Month: February 2018
TSU recognizes Black History Month with celebration
Texas Southern is kicking off Black History Month with the Black History is Our History campaign. This initiative will recognize those who have contributed to the University’s rich 90-year history and the local, national and global community. Historical images and anecdotes will be highlighted around campus and the University’s publications, website, and social media platforms throughout February.
This campaign will continue TSU’s 90-year anniversary celebrat
ion. TSU students, alumni, faculty, staff, and stakeholders are encouraged to submit any story ideas, photos, or memorabilia to support this effort. A calendar of events will be posted to keep the TSU community informed about all Black History Month events that will be held on campus.
Follow TSU on Facebook at @texassouthernuniversity, Twitter at @texassouthern, and Instagram at @texassouthern. For story ideas and calendar submissions, e-mail the TSU Office of Communications at media@tsu.edu.
Koch Foundation funds new TSU Center for Justice Research
(l-r) TSU Provost Kendall Harris, Ph.D.; Oliver Bell, TSU Board of Regents; Dr. Howard Henderson, TSU President Austin A. Lane, Gerard Robinson, Center for Advancing Opportunity; Dr. Harry Williams,Thurgood Marshall College Fund; Houston District Attorney Kim Ogg, Dr. John Hardin, Charles Koch Foundation.
HOUSTON (January 22, 2018) – Texas Southern University (TSU) announced the establishment of the Center for Justice Research (CJR), a new initiative designed to produce innovative solutions to criminal justice reform and address challenges in America’s criminal justice system. TSU was awarded $2.7 million by the Center for Advancing Opportunity, an initiative supported by funding from the Charles Koch Foundation and Koch Industries to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
The primary focus for the Texas Southern University Center for Justice Research (CJR) will be to produce innovative solutions to reform efforts by utilizing an experienced group of researchers working to understand and address the current challenges of the U.S. criminal justice system.
“The Center for Justice Research represents a new direction for Texas Southern and will strengthen our commitment to equal justice for all citizens,” said TSU President Austin A. Lane. “TSU is elated to receive strong support for the Center from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the Charles Koch Foundation, forming a critical partnership to advance knowledge through our faculty and evidence-based research, and in turn, care for our fragile communities.”
CJR’s mission is to change the paradigm of how historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) address criminal justice reform by developing objective, evidence-based research. The goal is to develop and disseminate interdisciplinary criminal justice research to dismantle barriers faced by American citizens in fragile communities. The Center will be an incubator for policy-driven criminal justice research support, increase the research capacity of HBCU faculty in the field, and train and mentor graduate students interested in addressing issues surrounding mass incarceration.
Howard Henderson, Ph.D., professor of Administration of Justice in TSU’s Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, will serve as the Center’s director.
John Hardin, Ph.D., director of university relations at the Charles Koch Foundation, said that more Americans are incarcerated than have a college degree. Hardin said that the Foundation is concerned that the criminal justice system has more impact on the community than the educational system and also has a greater ability to destroy lives.
“Research is required to ensure that the criminal justice system in this country is one that treats all people equally and with dignity so that citizens can live a fulfilling life,” Dr. Hardin said. “We are proud to be a part of a partnership supporting such critical, academic pursuits.”
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-18th District) said, “Our criminal justice system is deeply flawed and perversely inhumane support for reform spans the ideological spectrum, and this grant to TSU’s Center for Justice Research will help to enhance efforts to ensure that all of us receive equal treatment under the law.”
Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House Committee on Judiciary and Homeland Security and a strong advocate for justice reform, spoke via speakerphone in support of the initiative. She said that African Americans and other people of color are heavily incarcerated due to a disparate system, but that research and science are the tools to resolve criminal justice problems.
“TSU is an appropriate place for this commitment because it is the people’s university. It costs more than $32,000 to incarcerate people and more women are being incarcerated, so there is a crucial need for this grant,” Jackson-Lee said.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said, “Incarceration is the end of opportunity for many people, but this grant is setting the stage for a new era in criminal justice. We need a common-sense approach to avoid recidivism and address problems with mental illness and addiction in the community.”
Dr. Bullard ranked among top urban planning professors
Dr. Robert D. Bullard, distinguished professor of urban planning and environmental policy at TSU, was ranked 11th in the top 25 rankings of urban planning faculty in the United States and Canada. Professor Bullard’s book, Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class and Environmental Quality” was ranked 8th on the top 25 rankings of cited publications by urban planning faculty. The rankings were compiled by Tom Sanchez of Virginia Tech’s School of Public and International Affairs using Google Scholar Citations. Click here for the complete rankings.
About Dr. Bullard:
Robert D. Bullard is the former Dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University 2011-2016, he is currently Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy. Prior to coming to TSU he was founding Director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University. He has been described as the father of environmental justice. He received his Ph.D. degree from Iowa State University. He is the author of seventeen books that address sustainable development, environmental racism, urban land use, industrial facility siting, community reinvestment, housing, transportation, climate justice, emergency response, smart growth, and regional equity.
TSU’s Office of Continuing Education launches the Atty. Ricky Anderson Entertainment Law Institute
The Office of Continuing Education has increased its online certificate programming with the addition of the Attorney Ricky Anderson Entertainment Law Institute Virtual Campus (ARAELI). The institute’s e-learning certificates are designed to prepare students and lifelong learners for today’s competitive global entertainment and media marketplace.
ARAELI is a customized, self-paced program. Featured courses include artist promotion and representation management, music publishing, production and distribution, recording, performance agreements, merchandising, touring film and television agreements, and “Music in Cyberspace”.
“Texas Southern University is committed to supporting and exceeding the changing needs of our students due to the steady growth of online education and degree programs,” said TSU President Austin Lane. “Full online degree programs provide more flexibility in achieving a college education for our diverse community of learners.”
“With online education rapidly developing and the number of online educational programs increasing, Texas Southern University is committed to supporting and exceeding the current needs of our full-time and part-time students,” said Attorney Ricky Anderson. “The fully online certificate programs provide even more flexibility in achieving an advanced education for our diverse community of learners.”
Enrollment for ARAELI began on January 26, 2018. The programs are taught by experienced faculty and will be delivered through a virtual campus learning management system for online, blended and web-enhanced courses. The Attorney Ricky Anderson Entertainment Law Institute is an educational partner with Aperion Global Institute.
Courses are available 24-hours a day, year-round through a self-paced e-learning licensed technology platform. ARAELI offers a flexible and accelerated online learning process for students and lifelong learners, within and outside the State of Texas.
Click here for a full listing of ARAELI programs and courses.
About ARAELI
The Attorney Ricky Anderson Entertainment Law Institute is an educational experience with prep tools for a career in the Entertainment Industry. And for the novice, it’s an introduction to creative concepts for those with an interest in learning introductory information regarding the Entertainment Industry. https://www.atty-raeli.com
About Texas Southern University Office of Continuing Education
The Office of Continuing Education is Texas Southern University’s administrative unit for essentially delivering non-credit courses, but we also offer courses for college credit through our Weekend College for non-traditional students seeking a degree. More specifically, our unit is designed to meet identifiable community needs in lifelong learning and professional development by providing educational opportunities for all qualifying individuals.
Attorney Ricky Anderson Entertainment Law Institute™ is in partnership with Aperion Global Institute™