Dr. Julianne Malveaux

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“Five years is the longest time I’ve ever held a job in my life,” Malveaux said in a statement. “And while I remain committed to HBCUs and the compelling cause of access in higher education, I will actualize that commitment, now, in other arenas. I will miss Bennett College and will remain one of its most passionate advocates.”

Dr. Malveaux has been Bennett’s president since 2007, leading the university during one of its most-difficult periods.  The school was placed on probation by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools because of perceived “financial instability.”   Dr. Malveaux argued that this decision only served to increase the financial challenges being faced by the university.    The school was later taken off probation in late 2010.

Along with Michael Eric Dyson, Julianne Malveaux was the public intellectual that inspired me to pursue the career that I have today.  And when you add in Prof. Cornel West, these individuals have come to form the Holy Trinity of Black intellectual leadership during the past 20 years. West, Dyson, and Malveaux are three of the more visible members of a virtual army of African-American scholars who are hungry for change but find themselves constrained by a system that rewards scholars who avoid Black people.

What makes Dr. Malveaux so unique is that she has been able to carve out a space for Black women in a world where we still keep women outside the fence. Her professional expertise also compares favorably to any economic adviser in the Obama Administration. This is why I don’t understand how during an era of tragic Black unemployment, Dr. Malveaux has not (to my knowledge) been invited to discuss economic policy at the White House.  She, before anyone else, should be working right alongside President Obama to lend expertise on how to get Black people back to work.

What is sad and unfortunate is that this valuable resource has been laid to waste because we live in a world where being Black and/or female continues to be a serious political crime.  If Lawrence Summers, former Chief Economic Adviser for President Obama, looked like Julianne, he never would have been given a chance to serve his country.

I am not sure of the politics behind Dr. Malveaux’s decision to leave Bennett, and I am sure the stories are quite juicy.  But putting all of this to the side, what remains clear is that Dr. Julianne Malveaux is one of the great intellectual giants of our day, and Black women will gain inspiration from her achievements for decades.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

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The full autopsy released Wednesday shows Robert Champion suffered heavy bleeding in tissue under his skin and over his muscle in his back, upper chest and upper arm. He also had bruising on his chest, abrasions below his waist, vomit in his lungs, crushed fat tissue and a temperature of 102 degrees at the time attempts were made to revive him.

The medical examiner’s office released a synopsis of the autopsy report last week in which it concluded that the 26-year-old Champion’s death was a homicide. The autopsy found that internal bleeding caused from blunt force trauma led to shock.

State and local authorities are investigating the death.

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The decision comes three days after the state medical examiner ruled that 26-year-old Robert Champion’s Nov. 19 death was a homicide. Officials say he was beaten so severely that he bled internally and went into shock. He died within an hour.

“We will stand firm against outside influence, no matter how well intended,” Solomon Badger, the FAMU board chairman, said during a board meeting that was held by conference call.

Scott said he would abide by the board’s decision.

Ammons and other university leaders have been criticized for not doing enough to stop a culture of hazing within the university’s famed “Marching 100″ band. Band director Julian White has been placed on temporary leave and the board had already publicly reprimanded Ammons.

Students had largely stood by both leaders. Students protested outside the governor’s mansion on Thursday to show support for Ammons, and the president of the national alumni association at a news conference Sunday contested Scott’s involvement and recommend Ammons not be suspended.

Badger said that the board should keep Ammons status unchanged until an investigation with all the “official facts” was concluded. None of the FAMU board members disagreed with Badger.

“I think we all have the number one priority of keeping the university strong as we move through this challenging time,” said Kelvin Lawson, a board member from Jacksonville.

The only action related to the investigations that the board took was to agree to meet weekly for the next day 60 days while the investigations continue. There was scant discussion of the homicide ruling or the opening of a new criminal investigation into the finances of the Marching 100.

Scott said in a statement issued before the meeting that he was not singling out FAMU and called on all universities in the state to examine their hazing and harassment policies. He said he was offering his opinion and counsel regarding Ammons and would abide by the board’s decision.

“I merely suggested it would be wise for Dr. Ammons to step aside until these investigations are completed,” Scott said. “It is up to the FAMU Board of Trustees and Dr. Ammons to determine how to proceed. I have not and will not try to influence their decision.”

Champion died after falling unconscious on a bus outside an Orlando hotel after the school’s football team lost to rival Bethune-Cookman. Witnesses told emergency dispatchers that he had been vomiting.

The medical examiner’s office in Orlando found that Champion had bruises to his chest, arms, shoulder and back and internal bleeding. No charges have been filed.

Champion’s death exposed years of hazing that has plagued the band and left several students injured. In 1998, Ivery Luckey, a clarinet player from Ocala, Fla., was hospitalized with kidney damage after being paddled as part of an initiation to become a member of a group known as “The Clones.” Three years later, band member Marcus Parker was also hospitalized with kidney damage after being paddled.

Ammons, a FAMU alumni, became president in 2007 at a time when the university was under considerable distress. There had been four presidents within the previous six years and an audit in 2007 uncovered 35 findings, including $4.5 million in unaccounted sports tickets and lost equipment. The university was placed under probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Under Ammons’ leadership, the university’s accreditation was restored and its finances improved. An audit done two years later found the university still needed to do a better job at paying bills on time and keeping a closer eye on employee use of state-owned cell phones, but those problems paled in comparison to the previous report.

But hazing continued to be a problem. White has provided letters of suspension issued to dozens of band members for hazing, including many of which Ammons was reportedly provided a copy.

Less than two weeks before Champion’s death, band member Bria Hunter was hospitalized with a broken leg and blood clots in what authorities say was another act of hazing. Three band members have been charged in the beating.

And two days before Champion died, White sent a letter to alumni, urging them not to “return and perpetuate the myth of various sectional names.”

But FAMU alumni have insisted that the problem of hazing is widespread across the country and that too much attention is being focused on their university.

