Ovations Magazine Spring/Summer 2012

Spring/Summer 2012

COVER STORY

SU SYSTEM PRESIDENT FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE: RETHINKING PROCESSES AND PRIORITIES - The Five-Fifths Agenda for America: A positive future for African-American males

IN THIS

ISSUE:

SU System partners with EOServe Corp. for online offerings

SUNO garners additional $20 million toward rebuilding

SUBR nursing named ‘Nursing School of the Year’ again

Honoré Center opening doors for black males

SULC Professor installed as BR Bar Association President

Commission approves $250,000 for SUSLA programs

Southern University System Foundation

1880 Society Supporting a 132-year journey of progress Fifty charter members established a new giving society with the potential to generate $1 million annually for the Southern University System The 1880 Society is a cumulative giving society where individuals make multi-years pledges to support the University. The goal is to have 1000 individuals give at least $1000 per year.

Contact the SU System Office of Advancement P.O. Box 9562 Baton Rouge, LA 70813 225.771.3911

Timing for raising private funds for the University is critical. For the past three years, the state support to the SU System has been cut more than $40 million.

Donations to the 1880 Society benefit the educational success of current and prospective students and maintain the University’s foundation for the betterment of mankind.

Be a part of the tradition and help build the future. Join today!

CONTENTS

SU System President Ronald Mason Jr.

On the Cover Finding the Right Balance: Rethinking Processes and Priorities A renewal agenda for SUS One year and a half into his tenure as Southern University System President, Ronald Mason Jr. is charting the course for some of the boldest initiatives in the University’s 98-year history, and is spearheading the “Five-Fifths Agenda for America,” a national initiative to enable young

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Black men with life challenges to become educators and “servant leaders,” who will seed positive change in their schools and communities.

President’s Message.......................................................... 2 System News..................................................................... 3 Cover Story..................................................................... 14 Building Up: Campuses Get New, Renovated and Repurposed Facilities..................................................... 19 Faculty and Staff Achievements.................................... 22 Student Achievements................................................... 31 Partnerships and Grants................................................ 39 Advancement and Alumni............................................. 44 Athletics.......................................................................... 53

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Mission Statement

Ovations, Southern University System Magazine is published annually by the Southern University System to highlight the institutions of the System. Ovations is disseminated to faculty, staff, alumni, friends, and supporters. All articles for submission should be sent in care of Ovations, Southern University System Magazine, Office of the President, Southern University System, Southern Branch Post Office, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813, or by facsimile at 225.771.5522 or email to susystemmagazine@sus.edu. Please include name, address, and telephone number in all correspondence.

SU System Board of Supervisors 2012 Darren G. Mire chair Murphy F. Bell Jr. vice chair Patrick W. Bell Calvin W. Braxton Sr. Tony M. Clayton Bridget A. Dinvaut Walter C. Dumas Warren A. Forstall Joe R. Gant Jr. Marc A. Guichard Willie E. Hendricks Eamon M. Kelly Myron K. Lawson Patrick D. Magee Ann A. Smith Samuel C. Tolbert SU System Chancellors Ray Belton, SUSLA James L. Llorens, SUBR Freddie Pitcher Jr., SULC Victor Ukpolo, SUNO Leodrey Williams, SUAREC Publisher Office of Publications Southern University System Editor Henry J. Tillman Copy Editor Evola C. Bates Writer Maya Riley Banks Contributors Barbara Austin Rachel Emanuel David Grubb Christopher Jones Robyn Merrick Edward Pratt William Strother Bridget Udoh Harold Clark Copy and photos from SUBR Media Relations and Publications SUBR Athletics SUSLA Office of Communications SUSLA Graphic Services SUNO Public Relations SU Alumni Affairs SULC Office of Communications Photographer N. John Oubre III

The Southern University System, located in Louisiana, is the nation’s only historically black university system with campuses in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport, a Law Center, and Agricultural Research and Extension Center. The campuses are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Pre-press and Printing Moran Printing, Inc.

For more information about the Southern University System, please call 225.771.4680 or visit our website at www.sus.edu.

ISSN no: 1545-1801

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President’s Message We have much to celebrate; a tradition of all around excellence, outstanding graduates in leadership roles, a global alumni network, a beautiful campus, academic programs of great potential, a commitment to serve the underserved. Perhaps our most important mark of distinction is that we are unique in the world. We are the only Historically Black College and University System; as such, we are better equipped to adapt to higher education industry changes.

However, our financial and political challenges this year and next will be difficult to navigate. There was a deep reduction in funding in the last month of the 2011-2012 fiscal year. The budget reduction for this year (2012-2013), enrollment challenges, unfunded mandates, and lack of reserves System-wide, all have SACS and survival implications. In addition, the 2013-2014 fiscal year portends additional cuts, as well as merger, and dismantlement proposals.

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The tasks of survival, stabilization, and renewal will not be easy over the course of the next three years.

We have a vision for the survival and strengthening of the Southern System. We should serve the underserved, with enhanced focus on black men. We should deliver our product statewide and globally, on campuses, and online. We should take advantage of our status as a system to coordinate activities and programs, eliminate service duplication, increase economies of scale, and strengthen our component units.

This vision offers an agenda for the future of Southern. It is my hope that it will be a roadmap to regenerate Southern as a model 21st century system of higher learning.

We will return to glory with a shared vision and common direction. God bless the Jaguar nation!

Ronald Mason Jr., President Southern University System

SU System and Campus News

System and Campus News

At-a-Glance...

Gaines receives honorary degree during SUBR commencement

Louisiana author Ernest Gaines (seated), who received an honorary degree from Southern University, Baton Rouge is pictured with SUBR Chancellor James LLorens (right) and John Silvanus Wilson Jr., executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Louisiana author, Ernest Gaines, received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree during Southern University Baton Rouge’s (SUBR) spring commencement Friday, May 18, 2012, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

In addition to The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, a fictional personal history spanning the period from the Civil War to the civil rights movement, his novels include Catherine Carmier, Of Love and Dust, In My Father’s House, and A Gathering of Old Men. In 1994, he received the National Book Critics Circle Award for A Lesson Before Dying. Gaines was born in Oscar.

Six hundred thirty-six graduates, including 15 Ph.D. candidates, received degrees during the ceremony. Leah Peoples was chief student marshal. The psychology major had a 4.0 GPA. John Silvanus Wilson Jr., executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, was the speaker.

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Caddo Commission approves $250,000 for SUSLA programs

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SU Band and Alumni Federation receive national award

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SUBR School of Nursing named ‘Nursing School of the Year’ again

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SU System Board of Supervisors approves educational online partnership with EOServe Corp

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SUNO garners additional $20 million toward rebuilding

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And more...

Rabbit Show spurs competition among youth On April 14, 2012, youth from across the state gathered at the Maurice A. Edmond Livestock Show Arena in Baker for the annual state and national Rabbit Show, hosted by the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Family and friends were in attendance to lend support. Buyers were there to take home excellent breeding stock.

The rabbit show is a gathering of all kinds of rabbit breeds and colors, with children as young as four years old working with siblings to produce a grand family affair.

The SU Ag Center’s Rabbit Show is the largest in the state with competitions in 16 sanctioned rabbit breeds.

Participants are school-aged youth who represent Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapters, 4-H Clubs, and other youth groups.

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SU System and Campus News

Caddo Commission approves $250,000 for SUSLA programs

College Night on the Bluff

The Caddo Parish Commission, May 3, 2012, approved two requests totaling $250,000 for programs at Southern University Shreveport (SUSLA).

The 12-member Commission approved $125,000 to begin a licensed practical nurse (LPN) program at SUSLA, and $125,000 for its existing aerospace technology program.

“Students are having problems in the RN program because they weren’t educationally prepared to compete in the rigors of an RN program,” SUSLA dean of nursing Sandra Tucker said. “They needed a base, and that’s what the LPN program will do.”

More than 350 high school students and parents from the surrounding area attended “College Night on The Bluff,” held April 11, 2012, in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union. More than a dozen students were awarded scholarships at the event and several others received $500 book vouchers.

SU Ag Center, SBA train businesses for government contracts More than 30 participants assembled at the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center, April 24, 2012, for a “HUBZone” training event sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). This program is designed to help small firms in certain communities gain access to federal contract opportunities. HUBzone areas are typically areas of low median household income or high unemployment, or both.

Trainees came from diverse backgrounds across the state to acquire knowledge on how to identify and secure government contracts. They learned about small business contracting programs, how the government buys, how to sell to the government, as well as eligibility and certification requirements.

The Center for Rural and Small Business Development at the SU Ag Center coordinated the event. .

SU showcases, rallies at Louisiana State Capitol-- Administrators, faculty, and students from throughout the Southern University System were in the Rotunda of the Louisiana State Capitol, April 19, 2012, for “Support Our Southern Day at the Capitol.” SU System President Ronald Mason Jr. and SUBR Chancellor James Llorens were among the University officials in attendance.

Informational booths from each of the SU System’s five campuses were set up in the Rotunda. University officials and students met with legislators and spoke with SU supporters and visitors. The “Human Jukebox,” SUBR’s marching band, performed. A student-led rally to promote the Southern University System was held on the Capitol steps that afternoon.

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SUSLA hosts Kids2College visit--Southern University Shreveport, SUSLA CDC, and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity have initiated the Kids2College program at Linear Middle school in Shreveport. Kids2College participants visited the Southern University Shreveport campus May 3, 2012 for a brief orientation, tour, and mock-classroom experience. The middle-school initiative has been building excitement about college in young students since 1992 and has served more than 70,000 students across the country.

SUSLA receives donation from Microsoft

Southern University Shreveport received a software donation from the Microsoft Corporation.

In a notification letter to Gabriel Fagbeyiro who is director of ITT and assistant professor at SUSLA, Akhtar Badshah, senior director, Microsoft Community Affairs, Microsoft Corporation said, “Microsoft is pleased to make a donation of $109,906 in Microsoft software to Southern University at Shreveport in support of MS-TMCF Grant Initiative-Infrastructure Upgrade.”

Microsoft through its Corporate Citizenship program donates, on average, $1 million dollars a day in software to nonprofits around the world.

SU System and Campus News

SU Band, Alumni Federation receive national award The Southern University Marching Band and the SU National Alumni Federation each received a 2012 HBCU Award from the Center for HBCU Media Advocacy at a national awards ceremony held on the campus of Bowie State University in the Wiseman Student Center on April 21, 2012.

SU representatives participate in international conference --SU Board of Supervisors Chairman Darren Mire and faculty members from Southern University participated in the 2012 International Conference on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Africa in Kampala, Uganda, March 21-24, 2012.

Also participating was Baton Rouge physician, Rani “The Hip Hop Doc” Whitfield, M.D. The international conference hosted more than 300 participants from over 35 countries from almost all the continents (North America, South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia). Held in collaboration with Makerere University Business School, The ICT University and The University of Buea, the ICT for Africa 2012, was officially opened by the representative of Uganda’s president, His Excellency Yoweri Museveni. The conference initiated a research and practice agenda for improving socio-economic conditions for the disadvantaged, through ICTs. SUBR professor Victor Mbarika served as conference chair. Other SUBR faculty members, including Chanika Jones and Hassan Mahadallah served as co-chairs. Two SUBR students also participated.

SUSLA holds bone marrow drive for local boy Southern University Shreveport held a bone marrow registry drive April 18, 2012, to help find a donor for nineyear-old Sir Terrence Mack, a local boy who has natural kill T-cell lymphoma.

Chemotherapy and radiation no longer are treatment options for him. A marrow transplant is his only chance to improve.

The center’s annual award ceremony crowns winners in the fields of leadership, arts, athletics, research, and community engagement. According to Jarrett L. Carter Sr., founder and executive director of the center, the HBCU Awards is the first and only event to recognize the influence and impact of HBCUs on American culture.

“I was honored to receive this award on behalf of the Southern University National Alumni Federation. This award is due to the many alums around the country who love and support our University and we will continue to increase our efforts to support and advance our ‘Dear Southern’,” said Brown.

The Federation now works closely with the SU System Office of Institutional Advancement to develop and sponsor activities that garner greater attention and support from alumni.

“This recognition exemplifies the meaningful partnership the Federation has developed with the University and the generous ways their SU Alumni Federation president assistance help support Dennis Brown accepts awards for SU at our mission to make a the 2012 HBCU Awards sponsored by difference in students’ the Center for HBCU Media Advocacy, lives.” Mason added.

April 21, 2012, in Bowie, Maryland

The SU Marching Band was named 2012’s Best HBCU Marching Band, and the Southern University Alumni Federation (SUAF) was named National Alumni Association of the Year.

“Winning the awards is a huge achievement for the band and the Alumni Federation,” said SU System President Ronald Mason Jr. The Southern University Marching Band, often called the “Human Jukebox,” enjoys a long list of awards and achievements and has a resume of appearances in local, national, and international venues.

“The ‘Human Jukebox’ has consistently been at the forefront of college bands in terms of music, innovation, and style. A world-wide audience enjoys the SU Band’s unique and creative flare,” said Mason.

Southern University Alumni Federation president, Dennis S. Brown, and some area alumni, who attended the awards ceremony in Bowie, Maryland, were excited when the organization received the HBCU Award.

The SU System had nominees in eight of the 27 categories among the finalists for the second installment of the national award ceremony recognizing Historically Black College and University achievement.

Based in Baltimore, Maryland, the Center for HBCU Media Advocacy, Incorporated seeks to promote the mission, culture, and development of America’s historically black colleges and universities through new media exposure, training, and education.

“Our nominations in these categories, were especially great, considering the high-caliber of the other nominees,” said Evola Bates, SU System chief of staff. Bates received the HBCU Digest’s inivtation for nominations and submitted the SUS entries.

“We are very proud of our nominees for their dedication and commitment to Southern University. Getting this kind of recognition is very nice. This is another successful benchmark for us in our commitment to delivering quality education and service,” said Bates.

Organizers of the drive say about 50 people signed up to be potential donors.

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SU System and Campus News

SUBR School of Nursing named ‘Nursing School of the Year’ again

SU and Turkish university sign student, faculty agreement

Coskun, speaking on the Baton Rouge campus, said that “some students could come to Southern in certain degree programs.”

Llorens calls the agreement a first step “toward building a strong relationship with the education leadership in Turkey.”

Nursing students and faculty at Southern University Baton Rouge held a celebration March 30, 2012, marking the School of Nursing being named Nursing School of the Year for 2012 in Louisiana.

The Southern University School of Nursing has been recognized as the “Nursing School of the Year” in Louisiana for 2012. It is the second time in the past three years that the nursing school has received the designation.

The award was presented by the Louisiana State Nurses Association (LSNA) and the Louisiana Nurses Foundation (LNF) at its recent 11th Annual Louisiana Awards gala for Nursing and Healthcare.

“As a proud alum, and chairman of the undergraduate nursing program here, this award means a lot to me, the students and to the University,” said Jacqueline Hill. “What makes all of us even prouder is that the assessment team was an independent body comprised of members who were not from Louisiana.

Their findings say a lot about the excellence in our program.”

Some of the criteria for selection as Nursing School of the Year includes first-time passage rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (or NCLEX-RN), innovation in education and teaching, accreditation status, and comments of graduates’ employers.

The School of Nursing was selected in 2010 for the same award by the LSNA and LNF.

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“This relationship will provide our faculty and students another chance to go abroad and receive a well-rounded, global experience,” Llorens said.

Pictured is SUBR Chancellor and Hayri Coskun, chancellor of Abant Izzet Baysal University, signing the agreement on campus April 2, 2012. Barbara Carpenter, dean of international studies looks on.

He and Coskun said Southern could become a place for Baysal University students to receive degrees in programs needed in Turkey.

Southern University Baton Rouge Chancellor James L. Llorens and the top official from a university in Turkey signed an agreement April 2, 2012, that could result in students from the western Asian nation coming to study on the Baton Rouge campus.

The agreement will remain in effect for three years. Coskun, who is also a professor at Baysal University, said that considerations will be made toward exchanging students and faculty with Southern and even to have Baysal students take some undergraduate studies on the Baton Rouge campus.

Llorens and Hayri Coskun, chancellor of the 17,000-student Abant Izzet Baysal University, signed an agreement to offer support in faculty and student exchanges, joint research activities, and special short-term academic programs.

SU Ag Center leads parish garden project--The SU Ag Center is managing a St. Landry Parish project designed to teach prisoners responsibility, while putting healthy fresh fruits and vegetables on their table, is taking root near the parish airport. Yemane Ghebreiyessus, professor, sustainable plant and animal production, SU Ag Center, is overseeing the development of a vegetable garden that is being cultivated and will be maintained by St. Landry Parish Prison inmates.

Baysal University, in the Bolu region of Turkey, main areas of study include education, arts and sciences, economics, nursing, medicine, physical therapy, engineering, and international relations.

TV judge inspires SUSLA students-Best-selling author and host of nationally syndicated television series star Judge Glenda Hatchett told Southern University Shreveport students “don’t give up” during the University’s spring convocation February 15, 2012. Hatchett was the keynote speaker for the assembly in honor of Black History Month. Pictured is Hatchett signing copies of her book, following the convocation.

SU System and Campus News

SU celebrates founders, 132 years

SUNO Social Work reaccredited

Southern University observed its annual Founders’ Day in March with events to commemorate 132 years of providing educational opportunities to students from across the globe. The theme for the 2012 commemoration was “Renaissance Southern University: Strengthening Our Gift of a Strong Foundation.” Events to celebrate Founders’ Day were held System-wide.

The Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Commission on Accreditation, at its February 2012 meeting, officially reaffirmed accreditation for the bachelors of social work and masters of social work degree programs offered by the School of Social Work at Southern University New Orleans (SUNO) for an additional eight years (through 2020).

Caddo Parish Juvenile Court Judge Shonda D. Stone, was the keynote speaker for Southern University Shreveport’s annual Founders’ Day Celebration, March 7, 2012, in the Health and Physical Education Complex. Stone obtained her undergraduate degree from Southern University and graduated from Southern University Law School (SULC).

She was elected to office in 2009. During the celebration, the University honored employees for 40, 30, 20 and 10 years of service. Honored were 40 years--Melvin James and Murner D. Jenkins; 30 years-Barbara Bobo and Brenda Patterson; 20 years--Tommy Lewis, Shelia S. Swift, and Regina Robinson; 10 years--Deborah Adams, Linda Bedford, Latonya Brittenite, Joyce Cottonham, Iris Champion, Terri M. Johnson, Annie Morris, Jacqueline Roberson Reed, Judy Rushing, and Lucinda Thornton.

SU Laboratory School set flowers at the gravesite of the Clarks during the annual program in commemoration of SU Founders’ Day.

SU alum and former congressman, Cleo Fields, was keynote speaker for the 2012 SU Founders’ Day convocation at Southern University Baton Rouge.

Participants in the SULC Founding Faculty Exhibit Opening, March 7, 2012, in observance of the 132nd Southern University The main campus Founder’s Day are pictured from left: Prof. in Baton Rouge Evelyn Wilson, director of the Louis Berry kicked off its 2012 Civil Rights and Justice Institute; B. K. Founders’ Day Agnihotri, SULC Chancellor Emeritus; SU celebration with a System President Ronald Mason Jr.; LSU Law Scholarship professor Robert Pascal, an adjunct professor Concert, “Heart & of the SU Law School when it was established Soul-A Perfect in 1947; Brenda Lacour and Vanue B. Lacour Harmony,” March Jr., daughter-in-law and son of one of the 4, 2012 in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the original faculty members Vanue B. Lacour Sr.; Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union, Chancellor Freddie Pitcher Jr.; and Ruth featuring the SU Concert Choir, Alvin Batiste Bailey Wesley, executive assistant to the Jazz Institute’s “Jazzy Jags,” the SU chancellor.

Laboratory School Choir, and the world famous SU Dancing Dolls.

The reaffirmation of accreditation process took three years, which included the preparation and completion of the self-study and an onsite visit by CSWE accreditation team members.

SUNO’s group effort included faculty, staff, students, and the former dean, Millie M. Charles. SUNO’s social work programs have been accredited since their inception, with the BSW program earning the distinction in 1974, followed by the MSW program garnering accreditation in 1985.

SULC recognized as tops in preparing students for public service The SU Law Center has been ranked among the top 15 law schools in preparing students for public service, according to preLaw Magazine and National Jurist Magazine.

The magazines recognized 61 law schools in five different categories: government, prosecutor/public defender, state judicial clerks, federal clerks, and public interest. SULC ranks in government and state judicial clerks.

Rankings are determined by looking at employment data, curricula and standard of living categories. Standard of living is a calculation that includes debt, loan forgiveness options, salary and regional cost of living. For state and federal judicial clerkships, the magazine relied solely on employment placement data.

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SU System and Campus News

New members appointed to SU Board of Supervisors The Southern University System welcomed new members to the Board of Supervisors. These members were appointed by Governor Jindal and confirmed by the Senate.

“The skills and professional backgrounds of these individuals will certainly be an asset to our Board,” said Darren Mire, chairman of the Southern University Board of Supervisors. “The mix of private and public sector experience will assist with our policy initiatives to move our System to greater heights.”

The Board of Supervisors of Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College serves to manage and supervise the Southern University System.

According to statute, the board is comprised of 16 members, subject to senate confirmation. The board includes two members from each congressional district, one at-large member, and one representative of the student body.

