@Claflin: Claflin University Receives $440,000 From U.S. Department of Education and more

June 2, 2023

The World Needs Visionaries

Claflin University Receives $440,000 From U.S. Department of Education’s Project SERV Grant

Claflin University was awarded $440,000 from the U.S. Department of Education through the Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) grant. Claflin was one of four Historically Black Colleges/Universities disrupted by bomb threats last fall that received funding from the grant.

“The bomb threats last year that targeted several Historically Black Colleges and Universities traumatized their campus communities, disrupted learning, and drained resources by prompting costly campus lockdowns, class cancellations, and law enforcement activities,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “The Biden-Harris administration will always stand by HBCUs and unequivocally condemn racist efforts to terrorize Black students and educators and deprive them of their right to safe, welcoming, and nurturing environments for teaching and learning. The Project SERV grants announced today will help four HBCUs directly impacted by these bomb threats to better serve students, faculty, and staff by increasing access to mental health and wellness services and improving other vital supports.”

Project SERV provides short-term funding for local educational agencies and institutions of higher education that have experienced a violent or traumatic incident to assist in restoring a safe environment conducive to learning. The Department expects additional grants to be awarded in the coming weeks. It continues to work with additional impacted HBCUs to support them in the grant application process and expedite the processing of applications once received.

“The U.S. Department of Education under Secretary Miguel Cardona has displayed exceptional compassion and foresight by establishing the Project SERV grants,” said Claflin President Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack. “These bomb threats are alarming and impact every aspect of the campus community. These funds will help us enhance campus security and expand resources critical to the psychological and emotional well-being of our students, faculty, and staff. We greatly appreciate the continued support the Biden-Harris Administration and Secretary Cardona have provided HBCUs.”

Claflin University will use its Project SERV funds to hire a licensed clinical social worker and support training focused on stress reduction; provide workshops on identifying signs of distress in students and coworkers; and other programs to address stress, anxiety, and campus safety.

“These funds are critically important to the safety, security, and well-being of our institutions,” said Dietra Trent, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities. “HBCU students consider their campuses as a sacred refuge and home away from home, and it is imperative that we provide them with these resources ensuring that they not only feel safe but are safe. It is also incumbent upon us to ensure that the faculty and staff dedicated to educating the next generation of leaders can do so with peace of mind. Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has been committed to strengthening the HBCU community, and the investments these institutions make using the Project SERV funds is another example of the strength of that commitment.”

The Biden-Harris Administration continues to take a whole-of-government approach to support HBCU campuses. For example, to date, the Department of Education has delivered nearly

$7 billion in cumulative investments to HBCUs, including:

$3.7 billion through the American Rescue Plan and other COVID relief;
$1.6 billion in capital finance debt relief;
$2.45 million in Project SERV funds; and
$1.5 billion in grant funding to help HBCUs and other MSIs expand capacity.

Claflin University Celebrates Inaugural Master of Science in Nursing Graduates

From left: Deonte Thompson, Adrain Sims, Azuree Page, Heidi Reno, Dr. Shannon Smith, President Dwaun J. Warmack, Alecia Moody, Chevron Vice, and Patrice Burgess.

Heidi Reno did not hesitate when asked how she benefitted from graduating from Claflin’s Master of Science in Nursing program.

“This program taught me how to impact change within my environment,” she said. “It also increased my knowledge of the business and financial aspects of the nursing industry,’’

Reno and six other graduates made Claflin history as the first to earn degrees in the Master of Science in Nursing program that launched in 2019. The nursing scholars were designated “The Super Seven” by Claflin President Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack during the 2023 Spring Commencement Convocation held on May 6, 2023, at the Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Wellness Complex. The graduates earned degrees in the program’s Nurse Leader Track (NL).

“All of my classes were online, so I did not spend time driving or sitting in traffic. I was able to study and review material at the times that were best for me,” said Reno who earned her associate degree in nursing from Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College and Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Claflin. She presently works as a nurse at Lexington Hospital in Lexington, S.C. “Claflin’s programs offer the best of both worlds,” she added.

The inaugural class of master’s degree graduates participated in a Pinning Ceremony on May 5, 2023, in Ministers’ Hall. The other graduates were Patricia Burgess (Orangeburg, S.C.), Alecia Moody (Augusta, Ga.), Azuree Page (Columbia, S.C.), Adrain Sims (Sumter, S.C.), Deonte Thompson (Ladson, S.C.), and Chevron Vice (Lexington, S.C.)

