once you visit, you will want to go back because that is exactly how I felt. I wanted to take my mom and dad, grandma and grandfather, my nephews, everybody.

I couldn’t have thought that my visiting the Martin Luther King Jr, Memorial would be the second biggest event that transpired on Tuesday. So I decided to take you through everything that happened to me yesterday while traveling to the MLK Memorial.

For my Metro riders: To get to the memorial, I took the Green line from Greenbelt to L’Enfant Plaza. From there, I transferred from the Green to the Orange line to get to the Smithsonian station and walked to the Mall. To get to Greenbelt, I caught the bus and as anyone who has ridden the bus before knows, there are too many unintentionally funny things that happen on the bus. For instance: the old white guy flirting with the girls who kept fiddling with their phone trying to ignore him, the teenage couple missing their stop because they were boo loving on the bus, and the obnoxiously loud guys in the front seats talking to each other and the bus driver about the prospect of a successful Redskins season (“But this year we gonna be aight. We got Rex Grossman and Donte Stallworth!).

It’s not that bad of a walk to the Memorial because you get to enjoy walking past the Washington Memorial and other monuments. Even on a weekday there were a lot of people out on Tuesday afternoon to see the MLK Memorial, which prompted a random pedestrian to observe the crowd and state: “All of these people don’t have jobs?” There was one man who was working besides the security and people passing out programs, and that would be D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray. Mayor Gray was there for his proclaimed “D.C. Day” at the MLK Memorial. I was able to snap a photograph of him with the Cannon Street YMCA All Stars, the first all black Little League team formed in Charleston, South Carolina. They never got to play in a Little League World Series, due to the white teams boycotting the postseason and stupid rule changes. They are in D.C. lobbying for congressional recognition, and what better place to start celebrating their bravery against racial segregation than at the memorial to Martin Luther King.

The entrance of the memorial is just how it was described, as a “Mountain of Despair.” It’s a huge boulder split in two, which serves as the entrance and the exit. As soon as one is actually inside the space, the memorial has its back to you, with two walls with quotes from King inscribed into them. The monument is as literal to King’s “I Have a Dream” speech as possible. “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope”– and that’s one of the quotes inscribed into the side of the monument. The other quote is how King described himself, as “a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.” The likeness of King is spot on, too. (By the way, am I the only one who thinks that the image of King in the monument looks eerily similar to John F. Kennedy’s pose in his presidential portrait?)

The “stone of hope” looks like it was carved out of the “mountain of despair.” It’s a visual connection between the past and the present, and a testament to King’s legacy.  With an accompanying waterfall to compliment the peaceful atmosphere, and once the cherry blossoms being put in place bloom …awesome. Just awesome.

After leaving the monument, I started observing the place and taking pictures of the quotes starting on the right wall. The biggest pet peeve I had about the walls was that other tourists kept walking up in front of me. People were so rude to others trying to take photographs. People either walked in front of the quote or in front of the camera. But I’m glad I got pictures of and with the quotes, because the first one I saw was exactly what everyone needed to read.

So, to everyone who feels that only an African American should have designed and built the King Memorial, I present you with a quote from the good King himself: “If we are to have peace on Earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.”

Are we really going to continue squabbling over what race gets the credit for designing the memorial, a petty argument over entitlement and pride when there are so many other issues we could be debating about? King would be worried about why are there so few African American male teachers. King would be worried about what can we do about the famine in the Horn of Africa. In the end, it is a beautiful dedication to justice, freedom and equality. Maybe there is a backstory to the memorial’s making that we do not know. Maybe it was cheaper to go to China to have it done. Maybe Harry Johnson, CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Foundation, liked sculptor Lei Yixin’s work so much he appointed him to do the monument. And he did a fantastic job. That’s it.

King was an advocate of Love for all Mankind, one of the principles of Alpha Phi Alpha. If you didn’t know, Dr. King was a brother of Alpha. Only the oldest and the coldest black fraternity for college men in America. A 1952 initiate of the Sigma chapter at Boston University, King’s dedication was a proud moment for the fraternity that has been putting the pieces in place for this memorial since 1986. I am also an Alpha and I met 4 brothers on Tuesday at the memorial.

