HBCU Times Magazine

2020 SUMMER ISSUE

F EAT U RI N G

Stephen A. Smith HBCU Night A Dream Deffered But Not Denied

by President Roslyn Artis

Robert Smith’s $40 Millon Gift Revisted Ted Crews

VP of Communications for Super Bowl Champions

HBCU Family Legacy

HBCUs:

Sophisticated, Classy and Illustrious

Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) Program at the Langston University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (LU-RRTC) on Research and Capacity Building for Minority Entities PROJECT OVERVIEW:

The Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) Project at the Langston University (historically Black college/university [HBCU]) Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (LU-RRTC) on Research and Capacity Building represents a collaborative effort between the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston ([ICI] Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution), North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University ([NCA&T] HBCU), South Carolina State University ([SCSU] HBCU), and Jackson State University ([JSU] HBCU). The Project implements a Peer-to-Peer Multiple Mentor Model to help post-doctoral fellows navigate institutional context and cross-fertilize their independent research project and research grant proposal through exchanges with a primary mentor and a scientific panel of mentors comprised of content experts, multicultural specialists, methodologists, and statisticians.

The ARRT Program works in concert with the LU-RRTC drawing upon the center’s extensive minority-serving institution research capacity building expertise, collaborative networks, resources, and interventions (e.g., methodology and grant writing web-based trainings, communities of practice, strategic planning, sponsored programs office and institutional review board technical assistance and consultation), offer courses, webinars, and implement peer mentoring as an innovative strategy to holistically address the fellows’ research skill building needs.

INVITATION TO APPLY:

We invite individuals who have earned a doctorate from a minority-serving institution (i.e., HBCU, Hispanic serving institution, or American Indian tribal college) or traditionally White institution (TWI) and current doctoral candidates (must graduate before beginning fellowship) at minority-serving institutions or TWIs interested in employment research to apply to participate in the post-doctoral fellowship. Minority-serving institution based faculty members who have earned doctorates are also eligible to apply (i.e., 80% research supplements through subcontract for such faculty in residence at their employing minority-serving institution are optional). We strongly encourage individuals with disabilities to apply. We are particularly interested in recruiting candidates who have a strong desire to obtain an academic faculty position or research position at a minority-serving institution upon completion of the fellowship program.

PARTICIPATION INCENTIVES:

• Salary and benefits package- Annual salary with full health benefits • Peer-to-Peer multiple research mentorship opportunity with scientific panel mentors • Financial research agenda start-up package- i.e., study participant honorariums/fellow research travel • Peer reviewed publications • Present research findings at national rehabilitation related conferences If you have any questions regarding the Langston University Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Program (LU-ARRT), please contact | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue Dr. Corey L.2Moore, Principal Investigator/Training Director at (405) 530-7531 or email: capacitybuildingrrtc@langston.edu.

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (LU-RRTC) on Research and Capacity Building for Minority Entities The MISSION of the Langston University RRTC is to improve minority entities’ (e.g., historically Black colleges/universities [HBCUs], Hispanic-serving institutions [HSIs], and American Indian tribal colleges/universities [AITCUs]) disability and rehabilitation research capacity and infrastructure by conducting a programmatic line of research examining experiences and outcomes of persons from traditionally underserved racial and ethnic populations and communities and capacity-building efforts.

LU-RRTC TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

The LU-RRTC serves as a national resource center for minority entities (MEs) seeking to develop their research infrastructure (RI), and to enhance their capacity to engage in disability and rehabilitation research.

To this end, the RRTC initiates dissemination, training and technical assistance (TA) activities to develop strong RIs within MEs for the conduct of research, preparation, submission, and management of NIDRR funded research grant projects. TA services are provided as a part of LU-RRTC interventions for research project participants and to ME and SVRA requestors around the country. The quality, intensity, and duration of TA vary by system (i.e., ME or SVRA) and the readiness of TA recipients.

Minority Entity TA Areas- • Faculty Scholar Role & Function Balance Consultation (e.g., teaching/service/research balance)• Sponsored Programs Office Operations Consultation • Research Infrastructure Strategic Planning • Institutional Review Board (IRB) Operation Consultation • NIDRR Research Proposal Development Mentorship • NIDRR Research Project Management Consultation • Manuscript for Peer Reviewed Publication Development Mentorship • NIDRR Request for Comment (RFC) or Request for Proposal (RFP) Interpretation Consultation • NIDRR Expert Panel Application Development Consultation • Data Management and Analysis Software and Related Technology Support Consultation State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (SVRA) TA Areas- • SVRA Policy Consultation to Improve Outcomes for Persons from Traditionally Underserved Communities • SVRA Rehabilitation Practitioner Consultation or Training to Improve Outcomes for Persons from Traditionally Underserved Communities LU-RRTC PEER-TO-PEER MENTOR RESEARCH TEAM ACADEMY

The LU-RRTC Peer-to-Peer Mentor Research Team Academy represents a collaborative effort between Langston University and the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

The Academy mentors Fellows to conduct research that addresses the rehabilitation needs of persons with disabilities from traditionally underserved backgrounds and communities. Ultimately, the program builds Fellows’ scholarly self-efficacy and research skills by providing them with state-of-the-science knowledge of scientifically valid measurement strategies and methodologies, and direct hands-on experience in the conduct of research and grant proposal development.

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HBCU DR. DAVID STATEN To all of our loyal HBCU Times readers and supporters, we are here for you during these tough times. Due to COVID-19, the world is suffering unimaginable circumstances, from economic hardship to devastating losses. While we as a society endure the wrath of this unexpected pandemic, it is imperative we wield our strength as a global community. We must stand in solidarity, supporting one another and stepping in where we are most needed.

As an entity committed to highlighting and celebrating HBCUs and black excellence, we see our duty as highly necessary now more than ever before. Yet again, this issue is filled with fantastic stories - from words of wisdom to our graduates entering the real world during these uncertain times, to the inside scoop on what it truly means to be a supporter and ally of HBCUs. Our cover story features the notable television personality, sports journalist, and radio host, Stephen A. Smith. A proud alumnus of Winston Salem State University, Smith shares how the relationships he cultivated while there, helped mold him into the outspoken, risktaker he is today. Smith also discusses the significance of giving back and how he continues to support and promote HBCUs, specifically through his Stephen A. Smith Scholarship Fund.

Ted Crews, Vice President of Communications for Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, is another HBCU success story we have the pleasure of featuring in this issue. Crews, an alumnus of South Carolina State University, shares how he went from an unpaid college intern with the Carolina Panthers to an incredible 20-plus-years and counting communications career with the NFL. He delivers some beneficial advice for HBCU 4 | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue

EDITOR’S MESSAGE students interested in a career in professional sports and updates on the representation of HBCUs in the NFL today by all-star players.

Continuing to highlight voices actively committed to increasing HBCU visibility, we have a very special, and appropriately-timed interview with Andres Martin, founder and executive director of HBCU Night, Inc. Martin gets candid about how the current pandemic has impacted the social-gathering aspect of his company, but in no way has slowed down the mission of bringing the conversation of HBCUs into diverse spaces and educating prospective college students.

Finally, you do not want to miss out on our heart-warming feature on the legacy of the Frederick Wright family, a lineage pouring over with HBCU excellence. This family opens up about their powerful decision, over generations, to attend HBCUs. Both the matriarchs and patriarchs of the family discuss the importance of prioritizing academic and professional success as a family unit, as well as, ways to sustain HBCUs by remaining present during difficult times such as now.

Emotions are high and cabin-fever might be present, but we must not sit in negativity.

Use this time to rediscover peace, cultivate relationships with family and friends, and identify what in your life is most important. Maintain your faith, hope and belief that better days are to come. Don’t waste another minute questioning the circumstances of the future; be present in this moment, take a deep breath and enjoy this issue of HBCU Times!

2020 Summer

WHAT’S INSIDE

C ONTE NTS 08

A DR EA M DEF ER R ED B U T N OT DE NIE D

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WHER E A R E A LL THE B LA CK WOME N IN HB CU LEA DER SHI P R OLES?

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N O WAY S TI R ED A N D STI LL STA NDING

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HB CU N I GHT F OR THE CU LTU R E

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THE F R EDER I CK & WR I GHT FA MILY LE G AC Y

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CHOR EOGR A PHER TO THE STA RS

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HB CU s A N D THE N EX T GEN ER ATIO N OF A F R I CA N A M ER I CA N SCI EN TI STS

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COVER STORY: STEPHEN A . SM I TH

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HB CU B A N DS

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TM CF F EATU R E

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GA M E CHA N GER : R OB ERT SM I TH ’S G IFT TO M OR EHOU SE COLLEGE

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HB CU F U N DR A I SI N G

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TED CR EWS: VP OF COM M U N I CATIONS FOR K A N SA S CI TY CHI EF S

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POWER A LU M N I

A N THON Y HA R R I S B R OWN

JA N AY PR I CE

DER R I CK PA R K ER

SHER M A N ETTA CA RTER

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HBCU

CREDITS

EDITOR AND CO-CEO Dr. David Staten CO-CEO Dr. Bridget Hollis Staten ART DIRECTOR Mia Salley ASSOCIATE EDITORS Amori Washington Octavia Robinson Dr. Regina Bush CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dr. Roslyn Artis Dr. Patricia Williams Lesane Ericka Blount Danois Kimberlei Davis Keith Harriston Dr. Marybeth Gasman Dr. Thai-Huy Nguyen Kyra M. Robinson Dr. Harry Williams R. Wayne Woodson E.Jerome Pearson Jr. Anthony Harris Brown Janay Price Derrick Parker Shermanetta Carter MODELS Kierra Carter Tyrus Leech Jasmine Raiford Kayla Hasty LOGO DESIGNER Designs by Mia, LC

CREATIVE CONSULTANTS G.Kenneth Gary Ebony Hillsman Lynita Mitchell-Blackwell Dr. Demarcus Bush Dr. Corey Phillips Dr. Carlton Watson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS ESPN Images-Cover and Photos of Stephen A. Smith Thurgood Marshall College Fund Terrell Maxwell of Maxwell Photography Benedict College Carrie Brown Rolondo Davis Florida A&M University HBCU Nights Meharry Medical College Morehouse College Additional Photos provided by the authors.

ADVERTISING MANAGER Melvin Hart

HBCU Times Inc, LLC Follow Us On:

@HBCU Times

hbcu_times8892 @HBCU_Times www.hbcutimes.com HBCU Times inspired by Ethel & Jordan Staten

PUBLISHER Georgetown Times

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A DREAM DEFERRED BUT NOT DENIED

BY DR. ROSLYN CLARK ARTIS

This is a beautiful time of the year, particularly on the campuses of our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Excitement is in the air as perspective graduates receive their caps and gowns and begin making preparations for the moment they and their families have long dreamed of – commencement!

At Benedict College, nearly 300 seniors who satisfied their degree requirements in December and May, readied themselves to march across the stage and receive the coveted diplomas that symbolize the achievement of their academic goals. Photo shoots were scheduled; announcements/invitations were ordered; and travel arrangements were booked. And then it happened…Covid-19, an international pandemic, hit the United States and forced colleges and universities around the country to evacuate their campuses and close their doors. Social distancing has become more than a catch phrase – it is our “new normal,” requiring

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campus leaders to postpone, and in some cases cancel, traditional May commencements in favor of “virtual commencement ceremonies.”

