Ovations 2016 Spring/Summer 2016

SPRING / SUMMER 2016

FORGING A

FORWARD FOR THE SU SYSTEM SU System Leader approaches the end of first year at the helm of SU System and BR campus

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F ROM T HE

President-Chancellor Greetings, As you will read in this issue of Ovations Magazine, the Southern University and A&M College System, during its annual Founders’ Day observance in March, celebrated 136 years in its commitment to achieving the mission of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

Nationally, HBCUs are seen as beacons that have, and will continue to be, manifestations of the American dream of equal educational opportunities for all, regardless of religion, ethnic group, or socioeconomic status. Notwithstanding the historical reputations that many HBCUs had in previous years, such standings are today more difficult to maintain in light of an unstable economy, internal and external economic upheavals, low enrollment, accountability metrics, accreditation issues, and other challenges facing a majority of colleges and universities in general and HBCUs specifically. This is particularly relative for the Southern University and A&M College System.

Since 2008, the operational budget for the System has decreased by $53,212,061 or 54 percent, while a reduction looms for higher education in Louisiana for the upcoming 2016-2017 fiscal year. Institutional salary adjustments have been sporadic or nonexistent for more than eight years, resulting in the inability of campuses to retain or attract faculty and staff in critical roles, and the downward spiraling of employee morale. Furthermore, it has become an increasing challenge to maintain the accreditation of academic programs with fewer financial resources to support them, and even a greater test to ensure that the academic environment is conducive to learning.

Such factors then provide the backdrop for HBCUs to reposition themselves and establish A Pathway Forward responding to the question of relevancy while maintaining the distinctive missions that afforded them their unique place in history in the first place. In accordance and within this fiscal year 2016, the Southern University and A&M College System has been instrumental in engaging in efforts to advance its mission today and tomorrow; and doing so, through a quest to stabilize the University System and advance a culture of institutional excellence.

The view of the Southern University and A&M College System is that of an institution of prominence whose mission is critical if the State of Louisiana is to achieve any semblance of economic success. Southern University’s work shapes the black middle class nationally and globally. Its unique mission is draped in its origin and guided by its historical traditions.

The relative question then is -- Is it not Southern University’s responsibility to actively participate in preserving and advancing the economy and society? It is her purpose, one that we should all aspire to.

Therefore, the vision for the Southern University and A&M College System is aligned with its land grant mission and is guided by its historical traditions of embracing academic excellence, scholarly research, global outreach, and public service.

Sincerely,

Ray L. Belton President-Chancellor Southern University System

Southern University

1 | OVATIONS

SU System Magazine SU System President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton SU System Board of Supervisors 2016 Leon R. Tarver II, chairman Calvin W. Braxton Sr., vice chairman Tony M. Clayton Raymond M. Fondel Jr. Jordan B. Franklin Curman L. Gaines Joe R. Gant Jr. Donald R. Henry Richard T. Hilliard Myron K. Lawson Patrick D. Magee Darren G. Mire Michael A. Small Ann A. Smith Samuel C. Tolbert Rani G. Whitfield SU System Chancellors Ray L. Belton, SUBR Adell Brown, SUAREC (interim) Lisa Mims-Devezin, SUNO (interim) Rodney Ellis, SUSLA John K. Pierre, SULC Publisher Southern University System

Contents President-Chancellor’s Message ..........................................................................1 SU System and Campus News Highlights ..........................................................3 SUNO Feature......................................................................................................28 SUSLA Feature.....................................................................................................30 Cover Story Q&A with Ray Belton: Forging a Path Forward for the SU System.................31 SU Ag Center Feature..........................................................................................38 SUBR Feature........................................................................................................40 SULC Feature........................................................................................................42 SU System Advancement Highlights..................................................................44

Editor Henry J. Tillman

SU System Alumni Highlights............................................................................47

Associate Editor Robyn M. Merrick

SU System Athletic Highlights............................................................................51

Feature Writers Maya Riley Banks Rachel Emanuel Erin Fulbright Contributors Barbara Austin Tammy Barney Krystle Beauchamp Grindley Rachel Emanuel Christopher Jones Lakeeshia Giddens Lusk Robyn Merrick Bridget Udoh Melva Williams Copy and photos from SU Ag Center Office of Technology

and Communications SUBR Media Relations and Publications SUBR Athletics SUSLA Office of Communications SUSLA Graphic Services SUNO Public Relations SU Alumni Affairs SULC Office of Communications and Development Support Photography N. John Oubre III Pre-press and Printing Moran Printing, Inc.

OVATIONS | 2

ON THE COVER Ray L. Belton is approaching his first year anniversary in the historic role of president-chancellor of the Southern University System. The SU Board of Supervisors in 2015, decided to combine the System President’s position with the Baton Rouge campus chancellor’s position. After a national search, Ray Belton emerged as the top choice to lead the 136-year old System and is first to hold the joint position. After a first year of budget reductions, reorganizations, and campus leadership changes, the new SU System head outlines his vision for A Pathway Forward.

Spring/Summer 2016

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS

Highlights SUS campuses hold 2015 fall, 2016 spring commencements, honor top grads The Southern University System awarded more than 1500 degrees to diverse classes among its four campuses during spring commencement exercises in May.

Southern University Baton Rouge Southern University Baton Rouge recognized nearly 600 candidates for graduation during its spring commencement exercises, Friday, May 13, 2016, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

The chief student marshal was Arnedia K. Wallace, with a cumulative grade point average of 4.0. She is a political science major from Dubberly, Louisiana. The 22-year-old received a University Medal and an Honors College Medallion during commencement, and a special citation on her diploma. The Spring 2016 SUBR chief student marshal has been accepted into the Southern University Law Center and will begin her studies there in the fall.

United States Congressman Cedric Richmond delivered the commencement address for Southern University Baton Rouge’s spring commencement exercises Friday, May 13, 2016, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

The University awarded posthumous undergraduate degrees to Lashuntae Benton and Annette January.

Benton was awarded a degree in therapeutic recreation and leisure studies, and January was awarded a degree in business management.

SUBR Naval ROTC Midshipman 1st Class Nsombi Roberts received her bachelor of science degree in chemistry, and is the first African-American woman from a Naval ROTC program to be selected into the Nuclear Submarine Pipeline training program. The Palm Bay, Florida native is heading to Charleston, South Carolina to begin her six-month journey in Navy Nuclear Power School (See story, page 7).

United States Congressman Cedric Richmond delivered the commencement address. Congressman Richmond represents Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.

Baton Rouge native, local businessman, and former state representative Joseph A. Delpit, and Congressman Richmond, were each awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree during the annual spring graduation exercises.

Arnedia K. Wallace of Dubberly, Louisiana was chief student marshal for Southern University Baton Rouge’s 2016 Spring Commencement exercises, Friday, May 13, 2016, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

The top grad and college marshals for SU Baton Rouge during 2016 Spring Commencement exercises Friday, May 13, 2016, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center are (left to right): Dayshawn Russell, College of Education, Arts and Humanities; Megan Thomas, College of Sciences and Agriculture; Arnedia K. Wallace, chief student marshal; College of Social and Behavioral Sciences; Anne Chumbow, College of Nursing and Allied Health; and Uchenna Agu, College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Southern University

3 | OVATIONS

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS The SUBR Spring 2016 Class included 443 undergraduate degree candidates (College of Business - 49; College of Education, Arts and Humanities - 80; College of Engineering and Computer Science - 35; College of Nursing and Allied Health - 88; College of Agriculture - 76; College of Social And Behavioral Science - 115) and 144 candidates

for graduate degrees. The class had 91 honor graduates (five summa cum laude, two magna cum laude, nine cum laude, 75 honorable mention).

Southern University Baton Rouge awarded a posthumous undergraduate degree to Lashuntae Benton during its spring commencement exercises Friday, May 13, 2016, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center. Benton was awarded a degree in therapeutic recreation and leisure studies. Benton’s mother Theresa Washington accepted the commemorative diploma from SU System President Ray L. Belton.

Baton Rouge native and local businessman Joseph Delpit was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Southern University during spring graduation exercises Friday, May 13, 2016, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center. Assisting with Delpit’s hooding is Lisa Delpit, Felton G. Clark Distinguished Professor, SUBR College of Education, and SU System Board of Supervisors chairman Leon R. Tarver II.

Southern University Baton Rouge awarded a posthumous undergraduate degree to Annette January during its spring commencement exercises Friday, May 13, 2016, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center. January was awarded a degree in business management. Annette January’s mother Dawn January (center) and her sisters Casey (pictured left) and Chantel January (pictured second from left) received the memorial degree from SU System President Ray L. Belton and SU Board of Supervisors member Raymond Fondel.

OVATIONS | 4

The SUBR Spring class represented 57 Louisiana parishes, 17 states and territories, and five countries.

Hooding U.S. Congressman Cedirc Richmond, who was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Southern University during spring graduation exercises Friday, May 13, 2016, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center, is SU Board of Supervisors chairman Leon R. Tarver II and SU Board of Supervisors member Ann Smith.

Spring/Summer 2016

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS Southern University New Orleans

Southern University Shreveport

Southern University New Orleans awarded 514 degrees Saturday, May 7, 2016, during its spring commencement exercises at the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena.

Southern University Shreveport, May 3, 2016, hosted its Spring 2016 Commencement Exercises at the Shreveport Convention Center.

Governor John Bel Edwards gave the commencement address. Following his remarks, the Governor received a doctor of humanities honorary degree from Southern University President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton and SUNO Chancellor Victor Ukpolo.

The 2016 Spring SUNO class consisted of 66 honor graduates: five suma cum Laude, 16 magna cum laude, 40 cum laude, and five honors. Biology and pre-med major Samuel Okpechi graduated with the highest grade-point average of 3.937. The other summa cum laude graduates were Stephanie Buhl (3.930), Jesse Drew Roger (3.898), Jana Reininghaus (3.881) and Lakaley Melissa Tillery (3.855).

After leading SUNO for 10 years, Chancellor Ukpolo presided over his last commencement. He will step down as chancellor on June 30.

SU System President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton hoods Gov. John Bel Edwards as SUNO Chancellor Victor Ukpolo presents the governor with a doctor of humanities honorary degree during SUNO’s commencement May, 7, 2016, in the UNO Lakefront Arena.

Bernice King, daughter of the late Coretta Scott King and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and chief executive officer of The King Center, Southern University Shreveport which was founded by her Chancellor Rodney Ellis with 2016 Spring Commencement speaker mother in 1968, served as the commencement speak- Bernice King, May 3, 2016, at the er. Her address to graduates Shreveport Convention Center. was centered around making good use of time we’re given.

She encouraged students to give back to SUSLA. The University recognized the chief student marshal, and the first graduate from a 100 percent online program.

Anthony Rounds II earned a 4.0 GPA while pursuing an associate of applied science degree in criminal justice administration. A Shreveport native, Rounds graduated from Southwood High School in 2011. He plans to immediately join the Southern University Shreveport ChanCaddo Parish Shercellor Rodney Ellis gives diploma to iff’s Department and chief student marshal Anthony Rounds continue his studies II at 2016 Spring Commencement in the as an online student Shreveport Convention Center, May 3, at Northwestern State 2016. Rosetta Jones, SUSLA vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in looks on. criminal Justice.

Nicole Ester-Capers is the first student to graduate from the SUSLA online program in business management.

Ester-Capers, also a Shreveport native, graduated from Northwood High School and pursued a career in the United States Navy at which time she started her college career studying accounting and business. After returning to Shreveport, Ester-Capers continued her education and started working for the City of Shreveport, and is currently the grant coordinator for the Shreveport Police Department.

SUNO Spring 2016 summa cum laude graduates at commencement May 7, 2016, at UNO Lakefront Arena (from left) Lakaley Melissa Tillery, Jana Reininghaus, Jesse Drew Roger, Stephanie Buhl, and top graduate Samuel Okpechi.

Southern University

During the SUSLA 2016 Spring Commencement Exercises, 305 degrees, certificates and technical diplomas were conferred including completers for Summer 2015, Fall 2015, and Spring 2016.

5 | OVATIONS

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS Southern University Law Center In congratulating the more than 150 graduates of the Southern University Law Center at the May 7, 2016 Commencement, Governor John Bel Edwards stated that he is sure that they are going to make the “great state of Louisiana and the world even greater.”

The 154 SULC graduates included 36 honor graduates (seven magna cum laude and 29 cum laude). The top students were Day Division, Rachal D. Cox of Bossier City, Louisiana, and Evening Division, Elizabeth O’Quin of Prairieville, Louisiana.

Courtney N. Harris of Shreveport, earned a dual degree JD/MPA; Amy Anazia of McComb, Mississippi; and JaQuay Jackson Gray of Lake Charles, both earned a public law certificate.

It was the first commencement presided over by the newly appointed Chancellor John K. Pierre. Alexandria attorney Edward Larvadain, SULC Class of 1966, represented the newest members to the ranks of Golden Alumni.

“The perseverance you put into earning this distinguished juris doctorate is a testament not only to yourselves, but also to the dreams of many before you,”Gov. Edwards said.

He cited the story of the late Charles J. Hatfield III, who 70 years ago sought admission to the only state institution offering a law degree program at the time instigating the establishment of the Southern University Law Center.

Although Hatfield was academically qualified, he was denied admission because he was black.

Hatfield never enrolled in law school, but just a month before he died in 2002, he received the first honorary jurisdoctorate awarded from SULC. In honor of Southern Law’s founding, the school has declared “2016: The Year of Charles J. Hatfield III.”

Southern University Baton Rouge (Fall 2015) Governorelect John Bel Edwards made an impression on the Fall 2015 class of Southern University Baton Rouge graduates, during his keynote speech for commencement December 11, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center. Southern University System President-Chancellor congratulates West Palm Beach, Florida

native, Imani Martina Williams, who had the SU System President Ray L. highest undergraduate grade point average.

Belton who was presiding over his first commencement as SU System president-chancellor introduced the newly elected governor.

Edwards framed many of his comments during his graduation speech by paying tribute to a number of SU alumni including the late Dolores M.R. Spikes, a former SU System president; former basketball great Avery Johnson, who is head basketball coach at the University of Alabama; Brig. Gen. (ret.) Sherian Cadoria, the first African-American female to achieve General rank in the U.S. Army; Bishop Joseph Walker, pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Nashville, Tennessee and International Presiding Bishop in the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, International; Lt. Gen. (ret.) Russel Honore’, who served as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina; and professional football hall of famer Aeneas Williams.

“I have no doubts that you will use your talents, your time, and your resources to make this world a better place,” Edwards told SU’s newest alumni.

West Palm Beach, Florida native, Imani Martina Williams, who had the highest grade point average of the undergraduate students who received degrees during fall commencement, was chief student marshal.

Pictured at the Southern University SULC Commencement, May 7, 2016, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center are (from left) Governor John Bel Edwards, 2016 SULC commencement speaker; Edward Larvadain, Class of 1966, a Golden Alumnus; top students, Evening Division, Elizabeth O’Quin of Prairieville, and Day Division Rachal Cox of Benton, outgoing SBA president and member of the Louisiana Board of Regents Patrick J. Harrington of Benton, and Chancellor John K. Pierre.

OVATIONS | 6

The Fall 2015 Class included 310 undergraduate and 184 graduate candidates for degrees. The class had 73 honor graduates (four magna cum laude, eight cum laude, 61 honorable mention).

Spring/Summer 2016

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS Trailblazing SUBR NROTC grad heading to Navy Nuclear Power School after commission

Roberts’ mother screamed through the phone when Roberts shared the news of her being selected she said.

“I think she is more excited than I am,” Roberts said.

Roberts is the oldest child of many as she put it.

Nsombi J. Roberts walked across the stage in the F.G. Clark Activity Center on May 13, 2016, to receive her bachelors of science degree in chemistry and she also is a graduate of the SU Naval ROTC program, and on her way into the Nuclear Submarine Pipeline training program.

Once the 22-year-old has completed Nuclear Power School she will then head into prototype school in New York or remain in Charleston for another six months.

From there, it’s another three months of schooling for submarine officer basic course. Once the training is complete she will be assigned to a boat for the next four years at sea.

Nsombi J. Roberts

The Palm Bay, Florida native is not only making her mother proud by graduating from college.

Roberts heads to Charleston, South Carolina to begin her six month journey in Navy Nuclear Power School.

Roberts is the first AfricanAmerican woman from a Naval ROTC program to be selected into the training program and on her way to being in charge of multi-million dollar submarines.

Commanding officer and professor of naval science Captain Anthony Chatham said they could not be more proud of Roberts’ accomplishments.“Nsombi is the first ever African-American female selected from the NROTC program for nuclear submarine officer training, not just from Southern University, but from any NROTC school in the program’s history dating back to before World War II.” “She is a pioneer in our Navy, and she is a shining example of the outstanding quality of student that Southern University graduates,” said Chatham.

Nuclear Submarine Officers are a select group of individuals in charge of $1.5-billion vessels that manage the diving, powering, arming and operating aspect of the Navy’s fleet of attack, ballistic missile, and guided missile submarines.

The selection process for the training program started over a year ago for Roberts. During her junior/senior year at Southern she realized she wanted to become an officer in the Navy and go into the submarine field. She began her application and started preparing for the three extensive interviews she would have to endure.

“I was happy to be selected because it is a difficult process and not a lot of people make it to the end,” said Roberts.