The new members are: Calvin Braxton, of Natchitoches, is the president and chief executive officer of Braxton Land Company and president of Natchitoches Ford-Lincoln-Mercury. (4th Congressional District) Bridget Dinvaut, of Reserve, is an assistant district attorney for St. John the Baptist Parish District Attorney’s Office.

She is a Southern University New

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Orleans (bachelor of arts, criminal justice), and a SU Law Center alumna (juris doctor) with more than 16 years of law enforcement and legal experience. (3rd Congressional District) Rev. Joe Gant Jr., of Shreveport, is senior pastor of the Calvary Missionary Baptist Church.

Gant previoulsly served on the Southern University Board of Supervisors for 12 years. He served as chairman for two years. (4th Congressional District) Willie Hendricks, of Simsboro, is the mayor of the Village of Simsboro and is the senior vice president of Centric Federal Credit Union. (5th Congressional District) Eamon Kelly, of New Orleans, is the executive director and professor of international development and technology transfer at the Payson Center of Tulane University and is the president emeritus of Tulane University having served as its president for seventeen years. (2nd Congressional District) Ann Smith, of Kentwood, is a member of the Tangipahoa Parish School Board and retired principal of Kentwood High School.

She is a

Southern University Baton Rouge alumna (bachelor of science and master’s secondary education). (1st Congressional District) Demetrius Sumner, of Dallas, Texas, Student Government Association former president for Southern University, Baton Rouge and former Louisiana Board of Regents student member, served a one-year term that expired June 2012. Marc A. Guichard, SGA president, Southern University New Orleans, was sworn in June 29, 2012, as student member of the SU Board of Supervisors for 2012-2013.

Sam Tolbert, of Lake Charles, is pastor of Greater St. Mary Missionary Baptist Church.

He is president of the Louisiana Home and Foreign Missions Baptist State Convention, Incorporated. (7th Congressional District)

j SUNO spring enrollment close to pre-Katrina numbers The Spring 2012 enrollment for Southern University, New Orleans (SUNO) was 3,429, slightly below the pre-Katrina student population of 3,647.

The official enrollment numbers were confirmed February 3, 2012.

SUNO Chancellor Victor Ukpolo credits aggressive recruitment efforts and good relations with local high schools for the University’s continued growth.

SU System and Campus News

Southern System first college system in La. to become tobacco-free

best practice policies regarding tobacco.”

Becoming a 100 percent tobacco-free campus has been a five-year process for the Southern System.

“We have worked with the individual Southern University campuses to provide them with additional resources, technical assistance and sample policies. We are pleased that they are now part of the group of colleges and universities that have 100 percent tobacco-free campuses,” said Linda Early Brown, director of the Communities of Color Network at the Southern University Ag Center.

“The Southern University System is the first college system and only HBCU in Louisiana to go 100 percent tobacco-free.

We urge other colleges and systems to pave the way and create healthy learning and working environments,” said Brown.

The Communities of Color Network is spreading a tobacco-free message to youth with help from a friend, “Mr. Ciggy Butts.”

Ciggy Butts became a part of the Communities of Color Network in July 2010. He has traveled throughout Southwest Louisiana with a regional coordinator.

The Southern University System (SUS) Board of Supervisors at its October 2011 meeting approved a policy to make all campuses within the System 100 percent tobacco-free.

“As the only HBCU System in the nation, we strive to provide a safe and healthy environment for our students, faculty, and staff to learn and work…adopting a tobacco-free policy is an example of this commitment.,” said System President Ronald Mason.

On January 2, 2012, the tobacco-free campus policy for the Southern System became effective. Smoking or the use of tobacco products is not allowed in any buildings, administrative facilities, and dormitories or on the campus grounds, including athletic fields and parking areas.

“As an institution of higher learning we are committed to providing both a healthy and safe environment for our students, faculty, staff, and visitors,” said SU Board Chairman Darren Mire. “We applaud these efforts and want to model

Also, as a result of the SUS smoke-free policy, the SU Ag Center will receive an additional $100,000 in state tobacco settlement funds for 2012-2013 as part of the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living. The SU Ag Center will receive $575,000 to support the Communities of Color Network.

SUNO ranked #1 in campus safety among Louisiana universities for second year in a row For the second year in a row, Southern University New Orleans (SUNO) has been ranked #1 in campus safety with a 98.18 safety rating among Louisiana colleges and universities by StateUniversity.com.

The University is ranked #19 in the U.S. by the Web site, up from 20th in 2009. The campus safety report is based on incidents reported by campus safety officials.

According to StateUniversity.com, “colleges and universities ranked for campus safety on a scale that accounts for severity of a crime as well as frequency of crime.”

SUNO is the highest ranked HBCU in America.

“Of course, this is an honor, but it is also a clear indication that we are serious about our efforts to improve the quality of life throughout the University community,” said Victor Ukpolo, chancellor of SUNO. “I congratulate our campus

police department on their work and the University community on their dedication to making Southern University at New Orleans a place where students can feel safe to attend classes, study, and excel.”

SUNO’s chief of police, Ira Thomas, says that reorganization of the SUNO Police Department, enhanced technology, and training for officers have all contributed to the University’s continued progress.

“We challenged our students, faculty, staff and community to work with us and become our partners in maintaining a safe campus and community and the response has been tremendous,” said Thomas, who was hired at SUNO in September, 2009.

SUNO gives students the gift of technology Southern University New Orleans distributed laptops and iPads to qualified freshmen students as a part of their technology initiatives for both their 2011-2016 strategic plan and their Quality Enhancement Plan.

The initiative, which is a loaner program, is designed to provide students with the necessary technology tools for classes, is a part of the University’s retention efforts.

IPads were distributed to freshmen who are enrolled in one of SUNO’s four QEP courses and who have also passed the SmarterMeasure assessment that measures students’ online learning ability. Laptops were provided to freshmen who qualified to attend SUNO under the new admission criteria. All of the devices are being loaned to those students who do not already have them.

“These are strategies that we feel will give our new students easy access to the computer technology needed to perform successfully in their classes as well as assist the University in increasing its retention,” said Brenda Jackson, director of Title III Programs.

SUNO became 100 percent wireless and implemented cloud computing during 2011.

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SU System and Campus News

SU System Board approves online educational partnership with EOServe Corp.

changer in distance education. Under the able leadership of President Ronald Mason, Southern University working with Education Online Services Corporation, will significantly impact the global marketplace with online degree programs,” said Benjamin Chavis, president, Education Online Services Corporation.

For information on Southern System’s new online degree programs visit: www.gotosouthernuniversityonline.com/.

The Southern University Board of Supervisors in October 2011 approved a new educational partnership with Education Online Services Corporation (EOServe Corp.) to implement multiple online degree programs for all campuses within the System.

Education Online Services Corporation enables colleges and universities to maximize online higher education opportunities by providing them with state-of-the-art technology to compete in the 21st century distance learning space. The EOServe Corp., online program includes curriculum delivery for online degree programs, recruitment, enrollment, retention, and graduation coaching services.

“The Southern University System is excited to work with EO Serve. Their proven track record of developing, supporting and marketing high quality on-line degree programs matches well with the academic offerings of Southern,” said System President Ronald Mason. “Today’s student seeks a variety of learning options. The EO Serve partnership is a win for Southern and EO Serve, but most importantly, it is a win for the students.”

EOServe Corp. will offer prospective students the opportunity to enroll in Southern University online degree programs via strategic marketing and recruitment strategies. The educational partners will initially offer prospective students with bachelor of arts, bachelor of sciences, and masters’ online degrees.

“Southern University is a world-class leader in the field of higher education.

Our partnership with this prestigious academic institution will be a game-

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(See EOServe Corp and SUBR RN to BSN online and MPA online program, next page)

j New allied health program to begin Fall 2012

Southern University Shreveport this fall will offer a Sterile Processing Technician Program offering a Certificate of Applied Science (CAS), which prepares students for careers in sterile processing, as well as materials management and distribution in health care industries.

The program, approved by the SU Board of Supervisors in December 2011 and by the Board of Regents at its May 2012 meeting, will provide students classroom instruction as well as hands-on training in the University lab, hospital operating room suites, instrument rooms, and central service departments. The program prepares the student to take the National Certification Exam and become a Certified Registered Sterile Processing Technician (CRST).

Sterile processing and distribution courses (SPDT) will be offered during fall and spring semesters. A boot camp Central Processing Review course designated to prepare the student to take the national certification exam will be offered in the summer.

SULSA awarded five-year implementation program project Southern University Shreveport was awarded a five-year comprehensive implementation project though NSFHBCU-UP Program. The objective of the project is to strengthen Sciences, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs at SUSLA. “We propose to enhance and strengthen STEM curricula, undergraduate research, student recruitment and retention, and faculty professional development,” says Barry Hester, PI/ director of the program.

According to Hester, research experience is one of the most crucial factors that influence an Undergraduate’s decision to undertake research or academic career. Students interested in STEM careers need to develop these skills and there is no better way than through hands-on training research.

The primary focus of the STEMundergraduate research experience program will be to encourage and facilitate the pursuit of research careers.

A second purpose of the program is to assist students with interests in other science-based careers so that they gain an appreciation for the nature of research.

The existence of STEM projects on the SUSLA campus community will provide students with wide exposure to become familiar with research programs during the academic years.

SUSLA has established partnerships with other institutions, federal labs, and private companies who will offer the students opportunities to participate in research during the summer.

“We strongly feel that the purposed enrichment activities will develop a student’s scientific community and interest in the pursuit of research careers in the STEM areas,” said SUSLA Chancellor Ray L. Belton.

SU System and Campus News

EOServe Corp. and SUBR announce launch of online Nursing and EMPA degrees

Southern University Baton Rouge and Education Online Services Corporation (EOServe Corp.) recently announced the launch of a fully 100 percent online RN to BSN degree program starting June 2012 and an executive Master of public administration online degree starting August 2012.

The baccalaureate program at Southern University School of Nursing (SUSON) is approved by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). National licensure exam pass rates for SUSON graduates have been above the national average for 10 of the last 12 years.

“Offering our RN to BSN degree online is the perfect resolution for the growing number of people who have inquired about our program, but because of their schedules, found it difficult to get to the campus,” said SUBR Chancellor James L. Llorens. “We are excited about the easy accessibility we can now provide and what it will mean to the careers of so many nurses.”

“Launching the BSN degree program online will not only enable Southern University of Baton Rouge to increase

their student enrollments, but it will help them extend their student reach beyond their geographical boundaries,” stated Ezell Brown, chairman of Education Online Services Corporation.

The BSN program encompasses the fundamentals taught in associate degree and diploma programs plus a more in-depth study of the physical and social sciences, nursing research, public and community health, nurse management, and the humanities. In addition, it prepares nurses to actively participate in assessing and developing patient care plans, educating patients on caring for their own health, prepares the new nurse for a broader scope of practice and provides a better understanding of issues that affect patients and influence health care delivery.

Applications are currently being accepted. Students may enter any semester (fall, spring, or summer). For a complete list of admission requirements and further information on financial aid, please visit Southern University Online at www.GoToSouthernUniversityOnline. com/RNBSN or call Southern University School of Nursing at 866-895-8019.

The new Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) online degree is housed within the Department of Public Administration which is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration. The EMPA is designed specifically for those who already have professional and public sector experience, who are striving for a higher level of education to enable them to access more growth and work opportunities within the public sector.

According to Brown, “The EMPA prepares graduates to examine global aspects of public administration through specific analytical, managerial, and theoretical lenses which training students

in management communication skills and policy analysis. As public policy issues become more complex, the demand for trained policy analysts capable of both quantifying and operationally executing procedural solutions has grown.” Development of leadership skills is a central theme in all EMPA courses.

“The Executive Master of Public Administration incorporates the ideology that knowledge is an essential commodity of society that must transcend the traditional classroom to develop, nourish, inspire and energize the latent creativity and productivity of future generations,” said William Arp, dean of the SU Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs.

“The EMPA is a world class online degree program and we are proud and excited to be assisting Southern University at Baton Rouge with this strategic initiative,” emphasized Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president of Education Online Services.

Applications are currently being accepted for the August 2012 class start. An EMPA applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education with a minimum 2.7 cumulative undergraduate G.P.A., although a G.P.A. of 3.0 is preferred.

Middle-to-upper level managerial experience includes public sector and non-profit related experience position such as, but not limited to directors, assistant directors, high-level technical staff, senior managers, project/program managers. No undergraduate major or no-pre-requisite coursework is required; however, it is recommended that students be familiar with economics, statistics, and basic tasks and functions in Microsoft Office applications.

For information on Southern System’s new online degree programs visit: www.gotosouthernuniversityonline.com/.

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SU System and Campus News

Southern University’s teacher education program earns high marks

Southern University Baton Rouge’s teacher education program gathered high marks and praise in the latest findings of a state Board of Regents report that assesses how new teachers are helping students progress in school.

In the two categories - English language arts and reading – that cited Southern’s new teachers, the scores were slightly lower than only Louisiana State University.

Verjanis Peoples, dean of Southern’s College of Education, said the findings “show that students being taught by our new teachers are learning. The results clearly show the new teachers coming out of our programs are prepared to teach.”

The evaluation tool called the Value Added Teachers Preparation Program Assessment model links growth in the achievement of students in grades 4-9 to their new teachers.

Southern’s assessment was impressive, said Jeanne Burns, associate commissioner for teacher and leadership initiatives for the Board of Regents.

“In the reading and language arts, the 2010-11 average mean scores for Southern University’s new teachers were above the average mean scores of all new teachers completing programs at universities in Louisiana,” Burns said.

“This improvement is the result of a lot of hard work by faculty and administrators at Southern University who are committed to improving the achievement of students in Louisiana,” she said.

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SUNO garners additional $20 million toward rebuilding

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved additional project worksheets (PWs) totaling approximately $20 million toward the rebuilding of Southern University New Orleans. The figure represents an addition to the original obligated or approved PWs that were determined to be $92 million ($64 million of which to be used towards permanent replacement of four new academic buildings) by the time of U.S Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s second visit to SUNO’s campus in August 2009, bringing the new total obligated amount for SUNO since the Storm to $112 million.

“It is good to see that FEMA has finally provided additional funding for permanent buildings on SUNO’s main campus and temporary structures on its Lake campus,” said U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu. “In 2009, I visited the campus with Secretary Napolitano and last year, I sent a letter to FEMA requesting additional funding for these facilities.

The funding approved by FEMA will help SUNO complete its recovery from Hurricane Katrina and allow it to maintain the outstanding reputation it has built up over the past half-century.”

Approximately $12 million of the new funding will be used to supplement the permanent construction of the four new academic buildings. The buildings include the Millie M. Charles School of Social Work, College of Education and Human Development, Sciences, and Arts and Humanities buildings.

The remaining funds will assist the Louisiana Office of Facility Planning

and Control (FP&C) to proceed with construction of new, temporary modular buildings on SUNO’s Lake Campus. The new modular facilities will replace the ones that FEMA constructed for SUNO’s use in 2006. As repairs to the Park Campus buildings are completed, SUNO community members will transition from the modular buildings and occupy the permanent facilities.

“SUNO has worked closely with FEMA, FP&C and Senator Landrieu’s office for a very long time to reach this milestone on the road to the University’s full recovery.

This bodes well for our recovery and rebuilding effort going forward,” said Victor Ukpolo, SUNO’s chancellor.

SU College of Business ranked 2nd most affordable in U.S.

Southern University Baton Rouge has the second most affordable business school in the country for in-state tuition and fees, according to a national magazine.

The U.S. News and World Report study found that Southern’s College of Business cost about $6,600 per year, placing it about $1,200 behind the most affordable in- state business school at Emporia (Kansas) State University.

Donald Andrews, dean of SU’s College of Business, was impressed with the University’s ranking. “This points out that the College of Business at Southern University is highly accessible and a great value for students in Louisiana,” he said. “We are accredited by the AACSB International and have programs in accounting, finance, management, marketing and the MBA.” The AACSB is the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

“We have the only MBA program at a historically black college in Louisiana,” Andrews said. “We serve working professionals with an all-evening MBA program.

Partnerships and Grants

SU SYSTEM graduation highlights, Fall 2011, Spring 2012

Nearly 200 graduates from SUSLA during fall commencement received associate diplomas and/or certificate degrees from Southern University Shreveport during 2011 Fall Commencement on Saturday, December 10, 2011, in the Health and Physical Education Complex.

Pictured is Shreveport native Timothy M. Dyas who was top graduate. Dyas earned a degree in accounting and finished with 3.90 grade point average.

Shreveport native Sherron Phae Douglas was named co-chief student marshal for the Fall 2011 graduating class at Southern University Baton Rouge (SUBR). One of two students with the highest grade point average for the Fall SUBR 2011 class, Douglas finished with 3.7 gpa, and earned a degree in political science.

Antoinette Williams, of Plaquemine who received a degree in criminal justice was the other SUBR chief student marshal.

Participants in the 2012 SU Law Center’s Hooding Ceremony are from left, front row:

David Wilson IV, Winter Haven, Florida; Nathan J. Folse Jr., Baton Rouge; Jeremy R. Gathe, Baton Rouge; Lori M. Crawford, Atlanta, Georgia; Lana M. Woods, Covington; Adrienne Rachel, Baton Rouge; Lekeisha J. McKarry, Geismar; James A. Caruso Jr., Lafayette; Matthew Billiodeaux, Opelousas; Dorian Bailey, Baton Rouge; and Amanda Liotto, Prairieville; and from left, second row: Omar Taylor, Altadena, California; Wendy Ramnarine, Baton Rouge; Christopher Lear, Lacombe; Clinton B. Schexnayder, Houma; Ejenenorb Okorn, New Orleans; Lisha C. Landry, Baton Rouge; Terry McGlothen, Opelousas; Natoria D. Hubbard, Baton Rouge; Brady Skinner III, New Orleans; Terrence J. Senegal, Rayne; and Benny Council, Slidell.

Networks (AURN) was the speaker. Pictured with SUSLA Chancellor Ray L. Belton is top graduate Quantese Hawthorne, accounting major from Shreveport who finished with a 3.96 gpa.

Southern University New Orleans, held its 2012 Spring Commencent May 12, 2012, at the Keifer Lakefront Arena. Janet Napolitano, U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, was commencement speaker. Stephon Rydell Easterling, a history major with a 3.838 grade point average was the chief student marshal. Pictured is Easterling, a Hazelhurst, Mississippi native, leading the student processional into the arena for the spring commencement exercises. The summa cum laude graduate is married and has five adult children.

Southern University Baton Rouge held its Spring 2012 Commencement May 17, 2012, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center where 636 students received degrees. Leah Peoples, a psychology major from Wilmington, Delaware, was the chief student marshal.

Southern University Shreveport held its 2012 Spring Commencement May 15, 2012, at the Shreveport Convention Center in downtown Shreveport. April D. Ryan, Washington Bureau Chief, White House correspondent for American Urban Radio

Congressman Cedric Richmond of the Louisiana Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives delivered the 2012 Commencement address for Southern University Law Center on May 12, 2012, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center on the Southern University Baton Rouge campus. One hundred seventy-five graduates received the juris doctor degree this spring.

Pictured (from left) are Michael G. Busch of Baton Rouge, top student in the evening division; SULC Chancellor Freddie Pitcher Jr., and Joshua David Roy of Greenwell Springs, top student in the day division.

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Cover Story

Finding the Right Rethinking Processes & Priorities A Renewal Agenda for SUS model for our System, downsizing the System office and reducing the budget by $1 million dollars, and began comprehensive System-wide evaluations of programs, processes, and personnel in key areas of operation,” said Mason about the results of his game-changing plan for the SU System.

Two years into his tenure as System President, and Ronald Mason Jr. is charting the course for some of the boldest initiatives in the University’s 98year history.

One of his first acts as System President was developing an initiative to reposition the Southern University System as a next generation Historically Black University and a model for higher learning in a global economy. Mason’s Project Positive Direction, approved by the Board of Supervisors in August 2010, was designed mainly to help SU survive severe budget cuts and simultaneously initiate positive movement. It signaled the beginning of the regeneration of the SU system for the 21st century.

“We committed to and accomplished laying the groundwork for a new business

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After downsizing in 2010, Mason added two people to his executive cabinet. The first, a CPA with over 10 years of financial experience at several HBCUs, is a chief financial officer. The second, with private and public sector experience in information systems, is a chief technology officer.

At around the same time, the struggle to create a new, model Southern University System was met head-on by a new foe.

Adding to the mix of enrollment, budget, funding and infrastructure challenges was a growing movement to undermine and threaten the very existence of SU and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in general.

In September of 2010, Wall Street Journal writer Jason Riley’s editorial, “Black Colleges Need a New Mission” launched a barrage of attacks against the value, relevance, and continuing need of HBCUs. “The necessity and justification of the mission of HBCUs have been placed in the crosshairs of a movement that

seems aimed to devalue and diminish the important role that all of these historic institutions play in unlocking the doors of opportunities for generations of lower-income citizens, particularly black men, who seek to better themselves by enhancing their knowledge and gaining valuable experiences,” said Mason.

In responding to Riley’s provocative editorial, Mason suggested that the journalist was partially correct.

“HBCUs should be remade to meet today’s challenges. Indeed, the need is great for the entire American system of education to regenerate as we face more global competition. However, he misses the point on the unique role HBCUs play in helping America maintain its world prominence,” said Mason.

