Kennesaw State formalizes scholarship to aid in retaining African−American male students
KENNESAW‚ Ga. (May 8‚ 2007) — A young man full of the highest aspirations for his…
Georgia (May 8, 2007) — Kennesaw State formalizes scholarship to aid in retaining African−American male students
Jeremy Craig
Abstract
Director of University Relations
Frances Weyand Harrison
770−423−6203
fharris4@kennesaw.edu
Writer: Jeremy Craig‚ 770−499−3448 or jcraig19@kennesaw.edu
KENNESAW‚ Ga. (May 8‚ 2007) — A young man full of the highest aspirations for his
academic and professional future‚ Theodore M. Bullard‚ came close to leaving Kennesaw
State University in 2006 – through no fault of his own – because of his financial
situation.
Thanks to a scholarship formalized Tuesday by Kennesaw State University officials‚
Bullard — as well as other African−American men attending KSU — now may have a chance
to stay in school and achieve their dreams.
Kennesaw State officials signed an agreement to establish the Dr. Judy Brown−Allen
NAACP Student Retention Scholarship to improve the retention of African−American students
at KSU‚ giving the chance for them to achieve their fullest potential.
President Daniel S. Papp noted the importance of the scholarship during remarks at
the signing ceremony‚ citing statistics showing that of the University System of Georgia's
African−American student population‚ only 32 percent of students are African−American
males.
“We have a situation not only in Georgia‚ but in the United States‚ where African−American
males‚ particularly‚ are disappearing from our universities‚” Papp said. “We're in
danger of losing an entire generation‚ and we need to do whatever we can to rectify
that trend. This scholarship is a significant and wonderful step in that direction.”
Judy Brown−Allen‚ a KSU sociology professor and advisor to the KSU chapter of the
NAACP‚ helped to spearhead the scholarship‚ as she recognized the difficulty of retaining
African−American male students due to the necessity of full−time work‚ or being unable
to pay tuition.
She also was inspired by her own past‚ recounting when she went to college with little
in the way of finances — but with a lot of love‚ support and hope from her family‚
including a mother who dug deeply into her pockets for whatever support she could
provide.
“As she was leaving the day I started college‚ I ran behind the car just as fast as
I could‚ yelling at the top of my lungs that I would not fail‚ and that I would not
come home empty handed without a college degree‚” Brown−Allen said.
Though she had discussed the issue of African−American male student retention with
her colleagues‚ Brown−Allen said meeting and teaching Bullard helped to get the scholarship
program moving.
“It wasn’t until the semester in which I taught Theodore Bullard that I decided to
stop merely talking about retention of the African−American male student‚ and began
to investigate the needs of minority students on campus‚” she said.
Bullard was honored as the first recipient of the scholarship‚ receiving the scholarship
during the 2006−07 academic year.
The past president of KSU’s NAACP chapter‚ which was honored for its outstanding community
service through a voter registration drive last year‚ Bullard has excelled academically
and said he hopes to attend law school.
“Without this scholarship‚ I would have had to drop out‚” he said. “I received $500
each semester‚ and worked full−time. It might not seem like much‚ but that $500 saved
my life.”
“I want to make sure I graduate from Kennesaw State so that I can go to law school‚”
Bullard added. “I want to start a non−profit organization to help inner−city youth
go to college and take the first steps to get there.”
Besides the scholarship which was formalized Tuesday‚ Kennesaw State University is
highly involved in the University System of Georgia’s effort to attract and retain
African−American male students. Arlethia Perry−Johnson‚ special assistant to the president
for external affairs at KSU‚ serves as project director for the University System’s
African−American Male Initiative (AAMI).
ONLINE PRESS KIT:
For more about Kennesaw State University’s efforts to attract and retain African−American
male students‚ visit www.kennesaw.edu/stu_dev/msrs/ksuaami.shtml.
For perspective on the University System of Georgia’s nationally recognized AAMI program‚
visit www.usg.edu/aami/.
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A member of the 35−unit University System of Georgia‚ Kennesaw State University is
a comprehensive‚ residential institution with a growing student population approaching
20‚000 from 132 countries. The third−largest university in Georgia‚ Kennesaw State
offers more than 60 graduate and undergraduate degrees‚ including a new doctorate
in education.
MORE NEWS…
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its nearly 43,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
