Malcolm X now 1st Black honoree in Nebraska Hall of Fame

Fifteen years after being rejected as too controversial, Malcolm X is the first Black honoree to be inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame.

The organization’s commission selected the civil rights icon on Monday with a 4-3 vote, edging out the late University of Nebraska educator and author Louise Pound.

“Malcolm X used the lessons he learned early in life and his intellectual power, dedication and perseverance in the fight for freedom and equality for all during the civil rights movement in America," said commission chairman Ron Hull. "His work and his legacy continue to impact the citizens of the world.”

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925 as the son of a Baptist preacher. His family left for Milwaukee the following year after threats from the Ku Klux Klan.

The firebrand was first nominated for Nebraska's Hall of Fame in 2004, but passed over by a commission made up solely of white men who instead selected a mid-1900s U.S. senator who made a name for himself with his campaign to remove gay men from government posts in the 1940s and 1950s. The pick of Sen. Kenneth Wherry was later nixed because of an open-meetings violation.

Malcolm X was passed over again in 2007 for little-known botanist Charles Bessey.

Each Nebraska Hall of Fame member is immortalized with a bronze bust displayed in the state Capitol.

[SOURCE: AP]

Howard University: The only HBCU to make U.S. News & World Report’s list of Best National University Rankings

Howard University is the only HBCU to make U.S. News & World Report’s list of Best National University Rankings. Howard University's ranking in the 2022-2023 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #89.

Howard University is a private institution that was founded in 1867. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 8,964 (fall 2021), its setting is urban, and the campus size is 257 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar.

At Howard University, a historically Black college in the heart of the District of Columbia, all undergraduate students complete a universitywide core curriculum. Required courses include those in English composition and Afro-American studies. Students then have dozens of majors to choose from, including Afro-American studies, French and music therapy. Outside of class, Howard students may choose to get involved in one of the school's many student organizations, including fraternities and sororities and academic clubs.

The university has its own stop on the city's public transportation system, the Metro, and students are also permitted to bring cars to school. Freshmen, however, are not eligible for campus parking. The school offers a range of male, female and coed housing, both on and off campus.

Howard University has many graduate programs as well, including those in the School of Business, School of Law, College of Medicine and College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences.

Notable alumni of Howard University include Vice President Kamala Harris – the first woman, the first Black American and the first South Asian American to be elected vice president; former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall; Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison; and Emmy Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad.

Howard University Climbs to No. 30 on U.S. News & World Report Rankings List of Most Innovative Schools

Howard University climbed 10 points to No. 30 on the latest U.S. News & World Report 2022 rankings list of most innovative schools. The positive increase in the ranking represents the success of the Howard Forward strategic plan, which emphasizes measures that enable resource savings through upgraded technology and automation; initiatives that expand the campus footprint through facility improvements and real estate development; and processes that drive excellence in customer service and delivery of products and services. The University remains listed among the top 100 schools on U.S. News & World Report’s list of best national universities with a ranking of No. 89. 

“Howard University embodies excellence in academics, research and service. Our faculty, staff and students are tasked with finding innovative solutions to today’s most pressing issues as they continue to impact their fields,” said President Wayne A. I. Frederick. “Our campus community deserves to fulfill its mission in a setting that provides the best support and that includes having access to robust operations and administrative processes and superior facilities that provide a strong foundation for the critical work they do. We are proud to be acknowledged by U.S. News and World Report for these efforts.” 

Under the leadership of Dr. Frederick, the University implemented Howard Forward in 2019 guided by five strategic pillars. In line with the fourth pillar, “improve efficiency and effectiveness,” the University began a strategic investment in upgraded technology that helps reduce resource and cost inefficiencies in administrative and operational systems and processes, leading to significant advancements in key University divisions like human resources, Enterprise Technology Solutions (ETS), and the University’s Office of Real Estate Development and Capital Asset Management (REDCAM). Howard’s ranking on the list of most innovative schools represents a nearly 100 percent increase from the University’s ranking in the same category two years ago. 

The University maintained its No. 2 ranking among historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In the listing of best graduate engineering programs, Howard ranked No. 94 in the nation. Howard also rose one spot in the ranking for undergraduate teaching among national universities. Additionally, U.S. News recognized Howard in other major categories, including: 

Social mobility, national universities: No. 29; 

Most innovative schools: No. 30; 

Best value, national universities: No. 64; 

Best undergraduate business programs: No. 86; 

Best national universities: No. 89; and 

Best undergraduate computer science: No. 121. 

Several factors contribute to the increase in Howard’s spot on the list of most innovative schools. In July 2021, the University implemented Workday, a multiyear technology initiative to improve business operations. The move led to greater efficiencies in research grant management, employee evaluation, and financial reporting, among other improvements. The platform aids in critical financial functions like departmental budgeting, integrated payroll and human resources activities, procurement, and distribution of grant funding. Implementation of Workday has increased the strength of data integrity and efficiency, while reducing administrative costs, and increasing sustainability by reducing paper consumption.  