The SU System president believes HBCUs need a new model, but in many ways so does America. He explains, “We are a country increasingly divided by race and class, and a house divided will have difficulty maintaining its competitive edge. HBCUs, with little access to wealth or power, have helped temper the potential extreme consequences of America’s unresolved challenge of race. They are economic, social, and educational bases for a people seeking equitable treatment from a nation that they helped found. It is why HBCUs were established and it is why they are an important part of shaping America’s future.”

Perhaps an omen of things to come, the anti-HBCU sentiment hit closer to home during the 2011 Louisiana Legislative session when a bill was introduced to Continued on next page

Cover Story merge Southern University’s New Orleans campus with the University of New Orleans—a move that would have begun the dismantling of the SU System.

Fortunately, the SU System-led fight was won with the help of alumni and other stakeholders who waged an all out battle to save SUNO and the SU System.

Knowing that the threats and assaults to HBCU’s and more specifically to the Southern University System would not let up, Mason has set his sights on mapping a course for survival and growth.

In August of 2011, Mason proposed, “The Southern Strategy: A Return to Glory,” a roadmap to begin the process of moving Southern toward a more secure, distinguished place in higher education.

“We can continue to bleed from a thousand cuts as our flagship loses enrollment, staff and the ability to deliver critical services; or, we can accept the reality of our circumstances and respond in a proactive way by using the resources available and foreseeable to build a lean, efficient, globally competitive, state of the art institution of higher learning. The latter option is the vision of the Southern Strategy,” said Mason.

The Southern Strategy, over the course of four years, will implement five strategies:

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Modernize the Academy and synergize Academic programs.

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Modernize and synergize support operations.

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Increase private and public resources.

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Market a “new” Southern built upon the traditions of the past.

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Identify and strategically organize available and foreseeable resources.

A major step in new program development is the implementation of an Online College. The SU System has established a new educational partnership with Education Online Services Corporation (EOServe Corporation) to implement multiple online degree programs for all campuses within the System.

“Many students seeking on-line education are HBCU non completers.

They choose the convenience of online, because they work while attending school.

However, many often

SU System president Ronald Mason Jr. believes HBCUs need a new model. “HBCUs should be remade to meet today’s challenges . . . indeed, the need is great for the entire American system of education to regenerate as we face more global competition,” he says.

Ever mindful of the social and economic barriers that stand in the way of educational opportunities for the underserved and black men in particular, SU President Mason in partnership with SUNO and Jackson State University, is implementing the “Five-Fifths Agenda for America,” a demonstration project with the goal of increasing the number of college degrees among black men.

Mason explains society’s present day attitude about black men and their educational challenges with reference to

The SU System is spearheading the “Five-Fifths Agenda for America,” a national initiative to enable young Black men with life challenges to become educators and “servant leaders,” who will seed positive change in their schools and communities.

exhaust financial aid, incur high debt, and drop out before attaining a degree. Southern can offer a better product by expanding our hands on, nurturing culture to the on-line experience,” said Mason.

Thomas Jefferson’s discussion on the issue of slavery during the Missouri Crisis.

Jefferson wrote “But as it is, we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other.”

As an added value, he pointed out, “This can be a potent revenue source over time.”

Mason explains, “The Founding Fathers thought that the choice of selfpreservation over justice was the correct business decision for their time.” “They decided that free labor was necessary in order to build what they envisioned as a great nation. They therefore allowed a

According to many social scientists and educational scholars, the statement offers context for our current national policy and practice regarding the dysfunctional education and mass incarceration of African-American males in the United States.

Continued on next page

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Cover Story system of laws and rules to exploit African Americans through slavery. Slavery was the father, Jim Crow the son, and now mass incarceration is the grandson.”

Thus the goal of the “Five-Fifths Agenda for America” national initiative is to enable young black men with life challenges to become educators and “servant leaders” who will seed positive change in their schools and communities.

An additional goal is to establish public Historically Black Colleges and Universities as institutional bases for longterm systemic change.

(See inset story, “The Five-Fifths Agenda for America”)

The Honoré Center for Undergraduate Student Achievement (HCUSA) is the first project of this national initiative to address the Black male cradle-to-prison pipeline and its consequences.

The Center is named in honor of retired Lt. General Russell Honoré (the SU alum who led the military operation to rescue New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina), HCUSA is a program designed to increase the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to African-American males.

SU System President Ronald Mason Jr. speaking during a panel disccussion at the 38th National Conference on Blacks in Higher Education in March 2012.

(See story, page 18)

The Five-Fifths Agenda for America: A positive future for African American Males With SU System President Ronald Mason spearheading the effort, Southern University New Orleans and Jackson State University (JSU) have entered into a collaborative agreement to increase the number of African-American males that earn college degrees.

According to President Mason’s proposal, the Five-Fifths Agenda for America draws its meaning from the “three-fifths compromise” that was reached between southern and northern states at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. By agreement, three-fifths of the population of slaves were to be counted for enumeration purposes regarding both the distribution of taxes and the apportionment of the members of the United States House of Representatives.

In contemporary terms, the Five-Fifths Agenda (in contrast) calls for the deliberate inclusion of people of color and AfricanAmerican males in particular, to be fully engaged and constructive contributors to the national advancement of HBCUs. Serving as a member of President Obama’s Advisory Committee for HBCUs has fueled his passion to change the plight of AfricanAmerican males in America. Mason has been criss-crossing the state and nation for the last 2 years talking to local boards and chambers of commerce, as well as national corporations and foundations discussing the Five-Fifths Agenda for America, which is essentially a remedy to a national crisis.

The national crisis or “school to prison” pipeline is what the collaborative project is designed to curtail. Currently, the rate at which black males are entering the “school-to-prison pipeline” far exceeds the rate at which they are graduating from high school and/ or securing gainful employment. TheFive-Fifths Agenda is a threetiered approach that is designed to work with families of preschool aged children, K-12 educational systems, and higher education.

Continued on next page

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SU System President Ronald Mason Jr. believes that the future of HBCUs depends on dismantling the system that drives black men into prison and replacing it with a system that constructively develops and harnesses the human capital that it currently destroys.

Cover Story The SU System’s latest and perhaps most daunting challenge of declining state funding is forcing the nation’s only historically black college and university system to make drastic changes in order to survive.

Since 2009, the SU System have seen more than $40 million in state budget cuts that has damaged educational opportunities for students, forced the elimination of programs and courses, and shrunk student services. Fewer classes, elimination of complete degree programs and scholarships, and huge faculty and staff layoffs, are a few of the impacts for the Southern University System as a result of the state budget cuts.

In 2011, the System’s largest campus in Baton Rouge declared financial exigency as a result of declining enrollment and a significant decrease in revenues.

“These cuts strike a significant blow to our efforts as we move forward with plans to move Southern toward a more secure, distinguished place in higher education,” said Mason.

Mason tries to focus on the opportunities more than the cuts. “we have to be bold enough to see the future and be there waiting for it. We have to quickly become what other institutions talk about, global, 21st century, efficient. The fact that we are a system gives us an edge.”

There is some validation for Mason’s vision for SU and evidence the University is headed in the right direction. The SU System leader was recently the subject of an in-depth feature story on Southern University in the Baton Rouge Business Report.

As an administrator, President Mason has the tough task of balancing the academic needs of all the system campuses as well as the business processes for each. He has to set the tone for the University’s future growth and development and he says, “the paramount motivation going forward must be an unwavering commitment to a better future for Southern and the students it serves.”

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“The Five-Fifths Agenda...” Continued The SU System-led Five-Fifths Agenda for America calls for the deliberate inclusion of people of color and African-American males in particular, to be fully engaged and constructive contributors to the national advancement of HBCUs.

“The impact of this pipeline to prison on people, families, communities and society is profound. Unemployment fosters crime and leads to fatherless homes, underprepared toddlers, underperforming students, dropouts and underprepared high school graduates, which leads back to underemployment, unemployment and crime, says SUS President Ronald Mason.

Data from the U.S. Department of Education indicates that in terms of degree attainment in 2009, 65.9 percent of bachelor’s degrees were earned by African-American females while only 34.1 percent were earned by their male counterparts.

Mason has garnered the support of the Educational Testing Service, and the Lumina, Open Society, and Kellogg Foundations to carry out the FiveFifths Agenda. National partners also include the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Education, the Council for Aid to Education, and the White House Board of Advisors on HBCUs. The first demonstration sites will be organized at SUNO and Jackson State University.

President Mason believes that the future of HBCUs depends on dismantling the system that drives black men into prison and replacing it with a system that constructively develops and harnesses the human capital that it currently destroys.

Already there are scholars conducting research that highlight the achievement of black males. Earlier this year the inaugural report from the Center for

the Study of Race and Equity in Education at the Pennsylvania State University Graduate School of Education reveals a more promising outlook on black males and their success in college, particularly for those who attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The report developed by Center Director Shaun R. Harper is based on his National Black Male College Achievement Study, the largest-ever qualitative research study of Black undergraduate men. The study focuses on 219 students who have been successful in college. Harper presents his findings based on six categorizes including getting to college, choosing college, paying for college, transitioning to college, matters of engagement and responding positively to racism. Harper suggests in the report that postsecondary educators, leaders, and policymakers must do more of what works to enroll, retain, educate, and graduate black male students and further states that they cannot do so without better understanding what helps these men persist through degree attainment.

Through the Five-Fifths Agenda piloted by SUNO and JSU, two vital HBCUs, with regional reach and reputation, President Mason hopes to create a model that will be useful to other HBCUS, especially those serving populations with high concentrations of African-American males in both urban and rural settings.

Through the project, Mason hopes to “stem the tide of Black male undereducation, unemployment and social marginalization.”

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NEW CENTER OPENS DOORS FOR BLACK MALES

students, dropouts and underprepared high school graduates, which leads back to under-employment, unemployment and crime,” said Mason.

HCUSA requires participants to complete a two-year associate degree program then continue their studies to receive a bachelor’s degree with certification to teach at the elementary school level. Students will be admitted initially as Malcolm Batiste (far right) and Davonne Edwards community college students (second from right) will be enrolled this fall in the registered to Southern University Honore’ Center for Undergraduate Student Achievement.

Shreveport (SUSLA) in pursuit Batiste and Edwards are pictured with SU System of an associate’s degree.

They will President Ronald Mason Jr. (second from left) and attend classes at SUNO plus their PCCHS principal Joe Griffin. —Photo Tommy academic credits are transferrable Comeaux, Pointe Coupee Banner later to SUNO. The state of Louisiana in 2011 awarded the Southern University System a half million dollars in funding to plan and implement an initiative designed to address an important national challenge: to reverse the trend of fewer African-American male students attending and graduating from college.

The initiative established The Honoré Center for Undergraduate Student Achievement (HCUSA) on the Southern University New Orleans campus.

The Honoré Center for Undergraduate Student Achievement is part of the FiveFifths Agenda for America, a national demonstration conceived by SU System President Ronald Mason Jr., to address the black male cradle-to-prison pipeline and its consequences.

The center is named in recognition of Pointe Coupee native Lt. General Russel L. Honoré, US Army (Ret) who led all active-duty troops from all military branches for the storm recovery operations following Hurricane Katrina’s destruction of the Gulf Coast in 2005.

“The impact of this pipeline to prison on people, families, communities and society is profound. Unemployment fosters crime and leads to fatherless homes, underprepared toddlers, underperforming

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Warren Bell Jr. HCUSA director stated, “We plan to strengthen public higher education in the City of New Orleans and its role in helping to build a better city. We are investing in these students and will accept students who do not meet the current admissions standards for Southern University at New Orleans and bring them to a point where they will be fully prepared to give back to the City of New Orleans.”

Honore’ students agree to follow rigorous rules of conduct and performance while at Southern University New Orleans.

Graduates of the Center will be required to teach in a New Orleans public school for at least two years upon completion of degree requirements.

strategies for conducting group and individualized sessions to monitor each students’ personal progress and to provide advice on handling any life challenges they might encounter.

Bell, Mason, and the HCUSA Advisory Council have recruited the first cohort of at-risk Black male students graduating from area and New Orleans high schools for the initiative. Two graduates from Pointe Coupee Parish, Gen. Honoré’s home parish, are among the first students to be accepted into the new pilot academic program for “at risk” black males.

HCUSA students were chosen based on specific criteria and a rigorous application process including a nomination letter from a high school principal or college counselor, recommendations from a high school teacher and someone outside the school setting who knows the candidate in another capacity, an essay, and an in-person interview. All HCUSA students are Pell Grant eligible and would be precluded from admission to SUNO by the state’s mandated standards.

Mason attended the Pointe Coupee Central High School graduation on May 23, 2012 in Morganza and delivered the HCUSA acceptance letters to Jonte Batiste and Davonne Edwards.

The Louisiana Legislature has funded the Center for another year.

For more information call 504-286-5107 or send an email to Honore_center@sus.edu.

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Students must be eligible to receive a Pell Grant which covers tuition and will receive extra academic and financial support to assist in attending Southern University, including room and board, laptops, textbooks, and a monthly allowance.

In an effort to support the students’ in the areas of self-awareness, social interrelation skills, and balanced living, the Center has partnered with the SUNO School of Social Work and the Psychology and Criminal Justice Departments to develop effective

George W. Carver Senior High School graduate Devon Leggett of New Orleans points to his acceptance letter from Warren Bell, Interim Director of Southern University’s Honore Center for Undergraduate Student Achievement.

Building Up:

Campuses Get New, Renovated, and Repurposed Facilities

Campus improvements and construction projects are in full bloom this spring with System campuses experiencing a flurry of activity including long awaited repair work on buildings damaged during Hurricane Gustav as well as renovations and completion of projects that began last year.

According to American School and University, limited financial resources are inspiring education institutions to be more creative by enlisting the help of architects to re-examine existing building assets. By thinking differently about space, institutions are renovating and reprogramming instead of building new facilities, and saving hundreds of millions of dollars in the process.

Southern University System campuses are following this trend in building renovation and redesign and putting its money where the greatest needs are.

“The planned renovations and construction will put Southern System campuses on par with the best among peer institutions,” says SU System director of facilities planning, Endas Vincent. “We want to design the physical environment for learning, living, and

recreation because we want to ensure that we are able to attract and retain students.”

Southern University Baton Rouge

Hill Student Health Center addition, renovations to the lobby of Frank Hayden Hall, and to the parking lot of the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Several phases of the hot and chill water projects have been completed. The final phase IV North Loop of the project is in design and will cost an estimated $2 million.

Recently completed on the Baton Rouge campus is the chilled water project that will ensure campus buildings are able to be cooled adequately. The project involved removing abandoned subsurface hot water line loops that were extending from the University’s central plant and replacing them with steel, pre-insulated pipe with high density polyethylene (HDPE) casing for the new chill water line loops.

Visitors to campus will soon be welcomed by the construction of a new cultural information center designed to serve the needs of the Southern University Museum of Art (SUMA), students, and the community. The proposed facility will provide smart (high-tech) classrooms, meeting rooms, conferencing facilities, exhibition space, offices, and storage.

The 14,000 square foot, twostory building will house the Underground Railroad Program and other cultural and community outreach programs.

Funding in the amount of $3.2 million from the federal Title III program is subsidizing renovations to the T.H. Harris Hall Annex that will house Pictured participating in the groundbreaking ceremony, the Office of Student Financial May 25, 2012, for the new $6.5 million, 33,578 squareAid, student welcome center, foot athletic complex on the SU Rouge campus is (from retention and tutoring, left) SU Board of Supervisors members Myron Lawson, administrative offices, and Patrick Magee, Calvin Braxton, Rev. Samuel Tolbert, and space for student orientation Walter Dumas; Anna Jones, chair, SU System Foundation assemblies. The project is scheduled to be completed by Board; Brandon Dumas, interim vice chancellor for August 2012. student affairs, SUBR; James Llorens, chancellor, SUBR; SUS Board members Darren Mire (chair), Murphy Bell III (vice chair); Willie McCorkle, SUBR SGA president; and SUS Board member Ann Smith.

Other renovations that are bringing new life to the SUBR campus is the Baranco-

Governor Bobby Jindal joined SU Board of Supervisors Chairman Darren Mire, SUNO Chancellor Victor Ukpolo, and other officials to mark the opening of a new College of Business building at Southern University New Orleans Thursday, February 23, 2012. A large crowd was on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the $3.3 million facility on the SUNO campus that will house the College of Business and Public Administration. —Photo Mike Meehan, SUNO

The student health center will be expanding to include administrative offices, an additional waiting room, nurse’s station, examination rooms, and hazardous waste disposal area.

Renovations are also being done to the roof of John B. Cade Library, Mayberry Dining Hall, and the SU Laboratory School, which all sustained considerable damage during Hurricane Gustav in 2008. In addition to roof repairs at John B. Cade Library, repairs to the interior third and fourth floors of the building will commence later this year, while the laboratory school will have rebuilt covered walkways through the campus.

Under construction is the intramural athletic complex that will incorporate several recreational spaces including basketball courts, aerobic workout rooms, electronic games room, refreshment bar, fitness area, free weights, rock climbing wall as well as administrative offices.

Continued

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Adjacent to the intramural athletic complex are the old Magnolia Triangle dormitories that are scheduled to be demolished thanks to $2 million received from the State Interim Emergency Board (IEB) to address the problems with asbestos, vagrancy, and vandalism that the old facility was causing. Also included in the demolition are an old daycare development center and a small storage building. The buildings were constructed in 1959 and have been closed for years.

Vincent stated, “These buildings have been blighted and obsolete for a long time.” “The reason for the obsolescence is the manner in which the facilities were constructed. Not only were they deteriorated beyond repair, all of the dorms were lacking interior corridors and entrance doors for all the rooms exited to an exterior balcony. This created a very unsecure and unsafe environment for the students and was an eyesore for the student life zone.”

SU System efforts to improve energy efficiency projects that are part of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds granted to the state of Louisiana through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for energy efficiency modifications to state university buildings are shedding new light on the SUBR campus.

Research shows that a consensus has formed among architects, facility

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managers, and educators that sustainably designed projects are desirable and make sense for the environment and for an institution’s long-term finances.

Southern University System efforts to improve energy efficiency projects that are part of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funding from the federal Title III program is subsidizing (ARRA) funds granted renovations to the T.H. Harris Hall Annex that will house the to the state of Louisiana Office of Student Financial Aid, student welcome center, through the Department retention and tutoring, administrative offices, and space for of Natural Resources student orientation assemblies. The project is scheduled to be (DNR) for energy efficiency modifications to completed by August 2012. include the Southern University state university buildings Museum of Art, Office of the Registrar are shedding new light on the SUBR and Admissions, J.B. Moore Hall, campus.

Rodney Higgins Hall, Smith-Brown So far, the project has included replacing Student Union, Lottie Anthony Hall, all existing fixtures and lamps in the J. James Lee Hall, Office of Collections S. Clark Administration Building on and Receivables, the Old Women’s the Baton Rouge campus with energy Gymnasium, University Place (President’s efficient LED lighting, with the goal House), and interior of Mayberry Dining being to save approximately 50 percent Hall. of the energy presently consumed for Sixty-eight Hurricane Gustav projects lighting. Also, the project involves are in process of scope review to be replacing existing lights on the major streets on the Southern University Baton scheduled for bid, according to Vincent.

Rouge campus, which includes the Southern University New Orleans Agriculture Center and the Law Center, with an energy efficient solar garden The SUNO campus is creating great lighting system. spaces for discovery, promoting its goals “Cutting state energy costs provides a benefit to all citizens, and this investment in energy efficiency will mean savings in government spending on energy in future years,” said DNR secretary Scott Angelle. “Allowing our universities to use this funding to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings saves them the upfront investment and gives them energy savings opportunities in coming years, allowing them to use more of their resources on their core mission of education.”

Planned projects for SUBR include a baseball support facility and an openair classroom (amphitheater) on the Mississippi River bluff.

Due to extensive damage caused by Hurricane Gustav, recovery projects

in teaching, research, service, and finally, residential life on campus.

The formal ribbon cutting for the first phase of SUNO’s new Student and Faculty Housing Complex was held February 2010. The complex is the first residential facility in SUNO’s 50-plus year history.

Financed in part by a $44 million dollar loan from the U.S. Department of Education’s Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program, the complex houses both students and faculty. The facility has a total of 699 beds.

Governor Bobby Jindal joined SU Board of Supervisors Chairman Darren Mire, SUNO Chancellor Victor Ukpolo, and Continued on next page

Two of the new buildings will be constructed on the Park campus and two will be built on the Lake campus.

There is also building repair campuswide at SUNO because of the extensive damage that devastated the SUNO campus during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

A chilled water project that will ensure campus buildings are able to be cooled adequately was recently completed on the SU Baton Rouge campus. The project involved removing abandoned subsurface hot water line loops that were extending from the University’s central plant and replacing them with steel, pre-insulated pipe with high density polyethylene (HDPE) casing for the new chill water line loops.

other officials to mark the opening of a new College of Business building at Southern University, New Orleans February 23, 2012. A large crowd was on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the $3.3 million facility on the SUNO campus that will house the College of Business and Public Administration.

A major renovation of the University’s library will not only restore the facility, but also provide mitigation and include state-of-the-art upgrades like a coffee shop, lounge areas, snack areas, computer stations, and mobile cart stations.

