SU System Magazine

Spring 201 0

COVER STORY:

SUS Board names System President

IN THIS ISSUE:

Mason named SUNO students move into USDA awards Six inducted into president of its first housing $300,000 for Ag Center 2010 SULC Hall of SU System...3 complex...16 institute...21 Fame...31

SUSLA receives $4 million Recovery Act grant...33

SUBR school named ‘Nursing School of the Year’...38

Sout hern

University and A&M College System

Five

T

Campuses, One Vision ... Global Excellence

he Southern University System is celebrating a “Revival on the River.”

From the banks of the Red River in north Louisiana to the winding path of the mighty Mississippi River through Baton Rouge and New Orleans, we are renewing our commitment to

honoring the legacy of educational excellence of our treasured University System.

We invite you to be a part of our renewal.

Stop by one of our campuses to experience the renewed spirit of achievement and the rivers of educational opportunities we offer.

Baton Rouge • New Orleans • Shreveport visit us online at www.sus.edu

President’s Message Greetings As the 2009-2010 academic year nears the end, we are excited with the accomplishments and achievements that have been realized during the past months.

Our Board of Supervisors, System and campus leaders, faculty, staff, and alumni are united in a mission to support SU and lead this great University through the challenging times we now face. These trying times are opportunities for making bold moves and to be proactive in offering solutions to secure our future.

I extend my warmest congratulations to Dr. Ronald Mason Jr. on his appointment as the seventh president of the Southern University System.

Dr. Mason will take office on July 1, 2010 and we pledge our support and cooperation to ensure a seamless and smooth transition as he assumes the leadership of the nation’s only historically black university system.

The new system president not only brings a wealth of experience to SU; he is a bright, energetic leader and a wonderful colleague. I am certain Dr. Mason will serve us well in his new post.

The environment in which we exist is constantly changing. This edition of SU System Magazine examines how the University is changing the way it does business by focusing on efforts to reduce its environmental footprint. We also learn of SU’s expanding role in bringing “green” research and awareness to the University and surrounding communities.

There is a wealth of activity on all of our campuses as we increase our commitment to building an environmentally friendly, sustainable campus. Witness the environmentally conscious work of our faculty and staff across many disciplines. In a way that is profoundly important, SU System employees realize that the future of our campuses will depend upon our connection to the global society and to the attention we pay to environmental stewardship. From our campus recycling and re-use programs, to the research being conducted in our labs, the SU System is committed to making our mark – our footprint– on the global green revolution.

Please enjoy this green-themed issue of our magazine as we share with you our vision of SU’s involvement in this great work to preserve the planet. As we move forward in making SU campuses green-friendly, we are ensuring that the SU System will be sustainable for the generations who will follow.

Yours for Southern, Kassie Freeman, Ph.D. Interim President

Spring 2010 1

Table of Contents President’s Message… ………………… 1 System News… ………………………… 3

3 SUNO…………………………………… 14 Ag Center… …………………………… 17 Cover Story……………………………… 24 SULC… ………………………………… 29 SUSLA…………………………………… 33

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SUBR… ………………………………… 37 Distinctions… ………………………… 52 Athletics… ……………………………… 62 Alumni… ……………………………… 67

SU System Interim President Kassie Freeman, Ph.D. SU System Board of Supervisors 2010 Tony M. Clayton chair Darren Mire vice chair Murphy F. Bell Jr. Patrick W. Bell Richard J. Caiton Jr. Walter C. Dumas Warren A. Forstall Randall L. Gaines Walter Guidry Jr. Raushanah S. Hunter Patrick O. Jefferson Myron K. Lawson Patrick D. Magee Lea P. Montgomery Murphy Nash Jr. Achilles Williams SU System Chancellors Ray Belton, SUSLA Kofi Lomotey, SUBR Freddie Pitcher Jr., SULC Victor Ukpolo, SUNO Leodrey Williams, SUAREC Publisher Kassie Freeman, Ph.D. Editor Henry J. Tillman

34

Features writer/assistant editor Maya R. Banks Many campuses have begun to follow the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) advice to incorporate sustainability concepts into their day-to-day operations and long-range planning. Several universitywide sustainability initiatives are currently in progress and several are on the horizon which will enable SU to have a healthy future. Pictured on the cover are SU Urban Forestry students working with scientific equipment in research efforts that are part of a study to protect and enhance the natural resource base and environment of Scott’s Bluff in Scotlandville.

On the cover

29

Inset – Ron Mason, Jr. was named president of the SU System by the Board of Directors in April!

Mission Statement The Southern University System Magazine is published two times a year by the Southern University System to highlight the institutions of the System. The Southern University System Magazine is disseminated to faculty, staff, alumni, friends and supporters. All articles for submission should be sent in care of Southern University System Magazine, Office of the President, Southern University System, Southern Branch Post Office, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813, or by facsimile at 225.771.5522 or email to susystemmagazine@sus.edu. Please include name, address, and telephone number in all correspondence.

The Southern University System, located in Louisiana, is the nation’s only historically black university system with campuses in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport, and a Law Center and Agricultural Research and Extension Center. The campuses are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

For more information about the Southern University System, please call 225.771.4680 or visit our website at www.sus.edu.

2 Southern University System Magazine

Contributing Writers Rachel Emanuel Eddie Francis Dawn S. Jenkins Robyn Merrick LaKesha D. Mosley Candace Semien William Strother Bridget Udoh Katara Williams With assistance from SUBR Media Relations SUBR Office of Publications and Electronic Media SUBR Sports Information SUSLA Office of Communications SUSLA Graphic Services SUNO Public Relations SU Alumni Affairs Photography N. John Oubre III (staff) Christopher J. Rogers Barbara Austin Eddie Frances Pre-press and Printing Moran Printing, Inc. ISSN no: 1545-1801

System News

Ronald Mason Jr. is greeted by SU Board of Supervisors member Achilles Williams after being named SU System president April 30.

SU Board names Mason president of Southern University System The Board of Supervisors for the Southern University System on April 30 named Ronald Mason Jr. as the new president of the Southern University System.

Mason brings to Southern University more than 20 years of experience in higher education, community development, and law. Mason is currently the president of Jackson State University.

Mason also has served as the founder and executive director of the National Center for the Urban Community at Tulane and Xavier Universities in New Orleans. Prior to his successful tenure at Jackson State, Mason held several positions at Tulane, including senior vice president, general counsel, and vice president for finance and operations.

After the announcement of Mason being selected as president, Murphy Bell, co-chair of the Southern University System Presidential Search Committee, said that Mason’s breadth of experience, proven leadership, and developments in campus

infrastructure during his tenure at Jackson State attracted the attention of many members of the Search Committee, which was charged with guiding the presidential search and ultimately recommending candidates to the Board.

Mason also has extensive involvement in public service and professional activities, including current membership on the White House Board of Advisors for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the boards of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO). Additionally, he has served on the boards of the American Council on Education and the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, Office of Postsecondary Education.

“Ron Mason is the perfect candidate to lead the SU System,” said Tony Clayton, chairman of the SU Board of Supervisors. “He has a unique grasp of the mission of land-grant universities and a passion for that mission. He also

brings solid experience in advancing public institutions by managing them effectively, expanding them through capital outlay, and enhancing them by forging successful ties and creating a sense of shared purpose with the external communities. I am delighted to welcome him into the Jaguar Nation.”

Mason, is a native of New Orleans and received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Columbia University in New York City. A graduate of the Harvard Institute of Educational Management, Mason is the recipient of numerous awards for his accomplishments such as the Mayor’s Medal of Honor from the City of New Orleans, the Martin Luther King Lifetime Achievement Award from Dillard, Loyola, Tulane and Xavier universities, and was one of five recipients of Columbia University’s 2008 John Jay Award for distinguished alumni.

He is married to the former Belinda DeCuir and has one daughter, Nia, and two sons, Jared and Kenan.

Spring 2010 3

SU launches awareness campaign

In an effort to raise awareness and to build support, the Southern University System launched a comprehensive public relations campaign, “SU...

Today, Always” in February.

The main objectives for the new initiative include raising awareness and appreciation of the System’s contributions to residents, communities, regions, and the state

as a whole; strengthening advocacy efforts for the System among the state’s top government officials, legislators, alumni, business leaders and key influencers; and promoting the message of Southern University to every corner of the State of Louisiana and to mount a very aggressive defense of the System during the 2010 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature.

“We are very excited about the SU…Today, Always Campaign,” said Interim President Kassie Freeman.

“Through this medium, we will celebrate the past, spotlight the current, and highlight the

future in terms of our growth and achievements.”

The target audience for the campaign includes the Louisiana State Legislature, Louisiana Board of Regents, Southern University alumni, faculty, students, staff, supporters, and other stakeholders.

A broad media “push” strategy was implemented to enhance the System’s advocacy efforts. A variety of public relations strategies were used to achieve the overall goal. The timing of the campaign was designed to coincide with the start of the 2010 legislative session, so that as legislators are deliberating over critical issues relative to the SU System, they will consistently see the positive messages relayed through the “Southern University...Today, Always campaign.”

SUSF Radiothon raises funds for scholarships More than $82,000 was raised to fund scholarships during the 19th Annual Southern University System Foundation (SUSF) Radiothon on October 16 at Citadel Broadcasting.

All proceeds from the 2009 Radiothon support the “Scholars of Promise Initiative,” which places “Students First” in terms of scholarships, assistantships, and youth programs. The “Scholars of Promise Initiatives” is a general scholarship fund governed by an independent advisory board composed of SU faculty and staff.

The fundraising broadcast aired live for 12 hours on three stations powered by Citadel BroadcastingKQXL 106.5 FM, WEMX 94.1 FM, and WXOK 1460 AM. “The Southern University System Foundation is extremely pleased with the support that the community has provided for this year’s Radiothon,” said Hughes. “We are extremely 4 Southern University System Magazine

appreciative that our students, alumni, and supporters have joined together for the past 19 years to make this event a huge success, and we anticipate the continuance of this tradition for years to come.”

Given the current economic climate, the Southern University System was pleased with the show of support aimed at helping the students.

“The generous contributions from thousands of alumni, friends and community organizations during this annual initiative will provide the University with the necessary fuel to continue moving forward — transitioning the University and our students to new heights of educational excellence,” said SU System Interim President Kassie Freeman.

Students share experiences and help raise funds during the Southern University System Foundation’s 19th Annual Radiothon on October 16. More than $82,000 was raised to support the “Scholars of Promise Initiative.”

SU leaders join White House signing ceremony for HBCUs

President Barack Obama signs a renewal of the executive order on federal efforts to assist historically black colleges on February 26, in the White House East Room. SU Interim President Kassie Freeman and SU Chancellors Ray Belton, Shreveport; Kofi Lomotey, Baton Rouge; Victor Ukpolo, New Orleans; and Leodrey Williams, SU Ag Center, attended the ceremony.

Interim SUS President Kassie Freeman led a group of Southern University chancellors to witness President Barack Obama signing a renewal of the executive order on federal efforts to assist historically black colleges on February 26, in the White House East Room.

John Silvanus Wilson Jr., executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, said the ceremony made the day “a great day” for black colleges — in part because of the new emphasis the office is taking.

While the executive order itself follows the form of orders in previous administrations, Wilson said that the new executive order would set off a change in philosophy on how the government works with the institutions.

The order authorizes the continuation of an office in the Education Department to focus on ways that all federal agencies work and support historically black colleges.

In his remarks, President Obama noted, “It was because of these schools that America’s middle class was filled with black doctors and educators and judges and lawyers and engineers and entrepreneurs.”

“And today, it’s because of these schools that one out of every two wide-eyed freshmen who arrives on their campuses with big backpacks and bigger dreams is the first in his or her family to go to college,” he said.

Apart from the executive order, the President has demonstrated his commitment to strengthening educational opportunities at HBCUs through his FY 11 budget that includes $98 million in new money for HBCUs at ED which includes a $13 million increase for the Strengthening HBCUs program and support for the $85 million in mandatory funding for HBCUs in the pending Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, $20.5 million for the HBCU Capital Financing program to provide HBCUs with access to financing for the repair,

renovation, and construction or acquisition of educational facilities, instructional equipment, research instrumentation, and physical infrastructure, $64.5 million for the Strengthening Historically Black Graduate Institution program, $103 million for a comprehensive science and technology workforce program, and an increase in the Pell Grant maximum award.

“I am delighted to have led the Southern University delegation to President Obama’s White House signing ceremony. As a former member of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, I fully understand the great potential for lasting impact that the initiative can have. It is my hope that the current members will use data to develop its priorities and focus on building capacity for expanded service. Our HBCUs are essential to the President’s agenda for returning America to a leadership ranking,“ said Freeman.

NEW SYSTEM WEB SITE LAUNCHES – The System Information and Technology Resource Management Office (ITRM) and System public relations staff worked to implement an improved System Web site. The new site features a redesigned template and a custom content management system that is easy to navigate and update. Check out the new site at www.sus.edu.

Spring 2010 5

SUS celebrates 130 years during annual observance

SU Board of Supervisors member, Walter Guidry Jr. was the keynote speaker for the SU Shreveport’s Founders Day celebration on March 11.

The Southern University Alumni Federation held its annual Founders’ Day Gala, March 6. Honored at the event were SU alumni Emmett W. Bashful, Elton C. Harrison, and Walter L. Johnson. Pictured are (standing, left – right) Norman St. Amant, assistant vice president for alumni affairs, Olga Gaines, gala chairperson, Tony Clayton, chairman, SU Board of Supervisors, Domoine Rutledge, president; Ronald Mahomes, parliamentarian; Betty Kyles, second vice president; Macqueline Joseph, secretary; Betty Fuller, 3rd vice president; Danny Edwards, sergeant-at-arms; Rev. James Brown, chaplain; SUAF, and SU Interim President Kassie Freeman. Seated are Bashful, Johnson, and Harrison.

Southern University and A&M College Founders’ Day observances paid tribute to individuals who founded the University in 1880 in New Orleans. Events on the Baton Rouge campus kicked off a year-long celebration of the University’s 130th anniversary. This year’s theme was “Reflection, Rededication, Renewal.”

The Southern University Alumni Federation hosted its annual Founders’ Day Gala, March 6, in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom in the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union.

The celebration honored Emmett W. Bashful (‘40), Elton C. Harrison (‘38), and Walter L. Johnson (‘50).

Domoine D. Rutledge, national president, SU Alumni Federation presided over the event and SU Interim President Kassie Freeman welcomed guests and gave remarks.

The evening’s program included historical reflections by Charles Vincent, history professor at SUBR. 6 Southern University System Magazine

March 9 festivities began with a Community Prayer Breakfast in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom in the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union featuring the Reverend Willie Laws, Scott United Methodist Church; the Reverend Michael D. Mallet, pastor of Greater Beulah Baptist Church; the Reverend Ron Sutton, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church of Baton Rouge; and the Reverend S.C. Dixon, pastor of Greater Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church. Bishop Conway Knighten, St. Mary Baptist Church, presided.

The SU Laboratory School held its annual commemorative Founders’ Day ceremony at the school on March 9.

Attorney Tracie J. Woods, a 1980 graduate of the Southern University Laboratory School, who serves as executive counsel for the SU System and president and legal writing and analysis professor at the SU Law Center, was the guest speaker.

At the Founders’ Day Convocation on March 9 in the F.G. Clark Activity Center, SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey discussed

Katie B. Smith, administrative assistant V, finance and business affairs, SU System, receives a certificate in recognition of 30 years of service at Southern from SU Interim President Kassie Freeman during the annual luncheon to honor employees with 20, 30, and 40 years of service. The program was held as part of Founders’ Day 2010 activities.

SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey was the speaker for the SUBR 2010 Founders’ Day Convocation on March 9 in the F.G. Clark Activity Center. Lomotey discussed the past and future of SUBR and outlined campus accomplishments and priorities.

the past and future of SUBR and outlined campus accomplishments and priorities and challenged the faculty, students, staff, alumni and others to be a part of the “construction crew” to build a stronger and lasting Southern University.

Lomotey pointed out that the Jaguar Nation has always met challenges head-on and the current time is no exception.

Lomotey recognized members of Southern University’s 1950 graduating class who were celebrating a 60-year reunion.

At the convocation, Rutledge praised Southern’s founders for building a five-campus system from almost nothing and acknowledged long-time alumni Harrison, Bashful, and Johnson who were honored during the annual SU Alumni Federation’s Founders’ Day Gala.

Bishop Conway Knighten, St. Mary Baptist Church, presided over a Community Prayer Breakfast in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom in the Smith-Brown Memorial Union held in conjunction with the SUBR Founders’ Day events.

During remarks, SU System Interim President Kassie Freeman told the Founders’ Day convocation crowd, “our founders are telling us our next 130 years can be better than our first 130 years.”

Darren Mire, vice chairman of the SU Board of Supervisors greeted the crowd and paid tribute to the campus’ faculty, staff, and students.

A Founders’ Day luncheon also was held on March 9 in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union where 20, 30, and 40-year employees were recognized for their service.

Southern University at Shreveport held its annual Founders’ Day Celebration March 11 in the Health and Physical Education Complex on its main campus. The theme was, “A Celebration of Living Legends.”

“It is a time honored tradition at SUSLA to pay homage to its forefathers and to individuals who have played a significant and prominent role in the overall triumph and historical legacy of the institution. SUSLA saluted endowed leaders who have rendered service to the Shreveport community over more than four decades,” said SUSLA Chancellor Ray Belton.

System Interim President Kassie Freeman and SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey pictured with members of Southern University’s 1950 graduating class. The group celebrating its 60th reunion, was recognized during the 2010 Founders’ Day Convocation in the F.G. Clark Activity Center on March 9.

The keynote speaker for the program was the Honorable Walter Guidry Jr., member of the SU System Board of Supervisors.

Guidry is a native of Lake Charles, a retired petroleum engineer and former member of the U.S. Army. Guidry has a degree in mechanical engineering from Southern University and A&M College and is a member of the SU Alumni Federation, Society of American Military Engineers, American Legion China Post No. 1, National Association of Corrosion Engineers, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.

Attorney Tracie J. Woods, a 1980 graduate of the Southern University Laboratory School and who serves as executive counsel to the SU System and president and legal writing and analysis professor at the SU Law Center, was guest speaker for the SU Laboratory School’s annual commemorative Founders’ Day ceremony.

Spring 2010 7

SUS Global Excellence Council holds inaugural meeting To better assist its campuses and students with their transition to the labor market, SU System Interim President Kassie Freeman assembled a diverse group of professionals from a cross section of occupations, to assist Southern University in achieving international acclaim as the premier producer of globally competitive students in the areas of greatest priority to the economic development of Louisiana and world.

The SU System Global Excellence Council met for the first time on March 30 to begin work that will provide executive-level counsel to the president on the current and anticipated workforce needs and trends of the region.

“This impressive group of individuals show a clear commitment to Louisiana and have offered to guide our discussions in developing strategies for evaluation of students’ preparation and readiness for the labor market,“ said Freeman.

Attending the inaugural meeting were Curt Eysink, executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission; Anthony Keck, deputy secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health

and Hospitals; Walter G. Monsour Jr., president and CEO of East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority; and Alden J. McDonald Jr., president and CEO of Liberty Bank.

Walter T. Tillman SU Interim President Kassie Freeman welcomed (left-right) Anthony Jr., executive Keck, deputy secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health an associate to the Hospitals; Alden J. McDonald Jr., president and CEO of Liberty Bank; vice president Curt Eysink (second from left), executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission; and Walter G. Monsour Jr., (far left) president for academic and CEO of East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority, to the first and student affairs, SUS, who meeting of the SUS Global Excellence Council. Walter T. Tillman Jr. (third is coordinating from left), executive associate to the vice president for academic and student affairs, SUS, is coordinating the initiative. the initiative, explained the Excellence Council are Eysink; Dinisa SU Global Hardley Folmar, Esq., trademark Excellence Council will assist the counsel, The Coca-Cola Company; campus chancellors in securing V. Renee’ Dotson Jackson, GSC resource to be a nimble institution Information Technology, ExxonMobil; capable of providing leadership to Keck; Monsour; Stephen Moret, future market trends.

Louisiana secretary of economic The founding members of the development; and McDonald.

Southern University System Global

BP gives $2.5 million to SU, LA schools The BP Foundation awarded a $2.5 million grant to six Louisiana schools including Southern University.

On hand during the January 29 press conference at BP’s oilfield facilities near Houma were (left – right) Mwalimu J. Shujaa, provost and executive viceChancellor, SUBR; Andrea Jefferson, assistant vicepresident for Institutional Advancement, SUS; James Dupree, senior vice president, BP; Tony M. Clayton, chairman, SU Board of Supervisors; Mary Landrieu, U.S. Senator (D-LA); Katara Williams, director of media relations, SUS; Francesca Mellion Williams, project director, Office of Research, SUBR; Charlie Melancon, U.S. Representative (D-LA), and Ernie Troy Hughes, special assistant to the president and executive director of the Foundation, SUS.

8 Southern University System Magazine

Annual System conference honors legend in education More than 200 educators, university faculty, and school personnel attended the 6th Annual J.K. Haynes Teacher Preparation Conference on October 6 at the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

The one-day conference, “Creating High Performing Schools for Underserved Populations: The Role of HBCUs,” began with a keynote address from Louisiana Superintendent of Education, Paul Pastorek.

Panelists for the morning session included Elton C. Harrison, SUBR vice president for academic affairs emeritus and former SUNO vice chancellor for academic affairs; Paul G. Vallas, superintendent of the New Orleans Recovery School District; Daisy Slan, superintendent of St. Helena Public Schools; Kofi Lomotey, chancellor, SUBR; and Janet A. Guyden, associate vice president and dean of graduate

studies and research, Grambling State University.

The group moved to the Royal Cotillion Ballroom in the Smith Brown Memorial Student Union for the luncheon session that featured guest speaker Leslie T. Fenwick, an Obama advisor and Howard University Dean of Education.

Roland Mitchell, assistant professor of higher education, Louisiana State University, was speaker for the afternoon panel.

Last year’s conference focused on improving teacher education efforts for minorities by bringing together university faculty and the elementary and secondary education community.

SU Interim President Kassie Freeman presents a plaque to Paul Pastorek, Louisiana Superintendent of Education during the 6th Annual J.K. Haynes Teacher Preparation conference at the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Pastorek was keynote speaker for the morning session of the one-day conference held on October 6.

Haynes was a longtime education and civil rights activist and was a former member of the Louisiana Board of Regents. He played a key role in the development of the Louisiana

Colored Teachers Association (later named the Louisiana Education Association) and became executive director until the organization merged with the Louisiana Association of Educators.

The annual conference is sponsored by the SU System Office of Academic and Student Affairs.

Scholarships awarded to Bailey sons The Southern University and A&M College System and the SU System Foundation awarded scholarships to the children of slain SUBR engineering student Michael Bailey.

Chair and a SU Board of Supervisors member, made comments along with Habib P. Mohamadian, dean of the College of Engineering, and Deonne Bailey, wife of Michael Bailey.

Bailey’s children Derrin Michael, Devin Michael, and Michael Anthony Bailey Jr. will be afforded the opportunity to attend college at Southern University for their entire undergraduate program.

“Education is so very important to us, and it was very important to Michael,” said Deonne Bailey. “He would have wanted to make sure that our boys got a good education and attended college, especially at Southern University.”

“I am so very grateful that Southern University thought enough of my son to award my grandchildren scholarships in his memory,” said Theresa Bailey, mother of Michael Bailey. “They will certainly be used.”

The announcement of the awards was made during a press conference on November 24 presided over by Interim SU System President Kassie Freeman. Attorney Walter C. Dumas, who is SU System Foundation Board

Michael Bailey, a senior at Southern University, Baton Rouge, was on a weekend trip with friends when he was killed in San Francisco in October.

“Bailey was known as an outstanding young man to all who knew him,” said System President Kassie Freeman. “In his memory, the Southern University System family welcomes his children into the Jaguar

Nation, with hopes that they will continue the legacy of education and learning that their father left behind.”

SU System Interim President Kassie Freeman along with Habib Mohamadian, dean, SU College of Engineering; SU System Foundation board members Anna Jones, Walter Dumas, and Joe Delpit; and Ernie T. Hughes, special assistant to the president and executive director SU System Foundation, presented scholarships to the children of slain SU student Michael Bailey. The children, Derrin Michael, Devin Michael, and Michael Anthony Bailey Jr. were joined by their mother Deonne Bailey for the presentation.

Spring 2010 9

White House Initiative on HBCUs official speaks to SU board Interim President Kassie Freeman and the Southern University System Board of Supervisors welcomed John S. Wilson, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), during the board’s meeting in October.

Wilson was appointed to the post

by President Barack Obama in July and will work with the presidentially appointed HBCU Board of Advisors and assist Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as liaison between the executive branch and HBCUs. He also will work with 32 federal agencies that support HBCUs through federal grants and contracts.

During his visit to SU, Wilson made an hour-long presentation to the Board of Supervisors focusing on the “shifts” that HBCUs must make.

Using sharp and and sometimes poignant language, Wilson said that he would like to see the gap between black higher education and the rest of higher education closed.

“We need to sharpen our leadership,” said Wilson. “We have to intend to thrive.”

He pointed out that 88 percent of African Americans getting an education are not enrolled in black colleges. “Now we have to compete— we have to sell ourselves and let others know why to choose us,” he said.

Noting the importance of fundraising at a time when state support to colleges and universities is waning, Wilson said the HBCUs, like the rest of America, have to “reform, rebrand, and renew.”

“We are going to redefine capacity.

We need to increase the amount of support to black colleges. What we have been doing is not working.”

10 Southern University System Magazine

John S. Wilson, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), made a presentation during the Southern University Board of Supervisor’s meeting in October. Wilson was appointed to the post by President Barack Obama in July, 2009.

HBCUs are too “tuition dependent,” Wilson said, and they [HBCUs] must do a better job of increasing their endowment sizes and finding other revenue sources.

“We are very honored to have Dr. Wilson and we are in 100 percent agreement on the direction HBCUs must take to improve and thrive,” said Freeman.

Wilson’s explained that HBCUs “are stuck in survive” and should be more centered on thriving.

Prior to his White House appointment, Wilson had been an associate professor at George Washington University since 2006.

