Welcome to InsideTSU, the weekly newsletter of Texas Southern University!
Thursday, September 1, 2022
NASA selects TSU to host HBCU/MSI Technology Infusion Road Tour
Texas Southern University will host the prestigious NASA "HBCU/MSI Technology Infusion Road Tour" September 13-15, giving the University and its students access to unique internships, and providing faculty and staff with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and research-focused partnership opportunities.
 
The event will also provide TSU with a platform to showcase its research capabilities. Each day attendees are invited to networking sessions with participating federal government representatives, NASA Center leads, and NASA prime contractors to introduce and build relationships to enhance partnerships and maximize opportunities. The final day of the event will include technical workshops catering to those new to Federal partnerships, as well as to those who are more seasoned, to assist participants in strengthening their organization's readiness to apply for NASA funding.
 
Not many HBCUs have the opportunity to host a NASA road tour.
 
"To do this at Texas Southern University is an honor," said Dr. Michelle Penn-Marshall, Vice President of Research & Innovation. "It's an honor because it affords us the opportunity to showcase the talents and abilities of our outstanding faculty, staff, and students, specifically as it relates to research and STEM participation."
 
The three-day interactive event will take place primarily in the Science Center. Day one (Sept. 13) includes a variety of sessions on NASA's Office of Small Business Programs, Office of Procurement, Mission Equity, Mission Directorates, and others. TSU's Division of Research & Innovation will give an overview of the University's current and ongoing research-based projects and capabilities. A facilities/capabilities tour of the campus will follow.
TSU students and faculty will have the opportunity to participate in NASA Days throughout the three-day event. Taking place in the Sterling Student Center (3rd floor Tiger Room), NASA Days is a student-centered event which will provide information related to internships across the Enterprise, and a unique opportunity to engage – and possibly interview with – hiring managers for opportunities. Students can learn how their academic discipline can be incorporated into space exploration, meet NASA managers who will share insight about various internship programs, and earn coveted interviews with NASA personnel to be considered for internships. Faculty networking/strategy sessions with NASA representatives will also take place during NASA Days. Sessions will be both in person and virtual. For more information and to register for NASA Days sessions, visit here.
 
The Road Tour arrives just after TSU and NASA's Johnson Space Center announced a historic Space Act Agreement, a partnership that will bring life-transforming opportunities to TSU students, while diversifying NASA’s workforce. The Space Act Agreement will expand opportunities for education, workforce development, and research, creating a sustained pipeline of diverse talent for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the companies that provide support for its operations.

Click below to watch a video showing the powerful impact that the TSU/NASA partnership has had on TSU alumna (and current COVID czar) Zuri Dale:

TSU, PVAMU presidents square off in HBCU Presidents Classic
Defender, Amegy Bank sponsor annual event
The presidents of TSU and Prairie View A&M University shared the stage, answering questions and, at times, poking good-natured fun, during the annual Defender HBCU Presidents Classic, held August 25 at Amegy Bank's headquarters in Houston.

The event, which is typically held the week prior to the Labor Day Classic football game between the two universities, brought together supporters of both schools. The Defender's education reporter, Laura Onyeneho, served as moderator during the question-answer session, which included topics such as research, alumni support, African American studies courses, public teacher burnout, and the value of an HBCU. Both presidents respectfully declined to entertain the question about the value of an HBCU.

"We don't question the value of a UT, Texas A&M, or UH," said President Crumpton-Young. "Why do we need to question the value of an HBCU?"

Instead, Dr. Crumpton-Young focused much of her remarks on the exciting new initiatives that TSU is implementing in her second year as president, including the formation of the College of Transdisciplinary Studies, which is the first of its kind in the state of Texas. She also emphasized TSU's responsiveness that comes with being an independent public university in Texas.

For more on the Defender HBCU Presidents Classic, click here.
President Crumpton-Young speaks with Amegy Bank's CEO Steve Stephens prior to the start of the Defender's HBCU Presidents Classic.
TSU supporters stand with President Crumpton-Young at the conclusion of the Defender's HBCU Presidents Classic.
In the video above, created for the Houston Defender HBCU Presidents Classic, President Young gives a brief overview of some of the great things happening at TSU.
COVID czar invited to speak at international conference
Dale to address COVID findings, trends at TSU
TSU’s COVID czar, Zuri Dale, will travel to Spain next month to participate in Moderna’s Global Medical Affairs Input Forum.

The purpose of the event is to seek advice from key experts to gain insights into the variant-matched COVID booster data, programmatic issues, vaccine hesitancy, and disparities across the globe. Moderna will use the information gathered during this forum to identify data gaps per country and specialty, and decide best follow-up actions.

“We have done unprecedented work at TSU and have established ourselves as leaders in pandemic response and prevention,” Dale said. “I am extremely honored to be considered a medical expert in this area and being invited to share my expertise and represent TSU on a global platform.”

Click here for the full story.
"TSU in the News" snapshot:

New College of Transdisciplinary Studies is profiled in the Houston Chronicle (August 27):

TSU alumna Megan Thee Stallion's foundation to visit TSU (August 29):

New University initiatives featured in the Houston Defender (August 25):

TSU students give input on MSNBC to President Biden's forgiveness of student loan debt. Comments appear at the 2:45 mark. (August 25):

TSU President Crumpton-Young discusses the launch of the Fall 2022 semester, new initiatives (August 21):

TSU is included in article comparing Fall 2022 tuition rates at Texas colleges/universities (August 21):

Former TSU star athlete (and Houston Oiler) Charley Frazier passes away. (August 19):

TSU enrollment increase referenced in Sports Illustrated's HBCU Legends interview with Jerry Rice (August 18):
TNT: Tiger Nation Takeover
Students enjoy weeklong 'back to school' activities
Welcome back, TIgers! That was the theme for the weeklong series of events known as Tiger Nation Takeover (TNT).