As I reached the end of the memorial, I received a text from my line brother Kideem asking me if I was ok. I was puzzled because I didn’t know exactly what he was talking about so I responded ‘What happened’. What happened next, I would find to be the reason behind the text and it changed the course of the rest of my day. As I reached the end of the memorial, suddenly I could literally feel the ground under my feet rising. Everyone, and the MLK memorial was packed with people, I mean everyone stopped what they were doing and just stood where they were for a few seconds. We all had to be thinking the same thing, “Did what we think just happened really happen? There’s no way there could be an earthquake in DC, right?” So they kept on with our day. I got myself some more pictures and left. I didn’t like what I had just experienced. Something about the ground shaking unsettles me for some odd reason, go figure.

As I was leaving the memorial, my mom was calling me and I had missed it. I tried calling her back but my phone was dropping calls. I tried calling or texting about everyone in my phone. Texts were going through but not phone calls. Texting is fine, but hearing someone’s voice is so much more comforting sometimes. It was a scary moment. I then decided I needed to go home immediately. Everything at the Mall was shutting down anyways. Security was not letting people go up the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial, not to mention the Reflecting Pool was being gutted and reconstructed. I called my mom like 10 times, finally got a hold of her and she said that all federal buildings had been evacuated. She was headed home. My dad didn’t pick up the phone for like an hour, and later he said he didn’t get my texts until hours later.  My friend who came with me on the trip had to use my phone to call her mom because hers had died. I got the text from Kideem, who lives in Virginia, about the earthquake before I felt it myself. Think about that: the best way to throw modern society into a frenzy would definitely be to take out telecommunications. We feel lost without our iPhones, Blackberrys and Androids.

The streets were filled with people. Police were directing traffic through the maze of downtown D.C. I don’t know if this guy had planned to be there or if it was a spur of the moment thing, but a random guy in a suit with a megahorn was on the corner shouting statements of Apocalypse and repentance.

The Metro station was packed. The trains made me sympathize with the sardines. On the train, a creepy old guy with dingy gray hair and an untamed beard wearing a striped dress shirt and waist high greenish gray pants kept staring at me out of his squinty eyes. And the train moved 15 miles an hour. Just great.

Finally, after at least a two hour commute that normally takes about 45 minutes, I’m home. My mom is safe and the news is reporting that the Washington Monument has a crack in it due to the earthquake. Immediately, hundreds of jokes sprung up about the Monument (“The Monument isn’t the only crooked thing in Washington!) but the MLK Memorial remained untouched. That’s just like King–in the midst of imminent danger, he still stands his ground.

The 5.8 earthquake that hit D.C. was just the beginning of our troubles.  Hurricane Irene was predicted to ravage the East Coast. The Dedication Weekend has been cancelled. Everything scheduled for Friday is going to happen, but Saturday and Sunday are going to be rescheduled. I’m glad I was able to get out there when I did.

Rapper, Author and Actor Common to Kick Off 2011-2012 Lyceum Series

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Florida A&M University (FAMU) alumnus and Grammy Award-winning rapper Common will be making a return to his alma mater September 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Lee Hall Auditorium to kick off the 2011-2012 Lyceum Series.

Known as the King of Conscious Hip Hop, Common will serve as a guest lecturer for the affair discussing his book titled One Day It’ll All Make Sense, which explores his upbringing and family relationships.

Tickets are now available through ticketmaster.com for $20, $10 and $5, depending on the location of the seats.

Common is considered one of music’s most poetic and respected lyricists. His introspective lyrics have pushed boundaries with their biting social commentary.

In 2007, he launched the Common Ground Foundation, which is dedicated to the empowerment and development of urban youth in the United States. Common also offers a younger generation a better understanding of self-respect and love, utilizing the cultural relevance of hip hop in the children’s books he has written.  The first children’s book, titled The MIRROR and ME, teaches lessons of life, the human spirit and human nature. His follow-up book, I Like You But I Love Me, was recently nominated for an NAACP Image Award, and his third book, M.E. (Mixed Emotions), was released in 2008.

Red Full Article at FAMU

2011 Dayton Classic Tickets Now on Sale

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FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky State University’s Director of Athletics, Dr. Denisha L. Hendricks, announced that tickets for the 7th Annual Dayton Classic are now available for sale in the Office of Auxiliary Services.

The Classic, which will be held on September 4, 2011 at Welcome Stadium in Dayton, Ohio (1601 S. Edwin C Moses Blvd., Dayton, OH, 45408), kicks off the 2011 campaign for the Thorobreds. Last year, the Breds galloped past the Marauders in a 41-24 victory, spoiling CSU’s homecoming.

Tickets are available for $10 and can be purchased by contacting the Office Auxiliary Services at (502) 597-6147.

 

INROADS: A Key to Success for Business Students Attending HBCU’S

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INROADS: A Key to Success for Business Students Attending HBCU’S

In the 21st Century there is nothing more important than diversity in the work force. INROADS, an international organization makes sure that the most successful students of color get the experience and exposure in the work force.

INROADS was created by Frank C. Carr, and has been booming ever since. The objective of this international organization is to mentor, mold, and develop minority students into successful businessmen and businesswomen in America, and all over the world.

A minority college student can apply to be a part of the organization as soon as freshmen year, and as late as sophomore year. The objective is for INROADS to find an internship for the student to work at for the two to three summers, and possibly full time after graduation. There are many corporations that sponsor and higher these students each year. Some include PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Travelers Insurance, Abercrombie and Fitch, Goldman Sachs, Google, and Johnson and Johnson.

Kristopher Kirkpatrick

Norfolk State and Tidewater Community College Strengthen Academic Partnership

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Norfolk State University and Tidewater Community College are working together to ensure that students who transfer from TCC to NSU realize their dream of attaining a bachelor’s degree. The two institutions will reaffirm their commitment and their partnership at a signing of the Guaranteed Admission and Transfer agreement and Partnership for Academic and Student Success (PASSport).

The signing will take place at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 17, at the New Student Center, Room 307, located on the NSU campus.

Recognizing that many students engage in education as a life-long learning process, NSU and TCC understand the criticality of a robust agreement for transfer to a baccalaureate degree for all community college students, regardless of their initial curriculum choice.

“Norfolk State University is especially pleased to reaffirm its partnership with TCC,” says NSU President Tony Atwater. “Higher education attainment is a shared priority and goal for both of our institutions. Consequently, NSU and TCC will collaborate in new and additional ways to increase the number of degrees granted to students in the Hampton Roads area.”

Read Full Article at NSU

Dominion grant supports with $50,000 to Virginia State School of Business digital textbook initiative

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Dominion Resources has awarded Virginia State University $50,000 to expand a digital textbook pilot project aimed at reducing costs and increasing student retention. The grant is part of more than $200,000 in grants by Dominion to colleges and community colleges in Central Virginia to support programs in business, skilled craft, engineering, environmental and technical studies, and for student-led conservation programs.

The VSU grant will equip students in the Reginald F. Lewis School of Business with real-time learning assessments, access to educational networking and allow for increased interaction. The contribution will sustain the School of Business’s Digital Instruction Project by purchasing seat licenses for Flat World open source textbooks.

The school piloted the use of these textbooks in during the 2010-11 school year, saving students more than $200,000 and increasing student success. The project last year was conducted in nine core School of Business classes and, with Dominion’s grant, will be expanded this year to 16 classes.

Open source digital texts cost about $20 per text, as compared to more than $250 for some accounting and finance texts. Moreover, instructors can tailor the texts to their specific classes and update them continuously with topical case studies.

Dr. Mirta Martin, Dean of the Reginald F. Lewis School of Business, said she is delighted to be able to sustain and expand the use of open source digital texts. “Before using adopting digital texts, more than 40 percent of our students tried to get by without class texts because of the expense,” she said. With Dominion’s generous investment, our students will have access to class texts and a wide range of study tools.”

