Alcorn State University President Christopher Brown and distinguised scholar-in-residence Myrlie Evers-Williams have captured top honors among historically black colleges and universities.
Brown was named Male HBCU President of the Year at the Center for HBCU Media Advocacy’s third annual HBCU Awards. Evers-Williams, who teaches social justice seminars, advises senior research papers and interacts individually with students, was named Female HBCU Faculty Member of the Year.
Brown became the youngest HBCU president in the nation in 2010 when the College Board chose him at the age of 39 to lead Alcorn. The board extended his contract in 2012.
“Our goal is to be known not only as a great HBCU, but as a great university,” Brown said during an interview on ESPN after he hired the first non-black football coach in the SWAC.
Brown has set the university’s focus on what he calls the four pillars of excellence in the areas of academics, agriculture, athletics and access; energizing the alumni and donor bases; and revitalizing Alcorn’s institutional brand within the national higher education landscape.
“Alcorn was named the 2012 HBCU of the Year and now my president is the Male President of the Year,” said Andre Marshall of Jackson, who attended the awards ceremony with fellow Alcornites.
“President Brown has taught us to imagine our HBCU differently,” Jackson said in a news release. “Under his leadership, we have experienced record gains in fundraising, enrollment and alumni participation.”
Evers-Williams, who also received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to the nation, is an Alcorn alumna.
She met her late husband, Medgar Evers, there when it was known as Alcorn A&M College.
She worked with him when he served as Mississippi field secretary for the NAACP until his assassination in 1963.
They fought for voter rights, to end segregation in schools and public places and to integrate the University of Mississippi.
After her husband was killed, Evers-Williams moved with her children to California where she was the first African-American woman to serve on the Board of Public Works in Los Angeles.
She later chaired the NAACP’s national Board of Directors.
“I thank my Alcorn family and President Brown for bringing me home,” Evers-Williams said in a news release, as she discussed the recently dedicated statue of Medgar Evers on the campus of Alcorn State. “It’s great to inspire young minds and do it on the campus where my life’s work began.”
In recognizing Alcorn’s achievements, Jarrett L. Carter Sr., founder and executive director of the Center for HBCU Media Advocacy said, “President Brown’s bold decisions have propelled Alcorn State University into the national spotlight.
“These honors are well-deserved, and the center appreciates the legacy of Myrlie Evers and the work she continues to do not only for HBCUs, but our nation and the world.”
Source:
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130...
Posted By: How May I Help You NC
Tuesday, July 9th 2013 at 12:21PM
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