“Name another university president that suspended a president for hazing,” said Tommy Mitchell, president of the FAMU National Alumni Association. Mitchell also went so far as to question “why is that this hazing has gotten so much attention?”

Ammons suspended the band after Champion’s death, dismissed White and expelled four students in connection with the hazing. White was later placed on temporary leave and the students were allowed to attend class after state authorities urged the university not to take disciplinary action before the investigation was complete.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges has warned Scott’s push to suspend Ammons could affect the school’s accreditation because of “undue influence” on the board from outside.

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At this year’s convocation and other campus events, MSU honored the legacy of hundreds of former Morgan State students who played a pivotal role in the sit-in movement seven years before the widespread launch of the tactic.

Back in 1953, Morgan State students were lining up daily at a lunch counter in Read’s Drugstore in Baltimore, demanding desegregation. A manager or waitress would try to lure the daily protesting bunch from their seats by reading Maryland’s trespassing statute. The students didn’t budge.

Picketing, sit-ins, and hundreds of arrests eventually led to some changes in segregated Baltimore. As a result of Morgan State’s relentless student activism, in 1955 owners of Read’s Drugstore opened their lunch counter to Blacks; in 1959 Arundel Ice Cream also began to change their practices.

This year’s festivities, surrounding the commemoration of the brave MSU alumni, were accompanied by a range of students, faculty, visitors, and influential Black leaders from around the country. A list of attendees included John Lewis, the Freedom Rider-turned-congressman; Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings; Lt. Governor Anthony Brown; and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

“It is important that our students know the legacy of their school and whose footsteps they are walking today,” said MSU President David Wilson as he stood at the unveiling ceremony of the recreated lunch counter at Read’s Drugstore. Along the walls near the lunch counter exhibit is a stunning pictorial display that takes viewers on a tour of Civil Rights activism in Baltimore from 1947-1963.

University of Maryland law professor Larry S. Gibson, the person responsible for the timeless exhibit, donated his collection to MSU and it will remain in the main hall of the University Student Center.

While speaking to a crowd at Morgan’s campus Gibson said, “Finally we’re going to get some history straight.”

They  met at a conference entitled, “HBCUs: Engaging the World Anew” for National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week which is from from September 18-24

Obama Hails The Work Of HBCU’S; Pledges Black College Stimulus

HBCU Leaders Meet To Discuss Financial Challenges

CNN reports:

The 2011 HBCU Week Conference will continue Tuesday when Education Secretary Arne Duncan is expected to deliver remarks on the Obama administration’s priorities to support the schools and commend the progress that the colleges and universities have made in preparing students for jobs of the future. South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn will also speak on the final day of the conference, according to the White House. He will demonstrate the government’s commitment by outlining federal funding for historically black institutions.

Read More At CNN

Unemployment for Blacks remains at nearly 16 percent in comparison to nine percent for the rest of the nation. But Blacks with jobs in various industries are largely underrepresented. Boardrooms usually consist of few Black and brown faces if any. As a result, incidents such as Nivea’s “re-civilize” yourself ad targeting Black men or Vogue Italia’s “slave earrings” get the green light without so much as a blink.

Dr. Karl Reid, the United Negro College Fund’s senior vice president of academic programs and strategic initiatives, believes HBCUs are critical to diversity in the workforce due to some statistical studies.

In a job market that increasingly requires postsecondary education as an entry-level requirement, what could be more relevant than HBCUs’ commitment to enrolling students from largely low-income and academically underprepared backgrounds and “overproducing” graduates and doctoral students?

What, then, does the evidence — not the suppositions — tell us? That having produced, over 150 years, generations of leaders who have helped shape the fabric of America, HBCUs stand on as strong a footing today, if not stronger, than they did 40 years ago. Education does not have to be a zero-sum proposition where one type of institution wins and another loses. Rather, with increased policy and financial support for HBCUs, this could be a win-win-win opportunity — America wins, higher education wins and students win. The burden is on those who speak up for HBCUs and their students to let the evidence speak and hope that Americans are listening.”

Read the full story on Diverse Education.

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For my first Easter Sunday in New York, I drove to Queens with my significant other to spend the holiday with a fellow alum from Tennessee State University. She and I met through our alma mater’s local chapter. After eating, laughing and chatting, the women headed to the kitchen to help clean up while the men sat in the other room discussing sports and politics. Ms. Betty graduated from TSU in the ‘60s, and I four decades later. Somehow while washing dishes and scooping out ice cream for dessert the conversation led to HBCUs and alumni giving.

Hearing Ms. Betty and I passionately discuss our beloved HBCU apparently struck a nerve in one of the women. She was a mid-twenty something native New Yorker who attended Stony Brook University. Although she’d never gone to an HBCU, hadn’t done any extensive reading on HBCUs, she had quite a few criticisms not only about HBCUs, but also the students it produced. In an attempt to validate her inaccurate point about HBCU education not being up to par with that of traditionally white institutions, she offered up as evidence that she had seen HBCUs recruit and accept high school students on the spot without them having to take any SATs or ACTs. She babbled on and on about how HBCUs ethnic makeup is not representative of the real world. After she finished I assured her that state schools are state schools regardless if they are HBCUs or TWIs. SAT or ACT scores are a requirement for admission into an accredited college. Further, I reassured her as a graduate of both an HBCU and TWI that I received a top-notch, quality education at my HBCU. Not something I would say about my experience at the TWI I attended.

Ms. Betty interrupted. “Well all I know is I can’t give my money to a school that continuously admits white students and gives them free rides just for being the minority,” she said bluntly. “If they want me to give back they need to find a way to earmark my money only for Black students.”

The woman who I had been debating with earlier took this as her opportunity to keep throwing shade at HBCUs. “Tell me this. Since HBCU graduates are always so passionate about HBCUs being such wonderful institutions, why don’t graduates give back?” she queried. “The bottom line is HBCUs are sinking due to financial strains and the alumni are nowhere to be found.”

