MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2019 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Horhn, Blackmon, Simmons (13th), Norwood, Frazier, Jackson (11th), Jordan, Simmons (12th), Barnett, Jackson (32nd), Dawkins, Turner-Ford, Blount, Butler, Dearing
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING THE SESQUICENTENNIAL (150TH) ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF TOUGALOO COLLEGE AND RECOGNIZING BEVERLY WADE HOGAN AS ITS FIRST WOMAN AND 13TH PRESIDENT ON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT.
WHEREAS, we join the Board of Trustees and Alumni of Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, in recognizing the sustaining legacy of academic excellence and social justice established by this historic institution on the occasion of its Sesquicentennial (150th) Anniversary Celebration; and
WHEREAS, 2019 is Tougaloo College's Sesquicentennial Anniversary year, marking 150 years. The Sesquicentennial theme is "Transforming Lives, Transforming the World." A Tougaloo College education is a transformational learning experience. Tougaloo is launching the Sesquicentennial Campaign for Scholarships to raise $10 Million over the next two years. Each month, beginning in January 2019, the college will hold an event that connects the public with the college. There will be a convocation, focusing on the importance and value of preserving and celebrating the history of Tougaloo; Tammy Boyd, Lead Author of Legislation for the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., is the speaker. The Annual Business Luncheon will be held and the Speaker is Michael Petters, President and CEO of the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipbuilding company. The Presidential Lecture and Humanities Festival will take place. New York University will host a reception and roundtable conversation with foundation leaders and other friends who have historically supported Tougaloo College. The 2019 Baccalaureate and Commencement Ceremonies will be held on May 5, 2019, and the Speakers are: Dr. Janet Cooper Nelson, Chaplain at Brown University, and Attorney Stacey Abrams of Atlanta, respectively. The 150th events will culminate in October 2019 during Founders' Week, which will also include a celebratory event with Brown University. The Brown-Tougaloo Partnership spans almost 55 years and includes student and faculty exchange programs, an Early Identification to Medical School Program and joint research projects among other initiatives. The last phase of the restoration of the Robert O. Wilder Building, the home of John W. Boddie, master of the former plantation on which Tougaloo is situated today, also commonly known as the Mansion, will be underway and the reopening is scheduled for 2020; and
WHEREAS, Tougaloo College is a trusted resource. It is an educational, social and economic engine of opportunity for the Jackson Community and the State of Mississippi. Its economic impact is more than $42 Million annually. It includes the impact of its accomplished alumni to the educational, social, cultural and economic landscape. Historically, Tougaloo College has been at the forefront of positive social change for the City of Jackson and the State of Mississippi. It was the intellectual battleground and safe haven for the Civil Rights Movement. The Tougaloo Nine, a group of Tougaloo College students, accelerated the Jackson Movement when they staged a "read-in" in the Jackson Library, which at the time was closed to African-Americans. This set the stage for the integration of the Jackson Library. Tougaloo College was the only safe place where blacks and whites could meet together without fear of reprisal. The college has represented a diverse and inclusive culture since its founding in 1869. Its graduates are second to none. For 15 decades, Tougaloo College has populated Jackson and the state with medical doctors, dentists, lawyers, administrators and educators who are leaders and contributing citizens in every sphere of influence. Tougaloo College has been a leader of change and an influencer for change; and
WHEREAS, Beverly Wade Hogan is the first woman and 13th President of Tougaloo College. Since Beverly became President in 2002, she has been responsible for an impressive record of institutional growth, including new undergraduate programs, a new honors program and three centers have been established at Tougaloo. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Tougaloo College and Master's Degree in Public Policy and Administration from Jackson State University. "Tougaloo College is a very important part of my life," said Beverly; and
WHEREAS, Tougaloo's current enrollment is approximately 800 students. Constancy and change characterize developments at Tougaloo College over the years. While Tougaloo values tradition, they also understand the importance of innovation and change. They hold fast to their core values of academic excellence, intellectual freedom, student-centeredness, inclusion, fiscal integrity and stewardship, social responsibility, accountability and relevance. The Tougaloo College today is different in many aspects than in the early 1970s, from the physical appearance of the campus, its infrastructure, the curriculum and the delivery of education. The landscape of the campus has changed with the addition of new and renovated buildings, widened and paved streets and enhanced lightings. New undergraduate degree programs have been added, as well as two graduate degree programs in education. The general education curriculum has been revised to more intentionally align with what 21st Century students need to know. A new Honors Program, the Center for Undergraduate Research, the Center for International Studies and Global Change, and the Institute for the Study of Modern Day Slavery have been established; and
WHEREAS, Tougaloo provides a mixture of instruction, the face-to-face classroom instruction and online course instruction. Indeed, technology has changed and advanced over the years and drives everything they do today. Significant technological improvements have been made, including campus-wide connectivity, smart classrooms, wireless networks, and the installation of an integrated information management system. Tougaloo recently opened the Early College High School on their campus in partnership with the Jackson Public School District. They have always had an outstanding faculty and that continues today which is the primary reason for such good student outcomes. Tougaloo College also has a significant art collection that includes African, African-American, European and Oceanic Art, which has grown over the years. It is now housed in the Bennie G. Thompson Academic and Civil Rights Research Center, constructed in 2011, which includes space for the art gallery, art storage and offices, along with classrooms and an auditorium; and
WHEREAS, President Hogan said, "I hope to see sustained growth which includes student enrollment, a fully developed online education program, stronger collaborative partnerships with businesses and universities, including international ones, and the development and monetization of the college's fixed assets such as land and water. I hope the college will continue to provide a transformational educational experience for its students, and our graduates will continue to use their education to uplift humanity and transform the world. I hope the college will become an internationally recognized, transforming engine of opportunity, exposing more of our students to the world and bringing the world inside our gates. I hope the college will continue to prepare its graduates to be productive in their time and will always be inspired to be the difference maker – influencer of change in society. I hope the college will stand and prosper for another 150 years":
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commemorate the Sesquicentennial (150th) Anniversary of the founding of Tougaloo College and recognize Beverly Wade Hogan as its first woman and 13th President on the occasion of her retirement, and extend our best wishes for the sustained growth of this historic college and Mississippi resource.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to President Beverly Wade Hogan and the Board of Trustees of Tougaloo College, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.