Previously he spent 16 years at MIT, where he served as director of foundation relations and assistant provost. Wilson also held several teaching positions during more than a decade in Harvard University’s Afro-American Studies Department, as well as in their Graduate School of Education. Wilson has served as a board member for Spelman College and for the Independent Federal Savings Bank in Washington, D.C. He also has served as an official advisor to a variety of efforts to improve black colleges, including initiatives led by the Kresge Foundation, the Mott Foundation, and the United Negro College Fund.

HBCUs must stop feeling sorry for themselves, he explained, and switch their focus from playing violins to trumpets.

“We play the violin too much,” Wilson said. “We think people owe us something.”

Wilson received positive feedback from SU administrators and board members for his straightforward comments and message.

“The fact that you have shown up on this campus is a testament to your commitment for being a voice for SU and HBCUs,” said Tony Clayton, SU Board chairman.

Wilson thanked Freeman for allowing him to visit Southern during his tour of HBCUs around the country.

Freeman told Wilson she is working to avoid the “business as usual” perception of Southern.

Wilson earned a bachelor of arts degree from Morehouse College, a master of theological studies degree from Harvard University, and both master’s and doctoral degrees in educational administration, planning, and social policy, also from Harvard University.

SUBR, SUSLA hold fall commencement exercises Southern University and A&M “This was a College at Baton Rouge held its fall momentous commencement exercises on December occasion for the 11 in the F. G. Clark Activity Center. entire campus community. More Thomas Dortch Jr., chairman of our students emeritus of the 100 Black Men of are completing America, Incorporated, gave the their program address to the 517 graduates. matriculation at Dortch urged the graduates to be the end of the fall part of the solution to the growing semester and we high school dropout rate of young want to reward black teenagers. them accordingly Terry McCullum Jr., of Baton Rouge, as they have worked very hard The Honorable Patrick O. Jefferson, member, Southern University was honored as the chief Student Board of Supervisors, was the keynote speaker for SUSLA’s first fall and diligently marshal. McCullum, a mechanical commencement. Eight-three students received degrees and certificates to obtain their engineering major, graduated with a during the ceremony. degrees and 3.9 GPA. On Saturday, December 12, Southern certificates,” said Ray L. Belton, SUSLA Chancellor.

University at Shreveport (SUSLA) held its first fall commencement in the university’s Health & Physical Education Complex. The addition of a Fall Commencement to the academic calendar allowed students who completed their coursework in the fall the opportunity to receive their diplomas as soon as they satisfied graduation requirements. The 2009 Fall Class has 83 graduates.

The Honorable Patrick O. Jefferson, member, Southern University Board of Supervisors, was the keynote speaker for the occasion.

Jefferson, a native of North Louisiana, joined the Newell Law Firm in September 2005. As an elected official as he serves on the Bienville Parish Police Jury District 2.

Walterius Braggs, a computer science major from Shreveport who graduated with a 3.55 GPA was SUSLA’s chief student marshal.

Thomas Dortch Jr., (right) chairman emeritus of the 100 Black Men of America, Incorporated, gave the address to the 517 graduates during the Southern University and A&M College fall commencement on December 11. Pictured with Dortch is SU System Interim President Kassie Freeman and SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey.

Southern University and A&M College at Baton Rouge held its fall commencement exercises on December 11 in the F. G. Clark Activity Center. Terry McCullum Jr., of Baton Rouge, was honored as the chief student marshal. McCullum, a mechanical engineering major, graduated with a 3.9 GPA. Pictured is McCullum receiving his degree from SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey. Also pictured are SU Board of Supervisors members Hon. Walter Dumas and Hon. Randall Gaines.

Spring 2010 11

UK delivery expert shares approach to transformation

Sir Michael Barber, former aide to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, discussed delivery methods with Southern University administrators, faculty, and staff from throughout the Southern University System along with Commissioner of Higher Education Sally Clausen and Louisiana Board of Regents Chief of Staff Kim Hunter-Reed.

The Southern University System, in partnership with the Louisiana Board of Regents, has embarked on a mission to improve graduation and retention rates to ultimately increase the number of new degrees conferred by 2015.

Southern University administrators, faculty, and staff from throughout the Southern University System along with Louisiana Commissioner of Higher Education Sally Clausen and Louisiana Board of Regents Chief of Staff Kim Hunter-Reed, gathered in the Magnolia Room of the Mayberry Dining Hall at Southern UniversityBaton Rouge on November 17, to hear Sir Michael Barber, former aide to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, discuss delivery methods.

Barber, during his tenure as chief advisor on delivery, was charged to bring oversight to the prime minister’s priority programs in health, education, transport, policing, the criminal justice system, and asylum/ immigration. Barber was one of the lead architects of education reform strategy in England during Blair’s term in office.

Prior to joining government, Barber was a professor at the Institute of Education at the University of London. Currently he has partnered 12 Southern University System Magazine

with McKinsey and Company as the expert partner in its Global Public Sector Practice. In this capacity, he specializes in transforming education in the United States and the United Kingdom.

At Southern, he discussed his role as chief advisor and how his responsibilities were focused solely on the most important priorities to the prime minister. During his tenure he was very successful at moving the prime minister’s agenda and realized significant increases in many of the areas he was charged with, including education.

Barber outlined his approach to approaching problem areas within the prime minister’s program by outlining four steps in developing a plan for transformative change in key areas of government.

Barber explained the importance of planning to accomplish goals and identifying milestones, establishing targets to measure success, planning to accomplish goals, and developing routines to ensure plans are implemented.

The Southern University System has embraced the methods of delivery in an effort to increase graduation and retention rates. SU System Interim

President Kassie Freeman has selected a Delivery Team to guide Southern University efforts to transform critical areas for student success.

The SU Delivery Team is directed by delivery liaison Melva K. Turner, SU System chief of staff. The team is developing the SU System Delivery Plan which will articulate its purpose, detail performance management, identify the relevant activities and delivery chain, set trajectories for implementation, and incorporate benchmarking to track progress towards these ambitious goals.

“We can’t just do business us usual,” said Freeman. “If we don’t believe in our students, who else will? There is no better System to provide leadership and voice for educating AfricanAmerican students.”

Freeman said we need a sense of passion and commitment for improving educational opportunities for all students no matter what their background.

Clausen also addressed the group and said that she is pleased with the Southern Univeristy System’s proactive approach to addressing performance issues.

SUS takes center stage at state capitol, legislature SU alumni, administrators, faculty, staff, students, and other stakeholders converged in and around the state capitol for activities celebrating “SUS Day at the Louisiana Legislature” on April 20.

The SU System hosted legislators, alumni, and stakeholders at a breakfast to begin the day at the lieutenant governor’s apartment in the Pentagon Barracks, .

Representatives from the five System campuses set up information tables in the Capitol Rotunda and visited committee meetings. A lively assembly to support SUS was held on the capitol steps just before noon.

campus chancellors, administrators, faculty, staff, students and alumni were guests in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, where presentations were made honoring the Southern University System.

A legislative reception was held Tuesday evening at the Phelps-Dunbar, City Plaza II.

Following lunch at the Pentagon Barracks, Interim SU System President Kassie Freeman and

Representatives from the five SU System campuses set up information tables in the Capitol Rotunda during “SUS Day at the Louisiana Legislature”.

Interim President Kassie Freeman and System campus chancellors participated in “SUS Day at the Louisiana Legislature on April 20.” Pictured (left to right) are Kofi Lomotey, SUBR; Ray L. Belton, SUSLA; Leodrey Williams, SU Ag Center; Victor Ukpolo, SUNO; and Freddie Pitcher Jr., SULC.

Interim SU System President Kassie Freeman and campus chancellors, administrators, faculty, staff, students and alumni were guests in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, where presentations were made honoring the Southern University System, April 20, during “SUS day at the Louisiana Legislature.”

Representative Cedric Richmand (D-New Orleans) addresses crowd during a midday assembly to support SUS that was held on the capitol steps just before noon, April 20, during “SUS Day at the Louisiana Legislature.”

Spring 2010 13

SUNO News

$1.75 million grant to aid SUNO with scholarships Southern University, New Orleans, (SUNO) received $1.75 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the next five years for its Enhancement, Enrichment, and Excellence in Mathematics and Science (E3MaS) grant.

“We thank Senator Mary Landrieu, Jefferson Parish Public School System Superintendent Dr. Diane Roussel, and Superintendent Darryl Kilbert of New Orleans Public Schools, for submitting letters to the NSF in support of our proposal,” said Victor Ukpolo, SUNO’s chancellor. “This funding will allow us to increase scholarship offerings for incoming freshmen and greatly enhance our math and science summer enrichment program that’s attended by high school students from the region. Interest in the summer program also comes from students

outside of this region, and now SUNO will be able to accommodate them thanks to having student housing that became available in January.”

The grant will enable SUNO to continue to strengthen its undergraduate recruitment and retention activities in mathematics and science by improving the quality of incoming high school students through the Summer Enrichment Program; developing high school mathematics and science teachers through content enhancement workshops; improving the quality of undergraduates through scholarships, learning center support, research mentoring, placement in summer internships, and GRE preparation; implementing aggressive faculty development through peer mentoring; and a seed grant award for research

development and sponsorship to a Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) research consortium workshop.

The leadership Joe Omojola team for this grant is Joe Omojola, Murty Kambhampati, and Carl P. Johnson, of the Department of Natural Sciences.

Members of the team have proven to be highly effective in mentoring students in math and science.

Web site ranks SUNO #1 in campus safety Southern University, New Orleans, (SUNO) has been ranked #1 in campus safety with a 98.2 safety rating among Louisiana colleges and universities by StateUniversity.com’s Safest Schools report. SUNO was informed of its ranking on November 30.

SUNO’s clean record reflects only reported incidents in burglary and larceny-theft according to the Web site (http://www.stateuniversity.com/ rank_by_state/safety_score_rank/ LA.html).

According to StateUniversity.com, “colleges and universities ranked for campus safety on a scale that accounts for severity of a crime as well as frequency of crime.” The site also 14 Southern University System Magazine

lists SUNO #20 in the nation (http:// www.stateuniversity.com/rank/safety_ score_rank.html), the highest ranked Louisiana institution and the highest ranked HBCU in America.

“We are certainly honored to be recognized for something as important as campus safety. All over the country parents and prospective college students want to know that any college campus will provide a safe learning environment. This speaks volumes of the respect that our students and others in the SUNO community have for their peers and their campus,” says Victor Ukpolo, chancellor of SUNO.

StateUniversity.com’s founder, Dominik Mazur, states in the organization’s release, “Student safety and campus crime are sometimes overlooked during the college evaluation process. We believe it is important for students to be aware of crime on campus and in the surrounding community.”

StateUniversity.com is “the leading web site for college information” according to its release on Yahoo!

Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com/ news/StateUniversitycom-Announcesprnews-229214520.html?x=0&.v=1).

The campus safety report is based on incidents reported by campus safety officials.

SUNO’s Clean Campus Project underway

Southern University at New Orleans has embarked on a major beautification project on its Lake and Park campuses.

The Clean Campus Project involves several components, including the power-washing and painting of several Park Campus buildings and the planting of trees and shrubberies around them, the installation of building identification signs, and the formation of a “green” playground on the Lake Campus near the Student and Faculty Housing Facility.

Robert Cannon, SUNO’s assistant vice chancellor for administration, says that the greenery was selected in order to give the University a distinct look.

“There are palm trees, oaks and many others. The ‘green’ playground, when it’s completed, will either be

a total green space filled with trees and shrubberies or a walking trail or playground that will have lots of green-space,” he said. “SUNO is part of the historic Pontchartrain Park neighborhood, and we want our University to serve as an inspiration as the recovery of this area continues.”

Students and faculty alike are pleased to see the changes taking place.

“I have always believed that our campus needed a significant number of trees to make it seem like a fit ‘home’ for our educational mission.

Looking at these newly planted trees, I imagine how glorious they will be in ten years. They add beauty not only to our campus, but to the whole neighborhood,” says Sara Hollis, dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

Most of the Park Campus beautification is occurring on buildings which sit near Press Drive. During her second visit to SUNO in August 2009,

SUNO homecoming week a golden affair

Timolynn Sams

Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) celebrated homecoming November 1-6 by featuring a keynote address by Timolynn Sams.

Themed, “Golden Knights on the Nile,” the week’s activities celebrated the 50th anniversary of the opening of the university.

Sams, a 1998 graduate of SUNO, is the executive director of the Neighborhoods Partnership Network (NPN), and was named, “One of 50 Visionaries Changing Your World” by the Utne Reader in November 2008. A native of New Orleans, Sams had also served as the special events coordinator of the Audubon Nature Institute and the Midwest regional director of the National African-American Tobacco Prevention Network before returning home to take the post with NPN.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced the awarding of more than $32 million in funding to replace the University’s Old Science, New Science, Multipurpose, and Clark buildings, which are part of the Park Campus.

“Immediately upon taking office, President Barack Obama had SUNO on his radar, and shortly after taking office, he sent a team to SUNO to assess our needs, and we are forever grateful for the results,” said SUNO chancellor Victor Ukpolo. “We are working closely with the Louisiana Office of Facility Planning and Control (FP&C) in order to get definite time lines for when construction on these buildings will commence. That’s the main reason why the beautification is taking place on the periphery of the Park Campus. Any improvements made to the interior of the Park Campus could be compromised due to forthcoming construction.”

Ambassador visits SUNO Southern University, New Orleans (SUNO), welcomed Ambassador Johnnie Carson to the campus on Thursday, November 19.

Ambassador Carson, who serves as assistant secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs, conducted a colloquium about an assortment of contemporary international opportunities and issues. The University’s College of Business and Public Administration hosted the event.

Ambassador

Johnnie Carson “Like many Sub-Saharan African economies, New Orleans is growing and at the same time in need of new and extensive capital infusion to help it recover from setbacks due to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Ambassador Carson, a seasoned diplomat with extensive knowledge of Africa and African-related issues, is uniquely qualified to share his extensive experience with students and members of the New Orlean’s community,” said Igwe Udeh, dean of SUNO’s College of Business and Public Administration.

Ambassador Carson’s 37-year Foreign Service career also includes ambassadorships to Kenya (1999-2003), Zimbabwe (1995-1997), and Uganda (1991-1994), and principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs (1997-1999).

Spring 2010 15

SUNO chancellor touts campus progress “The SUNO community is grateful for the continued support of President Obama and his administration.

Our university received immediate attention from the White House shortly after President Obama’s The progress of SUNO is highlighted by the development of its facilities. inauguration, SUNO held the groundbreaking for its College of Business and Public which resulted in Administration’s building on March 24th on the Lake Campus. visits to SUNO Victor Ukpolo, chancellor of by key members Southern University at New Orleans of the President’s team, including (SUNO), attended President Barack Homeland Security Secretary Janet Obama’s Town Hall Meeting October Napolitano and HUD Secretary Shaun 15 at the University of New Orleans, Donovan,” said Chancellor Ukpolo. and was pleased that SUNO’s progress “The timing of on-going support remains in the national spotlight of from the White House bodes well New Orleans’ recovery. for the exciting changes happening at SUNO, including the statewide

expansion of our recruiting territory, thanks to offering housing for the first time in the University’s 50-year history.

(See story below) We are pleased that more students from around the state, nation and the world will be able to participate in the renaissance of both SUNO and New Orleans by attending our institution.”

The progress of SUNO is highlighted by the development of its facilities— the new student and faculty housing will total 700 beds along with a student activity center opened on the Lake Campus in January and under construction is SUNO’s Information Technology Center on the Lake Campus; and the recent groundbreaking for the College of Business and Public Administration.

Last August, Napolitano visited SUNO to announce an additional $32 million of aid to recover the campus.

The funds will be utilized to rebuild the university’s Multipurpose and New Science Buildings as well as Clark Hall (Education Building) and Brown Hall (Old Science Building).

SUNO students move into its first housing complex After more than 50 years, Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) took a monumental step toward becoming a residential campus with the opening of its Student and Faculty Housing complex. Residents moved into the new housing facility beginning January 4, 2010.

SUNO is offering a combination of two- and four-bedroom apartments in the 700 unit, $44 million complex. Chancellor Victor Ukpolo says that 244 are available, and the rest will be ready in August.

For the first time, Southern University at New Orleans is offering campus housing this semester. SUNO is offering a combination of two- and four-bedroom apartments in the 700 unit, $44 million complex. Chancellor Victor Ukpolo says that 244 are available, and the rest will be ready in August. Ukpolo says about 120 students have signed up for apartments. The rent is $632 per student per month for a two-bedroom apartment and $438 per student per month for a fourbedroom flat. Resident assistants live rentfree in one-bedroom apartments.

16 Southern University System Magazine

According to Ukpolo, about 120 students have signed up for apartments. The rent is $632 per student per month for a two-bedroom apartment and $438 per student per month for a four-bedroom flat. Resident assistants live rent-free in one-bedroom apartments.

Media representatives were invited to an open house in January to take advantage of photo opportunities, and collect sounds and images during the move-in day.

The official grand opening of SUNO’s Student and Faculty Housing was held on Monday, February 8, 2010.

For the Times Picayune story go to:http://www.nola.com/education/index. ssf/2010/01/suno_apartment_complex_ready_f.html

Ag Center News Symposium focuses on threats to agriculture, resources The symposium featured presentations and demonstrations from researchers at universities and federal and state agencies who are monitoring high consequence plant pathogens, insect pests, and invasive weeds that threaten our nation’s agriculture and renewable natural resources, says Daniel Collins, professor of plant pathology and symposium organizer.

“This event is a key factor in preparing professionals in defending the nation and preparing students for plant biosecurity positions,” said Collins. “This is an important venue which provides an opportunity to network with scientists and professionals addressing research, educational, and career opportunities.”

Because U.S. crop production and forest ecosystems are vulnerable to deliberate and natural plant pathogens and pests capable of causing significant economic damage, plant biosecurity protects plants from exotic pathogens or pests whether they are introduced intentionally by an agro-terrorist, accidentally, or by natural means, says Collins.

The Plant Biosecurity Symposium was sponsored by a grant awarded to Collins by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture 1890 Teaching Capacity Building Grants Program for enhancement of the M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs in urban forestry at Southern University through plant biosecurity training.

Urban forestry graduate student Tranessa Zepherin (Iberia Parish) is using a hand held GPS unit to get data points to map the location of citrus trees in urban environments. This data could help regulatory agencies pinpoint the location of citrus trees for pest surveys and monitoring of high consequence plant pathogens.

Scientists and professionals who are working on the frontlines of biosecurity research gathered at Southern University on November 10-12, to uncover potential threats to our nation’s natural resources and agriculture. They participated in the University’s third annual “Frontline Biosecurity Symposium.”

Participating in the symposium were representatives from the FBI, USDA ARS and APHS offices, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry – Horticulture and Quarantine Programs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, and Howard, Louisiana State, Oklahoma State, and Pennsylvania State universities.

Ag Center receives $100,000 grant educational institutions in 14 states from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s rural development program.

The Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center received a $100,000 federal economic development and business promotion grant as part of $1.5 million going to 15 historically African-American land-grant

“These funds help provide entrepreneurship training and benefits to rural youth,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “President Obama believes our nation’s economic competitiveness and the path to the American dream depend on providing every student with an education that will enable them to succeed in a global economy. Using these funds, students will learn to take advantage of existing economic development opportunities

in their communities – such as renewable energy resources – as well as the vast business knowledge and connections that these schools and their faculty members have.”

The grants, provided through USDA Rural Development, will help create businesses, promote cooperatives, and provide jobs. The recipients are among the 18 institutions supported under the Second Morrill Act of 1890, a law providing for the establishment of land-grant institutions focusing on agriculture, home economics, and the mechanic arts.

Spring 2010 17

Ag Center trains agents on emergency preparedness

Kasundra Cyrus (standing), family and human development specialist, and training organizer, SU Ag Center, with participants during a three-day emergency preparedness training for agents who work throughout the state.

In order to teach local communities, families, school leaders, and childcare center employees how to respond to emergencies, the SU Ag Center Family and Human Development program hosted a three-day emergency preparedness training for extension agents who work throughout the state.

“It makes no difference what the disaster is, but it does matter that all of us learn to mitigate and prepare in order to remain safe and healthy,” said Chancellor Leodrey Williams.

As a result of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustav, the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center collaborated with the Department of Health and Hospitals and the Center of Emergency Preparedness to reduce the hardship and struggle caused by disasters along with the potential spread of the H1N1 threat faced by citizens of this state and others nationally.

“The last decade has brought to the forefront horrendous weather conditions that have prompted many families and other individuals to learn emergency responses to various hazards,” said Kasundra Cyrus, family and human development specialist, and training organizer, SU Ag Center. “These conditions have included natural, man-made, and technological conditions in addition to the risks of pandemic type situations.”

Each agent received a curriculum resource guide to teach citizens how to make advanced preparation for their communities’ different needs and

various disasters. According to Cyrus, provisions are made for the resource curriculum guide to offer directions for community-centered trainings, but each agent or educator should have a knowledge base and a set of skills in disaster preparedness and readiness.

“It is our responsibility to assist the community and ensure that home environments are safe and secure. To promote these safe environments, the curriculum guide focuses on the preventive measures of disaster planning and emergency readiness,” said Cyrus.

Although the training did not highlight every kind of disaster that can occur, it provided program participants with an overview of hazards, knowledge, training, and skill building.

Extension agents were trained on seven lessons designed to help teachers, directors, families, and community advocates discover ways that will make emergency preparation easier for the residents of their community and children under their care.

Ag Center agent joins Louisiana 4-H Team Southern University Ag Center area agent Edna Lastrapes joins the six-member team representing the Louisiana 4-H Youth Development program.

The team was selected to particiEdna Lastrapes pate in the Building Partnerships for Youth’s Spotlighting Positive Youth Development program offered through a partnership between National 4-H Council and the University of Arizona.

“I expect to develop greater knowledge of how positive youth development can address the many issues facing youth in Louisiana with a focus on the issues faced by youth in 18 Southern University System Magazine

the Southwest Center’s service region,” said Lastrapes.

The effort will provide the team with an opportunity to learn ways to coordinate efforts of deliberate incorporation of positive youth development into programs and policies.

According to Louisiana 4-H, the overall goal of the program is to produce a systems-level impact that supports youth throughout the state.

“With this knowledge, our team will design a plan to build greater capacity by forming a coalition and offering a youth development conference for youth and adult teams throughout the state, which will include students and adults who I am currently working with,” said Lastrapes, who organizes

the youth programs of the Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives’ 10-parish region.

“By creating a coalition and facilitating collaboration, the goal will be to engage youth in positive development experiences with caring adults yielding a better informed, healthy, and supported youth,” she said.

The team participated in a three-day kickoff conference in Chevy Chase, Maryland, in February.

The Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives is a satellite entity of the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

The Center’s mission is to promote socioeconomic development within a 10-parish region.

Ag Center ecosystem study underway management of the Scott’s Bluff ecosystem, the scope of the work will include much more, said Abdollahi.

•D etermine the frequency and severity of the trunk defects in high risk zones on the SBUF ecosystem

“It’s an ecosystem restoration project,” Abdollahi said. “The main goal is to come up with a management scheme.”

• I ncorporate the research into education and outreach activities and to develop scientific and educational materials to increase public awareness pertaining to hazard tree assessment and management.

The urban forest management for Southern University and A&M College is an attempt to integrate public forest management with the goals and desires of students, faculty, and administrators.

The mission is to facilitate appropriate management to sustain the health and increase the extent of Southern University’s urban forest resources. The plan’s vision is to increase overall SU Urban Forestry students work with scientific tree cover, tree health, and equipment in research efforts that are part of a study consequent tree benefits to protect and enhance the natural resource base and on the campus in an environment of Scott’s Bluff in Scotlandville. equitable and sustainable manner while reducing the A four-year, $450,000 grant project university’s carbon footprint. funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute The project’s objectives include: of Food and Agriculture through • Quantifying the structure and the SU Agricultural research and function of the SBUF ecosystem Extension Center is underway to study (including tree inventory the Urban Ecosystem of the Scott’s and analysis) Bluff in Scotlandville for developing • Geographic Information System, a comprehensive Urban Forest Global Positioning System, digital Ecosystem Management Plan. mapping and remote sensing According to Kamran Abdollahi, of the SBUF ecosystem and its professor and urban forestry program associated communities leader, the goals of this integrated • Environmental Quality ecosystem-based project is to protect Assessment for the SBUF and enhance the natural resource base ecosystem by identifying and and environment of the historic Scott’s mapping the environmental Bluff Urban Forest (SBUF) ecosystem pollution in the SBUF ecosystem through the appropriate use and management of ecological systems for • Conduct a Hazard Tree Assessment optimizing ecosystem productivity and inventory on the SBUF and services. The ultimate goal is ecosystem including hazard to improve the quality of life in tree identification, evaluation, the area. The research proposal and documentation specifically talks about urban forest

• Assess the magnitude of the erosion rate from the Mississippi river bank along the Scott’s Bluff bordering the Southern University campus in Scotlandville using new water erosion prediction technology • I dentifying and evaluating different vegetative covers (grasses, shrubs and trees) which could be used both as sustainable streambank and cost effective erosion stabilizers •E valuate the riverbank for seepage erosion and determine seepage flow and erosion rates •E valuate the soil compaction for the SBUF. •A ssess the urban forest health status of Scott’s Bluff by screening native tree species for reaction to P. ramorum This integration of ecosystem management, while accounting for where people live and work, is not unlike other places in the state or along the coast, Abdollahi said, adding that the Southern project could have wider applications.

“We’re addressing the land we’re attached to,” Abdollahi said. “It’s so important to our daily function.”

Spring 2010 19

Animal science program to enhance meat goat industry The project, “Enhanced economic benefits for meat goat producers through production, meat yield and palatability, and consumer information,” is a joint project of five institutions: LSU Ag Center, SU Ag Center, Angelo State University, Fort Valley State University, and Tuskegee University. The lead institution is LSU Ag Center.

The SU Ag Center research team members are researchers Fatemeh Malekian and Sebhatu Gebrelul, and research associate Janet Gager.

This project will identify production practices and product traits at each segment of the meat goat industry that will increase the net economic benefits and productivity of meat goat producers.

The SU Ag Center’s animal science program in collaboration with four institutions, was awarded a three-year, $388,000 USDA AFRI integrated research project grant with $45,000 coming to the center.

The project, “Enhanced economic benefits for meat goat producers through production, meat yield and palatability, and consumer information,” is a joint project of five institutions: LSU Ag Center, SU Ag Center, Angelo State University, Fort Valley State University, and Tuskegee University. The lead institution is LSU Ag Center.

