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2009 Commencement Celebrates Courage
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courageous spirit was invoked as more than 500 Spelman graduates received their degrees during Commencement on May 17 at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga. Renowned activist, philosopher, scholar, sociopolitical critic and influential intellectual, Cornel West, Ph.D., challenged “the next wave of not just Black leadership, not just American leadership, but global leadership” to be brave as they pick up the mantle in the age of Barack Obama. “You have to be courageous to be a free thinker, to think critically against the grain,” said Dr. West, a professor at Princeton University. “One of the challenges of your generation is you’ve got too many copies out here and not enough originals.” Dr. West’s remarks clearly did not apply to one original, actress Cassi Davis, C’88/C’2009, who graduated nearly 25 years after she began her studies. “For me [graduating] completes
everything, spiritually, physically and mentally. It’s going to be a tool that I can use to encourage people to go back to school,” said Davis,
Cassi Davis, C'88/C'2009, receives applause from speaker Cornel West, Ph.D.
who went on to appear in Tyler Perry plays and films “Madea’s Family Reunion” and “Daddy’s Little Girls,” before finishing her graduation requirements with her senior showcase on November 15, 2008. The graduating class included numerous Fulbright scholars, dual-degree recipients, Teach for America candidates and “women who are headed to the most prestigious graduate and professional schools in the country, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Michigan, Duke, UGA, Emory and many more,” said President Beverly Daniel Tatum. Honorary degrees were awarded to Dr. West (Humane Letters); Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears (Laws), mother of Brennan Sears-Collins, C’2009; and Judith Jamison (Fine Arts), the artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for the past 20 years. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE USA, was the recipient of the National Community Service Award. ●
SpelBots Make History at RoboCup 2009
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he Spelman College Robotics team made history again at the RoboCup Japan Open 2009 Osaka Standard Platform League Nao Humanoid robot soccer competition in Osaka, Japan (May 7–10). The first all-women’s and the first all-African American team to compete in this competition, SpelBots advanced through five matches and tied for first place with the Asura-Fit team from Fukuoka Institute of Technology in Japan. In 2005, SpelBots became the first all-female and all-Black team to qualify for the international RoboCup four-legged soccer competition. The 2008–2009 team makes Spelman the only historically Black college or university and one of only 30 universities in the world that works with humanoids, or two-legged robots. “Here we are an all-female, African-American team from a small liberal arts HBCU that is competing against one of the Japanese teams from the M.I.T.-equivalent university and tying for first – unbelievable,” said SpelBots team member Jonecia Keels, C’2011. The competition was challenging, according to Dr. Andrew Williams, associate professor of computer and information science and adviser to SpelBots. “The robots are not remote-controlled,” he explained. “They have to see on their own, think on their own, and move on their own to
The SpelBots advisor Dr. Andrew Williams celebrates with the SpelBots team members from the class of 2011, Naquasia Jones, Jonecia Keels, Jasmine Miller and Ariel Butler.
play in a 3-on-3 robotic soccer competition.” Keels and sophomores Jasmine Miller, Ariel Butler and Naquasia Jones landed spots on the SpelBots team by presenting winning research projects – building robots in Spelman’s lab to assist in the medical field. Dr. Williams founded the Advancing Robotics Technology for Societal Impact alliance to facilitate opportunities for students and to encourage them to go to graduate school. ●
This is the final printed version of Inside Spelman. In the fall, Inside Spelman will transition to an online newsletter.
A D I A L O G U E W I T H D R . T.
