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A veteran officer of the Montgomery Police Department is the new chief of police at Alabama State University after retiring Thursday as the commander of the MPD Special Operations Team, which includes its SWAT Team, Bomb Squad and Narcotics Unit.

Henry C. Davis, 49, began his new role Monday as the chief law enforcement officer at ASU after serving 24 years with the city’s police department in such varied roles as a patrol officer, director of Community Policing and finally with the rank of major, having been responsible for some of the city’s major drug busts and special crime prevention operations.

Davis, a native of Birmingham, said he is excited about his new role at ASU.

“What attracted me the most about taking on the challenge of serving as ASU’s police chief is that I noticed how hard President Harris and the Board of Trustees are working to make Alabama State an even better place to obtain a quality education,” Davis said, “so naturally I wanted to be a part of their winning team.”

“Personally, I want to work with our police force at ASU as it grows professionally, so we can make sure that Alabama State continues as a safe and secure place to go to school,” Davis said Tuesday.

When Davis is not taking care of bad guys, he is serving as the pastor of the Word of Life Tabernacle, a non-denominational church, which is located in Montgomery.

“My two passions in life are protecting people here on Earth and serving God through the ministry, which offers people peace and protection in the eternal life to come,” Davis said.

Ms. Jeanie Graetz, a noted civil rights activist, will be honored and inducted, along with 13 undergraduate and 10 graduate students.

Graetz is the wife of the Rev. Robert Graetz, a white Lutheran clergyman who came to Montgomery in 1955 to minister to an all-black congregation and became close friends and supporters of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Rev. Graetz was the only white minister to openly support the Montgomery Bus Boycott and he and Jeanie Graetz openly supported both equal civil and voting rights for the city’s black residents. The Graetzes’ were often ridiculed and threatened by the Ku Klux Klan and their home was bombed three times during their stay in Montgomery, once while the family was at home. Miraculously no one was harmed by the huge explosion of dynamite.

Alpha Chi is a coeducational academic honor society. Since 1922, its purpose has been to promote academic excellence and exemplary character among college and university students and to honor those who achieve such distinction.

Membership to Alpha Chi is limited to the top 10 percent of an institution’s juniors, seniors and graduate students. Invitation to membership comes only through an institutional chapter. Some 300 chapters, located in almost every state and in Puerto Rico, induct more than 11,000 members annually.

Attendees are asked to RSVP Dr. D. Jordan or Dr. D. Harmon at dharmon@alasu.edu. For more information, call (334) 229-4616.

According to Rhonda Hargrove, coordinator of ASU’s Career Services, there will be more than 20 participating employers. Some include: Alabama Department of Transportation, FBI, The Birmingham News, United Parcel Service, Trusouth Entertainment LLC, and Health Services Inc.
“We have companies that are traveling from Birmingham, Mobile and Eufaula,” Hargrove said. “All students are encouraged to bring their resumes, along with being professionally dressed.”

This event is open to ASU’s current undergraduate students seeking a part-time job, internships and summer employment. Individuals interested must pre-register at ASU’s Career Center in Kilby Hall or online at www.alasu.edu/Career_Services/default.aspx?id=19.

For more information, contact ASU’s Office of Career Services (334) 229-4156.

As a rising senior from Atlanta, Barbara Lynn Pringle said she is excited about being selected Miss ASU 2008-09 and looks forward to participating in the coronation.

“I feel confident I will do a good job representing the legacy of Miss ASU,” Pringle said. “I want to represent ASU like it has never been represented before.”

Miss ASU 2008-09 and court includes:

Miss Barbara Lynn Pringle
Miss Alabama State University

Barbara Lynn Pringle, a senior theater arts major and social work minor from Atlanta, is the sixth child of Robert Lewis Pringle and Jo Patricia Pringle. Pringle graduated from Pebblebrook High School, where she participated in the Magnet Performing Arts Program and was heavily involved in the vocal and drama department. In high school, she was a part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Freddie Hendricks Youth Assemble of Atlanta.

Upon her arrival at ASU, Pringle quickly became active in the Trio Program, International Student Association, Campus Outreach, Fresh College Ministry and the Dramatic Guild, where she was crowned Miss Dramatic Guild in 2007.

Miss Brittany Donielle Woodard
1st Attendant to Miss Alabama State University

Brittany Donielle Woodard from Stone Mountain, Ga., a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations, is the daughter of Donald and Lisa Woodard. Woodard is the oldest of six children and a graduate of Tucker High School. During high school, she was co-captain of the Dancing Dolls while still cheering competitively. Woodard was also active in Habitat for Humanity and Future Business Leaders of America.

At ASU, she is a student senator for C.J. Dunn Towers, the captain of the 2007 Stingettes in the Mighty Marching Hornet Band, a member of Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Her motto is: “Your attitude determines your altitude.”

Miss Deshawn Sutton
2nd Attendant to Miss Alabama State University

Hailing from Tampa, Fla., Deshawn Sutton is the youngest child of Arleyah and Larry Francis. She is a graduate of King High School, where she was a member of the orchestra, Thespian Club, National Honor Society, Student Council, Spirit Team, ROTC and Key Club.

