Download - Rust College Campus NewsBriefs
Vol. 42, No. 19 March 14, 2013
A Weekly Update of Activities at Rust College
Campus NewsBriefs
Where Tomorrow’s Leaders are Students Today
The Home Depot “Retool Your School Project”
VOTE TO SUPPORT RUST COLLEGE!
“You know how valuable our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and
Universities are, and how much they have contributed to our country’s
growth in so many ways. What could be more worthwhile than being
part of helping preserve and improve some of America’s most historic
campuses and landmarks?”
This year, The Home Depot is doing even more to increase the number of grants
offered to HBCUs by creating an additional Tier II Grant award in the amount of
$10,000, for a total of 12 Tier II Grants. The Tier II Grant is in addition to the
$50,000 Tier I Grant and the $25,000 Campus Pride Grant.
Vote for major and minor projects proposed by and for Rust College
Major Project
Rust College proposes to upgrade the present baseball
field with a dugout, grading and sodding and erecting
a new fence.
Campus Pride
The Campus Pride Grant will go to the school with
the most votes and social media activity. Follow
@RYS_2013 on Twitter and tweet Rust College pho-
tos and events using the hashtag
#RustCollegeRYS2013 to earn points toward Rust
College’s social media activity.
To Vote: http://www.retoolyourschool.com
Click “Vote For Your School”
Scroll through to find Rust College, click and VOTE!
Schools with the highest votes are at the top of the list—
let’s put Rust College at the top of the list!
VOTING ENDS APRIL 15, 2013
Minor Project
Rust College intends to install wrought iron fencing on
the east side of campus to improve safety and appearance
of the women's dormitories.
“BY THEIR FRUITS… Page 2
Business Week 2013: “Financial Responsibility: Gaining & Managing Personal Resources”
The Division of Business of Rust College held its annual Business Week, March 5-8, 2013, welcoming several guest
speakers who shared vital information with our students. Students were able to ask questions and re-
ceive advice on business attire, resume writing and interviewing skills, and money management.
“Your resume is the tool that opens the door,” said Mrs. Charmell Slaughter, Resume Reformer. “Prove
yourself valuable so you can talk about how valuable you are.” Mrs. Slaughter is a speaker, writer,
trainer and certified professional life coach. She has worked in the fields of healthcare, military, soft-
ware development, information technology, non-profit education, government contracting and consult-
ing. She currently owns and operates “Resume Reformer”, a career coaching and resume writing ser-
vice; as well as a personal development website: www.growthandgratitude.com.
“Everyone in this room has a brand,” said Ms. Tish Norman, Executive Director of Transforming
Leaders Now, Inc., a leadership development company that specializes in educational programming. “The brand name is
YOUR NAME. The logo for your brand is YOUR FACE. Make sure you have a reputable brand.” Ms. Norman has
published several articles in university publications and is the co-author of From Mediocre to
Magnificent and Leading The Way: Stories of Leadership & Inspiration.
“In order for you to be successful in business, especially in this climate, you have to have a bias toward
optimism,” Dr. Leroy D. Nunery II told students and guests during the annual Business Week Luncheon
held Thursday, March 8. “If you have a bias toward pessimism, or a deficit mentality, you will always
think the worst.” Dr. Nunery has extensive experience on non-profit and for-profit boards, and has been
a frequent public speaker and advisor on the issues of education, economic development, leadership
development and strategic planning.
“The most successful people in the world consume knowledge,” he said. “Learn how to tell YOUR
STORY and build on it.”
Special thanks to all of the presenters: Mrs. Charmell Slaughter, Ms. Tish Norman, Mr. Jeffrey King, Mr. Carl Robinson,
Rust College Class of 2003; Dr. Sujata Sinha, Mr. James Turnbo, Ms. Christine Amisi, Rust College Class of 2003; Dr.
Leroy D. Nunery II, Ms. Jamishela Williams, and the Division of Business Student Activities Council (DOBSAC).
Mr. Carl Robinson, ’03, (left), and Mr.
Jeffrey King with Mr. Frederick. L-R: Ms. Shtoria Fox, Ms. Rachon Pulliam,
Mr. Richard Frederick, Ms. Nakeshia Bennett,
Ms. Faderricka Harvey
Ms. Jade Moore and Ms. Faderricka Harvey
modeled for the Business Week Assembly, “Hot
or Not Fashion Show: Business Edition”.
L-R: Mr. James Turnbo, Dr. Leroy D. Nunery II,
Dr. Nellie J. Smith, Ms. Christine Amisi, ’03, and
Mr. Frederick.
Ms. Tish Norman speaks one on one with
students and signs copies of her books.
Dr. Leroy D. Nunery II
Mrs. Charmell Slaughter
...YE SHALL KNOW THEM” Page 3
Phi Beta Lambda Senior to Compete in National Competition
Rust College senior Ms. Sohna Jagne has earned the opportunity to travel to Anaheim,
California for the 2013 National Leadership Conference. Ms. Jagne won the opportunity when
she placed first at the Phi Beta Lambda State Conference in February, in Natchez, Mississippi.
She won the “Marketing Concepts” competition and also placed 3rd in the “Managing
Concepts” competition. Ms. Jagne will represent Phi Beta Lambda Charter #5986 among
approximately 50 other students from Mississippi, and hundreds of students from across the
nation, who will compete in California.
“It was a great experience for me,” she said of the State competition. “I wasn’t really nervous
because even though this is my first competition in the U.S., I have competed at home a lot.”