“This was one of the biggest moments in my life.”

Southern University

What does this opportunity say for women in the navy?

Roberts says it sets a milestone.“This is a milestone for all women and shows we can break down barriers in jobs that are male based. I am just a stepping stone,” said Roberts.

“Coming from Southern it speaks to the world that we still have quality students that come from the University and from HBCUs. It lets people know that we need to give to students and the University, so that quality “I was happy to be students can selected because it is continue to be produced,” Roberts a difficult process and boasted in not a lot of people reference to the make it to the end. institution in which the first This was one of the African-American biggest moments in Submarine Officer my life.” hailed from.“It shows the skilled

– Nsombi J. Robert students that historically black college and universities produce.”

Attending Southern helped her find herself and how to stand on her own said Roberts. Through the University and the Naval ROTC program, she found mentorship and was prepared for this moment.

Roberts had many other accomplishments within her college years. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Inc., was a member on the 2014-2015 Honda Academic Quiz bowl team, she is also a Dolores Margaret Richard Spikes Honors College scholar, a member of Beta Kappa Ki Science organization, a member of the National Institute of Science, and won second place in her round on the black college quiz game show television series that was recorded in Atlanta. She graduated magna cum laude with a 3.84 GPA.

7 | OVATIONS

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS SUNO College of Education and Human Development’s accreditation reaffirmed

SU Ag Center holds graduation ceremony for school garden program participants

The accreditation of SUNO’s College of Education and Human Development was re-affirmed by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)/ National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The accreditation is granted until 2023.

Nearly 40 middle and high school students received certificates of completion for participating in the Southern University Ag Center’s School Garden Program.

The CAEP/NCATE accreditation team, which last visited in 2008, was impressed with what the College of Education has accomplished since going through the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Southern University New Orleans has been successful in every accreditation initiative embarked upon since 2006.

“This is an extremely significant accomplishment for Southern University at New Orleans and the College of Education and Human Development,” said Willie Jones, interim dean.“Achieving CAEP/NCATE accreditation is a validation of the commitment that SUNO has made in providing the rigorous teacher preparation programs required for our students to achieve success in the classroom after graduation.”

SUNO dean appointed interim chancellor Lisa Mims-Devezin has been appointed interim chancellor of SUNO effective July 1, 2016.

Mims-Devezin will fill the position after chancellor Victor Ukpolo steps down June 30, 2016.

Currently serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Lisa Mims-Devezin Mims-Devezin was appointed

by Southern University System (SUS) President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton. The SUS Board of Supervisors approved the appointment Friday, May 13, 2016.

Students from Southern University Laboratory School, Scotlandville Magnet High School, and Scotlandville Pre-Engineering Middle Academy, were honored during a graduation ceremony held at the SU Ag Center on May 4, 2016.

The year-long program entitled, “Eradicating Food Deserts through School Gardens,” was developed by the SU Ag Center in response to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) identifying Baton Rouge as a food desert; means there is limited access to fresh produce.

The Center applied for and received funding through a USDA/National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Capacity Building Grant. Through this funding a training series dubbed,“Plant it-Grow it, Try it-Like it,” was introduced to teach students basic transferable gardening techniques from the SU Ag Center’s self-produced Community Garden Curriculum. Students also were given ownership of school garden spaces to ensure easy access to fresh produce.

Since 2016 marks the final year of the program, a teacher from each participating school was presented with a copy of the Ag Center’s curriculum to ensure that the program continues to thrive within the schools.

For information about the SU Ag Center’s School Gardening Program, contact Tiffany Franklin, project director, or Stephanie Elwood, garden instructor, at 225-771-2242.

“Dr. Mims-Devezin has served Southern University at New Orleans in various jobs for more than 20 years,” President-Chancellor Belton said.“I am convinced that she can carry out the responsibilities of this interim appointment in an exemplary fashion.”

A professor of biology since 2010, Mims-Devezin was named College of Arts and Sciences dean in 2014. She served as associate dean for the College from 2006 to 2014. She came to SUNO in 1993 as an assistant biology professor after teaching at Dillard University.

Mims-Devezin received her doctorate in science/math education and a master of science in biology/microbiology from SUBR) and a bachelor of science in biology/pre-med (cum laude) from SUNO. OVATIONS | 8

Student Aalryah Doucet poses for a photo with her certificate of completion with SU Ag Center’s School Garden Program director Tiffany Franklin (left) and the program’s garden instructor Stephanie Elwood.

Spring/Summer 2016

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS SUS Board votes to merge College of Agriculture, Ag Center The Southern University Board of Supervisors voted to merge the Southern University College of Agriculture with the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center at its April 22, 2016, meeting.

The move will transfer the academic unit located on the SU Baton Rouge campus to the Ag Center; allowing the operating functions of the three land-grant units (teaching, research and cooperative extension) to be located under one umbrella.

Eleven SU urban forestry students receive NSF Global Scholar Award for summer study in China Eleven SU Baton Rouge (SUBR) urban forestry students were selected to receive a Global Scholar Award through the Global Research Experience for Students Program launched by the Urban Forestry and Natural Resources Program at SUBR. The Global Research Experience for Students Program was created in response to President Obama’s 100,000 Strong Educational Exchange Initiative. Each year, the program awards selected students with the Global Scholar honor made possible by a project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Since 2011, the project and program has been awarding students with fully paid travel expenses for experiential learning in China, and stipends to support their research engagement. Through the competitive selection process this year, students are sharing a total of $45,223 and studied in China in May.

The Ag Center currently employs 115 employees with field staff in 36 parishes across the state. The Center, which is overseen by a chancellor, consists of research and extension units and has an operating budget of $7,809,249 (for 2016).

Among the recipients are Brandy Magee and Darrell Street, Ph.D. degree students; Brittany Benjamin, Chris Smith, and Mitchell Provensal are master degree students; Kalaia Tripeaux, Chasity Austin, Joshua Simon, Chyanna McGee, Isaiah Smith, and Brianna Peralta are undergraduate students.

The college encompasses the academic arm of the landgrant mission. It currently employs seven part-time and 15 full time employees.

“We’re excited,” said Doze Butler, associate dean of the College of Sciences and Agriculture, about the merger.

“It’s good for the academic program,” she added.

“It is a great day for the citizens of Louisiana as the SU College of Agriculture is officially aligned with the SU Ag Center,” said Adell Brown, interim chancellor of the SU Ag Center.“Resources can more effectively be directed to ensure that teaching, research and extension programs are being implemented to provide opportunities to our most underserved youth, families, and farmers.

This alignment allows us to work as an agricultural family to shape new academic offerings, as we prepare our students for the 21st century work force needs in agriculture.”

The Southern University System established the Agricultural, Research and Extension Center as its fifth campus in 2001.

The merger will be effective on July 1, 2016.

Southern University

SUBR urban forestry students selected to receive a Global Scholar Award through the Global Research Experience for Students Program pictured from left to right: Kalaia Tripeaux, Mitchell Provensal, Brandy Magee, Joshua Simon, Chasity Austin, SUBR urban forestry professor Zhu Ning (project director), Darrell Street, Chris Smith, Chyanna McGee, Brittany Benjamin, and Isaiah Smith.

Magee, Smith, and Tripeaux presented research papers at the Urban Forest Sustainability International Symposium in Shenyang, China. The symposium was jointly hosted by Southern University Urban Forestry Program, International Society of Arboriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Chinese Academy of Forestry. Zhu Ning, SUBR Urban Forestry Program professor and director of the Global Research Experience for Students Program, was the symposium chair and lead organizer. Kamran Abdollahi, SUBR Urban Forestry program leader and graduate director, was one of the key speakers.

9 | OVATIONS

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

SU System signs MOU with Cal State to support innovative learning solutions project The Southern University System (SUS), April 19, 2016, signed a partnership Memorandum of Understanding with California State University (CSU) and the Multimedia Education Resources for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) organization for the design and deployment of Southern University’s Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) Initiative, and to create the Southern University Open Online Library for Education (SUOL4Ed).

several visits to SU to meet with faculty and the SUS administration.

The Southern University System recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with California State University (CSU) and the Multimedia Education Resources for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) organization for the design and deployment of Southern University’s Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) Initiative. Pictured during a campus visit with SU administrators is Gerry Hanley (second from right), assistant vice chancellor, academic technology services, CSU, and executive director of the MERLOT Africa Network (MAN), with professor Moustapha Diack (far left), lead of SUS AL$ project and director of the SUBR Doctoral Program in Science/Mathematics Education (SMED), and director, MAN; Ray L. Belton (second from left), president-chancellor SU System; and M. Christopher Brown, SU System executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.

The partnership will enable SUS faculty to conveniently and successfully choose high quality no-cost and low-cost course materials for designing and delivering online courses and online programs, allow SU administrators to easily and accurately measure the savings for students being produced by the SU AL$ program over time, and measure the benefits for students’ learning by having immediate and reliable access to high quality no-cost and low-cost course materials for their courses.

“Twenty-first century higher education institutions will have to rely not only on adaptable physical infrastructure and qualified human resources, but also on a reliable and scalable virtual infrastructure,” said professor Moustapha Diack, lead of SUS AL$ project and director of the SUBR Doctoral Program in Science/Mathematics Education (SMED), and director, MERLOT Africa Network (MAN).

Diack is co-founder, with CSU’s Gerry Hanley, assistant vice chancellor, academic technology services, of MAN, a network of more than 42 African higher education institutions.

The SUS-CSU partnership was finalized after more than a year of negotiations between the organizations. During this period, a delegation from the CSU-MERLOT made

OVATIONS | 10

“The Affordable Learning Solutions initiative at California State University has and will continue to save our students millions of dollars every year by supporting faculty choosing and students using high quality, no-cost and low-cost course materials,” said Hanley.

Southern University’s Affordable Learning Solutions initiative has several diverse components that reach across the University to enhance the teaching and learning environment including developing a strategic plan for an AL$ initiative, creating the Southern University’s Open Online Library for Education (SUOL4Ed), inviting and supporting faculty to adopt free and open e-textbooks and create ePortfolios for capturing and sharing their adoption process, supporting a staff development program for IT staff and librarians so they are knowledgeable and skilled at supporting faculty and students adopting and using no-cost and low-cost course materials, developing ePortfolio templates that will be customized and branded for HBCU’s using MERLOT’s Content Builder, and supporting the adoption/adaptation of the CSU’s quality assurance of instruction program for HBCU’s that includes the inclusivity of content and pedagogy.

SUOL4ED will enable SUBR faculty to develop online courses and programs using free and quality Open Education Resources (OER), but also to develop educational multimedia resources and open textbooks to contribute back to the OER and Open Access (OA) global movements.

“It is a privilege for me to lead this project for our System and state,” Diack exclaimed.

Spring/Summer 2016

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS SUBR music students win NANM scholarship auditions

SUSLA professor elected to AAUP council SUSLA associate professor of English and Faculty Senate president Sonya Hester was recently elected as a council member at large for the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).

Southern University Baton Rouge music students Joshua Staes and Arthur Gremillion won the Regional (Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas) National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) Scholarship Auditions in voice, held April 8-9, 2016, in Dallas, Texas.

Staes, a senior voice major won first place, and Gremillion, a junior voice major, won second place. The students won a preliminary audition and the state audition at Grambling State University, earlier this year.

The 2016 NANM Scholarship Competition was in voice.

Contestants competed on the local and regional levels.

Based on these contests, each region will send a contestant to compete at the national phase of the competition, to be held at the annual NANM National Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, July 17-21, 2016. There are prizes worth $6000 available to the contestants who enter the competition.

As a result of his first place win, Staes will compete in the national finals, all expenses paid.

“Joshua and Arthur are both gifted, outstanding singers.

In the past several years, they have both represented Southern University well at collegiate conferences and competitions. This recent win is merely a trend in a series of wins that I hope will continue and catapult them into the professional arena,” said Richard Hobson, affiliate artist/professor of voice and director of opera, SUBR. NANM, founded in 1919; is the oldest organization dedicated to the preservation, encouragement, and advocacy of all genres of music of African Americans.

The first scholarship winner was Marian Anderson, also the first African American to sing a leading role at The Metropolitan Opera.

The 2016 AAUP Officer and Council elections closed on April 15, 2016, and votes were tallied April 18, by Election America, an independent balloting company.

Sonya Hester

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States. AAUP membership is about 47,000, with over 500 local campus chapters and 39 state organizations.

The AAUP’s stated mission is to advance academic freedom and shared governance, to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education, and to ensure higher education’s contribution to the common good.

Founded in 1915 by Arthur O. Lovejoy and John Dewey, the AAUP has helped to shape American higher education by developing the standards and procedures that maintain quality in education and academic freedom in the country’s colleges and universities.

Annual SU Academic Honors Day Awards Program recognizes scholars The Southern University Baton Rouge 2016 Annual Academic Honors Day Awards Program, “Academic Excellence: A Habit, Not An Act,” was held April 15, 2016, in Clifford T. Seymour Gymnasium. Students who earned 3.0 grade point average during the Fall 2015 and or Spring 2015 were honored.

Pictured is Student Megan Thomas receiving the Chancellor’s Scholar Award from M. Christopher Brown, SU System executive vice president and provost, along with Doze Butler, professor and associate dean, SUBR College of Sciences and Agriculture. Thomas graduated summa cum laude in May in agricultural sciences with a concentration in agricultural economics.

SUBR students Joshua Staes (left) and Arthur Gremillion won the Regional National Association of Negro Musicians Scholarship Auditions in voice held, April 8-9, 2-16, in Dallas, Texas.

Southern University

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SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS SU urban forestry student wins first place in National MANRRS Essay Contest Southern University urban forestry major Joshua Simon won first place in the National Society for Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Undergraduate Written Essay Contest.

Simon, a junior from Morganza, attended the National MANRRS 31st Annual Career Fair and Training Conference in Jacksonville, Florida, March 30-April 2, 2016.

The MANRRS Conference provides a forum for Joshua Simon student members to showcase their talents and abilities through their participation in contests.

Simon placed first out of 60 contestants, with his essay entitled, “Growing the Next Generation of Agricultural Leaders.”

“I was thrilled, almost in disbelief when I was named as the first place winner of the national written essay contest,” said Simon.

Three SUBR student scholars selected for national lab internship Southern University Baton Rouge (SUBR) freshmen Jonalyn Fair and Oscar McClain, and graduating senior André Spears, were selected to participate in the Summer 2016 Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program (MSIPP).

The three SUBR Timbuktu Academy and the Louis Stokes Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation (LS-LAMP) Program scholars will conduct research for 10 weeks at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

McClain is pursuing a dual degree in chemistry and chemical engineering. Fair and Spears are mathematics and physics, with a physics concentration, majors.

MSIPP normally selects from a pool of junior and senior applicants, however; McClain’s and Fair’s outstanding academic achievements greatly influenced their selection.

Spears, whose Summer 2016 internship marks his third time participating in the MSIPP Program at LANL, received his bachelor of science degree in May. He was selected in the summers of 2014 and 2015, and has been studying electrochemistry and half-cell reactions.

A top SUBR physics graduate, Tommy Rockward, mentor and supervise the research projects of these SU students at LANL. Rockward serves as a lead research scientist at LANL.

“When competing against larger institutions, Southern University is often overlooked as a competitor, but they were shown different in this competition. I truly enjoyed winning first place and I am looking forward to next year to hopefully win first in another competition. I am proud to be an Urban Forestry student at Southern U.” he added.

MANRRS is a national student organization that “promotes academic and professional advancement by empowering minorities in agriculture, natural resources, and related sciences.”

The organization has more than 50 chapters at universities throughout the country.

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SUBR Timbuktu Academy and the Louis Stokes Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation (LS-LAMP) Program scholars (pictured left –right) Oscar L. McClain, Jonalyn A. Fair, and André J. Spears, were selected to participate in the Summer 2016 Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Spring/Summer 2016

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

Interim chancellor named to permanent post of Southern University Law Center The Southern University System (SUS) Board of Supervisors, March 18, 2016, named John K. Pierre to become the seventh chancellor of the Southern University Law Center.

Pierre, was one of four finalists selected by a 14-member search committee chaired by SULC alumnus Dwayne Murray, partner, Murray and Murray Law Firm, and vice-chaired by SULC alumna Erin Monroe Wesley, special counsel, Office of Governor John Bel Edwards, to replace Freddie Pitcher Jr. who stepped down last June.

Pierre became interim chancellor of the Southern University Law Center July 1, 2015, and has been on the faculty of the Southern Law Center John K. Pierre since 1990. He was promoted to associate vice chancellor for special projects in 2003, and to vice chancellor of institutional accountability and evening division, on October 1, 2006. Additionally, he teaches commercial law, tax law, contracts, and property.

For seven years, Professor Pierre was involved in the Baton Rouge school desegregation case as co-counsel for the Baton Rouge Branch of the NAACP in Davis v. East Baton

Rouge Parish School Board. He was also co-counsel in the landmark case of McWaters v. FEMA. Pierre is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, Texas Bar Association, and the Louisiana Certified Public Accountants.

He has previous teaching experience as a visiting and adjunct professor at California State University, Southern Methodist University School of Law, Loyola University Law School, Southern University College of Business, Saint Leo’s College, Webster University, and Northwestern State University.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southern University and A&M College in 1980, a master’s degree in tax accounting from Texas Tech University in 1982, and a juris doctor degree from the Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, in 1985.

