Today was our fourth opening convocation, reviving a time-honored tradition in higher education. Our preacher was AWESOME, but more about him tomorrow. Tonight let me talk about our new award.

When we launched our social justice initiative, we wanted to create an award to salute someone who epitomizes the fight for justice. We named the award the medal of justice, and I wanted to name it after an alum. I chose Dr. Ozell Sutton, who was the first Black reporter for the Arkansas Democrat newspaper in 1950, and spent most of his career with the Department of Justice.

He was also the first alum to receive the distinguished alumni award, and served as the past president of the national alumni association and member of the board of trustees.

I have known him since 1986 when I joined Alpha Phi Alpha, as he served as our 26th general president.

Sutton recently released his memoir, "From Yonder To Here." It was great to have him present for the award named for him.

The recipient was 23 year old Nigel Haskett. One year ago yesterday he was shot working at McDonald's when he intervened in a domestic dispute. He was shot multiple times defending a woman being beaten in the McDonalds.

He was the obvious choice for the first Sutton Medal. This was the first public recognition for Nigel for his act of true heroism. I was disappointed that no one sought to do so before now, but that meant we were supposed to do it!

When you meet him, you're surprised he acted in such a manner because he is very quiet, shy and reserved. He didn't want to say anything but I told him just share a few words. The audience gave him a great ovation and it was very genuine.

We never really see a young Black man being recognized as a hero, so today was so uplifting for all of us.

The Prez

Being a student affairs professional, I love to have a chance to advise a student group. When I got here, I created one to advise- the Bless the Mic Street Team. Each year, I choose new students to work the world famous lecture series (which kicks of September 21st with RNC chair Michael Steele).

As the program has grown, I have begun to add student leader positions to handle many of the duties of the series. This year, the team directors selected the team for this year. The interest has grown. My first year, all 16 who applied participated. Last year (year 4) was the first year I had to make cuts- 33 apps for 25 spots. This year, we had 43 applications for 25 spots.

So we did 3 minute interviews today to get a sense of the candidates. Our freshman class is strong, so all 43 were more than qualified. They all had great credentials and a history of involvement. So that meant the directors would have to battle it out to determine who made the team.

And battle they did- for about 90 minutes.

But we have a new team and they'll be announced this Friday.

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Here is my newest group of scholars:

Naandie Wright, Kansas City MO

Breanna Tarkington, St. Louis MO

Veneta Graham, Memphis TN

Veronica Maples, Wichita KS

Terry Anderson, II, Wichita KS

Fanchon Laster, Jacksonville AR

Martiza Tynes, Nassau Bahamas

LaTisha Isaiah, Alton IL

Maobe Obwocha, Helena AR

Sharice Loftin, Tulsa OK

Pakeshia Benton, Dekalb TX

Cara Carter, Kansas City MO

Our tradition is to gather at the prayer circle on campus at noon on the first day of classes for a communal prayer. Our chaplain, Rev. Ronnie Miller-Yow, involved members of our campus community in this short service of anticipation. He reminded the students as he told them last Sunday to follow the plan and they will do well. A scripture was read, and then prayers offered by a faculty member, an administrator, and a student.

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Jacque's doing the scripture

Three Mo Divas!

Here are some of the sights from the new students moving in this past Saturday, as well as from the "Transition to Independence" ceremony.

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On Thursday, we officially opened the year with our faculty-staff institute. Our speaker was Dr. Kathleen Gabriel of California State University, Chico. She is the author of a GREAT new book- Teaching Unprepared Students. I read about it in Inside Higher Ed, and once I read the book, I knew she would be a great choice.

The premise is that we have to do much more when working with unprepared students. Many HBCUs have a significant student population that comes from poorly performing schools, and in need of remediation. In Arkansas, over HALF of ALL STUDENTS require at least one remedial course in college. So we needed to hear new strategies.

She focused a lot of engaging the students, and that starts with knowing their names. She challenged us to know all of our students. I did a quiz and had 12 student leaders come before the institute, but only a few could name most. So we have a lot of work to do.

I'll be following up with our faculty especially. She challenged them to give points in the syllabus for each student meeting them during office hours so they can learn about the students. This was a great idea and I hope most faculty will at least try it.

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Several weeks ago, over 100 alumni gathered in Memphis for the annual convention. Here are some pictures from the event.

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Alumni President Erma Williams

President Williams with new Memphis Mayor Lowery

Luncheon speaker Bishop Stephen Arnold

Regional directors and chapter presidents

Opening night mixer

Young alums

Closing banquet

The alumni choir

Banquet speaker Dr. Terry Esper

Golden alumni honorees

Dr. Kathryn Worthen

Here is an article in today's local paper regarding an award we received yesterday to retrofit our campus.

