October/November 2013

Alexis Anderson
’15, a biology major,
chemistry minor from
Philadelphia, PA, is one of
eight recipients of the
Educational Testing
Service (ETS) Presidential
Scholarship for Historically
Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs).
Selected from a national
pool of talented applicants, the
selected few were given
undisclosed amounts to help meet
their tuition cost.
1
For Anderson, the award
was a godsend. “I knew I had a
shot but I also knew that I was
going against numerous intelligent
and competitive candidates out
there,” she said. “My prayer was
for God to grant me this
scholarship if it was destined for
me. I began to thank God in
advance for this wonderful
opportunity
even though it was
4
not here yet.”
Bennett College NEWS is
published monthly, September—May
by the office of Institutional
Advancement.
This newsletter is designed to engage
friends and supporters of the College
with news that informs, entertains,
and inspires.
We welcome your feedback.
Contact us at 336-517-2267.
Anderson admitted
that one of her goals was
to relieve the financial
burden for her single
mother. Not only does
she pay for her own
education, Anderson’s
mom has three children in
college.
“The amount of
loans she takes out yearly
is fairly huge and ridiculous, and
so I was determined—and still
am—to limit, if not completely
cease, the need for her to borrow
3
money to finance my education,”
Anderson added.
The Bennett student
credits maturity and spiritual
growth for defining the successful
woman she is today. Anderson
wants to pursue a career as a
general surgeon after becoming a
Rhodes Scholar.
Anderson encourages her
peers to believe 5in possibilities
when striving for greatness.
“There is absolutely no limits to
the things we can achieve in this
life. All we have to do is dress
appropriately. Put on our hats of
wisdom; our shirts of confidence;
our pants of dignity; our shoes of
determination; and our attitudes
of respect, rigor and
righteousness,” she said.

8
Bennett College Receives
$497,242 Grant to Prevent
Violence Against Women
Partners with Neighboring HBCUsNC A&T State University
and Shaw University
In the wake of alarming
statistics, Bennett College has stepped
forward to inform and protect the
women of Historically Black Colleges
and Universities (HBCUs). Serving as
the lead institution, the College will
partner with NC A&T State University
as well as Shaw University to
implement the Resources, Intervention,
Services and Education (RISE)
Project, a three-year collaboration that
seeks to institutionalize campus-wide
responses to violence against women.
Funding the project is a
$497,242 grant from the Office on
Violence Against Women at the
Department of Justice. The award “will
focus on reducing domestic violence,
dating violence, sexual assault and
stalking on college campuses,” said
Robin Campbell, director of Health &
Counseling Services at Bennett
College. “Outreach programming,
training, and resources will be provided
for victim safety, offender
accountability and prevention.”
The consortium team is made
up of leaders from the institutions’
centers for health and counseling: Ms.
9
Robin Campbell; Dr. Vivian Barnette,
executive director of Counseling
Services at NC A&T; and Mrs.
Jerelene Carver, director of the
Counseling Center at Shaw University.

Bennett College Inducts Community Leaders
into Women of Substance Circle
(1st row, L to R) Inductees Susie Powell, Jeanne Tannenbaum,
Vickie Kilimanjaro and President Rosalind Fuse-Hall
(2nd row, L to R) Bennett College Trustees Sally Cone,
Christy Clayton and Joyce Dixon
Bennett College Crowns Her Queen
(L to R) Miss Sophomore, Akillah Miles; Miss Freshwoman, Ashley
Anderson; Miss Senior, Gabrielle Johnson; President, Dr. Rosalind FuseHall; Miss Bennett College, Brenda Keels; Miss Royal Blue & White,
Tramaine Miller-Harris; and Miss Junior, Jasmine Beckwith
Bennett College Celebrates 140 Years Since Its Founding
Dr. Cynthia Hopson, Founders’ Day Speaker (center) with
Presidents Rosalind Fuse-Hall and Larry Czarda,
Greensboro College
Bennett College Parents’ Association Officers
(L to R) Treasurer Dr. Francine Samuels, Atlanta, GA; Financial Secretary
Crystal McIver, Sanford, NC; President Charlene Phillips, Boston, MA;
Recording Secretary Robin Smith, Washington, DC; and Vice President
Francine Maxwell, San Diego, CA

