Southern partners with IBM for cloud computing technology

BATON ROUGE – Two graduates of Southern University are helping the institution take its technology into the clouds. Dexter Henderson and Elmer Corbin, with technology giant IBM, officially launched the Cloud Computing initiative at Southern on Tuesday morning.
The so-called “Cloud,” they said, will establish the Baton Rouge campus as one of the leaders in education in Louisiana and among historically black colleges and universities across the nation. 

“This is a historic moment at Southern University,” said Henderson, vice president of Systems and Technology Development at IBM. “What we’re putting in place here is a leap over anything that we have instituted at any other HBCU.” 

Corbin and Henderson presented Southern with a $40,000 check Tuesday which they said will be used to train SU personnel on Cloud systems and to set the groundwork for the new technology on the campus.  

Cloud computing is a system in which jobs are assigned to an array of connections, software and service accessed over the Internet. The network of connections and servers is collectively known as “The Cloud.” Computing at the scale of the cloud allows users to access supercomputer-level power. Users are able to access the cloud with technology such as iPhones, Blackberrys or laptops, essentially reaching into the cloud for resources as they need them. 

Corbin, IBM’s director of systems development and university alliances, said the cloud will give Southern students the ability to link to information available at other colleges and universities in the U.S. and around the world. Eventually, other historically black colleges will be included in the cloud.

“There will be one giant cloud for HBCUs here and around the world,” Corbin said. 

Maryland Center at Bowie State awarded million-dollar grant

BOWIE, Md.– The Maryland Center at Bowie State University has been awarded a $1.1 million grant from the Maryland State Department of Education to increase advanced math skills of Prince George’s County students in grades 5-9. The grant is part of the 21^st Century Community Learning Center program funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

The project was spearheaded by State Delegate Gerron Levi (23 A) in an effort to afford students in the Lanham and Capitol Heights community an opportunity to participate in a real-world math summer camp and school-year booster sessions.  Over the next three years more than 400 Prince George’s County students will have the opportunity to participate.

“This program is a collaboration of community stakeholders who took it upon themselves to develop a program to improve math and science skills for youth living in distressed communities and finding the resources to implement it,” said Terry Lawlah, executive director of The Maryland Center.

CEO of Minerva Media and Publishing, Dana Tucker to speak at SC State - April 8

(Orangeburg, S.C.) - SC State will host executive speaker Dana Tucker, on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at noon in the Belcher Hall fourth floor auditorium. Tucker’s discussion topic will be “How to Gain National Markets for your Bank.” 
Tucker is president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Minerva Media & Publishing, Incorporated, parent company to How We Live Public Relations and How We Live Magazine where she acts as publisher and editor-in-chief.  
Tucker describes her publication as a melding of some of her favorite magazines where House Beautiful meets Ebony meets InStyle to form the sleek, enlightening and innovative, How We Live Magazine.
She created the publication to fill a need for the minority segment of the population largely overlooked in print by mainstream home, décor and style editors. Additionally, she created a magazine that showcases the inherent beauty, raw talent, positive images, and matchless style spread throughout the African-American community, while breaking down myths and stereotypes that seek to confine a culture and define “How We Live.” 
How We Live Magazine can be found nationwide at Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Hastings and B. Dalton Booksellers, plus Publix, Food Lion, Ingles and Marty’s grocers, as well as Universal News Stands, 15 airports nationwide, the gift shops at Palmetto Health Richland and Baptist Hospitals, Columbia Newsstands, BJ’s Restaurant, J&J Interior Designs, and many other booksellers, newsstands, and salons across the country and in Canada.  
 For additional information about the Executive Speaker Series contact Dr. Ann S. Winstead, leadership and professional coordinator at 803-516-4864.
 

Bethune-Cookman University to Honor Distinguished Alumni at Commencement Ceremony - May 9

(Daytona Beach, Fla.) - On Saturday, May 9, 2009, Bethune-Cookman University will welcome two distinguished alumni back to to campus as participants in the University’s 2009 commencement ceremony.  Mr. Ricardo P. Deveaux (’90), senior assistant secretary in the Bahamian Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, and Mr. Lee Rhyant (’72), executive vice president and general manager for the Marietta, Ga., facility of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company and a B-CU Trustee, will both receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.  Mr. Deveaux will give the commencement address.
The commencement ceremony will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, May 9th at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, FL.“It is my great honor to welcome these two distinguished alumni back to Bethune-Cookman University.  Mr. Deveaux and Mr. Rhyant represent the kind of excellence that we seek to develop in our students – professionalism, leadership and a commitment to serving the community.  In these challenging times, our graduating seniors will benefit greatly from the advice and wisdom Mr. Deveaux will provide in his remarks,” notes B-CU President Trudie Kibbe Reed.