The SU Ag Center’s animal science program in collaboration with four institutions, was awarded a threeyear, $388,000 USDA AFRI integrated research project grant with $45,000 coming to the center.

The meat goat industry is the most rapidly growing livestock category in the U.S., but is highly unstructured compared to other livestock industries. Specific information is needed about each segment so that potential common market and product linkages can be identified and relative product values in each segment can be distinguished. The research will determine purchase and consumption patterns for goat meat through a national survey of consumers to evaluate live, carcass, and meat traits of kid and yearling goats representative of meat goats being marketed in the U.S. and to survey producers on production and marketing practices needed to increase net margins and productivity within the next five years.

Ag Center hosts business, contracts conference Small business owners and contractors participated in the Sixth Annual Connecting Businesses with Contracts Procurement Conference, March 23, at the Southern University Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union in Baton Rouge.

The conference continues to bring together potential and existing contractors, entrepreneurs, and government agencies in position for business matchmaking. Small enterprises are provided an opportunity to meet contracting officers and purchasing agents.

Attendees received information on the new Disadvantaged Business Enterprise American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Bonding Assistance Reimbursable Fee Program, as well as Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Surety Bond Guarantee Program that can now be guaranteed for up to $5 million. General Services Administration (GSA) federal supply schedules and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food commodity contracting opportunities were explained. According to organizers, conference participants also gained a surefire 20 Southern University System Magazine

plan to finally become proactive in marketing their businesses.

Representatives from the Louisiana Office of State Purchasing answered questions from individuals on programs like the Hudson and Veteran initiatives, which help small businesses contract with State offices.

The conference was hosted by the Southern University Ag Center, the Center for Rural and Small Business Development, Louisiana Small Business Development Centers in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, the U.S. Small Business Administration, Louisiana Procurement Technical Assistance Center, and the Louisiana Economic Development Corporation.

USDA’s Hawkins visits SU Ag Center The Southern University Ag Center welcomed Clarence W. Hawkins, the new Louisiana State Director of USDA Rural Development, to the campus on December 17.

Hawkins told the crowd that his “task is to pick up the baton and carry on, to change the paradym, and make the philosophy a reality. Our task is to change the negative perception The Southern University Ag Center welcomed Clarence of rural communities and it’s just W. Hawkins, the new Louisiana State Director of USDA that simple. I’m serious about Rural Development, to the campus on December 17. accountability and I’m serious Pictured are (left - right) Southern University Ag Center about service. Service is the rent specialists Eual Hall and Gloria London, USDA state director Clarence Hawkins, Southern University Alumni I pay to stay here. We must build cooperations and collaborations.

Affairs director of alumni communications Robyn Merrick, and SU Ag Center chancellor Leodrey Williams. My hope is that Southern University continues to grow and to serve,” said Hawkins.

The former Bastrop mayor was appointed director by President Barack Obama in September 2009. In this capacity, Hawkins is responsible for the direction and delivery of the agency’s rural development programs in Louisiana.

SU Ag Center Chancellor Leodrey Williams showed his support, saying, “we must do everything possible to give the people who are qualified and happy to live in rural parishes opportunities to thrive there.”

The Southern University community including interim system president Kassie Freeman along with representatives from the system and community showed their support for Hawkins and USDA.

USDA awards $300,000 for leadership institute at SUAREC Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced December 9 that the USDA is awarding more than $14 million in grants to organizations throughout the country that will provide training and assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

The Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center will receive $300,000 in funding to support the Small Farmer Agricultural Leadership Institute.

“The Institute is a two-year course of study specifically designed to guide small, socially disadvantaged, limited resource farmers or minority farmers through the transformative process of becoming successful agricultural entrepreneurs,” said Dawn Mellion Patin, institute director and agricultural specialist. The institute currently has 34 participants and has graduated 58 farmers from 14 states.

According to USDA, the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (OASDFR) grant program enables socially disadvantaged producers to successfully acquire, own, operate, and retain farms and ranches, and to assure equitable participation in the full range of USDA programs.

A socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher is one of a group whose members have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice without regard to their individual qualities.

Generally, socially disadvantaged producers who participate in OASDFR-funded projects develop profitable new farming or ranching practices, receive loans more rapidly, increase their farm or ranch income, continue farming or ranching longer and are less likely to go out of business.

“This has been the case for the Southern University Ag Center’s

Institute graduates,” said Patin.

Graduates have been appointed to the advisory boards of Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education and Southern Region Risk Management Education programs, as well as to state and local advisory boards and task forces in eight states.

“They have been invited to serve as panelists and keynote speakers at conferences all across the country.

They are serving as model farmers in several states and their farms are used as demonstration sites. Three graduates have been selected as Small Farmers of the Year for their states.”

Graduates have also started farmer’s markets and Community Supported Agriculture initiatives and are featured in educational videos.

“Most importantly, (the graduates are) taking back to their communities what they have learned and sharing with others.”

Spring 2010 21

Ag Center dedicates livestock show, awards champions Louisiana’s young farmers and ranchers exhibited animals at the 67th Annual State Livestock and Poultry Show hosted by the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

The two-day competition was held at the Maurice A. Edmond Livestock Show Arena, March 12-13, in Alsen.

Judges named the state champions in various breeds of beef and dairy cattle, hogs, sheep, lamb, and goats. The show featured animals that were showcased or had won in parish competitions.

The annual livestock event was dedicated to former state representative Richard “Dick” Turnley Jr., a native of Plaquemine, and to the memory of Danny Quebedeaux, an educator, mentor, and teacher in Thibodaux.

Turnley became CEO and Treasurer of the Southern Teachers and Parents Federal Credit Union in 1959, the oldest black-owned financial

Louisiana’s young farmers and ranchers exhibited animals at the 67th Annual State Livestock and Poultry Show hosted by the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center at the Maurice A. Edmond Livestock Show Arena, March 12-13, in Alsen.

institution in Baton Rouge. In 1972, he was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives where he served until 1984 when he was elected to the

Former state representative Richard “Dick” Turnley Jr. was honored at the 67th Annual State Livestock and Poultry Show hosted by the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Eldridge Etienne (second from left), assistant manager, Southern University Teachers and Parents Federal Credit Union, accepts a plaque dedicating the show in Turnley’s honor. (from left-right) SU Ag Center Chancellor Leodrey Williams, Livestock Show director Renita Marshall, and SU Ag Center Vice Chancellor for Extension Gina Eubanks.

22 Southern University System Magazine

Louisiana Senate. While in the senate, Turnley played a key role in organizing the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus. His public service was not limited to his immediate area as he served as a volunteer consultant for the World Council of Credit Unions for the South Africa Credit Union Movement, where he was very instrumental in the development of credit unions there. Under Turnley’s leadership, the Southern University Teachers and Parents Federal Credit Union has supported the Southern University Ag Center’s Livestock Show programs by purchasing the grand champions and reserve champions.

Quebedeaux spent more than 34 years teaching agriculture and sponsoring the FFA organization and other programs at his school. In his years of teaching, he touched many lives in and out of the classroom.

Working with students brought him tremendous joy and that passion was evident throughout his career.

Most students, who enrolled in the

agricultural program, had no idea what it was about. He prepared junior high students to compete against high school students. His students, in many of the contests, came back home to Thibodaux with championship trophies. He trained these students to be winners and would not accept anything less.

The show featured a meat sale and also a mini-farm with a variety of small farm animals with guides who discussed different animals, their food sources, farming and how agriculture affects everyone’s lives.

Also, retired Army Lt. General Russel Honore stopped by the 67th Annual Livestock and Poultry Show and purchased the Grand Champion Market Hog from Makayla Conner of Calcasieu Parish.

The 67th Annual State Livestock Show Showmanship Champions 2010 Beef Breeding Division Category: Brahman Influence – Heifer Champion: MacKenzie Scriber, Claiborne Parish Reserve Champion: Austin McCurry, Claiborne Parish Category: Non-Brahman Influence – Heifer Champion: Taylor Dobson, Natchitoches Parish Reserve Champion: Taylor Dobson, Natchitoches Parish

2010 Commercial Dairy Division Category: Supreme Commercial Champion Champion: Stefanie Ferguson, Winn Parish Reserve Champion: Baylse Salley, Sabine Parish Category: Dairy Showmanship Champion: Katherine Rashall, Caddo Parish

2010 Market Goat Division

Goat Showmanship Only Mary McMahon, Superintendent Category: Goat Showmanship Champion: Kyle Curtis, Beauregard Parish Reserve Champion: Hayden Holtzclaw, Webster Parish

2010 Market Lamb Division

Lamb Showmanship Only Terrance Marshall, Superintendent Category: Lamb Showmanship Champion: Maggie Brakeville, Bossier Parish Reserve Champion: Thomas Bearden, Bossier Parish

2010 Market Hog Division

Swine Showmanship Only Terry Washington, Superintendent Category: Swine Showmanship Champion: Makayla Conner, Calcasieu Parish Reserve Champion: Parker Bevel, Caddo Parish

Category: Brahman Influence – Bull Champion: Jake LaCaze, Natchitoches Parish Reserve Champion: Ashlyn Turner, Claiborne Parish Category: Non-Brahman Influence – Bull Champion: Chloe Thompson, Bossier Parish Reserve Champion: Mitchell Miles, Winn Parish Category: Commercial Heifer Champion: Mitchell Miles, Winn Parish Reserve Champion: Jesse Magee, Jackson Parish Category: Beef Showmanship Champion: Megan Hammons, Jackson Parish Reserve Champion: MacKenzie Scriber, Claiborne Parish

2010 Junior Dairy Division Dairy Champion and Showmanship Eugene Runles, Superintendent Category: Supreme Champion Champion: Ann Robinson, Webster Parish Reserve Champion: Baylse Salley, Sabine Parish

Members of the Quebedeaux’s family accept a plaque honoring the late Danny Quebedeaux, a long-time educator and mentor from Thibodaux. On hand for the presentation were SU Ag Center Chancellor Leodrey Williams, Livestock Show director Renita Marshall, and SU Ag Center Vice Chancellor for Extension Gina Eubanks.

Spring 2010 23

C OV E R S TORY

Campus Initiatives

Reduce Waste and Conserve Energy

SU promotes Green and Sustainable Initiatives Colleges and Universities have begun to follow the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) advice to incorporate sustainability concepts into their day-to-day operations and long-range planning.

The energy crisis of the 70’s coupled with an emerging environmental movement launched today’s eco friendly society. During the early 80’s and 90’s energy-saving efforts consisted of lowering a thermostat, lowering shades, and turning out lights. Today’s conservation efforts have grown exponentially and with the use of various technologies, universities are able to identify true cost savings.

Many universities have found ways to shrink their environmental footprints and to boost their sustainability.

According to published research, prospective students, faculty, and staff are attracted to schools with green initiatives, and strong records of environmental compliance and sustainability.

Many universities also are aligning their priorities with the clean energy goals of the Obama administration. The president has pledged to invest $150 billion over the next 10 years in energy research and development, ultimately transitioning to a clean energy environment.

Any campus can carry out successful sustainability projects with the right amount of expertise and funding.

Already the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is poised to assist Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) in meeting sustainability goals. The UNCF received a $1.8 million grant from The Kresge Foundation last year which is dedicated to the Building Green at Minority-Serving Institutions Initiative. Funds will support capacity and knowledge building.

24 Southern University System Magazine

SU graduate students and faculty members in the College of Agriculture’s Department of Urban Forestry and researchers in the Agricultural Research and Extension Center are working on an integrated ecosystem based project designed to protect and enhance the natural resource base and environment of Scott’s Bluff Urban Forest (SBUF).

Through the initiative, the UNCF is sponsoring Green Building Learning Institutes that will allow participants to be eligible to apply for $20,000 mini grants to develop green “action plans” for their campuses. In addition, technical assistance workshops will be held that will build on the information presented during the Green Building Learning Institutes. The grant also hopes to increase the number of buildings on MSI campuses that receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and also increase representatives of MSIs on the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.

“Joining the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, erecting buildings to LEED standards, and adopting energy-efficient policies comes with a hefty price tag,” says Michael Stubblefield, vice chancellor for research and strategic initiatives at SUBR. “We are aggressively pursuing resources and partnerships that will allow Southern to become a truly sustainable campus that lives the goals of such national and international initiatives.”

for conserving energy through retrofitting state buildings to include upgrading campus lighting, electrical, and mechanical systems According to Endas Vincent, SU System director of facilities planning, the Southern University’s portion of the grant comes to approximately $1.7 million to cover an array of beneficial energy savings projects.

“Cutting state energy costs provides a benefit to all citizens, and this investment in energy efficiency will mean savings in government spending on energy in future years,” said DNR secretary Scott Angelle. “Allowing our universities to use this funding to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings saves them the upfront investment and gives them energy savings opportunities in coming years, allowing them to use more of their resources on their core mission of education.”

SU students, faculty and staff can ride the Capital Area Transit System (CATS) anywhere in the city at no cost per ride.

SU partners with the City of Baton Rouge to provide bus service to the campus.

System Efforts What started out in the ‘90s at the Baton Rouge campus as a “Turn Out the Lights” internal campaign has evolved into an elaborate structure to conserve energy and water, manage and preserve the campus’ natural resources, and reduce waste. Several university-wide sustainability initiatives are currently in progress and several are on the horizon which will enable SU to have a healthy future.

Among the SU System plans is a project that involves the replacement of all existing fixtures and lamps in the J. S. Clark Administration Building on the Baton Rouge campus with energy efficient LED lighting with the goal being to save approximately 50 percent of the energy presently consumed for lighting. In addition, a 50kw grid-tied solar PV system featuring UV solar panels will be installed on the roof to provide a portion of the power for the lights.

Also, the project involves replacing existing lights on the major streets on the Southern University, Baton Rouge campus, which includes the Agriculture Center and the Law Center, with an energy efficient solar garden lighting system that uses LED lights powered by ultraviolet (UV) solar modules. The panel is designed to absorb the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

The Southern University System will soon begin major energy efficiency improvement efforts through projects that are part of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds granted to the state of Louisiana through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for energy efficiency modifications to state university buildings.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced last year that Louisiana’s Department of Natural Resources has been approved for a total of $35.5 million from the ARRA to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in the state – the first half of a $71 million federal allocation to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

The allocation brings the funding to 50 percent of the total allocation for Louisiana’s State Energy Program (SEP).

Part of Louisiana’s SEP plan is a $25.7 million “Lead By Example” energy efficiency program to provide funding

CEES and the College of Engineering have collaborated to develop a sustainability project that has large scale environmental benefits and cost savings for the University. Faculty and graduate students in the department of civil and environmental engineering have conducted a feasibility study funded by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), to construct an on-site, multi process wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and training facility.

Spring 2010 25

“We are aggressively pursuing resources and partnerships that will allow Southern to become a truly sustainable campus that lives the goals of such national and international initiatives.”

— Michael Stubbefield, vice chancellor for research and strategic initiatives, SUBR Vincent explained that this would be the first renewable energy project installed on a public building or college campus in Louisiana. Once the project is complete, classes in energy efficiency and the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of UV systems, will be offered to students at Southern University and other universities and community and technical colleges in Louisiana, with the goal being to train these students and prepare them for the jobs that are being created in the fast-growing renewable energy marketplace.

In addition, science teachers in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System and neighboring parishes will be encouraged to participate in the Louisiana Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Teacher Training Program, where they will be taught how to include energy efficiency and renewable energy education in their classrooms, while having a real demonstration project to use as a teaching tool.

use, includes replacement of existing light fixtures and lamps with energy efficient windows, replacement of existing air handling units with energy efficient units in the Administration Building, Old Science Building, New Science Building, and the cafeteria; and the installation of ducts and vents on the three floors of the Administration Building.

“These major energy saving/cost saving projects greatly support our green initiatives and provide much needed improvements for the Southern University System while creating a comfortable and healthier environment for our students, faculty, and staff,” said SU Interim President Kassie Freeman.

Last year, Baton Rouge campus administrators met with representatives from Broad International, a Chinese multinational energy corporation to discuss a new development that would cut utility costs in half by using waste heat recovery, a type of energy recycling in which heat generated by furnaces and various industrial processes is converted into electricity. Broad and Austin Energy already have a similar initiative with the University of Texas at Austin. (See story, page 47) The Baton Rouge campus has an alternative transportation option available to faculty, staff, and students. Managed through the University Police department, SU partners with the City of Baton Rouge to provide bus service to the campus community. All SU students, faculty and staff can use their university issued identification card to ride the Capital Area Transit System (CATS) anywhere in the city at no cost per ride.

A project at Southern University, Shreveport calls for a controls upgrade and integration project for existing TRANE and OEM HVAC controls in the 10-Building campus. As a result, efficiency, comfort, air quality, and reliability will cut utility costs through working building controls for immediate utility savings.

“The energy savings generated by the work at SUSLA will reduce greenhouse gas emissions because the University will not require as much electrical power from the utility provider. The project will also create construction jobs and most materials for the project will be purchased locally.

This project should benefit the local economy as the project funds are used,” said Vincent.

Proposed work at Southern University at New Orleans that will provide significant reduction in energy costs and 26 Southern University System Magazine

The energy crisis of the 70’s coupled with an emerging environmental movement launched today’s eco friendly society. Because the university campus is a training ground for several disciplines often using chemicals, water, and electricity; generating both hazardous, radioactive and biomedical waste, frequently undertaking construction projects, it is an ideal place to initiate sustainability projects.

No campus sustainability effort could be successful without the involvement and participation of students.

design of the data center’s air conditioning system which focuses on the server’s core temperatures as opposed to the ambient room temperature. The upgraded system forces cold air through the front of servers and the system administration, networking and security (SANS) units while the warm air that exits out of the back of servers and SANS units is sucked into the return air system immediately which makes the ambient room temperature more comfortable than most data centers.

“It is definitely a challenge to balance the need for energy efficiency while working within our current budget structure to purchase the right equipment with the right capabilities,” says TNS Director Huey Lawson.

The Southern University System will soon begin major energy efficiency improvement efforts through projects that are part of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds granted to the state of Louisiana through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for energy efficiency modifications to state university buildings.

In addition, both the Baton Rouge and New Orleans campus master plans outline a more pedestrian friendly campus. Each campus will accomplish the task by moving parking areas closer to the edges of their campuses and encouraging walking through the majority of classroom zones.

Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) has a major beautification project underway on its Lake and Park campuses. (See story page, 15) The Clean Campus Project involves the power-washing and painting of several Park Campus buildings and the planting of trees and shrubberies around them, the installation of building identification signs, and the formation of a “green” playground on the Lake Campus near the newly constructed Student and Faculty Housing Complex.

While campus master plans outline all aspects of the physical environment, the greening of college campuses touch all areas of operations. The Office of Technology and Network Services (TNS) has contributed to SUBRs overall goal to cut costs and save energy through green information technology (IT) initiatives.

Green IT initiatives primarily focus on energy conservation. For example, TNS has implemented server and storage virtualization to reduce the number of servers and storage devices consuming power. Virtualization allows a single machine to run multiple operating systems at once. One physical machine can run multiple virtual machines, sharing the resources of one single computer across multiple environments. Equally important is the use of new blade servers in the campus data center which are designed to save space and minimize power. Also, all faculty, staff, and student computer workstations are configured to hibernate if not used for a specific period of time. Another cost saving measure is an upgrade to the

Like TNS, the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies (CEES) at the Baton Rouge campus has been instrumental in developing several initiatives to promote campus sustainability including the installation of monitoring stations located near the SU Laboratory School that measures air quality. The monitoring stations, erected in conjunction with the City of Baton Rouge Clean Cities “Ozone Action Plan,” allows readings to be taken daily by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and to report the results monthly and quarterly to CEES. “CEES has long been a proponent of alternative energy sources and continues its efforts to support green technology and innovations that will positively impact the campus at large,” says Center Director Samuel Washington.

CEES facilitated the construction of a totally sustainable (8x10) building behind the PBS Pinchback Engineering building. This structure is composed of Structural Insulated Panels (SIP) donated by Titan Wall. Titan Wall SIPs are clad in “TitanBoardTM,” sheathing far superior to wood in fire resistance, mold resistance, moisture handling and finishing capabilities. These panels can be used in basement foundation walls, above-grade exterior walls, roofs and floors. They have been used in a wide array of applications including high-end residential construction, affordable housing, and commercial construction projects.

Through a partnership with Massachusetts-based Free Flow Power, CEES will focus on growing hydropower sources in Louisiana. With the support and assistance of Free Flow, CEES plans to acquire, develop and manage a hydrokinetic facility on the Mississippi River to generate clean renewable energy for the campus.

In addition, CEES and the College of Engineering has collaborated to develop a sustainability project that has large scale environmental benefits and cost savings for the University. Faculty and graduate students in the department of civil and environmental engineering have conducted a feasibility study funded by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to construct an on-site, multi-process wastewater treatment plant Spring 2010 27

(WWTP) and training facility. The facility would be designed to utilize green technology such as solar panels to provide electricity and would serve as an academic training center for engineering students in the state, Louisiana wastewater operators, and wastewater industry stakeholders; reduce the cost of utility charges that the University currently pays; and showcase the University as a nationally recognized leader and innovator in engineering approaches to wastewater training, research and academics.

The project already has the support of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Louisiana DEQ, and the Association of Wastewater Operators.

Engineering Associate Dean and Civil Engineering Faculty Member Patrick Carriere says, “This partnership is a win-win for the state.” “We are pleased that Louisiana students will be exposed to new emerging sustainable technologies while reducing costs to the University.”

Students and Sustainability Efforts No campus sustainability effort could be successful without the involvement and participation of students.

From student-run recycling clubs to student awareness rallies and large scale research projects, SU System campuses are on a forward path to sustainability.

In collaboration with the Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC), CEES has formed a local chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) which is the nation’s premier association of energy professionals that draws its members from all sectors of the industry. AABE’s mission is to ensure the input of African Americans and other minorities into the discussion and development of energy policies, regulations, research and development technologies and environmental issues through its programs and activities.

Students at the SU Laboratory School also are contributing to reducing their impact on the environment.

Thanks to Instructional Media Specialist Carolyn Fields, the 2010 senior class began a campus beautification project that began with planting a flower garden. Students also have planted a tree in memory of former teacher Josie Tyson, who died last year. Future projects include adding additional flowering plant beds in other areas of the school and creating a landscaped area near the sign which reads, “The laboratory school is going green.”

“These projects are designed to teach our students to have respect for their environment,” says Fields.

SU graduate students and faculty members in the College of Agriculture’s Department of Urban Forestry and researchers in the Agricultural Research and Extension Center are working on an integrated ecosystem based project designed to protect and enhance the natural resource base and environment of Scott’s Bluff Urban 28 Southern University System Magazine

What started out in the ‘90s at SUBR as a “Turn Out the Lights” internal campaign has evolved into an elaborate structure to conserve energy and water, manage and preserve the campus’ natural resources, and reduce waste.

Forest (SBUF). (See story, page 19) The four-year, $450,000 project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) will allow the researchers to develop a comprehensive urban forest ecosystem management plan with the ultimate goal to improve the quality of life not only for the university community, but also for the neighboring Scotlandville community.

“What we plan to do is increase overall tree cover, tree health and consequent tree benefits on the campus in an equitable and sustainable manner while reducing our overall carbon footprint,” says Urban Forestry Professor and Program Leader Kamran Adollahi. “Trees are vital to our daily survival.”

Students will gain hands-on experience using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), digital mapping and remote sensing to develop a thorough assessment of the structure and function of the SBUF ecosystem.

The SBUF ecosystem project also has other environmental components including bank stabilization to address coastal erosion on the portion of the Mississippi River that runs adjacent to the campus using new water erosion prediction technology; assessment of other parts of the campus’ ecosystem with regard to water and air quality; evaluation of the campus’ forest health as it relates to extreme weather conditions and also potential diseases that could affect local trees. (See fig 1.)

The reasons that universities are greening their campus operations go beyond the desire to cut costs. Universities have always been at the forefront of change, so pursuing a sustainable future allows institutions to actively shape the future for eco-conscious change that will preserve the environment and improve society.

Law Center News

SULC ABA status, Bar passage lauded The ABA Council on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar Accreditation Committee recently announced that the Southern University Law Center remains on the list of law schools approved by the American Bar Association.

The announcement came the day before the 2009 Louisiana State Bar results and the same week SULC was featured in the Princeton Review’s The Best 172 Law Schools: 2010 Edition.

SULC graduates who took the bar in July achieved an overall 58 percent bar passage rate; which reflects a 66 percent passage rate for first-time bar takers.

“I congratulate and thank members of the faculty, staff, student body, alumni, and friends who pitched in to help us prepare for our sabbatical accreditation review,” Chancellor Freddie Pitcher said. “It was a gargantuan effort that took the full

cooperation of all of our constituencies to achieve this final result,” he said.

The bar results reflect an approximately six point jump from last year’s 52.3 percent for overall passage and eight points up from the July 2009 rate of 58 percent for first-time takers. Those who took the February 2009 bar achieved a significant passage rate of 67.8 percent or 40 out of 59 exam takers.

SULC in the Princeton Review’s ‘The Best 172 Law Schools’ In the Princeton Review publication, The Best 172 Law Schools: 2010 Edition, SULC ranks fourth for the Most Diverse Faculty and ninth as the Best Environment for Minority Students.

The Princeton Review editors describes the Law Center as “small and personable.”

“I don’t feel like just another number at my school,” says a first-year student.

“You feel that the people around you want you to be successful.”

SULC is also “ridiculously affordable.” Another student noted, “While others will be coming out of law school hundred of thousands of dollars in debt, Southern grads will have debt that is approximately one fifth of the cost.”

Additional SULC perks, the publication noted, include a, “decently broad selection of courses and six clinics that provide handson experience with the realities of practicing law for a very good percentage of students.”

The Law Center’s jointdegree program (JD/MPA) in cooperation with Southern’s Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and the studyabroad program in London, in which students take courses in international law, where mentioned as bonuses.

SULC ranks fourth for the Most Diverse Faculty and ninth as the If you plan Best Environment for Minority Students in the Princeton Review to practice publication, The Best 172 Law Schools: 2010 Edition. Also the ABA in Louisiana, Council on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar Accreditation Southern is a Committee recently announced that the Southern University Law great choice.

Center remains on the list of law schools approved by the American The “wealth of Bar Association. alums” doesn’t hurt when it challenging, intelligent people” who comes to finding a job, either. Students are, “downright awesome.” The faculty surveyed state that, “Some profs is notoriously approachable as well. can be very intimidating,” but the full-time faculty is full of, “sincere,

Spring 2010 29

SULC alumni donations total $30,000 Recent generous donations by alumni Cleo Fields, ‘87, and Judge Zorraine “Zoey” Waguespack, ‘88, have added $30,000 to SULC for general support and scholarships.

Fields made a major gift in the amount of $20,000 from Cy Pres funds from the Allied Signal South Works Settlement Fund.

Chancellor Freddie Pitcher Jr., said these funds will provide much needed, general support for the Law Center.

“The financial support of our graduates allows us to continue to make programmatic enhancements, including access to the best resources in legal education, which are of great benefit to our students,” said Chancellor Pitcher.

The gift by attorney Fields, a 1992 Distinguished Alumnus and a 2006 Hall of Fame inductee, qualified him for membership in the newly established Chancellor’s Circle.

The Chancellor’s Circle is a gift society of the annual fund inclusive of

graduates and other supporters who have made cumulative contributions of $1,000 or more to the annual fund.

Judge Waguespack, who was inducted into the 2009 SULC Hall of Fame, contributed $10,000 as a joint gift to the annual fund (Chancellor’s Circle) with the remaining $9,000 being designated for student scholarships. Nine $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to female law students from Livingston Parish who will be selected at the discretion of the SULC Scholarship Committee, led by chairman, Vice Chancellor Russell Jones.

Cleo Fields

“Thanks to the generosity of Cleo Fields, Judge Waguespack and other SULC graduates and supporters, we are able to continue ‘Reaching New Heights of Excellence’ in legal education,” said Chancellor Pitcher.

For more information about giving opportunities at SULC, contact April Brumfield, Annual Fund Coordinator, by telephone: (225) 771-5044 or by email: abrumfield@sulc.edu.

Zorraine “Zoey” Waguespack

SULC names new associate vc for financial affairs Terry R. Hall, chief financial officer for the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps in Baton Rouge, was named associate vice chancellor for financial affairs at the Southern University Law Center.

Terry Hall

Hall, who had been with the Recovery Corps since 2006, has more than 40 years of experience in public and private accounting and tax for non-profits, financial, construction, manufacturing, and retail organizations.

“His wealth of experience in budgeting, financial reporting, and financial planning for non-profit institutions, including colleges and universities, makes him an excellent choice for this position,” Chancellor Freddie Pitcher Jr., said.

30 Southern University System Magazine

The Baton Rouge native succeeds longtime SULC chief financial officer Bertell Dixon, who died on November 14.

Hall formerly practiced 15 years in his own CPA Firm and also served for 16 years as manager of general accounting and financial planning for Copolymer Rubber and Chemical Corporation in Baton Rouge; and as senior accountant for Coopers & Lybrand in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1970-1975.

He is a member of the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants.

Hall is a 1971 graduate of Southern University with a bachelor of science in business administration, accounting major.

Six inducted into 2010 SU Law Center Hall of Fame experience in the financial services industry, having worked in government public finance, as an investment banker on Wall Street, and in the investment management arena over the course of the past 25 years. She has also been a licensed attorney for the past 32 years.

Southern University Law Center (SULC) alumni returned for the April 8-9 Alumni Round-Up, an event highlighted by the Hall of Fame Induction Banquet held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Ben Cannon is Executive Center. Chancellor Freddie Pitcher Jr. congratulates executive director of SULC 2010 Hall of Famers (from left) Ben Cannon, Robert Becnel, the British Petroleum Judge John M. Guidry, District Attorney Hillar Moore, Pitcher, (BP) Foundation, Wanda Henton Brown, and Brian Jackson.

More than 150 alumni, one from as far away as Bermuda, returned to the Southern University Law Center for the April 8-9 Alumni Round-Up, an event highlighted by the Hall of Fame Induction Banquet held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Executive Center.

The six alumni inductees are Robert Becnel, a 1984 law graduate of LaPlace; Wanda Henton Brown, a 1977 law graduate of Bermuda; Benjamin Cannon, a 1982 law graduate of Houston, Texas; Judge John Michael Guidry, a 1987 law graduate of Baton Rouge; Brian Jackson, a 1985 law graduate of New Orleans; and East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore, a 1989 graduate of Baton Rouge.

Robert Becnel has a successful private practice primarily focused on personal injury, especially in class action litigation. Becnel is in his 12th year as assistant district attorney in St. John the Baptist Parish specializing in high profile drug cases. He also serves as a special prosecutor (homicides) for Orleans Parish.

Wanda Henton Brown, chair and CEO of her own consultative marketing and private placement practice, Lloyd Bridge, has extensive

Incorporated, based in Houston, Texas. In this capacity, Cannon is responsible for the day-to-day operations and management of an annual $60 million budget for global grants, employee-matching, and disaster relief programs.

Judge Guidry was elected to the First Circuit Court of Appeals in October 1997. Guidry has a longtime career in elective office and public service. In 1991, he was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives and to the State Senate in 1993. He also served as a legislative assistant, as the assistant clerk of the Louisiana House of Representatives, and an assistant parish attorney.

Brian A. Jackson is a shareholder in Liskow and Lewis in New Orleans.

Jackson joined Liskow & Lewis following a 16-year career in the U.S. Department of Justice. He has served as United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, First Assistant United States Attorney for that district and Associate Deputy Attorney General in Washington, D.C. On the recommendation of U.S. Senator Mary Laudrieu, Jackson was recently nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as a judge

on the federal court for the Middle District in Louisiana.

(See story, page 69) Hillar Moore was sworn in as district attorney of East Baton Rouge Parish in January 2009. Moore began working as an investigator for the East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office after graduating from college.

While working as an investigator, Moore attended and graduated from the Southern University Law Center, finishing among the top students in his class.

Judge Leon L. Emanuel III, of the First Judicial District Court in Shreveport, was master of ceremony and Shenequa Grey, SULC assistant professor of law, was the mistress of ceremony for the Hall of Fame banquet.

At the opening night welcome reception for the 2010 Alumni Round-Up held April 8 at the River Terrace of the Shaw Center for the Arts, four alumni were recognized for their career distinctions. They were Dennis Blunt, ’91, a partner in the commercial litigation group, Baton Rouge office of Phelps Dunbar LLP; Marcus Brown, ’88, vice president and deputy general counsel of Entergy in New Orleans; Endya E. Delpit, ’95, counsel for ExxonMobil Corporation of Houston, Texas; and Martin Maley, ’91, founding senior partner of Maley, Comeaux, and Falterman, LLC., in Baton Rouge.

Other events of the Alumni RoundUp were the Chancellor Scramble at Beaver Creek Golf Course in Zachary, the Justice Revius O. Ortique Jr., Symposium on Law, Politics, Civil Rights, and Justice; a free CLE seminar on the recent federal health care reform bill signed into law by President Obama; and a crawfish boil attended by members of the SULC Classes of 2000 and 1990, who were celebrating their 10 and 20 year reunions, respectively.

Spring 2010 31

Ortique portrait first on SULC Alumni Judicial Wall of Fame The unveiling of a portrait of the late Justice Revius O. Ortique Jr., which will hang in the new North Wing of the Southern University Law Center, was the opening highlight of the 2010 Justice Revius O. Ortique Jr., Symposium on Law, Politics, Civil Rights, and Justice, Thursday, April 8.

Orleans Parish Civil District Court, and the first black chief judge of that court; and the first African-American to win election to the state Supreme Court. He was president of the National Bar Association and five U.S. presidents appointed him to commissions and councils.

The portrait by artist Jim Thorns was presented to the Law Center by the Ortique family. During her remarks, Miriam Ortique, wife of the late Justice, made a surprise announcement that the family will establish a book scholarship at the Law Center to be awarded during next year’s symposium.

Boyle said that the late Justice would not want to just focus on the many “firsts” in his career, but he made sure to lay the groundwork so that his work will be continued.

Chancellor Freddie Pitcher Jr. stated that the Law Center family wholeheartedly accepts the portrait, as well as additional support to law students through the book scholarship. In welcoming the late Justice’s wife and daughter, as well as Thorns, he said, “This portrait is appropriately the first to be hung on what we plan to dedicate as the Alumni Judicial Wall of Fame.”

Speaker Kim Boyle, president of the Louisiana State Bar Association, noted the significance of the occasion and of the numerous firsts that Ortique attained in his career.

Ortique was the first black member of the Louisiana State Bar Association’s policy making organization, the House of Delegates; the first African-American judge elected to the

She noted that Justice Ortique was graduated from the SU Law School just nine years after its opening in 1947.

Boyle said that his career is the embodiment of the SULC historic mission to provide legal educational opportunities to under-represented racial, ethnic, and economic groups.

Pictured during the unveiling of a portrait of the late Justice Revius O. Ortique Jr. are from left: artist Jim Thorns, Miriam Ortique, Rhesa McDonald, and SULC Chancellor Freddie Pitcher Jr.

SULC holds first hooding ceremony Southern University Law Center’s Fall 2009 graduates were recognized in a Hooding Ceremony Friday, January 15, in the Edward L. Patterson Moot Courtroom in A. A. Lenoir Hall.

Fall 2009 graduates show their appreciation to family and friends who supported them throughout their law studies, during the first SULC Hooding Ceremony held Friday, January 15, in the Edward L. Patterson Moot Courtroom.

For the first time, the Southern University Law Center (SULC) recognized its graduates with a special Hooding Ceremony, according to Chancellor Freddie Pitcher Jr. The SULC Commencement is held during the spring of each year. Since

the opening of the part-time Day Program in 2000 and part-time Evening Division in 2004, an increasing number of students have completed graduation requirements following the summer and fall semesters, becoming eligible to take the bar examination in February prior to the SULC Spring Commencement. This special Hooding Ceremony does not take the place of commencement.

All graduates will continue to have their degrees conferred at spring commencement.

Marshall-Brennan project awarded LBF grant The SULC Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project was awarded a $26,250 grant from the Louisiana Bar Foundation. The grant, which will be distributed on a quarterly basis over the next 18 months, was among the more than $4.1 million presented to 66 organizations by the LBF Board of Directors at its November 6 meeting.

These grants were awarded in the areas of legal assistance to the poor, children’s legal services, law-related 32 Southern University System Magazine

education, loan repayment assistance and building capital development (BCD).

“With other funds already received, this grant will see the Project through 2010,” according to SULC Vice Chancellor Russell Jones, project director.

The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project is a nationwide program dedicated to teaching high school students about their constitutional rights.

SUSLA News

SUSLA receives $4 million Recovery Act grant Southern University at Shreveport was awarded a $4.2 million U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) grant.

The grant was part of nearly $1 billion in Recovery Act awards announced in mid-February by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.

The award will fund, “Project Success,” to train 325 participants from a 10-parish region in adult basic education and career pathways of dental hygiene, health information technology, nursing, medical lab technology, radiology technology, and respiratory therapy. Training affiliation agreements with the secondary schools and other local training providers will be strengthened and developed to ensure a steady pipeline of trainees from secondary to postsecondary to the world of work.

The more than $225 million in DOL grant awards, Solis announced, will be used to train 15,000 people in job skills needed to access careers in healthcare, IT, and other high growth fields.

The grants will fund 55 separate training programs in 30 states to help train people for secure, well-paying health jobs and meet the growing

employment demand for health workers. Employment services will be available via the Department of Labor’s local One Stop Career Centers, and training will be offered at community colleges and other local education providers.

“We are proud to have once again received a high-skill, high-wage training grant for the state of Louisiana and more specifically the Shreveport region that will play such a significant role in developing our local workforce. Access continues to be a challenge for students pursuing higher education and this grant award will be instrumental in addressing access to higher education issues by providing tuition assistance and other much needed educational support.

Once again, it’s a wonderful opportunity for this region and the clients we serve, ”said Ray L. Belton, chancellor, SUSLA. “The Recovery Act’s investments are making a positive difference in the lives of America’s working families,” said Solis.

In addition to the 10,000 jobs the DOL grantees expect to fill with freshly trained workers, the health IT extension centers are expected to hire over 3,000 technology workers nationwide in the months ahead.

“I congratulate Chancellor Belton and his team on this latest award.

With declining state revenues, all of our campuses must diversify their streams of revenue. Additionally, I congratulate SUSLA for securing funds that enhance their service in areas of economic priority to the state. Way to go . . . SUSLA!,” said SU System Interim President Kassie Freeman.

SUSLA was previously awarded a $2 million U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration grant for Project Success.

Vice Chancellor for Community and Workforce Development Janice Sneed states, “I was excited, but I wasn’t surprised to hear of our most recent award because of the outstanding outcomes achieved in the previously awarded Project Success grant. We, SUSLA, have a niche as it relates to healthcare training in this region and words cannot express the level of commitment that is shown by faculty, staff, and program facilitators. Their commitment to meet the students where they are in life and provide the necessary educational and supportive services is what really makes the difference. Stephanie Graham and Linda Hines (Co-PIs) are to be commended for their dedication on the previous grant; and, moreover Graham on successfully writing both proposals.”

SUSLA hosts Black Business Expo Southern University at Shreveport, the African-American Chamber of Commerce, and the Minority Business Council presented the first Northwest Louisiana Black Business Expo March 27 in the SUSLA Health and Physical

Education Building. The Expo showcased a diverse array of new and existing businesses from event planning services to landscaping and interior design companies. Blackowned businesses promoted and sold

their products and services to the general public, major corporations, and government entities, all in effort to expand their growing consumer base.

Spring 2010 33

SU Shreveport surpasses $1 million fundraising goal SUSLA Vice Chancellor for Community and Workforce Development, Janice Sneed, announces grants from Housing and Urban Development, $800,000; Small Business Association, $100,000; and Louisiana Workforce Commission/SUSLA Incumbent Worker Training Program for ExpressJet Airlines, $642,398 and Louisiana Workforce Commission/Incumbent Worker Training Program for Chrismon McDonald’s, $77,307.

Southern University, Shreveport, raised more $1 million in scholarship pledges, donations, and program grants during October and November.

The campus held its first SUSLA Student Scholarship Drive Month with two events, the “Scholarship Bail-Out” and the “Jaguar Scholarship Radiothon,” which raised more than $45,000 in pledges, checks, and cash donations.

During the Scholarship BailOut, University administration, participating faculty, staff and students were given “bail” amounts in exchange for their release from the “SUSLA Jailhouse” which was located in the newly built Johnny L. Vance Student Activity Center. The “detainees” made phone calls to raise their “bond,” amounts that go to support scholarships for students attending Southern University, Shreveport.

The Jaguar Scholarship Radiothon was held November 7. More than 40 volunteers manned a phone bank, taking listener pledges and working at the Alumni location, hosted by Micro Accounting Services and Southern University Shreveport Foundation, collecting checks and pledges. A new feature to the fundraiser was the street team. Volunteers collected donations at the intersection of Jewella Avenue and Greenwood Road. The radiothon was broadcasted from The Radio Group corporate office and studios on three of their stations: KDKS 102.1FM, KKBT 103.7FM and KOKA 980.

The Community and Workforce Development Division under the leadership of Vice Chancellor for 34 Southern University System Magazine

Community and Workforce Development, Janice Sneed, announced grants from Housing and Urban Development, $800,000; Small Business Association, $100,000; Louisiana Workforce Commission/SUSLA Incumbent Worker Training Program for ExpressJet Airlines, SUSLA Chancellor Ray Belton on the mic during the Jaguar $642,398; and Scholarship Radiothon on November 7 at the Radio Group Louisiana Workforce corporate office and studios on three of their stations: KDKS Commission/ 102.1FM, KKBT 103.7FM and KOKA 980.

Incumbent Worker Training Program for Belton added, “This month Chrismon McDonald’s, $77,307. represented an opportunity for our constituents, supporters, and friends The goal was to raise $1 million dollars that will help support students to really embrace those students to whom this institution serves. Their attending SUSLA through various financial gifts and donations will university programs. provide the opportunity for many of “We would like to take this our students to realize dreams and opportunity to extend to the secure futures.” community our heartfelt appreciation “This month was a tremendously and gratitude for their unwavering successful event thanks to the generosity and support to Southern entire SUSLA family and supporters University at Shreveport. This fall who answered the call of the semester, SUSLA registered its largest University to help meet this need. enrollment in the history of the Investing in a student’s educational institution – 3014 students, and with experience is truly a selfless act of the support of the community, the generosity,” said Theron Jackson, University will continue to create special assistant to the chancellor for opportunities for deserving students, institutional advancement. provide exceptional community programs and excellence in the classroom,” said SUSLA Chancellor Ray L. Belton.

SUSLA School of Nursing Sets the Bar, graduates achieve 100% pass rate Southern University at Shreveport’s School of Nursing students have consistently achieved National Council Licensure – RN (NCLEX-RN) with pass rates in the 90th percentile.

Recently, the department surpassed its own record and achieved a 100 percent pass rate with all of its Fall 2009 graduates receiving national certification.

The SUSLA Nursing Department is built upon a foundation of excellence and nurtures its students throughout their studies to fulfill career and

personal goals. The program is designed to support students who desire a career in nursing, but for whom the doors of the nursing profession have been traditionally closed, says Sandra Tucker, dean of the SUSLA School of Nursing.

“Our program considers and accepts persons in their entirety while mentoring them to become successful registered nurses,” said Tucker.

Interested applicants are required to successfully complete the National

League for Nursing Pre-Admission Exam-RN, have an overall GPA of 2.5 or above, complete at least 12 hours on Southern University at Shreveport’s campus, and successfully complete pre-requisite course requirements.

Selection to the professional component of the nursing program is based on NLN Pre-Admission ExamRN score, overall grade point average, and the satisfactory completion of all other pre-requisite requirements, there is no waiting list.

SUSLA hosts top speakers for Black History month

Judge Glenda A. Hatchett

Michael Baisden

Judge Glenda Hatchett encouraged students to move to higher ground and give voice to their dreams during Southern University at Shreveport’s spring convocation on February 10 in the Health and Physical Education Complex.

Through a Dreampost Campaign, Hatchett is encouraging 1 million parents to join the movement and post their child’s dreams near their bed as a daily reminder of what they can achieve.

Hatchett shared with students her story about growing up in the South after Brown v. Board of Education and the inequality in classrooms after the Supreme Court decision. When ripped and tattered books prevented her from reading stories aloud in class, Hatchett’s father told her to write her own story.

On the national tour he hopes to raise $1 million and recruit one million mentors. Baisden says many fathers are missing in homes and everyone needs to get involved raising the younger generation.

Hatchett had the crowd close their eyes and envision their dreams. They also were instructed to yell them out loud in unison.

Syndicated radio host Michael Baisden’s 72-city tour stopped at Southern University at Shreveport February 19.

He is traveling the country, stopping to talk about saving our kids.

“You can’t just shake your heads and talk about how bad the kids are, you got get out there and do something about it,” he said.

Baisden says organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs and Big Brothers, Big Sisters do not have enough money and do not have enough mentors.

He began attracting attention with primarily female followers as author and publisher of the highly successful provocative books, Never Satisfied: How and Why Men Cheat and The Maintenance Man.

Spring 2010 35

SUSLA queen reigns over first week-long Homecoming

SUSLA outreach brings smiles Almost 80 third-graders from Werner Park Elementary School received free dental services from local practitioners and dental hygiene students February 5 at SUSLA Metro Center.

Denisha Foster, sophomore biology major from Shreveport was crowned during Southern University, Shreveport’s Homecoming Week activities, November 9-14. SUSLA’s homecoming, “Jags Futuristic Swag,” featured a comedy show, Greek show, pep rally, homecoming party, basketball games and the coronation. Each day had its own theme, including the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Also included were an alumni luncheon for graduates of Southern in Shreveport, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and the Law and Agricultural centers. SUSLA Student Government Association President, Charles Johnson, said it took a lot of good people in order to make such a historical event happen. Miss SUSLA is pictured with Sharon Green, vice chancellor for student affairs, and Ray Belton, SUSLA chancellor.

The event, part of the nationwide, “Give Kids A Smile” program sponsored by the American Dental Association in recognition of National Children’s Dental Health Month, stressed the importance of cavity prevention and focused on families who don’t always have the resources to afford proper dental care.

Couple donates collection to SUSLA Ernest and Shirley Lampkins donated a large collection of materials to Southern University at Shreveport’s Library that consists of papers, photographs, books, textiles, and audiovisual materials spanning over seven decades.

Lampkins’ experiences as a student, musician, instructor, and civic leader are documented within the collection, as are his numerous accomplishments which include several firsts: AfricanAmerican member of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, African American-Member of Shreveport’s Rotary Club, and African-American Mayor of Greenwood, Louisiana.

The couple’s extensive travels are also chronicled.

Former educators with enduring commitments to learning, the Lampkins’ hope is that the Dr. Ernest

36 Southern University System Magazine

H. Lampkins Collection will support the efforts of researchers in their scholarship.

Ernest Lumpkins was a pioneer in jazz education in Caddo and Louisiana schools. He established the Louisiana School of Professions and instituted a citywide music program in Shreveport through the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Lumpkins retired from a long career in education – including earning a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of Pittsburgh.

Ernest Lampkins, a musician, educator, and civic leader, along with his wife Shirley, donated a large collection of materials to Southern University at Shreveport’s Library.

SUBR News

SUBR among U.S. News top tier HBCUs third year in a row For the third consecutive year, Southern University and A&M College has been cited as a Top Tier school among Historically Black Colleges and Universities by U.S. News & World Report.

Southern finished 29th nationally among HBCUs in the latest survey, an improvement of one spot from the previous year. There were 80 HBCUs eligible to be ranked, according to U.S. News.

The rankings take into account freshmen retention rates, graduation rates, faculty, financial resources, alumni giving, and peer assessments.

To qualify for the U.S. News ranking, an HBCU has to be an undergraduate baccalaureate-granting institution that enrolls primarily first-year, first-time students and must have been a school that was currently part of the 2010 America’s Best Colleges rankings. In total there were 80 HBCU colleges and universities eligible to be ranked.

SUBR Wind Symphony, Concert Choir perform at Shaw Center Charles Lloyd Jr., associate professor, in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, SUBR, said the choir’s performance featured a variety of works, including the music of African-American composer Rosephanye Powell and an excerpt from music he authored called, “The Invisible Church.”

Students Jerrell Gray, Demetrius Savoy, Corey Hill, and Electra Luse were featured soloists.

SUBR associate director of bands, Carnell Knighten, conducts the Wind Symphony in its first performance at the Shaw Center.

Knighten and the concert were featured the the Baton Rouge Advocate, Sunday, April 18, Magazine section: http://www.2theadvocate.com/entertainment/ magazine/91043699.html

The Southern University and A&M College Wind Symphony and the SUBR Concert Choir performed in the Manship Theater at the Shaw Center for the Arts for the first time on April 20.

The history-making event completed a series of activities associated with “SUS Day at the Capitol.”

SUBR associate director of bands, Carnell Knighten, conducted the Wind Symphony in its first performance at the Shaw Center.

Some of the music performed by the symphonic band included, “Persis Overture” by James Hosay, “The Patriots”

by Clifton Williams, and the “1812 Overture,”

by Tchaikovsky.

The SUBR Concert Choir, directed by Charles Lloyd Jr., performed for the first time in the Manship Theater at the Shaw Center for the Arts on April 20. The choir joined the SUBR Wind Symphony for the historic performances.

Spring 2010 37

SUBR school named ‘Nursing School of the Year’ Three nurse educators recognized, honored Southern University and A&M College’s School of Nursing has been named the “Nursing School of the Year” by the Louisiana Nurses Foundation and Louisiana State Nurses Association.

“This award serves as a testament to the commitment of the School’s faculty and staff to provide students with a quality educational background that prepares them to enter the professional nursing workforce,” said Wanda Spurlock, associate professor in Southern’s School of Nursing. “Our graduates leave equipped with the necessary competencies to make a significant contribution to improving the health of the citizens of Louisiana, the nation, and the world.”

There are several criteria that determine the recipient of the Nursing School of the Year award, including first-time passage rate on the NCLEXRN, accreditation status, innovations in education/teaching, and support of student organizations.

Also receiving awards from the nursing groups were Cheryl Taylor, director of Nursing Research; Jacqueline Hill, associate professor and chair of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program; and Enrica Singleton, professor emeritus of the graduate program; SUBR School of Nursing.

Taylor received the “Outstanding Nurse Researcher Award” that recognizes a registered nurse who has led significant formal or informal nursing research which has impacted healthcare or the community.

Taylor is a former American Nurses Association Ethnic Minority Fellow.

She has spent the past four decades mentoring nursing students, leading community health initiatives, and creating partnerships across the nation.

38 Southern University System Magazine

Hill received the “Nursing Administrator of the Year Award” and the “Outstanding Community Achievement by a Registered Nurse Award.”

The “Nursing Administrator of the Year Award,” recognizes a registered nurse who is responsible for the administration of a school of nursing or division within a school of nursing.

The “Outstanding Community Achievement by a Registered Nurse Award,” recognizes the achievement of outstanding community service by a registered nurse.

“I consider it an honor just to be nominated by my colleagues, for both awards, but especially the ‘Nursing Administrator of the Year Award’ since I have only served in this position for a short period in time,” said Hill. “I believe that I can only be as good as the wonderful group of faculty and staff I lead, as well as having a supportive dean who encourages me. I am grateful to God for placing me in a position to serve.”

Hill has served as president of the Baton Rouge District Nurses Association and she received the 2009 statewide Nightingale Award for District Officer of the Year. She currently serves as the president-elect of the Louisiana State Nurses Association.

Singleton was inducted into the Louisiana State Nursing Association Hall of Fame.

The “Hall of Fame” award a recognizes registered nurse’s lifelong commitment to the profession of nursing and impact on the health and social history of the state of Louisiana.

“Dr. Singleton has truly shared a lifetime commitment to the profession of nursing. Her pioneer work in the realm of nursing administration and organizational structure has obtained

SUBR School of Nursing students practice clinical skills. The school received a top honor from the LA Nurses Foundation and LA State Nurses Association.

national prominence and has helped to shape the healthcare delivery system for the state of Louisiana,” wrote Sandra Brown, a professor in SU’s School of Nursing, in a nomination letter for Singleton.

Singleton has served on the faculties at Southern, LSU Medical Center, and as dean at Dillard University. She has authored numerous manuscripts and book chapters primarily in the domain of nursing management, nursing administration, staff development, and clinical leadership.

