HBCU Digest just finished hosting the 3rd annual HBCU Awards, and I am a big fan of the awards ceremony. The HBCU Awards ceremony presented awards for excellence in student life, journalism, academics, research, athletics, alumni support and leadership. The HBCU Awards and its accompanying training seminar, the National HBCU Media Summit, are the culminating events of HBCU Media Week, the HBCU Digest, a daily online publication covering America’s historically black colleges.  I was proud to see that it was hosted on the campus of Jackson State University and I wish I could have attended. After reading the post from the event I was excited to see the schools that won some of the awards hit home for me.

Spelman College, which is the college my mother attended, won HBCU of the Year. My alma mater, Jackson State University, won Best Marching Band, which really hits home because I marched in ‘the boom’. Here is the list of the award winners and a link to the article for you to read and to follow HBCU Digest.

http://hbcudigest.com/spelman-crowned-hbcu-of-the-year-at-third-annual-hbcu-awards/

Best Marching Band
Sonic Boom of the South, Jackson State University

Best Choir
Aeolian Choir, Oakwood University

Best Student Government Association
Albany State University

Best Student Newspaper
North Carolina Central University Campus Echo

Best Student Organization
Spelman College SpelBots

Best Alumni Magazine
Morgan Magazine, Morgan State University

Best Research Center
NOAA-CAS at Howard University

Best Fine Arts Program
Alabama State University Dept. of Theater Arts

Best Business Program
Paul Quinn College Business Administration Program

Best S.T.E.M. Program
Hampton University School of Science

Best Nursing Program
Dillard University School of Nursing

Best Social Work Program
Fayetteville State University Dept. of Social Work

Best Male Faculty Member
Dr. Kinfe Ken Redda, Florida A&M University

Best Female Faculty Member
Myrlie Evers-Williams, Alcorn State University

Best Male Coach
Connell Maynor, Winston-Salem State University

Best Female Coach
Toyelle Wilson, Prairie View A&M University

Best Male Athlete
Anaso Jobodwana, Jackson State University

Best Female Athlete
SiMon Franklin, Xavier University of Louisiana

Best Men’s Team
Southern University Men’s Basketball

Best Women’s Team
Hampton University Women’s Basketball

Male Alumnus of the Year
Chief Justice Tom Colbert, Kentucky State University

Female Alumnus of the Year
Nicole Bernard, Howard University

National Alumni Association of the Year
University of the Virgin Islands

Male Student of the Year
Polite Stewart, Southern University

Female Student of the Year
Olivia Stinson

Male President of the Year
Dr. M. Christopher Brown II, Alcorn State University

Female President of the Year
Dr. Dianne B. Suber, Saint Augustine’s University

Lifetime Achievement
Myrlie Evers-Williams

HBCU of the Year
Spelman College