E-Update!
Supporting Leadership for Life 
July 2004  ♦♦♦ Volume 1, Issue 1

Bennett College
Bethune Cookman College
Claflin University
Clark Atlanta University
Dillard University
Huston-Tillotson College
Meharry Medical College
Paine College
Philander Smith College
Rust College
Wiley College

Δ  How You Can Support the Black College Fund
Δ  General Board of Higher Education & Ministry
Δ  United Methodist Church

Comments & Questions

A Guiding Prayer

Creator and Sustaining God,
Grant us the ability to become instruments of peace, in times of turbulence, war and hatred.  Give us the power to make choices with wisdom and sound judgment, and with evidence of the compassion of Jesus Christ.  Help us to express our faith through acts of generosity, so that our giving helps build your reign and makes disciples of Jesus Christ. In the Savior’s name we pray. Amen.

Bennett College: enduring, vital, boundless  

    At Bennett College, the only United Methodist single-sex college, women are nurtured in an environment where “sisterhood” is a call for community.
   Referring to the picturesque campus, Dr. Donna Oliver, vice president of academic affairs, explained, “These trees were planted as symbols of Bennett women. The oaks symbolize our strength: strong in adversity and enduring through the seasons. The magnolias symbolize our beauty . . . and pride in our heritage. At Bennett we walk on the paths to remind us that we walk in the footsteps of our ancestors.”
    One of those ancestors was Willa B. Player, Bennett’s first female president and the first African-American woman in the United States to head a four-year institution.  Bennett’s 14th president, Johnetta B. Cole, said of the fully accredited institution, “It’s a new day.”
    The college hosted its first “Chief Diversity Officers Forum: Diversity Strategies for the 21st Century” this spring. Cole, who initiated the forum, contends education should lead in supporting companies in obtaining diversity strategies.
    The sciences are vital at Bennett, which hosted its 2nd annual NASA Space Science Week in March. Dr. Benita P. Bell, science, technology, engineering and mathematics program director, said, “The purpose is to share with the Greensboro community and surrounding areas advances in science, medicine and health.” As part of a student-research symposium, Bennett students showcased their work.
    The first sessions of the fledgling Bennett College were held in the basement of today’s St. Matthew's United Methodist Church. Andrena Coleman, vice president of institutional effectiveness, said, “St. Matthew’s has had a continuous relationship with Bennett.” The congregation reaches out to the students with special programs, meals and hospitality.
     Dr. Claudette Williams, executive vice president, emphasized the importance of funding. “As our president says, ‘there is nothing wrong with
Bennett College that money cannot fix.’”

Clark Atlanta University: thriving strategically

     The theme “Cut, cut, cut” resonates with Dr. Walter D. Broadnax, president of Clark Atlanta University (CAU). “It's not just cut, cut, cut [positions and departments],” he explained. “It's cut strategically. We are reducing our expenditures so this institution can thrive.” The goal, Broadnax said, is to preserve, protect and improve the institution. By being “Student Centered—Quality Focused,” Broadnax has a Web page where he answers students’ questions.
     Alumna Dr. Isabella Jenkins directs CAU’s honors program. “Students participate in scholarly projects, studies abroad, internships, conferences and special research.” Her aim is to “develop spiritual young adults.” Jenkins is proud of her students and of the relationship between CAU and The United Methodist Church. She recalls the words of her late father, Bishop Prince Taylor Jr., who said, “Life that is not nurtured by faith withers.”
     Indeed, strong connectional ties to The United Methodist Church are important to CAU. United Methodist clergy participate in special events, and the presiding bishop serves on the board of trustees.
     At Clark Atlanta, faith is evident in the state-of-the-art, multimillion-dollar classroom building under construction.
     Nurtured by faith and treading a path of fiscal stability, Clark Atlanta intends to continue a long tradition of progress.

Quotable Quote

"Attending Claflin University was one of the best choices I ever made. The faculty and staff at Claflin helped  me to identify my goals and made them a reality. Furthermore, I had the privilege of participating in internships that prepared me academically and professionally. Beyond my academic and social experience, I was encouraged to fortify my relationship with Christ. As a result, I have developed into a man who loves and reveres God."

Kenneth Jebra Neat
Claflin University, class of 2000
Director of Child Development Services, Boston, MA
 

Claflin University: an educational experience    

     It is Saturday breakfast time in the student-dining hall at Claflin University. Thomas E. Midgette, director of human and race relations, is talking with a visitor, but students interrupt to chat. Midgette knows every student by name and has a specific comment for each one. For persons unfamiliar with the term “hidden curriculum,” this is a perfect example.
     The theme for this year’s Alice Carson Tisdale’s Honors College at Claflin is “Are you the real McCoy?” Alice Tisdale, wife of President Henry Tisdale, expanded the honors college from 80 to 250 students. Said Tisdale, “If you can’t define yourself, others will.” The honors program encourages excellence in leadership, etiquette and scholarship.
     The Rev. Whittaker Middleton, vice president for development and alumni affairs and a Claflin graduate, said, “Claflin produces many clergy and laity for The United Methodist Church.
     “Claflin has a 75-percent retention rate. The challenge is finding the money to make up the difference in income for students who don’t have money. With 95 percent of the students on financial aid, it is a challenge to continue to recruit and retain students who would not do well without Claflin.”
     Student Howard Jean said, “I found my purpose at Claflin University.”