Pierre has published numerous articles on tax law, sales and contracts, real estate and commercial law, ranging from magazine features and legal journal and law review articles.

SUNO cuts ribbon on new forensic lab SU New Orleans, March 18, 2016, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Forensic Science Lab located in the New Science Building on its Park Campus. The new facility features ergonomic furniture, a DNA Sequencer, a Pressure Cycler, two inverted microscopes, stereoscopes, and numerous kits for evidence collection and drug analysis. Grants from Title III Programs, the Board of Regents, and a collaboration with Pressure Biosciences, Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts were used to help pay for the new lab and equipment, which costs about $1 million. SUNO began offering forensic science as a major in 2013. The University is one of four Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the country to offer such a program, and the only university in Louisiana to do so. The program, in which 68 students are currently enrolled, expects to have its first graduates in May.

Southern University

Pictured is Pam Marshall, director of the SUNO Forensic Science Program cutting the ribbon at the opening ceremony along with SUNO administrators Wesley Bishop, Lisa Mims-Devezin, faculty and other students.

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SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS New mentoring program connects SULC students with area high school students Southern Law Youth Network (SLYN), a newly created pipeline mentoring program, connects SULC students with area high school juniors and seniors.

“You have a lot of great resources here. Utilize your teachers, because you’ll need them as references for scholarship opportunities in the future,” he said.

When asked why he chose to participate in SLYN, Lanus stated: “As Nelson Mandela once said, ‘Education is the most powerful tool that you can use to change the world.’

The Southern Law Youth Network answers the call by teaching students how to connect academics with scholarship.”

“My experience with this organization has been nothing short of amazing and I cannot wait to participate again,” Lanus said.

February 16, 2016, marked the SLYN kick-off with a visit to Tara High Pictured: SULC students Earle Seagle and School, accordBrittnay Waugh at Tara High School in ing to Alvarez J. Baton Rouge.

Hertzock III, the SLYN program coordinator and founder of the project.

According to Hertzock, the success of this new program depended on the support and efforts given by its members as well as the various high school affiliates and faculty that made such mentoring opportunities possible.

“These visits will continue the mission of connecting with and helping to provide a positive experience for the next generation,” Hertzock said.

SUNO professor receives fifth patent from USPTO

SULC second-year evening students Earle Seagle, Brittnay Waugh, and Dmitrius McGruder spoke to approximately 40 juniors and seniors at Tara on a variety of topics, including college readiness, getting into law school, the importance of disciplined studying, and community involvement.

On February 17, 2016, the SLYN program visited with Glen Oaks High School students. Second-year evening students Mareshah Wheeler and Dadrius Lanus were guest speakers to 60 students from varied classes, including social studies and humanities.

The high school students were encouraged to register to vote as soon as they turn 18, especially those that will be 18 years old before the November 2016 election.

The SLYN program wrapped up Week 1 on February 18 with its third school visit at Madison Preparatory Academy.

Waugh and McGruder spoke to juniors and seniors at Madison Prep who have earned a 3.0 GPA or higher and were very eager to hear advice on college and life after high school.

Wheeler, Seagle, and third-year student Mack James spoke to two groups of students at McKinley Senior High School during the school’s career day on February 25.

SLYN members in collaboration with the McKinley High staff answered questions and concerns of graduating seniors. James emphasized the role of teachers and counselors as significant resources available to the students.

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“To even have one student inspired or encouraged to pursue his or her dream and to fulfill his or her academic potential made this program worthwhile,” he said.

William Belisle, director for Grants and Sponsored Programs, SUNO, has received an United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Issue Notification for his fifth William Belisle patent Number 9,276,505, entitled “Apparatus for Elevation in a Magnetic Field.”

The invention can be used for enhanced elevation heights and manipulation of elevated objects using electrmagnetic fields regarding transportation as well for enhanced studies of electromagnetism in physics, science and other areas.

Orleans Resource Center (ORC), the small business owned by Belisle, has worked over the past 20 years to develop and market patented products. Currently, ORC is working with the LSU Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Department Senior Capstone Program in developing prototypes for two of Belisle’s patented products to be provided to the Louisiana Procurement Office and to Fisher Scientific for consideration.

Spring/Summer 2016

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

SULC recognizes 30th Anniversary of legal challenges that changed the Louisiana judiciary forever

Pictured attending the 30th Anniversary Commemoration of Clark v. Roemer and Chisom v. Edwards at the Southern University Law Center: (from left) Ernest Johnson, ’76, lead attorney in the Clark v. Roemer case; Interim Chancellor John K. Pierre; Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry; Arthur Thomas, ’76, attorney; former Gov. Edwin W. Edwards; President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton, Southern University and A&M College; Judge Yvette Alexander, Baton Rouge City Court; Judge Janice Clark, ’76, of the 19th Judicial District Court, lead plaintiff; Judge Freddie Pitcher Jr., (ret), ’73; Judge John M. Guidry, ’87, First Circuit Court of Appeal; Judge Pamela Taylor-Johnson, ’79, East Baton Rouge Parish Juvenile Court; and former Louisiana Attorney General Richard Ieyoub.

The 30th Anniversary Commemoration of the landmark cases that led to greater diversity in the Louisiana judiciary brought together plaintiff lawyers, former top officials involved in the settlement, and those who benefited from the litigation to the Southern University Law Center, February 26, 2016.

SULC and the event co-sponsors: the Carter G. Woodson Historical Society FPC; the Network 2016 Coalition; and the Council of Former Student Government Association President acknowledged the 30th Anniversary of the Clark v. Roemer and Chison v. Edwards legal cases as a great history lesson for current law students to witness, as well as others who joined in the commemoration.

The co-sponsors expressed their appreciation to Acadian Companies, WTAA Engineers, Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys, Bruno and Bruno, Brian Shinault, Landry and Vessel, Simien and Simien, Murray and Murray, and Attorney Domoine Rutledge.

Special recognition was given to Judge Janice Clark, lead plaintiff in Clark v. Roemer; former Louisiana Attorney General Richard Ieyoub and Governor Edwin W. Edwards, the state officials involved in the settlement; and Chief Justice Bernette J. Johnson of the Louisiana State Supreme Court. In addition to thanking event sponsors and participants, the honorees discussed their roles and shared their memories of how and why the turn of events 30 years ago have improved the legal system in the state.

Southern University

According to Ernest Johnson,’76, the lead attorney in the Clark v. Roemer case, it was no accident that such a lawsuit would be part of strategy developed by civil rights lawyers, many of whom were graduates of the Southern University Law Center.“We were taught ‘seriousness of purpose’ and to look at the full picture and see how you can right the wrongs.”

“Today we take a look at from whence we’ve come to see where we are going. Here we get the impetus to go on into the future to effect greater change.”

What happened in the settlement of these legal cases 30 years ago was so significant in increasing the number of African-American judges in the state, said SULC Interim Chancellor John K. Pierre, that Equal Justice Under the Law, the preeminent pro bono legal organization focusing on the systemic issues that create inequalities in the legal system, has asked to come to the Law Center in September to discuss these cases.

“We are proud of our graduates who continue to use their legal skills to increase access and opportunity, as this Law Center does in its goal to produce lawyer-leaders. We are particularly pleased to have SULC alumnus Allen Simien, who initiated the effort and helped to make this program possible,” said Pierre.

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SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

SUBR nursing professors receive top LSNA honors The Louisiana State Nurses Association (LSNA) inducted Sandra Brown, Southern University Baton Rouge School of Nursing (SUSON) professor and director of the Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program at SUSON, into the elite group of nurses “Hall of Fame,” and named SUSON professor Wanda Spurlock “Nursing Educator of Sandra Brown the Year,” during the 15th annual Louisiana Nurses Foundation Nightingale Awards and Gala held March 5, 2016, at the L’Auberge Casino Hotel in Baton Rouge.

The annual Nightingale Awards are sponsored by the Louisiana State Nurses Association and the Louisiana Nurses Foundation to recognize excellence in nursing and quality service in the nursing and healthcare industry.

The prestigious “Hall of Fame” award is based on Brown’s lifelong commitment to the profession of nursing and her impact on the health and social history of the state of Louisiana. Brown has achieved international prominence in her contributions to nursing practice, education, and research. Brown has been an educator in the nursing program at Southern for 20 years.

“To be recognized as a member of the Hall of Fame in nursing says that my contributions to the nursing profession are enduring and valued by my peers,” said Brown.

Brown was the first African American to receive a doctorate in nursing from LSU Medical Center in 1994. She has made extraordinary contributions to nursing education in working with disadvantaged students exploring “best practices” for minority students’ success in nursing.

The “Nursing Educator of the Year” award Spurlock received honors a nursing professional who serves as a

Wanda Spurlock

role model to students and positively impacts the student learning experience and who shows evidence of innovation and excellence in education competencies, the classroom and in other learning modalities.

The achievement recognizes excellence in clinical expertise participation in professional /community organizations, and participation in lifelong learning.

A registered nurse for 40 years and an educator for more than two decades, Spurlock is nationally recognized as an expert in dementia care. A stellar role model for her students, Spurlock demonstrates an unwavering commitment to advancing the profession of nursing through her contributions to practice, education, research, and service. As a Fellow of the National Gerontological Nursing Association, she is recognized as a leader among nurses specializing in care of older adults.

“I’m keenly aware of the awesome responsibility that I have as a nurse educator to advance the profession of nursing, and it is one that I take very seriously,” said Spurlock.

Spurlock is a certified academic nurse educator through the National League of Nursing and also holds national certifications through the American Nurses Association Credentialing Center in both psychiatric/mental health nursing and gerontological nursing. Also recognized as a dementia care specialist with the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, she is certified as a TimeSlips facilitator (a creative storytelling process for persons with dementia and other forms of cognitive impairments). She is currently the vice president of Louisiana’s culture change organization, LEADER (Louisiana Enhancing Aging with Dignity through Empowerment and Respect).

SU brings the H.E.A.T. Hundreds of SU students and the “Human Jukebox” Marching Band, along with faculty, staff, SU administrators, participated in a Higher Education All Together (H.E.A.T) rally at the State Capitol, February 24, 2016, sponsored by the Council of Student Body Presidents (COSBP). Student Leaders organized the rally to show support for Louisiana’s public colleges and universities.

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Spring/Summer 2016

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS SUNO professor named educator of the year The National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) named Ira Arthell Neighbors, a SUNO social work professor, as its Educator of the Year.

The award was presented Thursday, March 24, 2016, at the association’s 48th National Conference at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans.

According to the assoIra Arthell Neighbors ciation, Neighbors was selected for this award because of his personal commitment to social work and advancing student development through his mentorship, scholarship, and tireless service.

Neighbors’ service within NABSW began when he enrolled at UCLA’s School of Social Welfare in 1981 to pursue his MSW degree and served as the president of the student chapter of the Los Angeles Association of Black Social Workers. He continued membership as he moved coast to coast, first in the Washington, D.C. chapter as he pursued his DSW at Howard University School of Social Work (1990-1994), to becoming vice president of the Inland Area Association of Black Social Workers in California, co-president of the California Association of Black Social Workers (1995-1999), and presently a member and vice president of the New Orleans Association of Black Social Workers (1999-present).

Hundreds attend memorial for fallen SU students The Southern University Baton Rouge Student Government Association held a candlelight vigil Tuesday, April 12, 2016, in the courtyard of the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union, in honor of SU Baton Rouge students Lashuntae Benton and Annette January, who died Sunday, April 10, in an incident off campus.

Benton was a native of Lake Charles and a therapeutic recreation and leisure studies major, and January, was a management major from Gary, Indiana.

Funerals were held for the student in their respective hometowns on Saturday, April16.

The Southern University System Foundation (SUSF) established a memorial fund to support the families of Benton and January: https://netcommunity.sus.edu/lashuntaebenton-and-annette-janary-memorial-fund

A committed educator since 1999, Neighbors has been associate professor, program director and dean of graduate studies at SUNO. He has made major contributions to advancing the education of black social work students and practitioners. In addition, he is the founding editor of the Journal of Forensic Social Work and has published articles on HIV and AIDS, health and mental health, and forensic social work. He has presented workshops at local, national, and international conferences on topics including Post-Katrina New Orleans, forensic social work, and domestic violence.

“We are extremely proud of Dr. Neighbors for receiving this prestigious honor,” SUNO chancellor Victor Ukpolo said.“His dedication to his students, SUNO and the community is unwavering. This recognition from the National Association of Black Social Workers is well deserved.”

Southern University

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SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

History making NASA astronaut headlines SU Founders’ Day The first African-American woman to travel into space, Dr. Mae Jemison, was the keynote speaker for a combination Community Prayer Brunch and Convocation, March 9, 2016, held in observance of Southern University’s 136th Founders’ Day. Jemison greeted a large crowd in the F.G. Clark Activity Center gathered for the main program in a series of events held throughout the day in honor of the annual recognition themed,“Southern University: Continuing the Journey .. Surpassing Boundaries ..”

The 2016 SU System Founders’ Day celebration began with a SU Laboratory School Commemoration and included the Community Prayer Brunch/Convocation, a NASA Student Exposition through the cooperative efforts of NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center and George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, a 136th Founders’ Day Birthday Party, and an Employee Service Awards Recognition Dinner, honoring University faculty and staff.

The SU Law Center hosted a roundtable discussion,“The History Dr. Mae Jemison was guest speaker for SU Founders of the effort to access legal educa“To be invited to be a part of Day Convocation, March 9, 2016. tion statewide.1946 lawsuit, Charles Founders’ Day even though I didn’t J. Hatfield III v. Louisiana State Board go to SU is an honor,” said the trailblazing scientist and of Education, a catalyst for the establishment of the SU physician who in 1987 became the first African-American School of Law,” with a networking reception. (See story, woman to be admitted into the National Aeronautics page 15). and Space Administration’s (NASA) astronaut training The Southern University Shreveport’s Founders’ Day program. program was postponed due to campus closure for Speaking of her personal accomplishments and to the inclement weather. occasion of the SU commemoration, Jemison said it’s important to look back, but also to look forward.

“You have to connect both,” she said.

The groundbreaking former astronaut acknowledged others who paved the way for her opportunities at NASA. She referred to the impact the Civil Rights Movement had on creating opportunities for minority scientists who helped NASA build a diverse workforce in the early days.

Jemison paid tribute to a group of former SU students who were being honored by the University during Founders’ Day, as student pioneers who were among the first African Americans to be recruited in the early 1960’s through NASA’s then newly created Cooperative Education Program, and who also were highlighted in the book, We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the Space Program.

“Without those who took their seat at the table and help NASA build on its commitment to social justice through scientific exploration and discovery, I would not be here today,” said Jemison.

Southern University System President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton thanked Jemison for her inspiration and for her impassioned address.

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Southern University Founders’ Day events, March 9, 2016, on the Baton Rouge campus included a NASA Student Exposition through the cooperative efforts of NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center and George C. Marshall Space Flight Center. Pictured is SU alumna and NASA learning expert Dr. Tamiara Wade working with SU Lab School student Trinity Bell to build a stomp rocket during a STEM activity in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Spring/Summer 2016

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

SUS Board names 7th SU Shreveport chancellor College System of Georgia and senior research specialist at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation.

The Southern University System (SUS) Board of Supervisors on February 12, 2016, named Rodney Ellis to become the seventh chancellor of Southern University Shreveport (SUSLA).

Ellis was one of three finalists selected by a 14-member search committee chaired

by Willie C. White III, chief executive officer, David Raines Community Health Centers, to replace the previous chancellor Ray L. Belton who was named SU System President-Chancellor last June.

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Ellis Rodney Ellis who is a distinguished educator and administrator to the Southern University System family.

His professional experience and knowledge along with his commitment to student achievement will align nicely with our mission and goals for our Shreveport campus,” said Belton.

SU Board of Supervisors Chairman Leon R. Tarver II offered congratulations as well to the chancellor-elect who will lead the SU System’s Shreveport campus.

Ellis, a higher-education consultant, is the former chancellor of Central Louisiana Technical Community College (CLTCC). Ellis previously served as executive vice president at Atlanta Technical College in Atlanta, Georgia. Ellis worked at Atlanta Technical College for nearly 13 years where he also served as vice president of IT, planning and development and director of institutional development.

Prior to his service at Atlanta Technical College, Ellis served as institutional effectiveness specialist at the Technical

Ellis earned his doctorate in higher education administration, with a specialization in community and technical college leadership, from the University of Georgia; a master of science in judicial administration from Auburn University at Montgomery; and a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Alabama.

He has served on the Board of Directors for the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce, Re-Entry Solutions, and the Rapides Parish Workforce Investment Board. He has also been an active member of the Rotary Club of Alexandria, getting recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow. He previously served as a member of the Kiwanis Club of Atlanta, the Atlanta Tech Civitan Club, the Atlanta Airport Chamber of Commerce, and the Atlanta Business League. He was also a member of the Atlanta Media and Film Community Jobs Task Force, the Atlanta Emerald Cities Green Jobs Task Force, and the Atlanta Beltline Employment Working Group.

“The campus community is thrilled to welcome Dr. Rodney Ellis as the seventh chancellor of Southern University Shreveport” said Melva Williams, executive associate to the chancellor.

SUSLA hosted a meet and greet for Ellis Monday, April 4, 2016, in the Gymnasium on the University’s main campus in Shreveport.