Contents Features 1 2009 Commencement Celebrates Courage 1 SpelBots Make History at RoboCup 2009 3 Japan Studies Receives Gift From Art Collector 3 3 3 4 4 6 7 8 8
Jacqueline Avant Spelman College Board of Trustees Names Jerri DeVard Chair-Elect President Hosts Second CEO Roundtable College Hosts “Healthy Baby” Conference With Tonya Lewis Lee Founders Day 2009 – The Compass for Change Susan L. Johnson, C'83, Reflects on Lessons Learned at History and Traditions Convocation Research Day Celebrates 20 Years of Excellence LEADS Inspires Action at Fifth Annual Conference Spelman Giving New Scholarship for Nontraditional Students
Departments 2 A Dialogue With Dr. T: Charting a Course for 6
Change – Looking Ahead to 2015 News Briefs
7 CENTERgy
A Choice to Change the World EDITOR
Joyce E. Davis COPY EDITOR
350 Spelman Lane S.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30314 www.spelman.edu
Janet M. Barstow GRAPHIC DESIGN
Garon Hart
Inside Spelman is published three times per academic year for a Jo Moore Stewart readership that includes Eloise Alexis, C’86 alumnae, trustees, Tomika DePriest, C’89 parents, students, faculty, Kassandra Kimbriel Jolley Renita Mathis staff and friends of the Angela Wood, C’90 College. The newsletter is Daryl White dedicated to informing Lily McNair our readers about news, upcoming events and WRITERS DaNita Brady McClain, C’2003 issues in the life of the College. EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
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Rick Cash Alex Jones Benjamin Kornegay Furery Reid J.D. Scott Adrianna Williams Julie Yarbrough 2 INSIDE SPELMAN
Charting a Course for Change — Looking Ahead to 2015
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he year 2009 will be remembered as a year of national change and challenge as President Barack Obama took office, immediately confronted with an economic crisis of global magnitude. In the world of higher education, the impact of the crisis was felt at institutions large and small, public and private, yet we ended the school year with celebration as more than 500 Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum young women graduated, ready for lives of success and service – at least 100 of whom were assisted by the many contributors to the “Starfish Initiative” (also known as the President’s Safety Net Fund). Thank you! Now, we turn to the future with a new strategic plan, “Strengthening the Core: The Spelman College Plan for 2015.” As the global leader in the education of women of African descent, we are steadfast in our mission as a historically Black liberal arts college dedicated to the intellectual, ethical and leadership development of our students. We witness daily the power of an excellent liberal arts education – the capacity to think critically, analyze and solve problems, and confidently communicate with others across lines of difference for the benefit of an increasingly interdependent global community. Our new plan reaffirms our commitment to these enduring educational outcomes, and is focused on the essential building blocks for sustainable excellence in the increasingly competitive environment of higher education. Indeed, we seek to achieve sustainable excellence by strengthening the core of our institution. Since 2000, Spelman College has seen more than a 40 percent growth in applications while maintaining the quality of the applicant pool – fueled in part by the dramatic increase in national visibility as the result of stellar faculty and student achievement as well as the efforts of our talented communications team. The residential character of the campus has been strengthened by the 2008 completion of The Suites, our new “green” residence hall, significantly increasing our housing capacity. The awardwinning renovations of three historic buildings (Packard Hall, Rockefeller Hall, and Sisters Chapel) and enhanced landscaping across our expanded campus have made Spelman even more appealing. Most importantly, with strong leadership from Provost Johnnella Butler and the active involvement of the faculty over the past four years, the critically important work of curriculum review and revision for the 21st century is well under way. Today’s students – born into the Information Age and shaped by a global economy – have needs and expectations that require us to sharpen our focus on the student as an active “hands-on” learner whose success will be evident in the intellectual work she produces, the questions she asks, and the problems she can solve. Millennial students need millennial professors – technologically savvy scholars able to work collaboratively across disciplinary boundaries to help students make connections across the curriculum and integrate the knowledge gained – from their introductory courses through their senior seminars. Ongoing professional development for faculty and staff is essential to keep us on the cutting edge, and our new plan reflects that commitment. Transforming both the student and faculty experience from 20th century instruction to 21st century learning is an essential dimension of strengthening the core. Our new plan is the result of widespread involvement of faculty, staff, senior administrators, students, parents, alumnae and trustees throughout the planning process. Together we have collectively imagined a learning community where, by 2015, every student has access to the financial aid she needs and is well-positioned to achieve this GOAL: Global travel experience; Opportunities for undergraduate research and/or a career-related internship experience; Alumnae mentor relationships; and Leadership development, based on an individualized set of experiences tailored for her needs, all of which is built on the solid foundation of a challenging curriculum that captures her intellectual imagination in a climate of interdisciplinary inquiry and collaborative teaching and learning. It is an ambitious agenda, yet attainable with our collective effort. Jim Collins, the best-selling author of “Good to Great,” describes the quest for institutional greatness as like turning a giant flywheel that you must push and push and push, each turn building on the effort of the last, slowly at first but then picking up speed, until eventually the flywheel moves forward with almost unstoppable momentum, an apt description for what we are doing at Spelman today – building upon previous work, compounding our investment of effort. Our success will be the result of continuous, focused attention to our vision of a transformational learning experience characterized by academic excellence, best-in-class constituents, a sustainable campus learning environment, the development of our surrounding community and a culture of providing exemplary experiences for all, always aware that we must identify the financial resources to make it possible. The flywheel is turning – our momentum is building. The future of Spelman College is great! ●
Japan Studies Receives Gift From Art Collector Jacqueline Avant
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oted collector of Japanese art, Jacqueline Avant, along with her veteran music mogul husband Clarence Avant, contributed $100,000 to the
Spelman College Sumiko Takahara Japan Studies Program, which gives students the opportunity to gain an understanding of Japanese history and culture and develop skills in the language. The Avant charitable gift makes it possible for the Japan Studies department to apply for a $100,000 matching grant from the Japan Foundation. ●
Spelman’s Japan Studies Program director Yoko Ueda, Ph.D., and Dr. Tatum join philanthropists Jacqueline and Clarence Avant, who gave $100,000 to the Japan Studies Program.
Spelman College Board of Trustees Names Jerri DeVard Chair-Elect
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erri DeVard, C’79, was selected vice chair and chairelect during the annual meeting of the Spelman College board of trustees in April. The principal of the DeVard Marketing Group is a senior marketing executive with more than 25 years of leadership at Fortune 100 companies, including Verizon, Citicorp and Revlon. Rosalind Brewer, C’84, division president, Southeast Operations of WalMart, was elected vice chair and secretary. Previously, Brewer held numerous leadership positions with Kimberly-Clark. The board elected four new members: Lovette Russell, C’83, adviser, Children’s Advocacy of Fulton County; Kathy N. Waller, vice president and chief of Internal Audit, the CocaCola Company; Celestine Watkins-Hayes, Ph.D., C’96, assistant Spelman trustees Jerri DeVard, C’79, and Rosalind Brewer, C’84 professor of sociology and African-American studies, Northwestern University; and Cynthia Neal Spence, Ph.D., C’78, director, UNCF/Mellon Programs and associate professor of sociology at Spelman, who will serve as faculty trustee to the board. Two new representatives to the board are Mark Mahoney, Ph.D., professor of biology and presidentelect of the Faculty Council, and Morgan Pierce, C’2010, president-elect of the Spelman Student Government Association, who will represent the student government. ●
President Hosts Second CEO Roundtable
College Hosts ‘Healthy Baby’ Conference With Tonya Lewis Lee
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n support of National Minority Health Month, Spelman College Department of Health Services and Student Health Associates and Peer Educators hosted “Education for the Hand That Rocks the Cradle.” Held on April 10, in conjunction with “A Healthy Baby Begins With You” campaign, the event was created to inform the community of ways to improve minority birth rates, and featured the campaign spokesperson Tonya Lewis Lee, author, producer and wife of filmmaker Spike Lee. The campaign, an Office of Minority Health initiative, has worked with historically Black colleges and universities to develop the Preconception Peer Educators Program. Spelman is the second HBCU to roll out the PPE program, which is designed to train college students to become peer educators in preconception health and infant mortality. The event was funded with a $5,000 grant from the Office of Women’s Health. ●
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s a follow-up to last year's CEO Roundtable, President Beverly Daniel Tatum hosted another session with corporate executives, alumnae executives and students in May 2009. Dialogue focused on the hiring and recruitment of African American women leaders; evolving corporate culture from a mind-set of achieving diversity to achieving inclusion; and best practices for integrating millennials into the workplace based on their needs and those of their employers. Companies represented include Southern Company, Cummins, Turner Broadcasting Inc., Wieland Homes, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Bank of AmerDr. Tatum with John Brock, chairman and CEO, Coca-Cola Enterprises ica, The Coca-Cola Company, UPS, Wal-Mart and GE Infrastructure. ●
From the left: Brenda Dalton, Spelman’s director of Student Health Services; Dr. Tatum; Tonya Lewis Lee, campaign spokesperson; Mirtha Beadle, deputy director, Office of Minority Health; and Fleda Jackson, Ph.D., C’73, professor of Applied Public Health, Emory University
SUMMER 2009
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FOUNDERS DAY
The Compass for Change S