As I reflected on our decision to postpone Benedict College’s May 9, 2020 commencement to August 8, 2020, it occurred to me that while not cancelled, the graduation delay represents a dream deferred for Benedict graduates. The poem, “Dream Deferred,” by Langston Hughes, is a seminal work that poses the question of what happens when a dream is deferred. As a black man in America during the early 1900s, Hughes understood that deferred dreams often became nightmares for black people in a country that refused to accept their humanity and universally labeled them inferior solely by virtue of the color of their skin.

Reduced to back-breaking manual labor, entrepreneurship was difficult to dream and virtually impossible to realize. Moreover, as a result of inferior schools, that most black children were only

ART

permitted to attend part time, high school completion was a rarity. Collegiate education was a dream realized by a precious few African Americans.

There is an old saying that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Such is the case for many African Americans today. Primary and secondary educational opportunities are often vastly different, and largely inferior, in zip codes populated by people of color. Further, lack of access to capital often creates an insurmountable barrier to entrepreneurship. Despite these challenges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities continue to stand in the gap and level the playing field for a diverse group of students. These venerable institutions provide opportunities for tenacious scholars to develop the skills necessary to compete in our 21st century workforce as highly skilled employees.

Additionally, for aspiring entrepreneurs, HBCUs provide students with the technical competencies they need to create jobs in the new economy.

The postponed commencement is a dream deferred for our students. However, unlike a raisin in the sun, which dries up; a sore that festers and runs; meat that rots and stinks; sweets that crust over; a heavy load that sags; or a bomb that simply explodes, this dream will come true! The pomp and circumstance will be delayed. The diplomas are on hold. The travel plans are rescheduled. The long-anticipated commencement ceremonies

RTIS

will be deferred, but the dreams of our students will not be denied! We will rise again, like a phoenix from the ash. The speeches will be delivered, the faculty will process, and the graduates will don their regalia and cross the stage. The hardearned degrees will be conferred. Commencement is a dream deferred, not denied. The dream will come true…just a little bit later this year!

Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore-And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over-like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

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WHERE ARE ALL OF THE BLACK WOMEN IN HBCU LEADERSHIP ROLES?

BY DR. PATRICIA WILLIAMS LESSANE

Recently, I was assembled with three other Morgan State University leaders for a photograph that would accompany an upcoming article in the university’s magazine about each of our new posts at the university. As the four of us tried out our best professional smiles, rearranged ourselves for what we imagined were the most flattering shots, and gave the photographer a hard time about angles, staging, and lighting, I was awestruck by the company I was in—we were all African-American women who had been recently hired or promoted to significant posts at Morgan. In the last year, Morgan State University has hired or elevated women to the posts of dean, Vice-President for Institutional Advancement, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. To say, that I am honored to be a part of that “number” as we say in the Black Church, is an understatement.

As a proud product of an HBCU, I have long held dreams of one day becoming a college president at a small private HBCU much like Fisk University, where I attended as an undergraduate student. In many ways, coming to Morgan is like returning home to the rich roots of Black scholastic excellence of Fisk which nurtured and nudged me into the scholar-activist and globalcitizen I am today. The rigorous foundational liberal arts training delivered by a committed and talented cadre of faculty, staff, and senior leaders encouraged me to dream big, be courageous, and always give back. But even as I think fondly back on my days at Fisk, it struck me that I couldn’t think of a single Black woman

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who led as a senior administrator while I was there, except one, who as of this writing is still there: Dr. Jessie Carney Smith, Dean of Fisk University Library. Of course, there were a few department chairs and an associate dean of Students, but there were no Black women vice-presidents or provosts during my time at Fisk. It would be a decade after my graduation from Fisk that the university would appoint its first Black woman president, Hazel O’Leary.

One might think—as I had before joining Morgan State University, an HBCU founded by the Baltimore Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1867 and Maryland’s preeminent public research university, that such an occurrence is commonplace at Black institutions of higher education and that the gateway to the HBCU e-suite is a more equitable path for Black women to navigate than at predominately white colleges and universities. However, the barriers to senior leadership at HBCUs, while different than those Black women face at predominately white institutions, are still barriers, nonetheless.

During my first few professional gatherings with leaders from other UNCF-supported HBCUs, I was struck by the lack of parity between African American men and women in presidential and other executive leadership roles. Even with the recent appointments of Black women to the helm of several HBCUs including Tuskegee University, Elizabeth City, and, Norfolk State University, Black men still outnumber Black women presidents.

As of 2019, Black women led 25 of the 100 historically black colleges and universities. According to a recent report by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, this figure is only slightly lower than the 30% of American colleges and universities led by women.

The percentage of minority college presidents has slowly increased over the last 30 years. Women of color, however, are the most underrepresented in the presidency.

But in order for Black women to land top appointments at HBCUs and other universities and colleges, we must first be in the pipeline and hold meaningful leadership roles that drive innovation and chart new territories in teaching, research, and development and ultimately re-imagine academe so that it is more inclusive, equitable, transformative, and reflective of society today and tomorrow. More importantly, this is what is happening at Morgan State University.

sexism in higher education work together to render Black women invisible all while benefiting from our intellectual contributions, high drive, and commitment to scholastic and professional excellence. In many ways, HBCUs function like the Black Church—historically places of refuge, empowerment, and racial uplift where Black women work and Black men lead. But today is a new day. It is time for us to remake HBCUs in a new equitable image with gender parity that recognizes the knowledge and transformative power of Black women.

I am so fortunate to serve as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Morgan State University to learn from my mentors, listen to my fellow colleagues and students, and lead from where I am. It is my sincere hope that someday soon, there will be more Black women counted in this number.

Led by President David Wilson, Ed.D., Morgan State University’s leadership team is diverse in race and gender with women of color holding significant posts as chairs, deans, and vice presidents. While I cannot speak to the professional aspirations of my sister-colleagues at Morgan, what I can say for sure is that given the fast-paced, innovative environment we work in, when and if opportunity knocks at any of our doors, we will be ready, equipped with the wisdom, knowledge, and experiences needed to inspire, lead, and transform the next college or university we join.

I’m honored to serve as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Morgan State University; on any given day, I get to tackle high-level strategic opportunities to move The National Treasure from great to greater. It’s an opportunity I never would’ve received at my previous post at College of Charleston where I earned tenure and promotion in a position which was 95% administrative, and carried the same requirements of teaching, research, and service, as the traditional tenure-track faculty. And while I was eventually promoted to the position of Associate Dean for Strategic Planning and Community Engagement, I was required to maintain my previous position as Executive Director of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, role and responsibilities at the same time. In reality, my promotion wasn’t a promotion at all.

Having successfully navigated the racial and gender barriers before me, I was rewarded for my accomplishments with more responsibilities.

Dr. Patricia Williams Lessane

My collegiate experience as a student at Fisk and my professional experience at College of Charleston taught me how racism and

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NO WAYS TIRED & STILL STANDING… THE HBCU STORY ENDURES BY KYRA M. ROBINSON Adams v. Bennett (Adams v. Richardson). Geier v. Dunn.

U.S. v. Fordice.

When I wrote my master’s thesis-turned-book, No Ways Tired: The Public Historically Black College Dilemma, over two decades ago, these court cases were not unfamiliar to those in HBCU circles. During that time, quite a few public HBCUs were at the center of state-mandated integration lawsuits, grappling with states’ dismantling of dual systems of higher education and concerns about program duplication, trying to balance diversity and maintain HBCU heritage, and confronting other related matters. Back then, some HBCU higher education experts may have argued that state-mandated integration would be one of the most controversial issues facing HBCUs. A Long Way from Where HBCUs Started These matters have had a lasting impact, but time has proven that there is always something else – another giant that historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) must wrestle and slay.

Even though HBCUs have been beacons of hope and access for a people who have been historically denied these freedoms in the mainstream American higher education system, they continue to combat the age-old battle of proving their worth and fight daily to maintain their historical, educational, and cultural significance.

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Throughout HBCUs’ 183-year existence, there have always been external and internal forces threatening their survival. Today’s ever-changing political, economic and legal climate can either be a blessing -- or curse -- for HBCUs. There has been renewed interest in HBCUs, as displayed in the critically acclaimed documentary, Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities. Airing on PBS stations nationwide in February 2018, the film was the brainchild of award-winning director and filmmaker Stanley Nelson. Before its release, HBCUs were experiencing an uptick in enrollment for a myriad of reasons -- nuanced recruiting strategies, expert use of social media, lower tuition costs, and most notably, the shift in the country’s racial climate (as reported by PBS News Hour and other media outlets). Even so, HBCU enrollment numbers continue to fluctuate, with some years seeing lower growth than others. The last enrollment increases were in 2017, which HBCU Digest noted in February 2019.

The Road Isn’t and Hasn’t Been Easy Nonetheless, challenges still exist for these beloved institutions.

The COVID-19 global pandemic endangers the enrollment and financial stability of all higher education institutions, particularly HBCUs. Diverse Issues in Higher Education reports that

the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act has earmarked approximately $1 billion emergency funding for the nation’s minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Further, over the last couple of decades, we’ve lost some HBCUs to closure, while others endure fiscal woes, work to address accreditation issues, or continue to be embroiled in litigation denouncing their “separate, but equal” status quo. Though less prominent in current news accounts, some judicial matters remain relevant, including the dispute between Maryland’s four public HBCUs (Morgan State University, Coppin State University, Bowie State University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore) and the state of Maryland – a case dating back to 2006. According to Inside Higher Ed’s Rick Seltzer in the article, “Maryland HBCU Case Back in Mediation,” this particular case has examined segregation at HBCUs, program duplication at traditionally white institutions (TWIs), and how these two issues may be interrelated.

The Maryland Senate and House of Delegates passed legislation allocating $580 million to these HBCUs over a ten-year period.

Hopefully, Governor Larry Hogan will have signed the bill into law by press time of this article. (Source: The Baltimore Sun, “General Assembly passes legislation for additional funding for Maryland’s historically black universities”) Consequently, these various legal proceedings have birthed several offspring. Some state legislatures are introducing legislation that will seemingly diminish HBCUs’ standing and autonomy.

As reported by HBCU Digest, in the spring of 2019, the Texas House of Representatives floated a bill that would remove Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law from the institution and establish it as a separate institution. Defender News Service provided additional context detailing that the bill’s sponsor, State Representative and two-time TSU alumnus Harold Dutton, proposed the measure proactively as an alternative in the event TSU was moved into a statewide university system.

University administrators disapproved of the bill and countered that they are proud of the university’s independent status and aren’t aware of any plans for the institution to become a part of a larger university structure.

Similarly, Georgia lawmakers have submitted different iterations of a bill that would consolidate the state’s three public HBCUs – Albany State University, Fort Valley State University, and Savannah State University – into a new system, Georgia A&M (Agricultural & Mechanical) University (separate from the University System of Georgia). Many stakeholders at each of

these institutions are resistant to the idea and fearful that the individual university cultures and histories would be lost.

One bill version allows for each school to operate under its own name and president. On the other hand, others agree with State Senator Lester G. Jackson, who sponsored two of the bills. According to Diverse Issues in Higher Education journalist Tiffany Pennamon, Jackson has stated that the intention of this legislation would be to help to address “declining enrollment, historical underfunding, low endowment, a lack of student and alumni involvement in the presidential search process and overall inequities compared to other universities in the state” (“Alumni, Several Lawmakers Decry Proposed Georgia HBCU Bill”).