People who are typically uninformed about HBCUs, but have righteous and wrong opinions about them and use anecdotal evidence to back up their points, grind my gears. But Miss Stony Brook had a point. One of the toughest problems HBCUs face is getting alumni to give back.

It’s no surprise that alumni giving is significantly lower at HBCUs in comparison to traditionally white institutions. Several studies report alumni giving at HBCUs to be in the single digits. As much as I wanted to come up with a clever retort explaining that perhaps HBCU graduates don’t give back because they are faced with student loan debt — and working minimum wage jobs to survive — I couldn’t ignore that the lack of HBCU alumni donors was a very real issue that needed to be addressed.

In 2010, Blacks had an estimated buying power of $913 billion despite being hit hard by the faltering economy, according to Target Market News. Besides the fact that as a whole Blacks are spending astronomical amounts of money that in turn creates wealth for others while we remain at the bottom of the economic totem pole, very little of those billions went into our own institutions. For colleges and universities facing dire circumstances, alumni giving is a matter of life or death. One thing that must happen is administrators, presidents and faculty must instill the importance in alums giving back from day one. Throughout students’ matriculation the message of having a responsibility to give back once they leave those doors should be ingrained. Just as someone helped them in some capacity along the way, it is their duty to do the same. After all, it is the degree received from an HBCU that opened up career doors.

As far as Ms. Betty’s concerns that her money may not be used for a deserving Black student, I get it. But not giving at all is unacceptable. Money from alumni is used for a number of the school’s needs—infrastructure, technology, scholarships and so on. Not giving at all out of fear the money will be used to fund a minority student’s education only hurts the university. Graduates often cite being treated poorly by a rude employee in the Bursar’s office or some other administrative office as one of the main reasons they don’t give back. We have to move past this if we want to see HBCUs thrive. One or two bad encounters shouldn’t dictate giving back to the school that made sure you walked across the stage degree in hand.

There are only so many Bill Cosby’s and Oprah’s (a TSU grad!) that can donate millions to HBCUs. It can’t all rest on the shoulders of the super rich Black celebs who actually give a damn about Black colleges and universities. If Blacks can’t invest into our own institutions, why should anyone else care? If we truly love HBCUs, alumni, myself included, we should be dedicated in making sure they last another 200 years by giving back with our wallets and talents.

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Spelman College’s endowment fund was reportedly worth more than $350 million in 2010, making it the largest private endowment of all historically black colleges and universities, and second only to Howard University in largest overall endowment.

Though Spelman’s endowment is only a fraction of those at predominantly white universities like Harvard, whose $26 billion fund top all U.S. colleges, the fund’s impressive growth is a testament to its success cultivating a host of alternative investment strategies.

Typically, most schools rely on financial instruments like government securities that carry little risk, provide a secure revenue stream, but ultimately offer a small return.

In contrast, Spelman’s endowment has posted better than average returns by dedicating much of its fund to private equity.

And it is exactly these investments that have watchdog groups scrutinizing the private endowment of America’s first black female college, putting its fund raising efforts, its mission and moral integrity into question.

According to “Special Investigation: Understanding Land Investment Deals In Africa,” a report released earlier this summer by the Oakland Institute—a policy think-tank focused on social and environmental issues—Spelman and other U.S. universities have been investing a part of their endowments in large land purchases in Africa.

What speculators describe as a new, transnational real estate market in Africa, watchdog groups are calling “land grabs,” highlighting the ways these large land purchases are displacing African people, uprooting their culture and destroying their land.

China and Middle Eastern nations are reportedly accelerating this market, buying land and using industrial farming methods to supplement their countries’ own food shortfalls.

Still, much of these deals are being brokered with U.S. and European capital. In Spelman’s case, London-based Emergent Asset Management—said to be the largest speculative fund investing in African industrial agriculture—has the college invested in large tracts of African land with its African AgriLand Fund, which Emergent is selling as a way of securing food production for the developing world.

Officials at the Oakland Institute say other wise.

“While Emergent and other funds  talk about social good and socially responsible investments,their promise of jobs and food security is just a PR tactic,” says Executive Director of the Oakland Institute Anuradha Mittal. “These investments are really about high returns based on arbitrage opportunities.”

According to Mittal, these funds promise returns as high as 20-40 percent.

It is an investment logic Emergent’s CEO Susan Payne was quoted describing in Black Agenda Report: “In South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa the cost of agriland… that we’re buying is 1/7th of the price of similar land in Argentina, Brazil and America… We could be moronic and not grow anything and we think it will make money over the next decade.”

And still, the Oakland Institute and other organizations say these deals threaten food security with methods of farming  that not only pollute the local land and water supply, but also destroy the sustainable, small-scale farming operation of the natives, who then become dependent on foreign nations and multinational corporations for rations of agriculture they once produced themselves.

Compounding this demand are weak land rights and eager African leaders ready to fork over prime real estate for a quick buck and the possibility of forging relationships with the developing world.

These cozy, neo-colonial relationships echo the history of slavery in America and European colonialism in Africa, which over time has crippled the economic vitality and independence of Black people around the world, forcing Black people to work with or rely on white capital and capitalists for their survival.

Spelman’s own relationship with one of America’s wealthiest families—the Rockefellers—sowed the seeds for the success of its endowment.

In 1881, Sophia B. Packard and Harris E. Giles founded the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary in the basement of an Atlanta church with a mere $100 donation. A year later, the two educators and Baptist missionaries from New England had garnered the support of John. D. Rockefeller, whose $250 pledge helped move the college from a basement to a nine-acres plot of land with five building for classrooms and dorms.

By 1884, Rockefeller had settled the debt on the land and the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary had changed its name to Spelman Seminary in honor of Laura Spelman, Rockefeller’s wife. Given today’s estimates by the Common Fund Institute, the Rockefellers’ donations have grown to nearly $60 million, which means $290 million has accrued from other sources.

