President Dr. Trudie Kibbe Reed and Florida A&M University (FAMU) President Dr. James H. Ammons, in concert with the Florida Classic Consortium, announced Wednesday that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) has signed on to become the title sponsor for the annual Florida Classic and the Battle of the Bands. The Consortium also announced an extension of its contract with Florida Citrus Sports that will keep the game at Orlando’s Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium for the next five years. Joined by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and President Ammons at a press conference at Florida Citrus Stadium, President Reed announced the commitment to remain in Orlando.

“We just want to say how much we appreciate the great city of Orlando and the county, for making us feel so comfortable here, for the commitment you have made to this game to make it bigger and better. Thank you very much to the mayor. Thank you to the commissioners. Thank you to all the fans and alumni for both institutions, because the competition is growing every day,” she said. “Since 1997, we’ve continued to get more and more participants, who come to a game, but it’s more than just one game; it is a full weekend of fun, a big-family reunion that is growing so that we have people as far away as New York City, Columbia, S.C., and all over the nation come to be a part of this magic and excitement of competition.”

The agreement with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is for three years with an option to renew in years four and five. During that term, the game will be known as the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Florida Classic, while the Battle will now be called Florida Blue Battle of the Bands.

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Lane College held its annual Founder’s Day Convocation on Sunday, March 6, 2011. Each year on the first Sunday in March, Lane faculty, staff, alumni and students gather to celebrate the college that began as a high school 129 years ago. The College was founded by the Colored (now Christian) Methodist Episcopal Church in America, which Bishop Isaac Lane presided over at the time. The high school was changed to Lane Institution in 1883 and became Lane College in 1895.

“You get the feeling of the history of the school when you step on this campus,” said Adrian Ingram, network support technician for Lane. “You get the sense of the struggles they have overcome to go from, say, 25 to 30 students to 2,200 today.”

Knowing that history helps Lane College students bond and understand what their great-grandparents, grandparents and some parents had to overcome to get them into college, said Dr. Dorothy Dallah, a professor in Lane’s Education Department. Knowing the college’s history also makes students stronger by giving them a sense of the future.

“As you begin to look back and forward,” she said, “there is a relationship. History is to the group as memory is to the individual. Very few people stand alone.”

Speaking inside the Chambers-McClure Academic Center, Bishop Lawrence L. Reddick III told his 700+ audience that one of the four keys to the college’s continued livelihood and the future success of its students is perseverance. Reddick was Sunday’s featured speaker and gave the Founder’s Day Address.

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The Office of Distance Education at Tennessee State University is pleased to announce the launch of a national marketing campaign with Tom Joyner Online Education.

Tom Joyner Online Education is affiliated with the nationally syndicated radio program, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, which has an audience of over 8 million listeners from the east to the west coast.  Beginning May 18, 2011, online degree programs offered through Tennessee State University will be featured. Advertising spots will continue in the afternoons on The Michael Baisden Show. Both shows air locally on 92.1 FM (92Q). President Portia Shields will participate in a live interview on The Morning Show on Monday, May 23, 2011 at 6:45AM (CST).

A target audience for these programs is the nontraditional student who is 25 years of age or older. Tennessee State University’s well-established online degree programs address the needs of this population of students. According to TSU Director of Distance Education, Dr. Cheryl Seay, “Our programs are especially adept at accommodating adults who have completed some college credits, and are seeking to complete a degree for career advancement or professional development.”

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