TBC IN THE 1980s THE BLACK COLLEGIAN left behind the tumultuous 70’s with a certainty that while gains had been made, there remained unfinished business. As the “Us generation” gave way to what has been dubbed “the Me generation,” entrepreneurship and the accomplishments of individual corporate leaders became more frequent foci in the magazine. The relatively recent advent of affirmative action policies (which were controversial from the start) had especially spurred gains for women and minorities in employment and university admissions, and there were still few national media vehicles serving these groups’ needs. THE BLACK COLLEGIAN remained a staple of diversity-oriented recruiters throughout the 80’s, and business was good. Yet, even as African Americans made gains in reaching leadership positions in all walks of life, the picture was not wholly rosy. Affirmative action, coolly received by the Reagan administration, already seemed in trouble only 10 years after its establishment. America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities found themselves at times struggling with finances and enrollments; prominent figures were called to their aid, such as prime-time TV celebrity Bill Cosby, who announced his gift of $20 million to Spelman College in 1988. As the personal computing revolution continued to swell, opportunities abounded in computer science, engineering and once-seemingly “futuristic” fields like robotics. The competition for such plum opportunities also intensified, and began to reveal the existence of a technological – and what would later become known as a digital – divide. While it had often stressed the value of engineering training, THE BLACK COLLEGIAN more frequently began to emphasize the importance of computing skills and training in virtually every type of job. By the end of the decade, with a sense of the millennium approaching, it was clear that an educational preparation for advancements in “high technology” would be key to African-American students’ reaching their goals after graduation, regardless of their chosen sector or industry.   1980 Legendary author James Baldwin; Maulana Ron Karenga on the concepts and function of Kwanzaa; Sugar Ray Leonard interview; Reflections on the meaning of the Seventies; Interview with anti-Apartheid crusader Leon Sullivan; The Civil Rights Movement: A Pictorial Essay; Astronaut Ron McNair on the future for Blacks in space; Energy occupations in demand; Vigil in Iran: Conversation with Dick Gregory; Atlanta U’s Engineering/MBA Program; Music artists Brenda Russell, Chaka Khan, Patrice Rushen, Cameo, Smokey Robinson; Tuskegee Institute’s century of excellence; Emmett Rice: Our Man at the Fed; The Reagan position on Black colleges by Tony Brown; “What it Means to be a Black Woman” by Toni Cade Bambara, Iva Carruthers, and Sonia Sanchez; Engineering careers in the 1980s; Mini-anthology of Black women poets Sarah Webster Fabio, Angela Jackson, Audre Lorde, and Harryette Mullen 1981 Interview with “Sophisticated Lady” performer Phyllis Hyman; Spelman’s century of service to women who achieve; On the Media with Bill Sutherland; Outlook for careers in electronics and computer sciences; Musical artist Maurice White interviewed; The future of public Black colleges; Black College Day ‘81 by Tony Brown 1982 Thelma Duggin, special assistant to President Reagan interviewed; Negating Affirmative Action: The Reagan Initiative; Interview with singers Luther Vandross, Dionne Warwick; Black tennis on the rise; Bryant Gumbel’s ingredients for success; Careers in biology, communications, insurance; S. African activist Dennis Brutus; An appreciation of Gwendolyn Brooks; What students must know about credit; the Dreamgirls musical 1983 Message to Black students by Stevie Wonder; Is Affirmative Action in trouble?; Interview: Sec’y of Education Terrel Bell; Working for the Federal government; Central State’s President Newson on the struggle to save a Black school; Fundamental Black history readings; Rebuilding America by Lee Iacocca; A Black perspective on American education; Vanessa Williams – first Black Miss America; Black engineering pioneers; Music profiles, Kashif, Wynton Marsalis; Post-grad opportunities for nurses; Elizabeth Dole on the Black College Initiative; Earning while learning; Futurist Alvin Toffler on careers in the coming era 1984 The MLK I Remember: Oral and photo history; Three songs for the “New World” by Lorraine Hansberry; Tips for success in the Hospitality industry; Commencement comments by Bill Cosby; Artists against Apartheid; Tips from Bob Brocksbank, the “Dean of Corporate Recruiters”; Black pioneers in the computer industry; Interview with Jesse Jackson; Preparing for a career in computers; Lionel Richie really can’t slow down! 1985 Howard University’s M. Lucius Walker, Jr.’s insights on engineering; The Art of the Harlem Renaissance; Beyond Roots: Interview with Alex Haley; Opportunities in broadcast journalism; Naomi Tutu-Seavers on opposing Apartheid; Resurgence of racism on white campuses; Music artists Morris Day and Sade; New tools in computer aided-design and graphics; Buy Freedom Month by Tony Brown; Tips for success in corporate life 1986 Educational reform and teacher short-ages; Careers authors John Naisbitt and Patricia Aburdene on workplace changes in the 90s; Student entrepreneurs in the 80s; Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner interviewed; MLK and the making of a martyr; Music artists Nona Hendrix, Doug E. Fresh, Melba Moore; Computer-related careers a “sure thing”; Chanteuse Josephine Baker’s lifetime of struggle and romance; The myth of the Black male shortages   1987 Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition; The robots are here…and working!; Interview with Andrew Young; HBCUs at the crossroads; The UNCF making dreams come true; AIDS, sex and the Black college student; Job interview tips by Bob Brocksbank; Kingston, Jamaica puts out welcome mat for Black Americans; William Ball on careers in Finance; A crisis of the Black family? 1988 Scholar John Hope Franklin’s challenge to Black collegians; Suicide in the college years; General Bernard Randolph on “guns, butter, and Affirmative Action”; Jasmine Guy and Dawn Lewis of TV’s A Different World; 25th Anniversary March on Washington; Careers in the auto industry; Spike Lee’s School Daze; Black students on white campuses - the plight, the promise; Eastman Kodak and corporate citizenship; What and where are the high-tech jobs? 1989 Network news anchor Bernard Shaw; Reflections on the Montgomery Bus Boycott; The benevolent dictatorship of Joe Clark; Congressman Louis Stokes profiled; Sports management careers; Greekfest ‘89 : “Fight the Power”; The smooth moves of sports success Ahmad Rashad; Growing demand, competition for Computer Science jobs; Merck CEO Dr. P. Roy Vagelos on pharmaceutical careers; Health, stress and college students; MAXIMA Corp. founder and CEO Joshua I. Smith on economic empowerment; Careers in accounting; Amoco Corp. CEO, Richard Morrow on emphasizing early education; The life of engineering rookie; Ryder Systems’ CEO M. Anthony Burns on corporate leadership; I remember Malcolm X     [ Continue - THE BLACK COLLEGIAN in the 1990s >> ]