@Claflin: The Institute of Teaching and Nursing, Bridge to Education, Book Signing, Golf Classic and more

June 24, 2022

The World Needs Visionaries

Claflin University Launches The Institute of Teaching and Nursing

Claflin University, South Carolina’s oldest HBCU and nationally-ranked institution, is advancing its status as a leading and cutting edge academic enterprise via its launch of The Institute of Teaching and Nursing (TITAN) on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. in Ministers’ Hall. TITAN is part of South Carolina’s Institutes of Innovation and Information, an initiative and vision inspired by Sen. John L. Scott, Jr., which focuses on revolutionizing and cultivating the state’s seven four-year Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ (HBCU) overall capabilities and contributions for the citizens and residents of the state.

“Claflin University is renowned for the rigor of its academic programs, and we are excited about the opportunities to showcase teaching and nursing, which are among the most critically needed helping professions locally, regionally, and nationally,” said Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack, president of Claflin University. Claflin University is the only HBCU in South Carolina that offers a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nursing.

Some of TITAN’s goals include introducing high school students to the concepts of the teaching and nursing professions, orienting them to college life, and facilitating exposure to quality observational and experiential internships in education and nursing. In partnership with the other six HBCU campuses, the integration of research on health disparities and the underrepresentation of teachers of color will also be among the topics addressed through TITAN.

Claflin University Bridge to Education Program Provides Career Pathway for Aspiring Educators

A group of highly-ambitious and talented high school students and recent graduates are taking advantage of a unique educational experience that introduces them to careers in K-12 education. Nearly 40 students are participating in the Claflin University Bridge to Education (CUBE) program, a state-funded initiative created to recruit and prepare minority students from communities along the Interstate 95 (I-95) Corridor to enter and complete teacher education programs. A major component of the project is to provide counseling, mentoring, on-campus summer enrichment activities, and opportunities for dual credits at Claflin University and its partner institution, South Carolina State University.

I'm hoping to gain insight into what it’s like to be an education major and how to become a teacher,” said Faith Stewart, who will be a senior at Lancaster (S.C.) High School. “My goal is to become a teacher so that I can help strengthen the next generation. This program is showing me what I need to know about applying for a scholarship and how to maintain good grades. I am also learning about the mental aspects of teaching, which includes how you relate and work with students and your co-workers.”

“My fifth-grade teacher gave me a flyer about the CUBE program. I completed the application and sent it to Claflin that night. I am looking forward to coming to Claflin and attending an HBCU after high school.” Stewart will be the second person in her family to earn a high school diploma and the first to attend college.

“The program is a testament to Claflin and South Carolina State’s commitment to preparing students from these communities for successful careers in the teaching profession,” said Dr. Dora Waymer, program director. “We have seen students from the schools in this region who really have a passion for wanting to teach. They realize that highly skilled and compassionate teachers who care about their students can have a positive impact on their communities.”

Waymer also said that some of these students need additional academic support because their school's lack funding to stay current with the latest teaching methods and technologies to prepare them to excel in college. “That’s why this program is so important,” Waymer said. “We want to inspire these students and nurture their abilities and desire to pursue careers in education.”

The CUBE program’s primary goal is to help diversify the teacher education pipeline for schools in rural and historically underserved communities. This includes expanding access to resources to help students prepare to pass the Praxis exams and receive licensure and teacher certification in South Carolina.

A’Shonna Padgett, a graduate of Whale Branch Early College High School in Beaufort, S.C., will enter Claflin as a freshman during the fall 2022 semester. She chose Claflin because of the University’s accredited education program and for the assistance she will receive with job placement after graduation.

“I like what the CUBE program offers, and I am in love with the people and the campus community,” she said. “I am learning the basics of being a teacher and the importance of first working on yourself and how you can best work with the students. Teaching is more than just reading information and passing it on to the students. You have to learn about the students and what motivates them to be successful in the classroom and life.”

The overarching goal of CUBE is to provide an essential early step in supporting “minority students” success in their transition to college. The program seeks to enhance and maintain a positive academic and co-curricular student experience where first-year students can achieve academic success while intentionally providing a targeted group of students with opportunities for post-secondary education and academic support.

“I discovered that a career as a teacher is something I really want to pursue,” said Justin Simpson, who will begin the 11th grade at the High School for Health Professions (in Orangeburg) in fall 2022, “When I look back at how my teachers helped to make me the person I am today, I want to give back to younger students than me who want the same thing.

Simpson is familiar with Claflin and the University’s summer programs. He previously participated in the Freedom School and several other programs. “I believe one of the most significant challenges for teachers is to learn how students learn,” Simpson said. “They must realize that all students don’t learn the same way. Some learn through physical presentations, some need visual models, and others learn best by hearing what is being taught. Teachers must find out how to reach them so that every student has an opportunity achieve academic success.”

Claflin University Featured in Book About School Desegregation in South Carolina; Author to Host Book Signing in Orangeburg

Author Dr. June Manning Thomas will host a book signing on Saturday, June 25, at the Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum in Orangeburg. Titled “Struggling to Learn,” the book discusses the history of school desegregation in South Carolina. Dr. Thomas is the daughter of the late Dr. Hubert V. Manning, the sixth president of Claflin University (1956-1984). She is also the centennial professor emerita of urban and regional planning at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, where she also is the Mary Frances Berry Distinguished University Professor of Urban Planning.

The book also outlines Claflin University’s role in the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina. Many of the photo illustrations in the book are by Cecil Williams, director of historic preservation at Claflin University. The book is published by the University of South Carolina Press.

