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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

CNN.com: Historically Black Colleges and Universities -- Preserving the Dream






http://articles.cnn.com/2012-02-29/us/us_education---historically-black-colleges-and-universities----preserving-the-dream_1_hbcus-morehouse-students?_s=PM:US

February 29, 2012
By John Martin

(CNN) -- Howard, Morehouse, Spelman, Tuskegee, Xavier -- these are just a few of America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities, known as HBCUs. HBCUs are accredited historically black institutions of higher learning established before 1964. While many of these colleges are located in the South, there are HBCUs as far north as Michigan and as far west as Oklahoma. While some HBCUs are public and others private, all of them serve a principle mission to educate black Americans.

Several Morehouse and Spelman college students who we interviewed recently discussed the diversity they see on campus. They told us that HBCUs are "not exclusively black" and also serve international students and students from other ethnicities. Morehouse junior Jarrad Mandeville-Lawson, who comes from Matawan, New Jersey, identified himself as "Nigerian, Italian and Greek," and said, "My high school is majority Caucasian so I don't actually have those strong African-American traits that people would assume I would have." In 2008, Joshua Packwood became the first white valedictorian in Morehouse's history.

Students from both schools talked about their schools' nurturing environments. At Morehouse, one of America's few all-male campuses, the students talked about the school's strong tradition of a brotherhood. Mandeville-Lawson told us, "We're going to constantly have our brother's back and uplift them.....These are my brothers. I'm going to do everything possible to make sure they stay strong and to get them where they need to be." Spelman senior Gabrielle Horton echoed Mandeville-Lawson's sentiments. "When you think of Spelman you think of the 'Spelman Sisterhood' ... You're indoctrinated with that your first year ... They have their brother's back, we have our sister's back. And that's something we just carry with us every day," Horton said.

Today, more than 300,000 students are enrolled at the more than 100 HBCUs across America. HBCUs tend to be small schools. In 2009 only three had enrollments of over 10,000 students. Spelman and Morehouse each have between 2,000 to 3,000 students. The students we interviewed said smaller schools come with some advantages. Junior Kirstin Evans said, "At Spelman, I know every single one of my professors....So just like the intimate environment that Spelman holds, it's something that other students lack at bigger institutions."

The two Atlanta campuses are steeped in history and tradition. While neither school is the oldest HBCU -- that honor goes to Philadelphia's Cheyney University -- both schools were founded in the latter half of the 1800s. Horton remarked about Spelman's campus, "I think you have the sense of legacy that it's not just about you, and it is about your ancestors who came before you who were at these prestigious institutions and you have a legacy to carry on." Morehouse junior Reginald Sharpe said that the college's tradition and history were part of his decision to attend the school. "I knew that Morehouse was going to raise my appreciation for my heritage and cause me to take a trip back in time to realize who I am as an African-American, a young man in society," Sharpe said.

Sharpe mentioned that he likes to enter historic Sale Hall, where graduations were once held, and "breathe the air. It's a sense of belonging that I sense here."

We visited Sale Hall, and our guide told us that during Martin Luther King Jr.'s time, the big room upstairs was used as a chapel and that the students back then had assigned seats. As I stood in front of the room, I have never felt closer to history. Right in front of me was a teenaged Martin King's seat, who sat in the front row in Sale Hall more than a decade before he would become the foremost civil rights leader of the 1960s.






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Atlanta Business League: Library Director Loretta Parham Named to "Atlanta's Top 100 Black Women of Influence" List

February 2012

Loretta Parham, CEO and Library Director of Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library, was recognized on February 21, 2012, for her selection to Atlanta Business League’s (ABL) 2012 list of “Atlanta’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence” at the ABL’s “Women of Vision” Breakfast Ceremony.

 Since 1994, the ABL has published its list of  “Atlanta’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence.” The list reflects the names of black women in the metro Atlanta community who have reached senior-level positions within their profession; are leading entrepreneurs in their industry; or have attained the ability to influence large public bodies politically and in government. In addition to professional accomplishments, the “Atlanta’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence” have demonstrated their commitment to citizenry of metro Atlanta by maintaining significant involvement and participation in community and activities.

In addition to naming “Atlanta’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence,” the ABL inducted J. Veronica Biggins, a Spelman University alumna, into the Women’s Hall of Fame.  




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Mediasite by Sonicfoundry FREE Webinar: Is room-based lecture capture better for 21st century learning?

Is room-based lecture capture better for 21st century learning?
Register today for our free live webinar

Is room-based lecture capture better for 21st century learning?
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
12:00 - 12:45 p.m. Central (
convert your time zone)

In 2009, the University of Michigan Ross School of Business opened the doors to a new era of learning designed to enhance the digital culture that defines student life. Every room in the state-of-the-art 27,000 square foot building – from the large auditoriums to the intimate collaborative spaces – was equipped to support the most seamless use of integrated technologies while becoming a model of student learning efficiencies.