While no bill has passed yet, Atlanta’s WGCL-TV/CBS 46 has reported that legislation may be reintroduced in 2020.

This is not the first time it has been suggested that Georgia institutions consider pooling their resources into one mega, powerhouse HBCU. In March 2019, The Atlanta JournalConstitution guest columnist Scott Craft suggested merging Morehouse College, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, and the Morehouse School of Medicine into a newly formed institution, Atlanta University. This concept isn’t unheard of in Atlanta, as Clark College and Atlanta University merged to become Clark Atlanta University in 1988 (http://www.cau.edu/ history.html), and the four colleges are members of the Atlanta University Center Consortium.

No stranger to the HBCU experience, Craft, an alumnus of Albany State and Clark Atlanta, cites other successful mergers to support his point in the article, “Should Spelman, Morehouse and Clark Atlanta merge into one super school?” and explains: “The Atlanta University Center, with the right guidance, planning and strategy (not to mention sizable funding) could become the largest most prestigious black college in the country.

If they could forego hubris, ego and status in order to look to the future, they could become a new Atlanta University that stands shoulder to shoulder with other city named schools such as New York University, Boston University and University of Chicago. It would be the Howard University of the South.”

Mergers remain a debatable topic. One thing is for certain, though.

HBCUs are trying to maintain their existence in a transitional higher education atmosphere, and some administrators, partners and constituents are creating feasible and innovative solutions.

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HBCUs Haven’t Come this Far to be Left Behind In spite of challenges, the approximately 100 HBCUs remaining persist! Their caretakers know that navigating the current educational landscape requires new paradigms to move HBCUs forward. HBCUs and HBCU-affiliated organizations are demonstrating that merely thinking outside of that proverbial box is not enough. They must act as if there is no box. Here are a few examples of how the HBCU community is doing just that:

The HBCU story is timeless, with new chapters written daily. It parallels that of the people they were established to serve and educate. How else can one explain their nearly two centuries of existence? There will be progress and setbacks, but they continue to hang in and hold on. The grit, fortitude and sheer will and determination to not just survive, but thrive remains. It has never been easy, but HBCUs have proven that the possibilities abound!

• Some HBCUs, upon losing their Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation have pursued Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) accreditation. Paul Quinn College is TRACS-accredited and both Bennett, which maintains SACS accreditation due to ongoing legal proceedings, and Paine Colleges are seeking it. (Source: Diverse Issues In Higher Education) • The Dayton Daily News has reported that Central State University and Wilberforce University are in talks to consolidate some of their campus operations such as housing, academic courses, food service and library services.

• Cleveland’s WEWS/ABC News 5 featured a story about Cuyahoga Community College partnering with the UNCF to help expose their students to HBCU possibilities. And, Keith Harriston’s article in the Spring 2019 HBCU Times issue highlighted Prince George’s Community College’s relationship with Morehouse College.

• Corporate HBCU collaborations include UnitedHealth Group’s $8.25 million investment in the Atlanta University Center Consortium institutions and Southern Company’s $50 million initiative for select HBCUs within their service area. According to press releases from U.S. Congresswoman Alma Adams’ office, more than three dozen companies participate in the HBCU Partnership Challenge, launched by the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus in 2017 to foster government, industry and HBCU partnerships. (Sources: Business Wire and Southern Company newsroom) • The UNCF study, “HBCUs Punching Above Their Weight: A State-Level Analysis of Historically Black College and University Enrollment and Graduation,” and a companion report, “HBCUs Make America Strong: The Positive Economic Impact of the Nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” highlight HBCU performance in enrolling and graduating students and HBCUs’ economic impact on their local regions, respectively.

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Kyra M. Robinson has built her career in higher and secondary education.

Currently, she is the Educational Leadership program coordinator in the Department of Leadership Studies in Education and Organizations at Wright State University.

Prior to this most recent position, she was employed as an Upward Bound program assistant at the University of Dayton, an academic advisor at Wright State University, and held comparable positions at two historically black institutions, Ohio’s Wilberforce University and Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis. Additionally, she served as a communication specialist with Dayton Public Schools. In her spare time, Kyra utilizes her communications skills and career experiences to write about HBCUs and related academic matters. She also composes articles and posts content on her social media platforms. A fierce advocate of HBCUs, she is also the author of No Ways Tired: The Public Historically Black College Dilemma. A proud alumna of Fisk University, Kyra graduated in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in English. She received a master’s degree in journalism from Ohio University. She and her husband Chet are natives of Dayton, Ohio and are the parents of two children.

“ Never let anyone say that you’re not good enough, or it’s not your time.

My life’s work is about proving the doubters and the pessimists wrong.

Because I know how much we can do together.

It is our time.”

Jaime Harrison

Candidate, U.S. Senate

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Paid for by Jaime Harrison for U.S. Senate

HBCU NIGHT FOR THE CULTURE

BY KIMBERLEI DAVIS

In recent weeks we witnessed a hard stop in life as we knew it.

We’ve all had to grapple with the unprecedented times.

Once labeled a “Democratic hoax,” by the current administration, the coronavirus (COVID-19) reached all 50 states and the District of Columbia quicker than we could blink our eyes.

There were mandatory lockdowns and curfews, millions working from home, students e-learning, a rush on toilet tissue and hand sanitizer and devastating falls in the stock market - it left none of us untouched.

COVID-19 impacted all facets of daily life, including how businesses must operate.

College life, in particular life on an HBCU campus is all about being a part of the social scene.

For Andres Martin, founder and executive director of HBCU Night, Incorporated he, like so many other leaders, had to navigate what the next steps were after watching the virus wreck havoc on months of planned events.

The 11-city IMPACT Tour had stops still scheduled in Los Angeles, Miami and Houston before Dre and his team knew they had to pull the plug to ensure volunteer and attendees safety.

Most were to be held in arenas that were home to NBA teams.

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In an interview prior to the pandemic, I asked Dre about HBCU Night, Inc; its purpose and plan for the future.

HBCU TIMES: You describe HBCU Night as a multifaceted event that celebrates African-American heritage while creating awareness for HBCUs, how successful have the events been in terms of increasing enrollment?

DRE MARTIN: Our events have had a major impact on high school students from grades 9-12. Last year in Brooklyn, we were able to reach 50% of the 12th-grade attendees to go on to matriculate at HBCUs. HBCU TIMES: What portion of proceeds from HBCU Night(s) go directly to institutions?

DRE MARTIN: Given our affiliation with the HBCU Alumni Alliance chapters nationwide and local partnerships with other Divine 9 and HBCU Alumni chapters, we were able to consult a proceed figure per ticket with each market. Each market has varied from $5-$10 on each ticket purchased for each chapter. This provides an opportunity for chapters to donate to scholarship funds, institutions, etc.

HBCU TIMES: You’ve been able to successfully partner with a number of NBA teams/arenas to host these events, how has that relationship helped with your mission?

MARTIN

DRE MARTIN: Partnering with NBA teams has been great. It allows us to be a resource that helps contribute to community relations initiatives and provide our HBCU Night structure to present to a multitude of demographics in these arenas.

Our mission is to create awareness for HBCUs in various diverse spaces and educate the prospective college students about illustrious HBCUs. This eventually leads to us providing resources for matriculation opportunities.

and alumni with career opportunities. Our Black Excellence Mixer is organized for us to celebrate Black Excellence, Divine 9 Excellence, and engage in a fundraiser opportunity and our Live Entertainment component is contingent on the entity we are partnering with but it’s organized to have chapter organizations enjoy entertainment in addition to the Black Excellence Mixer.

Therefore, our components collectively are designed to appease a multitude of demographics and exude HBCU excellence.

HBCU TIMES: Can you elaborate on current or former NBA players or executives who are HBCU grads and how they’ve helped advocate or become ambassadors for the cause?

HBCU TIMES: The IMPACT Tour has made at least six stops so far in major cities. Are there plans to take the tour to places where access isn’t as readily available?

DRE MARTIN: We have a list of prominent figures inducted into our HBCU Night Panel HOF, who have equally dedicated their time to spread the gospel for HBCUs. Some executives who have helped advocate for HBCU Night are DJ Envy, Real Estate mogul and Host of Power 105.1’s, The Breakfast Club, George F. Spencer, Executive Vice President of Business Development, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Valeisha Butterfield-Jones, Global Head of Inclusion at Google just to name a few.

HBCU TIMES: Talk about the five components of HBCU Night: DRE MARTIN: Well the HBCU To Executive Panel serves as an opportunity to enlighten prospective college students about our benefits of enrolling in our beloved HBCUs, our HBCU Fair is an opportunity for these prospective college students to also jump in front of recruiters and admissions representatives to learn more about what the curriculums have to offer, on-spot enrollment and scholarship opportunities as well. Our Diversity & Inclusion Career Fair is designed to help rising seniors in college

DRE MARTIN: We think globally and act locally. Our goal is to reach as many locations in dire need of educational resources. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic we have cancelled the rest of The Impact Tour, but once circumstances are safe for large gatherings we will proceed to expand nationally and internationally to increase efforts and impact metrics.

HBCU TIMES: Share how HBCU Nights came to be and since its inception what have you learned about yourself?

DRE MARTIN: HBCU Night came to fruition from presenting our multifaceted strategy in a few boardrooms during my tenure at the Brooklyn Nets. My presentation was on why it made sense from a corporate responsibility standpoint and a community relations standpoint. I learned I’m just another HBCU advocate who loves to celebrate HBCUs. HBCUs played a critical role in history and mean so much for the trajectory of this country and because of that I knew I was willing to dedicate my entire career to add more to the legacy of HBCUs.

HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue | 17

HBCU TIMES: When you and your team are putting together panelists, what about the guests resumé makes him or her stand out?

DRE MARTIN: This is an exciting time for our board. For myself, I seek for industry executives and leaders who have made a significant impact in their careers. It’s about the message they can convey and the inspirational stories they can share as well.

Our list of prospective speakers is a great list and our goal is to see how they can explain the benefits of attending HBCUs and how their HBCU has helped them navigate to their executive seats they sit in today.

HBCU TIMES: What did your time as a Tiger at Grambling State University deposit in you?

DRE MARTIN: Grambling’s motto is “Where Everybody is Somebody.” This is exactly what Grambling exudes. It was the best experience I had as a college student as I was gaining true independence, but also learning the possibilities of me achieving my goals were up to me. The community at Grambling was family oriented and I felt accepted. The student life was incredible. I think that’s why I love Grambling so much because it introduced me to my adulthood and challenged me academically so much it helped me develop significantly in the time I was there. It was also refreshing to see how many successful alumni have paved the way. That’s exactly what a young Black scholar like myself needed at the time, direction and inspiration.

HBCU TIMES: You’re wrapping up studies at Howard University, how have you been able to integrate worklife while spearheading the tour?

DRE MARTIN: It has been a challenge, but I have learned it is important to manage time strategically down to each minute.

With time being the most valuable commodity on earth, I knew these tasks were going to be attainable to achieve, but I had to remain focused on completing my list of tasks every day. Whether it was jumping off a call for HBCU Night to jumping on a conference call with my EMBA professors/cohort, I had to focus on prioritizing, balancing and executing my tasks accordingly..