Starting in the 1970’s, Spelman began broadening its endowment efforts, launching its first formal fund-raising campaign, hiring a professional fund-raising firm, and managers with extensive contacts in big business.

In 1982, Spelman founded its Special Ventures Fund with the goal of investing part of the endowment in private capital. The funds first commitment, a $2 million investment to a venture capital firm returned a $23 million check eight years later, according to a Common Fund Institute case study on Spelman’s endowment.

From then on, Spelman committed to a growth strategy, moving the bulk of its money from investments like government bonds to private equity. In 1988, the college allocated a mere two percent of its endowment to private equity. By 2008, the fund dedicated more than 20 percent to these high-risk, high-reward investments.

Both NewsOne and the Oakland Institute reached out to Spelman for comment, but college officials did not respond.

“Given what we know about the social, economic, and environmental impacts of these land investments, it’s appalling that institutions of higher learning would invest in private equity and hedge funds investing in these deals,” Mittal said.

Mittal says it’s all the more shocking that an African-American college like Spelman would have so little empathy for Africans in a quest to swell its own coffers.

“Emergent Asset Management’s… sole purpose is to secure high returns, even at the cost of livelihoods and food security of African nations,” Mittal says.

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Graduate school at a predominantly white institution was a complete culture shock after four years of attending a historically black college and university. Since the age of 10 I knew I would attend and graduate from an HBCU. Both my mother and my aunt were products of HBCUs, and I understood early in adolescence what it would mean to attend HBCU in opposed to a PWI. While in undergrad at Tennessee State University, I never thought about how invaluable having black professors were until I arrived at the School of Journalism at Indiana University.

The j-school at IU felt like a foreign place. Sure I had gone to private school for a couple of years in my childhood where I was one of a handful of black people. And I had certainly been the only black girl on my 8^th grade cheerleading team. But academia promised diversity- diversity of thought, student body, faculty and administration. Early on I recognized the absence of black professors in the department. I searched aimlessly for that one professor who would understand the unique challenges I would face as a black woman, not only in the program, but also in the real world. To no avail my search came up empty handed. There was not one tenured black professor in my department. Apparently my experience was not uncommon.

According to a Yourblackworld.com survey, 42 percent of black college graduates had never had one black professor in four years of college. Seventy-four percent only had one black professor in a field outside of Africana studies. Dr. Boyce Watkins was included in that 42 percent. In his four years of undergraduate studies, and seven years obtaining his Master’s and PhD, Watkins claims he never had one black professor. Watkins writes:

“During a four-year college career, most students take roughly 40 courses. Personally, I went to graduate school for another seven years after college, taking an additional 40 to 50 more classes. During my entire undergraduate, masters and doctoral experience, I never had one African American professor.”

Some may wonder if there is significance in black students having black professors. After all, as long as the professor is qualified to teach the subject matter should race really matter? In my experiences in undergraduate my black professors cultivated my interests. They also challenged me and made me work harder because they understood the racism and global competition I would face when I left the institution. I longed for at least one black professor at IU, not because I felt only a black professor could teach black students, but because I wanted that one professor who understood what it was like being the speck of pepper in sea full of salt. And who would understand the subtle racism I encountered on a few occasions in grad school.

Morgan White, 25, a graduate of Indiana University only had one black professor in the Kelley School of Business in her four-year collegiate career. As a finance major, usually the only black woman in all of her classes, White said she could have greatly benefited from having other black professors who would understand her plight.

“Since IU was a PWI I expected to have very few black professors,” said White. “But if I had more black professors they would have been able to help me with issues unique to me as a black student.”

White also noted a difference in how her black professor challenged her to excel versus some of her white professors that barely recognized her existence. “My black professor was about his business, and he pushed me harder than he did any of his other students,” said White.

Cornell University graduate Besusekad Tadesse, 29, had three black professors in four years, but only one black professor in his chemical engineer major. The other black professors were in the Africana Studies department. The one black professor in his major also served as his advisor. For Tadesse it’s hard to say whether having few black professors affected his education positively or negatively. But he admits the importance of the shared experience between a black student and black professor.

“The shared experience of black professors and black students are important,” said Tadesse. “It is beneficial to have a professor who understands the obstacles you face being black.”

Malika Butler, 25, a University of North Carolina Chapel Hill graduate said she had zero black professors. As an early education major she was baffled her field wasn’t more committed to diversity, she said.

“We’re educators. If any major would have diversity you would think it would be in the school of education,” said Butler. “It was really disappointing.”

It’s a no-brainer that diversity benefits everyone, not only minorities. Academia should be representative of the racial makeup in this country. Black students need the presence of black professors at universities across the country. With black student graduation rates remaining at an abysmally low 42 percent, black students need a professor that will take a vested interest in seeing them matriculate.

“It’s imperative to have professors who look like us to instill critical consciousness,” said Butler. “And black professors are also needed for advocacy purposes. We need someone to advocate on the behalf of our black students.”

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As part of our coverage of historically Black colleges and universities, NewsOne was able to sit down for a conversation with Jeffrey Marcus Eugene, who was profiled in a piece last week celebrating the best and brightest HBCU students.

Eugene was Hampton University’s valedictorian for the graduating class of 2011. As an undergraduate, he majored in biology and graduated with a GPA of 4.059. When he’s not busy earning perfect grades, Eugene says he enjoys reading, running, and writing.

NO: How was your overall experience at Hampton?

My overall experience at Hampton was wonderful. I believe I was able to grow as a man and as a student during my experience. Through Hampton, I was able to do everything I imagined and some things that I did not imagine doing in college. I was involved in leadership positions, extracurricular activities, scientific research, conferences, Honors College, I acted in a musical two years in a row, and community service projects in addition to a diverse and challenging academic curriculum.

NO: How could it have been any better?

Nothing could have been better in my opinion. I was thoroughly pleased with my experience and the academic and social community at Hampton. I would do it all over again, the same way.