Claflin’s Master of Science in Nursing program includes a Family Nurse Practitioner (NP) Track that began classes in 2021. The Nurse Leader (NL) Track was added in January 2022. Claflin’s master’s in nursing program hosted an accreditation site visit from the Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) in March 2023. A full accreditation notification is expected this fall and will be retroactive to March 13, 2023.

“These nursing graduates are highly skilled professionals who embrace Claflin’s guiding principles. They are committed to valuing people by providing a safe, wholesome, and healthy environment that fosters mutual respect, diversity, and inclusion. These same qualities are essential to being an effective nurse,” said Dr. Pandora Ryant, director of the MSN Nursing Leadership program. “They are equipped with the skills and training to contribute effective high-quality care and promote positive patient outcomes.”

Claflin’s nursing program offers courses 100 percent online and in-person clinical immersions for FNP students once per semester. The program is designed to provide nurses with the flexibility to work full-time while continuing their education. Claflin is the only historically black college/university (HBCU) in the state of South Carolina that offers a bachelor's and master's degree in nursing.

Dr. Shannon Smith said Claflin’s Nursing Leadership Track prepares graduates to lead evidence-based practice and health care in multiple and diverse settings. Smith is associate dean and an associate professor of nursing at Claflin.

“Increasing the number of advanced practice nurses and nursing leaders from diverse backgrounds is critical to expanding the quality of health care in our community,” said Smith. “We will have more nurses that understand the needs of the populations we serve.”

Deonte Thompson, a native of Ladson, S.C., is excited about his future work and opportunities in nursing leadership. He currently works as a travel nurse with the Veterans Affairs (VA) Travel Nurse Corps, and his career aspirations include becoming a chief nursing officer.

“My experience in the program was spectacular,” said Thompson. “I always wanted to earn my MSN degree from a HBCU.” Thompson was the only male graduate in the 2023 MSN NL nursing program. He is immensely proud of his role as a mentor to young males seeking careers in the healthcare industry.

“Most of the nursing community consist of females,” said Thompson. “Patients perform better when they are treated by someone that relates to them and their struggles. I would encourage anyone who wants to be a nurse to never let their environment deter them from their goals. Be the change you want to see in the world.”

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Alumni News

Dr. Xavia H. Burton, '10, is the new Executive Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Indiana State University. Her primary responsibilities are to recruit and retain diverse faculty and staff in Academic Affairs and to address issues of implicit bias in and out of the classroom. She will also provide leadership on issues of diversity and faculty excellence, and help ISU achieve several strategic goals and benchmarks.

Alice Carson Tisdale Honors College graduate James Cogman, '16, finished Claflin with a 3.75 GPA and is still doing big things! Click here to read his featured interview with Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.

Attorney Adonikam J. Hudson, '17, celebrated the grand opening of The Hudson Law Firm, LLC. in Orangeburg on Saturday, May 20. The firm specializes in family law, such as child custody, divorce and child support cases; criminal law and personal injury. He will open an additional office in Timmonsville, S.C., later this month.

Congratulations to Desiree Lewis, '03, who was named a WLTX News19 Teacher of the Week! Ms. Lewis served as a teacher at Rivelon Elementary School in Orangeburg. The school is closing at the end of this school year after serving children in the community for 68 years. Click here to watch the story.

Nateisha Taylor, '01, has been appointed Provost of Butler Academy (Hartsville, SC) - the first in the school's history! As provost, Taylor will lead the academic programs of the school’s network – its lower school, its middle school and, in 2025, its new high school. In most K-12 schools, Taylor’s new position would be termed a chief academic officer, but in a decision that is believed to be a first for the state, Taylor’s new position encompasses the traditional role of chief academic officer as well as the more externally-facing responsibilities of an institution’s provost.

Nearly 70 alumni representing the Classes of 1955 to 2019 attended the President’s Alumni Chapter Tour at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C, on May 25. Attendees listened to University announcements and updates from President Dwaun J. Warmack and Claflin success stories from two students: Melody Woodruff, a political science major, and Erica Woods, a mass communications and marketing major.

Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack will visit the Queen City on Wednesday, June 21, at 7 p.m. for the President's Alumni Chapter Tour event at Foundation For the Carolinas (Kearney Solarium). Please RSVP by Wednesday, June 14, at https://alumni.claflin.edu/charlotte-visit