Ruminations on 2012

January 19, 2012

What will 2012 mean to us?  Well, we will celebrate the 175th anniversary of the beginning of higher education for African descendants in America––starting at Cheyney University.  This anniversary symbolizes the courage, persistence, perseverance of HBCUs in spite of staggering odds, and their enduring faith in the power of education to improve the futures of generations of citizens spanning three centuries––19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.  As the first such institution in America, the story of Cheyney University begins with Quaker Richard Humphreys, and chronicles a long and arduous journey that reflects aspects of American history and American s/heroes by whose sheer force of will we have moved forward as Americans.

We will probably never be able to tell the full story with the works all of the diverse s/heroes who have served to enrich America by broadening its intellectual capital.  Cheyney University's 175 years is a story about people––about the visionaries, the faculty, the advisors, the mentors, the administrators, the supporters, stakeholders, and the hundreds of families who converged at the beacon called The African Institute, the Institute For Colored Youth, Cheyney State Teacher's College, Cheyney State College, and finally Cheyney University with hopes for a better tomorrow.

Our more immediate tomorrows will offer some good news such as the modest economic recovery in the US and a steadied European economy.  2012, also, happens to be the year of some major human decisions including the US presidential elections.  Worldwide there will be celebrations and anniversaries that signify human accomplishments such as the 60th Anniversary of England's Queen Elizabeth.  We will edge closer to peace among men and women as we learn to recognize and respect the values of other perspectives.  Chances are, things will continue to move at light speed, within and outside of the ubiquitous "cloud," and there will be unstoppable technological innovations changing our daily existence––even as we lament the loss of geniuses like the late Steve Jobs.

Genius will still emerge in these tomorrows.  One such person, Dr. Maya Angelou, will help us celebrate our 175th Anniversary on March 22nd, 2012.  Others will join us at the 175th Anniversary Gala on October 18th in the Philadelphia Convention Center to raise merit scholarship dollars, so that the University can better produce more young geniuses and continue its legacy of access, excellence, and opportunity.

2012 is just the beginning! 

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