Learning should be fun. That
was the premise for one professor who
decided to initiate a campus-wide math
competition at Bennett College.
For the continuation of the semester, Dr. Yan Lyansky, assistant
professor of mathematics, will email a
weekly math problem. Participating
students will have until the Friday of
each week to submit their solution. The
individual with the most points by the
end of the semester will win a cash
prize, courtesy of Dr. Lyansky himself.
As simple as the competition
may seem, the math problems are designed to challenge and inspire an appreciation for the subject. “I will present
some truly beautiful problems and so-
lutions this semester,” Dr. Lyansky
said.
Shacora Rorie ’16, a biology
major from Durham, NC, decided to
participate in the competition. The
Bennett student says she’s far from
being a math enthusiast but thought it
would be good practice for her precalculus class. “At first, I found it kind
of hard, but I’m confident in winning
this contest,” she added.
Dr. Michelle Linster, dean of
the division of natural and behavior
sciences/mathematics, shared her enthusiasm for the competition. Because
the women’s college strives to promote
science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM), she is excited to
support a fun teaching technique that
extends to all members of the student
body.
“Women, especially minority
women, are grossly underrepresented
in STEM fields. That’s an issue, because when women are not involved in
the STEM areas, needs that are
unique to women may go overlooked,”
Dr. Linster said. “As educators, we
must do our part to promote STEM
areas because of what it means for the
future. Attracting and retaining women
in the STEM workforce will maximize
innovation, creativity and international
competitiveness.”

After receiving three
nominations at the 34th Annual News
and Documentary Emmy Awards, The
Loving Story took home the nod for
Outstanding
Historical
Programing (Long
Form).
Screenwriter for
the hit
documentary is
Bennett College
alumna Susie
Powell ’64, former
board member and
recent inductee
into the College’s Women of
Substance Circle, a distinguished
society of exemplary women.
Depicting the quest for
matrimonial rights, The Loving Story
tells the tale of Richard and Mildred
Loving, an interracial couple who, in
1967, challenged the Supreme Court in
order to legally live in Virginia and have
their marriage recognized by the state.
From there, the documentary
examines the history and current
tolerance for interracial marriages
throughout the United States.
Also nominated for
Outstanding Documentary and
Outstanding Editing at the News and
Documentary Emmys, The Loving
Story has had a history of critical
acclaim since its premier at the Full
Frame Documentary Film Festival in
April 2011. To date, it has won the
Gabrielle Award and the George
Foster Peabody Award, both in 2013,
as well as the Writer’s Guild of
America (WGA)
Documentary
Screenplay
Award at the
AFI-Discover
Channel
Silverdocs
Festival in 2011.
Co-produced by
HBO
Documentary
Films, The
Loving Story first aired on HBO in
February 2012.
Powell received her bachelor’s
in English from Bennett. After
completing a master’s from Smith
College, she enrolled in law school
from Case Western Reserve and
became one of two black women to
graduate from her class. A black
woman who was once denied the right
to vote in rural North Carolina, Powell
passed the Ohio Bar Examination and
immediately set out to right the wrongs
of our nation. After a full career
dedicated to poverty law, Powell
began exercising her talent for writing.
She has published many short stories
and articles.