Also a new central plant will be constructed and the old plant will be demolished because more than half of the plant was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Also scheduled for demolition at SUNO are Clark Hall, Brown Hall (old science building), New Science building, and the Multi-Purpose Building. The existing footprint of each building will be used to construct new facilities that will include a building for the School of Social Work, College of Education, a Science Building and an Arts and Humanities building.

Projects that are forthcoming at SUNO include construction of a 10,000 square foot facility for the SBMI-CBA Small Business Incubator; completion of the health and education building which will add an elevator, new windows, new flooring for the gymnasium, and new showers and locker rooms that will meet ADA standards; replacement of existing temporary buildings at the Lake Campus with new modular buildings that are more substantial structurally and will be used for student center activities, yearbook and other staff, as well as classroom space; renovations to University Center at the Park Campus to include game rooms, a swimming pool, book store, student government association offices, fitness center, various administrative offices and reception rooms.

Overall, SUNO facilities will be more aesthetic, better equipped, and more efficient following the comprehensive renovations.

Southern University Shreveport A major move designed to increase capacity for the nursing program at the Shreveport Metro Campus included acquisition of the Allen Building which is located next to the existing downtown campus at 601 Texas Street. Renovations are scheduled for the acquired property.

SUSLA’s share of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds granted to the state of Louisiana through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for energy efficiency modifications to state universities was used to replace two cooling towers and controls on the SUSLA campus.

Planned projects include construction of a new two-story masonry classroom building at the main campus of SUSLA to increase learning space with smart (high tech) classrooms, conference rooms, and faculty offices.

Also, a Master Plan for SUSLA’s main campus was developed for new construction and infrastructure planning for the next twenty years.

“It is the master plan for the university that drives the Office of Facilities Planning and provides a tangible vision for the future that can be implemented flexibly as changing circumstances dictate,” says Vincent.

j

A major move designed to increase capacity for the nursing program at the Southern University Shreveport Metro Campus included acquisition of the Allen Building which is located next to the existing downtown campus at 601 Texas Street.

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SU Faculty and Staff Achievements

faculty and staff Achievements At-a-Glance...

SUBR manager chosen for prestigious Harvard library program Southern University Baton Rouge’s Dawn Kight, library manager of systems and technology, J.B. Cade Library, has been selected to attend the prestigious Harvard University Library Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians this summer, from August 5-10, at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

“I am so excited about being selected to this institute,” said Kight, whose photo is currently featured on the Historically Black College and Universities Library Alliance website (hbculibraries.org).

In 2009-2010, Kight participated in the Leadership Program of the Alliance funded by the Mellon Foundation that develops and supports effective library leadership at HBCUs. The John B. Cade library was able to benefit from funding by the foundation through Kight’s and the university’s participation.

The all-expense paid Harvard visit will consist of daily classes and reading assignments given to each attendee before the start of the program.

“I look forward to engaging with the institute’s faculty and other colleagues around the nation on the direction of libraries, and information technology and leadership skills,” Kight said.

The Harvard Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians provides important leadership concepts and applies them to the practical challenges of leading and managing the contemporary academic library. The curriculum addresses three areas - planning, organizational strategy and change and transformational learning - with an overarching goal of increasing leadership and management capacity.

The Leadership Program provides theoretical and practical instruction and useful resources to encourage the development of leadership skills within the HBCU library community and on their own campuses.

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SUSLA professor receives Presidential Volunteer Award

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S UBR nursing professor inducted into La. nurses Hall of Fame

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SULC professor installed as president of Baton Rouge Bar Association

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SUBR professor earns Andrew W. Mellon funded scholarship

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S outhern Lab faculty, administrators enroll in major quality initiative

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And more. . .

SUBR basketball coach named LSWA Coach of the Year First-year Southern University Baton Rouge head men’s basketball coach Roman Banks who led the Jaguars to a 17-win season, in April 2012 was named the Coach of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA).

Banks, who coached the SU team to a second-place finish in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, had a previous stint at Southern University Baton Rouge where he served as the Jaguars’ chief recruiter. Banks was previously associate head basketball coach at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. A native of Shreveport, Banks was a three-time All-District 2-4A selection at Captain Shreve High School and played basketball at Northwestern State (NSU) in Nachitoches. He started his coaching career at Shreveport’s Green Oaks High School before spending two years at Southern University Shreveport, where he was the athletic director and head men’s basketball coach. Bank’s father, Cleophus Banks, was a guard on the SU men’s team from 1963-68.

The LSWA honoree was inducted into the NSU Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

SU Faculty and Staff Achievements

SUBR nursing professor inducted into La. nurses Hall of Fame Wanda Spurlock, a professor in Southern University Baton Rouge’s School of Nursing, was recently inducted into the Louisiana State Nurses Association Hall of Fame.

A registered nurse for over 34 years, Spurlock is widely recognized for her commitment to the fields of psychiatric and mental health nursing and gerontological nursing (nursing care of the elderly).

Spurlock says her mission in nursing is to improve the quality of life in persons suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, as well as their caregivers.

She recently completed her work as a member of an expert panel of nurses selected by Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing, in conjunction with the Hartford Centers for Geriatric Nursing Excellence, to develop an assessment tool to evaluate the dementia knowledge base of RNs employed in nursing home settings throughout the United States.

Spurlock is one of only three Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, “Excellence in Care Specialists” in the state.

As a testament of her extraordinary contributions to gerontological nursing, she was conferred “Fellow” status by the National Gerontological Nursing Association where she is a member of the Governing Body and currently chairs the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Committee.

Spurlock also was the recipient of the 2009 Nightingale Award for Outstanding Community Service by a Registered Nurse.

SUBR professor earns Andrew W. Mellon funded scholarship Rachel VincentFinley, an assistant professor in the Southern University Baton Rouge Department of Computer Science, was awarded a national 2012 Career Enhancement Fellowship for Junior Faculty. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation funds the fellowship.

The fellowship, administered by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, is awarded annually to 20 junior faculty nationwide within the teaching fields of physical sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

The award is designed to assist talented junior faculty in pursuit of scholarly research with a goal of increasing the presence of faculty who are “committed to eradicating racial disparities in core fields in the arts and sciences.”

The Career Enhancement Fellowship Program provides one year of financial support, mentoring, and a fall retreat for participants. Its goal is to “aid the scholarly research and intellectual growth of fellows.”

“Receiving this fellowship provides me the resources to promote the development of research at Southern University and it will enrich my teaching capabilities,” Vincent-Finley said.

Vincent-Finley received a doctorate in computational and applied mathematics from Rice University and completed a post-doctoral appointment in the Institute of Molecular Design at the University of Houston.

Prior to joining the faculty at Southern in 2009, Vincent-Finley was a visiting assistant professor of mathematics at Tulane University. At Southern, she is a Louisiana Optical Network Initiative (LONI) fellow and serves on the LONI management council.

SUBR nursing professor on national exam panel

Malinda Carmouche, assistant professor of maternal-child nursing in SUBR’s School of Nursing, has been selected by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) to serve as a member of the RN Item Writing Panel for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

NCLEX-RN is one of the two examinations used by the Boards of Nursing to test entry-level nursing competence of candidates for licensure as registered nurses.

“Having been a professional nurse for over twenty-two years, I am excited about the opportunity to participate as a member of the Registered Nurse Item Writing Panel for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing,” said Carmouche. “I look forward to the opportunity to network on a national level, to further develop item writing skills, and to contribute to excellence in nursing practice in such a profound way.”

NCSBN provides education, service, and research through collaborative leadership to promote evidence-based regulatory excellence for patient safety and public protection. The organization protects the public by ensuring that safe and competent nursing care is provided by licensed nurses and serves as a vehicle through which boards of nursing act and counsel together on matters of common interest.

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SU Faculty and Staff Achievements

SULC chancellor named 100 Most Influential Black Attorneys in the U.S. On Being a Black Lawyer (OBABL) selected the 100 most influential black attorneys in the United States and SU Law Center chancellor Freddie Pitcher Jr., was honored in this exceptional group.

OBABL published “The Power 100 Special Edition” available online and featuring profiles of the nation’s most influential black attorneys working in government, academics, and the public and private sectors. Chancellor Pitcher is listed in the deans category.

Honorees were toasted at a cocktail reception at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, D.C., on February 29, 2012.

Pitcher has served as chief executive/ academic officer for the Southern University Law Center since 2003.

Pitcher has served on the American

Bar Association Site Evaluation Team for Reaccrediting Law and the ABA Law School Legal Education Section’s Committee on Professionalism (2004).

Under his leadership, SULC has gained full membership in the American Association of Law Schools.

Prior to his appointment as SULC Chancellor, Pitcher was a partner with Phelps Dunbar, LLP, an international law firm, from May 1997 to December 2002.

Before his tenure with Phelps Dunbar, Pitcher was a member of the judiciary for nearly 15 years. He holds the distinction of being the first African American elected to a seat on the Baton Rouge City Court (March 1983), the 19th Judicial District Court (November 1987), and the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal (October 1992), where he was elected without opposition and was the first African American to serve on that court (1993-1997). Pitcher has also served as an associate justice ad hoc on the Louisiana Supreme Court (February 1997).

Prior to his election to the bench in 1983, Pitcher was the principal partner in the law firm of Pitcher, Tyson, Avery & Cunningham. He is a former assistant district attorney for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, and a special counsel for the Louisiana Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General.

SUSLA employees receive excellence award Four Southern University Shreveport representatives attending the recent 2012 National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) received the organization’s Excellence Award.

Kenechukwu Anyenechi, assistant professor, biology; Evonne O’Neal, administrative coordinator, behavioral science and education; Beverly Parker, director of workforce training, adult education, and continuing education; and Raegan Stearns, instructor/archivist, library; each received the honor May 30, 2012, during the NISOD conference held at the University of Texas at Austin. More than 3000 individuals attended the conference. Community colleges from all over the country participated.

More than 700 community colleges around the world are NISOD members, including almost every large community college district, the majority of urban and technical colleges in the United States and Canada, and more than 200 small, rural colleges around the world.

NISOD is the outreach vehicle and service arm to the Community College Leadership Program (CCLP).

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Nursing professors selected for health information scholars program

Sandra Brown (pictured above, right) and Wanda Spurlock, associate professors in the School of Nursing, were selected from a national pool of applicants for participation in the Health Information Technology Scholars (HITS) program.

The HITS program is supported by a five-year, $1.5 million grant provided by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bureau of Health Professions in partnership with the Office of Health Information Technology. The project is administered by the University of Kansas School of Nursing in collaboration with the Schools of Nursing at the University of Colorado Denver, Johns Hopkins University, and Indiana University, in partnership with the National League for Nursing.

Brown and Spurlock will be attending special training and education at the University of Kansas, School of Nursing where they will interact with nursing faculty from colleges and universities across the United States.

SU Faculty and Staff Achievements

SUSLA professor receives Nursing professors earn Presidential Volunteer Award certifications

Southern Lab faculty, administrators enroll in major quality initiative

Southern University Laboratory School’s 35-member faculty participates in “Take One!,” a National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) initiative designed to improve teaching quality and student learning.

Joseph Orban, a distinguished professor of biomedical sciences at Southern University Shreveport has received the Presidential Volunteer Award from President Barack Obama. This is Orban’s second time, as he received a similar award in 2007 from President George W. Bush for services he provided in Nigeria, Kenya and Bangladesh in relation to quality control, formulation, and production of poultry feeds.

The 2012 award is in recognition for the services provided by Orban in Mali and Ethiopia. In Mali, he provided training in the use of chromatography and amino acid analysis in assessing quality and safety of animal feeds for the people of Mali.

The nomination for the award was made by Winrock International. As one of the Certifying Organizations participating in the Award Program, Winrock International confers the award to recognize the outstanding achievements of its volunteers. Winrock has a long history of international volunteer service, and more than 200 volunteers have been known to perform volunteer service each year on behalf of the organization.

“These recipients of the President’s Volunteer Award are role models for all Americans. Volunteers bring us closer together as families, as communities, and as a nation through their commitment,” said Kristi Burnham, director of community partnership, U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

Wanda Raby Spurlock (pictured above, bottom right), an associate professor in Southern University Baton Rouge’s School of Nursing, has earned the designation certified nurse educator from the National League for Nursing.

The CNE designation is conferred after the nurse meets strict eligibility criteria and successfully completes a rigorous certification examination developed and administered by the National League for Nursing. The mission of the Academic Nurse Educator Certification Program is to recognize excellence in the advanced specialty role of the academic nurse educator.

Antiqua Smart (pictured above, top left), an assistant professor in the School of Nursing, has received a Teaching and Learning in Web-based Courses Professional Certificate from Indiana University School of Nursing and a Certificate in Nursing Education from Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions.

Smart, a board certified family nurse practitioner, said she eventually wants to use her training to become an instructor of online nursing education classes.

Smart is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in nursing education from Capella University.

“Take One!” also provides valuable experience for teachers and counselors who choose to continue their pursuit of National Board Certification. NBPTS is the organization that provides national certification to teachers who have achieved the highest level of performance in their profession.

“Our primary objective is to have a substantial number of faculty pursuing National Board Certification,” said Ronnie Harrison, Director of Southern Lab. “The participation of our instructors in the program will be very beneficial for our entire community, considering our instructors will be working to become among the most highly skilled anywhere in the country.”

Harrison added that the involvement in the “Take One!” professional development as a school reinforces the notion that student academic achievement is the primary focus at Southern Lab, and student teachers from Southern’s College of Education will also benefit from the enhanced knowledge base of the Lab School teachers who help mentor them.

To participate in “Take One!”, teachers and counselors must study the NBPT standards, complete a video portfolio entry of a teaching or counseling session with students in grades pre-K – 12 and submit the entry to NBPTS for scoring in any current National Board certification area.

Southern Lab was one of few schools in the state to have 100 percent LEAP passage by their 4th grade students.

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SU Faculty and Staff Achievements

SU director among La. Legislative Women’s Caucus Foundation award recipients

Alma Thornton, director of the Southern University Baton Rouge Center for Social Research received a Louisiana Legislative Women’s Caucus (LLWC) Foundation 2012 Women of Excellence Award.

Thornton, who received the award in the education and research category, and six other winners were honored during the LLWC Foundation’s Women of Excellence Awards and Scholarship Gala in Baton Rouge on May 9, 2012, at the Baton Rouge Marriott.

The Women’s Caucus created the awards in 2008 to recognize and honor the exemplary achievements and contributions of extraordinary Louisiana women who personify excellence in leadership, profession, academics, community service, character, and integrity.

SUBR’s Roger Cador celebrates 800th win-Southern University Baton Rouge head baseball coach Roger Cador celebrated win number 800, February 26, 2012, when the the Jaguars defeated the Northwestern State Demons, 7-4. Cador is in his 28th season leading the Jaguars.

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SULC professor installed as president of Baton Rouge Bar Association BRBA President Gail Stephenson (right) with Judge Melvin Shortess (Ret.), who presided over the installation of officers, January 12. Former President Preston J. Castille, Jr., is standing in background. Photo by Pamela Labbe

Southern University Law Center professor Gail Stephenson, director of legal analysis and writing, was installed as president of the Baton Rouge Bar Association at the Bar Luncheon, January 12, 2012.

Judge Melvin Shortess (Ret.) officiated the swearing in ceremony of the newly elected members of the BRBA Board of Directors, including Stephenson, president; Michael S. Walsh, presidentelect; Darrel Papillion, treasurer; Robert “Bubby” Burns, Jr., secretary; and SULC adjunct professor Preston J. Castille Jr., Also during the ceremony, Castille presented one of the 2011 President’s Awards to SULC vice chancellor John K. Pierre, Eric Miller, Jeffrey Wittenbrink, and Kenneth Mayeaux for their service on behalf of BRBA on the CALSC board of directors as pro bono services transitioned to the new pro bono legal services provider, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corporation.

Hill named president of state nurses association

Jacqueline Hill, associate professor and chair of the undergraduate nursing program at Southern University’s School of Nursing, was named president of the Louisiana State Nurses Association in conjunction with the, “Link to the Legislature/Nurse Day and House of Delegates” program.

Hill is the first African American to serve as president of LSNA which was founded in 1904. Divided into 13 districts across the state, the LSNA represents over 48,000 registered nurses in Louisiana.

The LSNA works with the American Nurses Association (ANA) to promote standards of nursing education, nursing services, and a proper code of ethical conduct for practitioners. The ANA represents the interests of more than 3.1 million registered nurses across the United States through its constituent member nurses associations and its organizational affiliates.

During her two-year term as president, Hill also will serve as Louisiana’s representative to ANA. She previously served as the immediate vice presidentelect of LSNA and has also served as president of the Baton Rouge District Nurses Association.

She received the statewide 2009 Nightingale Award for “District Officer of the Year” and the 2010 Nightingale Award for “Nursing School Administrator of the Year.”

SU Faculty and Staff Achievements

SU vice chancellor, SULC faculty member named LCHE board members

Gina E. Eubanks (pictured right), vice chancellor for extension at the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center and SU Law Center professor Paul Race were among seven new board members named to The Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE).

Eubank has served as vice chancellor for extension at the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center since 2002.

Race joined the Southern University Law Center Faculty in 2003 as a visiting professor.

SUBR nursing professor wins nursing teaching award

SULC professor publishes book on Louisiana law of sale and lease

Southern University’s Sandra C. Brown, a nurse educator, is the 2012 recipient of the coveted Helen Johnson Cremeens Excellence in Teaching Award by the Baton Rouge District Nurses Association.

Nadia E. Nedzel, associate professor at the Southern University Law Center, recently published a new casebook, Louisiana Law of Sale and Lease: Cases and Materials, with co-author David Gruning. The work is published by Vandeplas Publishing (Summer 2011) and is designed for teaching Louisiana Sale and Lease law.

Brown, a professor in SUBR’s School of Nursing, received the award at the Nurses Association held May 5, 2012 in Baton Rouge, at the group’s annual “Celebrate Nursing” awards banquet.

She has been with Southern for 17 years.

The award is named in honor of the late nursing educator Helen Johnson Cremeens, the wife of the late local TV newscaster Carleton Cremeens.

He established the award to honor his wife’s love for nursing and her career as a nurse educator.

SU’s Sharon Hutchinson receives Legacy of Caring Award Sharon Hutchinson, associate professor and chair of the Graduate Nursing Program in Southern University’s School of Nursing, is the recipient of the 2011 Legacy of Caring Nurses Award by the Association of Nurses Working for Our Patients (ANWP).

Hutchinson received the award during the recent annual ANWP Banquet and Walking Wounded Retreat held at the Bishop Robert Tracy Catholic Life Center in Baton Rouge.

“I am humbled to receive this award,” said Hutchinson. “For me the award represents recognition by my colleagues as having been a caring advocate for nursing students and patients.”

Hutchinson earned her bachelor’s and master’s in nursing from the LSU Medical Center (now known as the LSU Health Sciences Center) and her Ph.D. from the University of New Orleans. She is also a certified nurse educator.

Nedzel, an active scholar, joined the SULC staff in 2004, where she teaches contracts, sales and lease, obligations, international business transactions, international law, and legal reasoning and writing. Her textbook, Legal Research and Writing for International Graduate Students (2nd ed. Aspen 2008), has been translated into Chinese, and she began work on a third edition last summer. She also writes in the area of rule of law and economic development.

SU Ag Center researchers evaluate drinkable air machine-Researchers from the SU Ag Center conducted an evaluation of water producing machine from Drinkable Air Technologies at the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center from June to August 2011. The major goal of the company is to improve the environment using new technologies at affordable prices.

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SU Faculty and Staff Achievements

IN THE NEWS Kamran Abdollahi, professor and program leader in Urban Forestry, SU Ag Center, was elected president of Arboricultural Research and Education Academy of the International Society of Arboriculture. ISA has more than 30,000 worldwide members and it is the largest Urban Forestry Society in the world.