SULC student wins 1st place in national research competition Third-year SU Law Center student Jamar Myers-Montgomery won first place in the 2016 Pansy Jacobs Jackson National Annual Student Research Competition, sponsored by the National Association of African American Studies (NAAS), for his paper, “Militarized Police Response to Civil Protest.”

Myers-Montgomery was presented with a check for $500 at the NAAS National Conference in Baton Rouge on February 13, 2016.

His article will be published in the NAAS National Monograph Series.

Myers-Montgomery’s contest entry was derived from a paper written for SULC professor Ruby Andrew’s Legislative Drafting Seminar.

Southern University

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SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

Gravitational waves detected 100 years after Einstein’s prediction SU grad at the helm of control room during discovery of historic astrophysics event For the first time, scientists observed ripples in the fabric of spacetime called gravitational waves, arriving at the earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe. This confirmed a major prediction of Albert Einstein’s 1915 general theory of relativity and opens an unprecedented new window onto the cosmos.

a possible detection after getting calls from other researchers involved in the scientific observation for gravitational waves.

Southern University has been an active member in LIGO in the area of optical materials research since 1999.

“We have recently begun studies of mirror surfaces at distances of Gravitational waves carry informa- The National Science Foundation held a press conference about one billionth of a meter tion about their dramatic origins February 11, 2016, to announce the detection of graviusing the technique of atomic tational waves by LIGO. SU alumnus William Parker and about the nature of gravity force microscopy. Obtaining an that cannot otherwise be obtained. (pictured), a detection operator, was on duty in the control improved understanding of noise Physicists have concluded that the room at the LIGO Livingston Observatory when the event generation and light scattering at was detected. Southern University has been an active detected gravitational waves were member in LIGO since 1999 and with LIGO Science a microscopic level are our main produced during the final fraction Education Center since it opened. goals,” said Stephen C. McGuire, of a second of the merger of two professor of physics and principal black holes to produce a single, more massive spinning investigator - LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC), black hole. This collision of two black holes had been Southern University and A&M College. predicted but never observed.

Additionally, Southern University is a founding partner The gravitational waves were detected on September 14, in the LIGO Science Education Center that engages 2015 at 5:51 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time by both of the faculty and students from across the campus as well as twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory the community in science education through in-service (LIGO) detectors, located in Livingston, Louisiana, and and pre-service programs that primarily impact K-16 Hanford, Washington, USA. teacher preparation. SU College of Education, Arts and At the helm in the control room at the LIGO Livingston Humanities professor Luria Young is principal investigator Observatory was Southern University alumnus William for SU LIGO SEC Partnership. Many SU students have Parker, who first noted the anomaly and alerted staff of worked as SEC docents including Parker.

SU professor earns authorship on historic LIGO gravity wave detection paper Stephen C. McGuire, Southern University Baton Rouge professor of physics, is a co-author on the publication reporting the first direct detection of gravitational waves.

The article, entitled “Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger,” has been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Stephen C. McGuire

“Leading the establishment of the collaboration between Southern University and LIGO is a major highlight of my professional career. Being a member of the LIGO (Laser Interferometer

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Gravitational-wave Observatory) gravity-wave discovery team is the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication. I am proud to represent Southern University in this world-class physics experiment especially at such a time in the evolution of gravitational-wave astronomy.”

McGuire said.

Having published extensively in nuclear physics and its applications, McGuire lectured in the prestigious National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Colloquium Series, in the spring of 2008, on the subject of “LIGO: At the forefront of optical materials research.” At that point in its history the NIST Colloquium had included 21 Nobel laureates.

Jamar Myers-Montgomery

Spring/Summer 2016

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

SU Ag Center awarded $1.5 million community development/disaster recovery grant The Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center was awarded a three-year, $1.5 million grant that will provide economic recovery and revitalization of communities that suffered damage as a result of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. The majority of the grant, which was funded by the Louisiana Division of Administration’s Office of Community Development, Disaster Recovery Unit, will provide dedicated funding for the purchase of a high-tech, state-of-the-art mobile education and technology unit that the Center will use to provide educational training, bring Interact access, hands on testing and live instruction to low-to-moderate income families residing in the most marginalized areas and remote corners of the state.

“The Southern University Ag Center is excited to help the citizens of Louisiana through this program,” said Southern University Ag Center interim chancellor Adell Brown, Jr. “We will help small farmers re-establish their businesses as a result of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. The funds will also allow the Center to retrain residents for new employment opportunities. These resources are critical in aiding the SU Ag Center’s continual dissemination of vital educational programs to those needing services the most,” he said.

The program, named Enhancing Capacity of Louisiana’s Small Farms & Businesses, will provide four certification courses in the areas of: small ag business development;

small ruminant production; food safety and sustainable urban agriculture to the residents of the 53 parishes declared as federal disaster areas after the storms.

“The SU Ag Center will use the funding to expand and in some cases develop new educational programs to enhance the knowledge base of small farmers in communities impacted by the hurricanes,” said Dawn Mellion-Patin, project director of the program and Agricultural Specialist at the Center.

“These citizens have suffered so much and for so long.

The Southern University Ag Center has a long withstanding tradition of working with marginalized audiences and this effort is a perfect complement to our current efforts while broadening our reach statewide,” added Patin.

With a report from the Louisiana Association of United Ways stating that 40 percent of Louisiana’s households either fall into the class of the working poor or are in poverty; this program hopes to open new avenues of delivery, instruction, production and markets through its various certification courses to end the economic struggles of the state’s poverty stricken parishes.

“At the conclusion of this project, we expect that Louisiana’s most marginalized small farmers and agricultural business owners will have the opportunity to increase incomes and expand their businesses and farms. Ultimately we expect Louisiana’s small farmers and agricultural businesses to move from being at crisis levels to experiencing long-term sustainability,” said Patin.

SU Urban Forestry Program granted SAF Accreditation Candidacy The Southern University Baton Rouge Urban Forestry Program was recently granted initial candidacy for accreditation by the Society of American Foresters (SAF).

The SAF Committee on Accreditation accepted the SU candidacy report and granted initial candidacy, under the specialized accreditation in urban forestry standard, to the Urban Forestry Degree Program as administered

by Southern University and A&M College.

In a letter to SU administration, the Society of American Foresters acknowledged Southern University’s dedication to excellence in forestry education and its support of specialized urban forestry accreditation review.

Kamran Abdollahi, program leader and graduate director, along with the SU Urban Forestry faculty, students, and staff, led the effort for obtaining the accreditation status. SU Urban Forestry offers BS, MS, and PhD degree programs in the College of Sciences and Agriculture.

Southern University

SU urban forestry graduate students observe program leader and graduate director Kamran Abdollahi during a laboratory session.

Abdollahi helped lead the effort to obtain initial candidacy for accreditation for the Southern University Baton Rouge Urban Forestry Program in the College of Sciences and Agriculture, by the Society of American Foresters. — File photo

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SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS SUNO hires new campus police chief Law enforcement veteran Bruce E. Adams was hired as the new campus police chief at Southern University New Orleans (SUNO). The Southern University System Board of Supervisors approved his appointment January 8, 2016.

Bruce E. Adams

Adams comes to SUNO after working for more than 40 years at the New Orleans Police Department, where he worked his way up the ranks as a patrol officer, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and deputy chief. He announced his retirement from NOPD December 5, 2015.

During his tenure with NOPD, Adams was a member of the department’s Urban Squad (1976-1980); a detective in the Felony Action Squad, an elite unit in the late 70’s and early 80’s, who performed extensive undercover work to apprehend criminals with felonies (1980-1981); a detective with the SWAT/Street Crimes Special Operations Division (1981-1985); and a commander of various divisions within the department from 1985 to 2005. In 2005, Adams was appointed deputy superintendent of the Public Integrity

Bureau, where he served until 2007. At retirement, he was the last original member, still working with the department, of the Urban Squad and Felony Action Squad.

Adams was the first African-American commander of the NOPD’s detective bureau for the robbery and narcotics divisions, and under his leadership, the first FBI/NOPD Violent Crime/Fugitive Task Force was developed; a unit that Adams commanded and for which he wrote the program.

Adams has received numerous awards and recognitions for his commitment and excellence in law enforcement, including the National Top Cops Award from the National Association of Police Organizations; the Police and Firefighter’s Heroes Hall of Fame Award; and two Purple Hearts for incidents in which he was shot while in the line of duty.

In addition, Adams has served as an adjunct professor of criminal justice with Concordia University and SUNO. “We are thrilled to have such a high caliber law enforcement veteran as Bruce Adams to serve as our new campus police chief,” said SUNO chancellor Victor Ukpolo.

“The expertise that he brings to us will enhance our campus and allow to us to continue to provide a safe environment for our students, faculty and staff.”

SU/LSU nutrition agents receive Walmart Foundation Grant Calcasieu Parish Nutrition agents with the Southern University and LSU Ag Centers were presented with a Walmart Community Health and Wellness Initiative Grant by the Walmart Foundation during the grand opening of a Lake Charles Walmart Neighborhood Store January 20, 2016.

The award, which will be used to provide support to community outreach through the promotion of health and wellness among Lake Charles residents, was presented to Southern University Ag Center’s Carol Sensley and LSU AgCenter’s Shatonia McCarty for their work with the Creating, Healthy, Enjoyable Foods (C.H.E.F.) Cooking Camps.

Sensley, McCarty, and several C.H.E.F. Camp participants provided food demonstrations and samples for the store’s customers during the event.

Pictured: (from left): Shatonia McCarty, Southern University Board of Supervisor Member Raymond Fondel, and Carol Sensley pose for a photo during the Walmart Neighborhood Store’s grand opening.

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Spring/Summer 2016

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS SUSLA wins Shreveport Green Tree Award Southern University Shreveport received the Shreveport Green Tree Award, an award given in conjunction with the celebration of Arbor Day, designated to encourage the planting and maintenance of trees.

SUSLA was presented with the award at Shreveport Green’s annual Arbor Day Celebration January 14, 2016, which included a proclamation from the City of Shreveport, information on the history of Arbor Day, and a Tree Fair showcasing green activities and information. SUSLA was the only university recognized for attention to detail, utilization, and maintenance of canopy trees.

“We are delighted to be recognized for our contributions to the environment,” noted executive associate to the chancellor Melva Williams.“In addition to the added beauty that our canopy trees bring to the campus, we are proud to be able to contribute to our communities’ ecological and respiratory health, among other benefits.”

As a Tree Award recipient, SUSLA will receive a tree from Garrison’s Nursery to be placed on campus as an addition to the existing canopy tree landscape.

SUBR nursing professor to serve on ANA editorial advisory board

Jacqueline J. Hill

Jacqueline J. Hill, Ph.D., R.N., associate professor and chair of Southern University Baton Rouge School of Nursing and Allied Health’s Undergraduate Nursing Program, has been selected to serve on the Editorial Advisory Board for the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) member newspaper, The American Nurse (TAN).

In 2015, Hill was inducted into the Louisiana Nurses Foundation’s Hall of Fame – the first graduate of Southern’s nursing school to be inducted. She is past president of the Louisiana State Nurses Association.

“I consider it an honor and privilege to be selected, and look forward to serving,” said Hill.

TAN is the award-winning official news magazine of the ANA. The publication examines the top issues facing ANA member nurses and reports on what ANA is doing to advance nursing in the big picture.

The American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional organization representing the interests of the nation’s 3.4 million registered nurses through its constituent and state nurses associations and its organizational affiliates.

SUBR Student Nurses Association makes donation to cancer center Southern University Baton Rouge’s Student Nurses Association (SNA) presented a $500 check to the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, December 10, 2015, in honor of former SNA faculty advisor, and assistant professor, the late Kimberly Vincent-McCoy.

Pictured: (left-right) Charles Washington and Lonnie Fitzpatrick, grounds maintenance; Joseph LaCour, director of facilities and maintenance; Melva Williams, executive associate to the chancellor; Larry McBride, grounds maintenance, SUSLA; and Brian Crawford, CAO, City of Shreveport.

On hand to present the donation were (left - right): Rosalynn Thyssen (SNA co-advisor), Juanita Garner (SNA faculty advisor), Kaitlyn Guerin (Mary Bird Perkins), Christen Lundy (SNA historian), Mignon Galathe (SNA event coordinator), and Steven Jackson Jr. (SNA president).

Southern University

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SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS SUBR Department of Rehabilitation and Disability Studies receives grants totaling $13.1 million

Alo Dutta, (left), associate professor, Department of Rehabilitation and Disabilities Studies is principal investigator, and Madan M. Kundu, professor and chair is project director for a $12.5 million Department of Ed grant.

Southern University Baton Rouge’s Department of Rehabilitation and Disabilities Studies received $13.1 million in grants to fund the campus’ Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Targeted Communities (VRTAC-TC) (Project E3).

The center was awarded $2.5 million per year for five years, 2015-2020, a total of $12.5 million, and funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Department of Education.

The center is designed to improve vocational rehabilitation (VR) outcome of persons with disabilities from traditionally marginalized communities.

Project E3’s team will provide intensive and focused technical assistance to all 80 State-Federal Vocational Rehabilitation agencies and 20 targeted communities across the U.S. and its territories.

Madan M. Kundu, chair and professor, SUBR Department of Rehabilitation and Disabilities Studies serves as the project director and Alo Dutta, associate professor, is the principal investigator.

This national project is a collaboration of Southern University Baton Rouge, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-Stout, George Washington University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation.

In addition, the department received a $600,000, three-year (2015-2018) research grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Project CLAIM is designed to provide differential academic and employment-support services to transition SUBR students with disabilities leading to improved college completion and employment outcome.

SU System welcomes new executive VP for academic affairs and provost The Southern University System (SUS) last fall selected M. Christopher Brown II as the new executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.

M. Christopher Brown II

Brown has more than 10 years of experience in higher education administration including serving as president of Alcorn State University in Mississippi, and as executive vice president and provost at Fisk University in Tennessee.

Brown, who was previously senior fellow, Division of Academic Leadership and Change, for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities in Washington, DC, was chosen from a pool of candidates after a nationwide search to fill the new SUS cabinet position.

Prior to serving as the 18th president of Alcorn State University and before his appointment at Fisk, he served as dean of the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, vice president for programs and administration at the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, director of social justice and professional development for the American Educational Research Association, as well as executive director and chief research scientist of the Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute of the United Negro College Fund.

Brown has held faculty appointments at Pennsylvania State University, George Mason University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Bowie State University, West Virginia University, Indiana University, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

A former member of the South Carolina State University Board of Trustees, Brown is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, the 100 Black Men of America, Rotary International, a 33rd degree Free and Accepted Mason Prince Hall Affiliation, and an ordained Baptist minister.

The Charleston, South Carolina native holds a Ph.D. in higher education from The Pennsylvania State University, a master of science in education policy and evaluation from the University of Kentucky, and a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from South Carolina State University.

The project will be implemented in collaboration with the Departments of English and Mathematics, and the Office of Disability Services on the Baton Rouge campus.

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Spring/Summer 2016

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS SUSLA partners with Capital One Bank to open innovative Technology Center

SU professor and director named AAAS Fellow

Southern University Shreveport opened an innovative technology center, thanks to generous donations totaling more than $50,000 from Capital One Bank to fund and support the project.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) this spring elected Rao M. Uppu, professor and director of Southern University Baton Rouge’s (SUBR) Environment Toxicology Ph.D. Program, and Health Research Center,“Fellow.”

The Capital One Career Technology Center (COCTC) was unveiled in a grand opening ceremony last fall at the site of the former Newton Smith Elementary School and home to the YouthBuild Shreveport Program.

The goal of the COCTC is to provide access to technology, strengthen learning experiences of opportunity youth, and promote computer literacy and digital citizenship as well as academic and vocational readiness.

“Capital One Bank has been a strong supporter of Southern University Shreveport for many years, and we are proud to bring our partnership to an even higher level with the funding of this important new technology center,” said Rick Larsen, North Louisiana market president for Capital One Bank.

Long-term plans for the Center include potential opportunities to further partner with the community and the addition of programs to assist with HiSET readiness, ACT preparation, workforce certification, etc.

Uppu was recognized for distinRao M. Uppu guished contributions in the field of oxidative biology, particularly for modeling and understanding of enzymatic hydrogen transfer, biological nitration, and signaling by “ozonespecific” oxysterols.

The AAAS Council elected 347 Fellows for 2015 in recognition of their contributions to innovation, education, and scientific leadership. The tradition of electing AAAS Fellows began in 1874 to recognize members for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

Uppu is the first professor at SU to receive the prestigious distinction from the world’s largest general scientific society.

The newly elected Fellows were formally recognized February 13, 2016, at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the society’s annual meeting in Washington, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.

According to AAAS, the AAAS Council elects Fellows annually from the list of approved nominations from the Section Steering Committees.

The AAAS appointment is among several recent accomplishments for the SU professor and administrator.

SU Shreveport last fall opened the Capital One Career Technology Center thanks to a generous donation of more than $50,000 from Capital One Bank. Pictured are representatives from SUSLA and Capital One during the ribbon cutting ceremony officially opening the Center.

Southern University

Last year, Uppu was selected as a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (DABT). According to a DABT press release, there are only four DABT and two Fellow ATS in the higher education system of Louisiana. Uppu holds the distinction of being one of just two toxicologists in Louisiana to have both DABT and Fellow ATS.