Anita Earls, civil rights attorney with 24
years’ experience, was recently the speaker for
Bennett College’s ACES program. Earls is the chief
executive officer of the Southern Coalition for Social
Justice and its Executive Director and Founder. Her
work has involved addressing structural racism,
protecting minority voting rights and furthering
community empowerment.
The Academic & Cultural Enrichment Series
(ACES) at Bennett College is designed to give students an opportunity to
enhance their cultural and intellectual development while becoming wellrounded women of the 21st century.
Exhibition Honors 150th
Anniversary of the Emancipation
Proclamation: Bennett College
Features “Freedom for All” and
Panel Discussion
In honor of the 150th
anniversary since the 1863 signing of
the Emancipation Proclamation,
Bennett College is featuring Freedom
for All, an exhibit of illustrated
informational panels that outline the
historical pursuit for liberty.
“Freedom for All conveys how
securing freedom was more of a
process than a single act or
proclamation, and the exhibit highlights
North Carolina’s unique role in that
process,” said Earl Ijames, curator of
African American History at the N.C.
Museum of History.
Bennett College enhanced the
exhibition with a panel discussion.
Invited scholars gave special attention
to the historical founding of schools like
Bennett College, which was
established by emancipated slaves.
Additionally, they focused on what
education and freedom mean today.
Special guests were Dr.
Valerie A. Johnson, Mott Distinguished
Professor of Women's Studies, director
of Africana Women's Studies and the
Honors Program at Bennett College;
Dr. Rhonda Jones, graduate director of
the Public History Program at North
Carolina Central University; and
Michelle Lanier, acting director of North
Carolina’s African American Heritage
Commission.
“Freedom for All” will be
available for viewing through
November 2 at Bennett College. Hours
are Wednesdays 1:00-4:00 p.m. and
by appointment.

Dr. Rosalind Fuse-Hall
delivered the
21st Annual
Stone
Memorial
Lecture
recently at the
Sonja Haynes
Stone Center
for Black
Culture and
History. The
annual lecture honors the late Dr.
Sonja Haynes Stone, a UNC professor
and Center advocate.
The year’s program was part
of the center’s 25th Anniversary
celebration and was co-sponsored by
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North
Six students from the
nation’s historically black colleges
and universities (HBCUs) were
selected for a $5,000 scholarship
from Aerotek Staffing Agency.
Bennett College’s Jordan
Robinson ’15 was one of the few.
Developed by Aerotek’s
Office of Diversity and Inclusion,
the selection process was based
on the candidate’s academic
record, demonstration of
leadership, and participation in
school and community service
activities.
Ashley Schroeder, internal
recruiting team lead, said, “To be
recognized for such an award is truly
honorable. Jordan has what it takes to
succeed and to reach her goals. That’s
why she was able to shine in this
scholarship competition.”
Carolina and co-hosted by Theta Pi
Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority, Inc. The lecture was free and
open to the public.
In addition to Fuse-Hall’s
address, the program included
remarks from newly installed
Chancellors Dr. Carol Folt of UNC at
Chapel Hill and Dr. Debra SaundersWhite of North Carolina Central
University. This was the first time all
three women appeared together since
assuming their positions.
The Sonja Haynes Stone
Memorial Lecture is the center’s
signature program and features
African-American women whose work,
scholarship and service epitomize the
spirit of Dr. Stone. Previous lecturers
“Even though I have always
had a high GPA and good grades, it
seems like there was never enough
scholarship money to go around,
Robinson said. “Thanks to this
scholarship from Aerotek and money I
received from the Air Force, my junior
year is the first academic year that I
have not had to stress out about my
finances.
have included Angela Davis,
Congresswoman Eva Clayton,
Kathleen Cleaver, Pearl Cleage, and
Alfre Woodard.
The Stone Center, founded in
1988 on the campus of UNC-Chapel
Hill, encourages and provides
opportunities for the critical
examination of all dimensions of
African-American, African and
African diaspora cultures through
sustained and open discussion,
dialogue and debate.
For more information, visit
www.unc.edu/depts/stonecenter or call
919-962-9001.