In addition, Abdollahi also is serving as the president of the Urban Forestry Technical Working Group of the Society of American Foresters, the largest and oldest forestry society in the world.

j Doze Y. Butler, interim dean of the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences, SUBR, was appointed to the NCAA’s Champions/ Sports Management Cabinet, a group that oversees drug testing and education, rules, and Olympic sports issues. The cabinet meets up to three times a year and has oversight authority of all NCAA Division I National Championships and National Collegiate Championships. The Cabinet also makes recommendations on sports science issues, including injury surveillance, drug education and drug testing, playing and practice seasons and Olympic sports issues. Butler was

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also honored, January 26, 2012, for her volunteerism efforts in the Baton Rouge community. She was one of Capital Area United Way/Volunteer United’s 2011 “Power of 9” honorees at a luncheon held at Boudreaux’s restaurant hosted by Capital One Bank and WAFB-TV Ch. 9.

j Jeff Conyers, head coach of the HBCU National Women’s Tennis champions Lady Jaguars Tennis Team, has been appointed as a member of the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Tennis Committee. His term continues through September 01, 2015.

j Moustapha Diack, professor of Southern’s doctoral program in Science/ Mathematics Education (SMED) and Department of Chemistry, recently received The Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) Distinguished Service Award.

j Damien D. Ejigiri, professor of Public Administration, SUBR, received the 2012 National Forum for Black Public Administrators Educator of the Year Award. The award is given annually to

honor and thank an educator who has made significant contributions to the NFBPA and to recognize their commitment to grooming and supporting young public managers and aspiring executives. Founded in 1983, NFBPA is nationally known for its powerful network of respected Black public professionals.

j Rachel L. Emanuel, director of communications and development support at the Southern University Law Center, and retired educator, A. P. Tureaud Jr., of Ridgefield, Connecticut, were corecipients of the Louisiana State Conference NAACP’s Alexander P. Tureaud Black Citizenship Award presented at the organization’s annual awards ceremony, January 28, 2012, in Baton Rouge. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the award created to memorialize the work of A. P. Tureaud Sr., the legendary civil rights attorney, not only in Louisiana, but also across the American South. This award, in the form of a medal, is the highest honor given by the State Conference.

j Lora Helvie-Mason’s, assistant professor of communications studies, SUNO, blog,

SU Faculty and Staff Achievements “Communication & Higher Education: Life On the Tenure-Track At A Teaching Institution,” was recognized by the University of WisconsinStout as one of their “Top 8 Education Blogs To Inspire and Inform.” The university recognized Helvie-Mason’s blog as a collection of “tell-it-like-it-is” postings which “provide amusing and insightful reflections on how to improve teaching and communication within the higher ed system.” Helvie-Mason also was recently named a Texas Social Media Research Institute (TSMRI) fellow for 2012-2013. The fellowships are designed to help faculty and others research their area of interest in the social media/new media fields, said Sarah Maben, co-director of TSMRI. The fellows will be required to present at the TSMRI conference in November and produce one social media oriented research project during the year, which can be presented at conference and submitted for publication, among other requirements. Each of the fellows was selected for the fellowship based on their prior research experience and research agenda, Maben said. The selected TSMRI fellows anticipate doing research on the roles of social media in the classroom/workplace, expectations of privacy, perception, image of students/professors who engage in social networking, and understanding niche social networks such as Instagram.

j Fatemeh Malekian, associate professor, Southern University Agricultural Research

and Extension Center and adjunct faculty at Louisiana State University, received the 2011 Elizabeth Fleming Stier Award from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) for pursuit of humanitarian ideals and unselfish dedication resulting in significant contributions to the well-being of the food industry, academia, students, and the general public. Malekian received $3,000 honorarium from the New York Section and a plaque from the Institute of Food Technologists.

j Renita W. Marshall, D.V.M., associate professor of animal science at Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center, was selected to serve on the editorial board for the American Journal of Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AJAV). Other current Board members come from diverse countries including Australia, Canada, Mexico, Norway, Slovenia, and United Arab Emirates.

j The Louisiana County Agricultural Agents Association elected SU Ag Center county agent, Terrence Marshall as vice president of the association at the annual meeting held in June. Marshall is a 34-year employee of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, working for both the Southern University and LSU Agricultural Centers. He began his career in Ascension Parish in 1977, and transferred to East Baton Rouge Parish

in 1979. He has been a member of the association since 1992. He has served three terms on the Board of Directors of the group.

j Southern University Baton Rouge professor James Matthews has been named a fellow by the American Physical Society, one of the world’s largest organizations of physicists.

Matthews holds a joint appointment as a professor of physics at Southern and at Louisiana State University.

Matthews earned a B.S. in physics from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D in physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2010, Matthews was elected co-spokesperson for the Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory in the Mendoza Province in Argentina.

The Observatory is studying ultra-high energy cosmic rays, the most energetic and rarest particles in the universe.

j Zhu Hua Ning, professor of Urban Forestry at the SU Ag Center, was elected to serve as a member of the board of directors for the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). Ning has been a very active member of the ISA for 16 years. She currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Arboriculture and Urban Forestry as an associate editor. Ning has served the ISA as vice president, president-elect,

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SU Faculty and Staff Achievements and president of the Arboriculture Research and Education Academy.

She also served on the ISA Conference Program Committee, Student Activity Committee, and Science and Research Committee.

j Verjanis Peoples, dean of the College of Education, Southern University, Baton Rouge received the President’s Empowering Leaders in Education Award from the Southern University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa International. The award cites Peoples for “displaying exemplary service in education by empowering leaders today for tomorrow.” Phi Delta Kappa International is a professional association for educators. PDK is one of the largest education associations in the world and has thousands of members dedicated to improving education, including teachers, principals, superintendents, and higher education faculty and administrators.

strengthening economies, building communities, and improving lives through tax assistance and asset building activities. The board will support the work of the NCTC and provide mission-based leadership and strategic governance. Pierre was selected based on the stature he has achieved in leadership in business, academia, and the nonprofit sector.

j SUBR English professor David Porter’s book, the Antwerp-London Glossaries The Latin and Latin–Old English Vocabularies from Antwerp, Museum Plantin-Moretus 16.2– London, British Library Add. 32246, was published in 2011 by the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto, Ontario.

The book is an edition of several vocabularies copied in 11th century England. The longest of the vocabularies is significant for having originated in the late seventh century, and is thus, with the exception of one short piece, the oldest text in the English language.

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j

j

j Southern University Law Center vice chancellor John Pierre was confirmed as a member of the inaugural National Community Tax Coalition (NCTC) Board of Managers. NCTC, a division of the Center for Economic Progress, is a national network dedicated to

De’Shoin YorkFriendship, nutrition assistant specialist, SU Ag Center, has been appointed to serve as secretary of the Executive Committee for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. She will serve in this capacity for one year. The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank serves 11 parishes and has 121 member agencies.

SU Ag Center agent Sharon Wilder received a certificate of appreciation from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion for her continuing support as a Community Partner within the Nutrition Communicators Networks.

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Kevin Appleton, SU System vice president for finance and business affairs, was recently nominated to serve as the first HBCU advisor to the Southern Association of College and University Business Officers (SACUBO) board. Appleton’s appointment will be a one-year term but may be continued for a second year. SACUBO is one of four regional associations that constitute the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). NACUBO is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and represents the needs of higher education as well as acting as a clearing house for information and professional development.

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SU Student Achievements

Student Achievements SU students land State Dept. positions in Italy and China

At-a-Glance...

• • • • • • • •

SUBR students dominate Ag research paper competition SUNO Honda Campus All-Star Challenge Team makes finals SU students receive UNCF/Merch scholarship SU dancers take stage during Super Bowl XLVI SUSLA students chosen to take part in NASA program SULC students and faculty member highlighted in volunteer work SU Lab School’s 4th graders score 100 percent LEAP passage And more. . .

SU students volunteer for ‘Day of Action’ SU student volunteers, including senior Rodney Orange, of Monroe, and junior Anquinette Elie, of Alexandria, joined volunteers of all ages and from various companies and nonprofits, and individuals as part of the Capital Area United Way and ExxonMobil’s Day of Action.

The SUBR students helped spruce up Delmont Elementary School. Volunteers at Delmont came from a variety of agencies and businesses and painted the gym, classrooms, halls and foyer of the school.

More than 300 volunteers completed 11 service projects in communities in the 70805 ZIP code area in North Baton Rouge.

The initiative was held in celebration of National Volunteer Week.

Southern University will be represented globally this summer by two political science students heading to Italy and China.

Senior Jarquevious Nelson (pictured, above left) and graduate student Willie Williams III (pictured, above right) will be developing their careers as interns with the U.S. Consulates offices in the two countries.

Nelson, an Atlanta native, will be returning to China for the second time when he interns at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou. He will be working in the Political and Economic Section. Nelson studied abroad in China during the summer of 2010 with the University of Utah, visiting North China. This time he will be in South China.

Williams, a Port Allen native, will spend 10 weeks in Naples, Italy working with the U.S. Department of State at the U.S. Consulate.

Most of his duties in the Office of Public Affairs will be a combination of public affairs activity, cultural work and communicating with U.S. government efforts to confront ideological support for terrorism.

Nelson and Williams believe their internships will benefit the university. “Being there will let people know that Southern stays true to the mission of achieving high-quality and global educational experience,” Williams said.

Nelson said, “I will be wearing my Southern shirt” to let China know that “SU produces students with open minds… and the ability to tackle pressing issues.”

SU students ‘up’ to making a difference--More than 70 students participated in the Up Til Dawn event on Southern’s Baton Rouge campus Tuesday night, April 3, 2012. The Up Til Dawn effort, led by then Miss Southern University Chisolu Isiadinso, is a means of helping to locate donors for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

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SU Student Achievements

Southern students travelled to China for summer 2012 study

Southern University STEM majors embarked on a four-week trip to Guiyang, China this summer, paid by the National Science Foundation. Pictured from left to right are, Adrian Burkhalter, Jeremy Williams, Clifton Blouin, Krystal Finley, Melvin Givens, Shannon Jones-Butts, Anjelica Pierson, Brianna Precciely, and Nicholas Sargent-Johnson. (Not shown is Donavon Walker).

The 10 students studied at Guizhou University as part of an effort to increase student and faculty engagement between the two schools and to establish a dual degree program.

Students participated in cultural activities and in sustainable science field experiences including an ecosystem study at Huangguoshu PuBu Waterfall and Tianxing Qiao Natural Park.

Four students honored with $1,000 scholarship awards

and Kevin Cunningham, who are among eight original members of the Class of 1985, called The Corporation.

The group sponsors two annual scholarships to students with a financial need and who exhibit academic excellence and good moral character.

The Corporation Brace B. Godfrey Jr., Memorial Scholarships Awarded--Pictured from left are Brace Godfrey III, son of the late Corporation member; recipient Mykell Clem; Kevin Cunningham, recipient Merrick Cosey, and Judge Brian Jackson.

The Spring 2012 recipients of The Corporation Brace B. Godfrey Jr., Memorial Scholarships ($1,000 each) are Mykell Clem and Merrick Cosey.

The scholarships were presented on March 16, 2012 by Judge Brian Jackson

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The scholarships bear the name of deceased classmates Tyrone Key, for the fall semester award, and Brace B. Godfrey Jr., for the spring semester.

SUSLA dental hygiene students give smiles -- Students at Southern University Shreveport’s Dental Hygiene Program hosted and participated in an annual “Give Kids a Smile” event as part of the American Dental Association’s National Children’s Dental Health Month, February 3, 2012, at SUSLA’s Metro Center.

Thirty-eight students from Sunset Acres Elementary received hygiene instruction, sealants, x-rays, and fluoride varnishes. All services were provided for free. —Photo Jim Hudelson/The ShreveportTimes

Wood of the Air Force Reserves, and Lt. Shawn Hearn of the National Guard.

In addition to demonstrated strong moral character and a commitment to academic excellence, preference for the scholarship is given to students who are currently enlisted in the military or have made a commitment to enlist in the military.

Contributors to this year’s scholarships also included attorneys Gayle and Ronald Ringo of Florida, also members of the Class of 1985, and members of the Godfrey family.

Prof. William Mayfield Scholarship Awards ($1,000 each), established in 2010 in the name of the late SULC faculty member by his daughter Stephanie Mayfield-Gibson, were also presented March 16, 2012 to Chauntelle

Prof. William Mayfield Scholarships Awarded–Pictured from left are Chauntelle Wood, SULC Vice Chancellor Russell Jones, and Shawn Hearn.

SU Student Achievements

SULC students experience public service work Texas internship program

SUBR students dominate Ag research paper competition

Southern University students participated in the oral undergraduate research competition at the 27th annual Minority in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Conference held recently in Atlanta, Georgia. Pictured (from left - right) are, Delane Ross, Adria Smith, Lillian Profit, Patience Muse, Karl Harnsberry, William Lavergne and Andrea Bridgewater.)

Southern University students earned first, second and fourth place position in the oral undergraduate research competition at the 27th annual Minority in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Conference held March 29-31, 2012, in Atlanta, Georgia.

The winning Southern students, called the Ag STARS (Shaping Tomorrow’s Agricultural Research Scientists), were chosen from a field representing 14 teams, including those from Oregon State University, Pennsylvania State University, The Ohio State University, the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Fort Valley State University, and South Carolina State University.

The winning paper was titled: “An Empirical Analysis of Factors Influencing Gasoline Consumption in the United States.” The second place paper was titled “Food Label Use and Perceptions of Weight Status Among Selected Group of University Students.”

The first place team members were Delane Ross, a junior animal science major from Woodville, Mississippi; Karl

Harnsberry, junior, agricultural economics, Opelousas; Domicka McKeey, junior, plant and soil sciences, Zachary; and Shaina Craige, junior, animal science, Eight Mile, Alabama.

The second place group included Andrea Bridgewater, junior, animal science, Tallulah; William Lavergne, agricultural economics, Opelousas; and Andria Smith, sophomore, agricultural economics, Salina, Kansas, finishing fourth were; Lillian Profit, junior, animal science, Monroe; and Patience Muse, sophomore, agricultural economics, Greensburg.

Ag STARS members must maintain a cumulative g.p.a. of 2.50 and above and must be majoring in or intend to major in agricultural economics, animal sciences, or plant sciences.

Each participant is required to attend weekly mentoring sessions, and in turn, receive a $1,000 stipend per semester.

The Ag STARS Program is funded by a grant under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Capacity Building Grant Program.

Patricia E. McLean-Meyinsse is the principal investigator for the grant; she was also the faculty advisor for the students’ research papers.

The three students among the Texas Legislative Internship Program (TLIP) class of 2012 include Xavier Alexander, (2L), who interns with the Harris County Public Defender’s Office; Tina Brown, (2L), is currently interning with the Innocence Project at Thurgood Marshall School of Law; and Cortney Heard, (2L), who will be interning at the Texas Supreme Court in the chambers of Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson for the duration of the program.

Xavier Alexander

Tina Brown

Cortney Heard

SUBR physics majors earn prestigious summer research fellowships Two Southern University Baton Rouge physics majors have been awarded prestigious summer research internships for 2012.

Senior physics major Ronald Alexander will be attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Summer Research Program (MSRP).

Desmond Fernandez, a junior, received a summer research fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The fellowship is from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine from May 21- July 27, 2012. Fernandez will work under Dr. Chris Beltran, a radiation oncologist.

“These excellent students will also make a significant contribution in the creation of new knowledge through their research,” Diola Bagayoko, professor of physics and department chair. “They have already made discoveries in previous summer internships.”

Alexander and Fernandez will receive a stipend with their summer fellowship.

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SU Student Achievements

SULC receives awards from 13th Circuit American Bar Association/Law Student Division

From left: Cleveland M. Patterson, III (3L) SULC ABA/LSD Representative holding Bronze Key Award; Pooja MirchandaniRamrakhiani, ABA/LSD 13th Circuit Governor; Jammie Garrett (3L), ABA/LSD 13th Circuit Lieutenant Governor holding Silver Key Award; and Lauren Acquaviva, ABA/LSD National Vice Chair.

The 13th Circuit of the American Bar Association/Law Student Division recognized SULC during its annual Spring Meeting, March 2-4, 2012, at Loyola University School of Law, New Orleans.

SULC was awarded the Bronze Key Award for the highest increase of Law Student Division membership in the 13th Circuit. Jammie Garrett (3L) was also awarded the Silver Key Award for her hard work and dedication to the Law Student Division by serving as the 13th Circuit executive lieutenant governor.

As participants on panel discussions conducted during the meeting, SULC professor Gail Stephenson and alumnus and adjunct professor Dennis Blunt shared their experiences regarding the hidden value of participating in the organized bar while in law school in “Bar Association Involvement” and professor Herbert Brown discussed “Alternative Careers.”

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SU students receive UNCF/ Merck scholarship Russell Ledet (pictured left), a chemistry/ biology major and Jalissa Wynder, a chemistry major were chosen to receive a 2012 United Negro College Fund/ Merck Undergraduate Science Research Scholarship Award for the 2012-2013 academic year.

The Southern Baton Rouge students won the award through a highly competitive national application and selection process involving hundreds of applicants.

The award included a summer internship, which will include a scholarship, housing, and travel.

The scholarship also will involve Fellows Day activities. The Fellows Day event will be July 14-18, 2012 at the Normandy Farm Hotel and Conference Center in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.

Ledet and Wynder will meet other award recipients at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels.

Award recipients are selected based on their grade point average (which must

be at least a 3.3), their demonstrated interest in their own scientific education and a career in scientific research, and their ability to perform in a laboratory environment.

In addition to the scholarship, Ledet and Wynder will be paired with a Merck mentor and participate in two different 10-12 week summer internships that will take place at a Merck research facility in either Rahway, New Jersey; West Point, Pennsylvania; or Boston, Massachusetts.

The first internship will take place this summer, with the other to take place next summer after graduation.

Ledet is the winner of the Educational Testing Service Presidential Scholarship for HBCU students for the academic year, 2011-2012. He is a 2004 graduate of Lake Charles Boston High School and he has served in the U.S. military.

Wynder, a SU junior, is a Baton Rouge native and a graduate of Baton Rouge Magnet High School.

SU dancers take stage during Super Bowl XLVI Members of the SU Dancing Dolls and 10 other SU dancers joined pop sensation Madonna on stage during the live Super Bowl XLVI halftime performance.

The dance squad was selected to perform with the “Material Girl” after a trainer discovered a Dancing Doll performance posted on Youtube.

A crowd of students, faculty, staff, and supporters gathered in front of the band building on campus to welcome the excited performers back home on Tuesday evening, February 7, 2012.

SU Student Achievements

SUNO Honda Campus All-Star Challenge Team makes finals The Southern University New Orleans Honda Campus All-Star Challenge Team competed in the 2012 National Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC). Pictured are SUNO HCASC team members (left-right) Andre’ Davis, Terri Simon, Eugenia Tobin, captain, and Dalvin Ford Jr.

The Southern University New Orleans Honda Campus All-Star Challenge Team traveled to Torrence, California where they competed in the 2012 National Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC). They defeated five teams (Hampton University, Chicago State University, Elizabeth City State University, Tuskegee University, and Claflin University), Sunday, April 1, 2012, in the Round Robin series to advance to the semi-finals where they defeated Fisk University, 515-475.

The SUNO team landed in the Great Eight (finals) where they competed unsuccessfully against Morgan State University (490-460), April 2, 2012.

SUNO’s team consisted of Andre’ Davis, Terri Simon, Eugenia Tobin, captain, and Dalvin Ford Jr. Amelia B. Sellers, data manager for SUNO’s ETSP coached the SUNO team and Ruth W. Johnson served as campus coordinator.

The HCASC season involves two levels of play--Campus Games and the National Championship. Forty-eight teams compete for financial grants from Honda ranging from $3,000 to $50,000.

Since 1997, SUNO’s Honda Challengers have participated in 10 National Honda Campus All-Star Challenges, winning more than $32,000 in grants.

SU student wins Sigma Alpha Pi scholarship

SUBR student receives Soledad O‘Brien Scholarship and a banking internship

SUBR student Joseph A. Samm was awarded the Executive Board Member of the Year award and scholarship by The National Society of Leadership and Success, or Sigma Alphi Pi. Samm, a member of the Southern University chapter of Sigma Alpha Pi, received a $500 scholarship.

The organization is dedicated to creating long-term positive change in students lives. In addition to having the opportunity to hear some of the nation’s leading presenters, authors, and success coaches, students who become members of the society become a part of a community of like-minded, goal-oriented individuals.

Southern students garner top spots at major singing competition Southern University Baton Rouge students Joshua Staes, a baritone (pictured left), and Anthony Pearson (pictured right), a tenor, earned a first and second place respectively at the student auditions conducted, March 10, 2012, by the Louisiana Chapter of the National Association of Teachers Singing (NATS).

Dorian Alston, a baritone, also represented the University in the competition held at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux.

All three vocalists are students of professor Richard Hobson.

The NATS is the largest professional association of teachers singing in the world with more than 7.000 members in the U.S., Canada and 25 other countries.

The Student Auditions is one of the organization’s most widely recognized activities.

Tyreiron Segue discovered that she would receive a scholarship from CNN anchor’s Soledad O’Brien and Brad Raymond Foundation.

And not just a scholarship, a full ride including the New Orleans native’s tuition, room, board, books and any supplies that she my need during her academic career at Southern University and summer internship opportunities as well.

Since Hurricane Katrina, O’Brien and her husband, Brad Raymond, have been providing scholarships, out of their own pockets, to young ladies who have a financial need and who are determined to do something different and better with their lives.

“We take young, talented young women who really just lack money, and pay for their tuition, their books and their daycare. Whatever they need,” said O’Brien.

Segue, who met O’Brian through a relative while she was still in high school, said she was overjoyed when she received a call from O’Brien telling her that she would pay for her college career and said that it has been a great relief to her.

Segue says she selected Southern University because her family went to the school and she wanted to go to a historically black college.

This summer Segue will intern in New York and has the option of interning at CNN but says her ultimate goal is to be a cooperate buyer for a store like Saks.

Segue spent her Christmas and New Year’s break on an internship with the Import Export Bank of America in Washington, D. C.

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SU Student Achievements

Bayou Classic internship leads to job offer for SU student

media relations, and two weeks in operations.

Brown returned to NOCCI in November 2011 to complete the final stage of her internship where she continued event planning and logistics work during the entire week of Bayou Classic.

Gaining valuable practical experience is a goal of student internship opportunities, and some interns simply luck into job offers, others, like Brown, make a conscious effort to propel their internships into jobs.

A nine-week internship experience with the New Orleans Convention Company, Incorporated (NOCCI) has turned into a permanent job offer for Xenia D. Brown, a MBA graduate student at Southern University Baton Rouge.

NOCCI chose a student intern from Southern University and a student from Grambling State University to gain valuable on-the-job training. They will work alongside their team with more than 60 years of experience in event management, to plan and execute events and operations for the 38th annual Bayou Classic.