“I’m honored and humbled to receive this symbol of recognition from my professional peers,” said Singleton.

“I hope I have the vision to make meaningful contributions to the profession.”

The awards were presented at the Louisiana Nurses Foundation and Louisiana State Nurses Association 2010 Nightingale Gala held February 20, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Baton Rouge.

Southern University’s School of Nursing (SUSON) was granted initial approval by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing in 1985 and admitted the first baccalaureate level students to upper division courses in the fall of 1986.

City program provides Swan Avenue facelift Improvements are nearly complete for a street leading to Southern University at Baton Rouge thanks to MayorPresident Kip Holden’s Green Light Program.

Beautification funds from the program provided new sidewalks, lighting, landscaping, and street furniture on Swan Avenue between Scenic Highway and Kingfisher Avenue.

Contractor Block Construction, LLC and engineer Ferris Engineering & Surveying, LLC were contracted to make the improvements.

The improvements are part of the city-parish’s $690 million Green Light Program to improve traffic flow on key surface roads.

In 2005, voters in East Baton Rouge Parish created the Green Light Program by approving a 23-year extension of the half-cent sales tax dedicated to roads.

Before then, revenue generated from that tax had been used mostly to patch potholes on a “pay-as-you-go” basis.

Under the Green Light Plan, a portion of the sales-tax revenue is being used on 35 projects to help traffic flow across the parish.

Mayor Kip Holden speaks at a groundbreaking ceremony for a city beautification program that provided new sidewalks, lighting, landscaping, and street furniture on Swan Avenue between Scenic Highway and Kingfisher Avenue. The improvements cost $327,578.

Joining Mayor Holden for the groundbreaking are SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey (center) and Councilman Ulysses “Bones” Addison.

Michael E. Dyson speaks at SUBR inspiring message of empowerment to an audience of students and community members.

Dyson spoke of the need to embrace a culture’s heritage in a “post-racial” era.

Dyson, a two-time NAACP Image Award winner, has been named one of the 100 Author Michael Eric Dyson was the fifth speaker in SUBR’s Most Influential Black Chancellor’s Lecture Series, April 21.

Americans by Author, scholar, and social Ebony magazine. commentator, Michael Eric Dyson, He has written over 15 books on was the fifth speaker in SUBR’s 2009race, politics, religion, philosophical 2010 Chancellor’s Lecture Series, April reflection, the African-American 21, in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of experience, and gender studies. the Smith-Brown Memorial Union.

His latest books include the New Using a mixture of humor, pop York Times bestseller, April 4, 1968: culture references, and political Martin Luther King Jr.’s Death and commentary, Dyson delivered an How It Changed America and Can

You Hear Me Now?: The Inspiration, Wisdom and Insight of Michael Eric Dyson.

Dyson’s life story is unlikely for that of a scholar. In his late teens, he was a Detroit gang member and unwed father, but by the age of 21 he had become an ordained Baptist minister.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Carson-Newman College in 1982, and went on to receive a master’s and Ph.D from Princeton University in 1991 and 1993, respectively.

Dyson, a professor of sociology at Georgetown University, has taught at the Chicago Theological Seminary, Brown University, the University of North Carolina, Columbia University, DePaul, and the University of Pennsylvania.

The Chancellor’s Lecture Series, now in its second year, was created by SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey.

Spring 2010 39

SUBR awarded $1 million grant for equipment, training The National Science Foundation recently awarded a grant of $1 million to Southern University and A & M College for support of the project entitled, “MRI-R2: Acquisition of a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) for Research Training, and Education at Southern Edwin Walker University, a Research Undergraduate Institution (RUI).”

The project is under the direction of Edwin Walker, BASF endowed professor of chemistry, SUBR, who is the grant’s principal investigator.

According to a NSF project summary, the goal of the 200 kV TEM instrument is to strengthen and increase research, education, and training of students from biology, chemistry, physics, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering at Southern University.

Additionally, this instrument will allow high-resolution TEM capabilities and provide a user friendly and efficient TEM instrument for routine and state-of-the-art high-

resolution TEM. The first objective is to enrich and enhance research with Transmission Electron Microscopy, an indispensable research tool, and the second objective is to provide opportunities for students to become familiar and participate in TEM research.

Even with the excitement and anticipation over the project’s funding and the opportunities for SUBR researchers and students, Walker remains modest.

“We’re just doing our jobs,” said Walker, who was speaking for the team.

Walker explains that the TEM facility will yield new insights by providing researchers at Southern University and A&M College with a new state-of-the-art analytical tool that will immeasurably enhance the quality of their research. The TEM facility will foster a research atmosphere complementary to undergraduate teaching, while continuing SUBR’s mission to combine research and teaching in a highly productive manner for the training and development of young, highly talented engineers and scientists of the future. The TEM facility will play an important role in the training of minority scientists who will be better prepared to become future materials

scientists, chemists, physicists, and/or engineers. In particular, this project will also have a significant impact on faculty and students at SUBR by exposing them to Transmission Electron Microscopy related research, a field where the number of minority students is very scarce. The highresolution TEM at SUBR will catalyze the students’ interest and encourage them to pursue graduate studies in engineering and the sciences.

“We should all salute our flagship campus for this new grant. Research is where SUBR must go. The state is expecting it. Also, the state-mandated admissions increase will require us to serve students who will demand more cutting-edge information and skills from their teachers and school. To realize our global aspirations, SU must conduct more research and secure more grants,“ said Kassie Freeman, interim president, SU System.

Eyassu Woldesenbet, professor, mechanical engineering, SUBR/LSU; Guang-Lin Zhao, associate professor, mechanical engineering, SUBR/LSU; and Guoqiang Li, professor, physics, SUBR, are co-principal investigators.

The award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

SU gets $5 million grant for center Southern University at Baton Rouge has been awarded a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to establish the “Next Generation Composites Crest Center,” called NextGenC3, on the University’s campus.

The center will focus on the development of cutting edge research on composite materials and educational activities that will provide traditionally underrepresented 40 Southern University System Magazine

minority students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines with research experiences at a readily accessible advanced research facility.

Woldesenbet is the principal investigator of the project and professor of mechanical engineering at Southern University.

“Southern University will use NextGenC3 as a tool to provide engineering and science education and research exposure to students from K-12 to the doctoral level,” said Eyassu Woldesenbet.

Composite materials are two or more materials that produce a superior stronger material when combined with each other.

The research will produce materials that are lightweight, strong, highimpact resistant and self-healing.

SUBR 2009 homecoming week highlights

Miss SU Sabrina Whitney poses with SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey and wife Nahuja during her coronation.

Thousands of Southern University alumni, fans, students, faculty, and staff participated in a week of activities to celebrate Homecoming 2009 on the Baton Rouge campus.

Several events, including a gospel concert, coronation, spirit day, comedy show, Greek show, radiothon, pep rally, and the annual community parade led up to the October 17 football game against Fort Valley State University (FVSU).

Sabrina Whitney, was crowned Miss Southern University 2009-2010, during a coronation ceremony, October 14, in the Felton G. Clark Activity Center.

Whitney is a senior criminal justice major from Tallulah.

Also during the week, the Department of Visual and Performing Arts held a grand opening of the newly renovated Visual Arts Gallery in Frank Hayden Hall.

(See story, page 43) SU System Interim President Kassie Freeman hosted a Homecoming Reunion Reception honoring Southern University Alumni classes of ’59, ’69, ’79, ’89, & ’99 in the Cypress Room of Mayberry Dining Hall.

The annual Southern University College of Business Gala on the Bluff was held at the Sheraton Baton Rouge Convention Center and featured entertainment by Stephanie Jordan, Gina Brown and Anutha Level, Mel ‘Mr. Hole in the Wall’ Waiters, and Michael Ward.

Whitney and her Royal Court, University Queens, the Royal courts from the New Orleans and Shreveport campuses, along with the original Dancing Dolls, were presented at a pre-game show at 4:45 p.m. in A.W. Mumford Stadium.

Officers from the U.S. Army made a dazzling entrance into A.W. Mumford Stadium by parachuting onto the field to deliver the game ball for the homecoming football game on October 17. The Jaguars beat the Wildcats of Fort Valley State University, 55-23. The Southern Jaguar “Dog Day Defense” forced nine turnovers, including seven interceptions, and SU used a 21-3 second quarter outburst to cruise to a homecoming victory over Fort Valley State in front of 24,500 fans.

The SU Jaguars capped off the exciting festivities with a huge win, 55-23, over the FVSU Wildcats.

Former Dancing Dolls (left-right) Chrisdelin Kelly, Raeven Hall, Judy Boudreaux, and RaeAna Hall, pose during halftime at the SU homecoming game. The Dancing Dolls celebrated their 40th anniversary during homecoming activities.

Spring 2010 41

Southern to lead STEM challenge Southern University’s Department of Rehabilitation and Disabilities Studies has received a $1 million grant to design and operate a program to help students with disabilities succeed in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The grant, from the National Science Foundation for the MinorityDisability (MIND) Alliance Project for Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines, is part of a $3.1 million grant co-sponsored by Hunter College of the City University of New York.

Southern’s grant will run through 2014.

“This is a unique collaboration of two minority institutions of higher education to enhance participation of students with disabilities in STEM,” said Madan Kundu, director of the MIND Alliance Project at Southern. Kundu is also professor and chair of Southern’s Department of Rehabilitation and Disabilities Studies.

The MIND Alliance Project is aimed at increasing the quantity and quality of students with disabilities receiving associate, baccalaureate and graduate degrees in STEM disciplines and entering the STEM workforce. Disabled students are underrepresented in these fields.

“Southern is well poised to lead this challenge,” Kundu said, adding that the university has operated major mentoring initiatives in the past, such as the nationally acclaimed Timbuktu Academy and the Strengthening Minority Access to Research and Training (SMART) program. “The expertise developed by STEM faculty involving students without disabilities will now be modified for application on students with disabilities,” Kundu said.

The department is using the funds to design and provide evidence-based educational and career development 42 Southern University System Magazine

services to secondary school students with disabilities who are interested in pursuing postsecondary education in STEM fields, retain and mentor secondary and post secondary students with disabilities in STEM, and supporting undergraduate students with entry into graduate programs and/or employment in STEM fields.

Southern University’s Department of Rehabilitation and Disabilities Studies has received a $1 million grant to design and operate a program to help students with disabilities succeed in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The grant, from the National Science Foundation for the Minority-Disability (MIND) Alliance Project for Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines, is part of a $3.1 million grant co-sponsored by Hunter College of the City University of New York. Madan Kundu (pictured left), professor and chair of the Department of Rehabilitation and Disabilities Studies, will direct the MIND Alliance Project at Southern University and Alo Dutta, assistant professor, rehabilitation and disabilities studies, is principal investigator.

The project is planning a Fall Enrichment Institute in science for undergraduate students with disabilities in Louisiana. The students will be required to complete an undergraduate class in STEM at their respective community colleges or universities with at least a B grade, participate in career assessment and exploration, attend field visits, career days, job readiness workshops, the MIND Alliance Annual Conference, and receive mentoring and tutoring. Upon completion of all activities the students will receive a $350 stipend.

Last summer, the project conducted an intensive week-long High School Summer Institute in STEM for 32 students with disabilities from Capitol High, Istrouma High Magnet, Port Allen High, Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired, South Terrebonne High, Terrebonne High, and Ellender High schools.

The project provided mentoring, career assessment, and exploration training for the students.

“The students were exposed to career opportunities in physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, and engineering,” said Alo Dutta, principal investigator of the project and assistant professor of Southern’s Department of Rehabilitation and Disabilities Studies. “The participants received a certificate of achievement and $200 stipend.”

For more information about the MIND Alliance Project, please contact Dutta at 225-771-0047 or e-mail alodutta1992@aol.com or Kundu at 225-771-2819 or e-mail kundusubr@ aol.com.

SUBR students discuss technology, business in China A team of Southern University and A&M College at Baton Rouge students recently went to China to discuss technology and business ideas.

Company reps were so impressed, they offered all of them jobs.

Southern University students are on the cutting edge of change, thanks to a new push to partner with China. Eight engineering students traveled halfway around the world to work with energy conservation companies. The meetings could help transform both Baton Rouge and the students’ lives.

“I just want to thank you for the opportunity,” said one mechanical engineering student.

The Southern University engineering students spent two weeks in China with four different companies. Their challenge was working on ways to conserve energy in China and in the United States.

“We’re the ambassadors for our university to our connections in China and you can just see so many opportunities that can come from it,” said Maisha Robins, a junior at Southern.

East Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden believes so strongly in the partnership that he’s assigned Eugene Ji as the Capital city’s official ambassador to China.

“They offered you guys a job, so we’re pleased to tell you about that today,” said SUBR Vice Chancellor Michael Stubblefield.

“Everyone of them offered them a job. They want to hire them all,” said Ji. Ji says after their visit, all four Chinese companies were sold on the Southern students. They want them to either work for them in China or help establish Chinese business in North America, possibly even in Baton Rouge.

“I think there’s a lot more coming,” said Ji. “I’m definitely pleased with the opportunity. I’m going to probably take it up as soon as I can,” said senior Anthony Bain.

students, like Maisha Robins, have a little more time.

“Big surprise that they’ll offer us a job and I’m excited,” said Robins.

Robins plans to use her extra days to sharpen her skills.

“I have to learn more Chinese,” said Robins.

The mayor’s ambassador says he also plans to implement a similar program at LSU. Their goal is to establish friendships among Chinese students and among Chinese businesses.

A team of SU students recently went to China to discuss

technology and business ideas. The Southern University Bain could graduate as soon as this summer. Other engineering students spent two weeks in China with four

different companies. Their challenge was working on ways to conserve energy in China and in the United States.

SU gallery holds grand opening The Southern University Baton Rouge Visual Arts Gallery held a grand opening on Monday, October 12 after a six-year renovation.

SU students were given the honor of re-opening the newly renovated gallery that now has hardwood floors, professional track lighting, expanded exhibit space, and glass doors that allow anyone passing by a chance to look at the art.

The gallery has hosted plenty of guest artists through the years, many of them with national notoriety.

The student-sponsored grand opening featured 64 pieces of art by 29 of its fine arts majors.

“I thought it was important to re-open the gallery with a show for our students,” said Robert Cox, assistant professor, visual and performing arts and gallery curator.

The student-sponsored grand opening of the Southern University Baton Rouge Visual Arts Gallery featured 64 pieces of art by 29 of its fine arts majors.

The gallery officially reopened on Monday, October 12, after six-year renovation.

Spring 2010 43

SUBR Continuing Ed, 6Sigmatek offer business training Southern University and A&M College at Baton Rouge’s Division of Continuing Education, in partnership with 6Sigmatek, LLC, is now offering Lean Six Sigma specialized training and deployment for businesses.

Lean Six Sigma is a business improvement methodology that maximizes shareholder value by achieving the fastest rate of improvement in consumer cost, satisfaction, production speed, invested capitol and quality. Lean Six Sigma is a statistical term that measures process capability.

Lean Six Sigma, which pledges to radically improve quality, provides companies with a competitive edge and capacity for businesses, is designed specifically for engineers, project managers, supervisors, team leaders or key people in the organization who are responsible for continuous improvement and bottom line results.

Some training objectives of the session will include: • Learning to write a clear business case, problem statement, measure of success, and goal.

• How to effectively scope continuous improvement efforts.

• How to choose projects that will drive bottom line results.

• Team creation, formation, and facilitation • Proficiency in root causation techniques Open enrollment for all interested businesses will began January 1. For more information or to register a business, contact Barbara Carpenter or Yvonne Campbell at 225.771.2613, Stephen Griffin at 704.604.9470 or visit www.6sigmatek.com.

Program’s accreditation reaffirmed ABET, Incorporated, formerly known as the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, recently announced that the Computer Science Program in the College of Sciences is accredited through September 30, 2013.

The agency also reported that “no deficiencies, weakness, or concerns” were found.

“Of course we are proud of this achievement. Our accreditation again proves that our students are well prepared for the competition and

nuances in the computer science field,” said Ebrahim Khosravi, chair of the Computer Science Department.

“The University’s administration assistance along with the team spirit of our faculty and staff helped make this happen,” Khosravi said. “The ultimate beneficiaries are our students and Southern University.”

ABET, Incorporated, has been recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation since 1997.

Currently, ABET accredits some 2,700 programs at more than 550 colleges and universities nationwide.

Southern University’s Computer Science program’s accreditation has been reaffirmed by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, Incorporated.

CNN’s Roland Martin speaks at SUBR

CNN political analyst Roland Martin addresses the crowd at the annual Southern University Chancellor’s Lecture Series last September in the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union.

44 Southern University System Magazine

Popular CNN political analyst, Roland Martin, kicked off the second annual Southern University Chancellor’s Lecture Series on the Baton Rouge campus September 9.

Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith and Speak Brother! A Black Man’s View of America. He has written for Essence. com and has appeared on the “Tom Joyner Morning Show.”

Martin has been featured on several CNN programs, including “Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull,” “The Situation Room,” “Anderson Cooper 360,” and “Lou Dobbs Tonight.”

Martin was awarded the “President’s Award” by the National Association of Black Journalists for his work in multiple media platforms, and named one of the 150 Most Influential African Americans in the United States by Ebony Magazine.

Martin is the author of several books, including Listening to the Spirit

NAAB reaffirms School of Architecture’s accreditation The Southern University and A&M College School of Architecture had its accreditation for the bachelor of architecture program reaffirmed for a six-year term by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, Incorporated, at its July 2009 board meeting.

“This is something the University has been working hard to maintain and now we can be proud of this great outcome,” said Lonnie Wilkinson, dean of the School of Architecture.

Having been formally granted a six-year term of accreditation, the School of Architecture’s next full accreditation visit is scheduled for 2015, a recent letter from the NAAB said.

“This is reinforcement for us that the quality of our program continues to meet he high national standards set for providing architectural education, it also challenges us to continue to work toward fulfilling the School’s mission,” Wilkinson said.

Architectural accreditation is the primary means by which programs assure quality to students and the public. Accredited status is a signal to students and the public that an institution or program meets nationally recognized standards for its faculty, curriculum, student services and libraries.

According to the NAAB, the accrediting process is intended to verify that each accredited program

substantially meets those standards that, as a whole, comprise an appropriate education for an architect.

Since most state architectural registration boards in the United States require any applicant for licensure to have graduated from a NAAB-accredited program, obtaining such a degree is an essential aspect of preparing for the professional practice of architecture.

“Congratulations go out to Dean Wilkinson and the faculty and staff in the School of Architecture,” said Baton Rouge campus Chancellor Kofi Lomotey. “They have challenged themselves and their students to make this happen.”

Cornell West speaks at SU

Civil rights activist and scholar, Cornel West, spoke to a standing room only crowd for the second 2009 – 2010 Chancellor’s Lecture Series, October 21, in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union.

West shared information on his background and early life that helped shape his outlook and philosophy. Reflecting on his Louisiana roots, West told the audience his parents and grandparents are from Crowley and Alexandria, and that he mostly grew up California. When speaking on the importance of family, he reminded the audience to “look into yourself and say who you really are.”

West kept the large crowd of faculty, students, staff, and guests intrigued with details of his somewhat defiant childhood and of his more passionate and challenging nature as a young man.

The Princeton University professor offered insight on the past politics and the impact on today’s society and economy.

He said America has finally seen the end of the Ronald Reagan era and is moving into the Obama era. Citing incidents of what he defined as greed and waste, West said that the Obama era has brought on empowerment of the ordinary and everyday person.

“Even though Barack Obama is now president, black people must still stand up and channel their rage into righteous indignation against injustice,” West explained.

Civil Rights Activist and scholar Cornel West spoke to a standingroom only crowd for the second 2009 – 2010 Chancellor’s Lecture Series, October 21, at Southern University at Baton Rouge.

“In the age of Barack Obama, it is very difficult to discuss the angry black man,” he said. “People think they just disappeared.”

West spoke about challenges yet to overcome, despite the misconception that Obama’s election would solve every problem for blacks and other minorities.

He warned against complacency and endorsed keeping the focus on helping the weak and the poor.

West did offer some praise for the president, but encouraged the audience of mostly students to continue the “magnificent motion” and awakening that Obama helped start.

Spring 2010 45

Honors College welcomes freshmen Student Government Association and members of the Miss Crestworth and Royal Court were awarded citations for their achievements.

Other guests included The Reverend Daniel Wells, associate Amri’ana White receives the Honor’s College Pin from Kia Pollard during minister, the annual Pinning Ceremony for induction into the Dolores Margaret Mount Pilgrim Richard Spikes Honors College. White is a freshman psychology major Baptist Church from Baker. Pollard is a sophomore Urban Forestry major from and Tiffany St. Joseph.

Lloyd, 2009 SU System President Emerita Miss Black Dolores R. Spikes was the guest Louisiana and 2nd Runner-Up to the speaker for the 16th annual pinning 2009 Miss Black USA. ceremony for the SUBR college that The induction ceremony was bears her name. presided over by Karla Washington, Eighty-nine freshmen students were president of the Honors Students inducted into the Dolores Richard Association. Other program Spikes Honors College during a participants included honor ceremony in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union, November 6.

Spikes delivered the “Honors Charge,” that addressed “integrity” and a challenge to the inductees to continue to strive for excellence and to make good choices in life in every way. She encouraged the students, parents, and the academic and general community-at-large, to be involved in the plight of education in our state-the plight of Southern University in particular. Spikes was presented with a framed replica of the Honors College.

The building and honors program are named in her honor.

Special acknowledgments were given to the Crestworth Learning Academy, the guest school for the program.

46 Southern University System Magazine

guardsmen from the Southern University and Louisiana State University Navy ROTC; KoiEles Lomas, chief justice, SU SGA; Demetrius D. Sumner, then sophomore class senator-at-large, SU SGA; and Joyce O’Rourke, then interim dean of the college of arts and humanities and chairman of the Honors Advisory Committee.

Beverly D. Wade, dean of the Honors College, presided over the program and remarks were given by Kassie Freeman, interim president, Southern University System, and Mwalimu Shujaa, executive vice chancellor and provost, SUBR. The Honors College provides cultural and intellectual opportunities that are designed to motivate academically gifted students to perform at their highest level of excellence. The students are also encouraged to become part of campus leadership.

Participation in the Honors College is voluntary. However, students must have an exceptional grade point average and must apply for admission to the College.

SU System President Emerita Dolores R. Spikes was the guest speaker for the 16th annual pinning ceremony for the SUBR college that bears her name. Eighty-nine freshmen students were inducted into the Dolores Richard Spikes Honors College during a ceremony on November 6. Presenting Spikes with a framed replica of the Honors College Building are Eric Pugh, program associate, Honors College; Mwalimu Shujaa, executive vice chancellor and provost, Southern University; and Demetrius Sumner, then sophomore senator and honors student.

SUBR, Chinese group discuss energy project at Southern Southern University and A&M College officials met in late September with a Chinese delegation from the multinational energy company Broad International.

They discussed a proposal for a project to build a facility at Southern that would produce electricity onsite and take waste-heat from the energy production to heat and cool all buildings on the campus.

The proposed project is part of larger effort by Broad to build energy-saving, cost-saving energy projects on more than 100 historically black college campuses across the country. Southern would be the lead university.

According to Musheer Robinson, chief executive officer of WilliamsWallace Management Consultants, Broad’s technology has been used in thousands of applications, from hospitals and hotels to colleges and industries worldwide, with some 300 projects in the United States last year.

Robinson explained the technology involves going to a utility like Entergy and taking the dirty emissions — the steam and heat — from a coal-fired plant, taking that waste heat and using it to power a chiller. That basically creates free cooling that can be sold or donated or even used by Entergy.

SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey, SUBR Vice Chancellor of Research and Strategic Initiatives, welcome the Chinese delegation who visited the campus to discuss a proposal to build facility at Southern that would produce electricity on site.

The annual savings to Southern could amount to millions of dollars, Robinson said.

Those in attendance included Juliet Jang, CEO of Broad International; Nitin Pathakji, general manager of

Broad (USA); and Sue Wang, project manager of Iron Stone, LLC. Eugene Ji, president of Iron Stone, LLC, is the businessman who took Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden to China in 2009 on Holden’s business visit.

SUBR receives $25k donation Hollywood Casino is doing its part to ease some of the financial uncertainty experienced by the Baton Rouge Campus of Southern University.

At a gathering in the chancellor’s office, the leadership of Hollywood Casino presented Chancellor Kofi Lomotey with a check for $25,000, the first of two checks totaling $50,000 as part of the company’s effort to support higher education in the local community “It is our hope that other businesses in the community will also continue their support to one of the most critical areas

related to the growth and development of the Baton Rouge Rouge community.

This is the development and retention of creative minds,” said Jon D. Zimmerman, general manager of Hollywood Casino.

Lomotey accepted the donation and said the University is appreciative of Hollywood Casino’s partnership, generosity and concern for Southern University and higher education.

Hollywood Casino recently presented SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey with a check for $25,000, the first of two checks totaling $50,000. Pictured during the presentation in the chancellor’s office are (from left) Lomotey, Jon D. Zimmerman, General Manager of Hollywood Casino, and Donald Andrews, dean of the College of Business.

Spring 2010 47

South African youth choir performs at Southern Lab Laboratory School on March 24 in the school’s gymnasium.

The chorus, with students age 16-21, came to the SU Laboratory School as part of the ICOM’s Kgalaletso! 2010 United States Praise Tour. The appearance provided the choir Members of the International Children’s Outreach Ministry, members a chance to Incorporated, Honors Chorus of South Africa, performed at share their gifts of the Southern University Laboratory School on March 24. music and culture The International Children’s while experiencing Outreach Ministry, Incorporated, elements of the U.S. culture and Honors Chorus of South Africa, educational system. performed at the Southern University

The cultural exchange also offered an opportunity to increase awareness and understanding between the people of the United States and South Africa.

The chorus spent the day with students and faculty from the Laboratory School who served as ambassadors for the day. Chorus members toured the Southern University at Baton Rouge campus.

Southern University Laboratory School hopes the event will be the beginning of many international exchanges for the students and faculty as they work to prepare their students for a more global educational experience.

SU students get scholarships from Tom Joyner, Victoria’s Secret, Limited Brands Foundation Eight Southern University students received $2,500 dollars each in scholarships donated by the partnership with the Tom Joyner Foundation, Victoria’s Secret PINK, and the Limited Brands Foundation.

from White Castle; Chardonnay Spears from Patchogue; Nykeisha Bryer from Greensburg; and Shantez Willis from Baton Rouge.

colleges,” said Tom Joyner, chairman of the Tom Joyner Foundation and host of the nationally syndicated radio show – “Tom Joyner Morning Show.”

