In an effort to address several of the challenges confronting the nation's
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBPCU), The Thurgood
Marshall Scholarship Fund (TMSF) hosted its First Annual President's
Leadership Summit in New York at the Marriott, Eastside, April 12-April
14. The goal of the Summit was to bring its member college Presidents together
with corporate and business leaders to develop a comprehensive plan aimed
at securing the future of these 40 institutions.
TMSF schools are being challenged on two fronts, technological and fundraising,
In order to compete in the market place, TMSF schools must educate their
students in modern technology. To do that, TMSF schools have to bring their
technology, faculty and fundraising capacity on a level with other educational
leaders. As Microsoft's Program Manager, Christopher Jones, said,
"Opening access to technology, opens the pathways to education."
More then 20 college presidents participated during the three-day summit.
Morgan State University president, Dr. Earl Richardson, who
served as co-chairman said, "Since public funding provides less than forty
percent of our budget, we need to develop strategies and methods of raising
the needed capital both locally and nationally from the private sector.
We believe TMSF is our vehicle."
John Bowling, President and CEO Miller Brewing Company, is Chairman
of the TMSF's 2000 National Fundraising Campaign. In presenting the four
million-dollar goal for the year 2000, he announced that the Fund was over
a quarter of the way there, in part through the generosity of a $150,000
contribution from Miller.
As a father of two teenage boys, Mr. Bowlin acknowledged it might be
unusual for a brewing company to be a major supporter of the TMSF, he said
he stood before them wearing two hats. One hat was President of Miller
Brewing and the second was as a father. It was in both capacities that
he announced that Miller Brewing is sponsoring a pilot program at Geogetown
University in Washington, DC. This initiative will bring together students,
administrators, community leaders, alcoholics beverage retailers and distributors,
and other members of the college community in an effort to educate legal
drinking age consumers about responsible consumption, and to tell under
age students not to drink. If successful, the program may provide the model
for a national effort partnering brewers with other interested parties
in college communities.
Texaco's Richard Brown, Director of Community Relations, explained
how and why it can be beneficial from both the corporate and the non-profit
organization's viewpoint, for several organizations to pool their applications
for money through a federal program like the TMSF, than through -say-40
individual requests. Texaco Emerging Leader Program was one of the
presenting sponsors.
The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund is the only national federation
created for the sole purpose of providing scholarships and program funding
for 40 of the nation's Historically and traditionally Black Public Colleges
and Universities.
"Not only did I find a lot of useful information about the Fund this
week, I was impressed by the people who staff it," said Dr. Sanders
Anderson, Associate Professor, Director of the Honors Program, Texas
Southern University. "I speak to them all the time on the telephone and
they have been truly wonderful. But, that's their job. Meeting them face
to face, however, confirmed my feelings that they are sincere and enthusiastic."
One sentiment echoed all the way around were the kudos that should go
to Dwayne Ashley, the Fund's Executive Director. "His vision for
expanding TMSF's role on behalf of the HBPCUs will give business and industry
an opportunity to invest in the rest of the story-America's Historically
Black Colleges and Universities.
The sponsors of the First Annual President's Leadership Summit were:
Texaco, Philip Morris Family of Companies; Miller Brewing Co.; UPS and
Blackvoices,com. Additional sponsors were: Aetna Financial Services,
Allstate Insurance Company, Alumnipride.com, Bank of America, BellSouth
Telecommunications, Black Issues in Higher Education, Booz Allen Hamilton,
The Coca Cola Company, GCI Public Relations, General Motors Corporation,
Ketchum Public Relations, MBNA, National Basketball Association, Nielsen
Media Research, Pfizer, Schiefflellin & Somerset Co., Sony Music Corporation,
Terry Manufacturing Company, Time Magazine and Union Carbide Foundation.