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   Public and private universities and colleges in Arkansas will get $42.5 million in federal stimulus funds to use for renovation, expansion and energy upgrades of campus facilities, Gov. Mike Beebe announced Monday.
   The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Arkansas State University at Jonesboro will each get $4 million of that amount. The University of Central Arkansas at Conway is getting $3 million.
   In addition to the money for higher education institutions, the governor said some state agencies, service providers and specialty schools will receive $26.6 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.
   Altogether, it’s roughly $70 million in recovery funds this round. The governor’s office said Beebe still has $6.3 million left to allocate.
   In all, Arkansas’ estimated share of recovery funds for a wide range of agencies and services is $2.9 billion, according to the Web site recovery.arkansas.gov.
   Campus representatives welcomed news of the federal dollars Monday, saying crumbling or decrepit facilities will get a boost in a time of tight budgets.
   “It will be extraordinarily helpful,” said UALR Chancellor Joel E. Anderson. “Money to address critical maintenance needs is the hardest kind of money to get.”
   UA-Fayetteville will use its stimulus funds to shave a little off the price tag for its multimillion-dollar campus-maintenance proposal, said Don Pederson, vice chancellor for finance and administration.
   In January, the campus unveiled the most ambitious building-upkeep proposal in school history to the UA board of trustees. Then estimated at $218 million, it was described as a backlog of repairs and renovations that has been postponed for decades. The 15-year plan targets 16 buildings initially.
   The money is one-time funding, and there are certain restrictions, Pederson said. For example, athletic facilities or new construction are not allowed.
   UA-Fayetteville will use some recovery money for a dozen elevator upgrades in nine campus buildings: Mullins Library, the health, physical education and recreation building, the Sam M. Walton College of Business building, Kimpel Hall, the science building, the plant science building, Memorial Hall, the administration building and the off-campus Continuing Education building that the university bought about two years ago, Pederson said.
   Other UA projects include roof repairs and replacement for the physics building, Kimpel Hall, the health, physical education and recreation building, Memorial Hall, the Engineering Hall, the Human Environmental Sciences building, the music building, the Old Fieldhouse, the plant science building, and the Speech and Hearing Clinic, he said.
   In Little Rock, UALR’s $4 million in stimulus funds will be used to replace an aging and inefficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system at Fribourgh Hall on the west side of campus, Anderson said. The building is about 70,000 square feet and includes science classrooms, labs and faculty offices.
   “Fribourgh is 36 years old, and it’s in bad need of a new HVAC system with much more energyefficient equipment,” he said.
   The project is expected to save UALR money by reducing energy costs, Anderson said. It’s at the top of a list of more than $9 million in proposed projects UALR officials submitted to the Higher Education Department in early March.
   ASU will use its $4 million for several projects on the Jonesboro campus, including renovations and upgrades to physics, chemistry and biology labs, Provost Daniel Howard said.
   “We have labs that date back to the early 1970s that we have not been able to upgrade,” he said. “This is a tremendous infusion of $4 million. It has both immediate and long-lasting impact for our university.”
   ASU also plans to replace an aging boiler that serves several buildings on campus, upgrade elevators, and install more energyefficient windows in one of the residence halls, he said.
   UCA plans to make its $3 million in stimulus funds “stretch as far as possible” across several projects, said Jeff Pitchford, UCA’s vice president for university and government relations.
   Earlier this year, UCA submitted 47 proposed projects to the Higher Education Department. Among the top priorities are replacing roofs on the Burdick Business Administration building, Stadium Park Apartments and McCastlin Hall, which is one of the oldest buildings on campus, he said.
   Twenty-two buildings, including several dormitories, will be waterproofed, and more energyefficient lighting will be installed in several buildings.
   “It’s going to fund some projects that have been on our wish list for a while, but we’ve never had enough money for,” he said.
   UCA will request bids for the projects as soon as possible.
   “Hopefully, in between 30 and 60 days, we’ll have crews here doing this work,” Pitchford said.
   At Philander Smith College in Little Rock, construction already is under way on several projects designed to cut energy costs, said Walter M. Kimbrough, the college’s president. This spring, officials completed a full assessment of campus facilities and upgrades needed to improve energy efficiency.
   The college’s $500,000 share of the stimulus money will help pay for those projects, which total about $1.2 million.
   “This helps us jump-start what we’re trying to do immediately, and then there will be some savings for us as well over time. It was perfect timing for us,” Kimbrough said.
   While many of the college’s buildings were either built or renovated within the past decade, many weren’t built with energyefficient features, Kimbrough said. Lighting systems campuswide have been replaced this summer, and new heating and air-conditioning units are being installed in some of the older buildings, which date back 40 or 50 years.
   The projects are expected to save the college more than $100,000 in reduced energy bills annually, he said.
   “That money makes a big impact for us,” Kimbrough said. “We’ll be able to apply our stimulus funds immediately.”
   Henderson State University at Arkadelphia will use its $2.9 million in stimulus funding for campus renovations to Foster Hall, as well as energy-efficiency renovations to heating, ventilating and air-conditioning units, and lighting systems, said Charles L. Welch, HSU president.
   At ASU-Mountain Home, the funds will be used to replacing a heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system and make other energy-saving changes. The school also will replace carpet in hightraffic areas that “has deteriorated to a point of being a safety issue,” said John Davidson, vice chancellor for administrative affairs.
   “We expect that these modifications would decrease energy consumption and provide the college with cost savings that would exceed the initial investment within the next five to six years,” he said.
   “Unfortunately, we do not have the cash on hand to make these modifications currently and maintain sufficient cash flow for operations.”
   Matt DeCample, the governor’s spokesman, said that while the governor couldn’t quantify the jobs this batch of recovery funds would create, he estimated that “hundreds would likely be helped, both in job creation and creating work that could help retain other jobs.” 
  

 Information for this article was contributed by Michael R. Wickline of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Julie Stewart for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Stimulus funding
Gov. Mike Beebe today announced the distribution of $42.5 million of America Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for highereducation institutions and $26.6 million in funding or potential funding for other Arkansas projects.

SOURCE: Gov. Mike Beebe’s offi ce Arkansas Democrat-Gazette