A YEAR OF MILESTONES

This past year has been one of historical moments as we celebrated a century and a half of Alcorn and its students breaking barriers and achieving tremendous accomplishments that our founders could only have dreamed of. At Alcorn, we dream big, and our history tells the story of making those big dreams a reality. We continue to look with hope to the future and to that end, we spent much of 2021 laying out a strategic plan to launch us into our next 150 years.

On Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, the Alcorn State University Braves played their final home football game of the year, marking the school’s closing celebration of 100 years of gridiron greatness. Alcorn celebrated by recognizing several heralded Alcornite football legends and titans such as Coach Marino H. Casem, Steve McNair, Donald Driver, Torrance Smalls, Leslie Frazier, Roynell Young, Willie Alexander, Lawrence Phillips, and other notable figures who helped put Alcorn on the map. The celebration brought together former players, family, alumni, and friends to celebrate our legendary football heroes who have shaped our football program into what it is today.

Continued COVID-19 Response

Alcorn remains committed to making the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff a top priority. In the 2021-2022 academic year, in continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alcorn prioritized the following:

• Remained in compliance with the Centers for Disease Control,

Mississippi State Department of Health, and Institutions of Higher

Learning guidelines, in addition to state and local regulations pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Provided on-campus walk-up vaccinations during move-in.

• Provided year-round on-campus vaccinations by appointment.

• The University established COVID vaccination stations so students, faculty, and staff could get vaccinated easily and without appointment. Increased Focus on Student Mental Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified an already rapidly growing mental health epidemic. At Alcorn, we believe our students, staff, and faculty members’ mental health must be attended to, on par with physical health. In response to the mental health crisis, Alcorn has prioritized and ramped up awareness for its Counseling Services.

The University invested $500,000 in renovations to the Counseling Center — a free resource for all students to access individual or group counseling, referrals for advanced services, substance abuse prevention, psychological assessments, and outreach programs. Student Affairs offered new initiatives, including group exercises classes, stations, and programs such as Coloring and Coffee.

Dr. Felecia M. Nave was formally inaugurated as Alcorn State University’s 20th first female president on April 16, 2021 in Lorman, Mississippi. This historic moment came nearly two years after Nave was named president, due to COVID-19.

“I am not here by accident. And I am also not here solely because of my own efforts. I lead because the legacy of Alcorn’s past has enabled me to envision the promise of our future,” Nave said in her investiture address.

Current students, alumni, fellow university leaders, friends of Alcorn, and government leaders all gathered together for this history-making celebration which included the Investiture, a Lecture Series, a Women of Courage Award Ceremony, and a Gala.

Throughout the inauguration events, Nave spoke boldly to the importance of learning from others, sharing your gifts, and always bringing people along for the purpose of making a greater impact. She paid tribute to the many Alcorn alums who have paved the way for her presidency — including Myrlie and Medgar Evers, Katie G. Dorsett, and Commissioner Willie Simmons. Dr. Nave leaned into her own experiences as an Alcorn alum and a female in male-dominated fields, both critical parts of her identity that guide her leadership today.

“I am Alcorn, and I hope the students and the University community will see me as a daily reminder of what an Alcorn education can do,” said Dr. Nave.

Dr. Nave is leading the 150-year-old university into the next era. She is a leader who both respects and honors the past and does not shy away from forging ahead.

“The glass ceiling was shattered for the 67 percent of our students and countless alumni, who until this moment had never experienced a female representative in this seat,” said Dr. Nave.

A grounded and collaborative leader, Dr. Nave is committed to developing, supporting, and sustaining programs that ensure the University’s success, including planning and resource alignment, shared governance, a studentcentered approach, and a commitment to the professional development of the campus community.

The Honors Curriculum Program was renamed on June 16, 2022 in honor of one of the University’s most celebrated honorary alumna, Myrlie Evers-Williams — a civil rights leader, author, and journalist who spent more than three decades seeking justice for the 1963 murder of her former husband, the late Medgar Evers.

“It is with great pride and excitement that Alcorn State University has renamed their Honors program, which now has been bestowed in my name,” said Evers-Williams. “This designation is a special recognition that I hold close to my heart, acknowledging my time on Alcorn’s campus, my life’s work, and my dedication to furthering the fight for equality and human rights. I am pleased that this innovative Honors program at Alcorn State University will elevate exceptional and dedicated scholars as intentional ethical emerging leaders. My sincere gratitude to Alcorn State University for this humbling and immensely gratifying honor.”