pelman College celebrated its 128th Founders Day on April 9 with the theme “The Compass for Change.” The 2009 Founders Day convocation combined nontraditional and traditional elements. Produced by Kenneth Green, lecturer in the department of drama and dance, the nontraditional program included The Granddaughters Club testifying about the strength and character of the Spelman woman, and student actresses, dancers and singers portraying the College’s founders and depicting some of the institution’s highachieving graduates, faculty and staff. During “The Charge,” the Spelman College Glee Club, singing the Anointed Pace Sisters’ “The Words U Said,” accompanied a spirited presentation delivered by actresses Vanessa Bell Calloway, P’2012; Cassi Davis, C’88/C’2009; Jasmine Guy; Deidre L. Fryer, C’84, president of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College, and Miss Spelman, Francesca Gibson, C’2009. Laura Rockefeller Chasin also participated in the performance to celebrate the 125thyear anniversary of the College changing its name from Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary to Spelman Seminary for Women and Girls. Laura Spelman Rockefeller was the wife of Chasin’s grandfather, John D. Rockefeller Sr., whose philanthropy allowed Spelman to purchase its first nine acres and five buildings. Kate Spelman, a descendant of the Spelman family, was also recognized during the Convocation. The traditional portion of the convocation included the conferring of an honorary degree in humane letters upon Mary McKinney Edmonds, Ph.D., C’53, the former vice provost and dean for Student Affairs at Stanford University. Dr. Shirley Larkins Green, C’58, a retired anesthesiologist and medical missionary, received the 2008 Founders Spirit Award. Fannie Lou Hamer Awards were presented to Dr. Alma Jean Billingslea-Brown, the director of the African Diaspora and the World program, and Ceretha Beavers, a laboratory technician in the chemistry department. ●
Dr. Tatum presents Mary McKinney Edmonds, Ph.D., C’53, with an honorary degree in Humane Letters.
Dr. Tatum presents Dr. Shirley Larkins Greene, C’58, with the Founders Spirit Award.
Susan L. Johnson, C’83, Reflects on Lessons Learned at History and Traditions Convocation During the opening of Founders Day 2009, Susan L. Johnson, C’83, imparted words of wisdom during the History and Traditions Convocation at Sisters Chapel on April 2. Johnson, the vice president of strategic talent management and diversity leadership at Pitney Bowes Inc., reflected on how her experience at Spelman has impacted her life. “The things that I appreciated most and the lessons that I learned from my time here include the fact that my thinking was broadened and my focus was expanded. I arrived with a very narrow self-definition of myself, my surroundings and my capacity. I left with a greatly expanded sense of self,” said Johnson, who encouraged students to be planners and savers, to value family, to keep their social media Web sites clean, and to pay attention to their grades. ● Laura Rockefeller Chasin performs in “The Charge.” 4 INSIDE SPELMAN
Clockwise from top left: Dr. Tatum and students cut the “Compass” birthday cake; Stage actor Raphael Sligh portrays philanthropist John D. Rockefeller as Spelman students recreate the College’s beginnings in “The Starting Point;” “Spelman Metamorphosis” is performed by Leila Howard, C’2011, Janell Spiller, C’2012 and Danielle Dirickson, C’2012; the Founders Day Jamboree premieres the Powder Puff Football Game on the Oval; Students showcase Spelman’s rich legacy through the fashions and accomplishments of notable alumnae.