“My internship was truly a wonderful experience in my life. During this program, I gained real-world experience assisting in the event management and execution of the State Farm Bayou Classic. During the first eight weeks, I was able to work under three exceptional directors, as well as the CEO of the company,” said Brown.

The New Orleans native said the paidintern program was split into three phases during Summer 2011--three weeks in marketing, three weeks in

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Brown explained, “The [NOCCI] team embraced me, treated me like I was a valuable member of the staff, and welcomed my ideas and suggestions.

I learned the essentials of starting a project, working the particulars and logistics of the project, and seeing it through to its final stages. It gave me the exposure to various specializations in this field, and even provided me with career options that I had not previously considered.”

Brown, who received her undergraduate degree from LSU in 2008, completed her MBA studies at Southern University in May. Although SU students have completed internships with various Bayou Classic-affiliated companies, NOCCI’s offer marks the first time a student has been offered a permanent position after the event.

“Xenia was an incredible asset to our 2011 Bayou Classic team. She offered a valuable perspective as the SU student intern, and her hard work and dedication played a vital role in helping our staff create a memorable Bayou Classic experience. As NOCCI enters its 25th year, we are proud to announce that Xenia has been offered a permanent position to join our PR/ marketing team,” said Dottie Belletto, NOCCI president.

Options plentiful for first post-Katrina Mathematics graduate and multi-sport athlete Ashley Cagle graduated cum laude from Southern University, New Orleans in the Spring 2011.

Cagale, SUNO’s first post-Katrina mathematics graduate, was elated about her options after receiving her undergraduate degree.

With aspirations of becoming a dermatologist, Cagle was accepted into a summer 2011 math teaching program, and had two fellowship options for fall 2011. She was accepted into the Center for Talented Youth program, which is sponsored by Johns Hopkins University. Cagle went to Los Angeles where she taught math to gifted middle and high school students. She was offered a fall 2011 fellowship to Clark Atlanta University (CAU) or Tulane University.

Having received her associate of science in mathematics from Snead State Community College, Cagle arrived at SUNO to become one of the hardest working athletes on the basketball and volleyball courts.

The Alabama native played forward on the Lady Knights basketball and middle blocker on the volleyball teams.

“SUNO gave me a lot of opportunities,” she says. “I got a chance to be a multi-sport athlete, I was an Alliance Scholar, and I did summer internships. Plus it’s pretty cool to be SUNO’s first math graduate, post-Katrina.”

SU Student Achievements

SULC Sweeps ABA Torts & Insurance Practice Section writing competition

SUSLA students chosen to take part in NASA program Two students from Southern University, Shreveport’s Aerospace Technology program are among a chosen few to visit NASA and help out with the next mission to Mars.

Shemarial Levine

Eric Scott

Artis G. Ulmer III

SULC swept the ABA Torts and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) Writing Competition, winning all three prizes.

The ABA asked each of the four Louisiana law schools to host a school-wide writing competition on negligence issues related to disasters. Vice chancellors Russell Jones and John Pierre donated funds for prizes for the SULC contest. The three best papers from SULC were Artis G. Ulmer III, I-L, “The Infliction of Intentional Torts in Preparation for or in Response to a Natural Disaster”; Eric M. Scott, 2-L evening student, “An Overview of Professional Directors and Officers Liability in Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Planning”; and Shemarial Levine, 3-L, “Better Safe than Sorry: How to Prepare for a Natural or Man-Made Disaster.”

The three best papers from each of the four Louisiana law schools were then entered into a statewide competition. The three papers submitted from SULC were selected as the statewide winners by the ABA. In addition to their cash prizes from SULC, Ulmer won $250 for first place, Scott won $150 for second place, and Levine won $100 for third.

Ulmer’s article will be published in an issue of the TIPS periodical, The Brief, and announcement of the awards will be posted on the TIPS and Thomson Reuters West Web sites.

Southern MBA student earns major fellowship Southern University Baton Rouge’s Affuembey Affuembey is one of 98 students from business schools in the United States to be selected for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Climate Corps fellowship this summer.

“This fellowship is an immense opportunity for me to gain organizational experience at an institution in the United States,” said the native of Cameroon, Africa.

Affuembey, who recently completed his first year in SU’s Master of Business Administration program, is the first student from the University to receive the fellowship. EDF Climate Corps sends students to work with companies such as Facebook, Google, Verizon, Chicago Public Schools, and 88 other companies and universities.

Southern is partnering with EDF Climate Corps for the first time as a host institution.

The EDF Climate Corps places specially trained MBA and Master of Public Accounting students in companies and universities to build business cases for energy efficiency.

Affuembey’s role at Southern is to analyze energy-saving opportunities and develop custom energy-efficiency investment plans that cut costs and carbon mission at the University.

Affuembey is excited about the opportunity. “This is a chance for me to apply my skills to a new field and make strategically contributions towards making my university better,” said Affuembey.

Christopher Nugent (pictured left) and Derrick Henderson will travel to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama to develop a prototype vehicle to roam Mars. Nugent and Henderson will be a part of a threeday experience through the National Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program.

SU Lab School’s 4th graders score 100 percent LEAP passage Every Southern University Laboratory School’s fourth grader passed the mandated Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) test during the 2011 school year.

Louisiana requires all fourth graders to pass the LEAP test to be considered for promotion to the fifth grade. Students must score basic or above in either English/language arts or math and basic or above in the other subjects to advance to the next grade.

“Having a 100 percent passage rate on the LEAP is a great accomplishment for our students, parents, teachers and the school,” said Southern Lab director Ronnie Harrison. “There are very few schools in the entire state of Louisiana that can boast this accomplishment. Mrs. Etta Dunn, our fourth grade teacher, must be commended for her efforts throughout the school year.”

To prepare for the test, fourth grade students were required to attend daily after-school tutoring. This effort paid off since the Lab’s students far exceeded the state’s 80 percent passage average of fourth graders.

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SU Student Achievements

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Jason Benford, ‘12, received the 2012 Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) Law Student Award at a ceremony, May 29, at the Louisiana Supreme Court, New Orleans.

Benford, who was honored for his pro bono work, was accompanied by SULC Donald North, who nominated him for the award. As a law student, Benford volunteered with the Baton Rouge Bar Association’s “Thirst for Justice” and “Ask an Attorney” programs, which provide legal advice for residents in the Baton Rouge area. Other programs he has served as a volunteer are the SU VITA TAX Program, LSBA Diversity Conclave, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, and the SULC Clinical Education Program. During the summer of 2011, Benford assisted the SULC Summer Youth Program that brought minority high school students from a number of southern states to the campus to learn about the law and legal careers.

President and co-founder of SULC Gay Alliance for Legal Equality, Benford sits on the executive board for the Capitol City Alliance.

j SUNO museum studies student Miroslav Brekalo received a $2,000 grant from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Foundation. Brekalo, a New Orleans police officer, presented an exhibit on the NOPD history in the 19th century at the Eight District Headquarters in the French Quarter.

j Adam Credeur, a third-year student at the Southern University Law Center, is the second-place winner in the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Environmental Law Writing Competition. Credeur, a native of Lafayette, won $1,750 and his

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winning article, “Haynesville Shale: Those Frackin’ Alt. Wells,” will be published in the Louisiana Bar Journal.

The recognition was formally announced Thursday, May 17, 2012, at an LSBA meeting held at the Camelot Club. At SULC, Credeur is a member of Southern University Law Review, the Federalist Society, and Phi Alpha Delta. His other professional association memberships include the Lafayette Association of Professional Landmen (LAPL), American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL), and Young Professionals in Energy. For a second-time this summer, Credeur will be interning with Chesapeake Energy Corporation in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

grade by his grandmother Khemlah Lacey. At 16 he finished his GED and enrolled at SUSLA to study criminal justice. He plans to get a bachelor’s degree and a law degree.

j Mechanical Engineering major Tolulope Ogunbakin was awarded the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Board of Corporate Affiliates $3,000 scholarship at the recent NSBE Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Ogunbakin is a Clinical Research Enhancement through Supplemental Training (CREST) Scholar and he is president of the NSBE Association at Southern. He also received the SU College of Engineering Student Achievement award.

j Former Southern WR Jared Green is among 12 undrafted rookie free agents who have agreed to terms with Carolina Panthers.

Green, who is the son of former Washington Redskins cornerback star Darrell Green, played one season for the Jaguars after transferring from the University of Virginia, where he received his undergraduate degree in cultural anthropology.

j Eighteen-year old Zack Salih Knox, a former home-school student, graduated with honors from SUSLA in May 2011.

Knox was home-schooled since second

j Alexandria Packer, a junior nursing major at Southern University Baton Rouge received the 2011 Coca-Cola Foundation’s Last Mile Scholarship. Packer and the University share a $25,000 award. The Coca-Cola Foundation provides Last Mile scholarships for junior or senior women attending select Historically Black Colleges and Universities within the New Orleans area, including Southern, Southern University at New Orleans, Xavier University, Grambling State University and Dillard University.

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Partnerships and Grants

Partnerships Grants At-a-Glance...

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SU receives $89,000 donation from ExxonMobil

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SUSLA receives donation from Capital One Southern Lab receives grant for financial literacy software Urban Forestry scientist awarded half a million dollars for research, elected president of arboriculture, forestry society SULC/SU collaboration receives Capital One Bank Investing for Good Award SU scientist awarded nearly $1 million in grants for climate change study And more. . .

TI gives SU engineering $100,000 Pictured is SU Chancellor James L. Llorens accepting the check from Julius Bedford, ExxonMobil’s Port Allen Lubricants Plant manager. Other ExxonMobil employees participating in the check presentation were David Dartez, HR service manager, Wilbert Ferdinand, risk management advisor, and Claudette B. Bradford, lab supervisor and ExxonMobil Recruiting Team Captain for Southern University.

Southern University Baton Rouge received a $89,550 donation from ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge Refinery May 4, 2012.

SU Chancellor James L. Llorens accepted the check from Julius Bedford, ExxonMobil’s Port Allen Lubricants Plant Manager. ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Chemical Plant awarded Southern University’s Colleges of

Engineering and Business more than $14,000 at the Office of Career Services’ 2011 Career Fair on September 14 in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

The money will be used for scholarships and other educational needs of engineering and business students, according to ExxonMobil.

Technology giant Texas Instruments (TI) recently gave a $100,000 award to Southern’s Electrical Engineering Department.

The funds will support a project, “Automated Test, Engineering Lecture and Lab Class,” in the College of Engineering.

TI is a member of Southern’s Business and Industry Cluster and a major recruiter of the University’s engineering graduates.

The Dallas-based company is one of the world’s largest and oldest semiconductor makers. It is best known for its digital signal processors, which are found in mobile phones, DVD players, automotive systems, and computer modems. The company also makes logic chips, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and display components.

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Partnerships and Grants

SUNO awarded grant from DM Petroleum to support retention

SUSLA and NSULA sign nursing and allied health programs agreement

Southern University New Orleans was awarded a $2,500 grant by DM Petroleum Operations Company.

The funds were awarded to support SUNO’s scholarships and institutional advancement.

Southern University Shreveport signed a Memoranda of Understanding with Northwestern State University on March 8, 2012, that will allow students in the SUSLA Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program to complete the first two years of study at SUSLA and transfer all credit hours to NSULA for completion of the Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN).

“To have a partner like DM Petroleum is part of a great corporate commitment to support our students’ matriculation through SUNO,” said Victor Ukpolo, chancellor of the University. “We value DM’s contributions and commitment.”

“As part of DM Petroleum’s community involvement, the company has been empowering Southern University at New Orleans through contributions since 2004. The University has curricula in arts and sciences, which supports the oil and gas industry educational needs. It is also one of many institutions that survived the destructive wake of Hurricane Katrina,” according to Christopher Johnson, a spokesman for DM Petroleum.

SUSLA awards small business grants Southern University Shreveport recently awarded $27,000 in small business assistance grants to 12 local businesses.

Each will receive up to $2,500 to help buy equipment needed to build capacity as a viable business.

The funds come from a United States Housing and Urban Development Department’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities grant program.

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Also, SUSLA’s Allied Health Programs will have an articulation program allowing students to complete the

SU scientist awarded nearly $1 million in grants for climate change study

dental hygiene, health information technology, radiologic technology, respiratory therapy, and surgical technology associate of applied science programs at SUSLA and transfer all credit hours as designated to NSU for completion of the bachelor of applied science in allied health (BASAH) degree.

Students transferring to NSULA may complete the last two years of their course work at NSULA. Both institutions serve constituency needs and are responsive, studentoriented institutions that prepare the students to become productive members of society as well as promote the academic development and improvement in the quality of life of citizens in their regions.

The major goals of the NASA-funded project is to increase the level of climate change literacy, engagement of Southern students and to enhance students’ marketability and preparedness in global climate change related fields.

Students will be able to engage in NASArelated education and research activities.

They will also have opportunities to develop partnerships with NASA Goddard Institute for Space Students and the Columbia University Center for Climate Systems Research.

The project is also under the direction of Southern’s Urban Forestry Professor and Program Leader Kamran Abdollahi and SUBR’s Vice Chancellor for Research and Strategic Initiatives Michael A. Stubblefield.

Southern University’s Urban Forestry Program professor Zhu H. Ning received two nationally competitive funding The project, “IRES: Enhancing Global awards totaling nearly $1 million to study Competence and Research Skills in climate change in the U.S. and China.

Climate Change and Urban Ecosystems through Collaborative Research in Both grants will help SU students in the China,” will provide Southern students study of the effects of climate change. and faculty the opportunity to conduct international research in climate change, NASA awarded her $725,512 for her natural resources, urban forestry, and project “An Ecosystem Approach to Climate Change Education.” The second urban-rural interface ecosystems. award, $150,000, is from the National Science Foundation for her project “IRES: Partners for the project are the Chinese Academy of Science Institute for Applied Enhancing Global Competence and Ecology, the CAS Dinghushan Research Research Skills in Climate Change and Urban Ecosystems through Collaborative Station, CAS Southern China Botanical Garden, and the Beijing Forestry Research in China.”

University.

Partnerships and Grants

Southern University scientist earns $200,000 DOE grant The Department of Energy has selected Southern University as one of the four institutions chosen in an annual competition for fossil energy research ideas from the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority Institutions.

SULC/SU collaboration receives Capital One Bank Investing for Good Award

The Department of Energy will provide $200,000 to Southern and Shizhong Yang, a computational scientist in Southern’s Department of Computer Science.

Capital One Bank Check Presentation for SULC/SU Collaboration-- From left, Lisa M. Irons, community relations manager (LA) for Capital One Bank; Alma Thornton, director of SU Center for Social Research; SU System President Ronald Mason, Jr.; SU Chancellor Jim Llorens; SULC Vice Chancellor John Pierre; and Steve Lousteau, Capital One Bank Baton Rouge market president.

Students and faculty from the chosen universities will investigate projects dealing with computational energy sciences, material sciences, and sensors and controls for use in fossil fuel power systems.

A collaboration between Southern University Law Center and Southern University and A&M College received $50,000 from Capital One Bank of Baton Rouge’s Investing for Good Awards Program.

Yang’s submittal to the DOE is entitled “An Integrated Study on the Novel Thermal Barrier Coating for Nb-Based High Temperature Alloy.”

A portion ($25,000) representing half of the award, which is to be used over a two-year period, will go to SULC’s VITA/EITC program that provides tax assistance and legal services to the Baton Rouge community, according to John Pierre, SULC vice chancellor for institutional advancement and evening division.

Southern University’s project is an integrated method combining high-performance computer (HPC) simulation and experimental validation in material sciences to study the elastic constants, interface bonding, hightemperature microstructures, melting points, diffusion coefficients, and oxidation resistance of the proposed bond coat and top coat of niobiumbased alloys. The project will last 24 months.

The University’s portion of the award will be used to leverage other federal grant funds made available through the Asset for Independence, a program operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

SUSLA receives $10,000 donation from Capital One-- Pictured during a $10,000 check presentation to support SUSLA’s Economic Development Initiative (left-right) Lydia Jackson, community outreach director, Capital One Bank; Ray L. Belton, chancellor, SUSLA; Stephanie Graham, grants and sponsored programs, SUSLA; Lucinda Thornton, director of workforce training programs, SUSLA; Chris Haskew, North Louisiana market president, Capital One; and Darrin Dixon, director, small business development, SUSLA.

Urban Forestry scientist awarded half a million dollars for research, elected president of arboriculture, forestry society Kamran Abdollahi, professor and program leader in Urban Forestry, SU Ag Center, recently received nearly half a million dollars from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to develop biofuels for bioenergy from sustainable alternative non-food feedstocks in Louisiana. Urban Forestry scientists Zhu Hua Ning, Andra Johnson, and Yemane Ghebreiyessus are co-investigators.

Dorin Boldor of LSU AgCenter is the main collaborating scientist serving as co-investigator.

The Urban Forestry scientists at Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center in collaboration with the Louisiana State University Agricultural Research and Extension Center and the USDA Forest Service developed this joint, multidisciplinary project. The goal is to address the critical needs to develop scalable, cost-saving biofuels and associated processing technologies from sustainable, alternative, non-food feedstocks (urban wood-waste and energy cane biomass).

Abdollahi also was elected president of Arboricultural Research and Education Academy of the International Society of Arboriculture.

Abdollahi also is serving as the president of the Urban Forestry Technical Working Group of the Society of American Foresters, the largest and oldest forestry society in the world.

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Partnerships and Grants

SU team visits Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, sign MOUs

A delegation from Southern University Baton Rouge traveled to the country of Brazil in May 2012 for the purpose of exploring opportunities for the development and establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding with two universities. The delegation included, from SUBR, James L. Llorens, chancellor; Barbara W. Carpenter, dean, International and Continuing Education; Donald Andrews, dean, College of Business; Ashagre Yigletu, associate dean and MBA Director, College of Business; and Louis Henrypresident and CEO, Franchise Food Systems of Minnesota; Caranza J. Guidry, CEO, Rover Services of Baton Rouge; Agnes Andrews, All State Insurance owner; and Glenda D. Llorens, former businesswoman and wife of the chancellor.

The opportunity to network with colleagues in Brazil came as a result of a previous visit by Donald Andrews through an educational tour with Indiana University in 2011. The Southern University delegation was successful in signing formal agreements with the Rio de Janeiro State University in Rio Janeiro and with Zumbi dos Palmares University of Citizenship in Sao Paulo.

The Rio de Janeiro State University is one of the largest universities in

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Rio Janeiro and has an enrollment of approximately 23,000 students.

The university has 40 post-graduate programs, 38 master degree programs, two professional master degree programs, and 23 doctorate degree programs.

In addition to the Schools of Law and Medical Sciences, the university promotes programs in humanities and social sciences, biomedical sciences, mathematics, and computer and natural science. Zumbi dos Palmares University of Citizenship is the first university in Latin America that was founded for black students.

The university was founded in 2004 by its current president, Jose Vicente and provides a unique program which includes evening and weekend courses for working Brazilian students. The university offers four-year degrees in business administration, with plans to add programs in history, literature, and education. The history and literature programs will emphasize AfricanBrazilian culture. Given the absence of black role models in Brazil, the university leadership at Zumbi dos Palmares University of Citizenship has looked to the historically black colleges and universities in the United States for inspiration and leadership.

The Southern University partnership includes faculty and student exchange programs, shared research interests, and the exploration of possible opportunities for enhancing entrepreneurial activities between small businesses of both countries. While in Brazil the SUBR delegation met with various local civic and community leaders as well as state governmental officials in Rio Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

A highlight of the visit included presentations by students enrolled in the affirmative action/quota system for higher education in which Black Brazilians are afforded the opportunity to attend colleges with governmental assistance. With 44 percent of the country’s 170 million people claiming African descent, Brazil has the world’s second-largest black population after Nigeria.

There are large numbers of students who are unable to attend colleges in Brazil due to space limitations. It is hoped that the partnerships between SUBR and the State University of Rio Janeiro and the partnership between Zumbi dos Palmares University of Citizenship in Sao Paulo will open the doors for mutual cultural understanding and increased student and faculty exchanges between universities.

Funding for the educational collaboration was provided by SU supporters Henry and Guidry.

SU Ag Center signs MOU with St. Landry Parish-The SU Ag Center recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with St. Landry Parish Government on a garden project that will enhance the quality of life of the community while saving the government some money. The parish government will provide land for the garden in Opelousas near the local airport. The garden will be run by inmates from the parish prison under the supervision and management of parish personnel.

Alumni Feature

a driving FORCE Entering the automotive industry after 20 years in the manufacturing industry takes much more than hard work. It takes an unwavering commitment and fortitude.

Irving Matthews (’77 electronics engineering technology) possesses all of those qualities and more.

Also focused on serving the community through service and generous gifts, Matthews believes that the educational system, the business community and parents must work together. He is a member of the Bethune-Cookman University Board of Trustees where he served as chair from 2005-2010 and under his leadership the university realized an increase in its endowment from $25 million to $44 million.

Growing up on a farm in New Iberia taught Matthews many things. “I’ve always known the value of old-fashioned hard work,” says Matthews. “Both my parents instilled that in me.”

One day while playing golf with a few guys who already owned Ford dealerships, Matthews’ zeal for cars was noticed and his friends encouraged him to apply for a dealership. Armed with 14 years of managerial experience from Proctor and Gamble and four years of experience as plant manager with Frito-Lay, he applied to the Ford Company. Matthews was one of 17 persons selected from a pool of 300 other applicants to go through the training program and to start a dealership. Of the 17 selected at that time, Matthews is the only one still in the automobile business today.

