Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor:

First, I would like to thank the creators and staff at THE BLACK COLLEGIAN for developing such a helpful and much-needed resource for Black college students and recent graduates.  I remember reading several copies of this magazine during my tenure at Mercer University in Macon, Ga. from 2001-2006.  I later went on to attend graduate school at Michigan State University and currently work for IBM in Atlanta, Ga.  I recently returned to Mercer and picked up the last two published copies for old times sake. 

Although I am an engineer by training, I have a strong passion for recruitment, retention, diversity and professional development issues particularly in the Black community and among the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields.

Something that would be of interest to me would be to have spotlights or mini features on recent graduates and their college-to-career transition whether they have a job, are unemployed, or still in the job search/interview stage.  I do enjoy the highlights from the very well established and successful people you choose for your magazine and the advice they give.  Although these people have gone through the same issues as Black collegians today, I think the perspective from the demographic between those extremes would be useful as well.  

I have been with IBM for about 13 months, and I find I am received very well when I am at recruiting events, mentoring sessions, etc. because I am not far removed from the Black collegians’ current situation.  I feel this type of focus would bring more life to the articles by seeing how these tips and advice have played out in real life situations and how others have tweaked them to work for their particular situation, industry and goals.  I’d be willing to assist with any effort to incorporate this into THE BLACK COLLEGIAN if needed.

Thanks again for a great publication. I have a younger sister starting college this fall, and I will make sure she checks out the Web site and picks up the magazine as well.

April D. Thompson

Dear Editor:

While I very much appreciate the excellent profile about me that appeared in the October 2007 issue of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN magazine in a section on “African-American Role Models,” I feel compelled to correct one mistake.  I am a graduate of a historically Black university – Florida A&M University (FAMU), and not UCLA as was indicated in the article.  I am very proud of the Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering that I received from FAMU in 1971 – my FAMU experience provided me with an outstanding educational foundation that has served me very well during the past 36 years at The Boeing Company.

I was honored in 2006 as the Black Engineer of the Year for Outstanding Technical Contribution in Industry by the Council of Engineering Deans of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and in 2003 I was named Distinguished Engineer of the Year by the National Society of Black Engineers.  I feel that our future young African-American engineers and scientists need to know that graduates of historically black colleges and universities are making major contributions to the companies where they are employed, as well as the nation.

Today, in addition to being a Technical Fellow at Boeing, where I work to develop electric power system technologies for aircraft, I am our company’s executive focal to FAMU and have the privilege of interacting with the students there and encouraging them in their studies.  In addition, I have two daughters who currently are pursuing degrees at FAMU.

Sincerely,

David Blanding

Dear Sir/Madam:

Many years ago THE BLACK COLLEGIAN magazine was the most important magazine subscription during my college years. THE BLACK COLLEGIAN enabled me to launch a successful career start as a student at Southern University in Baton Rouge.

I live in Michigan and am a member of Jack and Jill of America Ypsilanti Chapter. We are sponsoring a career day for about 250 students. We would love to provide a copy of your magazine to this student population. How can we get 250 copies of your magazine?
 

Adrienne Davis