CIAA scholarship in Livingstone College president’s name
By Sheyla Fairley
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) announced it would be establishing a scholarship in the name of Livingstone College, Salisbury, NC, president Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr.
On February 9, 2022, Jenkins, the second longest-tenured president in the history of the school, announced to the Board of Trustees that, after 16 years of service, he will retire from his role on July 1.
As stated in an article, he is “the longest-tenured president among the CIAA-member institutions and currently serves on the CIAA’s Board of Directors.” On February 25, he was also inducted into the 2022 CIAA class of the John B. McLendon Jr. Hall of Fame.
Peanuts Worldwide launches ‘The Armstrong Project’
By Sheyla Fairley
Peanuts Worldwide has launched “The Armstrong Project,” named after the Peanuts comic strip’s first African American character Franklin Armstrong. The project already established $100,000 each in endowments at two historically Black colleges and universities: Howard University, Washington, DC, and Hampton University, Hampton, VA.
According to a release, the project will “award an annual scholarship to students majoring in arts, communications, animation, or entertainment during the 2022-2023 academic year” and will also provide “mentorship and internship opportunities for those students with professionals and companies within the arts and entertainment industries.”
“I’m very excited for the young aspiring artists at these HBCUs whose lives may be changed by Peanuts, just as my life was changed by the inspiration and mentorship of Charles Schulz,” said Robb Armstrong, Franklin’s namesake and Schulz’s friend, protégé, and fellow cartoonist.
MSU seeks nominees for Vernon Jarrett Medal of Journalistic Excellence Award
By Sheyla Fairley
As stated in an article, Morgan State University’s, Baltimore, MD, School of Global Journalism & Communication “seeks submissions for its 2021 Vernon Jarrett Medal of Journalistic Excellence Award, an annual honor recognizing exemplary reporting, in broadcast or print, on the Black condition.”
The submissions must be about “the impact racial reckoning has had in helping to close the social/racial wealth gap for Black people in America.” All entries must be emailed to sarita.edwards@morgan.edu.
The deadline to submit entries is March 31, 2022 with the award ceremony scheduled to take place on April 21 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Read the full article, here.
Alcorn State picks Dedeaux as university’s next athletic director
By Sheyla Fairley
Raynoid Dedeaux was introduced by Alcorn State University, Lorman, MS, president Felecia M. Nave as the university’s next director of athletics, who will begin his duties on April 1, 2022.
“I am truly humbled and honored to have been selected to serve as the next Director of Athletics at my alma mater,” said Dedeaux. “I would like to thank President Nave and the search committee for trusting me with this awesome responsibility. President Nave’s vision for the entire university, coupled with the alumni’s collective passion for greatness, made this the right choice for my family and me. I am excited to get to work building on Alcorn’s rich history and working with Brave student-athletes, coaches, and stakeholders to create this institution’s next chapter of excellence.”
For more information, read the full article here.
Partnership between Wiley College students and T.I.’s Grand Hustle Films for film project
By Sheyla Fairley
Students at Wiley College, Marshall, TX, will be producing a film alongside Tip “T.I.” Harris’ Grand Hustle Films that will focus on the theme of “freedom.” Production on the film is supposed to start this spring and is scheduled to wrap up by November.
As stated in an article, the students will also be given “opportunities to visit Grand Hustle Films and receive mentorship from T.I. and other industry professionals.”
“I know that there is just as much of a need to cultivate and support the young creatives in our communities as there is for the young scholars and the educators. This is a way to pique the interest of young people, and allow them to express their perspectives through the lens in a way that isn’t done often enough, isn’t supported by the elder scholars,” said the Atlanta rapper, actor and executive. “I think that this is a way to bridge the gap.”
For more details, read the full article here.