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SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS Honoré Center receives $100k donation AllClear ID founder/CEO Bo Holland made a $100,000 donation to the Honoré Center for Undergraduate Student Achievement with a check presentation on the campus to SUNO officials and the Center’s namesake (retired) Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, December 11, 2015.

AllClear ID – an identity protection firm based in Austin, Texas, gave to support the Honoré Center for Undergraduate Student Achievement, a black male teacher development initiative located at Southern University New Orleans. It’s the latest in a series of pledges of financial support for the Center.

substantial resources and support for up to five years – including campus housing and meals, a personal computer, textbook vouchers and a monthly $100 stipend – while they complete their degree. The students must agree to serve for a minimum of two years as classroom teachers upon completion of their degrees.

Experts say more than 500 new classroom teachers will be needed over the next 10 years in New Orleans according to Bell, organizations such as Teach for America have already indicated that they can provide only about 150 of those educators within that time frame. For the Honore’ Center, nothing would be better than making sure as many of those future teaching vacancies are filled with “Honoré Men.” “We were delighted by Bo Holland’s gesture of support for our efforts,”Honoré said,“because it represents an investment not only in these young men but also in New Orleans’ future classrooms.”

NEH awards $5k grant to SUNO Museum Studies Pictured (from left): Honoré Center director Warren Bell, Honoré student Louis Blackmon, Southern University System Foundation board member Anna Jones, Honore’ student Jarred Jupiter, AllClear ID Founder/CEO Bo Holland, Honoré student Lawrence Clovis, vice chancellor of community outreach/university advancement Gloria B Moultrie, Honore’ student John A. Brown, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Russel Honoré, and Honoré student Dominique Carter.

Founding Honoré Center director Warren Bell says the pilot project’s ongoing challenge is identifying college-ready young men to become the next generation of black male classroom leaders.

According to Bell, “We have a local education landscape that is in short supply of qualified black male educators, resulting in great career opportunities for those young men willing to seize the opportunity we offer them,” he said.“We underwrite most of their costs to attend college and major in education at a fully-accredited program right here in our city.”

AllClear ID officials toured the SUNO campus to witness progress made since being ravaged by Hurricane Katrina 10 years ago. They also spent time hearing personal testimonies from students enrolled in the three-year-old pilot program, which was created to help more young men living in the New Orleans area during the city’s postKatrina school climate to succeed at the college level before serving their communities as classroom teachers.

The Honoré Center recruits young men from disadvantaged backgrounds who are deemed to have character and classroom leadership potential. The students receive OVATIONS | 26

The Museum Studies Master’s Program at Southern University New Orleans received a $5,234 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to develop a long-term plan to preserve the University’s Norma Wolff Collection of African Art. Using the NEH grant, the Museum Studies Program, under the direction of Haitham Eid, hired a consultant to conduct a preservation assessment and train museum staff on preventive conservation measures. In addition, the program acquired preservation supplies.

SUNO’s Norma Wolff Collection of African art comprises 96 cultural objects (masks, jewelry, instruments and weapons) from West and Central Africa. The Wolff Collection has been featured in exhibits and scholarly publications.

Highlights include a Bambara mask from Mali and Yoruba sculptures from Nigeria.

Planned workshops would introduce museum studies faculty and students to strategies to manage and preserve the collection through effective storage, proper handling and the regular monitoring of temperature, light and humidity.

“We are pleased that the NEH has awarded the Museum Studies program the $5,000 grant,” Eid said.“These funds will help us to preserve the Wolff Collection, which is not only important to the University but also to our local and regional communities.”

Spring/Summer 2016

SU SYSTEM & CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

SUSLA, LSUS sign psychology student articulation agreement A joint agreement that will make it easier for psychology students at Southern University Shreveport to complete a bachelor’s degree at LSU Shreveport was formalized during a ceremony December 14, 2015, at SUSLA. The two campuses completed an alliance agreement during a signing ceremony in the Southern University Library on the MLK Campus. SUSLA’s interim chancellor S. Albert Gilliam and LSUS chancellor Larry Clark were joined by other officials from both schools for the event.

credits they earn there will transfer seamlessly and be counted toward a four-year degree at LSUS should they decide to pursue further education. We are pleased to enter into this joint agreement with our partners at SUSLA for the benefit of students.

We look forward to their presence in our classrooms.”

As a part of the agreement, SUSLA agrees to inform their graduates about the opportunity to obtain a bachelor of SUSLA’s Interim Chancellor S. Albert Gilliam (left) and LSUS Chancellor Larry Clark sign psychology articulation agreement. science degree from LSUS and to allow LSUS representatives to actively recruit students into the psychology program The agreement establishes the articulation for students when they complete their degrees at SUSLA. who successfully complete SUSLA’s Psychology Program.

SUSLA students who meet the criteria announced during the formal signing will be able to transfer to LSUS and matriculate in the Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

“As always, we are pleased to partner with LSUS to provide additional quality educational opportunities for our students to make lasting impacts in our community and abroad,” said Gilliam.“This program will allow our students to build on the foundation made at SUSLA.” Clark said,“This agreement ensures that students can begin their studies at SUSLA and feel confident that the

In addition, LSUS agrees to work closely with SUSLA graduates to schedule courses at times enabling them to matriculate and maintain gainful employment, to accept 60 credit hours of coursework toward the Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and to develop processes that are in the best interest of the student.

For more information on the program, contact Rosalyn Holt, chair, SUSLA Division of Behavioral Sciences at, 318-670-6000.

Southern University welcomes South African Ambassador to U.S. South African Ambassador Mninwa J. Mahlangu visited Southern University Baton Rouge, November 19, 2015, and addressed an assembly at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy, in the atrium of Rodney G. Higgins Hall. Ambassador Mahlangu spoke to more than 200 students, faculty, and staff about the legacy of Mandela, the 60th anniversary of the Freedom Charter, and the importance of overcoming unemployment, poverty, and inequality in South Africa and the United States. Pictured (left - right): SU System PresidentChancellor Ray L. Belton, SU Board of Supervisors Chairman Leon R. Tarver II, Ambassador Mninwa Mahlangu, and Keith A. Doley, honorary consul to the Republic of South Africa, from New Orleans.

Southern University

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SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY NEW ORLEANS

SUNO’s Early Start Program for those serious about their studies Higher education research shows that easing students’ transition from high school to college increases the likelihood they will remain enrolled and graduate.

Research also indicates that an easy transition doesn’t come without hard work on behalf of students, faculty, and administrators.

The Enrollment Management Division at Southern University New Orleans has a cadre of programs designed to help students to persist during their matriculation. The Division’s newest student success initiative, Early Start Program, is designed to assist students while they are in high school.

The SUNO Early Start program is offered free of charge to eligible students.

“We must be proactive in providing students the tools that they need to be successful, says Leatrice Latimore, SUNO assistant vice chancellor of enrollment management. “We must help the students to envision themselves as college graduates and provide them with the means to get there.”

The program is open to eleventh and twelfth-grade students who have successfully completed required high school coursework as mandated by the Louisiana Board of Regents, which includes a passing score on the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program Examination (LEAP) and the Graduation Exit Examination (GEE), and have demonstrated the maturity necessary to matriculate in a university setting. Students also must submit recommendations from their high school guidance counselor and approval from their principal to enter the program.

The Early Start Program has allowed enrollment at SUNO to grow and gives students a jump start on their careers by eliminating time wasting activities during the last year of high school. It is an alternative for those students who have two or more electives to complete their school day.

Early start programs like the one at SUNO engage and motivate students by giving them the personalized service and basic courses they need to make a smooth transition to college.

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Students can earn up to three credit hours each semester, which allows them the opportunity to earn up to 12 hours of college credit prior to being formally admitted to the University. They have access to all of the campus’ facilities and programs, and even some of the student organizations, such as the arts center, ROTC, academic teams, and intramural sports.

“The goal is to fully prepare students for the next level of education,” says Latimore.

“Students are able to capitalize on the educational offerings at SUNO by taking those basic freshman level courses and accelerating through the courses so that they are ahead of their peers.”

Requirements for Early Start Participation General eligibility requirements: • Fifteen years of age and currently enrolled in the 11th or 12th grade.

• PLAN or ACT assessment scores on file.

• Permission by high school and parent/guardian to participate.

• Student in good standing at enrolled high school.

• Ability to receive dual credit for high school & college.

College-level course eligibility: • On track for completing LA Core 4 Curriculum • Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 • Minimum PLAN Composite score of 18 or minimum ACT Composite score of 18 or SAT equivalent.

• Subscore of at least 18 in English.

• Subscore of at least 19 in Mathematics.

Enrichment/Developmental course eligibility: • On track for completing LA Core 4 Curriculum • Minimum PLAN Composite score of 14 or minimum ACT Composite score of 15 or SAT equivalent.

• 12th grade student.

Spring/Summer 2016

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY NEW ORLEANS

SUNO approved to offer first doctorate program Southern University New Orleans’ proposal to offer a Doctor of Social Work program (DSW), the University’s first doctoral program was approved last fall by the Louisiana Board of Regents.

The new program will fill a state and national need for social workers in the areas of health care, social services, mental health and school social services. It also will alleviate a projected severe shortage of doctoraltrained social workers to expand the ranks in academia in the coming years.

The 2014-15 edition of Occupational Outlook Handbook expects social workers to grow by 19 percent from 2012 to 2022, which is faster than the average for all occupations.

“The primary objective of the DSW program is to prepare students for leadership roles to perform advanced practice as professional social workers with knowledge and skills of evidence-based practice models within three specializations: pedagogy, practice, and administration,” SUNO

chancellor Victor Ukpolo said.“These specializations will prepare graduates of the program to function as leaders of the social work profession locally, nationally, and globally.

Graduates would fill workforce needs as social workers, academicians, administrators and applied researchers.”

Expected to launch in Fall 2016, the DSW program is a three-year program.

Accepted students will be required to have a master’s degree in social work, two years of post-MSW practice experience, and social work licensure.

“The DSW program comes as a result of the combined efforts of faculty and professionals in the community,” said Beverly Favre, former dean of SUNO’s School of Social Work.“This passage will be an asset to New Orleans, our state and nation by the employment of qualified professionals at a higher level.”

Prior to her recent retirement from SUNO, Favre led the School of Social Work’s efforts in preparing the initial DSW program proposal.

FOUNDED IN 1956

Southern University

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SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SHREVEPORT LOUISIANA

SUSLA reaching out with new marketing push Southern University Shreveport is sharing great educational opportunities with the people in Shreveport and beyond about why they should become a part of the Southern University System, mainly the Shreveport campus.

The development of the “Because I AM Southern/ Come Be Southern” came into fruition when the Office of University Relations teamed up with Strategery, L.L.C., a marketing company, to give life to the concepts that University Relations and SUSLA envisioned.

Closing slate on a series of TV ads featuring real-life situations to attract potential students to “Because I Am Southern University Shreveport.

Southern/Come Be Southern” campaign officially launched during the 42nd Bayou Clas“Those visions were transformed into several pieces that sic and Thanksgiving weekend last fall. The campaign was speak to the heart of what we do and who we are at designed to highlight the many paths available to Southern University at Shreveport,”said Williams.

Southern University Shreveport, and to encourage In addition to the TV broadcast spots, people can look for prospective students to “Come Be Southern,” which has print media such as brochures, billboards, and mail out multiple concepts, according to University Relations staff. pieces with the “Because I Am Southern”

“The campaign not only encourages them (future students) to become a part of the SUSLA family and the larger Southern University System, but also has a regional connotation for someone that may be interested in Southern University Shreveport from another geographical region as well,” said Melva Williams, executive associate to the chancellor SUSLA. New commercials along with social media and website campaigns tap into the diversity of the SUSLA student body, and into the “Southern” pride and localism. Five different commercials were designed with one concept, to tell the nature and ethos of SUSLA said Williams.

In addition to the TV broadcast spots, people can look for print media such as brochures, billboards, and mail out pieces with the “Because I Am Southern” message.

The commercials were aired on NBC Sports during the Bayou Classic game and will continue to play throughout the year.

SUSLA’s ultimate goal is to continue brand reaffirmation/ awareness that will hopefully create a positive impact on enrollment and student retention.

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message. Radio, and diverse use of digital and social media, will also be a strong part of the campaign in order to spread the message across Louisiana and beyond.

Williams says there is excitement around the new campaign on the SUSLA campus. She added that the campus community is “eager to start extending the invitation to ‘Come Be Southern’!”

As part of their preparation for the big launch the University used small focus groups of faculty, staff, and students on campus to measure the potential effectiveness of the message and to make any minor changes needed. Williams said that the feedback from the small focus groups have been great thus far.

Be on the lookout for the campaign and help tell the Southern Story!

Spring/Summer 2016

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SHREVEPORT LOUISIANA

Southern University Shreveport last fall launched an ad campaign to highlight opportunities at the two-year campus of the Southern University System.

Southern University

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SU System Leader embraces new role and shares his vision for the University

FORGING A

FORWARD FOR THE SU SYSTEM OVATIONS | 32

Spring/Summer 2016

D R . R AY L . B E LT O N

IN A DEFINING MOMENT for the Southern University System, the SU Board of Supervisors in 2015, decided to combine the System President’s position with the Baton Rouge campus chancellor’s position.

After a national search, Ray L. Belton emerged as the top choice to lead the 136-year old System and is first to hold the joint position.

The job of a university president is a complex and dynamic one that sometimes creates an enigmatic aura for the person who holds it. A former University president once said that a university president is expected to be a friend of the students, a colleague of the faculty, a good partner with the alumni, a sound administrator with the management board, a good speaker with the public, a politician with the state legislature, a friend of industry, labor and agriculture,

SUS President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton had a meeting with leaders from SUNO, SUSLA, and SUBR Faculty Senates during his first official day on the job, July 1, 2015. Attending the meeting with the new SUS leader were (pictured left-right) Chester Mills, SUNO; Sonya Hester, SUSLA; and Albert Samuels and Thomas Miller, SUBR.

a persuasive diplomat with donors, a spokesperson to the press, a scholar in his own right, a public servant at the state and national levels… above all he must enjoy traveling in airplanes, eating his meals in public, and attending public ceremonies. However, SU’s newest leader does not shrink back from any of those roles, he embraces them wholeheartedly.

Many observers would be impressed by Belton’s resume. In many higher education circles, he is viewed as a caring, hard-working, and quietly effective leader.

Southern University

SU System President-Chancellor Ray Belton poses with a student during Spring 2016 commencement exercises at Southern University Baton Rouge, May 13, 2016, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Ray Belton’s message about Southern University is consistent and his passion for serving Southern University is apparent. Already he has engaged alumni, community, and business leaders to determine how the University can strengthen its presence.

He has addressed the Baton Rouge Press Club, the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge, he’s been profiled in the Baton Rouge Business Report, and he has had interviews on several local television and radio broadcasts.

We recently had a conversation with SUs newest leader to find out more about Ray Belton, the man, and what makes him uniquely qualified to lead the Southern University System.

“I am humbled by the honor of being selected to serve this institution in this capacity. I am ready to move this institution forward in a significant way.”

– Dr. Ray Belton

With a little more than 11 months on the job, the SU President Chancellor is optimistic about the future of the Southern University System. (See Q&A, page 36).

“I am humbled by the honor of being selected to serve this institution in this capacity,” says Belton.

“I am ready to move this institution forward in a significant way.”

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D R . R AY L . B E LT O N

He often tells the story of how he became an academician by accident. He had no desire to attend a four-year institution like Southern Baton Rouge, but decided to take advantage of the opportunity to attend college because he was eligible to receive the GI Bill.

“I am frequently reminded of my first glimpse of Southern University as a non-traditional, first-generational student who required direction,” says Belton.

“Yet with the guidance and through a rigorous educational experience at Southern, I have been able to prevail on many levels and will forever be indebted to this great institution.”

Belton has managed to assemble a capable senior staff of administrators that he relies on to improve efficiency on the campus. He also is interested in engaging with students, faculty and stakeholders in an effort to realize opportunities. Other changes in administrative positions are also well underway with searches conducted for top spots (chancellors) at the Law Center, the Shreveport campus, the Agricultural, Research and Extension Center, and at SU New Orleans. This spring, veteran higher education administrator Rodney Ellis (see story, page 19) was appointed to head Southern Shreveport and longtime SU Law Center administrator and professor John Pierre (see story, page 13) was selected SULC chancellor.

SU System President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton seeks out alumni, community, and business leaders to determine how the University can strengthen its presence. Pictured is Belton meeting with SU alumnus and CocaCola Bottling Company, Baton Rouge administrator Ron Sutton along with other CocaCola officials in his conference room.

President-Chancellor Belton knows that a big part of his job is in striking the right balance between respect for the University’s culture and traditions and the desire to change.

“With today’s challenging and dynamic financial and political climate, we have to be sensitive to finding what reflects the core values of the institution, but we also must be enterprising and entrepreneurial so that we move the institution forward,” says Belton.

“I know the good things that are happening at our University, says Belton.“I want to make sure that the broader community knows all of the extraordinary work that is going on at Southern.”

Belton is a Shreveport native. He earned degrees in counseling from the SU Shreveport campus and the SU Baton Rouge campus. He earned a master of arts in counseling from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a doctor of philosophy in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

He served as Chancellor of the SU System’s Shreveport campus for 15 years.

Mayor Kip Holden presents Proclamation for Healthy SU+BR Day to SU President Ray L. Belton and honors celebrity chef Leah Chase.