NO: Who (or what) was your biggest influence in graduating with such distinction?

I would say my biggest influence in graduating with the distinction of Valedictorian was all the Valedictorians before me at Hampton and all the leaders across the globe that graduated Valedictorian.

NO: Why did you choose an HBCU?

It is tough to say why I chose an HBCU. I originally did not intend to choose an HBCU. But I would say that I am proud to be a graduate of an HBCU. The nurturing environment, the social and intellectual atmosphere created by learning and living among other black students, and the small community that facilitates professional and leadership development are elements of an HBCU that I enjoyed and found helpful.

NO: What are your plans for the future?

In a week, I begin medical school at Morehouse School of Medicine. After obtaining my medical degree, I want to participate in a residency in Family Medicine and work in underserved rural communities. After a few years of practicing, I want to participate in a residency in Preventive Medicine and start a career in medical leadership as a director within a state health department.

NO: What would you say to a recent high school grad who was unsure of choosing between an HBCU or an Ivy League?

I would say to a recent high school graduate to not discredit the opportunities at an HBCU and the distinction of being an HBCU graduate. Ultimately it depends on what the student wants to receive in an undergraduate education. However, the nurturing community that HBCUs offer black students transcends the community created at Ivy Leagues. I believe HBCUs focus on the personal and professional growth of the student in addition to their intellectual growth while an Ivy League may have a greater focus on intellectual growth.

We would like to thank Mr. Eugene for giving us the opportunity to ask him some questions, and wish him good luck in medical school at Morehouse College!

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An STD rumor that turned out to be false caused the deaths of 3 female North Carolina college students and their male murderer earlier this month.

Brinton Marcell Millsap, 23, who suffered from Lupus, shot 3 women who were in a car on their way to tell him that an STD rumor he heard from one of her female friends was false. One of the women slept with Millsap, but that was found to be false too late.

Police found the 3 women in a car on the side of the road in Durham.

On Millsap’s Facebook page on May 20th he posted:

Before he died, Millsap posted daily on his Facebook wall about street life and a gun, or “strap.”

“I already kno dat u can cheat death … God sent me a strap and said use dis wen u need help … use it rite and ull b blessed … use it wrong and b on a journey without a purpose … road to destruction and im part of it.”

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The Best And Brightest Black Students Of 2011

NewsOne would like to highlight the achievements of ten outstanding graduates from some of the nation’s leading historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

These young men and women went above and beyond what was required of them, and we wish them the best of luck in the future.

Jordan Webber

Spelman College Class Of 2011

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An inductee of the Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Sigma Alpha National Honor Society, Webber was one of just 16 students in the country to be named a Goldman Sachs Global Leader in 2009, and was selected to join the Public Policy and Leadership Conference Program at Harvard University.

Webber hopes to be a third-generation attorney in her family, specializing in public interest law.

Jeffrey Marcus Eugene

Hampton University Class of 2011

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A molecular and cellular biology major, Eugene graduated at the top of his class. He plans to pursue his doctorate at the Morehouse School of Medicine.

Camron Yarber

Morehouse College Class Of 2011

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Yarber was a member of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. Majoring in business administration, the California native graduated Morehouse at the top of his class.

Vaughan Dilworth

Claflin University Class Of 2011

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A business management major, Dilworth graduated with a transcript that never had a grade lower than an A. In the next few years, he plans to pursue a Masters Degree in Business Administration.

Robert S. King

Clark Atlanta University Class Of 2011

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The Georgia native and proud valedictorian was awarded a merit scholarship from the Wesley Theological Seminary. King graduated from Clark Atlanta University with an impressive 3.92 GPA.

Jasmi Sky Brown

Dillard University Class Of 2011

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Brown graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in accounting. Her family’s first college graduate, she has received honors as a Presidential Scholar, an African-American Leadership Forum Scholar, and a Goldman Sachs Business Leadership Scholar — just to name a few.

Dale Ellis Smith

Grambling University Class Of 2011

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The highest ranking graduate in his class, Smith named his mother as his biggest motivation. She survived being shot six times by her ex-husband, and spent months in the hospital with her mouth wired shut.

“If that doesn’t show my mother’s strength, I don’t know what does,” Smith told the graduating class during his commencement speech.

Deborah Rashada

Paine College Class Of 2011

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Graduated with a grade point average of 3.96, higher than any other student in her class. After graduating high school in 1978, Rashada skipped college and married at 18, raising nine children. She was almost 50-years-old when she chose to further her education, leaving Paine College with a bachelor’s degree in education.

Yalanda Robinson

Voorhees College Class Of 2011

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Robinson, a social work major, plans to enroll at Winthrop University in the fall to pursue her master’s degree. She holds the title of first academic honor for the Class of 2011.

(From left to right: Kaodi Umerah, Briana Murrell, Amber Gray, Shenika Hinton)

Fayetteville State University Class of 2011

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With too many bright minds for one valedictorian, Fayetteville State had four at this year’s graduation! These gifted young women have all graduated with a 4.0 grade point average.

Did we leave your school out? Let us know through the comments.

Top HBCU Graduates Of 2011

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The program will prepare experienced and emerging business leaders to lead the world’s most dynamic companies as they navigate the complex challenges of today’s competitive global marketplace. The program consists of 42 credit-hours and is designed to be completed in 18 months.

Applications will be accepted starting June 2011.

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Paying it forward is one of the ways the men have chosen to thank Ms. Winfrey for their gift. Collectively, they have pledged over $300,000 to keep the scholarships going at Morehouse.

Some past recipients of the scholarship spoke on a video about what the degree received meant to them.

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Assistant Attorney General Campbell Killifer, while representing the Maryland Higher Education Commission, argued that the state should be let off the hook for the continuing disparities between traditionally black colleges and predominantly white schools. While Maryland has admitted to practicing discrimination in the past, state leadership maintains that it has addressed this issue sufficiently to level the playing field completely and that any differences in quality that continue must be due to other factors. Killifer seeks to shift the burden of proof for the accusation of racism to the struggling black organizations crying out for solutions to persistent inequalities.