About the Book

The battle for equality in education during the civil rights era came at a cost to Black Americans on the frontlines. In 1964 when fourteen-year-old June Manning Thomas walked into Orangeburg High School as one of 13 Black students selected to integrate the all-White school, her classmates mocked, shunned, and yelled racial epithets at her. The trauma she experienced made her wonder if the slow-moving progress was worth the emotional sacrifice. In Struggling to Learn, Thomas, revisits her life growing up in the midst of the civil rights movement before, during, and after desegregation and offers an intimate look at what she and other members of her community endured as they worked to achieve equality for Black students in K-12 schools and higher education.

Through poignant personal narrative, supported by meticulous research, Thomas retraces the history of Black education in South Carolina from the post-Civil War era to the present. Focusing largely on events that took place in Orangeburg, South Carolina, during the 1950s and 1960s, Thomas reveals how local leaders, educators, parents, and the NAACP joined forces to improve the quality of education for Black children in the face of resistance from White South Carolinians. Thomas's experiences and the efforts of local activists offer relevant insight because Orangeburg was home to two Black colleges―South Carolina State University and Claflin University―that cultivated a community of highly educated and engaged Black citizens.

With help from the NAACP, residents filed several lawsuits to push for equality. In the notable Briggs v. Elliott, Black parents in neighboring Clarendon County sued the school board to challenge segregation after the county ignored their petitions requesting a school bus for their children. That court case became one of five that led to Brown v. Board of Education and the landmark 1954 decision that declared school segregation illegal. Despite the ruling, South Carolina officials did not integrate any public schools until 1963 and the majority of them refused to admit Black students until subsequent court cases, and ultimately the intervention of the federal government, forced all schools to start desegregating in the fall of 1970.

In Struggling to Learn, Thomas reflects on the educational gains made by Black South Carolinians during the Jim Crow and civil rights eras, how they were achieved, and why Black people persisted despite opposition and hostility from White citizens. In the final chapters, she explores the current state of education for Black children and young adults in South Carolina and assesses what has been improved and learned through this collective struggle.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Alote Jones Jr. Spends Summer as Intern at Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Alote Jones Jr., a junior computer engineering major, is working this summer as a construction inspection intern at the City of Jackson (Mississippi) Wastewater Treatment Facilities. This is his second year serving as an intern. Jones is being mentored by seasoned construction inspectors to conduct field inspections for compliance of roadway structures and materials to regulatory standards and project specifications. Jones is very passionate about technology and giving back to his community. While still in high school, he learned to code, develop websites and built his first computer. Using this technical knowledge to help others, he served as a tutor for local students in math and science, and as a mentor for troubled young men in his community. Jones is also a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc, Lambda Sigma Chapter.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Daa'iyah Fogle Wins Business Plan Pitch Competition in Cleveland, Ohio

Congratulations to senior mass communications major Daa’iyah Fogle, CEO of Day’s Design, who competed in and won the Black Girl Ventures x NBA Foundation NextGen Pitch Competition in Cleveland, OH. She now has the opportunity to win additional money and needs your help! The grand prize is $10,000 and is determined by community votes! Visit https://raisify.co/competition/199 for more information.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Claflin Athletics Posts a 3.27 Department Grade Point Average

In addition to some fantastic performances on the courts, tracks, and fields, the Claflin University student-athletes put on some equally impressive efforts in the classrooms this spring. At the completion of the spring 2022 academic semester, the hard work of the Claflin University student-athletes was put on full display with some dynamic grade-point averages and statistics.

For the spring semester, the Claflin University student-athletes combined to generate some staggering academic performances. For the entire department, student-athletes posted a combined 3.27 GPA. Individually, 103 Lady Panthers and Panthers recorded a 3.0 or higher GPA with 19 student-athletes recording a 4.0 GPA. Combined, 11-of-12 Claflin University teams recorded 3.0 GPAs.

Claflin University Department of Athletics will host one of its biggest events of the year with the 2022 PAWSUp Golf Tournament and Reception on July 7-8. Between a star-studded cast of special guests and taking place at one of the premier golf courses on the east coast, the tournament is set to be one of the premier events of the year.

The tournament will kick with the annual PAWSUp Golf Tournament Reception on Thursday, July 7. Before taking the course in fun and competitive play, Friday morning, participants, supporters, and fans can get a chance to get together for an evening of fellowship with the opening reception. Highlighting the reception will feature a host of special guests, including former NFL stars Hugh Douglas, Nate Newton, Dwayne Harper, Na'Shan Goddard, Tony Thomas, and NBA referee Eric Lewis as well as other celebrity guests. The reception will also include an autograph session and silent auction.

The Lake Marion Golf Club is the location for the second annual PAWSUp Golf Classic Tournament on Friday, July 8. Registration for the tournament will begin at 8:00 a.m. before an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. In addition to several of the top golfers in the area, participants can also test their skills against some of the celebrity guests that attend the reception. There will be two flights of the tournament with Champion and Runners Up prizes for each flight. There will also be a men's and women's longest drive competition and a Closest to the Pin competition as well.

Admission to the 2022 PAWSUp Golf Tournament Reception and Silent Auction is $25. Participation in the 2022 PAWSUp Golf Tournament is $125 for individual players while a four-person team is $500. Sponsorship opportunities for the PAWSUp Golf Tournament & Reception are also available.

To register for the 2022 PAWSUp Golf Tournament or to purchase tickets for the 2022 PAWSUp Golf Tournament Reception, go to https://alumni.claflin.edu/paws-up-golf-classic- or to register by phone, contact Ms. Priscilla Cramer at (803) 535-5504 or by email at pcramer@claflin.edu.