NEW ORLEANS - Dillard University is proud to elect Alvin Gentry (left), head coach of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) New Orleans Pelicans to its Board Of Trustees. Gentry and his twenty-one trustee colleagues will serve the University by counseling University President Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough, execute legal and fiduciary decisions and developing the University’s mission that promises “to  produce graduates who excel, become world leaders, are broadly educated, culturally aware, and concerned with improving the human condition.”

Board of Trustees’ Chair Michael Jones, ESQ. says he’s excited to have Gentry join the Dillard University Board of Trustees. “He will be valuable in our efforts to position the University for growth for the next 150 years and beyond,” he added. 

Alvin Gentry started his career in basketball when he was a student at Appalachian State University where he served as the point guard for its basketball team. Upon graduation, Gentry began his first collegiate assistant coaching job at Baylor University. After working at Baylor for one year, Gentry became an assistant coach for the University of Colorado and later, the University of Kansas. Under his leadership, the University of Kansas won the 1988 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) National Championship. In 1989, Gentry began his NBA coaching career with the San Antonio Spurs. Gentry, then transitioned to coaching for the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and landed in the Crescent City in 2015 to become the head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. 

“We are super excited to have Coach Gentry as part of the Dillard University board. As a sports fan, I definitely appreciate the work that he has to do as a coach, and I was extremely impressed by the accolades from his peers and the sports media professionals about his ability to develop young talent,” University President Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough said in a statement. “He brings great experience working with young people, and a genuine interest in being a contributing member of the city of New Orleans. Dillard is a great place for him to do that.” 

Since his move to New Orleans, Gentry has become a friend of Dillard University and received its Athletics Division’s 2017 Bleu Flame of Excellence Award for demonstrating excellence in community service and athletics.

“It’s an incredible honor just to be considered for a position of this nature. To actually be elected to the Board of Trustees leaves me speechless. Dillard University has been a vital and important part of the city of New Orleans for 150 years. I will try to do everything I possibly can to continue its growth and improvement in all areas of the university. I look forward to getting started with all the other hard working members of the board.” Gentry excitedly shared with Dillard’s Office of Communications and Marketing. 

NEW ORLEANS (8/27/19) - The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a five-year, $1.25 million HBCU-UP grant to Dillard University. The grant is in support of Improving Minority Participation and Completion (IMPACT) through STEM initiative. It will help increase the number of students applying to the institution's STEM programs and retention rate.

The HBCU-UP grant will also help Dillard achieve its academic goals, redesign STEM coursework and prepare Dillard students’ for their future career paths and research experiences.  

“This award is a follow-up to an earlier NSF planning grant completed by Dr. Eric Buckles, Interim Dean of Arts and Sciences and Coordinator of the Biology Program and Dr. Page, the Vice President for Academic Affairs. It represents a major investment in Dillard’s efforts to advance STEM education in general and prepare Dillard graduates for an advanced STEM workforce. The HBCU-UP award will have a lasting impact on the Dillard STEM program,” Theo Callier, the Assistant Vice President of Research and Sponsored Programs said in a statement. 

Dr. Buckles shared similar sentiments by noting the grant will allow faculty members to receive professional development in their designated STEM field. "We are very excited about the grant, which will support Dillard’s continuing efforts to increase retention and graduation rates in STEM majors,” he said. "The grant will also focus on curriculum redesign of key gatekeeper STEM courses, provide professional development for faculty, and link research and workforce development opportunities for our students."

The hallmark of Dillard’s STEM program has been its commitment to providing a quality education for students who major in the natural sciences disciplines. Dillard University is known as a place that not only educates some of the country’s top scholars and leaders, but a place where the community can come and learn.

NEW ORLEANS - Alumnus Jatavian Williams (left) '06 awarded Dillard University's Pre-Law Program with $10,000 on behalf of his law firm, Glago Williams LLC. Williams '06 presented the donation to Pre-Law advisor Adria Kimbrough, ESQ after speaking at the Legal Education Advancing Diversity (LEAD) Lunch With A Lawyer series' luncheon on August 8, 2019. Dillard University thanks Williams for his continuous commitment and support to his alma mater.

Dillard University’s Pre-Law program is nationally recognized and one of the leading programs in the HBCU consortium. Its Mock Trial Team was founded in 2016 and is a member of the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA); Dillard University Pre-Law Advisor Adria Kimbrough, local attorney Roman Griffith, and Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge, the Honorable Kern Reese, serve as coaches for the Mock Trial team. In 2018, Dillard’s Pre-Law program was awarded the AccessLex Institute Legal Education Diversity Pipeline Grant, which funds programs that provide students from historically underrepresented groups with resources to aid them in successful matriculation into law school and the legal profession.

Dillard is the only undergraduate institution in the nation, and the only Historically Black University in the nation to be awarded a grant through this program. Dillard also received $125,00 to launch a program called LEAD (Legal Education Advancing Diversity) that provides students and graduates from the three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in New Orleans with a comprehensive year-long program that will include intensive preparation for the Law School Admissions Test ("LSAT”), law school admissions support, and a mentor in the legal profession.

Dillard's Mock Trial team is ranked #1 out of 20 teams from much larger institutions such as Baylor University, Louisiana State University, Rice University, Texas A&M University, and the University of Houston.

Visit give.dillard.edu/donate-now to give today!

Dillard University , located in New Orleans at 2601 Gentilly Blvd., is a private four-year liberal arts historically black institution with a history dating back to 1869. For more information, please visit www.dillard.edu . Also, follow us on Twitter, Facebook @DU1869 and Instagram, Dillard University.

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