SUMMER 2009
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NEWS BRIEFS The National Institutes of Health – National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities has awarded the College a $3.87 million, fiveyear grant for the Spelman College Center for Health Disparities Research and Education (CHDRE) to focus on health disparities and research opportunities for faculty and students. The board of trustees recently approved Julio Gonzalez-Ruiz, Ph.D., (world languages and literature) and Tasha Inniss, Ph.D., (mathematics) for tenure and promotion to associate professor. Bruce Wade, Ph.D., (sociology and anthropology) was promoted to the rank of full professor. From April 28–30, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum participated in the 2009 Milken Institute Global Conference. She moderated the panel, “Eyes Still on the Prize: African American Civil Rights in the Age of Obama,” and in another forum she discussed the College’s partnership with Operation HOPE and the role of financial literacy in leadership development. Karen D. King, Ph.D., C’91, associate professor of mathematics education at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture Education and Human Development, was the featured speaker at the Fifth Annual Etta Z. Falconer Lecture on April 28. Approximately 250 faculty, students and guests from the various colleges and universities around the state attended the Georgia Academy of Science’s 87th Annual Meeting hosted at Spelman April 3–4. Spelman’s Student Government Association’s environmental awareness committee, in collaboration with Morehouse College, presented “The Dream Realized: Green Recovery Symposium” on April 16, focusing on the green economy and its relationship to the Atlanta community. The Images of Women in the Media class, led by English professor Tarshia Stanley, Ph.D., presented its seventh annual symposium, “Mothering Our Daughters: Pricing a Woman’s Worth,” on March 28. Cynthia Spence, Ph.D., C’78, associate professor of sociology, and Keri M. Pridgeon, vice president of the Center for Black Women’s Wellness, were guest speakers at the student-driven conference. 6 INSIDE SPELMAN
Nine Spelman students traveled to Galveston, Texas, March 7–11, to aid in the reconstruction and community cleanup in the wake of Hurricane Ike. The “Alternative Spring Break” trip was hosted by the Bonner Office of Community Service and Student Development. Christine King Farris, C’48, associate professor of education and director of the Learning Resources Center, was named the first Martin Luther King Jr. Fellow on April 6 by the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University.
showcases poems, visual art, stories, interviews and essays by Spelman writers and writers from around the world. Dawn Alston, assistant director of budgets and contracts in the Division of Business and Financial Affairs, and Renee Jones, senior administrative assistant in the Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange, received the 2009 Spelman ALIVE Award for Exemplary Customer Service on May 12. New Faculty and Staff
Africa World Press has released “The Rise of Elective Dictatorship and the Erosion of Social Capital: Peace, Development, and Democracy in Africa” by Kasahun Woldemariam, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science. Spelman College has joined the Institute of International Education as a partner in its “Get a Passport: Study Abroad” campaign to help students explore studying abroad and obtain the skills needed to succeed in the international marketplace. The English department celebrated the launch of the annual literary journal Aunt Chloe: A Journal of Artful Candor, which
Mamie Jackson, associate vice president of development Sharon Owens, C’76, director of alumnae affairs Renata Fortenberry Hilson, C’2003, research coordinator in RIMI/Center for Health Disparities Research and Education Faculty Retirements Evelyn Willis Chisolm, Ph.D., C’49, 46 years, department of psychology Gwendolyn Middlebrooks, Ph.D., C’61, 42 years, department of education Lev Mills, 30 years, department of art
Research Day Celebrates 20 Years of Excellence early 1,000 people attended the College’s 20th anniversary celebration of Research Day 2009: Our Quest for Excellence: Expressing Our Interests, Sharing Our Achievements, Changing Our World. Designed to highlight student achievements, the April 3 event featured 135 student presentations, 20 academic departments/programs, and an address by Sheila A. McClure, Ph.D., program officer in the division of research infrastructure at the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health. Research subjects included the creation of robots as therapeutic and educational tools for children, colorectal cancer research, and women and girls’ literacy in the developing world. During the awards reception, Aerial Bane and Jenae Emerson, both C’2011, were presented with the Google Academic prize, $1,000 scholarships. ●
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CENTERgy Featuring the Centers of Spelman College
LEADS Inspires Action at Fifth Annual Conference
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he theme “Building a Community for Change” spurred numerous calls to action at the fifth annual Spelman College Leadership and Women of Color Conference May 13–14. “We’re going to have to become the leaders that we’ve always searched for,” said political strategist Donna Brazile in her keynote address to 300 conference attendees during the “Women, Change, Analysis and Action” session. “It is time that we remind every citizen in this country that they have a responsibility to serve, to act, and to keep those in power accountable to those who elected them.” Hands On Network/Points of Light Institute CEO and founder Michelle Nunn encouraged women to pair service with social entrepreneurship and political action. To build bridges to bring about a more equitable society, President Beverly Daniel Tatum suggested that women “think about what role we want to play in advancing this progressive agenda,” as well as “how we use our language and actions in a way that is more inclusive.” Workshops addressed the importance of wealth-building, the power of networking, and
Keynote speaker Donna Brazile addresses conference attendees; Kimberly B. Davis, C’81, president, JP Morgan Chase Foundation and co-founder of LEADS, joins Dr. Jane Smith, C’68, executive director, LEADS.
