Inside Morehouse - April/May 2009

Inside MOREHOUSE
A C A M P U S N E W S L E T T E R F O R F A C U LT Y, S TA F F A N D S T U D E N T S
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Mansa Bilal Mark King talks
about his name change
A P R I L / M AY 2 0 0 9 , I S S U E 6
7
Jazz Ensemble Hosts Jazz Legend
Terrence Blanchard
8
Spring Sports Teams Win SIAC Titles
Commencement/Reunion 2009
Schedule
COMMENCEMENT/REUNION 2009
Actress Cicely Tyson and Scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. to Address
Class of 2009; Hall of Famer Hank Aaron to Receive Honorary Doctorate
By ADD SEYMOUR JR.
Cicely Tyson
Henry Louis Gates Jr.
hen 520 Morehouse
seniors enter the lush
Century Campus on
May 18 for their final few moments
as men of Morehouse, they will be
given advice from Emmy-award
winning actress Cicely Tyson and
Harvard professor Henry Louis
Gates Jr. during the College’s 125th
Spring Commencement.
Tyson is a trailblazing actress
and activist who, through an
award-winning film career playing
strong black women, has raised the
consciousness of audiences worldwide. She was the first black actress
to co-star in a television drama series; she portrayed “Rebecca” in the
memorable film “Sounder;” and
she won an unprecedented two
Emmy awards for the title role in
“The Autobiography of Miss Jane
Pittman.”
A world ambassador for UNICEF
and a volunteer for Save the Chil-
W
dren, Tyson is also a founder of the
Dance Theater of Harlem. Currently,
she is involved with the Market
Women’s Project with President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and
FuturePac, an organization dedicated to raising funds to support
women with political aspirations.
Gates, one of the nation’s premier African American scholars,
has become a chief storyteller of
African American history and lineage. The Harvard professor has
edited influential anthologies such
as The Norton Anthology of African
American Literature and the
Schomburg Library of Nineteenth
Century Black Women Writers, and
co-editing many others, including
The Civitas Anthology of African
American Slave Narratives.
Among his many groundbreaking pieces of work, Gates has been
behind the African American Lives
series in which he traced the roots
of celebrities such as Oprah
Winfrey, Tom Joyner, Chris Rock
and Tina Turner back to their families’ beginnings in Africa.
Tyson, Gates and baseball Hall
of Famer Hank Aaron will each receive an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters.
Aaron is one of the most respected figures in sports after a 23year baseball career that ended
with him being a near unanimous
choice for the Baseball Hall of
Fame. Amid repeated death
threats, Aaron became best known
for breaking one of baseball’s most
revered records: he hit his 715th
career home run in April 1974 to
break Babe Ruth’s long-standing
mark. Aaron finished his career
with 755 home runs.
After leaving his playing career
behind, Aaron spent 13 years as
director of Player Development for
the Atlanta Braves, becoming a
senior vice president in 1989.
Aaron also has become a distinguished businessman.
Also during Commencement
weekend, alumni from across the
nation return to campus for Reunion 2009: A Gathering of Men.
Classes with graduating years ending in four or nine will be honored
during activities that include the
May 16th Reunion Banquet at the
Ritz-Carlton in downtown Atlanta.
One alumnus likely to have the
most fun will be Rynalder D. Rambeau Sr. ’34 as he returns to campus.
The retired educator from
Donaldsonville, Ga., is 98 years old
and will be the oldest alumnus on
hand during Commencement/
Reunion this year. But he won’t be
the only one celebrating in the
Rambeau family. His son, Rynalder
Jr. ’64, will also be attending
Reunion 2009.
For a full schedule of Commencement/Reunion events go to page 8 or
go online to:http://www. morehouse.edu/events/2009/commencement/index.html.
Hank Aaron
Morehouse Hosts Rare Public Appearance
by Fed Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke
By ADD SEYMOUR JR.
When the world witnessed Federal
Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke tell
a Morehouse College audience the
economy was slowly improving, the
nation’s fiscal health was hardly the
only newsworthy item.
What turned heads was the fact
that Bernanke was at Morehouse.
Rarely do Federal Reserve board
members make public appearances.
But seeking to sooth frazzled nerves
over the economy, Bernanke has
been looking to explain to people
how the Fed works and to detail the
steps he is taking to fix the nation’s
fiscal problems.
So in the midst of a global
economic nosedive, he chose
Morehouse as the place to speak.
“To me, it was indeed a coup,”
said Denise Moore, director of
Government Relations. “He could
have gone to his own alma mater
Harvard or even Yale.”
Bernanke spoke for 25 minutes
in the filled Bank of America Auditorium as national print media and
cable television outlets such as Fox
Business News, CNBC, CNN and
MSNBC followed every moment.
He then took an array of
probing questions from Morehouse
senior business and economic
students, Tristan Allen, Anthony
Roberts, Ricardo Rabathaly and
Zantoine Truluck.
“I think it’s important for people
to understand [what’s happening
(Please see ‘Morehouse Hosts Bernanke’
page 4)
Inside Morehouse is
Going Green and Online
Fed Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke (second from left) gets a tour of the Martin Luther
King International Chapel from Phillip Howard '86 (left), President Robert M.
Franklin Jr. '75 (second from right) and Lawrence E. Carter Sr., (right), dean of
the Chapel.
We are doing our part in the
College’s efforts to go green and be
environmentally conscious as you
are now holding the last printed
edition of Inside Morehouse. Starting with the September issue,
Inside Morehouse will be available
online at www.morehouse.edu!
Each edition, every story and
picture, will be available to a much
wider audience as anyone with
Internet access will be able to see
what’s happening with faculty,
staff and students at Morehouse
College. If you have questions
about the change, contact editor
Add Seymour Jr. at
aseymour@morehouse.edu.
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2 NEWS
I N S I D E M O R E H O U S E , A P R I L / M AY 2 0 0 9
M Y WO R D
Inside Morehouse is
about the people who
make up the Morehouse
College community.
To tell those stories,
WE NEED YOU
to send us your ideas,
comments and thoughts,
along with your news,
information about your new
books or publications and
your commentary for
sections like My Word.
