Actor Delroy Lindo gives VUU commencement address
By Randy Singleton
Community Affairs Correspondent
New Journal and Guide
RICHMOND
Actor Delroy Lindo, famous for his many character roles in Spike Lee’s movies, delivered the 2013 commencement address to 328 graduates at Virginia Union University in Richmond on Saturday (May 11). Lindo was caped and awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humanities by VUU president Dr. Claude Perkins and Board of Trustees chairman Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson because of his positive contributions of the portrayal of African American life on film.
Public Hearing to Receive Testimony on Criminal Justice and Communities of Color
RICHMOND
On Friday, April 12, 2013 the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference (SDPC) of Chicago and Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University will co-sponsor the 2013 Virginia Justice Commission Hearing.
Troubled HBCUs: FAMU President Resigns; VUU Receives Warning
New Journal and Guide Staff Report
(Compiled from news and press reports)
Within the past month, several historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have received warnings from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, (SACS) and the president of Florida A& M University has resigned.
James Ammons resigned on July 11 after receiving a no-confidence vote from the FAMU board in November, following the hazing death of band member Robert Champions, whose parents added the university’s name to a wrongful death lawsuit the same day Ammons resigned. The lawsuit claims FAMU officials didn’t take enough action to stop hazing. An interim president has been named.
“I have decided to resign from my position as president in order to initiate my retirement on Oct. 11, 2012,” he said in his July 11 resignation letter. Ammons will continue as a tenured professor.
As Ammons steps down, several HBCUs are struggling to reverse accreditation sanctions. Virginia Union University in Richmond and Grambling State University in Louisiana, received recent warnings from SACS. While less severe than probation, a warning is a serious sanction that can lead to loss of accreditation, the commission states on its Web site. Saint Paul’s College in Virginia recently lost its accreditation.
Virginia Union University’s Alumni Association Held A Prayer Breakfast
“Beyond All Limits” was the theme for the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Virginia Union University (VUU) Alumni Association’s Prayer Breakfast held at the Historic Queen Street Baptist Church located in Norfolk, Virginia.
Rev. Al Sharpton Gives Commencement Address at Virginia Union
By Randy Singleton
Community Affairs Correspondent
New Journal and Guide
RICHMOND
Civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton was the keynote speaker at Virginia Union University’s 113th commencement on Saturday (May 12) at Hovey Field in Richmond, VA.
Rev. Sharpton has been leading the fight for justice in the Trevon Martin case in Florida. Martin was a seventeen-year old student murdered by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman who claimed self-defense under Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law. Many in the civil rights community believe that the murdered youth was a victim of racial profiling.
Thousands of Area College Students Prepare To Graduate
Norfolk State University
NORFOLK
Dr. Randall Pinkett will be the featured speaker at Norfolk State University’s 2012 Commencement which will be held in the William “Dick” Price Football Stadium on May 5.
The commencement processional will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the program immediately following at 10 a.m. Guest seats will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. In case of inclement weather, the commencement exercises will take place in the Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall Arena at the same times listed above.
Virginia Union's Larry Doby to be on U.S. Postage Stamp
Virginia Union University alumni Larry Doby, who is a member of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, will be featured on a new postage stamp by the United States Postage Service.