Now a senior biology major at ASU and a member of Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity, Inc., and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Sutton’s involvement in campus life exhibits her philosophy of helping people. She is involved with the Golden Ambassadors, Student Senate, March of Dimes, Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity and ZHOPE (Zetas helping other people excel).

Sutton aspires to be a dentist and attend Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn.

For more information, contact ASU’s Office of Student Activities at (334) 229-5158.

By ASU News Services

The opening reception for the exhibit will be held Oct. 12 from 3 to 5 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Calloway, an Opelika, Ala. native, decided to pursue a career in art at an early age. In 1984, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in art from Alabama State University. While attending ASU, he received numerous art awards, academic awards and graduated with honors. During the summer semester of 1989, Calloway was awarded a Master of Fine Arts from Florida State University with a concentration on drawing and painting.

Calloway has exhibited his artwork in several galleries and museums, including Embrace, The Fine Art Fair of the National Black Arts Festival, Atlanta; APEX Museum, Atlanta; Hayti Heritage Center, Durham, N.C.; Americus Arts Council, Americus, Ga.; Douglass Theatre, Macon, Ga.; National Conference of Artists; Detroit Chapter Gallery, Detroit; and Annette Howell Turner Center for The Arts, Valdosta, Ga.

The National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at ASU is located at 1345 Carter Hill Road.

For more information, call (334) 229-4876 or (334) 229-4824.

April D. Taylor is ASU’s new assistant director of compliance and compliments the efforts of Monique Holland, who was hired in June to serve as the athletic department’s compliance director and senior women’s administrator, he said.

“Alabama State University takes its responsibility of complying with NCAA rules very seriously,” Harris said, “and Ms. Taylor’s presence on campus is just another part of our ongoing effort to adhere to both the letter and spirit of every NCAA collegiate athletic rule and regulation.”

Taylor will be responsible for many of the day-to-day functions in ASU’s compliance office, particularly with initial-eligibility, housing and admissions liaison, playing and the practice season, said Holland, associate athletic director for compliance.

Taylor will also oversee the student-athlete advisory committee to ensure that ASU’s student-athletes continue to have a voice in the athletic department and continue the university’s commitment to the tri-county area through various community service efforts, she said.

“April Taylor is an impressive young lady who brings a tremendous amount of understanding for and experience in athletics,” Holland said.

“She is a former women’s basketball coach, as well as, a standout student-athlete and has a how-may-I-help attitude, which will be invaluable to ASU’s athletic program.”

Taylor comes from Newberry College, where she served as an assistant coach, recruiting coordinator and as an adjunct professor. She is enrolled in a master’s degree program in physical education at ASU.

“The Health Education Fair is designed to help increase health awareness among all women, men and children in Montgomery and surrounding communities,” said LaShunda Blanding-Smith, interim chair of ASU’s Health Information Management Department. “The event also aims to motivate participants to make positive health behavior changes.”

Guest speakers will include Blanding-Smith and Carrie Nelson-Hale, SISTA’s Breast Cancer Coalition. Health educators and representatives from ASU’s physical therapy department, department of occupational therapy, biomedical club, the Center for Disease Control and many others will answer questions and distribute information about various health and safety topics. Free food and prizes also will be available.

The fair is sponsored by the NAACP, the Montgomery Improvement Association and Student Health Information Association (SHIMA).

For more information, contact ASU’s Health Information Management Department at 334-229-5058, or e-mail lblandingsmith@yahoo.com.

You are invited to have full access to the event and speak to participants and university officials alike on how the current financial crisis is affecting their employment prospects, as well as how an event like ASU’s Career Fair might help ease their plight. More than 50 participating employers will be on hand for the event, including Gateway, Hyundai USA, United Parcel Service, FBI, Tuscaloosa City Schools and Jackson Hospital. This event is open to both current ASU students and alumni.

Dr. Algernon Austin

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – (September 26, 2008) – Alabama State University’s doctoral program in Educational, Leadership, Policy and Law will begin its Doctoral Seminar Series on Sept. 29 at 5:30 p.m. in the John L. Buskey Heath Sciences building. 

Dr. Algernon Austin, director of the Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy Program at the Economic Policy Institute, will present the lecture titled, “The Good News about Black Students and the Challenges Ahead.”

Austin is a sociologist of racial relations with a specialization on black Americans. Prior to joining the Economic Policy Institute, he was assistant director of research at the Foundation Center and a senior fellow at the Demos think tank. He received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Wesleyan University, a master’s degree and doctoral degree in sociology from Northwestern University.

Austin is the author of Getting It Wrong: How Black Public Intellectuals Are Failing Black America and Achieving Blackness: Race, Black Nationalism, and Afrocentrism in the Twentieth Century. He has published scholarly articles in Ethnic and Racial Studies, Qualitative Sociology, the Journal of African American Studies, and Race, Gender and Class.

The seminar is free and open to the public. For more information, call (334) 229-4659.