Edgar “Dooky” Chase III is also pictured (far left).

OVATIONS | 34

Spring/Summer 2016

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM P R E S I D E N T- C H A N C E L L O R

A Pathway Forward

The Southern University and A&M College System owns the distinction of being the only historically black system in America. While the University remains viable today and enjoys a reputation of embracing excellence, the System must continually assess pathways forward as it advances its aim to serve the state, nation, and global markets. The establishment of such a pathway starts with a vision and goals that provide guidance and a mechanism to assess outcomes.

VISION Southern University and A&M College System, as aligned with its land grant mission and guided by its historical traditions of embracing academic excellence, scholarly research, global outreach and public service, will be recognized as a leading contributor to the state’s economic success having a propensity to advance the interests of underserved communities in a changing and complex universal society. We will stand committed to teaching and learning as core values. We will further, encourage scientific discovery, technology transfer, service learning and prepare students and professionals to provide leadership and exemplary services to influence in a positive way the quality of life of individuals in our communities, nationally and in world markets.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES In keeping with this vision of the Southern University System the following five goals and subordinate objectives presents a pathway forward; in effect, facilitating the realization of the aforementioned framework and serving as a guide to ensure the fulfillment of shared aspirations.

GOAL 1

To provide a stimulating, responsive, and effective environment for student learning, student engagement with the global marketplace, and academic achievement.

GOAL 2

To make a high-quality, affordable higher education experience available to all qualified citizens who wish to further their education and training.

To deliver higher education services in a manner that is efficient, coordinated, and highly accessible.

GOAL

3

To improve rates of student retention and degree completion across the Southern University System.

To continue to seek creative funding alternatives that will expand public and private resources.

To operate as a unified system of higher education and increase productivity through effective planning, assessment, and collaboration.

To be responsive to market, employment, and economic development needs of the State and GOAL the nation.

4

To offer programs and services consistent with the changing market and employment needs of the state and nation.

To improve the support for and understanding of the Southern University and A&M College System GOAL as a leading contributor to the State’s economic success and social and political well-being.

5

To improve and expand the communication and outreach of the Southern University System to constituents, communities and legislators. www.sus.edu

Southern University

35 | OVATIONS

D R . R AY L . B E LT O N

Q&A WITH DR. BELTON

Q

There has been some fairly recent discussion in higher education that questions the relevancy of HBCUs. What do you think the future holds for HBCUs and how do you envision Southern University in the future?

A

I view HBCUs as beacons that have and will continue to be manifestations of the American dream of equal educational opportunities for all, regardless of religion, ethnic group, or socioeconomic status. As leader of this institution, I must ensure that we continue to provide the educational foundation and intellectual engagement that is required for our constituents to participate in the global marketplace. It is unfortunate that at this time, we must do so in an environment that today challenges the relevancy of our institutions.

As for SUs future, we are an institution of prominence whose mission is critical if the state of Louisiana is to achieve any semblance of economic success. The work that occurs on the campuses of the Southern System shapes the black middle class nationally and globally. Its overarching mission is draped in its origin and guided by its historical traditions.

We are the largest (only) historically black college system in America and it is my goal to not only embrace our historic traditions, but to also extend our appeal to a variety of other student groups that have aspirations to obtain a college degree. So yes, we at Southern University will be relevant as long as we actively participate in preserving and advancing the economy and society, and I believe it is her purpose to do so.

Q

Is the “top job” everything you expected that it would be? What do you see as being the rewards for being president of the largest historically black university system?

OVATIONS | 36

A

Great question! I was aware of some of the challenges and I quickly realized that there are some opportunities to improve upon the things that will sustain this institution.

I was somewhat surprised by some of the great work occurring on the Baton Rouge campus particularly and it provides an impetus for me to create an infrastructure where we are promoting all the things that we do and to find a mechanism to tell our story much better. I love the work that we do in higher education, because we get to impact the lives of people on a daily basis. As a leader, I understand the value of the University’s most valuable asset, our employees. That’s one thing about me, I realize if we don’t invest in our employees then we won’t be able to extend ourselves to the students that we wish to serve. I’ve witnessed a great level of commitment and dedication from the employees at Southern University from the persons who manicure the grounds to those who advance executive decisions. We need to continually acknowledge our employees for the contributions that they make to the University in very tangible ways. So going forward we must demonstrate that our employees are assets and a priority.

Q A

What does a typical day look like for you, Dr. Belton?

Interestingly enough, there is no typical day in higher education, but that dynamic is what lends itself to my appreciation for this role. It gives me the opportunity to work with many incredible people. I enjoy working with people. Through this exchange and interaction it affords me the opportunity to advance many diverse issues on behalf of the University community-- from discussing innovative strategies to establishing more substantive relationships that will extend the reach of Southern. So really, the unpredictability of the day is one of the refreshing things about serving in this capacity.

Q

What are your goals for the University and how would you describe the challenges you face in your position as president?

A

My goal is for Southern to be an institution of excellence and for our presence to be one that is well respected across the state and the nation. Higher education is by design an instrument of economic development. So, we must be a leading contributor to the state of Louisiana’s economic success having a propensity to advance the interests of underserved communities, especially in the very communities where our campuses are located. We should focus on those things that help our communities. I know that we cannot be everything to everybody; that is why I am interested in defining centers of excellence at each campus. We must provide the educational foundation and intellectual engagement that our students need to compete in the global marketplace.

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D R . R AY L . B E LT O N

Southern University’s foundation is one that is built on the promise of imparting knowledge to a diverse population and we must continually assess a pathway forward and play a pivotal role in responding to the state’s short- and long-term employment needs. Additionally, we will stand committed to research and innovation and teaching and learning as core values.

As for challenges, of course budget shortfalls are particularly challenging, but the economic problems associated with maintaining any educational institution is dependent on many factors inclusive of enrollment reductions, decreased state support, reductions in federal support, dwindling endowments or weak alumni fiscal support. As an institution, we have always done more with less. So it is my desire to work along with our constituency to secure public and private funding and to increase our endowment base.

Q

Achieving academic effectiveness in more efficient ways is a major challenge for leaders at universities and colleges today. What can you share about your management style and selecting your leadership team?

A

I definitely have a participatory management style.

I don’t believe in micromanaging. I attempt to empower leaders so that decisions can be made more fluently. I prefer for leaders to be leaders and I welcome input, feedback and candor from my staff. One of the things that I’ve learned in my years in professional counseling and in higher education is that listening is important. So I listen very well. I also want to be thoroughly and completely engaged in the work of the University’s students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, and supporters. It’s important for me to get to know them all in a way that will reflect the core values of the University. My military background also plays a role in the way that I manage, so performance is key for my leadership team. With more than 27 years in higher education, I realize that few decisions are black and white, but I enjoy operating with open lines of communication and respecting the diversity of perspectives that the team may possess.

Q A

What is one thing that people don’t know about you or would be surprised to learn about you?

I’m not sure that many people have a great appreciation for my passion for excellence. In keeping with my military background, I tend to be very much focused on mission.

I always have an appreciation for anticipated outcomes. I’m a stickler for performance and accountability and holding people to task. I have an expectation of people that they will assume their responsibilities. As a leader, I am decisive, firm, fair, and proactive and I’m accustomed to making tough decisions.

Southern University

Q

With tremendous demands on your time what do you do to maintain balance? What do you do to relax?

A

I am a sports enthusiast and I enjoy watching athletic competitions on television. I also love watching movies, not necessarily in a theater, but at home. I have a large collection of action movies, but I also love a good Western. Also, anytime that I can spend quality time with family and friends is enjoyable to me.

Q A

Tell me about your family?

We have a very close family. My wife Norma and I have a combined family of six young adult children. I have three sons from my previous marriage and she has two sons and a daughter. We also have four grandchildren. One of my sons recently married and we enjoyed being a part of that ceremony.

Q A

What keeps you up at night or concerns you?

Prior to my career in higher education, I was a practicing professional counselor and on a day-to-day basis I was engaged with people trying to define their dilemmas.

So I learned very early to maintain or create boundaries. Very seldom do I take things home; however, in this career things follow you home. And I mean that in all sincerity and I’ve tried to put that into context. Nothing imposes on me that causes me to have sleepless nights. I believe that better days are always on the horizon and there is always an opportunity to change course.

Q A

What kinds of books do you like to read?

I enjoy reading historical books and I find it refreshing to read books about leaders. I find myself re-visiting the Autobiography of Martin Luther King and the Autobiography of W.E.B. DuBois. It is interesting to read about great leaders and to learn that these leaders were men and women with human frailties.

37 | OVATIONS

S O U T H E R N U N I V E R S I T Y A G R I C U LT U R A L C E N T E R

SW Center for Rural Initiatives empowering citizens and creating opportunities Recent research shows that rural and small communities face many challenges. In the state of Louisiana that has an average per capita income of $28,555, the challenges are even more pronounced.

Fortunately, the SU Ag Center is poised to address the disparities faced by Louisianans living in rural communities while engaging them in the decisions that affect the quality of their lives.

“A commitment to empowerment, fairness and opportunity has guided our work at the SCRI,” says Wanda Burke, director of the Center.

Burke, who was hired in 2012, is passionate about the work of the Center and she is equally proud of the program outcomes.

One of the center’s signature programs is its annual Back to School Summit that features motivational speakers, giveaways, Youth Educational Support (Y.E.S.) students participate in National Ag Day activities and an array of March 15, 2016, at the Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives in Opelousas. programs designed With the establishto prepare students ment of the Southfor success as they west Center for Rural Initiatives (SCRI) Loureturn to school after the summer break. isiana citizens have access to a multitude of Each year, thousands of youth from schools resources. Established as an extension of the in Avoyelles, Evangeline, Lafayette, Pointe Louisiana Center for Rural Initiatives during Coupee, St. Landry, St. Martin, and the Louisiana Legislative Session in 2004, Vermillion Parishes, travel to Lafayette the SCRI is focused on establishing strong for the SCRI sponsored event. communities and is committed to creating The SCRI recently began an exercise opportunities for the vulnerable populations accountability program,“Commit to Being that exist in the state.

Fit and Healthy,” which is a holistic wellness The Center moved into a new facility in program and includes both exercising and Opelousas in 2006. The SCRI operates as eating healthy. In addition to this once-weekly a satellite unit of the Southern University program, the Anytime Fitness of Opelousas Agricultural Research and Extension Center has volunteered to become a wellness with a mission to conduct basic and applied partner and offer participants and their research and to disseminate information families discounted membership, registration to the citizens of Louisiana in a manner that is useful in fees, and free guest passes. addressing their scientific, technological, social, economic, Late last year, SCRI received a grant from the Wal-Mart and cultural needs.

Foundation to teach healthy living practices to youth The SCRI has several programmatic targets including through its Ambassadors for Healthy Living Program. economic, marketing, policy and community development, Louisiana is one of 21 states approved for funding by family and human development, sustainable plant and Wal-Mart’s 4-H Youth Voice: Youth Choice Program. animal production systems, and youth development.

OVATIONS | 38

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S O U T H E R N U N I V E R S I T Y A G R I C U LT U R A L C E N T E R

The Foundation donated $2 Million nationally to the program to expand its reach from 15 states to 21, reaching 75,000 at-risk youth and their families with interactive education about nutrition and food security challenges.

The SCRI will provide youth with an understanding and knowledge of the phrase,“healthy living,” impart a complete understanding of the importance of healthy living, learn strategies to develop and maintain a healthy eating and physical lifestyle, and become ambassadors of healthy living to encourage family and friends to develop and maintain a healthy eating and physical lifestyle through its Ambassadors for Healthy Living Program. The program will cover the SCRI’s ten-parish area of St. Landry, Lafayette, Vermilion, Acadia, St. Martin, Pointe Coupee, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Allen and Evangeline Parishes, as well as, East Baton Rouge and Orleans Parish.

The University continues to fulfill its land-grant mission through the outreach activities of the SU Agricultural, Research and Extension Center and remains committed to strengthening the community by empowering citizens.

Since 2006, the SU Ag Center has implemented the “Youth Educational Support” (Y.E.S.) after-school enrichment program throughout the Southwest Region. Y.E.S. Program works with families that have limited resources.

The program provides information that promotes long term commitment to the education of children via their family environment, school, community, and extension staff in the state of Louisiana.

Wanda Burke, director of the SU Ag Center’s satellite Southwest Center for Rural initiatives welcomes students to its annual Back to School Summit in Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette. The event features motivational speakers, giveaways, and an array of programs designed to prepare students for success as they return to school after the summer break.

Southern University and A&M College System AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND E XTENSION C ENTER Agriculture impacts every aspect of our lives. The Southern University Agricultural Center is dedicated to providing academic, research and extension programs designed to improve the quality of life for limited-resource and underserved families, farmers and small businesses throughout the State of Louisiana and beyond Southern University Ag Center P.O. Box 10010 Baton Rouge, LA 70813 (225) 771-2242 www.suagcenter.com

“Linking Citizens of Louisiana with Opportunities for Success” Southern University

39 | OVATIONS

S O U T H E R N U N I V E R S I T Y B AT O N R O U G E

Innovative technology enhances teaching and learning experience for SUBR faculty, students College of Education, Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE), and Office of Research; at the time Mellieon-Williams was in the Office of Research. Enhancing more classrooms on the Baton Rouge campus became the focus of the meeting, with the sole purpose to find ways to keep students engaged.

The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) at Southern University Baton Rouge has been introducing new ways to enhance teaching techniques over the past two years. The division has integrated innovative technology in classrooms and providing faculty the opportunity to connect with students on their level.

“Technology is just a tool, “Change the way you teach however the purpose and and you can change the way overall theme of the innovative the students look at the subject,” Students using the “Top Hat,” app in the classroom. technology is engaging the says Francesca Mellieonstudents,” said Mellieon-Williams.

Williams, the academic technology and innovation coordinator for the Division of Information Technology Engaging students meant stepping out the box for many on the Southern University Baton Rouge campus. faculty members. By introducing iPads, the interest was The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) at Southern University Baton Rouge has been introducing new ways to enhance teaching techniques over the past two years.

The division has integrated innovative technology in classrooms and providing faculty the opportunity to connect with students on their level.

sparked and IPad faculty trainings were developed. One Friday every month, faculty members attend a seminar with the Academic Technology staff to learn the power of the iPad.

“It is clear to see that this world is constantly advancing in technology and we have to keep up,” said Mellieon-Williams. She began demonstrating to the faculty ways to engage with students using iPads, Apple TV, and Apple applications in their lesson plans.

The Academic Technology Department, which falls under DOIt, serves the Baton Rouge campus by assisting faculty, students, and staff with technology support. Upgrades have been provided to classroom such as the multi-media classrooms and computer labs on campus. Under the department they also handle Blackboard and the faculty iPad training courses. If it involves enhancing teaching and learning with technology, you can count on Academic Technology to get it done.

In the Fall 2013, an Apple Inc. collaboration was initiated with a meeting with DoIT, the OVATIONS | 40

“Technology is just a tool, however the purpose and overall theme of the innovative technology is engaging the students.”

–

Francesca Mellieon-Williams, academic technology and innovation coordinator, Division of Information Technology, SU Baton Rouge

In the fall of 2015 a new program was introduced through CTLE, it was a piloted application called “Top Hat.” One professor in the Department of Chemistry took off with the app in his classroom. Mellieon-Williams said Scott Wicker, chemistry adjunct professor, fell in love with the application and “is the Top Hat poster child.” He uses it to take attendance and allow students to respond to questions through smart devices during the lectures. Top Hat allows Wicker to capture real data for student assessments.

“Participation has dramatically increased and they are understanding. They are opening up,” said Wicker.

As students understand the classwork better it opens the communication door.“There is more professor student interaction with all of your students, not just one or two,” said Wicker.

The progress that Wicker sees in his classroom is evident that it is important for all faculty to jump on the innovative Spring/Summer 2016

S O U T H E R N U N I V E R S I T Y B AT O N R O U G E

technology bandwagon. Simply it connects back to the product of students Southern puts out says Wicker.

“Because of our small class sizes now we can really truly engage with our students, increase critical thinking and cognitive thought processes that we would see long-term,” said Wicker.“It is critical for the existence of Southern and rebranding itself to pushing forward.”

Mellieon-Williams’ role with the department is to seek out the resources and tools to provide faculty with the best teaching environment for their students. In the spring they launched the Faculty Academy of Master Educators with Academic Affairs, and CTLE over the summer and included nine faculty members with one from the Law Center, on learning strategies and how to teach effectively.

There were professors from math, biology, chemistry, sociology, and English departments, and the Law School.

In the summer during Jags365 new student orientation for the freshmen class the Academic Technology department demonstrated and explained to students how the technology is being used in classes at SU.

In the fall of 2015, the department expanded to enhancing the K-12 classrooms at Southern Lab School, and assisted with setting up their iPad program.

Most recently, Southern University System (SUS), April 19, 2016, signed a partnership Memorandum of Understanding with California State University (CSU) and the Multimedia Education Resources for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) organization for the design and deployment of Southern University’s Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) Initiative, and to create the Southern University Open Online Library for Education (SUOL4Ed).

The partnership will enable SUS faculty to conveniently and successfully choose high quality no-cost and low-cost course materials for designing and delivering online courses and online programs, enable SU students to easily and equitably have access to the high quality no-cost and low-cost course materials for their courses, allow SU administrators to easily and accurately measure the savings for students being produced by the SU AL$ program over time, and measure the benefits for students’ learning. (See story, page 10).