HBCU TIMES: Share at least two memories from attendees at one of the HBCU Night events.

DRE MARTIN: There were many groups of bright young

18 | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue

scholars who engaged with great questions all over the country, but seeing how Hamilton High School in LA (where the late great Nipsey Hussle attended) engaged in asking important questions and the panel replying with responses to the point where the audience were snapping their fingers (as if it were a poetry reading) was fulfilling because it showed how much the students wanted to learn. Also, there were scholarships handed out in many markets, but seeing the expression for $50k being issued in Memphis from PSC recruiter, Tamara Bates, was joyful.

HBCU TIMES: What lasting impact would you like for HBCU Night to have and do you see a need for it in 2040?

DRE MARTIN: I would like to see HBCU Night continue to serve as a resource that helps with the decision-making process for the future executives, doctors, lawyers, presidents, and more.

I want to see how many students we are/were able to help encourage to evolve and help them discover purpose through the many effective curriculums our HBCUs have to offer. Our programming is essential. Unless there is significant change in economic inequality status, diversity in the corporate sector and a significant increase of c-suite leaders from HBCUs, then it will indeed be necessary to continue to advocate for HBCUs with our five philanthropic components. HBCU Night is also an experience to be able to celebrate and exude HBCU excellence and that legacy shall live on forever.

HBCU TIMES: What’s your ask?

DRE MARTIN: Our ask is to partner with large corporations and other small businesses to help with these philanthropic initiatives. These students from lower socioeconomic areas deserve an opportunity to learn more about HBCUs from a multitude of HBCU organizations, alumni and other advocates in addition to live entertainment. We want to expand efforts and we want the HBCU community to continue to join arms for our next generations of scholars and leaders.

College students work hard to get to their senior year.

That special time when family, friends, Frats and Sorors get to see you turn your tassel.

It’s still up in the air for many colleges and universities if and when commencement will happen.

Social distancing has become the ‘new normal’ for an American culture that is all about being social albeit on Insta or TikTok. So what do we do? We stay together to help each other and help those who need our aid.

We focus on what is important right now — our health, the health of our families, friends, and communities.

Before the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans were largely barred from white-dominated institutions of higher education.

And so Black Americans, and their White supporters, established their own schools across the South to educate emancipated slaves, which came to be known as Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The Morrill Act of 1890, which required states to provide land-grants for colleges to serve black students, allowed HBCUs to build their own campuses.

As a result, Black students who previously had negligible opportunities to attend college, now had a greater sense of purpose and a place they could truly call their own.

With more than 100 of which are still open today, HBCUs, afforded Blacks the opportunity to pursue degrees in environments where they were supported, protected, reaffirmed and in most cases gave them dignity.

HBCU graduates helped launch the Civil Rights Movement, built the Black middle class, staffed the pulpits of Black churches, have gone on to win Noble and Pulitzer Prizes, Oscars, and become professors at their alma mater.

Some people still ask whether HBCUs have outlived their purpose.

Yet for the students who attend them and for graduates who have walked their halls, HBCUs still play a crucial — and unique — role.

Hear first-person testimony from the Frederick and McDuffie family about why they chose an HBCU. Like most social media challenges, all you need is a phone and willing participants.

What started as a trip home in 2019 to spend Christmas with her parents in Sumter, South Carolina, the click of a button with Fredereka McDuffie’s family resulted in a moment in history to be shared for generations to come.

20 | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue

BY KIMBERLEI DAVIS

With her family onboard to represent their respective HBCUs “it was on.”

As the winners of HBCU Times’ family legacy photo challenge, the South Carolina State University Bulldog (‘92) said, the moment “caused me to pause and really reflect on the beautiful legacy that our parents have bequeathed to us. As proud HBCU alum, their educational journeys set the framework for our own journeys. My

Atlanta residents Fredereka and her husband Kelvin sponsor an annual SC State Bulldog Scholarship at Cascade United Methodist Church so that as many students as possible can have that HBCU experience that her parents L.C. and Carolyn Frederick and Bernice McDuffie Wright touted.

Before retiring as a professor at Morris College and as Lee County School District’s Assistant Superintendent/Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Carolyn Frederick and Bernice McDuffie Wright were both Valedictorians of their high schools.

See for Fredereka, her sister Marla, and their spouses Kelvin and Eric, “Black Excellence” has been a thing before they were born.

L.C., a former baseball player at Morris College (‘65), hit a home run when he met his bride while they both were pursuing MBAs in Finance at then Atlanta University (‘67 and ‘66).

“Black Excellence looks like equal opportunity for growth and development,” said the financial advisor and former student body vice president.

For the Southern University Jaguar (‘65), Carolyn believes, “Black excellence is being your absolute best and helping others along the way.”

“Black excellence is our culture...setting goals... looking into yourself and using your skills and talents to the best of your ability,” said South Carolina State University alumna Bernice McCants McDuffie Wright (‘66, ‘76 and ‘85).

mom use to say when we were growing up, ‘You need an HBCU experience’ and she was right,” the Clark Atlanta University (‘96) alumna exclaimed.

“It framed not only our intellectual journeys, but our worldview, our sense of being in the world, our friendships and relationships and our deep appreciation for the work of black institution building – whether supporting black colleges, black businesses or black churches.”

As the patriarch and matriarchs of their families who each endured the effects of segregation and discrimination, they’ve only used those experiences to impact the world in areas of education, accounting, business and to “pass on this HBCU legacy to my grandchildren so that they too can succeed.”

Tatyana McDuffie was in the final stretch of her freshman year at Howard University when the COVID-19 pandemic hit America - hundreds of miles away from her two sisters and parents Fredereka and Kelvin.

The Dean’s List student in the School of Communications’

HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue | 21

Annenburg Honors Program forged her own path as a Bison and not a Bulldog like her parents.

to think critically and analyze data-information effectively and the ability to graduate debt free.”

However, it’s their shared belief on the relevance of HBCUs that would make the faint of heart believe in the vision laid out many years ago.

For these three reasons Eric Pristell said he’s able to, “benefit from the return on the investment in my education.”

Supporting your HBCU is so much more than just wearing a t-shirt; it’s about digging your heels in when times such as these are tough and our institutions are relying on alumni for support.

“(HBCUs) produce many of the Black leaders of tomorrow...the culture of HBCUs has influenced mainstream media and pop culture,” Tatyana said.

As a student at SC State (‘90), Tatyana’s father’s most memorable collegiate experience came when he had a chance to speak on the floor at the SC State House, “in an effort to get more funds to support the School of Engineering.”

“We sustain HBCUs by making them a part of our annual giving efforts. We can also help by making a more concerted effort to compel others like professional athletes...to pool resources and give,” the NAACP and National Society of Black Engineers member said.

Marla had a scholarship to attend the University of South Carolina, the high school senior turned it down and went on to become Miss Spelman College (‘93/’94).

Dr. Frederick Pristell (‘94) said winning the photo challenge was an opportunity to “celebrate a president, Dr. O.R. Reuben and his wife Dr. Anna D. Reuben, who embraced my father and made room for him to attend Morris College as a young sharecropper from Dunbarton, South Carolina.”

The Frederick and McDuffie family are a shining example of what it means to listen to the heeding of your ancestors and the voice of God. These men and women have traveled life’s path by shattering ceilings in education and business arenas, helping people get financial independence and they’ve used their sorority and fraternity circle of influence to cultivate change.

Change, though necessary, is often hard.

One thing that the current state of affairs has taught us even more clearly is that those in your four walls are our legacy.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our family, just like most families; We have not seen our parents face-to-face since February and we typically see our parents and siblings pretty regularly,” Frederka said.

“I believe a pandemic like this really makes you look at what matters most- spending as much time as possible with the ones you love as tomorrow is not promised.”

“I chose North Carolina Central University because of its track record of affirming the racial/ethnic identity of AfricanAmerican students, the ability and capacity to educate students

WRIGHT 22 | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue

®

Transformation Through Collaboration www.scsu.edu

DID YOU KNOW...

SC State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). In addition, several of its programs are accredited by 14 national accrediting agencies.

SC State University was founded in 1896 as the state’s only publicly supported HBCU. SC State University has a currrent student enrollment of approximately 2,500.

SC State University is one of only two South Carolina Land Grant Institutions (Clemson).

SC State University is the top producer of African American Teachers and School Administrators in South Carolina.

Eighty-Five percent of SC State University’s student population are South Carolina residents.

SC State University has an economic impact of more than $145 million on the Greater Orangeburg Region, creating more than 1,500 jobs annually.

SC State University’s notable alumni include U.S. House of Representatives Majority Whip James E. Clyburn; Miss USA 2017 Kara McCullough; NFL Rookie of the Year Darius Leonard; The Honorable Matthew J. Perry, Jr., Senior U.S. District Judge; The Honorable Ernest A. Finney, Jr., former S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice and The Honorable Donald Beatty, third African American Supreme Court Judge in South Carolina.

SC State University’s School of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, a distinction held by only 5% of business schools worldwide.

SC State University offers signature programs in civil, industrial, electrical, and mechanical engineering, and has the only undergraduate program in nuclear engineering in South Carolina.

SC State University is recognized for its coveted accredited programs in speech pathology & audiology, education, business, biology, criminal justice, music industry and communications.

SC State University’s world renowned ROTC “Bulldog Battalion” has produced 22 general officers, second only to West Point.

SC State University is designated as a National Academic Center of Excellence in Cyber Defense Education.

SC State University’s head football Coach, Oliver “Buddy” Pough, is the Winningest Coach in SC State history.

SC State University has partnered with the U.S. Coast Guard to allow students to transition into the branch and commission as officers.

SC State University’s Department of Education has been awarded $1.4 million by the South Carolina Legislature to fund its Minority Access To Teacher Education (MATTE) Program.

Follow SC State University SC State University’s Biology Department partnered with MUSC for $12.5M research grant in Cancer Research.

Facebook Twitter, Instagram, YouTube SC State University @SCSTATE1896 HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue | 23

www.scsu.edu

This adage holds true for California native Jamal Josef.

The celebrity choreographer and Voorhees College alum is acquainted with struggle and it makes him appreciative of the process, preparation, and prosperity.

In the days of Insta-gratification and people wanting Instasuccess, few appreciate true grind and seldom realize that anything you gain instantly can instantly be taken away.

Before he was helping Beyoncé create a whole mood during 2018’s Coachella - the most searched performance in Google history (according to the tech giant) or choreographing the moves for Wanda Sykes and Faith Evans for Bounce TV’s 28th Trumpet Awards, he watched his car get repossessed, found himself living on a friends’ sofa for a few weeks and selling his beloved dog just to get by.

Unashamed of the lesson’s life has taught, Jamal is an overcomer.

Raised a PK and a member of an entertainment family, Jamal had assurance that there was a call on his life, but sought how to make the two fit.

Josef has performed with award-winning artists like Raphael Saadiq, Kirk Franklin and The Walls Group and his talent has been featured on NBC’s “World of Dance” and “Saturday Night Live.”

A 2010 graduate, Josef earned an undergraduate degree in mass communications.

Making the transition from a Texas high school that was nearly double the size of Denmark was not an easy adjustment - at first.

