Livingstone College

Livingstone College will host its first home football game since the 2019 season this weekend with the Seventh West End Classic. The first home game for the past six years has been dedicated to the community in which the historically black college resides, the West End of Rowan County. The West End Classic is a partnership between Livingstone College, the City of Salisbury and members of the West End Coalition (West End Pride and West End Community Organization combined). The game begins at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Livingstone Alumni Memorial Stadium. There will be a certain amount of complimentary tickets available for West End residents. Livingstone College and the West End Coalition typically meet for breakfast meetings throughout the year to discuss improvement issues related to the community and to vote on West End residents who qualify for Community Spirit Awards during the West End Classic game. This year due to the pandemic, the two entities have not been able to meet and no awards will be presented. However, Livingstone College has decided to rename the award after a special member of the West End Coalition, who passed away earlier this last year. The West End Community Spirit Award will now become the Fannie. T. Butler Community Impact Award. It will be given to an individual, group or organization that have made significant contributions to the community. Fannie Tillery Butler, a 1949 graduate of Livingstone College, was a founding member of the West End Community Organization and served as president …

SALISBURY – The Livingstone College Office of Alumni Affairs is looking for a few exceptional men and women – under the age of 40. Livingstone will hold its inaugural “Forty Under 40” recognition program this fall and is seeking nominations for the society that highlights young, successful alumni. The deadline to nominate an honoree is by 11:59 p.m. on June 18, EST. In order to qualify, nominees must be an alumnus of Livingstone College and under age 40 on Oct. 7, 2021. “The Forty under 40 Society recognizes young alumni who have made significant contributions in their careers, community, the nation or the world,” said Vincia Benjamin Miller, director of Alumni Affairs. “Among Livingstone alumni are many examples of young professionals who are making strides in their respective fields and we are looking forward to honoring them.” Once nominated, the nominee will be sent a link and required to complete the full application process, and must submit a resume and two short essays regarding their career and educational achievements and community involvement. A committee of judges will review each application with scores based 50 percent on career and education, and 50 percent on community involvement. Finalists will be announced on July 16 with the 40 honorees being recognized at an Alumni Ball on Oct. 7 during Livingstone’s homecoming week. Anyone can nominate an alumnus under the age of 40. Click here to get started: Forty under 40 nomination form. For more details on nomination rules, click here: Nomination rules for …

Livingstone to hold in-person graduation Saturday with rising music mogul King Carter as speaker   SALISBURY – Livingstone College will hold its 139th Commencement at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, at Alumni Memorial Stadium, the first in-person ceremony since the pandemic. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the ceremony will have limited access. Each graduate will receive five tickets each: two for premium admission and three for general admission. In case of inclement weather, only premium ticket holders will be allowed inside Varick Auditorium for the ceremony. General admission ticket holders will be admitted into the New Trent Gym, where they can watch the ceremony on a jumbotron. The College will use both sides of the stadium to accommodate social distancing, and there will be two jumbrotrons on the field for better viewing. Everyone attending must wear masks at all times. Livingstone will also perform COVID-19 tests on May 12 for all graduates. Those receiving negative results will be allowed to participate in the ceremony. The traditional baccalaureate service will be virtual this year and aired on the Livingstone College official YouTube channel at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 14. The speaker will be Bishop Kenneth Monroe, vice chairman of the Livingstone College Board of Trustees. The keynote speaker for the graduation ceremony is rising music mogul Da’ud Ramiz Carter, also known as King Carter. Carter rose to prominence in the music industry by managing the Grammy-nominated rapper, DaBaby. Today, he is focused on building an empire of his own to …

Broadcast legend William “Bill” Reid Rollins has donated $200,000 to Livingstone College to support the genesis of its communications program. Rollins, former chairman and chief operating officer of Suburban Radio Group, visited the Salisbury campus on April 30 with his attorney, Mark Prak. During a business luncheon in the Hilliard Room, Rollins presented Livingstone President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins Sr., with a check for $200,000. The gift will go toward the college’s proposed communications program. In making the presentation, Rollins said the donation stemmed from his relationship with Dr. State Alexander, Livingstone’s executive assistant to the president and vice president of communications and public relations. Alexander started his career in the radio industry and worked at WPEG 97.9 FM in Charlotte when Rollins owned the major urban market radio station decades ago. The two were recently reunited due to a stroke of serendipity. Last year, Rollins was featured on a PBS series highlighting North Carolina broadcast legends. Alexander was having trouble sleeping one night and decided to watch some late-night TV, where on the screen was a rebroadcast of Rollins’ episode. It has been the vision of Alexander to start a communications program at Livingstone for several years, and he had often thought of reaching out to Rollins to help jumpstart the project. “Waking up and seeing him on TV was all the confirmation I needed,” Alexander said. He later sent a proposal to Rollins and the rest is the beginning of history in the making. Rollins, who is former …