To send us your information,
contact Inside Morehouse
Editor Add Seymour Jr. at
aseymour@morehouse.edu
For more up-to-the minute
information about academic
departments, administration,
athletics, registration,
financial aid, as well as
the people and places at
Morehouse College, go to
www.morehouse.edu
Inside MOREHOUSE
Children Suffer From Injustice
By Unequal Schools
BY JONATHAN WALL
(Wall’s guest editorial appeared in
the Atlanta Journal Constitution on
April 20, 2009)
Recently, I was a judge at Georgia
Mathfest, an event where more than
5,000 kids engaged in mathematical
activities, games and all-around fun.
One of the main events was
math-bate, a combination of math
and debate in which teams were
given scenarios and had to analyze
and solve them mathematically.
They also had to think critically
about the various situations and
apply reasoning and logic. Once
they solved a scenario, they gave a
presentation in front of me and a
fellow Morehouse brother. While we
scored them based on the correctness of their math, most of the
points derived from their ability to
explain their reasoning and the general fluidity of their presentation.
What we witnessed in our many
hours judging events was disheartening.
Inequalities in education and the
underlying factors are something
that I’ve always been passionate
about understanding. Going to
predominantly white schools for
grades k-8, and a predominantly
black school for grades 9-12 helped
me see more clearly the dividing line
of educational quality. At Mathfest, I
saw the overwhelming disparities
that now plague America’s public
schools.
Of the 20 teams on each grade
level, about 15 were completely Caucasian/Asian/Non African American,
two or three were all African American. Only two or three were a mix.
There were tremendous gaps in the
speaking and reasoning ability of the
African American groups. The Caucasian/Asian groups would stand in
front of us with confidence and
pride, using immense vocabularies
consisting of words far beyond what
I thought the average kid their
age understood.
The African American groups
were significantly less prepared, getting a majority of the problems
wrong and having one or two students do the talking while the others
just stood there. Not because they
didn’t want to speak, but because
they didn’t know the information.
Some even struggled to read the in-
structions. The intended fun of the
event was not felt by these students.
The mathbate was just another exercise in which they saw their Caucasian peers outperform and win.
Being a judge, I had an obligation
to fairness, impartiality and neutrality. I would search for reasons to
give the African American groups a
few extra points, so the scores would
look respectable, but my searches
came back empty. I didn’t quite realize to the full extent what I was
witnessing until the event was over
and the winners had been crowned.
I can’t even begin to describe the
feelings and thoughts that raced
through my heart and mind as I
walked group after group to the
podium to be awarded their first
place plaques. Of the 40 individual
winners, only three were black. And
two were on the same team.
It troubles me that America’s public schools (and private, but that’s another situation) are still unequal and
lack not only diversity, but equality
in the distribution of resources.
Some try to blame it on the intellectual capacity of the kids, but that is
not the case. There is no reason for
“
“There is no reason for
there to be such a wide
gap in the academic
skill set of students...”
”
there to be such a wide gap in the academic skill-set of students in the
same grade in the same state.
Disproportionate education is
injustice. Everything starts with a
foundation, the roots if you will.
Elementary/middle schools are the
roots from which we sprout up during high school, college and life.
When a root isn’t getting the proper
nutrients that it needs to grow, it
shrivels. It may be harsh, but if we
don’t make a change, this is what will
continue to happen to generation
after generation of our youth. There
has got to be a better way. And we are
all in charge of finding it.
Jonathan Wall wants to be a civil
rights attorney.
Director of Public Relations
Toni O’Neal Mosley
tmosley@morehouse.edu
Executive Editor
Vickie G. Hampton
vhampton@morehouse.edu
Editor
Add Seymour Jr.
aseymour@morehouse.edu
Calendar Editor
Julie Pinkney Tongue
jtongue@morehouse.edu
Photographers
Philip McCollum
Jim Robinson
Add Seymour Jr.
Yusuf Davis
Graphic Design
Musick Design
Web Services
Hana Chelikowsky
Kara Walker
Inside Morehouse is published
monthly during the academic
year (with a combined November/
December issue) by
Morehouse College, Office
of Communications.
Opinions expressed in
Inside Morehouse are those
of the authors, not necessarily
of the College.
The Lesson in My Name
BY MANSA BILAL MARK KING
e can learn a lot from a
name. In the best of
African traditions, a person’s name tells you about her or his
life journey and/or life purpose. My
parents named me Mark Alexander
King.
Mark was a disciple of Jesus and
thus a man of faith. For my family,
though, Mark was also the son of
“The Rifleman” (a 1960s television
western). My father was an expert
marksman in the Army. So, he is the
“Rifleman” and I am his son.
And Mark is Greek for “strong
defender.” Alexander was a Greek
ruler and empire builder.
With my surname, King, we
again find this connotation of a defender of people or a conqueror.
The best war a king can wage,
though, is against his lower self. To
neglect the internal war while ruling over others invites any king to
tyranny. Such is the calling of the
names given to me by my parents.
After I embraced Islam, I released
one name and added two new ones.
W
Again, following African traditions,
I did not release my name entirely. I
added to it. Through this practice,
African names tell the story of a
person.
So, my story continues with
names from Islamic Africa. Mansa
is the Mandinka word for “ruler” or
“king.” Most of us have heard of the
Mansa named Musa. On his pilgrimage to Mecca, he gave away so
much gold in charity that it hurt the
Northeast African economy. This
was just one Mansa who ruled Mali.
Today, Mali is rising again because of the Timbuktu papers.
These priceless treasures give voice
to the indigenous, literate Muslim
scholars who lived in West Africa’s
scholarship centers for nearly 1,000
years. Today, the inheritors of these
manuscripts often live in impoverished conditions. Yet, analyses of the
papers have already begun to
connect African American nonviolence traditions to West African
non-violence traditions. That is,
they connect the Rev. Martin
Luther King Jr. ‘48 to the Mansasupported scholars of West Africa’s
Golden Age.
Finally, there is Bilal, the name I
ask friends to call me. Bilal lived in
Arabia. However, he was from
Habesha, which is part of modernday Ethiopia. Bilal was one of the
first residents of Mecca to embrace
Islam. He did so despite being held
in slavery, or perhaps because of it.
The Islamic message on slavery
features equity requirements. These
include: feeding and clothing one’s
slaves as one eats and dresses; helping one’s slaves with their hard
work, and freeing slaves as atonement for sins. This requirement to
humanize slavery was among the
many elements of Islam that
induced fear among the Meccans,
who rejected the Islamic call to live
righteous lives.