The $20,000 in scholarships were used for the 2009 – 2010 school year and assisted the students with their education.

Southern is one of five Historically Black Colleges and Universities that Victoria’s Secret added to its PINK lineup last year. Victoria’s Secret produces a line of casual clothing under its PINK label.

The scholarship recipients are Alex Barthelemy from Darrow; Jalyca Turner from Plaquemine; Brittany Taylor from Leeville; Whitney Fears from Bossier City; Kimberly Gore

“These scholarships are going to make a big difference in these students’ lives. I am so happy that Victoria’s Secret PINK shares my passion to help keep students at black

The mission of The Tom Joyner Foundation, established in 1998, is to support HBCUs in the United States. The Victoria’s Secret PINK Collegiate Collection was launched in July 2008 and is a fully articulated lifestyle collection for young women.

The Limited Brands Foundation has invested nearly $48 million in the community to support causes that align with their agenda to advance women, children and education.

SUBR special ed graduate program nationally recognized Southern University and A&M College’s master’s program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction – Special Education Program has received national recognition for meeting all standards set by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Council for Exceptional Children.

48 Southern University System Magazine

“Receiving this recognition means our Special Education Program is a high Quality program,” Sheri Anderson, special education program director. “Receiving this recognition serves as a positive recruitment tool.”

To serve this recognition, faculty in the Special Education Master’s Program had to submit reports showing that they met the

10 standards set forth by NCATE and CED. Southern’s redesigned Master’s of Education – Special Education Program was approved by the Louisiana Board of Regents in October 2007.

ExxonMobil makes donation to Southern University

Southern University Chancellor Kofi Lomotey, (third from right), accepts a donation from Greg T. Foster, with ExxonMobil Corporation.

They are flanked (from left) by ExxonMobil representatives and Southern grads Robert Williams, Caroline Mays, Leonard Scott, Claudette Bradford, and Habib Mohamadian, dean of the College of Education.

ExxonMobil, a major supporter of Southern University, awarded the University $32,000 to assist programs and students in the Colleges of Engineering and Business.

“I like what Southern University is doing and I love Southern University,” said Gregory T. Foster during a check presentation in the chancellor’s conference room. Foster is a project accounting advisor with ExxonMobil and a graduate of Southern University.

“We are happy to receive this generous donation from ExxonMobil. Our long relationship with ExxonMobil has been extremely beneficial to our students and faculty,”

Chancellor Kofi Lomotey said in accepting the funds. “Our goal is to continue to provide ExxonMobil with some of our best and brightest students.”

The grant allows the Colleges of Business and Engineering to allocate money for various educational purposes, including scholarships, field trips, equipment purchases, student and faculty travel to academicrelated activities, and other educational projects.

Other ExxonMobil representatives and Southern grads participating in the presentation were Claudette Bradford, Caroline S. Mays, Robert E. Williams, and Leonard Scott.

In 2008, together with its employees and retirees, ExxonMobil Corporation, its divisions and affiliates, and ExxonMobil Foundation provided more than $89 million to education worldwide.

Boeing makes $35,000 donation to SUBR The Boeing Company made a donation of $35,000 to Southern University and A& M College last fall to be used by several academic programs on the campus.

Southern University and A&M College Chancellor Kofi Lomotey accepts a $35,000 donation from Darrell Warner, representing the Boeing Company. The money will be used for scholarships and other assistance.

Darrell Warner, of Boeing, presented the donation, a series of three checks, to Chancellor Kofi Lomotey.

“The Boeing Company is proud of its tradition of giving in support of Southern University…In an era of

financial challenges and declining budget, Boeing has maintained its funding to Southern University which I believe demonstrates Boeing’s commitment to Southern and its mission,” said Warner, a Southern graduate.

The funding will be used to fund scholarships and aid in the College of Business, College of Engineering, and the Department of Computer Science.

“We are grateful for the donation from the Boeing Company and for their support of Southern University,” Lomotey said. “We hope to continue to build our relationship with this great company.”

Spring 2010 49

‘Hip Hop Doc’ encourages SU freshmen “I sat in the same seats as you do 22 years ago. Southern University gave me a chance to grow, to matriculate at medical school, to Ohio State University and through my residency,” Whitfield said during his keynote address.

Whitfield, an SU alumnus, is nicknamed ‘The Hip Hop Doc’ because of youth-oriented messages.

Whitfield encouraged the students to give back to the community and cited the “Parable of the Talents” in Bible’s book of Matthew to make his point.

SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey shared several thoughts he said would help the students successfully matriculate at Southern, adding that “ultimately, you are responsible for your success at Southern.”

back to your community,” said Whitfield. “African Americans are underrepresented in the community but disproportionately represent the healthcare disparities in this country.

You have a golden opportunity in life here. I was here. You can be anything you want here at Southern University, but you have to work for it.”

Mwalimu Shujaa, executive vice chancellor and provost, officially inducted the students into the Jaguar Nation and the freshmen band performed during the event.

Rani Whitfield, M.D., called the “Hip Hop Doc,” was the keynote speaker for Southern University and A&M College’s Freshman “I believe that you shouldn’t hide Convocation and Induction Ceremony last fall your talents, but use them to give in the F. G. Clark Activity Center.

“You have the mind to do what you want to do. Go get yours,” Rani Whitfield, M.D., told freshmen students during a rousing speech at Southern University and A&M College’s Freshman Convocation and Induction Ceremony last fall in the F. G. Clark Activity Center.

Also during the special convocation, SUBR Student Government Association President, Stanley White, told the freshmen not to be afraid to take advantage of the opportunities offered at Southern. Miss Southern Sabrina Whitney challenged the students “to not ask what the world can offer, but to tell the world what you can offer.”

The Freshmen Convocation was sponsored by Southern’s University College and Center for Student Success.

SU’s Navy ROTC receives grant for African language studies program Southern University and A&M College’s Navy ROTC program has received a $285,000 grant to provide African language study, African cultural immersion, and study abroad opportunities.

The grant will provide intermediatelevel proficiency in African languages and cross-cultural involvement opportunities through study aboard in countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania, and South Africa.

The Project GO grant was awarded by the Institute of International Education, an acting agent of the National Security Education Program. Persons in Southern’s Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps population, which includes students from Southern, LSU, Southeastern Louisiana University, and Baton Rouge Community College, are eligible to benefit from the grant.

While in the countries, the students will be exposed to African languages by participating in community volunteerism activities facilitated by Southern and partnering university faculty.

50 Southern University System Magazine

“Recently there has been a growing realization of Africa’s significance in a global context. The development of a strong African language and culture program provides cadets and midshipmen with unique and critical skills that will enable them

to contribute and compete in this environment,” said Capt. Gerard Hall, Southern’s NROTC Commanding Officer and Professor of Naval Science.

Hall adds that the grant will give the University an opportunity to develop leaders to help African partners improve governance, prevent or end conflict, increase security, and improve economic opportunities.

Southern is offering African language courses and will participate in cultural events throughout this semester. Study abroad projects will be conducted in the summer of 2010.

Barbara W. Carpenter, dean of international education, will serve as the lead on the project.

SUBR breaks ground on building to house new center combined financial aid and student advising services.

According to SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey the facility will house a number of campus services under one roof.

Southern University and A&M College recently broke ground for the expansion and renovation of T.H. Harris Hall. The $4.4 million project is part of Southern’s efforts to improve “customer service” on campus and also will create more full-time academic advisers for students.

Southern University and A&M College broke ground on March 26 for the expansion and renovation of T.H. Harris Hall.

The $4.4 million project will house SUBR’s new Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence as well as the

The project is part of Southern’s efforts to improve “customer service” on campus and also will create more full-time academic advisers for students.

The center will include an Early Academic Intervention System where faculty can contact tutors to assist students who need help with academics. Also, there will be a Teaching Scholars Program for faculty to study and improve their own teaching skills.

The overall goal is boosting graduation and retention rates on campus, Lomotey said.

The construction project is funded through federal Title III education dollars dedicated for historically black universities.

Plans from Frank Lassiter of Lassiter & Associates, the project’s architects, show the refurbished building will have about 12,700 square feet in new space as well as approximately 8,000 square feet in renovated areas.

The target date for completion is March 2011.

The project will create a new multipurpose assembly area that can seat about 275 people for events and lectures, according to Lassiter. New office and administrative space will be on the second floor. In addition, the courtyard will be updated with a new fountain and landscaping.

The main entry also will undergo a complete renovation.

The Guy Hopkins Construction Co. is the contractor.

Education expert, author Lisa Delpit speaks at SUBR Nationally recognized expert on educating urban African-American students and author, Lisa Delpit, was the third speaker in SUBR 2009-2010 Chancellor’s Lecture Series November 18 in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union.

Delpit’s work has focused on the education of children of color and the perspectives, aspirations, and pedagogy of teachers of color. She has also used her research in ethnography to spark dialogues between educators on issues that impact students who are underserved by the national educational system.

Delpit assisted the Advance Baton Rouge team in identifying changes that should be made in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. She

has also assisted national programs engaged in school restructuring efforts, in creating innovative schools for poor, urban children, and in the development of urban leadership programs for teachers and school district central office staff.

Her book, Other People’s Children, received the American Educational Studies Association’s “Book Critic Award,” Choice Magazine’s Eighth Annual Outstanding Academic Book Award, and has been named “A Great Book” by Teacher Magazine.

Delpit is the visiting lecturer in Southern’s College of Education. She also is the executive director/eminent scholar for the Center for Urban Education and Innovation at Florida International University in Miami, Florida.

Author Lisa Delpit was the third speaker in SUBR 2009-2010 Chancellor’s Lecture Series November 18 in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union.

Spring 2010 51

Distinctions SU interim president speaks at CIES 2010 opening session Interim Southern University System President Kassie Freeman was among the Comparative and International Education Society’s (CIES) past presidents who made presentations during the opening plenary session of the CIES 54th Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois, February 28 – March 5.

During the opening plenary, CIES past presidents and honorary fellows

SUBR physicist wins 2009 AAAS Lifetime Mentor Award

Diola Bagayoko, System distinguished professor of physics, received the 2009 AAAS Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 176th AAAS Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, on February 20.

Diola Bagayoko of Southern University and A&M College, has been honored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his efforts to significantly increase the number of African-American Ph.D.s in physics and chemistry.

Bagayoko, distinguished professor of physics, SUBR, received the 2009 AAAS Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement for his extraordinary work on behalf of undergraduate students. The award was presented at 52 Southern University System Magazine

addressed the theme of “re-imagining education,” from the perspective of what should be the role of CIES in future years.

The SU interim president, along with another group of past presidents, has been invited to speak in China, and to speak at the World Conference of Comparative Education in Instanbul, in June.

Freeman served as CIES president in 2003 and is one of two AfricanAmericans (the first from a HBCU) ever elected by the membership as president of the international society.

the 176th AAAS Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, on February 20.

“Through the creation and later the expansion of the Timbuktu Academy based at Southern University and A&M College,” said the AAAS award selection committee, “Dr. Bagayoko has created a resource center for encouraging students to pursue Ph.D. degrees across a wide range of science, technology, engineering, and mathematical fields and academic levels.”

Bagayoko has reached undergraduate students on a one-onone basis through mandatory weekly seminars. He personally mentored 21 undergraduate students at Southern University and A&M College; all of them later received Ph.D. degrees in physics and chemistry, the award committee noted.

In 1996, Bagayoko became one of the first recipients of the U.S. Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. The Timbuktu Academy received this presidential award for programs in 2002. The Academy is funded by the Department of the

The Comparative and International Education Society, Incorporated, was founded in 1956 to foster crosscultural understanding, scholarship, academic achievement, and societal development through the international study of educational ideas, systems, and practices. The Society’s members include more than 2000 academics, practitioners, and students from around the world. During the conference, Interim President Freeman hosted a coffee break sponsored by the SU System and CIES Special Interest Group.

The conference was organized by Michigan State University.

Navy, the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, the Louisiana Space Consortium, the ExxonMobil Foundation through the Bernard Harris Foundation, and the Siemens Foundation. From 1984 to 2003, Bagayoko secured more than $12 million in grants that were used for instructional enhancement, mentoring, research, and related tasks.

SUNO students win Morehouse business plan competition

SUNO senior business entrepreneurship majors Tonia Simmons-Doakes and Erica Bilbo won the Morehouse College 2010 Business Plan Competition in Atlanta, Georgia. Pictured with the students is Louis C. Mancuso, professor of marketing at SUNO who helped guide the SUNO team.

Southern University at New Orleans won the Morehouse College 2010 Business Plan Competition on

February 26 in Atlanta, Georgia, at Morehouse College.

Two senior business entrepreneurship majors, Tonia Simmons-Doakes and Erica Bilbo, comprised the winning team under the guidance of Louis C. Mancuso, professor of marketing. The team won the top prize of $10,000 for their concept, “Housing Innovations, LLC.” Howard University won the second place prize of $6,000 and the University of Virginia placed third to take home $4,000.

The team developed a project dealing with the need of Section 8 housing in the Orleans Parish area.

“These students worked with me throughout the Christmas Holidays and Mardi Gras,” said Mancuso. “This is a monumental victory for these students and our institution.”

Chancellor Pitcher was honored for his success in breaking down the barrier in the Baton Rouge judiciary by becoming the first African American elected to city court, district court, and the appellant court. He was joined by fellow SULC alumni Judge Janice Clark, the plaintiff in the law suit that established minority subdistricts of courts in the state resulting in the election of African Americans to the bench, and veteran civil rights attorney Johnnie Jones, as trailblazers.

During the banquet, former Baton Rouge chapter presidents George Washington Eames and Alvin Washington, were also honored for their service to the organization.

Chancellor donates two-volume encyclopedia to library

Lomotey said the wide scope of the encyclopedia, which deals with subjects from formal education training of African Americans during slavery to the failures and successes in urban education today, makes it a valuable reference resource.

The chancellor thanked the many people that contributed to the editing, writing, and compilation of the encyclopedia, including his wife, Nahuja, Tameka Black, Berlisha Ricard, Maya Banks, and Albert Samuels.

During the ceremony, Lomotey also contributed the eight-book Lomotey Collection to the library.

SULC VC receives diversity award

Teams from Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse participated as well.

The Business Entrepreneurship program at SUNO was started after Hurricane Katrina, and is the only one to offer an undergraduate degree among New Orleans colleges and universities.

Trailblazer awards go to chancellor, SULC Alumni Chancellor Freddie Pitcher Jr., was one of five recipients of the State Conference of NAACP Branches Trailblazer Awards presented at the 2009 Freedom Fund Banquet, September 25.

The banquet, celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the NAACP, featured speaker Judge Mablean Ephraim, former judge on the television courtroom series, “Divorce Court.”

SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey signs copies of The Encyclopedia of African-American Education that he edited. Lomotey donated the two-volume reference and his eight-book collection to the John B. Cade Library.

Southern University, Baton Rouge Chancellor Kofi Lomotey donated his four-year labor of love – the two volume, 1,152-page, The Encyclopedia of African-American Education, – to the John B. Cade Library.

The chancellor contributed, selected, and helped edit some 247 entries from 212 contributors that make up The Encyclopedia of African-American Education.

“It was an enjoyable experience,” Lomotey told an audience gathered November 12 in the Cade Library as he formally presented the two-volume set to the Director of Libraries Emma B. Perry.

Vice Chancellor Russell L. Jones received the Kean Miller Diversity Achievement Award September 24 for the SULC MarshallBrennan Constitutional Literacy Project.

Making the presentation was Linda Clark, a partner with Kean Miller Law Firm in Baton Rouge.

Kean Miller Law Firm presented its 2009 Diversity Achievement Award to Russell L. Jones, vice chancellor for academic affairs, Southern University Law Center, at its third annual Louisiana Diversity Forum held September 24.

Jones was recognized for the SULC Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project.

The Louisiana Diversity Forum provides a platform for distinguished guest speakers to provide their own insights and ideas on diversityrelated topics. The 2009 Louisiana Diversity Forum is presented by Kean Miller Law Firm as a service to the community.

Spring 2010 53

SU researcher receives $400,000 NSF CAREER grant

research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.

SU students display artwork in La. Congressman’s offices

Michelle Claville, chair of the Department of Chemistry, Southern University, Baton Rouge, was awarded a $400,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program grant.

Michelle Claville, chair of the Department of Chemistry, Southern University at Baton Rouge, was awarded a $400,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program grant.

Claville’s grant, “Generation and Fate of Distonic Radicals derived from Methionine-containing Peptides,” will fund research that seeks to study the reactivity of distonic radical ions in methionine-containing peptides.

In addition to providing extensive training for undergraduates, this project will provide valuable information to industry and government regarding the potential hazards that pertain to purification of foods using irradiative methods.

Currently, Claville’s research group consists of five undergraduate students and four graduate students.

The undergraduate researchers in her group receive funding from the CAREER award.

Claville was among 11 top young faculty from five Louisiana campuses honored during the Board of Regents September meeting.

The CAREER program offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding 54 Southern University System Magazine

A group of SU students, who have their artwork displayed in the office of Louisiana Congressman Bill Cassidy, traveled to Washington, D.C. From left are Shenell Johnson, Ebone Etienne, Christopher Russell, Khadrereil, Ferguson, Brian Cain, Shontrell Johnson, and Ethan Tran.

Louisiana Congressman Bill Cassidy invited eight Southern University and A&M College fine arts students to exhibit their art work in his Washington, D.C. and district offices.

Brian Cain, Christopher Russell, Ethan Tran, Shenell Johnson and Heather Holliday, winners from the University’s Fall Visual Arts Student Exhibition, held last year on Southern’s campus, were chosen to exhibit their work in Cassidy’s Washington D. C. office. Three others, Ebone` Etienne, Khadrereil Ferguson, and Joshua Gary, were chosen to exhibit their art work in the congressman’s district office in Baton Rouge.

The students and their professor, Robert Cox, recently traveled to Washington to hang the pieces and experience the culture of the nation’s capital.

“Aside from the exhibit, the students visited museums to see major works of art, and visited Howard University,” said Cox, an assistant professor in Southern’s Visual Arts Department and director of the university’s Visual Arts Gallery.

The group also met with Congressman Cassidy, Senator Mary Landrieu, and toured the White House.

“I’m really honored to go to (Washington) D.C. and represent Southern and to give others the chance to see what Southern University’s Art Department is doing,” said Christopher Russell, a senior who won second place for his digital photo entitled, “Along came a Spider,” in which he manipulated braids in a girl’s hair to look like a spider.

“Going on this trip means anything is possible if you stay prayerful and focused,” said Shenell Johnson, a graduating senior who won first Honorable Mention at the Fall Visual Arts Student Exhibition. “I would have never expected that my art work would be sent to Washington D.C., where everyone can see it, even the president.”

Cheryl Taylor, director of the Office of Nursing Research at Southern University at Baton Rouge’s School of Nursing received the prestigious Daniel J. Pesut Spirit of Renewal Award for Nursing Excellence by the Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Honor Society of Nursing. Taylor received the award during the STTI Biennial Convention in Indianapolis.

Only one nurse leader is bestowed the prestigious Spirit of Renewal Award by Sigma Theta Tau biennially.

The award recognizes a nurse leader who exemplifies purposeful reflection in practice, mindful understanding of human interrelationships, and displays an appreciative, futuristic vision for the practice of nursing.

Taylor is a former American Nurses Association Ethnic Minority Fellow.

She has spent the past four decades mentoring nursing students, leading

community health initiatives, and creating partnerships across the nation.

competition. The SULC team, coached by clinical law professor Jacqueline A. Nash, placed 5th.

As a member of the graduate faculty in Southern’s School of Nursing, Taylor The SULC Moot Court Board tied teaches research, philosophy of science, for third place in the Navy Judge and health policy.

Advocate General’s Corps inaugural National Moot Court Competition, November 12-14, at Naval Air Station, SULC students excel in Jacksonville, Florida. competitions

In all, there were more than 27 judges, both civilian and military, who listened to the oral arguments.

They scored each round and provided substantive feedback after every round to the law school students on their arguments.

Seven other schools advanced to quarter-final rounds with SULC, including Barry University, Duke Team members Deshawn Hayes, Third-year Ashley Stevenson, and Kimberly Silas Law, Florida A&M, University student Robert of Florida Levin College of Law, were outstanding Pearson won as they argued over University of Houston Law Center, first place in military justice and The John Marshall Law School, and the 2009 Black Stetson University College of Law. beat out 19 other Entertainment and Other schools participating included teams to compete Sports Lawyers Benjamin N. Cardozo School of in the quarter Association’s Law, Duke University School of Law, finals. writing Florida Coastal School of Law, George competition Twenty-three Robert Pearson Washington University Law School, announced at the teams, representing Georgetown University Law School, Deshawn Hayes organization’s 29th annual conference a cross-section Georgia State University College of held October 21-25, Palm Beach, of the highest Law, Harvard Law School, North Aruba. caliber and most Carolina Central University School diverse law schools of Law, South Texas College of Law, Pearson’s winning essay discussed according to Texas Southern University Thurgood how social networking and blog sites U.S. News and Marshall School of Law, University of impact the entertainment industry.

World Report, Alabama School of Law, University of He received a $1,500 cash prize. were selected to California Berkeley Law, University of Also attending the conference participate in the Denver College of Law, University of were law students Meayeko Daniel, competition.

Georgia Law, University of Southern Ashley Stevenson Marcus DeLarge, Raushanah Hunter, California Law School, and Yale The unique William Jorden, Ashley Jyles, Law School. thing about this J. Ashley Mitchell, and competition Jonathan Reed. is its national SUBR director elected president Third-year scope and its IACS Board of Accreditation student Travis focus on military ValaRay Broussard was justice – there Irvin, director chosen Best is not another of the Southern Advocate and competition University achieved a firstlike this in the Counseling Center, time perfect score Kimberly Silas country,” said has been elected in the 7th Annual Rear Adm. Nanette president of the Peter James DeRenzi, the deputy judge advocate Travis Broussard International Johnson Civil general of the Navy.

Association of Rights Mock Trial Competition hosted The competition consisted of four Counseling Services, Incorporated’s

by St. John’s University Law School, full rounds and three final elimination (IACS) Board of Accreditation.

Queens, New York, October 21-25. rounds, with students arguing in Irvin has been involved with IACS Broussard was among a fourfront of a prestigious bench of judges, since 2003, first serving in the role of member SULC team, including including a sitting federal judge, the representative for the Southern Region Daniel Druilhet, Maya Guntz, and chief judge of the Court of Appeals for Andrea Lowe. the Armed Forces, and the chief judge before becoming vice chair in 2008.

Irvin received her undergraduate of the Department of the Navy.

Sixteen teams were chosen from and graduate degrees from Southern across the country to participate in this Spring 2010 55

University and her doctorate degree in counseling psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She became director of the University’s Counseling Center in 1998.

IACS was founded in 1972 to encourage and aid counseling agencies to meet high professional standards through peer evaluation and to inform the public about counseling services that are competent, reliable, and confidential.

Southern’s Counseling Center was initially accredited in 2001. It was re-accredited for an additional four years in 2005. The Counseling Center was required to go through an on-site visit in the Spring of 2010.

The Southern University Counseling Center is a Title III sponsored program.

Nursing professor receives ‘Rosemary Volunteer Award’ Wanda Spurlock, an associate professor in the SUBR School of Nursing, has been named the recipient of the coveted “Rosemary Volunteer Award” presented by the Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area at its recent Annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon.

The award cites Spurlock’s tireless effort and dedication in the area of Alzheimer’s.

The Alzheimer’s Services said Spurlock’s nursing career is driven by her mission in life, “To improve the quality of life for persons with Alzheimer’s disease.”

Spurlock started her volunteer work with the local Alzheimer’s Services of the capital area in 1996 when she began serving on the Patient and Family Services Committee, later becoming its chair.

56 Southern University System Magazine

During her tenure of volunteerism with this organization, she has served on the board of directors and the executive committee where she participated in strategic planning for the organization, program development and fundraising activities.

In addition to serving on the Respite Center Advisory Board, Spurlock is a member of the Education Committee, Speaker’s Bureau, and Continuing Education Planning Committee.

In 2009, Spurlock received the Louisiana State Nurses Association’s Nightingale Award for Outstanding Community Service by a registered nurse and has been recognized as an Excellence in Dementia Care Specialist by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

She is currently collaborating with a panel of expert nurses in the care of persons with dementia to develop a web-based assessment tool for registered nurses in nursing homes to assess their knowledge specific to the care of older persons with dementia.

The project is funded by Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing in partnership with the Hartford Centers of Geriatric Nursing Excellence.

SUBR student part of supercomputing team Computer science major, Jeffrey Morgan, was one of five students from Louisiana universities to compete as a team in a “Student Programming Contest” last fall.

The contest was held during the “Supercomputing Conference 2009” in Portland, Oregon, on November 16.

Morgan, a Fort Worth, Texas, native, along with team members Lei Jiang, LSU; Joshua Hitchins, Louisiana Tech University; Cory Redfern, University of New Orleans; and Nikhil Shetty, University of Louisiana at Lafayette; meet via video conference from their schools to figure out problems from various computational science disciplines.

The Supercomputing Conference is recognized globally as the premier international conference on high performance computing, networking, storage and analysis.

SUBR baseball coach Cador honored SU Baseball coach Roger Cador was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southwestern Athletic Alumni Association The SWAC Alumni Association, in its 10th year, voted to present Cador the award, “for his sustained excellence and his contributions to Southern,” according to the association’s President Roscoe Nance.

Cador, accepted the award in December in Birmingham, Alabama.

Hughes appointed to community health center board Jason Wynne Hughes, executive director for governmental and external affairs, SU System, was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Capitol City Family Health Center (CCFHC) in Baton Rouge.

Capitol City Family Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center, was founded in 1997 by a group of dedicated people with the goal to

ensure that affordable, accessible, quality health services were accessible to people in the community.

All Capitol City Family Health Center services are provided without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, or ability to pay.

Student-attorneys garner first win in criminal trial

Kennisha Firstley

Quiana Hunt

Diedre Pierce

Three Southern University Law Center Clinical Education Program studentattorneys won their first criminal trial in District Court.

Kennisha Firstley, Quiana Hunt, and Diedre Pierce were successful in defending a client charged with simple battery that occurred as a result of a brawl at the local Bennigan’s.

