Lincoln University set to host President’s Gala April 2

(Jefferson City, MO) - The Lincoln University Foundation, Inc. will host the 9th Annual President’s Award Recognition Gala and Auction on Saturday, April 2, at Capitol Plaza Hotel.
This year’s theme is Masquerade.
The black tie optional event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a silent auction. The awards program will follow at 7 p.m. Masks will be provided for all those in attendance. This year the Foundation will honor five individuals and business for their contributions to the community, their professions and Lincoln University.
The 2011 Gala Honorees are: Ms. Mary Harris, Professor Emerita; Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Wilson, Special Recognition; Senator Yvonne Wilson, Trailblazer-Public Sector; Mrs. Darla Porter, Trailblazer-Business Sector; and Unilever/Mr. Dennis Myers, Corporate Award.
Tickets for the evening are still available at a price of $100 per person or $1,000 per table. Please cal1 573-681-5096 to reserve your seats today.

Albany State to host Alice Coachman Invitational Track Meet - April 2

(Albany, Ga.) - Albany State University will host the 19th Annual Alice Coachman Invitational Track Meet on Saturday, April 2, at ASU’s Robert Cross Track and Field Facility and Hugh Mills Stadium in Albany, Ga. The hammer throw competition, followed by the javelin throw, is slated to start at 8 a.m. at the ASU complex. Other track and field events, starting with the long jump events, will begin at 11 a.m. at the Hugh Mills complex. The awards ceremony will start at the conclusion of the meet. 
 Sponsored by the ASU women and men’s track and field programs, the meet will feature world-class athletes from various track and field clubs in the Southeast. Several Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) teams, including Morehouse College, Benedict College, Clark Atlanta University, Tuskegee University, Fort Valley State University, Paine College and Stillman College, are expected to compete.
The annual track meet is held in honor of Alice Coachman-Davis, the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal. Coachman-Davis made history and gained international attention by capturing the high jump title with a record-setting jump of 5′ 6 1/8″ during the 1948 Olympic Games in London. 
 The Albany, Ga., native attended Tuskegee University, but earned her bachelor’s degree from Albany State (College) after returning from the 1948 games. For more information about the meet or entry information, call 229-430-4761 or 229-430-4673.

Dr. M. Evelyn Fields elected to the Board of Directors for the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education

Orangeburg, S.C. - Dr. M. Evelyn Fields, an associate professor and president of the Faculty Senate at SC State University, was recently elected to the Board of Directors for the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE).
The AABHE pursues the educational and professional needs of Blacks in higher education with a focus on leadership, access and vital issues impacting students, faculty, staff and administrators. AABHE also facilitates and provides opportunities for collaborating and networking among individuals, institutions, groups and agencies in higher education in the United States and internationally.
“I am particularly honored to have been chosen by my colleagues from around the nation.  As a board member, I will support the chairperson in carrying out the vision of the organization and support initiatives that are aligned with our mission,” says Fields.  
The AABHE is an outgrowth of the Black Caucus, which was a component of the former American Association of Higher Education (AAHE). As such, AABHE has a rich history of representing blacks in higher education on a national level.  

JSU to host lecture series on black males in post-secondary instititions

 Jackson, Mississippi- The Medgar Evers/ Ella Baker Civil Rights Lecture Series in cooperation with The Fannie Lou Hamer National Institute on Citizenship and Democracy, The Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, and The Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University continues social discussions.
The sixth lecture of the 2010-2011 Medgar Evers/ Ella Baker Civil Rights Lecture Series—“A Growing Decline of Black Males in Post-Secondary Institutions: An Educational Conundrum””—will be held Thursday, April 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center located at 528 Bloom Street, Jackson, Mississippi 39202.
The enrollment of black males in higher education has not improved, despite many efforts to recruit and retain them. Although black female enrollment increased by 126 percent between 1976 and 2002, black male enrollment increased by only 51 percent.
In Mississippi, Black males made up only 11.7 % of students enrolled in Mississippi’s public university system in 2008, compared with 24.4 % Black females. Approximately one in four African-American males between the ages of 20 and 29 are incarcerated, on probation, or on parole; only one in five is enrolled in a two or four-year college program.
What steps can we take to reclaim the African American male in the education pipeline? How can social institutions develop a system to attract more black men to higher education and to help them succeed? The panelists— Dr. Alfred Rankins, Jr., Assistant Commissioner for Academic and Student Affairs, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning; Dr. Marcus Chanay, Associate Vice President for Division of Student Life, Jackson State University; Mr. Albert Sykes, Coordinator with Young Peoples Project, Jackson, Mississippi, and Dr. Nikisha G. Ware, Executive Director, Mississippi Learning Institute; will explore this subject during the session on Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 6:30pm at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center.
For details, call The Hamer Institute at (601) 979-1562, 601-979-1563 or email: hamer.institute@jsums.edu.

