VSU Men’s Lacrosse program on path to success
By Sheyla Fairley
Ahead of the Trojans 2023-24 inaugural season, Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA, Men’s Lacrosse program has sprung into action by recently hosting Norfolk State’s, Norfolk, VA, club lacrosse team and will soon host Morehouse College’s, Atlanta, GA, lacrosse club team on April 22, 2023.
According to an article, the lacrosse student-athletes that are “currently on campus received an opportunity to play together and get a taste of what this Fall will look like.”
“After months of laying the foundation with my student-athletes between the weight room sessions, study hall, and on-field development so when the opportunity came available to compete against other HBCU’s it was a no brainer,” said head coach Shaun Church. “We are set to be the newest Division II program for the 2023-2024 NCAA Lacrosse season. My job is always to advocate for my student-athletes, so I have to put these gentlemen in the best situation possible to get the most out of their lacrosse experience this year.”
For more information, read the full article here.
Langston University president announces retirement
By Sheyla Fairley
After taking office in June 2012, Langston University, Langston, OK, president Dr. Kent J. Smith, Jr. will retire from the position at the end of the current spring semester. He will work with the Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents, which includes launching a national search for his successor.
“My family and I have thoroughly enjoyed the years spent at Langston University. My children have grown up on our campuses. In fact, my youngest son’s middle name is Langston in honor of our great institution. We are blessed beyond measure to have been on this journey in service to our students and to the entire Langston University family,” said Smith in a release. “I have dreamt of building a legacy to leave for my five children and my grandson. I feel strongly that the time is right to begin a new chapter in my life.”
HBCUs and OPOs address organ transplant disparities by launching pilot programs
By Sheyla Fairley
According to an article, a consortium of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) medical schools and organ procurement organizations (OPOs) will launch “four pilot programs to improve donation and transplantation among Black Americans by diversifying the workforce and broadening outreach to minority communities.”
Each pilot program will be at the following locations: Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science, Los Angeles, CA, and OneLegacy; Howard University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, and Infinite Legacy; Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN, and Tennessee Donor Services/DCI Donor Services; and Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, and LifeLink of Georgia.
“This program is the first of its kind and will provide a roadmap for how to make the donation and transplant system more equitable. HBCU Medical Schools have spent decades educating Black health care professionals and caring for the underserved, and we are proud to lead this initiative with our OPO partners,” said Dr. James Hildreth, president and CEO of Meharry Medical College.
For more details, read the full article here.
The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation (BLHF) founder Taraji P. Henson launches wellness pods at HBCUs with Kate Spade New York
By Sheyla Fairley
The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, founded by actress Taraji P. Henson, and Kate Spade New York, a fashion company, have teamed up to launch ‘She Care Wellness Pods’ at HBCUs, a new program that will provide over 25,000 Black women with more accessible mental health resources.
“Our social impact mission is to empower women and girls across the globe by putting mental health at the heart of our approach. Women and girls’ mental health has long been underfunded, undervalued and under-acknowledged, and we are so proud of our partnership with Taraji, Tracie and The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, an organization that shares our commitment to providing mental health resources to communities that need it the most,” said Kate Spade New York CEO and brand president, Liz Fraser.
Read the full article, here.
Bowie State creates tech intern pipeline to help computing students
By Sheyla Fairley
Bowie State University’s, Bowie, MD, computer science department has created its own internship placement program to match students with employers seeking interns.
As stated in a release, the program is designed to offer students “an alternative to the impersonal, mass-scale application system at many large tech firms” that typically involves “tens of thousands of college students submitting their résumés cold to online company portals, where candidates are initially sorted and ranked by résumé-reading software.”
Employers that are part of Bowie’s program often come to the campus to meet the students, “mentor, interview and directly recruit [them] for internships,” making the process more intimate than the “one-off information sessions that tech companies often arrange with university career centers.”