“We are beginning to see a change in the level of confidence in the students and their trial skills seem to be improving,” Professor Donald North, director of clinical education, said.

COB student establishes scholarship For months, senior business management major Mercy Ukpolo focused on her classes, work and saving her money. She had something special planned for the money. When the total reached $700, she gave it all away to another student.

Ukpolo used the money to create the first “Mercy Ukpolo College of Business Scholars Scholarship.”

Mercy Ukpolo (right) funded a scholarship to help a business student buy books. Pictured with Ukpolo is scholarship recipient Ashlee Forbes.

Ashlee Forbes, an accounting major from Baton Rouge, is the first student to receive the $700 book scholarship. Forbes received the scholarship during a short ceremony held last fall in the College of Business.

Ukpolo said the scholarship is something that she had considered for awhile.

So for eight months, Ukpolo saved her own money to start the scholarship.

Ukpolo was born in Lagos, Nigeria and came to the United States when she was 6. Her father is Victor Ukpolo, chancellor of Southern University at New Orleans. Her mother, Fawn, is both a professor at Southeastern and principal of Southeastern Louisiana University Lab School.

Since her arrival at Southern, Ukpolo has been enrolled in the Dolores Margaret Richard Spikes Honors College and was named Miss College of Business 2009-2010 in October. She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, treasurer for the Collegiate 100 Black Women of Southern University, and president of the Student Leadership Council.

SUBR English professor wins 2010 poetry award Rabiul Hasan, assistant professor of English at Southern University and A&M College, has been chosen the winner of the Slade Poetry Award for 2010.

The award is given by the Southern Conference on African American Studies, Incorporated. Hasan won the award for the “Best Published Poem in 2009 Issues” of The Griot: The Journal of African American Studies.

Hasan’s work has appeared in more than 40 journals and anthologies.

He is the author of a collection of poetry titled “Madonna of the Rain,” published in 2008 by Rockford Writers’ Guild Press in Rockford, Illinois.

Nursing professor receives teaching award Elaine Barham, assistant professor, School of Nursing, SUBR, received the Helen Creemens Johnson Excellence in Teaching Award at the Annual Celebrate Nursing Banquet held May 3rd by the Baton Rouge District Nurses Association.

This is the third consecutive year that a faculty member for Southern’s School of Nursing has received the prestigious award named in honor of the late Helen Johnson Creemens.

Retired journalist and newscaster Carleton Creemens, established the award to honor his wife’s love for nursing and her career as a nursing educator.

Barham is a member of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation Learning and has played a pivotal role in incorporating simulation learning into the clinical teaching at the School of Nursing. She is responsible for organizing faculty workshops on simulation learning and the use of this innovative teaching methodology. She is a member of the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency, promotes organ and tissue donation.

Spring 2010 57

SUBR grad student part of panel to review nursing exam Kiyan McCormick, a second-year graduate student in Southern University and A&M College’s School of Nursing, was selected as one of six panelists from throughout the nation to serve on the item review panel for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN).

The NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN are the two licensure examinations that all nurses must pass to receive their licenses. The tests measure entry-level nursing competence of candidates for licensure as registered nurses and as licensed practical and vocational nurses.

The selection was made by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

McCormick was selected for the panel after initially applying through the Louisiana State Board of Nursing.

McCormick met with the panel January 12-15 in Chicago and participated in recommending potential NCLEX passing standards to the NCSBN Board of Directors.

McCormick said she gained a better understanding of how to develop test items for pre-license nursing from her experience on the panel.

After McCormick receives her master’s degree in May, she plans to pursue a doctorate in nursing education from Southern’s School of Nursing.

The NCSBN was founded in 1978 as an independent not-for-profit organization. It provides leadership to advance regulatory excellence for public protection.

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Winning essays net scholarship awards for three law students

Winners of the SULC Civil Rights Legal Writing Competition are pictured (standing left – right) Sherry Anne Capps Cannon, Shayla Rachelle Price, and Kimberly R. Silas with three of the Southern University Sixteen at the Kress Building in downtown Baton Rouge during a commemorative ceremony on March 29.

The winners of the SULC Civil Rights Legal Writing Competition were announced March 29 at the Kress Building in downtown Baton Rouge. The Kress Building is the site of the first of three sit-ins held by 16 Southern University students on March 28-29, 1960.

First-place winner, Shayla Rachelle Price, received $1,500 for her essay, “Sit In for the Opportunity to Fit In”; second-place winner, Sherry Anne Capps Cannon, received $1,000, for her essay, “Justice is Served: Looking Back at the Baton Rouge Lunch Counter Sit-Ins of 1960”; and third-place winner, Kimberly R. Silas received $750 for her essay, “The Battle Has Not Been Won: The New Fight for Civil Rights.”

These scholarships were established by the SULC Louis Berry Institute for Civil Rights and Justice from the proceeds of the 2006 premiere and subsequent distribution of the documentary, “Taking A Seat for Justice: the 1960 Baton Rouge Sit-Ins,” produced and written by Rachel L. Emanuel, director of publications and electronic media.

Freeman presents progress on SUS delivery initiative

SU System Interim President Kassie Freeman made a presentation at the National Association of System Heads’ (NASH) Access to Success (A2S) meeting in Baltimore, Maryland on April 13. Pictured with Freeman is Jan Sommerville, staff director, NASH, who served as panel moderator.

Interim Southern University System President Kassie Freeman made a presentation at the National Association of System Heads’ (NASH) Access to Success (A2S) meeting in Baltimore, Maryland on April 13.

Freeman’s presentation, “Access to Success – Delivery Challenges, Southern University and A & M College,” was part of a CEO panel to discuss using the delivery approach to focus on achieving AS2 goals and targets.

Joining Freeman were Jeri Echeverria, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, California State University System; James H. McCormick, chancellor, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system; Jan Somerville, staff director, NASH, served as moderator.

Through NASH, the SU System is establishing a campus-based Delivery Institute designed to increase degrees conferred by 16 percent across campuses. (See story, page 12) The A2S initiative, whose goal is to cut in half by 2015 the gaps that separate low-income and minority students from their peers, both in terms of access to postsecondary education and in terms of successful completion, is a project of the National Association of System Heads and the Education Trust.

Each Access to Success participating system sets its own improvement targets and agrees to a common set of metrics to evaluate progress.

The Education Trust promotes high academic achievement for all students at all levels—pre-kindergarten through college, to close the gaps in opportunity and achievement that consign far too many young people.

SUNO professor wins teacher award Lora Helvie-Mason, assistant professor of communication studies, received the Southern States Communication Association’s (SSCA) Dwight L. Freshley Outstanding New Teacher in Communication Award.

Helvie-Mason was also awarded the top paper for the Instructional Development Division of SSCA (coauthored with Jennifer Edwards) for a paper, “Student usage and perceptions of virtual office hours.”

The Dwight L. Freshley Outstanding New Teacher in Communication Award, “honors SSCA members who have demonstrated teaching excellence early in their careers,” according to the SSCA Web site.

She received the award during the SSCA annual convention in Memphis, Tennnessee.

SUNO team wins ‘Rookie of the Year’ Senior business entrepreneurship majors Michael Pugh and Tonia Simmons-Doakes represented SUNO in the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Regional Competition in Atlanta, Georgia, April 6, and returned home with “Rookie of the Year” honors.

The team also placed as the first runner-up. The SUNO SIFE team, advised by Louis Mancuso, marketing professor, was judged by a national panel of business executives.

SUNO competed in the same league as Eckerd College, the University of Georgia, the University of North Florida, and Jackson State University.

The league champions were Eckerd, Georgia, and North Florida while the Jackson State team came in second runner-up.

SUBR students place second in business plan competition A team of mostly MBA students from the SUBR College of Business won second place at the 10th annual Opportunity Funding Cooperation (OFC) Business Plan Competition in Atlanta, Georgia, April 17-18.

The competition, “prepares our students and helps them become entrepreneurs in future business ventures,” said OFC President Sharon Pratt, former mayor of Washington, D.C. Forty years ago the Nixon Administration created the Opportunity Funding Cooperation, an organization designed to help close the economic disparity gap between Whites and Blacks in America.

During the business plan challenge, teams from historically Black colleges and universities presented business plans to a panel of judges and competed for monetary awards.

Pratt, who joined the OFC board five years ago as a judge, said the business plan challenge is important because it is an “affirmation of students’ own talent” and because it gives students access to the corporate business and banking community.

Fayetteville State University won first place in this year’s challenge, earning $15,000.

Southern was among the 21 HBCUs participating in this year’s challenge.

Each team presented in front of six judges during a 15-minute period.

Following the presentation, judges had 15 minutes to ask each team a set of questions.

In addition to holding its business competition, the OFC also held an annual HBCU faculty/dean development program where business school administrators convened to help strengthen programs and its National Policy Forum on Minority Entrepreneurship Education. The forum serves to get government, nonprofit, academic, corporate businesses and other sectors involved in minority entrepreneurship ventures.

This year’s speakers included Ambassador Andrew Young; U.S. Army General William Ward; Sam Duncan, chair, CEO and president of Office Max, Inc, and Brian Cornell, president and CEO of Sam’s Club.

Past speakers include Magic Johnson, Robert J. Johnson, formerly of Black Entertainment Television, and Xernona Clayton of the Trumpet Awards Foundation.

Timbuktu Academy team wins science bowl The SUBR Timbuktu Academy pre-college team won first place in the Senior Division of the Science Bowl Competition at the recent 37th Annual Conference of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers.

The SUBR team, comprised of high schools in the Baton Rouge area, prevailed over 24 squads in a doubleelimination competition held April 2 in Atlanta. Competing teams came from various cities across the United States. Timbuktu defeated the last remaining team from La Jolla, California.

The SU team included Kevin Paul Jr., sophomore, Catholic High; Ikechi Akujobi, freshman, Baton Rouge High; Justin Brumfield, sophomore, McKinley High; Kristopher Dandridge, freshman, Zachary High; and Taylor Gauff, freshman, Zachary High.

Spring 2010 59

Fourth place in the Senior Division competition went to the Timbuktu Academy team of Khristian McFarland, junior, Baton Rouge High; Ashton Gauff, senior, Zachary High; Shane Griffin, freshman, McKinley High; Paula-Marie Mensa, freshman, Baton Rouge High; and Myles Nash, freshman, Catholic High.

The Academy’s junior division team was declared the winner of the Junior Division. The team members were Jaylun Brumfield (eighth grade, Westdale Middle); Nwadi Oko (seventh grade, Westdale Middle); Aaron Gauff (seventh grade, Zachary Middle); and Kelli McFarland (eighth grade, McKinley Middle).

Timbuktu Director Diola Bagayoko said the Science Bowl is an integral part of the Academy’s pre-college programs. Participants must have varied and in-depth knowledge of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and contributions of black scientists and engineers.

5-day, 4-night all-expense paid trip to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ette is a senior, Civil Engineering major from New Orleans and Douglas is a junior, Political Science major from Shreveport.

To enter the contest, Ette and Douglas had to submit a creative, three-minute video, answering the question: “How does the Coca-Cola Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN), which provides access to safe drinking water for communities throughout Africa, inspire you?”

Their videos were selected from hundreds of videos entered by students from a number of HBCUs across the country.

Martinet Honors students with its 2010 Scholarships

SUBR students named Coca-Cola Open Happiness Tour winners Nelson Allen Jr.

SUBR students Edifon Ette and Sherron Phae Douglas were named winners of Coca-Cola’s Open Happiness Tour contest and a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Southern University students, Edifon Ette and Sherron Phae Douglas, have won a trip of a lifetime. The two have been named the winners of Coca-Cola’s Open Happiness Tour contest.

The students will join 19 other winners from nine other historically black colleges and universities on a

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Nelson Allen Jr. and Melody Udoinyion, both second-year law students, were among the recipients of the 2010 Louis A. Martinet Legal Society Scholarship Awards.

The awards were presented at the Martinet Gala, April 17. Allen, a native of Purvis, Mississippi, and a graduate of Melody Udoinyion the University of Mississippi, is a member of the Southern University Law Review, the Business Law Society, Business and Entrepreneurship Leadership Association, and International Law Society. He participates in a number of community service projects, including voter registration drives, tutoring middle school students, and tax preparation for low-income filers.

Udoinyion is originally from Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. She is a graduate of Georgia State University with a dual degree in finance and accounting. A fellow in the SULC Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, she is also an editor on the Journal of Race, Gender, & Poverty, a board member of the Student Bar Association, and community service chair for the International Law Student Association.

Also in the news: • Margaret M. Corley, a secondyear law student, has been named first prize winner in the American Bar Association (ABA) Health Law Section Legal Writing Competition. Corley of Lafayette, won a $500 honorarium, airfare, hotel for two nights and a $50 per diem for two days to attend the Emerging Issues in Health Law Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, held in February. Her paper, “Disease or Deprivation: The State’s Authority to Quarantine, Depriving the Individuals of Their Constitutional Liberty, in the Shadow of H1N1,” will be published in The Health Lawyer, a bi-monthly magazine published by the ABA that provides informative articles on a wide range of areas in the health law field.

• Rachel Emanuel, director of publications and electronic media, SULC, along with two of the Southern Sit-In Sixteen, Sandra Jones Overby and Vernon Jordan, were panelists for Capital Area CASA Association’s volunteers training on diversity and cultural competency on May 4 at First United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge. Following a screening of “Taking A Seat for Justice: the 1960

Baton Rouge Sit-Ins,” the panelists discussed the role that the Southern Sixteen played in the history of race relations in Baton Rouge. Emanuel also served on the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH) Media Panel on May 14, to assist in the selection of recipients for 2010 documentary grants.

• Gina E. Eubanks, SU Ag Center vice chancellor for extension, was among nine outstanding Louisiana Role Models honored at the 4th Annual New Orleans Style Jazz Brunch, December 12. Eubanks was selected by Baton Rouge Chapter of The Links Incorporated to serve as Louisiana Role Models for one year effective December 2009. The Links Inc. is a national organization of accomplished, dedicated women who are active in the community.

Eubanks’ dedication to mentoring is also found in her service to the Big Buddy Program. On January 4, WBRZ Channel 2 reporter Dana Hackett sat down with members of the Big Buddy program in Baton Rouge with an invitation for the public to get involved. Eubanks and her Big Buddy service were featured on the Channel 2 morning show, “2une In.” • Latricia Greggs, Trudy Williams, Thais Lavalais, assistant professors, and Carol Backstedt, adjunct professor, SUBR School of Nursing, received the “Celebrate Nursing Award” at the Annual Celebrate Nursing Banquet held May 3rd by the Baton Rouge District Nurses Association.

• Wilbert R. Jones, Wilbert R. Jones, assistant director, purchasing, SUBR, was selected as the recipient of the 2010 MLK Unity Celebration’s Unsung Hero Award from Southern University. Jones was chosen by the Student Government Association and MLK Unity Celebration • Elyssa Lassiter, a SUBR senior mass communications /broadcasting and Spanish major, received the Capital Correspondents Association’s Gridiron Scholarship.

Lassiter earned the $750 scholarship in a competition that rated entrants based on their grade point average, resume, samples of the journalistic work and an essay about career goals.

Elyssa has worked as an intern at Baton Rouge television station WBRZTV Ch. 2.

After graduation, Elyssa said she plans to attend graduate school to get a master’s degree in linguistics and later to continue her education by earning a doctorate degree.

• Andrew Mims, a second-year student, has been named first-place winner of the American College of Legal Medicine (ACLM) 2010 Writing Competition – Letourneau Award.

The ACLM is the most prominent professional society in the United States concerned with addressing issues that arise at the interface of law and medicine. Mims’ paper, titled,

“First a Bottle of Coke and now Health Care: How the Creation of Health Courts to Hear Medical Malpractice Suits Will Lower the Rising Costs of Health Care in America,” will be published in the Journal of Legal Medicine. He received a $1,000 prize.

His paper was written for Professor Paul Race’s Health Law class Rights Movement.

• Cynthia N. Reed, director of CLE and alumni affairs, SULC was selected to receive the Louisiana State Bar Association’s 2010 Pro Bono Publico Award and will be honored at the LSBA Annual Awards Presentation at 5 p.m., Tuesday, May 25, at the Louisiana Supreme Court in New Orleans.

• SULC professor Mark Thurmon’s article, “Confusion Codified: Why Trade-mark Remedies Make No Sense,” will be the lead article in the Journal of Intellectual Property Law, Vol. 17. Thurmon presented a paper on proposed major reforms to the current remedies provisions of the Federal Trademark Act at an Intellectual Property Law Conference, May 6. During the summer, Thurmon plans to work on the reform paper and develop it into a full article. He is hopeful that his proposal will make it to the U.S. Congress in a year or two.

Spring 2010 61

SU Athletics

SUBR Lady Jags sweep SWAC, plays NCAA tournament championship in Bossier City with a 60-47 victory over Alabama State University in March.

This was the first time since the 2001-02 season that SU won the regular season title, the number one seed in the tournament, and the tournament championship. Southern (23-8, 14-4 SWAC) earned the SWAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.

Junior Hannah Kador was named the tournament’s most valuable player while Ashley Augerson was named to the all-tournament team.

The SUBR women’s basketball team, who were Southwestern Conference (SWAC) champions, captured the 2010 Farmers Insurance Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament championship in Bossier City with a 60-47 victory over Alabama State University.

The SUBR women’s basketball team, who were 2009-2010 Southwestern Conference (SWAC) champions, captured the 2010 Farmers Insurance Southwestern Athletic Conference

This was head coach Sandy Pugh’s fourth conference tournament title in six tries. She left the ShreveportBossier City area with a 17-6 overall record and 4-2 in the tournament championship games.

As SWAC champions, the SUBR women’s squad clinched its fourth berth to the NCAA Tournament. Pugh has led SU to the NCAAs in four out 10 seasons on “the bluff.”

The SWAC regular season and tournament champion Southern University women’s basketball team fell to the number one team in

State Farm Bayou Classic XXXVI a celebration -Although the Jaguars didn’t bring home the game trophy, the State Farm Bayou Classic XXXVI, held in New Orleans November 27-28, was a magnificent celebration of the annual gridiron rivalry between the Southern University Jaguars and the Grambling State University Tigers. The attendance was at an all-time high, bringing the most fans to the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

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America, the UConn Huskies, 95-39, in the first-round of the Dayton region in the NCAA tournament at the Constant Center in Norfolk, Virginia, March 21.

The 2005-06 season was the last time the SU women’s team attended the “Big dance.” They were defeated

by Duke University the same year the SU men’s team played alongside the women versus the Duke men’s team.

In Norfolk, the Southern University pep band was requested multiple times before the first-round contest by several Constant Center employees.

The Jaguar band and cheerleaders warmed up outside the Ted Constant Center before the game as onlookers stopped to enjoy and take pictures.

The Jaguar band entertained the 6,325 in attendance as the underdog Jaguars, with a row of Jaguar supporters dressed in blue and gold seated opposite from the bench, won over the pro-Connecticut crowd.

“I can’t be disappointed,” Pugh said. “Nobody expected us to be here, and the reason I’m standing right here today is because of their effort this season.”

SU welcomes 17th head football coach

Lyvonia “Stump” Mitchell became the 17th head football coach for the SU Jaguars. Welcoming Mitchell during a January 13 press conference were SU System Interim President Kassie Freeman, SUBR Chancellor Kofi Lomotey, SU Athlecic Director Greg LaFleur, and SU System Board of Supervisors Chairman Tony Clayton.

Southern University and A&M College introduced Lyvonia “Stump” Mitchell, former assistant head coach/running backs coach for the National Football League’s (NFL) Washington Redskins, as the 17th head football coach for the Jaguars during a press conference, Wednesday, January 13.

“Stump Mitchell’s 21 years in the NFL, 10 as a player and 11 years as an assistant coach, combined with his head coaching experience, will bring a wealth of diverse knowledge to our football program,” says Greg LaFleur, Southern’s director of athletics.

Mitchell joined the Redskins’ coaching staff in 2008 after leaving the Seattle Seahawks, where he spent the previous nine seasons coaching the running backs.

“I am very excited to have Lyvonia “Stump” Mitchell joining the Jaguar Nation as our 17th head football coach. I am confident that he will help us bring the fans back to A.W. Mumford Stadium and that he will help us achieve our goal of strengthening the relationship between SUBR and the community surrounding the campus,” says Kofi Lomotey, chancellor of the Baton Rouge campus.

“We are happy to have Coach Mitchell join the Jaguar Nation and we have great expectations of him. However, we have the utmost confidence in his ability to lead our football program. Being a former student athlete, Coach Mitchell understands that our primary goal must be the development of our students to their greatest potential on and off the field,” said Southern University System Interim President Kassie Freeman.

Mitchell joined the Seahawks following three years as head coach at Morgan State University (MSU). Mitchell’s coaching career began in 1991 when he served as an assistant coach on the World League of American Football’s San Antonio Riders’ staff. He played nine years in the NFL as a standout running back with the St. Louis/ Phoenix Cardinals.

He is a native of Kingsland, Georgia.

HALL earns SWAC player of the week honor Southern University and A&M College’s Frazier Hall earned the SWAC first Player of the Week honor in 2010 for his play in the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Invitational in February 19 - 21, in Compton, California.

This was the Jaguar’s third straight appearance in the annual, round-robin, collegiate baseball tournament that

spotlights HBCUs and their baseball programs in an effort to provide them with national exposure.

For the tournament, the SU team lost an opening day game to UCLA, beat Cal State Northridge, in a come-from-behind victory the next day, and closed out the tournament in a loss to Bethune-Cookman.

Spring 2010 63

Jaguars pick up postseason honors

D’nae Capron Juamorris Stewart

Warren Matthews

Josh Duran

Ramon Chinyoung

Senior quarterback Bryant Lee was one of six Southern University players honored on the All-Southwestern Athletic Conference team announced in early December.

Jason House

In the 2009 season alone, Stewart led the SWAC with with 81 catches for 1,028 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Also named to the first team were offensive lineman Ramon Chinyoung, tight end Warren Matthews, wide receiver Juamorris Stewart and defensive back Jason House. Punter Josh Duran was named to the second team.

Stewart and House were also named 1st team Black College Football All-Americans by Boxtorow.com/BASN, as chosen by selected members of the media that cover Black College Football. The team is comprised of 27 of the top Black College Football players in the country.

The team was voted on by conference head coaches, sports information directors, and selected members of the media.

Lee and Matthews were named honorable mention BCF All-American by Boxtorow.com/ BASN.

Stewart was named to the 2009 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches’ AllAmerica First Team announced December 16 by the American Football Coaches Association.

Southern University’s women’s soccer goalie D’Nae Capron was named to the 2009 AllLouisiana Sports Writers Association honorable mention list.

Stewart wrapped up one of the most successful stints in the history of Southern University football. He finished his career as SU’s All-Time leading pass catcher with 201 career receptions.

He also had 2,668 career receiving yards and 25 touchdowns.

Capron, a native of Nassua, Bahamas, ended her first collegiate season totaling 103 saves in 17 contests while allowing 54 saves after seeing 246 shots on the year. This is D’nae first collegiate honor after compiling a 4-12 record.

Bryant Lee

The LSWA All-Louisiana Women’s Soccer Collegiate Team is selected by the state’s sports information directors and media members.

SUBR bowling captures SWIBC I championship In their maiden contest of the 200910 season the Southern University women’s bowling team captured the Southwest Intercollegiate Bowling Conference I championship.

“We don’t receive any NCAA points for this win but it was a good start for the ladies,” said head coach Karen Couvillon. “This was like an 64 Southern University System Magazine

exhibition for us but it was a good test for the players.”

All participating teams were club teams including the five women’s teams involved in the tournament: West Texas A&M, the University of Houston, the University of North Texas, Texas A&M, and Louisiana State.

2009-2010 Lady Jaguars Bowling Team: (front row - left to right) Ashley Williams, Alexandria Brooks, Adrianna Guillory, and Courtney Mosley; (back row left to right) Kate McConnell, Cassandra LaCour, Vanessa Caldwell, Coach Karen Couvillon, Shannon Pearson, Kaylee Walthorn, and Brandi LeBlanc.

Jaguars announce 34 football signees, 2010 schedule Southern University and A&M College announced 34 signees after the first day of the early signing period of National Letters of Intent for football.

“I am extremely pleased with what our team has been able to come up with in such a short period of time”, says Livonia “Stump” Mitchell, SUBR’s first-year head coach.

“We are basically talking a three week span, and my coaches worked hard to get this done,” Mitchell added.

SUBR held its annual “Football Recruiting Bash” February 3 in the north end zone fieldhouse at A.W. Mumford Stadium where Mitchell discussed the 2010 signing class.

2010 Southern Football Signees Player Javon Allen

Charles Barkins Christopher Bernard Jordan Bilbo D’Vonn Brown Travis Clark Christopher Colwell Darius Deloach Dallas Fort Aaron Hall Stepfan Henderson Dwayne Houston Rashaad Hoyle Dray Joseph Detrane Lindsey Todd Mabry Cantrell McKinley Wynton Perro

Pos. LB OL RB WR TE FB S RB RB OL CB OL CB QB LB CB SS/RB QB

School Edna Karr O. Perry Walker Westbury Lamar Lamar Consol.

Edna Karr Manville Dunbar Tara Central Zachary Northside Roswell West St. John BT Wash/Hou Amite Liberty-Eylau BT Wash/Hou

Player Pos. Kesean Peterson Johnathan Preston Jaleel Richardson Jordan Rose William Waddel Franchot West John White Jamal Williams Stanley Williams Jr. Virgil Williams Roosevelt Wright

School LB/TE Charlton County OL Dawson WR Warren Easton S Dawson WR BT Wash/Hou LB Stephenson LB John Curtis ATH Lamar Consol.

DE Zachary ATH Evangel Christian WR Capitol Academy

Transfers Julius McGee David Henderson Kedy Enabulele Chris Little Artis Sullivan

OL OL DL OL OL

Copiah Lincoln CC Hinds CC Kilgore JC NW Miss. JC Coahoma JC

Southern University Jaguars 2010 Football Schedule DATE

OPPONENT

LOCATION

TIME

Sept. 5 Sept. 11 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Oct. 30 Nov. 6 Nov. 13 Nov. 27 Dec. 11

SWAC/MEAC Challenge Arkansas-Monticello at Alabama A&M Arkansas-Pine Bluff **Mississippi Valley St. at Jackson State at Prairie View at Alcorn St. Texas Southern Alabama St. *Grambling St. SWAC Championship

Orlando, FL Noon Baton Rouge 6 p.m.

