Black Scholar Awards

University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI 02881

cunnigen@mail.uri.eduPhone: (401) 874-4302

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About the Program

In 1998, Dr. Donald Cunnigen suggested to the members of the University of Rhode Island Black Faculty Association the establishment of a Black Students Awards Dinner (the predecessor to the Black Scholar Awards) as a means of recognizing the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of graduating students of African descent. His suggestion was accepted by the group. He spearheaded a subcommittee with Dr. Yvette Harps-Logan who volunteered to serve as a member. After the first year, Dr. Donna Gilton assisted in planning the event. Beginning in 2000, Dr. Christopher Hunter assumed the position of Committee Co-Chairperson, a leadership role which he continues to maintain. 

Although individual Black students received occasional recognition from other entities on campus, the Black faculty wanted to demonstrate their commitment and interest in the recruitment, retention, development, and support of Black students at the University by establishing an awards program that recognized consistently student achievement in a variety of areas. As a result, the program has been maintained and directed by Black faculty since its establishment.

The first awards program was a small dinner in the Atrium of the Memorial Union with approximately thirty to forty guests in attendance. In the early years, only seven awards were presented to seniors. Over the years, the program expanded to include twelve awards that recognize student achievement in areas such as academic achievement, athletic achievement, scientific excellence, independent scholarly research, creative and artistic expression, community service, university service, and all-around achievement. The awards program was the first campus-wide program that acknowledged the service contributions by students to the Black community on and off-campus. More than one hundred students have been award recipients. Past award recipients have become productive
contributors to the state and nation. They include professionals such as lawyers, journalists, professional athletes, social workers, doctors, and educators. The first speaker was Dr. Harold Bibb, Associate Dean of the Graduate School.

A critical component of the yearly program has been the featured keynote speakers. They have been a diverse array of scholars and civic leaders from different racial and ethnic backgrounds who have inspired and informed students. Speakers have included Judge Geraldine Hines of the Massachusetts Superior Court, Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts of Rhode Island, Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Atty. Peter Hurst of The Community Bank in Bridgeport, and Dr. David Kim of Connecticut College.

In addition, the awards program recognizes the members of the Rhode Island Onyx Senior Honor Society. Its annual induction ceremony honors graduating seniors of African descent who achieve 3.30 or higher grade point averages.

The program has become a community event in which local politicians, family members, students, faculty, administrators, and staff participate on a regular basis. The incorporation of local community leaders has been a part of the program from its beginning with the participation of Melvoid Benson, a local political leader as an early award presenter. The organizers viewed the participation of local leaders as a key mission of the program because it allowed students an opportunity to meet and engage local Black community leaders. Through the Taylor Award, the program recognizes contributions made by individuals and/or organizations. This recognition reflects the program’s integration of community leaders as an important component from its incipient stages of growth and development.

Presently, the program is organized by the Black Scholar Awards Program Committee. Since its inception, the program has received funding from the Office of the President and the University of Rhode Island Alumni Association. The program has become an integral part of the university’s and the alumni association’s commitment to diversity on the campus. It continues to provide recognition for a segment of the university’s community that needs such attention. As the first awards program to recognize the diverse student achievement at the University, the Black Scholar Awards Program makes an invaluable contribution to the enrichment of its environment.

Black Scholar Awards Call For Nomination

URI HONORS STUDENTS AT 17TH ANNUAL BLACK SCHOLAR AWARDS

Read the Official News Release

2014 BLACK SCHOLAR AWARDS

Congratulations to all the 2014 BSA recipients!

SCHOLAR SPOTLIGHT EUGENIO FERNANDEZ JR. ’13

May 6, 2013- Balancing four majors would make most students wince, but Eugenio Fernandez Jr. found a way to do just that, while still enjoying his college years at the University of Rhode Island. Fernandez will graduate with a doctor of pharmacy degree, master of business administration, bachelor's degree in biology, and a bachelor's degree in psychology. Oh, and he is also fluent in Spanish. ...Read the article...
MEET MORE SCHOLARS...

IN THE NEWS

URI Grad Students Marry

Bryana White and Marc Hardge
Bryana White, a URI Psychology Ph.D. candidate, was married to Marc Hardge, a URI English graduate student and '99 Hardge Award recipient, at the Johnson and Wales Inn, Seekonk, Massachusetts on December 29, 2011.


Booker Urges Class of 2011 to Stand Tall

Newark, NJ Mayor Cory Bookerdelivered an inspiring message to graduates as the 2011 URI commencement speaker. Read the full story

PAST AWARD CEREMONIES









BSA NAMESAKES

Who is... Noreen Coachman?

Bryana White and Marc Hardge She earned a bachelor's degree from URI in 1973, and an M.D. from Brown University Medical School in 1984. Before her death at a young age from cancer, she was a staff physician in radiation oncology at Roger Williams Medical Center and a clinical instructor at Brown University. As a recipient of the American Cancer Society's Clinical Oncology Award, she specialized in radiation therapy for locally advanced prostate cancer and in combined modality treatment with chemotherapy in locally advanced head, neck, and pancreatic cancers.

William Gould?

Bryana White and Marc Hardge His great-grandfather (also William Gould) escaped slavery in 1862 by rowing to a Union gunboat patrolling off the coast of Wilmington, NC. William Gould IV (Class of '58), has written a book about this and other exploits. Read more...

Reverend Arthur Hardge?

Bryana White and Marc Hardge He was a leader of the Civil Rights Movement, arrested and jailed in Florida for refusing to leave a restaurant reserved for whites and later becoming the first black man in Rhode Island to head a state agency. Read more...

Harvey Robert Turner?

Bryana White and Marc Hardge He was the first Black graduate of the University of Rhode Island in 1914. He majored in civil engineering and was a member of the football and track teams. The 1936 alumni directory listed his occupation an assistant treasurer of Prairie View State College in Texas.

Estes Arnathia Benson?

Bryana White and Marc Hardge Estes Arnathia Benson (1956-1997) was a cum laude graduate in the class of 1978 at the University of Rhode Island. At the University, he starred in football. He received the Fifth Quarter Club Scholar Athlete Award. He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. After graduating, he studied at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Subsequently, he received a Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University. Believing that work and travel were essential to his pursuit of knowledge; Estes spent a year in Israel on a kibbutz; a year in the Gulf of Mexico on an oil rig; and several years in various management positions in a variety of businesses, including providing affordable housing for inner-city residents. An actor and writer, he appeared in University productions, New York City Showcase Theatre, and Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities Legacy Series. He was the author of the Legacy drama, “Fighting to be American: Rhode Islander in the Civil War." As a volunteer throughout New England, he presented educational activities on drug and alcohol abuse to young people.

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