He is CEO/Founder of Matthews Automotive Group that includes two automobile dealearships, one located in Mount Dora, Florida, and the other in Stuart, Florida, that have been in operation for 20 years.

Last year, the business earned $64 million in sales. He also was listed in Black Enterprise magazine’s Top 100 Minority Automobile Dealerships in its first full year of operation and continues to make the list where he is now ranked 22nd up from 97th.

Matthews says “I’ve always had a passion for cars. My first car was

endowed scholarships I want to help change that statistic and to ensure that we have more African-American men graduating from college and giving back to the community.”

SU alum Irving Matthews

a ’58 Chevy Impala which I loved and I’ve always performed all of the routine maintenance on all my own cars too.”

His management style allows his employees to take initiative and solve problems in their roles at the company. Matthews says, “I tell people that my employees are first and my customers are second. Because if I don’t take care of my employees, then they won’t take care of the customers.”

A staunch supporter of education, Matthews has donated more than $100,000 to his alma mater.

He recently set up two endowed scholarships, one in the College of Business, and the other in the College of Engineering. He also serves as a member of the board of directors for the SU System Foundation and is a charter member of the 1880 society (see story on next page).

“The statistics regarding AfricanAmerican men who graduate from college is startling,” says the concerned alum. “By funding these

He is also a member of the DaytonaBeach/Halifax Chamber of Commerce, Halifax Area Civic League, Rotary Club International, Checkered-Flag Committee for International Speedway Corporation and a member of the board of directors of the Volusia County Advanced Technology Center. During the years 2000-2005, Matthews donated a car to the Teacher of the Year in Volusia County.

A believer in working hard and playing hard, Matthews enjoys traveling and golfing.

Matthews and his wife Darlene have three sons, Marcus, Jonathan, and Darren.

j

A staunch supporter of education, Matthews has donated more than $100,000 to his alma mater.

In March 2012, he was one of four alumni honored during the SU Alumni Federation’s Founders’ Day Gala. Pictured is Matthews receiving his award from SU Alumni Federation National President Dennis S. Brown.

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Advancement and Alumni News

Advancement and Alumni News At-a-Glance...

Benefactor group aims to raise $1 million to support SU

Pictured at the Southern University System Foundation’s 1880 Society membership event, June 19, 2012, at the Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge are (left to right) Louisiana Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne, SU System President Ronald Mason Jr., SU Baton Rouge Chancellor James Llorens, Jacqui Vines, senior vice president and general manager for Cox Louisiana, Dennis S. Brown, president of the SU Alumni Federation, and Richard Lispey, president of Lipsey’s Incorporated.

The newly formed 1880 Society of the Southern University System Foundation continues to increase its membership and build a financial support network for the University.

Local business leaders and 1880 Society founding members Jacqui Vines and Richard Lipsey co-chaired, “A Gathering of Friends of the 1880 Society,” membership event, June 19, 2012, at the Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge.

Over the last year a concerted effort was made to increase unrestricted gifts to the University. Fifteen charter

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members in the fall of 2011 established the new giving society with the potential to generate $1 million annually for the University. The 1880 Society is a cumulative giving initiative where individuals make multi-year pledges to support the University.

The goal is to have 1,000 individuals give at least $1,000 per year.

During the recent membership event, 18 new members joined the 1880 Society, according to Ernie T. Hughes, SU System vice president for advancement.

“Successful fundraising and increased support from graduates and other stakeholders is needed to offset the devastating decline of public resources,” said SU System President Ronald R. Mason Jr. Mason was encouraged by a show of support from the Baton Rouge Area Chamber president and CEO Adam Knapp and the Committee of 100 CEO Michael J. Olivier who pledged to introduce the 1880 Society to their members.

“The Society is the latest in ongoing development and advancement efforts that will go a long way in our efforts to ensure the future of SU,” said Mason.

According to Peterson, giving society members are encouraged to recruit one new member per

•

SU receives largest legacy gift in University’s history

•

LSU college salutes SU System President Emeritus Dolores Spikes

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$1.3 million in Bayou Classic proceeds presented to Southern and Grambling

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SULC alum elected senior VP and general counsel for Entergy

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SU alum Langston U. president

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SU and BRAC partner to encourage alumni’s return to Baton Rouge

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And more. . .

year for five years, or a total of five recruits during the five–year period.

The society hopes to enroll 100 founding members this summer and to increase membership to 1,000 by January 31, 2014. Membership events will be held in New Orleans and in Shreveport later this summer.

“The 1880 Society seeks to bring together the same type of coalition in 2012 that in 1879 pushed for Southern’s charter… except today our diverse group is expected to help fund its 21st century needs and excellence,” said Darryl Wayne Patterson, M.D., a local orthopedic surgeon who chairs the society.

For more information on the 1880 Society, contact Hughes at P.O. Box 9562, Baton Rouge, LA 70813 or call 225.771.3911, or email: ernie_hughes@sus.edu

Advancement and Alumni News The Smith’s were married for 44 years.

SU receives largest legacy gift in University’s history The Southern University System Foundation last fall received more than $1 million in a gift from the James and Ruth Smith Trust.

The endowment, the largest bequest in the University’s history, includes assets and property from the estate of the late James David Smith and the late Ruth Johnson Smith of Santa Barbara, California, both of whom were Southern University graduates.

“We appreciate this generous gift from the estate of James and Ruth Smith.

With this memorial endowment, we inherit their legacy of commitment to education and service. Their significant contribution will assist our efforts to Southern University Baton Rouge and ensure the future of the SU System,” said Ronald Mason Jr., president of the Southern University System.

James David Smith, a Monroe native who was reared in Bastrop, received a bachelor’s degree in art from Southern University. After moving west, he received a M.F.A. from the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon.

An accomplished artist and educator, James Smith was professor emeritus

in the Department of Art at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Upon his retirement, he returned to teach parttime in the Department of Black Studies where he had served as its first chair.

Ruth Johnson Smith was born in Powhattan, a rural village in north Louisiana. After graduating from high school in Natchitoches, she left home to attend Southern University, where she graduated with a degree in industrial arts. She earned a teaching certificate in elementary education, and began teaching in Plaquemines Parish. Ruth Johnson Smith later earned a M.Ed. from LSU and began teaching at the Southern University Preparatory School [Southern Laboratory School], and also as assistant professor at Southern University. During her tenure at Southern, she met and married a fellow young assistant professor, James Smith.

After moving to California with her husband in 1965, Ruth Johnson Smith earned a California administrative credential from the University of Southern California and worked at the Santa Barbara Office of County Schools for 17 years in several administrative capacities. She established the first comprehensive countywide childcare program in the Office of the Superintendent of Schools. Ruth Smith was a co-founder of the MLK wing at the Eastside Library and also taught ethnic studies as a visiting professor at Santa Barbara Community College.

She received her Ph.D. in educational psychology. Ruth Smith passed away in 2006.

As an unrestricted gift, the Smith’s contribution will be used to support rebuilding efforts at Southern University Baton Rouge, the Southern University Museum of Art, an endowed professorship, and an endowed scholarship.

“We are grateful for this charitable gift that will enable us to invest resources to sponsor additional development efforts to raise funds for the University at this critical time, said Ernie T. Hughes, SU System vice president for institutional advancement.

Hughes said the University plans to formally acknowledge the legacy gift in a ceremony with members of the Smith and Johnson families later this year.

Jackson, MS alumni chapter recruits for SU--Some members of the Jackson, Mississipi chapter of the Southern University Alumni Federation represented their alma mater and assisted in recruiting perspective students to SU during the Jackson Metro College Fair February 16, 2012, at the Jackson Convention Complex. The chapter paid the registration fee and alumni participating used vacation or personal days granted by these employers to attend the event in the name of the University. The fair, hosted by Parents & Kids Magazine and Mississippi public and private SACS accredited community colleges and universities, gave thousands of people from all over the state of Mississippi the opportunity to visit with representatives from more than 60 colleges. Pictured are members of the SU Alumni Federation, Jackson, Mississippi Chapter John Reed, SU ‘86; Marnee Tompkins, SU ‘87, president; Lameshia Anderson SU ‘04, vice president; and Andrea Payton, SU ‘07, treasurer.

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Advancement and Alumni News

LSU college salutes SU System President Emeritus Dolores Spikes

$1.3 million in Bayou Classic proceeds presented to Southern and Grambling Southern University and A&M College and Grambling State University will split $1.32 million in proceeds from the 2011 Bayou Classic that will provide support to the campuses’ athletic programs and fund scholarships through the SU System Foundation and the GSU Foundation.

SU System President Emeritus Dolores R. Spikes was recently inducted into the LSU College Sciences Hall of Distinction becoming the first African American to receive the honor. Pictured is Spikes receiving a plaque from Kevin R. Carman, dean, LSU College of Science during the induction ceremony April 20, 2012 at the LSU Lod Cook Alumni Center.

Dolores Spikes, president emeritus of the Southern University System, has a number of firsts to her credit. She was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics from LSU. She was also the first woman to lead a public university system in the U.S. On April 20, 2012, Spikes made history at LSU once again as the first African-American woman to be inducted into the College of Science Hall of Distinction.

Each year, the LSU College of Science honors a number of notable alumni, faculty, and friends who have made significant contributions to science, the community, and the College. This year, Spikes joined six other outstanding alumni and faculty, including Larry Arthur, scientist emeritus, SAICFrederick; Frank “Billy” Harrison III, co-founder and co-owner, Houston Energy Incorporated; Henry Howe, LSU distinguished professor of geology and geophysics; Ron and Mary Neal, co-founder and co-owner of Houston Energy Incorporated and physician, respectively; and James Wharton, LSU chancellor emeritus.

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New Orleans Convention Company, Inc. (NOCCI), the management firm of the 38th Annual Bayou Classic, in February 2012, presented to Grambling State and Southern, the settlement proceeds from the annual football classic held in New Orleans during Thanksgiving weekend.

The distribution included revenue from gate receipts for the football game and Battle of the Bands and a share of corporate sponsorship earnings. Money from the gate will go to SU and GSU athletic programs and the remaining funds will sustain scholarships.

For its first run with the historic HBCU football classic, NOCCI was committed to increasing the level of excitement among the Bayou Classic fans and raising the level of corporate support and sponsorships to ensure a successful and profitable event for two of Louisiana’s premier universities.

The 38th Annual Bayou Classic brought

several new events to New Orleans and thousands of visitors to the city including the “My Bayou Classic” Thanksgiving Day Parade, “My Bayou Classic” Golf Tournament, a “Classic” House Party, and an Inspirational Gospel Brunch.

“As the new management firm and partner for this celebrated football classic, our goal was to capture the tradition and produce a creative and enjoyable experience for everyone and, most importantly, to make the event more cost-effective and beneficial for the schools,” said Dottie Belletto, NOCCI president.

Anticipated new events, new venues in the renovated Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and special effects and staging enhancements to the Battle of the Bands and Greek Show, created buzz among participants and fans that help attract new sponsors for 2011.

As a result of effective management and fundraising efforts attached to last year’s Classic, some much needed financial support will help Grambling State University and Southern University and A&M College to recruit new students and provide aid to students currently enrolled, at a crucial time.

“These support dollars are the cornerstone of our partnership with the two universities,” stated Belletto. “These funds will enable students who attend Southern University and Grambling State University to have a valuable college experience.”

SU Alumni Federation Houston Chapter holds Mardi Gras Gala-The Houston, Texas Chapter of the Southern University Alumni Federation held its annual Mardi Gras Gala and Silent Auction, January 28, 2012, at the Westin Houston, Memorial City. Hundreds of SU alumni, supporters, and guest enjoyed a reception, dinner, and entertainment to raise funds to support the chapter’s scholarship fund.

Advancement and Alumni News

SU and BRAC partner to encourage alumni’s return to Baton Rouge area The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) and the Southern University (SU) Alumni Federation recently announced that they have agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will facilitate the promotion of BRAC’s talent development program among SU alumni.

The agreement states that BRAC will partner with the SU Alumni Federation at Federation and chapter events to promote the region and employment activities within it. In turn, BRAC will work to identify career opportunities for out-of-region SU graduates and provide the resumes of alumni members interested in returning to the Baton Rouge area to companies with open positions. The MOU’s goal is to grow the number of resumes included in BRAC’s talent database.

“Our alumni tell us frequently that they would return to the area if the

job market offered them comparable opportunities. They miss the culture of south Louisiana and more importantly they desire to be near friends and family,” said Robyn Merrick, SU System director of alumni affairs and executive director of SU Alumni Federation.

“This is a win, win. The goal of BRAC’s talent development program is to increase the number of seasoned professionals in the Capital Region,” said Adam Knapp, President and CEO of BRAC. “By joining with the SU Alumni Federation, we will be able to connect directly to out-ofstate Southern graduates looking to return home for great careers, while helping our businesses and economic development prospects at the same time.

BRAC is currently building a diverse talent database that can be accessed when regional companies are searching for candidates for hardto-fill positions. Those interested in being a part of the database can find more information on the “call for resumes” and confidentially submit a

resume at www.brac.org/resumes.

The talent development program is a core program of BRAC’s fiveyear strategic plan, The Creative Capital Agenda. The multi-faceted program is designed to address a major concern identified by BRAC’s economic development prospects and investors and is dedicated to retaining and attracting talented professionals to the Baton Rouge area.

Over the next few years, BRAC will be implementing a number of strategies aimed at increasing the region’s talent level with initiatives focused on college graduate retention, candidate attraction, and newly relocated employee assimilation.

The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) leads economic development in the Baton Rouge metropolitan area, the Creative Capital of the South. Serving as the voice of the business community, BRAC’s investors includes more than 1,200 organizations whose employees represent over a third of the workforce.

SU alumnus retires from federal judiciary U.S. Magistrate Judge Louis Moore Jr. recently retired after 27 years of service.

Judge Moore was a federal magistrate judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. He was appointed as a federal magistrate judge in 1985. Formally, Judge Moore was an assistant U.S. attorney and a federal public defender in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Judge Moore also served as an assistant district attorney and an assistant public defender in Orleans Parish.

A native of Bogalusa, Judge Moore attended Southern University Baton Rouge and received his B.A. degree in 1969, and his J.D. degree from the SU Law Center in 1972.

The judge was inducted into the SULC Hall of Fame in 2006. His portrait was among the first unveiled for the SULC’s Judicial Wall of Fame in 2011.

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Advancement and Alumni News

IN THE HEADLINES Marcus A. Augustine, was recently appointed to the associate board of the Just the Beginning Foundation (“JTBF”).

The JTBF was founded almost 20 years ago as a not-for-profit organization of judges, lawyers, and other citizens who are dedicated to improving the legal system, preserving the history, and honoring the legacy of African Americans in the federal judiciary.

Augustine, former editor-in-chief of the Southern University Law Review, currently practices in the Chicago office of Sidley Austin LLP, where he counsels clients involved in securities litigation, SEC enforcement actions, and whitecollar criminal investigations.

j William L. Banton Jr. , a shareholder with Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman, and Goggin (MDWC&G), has been inducted as a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and has also been invited to become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Fellowship is extended by invitation only, after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility, and collegiality. Banton is also a member of MDWC&G’s Health Care Liability Department.

j Marcus Brown, a 1988 graduate of the SU Law Center, was elected senior vice president and general counsel for Entergy Corporation, January 27, 2012, by the

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company’s board of directors. Brown brings to his new role deep experience, a stellar career in private practice and an impressive 17-year career with the company. Formerly vice president and deputy general counsel for Entergy, Brown began his career with Entergy in 1995.

j SU graduate Elsie Burkhalter recently received the 2012 Trailblazer-Next Generation Award by the Ministerial Alliance of Greater St. Tammany. A lifelong St. Tammany resident, Burkhalter is the second woman to receive the award.

j SUBR Alumna Celeste A. Clark was re-elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the more than 1.5 million-member Automobile Club of Michigan (AAA Michigan) during the annual membership meeting, March 6, 2012, at Club Headquarters in Dearborn.

AAA Michigan is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the second largest AAA club in North America. It belongs to the national AAA federation, with nearly 53 million members in the U.S. and Canada. Clark recently retired as senior vice president of global public policy and external relations for Kellogg Company.

j Scott Connors, an SU Alumnus, was named the Sun Belt Conference’s assistant commissioner for compliance.

In his position, Connors will oversee the league’s compliance program and

be responsible for all NCAA and Sun Belt Conference rules, education, and interpretation. Connors will serve as the liaison to the FARs and Compliance Directors on campus. He also will work to help streamline the league’s compliance efforts both in the league office and on campus by offering an Academic Summit and Compliance Workshop once a year for institution members. Connors was previously director of NCAA Compliance in the athletic department’s compliance office at Tulane University.

j SUBR alumnus Preston J. Castille Jr., a partner with Taylor, Porter, Brooks and Phillips, was elected president of the Baton Rouge Bar Association. Gail S. Stephenson, Southern University Law Center, is president-elect. The Public Law Practice Section officers include SULC alums Nina Hunter, Louisiana Department of Revenue, Policy Services, chairman; and the Construction Law Section officers Jason Bonaventure, Louisiana Division of Administration, chairman; and Steven B. Loeb, Breazeale, Sacshe and Wilson LLP, past chairman.

j Patrick M. Dobard, in January 2012, was named superintendent of the Recovery School District by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE).

Dobard was RSD deputy superintendent for community and policy. A native of New Orleans, he graduated from Southern University New Orleans in 1989 with a degree in secondary education. Dobard later received his master’s degree in history from Southern University Baton Rouge in 1999. He replaced John White who left

Advancement and Alumni News

IN THE HEADLINES the state-run district to become head of BESE.

j Southern University alumna Pamela Dunlap, who is assistant principal of Park Forest Elementary School in Baton Rouge, was recognized at a luncheon Thursday, February 16, 2012, at the Renaissance Hotel, as one of the best among her peers across the nation. She is a recipient of a new honor for assistant principals being given by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

j SULC graduate Maya Evans, an assistant attorney general in the Child Support Division’s Dallas East office, was named “Assistant Attorney General of the Year” for her commitment to Texas children.

One assistant attorney general from each of the state’s nine child support regions, along with an assistant attorney general from the main office in Austin, is honored based on recommendations from their peers and supervisors, with a particular focus on employees who are willing to go beyond their normal duties to serve Texas children. Evans, who joined the Office of the Attorney General in 2003, was recently promoted to managing attorney of the Dallas East office. She is responsible for enforcing legal orders under some of the most challenging circumstances, such as when the parent who owes child or medical support is difficult to locate or lives in another state or country.

j SU alumnus Earl W. Ford was named supervisor of the Plumas National Forest, a 1,146,000-acre U.S. National Forest located in the Sierra Nevada, in northern California.

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SUBR graduate Randal L. Gaines, of LaPlace, was named acting vice president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Gaines, a former member of the SU Board of Supervisors, was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in November 2011.

of education at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center July 29, 2011, during the Ronald McNair Luncheon’s salute to education and scholarship. SU alumnus Andrew A. Ray, serves as Omega Psi Phi’s 39th Grand Basileus.

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Nicholas Giles, is a Spring 2012 intern at the White House. As an intern, Giles will work in one of several White House departments, including the Office of the First Lady, the Office of Chief of Staff, and the National Economic Council.

At the Law Center, Giles was 2011 symposium editor for the Journal of Race, Gender, and Poverty and was a 2011 recipient of the Chancellors’ Public Service Initiative.

SU alumnus Malachi Hull was appointed

by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to head the city’s taxicab bureau as deputy director of the Department of Safety and Permits for Ground Transportation. The New Orleans native, who received a bachelor’s degree in business management from Southern University Baton Rouge, previously served as director of the taxicab bureau for the Atlanta Police Department.

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SUBR Alumna Bunnatine “Bunny” H. Greenhouse, the former chief oversight official of contracts at the Army Corps of Engineers, was awarded a $970,000 settlement six years after she was demoted for publicly criticizing a multi-billion-dollar, no-bid contract to Halliburton.

SU Law center alums State Representative Katrina Jackson, of Monroe was honored as YDL Woman of the Year, and State Representative Ted James, of Baton Rouge as YDL Man of the Year, by the Young Democrats of Louisiana, June 16, 2012, at the group’s Annual Conference held in New Orleans.

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j Southern University alumnus Leonard Haynes III was recently inducted into The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology Hall of Fame. Haynes also was featured in the Ohio State University publication, From Excellence to Eminence: 100 Years of African American Achievement at the Ohio State University. In 2011, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity honored Haynes during its 100th Anniversary Centennial Celebration for his outstanding contributions to the advancement

j Ted James, was the only freshman legislator appointed to the Appropriations Committee of the Louisiana House of Representative. James also serves on the Judiciary and Natural Resources committees of the House. He was profiled in “People to Watch in 2012,” published in the January 2012 issue of 225 Magazine.