Now integral in every function of the school, room-based lecture capture technology is used not only for recording traditional classroom instruction, but also webcasting interviews with The New York Times, faculty panels and even recruitment with prospective students.

Join Sean Brown, vice president of education at Sonic Foundry, and his guest Edward Adams, chief technology officer at University of Michigan Ross School of Business, for an inside look at the decision-making process that helped the school get more faculty, classes and programs online faster with room-based video streaming.

The presenters will take your questions live, and discuss:
  • How to determine if a room-based webcasting solution for streaming video production and distribution is right for you?
  • Why now is the time to embrace digital media, recording everything from lecture capture and team projects to special events and panel discussions?
  • Ways to best support your school’s internal processes by integrating lecture capture with existing technology infrastructure?
  • Why room-based lecture capture proves easier to use for faculty and other academic staff, and scales faster as a result?
  • What should a streamlined quickstart interface look like, what features should it include for faculty choice and control, and what impact does it have on AV support, staffing and training?
Who will benefit:
Chief information and technology officers, academic deans and department heads, IT directors, facility managers and instructional technologists. Anyone may attend.
About the presenters:
eadams2_60x80

 
Sean_Brown
Edward Adams, Chief Technology Officer, University of Michigan Ross School of Business, is an information systems professional with expertise in emerging technologies, application development, networking technologies, database, computer graphic, business intelligence and support services. Prior to joining the Ross School, Ed was a systems programmer with Unisys Corporation involved in early advances in personal computing and document imaging, an Executive Director with Schlumberger responsible for the software development and international marketing of all CAD software solutions, and was a principle in a successful startup company that developed Just-in-Time production scheduling enterprise software. Ed holds degrees in Computer Science, Mathematics and Business Information Systems.

Sean Brown, Vice President of Education, Sonic Foundry


Moderator:
JD_60x80 
JD Solomon, Web Seminar Editor, University Business Magazine

Register online today.
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HBCU Digest: Southern Leadership, Faculty at Odds Over Online Degree Offerings

Southern Leadership, Faculty at Odds Over Online Degree Offerings


The Advocate is today reporting that faculty in the Southern University System are opposing plans for the system to develop online degree offerings.

The plans, which will create online access to degree programs currently being offered at System campuses in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Louisiana, will help build revenue and enrollment for the nation’s only HBCU system, according to system leadership.

But faculty say online offerings will limit Southern’s ability to nurture students with face-to-face interaction, and will put a financial burden on students.

Southern Faculty Senate President Sudhir Trivedi said the university system is failing to go through the proper faculty curriculum design processes to ensure the degree programs are thorough and stringent once transferred entirely online.
“We are not against doing online degrees,” Trivedi said. “But it’s not as easy as just saying, ‘Put them online.’
“We are doing everything under the table.”
Southern University System President Ronald Mason Jr. said the faculty claims are “just wrong.”
“All academic decisions are made by the faculty,” Mason said. “It really is just an online format of what’s offered in the classroom.” (The Advocate)

Several HBCUs nationwide have introduced fully-online degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate level in the last two years. Southern is the only historically black system of higher education in the United States.

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HBCU Digest: LA Rep. Joe Harrison Authors Bill Proposing Elimination of Southern University System

http://www.hbcudigest.com/la-rep-joe-harrison-authors-bill-proposing-elimination-of-southern-university-system/
March 5, 2012
Louisiana Republican Joe Harrison last week filed House Bill 927, calling for the seizure of Southern University, Southern University at New Orleans, and Southern University at Shreveport from the Southern University System and placed under the University of Louisiana System.

The plan also calls for the removal of Louisiana Tech University, the University of Louisiana of Lafayette, and the University of New Orleans to be placed under the LSU System.

“It proposes the elimination of the only HBCU system in America,” says Southern University System President Ronald Mason Jr. “And it would be America’s loss.”

It is the second legislative push in as many years to dismantle the Southern University System. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal authored legislation in early 2011 proposing the merger of SUNO with the nearby University of New Orleans. That bill was pulled in May due to mounting local and national advocacy against the measure.

The measure has been forwarded to the state’s Committee on Education.

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Dillard University Emergency General Assembly still on Wednesday, March 7th at 4 P.M.


To: Dillard University Faculty
From: Agwaramgbo, Lovell E. (Dr.)

Good morning colleagues, in keeping with our agreement at the last General Assembly, the corrected version of the Faculty Handbook was not available to faculty this weekend, therefore, the meeting on Wednesday will be for the discussion of the Faculty Handbook only and not for voting.  If you have any comments come with and share them and let us discuss them.  The comments will be incorporated into the documents that will be shared with the faculty before the voting meeting on March 21.  I have heard from only two colleagues as of today.
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