UNIVERSITY NEWS The 2015 CLOSE the GAP Weekend Extravaganza Photos by Foxx Media Group The 2015 Close the Gap Scholarship Weekend Extravaganza (Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2015), an annual event hosted by CAU Trustee William Shack and his wife Jin Jin Reeves in Las Vegas, this year raised nearly $150,000 for deserving CAU Students. Held annually on the occasion of his birthday, a 72-years-young Shack entertained guests with a golf tournament, a birthday gala, a VIP performance of Hitzville: The Show, starring Reeves, and an exclusive, private Super Bowl watch party. This year’s event was made possible by Title Sponsor Toyota Motor Sales Inc., with Chevron and the M Resort Spa and Casino serving as major sponsors. The event also included a recruiting breakfast, at which top Las Vegas-area scholars got to meet one-on-one with Trustee Shack and President Brown. The Close the Gap Scholarship Fund has helped more than 1,000 students since its inception in 2009. The “gap” is the account balance, typically between $300 and $5,000 that remains after a student has applied all other available resources toward the cost of his or her education.
Jim and Jackie Castillo head the Castillo Family Foundation, a loyal partner in the Close the Gap Scholarship Program since its inception.
10
CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY
SPRING 2015
More than 70 golfers from across the United States participated in this year’s tournament, with CAU’s Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs James Perkins, Ph.D., taking the top prize. Pictured from left to right are: Longtime Close the Gap supporter Mike Kennedy, commercial account manager for Citrix; Perkins; Eric Clark; and Los Angeles resident and CAU Grandfather Gene Johnson.
Close the Gap guests were treated to the award-winning revue, Hitzville: The Show, starring Jin Jin Reeves. The show is the only African-American-owned production currently on the Las Vegas Strip and this year celebrates its tenth anniversary.
Vincent Shack (left) joins his father CAU alumnus and Trustee William E. Shack Jr. as they prepare to hand out trophies during the post-tournament lunch at Revere Golf Club in Henderson, Nevada.