VOORHEES COLLEGE DENMARK, SOUTH CAROLINA
1897-2017 THURSDAY, THE SEVENTH OF SEPTEMBER TWO THOUSAND AND SEVENTEEN TEN O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING LEONARD E. DAWSON HEALTH AND HUMAN RESOURCES CENTER
DR. W. FRANKLIN EVANS, PRESIDENT
The virtual formal opening convocation today is the first official program of the 2020-202 academic year at Voorhees College. The word “convocation,� in this sense, indicates a coming together or a summons in which a response is required. Today, we affirm the unity needed by our College and remind ourselves of the aspiration of mind and spirit which say, officially, we have begun another year of academic pursuit and education ventures. The seal on the front cover of this program symbolizes the beginning of a phenomenal legacy that had its genesis with our founder, Elizabeth Evelyn Wright Menafee.
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~PROGRAM~ Dr. Ronnie Hopkins, Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, Presiding
**Opening of the Convocation**
Invocation ............................................................................................................ Reverend Dr. Herman “Skip” Mason Director of Library Services/Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Greetings………………………………………………………………………..Mr. Jaalen Williams-Butler’21 President, Student Government Association Ms. Linda Flowers-McCullough’76 President, National Alumni Association Selection ………………………………………………………………………………...….Ms. Rachel Jones’91 Coordinator of Student Retention and Scholarships/Director of Choirs Opening Convocation Address ................................................................................................ Dr. W. Franklin Evans 9th President and CEO of Voorhees College Installation of Student Government Association Officers and Mr. and Miss Voorhees College 2020-2021 Ms. Charlene Johnson, Vice President for Student Affairs/Athletics Mr. Adrian West, Dean of Students Mr. Marion Wright, Director of Student Engagement and Leadership * Mr. Jaalen Williams-Butler, President Ms. Ayana McClanahan,Vice President Mr. Bryce Williams, Business Manager Ms. Derina Webber, Corresponding Secretary Ms. Mariah Lorick, Miss Voorhees College Mr. Denzel Walls, Mr. Voorhees College Benediction.......................................................................................................................................... Mr. Marion Wright
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President W. Franklin Evans Dr. W. Franklin Evans, the 9th President of Voorhees College, has been in the education arena over 25 years. Prior to being named the President of Voorhees College, Evans served as the Interim President of South Carolina State University (SCSU), in Orangeburg, SC, where he also served as the provost and chief academic officer. Evans is wellversed in many areas; these include leadership and supervision in all academic programs and curriculum development, faculty recruitment, enrollment management, strategic planning, and the accreditation process. Under his leadership as interim president of South Carolina State University, enrollment exceeded its goal and fundraising increased by 687%; alumni support also improved, and the University achieved a balanced budget. Several years ago, Evans served as the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Virginia Union University in Richmond, VA where he was instrumental in leading the institution through a successful reaffirmation of accreditation and establishing an Honors College, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fine Arts, and a Master of Education degree. He also worked at Elizabeth City State, J. F. Drake State Technical College, Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, and Tennessee State University. He is also an experienced fundraiser and grant writer. Evans is considered a highly skilled administrator, professor and K-12 practitioner, having worked in the Metropolitan Atlanta area as a high school teacher, department chair, and principal. He has conducted numerous faculty development workshops and served as a mentor and coach. In 1994, Evans earned a doctoral degree in higher education administration from Georgia State University. He earned a degree in journalism, middle childhood education, curriculum and instruction, as well as administration and supervision from Georgia State University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in entomology from the University of Georgia in 1984. Currently, Evans is active in many organizations such as the NAACP, Black Family Preservation Group, the National Association of Black School Educators, and Toastmasters International. He holds life memberships in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, the University of Georgia Alumni Association, the Georgia State Alumni Association, and the South Carolina State University National Alumni Association. He is a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity – Delta Chi Boule, and he has served on the boards of the Sickle Cell Association, Boys and Girls Club, Kiwanis Club International, Edisto Habitat for Humanity, and the AIDS Action Coalition. He is also an ordained elder with the Church of God in Christ. Evans, who enjoys traveling, playing tennis, cooking, reading and singing, hails from a long line of educators. He was born in Augusta, GA, and he chose a career in higher education because he wanted to effect change in the education of young black children by training those who would eventually educate them.