Arriving on campus with an academic and choir scholarship in tow, Jamal was set to make his mark - but if he could only get a few bars.

“I was like ‘I have AT&T, why don’t I have a cell signal in this city,’” he quipped. “It was definitely a culture shock and slower pace of life.”

VOORHEES ALUM AND

CHOREOGRAPHER TO THE STARS

BY KIMBERLEI DAVIS 24 | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue

It was at Voorhees, however, that Josef joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and added he really began to understand and appreciate his gift and how to manage and create productions with no budget.

“Being Step Master and spearheading performances helped prepare me for what I do now,” he said.

Jamal danced for Pharell’s album release party with less than 12 hours’ notice.

He said Pharell was really down-to-earth and easy to work with, but when he got the call it taught him to always be ready and helped develop his mind mentally for other opportunities down the road.

While on campus, Jamal said he also had an opportunity to help breakdown certain mentalities while educating and exposing his fellow Tigers, that “there is something to believe in” beyond what you can see.

Each set that Josef is booked for pushes him forward in different ways he says.

Though he would not live back in South Cackalacky, Jamal has not forgotten the Palmetto State and has been a guest lecturer at Allen University and in 2019, choreographed the Mr. and Miss Benedict College Pageant - “Courtchella.”

Unable to take the music home to study, Josef said he had to remember the music and strike the right balance between being Greek, but not too Greek so that all spectators could appreciate the culture of stepping.

The HBCU experience taught Josef how to work efficiently and deal with different types of people.

He’s a master of his craft but is humble enough to say he has more to learn and do. This reality became all too clear as the Future History founder, joined millions as Kobe Bryant’s tragic death in January ignited collective grief.

Over the last few years, Jamal has lost some close relatives and friends and it’s caused him to become more introspective.

“Life happens, but you have to finish the job you’re called to. You still have to show up, recalling a line from House of Alpha, ‘Tired moments find me a delightful treat…’”

He said, “The intake experience for Alpha and having graduated from an HBCU really helped me deal with many aspects of life.”

“A lot of the entertainers that we’ve come to love have come from HBCUs. The more that we can support HBCUs, it gives young Black people a place to go and develop and network with aspiring leaders who look like them.”

“When you get out into the real world - you’re Black and little is cared about the fact that you went to Harvard,” he said.

“If we support HBCUs the way we do PWIs, we could have the same great things and more, but it begins with us supporting us even when no one else will.”

Not many people can say that they’ve worked with the A list clientele as Josef has.

It was ‘Beychella’ that stretched the artist the most so far.

Many have asked why he grinds so hard.

“You never know when your time is up. Using the time God gave you is important. Loving those beside you,” he wrote on Facebook.

“All the fame and social media likes fade away, but your legacy lives on,” Josef said his grind is 100 times harder now since the ill-fated flight took the life of the Lakers legend #24, his daughter Mamacita #2 and seven other remarkable people.

Jamal said he likes being the light in a dark place.

“I lean on my father a lot for spiritual guidance and he also understands the business side of the entertainment industry.”

Make no mistake, Jamal is a beast with his dance moves, but he’s mean with the racket and paintbrush.

The tennis player and muralist is expanding his business to include Future History and Eden Dance Ministry.

“Create a future that’s going to make a great history” is his mantra.

“It’s very humbling and something I’m still getting used to in terms of realizing just how blessed I am to have worked with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry.”

Erykah Badu, Megan Thee Stallion, Brandy, and Jazmine Sullivan are a few artists that Josef would like to team up with.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself to do better or be worse,” the N.E.R.D. dancer said.

But, if afforded the opportunity to work with Serena Williams, he’ll probably shed a tear or two.

HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue | 25

2020 is well underway, but for Josef, he is looking to elevate his career to include movies, broadway and choreographing an entire tour.

“Some days I’m still figuring it out, but I encourage people to check on your “strong” friends, the one who you think has it all together - they need you too.”

For Jamal, sleep and food are the go-to for downtime. “I keep hot sauce in my bag.”

Support isn’t always financial, it could be sharing posts, referring you to someone or vice versa or asking what you can do to help, Josef said.

Anything Cajun, Mexican, Thai or Chinese would be a perfect pairing for a night catching up on Hulu.

One thing’s for sure, Jamal has worked for some big names, serves a big God, but he has a heart that is just as big.

The Libra says he loves both the beach and the mountains but would choose to spend the day in the mountains.

A lover of hats, he would rock a suit to a Kanye West Sunday Service.

The night owl said plant-based eating is cool, but he needs meat.

There’s nothing like unwinding with a hot cup of chamomile tea after a hard day of putting in work, but there’s also nothing like the support of true friends.

“Support your friends like they are Beyoncé.”

Josef debuted his first dance short film inspired by the movie Harriet.

The dancers in ‘Harriet of Exodus’ performed to Cynthia Erivo’s Oscar-nominated song ‘Stand Up.’ Your friends are like your family and should be the first ones in a room and the last ones to leave.

Kimberlei Davis is a published author, brand strategist, empowerment speaker and an accomplished journalist currently working in print, digital and broadcast media. She is a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University and is the founder of The LEAP Foundation, a non-profit organization aimed at assisting with the academic outcome of foster children. Kimberlei is the mother of one son, Benjamin.

Connect with the writer @KimberleiDavis

26 | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue

DREAM IT • LEARN IT • ACHIEVE IT

Find Your Future at Morgan State University.

morgan.edu

College of Liberal Arts • School of Architecture & Planning School of Business & Management • School of Community Health & Policy School of Computer, Mathematical & Natural Sciences • School of Education & Urban Studies • School of Engineering • School of Global Journalism & Communication • School of Graduate Studies • School of Social Work

HBCUs AND THE NEXT GENERATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN SCIENTISTS

BY DR. MARYBETH GASMAN & DR.THAI-HUY NGUYEN

The United States is in racial chaos, with racial slights and aggressions being thrown around like baseballs and a federal effort to weaken the enforcement of civil rights in full swing. In the midst of this environment, many African American students are pursuing degrees in the STEM fields. We have a choice— to ensure that they have a positive and successful learning experience that embraces both their identity and desire to earn degrees in STEM or continue as is, with significant numbers of Blacks dropping out of the STEM fields due to systemic racism and a lack of belief in their intellect and potential.

Colleges and universities promote diversity nearly every day.

Both the public and private sector send messages that we need more diversity in STEM in order to be globally competitive and to fill STEM-related positions in the U.S. Yet, most institutions of higher education have yet to change the rules of the game—they often operate in ways that maintains the status quo, White and male. If higher education is serious about being more inclusive and shaping the talent pool in our country, it must have deeper, critical conversations about the way STEM courses are taught, the assumptions and implicit biases held by faculty and students, the intense focus on competition, the obsession with only the ‘best’ students, and the lack of sincerity around faculty diversity.

Doing otherwise shows a truncated commitment to diversity overall.

In our book, Making Black Scientists: A Call to Action (Harvard University Press, 2019), we offer an agenda for promoting greater racial equity by considering practices that can alter the rules of the game, leading to wider access to opportunities that facilitate achievement in STEM for Black students. These practices are drawn from what we learned at the 10 HBCUs in this book.

Many HBCUs have been using these practices for decades and have disproportionate results for African Americans in STEM given their size, resources, and the preparation of their students.

Colleges and universities across the nation would benefit from 28 | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue

N

looking the way of HBCUs for expertise in STEM education.

Enacting institutional responsibility to promote Black student achievement in STEM is rooted in the very belief that all students have the inherent intelligence and capacity to learn and succeed no matter their circumstances. Colleges and universities must promote a belief that all students can succeed and take the responsibility to ensure that success. Institutional responsibility is understanding the circumstances that can constrain student progress and taking action toward mitigating their influence and in essence centering students who need greater attention and support. Campus leaders must focus on addressing differences in learning gaps among students of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. Rather than merely pointing fingers at students for their lack of performance, we must consider the institution’s responsibility in carrying these students forward.

Learning in the STEM fields is cumulative. A lack of preparation does not mean students cannot excel in STEM; it means that they need more exposure to sound study skills and opportunity to work with the material to reach their goals and it is the job of faculty members to provide these opportunities. Just as we build muscle in the body to become stronger physically, we must build muscle in STEM to ensure that students succeed. It is essential that more faculty members begin to consider intelligence as malleable, or a muscle that grows with hard work, as opposed to associating intelligence with one’s shortcomings or lack of opportunity.

Within most institutions, individualism is privileged over collaboration and community; faculty members often communicate with students that many of them will crack under the pressure and challenges of the courses, suggesting that not all students are meant for STEM degrees. However, the 10 HBCUs in our study teach us how both faculty members and students can collaborate to have a richer experience. Students, working hand-in-hand to solve problems and challenges, realize that they all make more significant progress when they support each other and work as a team. They understand that none of them lose out by helping others, and in fact, they benefit greatly from the knowledge and support of their peers. And faculty members at these HBCUs who work together across disciplines, classes, and curricula, learn that they benefit from more welcoming and family-like environment in which regular communication with each other strengthens the work that they do for and with students. Those faculty members that center students in the STEM fields value collaboration and connectedness with each other and among students.

Faculty members at each of the HBCUs we visited see the success of African American students in STEM as a social justice issue due to the vast inequities across STEM, healthcare services, and academia. They also see HBCUs as a mechanism for cultivating scholars who are dedicated to promoting a just and humane society. The social justice mentality of HBCU faculty members results in a focus on students’ learning needs. What we

found in STEM departments at HBCUs resonates with college and university rankings in the Washington Monthly, which, unlike the US News and World Report rankings, focus on institutions that add value to students and have a focus on social justice and service.

Viewing students as family at HBCUs is about the amount of energy and resources faculty members are willing to deploy for their students. When students at the HBCUs in this study were viewed as family, faculty members were protective and held them accountable on a daily basis. The very notion of family means offering unwavering support at the same time as having high expectations. The combination of the two leads to success for students who want to be held accountable and nurtured in their learning environments.

We hope that readers will push back on status quo practices taking place in STEM classrooms and programs across the nation. Moreover, we hope that STEM faculty members and practitioners will have the will to provide the best learning experiences for African American students and all students.

Dr. Marybeth Gasman is the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education & Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University.

Dr. Thai-Huy Nguyen is an Assistant Professor of Education at Seattle University

HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue | 29

Stephen A. Smith

ESPN MEDIA TITAN

BY KEITH HARRISTON

30 | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue

S

tephen A. Smith, arguably the most-recognized onair personality at ESPN, came out of Thomas Edison High School in Queens, N.Y., as a combo guard on the school’s basketball team. After graduation, he headed for the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. Within a year, however, a family friend arranged a tryout for Smith with legendary basketball coach Clarence “Big House” Gaines at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) in North Carolina.

At the session with Gaines, Smith stood behind the three-point line. He shot a jumper. Swish. And another. Swish. And still another. Swish. In fact, Smith recalls, he did that 14 more times.

All in a row.

“I hit 17 straight threes,” Smith said in an interview with HBCU Times. “And that was that.”

He left the Fashion Institute after a year, enrolled at Winston Salem State and played for Coach Gaines. The rest, as they say, is history.

Whether Smith is ESPN’s most recognized personality might be up for debate, but here is what isn’t. Smith is among the network’s highest paid on-air talent, with some reports estimating his recently-signed new contract at over $8 million a year. He works a hectic schedule that includes his daily show, “First Take” on ESPN and appearances on other ESPN-branded platforms.