Islam’s potential to establish a
just society seemed a threat to their
unbridled quest for political, economic, and status superiority. Bilal
embodied the political threat when,
instead of obeying his owner’s
command to whip a Muslim, he
embraced the faith, too.
Though he was tortured for his
disobedience, a wealthy Muslim
soon purchased Bilal and set him
free. Bilal spent the rest of his life as
a defender of justice and religious
freedom. He also became the first
muezzin, a person of great piety
who calls the Muslims to prayer. I
strive to have faith like Bilal did –
against all odds.
So, my ancient names tell stories
that are quite relevant today. I made
my name change legal after encountering bureaucratic troubles. The
“separation of church and state”
does not (and cannot) prevent our
secular laws from regulating how
spirituality is expressed. But, that is
another chapter in the story of
my name.
Mansa Bilal Mark King is an assistant
professor of sociology.
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I N S I D E M O R E H O U S E , A P R I L / M AY 2 0 0 9
Employees Recognized During Staff Appreciation Celebration
TAKE
NOTE
Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., dean of the
Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel,
delivered the evocation during the inaugural
ceremony for new Johnson C. Smith University
President Ronald Lee Carter ’71.
Twenty-eight Morehouse employees
were honored during the Staff Appreciation Celebration on April 30 in the African
American Hall of Fame for their years of
dedicated service to the College.
“You represent the spine of this nervous system,” said President Robert M.
Franklin Jr. ’75. “You are the foundation
for which this House stands.”
Special recognition also was given to
all of the College’s professional administrative assistants. Each will receive a
special pen and pencil set as appreciation for their hard work.
Recognized for years
of service:
Sheree Benton
Debra Harper
30 Years
Patricia Jackson
Margaret Jackson
15 Years
Henry Goodgame
Phyllis Smith
Frances Terrell
25 years
Barnetta Green
Sterling Hudson
Denise Whitely
20 Years
Craig Boyd
Pamela Heath
10 Years
Gerald Bowden
Allen Carter
Christopher Doomes
Jenetta Grace-Butler
Kimberlyn Gresham
Clarence Hollis
Andrea Manning
Shelia Worthy
Diane Alexander
Nour Belkeir
Kevin Branch
Brenda Dodd
Walter Frye
Derick Nelson
Judith Richmond
Cedric Strudivant
2008-09 Faculty Publications and Presentations
Morehouse faculty members contribute to intellectual scholarly discussion on a range of topics through many venues –
journals, books, articles and other publications.
Published works in 2008-2009:
Ebenezer Aka, professor of political science, book chapter in Urbanization and Social Development in Africa, 2008.
Presentations and invited talks in 2008-2009:
Joseph Agee, associate professor of Spanish
Marcellus Barksdale, professor of history
Lawrence Blumer, professor of biology, co-author, “Inter- Mary Behrman, assistant professor of English
Consuella Bennett, assistant professor of English
spective Competition in Bean Beetles,” in Tested Studies
for Laboratory Teaching, Vol. 30; co-author, “Rapid Loal
Subhash Bhatia, assistant professor of chemistry
Adaptation in Bean Beetles,” Ecological Society of AmerLawrence Blumer, professor of biology
ica, Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology, Vol. 6.
Harold Braithwaite, associate professor of psychology
Stephane Dunn, assistant professor of English,“StandGiles Conwill, associate professor and chairman of history
ing Up for Bad Words, Chronicle of Higher Education,”
Leah Creque, assistant professor of English
March2008; Badd Bitches and Sassy Supermamas: Black Maureen Dinges, associate professor of speech
Power Action Films, (University of Illinois Press, 2008)
Stephane Dunn, assistant professor of English
Alton Hornsby Jr., Fuller E. Callaway Professor of HisParthenia Franks, associate professor of speech
tory published his 18th book, Black Power in Dixie: A PoGreg Hall, associate professor of political science
litical History of African Americans in Atlanta (University Triscia Hendrickson, assistant professor of biology
of Florida Press, 2009), a comprehensive and longitudinal
Claude Hotto, assistant professor of kinesiology, sport
study of black politics in Atlanta. Focusing on the mayoral
studies and physical education
terms of Maynard Jackson ’56 and Andrew Young, the
Asha Ivey, assistant professor of psychology
book look at how black Atlanta leaders used their electoral power to win influence with white leaders and gain Duane Jackson, associate professor of psychology
Michael Janis, assistant professor of English
concessions in race relations.
Alison Ligon, assistant professor of English
Daniel Hummer, assistant professor of psychology, coauthor of the article, “Period Gene Expression in the Diur- Samuel Livingston, assistant professor of history
Alexandra Peister, assistant professor of biology
nal Degu Differs from the Nocturnal Lab Rat,” in The
Patricia Pogal, associate professor of Spanish
American Journal of Physiology, Feb. 2009.
David Poyer, associate professor of economics
David Poyer, associate professor of economics, co-auGregory Price, professor of economics
thor, “Motor Vehicle Output and GDP,” Atlantic Monthly
Journal, 2008; “The Black Enterprise Magazine Ranking of Walter Sharif, assistant professor of biology
Lawrence Shipman, assistant professor of chemistry
Colleges for African Americans: A Structural Analysis,”
The Review of Black Political Economy, Vol. 35.
Larry Spruil, assistant professor of history
Delores Stephens, professor of English
Gregory Price, economics professor and
Troy Story, professor of chemistry
chairman,“Does Religion Constrain the Risky Sex Behavior Associated with HIV/AIDS,” Applied Economics, 2009; Robert Wilson, associate professor of kinesiology, sport
studies and physical education
“Hurricane Katrina: Was There a Political Economy of
Death?” Review of Black Political Economy, 2008; “The
Lydia Woods, assistant professor of kinesiology, sport
Problem of the 21st Century: Economics Faculty and the
studies and physical education
Color Line,” Journal of Socio-Economics, 2009.
Henrietta Yang, assistant professor of Chinese Studies
Albert Turner, assistant professor of English, book chapter, – Information provided by Phyllis Bentley,
“At Home on These Mean Streets,” in Finding a Way Home: Director, Academic Operations
A Critical Assessment of Walter Mosley’s Fiction, 2008.
Giles Conwill, chairman of history, was featured
in the March 13 edition of The Georgia Bulletin as
part of an article about professors who are
Catholic priests. Conwill is a priest for the San
Diego Diocese.
