FAMOUS GRADUATES: Making A National And International Impact

Ebony, Sept, 2001

THEY'RE known nationally and internationally. Some of them turned America upside down during the 20th century, while others are household names in movies, television and books. Everybody (or almost everybody) knows them--Martin Luther King Jr., Oprah Winfrey, Jesse Jackson, Leontyne Price--but few people know that they're gifts of historically Black colleges and universities. Here's how some of our most famous celebrities looked in college--when they were virtually unknown outside their campuses.

HAMPTON UNIVERSITY

Hampton University has always prepared leaders. Whether it is Mr. George Lewis, recently retired president and CEO of Philip Morris Capital Corporation; university presidents Dr. Dianne Boardley Suber and Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, III; major generals Wallace Arnold and Arthur Holmes; Mayor Douglas H. Palmer; Federal Judge Vanessa Gilmore or the world renowned artist, Dr. John T. Biggers, Hampton's greatest strengths lie in these and the other 20,000 alumni who continue to make outstanding contributions to the world.

Hampton graduates are successful because of their professional expertise and the fact that Hampton promotes character and such values as integrity, honesty, respect for oneself and others, decency, dignity and responsible behavior as the fundamental tenets in our society.

Norfolk State University

For more than 65 years Norfolk State University has served the educational needs of students from all over the country. Norfolk State University has made tremendous strides in higher education for the benefit of African Americans unable to pursue their educational goals in mainstream universities and colleges. That heritage and legacy continues today. Norfolk State University is one of the nation's largest Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) founded in 1935.

Our mission is to provide an affordable, high-quality education for an ethnically and culturally diverse student population, while equipping them with the capability to become productive citizens who continuously contribute to a global and rapidly changing society.

Norfolk State University offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in various disciplines from the Schools of Business, Education, Liberal Arts, Science and Technology, and Social Work.

The University has four Centers of Excellence: Entrepreneurship, B.E.S.T (Bringing Education and Science Together), Materials Research, and the Center for Service and Literacy.

The combination of excellence in academic offerings, research and support services, and public service to the social and business communities results in a unique and innovative university program.

Located in historic Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk State University is situated on a 134-acre campus approximately 2 miles from the downtown area. Near the resort areas of Virginia Beach and Colonial Williamsburg, the University is in a region that is rich in history, culture, and recreation.

For more information about Norfolk State University, call the Office of News & Media Relations at 757/823-8373. Questions about admission requirements, contact the Office of Admissions, 700 Park Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23504, Tel: 757-823-8396. Email: admissions@nsu.edu. Web: www.nsu.edu

Jesse Jackson North Carolina A&T University B.A. 1964

Martin Luther King Jr. Morehouse College B.A. 1948

Oprah Winfrey Tennessee State University, attended 1971-75; B.S. 1987

Deborah (Debbie) Allen Howard University School of Fine Arts B.A. 1971

David Dinkins Howard University B.S. 1950

W.E.B. DuBois Fisk University B.A. 1888

Marian Wright (Edelman) Spelman College B.A. 1960

Medgar Evers Alcorn College B.S. 1950

Alexis M. Herman Xavier University B.A. 1969

Tom Joyner Tuskegee Institute B.A. 1970

Althea Gibson Florida A&M University B.S. 1953

Langston Hughes Lincoln University (Pa.) B.A. 1929

Shelton Jackson Lee (Spike Lee) Morehouse College B.A. 1979

Nikki Giovanni Fisk University B.A. 1967

Samuel L. Jackson Morehouse College B.A. 1972

Thurgood Marshall Lincoln University (Pa.) B.A. 1930

Chloe Anthony Morrison (Toni Morrison) Howard University B.A. 1953

Leontyne Price Central State College B.A. 1949

Booker T. Washington Hampton UniverSity 1875

Walter Payton Jackson State University B.A. 1975

L. Douglas Wilder Virginia Union University B.S. 1951

Andrew Young Howard University B.S. 1951