Since late October 2019, Smith also hosts “SportsCenter with Stephen A. Smith,” which serves as the network’s NBA pregame show on Wednesdays during the professional basketball regular season and playoffs.

Smith gives much credit of his wildly-successful career as a journalist-turned-sometimes-bombastic-sports personality to his time at Winston-Salem State University, especially to Gaines.

How close were the two? Smith remembers that at the end of one fall semester, he wanted to drive from North Carolina back home to New York for the break. But Smith had no money to pay for gasoline. “I asked Coach Gaines,” Smith remembered.

NCAA rules, of course, prohibit coaches from giving money to student athletes.

“So the first thing he said was ‘You got a pretty nice damn watch,’” Smith said. “He took the watch. Gave me money for gas and said, ‘Your watch will be waiting for you when you get back.’ That was Coach Gaines.”

“The things that I’ve been blessed with and fortunate enough to do, he saw that in me back then,” Smith said of Gaines, who died in 2005. “He was like a father to me. We talked every day after practice—hardly about basketball. He constantly lectured me about life.”

Smith, who graduated in 1991 with majors in advertising and communications, cites others at Winston-Salem State and the community there for helping him evolve as a person and a journalist: Larry Little, who teaches in the Political Science Department; Robert DeVaughn, a former director of the Telecommunications Department; Johnny Gates, an editor at the Winston-Salem Journal; and Marilyn Roseboro, from the Department of Communications and Media Studies, who taught Smith newswriting and reporting.

HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue | 31

“He could be a challenge,” Roseboro, who retired in 2011, said of her former student. “He tested your knowledge. He was aggressive. When we had guests in class, he didn’t shy away from asking them tough questions.

“I have said before that every professor loves to have students like him,” she said. “He was fearless. He would go wherever the story took him.”

One such time came when Smith wrote a story for the student newspaper saying that Gaines--his coach, his mentor and father figure—should step down from his coaching position because of Smith’s concerns about Gaines’ health. “[Gaines] knew exactly what I was going to write,” Smith said, “because I went to him and told him what I was going to write. I wanted to look him in the face and tell him. I was worried about his health and thought he should retire from coaching. I wanted to express my love and devotion to him.

“He said, ‘f… you. You do what you have to do.’”

The story caused a stir on campus and led some in the university administration to call for disciplining Smith, who was still playing for Gaines. Some administrators even talked about expelling Smith.

“When the chancellor at the time came after me for the story, [Gaines] was the first to come to my defense,” Smith said.

Roseboro, Smith’s one-time newswriting and reporting teacher said that Smith keeps in touch and always responds to her requests. “He provides giveaways. He donates. He shows up in person. Anything he can do, he will do,” she said.

Last fall, Smith’s show “First Take” was live from the 76ers Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Del., as part of Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week. The show, with Smith, Max Kellerman and hosted by Molly Qerim Rose, broadcasted during a college fair at the arena that is home to the Philadelphia 76ers 32 | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue

G League team. Smith said “First Take” helped to raise $3.7 million in scholarship money “in one day.”

“I was happy and proud to be a part of that day,” Smith said.

“HBCUs have an awful lot to offer. We have to pay attention to them. I’m a graduate of an HBCU,” Smith said. “Anytime you have an opportunity to give back, you have to jump at it.”

Smith’s relationship with Winston-Salem State certainly has changed since that story he wrote about Gaines almost got him kicked out of school. During the “First Take” live broadcast from Wilmington, Del., last fall, current WSSU Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson showed up. He announced that the university had created the Stephen A. Smith Scholarship Fund, which provides need-based scholarships for student athletes. On his own, Smith has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to WSSU athletics and the Department of Communications and Media Studies.

Meanwhile, his main ESPN show, “First Take,” has at least six months of consecutive audience growth. And during its timeslot—10 a.m. to noon, ESPN is the top cable or broadcast network with a key demographic: males ages 18-34.

“I say what I mean, and I mean what I say,” Smith said of his success. “To stick around as long as I have, I’ve learned that you have to be true to yourself.”

Smi th Keith Harriston is freelance writer who lives outside of Washington, D.C. He worked for 23 years at The Washington Post as a beat reporter, investigative reporter, editor and senior manager in the newsroom. He was twice a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. He has taught journalism at Howard University, American University and George Washington University. He continues to write for The Washington Post.

He also has written for www.theroot.com,theundefeated. com, Ebony Magazine and other publications.

He earned a B.A. in communications from Morehouse College, an M.S. in journalism from the University of Kansas and a certificate in news management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education.

HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue | 33

HBCU BANDS

BY ERICKA BLOUNT DANOIS

In Beyonce’s Netflix special, “Homecoming” she performed a concert at Coachella in tribute to HBCU’s. An HCBU-styled marching band was prominently featured with all the bells and whistles that bring audiences to the games who prioritize seeing the band over the football team. As Beyonce dazzled the crowd, saxophonists and trombonists waved their instruments and performed choreographed dances as they played. Step teams and dancers moved in rhythm with the band.

Growing up in Houston, Beyonce said, she would attend battleof-the-bands at Prairie View A&M University - a band that started out as an all-female ensemble.

“There is something incredibly important about the HBCU experience that must be celebrated and protected,” she told reporters.

Marching bands are a legacy that is central to the black college experience. But HBCU marching bands aren’t like high school bands with majorettes who twirl flags. HBCU bands get down and dirty with paegentry and showmanship. There’s high kicking drum majors and intricate formations as band members perform the latest dances, moving in unison with other band members as they play the latest songs with their instruments.

Black marching bands ushered in an era of marching bands for college of all persuasions. Historians connect the showmanship to Egun masqueraders of the Yoruba tribe who play instruments 34 | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue

and dance during funeral processions. Black drill sergeants and military bands are also noted by historians as the derivation of the style of HBCU marching bands. Many of the musicians from military bands went on to join the faculty of HBCU’s.

Tuskegee University originated the first black college marching band which began as a military band for Tuskegee Industrial Institute. Tuskegee was the first HBCU marching band with high-knee stepping drum majors and showmanship. Following Tuskegee, black collegiate bands were established at other Southern HBCUs like Alabama State and Florida A&M. Adrian Carter is a trombonist for Tuskegee’s band, now called the Marching Crimson Pipers. Carter saw the culture of the band – how people loved the band and their presence on campus – and wanted to be a part of it.

“We make the games entertaining for the crowd and the football team, it’s more like a school-wide hype crew,” said Carter.

Although Tuskegee’s band, the Marching Crimson Pipers, isn’t as big as some of the other southern bands, they are known for their fanfare and playing cleanly, says Carter.

Carter notes that there is a rivalry that exists between the southern bands and the northern bands, like the one his identical twin brother, Donovan plays for at Howard University.

Donovan played the saxophone for 10 years before joining Howard University’s band. Howard’s band, “Showtime,” has performed in Las Vegas, and at Redskins and Cleveland Cavalier games. Even with Howard’s high profile, Donovan acknowledges that the band culture is not as intense as it is with bands at HBCU’s in the South.

Photo by Frank Micelotta PictureGroup/Sipa USA

“At a school like Jackson State or A&T the band culture is different. The bands are like a spectacle,” he says. “At Jackson state they don’t go to the game to see the football team, they go to see the band.”

“Even though Showtime is one of the smallest HBCU bands, people love Showtime,” says Daneen Whitlow-Dixson who also plays for Howard’s band. “They love the energy we bring.”

Whitlow-Dixson says being in an HBCU band compared to her high school band requires more energy physically and more skills musically.

“It was a bit of a culture shock when I first started,” said WhitlowDixson, “Everything was organized, a lot more unified, a lot more intense than the high school band. In high school the only music we had to memorize was show music. We get new music throughout the season now, it’s a workout for the mind.”

HBCU bands are important to the legacy and identity of HBCU’s as Beyonce broadcast their importance and style and flavor to millions through her Netflix special (Netflix has 149 million subscribers around the world).

“I think it’s important not only for their entertainment value, but what they bring to the student body and what they bring to campus life, they bring a soul and spirit,” said Donovan.

“Bands are one of the most consistent parts of the HBCU experience,” said Whitlow-Dixson. “They are one of the institutions that almost every school has. I meet people from other schools and they’re like, ‘oh you’re in band,’ and immediately you understand the work ethic. There’s this connection.”

Ericka Blount Danois, an award-winning journalist, writer, editor, and professor began her career as a stringer at the Philadelphia Tribune with a cover story on the king of Philadelphia International Records, Kenny Gamble.

Ericka graduated from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and has worked as a staff writer, editor, freelancer, and stringer for a number of publications including: Spin, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, ESPN The Magazine, Sports Illustrated, The Root and Playboy, among others.

HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue | 35

TM C F F E AT U R E

POP CULTURE, POLICY & PARTNERS: HBCUs HAVING THEIR MOMENT

BY DR. HARRY WILLIAMS

We are currently witnessing an exciting cultural moment for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). There is a renewed level of public interest, fundraising, and corporate partnerships within the HBCU community from a diverse host of people and organizations.

In the 1980s, HBCUs had a major cultural moment. For the first time, these institutions were showcased in popular culture with A Different World, the first TV show to focus on the HBCU college experience, and several popular movies. Today, we are experiencing a renewed pop-culture focus on HBCUs. In November 2019, through its #Change4Change Radiothon, the syndicated morning show The Breakfast Club raised over $708,000 to benefit the newly created Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) | The Breakfast Club HBCU Scholarship which will be awarded through TMCF for students attending both publicly and private HBCUs. Donors for this successful radiothon included The Breakfast Club’s incredibly generous listeners, as well as Cardi B, Andrew Yang, Fabolous, Lena Waithe, Atlantic Records, Columbia Records, and Epic Records. Major donations came in from Michael Rubin ($125,000), Byron Allen ($100,000), Chadwick Bozeman ($100,000), Robert F. Smith ($100,000), and many more celebrities and companies, who all believed in the importance of preserving access to HBCUs and supporting the next generation of HBCU students.

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We all remember the now iconic way in which Beyoncé paid homage to HBCUs in her 2018 Coachella performance and 2019 documentary Homecoming. Kanye West brought his Sunday Service to Howard’s homecoming, giving even more global attention to the rich HBCU homecoming tradition. TV and movie characters are donning HBCU apparel more often as seen in the hit movie Us. And, alumni are singing the praises of HBCUs, giving back, and creating scholarships and partnerships with their alma maters like never before. Even black fraternities and sororities are supporting HBCUs in a major way as seen in the AKA sorority’s day of giving raising $1 million for HBCUs in 24 hours.

Congressional leaders, through the Bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus, and the White House value the work that HBCUs do to educate millions of Americans every year and are showing that through meaningful legislation. In December 2019, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law the FUTURE Act, critical legislation to provide funding support for HBCUs. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) signed by President Trump, includes provisions from the HOMECOMING Research Act, which requires a national study to review defense research at HBCUs with the goal of increasing engagement and research partnerships between the Department of Defense and HBCUs.