The Consumerist Blog has spawned an interesting debate about this fight. Some readers are appalled that Maryland will not investigate whether discriminatory practices might still be taking place. Others contend that the decline of these HBCUs marks the moment for all black colleges’ timely demise. The relatively successful integration of elite universities like Harvard does de-emphasize the urgency of the HBCU’s original purpose. Plus, if even the administrators of Maryland’s black colleges admit that neighboring institutions are better, college bound African-American students could be harming their prospects by “going black.”

The benefits of attending an HBCU depend on one’s field of interest. Studies show black students do better in math and technology when they attend African-American establishments, and that HBCUs graduate a significant percentage of our nation’s black scientists – and political leaders. At a time when we need to see more of our youth move into the sciences, and leadership in our community is in crisis, these points are vital to consider.  But for the general job market, the economic benefit of attending an HBCU is non-existent. Attending a predominantly white school helps blacks earn 20% more than those graduating from HBCUs. This fact could account for the steady decline in HBCU attendance.

There are also internal reasons these schools are besieged. Dr. Boyce Watkins, writing on Thy Black Man, makes some interesting arguments:

We must also confess to the possibility that our HBCUs are not being run nearly as efficiently as they could be.  During a visit to The University of North Carolina Central and Howard University, I was shocked at how reluctant many HBCUs are to hire African American male faculty, particularly in business and the sciences.  According to a survey among readers of YourBlackWorld.com, over 40% of HBCU grads had less than five African American professors in fields outside of African American studies.  Many HBCUs are flush with foreign professors, some of whom either don’t care much about the black kids and/or collude to only hire faculty from their home countries.  This leaves our children without a sufficient number of classroom role models as they navigate their way to graduation.

There are also many stories about HBCU inefficiency as it pertains to financial aid, admissions and even hiring.  Many of these problems can be traced to inadequate funding, but some should be connected to the archaic and dysfunctional manner by which some of us choose to lead our institutions. The old school models of leadership for HBCUs should be forced out by those who care about our children’s futures.

The battle between the state of Maryland and its historically black colleges raises many grave questions.  The few benefits of attending HBCUs might not outweigh the tremendous costs to students who are not considering politics or a scientific career. While the plight of these black Maryland educators is unfair, it is alarming that the mismanagement of black schools has not been addressed as a contributing problem, even though scandals have rocked many HBCUs in recent years. The issues weighing on these bodies is rendering historically black colleges and universities nearly obsolete.

No infusion of cash can compensate for the tremendous challenges HBCUs face on many fronts. These complex tests can only be addressed by the creativity of their leaders. Hopefully the situation of Maryland’s HBCUs will stimulate black college administrators nationwide to start an internal crusade to keep these organizations alive.

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Roland Martin sits down with Tom Joyner to discuss the twelfth year of the Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage, charitable giving and the launch of HBCUs Online.

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10. Pee Wee Kirkland Norfolk State University

Despite the fact that Kirkland never played an NBA game he is regarded as one of the best streetball players of all time and his legend still live on on streetball courts around the world.

9. Avery Johnson, Southern University

Avery Johnson was the point guard for the 1999 Championship, San Antonio Spurs and would later win coach of the year in 2006. Despite the fact that he never had any outstanding stats, his leadership ability and intelligence made him a factor on the court.

8. Darrell Armstrong, Fayetteville St.

Despite the fact that he wasn’t drafted, Armstrong would win both the NBA’s Six Man Of The Year and Most Improved Player in 1999 during a stellar career with the Orland Magic.

7. Earl Lloyd, West Va. St

Lloyd is the Jackie Robinson of basketball, the first African American NBA player to sign a contract in 1950. He would win one championship with Syracuse and later become the coach of the Detroit Pistons.

6. Rick Mahorn, Hampton

Rick Mahorn’s defense and rebounding were staples of the Detroit Piston “Bad Boy” days when they won two championships and would coach the WNBA’s Detorit Shock to a Championship as well.

5. Charles Oakley, Virginia Union

Though Oakley never won a championship he reached the finals once with the Knicks and dueled with friend and former teammate, Michael Jordan in the playoffs several times.

4. Ben Wallace, Virginia Union

Ben Wallace won a championship for the Pistons in 2004 with a style similar to Rick Mahorn’s with a focus on defense and rebounding.

3. Willis Reed, Grambling State

Reed won a championship with the New York Knicks in 1972, providing inspiration for the team with a historic return from a harsh injury in the Finals.

2. Earl “The Pearl” Monroe,

Otherwise known as “Black Jesus,” Monroe was a playground legend who transferred his skills to the NBA, winning a championship with fellow HBCU grad, Willis Reed.

1. Sam Jones, North Carolina Central University

Sam Jones won 10 championships with the Boston Celtics leading the team in scoring for 3 years.

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WAFB reports:

The latest victim, Ferdinand Dorsey Jr., 24, was shot to death Monday night at the Palisades Apartments near campus around 9:30 p.m. In a show of solidarity, students wore black Tuesday. Many called the deaths of Dorsey and Sheena Barnett, 26, senseless.

Millie Dorsey was held tightly as she sobbed while making her way to a nearby bench during a memorial held by students. The mother of three was mourning the death of her oldest son, a criminal justice major at Southern.

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By looking at the video closely, you can see a police officer apparently get hit by a flying chair.

Students tell us there were three other fights leading up to this one and there are threats of other fights to come.

ASU Police Chief Huey Thornton tells CBS 8 News that one arrest has been made for disorderly conduct.

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Watkins touches on the fact that many Black professors don’t receive tenure once hired and are put on temporary visiting positions just to improve school diversity numbers. For example, Harvard University just granted tenure to only the second Black female professor in their 200 year history.

What is even more interesting is that many HBCUs across the country don’t hire many Black professors either. Within the pool of survey participants who attended HBCUs, half didn’t have more than three African American professors in a field outside of African American or Africana Studies during their four years of attending an HBCU.

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99 years ago, the Fraternity Omega Psi Phi was founded by Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, students at Howard University on November, 17th 1911.

Several prominent African Americans have joined the ranks of Omega Psi Phi, including adviser to Bill Clinton, Vernon Jordan, political activist, Jesse Jackson, basketball players Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan, comedians Steve Harvey and Ricky Smiley and Earl Graves the founder and publisher of Black Enterprise magazine.

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When Walter Broadnax took the helm of one of Atlanta’s historically black colleges — Clark Atlanta University — in 2002, the school, he said, was in financial trouble. So he set about laying off professors, shutting down some programs and increasing the tuition.

At the time, those moves provoked widespread controversy on campus — a group even took Broadnax to court — but they seemed necessary. Now, it turns out that the hatchet man who was cutting classes and hiking tuitions was paid more than a million dollars in 2008, according to a new survey in the Chronicle of Higher Education (via The Daily Beast). (Broadnax is 22nd on the list.) That’s simply outrageous.

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As a fourth-year nursing student at Hampton University, she is part of an increasing number of non-black students attending historically black colleges and universities such as HU. Enrollment trends have diversified greatly over the last two decades at traditionally black colleges, experts say.

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Earlier this month, Mr. Obama hosted a White House reception to celebrate the contributions of the nation’s 105 black colleges and to reiterate his pledge to invest another $850 million in these institutions over the next decade.

Recalling the circumstances under which many of these schools were created after the Civil War, the president noted that “at a critical time in our nation’s history, HBCUs waged war against illiteracy and ignorance and won.” He added: “You have made it possible for millions of people to achieve their dreams and gave so many young people a chance they never thought they’d have, a chance that nobody else would give them.”

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Well, this week we celebrate four giant letters, folks… H– B – C – U.  That’s right, each year in mid-September, we recognize National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week.

Some of you may recall the online hypothetical scenario from a number of years ago that examined what the world would be if there were no black people. Well, today, I want us to consider what our community and our modern world would be if our HBCUs never existed.

Just imagine how the field of education itself would be without the contributions of Mary McCloud Bethune or Booker T. Washington, the founders of Bethune Cookman College and Tuskegee University…

What state would American race relations be in if the NAACP hadn’t been co-founded at the turn of the 20th Century by Fisk University alum W.E.B. DuBois? Or what would the state of world literature be without the writings and poems of Lincoln University’s Langston Hughes or the groundbreaking novels of Nobel Prize winner, and Howard alum Toni Morrison?

Daytime TV, the movie industry, the economy and the black female’s billionaire club would all take some serious hits if a woman named Oprah hadn’t been produced by Tennessee State University.

Where would Hip Hop music and Hip Hip entrepenaurialism be –and would we even know the name of the late and legendary Biggie Smalls—if not for the training Sean P. Diddy Coombs received at Howard University?

And in football, where would the modern-day standard for the positions of running back and wide receiver be without the record setting and unparalleled feats of Jackson State’s Walter Payton and Mississippi Valley’s Jerry Rice?

The civil rights movement would probably never have existed if not for two HBCU alums by the names of Thurgood Marshall and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who were educated and groomed respectively at Howard Law School and Morehouse College. Not to mention the fact that the American legal profession would look drastically different if not for late Supreme Court Justice Marshall.

And, finally, where would the American political system be today without the incomparable Dr. Ron Walters who lost his battle with cancer less than a week ago?  As campaign manager for Jesse Jackson, Fisk graduate and Howard professor Dr. Walters planted the seeds in the minds of millions that a Black man could be a serious candidate for president of the United States.

Yes, without HBCUs, the phenomenal ascension of President Barack Obama, plain and simple, does not happen.

Such examples show how imperative it is us for us to support our HBCUs and their evolution into our new century as still-relevant institutions well-versed in the art of producing greatness.

For if we don’t, we’ll be left to sit around and imagine what could have been.

Stephanie Robinson is President and CEO of The Jamestown Project, a national think tank focused on democracy. She is an author, a Lecturer on Law at the Harvard Law School and former Chief Counsel to the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Stephanie reaches 8 to 10 million listeners each week as political commentator for the popular radio venue, The Tom Joyner Morning Show.  Visit her online at www.StephanieRobinsonSpeaks.com

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By Hakim Hasan:

Dr. Ronald Walters, 72, one of the foremost authorities on Black-American politics, died on Friday (September 10) of cancer.  He was born on July 20, 1938 in Witchita, Kansas, a grim period in American life when blacks could not vote and were subjected to blatant racism. This, undoubtedly, shaped his lifelong and evolved worldview as a political scientist and activist.

Although Dr. Walters held many visiting professorships at major universities during his distinguished academic career, he spent the majority of   his career as a professor and chair of the political science department at Howard University from the mid-1970s until 1996. From 1996 until his retirement in 2009, he was a professor of political science and Director of the African-American Leadership Institute at the University of Maryland.

Herb Boyd, “New York Amsterdam News” reporter, soberly recalls: “Most recently I was with him at Howard University where he was summoned to participate in the making of a documentary about the history of the NAACP. His analysis, like his historical insight, was concise, crisp, and to the point. Nothing wasted. No fanfare or one-upmanship.”

One of  the enduring legacies of Dr. Walter’s scholarship and activism was his constant struggle to marry political theory to civic engagement and the grueling practicalities of electoral politics (“the tightrope” that politicians have to walk.) For example, his essay “Leverage Rainbow Politics,” which appeared on the Independent Politics Network website in 2008, can be read as a prophetic understanding of  the right-wing—and even liberal—backlash against President Barack Obama. He writes, “Blacks can be tricked because the attraction of the first black or the first woman to do this or that seemingly fits into the legacy of civil rights, a syndrome that can be disastrous if it turns out wrong.”

Dr. Ron Daniels, former Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York City and  Distinguished  Lecturer at York College  makes the pointed observation: “No one more than Dr. Ronald Walters hammered home the relevance of “leverage politics” as a time tested vehicle for organized interest groups and constituencies to extract benefits from the American political system.  He created a living laboratory for his leverage theory of politics as the Issues Director and principal strategist for Rev. Jesse L. Jackson’s  electrifying campaign for President in 1984.”

Dr. Walters published well over one hundred scholarly papers and many books including Black Presidential Politics, which won the Ralph Bunche Prize and Best Book Prize from the National Conference of Black Political Scientists.

To the general public, however, Dr. Walters is probably best remembered as a constant fixture and engaging political analyst on major television news programs especially when he served as a major advisor to the Reverend Jesse Jackson when he ran for president in 1984.

A public viewing and memorial service for Dr. Walters will be held at Crampton Hall at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on September 19 (3:00-5:00 P.M.). Reverend Jesse Jackson will preside over the funeral services on September 20 held at Shiloh Baptist Church (10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.) in Washington, D.C.

Hakim Hasan writes frequently about social issues and politics. He is the former Director of Public Programs at the Museum of the City of New York.

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The HBCU Network, a “24/7,” 365 days a year sports, “edutainment” and lifestyle network dedicated to the 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) across the United States, will launch in 2011, it was announced today by holding company C3 Media, LLC.  Designed to fill a void in the cable industry, the channel will be the official destination of the four major HBCU Conferences (MEAC, SWAC, SIAC, CIAA) featuring Division I & Division II Black College Sporting events. Additionally, the network will offer a full complement of education & entertainment (edutainment) as well as lifestyle programming.  Built on the solid foundation of the 143-year old HBCU brand, it will focus on a previously unexplored aspect of African American life of significant cultural importance to the global community.
In an unprecedented move, the new channel brings a different business model to the cable industry by reinvesting in the African American community it serves.   The HBCU Network will provide a 20% equity position to the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, offering direct financial benefit and long-term sustainability.

“The idea and vision behind the creation of the HBCU Network is to preserve and celebrate the African American colleges and universities, while also providing opportunities for their growth and further prosperity,” said CEO Curtis Symonds. “At the same time, we are passionate and excited about building a strong media brand and network from the ground up.”

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the HBCU Network is owned and operated by C3 Media, LLC, a holding company that includes an executive team with more than 75 years of cable industry experience. C3 Media LLC  is comprised of industry notables including veteran cable television executives Curtis Symonds, Chief Executive Officer; Clint Evans, Executive Vice President, Distribution & Marketing, and Candace Walker, Executive Vice President, Programming.

“We are excited at the opportunity to bring an unexplored side of the African American experience to television,” said Ms. Walker, EVP, HBCU Net Programming.  “Our goal is to engage our audience with quality programming that promotes the rich history and legacy of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities while giving voice to a young and diverse urban population.  HBCU Net is well-positioned to educate, motivate and inspire with a clear focus on African American heritage and legacy.”

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Famous HBCU Alumni

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Network Partnerships and Alliances
The network is presently negotiating programming alliances with cable heavyweight ESPN, which includes rights to the Black College conference games where ESPN currently has exclusive rights deals, as well as additional programming opportunities. HBCU Net is also pursuing an alliance with TV One, a network targeting Adult African American viewers.

Initial Distribution and Audience
Having garnered the attention of the nation’s top four MSO’s: Comcast, Cox, Time Warner, and Charter, the HBCU network is in advanced communications regarding carriage and anticipates launching with an initial distribution of approximately 10 million households.

According to Clint Evans, Executive Vice President, Distribution & Marketing, “The HBCU Network will be available across the United States, but initially within the 20 state HBCU footprint. This footprint encompasses the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Southern regions of the country.”

The network’s primary audience will consist of African Americans 15-24 years of age and include the HBCU student population, Panhellenic organizations, Theological seminaries and the multicultural and general market student populations at non traditional universities and colleges. The network will also target HBCU faculty, alumni and sports fans; along with the broader African American 25 – 49+ population, as well as the multicultural and general market, and the educational community.

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President Barack Obama celebrated the accomplishments of America’s historically black colleges and universities on Monday, telling a group of leading African-American educators that while major progress has been made in expanding access to higher education, it’s time to “take stock of the work we have left to do.”

The president’s remarks helped kick off National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week.

You have “waged war against illiteracy and ignorance and won,” Obama said at the White House. Historically black institutions of higher education have “made it possible for millions of people to achieve their dreams.”

Obama noted that the federal government is slated to spend $850 million in aid to historically black colleges over the next decade.

In February, the president signed an executive order establishing an initiative designed, among other things, to boost the participation of traditionally black colleges and universities in a variety of federal programs. It also aims to strengthen various public-private partnerships at those institutions.

The initiative is based out of the Department of Education.

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With the latest rankings of the top schools in the country recently released by U.S News & World Report, we at Newsone wanted to hear from you our readers.

What school do/did you attend? What do you think are the best schools for African Americans?

I listed 10 schools below; 5 HBCU’s and 5 non-HBCU’s. Feel free to add your own to the list.

Temple University, Harvard University, Columbia University, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Georgetown.

Morehouse, Hampton, Spellman, Howard, Florida A&M.

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In the current economic environment, one impact of the credit crunch is that it’s getting harder than ever to obtain loans of all kinds, including student loans. Unfortunately, millions of Americans rely on loans to pay for a college education. That’s why roughly $730 billion in federal and private student loans are outstanding, and only 40% of it is currently being repaid, according to FinAid.org, which tracks student loans.
If you require loans to pay for your education – or your child’s – you need to arm yourself with information to be a smart borrower. Here are five facts you should know in order to do just that.

Click here to read more at AOLBV

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