Alcorn won its first Cross Country Championship in its 150-year history. The Lady Braves relay team finished first in the 4x400m at 3:42:17.

As Alcorn’s first female president in 150 years, Dr. Felecia M. Nave launched the Inaugural Women of Courage Award and presented the first honorees in April 2021. The program honored six women who paved the way for all Alcorn women today and for generations to come. From politics to civil rights, and education to the corporate sector, the award recipients chose a path of courage, resulting in a more equitable world and setting a new standard of intentional excellence for both women and men. Each unique in her talents and accomplishments, these six trailblazers raised the bar in their respective fields. The women were celebrated for their determination, selflessness, sacrifice, commitment, and courage with which they’ve operated to bring to life a more inclusive, more innovative world.

Mississippi Statewide Impact in Politics

Global and Regional Impact in STEM & Higher Education

Regional Impact in Education & Politics

National Impact as Civil Rights Activist

Global Impact in Innovation

Global Impact in Medicine & Television

Alcorn State University paid tribute to the late Coach Marino H. Casem, former legendary football coach and athletics director. The event honored the man who helped put the Alcorn Braves on the college football map.

Accomplishments include:

• 22 years as the program’s head football coach, leading to the team capturing: • Seven Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) football championships • Four Black College National Championships

• SWAC Football Coach of the Year seven times

• Black College National Coach of the Year seven times

• In ‘84, the Braves went 9-0 during the regular season and became the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to finish

No.1 in the NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) poll

“All that success Coach Casem had at Alcorn in the SWAC would have translated in the SEC, the Big 12, the ACC, or anywhere else,” former Alcorn player and current Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier told Mississippi Today in 2017. “The reason I say that is discipline is the foundation at every level of football, and he was a disciplinarian of the first order. He was also a great teacher, who was compassionate with his players. Those qualities resonate at every level. When the players know you care and you give them structure and you teach, they’ll play for you. That’s a fact.”

A man with a gift for storytelling and a rich wordsmith, one of Casem’s greatest legacies is what stands as perhaps the most apt and succinct description of college football that has ever been expressed:

“On the East Coast,” Casem said, “football is a cultural experience. In the Midwest, it’s a form of cannibalism. On the West Coast, it’s a tourist attraction. And in the South, football is religion, and Saturday is the holy day.” Arguably the greatest player in Alcorn State history, Steve “Air McNair” deservedly became the first Braves player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.

Alcorn accomplishments include:

• 1991 SWAC Freshman of the Year

• Alcorn State’s all-time leading passer with 14,496 career yards

• School records for career completions (958) and passing touchdowns (119)

• During his remarkable 1994 senior campaign, he set single-season

Braves records with:

• 5,377 passing yards, 356 completions

• 47 passing touchdowns • 587 passing yards against Southern • 52 completions against Youngstown State (an FCS Playoff record)

• Ranked third in school history with 2,327 rushing yards

• Two-time Dean’s Scholar is enshrined in the SWAC, Black College Football, Mississippi Sports and Tennessee Sports Halls of Fame

Career highlights include:

• The third overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers where he played from 1995-2005

• Led the franchise to a berth in Super Bowl XXXIV

• Three-time Pro Bowler and 2003 NFL Co-MVP

• Finished his pro career with the Baltimore Ravens from 2006-07

• Member of the Titans/Oilers Hall of Fame, and the franchise retired his No. 9 jersey in 2019

Dennis “D.J.” Stevenson II makes history by becoming the first Mister Alcorn State University

For the first time in school history, students at Alcorn State University elected a campus king, Dennis “D.J.” Stevenson, a Gulfport, Mississippi native who majors in agricultural business management.

“Being elected feels amazing because it’s like a dream come true. Knowing that I gave my campaign my all and it paid off is a blessing. Also, being the first Mister Alcorn is legendary and something that I will not take for granted,” said Stevenson. school’s name, B.R.A.V.E., which stood for Bold, Resilience, Achievement, and Valiant Efforts. He believes that the acronym is the key to Alcorn’s continued progress and revitalizing student activities.

“I plan to develop more resources geared towards students’ career choices. I want to evoke a vibrant light around campus and use this platform to uplift others. In addition, I want to help with recruitment in obtaining students with knowledge and character while shaping our great students into young professionals,” he said.