President’s Tour Visits Three Cities in First Two Days of Second Week of Tour

By Hazel Scott/ASU

On the first two days of the second and final week of the President’s tour, President Quinton T. Ross Jr. and his road team of faculty, staff and recruitment advisers boarded a bus early Monday morning (March 2) to Decatur and Huntsville and on early Tuesday (March 3) to Birmingham in order to spread the word about the many great things happening at ASU.

The “Moving ASU Forward with Hornet Pride!” tour (Feb. 5 and Feb. 24-March 7) will buzz through four more cities (Selma, Hayneville, Mobile and Montgomery) before the end of the second leg of the tour.

Ross said he and his road team will meet with high school students and parents from multiple high schools, and reconnect with ASU alums.

“This tour is a way to bring The Alabama State University to high school campuses across Alabama and Georgia,” Ross said.

ASU President Quinton T. Ross  Jr. and Drake State President Dr. Patricia Sims sign a Memorandum of Understanding.

On the tour, President Ross and his road team saw a series of highs, including signing a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with two area community colleges on March 2 and 3 – Drake State Community College in Huntsville and Jeff State Community College in Birmingham, respectively. There also will be another MOU signing in Mobile later this week.  The MOU provides a pathway for students who have achieved their two-year or associate degrees to enroll at ASU to attain their bachelor’s degrees.

“Establishing agreements with four-year universities open even more doors for our students,” said Drake State President Dr. Patricia Sims. “We’re pleased to have education partners like Alabama State University working with us to create new pathways for students.”

During the tour, the University will host college fairs so students can get a closer look at ASU and its degree programs.

High School Visits

The President’s bus tour visited four schools in the first two days of the second week of the tour. On Monday the tour visited Austin (Decatur) and Mae Jemison (Huntsville) High Schools. Today the bus is traveling to Birmingham’s Huffman and Ramsay High Schools.   

The hallmark of the 2019 President’s Tour is scholarships. Students attending the tour had a chance to qualify for scholarships; some were awarded on-the-spot scholarships.

One ASU scholarship recipient, Terrance Martin, a senior at Decatur’s Austin High School, decided on Hornet Nation after hearing what ASU has to offer.  He will start school in the fall and major in criminal justice and social sciences.

“This scholarship means a lot to me. A lot of my aunties went to ASU and they have that Hornet Pride, so I said I want to have that Hornet Pride. So what helped me decide on ASU was the joy my aunties felt when they went to ASU,” Terrance said.

Receiving a scholarship for Austin High School senior Kandice Thompson meant two important things -- a financial burden being lifted from her mom’s shoulders and attending a university she has always wanted to attend.

“My mom doesn’t have to worry about taking out loans and me being able to secure a spot at ASU. The University is the only school I applied to. I’ve wanted to attend ASU every since I was in middle school,” Kandice said, who will major in  business management at ASU.

As for Huntsville’s Mae Jemison High School senior, Tedera Ashley, she was very excited to receive a scholarship. She will major in biology at ASU.

“I feel as if I’ve accomplished something and now I know what my future holds for me. My first choice has always been Alabama State University,” Tedera said.

Scholarships also were handed out at Birmingham’s Huffman and Ramsay High Schools. 

Principals said the tour benefits their students.

“A lot of our students in this area don’t always know what our HBCUs have to offer. It’s a great time for ASU to come and let students know that it has  tremendous opportunities just like other universities," said Austin High School principal Dr. Melissa Scott (class of 1992, 1995). “I remember when I got ready for college, I thought I wanted to go to other universities. My mother, an ASU graduate, let me know quickly that it (ASU) fed me and mine and it will feed you and yours. It has definitely done that. I’m proud to be a Hornet.”

Mae Jemison High School principal Demetris Leverette agreed.

“The tour brings opportunity and hope for our kids. That is what we thrive for each and every day,” Leverette said, who is not an ASU alum but was born and raised in the birthplace of Alabama State University -- Marion, Ala.   

At the culminations of both days, ASU held a reception for alums and friends. The receptions are a way of networking, thanking ASU alums and strengthening their connection with ASU by discovering opportunities to get even more involved with the University.

Three ASU Board of Trustee members attended the reception in Huntsville.  

The last leg of the tour will end with a Hornet Extravaganza on Saturday, March 7.   

Scholarship recipients at Austin High School. 

Scholarship recipients at Mae Jemison High School.