Read Full Article at VSU

VUU to Host Special Olympics Walk-a-thon

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Special Olympics Virginia’s 11th Annual City of Richmond Walk-A-Thon will be held at Virginia Union University Campus, (Henderson building) from 9:00 a.m. until 12: 30 p.m. on Saturday, October 1, 2011. The 1, 2, and 3 mile walk/run will raise money for the Special Olympics Virginia Urban Programs, which benefits over 5000 City of Richmond adults and children with intellectual disabilities.

The event is being presented by Virginia Union University. Over 500 volunteers, athletes, fraternities, sororities, and sponsors are expected to come out and support this event! American Family Fitness Centers will be awarding a free membership to the participant who raises the most money. Other agencies and organizations who will be participating are Richmond Parks & Recreation, Richmond Residential Services, Richmond Behavioral Health Authority, Richmond Goodwill, Richmond Police Department, Midlothian Chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc., Senior Connections-The Capital Area on Aging, The Huff Center, Career Support Systems, The Young Men’s Love and Union Club, Diamondz Are Forever SC, Thompson Hospitality, Virginia Girls Scout Troops, Bank of America, Scott & Stringfellow Inc., NHS Human Services, The Virginia Home, Fidura & Associates, and Tiffanies Manor for Young Adults. Special Olympics Virginia hopes to raise over $5,000.00 for its City of Richmond athletes. There will be a live performance by The Band Belief! Music, fun, and prizes for all participants.

Special Olympics Virginia, the state chapter of Special Olympics Inc., provides year-round training in 19 sports and more than 2000 athletic competitions to over 14,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities in the Commonwealth. The benefits of participation in Special Olympics for people with intellectual disabilities include improved physical fitness and motor skills, greater self-confidence, a more positive self-image, friendships, and increased family support. Special Olympics athletes carry these benefits with them into their daily lives at home, in the classroom, on the job, as well as in the community. Special Olympics Virginia has provided competitions to the citizens of Virginia with intellectual disabilities since 1968 and was incorporated by Special Olympics Inc. in 1975. There is no cost to the athlete or their family to participate.

For more information or to register, please contact Floyd E. Miller, Director of Urban Programs at 804-467-6012.

Earth Gang – HBCU Buzz Artist Spotlight – Hampton University

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Name: Earth Gang
School: Hampton University
Genre: Hip Hop
Management:
Website: Www.EarthGangHasa.Tumblr.com

Bio: Many intellectuals and quantum physics enthusiasts consider the world’s uncanny circumstances to be products of cosmic probability. Some inhabitants of this world are perpetually successful and talented beyond average human capacity. People of this caliber don’t view their dreams and goals as defining moments in their lives. Instead, they see monumental achievement the way the common man sees blinking: it’s just going to happen. Two men of this nature are Johnny Venus and Doctor Diego, the founding and only members of the eccentric and insightful music duo EarthGang. The first three singles—“Thump, Thump, Thump” “Opium” and “Miss the Show” are absolutely stellar. With eerie beats and unusual samples, Earthgang speaks on a range of topics; the industry, their hometown, women and the outsider’s perception of their music. Their emcee cadence is nowhere near jigsaw. At most times they are outside of the beat, almost talking, leaving leftover track in each bar. The unusual thing about this style is, the words still unquestionably fit and are undeniably catchy.

09 Miss The Show by giannilee

Jackson State President Meyers issues challenge to university, donates $10,000 to JSU

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Jackson State University President Carolyn W. Meyers prepped the university faculty and staff for the fall 2011 semester with a state of the university report and a challenge to keep reaching toward new heights.

 

“What got us here, won’t get us there,” she said during JSU’s Fall Faculty and Staff Seminar on Aug. 11. “We can’t miss the boat.”

 

Meyers’ address outlined many university accomplishments during her first 200 days as president, which included a successful reaffirmation of accreditation visit from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, a state and regional alumni relationship building tour, the organization of a new senior leadership team and selected faculty and staff salary increases.

