PR2009 Apr U2

SHELTON STATE, STILLMAN COLLEGE AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA COLLABORATE TO EARN NATIONAL AWARD

LINCOLN (NE) – A unique collaboration between three Tuscaloosa, Ala., institutions of higher education, entitled “Realizing the Dream: Celebrates the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” earned Honorable Mention honors in the 2008 Exemplary Initiatives Competition of The National Council of Instructional Administrators (NCIA).

The annual “Realizing the Dream” series is a unique collaboration that celebrates the legacy of Dr. King through cultural and educational programming in partnership with three unique institutions – a community college with an HBCU designation (Shelton State Community College), an independent, church-related HBCU institution (Stillman College), and a flagship university (The University of Alabama). A typical annual series of events includes fall and spring lectures, a concert the weekend of the MLK national holiday, and a dramatic production. Celebrating its twentieth year in 2009, “Realizing the Dream” attracted regional and national acclaim for the spirit of unity that inspires a community to shape a better tomorrow.

Shelton State Community College, with its designation as Alabama’s Community College of the Fine Arts and its alliance with Theater Tuscaloosa, selects and produces theatrical performances in its Bean-Brown Theater. Joining with the Shelton Singers and the college’s music department, Shelton offered the production, “God’s Trombones,” in January 2009. In previous years, the college has presented “King Alive!” a re-enactment of speeches of Dr. King from the pulpit where he preached in Tuscaloosa during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Since the inception of the series, Shelton has offered interpretive readings, storytellers, and plays like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “A Lesson before Dying,” along with “Achieving the Dream,” which featured Dr. King’s daughter, Yolanda King. 

Stillman College is responsible for planning the fall and spring lectures. This fall, the guest lecturer was author/intellectual Dr. Cornell West, arranged in coordination with the University of Alabama’s African American Studies program, providing further evidence of the collaborative nature of this series of events. Distinguished speakers in past lecture events have included civil rights leaders Reverends Fred Shuttlesworth and Samuel “Billy” Lyles, along with novelist Alice Walker. Plans for the twentieth anniversary concert at the University of Alabama’s Moody Concert Hall in January 2009, combined seven choirs from the three partner institutions and the local community. Dr. Clayborne Carson, distinguished MLK, Jr. historian, was also featured.  Previous concert performers have included James Earl Jones, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, Roberta Flack, and Maya Angelou. 

While partnership opportunities are integral to all community colleges, this one is centered in a joint effort by the three institutions to continue to raise the consciousness about equality, peace, and social justice through the medium of the arts. It is a reminder to “keep the dream alive” as the life and death of Dr. King grow more remote with the passage of time. Celebrating his life and ideals through lectures and artistic endeavors offers the three institutions an opportunity to utilize their combined resources to celebrate and educate. An additional benefit is the exposure to artists and scholars who might not ordinarily be brought to a relatively remote West Alabama community.

NCIA is a professional organization affiliated with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). The awards recognize outstanding ways to enhance the quality of higher education provided at two-year institutions in the United States.

Each year, community colleges submit a variety of “Best Practices” that correspond to annual award categories. This year, the 20th for the Exemplary Initiatives Awards competition, NCIA solicited entries in five broad areas; Curriculum Innovation, Organizational Change, Responding to Community Needs, Student Retention and Success, and Workforce Development. A panel of community college practitioners from across the country evaluated the submissions and selected 10 institutions for recognition. NCIA congratulates the following institutions for their success and commitment to the instructional mission of community colleges.

These institutions will be recognized at NCIA's Sixth Academy for Instructional Administrators, on April 3 and 4, 2009 in Phoenix, AZ in conjunction with the annual AACC Convention.

###