A Mes s age fro m the President Greetings Morganites:
Let me introduce myself to some of you and say hello to my many friends and the entire Morgan State University family. I am Jacqueline Lawson, the new President of the Morgan State University National Alumni Association (MSUNAA). I am honored that you have put your trust and faith in me to continue moving our association ahead. I look forward to working with Morgan alumni across this country and around the world to help implement President David Wilson’s bold new agenda for Morgan of “Growing the Future, Leading the World.” Over the summer months, your new officers — Craig Spencer, First Vice President; Phyllis Davis, Second Vice President; Joanne S. Mack, Recording Secretary; John Griswold, Financial Secretary; Charles H. Pollard, Treasurer; and I — began to assume the duties of our positions. Learning and understanding what is expected of us is the first step toward developing and achieving our goals. We are reading and studying. We want to begin the conversation with all of Morgan’s alumni on what type of organization we want to be in the future and pick the most direct path to get there, accomplishing both the short- and long-term goals that we set for ourselves. We need alumni and the MSUNAA to be major players in accomplishing the agenda of “Growing the Future, Leading the World.” We will be reaching out to you in various ways through chapter visits, website posts, e-mail, newsletters and social media in an effort to get you engaged and keep you informed. Morgan State needs increased financial support from its alumni. This support is needed not only to expand Morgan’s academic offerings but also to help keep students who find themselves in need and are facing withdrawal. We need to work to get the best and brightest students to attend Morgan and increase our overall student enrollment. When you come “home” for the weekend of October 7–9, 2011, we’ll be looking for you and reaching out to you. There are opportunities for all of us to roll up our sleeves and work for Fair Morgan. Here are some opportunities to get involved: • • • • • • •
Join a local alumni chapter and become an active, dues-paying member Join the MSUNAA Make an annual donation to the MSU Foundation to help students with tuition, books and fees Sign up to represent Morgan at college fairs and other recruitment events in your hometown Mentor freshmen Attend athletic events, and wear school colors to show your pride Attend the annual reunions and awards luncheons
I encourage you to take advantage of these and other opportunities to get involved and give back to further our Fair Morgan. Go Bears! Sincerely,
Jacqueline L. Lawson, ’75 President, MSU National Alumni Association
T
HOMECOMING 2011 Change Is Good!
rue Bear fans at this year’s Homecoming game in Hughes Stadium will see plenty of familiar numbers on Morgan football jerseys. “…Last year’s team was a very young team. We only had seven seniors last year, and our juniors and sophomores were our strongest classes,” says MSU’s Director of Athletics, Floyd Kerr. “Those kids now are seniors and juniors.” But those veteran players are facing a very different schedule in 2011, one that includes a new Homecoming opponent, the Savannah State University Tigers. “They’ll be an interesting opponent for us. We have played them before but not since I’ve been at Morgan,” Kerr reports. “It’s been maybe 10 years. We don’t know their personnel that well yet, but we’re getting to know them.” The Bear’s schedule has only four home games and five teams that Morgan did not face in 2010: Towson University, which Morgan last played in 2009; Bowling Green University, playing Morgan for the first time ever; Robert Morris University, a once-frequent opponent that Morgan hasn’t battled in many years; and North Carolina Central and Savannah State Universities, two teams new to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). But Kerr says Morgan is undaunted by the unknowns on its agenda. As far as he’s concerned, change is good. “If you look at our schedule now, the tough games are spread out a little more, so our opportu-
nities to win are enhanced…. I can see us right there in the hunt for a football championship this year, if we stay healthy and our plans manifest themselves,” he says. Kerr says the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is delivering on its commitments to Morgan President David Wilson: to have a compliant program, to have Morgan’s athletes win in the classroom as well as on the fields or courts, to be one of the best teams in the MEAC and to brand Morgan to help enhance enrollment and grow the University. Kerr calls on Morganites far and wide to be part of that growth. “I would encourage our alumni to consider buying a season ticket book for football, even if they can’t attend the games, as an initiative to help us gain revenue for our program,” he says. “I would encourage them to come out to our events. Come out and ‘feel the roar of the Bears.’ Let us know they’re at the game so that we can recognize them as alumni.”
1