Alvin Darden, dean of the freshman class, was
named an honor roll semi-finalist in the “Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate” category for
the National Resource Center for the First-Year
Experience and Students in Transition’s 28th
Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience in
Orlando, Fla. in February.
Alison Ligon, assistant professor of English,
presented a paper titled “Not Everybody’s Protest
Novel: Reimaging Selected Works of Postcolonial
Fiction from Latin America and the Caribbean,” at
the 30th Annual Convention of the Southern
Conference on American Studies in Charlotte, N.C.,
on Feb. 12.
Toni O’Neal Mosley, director of public relations,
has been elected chair of the Atlanta University
Center Council of Public Relations Officers. Her
term ends in 2011.
For the second year in a row, senior finance major
Johnathan Ware finished in the top 10 out of 2,000
worldwide contestants in the 2009 Interactive
Brokers of Collegiate Traders Olympiad. Ware ranked
eighth and won a $10,000 third place prize for generating returns of more than 70 percent in two months.
Last year, he won $10,000 when he finished third and
became the first student from a historically black
college or university to place in the competition.
Lance Shipman Young, assistant professor of
chemistry, was inducted into the 2008 class of the
Project Kaleidoscope Faculty for the 21st Century
Network. Project Kaleidoscope is a national
network of emerging leaders in undergraduate
science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Linda Zatlin, professor of English, has been
named the New York University Faculty Resource
Network Scholar-in-Residence for the month
of June.
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NEWS BRIEFS
Morehouse Makes Honda Final Four
CAMPUS COST-SAVINGS TIPS
In light of the current state of the economy, below are a few cost savings suggestions that the Division of Campus Operations believes the
campus can all put into immediate practice with very little effort.
• Turn off lights in unoccupied areas; keep in mind there’s no need to
leave lights on and doors open for housekeeping in the evening.
• Unplug appliances (coffee pots, microwaves, etc) at the end of the day.
It’s also considered a good energy saving practice to completely turn off
computers and monitors at night.
• Minimize use of space heaters as they consume significantly more
energy than central heating.
• Ensure all faucets are completely turned off after use.
• Report all water leaks to the Physical Plant (404) 215-2664 or
physicalplant@morehouse.edu.
• Secure all keys to facilities to avoid costly replacement expenditures.
• Recycle paper products using recycle bins provided on each floor.
• Utilize both sides of paper before placing in the recycling bin (i.e., use
the blank side of a fax confirmation sheet for future printing rather
than placing it in the recycle bin).
• Consider using double-sided printing and copying whenever possible.
Though they may seem insignificant, if the entire campus contributes,
collectively the entire Morehouse community can make an impact.
If you have additional cost savings suggestions you would like to
share, email them to campusoperations@morehouse.edu.
LOST AND FOUND
The Lost and Found Department of Morehouse College resides at
the main office of the Campus Security/Police Department located
inside the Robert Hall Annex.
The Campus Security/Police Department operates on a 24/7 basis
and all lost and found items should be immediately turned in to the
Police Department.
Please do not hold items while attempting to locate owners as they are
likely frantically searching in the Lost and Found Department for their
belongings.
Contact Campus Security/Police Department at (404) 215-2666 for
more information.
Fatherhood Conference Focuses on National
Policy to Help African American Fathers
By ADD SEYMOUR JR.
he absent African American
fathers who are not taking care
of their families too often
get the headlines, believes Georgia
Labor Commissioner Michael
Thurmond.
“Rather than focusing on the
fathers who don’t do, I say we
focus on the fathers who do do,”
Thurmond said during the Turning
the Corner on Father Absence in
Black America Revisited conference
held in the Executive Conference
Center’s Bank of America Auditorium on April 29. “Good fathers
come in all varieties, so we have to
expand our horizons on what is
good fatherhood.”
That was just one of a number of
ideas brought forth during the conference presented by The National
Fatherhood Leaders Group (NFLG)
and the Morehouse Research Institute (MRI). Social service professionals from across the country
attended the conference, which was
a follow-up meeting to the 1998
National Conference on Manhood,
also held at Morehouse.
The conference gave attendees
an opportunity to see how the
plight of African American fathers
is being addressed nationally.
“Policymakers are looking at
ways to boost fathers,” said Vickie
Turetsky, director of family policy
for the Center on Law and Social
T
Policy in Washington, D.C. She
pointed to new employment and
education ideas, potential prisoner
re-entry programs and even a
proposed Earned Income Credit for
non-custodial parents.
“So there are a number of pieces
of legislation that have been put out
there since President Obama took
office and the new Congress took
their seats,” she said.
That kind of information is why
the conference is key, said MRI executive director Obie Clayton, who
was honored by the NFLG for his
work in putting the conference together and continuing his work in
work towards the plight of African
American males.
“To impact policy, especially with
the administration’s emphasis on
trying to get men re-engaged with
families and employed,” he said. “So
we have grassroots organizations
here for the conference because they
need to be abreast of the policy.”
LaShawn Hoffman, CEO of the
Pittsburgh Community Improvement Association who grew up
without a father, can attest to the effect the conference’s work can have.
While Hoffman, who has since
patched up the relationship with his
father, said job creation in black
neighborhoods is important, the
key is building strong communities.
“Without strong communities,
we can’t really have strong families,”
he said.
Morehouse continued a strong history in the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge with a Final Four showing in the 64-team, 2009
competition. The Maroon Tiger squad, consisting of senior Berkley Christopher Thomas, junior Akil Hunter Jackson, freshman Robert Myrick and senior John Torrey (pictured above) and freshman Paul S. Adamson, made the competition’s Sweet
16 where they defeated Howard and Maryland-Eastern Shore before losing to eventual champion Oakwood College in the
semi-finals. The team earned $15,000 in grants for their showing. In the competition’s 20-year history, Morehouse has won
four national championships, is an 11-time semi-finalist and has won grants totaling $392,000. The team is coached by
English instructor Charles A. Walton Jr.
William Bynum Jr. Named College’s
Vice President for Student Services
William Bynum Jr., vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Lincoln
University, has been selected as
Morehouse’s new vice president for
Student Services.
Bynum, who begins at Morehouse on July 1, replaces Kevin
Rome ‘89, who left the College in
2008 to become vice chancellor of
student services at North Carolina
Central University. Herman “Skip”
Mason Jr., the College’s archivist
and historian, has been serving as
interim vice president for Student
Services for the past year.