The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Assessment (CETLA) and the Office of Digital and Online Learning received significant upgrades, ramping up its capacity to provide developmental resources for faculty over the past year. Howard faculty have access to courses on learning management tools and receive training on best practices in distance learning through CETLA. The center was awarded a $240,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to create the new digital learning hub, equipped with touch screens, Mac and PC computers, and a digital recording studio alongside a green screen suite where Howard faculty and staff can create rich multimedia content in house. 

The University’s Office of Enterprise Technology Services has significantly bolstered the institution’s cybersecurity profile with network security upgrades like multifactor authorization for all users and mandated network security training. New phishing detection systems and campus-wide campaigns to raise awareness of digital citizenship have reduced network vulnerability and incidents of compromised user accounts. Howard this year announced an initiative to launch a private broadband network exclusive to the campus. The initiative improves Internet connectivity and reliability throughout the campus and is the foundation for touchless and wireless building access and security monitoring in most academic and residential facilities. The security upgrades complement the campus’ Bison S.A.F.E. initiative, a mobile app-based program that facilitates COVID-19 attestation and allows the campus community to access testing results. The app also serves as the official tool of emergency communications, providing emergency alerts, GPS location software to help students monitor movements and safety of peers in transit, and a mobile bluelight function that can contact campus public safety and provide location in the event of an emergency.   

The University made major strides in implementation of its Campus Master Plan when it announced a historic $785 million real estate initiative to fast-track renovations to campus buildings and construct three new academic centers. The University also implemented its Hyper Care initiative that expanded oversight and maintenance of on-campus housing to ensure deep cleaning and address repairs to building infrastructure in student residence halls. The University also completed a full renovation of the Undergraduate Library and reopened Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall. 

The U.S. News & World Report’s most innovative schools list is a survey-based ranking evaluated based on schools nominated for having the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities. For more information about U.S. News & World Report’s most innovative schools ranking, visit https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/innovative. 

Author Angela Flournoy Signs Seven Figure book Deal

For seven figures, Angela Flournoy, best known as the author of The Turner House sold The Wounded Wilderness to Mariner’s Rakia Clark in a two-book, North American rights deal. Ellen Levine at Trident Media Group represented Flournoy, a National Book Award finalist and contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine. Mariner said Wounded Wilderness, a novel, follows four Black women over the course of 20 years of friendship, examining “how gender expectations, race, class and the shifting dynamics of city life” affect them. The second book in the deal, the memoir When Will I See You Again?, is about the author’s first pregnancy, which coincided with her mother being diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Angela Flournoy has also been a finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a Summer 2015 Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, a May 2015 Indie Next pick and a New York Times Sunday Book Review Editors' Choice. Her fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, and she has written for The New York Times, The New Republic and The Los Angeles Times.

BYRON ALLEN'S HBCU GO/THE GRIO ATTRACTS MAJOR FORTUNE 500 SPONSORS FOR HBCU SPORTS NETWORK

Byron Allen's Allen Media Group (AMG) is proud to announce it has secured numerous major Madison Avenue advertising sponsors for the launch of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) sports for HBCU GO and theGrio Television Network's 2022-23 sports programming season. Brand sponsors include: Procter & Gamble, Honda, AT&T, Stellantis, Walmart, Toyota, Bank of America, Verizon, Lexus, Meta, Allstate, Boost Mobile, Lowes, Kia, SC Johnson, UnitedHealthcare, Safelite, Macy's, Taco Bell, T.J. Maxx, Dairy Queen, Capital One, Geico, Pizza Hut, Mastercard, Target and many more.

HBCU GO is the leading media provider for the nation's 107 HBCUs, and recently announced nationwide clearance for their 2022-23 sports season as part of a new carriage deal with CBS owned-and-operated broadcast television stations in key broadcast television markets including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Dallas, Atlanta, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Tampa, Detroit, Miami, and Pittsburgh. AMG's FREE-streaming digital platform HBCU GO brings together major HBCU NCAA conferences, with major market carriage across broadcast television, cable, satellite, and digital platforms. HBCU GO's 2022-23 season began this past Saturday, September 3 with "The HBCU GO Sports Kickoff Show." The three-hour pre-season special aired LIVE on the AMG platforms HBCU GO, theGrio Television Network, theGrio Streaming App, Sports.TV, Local Now, and on broadcast television stations throughout the U.S.

HBCUs are widely known for graduating exceptional athletes, celebrities, politicians, and historical figures including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Wilma Rudolph, Althea Gibson, Walter Payton, Michael Strahan, Jerry Rice, Spike Lee, Alice Walker, Samuel L. Jackson, astronaut Ronald McNair, Alex Haley, Earl Graves, Oprah Winfrey, Chadwick Boseman, Justice Thurgood Marshall, Common, Booker T. Washington, Taraji P. Henson, Judge Kevin Ross, Langston Hughes, Katherine Johnson, Kenya Barris, and Vice President Kamala Harris, to name a few.

"The HBCU brand represents over 184 years of historic excellence, dating back to 1837, which helped cultivate some of the world's greatest minds and talent," said Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group. "HBCU GO and theGrio position our advertisers to speak to the heart and soul of Black America 24/7, and help our sponsors stay strongly connected with one of the most valuable, untapped audiences in the world."

For more information about HBCU GO visit HBCUGO.TV or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram.