Years: 2020

“The Best Local HBCU”: Married non-traditional students on why Dillard was an easy choice

From the Oaks

In today’s higher education landscape, non-traditional students are increasingly becoming the new norm on college campuses. However, at Dillard University, non-traditional students have always been a consistent group within the Dillard community and its legacy. Dillard is committed to being a historically Black college that is inclusive in educating African-American students, no matter their age, academic or familial background.

President Kimbrough pens a letter in support of Jefferson Parish student Ka Mauri Harrison

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Dear Superintendent Gray,

I am writing on behalf of Ka Mauri Harrison who was recently suspended for an alleged violation of school policy because a BB gun was visible while he participated in a virtual classroom experience. The adjustment to this new reality has been hard for students of all ages. I have been meeting with my freshmen at Dillard University who are experiencing not only a new level of learning at a new school, but the use of new modalities that most faculty are learning as well. While we too have established rules and policies, probably even more so since college students have a level of independence that requires greater compliance in order to keep everyone safe, we are flexible given this unprecedented situation.

Black Philanthropy: Dillard’s Silent Hero

From the Oaks

The month of August is observed as Black Philanthropy Month (BPM), a celebration and campaign created to push charitable efforts within the Black race. Developed by Dr. Jackie Bouvier Copeland and the Pan-African Women’s Philanthropy Network, BPM was launched in 2011 to commemorate the United Nations Year and Decade of People of African Descent. Valaida Fullwood and Tracey Webb joined the effort in 2013.

A message from the presidents of Dillard and Xavier

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Dear students, staff, and faculty of Dillard and Xavier Universities,

Our communities have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with harrowing consequences for the lives and health of our fellow citizens. Overcoming the virus will require the availability of vaccines effective for all peoples in our communities, especially our black and brown neighbors. Phase 3 vaccine trials have begun across the nation, including in New Orleans.  It is of the utmost importance that a significant number of black and brown subjects participate so that the effectiveness of these vaccines be understood across the many diverse populations that comprise these United States.

Community and Church Relations director keeps Dillard connected with New Orleanians through COVID-19

From the Oaks

It is the first day of free COVID-19 testing on campus with a steady stream of masked New Orleanians moving through the Student Union. COVID-19 may have taken the city’s world famous spring festival season away; but it has not taken away warm greetings, smiling eyes and laughter. The biggest laugh, however, comes from Nick Harris who presents every single test taker with a complimentary tote bag as if he has known them for years.

The brilliance and masterpiece of Dillard’s School of Humanities

From the Oaks

On May 4, 2020, Dillard University alum Jericho Brown ‘98 won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for his collection “The Tradition.” The Pulitzer board deemed it “a collection of masterful lyrics that combine delicacy with historical urgency in their loving evocation of bodies vulnerable to hostility and violence.” Brown’s win followed the premature deaths of Breonna Taylor, an award-winning emergency room technician and Ahmaud Arbery, a former star student athlete.

#BlackLivesMatter: Dillard students speak out against racial injustice across the nation

From the Oaks

On the heels of George Floyd’s premature death on May 25, protests across the United States rippled and erupted against racial injustice. Floyd, an unarmed Black man, accused of forgery, became the umpteenth Black person to be murdered by a police officer. In major cities, protesters organized and developed call to action agendas for government officials to restructure or defund law enforcement institutions. Dillard students, emulating the University’s mission statement, attended protests in their hometowns or New Orleans so that another Black life doesn’t become a hashtag. Here are their accounts on why they protested.