Bowie State hosts Musiq Soulchild - Click to see video interview

To view accompanying video interview, click here

Judge Hatchett Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Tennessee

(From left to right) - Dr. Marcelite Johnson, first lady of Tennessee State University, presents Judge Glenda Hatchett with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Hatchett offered inspiring remarks as special guest at the annual Women of Legend and Merit Awards program.

The Women’s Center at Tennessee State University recently hosted th program to honor outstanding and accomplished women leaders from all walks of life and raise awareness for the center’s ongoing advocacy and outreach efforts for women.
This year’s program featured Glenda Hatchett, star of the syndicated television show “Judge Hatchett.”

South Carolina State organization Changing the Perception to present the Sankofa Show - March 24

Orangeburg, S.C. - South Carolina State’s student organization Changing the Perception Inc. will present the Sankofa Show on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 in the Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium at 7 p.m. on the campus of SC State. 
The mission of Changing the Perception Inc. is to transform the negative perceptions that are associated with certain aspects of Orangeburg, South Carolina’s community environment. Changing the Perception Inc. stimulates growth of positive youth based initiatives, the improvement of racial harmony, decreasing voter apathy, and improving the city’s health and environmental standards.  
Changing the Perception Inc. aims to implement change through community service projects that emphasize racial harmony and increases public awareness about health and environmental issues.   
The Sankofa Show’s symbol is the Sankofa. The icon is a bird with his body facing forward and his head looking back, it symbolizes the fact that in order to progress you have to know from whence you came. Sankofa is an Akan word that means, ‘we must go back and reclaim our past so we can move forward; so we understand why and how we came to be who we are today.’ 
The Sankofa Show will also showcase various talents to include: singers, dancers, steppers, entertainers, and spoken word artists.
Proceeds from the Sankofa Show will be donated to the American Cancer Society. The event is funded through community grants from organizations, such as www.dosomething.org.
For more information about the Changing the Perception Inc. or the Sankofa Show contact Zachary Middleton at (803)378-2054.

Delta Sigma Theta national president to address Southern University at New Orleans graduates - May 9

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) announced today that the 2009 commencement speaker will be Cynthia M. A. Butler-McIntyre, the 24th National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and a Jefferson Parish Public Schools personnel administrator.  The university’s commencement will be held on Saturday, May 9, 2009, 4 p.m. at the Lakefront Arena. 
Butler-McIntyre has served as the national leader of Delta Sigma Theta since August of 2008.  She was elected unanimously with over 800 votes from delegates at the sorority’s 49th National Convention in Orlando, Florida; and has served the organization on the local, regional and national levels. 
Some of her awards include:  SHEroes of the Present, Presidential Service Award, African American Hall of Fame, Who’s Who in American Education, YWCA Role Model Recognition, Outstanding Alumnus of a Historically Black College, Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year,  Outstanding Young Women of America and Teacher of the Year as well as many others.
 

Norfolk State to Honor Norfolk 17 at President’s Gala - March 28

Norfolk, Va. — Norfolk State University will honor the Norfolk 17 at the annual President’s Gala on Saturday, March 28 at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel located in downtown Norfolk. The Civil Rights icons will receive the university’s Forever Upward Award. It is the highest award bestowed by the Office of the President. The event will also feature the NSU presentation of the Distinguished Faculty Award and the induction of four alumni into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni.

The Honorable Shawn Z. Tarrant ’89 of the Maryland House of Delegates will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening’s festivities….more

Hampton University to Host Annual Meeting of Scientific Honor Society - March 25-29

(Hampton, VA) - Hampton University, along with Norfolk State University, will host the 66th Annual Joint Meeting of Beta Kappa Chi Scientific Honor Society and the National Institute of Science on March 25-29, at the Sheraton Waterside Hotel in Norfolk, Virginia.

This year’s theme is “Preparing Leaders for Innovations in Science and Technology in a Global Society.” The meeting will feature several exciting activities including student research presentations, memorial lectures, workshops, campus tours and a town hall meeting.  

“The joint meeting is designed to encourage undergraduate students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by exposing them to current STEM research, workshops and role models,” stated Dr. Douglas DePriest, acting dean of the HU School of Science and national president of Beta Kappa Chi. “The meeting also allows students to present their research results in a competitive and supportive environment.”

On Saturday, March 28 at 1:30 p.m. participants will visit the Hampton University Student Center Ballroom for a town hall meeting discussing “Food vs. Fuel.” The town hall meeting is free and open to the public.  Speakers will be available to answer questions from students, faculty and guests.

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