SC State receives $100,000 donation from Shaw AREVA MOX Services for Nuclear Engineering program

(Orangburg, South Carolina) - South Carolina State University recently received a $100,000 donation from Shaw/AREVA MOX Services for the university’s Nuclear Engineering program.
The funds will be used to support the Summer Nuclear Science Institute, designed to expose high school students and guidance counselors to nuclear science and various fields of engineering.  Each year, the Summer Nuclear Science Institute, which is hosted on the campus of SC State University, attracts more than 60 participants.
The financial contribution serves as an excellent complement to MOX outreach programs.  It also allows SC State University’s NEP to continue to create a population of high achieving young students who will emerge as leaders and adopt an understanding and appreciation of the benefits of nuclear power and nuclear science.

Jackson State University alum to speak at social work celebration - March 31

 (JACKSON, Miss.) – Author, psychotherapist and wellness expert Dwayne Buckingham, a Jackson State University alum, will be the guest speaker at Jackson State’s 30th annual School of Social Work Month Celebration March 31 at the Mississippi e-Center @JSU, 1230 Raymond Road in Jackson. The theme will be “Social Workers Inspire Community Action.” 
Buckingham provides therapy to individual and married military personnel at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and is founder and C.E.O. of R.E.A.L Horizons Consulting Service, LLC. He is the author of three books including, A Black Man’s Worth: Conqueror and Head of Household, which will be premiered at the celebration as a film.  The author will sign books at the event.
The celebration will begin at 11 a.m. and conclude with a reception/book signing from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Register by March 26. Cost is $25 for social workers and other professionals and $15 for students with ID. Cost for attending the reception only is $15. For more information, call 601-979-2631.

Complete schedule and registration form:
www.jsums.edu/announcements/socialwork2010.pdf

U.S. Secretary of Education appoints B-CU President Reed to national advisory board

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has appointed Dr. Trudie Kibbe Reed, president of Bethune-Cookman University, to serve on the Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) Capital Financing Advisory Board.  Dr. Reed was notified of her appointment in a letter from Secretary Duncan dated March 17.
Under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Education, the HBCU Capital Financing Program provides the nation’s historically black colleges and universities with access to financing to repair, renovate or construct campus buildings and infrastructure.    The HBCU Capital Financing Advisory Board advises the Secretary of Education on the best method of implementing the program and informs Congress of progress made towards the program’s goals. 
The panel meets with the Secretary of Education at least twice each year to discuss the capital needs of HBCU’s , ways to meet those needs through the HBCU Capital Financing Program, and additional steps to improve the program’s operations.
“It is a tremendous honor to serve on this prestigious panel alongside many of my fellow HBCU presidents,” noted President Reed.  “HBCU’s play a critical role in our nation’s system of higher education.  We must work together to ensure that all our sister institutions are able to upgrade their infrastructure to serve 21st century students. ”
Reed’s term begins immediately and will end on September 30, 2013.

