Alumni/Pacesetters |
President's Letter
From the Alumni Director
On Campus
Applause
Operation Desert Learning
The Individual Shape of the Universal Mind
Coming Home to Big Rapids
Prescription for Change
Bulldog Bites
Most Valuable
Golden Gopher Memories
Presidential Bus Tour, 2005
Black Alumni Pay it Forward
Class Notes
Karpa Agrees to Terms With Gulls
Johnson Notches 500th Win as Head Coach
Alumnus Cooks Live with Regis and Kelly
250 Words With..
Studying Abroad...in New Zealand
In Memoriam
Alumni Events
Black Alumni Pay It Forward
SEMBAA fosters next generation of
African Americans at Ferris
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| Ken Lamb, chair of SEMBAA (standing), was one of more than 80 guests at Magnolia's restaurant during the 2005 Presidential Bus Tour. The event was one of the tour's most successful and well-attended. |
"I told him that I would probably pursue a career in the military," Littles says. "He informed me that he had attended Ferris State, recommended that I apply, and gave me 15 dollars, the fee to process my admissions application. He said, 'If you get accepted, you can pay me back my 15 dollars. If you don't, we'll call it even.' I got accepted."
Building on the legacy of such individual acts at that 15-dollar loan, the Southeastern Michigan Black Alumni Association is searching for more innovative and creative methods and outreach techniques to urge young African Americans to attend Ferris.
"SEMBAA has been around since February of 2004," says Ken Lamb (EHS'69), SEMBAA's chairman and a 25-year automotive industry veteran through his work with General Motors. "We started talking about what we could do for young folks and came up with three specific initiatives we wanted SEMBAA to concentrate on: increasing the African American enrollment at Ferris State, improving the graduation rate for African American students and reconnecting with other alumni to get them to support these goals."
For Keeli Lackey (AS'96), it's exactly that combination of connecting with fellow Alumni and reaching out to the next generation, which drew her to SEMBAA.
"This is very personal for me - it's something I thought about back in 1998 or '99," says the 1994 Homecoming queen, who is now SEMBAA's vice chair. "Raymond Gant [head of the Office of Minority Student Affairs at Ferris] had us thinking about this back then as a way to keep in touch with each other, so it's great to see it happening now."
Lamb notes that SEMBAA has Alumni from as far back as the 1960s, and as recently as the current decade. One of the youngest members, Tamiko Logan (EHS'01), SEMBAA's secretary, works as a case manager for Wayne County through Black Family Development. Her own career at Ferris might well serve as a model for those SEMBAA is trying to reach.
"In my second year I applied for the Honors College, and stayed in Carlisle Hall," says Logan. "I was involved in several organizations: You Beautiful Black Woman and Hall Council, and I was a Resident Assistant in Masselink Hall. I sat in on SAFAC (Student Activity Fund Allocation Committee), as well as Lambda Alpha Epsilon, which is the Criminal Justice fraternity. I got involved in Homecoming, Entertainment Unlimited and gospel choir, and joined the Delta Sigma Theta social sorority, for which I was the corresponding secretary. I really think being involved is important. It helps push you."
"I can say truthfully that attending Ferris contributed to my success," says Littles. "As Manager of Supplier Diversity for Detroit-based DTE Energy, I am a strong advocate for the inclusion of small businesses, the sector most responsible for American job creation, in the company's procurement activities.
"We are all bound not only by our association with Ferris, but also as former Black students. I believe we need to be cognizant of returning to our various communities and giving back to those who need our assistance."
Logan notes that the easiest way to get started with giving that kind of assistance is to log on the Ferris Alumni Web site (www.ferrisalumni.org). "SEMBAA also has a page on the Web site," she says. "If you loved your experience at Ferris, then come out and help those students who are struggling, since that's a rewarding experience itself. Come back and help us out."