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Inside MOREHOUSE A CAMPUS NEWSLETTER FOR FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS Ambassadors view the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection Andrew Young named Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence The Rev. A1 Sharpton speaks at the King Chapel Homecoming 2010 Tailgating, Football and Other Events Bring Alumni Home By ADD SEYMOUR JR. Homecoming tent? Check. Food and drink? Check. It is the annual ritual for Brock Mayers ’99 and his friends who each year plan their Morehouse/Spelman homecoming tailgate party to eat, drink and fellowship with old and new friends from their college days. “It’s about the camaraderie and just plugging back into the campus and seeing old faces,” said Mayers, the program man ager for the Ronald E. McNair Program. “It is really an oppor tunity for us to come back and just reconnect with the College and old friends we haven’t seen in a long time.” Nearly 20,000 people, most clad in maroon Morehouse gear, will fill West End Avenue and Welborne Street during the annual Homecoming Tailgate Experience, one of many events during Homecoming 2010 at Morehouse. This year’s activities include the annual parade, Crown Forum featuring Dr. Corey Hebert ’92, concerts featuring Chrisette Michele and rapper Rick Ross, the Miss Maroon and White Coronation, Alumni “Welcome Back to the ‘House” party. One of the biggest events will be the Saturday football game against Albany State University. The winner will be in first place in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. It all makes for one of the most important times of the year for the Morehouse community, said Henry Goodgame ’84, director of alumni relations, special events and annual giving. “It’s that one time to come back, engage, be re-inspired and re-connect to the institu tion,” he said “Morehouse homecoming is about welcom ing people home. The students’ job is to prepare home for those people who have been away and let them know that this house is standing and still in great shape. Those alums become an example for students who can then say, ‘Wow, I can’t wait until I become and come back for my first homecoming.’ It becomes a rite of passage.” The Homecoming Tail- gate Experience has become on of the most popular events. Not only do alumni participate, but also many of the College’s pro grams and offices host their own tents. For the first time, the Morehouse faculty will have their own tailgating tent area. “I’ve been to quite a few other homecomings,” Mayers said. “But there’s no other place I’d rather be than homecoming at Morehouse.” Go to page 4 for the full homecoming schedule of activities. Morehouse Cuts Ribbon on Ray Charles Performing Arts Center By ADD SEYMOUR JR. U zee Brown ’72 was all smiles as he walked around the plaza of the new Ray Charles Perf orming Arts Center on Sept.29. The $20 million, state-of- the-art facility housing music education and performance was ready to become the modern new home for the Music Department. “This has been a long time coming,” he said. “This is a great day.” With nearly 300 people in attendance, including Charles’ long-time business manager and confidant, Joe Adams, the ribbon was cut on the campus’ new south side anchor. “This facility is not simply just another building at Morehouse,” said President Robert M. Franklin ’75. “This is also a symbol of the Morehouse renaissance.” The 76,000-square-foot fac ility features 12 faculty studios, nine practice rooms, two rehearsal rooms (one each for the Morehouse College “House of Funk” Marching Band and the Morehouse College Glee Club) and three academic labs. One of those is the David Geffen Keyboard Digital Music Laboratory, featuring 16 digital keyboards and other computer ized music equipment. The performance space is the 550-seat Joe and Emma Adams Concert Hall, where the ribbon-cutting audience moved into to hear performances by the Music Department’s stu dents and faculty. “This facility is the reflection of the vision of two presidents, Dr. Walter E. Massey ’58 and Dr. Robert M. Franklin ’75, and is truly a versatile, attractive and unique structure dedicated to the performing arts,” he said. “The Ray Charles Center Performing Arts Center will pro vide an exceptional venue for the performing arts it is destined to become a beacon throughout the Southeast and the nation for performance. President Emeritus Walter E. Massey ’58 and President Robert M. Franklin '75 cut the ribbon to open the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center. Also pictured are Joe Adams and Valerie Ervin. OCTOBER 2010 AUC Blood Drive surpasses goal Newsweek Names Morehouse One of Nation's Top Service- Minded Institutions By ADD SEYMOUR JR. For Richard Williams, going out into the community to serve others - be it mentoring high school stu dents or serving food to the home less - is not something used to pad his resume. The junior psychology major said it is a welcomed part of being a Man of Morehouse. “When you arrive at Morehouse, you are told that you have a responsibility to the world,” he said. “It’s really a culture.” Williams, who is part of the College’s Bonner Office of Community Service, is a prime example of why Morehouse was named by Newsweek magazine as one of the nation’s Top 25 Schools for the Service-Minded in its annu al College Rankings: The Best Schools in America issue. The magazine focused on the nation’s top institutions, particular ly those with high academic stan dards and a wide range of degree programs. The editors looked at colleges and universities that pre pared students to be successful in life educationally, socially and in other aspects of life. “Morehouse College is a school steeped in tradition - including a long history of service,” the article states. “Morehouse men are all about giving back to their commu nity. A residential campus within a city of 500,000, 75 percent of the student body volunteers.” Williams, who is from Moncks Corner, S.C., mentored Atlanta high school students this summer among his many community serv ice activities. He also is a campus organizer for Advocates For Youth, a Washington, D.C.-based organi zation that educates young men about sexual health and education. Helping others is something Williams and other Morehouse stu dents take seriously. “Community organizations and people volunteering to help had a direct effect on my life,” he said. “I feel like now I have a per sonal responsibility to do the same.” To see all of the rankings, go to http://education.newsweek.com/ choosing-a-school/college-rank- ings.html.