Sponsored by the Division of Enrollment & Student Success, TNT featured "Motivational Monday" with iced coffee on the Tiger Walk; "Taco Tuesday" throughout campus; a Hump Night Pep Rally, which was modified due to inclement weather; "Thirsty Thursday;" and "Fun Friday," with line dancing and Tiger Shuffle on the Tiger Walk.
TSU students participate in MSNBC's "Into America" HBCU tour
Town hall session explores 'hot button' issues surrounding upcoming mid-term election
MSNBC selected Texas Southern University to kick off its "Into America: The Power of the Black Vote" tour of HBCUs. On August 24, the network conducted a town hall discussion with TSU students, faculty and staff.

MSNBC broadcaster Trymaine Lee moderated the discussion, which included a panel of distinguished guests: Dexter Maryland, TSU Student Government Association President (pictured above left during the town hall); Nikole Hannah Jones (above, center), a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter covering racial injustice for The New York Times Magazine and creator of the landmark 1619 Project; Akeem Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Essence Preparatory Public School in San Antonio; and Mike Hixenbaugh, a Peabody Award-winning senior investigative reporter for NBC News based in Houston.

The goal of the tour is to gauge how young Black voters view critical issues that are front and center for the upcoming mid-term election in November 2022, including critical race theory (CRT), activism and reproductive rights, voter suppression and environmentalism.
TSU President Dr. Lesia Crumpton-Young (above) welcomed the audience and encouraged them to stay engaged on issues that are important to them. She also thanked MSNBC for "saving the best for first" regarding its selection of TSU to launch the HBCU tour.

The MSNBC podcast will air throughout September and early October, with additional coverage airing on MSNBC and Peacock.
The Vibe turns two
Day Party celebration planned for Saturday
The Vibe, KTSU's digital, innovative Urban Alternative station, will celebrate its second anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 3. The free "Day Party" event (noon-6 p.m. at 5015 Almeda Road) will broadcast live on KTSU's airwaves prior to the start of the TSU-PVAMU football game. It will feature some of The Vibe's most popular DJs including Madd Hatta, Radio Richh, Swayne Smith, Amir Diamond, Rob G, Michelle McKnight, and DJ Steve Nice.
The Vibe's format appeals to Millennials and the Generation Z demographic, offering the latest in Hip Hop, R&B and Neo-Soul through 24-hour online streaming. 

Scan the QR code above to download The Vibe's app and listen live.
TDECU President/CEO receives military honor
TDECU President and CEO Isaac Johnson, Jr., the first Black president of Houston’s largest credit union, recently earned a new title, two-star Major General, U.S. Army Reserve. The U.S. Senate confirmed Johnson’s nomination, and he was promoted at a ceremony hosted by General (Ret.) Vincent K. Brooks at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston earlier this month.

As a civilian, Johnson earned a Juris Doctorate from TSU’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law. In June 2021, he was named President and CEO of TDECU, which has more than 366,000 members and $4.7 billion in assets.

To read more about his honor, visit Bayou Beat.
Artist, alumnus paints at the intersection of sports, hip-hop and Western canonical works
Houston artist Bradley Robert Ward, who received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from TSU in 2016, was recently featured in SlamOnline.com, an international magazine covering professional basketball and hip-hop culture. Ward's paintings offer a "deeper look into the game of basketball," according to reporter Kevin Coval.

Ward's art, according to his website, "explores the and poly-characterization of survival within the Black experience through a multitude of media, emphasizing domains in which rhythm has matriculated through the Black body, often in labor, there is also space for the extraordinary in the confluence of Black leisure." Ward says he often uses sports and performance to reinforce this median within Black life.

To read the full article, visit Slamonline.com.

Photo courtesy of JamesWhitingStudio.
Law school alumna appointed to Mississippi's Commission on Continuing Legal Education
The Mississippi Supreme Court recently appointed attorney Helen Morris of Cleveland, MS, to the Commission on Mandatory Continuing Legal Education.

The state's Chief Justice Mike Randolph signed the appointment order on July 27 for the unanimous court. Appointees’ terms began Aug. 1 and continue through July 31, 2025. The nine-member Commission has supervisory authority over the administration of rules regarding continuing legal education requirements for attorneys in the state of Mississippi. The Supreme Court sets the rules for CLE training.

Morris practices law with Morris and Associates in Cleveland. She earned a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from TSU's Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 1993.

To read more about Morris' appointment, click here.

Photo courtesy of New LIfe Church, Cleveland, MS.
Labor Day Classic kicks off football season
TSU football opens its 2022 campaign with the annual rivalry game against Prairie View A&M in the Labor Day Classic on Saturday, September 3, 2022. The game will be played at Prairie View with a 6 p.m. kickoff.

Game tickets are $30 and are available here while supplies last. For Tiger fans unable to attend the game, they can watch via ESPN+ or listen on KTSU 90.9 FM "The Choice" with Larry "Chattabox" Hale and Devon Wade announcing the contest.
TSU claims another championship
Student athletes earn SWAC Academic Success Award
TSU's Athletics is no stranger to winning SWAC championships. The latest, however, represents the University's commitment to transforming lives, as Tiger student athletes earned the 2021-22 SWAC Academic Success Award. This is the SWAC's top academic award based upon each member institution's collective ranking in the categories of highest four-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) average, highest single year APR average, and highest Graduate Success Rate (GSR).
 
TSU, whose 2021-22 APR is the highest in the University's history, claimed the SWAC award finishing with a total of 26 points based upon the point scale system used to determine an institutional winner. Grambling State (22.5) and Jackson State (22) round out the list of top three finishers within the conference.