This is definitely a blessing
because, as college students, we
always have a lot on our minds,
but financial worries seem to hold
the most weight at the end of the
day.”
Robinson’s future is in her
lap. In December 2012, she
signed a contract with the United
States Air Force, and upon
graduating, Robinson will be an
active duty officer. A business
major, economics minor, from
Columbus, Ohio, she hopes to one day
attend law school and become a Judge
Advocate General (JAG). “I know that
when I leave Bennett College, I will be
prepared to take on the world.”
Pictured (from left to right): Gary Klutts,
account manager at Aerotek; Chelsea Gabardine,
account manager at Aerotek; Jordan Robinson ‘15;
Ashley Schroeder, internal recruiting team lead at
Aerotek; Assistant Professor Tammy McNeil-Rankin,
business department at Bennett.

Bennett College recognized nearly
100 students during its fall Honors
Convocation ceremony.
Guest speaker for the occasion
was Melissa Harris-Perry, host of MSNBC's
weekend program Melissa Harris-Perry. A
celebrated author, educator and
commentator, Harris-Perry is considered an
expert on political science and religion as
well as race and gender issues.
Dr. Harris-Perry spoke from the
topic “So what? What difference does it
make?” where she highlighted the
importance of utilizing accomplishments in
order to impact the world. “It is very easy for
you as college students to get caught up in
all of your accomplishments. You are
talented; you are smart; you are here to be
honored for what you have accomplished
academically; you set goals; you worked
hard to achieve them, but I want you to ask,
‘So what? What difference does that
make?’ At Bennett, your mission is to move
beyond yourself. Your education is meant
to benefit someone other than just you.
Your education is supposed to be of value
to your family, your community, your nation
and your world,” Dr. Harris-Perry said.
Dr. Rosalind Fuse-Hall, president
of the College, presented the guest speaker
with the inaugural President’s Award for her
demonstration of scholarship, excellence
and the courage to change our nation,
saying, “Melissa Harris-Perry is a fantastic
role model for collegiate women. Her
professional background is defined by a
diverse pursuit of understanding, fulfillment
and purpose. At Bennett College, we
encourage our students to embrace that
same desire for holistic learning, to
fervently seek opportunity and to become
well- rounded members of our society,” said
Dr. Fuse-Hall.
Among the recognized students
were women who have done just that.
The list of achievers yielded names of
Bennett Belles who have assumed a call to
leadership and benefited their communities
through service and action; exercised their
creativity and strengthened their passion for
entrepreneurial endeavors; articulated their
purpose and networked their way into some
of the nation’s top internships and
professions; and among them were those
who have traveled the world to gain
international understanding and cultural
enlightenment.
Shemiah Curry ‘15, Elementary Education
Honor Student and Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry
Among the list were students Ife
Madzimoyo ’14 and Justine Ryan ’15—
Global Belles who have fearlessly sought
opportunities abroad. Madzimoyo returned
to Bennett College this semester after
spending an entire academic year living and
learning in Tanzania, East Africa, an
opportunity made possible through the
Council on International Education
Exchange. The experience enhanced her
research on the East African captive trade in
Tanzania and its contemporary impact in the
coastal town of Bagamoyo. As one of only
two recipients of the Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
Scholarship, Ryan is participating in
Semester at Sea, experiencing 15 countries
in 115 days. Semester at Sea introduces
undergraduate students to global and
comparative studies by focusing on
structural and social changes taking place in
the world.
Breah Pope ’15, Dominique
Walker ’15, Jordan Robinson ’15 and
Sandra Davidson ‘14 were awarded
enrichment opportunities to advance their
careers. Pope, a 2013 Mellon Mays
Undergraduate Fellow, is researching the
sociological factors that influence obesity in
young African American women. This
summer, Walker will complete her second
year with the Ronald H. Brown Prep
Program for College Students, a
competitive program that helps
underprivileged students prepare for law
school. Robinson made the bold
commitment to serve her country by
enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. Signing her
contract in December 2012, she will be an
active duty officer upon her graduation from
Bennett College. Davidson was accepted
into VU-EDGE, an enrollment opportunity
at Vanderbilt University that admits
minorities, first-generation and/or low
income students into doctoral programs.
Davidson has been accepted as a doctoral
candidate in sociology, all before
completing her bachelor’s degree.
Bennett Belles like Jamelia Willis
’16 and Jasmine Koerber ’15 uphold
community service and the importance of
fundraising for a greater cause. Willis fills
her spare time with activities like the Walk
-a-Thon for Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation, March of Dimes, the Future
Business Leaders of America Special
Olympics and so much more. As the
College’s Miss United Negro College Fund
(UNCF), Koerber continually raises funds
for the higher education organization. Last
semester, she helped spearhead a campus
-wide initiative “Make Her Shine,” a
collection of toiletry items which were
donated to less fortunate Bennett students.
In order to receive recognition
during Honors Convocation, students
needed to have met the cumulative GPA
requirements during the previous academic
semester. Seniors must hold a 3.40 or
above, juniors 3.30 or above, sophomores
3.20 or above and freshwomen 3.00 or
above.
The students of the Early/Middle
College at Bennett College were also
recognized for making A or A/B Honor Roll.