Huntsville, AL 6 p.m.

Baton Rouge 6 p.m.

Baton Rouge 6 p.m.

Jackson, MS TBA Shreveport 4 p.m.

Lorman, MS 2 p.m.

Baton Rouge 6 p.m.

Baton Rouge 5:30 p.m.

New Orleans 1 p.m.

Birmingham, AL 1 p.m.

* Bayou Classic ** Homecoming Notes: game times are subject to change.

Spring 2010 65

SUNO’s Simpson places 2nd in 400 meter dash at national meet Southern University at New Orleans competed in the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships March 4-6th in Johnson City, Tennessee, on the campus of East Tennessee State University. Senior sprinter Adrian Simpson placed second in the 400 meter dash with a time of 48.31 seconds. The university was the only institution represented among the states of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama.

Hylton Campbell was a semifinalist in the 60 meter dash, and he qualified for the 200 meter dash. Other qualifiers included Mekel Downer in the 200 meter dash and All-

American Norbert Miller in the 400 meter dash. Neither runner competed due to injuries.

The track and field team will begin qualifying for the NAIA outdoor national championships when they compete in the LSU Tiger Relays on March 26 and 27 in Baton Rouge. The 59th Annual Men’s and 30th Annual Women’s NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships will be held in Marion, Indiana from May 27-29.

The SUNO track and field team has seven national championships to its credit throughout program history.

The men’s and women’s teams are coached by Yhann Plummer, who was a 10-time All-American as an undergraduate at SUNO.

SUBR women crowned champs, dominate conference honors The SUBR women’s tennis team claimed the SWAC Women’s Tennis Championships after a 4-0 win over Jackson State at the 2010 SWAC Women’s Championship Tournament, April 18, in Alexandria.

omen – First Team Singles – Carlista Mohammed, W Kathryn Curtis, Demetria Woods, and Jo’Vonna Gaines

The Jaguar team led by head coach Jeff Conyers, clinched their fifth title in the past eight years and ninth overall.

omen – First Team Doubles – Demetria Woods and W Janelle Mosley

SU’s Kathryn Curtis was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

omen – Second Team Singles – Megan Wiltz and W Janelle Mosley

The SWAC women’s winner automatically qualified for the NCAA Tennis regional tournament, May 14-16.

Prior to the tournament, the SU team earned top AllConference SWAC honors.

Southern’s Megan Wiltz was named SWAC 2010 Women’s Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Also from Southern, newcomer Demetria Woods was named the 2010 Freshman of the Year.

SWAC All-Conference team honors for SU:

SUBR Women’s Tennis Team and head coach Jeff Conyers pose with the 2010 SWAC Championship Trophy after winning the conference tournament championship April 18 in Alexandria.

SUNO senior named NAIA All-American Lionel Green, was selected as a Third Team All-American by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

field percentage with 40. An all-conference selection, he had four doubles on the season in games against Loyola, Tougaloo, Philander Smith, and Bellhaven.

The NAIA announced the members of the Division I men’s basketball team in late March.

Green led the SUNO Knights, which had a 2008-2009 record of 3-25, to 13-15 in the 2009-2010 season. He graduated from George Washington Carver High School where he was a member of the state championship team.

Green, a 6’5” senior guard from New Orleans, finished the season ranked 20th in the NAIA in scoring with an average of 18.37 points per game and 21st in assists per game with 4.519. He also ranked 32nd in total assists with 122, 36th in total scoring with 496 and 49th in three-point 66 Southern University System Magazine

Green is SUNO’s first men’s basketball All-American since 2005.

Alumni Spotlight

Chemistry in Action SU grad provides solutions for a sustainable future In the past, women seeking career opportunities often found themselves limited to more traditional roles of teachers and nurses – but some women manage to forge paths into careers that are considered nontraditional.

Nontraditional occupations for women are those skilled and technical jobs that employ fewer than 25 percent women.

Abandoned uranium mines, murky marshes, river banks and levees—these are just a few of the places Elizabeth Doomes has worked lately.

Elizabeth Doomes has always been able to to “hold her own.” Growing up as the oldest female child in a family with two male siblings, she had to be tough. Perhaps it was her family upbringing that has allowed her to be successful in a career that is generally dominated by males.

As a senior project scientist at Weston Solutions, Incorporated, Doomes uses her 16 years of diverse experience in environmental chemistry, sampling and analysis of hazardous and nonhazardous materials, and environmental science to restore resource efficiency to the operations of clients, which may include land, air, water, facilities, and staff.

At Weston’s Baton Rouge office, Doomes is one of two female employees and the only minority woman on the technical staff.

“It’s not every day that you see a lady don a hard hat and steeledtoed boots to get the job done,” she says. “Being in this non-traditional career has opened doors to lots of opportunities for me. I realize that

SU alumnus Elizabeth Doomes has always been able to stand and deliver. Growing up as the oldest female child in a family with two male siblings, she had to be tough. Perhaps it was her family upbringing that has allowed her to be successful in a career that is generally dominated by males.

I am in a unique work setting and I am not bothered by it at all. I simply do my job to the best of my ability and so far, I‘ve been successful.”

According to company literature, Weston Solutions, Incorporated is a leading employee-owned environmental, redevelopment and construction firm. The company delivers integrated, sustainable solutions for environmental restoration, property redevelopment, design/build construction, green buildings and clean energy. Their client base ranges from local private industries to the U.S. government and other governments worldwide.

The company’s services encompass environmental permitting, management and compliance, remediation, redevelopment, and construction.

“I enjoy working in this industry,” says Doomes. “Each project affords me the opportunity to visit various work sites both locally and abroad and I enjoy being hands-on and involved directly with finding solutions to any problems that may be discovered.”

Of course, Elizabeth Doomes could not escape thinking about science when she was growing up, because her father, Earl Doomes, majored in chemistry and is a former College of Sciences dean at the SU Baton Rouge campus. In fact, she was majoring in chemistry and during one semester she earned an internship at a Department of Energy facility that piqued her imagination and made her decide that she did not want to work in a laboratory. At the DOE facility, science was practical and all her assignments had an immediate Spring 2010 67

Quality regional personnel to conduct field operations.

“My advice to students today is to always aim for excellence and to find an area of study that they really enjoy and most of all they must remain flexible,” says Doomes.

“As a student at Southern University, I really learned how to be adaptable and to poise myself for new opportunities to familiarize myself with several types of jobs so that I’d know exactly what I wanted to do.”

As a senior project scientist at Weston Solutions, Incorporated, SU graduate Elizabeth Doomes uses her 16 years of diverse experience in environmental chemistry, sampling and analysis of hazardous and nonhazardous materials, and environmental science to restore resource efficiency.

impact that she could witness, and it was not inside of a laboratory.

surface water; and she is experienced in surveying for field radiation.

This scientist’s experiences have been varied. After college, she gained experience in the state of Louisiana’s regulatory field while working for the Department of Environmental Quality performing field inspections and managing remediation projects. In addition, she honed her environmental planning and project management skills for a private firm, Ecology & Environment, Incorporated, which provides sustainability solutions. During college, she had the opportunity to work as a research associate for Upjohn Pharmaceuticals and the Dow Chemical Company; as a chemist for Hoeschst-Celanese; and as a research assistant at Southern University.

When asked about the challenges she faces on the job, she says that “making the public aware of the purpose of my job is challenging.”

Elizabeth Doomes is a certified Louisiana asbestos inspector, is experienced in assessment and remediation of hazardous waste; competent in soil analysis; and sampling of soil, groundwater and

68 Southern University System Magazine

“Often I am asked by homeowners or the general public what exactly I am doing when I am collecting water, soil, or air samples. In addition to being a scientist I also have to act as a public relations liaison.”

As a Weston employee, Doomes had the opportunity to work in the New Orleans, Terrebonne, and Lafourche areas after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Gustav. Her work included conducting ambient air sampling during demolition activities, collecting asbestos air samples, identifying and collecting samples of hazardous waste to provide proper disposal, and coordinating with property owners, parish representatives, and Louisiana Department of Environmental

“I am deeply passionate about the environment,” says Doomes.

“It concerns me that we are a very disposable society. We generate incredible amounts of trash, for us to continue to have a sustainable society everyone must recognize that an effort must be made to reduce the amount of waste generated and better use the resources that we currently have.

Many people in the U.S. take clean water, uncontaminated groceries, and safe workplaces for granted, but Elizabeth Doomes is using science to identify and solve serious environmental concerns.

Her other interests involves contributing to her local community through memberships in the Delta Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, the American Chemical Society, and the U.S. Tennis Association. She enjoys playing tennis as a personal hobby. She is the daughter of Mazie Doomes, a retired environmental attorney, and Earl Doomes, both are SU alums. Her brothers are, Edward Doomes, an assistant professor of physics at SUBR, and Elliot Doomes, legal counsel for the Sub-committee on Economic Development, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the US Congress in Washington, D.C.

Alumni News

SU President Emeritus honored during NAFEO fellows reunion SU System Interim President, Kassie Freeman presented an award to president Delores M. R. Spikes emerita Delores M. R. Spikes during the first reunion of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) Kellogg Leadership Fellows program, August 30, in Washington D.C. Spikes was recognized for her major contributions to enhancing the quality of leadership, excellence and commitment to Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and to higher education in general.

“It was very special to be recognized

by NAFEO with this honor,” said Spikes. “During this event I had the opportunity to reassemble with program participants and directors, all of whom have made significant impacts among colleges and universities nationwide.”

The Leadership Fellows program was created by a grant funded by the Kellogg Foundation to assist minorities who aspired to become leaders. Spikes was instrumental in the development of the NAFEO Kellogg Leadership Program by serving on its Board of Directors.

The NAFEO Kellogg Leadership Fellows Program, a four year program, ended officially in 2006. The program was designed for the specific purpose of assisting in the preparation of outstanding HBCU Presidents.

The goal was for ten participants to become presidents in ten years. To date, the fellows are in key leadership positions in 33 of the 108 HBCUs. “It was an extreme honor to present such an award to Dr. Spikes who is one of my personal mentors,” said SU System President Kassie Freeman. “Dr. Spikes is a true leader and trailblazer for all in higher education.”

“Dr. Spikes has made significant contributions to the NAFEO Kellogg Leadership Fellows Program by enhancing the quality of leadership, excellence and commitment to all HBCUs and to the advancement of our people and to higher education,” said Arthur Thomas, past Chairman of NAFEO’s Board of Directors.

Obama nominates SULC alum for federal bench Jackson is a partner in the law firm Liskow & Lewis, where he specializes in commercial litigation, government investigations and white collar criminal defense.

Brian Jackson

President Barack Obama announced last October that New Orleans lawyer Brian Jackson was nominated to serve on the federal court for Louisiana’s Middle District.

Jackson, who graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana and received his juris doctorate from Southern University, served as a first assistant U.S. attorney for the Middle District, based in Baton Rouge, from 1994 to 2002. He’s also served as an associate deputy attorney general with the U.S. Department of Justice.

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu recommended Jackson for the post and congratulated him on his nomination.

“Brian Jackson is an exemplary public servant with a distinguished record as an attorney and prosecutor,” she said. “I expect Brian’s approach on the federal bench to be both fair-minded and impartial, and I look forward to supporting his nomination as it moves through the Senate.”

Obama says Jackson will bring experience and “the judgment, intellect and integrity Americans expect and deserve from their federal judges.”

Spring 2010 69

Alum named young professional of the year Ruth Louise Ray, Ph.D. (‘92, ‘94), was recently selected as the 2009 Young Professional of the Year by the Greater Shreveport Louise Ray Chamber of Commerce. The chamber recognized 40 individuals under the age of 40 from public, private, and non-profit sectors for professional and civic contributions throughout Northwest Louisiana. Honorees were chosen based on achievement, experience, innovation, leadership, and community involvement.

Ray completed her bachelor of science degree in secondary education

- English at Southern University and A & M College. She began teaching high school English at the age of 20.

She received her master of education in administration and supervision by age 22. Ray later earned a doctor of philosophy degree from Colorado State University before her 30th birthday.

In addition to teaching, her professional experiences include school administration. Ray concluded the public school portion of her career as a principal in Iberville Parish.

She then joined the Louisiana State University in Shreveport faculty in 2002. Currently, she is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Education. With Abul Pitre (‘92, ‘97) she has co-authored two books including Educating African American Students: Foundations, Curriculum,

and Experiences. She regularly gives professional presentations at state, regional, and national conferences.

In the community, she has worked as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer and presently serves on the Board of Directors for Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana. She is also an active member of the Delta Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Ray was born into a family of educators and Southernnites. Her late father was a university instructor. Her mother, Ruby Guidry Ray (‘53), retired after teaching for more than 40 years.

Her only sibling, brother Edwin Kent Ray (‘81, ‘95), is a school administrator in their hometown of Jennings.

She is married to John Jackson; they have one daughter.

LA native leads Democratic floor staff Fordoche native Lula Johnson Davis made history as the first African-American female to be elected as Democratic secretary of the U.S. Senate.

Davis, who was recently featured in the Baton Rouge Advocate, began her career on Capitol Hill as a legislative correspondent for the late Senator Russell B. Long. After Senator Long retired from the Senate, Davis was employed as an office assistant for the Democratic Policy Committee’s

floor staff office. In 1993, she became a member of the Democratic floor staff and in 1995 was promoted to chief floor assistant. In 1997, she made history when she became the first woman to serve as assistant Democratic secretary. Davis remained in that position until January, 2008, when she was elected secretary for the majority.

As secretary, Davis is seated in the Senate Chamber and ensures that pages are at their posts and

cloakrooms are staffed. The secretary schedules legislation on the floor and informs senators of all pending business, keeping them updated on bills, motions, nominations, and amendments in preparation for roll call votes. She also briefs new members on rules and legislative procedures.

Davis received her B.S. in office administration and a M.Ed., in guidance counseling from Southern University and A&M College.

SU alum, author presents book Judge D’Army Bailey (retired) talked about his recent book, The Education of a Black Radical: A Southern Civil Rights Activist’s Journey, 1959-1964, in October in the lobby of the John B. Cade Library.

Bailey became a jurist in 1990, when he was elected Circuit Court Judge in Tennessee’s 30th Judicial District. He recently stepped down from the bench after serving more than 19 years to 70 Southern University System Magazine

practice law and to promote his new book on his civil rights experiences from the early 1960s. As a student at Southern University, Baton Rouge, Bailey was expelled for his involvement in protest demonstrations against segregation in Baton Rouge. He finished his undergraduate studies at Clark University in Massachusetts and earned a law degree at Yale. Bailey, a founder of the National Civil Rights Museum at

the Lorraine Motel, said he will be making appearances at book festivals in Nashville, Baton Rouge, and Massachusetts.

“I’ll be trying to engage in conversations with our youngsters on campuses, hopefully to talk about the enormous power they have to make a difference if they will come together with strategy and not just roll along with things as they are,” the judge said.

Warrior Group appoints Smith senior project manager The Warrior Group, Incorporated, a multi-million dollar provider of premier construction services, appointed SU alumnus Allen Smith Allen Smith as senior project manager for the firm’s Commercial Division in Fort Worth, Texas. In the role, Smith will be responsible for a collection of services applied to construction projects and programs throughout the planning, design, construction and post-construction phases. He will also be responsible for providing

value with quality pre-construction services, competitive market bidding and exceptional field performance during the construction and through warranty management.

“Mr. Smith will be an extraordinary asset to Warrior Group,” said Gail Warrior-Lawrence, president and CEO of Warrior Group. “He will be instrumental in the continual momentum and growth of Warrior Group, particularly with his exceptional leadership skills within the construction industry.”

The 12-year old company is one of the largest SBA, minority- and woman-owned construction services companies with more than 1,000 successfully completed projects to its

credit an impressive roster of private and public sector clients across the United States.

Smith, who holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Southern University and A&M College, is affiliated with the American Institute of Contractors (AIC), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Project Management Institute (PMI). He currently resides in Arlington, Texas.

Prior to joining Warrior Group, Smith served as a senior construction manager for DMA Construction, LLC in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. He has also previously worked as the director of construction services for EJES, Incorporated in Dallas.

SU Alum accepts top position at Tuskegee University Tuskegee University president, Benjamin F. Payton, announced the appointment of John A. “Tony” Williams, ‘79, as interim provost/vice president for academic affairs and vice president for institutional research, assessment and planning at Tuskegee University. He and his wife, Seleria ’78, made the move from Philadelphia to Tuskegee in November.

“I am grateful to God for this opportunity. Tuskegee is a great institution. But, I have to admit the exciting part of this is the reflection of the foundation that was laid more than 30 years ago at Southern University,” said Williams. “This [appointment] is clearly a substantiation of the claim that Southern University produces leaders!”

A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Williams, who was the first student member to the Southern University Board of Supervisors from the SUBR campus, served as student government association president in 1976.

The Williams’ are a Southern University family. His wife, Seleria, who was previously president of the Philadelphia Alumni Chapter for three years, where he also served as chapter treasurer for two years, has been active with the alumni for many years. And, their daughter, Aria, who served as Miss Junior at SUBR - 2007, graduated in May 2009 and is employed as a management trainee with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “We want to thank the entire Southern University alumni family for the support shown to us. We expect to remain active with the alumni and look forward to identifying fellow alums in the Alabama area,” said Williams.

SU alumnus John A. “Tony” Williams, ‘79, was named interim provost/vice president for academic affairs and vice president for institutional research, assessment and planning at Tuskegee University. Williams is pictured with his wife, Seleria, a 1978 SU graduate.

Williams credits his success to the people and experiences at Southern University. “I have had the pleasure to impact young people at HBCUs around the country and I can proudly say that it started for me at SU,” Williams said.

Spring 2010 71

Alumni Class Notes Chief Judge David Bell, SULC’95, of Orleans Parish Juvenile Court, has been named the recipient of the Kellogg Fellows Leadership Alliance’s (KFLA) Matusak Courageous Leadership Award for his leading role in overhauling the juvenile court system in Orleans Parish.

In the months following Hurricane Katrina, Judge Bell saw an opportunity to implement new laws on low-level and nonviolent youth offenders. Instead of sending them to jail, he sent them home. As a result, the city saw a significantly lower rate of recidivism among its youth. The 2009 award was presented at the biannual KFLA Forum, February 12 -15, in Tulum, Mexico. The Matusak Courageous Leadership Award includes a $2,500 prize, which Bell will donate to Café Reconcile, a community-based program committed to addressing the system of generational poverty, violence, and neglect in the New Orleans area through innovative job skills training in the food service industry.

Kimberly Carter Brown, SULC‘06, has been promoted to Director of Compliance and Legal Affairs for Athletics at Alabama A&M University.

Marcus V. Brown, SULC ‘88, has been promoted to the position of vice president and deputy general counsel for Entergy Corporation. Brown’s new role will entail consolidating Entergy’s General Commercial Litigation Group with its Property and Casualty Litigation Group. He will have responsibility for all non-regulatory litigation matters in the Entergy service territory, which includes Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, and portions of the northeast United States. Brown has been a member of Entergy’s Legal Department since 1995.

Charlotte Bowers, was named member services manager for EvolvHealth, LLC. In her new role, Bowers will ensure delivery of excellent customer service to members and customers by providing prompt and accurate response to requests for EvolvHealth, a life sciences company

72 Southern University System Magazine

which develops proprietary products for the wellness industry.

Carolyn Carter Collins was honored as one of two LSU Living Legends by the A.P. Tureaud Sr., Black Alumni Chapter of the LSU Alumni Association at a Legends Forum held November 14, during the LSU Homecoming Weekend. A native of Melville, Collins earned a bachelor of science in vocational education from Southern University and a master of education and doctor of philosophy from LSU. Collins served a 36-year stellar tenure at LSU, from academic counselor to associate vice chancellor and dean of its largest academic college – the University College. She retired from the university during the summer of 2009. As LSU’s first black academic dean, she initiated a number of firsts, including founding chair of the Black Faculty and Staff Caucus, co-founder of the LSU Black Scholars Program, the LSU Parents Association and Parents Weekend, Orientation for Minority Students, and the Summer Scholars Program.

Tony Dooley, J.D., M.S.W., attorney, partner for Shorty Dooley & Hall LLC, and closing and title agent for SDH Title Company. LLC, has been recognized by Cambridge Who’s Who for demonstrating dedication, leadership, and excellence in legal services.

Dooley received his JD from Southern University Law Center (2003), master of social work from Southern University (2000), and bachelor of business management from The University of New Orleans (1995).

Stephanie A. Finley, SULC ‘91, has been nominated by President Barack Obama for United States Attorney, Western District of Louisiana. Finley is an assistant United States attorney for the

Western District of Louisiana, where she has worked since 1995. Prior to that, she served as an assistant staff judge advocate in the United States Air Force from 1991 to 1995 and was honorably discharged as a captain. She has continued to serve in the United States Army Reserves since 1995, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2007.

James Freemont, M.D., M.H.A, SU alumnus and Monroe native was named president of the medical staff at South Fulton Medical Center in East Point. He enrolled in Emory University’s school of medicine and graduated in 1973. Freemont has a private practice in obstetrics and gynecology and has been on the hospital staff for 31 years.

Karla Guity, SULC ‘07, former legislative assistant and committee aide to several state senators of the Georgia General Assembly, has been appointed to serve as secretary to U. S. Attorney Edward Tarver of the Southern District of Georgia. Guity earned a B.A. in political science from Howard University.

Tim Hardy, SULC ‘81, a partner with Lemle and Kelleher, has been appointed

by Governor Bobby Jindal to serve as an at-large member of the Board of Supervisors for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. The 17-member board oversees the state’s twoyear colleges.

Leon Hardnett, Owner of Jatal Enterprises, Incorporated, has been recognized by Cambridge Who’s Who for demonstrating dedication, leadership and excellence in self-publication.

With 33 years of experience in his field, Hardnett specializes in religious poetry and self-publication. In his position, he

is responsible for publishing books of prose and poetry. Hardnett has recently completed a manuscript that will become his third book of poetry. His attributes his success to his faith in God and the support he receives from his family.

Hardnett received a bachelor of science in industrial technology from Southern University and A & M College.

Herman L. “Pete” Holmes, SULC‘91, has been promoted to supervisor of the Juvenile Court Division of the East Baton Rouge Parish Office of Public Defender in Baton Rouge.

Cindy Hurst produced and directed the film, “Natural Woman,” about the attitudes black women toward natural hair. Hurst’s 28-minute film, “Natural Woman,” explores the psychological attitudes and hurdles black women face when they decide to wear their hair naturally. Hurst’s documentary had a showing at several universities including her alma mater, Southern.

Brandon M. Jones, an ECE Ph.D. student at Cornell University, received Best Paper Award (Space Exploration Track) at the 2010 NSBE Aerospace Systems Conference for his paper entitled, “Information Exchange in Multi-rover SLAM,” co-authored with Professor Lang Tong. Jones earned his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Southern University and A&M College in 2005. He was admitted to the MS/PhD program at Cornell University in 2007. He received NASA/UNCF-SP Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoral Fellowship Program and Sloan Foundation Fellowship. He was an intern at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and was with Boeing Satellite and Development Center prior to joining Cornell University as a doctoral student.

Johnnie A. Jones, SULC‘53, was honored Wednesday, January 27, along with one of his former clients in a 1962 court case that led to the desegregation of courtrooms in Baton Rouge. The event sponsored by the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society was held in the courtroom of Judge Janice Clark of the 19th Judicial District Court. Laura Lee Harris and her

two cousins, the late Pearl Lee George and the late Willie Lee Harris, staged a sit-in at the front of the courtroom in seats designated for whites on November 29, 1962. For their actions, they were jailed for 21 days for contempt of court. Their case was argued successfully before the U.S. Supreme Court.

J.S. “Stan” Lemelle, SULC ’76, was named to head the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Baton Rouge on an interim basis by U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. while Congress considers President Barack Obama’s nomination of U.S. Rep. Don Cazayoux, D-New Roads. Lemelle’s appointment to head the district that oversees a nine-parish region came three days after the resignation of former U.S. Attorney David R. Dugas. The Middle District serves the parishes of Ascension, East and West Baton Rouge, East and West Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee and St. Helena parishes.

This will be a return to the top federal attorney spot for the district for Lemelle, a 31-year veteran of the U.S. Attorney’s office. He was previously designated as the acting U.S. Attorney for a 15-month period in the 1980s and both former U.S. attorneys Stanford O. Bardwell and L.J. Hymel had chosen him to serve on other occasions. For the past 15 years, he has been the district’s criminal chief.

Tiffany Lloyd, Miss Black Louisiana USA 2008-2009 and Southern alumnus, was grand marshal of Southern University, Baton Rouge’s annual homecoming parade in October. Lloyd, a Ferriday native, received her master’s in public administration from Southern in 2005.

She was chosen Miss Black Louisiana USA in 2008 and represented the state of Louisiana in the 2009 Miss Black USA pageant held in August and placed 2nd runner-up in the prestigious national pageant.

efforts, with a focus on advancing national, state, regional, and local governmental issues critical to economic development in this area. She also provides staff leadership to FuturePAC, BRAC’s political action committee and the Governmental Reform Issue Council.

Afi Patterson, SULC ’07, an associate with Adams and Reese, L.L.P., has joined the Board of Directors of Forum 35, a non-profit community organization of young professionals who work with community leaders to address issues facing the Greater Baton Rouge area.

Evella L. Quiett, was appointed by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal last May as the state’s equal opportunity officer. Quiett serves as the director of Compliance Programs with the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

Quiett is this state’s liaison with the United States Department of Labor, Civil Rights Center and as the Louisiana Workforce Commission’s representative on all equal opportunity and nondiscrimination matters. Quiett also oversees the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Division, which is responsible for enforcing the equal opportunity and nondiscrimination provisions of the law.

Quiett, is a 1984 SU graduate.

Gloria Thomas, ’96, received the 2010 Henry McBay Outstanding Teacher Award. The award, presented by the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), was conferred during the 37th Annual NOBCChE Technology Conference March 30, in Atlanta, Georgia. Thomas, a Timbuktu Academy scholar while at SUBR, received a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from LSU and is currently an assistant professor of chemistry at Xavier University in New Orleans.

Erin Monroe, SULC ‘02, is senior vice president for governmental affairs for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC).

In this capacity, Monroe leads BRAC’s governmental relations and advocacy Spring / Summer 2009 57

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