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Advancement and Alumni News

IN THE HEADLINES Chauntis T. Jenkins, a New Orleans attorney and SU Law Center graduate, has been picked to temporarily serve as a judge at Orleans Parish Civil District Court. The Louisiana Supreme Court announced the appointment Tuesday, December 13, 2011. Jenkins is a partner at the Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson law firm’s New Orleans office.

j Benjamin Jones, a 4th District Court judge in Monroe, was honored by the Louisiana Bar Foundation as its 2011 Distinguished Jurist during the foundation’s 26th Annual Fellows Gala at the Ritz Carlton in New Orleans on April 20, 2012. Jones, who graduated from Southern University and earned a full scholarship to Boston College Law School, has been a 4th District judge since winning his first election to the bench in 1992. He ran unopposed in 1992 and in his three terms since.

j SU Law Center alum Ernest Johnson, president of the Louisiana State Conference of NAACP, was appointed to serve on the Executive Committee of the NAACP National Board of Directors, representing Region VI.

j Jerry W. Jones Jr. was appointed to the Alexandria City Council District 3 council seat on Tuesday, December 13, 2011. Jones, a graduate of Southern

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University Baton Rouge, was appointed to serve the remainder of Jonathan D. Goins’ term which expires in December 2012. Goins resigned from the council December 2, 2011.

j Quintillis Lawrence, a SU Law Center graduate, was recently installed as commissioner for Section B of the 19th Judicial District Court. Lawrence was previously an assistant public defender with the 19th Judicial District Public Defender’s Office and trial counsel for the U.S. Army, 377th TSC. He is a former assistant district attorney for the New Orleans District Attorney’s Office and a law clerk for the 18th Judicial District Court.

j Southern University alumnus Chance W. Lewis was selected to lead the United Negro College Fund’s reform of teacher training programs at selected universities.

Lewis was recently appointed as the Carolyn Grotnes Belk Distinguished Professor and Endowed Chair of Urban Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is also the executive director of the university’s Urban Research and Policy Collaborative and an Endowed Chair of Urban Education.

j Shreveport native and SUBR graduate Barbara A. McGee was named 2012 62nd District Woman of the Year

by California’s 62nd District Assembly member Wilma Carter. McGee, the

city clerk of Rialto, California since 1994, was formally recognized at the State Capitol on Monday, March 26, 2012, for her recent honor.

j The Mandeville City Council renamed a street in honor of the late John Moore.

A long-time educator, Moore received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southern University Baton Rouge.

j Lester C. Newman , an SU alumnus was selected to serve as the 12th President of Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas.

The Jarvis Christian College Board of Trustees unanimously selected Newman to serve as the college’s 12th president effective April 2, 2012.

Newman was previously assistant to the president and director of administrative management programs at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. Prior to his work at Wiley College, he served as the vice president for academic affairs and associate vice president for development at Lane College, Jackson, Tennessee; served as a consultant for higher education; president and professor of political science at Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena, Mississippi, for nine years; vice president for academic affairs and associate professor of political science, Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, North Carolina.

j Alejandro R. Perkins, of Hammonds and Sills, has been nominated to become a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Perkins joins fellow alums

Advancement and Alumni News

IN THE HEADLINES Jacqueline Scott, of Shreveport, and SULC chancellor Freddie Pitcher Jr., as Louisiana Fellows of the ABF. Founded in 1952 by the American Bar Association, ABF is now recognized as the premier institute in the United States for social science research on law. Contributions of Fellows support the work of the scholars who do ground-breaking research in this area.

Membership in the Fellows is a great honor limited to one third of one percent of the lawyers in America.

j Vivica Pierre, recently joined the staff of Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, Massachusetts, as the director of the library and learning commons.

Pierre was formerly director of records and information management and reference librarian for Archives and Special Collections at the University of Louisiana. Pierre is a SULC alumna.

j Deidre Deculus Robert, an SULC alumna, was appointed deputy director of the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office of Public Protection Division.

Robert previously worked for the Office of the Parish Attorney for the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge, as the personnel section chief.

j SU alumnus James Simmons was inducted into the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame at a ceremony during the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s (LHSAA) Convention on Wednesday, January 25, 2012, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Baton Rouge.

j John “Ross” Smith, has been appointed to serve as a temporary traffic court judge in New Orleans, filling the vacancy created by the death of Judge Dennis Dannel in January 2012. Smith will serve through December 31 or until further order of the court. The special election to replace Dannel is October 22, with a runoff scheduled for November 19 if needed. Smith has been in private practice in New Orleans since 1989. He has worked as a deputy city attorney and an adjunct professor at Tulane Law School. A graduate of Southern University at New Orleans before attending SULC, Smith served as law clerk for Justice Bernette Johnson of the Louisiana Supreme Court during her tenure as an Orleans Civil District Court judge.

j Dwazendra J. Smith was recently awarded the Pro Bono Century Award for devoting more than 100 hours of pro bono services. Smith received the award at the 2011 LSBA Pro Bono Publico & Children’s Law Award Ceremony held on May 24, 2011 at the Louisiana Supreme Court. Former SBA president and former symposium editor for the Journal of Race, Gender, and Poverty, Smith is currently an associate at the law firm of Davidson, Meaux, Sonnier, McElligott, Fontenot, Gideon & Edwards. Her areas of concentration are litigation and premises liability.

j Southern University graduate Kent Smith, formerly vice president for student affairs and chief student affairs

officer at Ohio University, is Langston University’s new president. The Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges announced Thursday, January 20, 2012. Smith was a former SGA president at Southern University Baton Rouge and student member of the SU Board of Supervisors.

j Vera Triplett, was named chief executive officer of the Capital One-New Beginnings Charter School Network. The network consists of Pierre A. Capdau Charter School, Gentilly Terrace Charter School, Medard Nelson Charter School, and Lake Area New Tech Early College High School. Previously Triplett served as chief operating Officer of the Capital One-University of New Orleans (UNO) Charter School Network, and became CEO of New Beginnings upon the restructuring of the UNO Network’s board of directors. She received her undergraduate degree in education from SUNO.

j Katreshia Louis Verrett was appointed associate director of athletics for compliance at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. Verrett, a former SULC SBA president, was the compliance coordinator for the athletics department at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

j Bishop Joseph W. Walker III, senior pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, was the grand marshal of the 2011 Southern University Baton Rouge Homecoming Parade. Bishop Walker is a graduate of Southern

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Advancement and Alumni News

IN THE HEADLINES University and a former member of the “Human Jukebox” marching band.

j Southern University graduate La’Ketha Walker Holmes is the first woman to serve as an assistant district attorney in Beauregard Parish.

j Former Arizona Cardinals and Southern University DB Aeneas Williams was a finalist for the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame. Williams was drafted by the Cardinals in the third round out of SU in 1991. He spent 10 years with the team, never missing a game, starting all but one.

He appeared in eight Pro Bowls, including six consecutive games between ‘94 and ‘99.

He played his final four seasons with the St. Louis Rams and retired after the 2004 season. Williams finished his career with 55 interceptions, 46 with the Cardinals.

j LaPlace author Greg Williams held a book signing for his recently published children’s book, Crazy Cleo the Caterpillar on March 7, 2012, at the St. John the Baptist Library. Williams graduated magna cum laude from Southern University New Orleans with a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education. He is a communications officer for the City of Kenner and previously worked for the fire department, and before that, for the Kenner Police Department.

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SU Law center alumna Kimberly Williams is a recipient of the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report’s Forty Under 40 award. Williams, who grew up near New Roads, is featured along with the 39 others in the Baton Rouge Business Report’s annual cover story showcasing the personal and professional accomplishments of the winners. Williams graduated from the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts in Natchitoches. She earned an MBA from LSU and a law degree from Southern University, and worked as a legal analyst for Chase Bank.

She is executive director of portfolio, Louisiana Recovery School District.

j Erin Monroe Wesley, senior vice president of governmental affairs, Baton Rouge Area Chamber is among 10 women included in Business Report’s Influential Women in Business class of 2012. The women are drivers of the health care, banking, economic development, legal, government and nonprofit sectors in Greater Baton Rouge. Each was recognized at the 2012 Influential Women in Business Awards luncheon at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on June 5, 2012. The Shreveport native graduated from LSU with a B.S. in business administration, and earned a juris doctor from the Southern University Law Center.

Bookstore makes donation to SUBR--The Southern University Bookstore recently donated $10,000 to Southern University Baton Rouge. The donation matches an identical gift made last year to Southern. Bookstore Manager John Dyar said the funds are directed toward textbook scholarships for students. The bookstore is part of the 700 bookstores across the country operated by the Oak Brook, Illinois-based Follett Higher Education Group.

Llorens said the donation will be a great boost to the University ‘s continuing effort to provide students with the educational assistance they need to be successful. Pictured during a check presentation are John Dyar, far left, the manager of the Southern University Bookstore with Margaret Ambrose, special assistant to the chancellor and Chancellor James L. Llorens.

Athletics

At-a-Glance...

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Athletics

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New SUBR athletic director meets media first day on the job

William Broussard officially took over April 2, 2012, as Southern University Baton Rouge’s athletic director by answering questions from the media at a press conference held in the SU Board of Supervisors’ meeting room.

Broussard reiterated earlier statements that his main focus will be academics, NCAA compliance and fundraising. He said he will be meeting with coaches and support staff to determine additional priorities.

Broussard was the former athletic director at Centenary College in Shreveport and worked in the area of fundraising and academic support at Northwestern State University.

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SU women’s tennis recognized by NCAA for APR marks

Southern women’s tennis is among 954 teams recognized by the NCAA June 14, 2012 for earning Public Recognition Awards, based on their most recent multiyear Academic Progress Rate.

The NCAA annually honors teams earning multi-year Academic Progress Rates in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport.

“We’ve had a lot of great academic teams in the past and today signifies that hard work pays off,” said head coach Jeff Conyers. “Being honored by the NCAA with this award is a major accomplishment for the Jaguar tennis program.”

“It’s definitely a great honor.”

Widely respected for both their athletic and academic prowess, women’s tennis bolstered a 1000 APR score during the 2010-11 academic year. The Lady Jaguars also claimed the 2011 SWAC Tennis Championship during the 2010-11 term.

“We concentrate, within the athletics department and the Jaguar tennis program, on bringing in a solid student-

Jaguar athletics set launch GoJagsGear.com SU coaches, student earn honors Women’s tennis claims third straight SWAC title Love’s retired SU jersey hangs in the F.G. Clark Activity Center SUNO men claim GCAC basketball tournament title And more. . .

athlete who is not only trying to win championships on the tennis court, but excell in the classroom,” said Conyers.

The Lady Jaguars 2010-11 APR cohort included Lois Alexis, Lisbeth Castaneda, Kathryn Curtis, Jovanna Gaines, Carlista Mohammed, and Demetria Woods.

Women’s tennis becomes only the second sports program at Southern to receive the NCAA’s Public Recognition Award in seven years of the NCAA’s academic reform program. Women’s golf garnered the academic honor during the 2004-05 academic year.

“I’m proud of the success that Coach Conyers’ squad has demonstrated on and off the court at SU,” said Will Broussard, director of athletics. “Coach Conyers is an exemplar for the SWAC and the women’s tennis team sets a high standard for the athletic department and the entire campus.”

Each year the NCAA honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR). This announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports.

“These teams prove that it is possible to not only balance academic and athletic commitment, as most student-athletes do; but to exceed standards and post outstanding academic scores,” NCAA Continued next page

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Athletics Continued from previous page President Mark Emmert said in an official release

SU coaches, student earn honors

Jaguar athletics launches GoJagsGear.com

“The drive and determination shown in the classroom and on the field by these men and women represent what it means to be an NCAA student-athlete.”

Specifically, these teams posted multiyear APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport.

The NCAA released updated APR scores for all Division I teams June 20, 2012, show improvement in five sports at SUBR--baseball (898), football (909) and men’s basketball (862) all made a 10-point jump, while women’s indoor track (914) went up by 26, and women’s outdoor track (906) leapt by 14.

The NCAA is raising the benchmark score from 900 to 930 for eligibility in the 2015-16 postseason, but Southern and other schools categorized as “lowresource institutions” will have an extra year to comply.

Six SU teams hit that mark currently: men’s cross country (935), softball (944), women’s basketball (955), women’s bowling (939), women’s volleyball (961) and women’s tennis.

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Pictured is SUSLA head basketball coach David Francis receiving LABC Junior College Coach of the Year Award at the 38th Annual Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches Awards Banquet in New Orleans May 5, 2012. -Photo Matt Hines

Head men’s basketball coaches Dale Valdery (SUNO) and David Francis (SUSLA) and sophomore Tydrick King of SUSLA, earned honors at the 38th Annual Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches Awards Banquet in New Orleans, May 5, 2012.

Francis was honored as the Junior College Coach of the Year. He also was the Miss-Lou Conference Coach of the Year and led the Port City Jags to the Miss-Lou Conference championship and to the finals of the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament with a 21-8 record.

Valdery, who guided the SUNO Knights to the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament championship and the second round of the NAIA Tournament with its first winning season in seven years, was named the Louisiana Small College Coach of the Year.

SU Bash welcomes football signees--The Southern University Quarterback Club hosted the annual bash celebration for the 2012 Jaguar football signees February 1, 2012, in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union. SU head football coach Stump Mitchell announced 15 signees for the 2012 football program during National Signing Day. A crowd of fans, alumni, and supporters were on hand for the celebration.

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King, of the Port City Jaguars, was named Junior College Player of the Year.

The forward/center averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds and was the Miss-Lou Conference Player of the Year and a NJCAA Region 23 All-Tournament.

Southern University athletics has partnered with Dallas-based Advanced Online and launched its online store May 13, 2012.

GoJagsGear.com offers Jaguar fans a robust catalog of collegiate licensed apparel and specialty gifts which will directly impact the department’s budget.

“Southern University Athletics is thrilled to enter into agreement with Advanced Online as the provider of our online store, GoJagsGear.com,” said William Broussard, SU director of athletics.

“They are an industry leader in providing a wide array of products, excellent service to customers and clients. This also gives us an opportunity to generate revenues to support SU Athletics and give alumni across the nation an opportunity to purchase a wider array of products than have ever been made available to them.”

Advanced-Online is a unique provider of Online Stores for the Collegiate and Corporate market with over 100 web sites for clients that include Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter, Fujitsu, Ball State, Marshall, North Texas, Big South, Southland Conference and many others.

“We at Advanced-Online are very excited about our relationship with Southern University. Our goal is to help raise funds for Athletics and to increase the brand awareness for Southern University.”

SU basketball senior and alumni night-- Southern University Baton Rouge Department of Athletics and the SU Alumni Federation hosted senior and alumni night for the SU Jaguars men’s and women’s basketball teams, Saturday, March 3, 2012, in the F.G. Clark Activity. The University honored its seniors at the Jaguars last home game of the season.

Athletics

SUNO men claim GCAC basketball tournament title The Southern University New Orleans Knights men’s basketball team clinched the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament title in a 79-58 win over the Tougaloo College Bulldogs during the men’s championship game, March 3, 2012, at the Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex in Jacksonville, Florida.

The SUNO Knights outscored top-seeded Tougaloo by 30 points in the second half to win the title game.

The third-seeded SUNO team defeated two nationally ranked teams to win the tournament. They faced off against Edward Waters College in the first round, winning 75-63, and upset Xavier 66-65 in the men’s semifinals of the GCAC tournament Friday, March 2, 2012, to advance to the finals.

The Knights were previously victorious over the Bulldogs in their last regular season game, February 25, 2012, at the Castle. After losing to SUNO 71-65, Tougaloo settled for a shared claim to the regular season GCAC title with the Xavier men’s team.

The Knights had three players to shine in the tournament: Clyde Moore and Kevin Dukes made the all- tournament team, and Devin White was named MVP of the tournament.

The GCAC Tournament champions headed to Kansas City, Missouri to play in the opening round of the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship Kansas City, Missouri.

This was the Knight’s first trip back to the national tournament since Katrina.

Southern U. among 32 ‘Pack the House’ winners

Southern University was one of 32 winners in the 2012 NCAA Division I “Pack the House” challenge. “Pack the House” is a national effort in which conferences and institutions compete to build attendance.

NCAA Division I women’s basketball marketing staffs selected a home game and designated that date as a “Pack the House” game with the goal of setting an attendance record.

One winner from each of the 32 conferences and one from a group of independent institutions are chosen each year, with the selections being based on marketing plan creativity and attendance criteria. The NCAA awards prizes and donates $500 to the nonprofit organization of each winning institution’s choice.

And with 153 institutions participating in the effort this year, attracting more than 431,000 fans, pack the house, they did.

Southern University hosted 1,243 fans at its women’s basketball game on January 28, 2012 against Alcorn State in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

The Jaguars defeated the Lady Braves 67-62. Southern selected the Baton Rouge Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation to receive the $500 donation from the NCAA.

Love’s retired SU jersey hangs in the F.G. Clark Activity Center

Southern University Baton Rouge Athletics honored the legendary career of former basketball All-American Bob “Butterbean” Love with a jersey retirement ceremony at halftime of the men’s game against Grambling State University Saturday, January 7, 2012.

Love’s No. 41 jersey is only the third jersey retired in Southern men’s basketball history and hangs in the F.G. Clark Activity Center’s rafters alongside the late Bobby Phill’s No. 34 jersey.

Love, a native of Bastrop, earned All Southwestern Athletic Conference honors from 1963-1965. Love also earned NAIA All-American honors during his illustrious career at Southern.

He went on to play 11 seasons for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA and currently ranks as the second leading scorer in Bulls history behind only Michael Jordan.

The three-time NBA All-Star has been inducted into the NAIA, Basketball Coaches, Illinois, Helms, and Louisiana halls of fame. But Love is widely respected for overcoming a debilitating speech impediment to become a motivational speaker, an author and the Bulls’ director of community affairs, a post he’s held since 1993.

SU baseball clinches SWAC West title-- The Southern University Baseball team captured the Southwestern Athletic Conference Western Division title with 11-1 eight-inning victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sunday, May 6, 2012. The win extended the Jaguars winning streak to 16 games. SU faced Mississippi Valley State in its first-round game of the SWAC Baseball Tournament, May 6, 2012, at Lee-Hines Field in Baton Rouge.

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Athletics

AD: NCAA lifts bans on SU

Southern University Baton Rouge Director of Athletics, William Broussard confirmed that the University was notified by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) that its APR-related penalties will be lifted for the 2012-13 season, opening the door for football and men’s basketball teams to return to postseason play.

The SU football and men’s basketball teams were banned from postseason play this year because of low APR scores, and both teams were working to increase their multiyear scores and avoid more penalties.

In April 2012, the NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors approved a proposal to give “low-resource institutions,” including Southern, more time to comply with tougher APR requirements. The move also cleared the way for SU and other schools to be penalty-free as they work toward fixing their APR issues.

Next year, SUBR teams may compete for Southwestern Athletic Conference championships.

Southern Jaguars clinch SWAC regular season title The Southern University Jaguars women’s basketball team clinched the SWAC regular season title when they defeated the Texas Southern University Tigers, March 3, 2012, in Houston, Texas.

The SWAC regular season championship marks the first time the Jaguars have won back-to-back championships.

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IN THE GAME Southern University Baton Rouge senior Quinton Doggett earned first team honors and Kendra Coleman earned freshman of the year honors as Southern men’s and women’s basketball programs placed five Jaguars on the All-Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) teams, the conference announced on Tuesday, March 6, 2012.

Senior Jamie Floyd and junior Laneisha Stephens joined Coleman on the Women’s All-SWAC third team. Forward Derick Beltran was named to the third team.

j On her way to leading the Lady Jaguar Tennis Team to the 2012 SWAC Championship Carlista Mohammed again earned the title of the SWAC’s 2012

Women’s Tennis Player of the Year. The native of St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago was a perfect 6-0 in SWAC tournament play and was named tournament MVP. She was also named to the All-SWAC tennis tournament team. Mohammed also was the 2011 SWAC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year and was named to the All-SWAC First Team last year.

j Demetria Woods, a member of Southern University’s 2011 SWAC Championship tennis team, has earned the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s 2010-2011Scholar-Athlete honors for the second consecutive year. Woods, psychology major from Radford High, is a native of Pearl City, Hawaii.

SUNO athletics earns NAIA Five Star recognition

Women’s tennis claims third straight SWAC title

The Southern University New Orleans (SUNO) Department of Athletics was recognized by the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) as a 2010-2011 Champions of Character Five Star Award winner. The NAIA recognized 220 colleges and universities and 23 conferences with the award. Included in the conferences was the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, of which SUNO is a member.

Southern women’s tennis claimed its third straight SWAC Championship with a 4-0 win over Alcorn State at City Park in Alexandria Sunday, April 22, 2012.

To receive Five Star Award recognition, member colleges and universities had to score 60 or more points on the NAIA’s Champions of Character Scorecard. Also, conferences named to the list had to have 60 percent of their members scoring 60 points or more, each. The scorecard was designed to promote the NAIA’s vision and strategy into measurable goals and to monitor progress toward advancing character-driven intercollegiate athletics. The NAIA is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, and serves as the governing body for athletics programs at nearly 300 colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada.

Southern earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament that was held in May. Senior Carlista Mohammed was named the tournament’s most valuable player after finishing undefeated in singles and in doubles play in the Jaguars’ wins over the Braves and Prairie View A&M. Southern head coach Jeff Conyers was named the 2012 SWAC Coach of the Year. The win marked the sixth SWAC Championship for Southern under coach Conyers. A member of the NCAA Division Men’s and Women’s Tennis Committee, Conyers led the Lady Jaguars to it second straight HBCU Tennis national title this past fall.

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