Bennett College hosted the
Greensboro premiere of The New
Black along with a panel discussion
after the viewing of the film.
Directed by Yoruba Richen
and produced by Bennett College’s
Associate Professor of Journalism
and Media Studies, Dr. Yvonne
Welbon, this event was supported by
the College’s Division of Humanities.
The New Black is a
documentary that tells the story of how
the African-American community is
grappling with the gay rights issue in
light of the recent gay marriage
movement and the fight over civil
rights. The film documents activists,
families and clergy on both sides of the
campaign to legalize gay marriage and
examines
homophobia in
the black
community’s
institutional
pillar—the black
church and
reveals the
Christian right
wing’s strategy
of exploiting this
phenomenon in
order to pursue
an anti-gay
political agenda.
The New Black takes viewers
into the pews and onto the streets and
Bennett College Goes Pink
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in support of family
and friends that have been affected by cancer, students, faculty and
staff of Bennett College all wore pink and created a ribbon of love.
provides a seat at the kitchen table as
it tells the story of the
historic fight to win
marriage equality in
Maryland and charts the
evolution of this divisive
issue within the black
community.
Dr. Welbon has
produced and
distributed over 20 films
including Living With
Pride: Ruth Ellis@ 100,
winner of ten best
documentary awards –
including the GLAAD
Media Award for Outstanding
Documentary, and Sisters in Cinema,
a documentary on the history of black
women feature film directors. Her films
have screened on PBS, Starz/Encore,
TV-ONE, IFC, Bravo, the Sundance
Channel, BET, HBO and in over one
hundred film festivals around the
world. She is currently developing a
documentary about black artists in
China and producing Sisters in the
Life: 25 Years of Out African American
Lesbian Media-making – a web based
online community building project that
includes a book of essays, a
documentary, an archive and a mobile
app.
Originally from Chicago,
Welbon received a B.A. from Vassar
College, an M.F.A from the School
of the Art Institute of Chicago and a
Ph.D. from Northwestern University.
She is also a graduate of the American
Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for
Women.
For more info, visit: http://
www.newblackfilm.com/

The mission of the Bennett
College Golf Club Program is to
create a golf program whereby the
student/athlete could obtain the
knowledge and ability to play the
game of golf with integrity for a
lifetime; while using the sport as a
means of physical fitness, personal
well being and the development of
their social and business
consciousness.
The program goal is to
continue to develop the Golf Club
(The Bennett College Chipping
Belles) by participating in extramural
tournaments with area colleges and
universities. Ultimately, the goal is to
field a team so that Bennett College
will have golf as a sport to offer the
student/athlete and increase the
student enrollment of the College.
PHOTO ID: (L to R)
Coach Kevin Cooper, Damesha Fraser,
Meagan Washington, Zion Daniel
and Samara Savage
BENNETT COLLEGE
OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
900 East Washington Street
Greensboro, North Carolina 27401
Bennett College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033, 404-679-4500, www.sacscoc.org;
the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE); and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Bennett College is a United
Methodist Church-related institution. Bennett College prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression, age or status as a disabled veteran in admission, access to, treatment of, or employment in its programs or activities.