TMC

There are 101 HBCUs across the nation. Nine percent of all African American college students attend HBCUs, and these

institutions are responsible for 22 percent of current bachelor’s degrees granted to African Americans. HBCUs have a rich history in America, and today they are producing a pipeline of talent for our nation’s most competitive industries and top companies.

continue to shine. The positive attention and cultural integration are welcomed. The best is yet to come for all of our nation’s vitally important HBCUs.

At TMCF, we have seen the immense value of the intersection between culture, policy and partners seen in the work we do with our 47 member-schools. Our National Ambassador, Terrence J has lent his time to many of our signature programs and events such as our entrepreneurial and innovation competition called The Pitch and our annual gala. Corporate partners, like Ally Financial, Inc. have teamed up with Big Sean, his Sean Anderson Foundation and TMCF for our entrepreneurial business competition called Moguls in the Making, and Nas is a spokesperson of our Hennessy Fellows program for HBCU graduate students.

HBCUs are cultivating students interested in designing the future. The colleges and universities have created partnerships with industry partners to strengthen and enhance their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curriculum and programs. They are recruiting top faculty and experts to train students in the latest technologies and prepare them to graduate college-ready to innovate.

Looking forward there is no doubt the HBCU community is on a bright and upward trajectory with all eyes on us. America and the world are wanting to know more about who we are, what we do, and how we over produce amazing talent. TMCF will continue to lead, provide training, scholarships, internships, and employment to HBCU students and graduates while the students

MCF

Harry L. Williams is the president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the largest organization exclusively representing the black college community. Before joining TMCF, he spent eight years as president of Delaware State University.

Follow him on Twitter at @DrHLWilliams.

HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue | 37

GAME CHANGER: ROBERT SMITH’S GIFT TO MOREHOUSE COLLEGE

BY KEITH HARRISTON

Morehouse College officials thought for months about how to best make billionaire Robert F. Smith’s donation to pay off student loans accrued by members of the school’s Class of 2019 have impact beyond the graduating class that Smith “adopted.”

The answer, according to Morehouse President David A. Thomas, is the Morehouse Student Success Program.

Established by the Morehouse Board of Trustees, the Student Success Program will be the funnel through which Smith’s $34 million donation is distributed to pay off the full loan balances— principal and interest—as of Aug. 28, 2019 of students and their parents or guardians. The loan amounts must be verified by the U.S. Department of Education. Federal loans, both subsidized and unsubsidized, Georgia Student Access Loans, Perkins Loans, Parent Plus Loans and some private student loans processed by Morehouse will be eligible to be paid.

In all, the pay offs will impact loans taken out by more than 400 students and their parents or guardians from the Class of 2019.

Morehouse alumni who graduated in May 2019 or who finished their degree requirements during summer school 2019—and their parents or guardians—are eligible to participate in the inaugural offering from the Morehouse College Student Success

38 | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue

Program. In addition, they must show supporting documents to prove that loans were taken out to finance a Morehouse College education. Their loans also had to be processed by Morehouse.

“It was really all driven by Robert,” Thomas said. [He] took his time to dig in and understand not just student debt but also family debt.”

A majority of the $34 million gift from Smith will go toward loans taken out by parents or guardians of members of the Class of 2019, a Morehouse spokesperson said.

“We arrived at the $34 million figure by working with the U.S. Department of Education and reconciling their numbers with the loans that we have booked through our financial aid office,” Thomas said.

In addition, $400,000 of the $34 million will fund Morehouse research that studies the impact on the lives and careers of the members of the Class of 2019 whose student loans are paid in full or reduced to manageable levels, according to the school.

The first subjects of the research study will be some of the inaugural gift recipients who will be encouraged to participate in the study, Thomas said. The study’s results could be used to

SMI

help make the case for further large donations to the Morehouse Student Success Program.

Under the program, Morehouse will solicit and accept donations made specifically to reduce or eliminate the student loan debt of future graduates and their parents or guardians.

Smith, founder, chair and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, made the gift to Morehouse during his speech at the school’s commencement in May 2019, where he received an honorary doctorate. The act surprised not only Morehouse students but also the administration. Smith’s “grant,” as he called it, focused attention and discussion on student loan debt, the role of philanthropists in higher education and in alumni relationships with their alma maters, especially historically black colleges and universities like Morehouse.

Part of the discussion was driven by Smith’s words. He challenged the Morehouse graduates to “make sure [to] pay this forward.”

And to alumni, Smith said: “This is a challenge to you…. Let’s make sure every class has the same opportunity going forward.

Because we are enough to take care of our own community.”

Student loan debt in the United States is at $1.5 trillion, according to the U.S. Department of Education. At Morehouse, 85 percent of students take out loans to pay for their education. The student loan debt threshold at graduation is between $35,000 and $40,000, according to the college, which is higher than the average for other historically black colleges and universities.

The United Negro College Fund reports that HBCU graduates borrow almost twice as much to pay for college—$26,266 on average—than non-HBCU students. And one in four HBCU students borrows $40,000 or more to attend college.

MITH

“Morehouse’s program to provide debt relief to new graduates is a fund-raising opportunity that should be studied and duplicated nationally,” Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of the UNCF, said in a statement. “The impact of such a gift, particularly for minority or economically disadvantaged families,

could accelerate the growth of a more diverse and robust middle class.”

Morehouse’s president said that after commencement the school had inquiries from a number of individuals about how they could participate. “That did get us thinking about how we could create a vehicle for people who want to contribute,” he said. Some inquiries have been made, he said, about “helping defray the debt of students going into low-pay, high-value occupations like education. That led us to create this Student Success Program.

This would allow us to customize ways that individuals can support the program.”

While there has yet to be commitments for large donations, Thomas said, the college “is in significant discussions with [potential donors], some of them in the eight-figures range.”

“This liberation gift from Robert Smith will be life-changing for our new Morehouse Men and their families,” Thomas said. “It is our hope that our graduates will use their newfound financial freedom to pursue their career goals, to lead and serve the community and to remember the spirit of the gift given to them by paying it forward to support the education of future classes of Morehouse Men.” HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue | 39

HBCU FUNDRAISING: CREATING A CLIMATE OF BUILDING NOT BEGGING

BY R. WAYNE WOODSON

A strong fundraising plan is critical to the success of any nonprofit organization. Historically Black Colleges and Universities rely heavily on donations to implement their missions. Although HBCUs receive income from tuition, it is extremely important that they maximize support from alumni, faculty, staff, students, families, corporations, foundations, friends, and other organizations. With such a vast network of potential funding sources, it is interesting that there has been an increase of HBCUs experiencing challenges securing the necessary funding to ensure fiscal stability.

Why does a fundraising challenge exist at some HBCUs? This question is frequently asked and the answers are not simple.

There are a number of factors that might impact current funding. Although it is understood that fundraising is important, HBCUs are often focused on meeting immediate budgetary demands. Each of them is trying to secure every dollar possible for the institution. This task is being completed in a climate that in many cases is presenting an inaccurately negative narrative about HBCUs. This narrative hinders successful fundraising efforts.

In many cases, HBCUs are attempting to meet fundraising goals with Institutional Advancement offices that are understaffed and underfunded. There are instances in which the entire Office of Institutional Advancement has less than four full-time staff people. Some of these offices have budgets that are significantly less than the amount necessary to meet the expected goals.

For these offices, the idea of spending the time necessary to successfully cultivate a major donor is hard, because they have to maximize every minute for the greatest return on investment.

Although that donor might give a large gift at the end of the cultivation process, the staff member working on the solicitation may have missed out on 10-20 smaller gifts that could have been used to meet immediate needs on the campus.

In addition to offices being understaffed and underfunded, HBCUs do not have a history of creating donors in their current students. Many students feel that fundraising is something that is

40 | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue

done by the administration. There is often a lack of connection between the current student body and the institution’s fundraising plan. A great deal of energy is spent instilling in students the school’s history and spirit, but that same effort is not regularly put into creating a student-centered giving program. If students are molded into givers from the beginning of their connection to the institution, then they will more than likely continue that behavior once they become alumni. Alumni giving is critical for institutional longevity.

The success I have experienced throughout my 20 year fundraising career can be attributed to a three tier approach to giving. The process focuses on cultivating, securing, and acknowledging every donor (unless they have requested to remain anonymous).

In the nonprofit sector, a great deal of resources are invested in cultivating and acknowledging. The investment creates a significant return, because it cultivates long-term donors who have developed a connection to the mission and work. The expectation is that this connection will motivate them to give more consistently without the need for such a great investment of resources in the future.

Acknowledging donors and gifts creates a sense of value. Events to thank small and large donors impacts the securing of future gifts because donors see the importance of their investment.

In many cases, donors who gave smaller amounts encouraged friends and family to contribute, which increased the donors pool and overall giving rates. In some cases, those small donors over time increased their own giving amounts. Cultivating and acknowledging are critical for fundraising success.

When I started working with HBCUs, it was surprising that acknowledgement was not viewed as critical in the fundraising process as it was when I worked for arts and social service organizations. In some cases, HBCUs only follow-up with a thank you letter. Some donors did not hear from the institution

again until it was time to implement another appeal or request additional funding. Utilizing this approach to securing donations does not create a desire for long-term support. The overall goal of fundraising should be to build lasting relationships that will increase giving over a longer period of time. Continuing to connect with donors creates connections that sustain the fundraising structure. Without an expectancy of regular support, HBCUs have created a system in which they must beg people to give.

The lack of importance on cultivation and acknowledgement is most evident in alumni engagement. Often alumni say, “the only time the school contacts me is when they want money.” Or, “I don’t know what they even do with the money.” Sometimes the statement is, “Why are they always begging when I do not even know what is happening at the school?” These viewpoints can be addressed by consistent communication and cultivation.

Alumni have a vested interest in their Alma Mater being fiscally stable and secure. Most alumni do not want their institutions to close, so they have some sense of obligation to help. In order to improve alumni giving, there must be a new cultivation structure that is based on consistent engagement and communication.

Creating a giving climate in which alumni feel invested in the process of overall success will increase their desire to give and support. This is going to be extremely important for students who have graduated in the past 10 years, because they have a different expectation of communication and a desire to be connected. In some cases, these recent graduates feel that their small donation will not make an impact. By creating campaigns that are targeted to small donors, institutions have an opportunity to meet fundraising goals. By shifting the current giving paradigm, we can begin to stabilize the fiscal future of HBCUs. Unfortunately, issues that have impacted HBCUs over the past 15 years have created a climate of panic. It has almost been like smaller HBCUs have been functioning in a State of Emergency. In order to move forward, this mindset has to be shifted. The long-term outcomes must be central to every decision, campaign and project. This shift will begin to create a more stable fiscal future for HBCUs. The focus must be on the history and successes of these great institutions of higher learning. Individuals, corporations and foundations must be made aware that by investing in HBCUS they are investing in the best of America.

Colleges and universities must begin to adequately invest in the Office of Institutional Advancement. Staff must be sufficient to accomplish the work. Budgets must include funding for cultivation and acknowledgement. An annual plan should be developed and funded. Fundraising plans should include realistic benchmarks and goals that can be measured by data.

The design-as-you-go fundraising models must be discontinued.

If there is structure in the process, people will become used to supporting on a regular basis.

It is possible to create a fundraising structure that will move HBCUs forward. In order for this to happen, there must be a shift in thinking. Once this shift happens, increases in giving and long-term support will begin to become evident in data on campuses around the country. Equal attention must be given to cultivation, securing, and acknowledging donors. The ultimate goal is for a system to be in place that secures the long-term sustainability of HBCUs so that they are not relying on any single external entity to help fund the work that is being done on their respective campuses.