“Morehouse is pleased that Dr.
Bynum is joining us in the Office of
Student Services,” said President
Robert M. Franklin Jr. ’75. “He is
well versed in the culture of small
liberal arts institutions like Morehouse and he understands the students who make up our population.
Dr. Bynum has demonstrated a pen-
chant for developing and renewing
student-based programming. We
anticipate that the Office of Student
Services will flourish under his leadership and that the student body will
reap the benefits of his expertise.”
The Office of Student Services –
comprised of Athletics, Counseling,
Housing, Student Health, and Career Planning for Non-Business Majors, among others – is the official
liaison between the College and the
student body. The vice president has
overall responsibility for student
conduct, decorum and quality of life.
A graduate of Davidson College,
Bynum also earned the Master of
Arts and doctoral degrees from
Duke University, where he was an
Endowment Fellow.
Bynum has been a Lincoln for
nearly a decade and is a 20-year educator who also has an extensive
background in administration. He
has strong ties to Atlanta having
Morehouse Hosts Rare Public Appearance
by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke
(continued from the cover)
with the economy] so they can understand why policies are what they
are,” Benanke said.
Moore pointed to relationship
building as the main reasons why
Bernanke, a former economics professor at Princeton and Stanford,
came to Morehouse. Bernanke met
Moore, President Robert M.
Franklin Jr. ’75 and Philip Howard
‘86, vice president for Institutional
Advancement, at a Congressional
Black Caucus banquet in 2008.
Later, Franklin was on a panel with
Bernanke’s wife, Anne.
Bernanke was invited to Morehouse to speak as part of the Executive Lecture series, an invitation that
the Fed chairman decided to accept.
William Bynum Jr.
worked at Clark Atlanta University
and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Bynum told the Lincolnian, Lincoln University’s student newspaper,
he will miss the school, but looks
forward to returning to Atlanta.
“For my family, this means once
again begin a part of the greater
Atlanta community,” Bynum said.
“For us, moving to Atlanta will
allow us to continue our spiritual
growth as a family.”
“It’s apparent to me that Dr.
Bernanke’s team had decided they
wanted to do some type of outreach
and have him involved in education,” Moore said.
According to Franklin, Morehouse was the natural choice to host
such an event.
“This really highlights Morehouse’s role as a national convener
of thought leaders and change
agents who inform and shape
Morehouse students to become responsible civic leaders,” he said.
HOUSE
NEWS 5
I N S I D E M O R E H O U S E , A P R I L / M AY 2 0 0 9
Quotable Quotes from 2008-2009
From a celebrated athlete to the nation’s first black attorney general,
campus guests shared their unique perspectives with the Morehouse
community throughout the 2008-09 academic year. One encouraged selfreliance, another self-reflection and yet another touted the virtues of
global diversity. Their advice, albeit on different subject matters, encouraged our ongoing pursuit of building the beloved community.
THE MARTIN
LUTHER KING JR.
STATUE’S SILVER
ANNIVERSARY
Magic Johnson –“The
one thing you have to do is make sure
your business plan is tight. If you don’t have your business plan
together, forget about it.”
Actor and activist Hill Harper
Legendary television journalist
Tom Brokaw
Tom Brokaw – “Young people who’ve come along after the civil
rights act, going to integrated schools, going to integrated work
places, they have a different attitude and I think Obama is a
symbol of that.”
Marc Morial – “I think they have to overcome [complacency of
their peers] by understanding the sense of being Morehouse
men, they have a responsibility. They are standing on tall
shoulders. They are special.”
National Urban League President
Marc Morial
Hill Harper – “The
future does not belong to those who are
content with destiny, but rather the future belongs to those
who can bring passion, belief and courage.”
NBA Hall of Famer and businessman Earvin “Magic” Johnson
Shirley Franklin – “[Vivian
Malone Jones] took the road lesstraveled as a young woman, not much younger than you…The
question is how strong will your shoulders be that others
stand on?”
Eric Holder – “The President and I are bound and determined
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin
to revitalize the[U.S. Justice Department’s] Civil Rights Division make it the kind of division that you will be proud of.”
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
Hip Hop in the House
Hip Hop Courses Link Hip Hop and Civil
Rights Generations
By ADD SEYMOUR JR.
Students who sign up for Jocelyn
Wilson’s Hip Hop courses at Morehouse are in for a rude awakening.
“When they start class, they have
no clue,” she said. “They are like
‘Books? What do we need books for
in here?’”
What they get are doses of anthropology, sociology and politics
through the lens of the hip hop culture. Wilson teaches two classes in
the African American Studies department, Black Aesthetic/Hip Hop
and Black Aesthetic/De-Constructing Obama, which uses hip hop to
bridge generational gaps and explain the world to students.
“When many people see hip hop,
they see violence,” Wilson said.
“They see misogyny. They think of
all the negative things. Hip hop is so
much more than what it was stereotyped in being. Hip hop started out
as a non-violent movement. In many
ways, it is linked to the issues and the
movement of the civil rights era.”
During one class, students
looked at some rap lyrics and the
views of two newspaper columnists
who saw the lyrics as being negative.
Wilson asked students to look at
both sides of the coin and analyze
not only the lyrics, but how they can
be perceived.
“It’s really a way to engage young
people into understanding what the
issues are,” Wilson said. “We’re at
Morehouse, a place that deals with
issues of not just African Americans, but of African American males
and this is a way to do that and get
young men, and young women, to
the class to talk about the issues that
they will face when they step out of
here with their degrees.”
That was one of the main reasons
that Wilson and her students held
the “What is Hip Hop Studies,
Bringing Hip Hop to the Academy,”
conference at Morehouse in April.
Students and scholars talked
about a variety of topics, along with
viewing a screening of the documentary, “Walking with Guns,”
which features Grammy-winning
rapper T.I. and former Atlanta
mayor Andrew Young discussing
the perils of guns and violence.
But the bulk of the conference
featured students discussing topics
such as the idea of “keeping it real.”
“I know [hip hop producer and
artist] Pharrell didn’t shoot or kill
anybody,” said senior English major
Julius Pryor. “I think the problem in
hip hop is if [an artist] says something in hip hop you have live it.
