Page 13 - Florida Sentinel 4-11-17

HBCU News
Morehouse College Officially Replaces President; Names Interim President
Dr. John S. Wilson has been replaced by William Taggart.
HBCU Grads Kyle O’Quinn And Robert Covington Are Living NBA Dream
For every NBA lottery pick, there are scores of student-ath- letes who take the road less trav- eled to fulfill their dreams of playing in the NBA.
Two Atlantic Division rivals did just that to get to the highest court in the land: Kyle O’Quinn of the New York Knicks and Robert Covington with the Philadelphia 76ers. To- gether they share a bond deeply rooted in the tradition of histor- ically black colleges and univer- sities (HBCUs).
O’Quinn was raised in Ja- maica, Queens, and it was his stature and not his heart’s desire that piqued his interest in bas- ketball.
“Football, I would say, is my second love. Baseball is my first, and I enjoyed football ... but I didn’t have NFL aspirations,” O’Quinn said. “Going into my
Robert Covington a graduate of Tennessee State plays for the 76ers; Kyle O’Quinn attended Norfolk State and now plays for the N.Y. Knicks.
Morehouse College has offi- cially replaced its president and board chairman effective, immediately. On Friday, the historically black college re- leased a press statement de- tailing the new changes in leadership.
Dr. John S. Wilson,
Morehouse class of 1979, who has been president since Janu- ary 2013, will end his tenure as president.
William Taggart, the cur- rent chief operation officer at Morehouse, will serve as the interim president.
Morehouse Man, Robert Davidson will also conclude his role as board chairman of the Board of Trustees, on June 30th, 2017.
This transition at Morehouse was made after much turmoil at the college. It was in Janu- ary when the news broke that the board would not renew Dr. Wilson’s contract as the pres- ident.
Many students, faculty and alumni — including prominent graduates such as former Obama administration cabi- net officer Jeh Johnson, actor Samuel L. Jackson and filmmaker Spike Lee — have criticized the board’s re- cent actions and what they say has been its lack of trans- parency. More than 30 More- house graduates signed a letter Thursday asking the board to keep Wilson.
junior year, I was 6-7 and it was looking crazy that I wasn’t on the basketball team. So I tried out, I made it, but I didn’t play that much, so football was still my main focus.
Covington grew up outside of Chicago and took the AAU route. It was the love of the game combined with a strong work ethic that helped him to stand out.
“Going into high school, I only played AAU basketball. My freshman year I was 5-9, but I jumped to 6-3 before the season.
With limited offers, O’Quinn decided to attend Norfolk State University and Covington went to Tennessee State University. Over their four- year careers, they would acquire the skill and know-how to pre- pare for the professional level.
Columbia University Partners With HBCUs For Masters Program
Chicago Student Accepted To 23 HBCUs
Jason Wingard, Professor and Dean of Columbia Univer- sity’s School of Professional Studies began to spearhead this HBCU-Columbia University partnering vision, it was under the bewildering impression that qualified African-American can- didates are apparently “hard to find” for recruiters.
“As an African-American myself, it’s disheartening to hear corporations say we can’t find qualified African-Americans to work at our companies,” Pro- fessor Wingard expressed.
According to the website, the fellowship “aims to be a bridge for talented graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the Fortune
Jason Wingard, Professor and Dean at Columbia spread headed Masters program.
500 companies looking to em- ploy them.”
Starting this upcoming sum-
mer, Columbia University will open their resources to two high-performing HBCU stu- dents of each top-tier HBCU school and grant them the op- portunity to earn a master’s de- gree from Columbia’s 40 program selection across 14 areas of disciplines.
What’s even better? The HBCU grads will gain access to CU’s expansive alumni network, a paid summer internship, in- dustry mentorship and even a career coach for the love.
The dean recognizes that the ratio of students to schools is a rather limited amount, but he encourages us to consider this as a trial run as it is the first year of the program’s establishment.
What a wonderful time to be young, Black, and a future col- lege student in America. A stu- dent at Chicago’s Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School has been accepted at 23 historically black colleges.
Ariyana Davis has already chosen to attend historically black Alcorn State University later this year, majoring in ac- counting. She had to choose from 24 colleges, 23 of which were HBCUs thanks to the Common Black College Appli- cation that allows students to apply to up to 50 of these insti- tutions for just $35.
HBCUs “...are known for producing successful black professionals. It was important for me to go to an institution that feels like home,” the 18-
2017 HBCU All-Star Application I Available, Nominate Yourself Today
Ariyana Davis will attend Al- corn State.
year-old senior told ABC News.
Additionally, Davis was of- fered a total of $300,000 in fi- nancial aid from all the schools.
Are you a student who wants to impact your HBCU Campus and community? The 2017 HBCU All-Star application is available, the deadline is May 12.
Here’s how you can nominate yourself today:
The appointment period will last approximately one year, and during this time students will serve as ambassadors of the White House Initiative on His- torically Black Colleges and Uni- versities by providing outreach opportunities and communica- tions to their fellow students about the value of education and the Initiative as a networking re- source.
Through social media, per- sonal and professional relation- ships with community-based organizations, student will share
HBCU All Stars
promising and proven practices that support opportunities for all young people to realize their ed- ucational and career potential.
The program will provide an opportunity to participate in re- gional and national events, as well as, web chats with Initiative staff and other professionals from a wide range of disciplines
that support a spirit of engage- ment and personal and profes- sional development.
ELIGIBILITY AND RULES
Nominee must be a current undergraduate, graduate, or professional student at a Histor- ically Black College or University (HBCU). Student must be en- rolled for the 2017-2018 fall se- mester. View HBCU Listing by State.
Only complete applications will be accepted. This includes signed nomination form, unoffi- cial transcripts, short essays, re- sume and endorsement letter.
For more information regard- ing the 2017 HBCU All-Star Stu- dent program and application contact: hbcuallstars@ed.gov and follow us on Twitter @WHI_HBCUs.
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