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A Historical Sketch of Voorhees College Most memorable about Voorhees’ history is the story of its founder, Elizabeth Evelyn Wright. She was a black woman in her early twenties who, in spite of betrayals, arson, jealousies, threats of violence, and weariness from wandering, persevered and founded a school in Denmark, South Carolina, on April 14, 1897. Although only fourteen students came, the school opened in makeshift quarters above a store in Sato, now called “old Denmark.” By 1898, enrollment had reached 270. This was a far cry from Miss Wright’s earlier efforts to start a school in Hampton County, and later in Govan, where she was thwarted for three years by community hostility and lack of support. But the few who had helped her in Hampton County and who believed in her vision to start a school for black youths continued to support her efforts in Denmark. Most prominent among them were S. P. Porter, a railroad man from McNeil, South Carolina; Mrs. Almira Steele of Chattanooga, Tennessee; Judge Wiggins of Colleton County, South Carolina; and Miss Jessie Dorsey, the first teacher, a nurse from Cashocton, Ohio. The success of the school in Denmark was largely due to the assistance given by a “seasoned presence” in the community, State Senator S. G. Mayfield, a local lawyer, who took an interest in Miss Wright after he learned that she was a graduate of Tuskegee and after he had received a letter from Booker T. Washington highly recommending her. Mayfield helped Miss Wright secure the initial twenty-acre tract of land for the school in Denmark, and in time he paved the way for her to purchase more land to accommodate the increasing enrollment and to enlarge the farm. As the school grew, Martin Menafee, a Tuskegee graduate, came to Denmark to assist in strengthening the school financially. Through correspondence, he arranged an interview between Miss Wright and Ralph Voorhees, a blind philanthropist, of Clinton, New Jersey, in 1902. As a result of that trip, Ralph Voorhees and his wife gave money for the purchase of two hundred and eighty acres of land on the outskirts of Denmark. With the concurrence of Booker T. Washington, the name of the school was changed from the Denmark Industrial School to Voorhees Industrial School to honor Ralph Voorhees’ generosity. On February 25, 1904, the school was incorporated by the act of the State Legislature. In 1905, only a year before the death of Miss Wright and two years before that of his own, Ralph Voorhees made possible the purchase of another tract of land, about 100 acres. Bought originally for farming, that land is now growing timber worth several thousand dollars per year as a cash crop. The school continued to operate moderately well after Miss Wright’s death in 1906, but support dwindled considerably during World War I. New support was found when Joshua Blanton became principal in 1922 and initiated a working relationship between Voorhees, the Protestant Episcopal Church, and its agency for work among Southern Blacks and the American Church Institute. In 1929, Voorhees became a Junior College. It was called Voorhees Normal and Industrial School until 1947 when its industrial department was discontinued and the school became known as Voorhees School and Junior College. The high school department was accredited in 1932. The Junior College was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and in 1949 it
became the first black college in South Carolina to be recognized by the regional body. The final name change to Voorhees College was made in December 1962. The Association of Colleges and Schools, and in 1949 it became the first black college in South Carolina to be recognized by the regional body. The final name change to Voorhees College was made in December 1962. The high school was discontinued in May 1965; Voorhees became a senior degree-granting institution in 1967, and shortly thereafter received full accreditation as a liberal arts college from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The first class graduated from the senior college in 1968. By 1969, the College had become a member of the Association of Episcopal Colleges and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). In 2012, Voorhees successfully completed a thorough self-study program that led to the reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The College has renewed its historical partnership with the Episcopal Church creating an "Agenda for Excellence." The College recognizes the need to bring an additional dimension to its legacy of excellence setting forth a standard of teaching, scholarly activities, management, and service activities which combines intellect and faith. With an enrollment of over 500 students, Voorhees College offers the B.A. and B.S. degrees in three departments: The Department of Education, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Department of Business, and Entrepreneurship, and the Department of Science, Technology, Health and Human Services. The Organizational Management Program reaches out to the adult learner across the state, offering a degree completion program for persons with 50 or more hours of college credits. The College has created a ‘Renaissance in Technology’ and is now completely wired for all technological advances. Each dormitory has the capability to connect data outlets, to connect with the Internet and to access e-mail, cable television and other external databases.