Hip hop is a microcosm of the
macrocosm. What you find in hip
hop you’ll find in the real world”
Terry Mills, dean of the Division
of Humanities and Social Sciences,
points to the fact that several Morehouse professors who grew up in
the hip hop culture involve their experiences with their research, which
becomes critical race theory. That’s
why he believes Morehouse is the
perfect place for those kinds of discussions and linking the civil rights
and hip hop generations.
“It does in fact represent a youth
culture that goes beyond the entertainment aspect of it,” he said. “So
it’s important for us to elevate and
raise the discussion of hip hop to this
more scholarly, intellectual level.”
That’s exactly what Wilson is
hoping to bring each class period.
“Hip hop for me has been very
therapeutic,” she said. “It has really
given me some insight in the issues
my generation faces. This a way for
me to help my people and it’s a tool
for teaching.”
2009 is the Martin Luther King
Jr. Statue’s Silver Anniversary
One day in 1983, Lawrence E.
Carter Sr., dean of the Martin
Luther King Jr. International
Chapel, President Hugh Gloster
and sculptor Ed Dwight were
trying to envision a new statue
of the Rev. Martin Luther King
Jr. ’48.
“Dwight said, ‘What will this
statue look like?’” Carter remembered. “I simply stood up and
[pointed forward]. Dr. Gloster
said, ‘That’s it!’”
Carter’s gesture became the
image of the only statue of King
in the state of Georgia and one of
the most visited and iconic spots
on campus. The statue is now
one of the most photographed
spots at the College as thousands
of families, tourists and students
have posed at its base.
May 20 is the statue’s silver
anniversary. In 1984 it was covered in bubble wrap and trucked
to Atlanta from Denver, Colo,
where Dwight, who also sculpted
the statue of Hank Aaron at
Turner Field, did his work.
The statue was a gift of the
National Baptist Convention
U.S.A. and that group’s president, T.J. Jemison.
King’s 20-foot likeness points
towards the Century Campus,
the oldest part of campus where
approximately 500 men of Morehouse graduate each year.
The base is made of 10 slabs
of Georgia marble and contains
a time capsule to be opened in
2084. It contains 119 items, some
of which date back 5,000 years
and come from Africa. There is
also a Bible signed by students,
faculty, staff, administrators,
trustees and civil rights leaders
such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Included on the base are
quotes from a 1955 King address
in Montgomery, his 1967 Christmas sermon on peace, his “Letter
From Birmingham Jail,” and his
1964 Nobel Peace Prize lecture in
Oslo, Norway.
HOUSE
6 LIFE
I N S I D E M O R E H O U S E , A P R I L / M AY 2 0 0 9
Monica Stevenson
Fulfills Lifelong Dream
with Debut Gospel CD
By ADD SEYMOUR JR.
As a youngster, Monica Lee
Stevenson intently listened to the
blues and gospel songs that her father, mother, aunts and uncles all
performed throughout Alabama.
Her father’s group was called The
Inspirational Souls.
By the time she was seven,
Stevenson, her sister and three
cousins formed their own group,
The Little Inspirational Souls.
“My family sings,” Stevenson
said. “When that’s all you see them
do, you automatically pick it up.”
It has turned into a career for the
College’s NASA/Project Space administrative assistant. Stevenson has
been singing gospel professionally
for years, but has now released her
debut CD, “Finally…In God’s
Time.”
The CD is a mix of gospel styles
that Stevenson hopes will reach a
diverse audience.
“I think it is cross-generational,”
she said. “I have something for the
older section and for the younger
group. I like a variety.”
Stevenson has been performing
locally since moving to Atlanta in
1986 from her native Wetumpka,
Ala. She was a background singer
for artists such as Dorothy Norwood, Dottie Peoples and Juanita
Bynum. In 1997, she formed her
own group, Lisa Stevenson and
Company, and has been on the
road, performing all over the country. Her husband, Derrick, is her
music director and producer.
Stevenson’s first CD is a culmination of a lifelong dream for the
wife and mother of four whose days
begin each morning with a 6 a.m.
prayer team meeting and ends
many nights after 1 a.m. in studios,
in interviews or on a stage.
“It’s a lot, but I know I’ve been
equipped to do it,” Stevenson said.
“But God doesn’t place anything on
us that we can’t bear.”
Her work is paying off. She was
named Best Female Artist at the
2008 Gospel Choice Awards.
Stevenson also won the 2008 Sickle
Smart Award from the Sickle Cell
Foundation. Her song, “Lord Keep
Me,” is featured a compilation CD
project for the Foundation.
Stevenson will also be performing on BET’s “Bobby Jones Gospel”
in July.
One of the things she looks forward to the most: performing with
the legendary Albertina Walker on
May 18. Stevenson covered one of
Walker’s songs, “Lord Keep Me,” on
her CD.
Her debut CD is being played on
radio stations not only in Atlanta,
but throughout the nation.
“This is my dream,” Stevenson
said. “When I started singing, I said,
‘This is what I want to do.’ It’s been
a big thrill for me. I’m very excited
about the future.”
Terence Blanchard performs with the Morehouse College Jazz Ensemble during their Spring Concert in the Martin Luther King
Jr. International Chapel.
Grammy-winning Jazz Trumpeter
Terence Blanchard Thanks Morehouse
By ADD SEYMOUR JR.
egendary jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard was about to
perform a tune with the Morehouse College Jazz Ensemble before
an appreciative audience on April
18. But first he wanted to show how
much he appreciated Morehouse.
The devastation of Hurricane
Katrina in 2005 forced Blanchard’s
son, Terence Jr., away from their
home in New Orleans and the
school he was attending, Dillard
University.
“Morehouse was kind enough to
take him in,” Blanchard said. “[The
College] took him in for an entire
semester. He was in the vocal department and studied under David
L
Morrow. I tried to get him to stay [at
Morehouse]. But I have to thank
Morehouse for everything.”
Blanchard then launched into
several tunes with the Jazz Ensemble during its annual Spring Concert in the Martin Luther King Jr.
International Chapel.
Performing songs by songwriters
such as Lionel Hampton, Duke
Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael and
Earth Wind and Fire, Blanchard and
the 21-piece ensemble had the
crowd swaying throughout the
evening.
Two established Atlanta-based
musicians, pianist Louis Heriveaux
and drummer Che Marshall, also
performed with Blanchard.
Blanchard is a multi-award winner who has scored the music for 43
films during his career, many of
those by Shelton “Spike” Lee ’79.