R. Wayne Woodson is Managing Partner for Woodson and Associates, Executive Director of The Woodson Fund, and Owner of RWYN Apparel. As a highly sought after consultant, his primary areas of specialty are fundraising, marketing, institutional effectiveness/strategic planning, and enrollment management. Mr. Woodson came to higher education after years of work in the non-profit sector as a fundraiser and administrator. He continues to provide consulting services to higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, and corporations. As the Great Grand Nephew of Carter G. Woodson, the pioneer of African-American studies and labeled the “Father of Black History”, Woodson is a national spokesperson for educational access for underrepresented populations and the accomplishments of African Americans.

He believes that a quality education should be available and affordable to all because education can revitalize urban communities and the upliftment of the next generation.

HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue | 41

TED CREWS VP OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

BY E. JEROME PEARSON JR.

The Kansas City Chiefs (Vice President of Communications) “Ted Crews” began his journey to the NFL from the small town of Orangeburg S.C, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in English. As a student at SCSU, Ted interned under legendary Sports Information Director, Bill Hamilton.

Crews is one of four Bulldog graduates mentored by Hamilton, who landed opportunities in the professional sports ranks.

Avis Roper who is the senior director of media relations for FOX Sports in New York after tenures with the NFL’s New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts; Corey Bowdre formerly worked as a senior sales assistant with the Boston Red Sox; and Damon White was once an assistant communications director with Urban Sports and Entertainment of Cornelius, NC; each were also mentored by Hamilton.

Through Hamilton’s relationships, Crews was given an opportunity with the Carolina Panthers as a summer intern, which he did for a couple of years before getting offered a fulltime position.

HBCU TIMES: First and foremost, let’s talk a little bit about your background and history. I was doing some research and I see that while you were an intern with the Carolina Panthers, you were also a student assistant in the sports information office at SC State as an undergraduate. That seems like a lot. How was that experience ?

42 | HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue

TED CREWS: It was definitely a lot. I would spend Saturdays covering games for SCSU and would drive over 2 hours the next morning to cover games for the Carolina Panthers while receiving zero compensation, which I didn’t mind since I knew that achieving my goal would take hard work and my reward would be far greater than money”.

HBCU TIMES: It seems like you learned the value of hard work at a young age ?

TED CREWS: Hard work was instilled in me at a young age.

“Work is important. Put in the work and anything is possible. For me, it goes all the way back to my parents. My dad is the person that taught me how to work, what work is, not to watch the clock, to enjoy the journey.

HBCU TIMES: You have accomplished a lot during your 22 years of communications experience in the NFL. You have worked for the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams, and now the Vice President of Communications for the Kansas City Chiefs, who just won the 2020 Super bowl. I also see that you were the recipient of the “Salute to Excellence” Award by the Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation. How does it feel to have accomplished so much at this level coming from an HBCU”?

CRE

TED CREWS: It has been an honor being a part of a super bowl winning organization and it was an honor being awarded

by John Wooden and the recipients before me. I take pride in this

tremendous honor to share with my family and proud members of the Chiefs organization.

It’s an exciting feeling and I’m humbled to be in this position.

I owe all of my success to my family and to South Carolina State University. I would not be here today if it wasn’t for South Carolina State University.

HBCU TIMES: Did you find it challenging making your way to the NFL coming from an HBCU and what advice would you give a current HBCU student that has an interest in having a career in professional sports ?

TED CREWS: Yes, it was a challenge but it wasn’t more or less challenging because of what school you attended. The NFL has 32 teams and there are only 32 individuals that do every job. The numbers are limited.

HBCU TIMES: You definitely have an inspiring story and have accomplished a lot in your career.

So what’s next on your list ?

TED CREWS: I’m just focused on continuing to be an asset to the organization that I enjoy working for. I am surrounded by great people. I’ve learned that when you work with good people that are honest with you, it’s an ease to work through anything.

I also plan on spending more time with my wife and kids and taking my kids to visit my alma mater SC State. The state of SC means a lot to me and SC State University means the world to me. I also want to take my kids to visit other HBCUs. I’m not saying they have to attend an HBCU I just want to ensure that my kids understand HBCUs and include them in their options of schools to attend.

Every job has it’s challenges but it’s all about preparing for the opportunity. We all ask for opportunities, once we get it, it’s up to us.

The advice that I would give to a current HBCU student that’s interested in a career in pro sports is don’t ever think or dream small, don’t limit yourself to what you can do. If I’m here, anyone can be here. I’m no different than anyone else. I’ve been blessed with great parents, the best parents, a great wife and great kids that support the dream.

HBCU TIMES: You have worked for the NFL for quite a while, have you recently seen a significant increase in HBCU players playing in the NFL ? Or has this been going on and were just now seeing more of it due to social media ?

TED CREWS: HBCU players have always been scouted but when you have players like fellow SCSU Bulldog Darius Leonard and NC A&T Aggie Tarik Cohen that shine that bright and having that much success, scouts are saying “What did we miss ?”

Scouting has grown so much that more players are now receiving more looks.

TED CREWS: As I mentioned earlier, all we ask for is an opportunity and it’s up to us what we do with it. Alex Brown is another player from South Carolina State University who was given an opportunity to play on the KC Chief ’s practice squad.

He took that opportunity and earned a spot on the Chiefs roster as a Defensive Back. Alex just celebrated winning the super bowl in his rookie season.

EWS

E. Jerome Pearson Jr. is a published Sports Journalist, Sports Photographer, Certified Sports Agent, owner of Sports Wire Magazine and contributing journalist for HBCU Times.

Mr. Pearson is a native of Bennettsville, SC and attended South Carolina State University where he earned his Bachelors and Masters degree. He later received his certificate in Contract Law from Harvard University. Pearson is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.

HBCU Times 2020 Summer Issue | 43

PO WER A L U M N I

ANTHONY HARRIS BROWN Anthony Harris Brown’s story begins as a child growing up with the temptations of the urban streets. However, due to a mother and grandmother’s prayers, their sacrifices kept him grounded.

When so many youth that could have fallen victim to society’s woes; Anthony, like the phoenix from the fire, rose above life’s challenges to walk bold in greatness. Anthony is a proud alumnus of Bethune Cookman University.

For more than ten years Anthony had been the lead male figure on Another Look Cable Television. Another Look aired on cable television, in nearly 1.4 million homes, on the Time Warner Cable Northeast Ohio Network. He also has had the opportunity to travel throughout the country performing and speaking at various concert halls, theaters, schools and churches. A true mentor, artist, motivator and friend; some of Harris’s fondest moments on stage have been at the historic and famed Karamu House Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio. In addition, Anthony is a certified educator for more than 20 years and currently serves as the Dean of Students at the Oliver H. Perry Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 8 School, a part of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

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He had the distinct pleasure of serving as the president of two unique Historically Black College & University alumni groups in the Cleveland area; the Cleveland Council of Black Colleges Alumni Association and the Northern Ohio Inter-Alumni Council for the United Negro College Fund. As an advocate of minority higher education, some have dubbed Anthony as “Mr. HBCU of Cleveland” as he travels throughout the community and country promoting the value of these esteemed institutions of higher learning. The Annual UNCF Leadership Conference, held in February 2020 (Charlotte, NC), allowed him the opportunity to currently serve as the President of the National Alumni Council of UNCF. The National Alumni Council (NAC) represents alumni and students of the 37 member institutions supported by UNCF. This educational impact supports more than 60,000 students each year and celebrates the accomplishments of 450,000 graduates.

Janay Price is a proud 2009 graduate of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She is a native of Sabine Parish, Louisiana; however, she spent her most impressionable years in Spring Lake, NC. Janay is the daughter of James and Robin Price and has two sisters both of which are HBCU graduates (NC Central University and Fayetteville State University)

JANAY PRICE

Janay currently serves as the secretary of the National Association of Social Workers- South Carolina chapter and is an active member of Columbia Urban League Young Professionals.

She is also a board member of B.L.A.C.K (Brothers Leaning on Another Creating Kings) in Richmond County, NC. Janay holds a bachelors and a masters degree in social work as well as clinical licensure to practice independently in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. She is the founder/CEO of Premier Counseling, a geriatric specific mental health group practice, which has teams across the state of South Carolina offering psychotherapy and prescriptive treatment. Janay also owns J.Price Consulting, offering continuing education units, clinical supervision, and private practice startup consultation.

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DERRICK PARKER Derrick Parker graduated as valedictorian from Morehouse College in 2018. He is a first-generation college student from Kansas City, Missouri. Derrick’s mother is a factory worker, and his father is a barber. Derrick has always been a highly motivated gentleman. At Lincoln College Preparatory Academy, Derrick’s high school, he was 1st Chair Trombone in both the jazz band and wind ensemble. Derrick was also elected Senior Class President, Homecoming King, Prom King, and was also 1st Team All-Conference starting quarterback on the football team.

At Morehouse, Derrick was also heavily involved on campus.

He served as Attorney General for the Student Government Association, a Presidential Ambassador, and Vice-President of the Moot Court Team. He was also President of the Sophomore Class and President of DuBois International Hall. While in college, he interned for the U.S. House of Representatives for Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, served as Campaign Manager for City Councilman Jermaine Reed, and interned with Georgia Legislative Black Caucus (Rep. Billy Mitchell) and the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. He was one of the youngest people selected to participate in the prestigious Harvard/NYU Trials Law Program. He graduated as the highest-ranking scholar

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in his class, a junior inductee into Phi Beta Kappa—the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society, a Rhodes Scholar and Truman Scholar Finalist, as well as valedictorian. Derrick was accepted into over 19 different law schools, including his dream school—Harvard Law—where he is currently a second-year student.

At Harvard Law School, Derrick is also equally as impressive.

He is on the executive board of the Black Law Students Association and also a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, where he represents indigent clients in civil matters in the Massachusetts courts and where he assumes direct responsibility for representation of clients from intake interview to final disposition. Additionally, he is a member of the Harvard Defenders Program where he advocates on behalf of low-income individuals accused in criminal show cause hearings. Derrick has also had the opportunity to work at some of the world’s premier law firms. Last summer, Derrick worked at Cleary Gottlieb in New York; he will be spending this summer at Wachtell Lipton.

SHERMANETTA CARTER Shermanetta Carter, CPA serves as Morris Brown College CFO. Ms. Carter is a Certified Public Accountant and has numerous experiences in tax and business consulting, along with audit & attest services. As a former Revenue Agent with the Internal Revenue Service, she has years of tax compliance experience.

She has also held the positions of Tax Accountant for a nationally recognized financial services firm, Controller of a mortgage company, and Controller of a non-profit organization.

In addition, Shermanetta served as a board member of a faithbased Federal Credit Union in South DeKalb County, GA. Ms. Carter graduated from Morris Brown College in 1994 with a degree in accounting. Shermanetta is a member of the Georgia Society of CPAs and American Institute of CPAs. Within the community, she is an active member of Chi Tau Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She also serves on the Board of Directors for two non-profit organizations: Community C.A.R.E.S. Foundation and My Sister’s Keeper Foundation for Women. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, she currently resides in Metro Atlanta, GA.

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