TSU President Glenda Glover does it again, raises $1 million in one day for TSU and nation’s other HBCUs

By Kelli Sharpe

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover has once again succeeded in her advocacy for the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and raised $1 million in a 24-hour campaign for the institutions. As International President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Dr. Glover led the service organization in the one-day fundraising initiative, AKA HBCU Impact Day, held on Sept. 16. The funds will provide financial assistance and help to secure fiscal sustainability and success for TSU and all four-year HBCUs.

President Glenda Glover receives an initial gift of $25,000 from the AKA during the dedication of a bench in her honor on the TSU campus on June 26. She was joined by Horace Chace, vice president of Business and Finance; Terry Clayton, member of the TSU Foundation Board; and Iris Ramey, associate vice president for Corporate Partnership and Strategic Initiatives. (submitted Photo)

“Once again this is a historic moment for Alpha Kappa Alpha as we have raised $1 million for HBCUs for the second year in a row,” President Glover shared with excitement in a video message to sorority members.

“I want to thank everyone who contributed to this $1 million, one-day campaign. Let’s continue to support our HBCUs.”

AKA HBCU Impact Day is part of a four-year $10 million fundraising goal by the sorority to establish an endowment on each campus. Money raised through AKA HBCU Impact Day will assist in providing financial support to these schools over the next three years.

“TSU is one of the HBCUs that will continue to receive funds for the AKA endowment,” added the president.

In June, AKA established a $100,000 endowment at TSU with an initial contribution of $25,000.

Donors can still make contributions by texting AKAHBCU to 44321, giving by mail or online at http://aka1908.com/hbcus/donate-hbcu.

Last year, members and supporters surpassed the million-dollar goal in one day, and the organization began distributing funds almost immediately to support HBCUs around the country.

In February, AKA gifted $1.6 million from their AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund to 32 HBCUs. Presidents from these institutions joined Dr. Glover and sorority leadership at a special Black History Month program at the AKA International Headquarters in Chicago.

Organizations that provided the largest corporate matches to the AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund in 2018 were Caterpillar, General Electric, Hilton, Houston ISD, IBM, SAP America, State Farm Companies Foundation, UnitedHealth Group, and Wells Fargo Bank.

These endowment funds can help schools reduce student debt through scholarships, fund industry-specific research, recruit and retain top faculty, and much more. According to The Network Journal, nearly a quarter of all African Americans with bachelor’s degrees graduated from an HBCU (22%). HBCUs have historically served all people regardless of race or economic standing and continue to do so. These schools are often the largest employer in rural areas, and educate students from pre-K through college via teacher education programs, charter schools and early college high schools housed on their campuses. AKA believes the importance of these environments of higher learning and the need to support them have never diminished.

For a complete list of institutions funded in the first cycle from the AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund, and more information on the sorority’s commitment to HBCUs, visit the sorority’s online pressroom at www.AKA1908.com/news-events/online-pressroom.

Department of Media Relations

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About Tennessee State University

Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.