One was Lee’s documentary on
Hurricane Katrina, “When the Levees Broke.” The documentary inspired Blanchard to write and
record his Grammy-award winning
CD, “A Tale of God’s Will (Requiem
for Katrina),” his musical interpretation of the devastation the hurricane left on the Crescent City.
While grateful that Morehouse
gave his son a temporary home,
Blanchard said he has always had
the highest respect for the College.
“Morehouse is one of the defining institutions for African Americans,” he said. “It has been that way
for a number of generations. So it
means a lot for me to be part of the
institution in any way.”
Carter Brings the Underwater World
to Morehouse Through Scuba Diving
By ADD SEYMOUR JR.
ne thought flashed through
Nathan Carter’s mind once
he started scuba diving as an
Army Ranger 25 years ago.
“Man, this is pretty cool,” he said
with a laugh.
He liked it so much that he became an instructor and pushed to
bring a scuba diving course to
Morehouse seven years ago.
Scuba diving has long been popular at mainstream institutions,
Carter said. But once he got out of
the Army after a 30 year career, he
knew he wanted to bring scuba diving to a historically black college
setting.
“When we started out, we had
one class per semester with 15 students,” Carter said. “Now we’re up
to three classes per semester and
O
every class has been completely full.
We’ve had students from the other
colleges trying to take the class but
they can’t because there are no vacancies.”
Carter’s class is more than just
jumping into the water and swimming around. While it is a physical
education course, the class also includes science, physics, biology and
math.
Then comes the actual pool time
where diving skills are taught along
with using underwater equipment
and learning emergency procedures.
But Carter is also a certified diving instructor which means that,
while it is not a course pre-requisite,
students can become certified to be
able to scuba dive anywhere in the
world.
“My ultimate goal is to prepare
them for open water, if they
choose,” he said. “Right now I think
we’ve had 86 students who have
been certified since we started the
course. A lot of students, after they
leave here, go on for additional
training or they’ll go on dive trips.”
But students are hardly the only
ones in the Morehouse community
who scuba dive.
J.K. Haynes, dean of the Division
of Science and Mathematics, is an
avid diver who has been diving all
over the world, including the Galapagos Islands off the western coast
of South America. Biology professor Errol Archibald has been diving
since 1991.
“For me, it’s an opportunity to
visit other cultures and places and it
allows me to get away from the
norm,” Archibald said. “It’s a skill
that allows me to visit another environment – the underwater envi-
Senior Jamie Davis swims in the pool at Archer Hall during his scuba diving class.
ronment – and see species of fish
and how they interact with each
other and how they exist.”
Haynes praises the work Carter
has been doing at Morehouse, as
well as in Atlanta where he has
trained many of the city’s black
divers.
“Nate is a very interesting guy,”
Haynes said. “I think he’s been extremely effective in teaching scuba
diving to our students.”
That’s exactly what Carter set out
to do several years ago.
“My goal was to bring it to an
HBCU,” he said. “It’s been great.”
HOUSE
SPORTS 7
I N S I D E M O R E H O U S E , A P R I L / M AY 2 0 0 9
Track and Field, Golf and Tennis Squads
WIN CONFERENCE TITLES
By ADD SEYMOUR JR.
pring 2009 turned out to be a banner season for Morehouse Maroon Tigers
S
spring sports teams as the golf, tennis and track and field teams each won
their respective Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament titles.
Several Maroon Tigers from each squad were named to All-Tournament teams and
each head coach was named the conference’s best.
TRACK AND FIELD
Dreyfus Clemons won two events during the SIAC Track and Field Championships
and was second in the 3000-meter steeplechase.
The Morehouse golf team won the College’s first SIAC Golf Tournament title
since 1980.
The Flying Maroon Tigers did
what they have done for each of the
past four years – they won the SIAC
Track and Field championship.
In the championship meet’s 21
events held at Edwin Moses Track at
B.T. Harvey Stadium April 16-18,
Morehouse continued their SIAC
dominance by finishing first with
209 points. Albany State was a distant second with 153 while Benedict
College had 145.
Top individual performers includes Dreyfus Clemons who won
the 800- meter and 1,500- meter
runs and was second in the 3,000meter steeplechase; Abraham
Kiprotich who won the 5,000-meter
run and finished third in both the
10,000 meter run and the 3,000meter steeplechase; Barry Batson,
the SIAC’s Field Athlete of the Year,
who finished first in the long jump
and triple jump and Matt Tuffuor
who won the javelin and was second
in the decathlon.
Clemons was named first team
All-SIAC in three events while Batson, Tuffuor and Turner Coggins
were also named to the first team.
Khiry Lee, Steven Patterson, Norvell
Van were chosen for the second team.
The Maroon Tigers were also
honored for having the highest
team grade point average among
SIAC track and field teams.
Also, the U.S. Track & Field and
Cross Country Coaches Association
named sprinter Damian Prince the
South Region’s Track Athlete of the
Year and Batson as the region’s Field
Athlete of the Year.
TENNIS
The Maroon Tigers Tennis squad celebrates after winning the 2009 SIAC Tennis
Tournament championship.
Before the 2009 Maroon Tigers
tennis season started, head coach
Terry Alexander was hoping his
team would finish the season just as
the 2007 squad had done – with a
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference championship.
That is exactly what happened as
the Maroon Tigers netters defeated
regular season’s top team, Fort Valley State University, to win their second SIAC championship in three
seasons.
“Definitely it’s exciting for two
reasons,” said Alexander, who was
named the tournament’s most outstanding coach. “Historically we’re
still always a contender or the team
to beat. So that’s one thing to be able
to uphold that. But then this is one
of the first years the team didn’t win
just because we had superior players. I feel like my actual coaching –
being able to strategize with the
lineup, being able to strategize
on the court – played just a big part
as the players’ ability did. Those
things make this one feel much
more special.”
Josh Harris and Tory Martin
were named to the All-Tournament
singles squad while Martin and Ben
Seagle were named to the All-Tournament doubles team.
Maroon Tiger tennis players also
won several regular season honors.
Harris and Martin were named first
team All-SIAC while Michael Steward has a third-team pick. Steward
was also named SIAC Freshman of
the Year. Martin and Seagle were
named to the All-SIAC doubles
team.
GOLF
Philip Allen picked up where he
left off in 2008 as he helped lead
Morehouse to the 2009 SIAC Golf
Tournament championship.
