While it’s no secret that the number of African-American males on college campuses lags behind black women, the Tom Joyner Foundation is working to do something about it. A new scholarship is being introduced by the Foundation to increase the numbers.
As of July, male students will have a shot at a $1,500 scholarship that is offered each week to a male student at a HBCU selected as the college of the month for the “Tom Joyner Morning Show.” The program will continue through the 2008 school year according to a Foundation spokesperson.
The scholarship program, “Brothers on the Move,” is designed to help increase the number of black males enrolled in Historically Black Colleges & Universities.
“We’ve got to do all we can to make sure brothers go to college and stay in college,” said Tom Joyner, chairman of his Foundation and host of the nationally syndicated radio show. “This scholarship is just one way we’re trying to make a difference.”
The scholarship program, “Brothers on the Move,” is designed to help
increase the number of black males enrolled in Historically Black
Colleges & Universities. “We’ve got to do all we can to make sure
brothers go to college and stay in college,” said Tom Joyner, chairman
of his Foundation and host of the nationally syndicated radio show.
“This scholarship is just one way we’re trying to make a difference.”
The first recipient of the “Brothers on the Move” $1,500-scholarship is
Joshua Dedmond, a junior at Tougaloo College in Mississippi, who is a
history major with a religious studies minor from Jackson, Mississippi.
The honor student, who plans to become a college professor, is chaplain
of the student chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, class president, 2nd
vice state representative of the Mississippi Caucus of Omegas and member
of Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society.
Dedmond shares the honor of being among the first recipients of the
scholarship awards with Gregory Johnson, a senior English major from
Belzoni, MS, who is planning to become a college professor; James
Johnson, a junior honor student and English/pre-law major from
Greenville, MS.; and Willie Miller, a senior double major in English and
Philosophy from Jackson, MS.
Tougaloo is the Foundation’s School of the Month for July; Cheney State
University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA for August; Tennessee
State University in Nashville, TN for September; Edward Waters College
in Jacksonville, FL for October and Savannah State University in
Savannah, GA for November. For information about the scholarship
program, students should contact their school administrators directly to
determine their eligibility.
Joyner noted that there’s a definite need for this kind of scholarship.
On average, the black male student enrollment at an HBCU is about 37
percent. To be an eligible candidate for the scholarship, students must
attend one of the Foundation’s “Schools of the Month,” have a grade
point average of at least 3.0, be a campus leader, be involved in the
community, and have a career goal to make a difference in the quality of
life for his race while helping others.
The “Brothers on the Move” scholarship will be announced Thursdays on
the Tom Joyner Morning Show, which is aired in 120 markets reaching
nearly 8 million listeners every week. The Foundation offers
scholarships to students attending its Schools of the Month throughout
the week, including Mondays that are focused on single parents and on
Wednesdays, for general scholarships.
Founded in 1998, the Tom Joyner Foundation has raised more than $55
million to help keep students enrolled in black colleges. It has
assisted more than 14,000 students and worked with more than 100 HBCUs.