#WeAreSouthern A

t Southern University we take great pride in the outstanding programs we offer in nursing, engineering, business, education, the arts and the sciences. Our athletic teams continue to reach new heights and our marching band - The Human Jukebox - is America’s best. It is our bright students and the family atmosphere on the Baton Rouge campus that truly makes the difference. Let us provide you with a pathway to SUccess.

Admissions 225.771.7827 or apply online www.subr.edu/admissions

Southern University

www.subr.edu

41 | OVATIONS

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER

SULC recognized for alumni employed in government service A national publication that regularly ranks law schools and their services, PreLaw magazine placed SULC on its “honor roll” for alumni employed in government service.

in civic change,” Walker stated.

Public service is at the core of the Southern University Law Center experience.

SULC’s Clinical Education Program, which enters its 44th year in 2016, was initiated Featured in the with experiential Winter 2016 issue, learning in mind “Best Schools for that would provide Fifteen SULC Alumni Louisiana Legislators: Currently serving are Sen. Jonathan Perry, ‘03, Public Service,” legal services (District 26); Sen. Jay Luneau, ‘92, (District 29); and Sen. Rick Ward III, ‘74, (District 17) SULC was in to the public. and Rep. Chad Brown, ‘96, (District 60); Rep. Stephen Dwight, ‘02, (District 35); Rep. Randal the top 20 (#19) Gaines, ‘84, (District 57); Rep. James “Jimmy” Harris, ‘05, (District 99); Rep. Marcus Hunter, Through their for government ‘05, (District 17); Rep. Katrina Jackson, ‘04, (District 16); Rep. Edward “Ted” James, ‘06, work in nine (District 101); Rep. Samuel L. “Sam” Jenkins, Jr., ‘82, (District 2); Rep. Edmond Jordan, ‘97, service based on clinics, law curriculum, includ- (District 29); Rep. Sherman Mack, ‘99, (District 95); Rep. Blake Miguez, ‘08, (District 49); students become and Rep. Thomas Willmott, ‘87, (District 92). ing externships familiar with in government service; employment, based on the perpublic agencies including the judiciary system, and are centage of grads, who are employed in public service; and made more aware of the public need for legal services financial, based on salary, student loan debt, and existence that they can provide. of an LRAP. One of the Law Center’s administrative priorities is to SULC is one of only two schools earning an A+ in public provide opportunities for law students to serve in public service employment by PreLaw Magazine. interest law capacities during their Law Center matricula“I am happy that PreLaw magazine using objective criteria tion. The Chancellor’s Public Interest initiative has recognizes that the Southern University Law Center is a supported this goal by providing stipends in the amount leader in legal education,” SULC Chancellor John K. Pierre of up to $2,500 to students who commit themselves to said.“The national ranking and recognition confirms that working in public interest and other unpaid, servicethe Law Center continues to produce lawyer-leaders for oriented summer law internship. Student interns, through the 21st century.” the assignments they complete, often express a new found interest for their career paths.

Statistics reported to the American Bar Association show that for the last three years the percentages of SULC graduates employed in public service, government, and judicial clerkships are: 25 percent in 2013; 41.3 percent in 2014; and 29 percent in 2015.

“This ranking speaks volumes to SULC’s commitment to public service and a testament to our students strong desire to further the mission of our institution,”Tavares Walker, interim director of career services, said.

“As a result, our students and graduates are drawn to careers in government service as a medium to participate OVATIONS | 42

Through a partnership between SULC and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA), an innovative program was offered recently in which 32 public service attorneys were paired with 16 SULC students for an intensive, hands-on, four-day training session to teach students how to become better advocates for their clients.

“This class gave our students an opportunity to sharpen their skills when they go out and represent folks with low to moderate incomes,” Chancellor Pierre said.

“And the interaction with the public service attorneys was just invaluable.”

Spring/Summer 2016

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER

This commitment to public service includes not only employment, but also elected positions.

Louisiana alone.“Thanks to the work of our alumni in bringing legal challenges to the way judges were elected in the state, Louisiana has the most African-American judges per capita than any state in this country.�

At SULC’s 2016 Commencement, featured speaker Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards told the audience, “Graduates of Southern Law Center have a reputation for their commitment to public service and opportunities for all. Erin Monroe Wesley,’02, is now serving in Edwards’ Executive Staff as special counsel.

In February of this year, SULC hosted the 30th Anniversary Commemoration of Clark v. Roemer and Chisom v. Edwards that changed the Louisiana judiciary system forever. Judge Janice Clark, ’76, was the named plaintiff in the first case led by attorney Ernest Johnson, ’76 (see story, page 15).

“In fact, I am proud to have worked alongside many of your graduates as a legislator,� Gov. Edwards said.

SULC alumni were among the first African-American and the youngest to serve in the state legislature. Alumni serving in the Louisiana Legislature have remained steady since Johnnie Jones, Class of 1953, and the late Richard Turnley Jr., Class of 1973, were among five African Americans elected to the Louisiana Legislature in 1972. Today, twelve members of the Louisiana House of Representatives and three members of the Louisiana Senate are SULC graduates.

SULC alumni were also first to serve in the Louisiana judiciary. There are more than 50 alumni judges in

Briana Westry Robinson, ’13, was elected a district court judge in Wilcox County, Alabama. At the age of 27, Robinson is reported to be the youngest ever elected judge in Alabama. Robinson is among the more than 100 alumni judges serving across the country.

There are currently seven alumni serving as district attorneys in Louisiana, including the first and only female serving.

Read more in the PreLaw magazine article on the link: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cypress/ prelaw_2016winter/#/28

Southern   University  Southern   University  JD/MBA   JD/MBA   Â

Â

COMING IN FALL 2016 COMING Â IN Â FALL Â 2016

 Majored in business?

Significantly broaden your career options a professional If  you  majored  or  minored  in  business,  you  should  consider  with the  JD/MBA,  a  JD/MBA dual degree, through a four-year program offered the Southern University ! ($ ! % $

! by " $ #

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To pursue the JD/MBA dual degree, you must apply to and be accepted for individual " !

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For more details, contact: Prof.  Prentice  White,  (225)  771-­â€?4900/ext.220,  Pwhite@sulc.edu;  Prof. Prentice White, (225) 771-4900/ext.220,  for  the  JDPwhite@sulc.edu, for the JD; and Dr. Ashagre Yigletu, (225) 771-2763Dr.  orA771-6248, ashagre_yigletu@subr.edu, for the MBA shagre  Yigletu,  (225)  771-­â€?2763  or  771-­â€?6248,  ashagre_yigletu@subr.edu;    Â

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for  the  MBA

43 | OVATIONS

OVATIONS | 44

Spring/Summer 2016

ADVANCEMENT

Highlights SU System Foundation Million Dollar March raises record $4 million to support students and programs The Southern University System Foundation’s (SUSF) 2015 Million Dollar March (MDM) viral fundraising campaign raised $4 million dollars in cash contributions to MDM_15.jpg provide direct support for student scholarships, faculty research projects, and important campus initiatives for the five campuses SUSF Million Dollar March check presentation during SU homecoming halftime of the Southern events, October 17, 2015, in A.W. Mumford Stadium.

University System.

This campaign was a record year for the SUSF, both in the dollar amount secured and in the number of donors and volunteers who support the Jaguar Nation. More than 3,038 donors contributed since the campaign’s launch.

One hundred thirty-five volunteer captains, who greatly contributed to the success of the campaign, used email and social media as a primary method of engagement.

During the University’s halftime homecoming football game in A.W. Mumford Stadium, October 17, 2015, Domoine Rutledge, SUSF board of directors chairman, and MDM campaign captains and volunteers, presented a $4 million campaign check to Southern University System President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton.

“We are grateful for the generosity, trust, and most importantly, the commitment of the SU System Foundation’s Million Dollar March donors, captains, and volunteers.

This outstanding support allows us to attract and retain students and helps us to continue our tradition of excellence,” said Belton.

The Million Dollar March endeavors to encourage alumni and friends to join together and secure philanthropic contributions for the campuses and departments of the Southern University and A&M College System.

“It is with tremendous gratitude that we express our many thanks and appreciation to the Jaguar Nation for the overwhelming response we’ve received in support of our MDM Campaign,” said Rutledge.

Southern University

The Southern University System Foundation is a private, nonprofit corporation securing financial support for the campuses of the Southern University System since 1968.

The Foundation bridges relationships with faculty, students, alumni, friends, corporations, and other foundations interested in academic excellence for the University System.

“We are profoundly thankful to the many donors, volunteers, and business partners that have worked collectively to make this year’s campaign a success. Their investments will certainly have a sizable impact on our entire University community,” said Alfred E. Harrell III, SUSF chief executive officer.

The SUSF is a voluntary institute of business and professional leaders, proudly incorporated to establish program enhancements for Southern University students, faculty, and the community at large.

The 2016 Million Dollar March campaign officially kicked off June 29, 2016, with a press conference and luncheon for MDM captains in the A.W. Mumford Stadium Fieldhouse. More than 60 captains have signed up to help raise money for the University, but more alumni, friends, family, and supporters of Southern University are encouraged to register as captains.

MDM captains are trained and provided with the proper tools to make an “ask” for this campaign and to help the SUS Foundation surpass last year’s funds raised.

During the 2016 MDM campaign, captains will receive TrueBLUE shirts; receive an invitation to the Captain Reception scheduled around homecoming, and join the Foundation on the field during the Homecoming Halftime check presentation.

To sign up as a captain and to give, visit foundation.sus.edu.

45 | OVATIONS

ADVANCEMENT HIGHLIGHTS SUSLA receives donation from AT&T Louisiana

Pictured (left-right): David Aubrey, director of external affairs, AT&T Louisiana; Janice Sneed, vice chancellor, community and workforce development and Title III; S. Albert Gilliam, interim chancellor, SUSLA; Beverly Parker director of workforce training, adult and continuing education, SUSLA; and State Senator Gregory Tarver.

Southern University Shreveport Division of Community and Workforce Development received a $1,500 donation from AT&T Louisiana to support students enrolled in the University’s Adult Education Program. The award was presented at the office of State Senator Gregory Tarver,

by David Aubrey, AT&T state director of external affairs.

The funds donated by AT&T will help pay for testing fees for students to take the mandatory online High School Equivalency Test (HiSET); purchase bus passes for the economically disadvantaged students who cannot afford transportation to and from class; and will enable staff to secure appropriate training and certifications that helps students find livable wage jobs leading to demand career pathways.

and lacrosse. Teams that currently play on UBU, Incorporated fields include The New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes Benz Superdome, The Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium, The NY Giants and NY Jets at Met Life Stadium, the University of Houston at TDECU Stadium, Tulane Green Wave at Yulman Stadium, and the Houston Texans practice fields.

Expanding educational horizons with zSpace The Office of Institutionalizing and Sustaining Strategic Assessment Management at Southern University Baton Rouge received an 1880 Grant in 2015 for the zSpace system for students and faculty.

The zSpace system is a neat and interactive way to learn in any Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field and is a great tool that gets students engaged and expands their imaginations. The zSpace system also provides enhanced teaching opportunities, and is the next generation of immersive virtual technology that delivers a futuristic hardware and software system that brings abstract concepts to life.

SUSF and partners installing new turf field in football stadium The Southern University System Foundation has partnered with the Southern University Athletics Department for the installation of a new NFL-grade synthetic turf field at A.W. Mumford Stadium. The project was made possible by a joint venture between Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the Southern University System Foundation, SMG (Louisiana Superdome Management Company) and UBU Sports, Incorporated.

UBU Sports, Incorporated, located in Downers Grove, Illinois, is a leading brand of indoor and outdoor synthetic turf surfaces for use in a variety of sporting events, including football, baseball, field hockey, soccer, rugby OVATIONS | 46

Pictured: Fred Banks, Southern University System Foundation 1880 Society president, and Donoven Segura, director of the Southern University Office of Institutionalizing and Sustaining Strategic Assessment Management (ISSAM).

Spring/Summer 2016

Southern University

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SU S UA A TH LU L EMTNI CI SH H I GI G HH L ILGI G HH T ST S

Highlights Two SUBR Honors College scholars receive memorial scholarship award

Southern University Baton Rouge Dolores Margaret Richard Spikes Honors College freshman math and physics major Jonalyn Fair and civil engineering major Joyner Deamer were recently each awarded an academic scholarship founded and funded by the Par 3 Golf Association Dallas Metroplex Chapter.

The $550 awards, named in honor of SU alumni the late John A. Woods and the late Tyrell Mack, were presented through the Southern University Alumni Federation (SUAF) to SUBR students in STEM academic areas who have a 3.5 grade point average or above, and who show service leadership.

Pictured (left – right): Deadra James Mackie, assistant professor, SUBR Honors College; Diola Bagayoko, dean, Honors College and director, the Timbuktu Academy and LS-LAMP, and SU System distinguished professor of physics; Jonalyn Fair, SUBR Honors College student; Joyner Deamer, SUBR Honors College student; and Valery Jones, administrative assistant IV, SU Honors College.

Burnett, who earned a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Southern University Baton Rouge, has also been featured in the Education Trust publication, Building and Sustaining Teacher Talent: Creating Conditions in High-Poverty Schools That Support Effective Teaching and Learning.

SU alumni appointed to La. governor’s cabinet Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards appointed SU alumnus Chuck Carr Brown as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and SU grad Shawn Wilson as secretary for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

Brown, who leads the state’s environmental protection efforts, brings a strong academic and practical Chuck Carr Brown background in the field, having worked at the DEQ as assistant secretary for environmental services from 2004 to 2008. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Southern Mississippi, a master’s in public administration from Southern University A&M College, and a Ph.D. in public and environmental policy from the Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Southern University. Before his appointment, he was serving as the president and CEO of Brown and Associates LLC, which saw him work in the fields of environmental services, government relations, and issue management.

For the past 10 years, Wilson has served as chief of staff for the Department of Transportation and Development. Prior to joining DOTD, Wilson also served as former executive director of the Louisiana Serve Commission and deputy legislative director in the Blanco Administration.

SU alumna to be recognized at White House event

Shaneka Burrnett

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Duplessis Primary School master teacher Shaneka Burnett traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend a May 3, 2016, event at the White House recognizing the National Teacher of the Year, State Teachers of the Year and “great educators across the country.” Burnett was recommended for this honor by the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET).

Wilson earned a B.A. in urban and regional planning from the University of Louisiana, where he served as student government president and member of the University of Louisiana System Board. He holds a master of public administration degree and earned a Ph.D. in public policy from the Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Southern University.

Shawn Wilson

Spring/Summer 2016

SU ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS SU alumnus Dennis Blunt named chairman of BR Area Foundation Dennis Blunt, SULC ‘91, litigation partner at Phelps Dunbar, has been elected chairman of the Board of Directors of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF).

Blunt most recently served as vice chairman of the organization.

BRAF connects philanthropists with nonprofits to make sure the needs of Baton Rouge area communities are met. For Dennis Blunt instance, donors fund music programs for children, provide money to feed the hungry, and underwrite education reform.

Since its inception, BRAF and its donors have funded more than $350 million in grants.

Blunt practices in the area of commercial litigation, with a focus on business disputes including business torts and insurance company solvency and regulation. He is a board member of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, a Fellow of the American and Louisiana Bar foundations, and a board member of the Baton Rouge Bar Association. Blunt was honored as a 2010 SULC Distinguished Alumnus.

SUSLA alum receives national society of collegiate scholars honor Southern University Shreveport alumnus Elijah Teh-Teh has been accepted as a member of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS). NSCS is the nation’s only interdisciplinary honors organizations for first-year and second year college students.

Membership is by invitation only, based on grade point average and class standing.

Elijah Teh-Teh

Teh-Teh is currently enrolled as an online student at Fort Hays State University, in Hays Kansas. He is a computer network technician at SUSLA. NSCS has over one million lifetime members and 300 chapters in all 50 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

LSU Boyd professor, SU alum named 2016 SEC Professor of the Year Isiah Warner, LSU Boyd Professor, has been named the 2016 SEC Professor of the Year, the SEC announced on Tuesday, April 12, 2016.

Warner is also the Phillip W. West Professor of Chemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor at LSU. He received a B.S. degree in chemistry in 1968 from Southern University Baton Rouge. The Bunkie native also Isiah Warner serves as LSU’s Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, and he is considered to be one of the world’s experts in analytical applications of fluorescence spectroscopy.

SUAF Dallas chapter Bayou Bash raises scholarship funds for SU students The Southern University Alumni Federation-Dallas chapter Saturday, May 21, 2016, sponsored its annual Bayou Bash fundraiser at the African American Museum at Fair Park.

Bayou Bash raises scholarship and recruitment funds for DFW Metroplex students to attend Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge. Pictured at the 33rd Bayou Bash event are SUAF Dallas chapter president LaQuitta Thomas, with Abner Coit, a founding member of the chapter and a 1949 SU graduate.

Southern University

In addition to his research, Warner, who chaired the LSU Department of Chemistry from 1994-1997, pioneered efforts to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields.

The SEC Professor of the Year Award is given annually to one SEC faculty member whose record of teaching, research and scholarship places him or her among the elite in higher education. Winners are selected by the SEC Provosts from among the 14 SEC Faculty Achievement Award recipients. In recognition of the honor, the SEC will provide Warner with a $20,000 honorarium and he will be recognized at the SEC Awards Dinner in May. 49 | OVATIONS

SU ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS Many pay respects to a great leader as his judicial portrait is unveiled

SU alumna named to key higher ed post

by Obama Administration

More than 150 guests attended the judicial portrait unveiling of the late Jesse N. Stone Jr., February 18, 2016, at the Southern University Museum of Art in Shreveport.

The U.S. Department of Education announced March 28, 2016 that Kim Hunter Reed, a former Louisiana higher education official, has joined the Obama administration as a deputy under secretary of education.

Southern University Law Center (SULC) and the Southern University Shreveport campus (SUSLA) hosted the ceremony for Stone, who was the first African American appointed to the Louisiana Supreme Court.

The portrait is a gift to the Law Center from Chancellor Emeritus B. K. Agnihotri, Vice Chancellor Russell L. Jones, and Professor Winston Riddick (retd.) in honor of their friend and mentor. It will become a part of the Law Center’s Judicial Wall of Fame.

Reed is a former chief of staff for the Louisiana Board of Regents and former executive vice president for the University of Louisiana System.

Kim Hunter Reed

She received a doctorate in public policy from Southern University’s Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, as well as a master’s of public administration and a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Louisiana State University.

President Obama nominates SULC alumna for federal judgeship

Caddo Parish Juvenile Court Judge Shonda Stone, daughter of the late Jesse N. Stone Jr., with his portrait.

Stone was one of the law school’s first graduates, the first graduate to serve as dean of the law school, the first African-American Assistant State Superintendent of Education for the Louisiana Department of Education; and the first president of the Southern University System. Throughout his career, Stone, a native of Gibsland, Louisiana, and a resident of Shreveport and Baton Rouge, advanced civil rights from the bar, in the political arena, within educational administration, and from the bench.

Stone’s daughter, Caddo Parish Juvenile Court Judge Shonda Stone, addressed the gathering, thanking everyone for the kind gesture and for honoring her father in this way. She described her “daddy” as “a bridge builder and a social engineer par excellence.”

Among ceremony participants giving accolades to Dr. Stone were SU Board of Supervisors Chairman Leon R. Tarver II; Southern University President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton; SU Board member Rev. Joe R. Gant; Chancellor Agnihotri, Vice Chancellor Jones; and Prof. Riddick.

Shreveport City Attorney William Bradford, Jr. , presented a mayoral proclamation, and Shreveport City Councilman Calvin Lester presented a City Council resolution.

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U.S. Attorney and Southern University Law Center alumna Stephanie Finley was nominated February 4, 2016,

by President Barack Obama to serve as a federal judge in the U.S. Western District of Louisiana, which includes Lafayette, Lake Charles, Alexandria and Shreveport.

Finley has served as the United States Attorney for Stephanie Finley the Western District of Louisiana since 2010. Prior to her appointment, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney in that office from 1995 to 2010, during which she served as Senior Litigation Counsel from 2007 to 2010 and Acting Deputy Criminal Chief from 2008 to 2009.

In addition, Finley has served as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate for the United States Air Force Reserves since 1995. She began her legal career serving on active duty as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate for the United States Air Force from 1991 to 1995. Finley received her J.D. cum laude from Southern University Law Center in 1991 and her B.S. magna cum laude from Grambling State University in 1988.

She was the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney in the state.

Spring/Summer 2016

SU ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS SU alum among appointees to board that oversees Superdome

SU alum one of ‘America’s leading doctors’ Dr. Darrell Carmen says Southern University provided him with the skills to pursue his dream of becoming a surgeon. The Baton Rouge native has come a long way since graduating from Southern University with a degree in chemistry, he is now a partner at Georgia Urology in Atlanta, Georgia.

SU alumnus, SUS Foundation board member, and longtime supporter of Jaguar athletics Henry Baptiste is among Gov. John Bel Edwards’ new appointees to the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, which oversees the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and other New Orleans facilities.

Baptiste is the co-owner of the 80-year-old Chicken Shack, Baton Rouge’s oldest known continuously operating restaurant.

Baptiste and his partner, alumnus Joe Delpit, currently operate three locations.

After leaving Southern, Carmen received his doctor of medicine degree from LSU in Shreveport, completed his surgical internship from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois, and his urologic residency from Northeastern Ohio University in Akron, Ohio.

SU alumna receives AAAS Lifetime Mentor Award

As a partner at Georgia Urology, Carmen says no one day is the same.“I try to solve medical problems all day, some problems are easy and some are not. I have office hours and days filled with scheduled surgeries and also I must be prepared for the occasional emergency,” said Carmen.

Henry Baptiste

Saundra Yancy McGuire

For promoting a diverse Ph.D.-level workforce in the field of chemistry, SU alumna Saundra Yancy McGuire, director emerita of the Center for Academic Success and retired assistant vice chancellor and professor of chemistry at Louisiana State University, will receive the Lifetime Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

McGuire previously received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring during a 2007 White House Oval Office ceremony.

At Louisiana State University (LSU), Dr. McGuire mentored 32 African-American doctoral students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, AAAS noted.

She mentored another nine African Americans at the bachelor’s level who went on to earn Ph.D. degrees at other institutions.

Her career, spanning more than 40 years, has encompassed teaching chemistry as well as work in the area of learning and teaching support. The author of, Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies You Can Incorporate into Any Course to Improve Student Metacognition, Study Skills, and Motivation (Stylus Publishing), McGuire spent 11 years at Cornell University, where she received the coveted Clark Distinguished Teaching Award. She joined LSU in 1999, and has delivered her widely acclaimed faculty-development workshops on teaching students how to learn at more than 200 institutions in 40 states and seven countries.

Southern University

Dr. Darrell Carmen

Carmen is a second generation Southernite, following in his mother’s footsteps of attending Southern University. He also has other family members who are Southern grads.

This Southern alum has gone on to do great things including being chairman of the Robotic Steering Committee that launched the Robotic Surgery Program at Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, Georgia; Executive Committee board member for the Spivey Station Surgery Center; a distinguished panelist on the 2010 “23rd Annual Black History Teleconference” for Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina; and guest consultant on WSB Radio’s (Atlanta) Weekly Check-up with Dr. Bruce Feinberg. He is a parish council member for St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Atlanta.

Carmen was selected as one of “America’s Leading Doctors” by Black Enterprise magazine in 2008 and is a research investigator and continues to consult for several pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

Remaining connected to Southern University, Carmen is a founding board member of the Jaguar Foundation of Atlanta, whose mission is to provide financial support for metro Atlanta students interested in attending SU. Carmen credits Southern for allowing him “to meet people that have enriched my life professionally and socially.”

In his spare time Carmen likes to swim, read, and spend time with family and friends. He is married with two daughters and has been calling Atlanta his home for the last 20 years.

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S U A T H L E T SI CUS A T H L E T I C S H I G H L I G H T S

Highlights SU’s Roman Banks honored as LABC’s Coach of the Year Southern University Baton Rouge head coach Roman Banks became the eleventh head coach to win the Tommy Joe Eagles Memorial Award for Louisiana’s top collegiate head coach at the major level in the awards 42-year history.

Banks received the award during the 42nd Annual Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches Awards Banquet April 30, 2016, at the Embassy Suites Hotel.

Banks joins a distinguished group of coaches which included former Southern head coach Ben Jobe, who won the award in 1988 and 1993. Dale Brown and John Brady of LSU, Andy Russo of Louisiana Tech, Mike Vining of UL-Monroe, Rickey Broussard of Nicholls State, George “Tic” Price of New Orleans, Mike McConathy of Northwestern State, Billy Kennedy of Southeastern Louisiana

and Dave Simmons of McNeese State serve as the only state coaches who have earned the award on multiple occasions.

Also honored at the banquet were Louisiana’s major college, small college, junior college and high school basketball players and coaches of the year, along with the top pro player from the state.

SUSLA student athlete and coach honored SUSLA student athlete D’Angelo McClinton and men’s head basketball coach David Francis of Southern Shreveport were honored as the Louisiana Junior College Player and Coach of the Year, respectively. McClinton, a sophomore guard, averaged 18 points, 6 assists and 4 steals and was an NJCAA David Francis Region 23 All-Tournament selection. Francis led the Port City Jags to the Miss-Lou Conference championship and to the semifinals of the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament with a 19-9 record. This was Francis’ twelfth conference championship in 16 seasons.

SUNO student named ‘Track Athlete of the Year’ The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named SUNO student-athlete Orenthia Bennett the South Region Track Athlete of the Year. A junior from Treasure Beach Jamaica, Bennett is the top-ranked athlete at 400 meters (54.16). She will be the favorite to win the event at the NAIA Championships May 26-28, 2016, at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Bennett won two individual (the 800 and 1500 meter runs) and two team (the 4x100 and 4x800 meter relays) events at the 2016 GCAC Outdoor Championships.

She also is a two-time GCAC Track Athlete of the Week.

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Spring/Summer 2016

S U AT H L E T I C S H I G H L I G H T S SUNO competes well in outdoor championships

For the second consecutive year, the Knights led all schools in event victories at the 2016 GCAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In the Women’s Championship, the Lady Knights came in second place.

The Knights took home 10 titles and set two championship records. In individual competition, Jahnoy Thompson won both the 100 and 200 meter sprints. Alex Saunders won the 3,000 meter Steeplechase, and Danielle Richards took home the 400 meter and 800 meter runs. The 400 meter hurdle title went to Chad Thomas and Rasheed Cunningham won the triple jump with a record-setting 14.39 meter performance.

SUNO also set the GCAC Championship record in the 4x100 meter relay with the team of Rodrick Owens, Thomas, Thompson and Richards finishing the race in 41.13 seconds. SUNO also won the 4x800 meter relay and narrowly missed setting the record in the 4x400 meter relay as the team of Owens, Saunders, Thomas and Thompson finished .6 of a second off the mark.

SU Board applauds SUNO women’s track

SUNO senior Orenthia Bennett won the women’s 400m and was a member of the winning women’s 4x400m relay team as she led Southern University New Orleans to a sixth place finish at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Dave Walker Track on the campus of East Tennessee State University, March 5.

According to a GCAC release, it was SUNO’s best finish at the meet since they claimed the NAIA title in 1997.

Teammates Shadae Hylton and Shantae Green finished third and eighth respectively, earning All-America Honors. Pictured: Coach Yhann Plummer introducing some members of the SUNO Track Team at the SU Board of Supervisors meeting March 18, 2016, in Baton Rouge.

New Bayou Classic trophy unveiled

The Lady Knights missed winning the title by 17 points.

SUNO dominated on the track, winning nine out of 12 events.

Southern University at New Orleans had its most successful trip to the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in more than two decades, finishing fourth overall and producing two national champions.

The Lady Knights were led by senior Orenthia Bennett, who captured the women’s 400 meter crown. Bennett also was a member of the national champion 4x400 meter relay team, along with freshman Shantae Green, sophomore Shadae Hylton and senior Leonie Robinson.

Southern University

SU System President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton and his wife Norma pose with the new Bayou Classic Trophy that was unveiled during the annual Bayou Classic Press Conference, November 24, 2015, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The previous trophy was donated to the Smithsonian Institute to become a permanent display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture set to open next year.

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S U AT H L E T I C S H I G H L I G H T S

SU Men’s basketball wins SWAC title, Women’s head to NIT

Adrian Rodgers made a jump shot with 17 seconds left to lift the Southern University Men’s Basketball Team to a 54-53 victory over Jackson State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game March 12, 2016, clinching the Jaguars’ first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013.

SU Lab School basketball middle school team honored

The SU Board of Supervisors recognized the SU Laboratory Middle School Boys Basketball Team for winning the 2016 State Basketball Junior High School Championship. The team also won the 2016 David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy Tournament in January. Pictured is Dr. Rani Whitfield presenting a certificate of recognition to coach Kevin Augustine and team March 18, 2016.

The SU Women’s Basketball team played Arkansas State in Jonesboro Thursday, March 17, 2016, in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). Southern secured its spot in the WNIT by reaching the final of the SWAC tournament.

Southern Lab wins Division IV LSHAA championship The Southern University Laboratory School football team won the 2015 Allstate Sugar Bowl LHSAA Prep Classic Division IV championship game Friday, December 5, 2015, in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The SU Lab Kittens, under first-year coach Marcus Randall, defeated St. Mary’s Catholic High School of Natchitoches 36-2 to claim the title.

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Spring/Summer 2016

S U AT H L E T I C S H I G H L I G H T S SU Sports Hall of Fame inducts 26 new members

Three SUNO Lady Knights, coach win awards at GCAC Volleyball Banquet

The Southern University Sports Hall of Fame (SUSHOF) held its 28th Annual Enshrinement and Banquet Ceremony last fall at the Belle of Baton Rouge Atrium.

Three members of the Southern University New Orleans Lady Knights Volleyball Team took home five awards, and the head coach was honored “Coach of the Year”Thursday, November 12, 2015, at the annual Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) Volleyball Awards Banquet.

The (SUSHOF) inducted 26 members into the 2015 class.

This year’s inductee’s class included: BASEBALL

Henry C. Baker Jr.

Leroy Boyd

Raymond Duplechain BASKETBALL

Yolanda Y. Brown

Kevin R. Florent

Herman L. Hartman Sr.

Earl R. Hill

Dervynn F. Johnson

Gwendolyn Wilson-Gene FOOTBALL

Fredrick Bailey

Ezra J. Landry GOLF

Paul A. Moore

Brian E. Washington

Senior Ana Privrat was named Player and Defender of the Year Freshman Marija Stojijkovic was named Freshman of the Year Freshman Shannon Jones was selected as the GCAC Attacker of the Year First-year head coach Zipporah Washington was named Coach of the Year SUNO earned a share of a GCAC regular-season championship for the first time in program history, and dominated this season’s awards by claiming five of the conference’s seven individual honors. The Lady Knights cruised through the first two rounds of the 2015 GCAC Volleyball Championship Tournament before losing the tournament title to Xavier University by a score of 3-1.

TENNIS

Charles Ketchum

Melvin C. McCurley

Karen K. Scott TRACK & FIELD

Renan A. Gilkes

Willie C. Owens 1958-1959 BASEBALL TEAM 1958-1959 SWAC/NAIA CHAMPIONS

Ana Privrat

Marija Stojijkovic

Shannon Jones

Zipporah Washington

1959 -1960 SWAC CHAMPIONS

Southern University

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S U AT H L E T I C S H I G H L I G H T S

A story of determination and faith A tragedy hit the field in Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia on Sept. 25, 2015, during the fourth quarter of the matchup against the SU Jaguars and the Bulldogs, when SU wide receiver Devon Gales took a hit that left him motionless for minutes near the Bulldogs’ sideline.

Gales suffered from a spinal injury that game after a hard hit with a UGA kicker during SU’s a kickoff return.

He broke his sixth cervical vertebra.

SU student-athlete Devon Gales, who suffered a paralyzing injury during the SU vs UGA football game in Athens, GA last September, was welcomed home to Baton Rouge March 5, 2016, by SU System President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton.

Gales spent several weeks in an Atlanta hospital following surgery and a completed a few months of rehabilitation at the Sheppard Center there.

The hospitality of the UGA community and the Southern University Jaguar Nation has been touching and overwhelming.

The Monday following the incident financial support began pouring in to help Gales. The Southern University System Foundation created The Devon Gales Fund to help direct donations being sent in from around the country to go towards Gales’ medical bills.

At a basketball game on March 5, 2016, the day Gales returned home to Baton Rouge, the Southern University System Foundation presented Gales and his family with a $400,000 check from the funds raised.

A supportive crowd of friends, teammates, fans, and well-wisher gathered at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport to welcome the Baton Rouge native back home.

Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden also made March 5 “The Devon Gales Day” and made him honorary Mayor of Baton Rouge.

“Although you were miles away and in good hands, we are grateful and blessed that you, and your infectious smile have arrived safely back on the Bluff. I know you’re well aware of just how proud we are of you and your amazing determination and strength, but I want to assure OVATIONS | 56

you that your display of unwavering faith in the power of prayer, hard work, and healing is a powerful example for all to follow. You wear your hat as an awesome SU ambassador of true sportsmanship and courage well. May God continue to bless and keep you and your family,” remarked SU System PresidentChancellor Ray L. Belton in a video welcome.

Before he returned to Baton Rouge in March, UGA and the Triumph over Tragedy Foundation announced it was going to build a new home in Baton Rouge that was better fit for Gales’ needs through a special fundraising campaign, that is still underway.

The College Football Assistance Fund (CFAF) awarded a grant of $5,000 to Gales to help his family with travel and loss-of-income expenses after Devon was injured.

The story of Gales hit national news including reports on ESPN’s College Gameday. Baton Rouge station WAFB Ch. 9 reported live from Shepard Rehabilitation Hospital days after his surgery for updates on his status.

Last November, Gales was invited back to Sanford Stadium as a UGA guest for the game against Georgia Southern.

Gales and his family were honored at a SU Board of Supervisor’s meeting March 18, 2016.

On April 12, 2016, Gales returned to Shepard Center in Atlanta to continue his rehab for the next three months.

Since his accident Gales has regained strength in his muscles and relearned his basic motor skills.

A major breakthrough in his recovery was recently reported on the Gales family Facebook page with a video showing the inspiring SU student moving his legs.

Spring/Summer 2016

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