Morehouse finished 28 strokes
ahead of Benedict College in winning the College’s second-ever conference tournament golf title and
first in 29 years when the Maroon
Tigers last won in 1980.
“It came around. When we first
started off in September, it wasn’t
good,” said first year head coach Bill
Lewis, who was named Coach of the
Year. “It definitely came together.
We definitely played better golf.”
Allen finished five shots ahead of
his nearest competitor and was
named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player for the second year in a
row. He also earned a spot on the
SIAC All-Tournament squad.
“He’s the captain of the team and
he’s probably the best player, so he’s
leading by example,” said Lewis.
Two other Maroon Tigers finished in the tournament’s top ten
players, Olajuwon Ajanaku (third)
and Thaddaeus Hill (10th).
Ajanaku joined Allen on the AllConference team.
Allen, Ajanaku, Hill and Bryan
McElderry were named to the
regular season All-SIAC team.
McElderry was named Freshman of
the Year while Hill, a business administration major with a 3.59
grade point average, was chosen for
the All-Academic team.
McCladdie, Wright and
McGowan Named AllSIAC Baseball Players
Three Morehouse baseball
players have been honored by the
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference for their stellar play
or academics during the 2009
season.
Senior Hank McCladdie and
pitcher Joshua Wright were both
second-team, All-SIAC picks for
the 2009 season.
McCladdie, who hit .299 this
season, finished second in the
SIAC with 11 home runs during
the regular season. He also won
four games as a starting pitcher.
Wright picked up four wins from
the mound for the Maroon
Tigers, who finished 14-26 overall, but had a .500 record in conference play.
Designated hitter/catcher Walter
McGowan was an SIAC All-Academic team pick. The junior psychology major carried a 3.6 grade point
average this semester.
HOUSE
8 CALENDAR
I N S I D E M O R E H O U S E , A P R I L / M AY 2 0 0 9
MAY
125th COMMENCEMENT AND ALUMNI REUNION
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES
15
FRIDAY, MAY 15
8 am-4 pm – Reunion Registration, Kilgore Campus Center
9 am – Golden Tigers 50-Year Alumni Breakfast,
Douglass Hall
10 am-Noon – Individual Candidate Photos Taken, Lobby,
Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel
(King Chapel)
Noon – Reunion Luncheon, Chivers Dining Hall
1 pm – Group Photo, B.T. Harvey Stadium
2 pm – National Alumni Association General Body
Meeting, Sale Hall, Chapel of the Inward
Journey
2 pm – Baccalaureate and Commencement
Rehearsal, King Chapel
4 pm – Rite of Passage Ceremony (New Alumni Induction), King Chapel
6 pm – Morehouse-Spelman Joint Reception,
Westin Peachtree Plaza, 210 Peachtree
Street, Atlanta, GA 30303
16
Noon –
Noon –
Noon-2 pm –
1:30 pm –
2:15 pm –
3 pm –
6:30 pm –
7:30 pm –
SATURDAY, MAY 16
8 am – Class Agents Meeting, Kilgore Campus Center Seminar Rooms
11 am – Class Reunion and Fundraising Meeting,
Various Locations
1939 Kilgore Campus Center, Lounge
1944 Kilgore Campus Center, South Lounge
1949 Snack Bar, Kilgore Campus Center
1954 1st Floor, Kilgore Campus Center
1959 Kilgore Campus Center, Seminar Room
1964 President’s Dining Room,
Kilgore Campus Center
1969 Sale Hall, Classroom 109
1974 Henderson Lounge, Merrill Hall
1979 Nabrit-Mapp-McBay, Lecture Room 1
1984 Nabrit-Mapp-McBay, Lecture Room 2
1989 Sale Hall, Chapel of the Inward Journey
1994 Sale Hall, Classroom 105
1999 Sale Hall, Classroom 107
2004 Sale Hall, Classroom 106
Class Photo, Steps of Kilgore Campus Center
Reunion Picnic, B.T. Harvey Stadium
Distribution of Reserved Commencement
Seating Tickets, Sale Hall Lobby
John Hope and Benjamin E. Mays Memorial
Gravesite Service Honoring Deceased Alumni
Over the Past Year, Hope and Mays
Gravesites
Line up for Baccalaureate Service, Front of
Nabrit-Mapp-McBay Hall
Baccalaureate Service, King Chapel
Alumni Reunion Cocktails, Ritz Carlton
Atlanta, 181 Peachtree St., NE, Atlanta, Ga.
30303
Alumni Reunion Dinner, Ritz Carlton Atlanta,
181 Peachtree St., NE, Atlanta, Ga. 30303
17
SUNDAY, MAY 17
5:45 am – Candidates Report for Final Commencement
Instructions, King Chapel
6:30 am – Alumni Corridor Formation (With Maroon
Blazer and Hat), Campus Gate
Entrance at Brawley Hall
6:45 am – Candidates Line Up for Commencement,
King Chapel
7:30 am – Processional Begins from King Chapel
8 am – Commencement, Century Campus
What I Do
Name: Kory C. Hawkins ‘00
Title: Assistant dean of Admissions
and Recruitment
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Tenure at Morehouse: Four years
Something not commonly known about Kory: As a
Spanish major at Morehouse, Kory studied in Spain
and the Dominican Republic, and as a law student at
Emory University, he studied in England.
“I do recruitment and admissions, so for
half of the year I travel to high schools,
college fairs, and meet with prospective
students mainly in Indiana, northern
California, New York City, south Florida and
in the Caribbean. During the other half of
the year, I spend more time on the admissions side, where I come back and
review files, follow up with students and
talk with parents after the students have
been admitted.
“I went to law school at Emory, but
decided not to practice, at least not for now.
I had an interest in international law, but I
got into higher education, which I like a lot.
But as a Spanish major at Morehouse, one
of the things that I’d like to do is recruit
students who are of Hispanic descent and
try to increase their population here at
Morehouse. And that’s one of the goals here
at Morehouse – to expand the pool of students we attract to the College.
“I like the opportunity to deal with precollege age students. I think they are really
optimistic and eager about their futures.
Morehouse is a unique environment and, as
a graduate, I like being able to share that
environment with these prospective students. Students I meet with generally have
an interest in Morehouse, and the ones I can
bring to Morehouse really seem to feel this is
a good environment for them and they are
excited about being here, so that’s fun.
I think we have a really good staff here. It’s a
fun staff to work with.”