Read Full article at JSU

Coppin State Develops New Initiative to Prepare Teachers Current News

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August 19, 2011, Coppin State University’s School of Education creates center to fast track the demand for qualified teachers. The Teacher Education Advisement & Retention Center, (TEAR-C) is a new initiative to enhance Coppin’s School of Education Teacher Preparation Programs.

TEAR-C will house highly-trained academic advisors who are classroom practitioners in K-12 and higher education, experts in curriculum development, and comprehensive researchers of measurable and effective retention models for undergraduate students. Additionally, this initiative will increase enrollment and retention rates of pre-service teachers. TEAR-C has also developed a Praxis Preparatory Model called PTP, which means practice, taken, and pass, to improve student success rates in passing examinations for teacher certification.

“We have the secret anecdote to produce more highly qualified and accomplished teachers, and it is called TEAR-C.” said newly appointed director Professor Ray, who is a third-year doctoral student of Higher Education Leadership and Curriculum Development at Nova Southeastern University.

Coppin was developed in 1900 as a Teachers College by Fannie Jackson Coppin. Now, the School of Education under Ray’s leadership plans to rebuild Fanny’s vision and reclaim the legacy by intrinsically and effectively preparing pre-service teachers. Beginning in the student’s freshman year, TEAR-C will align pre-service teachers toward complying with national accrediting body’s expectations of realistic clinical practices. Thus, TEAR-C will build a rigorous preparation program for teachers utilizing the assistance of Coppin’s Alumni teachers and exemplary instructional leaders. Both are highly fortified with experience to improve quality high-access instruction.

Read Full Article at Coppin State 

Southern University and A&M College Out-of-State Fee Waiver Policy

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Realizing that Southern University and A&M College’s student population must reflect a global diversity and that the University must recruit, retain and graduate students who represent scholarship consistent with its mission of providing a high quality global educational experience and graduating competent, informed and productive citizens, every appropriate strategy must be implemented to assist in achieving this mission.

Accordingly, in an effort to positively impact SUBR’s recruitment, retention and graduation rates and to significantly enhance and expand its student diversity, the University offers the following out-of-state fee waiver policy.

A full out-of-state fee waiver will be granted to any incoming freshman who graduated with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and a minimum ACT composite score of 22 or SAT of 1030.
Read Full Article at Southern University A&M

 

24th Annual UNCF Walk for Education

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The United Negro College Fund will host its 24th annual Walk for Education in New Orleans onSaturday, Oct. 1, 2011 from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The 5K run/walk will start in the Audubon Park Riverview area behind the zoo.

Every year Dillard and Xavier universities compete to see which school has the best turnout and raises the most funds.
A minimum pledge of $30 through Sep. 28 entitles you to a race number, official race day T-shirt, free food and drinks, and admission to Audubon Zoo.Click here to learn more and to register.

 

Paine College announces new academic structure and new deans

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Dr. George C. Bradley, President announced the appointment of Dr. Steven Thomas as the dean of its newly created School of Professional Studies and Dr. Emily Williams as the dean of its newly created School of Arts and Sciences. The new appointments come on the helm of the College’s new Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Marcus Tillery.

More than three years ago, Paine College embarked on a 5- year strategic plan. The strategic plan called for the College to build on its legacies and capitalize on its achievements to move closer to the vision and mission of becoming a premier liberal arts College in our region and in the nation.

This plan has helped the institution implement the reorganization of its academic structure, moving its academic programs from divisions to schools. The School of Professional Studies encompasses the Department of Business Administration, Department of Education and Department of Media Studies. The School of Arts and Sciences encompasses the Department of Humanities, Department of Social Sciences, and Department of Mathematics, Sciences and Technology.

“The two schools will afford the College the opportunity to have deans who will raise resources to strengthen student resources for scholarly work and to develop graduate programs,” said Bradley.

Each of the deans has distinct visions for each school.

“The new structure provides an opportunity for the deans to foster relationships with industry and gauge their needs in an effort to develop innovative programs and produce graduates that can meet those needs,” said Thomas

Read Full Article at Paine College