the necessity of introspection through insightful presenters like Susan Au Allen, national president and CEO, U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce; Deborah Dunagan, program executive and innovator at IBM; and Shaun Robinson, C’84, Emmy Award-winning journalist with “Access Hollywood” and “TV One Access.” Marilyn Robinson, a learning management operations manager at Southern Company Services, was chosen to provide a summary of her conference experience to Southern’s human resources leadership team. But she also got inspiration to start a nonprofit organization for
mentoring young women in her hometown of Anniston, Ala. “The conference helped me to think through the importance of building my grass-roots network in Anniston to find the resources to help me get started,” said Robinson. The 2009 conference included the Legacy of Leadership Awards, which were given to the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia, the Atlanta Business League, the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Women’s Business Council, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. ●
Women’s Research & Resource Center
International Affairs Center
Winning Film Project Raises Awareness of Crises Affecting Black Women
Student Delegates Attend Model United Nations Conference in the Netherlands
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en students from Spelman’s Model United Nations team participated in the 2009 Harvard World Model United Nations Conference at The Hague in the Netherlands, March 22–29. Designed as an educational and training activity, the conference allows students to assume the role of diplomats. Through debate, negotiation and research, students seek common solutions to critical issues on the global agenda. Biology major Chenelle Norman, C’2009, received an outstanding delegate award. Other Spelman delegates included seniors Kyasha Moore (co-head delegate), Elan Mitchell (co-head delegate), Shaunicie Fielder and Kari Hatcher; juniors Jayla Randleman and Rebecca Jeudin; sophomores Brittanye Mackey and Aleia Hornsby; and Alicia Sheares, C’2012. Jeanne Meadows, Ph.D., C’64, associate professor of political science and director of the International Affairs Center, served as faculty adviser. ●
icole Scott, C’2010, took first place for her video, “Domestic Violence,” in a contest sponsored by the CW network to raise awareness about crises affecting young Black women. The international studies major and other students in Dr. Monica Melton’s spring semester Gender and Health in Cross Cultural Perspectives class produced short videos addressing the reasons many Black women suffer from HIV/AIDS, domestic violence and cancer. Scott’s video was televised on April 26 on CW’s “Focus Atlanta.” She’ll have the opportunity to work with members of the CW technical team to produce her video professionally for a commercial platform. Videos by two other finalists, “HIV/AIDS” by Erin Collins, C’2009, and “Invisibility” by Khristen Flennoy, C’2011, were also featured on the show. ●
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SUMMER 2009
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Spelman Giving
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pelman College has recently received important gifts that are helping the institution continue to meet its mission during these challenging economic times. The College has been selected by the Institute for Higher Education Policy to receive a Wal-Mart Minority Student Success Award – a $100,000 grant to help build on Spelman’s demonstrated successes in enrolling, retaining and graduating first-generation college students. In direct response to the negative effect that the U.S. economy is having on students’ financial situations, the Spelman Student Government Association gave $10,000 of its budget to establish the “A Dream Not Deferred” emergency scholarship fund to assist freshman and sophomores experiencing difficulty paying for tuition, housing, books and food. Also, the Spelman College Parents Association reached a milestone in support through the Parents Campaign during their March fundraiser, which produced their highest ever number of donors, 281, and their highest amount in gifts, $65,000. ●
New Scholarship for Nontraditional Students
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Every Woman… Every Year Visit www.spelman.edu to make a gift or for more information.
pelman College is one of only two institutions from Georgia that has a current award for the Osher Reentry Scholarship Program. Established in fall 2008 as the result of a generous $50,000 grant from The Bernard Osher Foundation, the program provides partial-tuition scholarships for the Pauline E. Drake Scholars, nontraditional students (those 25 years and older) who are beginning or continuing their undergraduate education. Recipients of this scholarship must demonstrate a financial need and have academic promise, a commitment to earning a degree at Spelman, and a desire to participate in the work force after graduation. Only able to afford one class a semester for her first year, Sylvia BrittRaven, C’2012, says her progress at Spelman has improved because of the program. “The Osher Reentry Scholarship Program has allowed me to finally take more than one class,” said Britt-Raven, a comparative women’s studies major. “I now have three classes, and I really feel like I’m getting somewhere.” ●