Ms. Jagne is a native of The Gambia, West Africa. She will earn her degree in Business
Administration in April from Rust College. She, and Phi Beta Lambda advisor Dr. Nellie J. Smith, will travel to California
for the 2013 National Leadership Conference in June.
Ms. Sohna Jagne with Dr.
Nellie J. Smith
Bearcats Take Advantage of Job Fair
Students had the opportunity to take their first steps into the work-
force at the Mississippi Department of Employment Security
(MDES) Job Fair, held February 26, in the McMillan Multi-
Purpose Center. Several business representatives were on hand to
speak with potential employees, including Holly Springs School
District, B&B Construction, FedEx, and many more.
Former SGA President Braque
Talley, ‘11, returned to Rust to
recruit students for the Graduate
School at
Alabama A&M University. Mr.
Talley is currently the Coordi-
nator of Recruitment and Mar-
keting. He is responsible for
traveling to universities,
colleges and businesses to
interact with department
chairs, directors, faculty and
staff to maintain recruitment. Another graduate, Mr. Carl Robinson,
‘03, was available to recruit for Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc. in
Hamel, Minnesota, where he serves as Director of Safety.
Students were able to ask questions and get
their foot in the door for their future careers.
Ms. Johneshia Taylor, a senior Biology major,
said she didn’t have any expections since most
jobs represented were industrial.
“I found a couple of opportunities, though, and
passed out my resume and talked to people
who could lead me in the right direction.”
Ms. Johneshia Taylor,
senior Biology major
Braque Talley speaks to Christopher
Green about Alabama A&M University.
Dr. Marco Robinson, assistant
professor of History, was selected to
participate in the 2013 UNCF/Mellon
Faculty Seminar, which will be held in
Brazil in July 2013. Dr. Robinson will
join other professors and faculty from
various colleges and universities; the
theme for the seminar is “Afro-Aesthetics in Brazil...
and Beyond: Exploring Transnational Blackness and
Beauty”.
Dr. Alisea McLeod, assistant
professor of English, serves on the
organizing committee of the 2013
National Underground Railroad
Conference, sponsored by the
National Network to Freedom. The
National Network to Freedom is a
project of the National Park
Service. The conference will take
place June 19 through June 22 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Along with Rust professors Dr. Marco Robinson and Dr.
Sharron Sarthou, she will sit on a panel and she will
present a paper titled "They Were Sharp Bargainers:
Camps, Cotton, and Guns." This paper looks at the agency
of African Americans during the war, in particular, their
involvement in cotton production, their arming, and their
work in the camps.
Faculty Members to Participate in
Various Conferences in Summer 2013
Page 8 Announcements IN CASE OF EMERGENCY…
Emergency notifications for students, faculty and staff will be handled by mass email, Channel 19, WURC 88.1 FM, RC-TV 2, and
campus loud speakers. If you would like to receive emergency notifications by text message, please submit your cell phone number to
Mrs. Carolyn Hymon, Dean of Students. The numbers will be used for emergencies ONLY and will not be distributed.
Emergency Numbers:
Security office: 662-252-8090 Security guard on patrol: 662-216-3429
Dr. David L. Beckley, ‘67, President
Ms. Adrienne F. Phillips, Public Relations Specialist
Dr. Ishmell H. Edwards, ’71, Vice President for College Relations
Submitted by Mr. Sana Sise
More than twenty years ago, on the campus of Georgia Institute of Technology,
there was a major problem. The problem was not enough racial diversity among the
recipients of advanced degrees, specifically at Georgia Tech. In hopes of increasing
the minority numbers, Dr. William Wepfer and Dr. John White accepted the chal-
lenge of increasing minority numbers. In acceptance of this challenge, Dr. White
and Dr. Wepfer assigned Mr. Robert Haley as the director of Special Projects in the
College of Engineering. From Haley’s newly appointed position birthed the Focus
Program. The Focus Program would act as a connector between delivering the use-
fulness of receiving an advanced degrees and how especially beneficial it is to mi-
nority students. All the while delivering the message about advanced degrees, Mr.
Haley was also trying to increase the acceptance and graduation rates of Georgia
Tech’s minorities.
In the first year (1992), the Focus Program was held during the celebration week of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Holiday. It is held annually around this time
because the vision for the program was inspired by Dr. King’s quote, “Education
without social action is a one-sided value because it has no true power potential.
Social action without education is a weak expression.” 21 years later, the Focus
Program still exists.
In 2013, Rust College had the privilege of having Mr. Sana Sise, Computer
Science instructor, escort three students that were granted the opportunity to attend
the Focus Program: Cherlinca Boyd is a graduating senior majoring in mathematics;
Zackline Mendy is a graduating senior majoring in Computer Science; and
Demitrius Moore is a graduating senior, majoring in Mathematics as well. These
students traveled to Georgia Tech and were introduced to the various opportunities
of receiving an advanced degree from that institution. They were also shown around
in their respective departments. Since their attendance of the Focus Program,
Cherlinca and Demitrius have applied to the Ph.D. program in Mathematics and
Zackline has applied to the Ph.D. program in Bioinformatics.
From the first ever Focus Program that attracted 43 students, it has now grown to
attract hundreds of students. In 2013 alone, there were 136 Focus participants. From
the humble beginnings of only focusing of engineering majors, the Focus program
now accepts minority students of all majors and disciplines.
Zackline Mendy
Cherlinca Boyd
Demitrius Moore
Mr. Sana Sise
Rust College Students Participate in Georgia Tech “Focus” Program