Page 7 - Racing To Excellence

Fall 2017 Convocation · Bowie State
University
Preserve the lasting legacy of Bowie State I am looking forward to seeing how you will
University as the rst Historically Black
Institution in the State of Maryland.
Continue to build academic excellence that
you see and experience in the classrooms
and across the campus.
Create curricular and co-curricular
opportunities supportive and engaging of
21st generation of learners.
Encourage and support the diversity of
learners enrolled at BSU.
Create new partnerships in our local and
global communities to connect us to the
world.
Develop new and distinctive programs that
uniquely define us as an institution.
Hold ourselves accountable and develop
scally sound models, metrics and be able
to communicate to our public all of the value
we have here at BSU;
and to ensure the viability of this institution
for the next 150 years.
BSU, and class of 2021 the journey
continues on, beyond today.
Like the runner in a relay, we have been
handed the baton—and for this stretch it’s
about what we will do until it’s time for us to
hand off to the next generation.
I am doing what I can each day to get us out
in front of the pack; and so when I make the
hand off to the next leader of Bowie State
University, whenever that might be, I will
know that I’ve run a strong race to get us
across the finish line.
Anyone who knows about running you know
you don’t just run to the line. No, your goal
is to run through the finish line. So Bowie
State, this isn’t the end of the destination.
Fall 2017 Convocation · Bowie State University
make your mark before you walk across the
stage and we celebrate together your
accomplishments.
Together we have arrived at this destination
stop. I invite everyone to join me in this
race, to get us out of the blocks and get us
moving along.
And to help in growing the endowment and
providing support for students, this week, I
established a new scholarship—the Racing
to Excellence Endowed Scholarship. It is my
hope that the scholarship will inspire
generations of students to never forget that
each day you have a choice to make on how
you will run the race and contribute to the
betterment of their lives and the lives of
others.
This scholarship is established in honor of
my father, Alex J. Woodley, who was an
educator and a track and field coach of
Olympic athletes and President and CEO of
the Philadelphia Pioneer Educational-
Athletic Development Club. He passed away
suddenly in 2004 after having coached
numerous athletes from around the country
and the world including over 50 champions
in the NCAA, World and Olympic Games.
He greatly valued education and instilled in
his family, his students and in the
community the need to maintain excellence
and high standards. Track and field was also
his platform to advance civil rights and
equality around the world including taking on
issues of apartheid in South Africa when
athletes were unable to compete in their
sport.