Recently, my husband and I attended a retirement celebration for several members of the Cheyney University community. Most of the retirees were faculty who had, during their long years of service, shared their specialized knowledge, their valuable time, and their hopes for a better future with thousands of students. Some of the faculty members who were retiring had taught students and mentored other faculty at Cheyney University for 40 years and more.

Retirees who worked tirelessly on staff have also contributed much to the University community by performing their daily tasks with professionalism and excellence in customer service. From the beginning of the retirement dinner, the mood was both celebratory and warm. It was easy to discern that the bonds that held this diverse community together were those of mutual respect, shared commitment to the University’s mission of access, opportunity, and excellence — and those of kinship and friendship.

After dinner there were congratulatory comments and well-wishes made by the Director of Human Resources, the Provost, and the Dean. While the remarks were witty, well-intended, and often humorous, the comments of the departing retirees were the most heart-filled and heartfelt. Many of the faculty, both retirees and others, approached the podium to make remarks, and during these remarks became overcome with emotion– as they recalled the camaraderie, mentoring, friendships, and challenges they faced together.

Read Full Article at Chaney University 

Tony Atwater began his tenure as Norfolk State University’s fifth president on July 1. Atwater, former president of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Senior Fellow at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, was chosen as president on April 22 by the NSU Board of Visitors.

“Atwater’s impressive record as a president, senior administrator and teacher/scholar is a remarkable match of the presidential profile developed in conjunction with the larger NSU community,” said NSU Rector Edward L. Hamm, Jr. “Atwater has been charged by the NSU Board of Visitors to lead the operations, growth and visionary planning for the university, while maintaining the wonderful spirit that has always resounded at NSU.”

Upon accepting the NSU Board of Visitors’ appointment, Atwater expressed his gratitude to Rector Hamm and board members for their confidence in his future leadership and stewardship of Norfolk State University. “I pledge my best efforts to work collaboratively with all sectors of the university to advance NSU to the next level of academic excellence and national distinction,” said Atwater. “I look forward to serving the students, the faculty, staff and administrators of this excellent university.”

Atwater served as president of Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 2005-2010. IUP is a larger doctoral state university and is reportedly the largest university in the Pennsylvania state university system. Atwater, who guided IUP to a host of accomplishments – academically and financially – brings approximately 20 years experience as a senior administrator.

He also increased enrollment while significantly increasing fund raising and capital construction. Additionally, he diversified the student body while increasing the percentage of faculty with terminal degrees and extending its record of being nationally recognized in both US News and World Report and the Princeton Review.

In his prior assignments, he significantly increased graduation and retention rates, as well as SAT scores. Atwater’s prior comprehensive experience in fund raising, enrollment growth, academic affairs, major capital projects and student services is an enormously positive portent for the present and future of Norfolk State.

Read Full Article at http://www.nsu.edu/news/press/2011/070111.html

For 17-year-old Joi Officer, the IMAF coordinator, this is exactly the case.

On June 11, a year’s worth of Officer’s planning will culminate into the free, day-long festival.

“This is a once in a lifetime experience,” Officer said. “I’ll always have time to relax, but I will never be 17 again and an intern at this festival. I will be able to look back and say I finished school and stuck with this and I was dedicated.”

The Independent Music and Arts Festival, which attracted more than 6,000 guests last year, is largely planned and overseen by a student intern.

Last year Joanna Taft, the executive director of the Harrison Center for the Arts, announced at Herron High School that IMAF was in need of a cultural entrepreneur intern to plan the festival.

Officer, a senior, was one of about 25 students to respond to the announcement.

That 25 was narrowed down to about five students, and Officer was the girl who stood out from the rest.

“When I realized how smart she was, I felt like if she had a year and an advisory board, she could really do a great job,” Taft said. “She said she was scared, but she wanted to do it.”

From a small festival that had 100 attendees, including dogs, when it began in 2001, the IMAF has grown to become a neighborhood tradition. The festival was created in an effort to honor local musicians and artists by featuring live music and original works.

In order to make the cultural event possible, Officer has spent this past year as an intern networking, booking bands and raising funds.

“She has raised money through Facebook. She’s sent e-mails to corporations,” Taft said. “She had to stick with it when it didn’t happen the first time. She had to be persistent.”

As a result of her work raising funds, Officer said she learned she likes to network.

“I’ve learned to take opportunities even though you may not know what to expect,” she said. “You never know who you’ll meet or what you’ll learn.”

Officer has had advisors to turn to whenever she has experienced difficulty in the planning of IMAF. She also attributes her success in planning to a 3-inch-thick binder that contains tips, tricks and recommendations passed down from previous IMAF interns.

After the festival, Officer will update the binder with her own experiences and use it to mentor next year’s intern.

When all is said and done, Officer hopes to get a full time job as a camp counselor at the YMCA and do a bit of traveling. She has been accepted into Spelman College in Atlanta and plans to major in mathematics.

Read Full article at Indianapolis Recorder