"Claflin University Night with the Columbia Fireflies" will be held on Saturday, August 17, when the Fireflies host the Rome Braves at 6 p.m. at Segra Park, located at 1640 Freed Street in Columbia, S.C.

Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack, who began his term as Claflin's ninth president on August 1, will toss out the ceremonial first pitch.  Other special attractions include interactive games, as fans can win gifts and prizes, contests, and a fireworks display.

Claflin also sponsors the "7th Inning Stretch" at all Fireflies home games, which includes the University's logo appearing on the stadium's video scoreboard during the singing of "Take Me Out To The Ball Game."

 

Tickets to the game for Claflin students are available through the Office of Student Activities, by clicking the Take Me Out to the Ball Game email message. A limited number of tickets can be purchased for $10 by Claflin alumni by contacting Zelda Lee, director of alumni relations, at (803) 535-5348 or email zelee@claflin.edu. Tickets can also be purchased at Segra Park for $10 and $5 before and on the day of the game. Visit www.firefliestickets.com or call the Box Office at (803) 726-4487.

In 2004, the Claflin University Board of Visitors established FOCUS100 Scholarships to provide modest grants to assist students who have trouble managing the costs of their tuition, fees, or books. FOCUS100 Scholarships cover small financial shortfalls that too often lead students to withdraw from school. Since the program's creation, the University has used it to make awards ranging from $300 to $1,000 to more than 1,800 students. 

In 2017, Dr. Henry N. Tisdale, the eighth president of Claflin University, issued a five-year challenge to the Board of Visitors - to raise $1 million for FOCUS100 scholarships. The members accepted the challenge and by 2018, had raised $350,000. However, after the announcement that he would retire on June 30, 2019, Tisdale urged the Board of Visitors to accelerate their efforts and finish the campaign at the end of his presidency.

"When Dr. Tisdale asked us to wrap up the campaign more than two years ahead of schedule, we immediately agreed," said Mrs. Thelma Hudson, who chairs the Board of Visitors. "We may not have known exactly how we were going to get it done, but we knew something more important. All of us knew that the leadership Dr. Tisdale has provided over the past 25 years has put the University in an excellent place. There's just no way any of us would have declined his request."

On July 17, 2019, the Claflin University Board of Visitors completed its challenge to raise $1 million for FOCUS100 Scholarships ($1,004,202.21). Since 2017, approximately 1,400 donors supported the Special Gifts Campaign for FOCUS100 Scholarships, with donors contributing, on average, $714 each.

 

"During the 2018-2019 academic year I was blessed to receive a FOCUS100 scholarship. I was struggling to figure out how I was going to pay the remaining balance on my account and started to become discouraged. I am beyond grateful to have received the scholarship," said Kyndal Broadway. She plans to graduate in May 2020 and will enroll in a teaching residency program through Urban Teachers, Mastery Charter Schools, or KIPP. 

 

Click here to donate to the FOCUS100 program or send a check made payable to Claflin University, and mail to Claflin University, Office of Institutional Advancement at 400 Magnolia Street, Orangeburg, SC  29115.

The National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation Inc. will host its 34th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Sept. 27 in Atlanta at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. Among this year's class is attorney William H. Johnson Sr., '72, who will be inducted in the category of government and law. Attorney Johnson is licensed to practice in North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, all federal district courts, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Johnson has served in a number of legal and community leadership positions, including as court-appointed arbitrator for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and as arbitrator and mediator for the U.S. Federal Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He has served as president of the Barristers Association of Philadelphia and as the National Bar Association's regional director for the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Attorney Johnson has also served as a member of the following boards of directors: the Philadelphia Public Interest Law Center, the Philadelphia Bar Education Center, the Metropolitan Career Center of Philadelphia and the National Bar Association Board of Governors. In addition to previously serving as a member of Claflin University's Board of Visitors, he currently serves on its board of trustees and chairs its Audit Committee.