Voorhees College Past Principals and Presidents Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, Founder/Principal ............ 1897-1906 Gabriel P. Miller, Principal ................................................ 1907-1911 Cyrus Camfield, Principal .................................................. 1911-1912 Martin A. Menafee, Treasurer/Acting President ...... 1912-1916 Jesse O. Thomas, Principal ................................................. 1916-1918 E.R. Roberts, Principal ....................................................... 1918-1922 J.E. Blanton, Principal ........................................................ 1922-1947 Earl H. McClenney, President .......................................... 1947-1950 Cecil B. Haliburton, President .......................................... 1950-1953 John F. Potts, President ...................................................... 1954-1970 Harry P. Graham, President .............................................. 1971-1977 George B. Thomas, President ....................................... 1978-1983 John F. Potts, Interim President ..................................... 1983-1985 Leonard E. Dawson, President ........................................ 1985-2001 Lee E. Monroe, Jr., President ......................................... 2001-2007
Cleveland L. Sellers, Jr., President ...................... 2008-2016 W. Franklin Evans, President. .........................2016-Present Gaps in the timeline indicate periods when the institution was under interim leadership.
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THE COLLEGE HYMN
ALMA MATER
We build our school on Thee, O Lord, To Thee we bring our common need; The loving heart, the helpful word, The tender thought, the kindly deed.
When we come to thee, dear Voorhees, The school we love so well, We will hail thee as a guiding light, That ever shines afar. Chorus
We work together in Thy sight, We live together in Thy love; Guide Thou our faltering steps aright, And lift our thoughts to heaven above.
In these halls of knowledge true, Each day we come to you, Trying now to shape our future With ideals good and true. Chorus
Hold Thou each hand to keep it just, Touch Thou our lips and make them pure; If Thou art with us, Lord we must Be faithful friends and comrades sure.
When we’ve finished our work with you, We’ll leave these walls so true. And we’ll strive each day to follow Your principles of true blue. Chorus
We change, but Thou art still the same, The same good Master, Teacher, Friend; We change; but Lord, we bear Thy name To journey with it to the end. Amen.
CHORUS Alma Mater, dear old school, We’ll raise aloud a song, For we love our dear old Voorhees, The White and the true Blue.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Mid-Term Examinations
Oct. 12– Oct. 13
Fall Break
Oct. 15-16
Thanksgiving Holiday
Nov. 25-27
Final Examinations
Dec. 7-9
Christmas Break
Dec. 11- Jan. 6
For more information on these events, please contact Mr. Willie Jefferson, director of special events, at (803) 780-1049 or at williej@voorhees.edu. SIX
NOTES
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES Dr. Robert L. Satcher, Jr., Chairman Reverend Dr. Sam Davis ‘79, Vice Chairman Mr. Dane Murray, Treasurer Ms. Leah Taylor’64, Secretary The Right Reverend Gladstone Adams Mr. Arturo Chavez Dr. Traci Young-Cooper Dr. Robert Dodd Dr. W. Franklin Evans, President Mr. James L. Gardner’69 Dr. Robert Hymes Mr. Alfonso Lamback, Sr.’69 Ms. Karen Mack’84 Mr. Dan Martin’77 Ms. Linda McCullough’76, President, Alumni Association Dr. Vincent McNeil Dr. Michelle Meekins ‘74
Mr. David Miller’84 Dr. Fulton L. Porter, III Mr. Daraka Satcher, Esq. The Honorable John L. Scott, Jr. Dr. Kwaku Temeng The Right Reverend W. Andrew Waldo Dr. James H. Williams Dr. Donald L. Fowler, Trustee Emeritus Dr. Matthew A. Golson,’40Trustee Emeritus Ms. Mary Hepburn, Trustee Emeritus Dr. Prezell R. Robinson,’42 Trustee Emeritus Mr. Ralph Voorhees, Trustee Emeritus Dr. Tywana Chenault-Hemby’00, Faculty Representative Mr. Jaalen Williams-Butler, Student Representative Ms. Menia D. Lee, MBA, Board Clerk/ASBOT
OFFICERS OF THE COLLEGE Dr. W. Franklin Evans ........................................................................................................................................ President Dr. Ronnie Hopkins .............................................................................Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Prince Brown…………………………..Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Development Ms. Charlene Johnson ................. .Vice President for Enrollment Management/Student Affairs and Athletics Ms. V. Diane O’Berry ........................................................................ Vice President for Business and Fiscal Affairs Ms. Phyllis Thompson…………………………………………..Vice President for Enrollment Management Mr. Shemrico Stanley. ....................................................................................................................................Chief of Staff
CONVOCATION COMMITTEE Mr. Willie Jefferson, Chairperson
Dr. Prince Brown Ms. Megan Freeman Dr. Ronnie Hopkins Ms. Lynda Jefferson Ms. Charlene Johnson Ms. Stephanie Kluttz
Ms. Menia Lee Ms. V. Diane O’Berry Ms. Sarah Simpson Mr. Shemrico Stanley Mr. Curtiss Sumner Mr. Adrian West Mr. Marion Wright