Radio One’s Cathy Hughes will address Bowie State’s spring graduates - May 21

(Bowie, Maryland) - Radio One’s Cathy Huges will address more than 600 graduates during Bowie State University’s spring commencement on May 21 at 10 a.m. at the Bulldog stadium.
This year Bowie State will commemorate its 145th anniversary as Maryland’s oldest HBCU and one of the oldest in the nation. The BSU community will celebrate more than 600 graduates during this year’s spring commencement. Graduates will receive degrees in more than 40 academic programs administered by the University’s College of Education, Business, Professional Studies, and Arts and Sciences. Catherine Liggins Hughes will give the commencement address and is receiving an honorary degree from Bowie State University.
Catherine “Cathy” Liggins Hughes has been Chairperson of the board of directors and Secretary of Radio One since 1980, and was Chief Executive Officer of Radio One from 1980 to 1997. She was one of the founders of Radio One’s predecessor company in 1980. Since 1980 she has worked in various capacities for Radio One, one of the largest African American-owned and operated broadcast companies in the United States. There are now 53 radio stations in 16 markets and a cable network, TV One.
In May 1999, Cathy Hughes and her son Alfred Liggins, President and CEO, took their company public. Hughes made history again by becoming the first African American woman with a company on the stock exchange. Radio One’s value is currently in excess of two billion dollars. In 2000, Black Enterprise magazine named Radio One, “Company of the Year,” Fortune magazine rated it one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For,” and Radio One was inducted into the Maryland Business Hall of Fame.

Bowie State to host Women’s Healthy Living mini-conference - March 27

(Bowie, MD) - Bowie State University will host the Women’s Healthy Living Mini-Conference on Saturday, March 27, to discuss women’s health issues including breast cancer, obesity and the heart, cervical cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV), and sexually transmitted diseases (STD).
The event will be held from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Center for Learning and Technology in Room 102 on campus.
Sessions also will include a cooking demonstration, yoga, exercise, line dancing, writing as a stress reliever and spoken word/poetry. 
Speakers include Dr. Regina Hampton, breast surgeon, Doctor’s Hospital; Dr. Barbara Hutchinson, Cardiology and Internal Medicine, Anne Arundel Medical Center; Dr. Michelle Silva, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington Hospital Center; Dr. Celia Maxwell, Infectious Diseases, Howard University School of Medicine; Ty Grey El, poet and author; and Dr. Rita Wutoh, Director of  the Wellness Center, Bowie State University.

President Obama to appoint JSU President Ronald Mason Jr. to HBCU board of advisor

(JACKSON, Miss.) – President Barack Obama announced his intent on February 26 to appoint Jackson State University President Ronald Mason Jr. to the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Mason will be one of 11 members to serve on the board.
The Board of Advisors, created in 1981 by Executive Order, is tasked with advising the President and the Secretary of Education on methods, programs, and strategies to strengthen HBCUs. President Obama signed a new Executive Order on February 26 to re-establish the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the President’s Board of Advisors. According to the White House, the action signals the Administration’s commitment to assure increased access to federally-sponsored programs and opportunities for the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities.  It will also contribute to the Administration’s efforts to increase the number and percentage of college-trained Americans by the year 2020.
President Obama said, “I am pleased to announce the appointments of these talented, diverse and accomplished individuals to the Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, all of whom have shown a deep commitment to the mission of these institutions, which are as relevant and necessary to our society today as they were when first established.” 
Mason has served as President of Jackson State University since 2000.  He was previously the Founder and Executive Director for Tulane and Xavier Universities’ National Center for the Urban Community. During his 18-year tenure at Tulane, Mason also held appointments as Senior Vice President and General Counsel and as Vice President for Finance and Operations.  He began his career as a lawyer with the Southern Cooperative Development Fund, Inc. Mason has served on the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, and the American Council on Education Board of Directors.  He received his B.A. and J.D. from Columbia University.

Mason will serve on President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities along with William R. Harvey of Hampton University, Lawrence S. Bacow of Tufts University, Evelynn M. Hammonds of Harvard University, Beverly Wade Hogan of Tougaloo College, Edward Lewis of Essence magazine, Valerie Mosley of Wellington Management Company, LLP, Willie Pearson Jr. of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Beverly Daniel Tatum of Spelman College, Kenneth Tolson of the Emerging Technology Consortium and David Wilson, who was recently named as the next President of Morgan State University.