Other incentives offered to offset pandemic woes  Livingstone College will offer each incoming freshman and new transfer student in the fall of 2021 a free new laptop computer. All freshmen and new transfers who are fully enrolled and registered, have completed their 2021 FAFSA, cleared the student health services office and satisfied all related fees will receive the new laptop. “An area of concern for the college is closing the digital divide,” said Livingstone President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr. “We have discovered that as a result of this pandemic, many students do not have the necessary tools to render their matriculation successful. A critical tool is having access to a laptop computer, which is compatible with the upgraded campus network.” The gift is consistent with Livingstone’s historic mission, which is to serve the underserved, underrepresented and under-resourced, while removing any and all barriers that impede academic success. “We understand the economic hardship that has been placed on families as a result of this pandemic,” Jenkins said. “However, as we seek to establish lifelong partnerships with students and their families, this is our way of investing in our students.” In addition to offering brand new laptops to students, Livingstone College is also offering the following incentives: Freshmen, transfer and readmit students who enroll in one of the college’s extracurricular activities and has a 2.5 GPA will automatically receive a $3,000 Incentive Scholarship. Additionally, if any of these students live within a 50-mile radius, they qualify for an extra $1,000. Every …

Livingstone College will require COVID-19 vaccinations for its faculty, staff and students beginning fall semester 2021. The announcement was made Monday to the campus community by Livingstone College President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr., as recommended by the college’s COVID-19 Task Force, chaired by Dr. Anthony J. Davis. “For more than a year, we have executed our mission in this ‘new normal.’ We have learned that managing COVID-19 is a major undertaking, and it requires significant monetary and human resources. As we bring this semester to a close, we are focused on the fall of 2021,” the letter reads. “During the next academic semester, fall 2021, we will require the entire campus community (faculty, staff, administration, students and ancillary services) to verify that they are fully vaccinated. This will be a requirement to work on our campus and to attend in person – thus enabling the College to effectively and efficiently advance our mission in the ‘new normal,’” the letter reads. “Livingstone College has been responsive and responsible related to managing COVID-19,” said Davis, who is also senior vice president and chief operating officer. “However, in order to do so effectively, it requires a significant amount of human and monetary resources.” Davis said he has received mixed reaction from the campus community, but as he shares the rationale as to why the requirement is necessary, individuals see the relevance and are eager to comply. As a convenience, courtesy and demonstration to the college’s commitment to making the vaccine available, Livingstone …

Livingstone College will hold a drive-thru event on April 28 from 5-7 p.m. on its campus to raise awareness about Livingstone to undecided college-bound students and to those who might be interested. The event, sponsored by the Office of Admissions and alumni, will feature Livingstone’s cheerleaders, band, student organizations, and fraternities and sororities, all showcased on its historical front lawn. Each car driving through will receive a gift bag from admissions that will include literature on Livingstone and its offerings, as well as a Livingstone souvenir. Members of the Livingstone College National Alumni Association will distribute snacks. Visitors, from their cars, will be entertained by cheerleaders and members of the Blue Thunder Marching Band performing on the lawn, and greeted by members of student clubs and organizations. Graduating seniors are encouraged to bring their transcripts, which can be reviewed by admissions’ counselors. Through a partnership with HBCU Hub, interested students wanting to apply can do so contact-free by scanning a QR code. Once completed, qualifying students may be admitted on site. “Due to the ongoing pandemic, recruitment counselors are developing creative ways to reach more college-bound students, such as this drive-thru event, where students and parents can be exposed to the campus and receive information from the safety of their cars,” said Livingstone President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr. “This drive thru is ideal for those students who have yet to make a college choice for the 2021 fall semester and for those students who have been admitted and would …

SALISBURY – Livingstone College announced Tuesday it will move forward with its scheduled vaccine event “In Your Spot – Get Your Shot” on Saturday, April 17, from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the New Trent Gymnasium on its campus but with a different vaccine. The Rowan County Health Department will supply 12 vaccinators who will administer 500 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine. A second clinic will be held on Saturday, May 8, to administer the second dose. This change was necessary after the CDC and FDA announced they were pausing the use of the popular one dose, one shot Johnson and Johnson, vaccine. This vaccine event is in partnership with the Rowan County Health Department and Rowan County Emergency Services, and is open to all students, faculty and staff at Livingstone, as well as members of the community at large. “This remains an unprecedented opportunity and will enable Livingstone to provide vaccine access to our campus community including students, faculty and staff, while assisting the Rowan County Health Department in reaching historically marginalized populations in our surrounding community. We are fortunate that 500 doses of the Pfizer vaccine were available and secured in support of this effort,” said Dr. Anthony J. Davis, Livingstone’s senior vice president, chief operating officer and COVID-19 Task Force chair. “We are proud to partner with Livingstone College to ‘Conquer COVID-19.’ This event is an essential part of efforts to make sure everyone has access to a vaccine. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated …