Source: The Jasmine Brand

Ya’ll know Tamar Braxton is all about that solo artist life right now and this weekend she got a chance to show off her singing chops performing the national anthem at the AT&T Classic in DC.

The second annual football classic was a sporting event with the Howard University Bison taking on and defeating the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers, but Tamar took us all the way to church and back with her performance. Though we haven’t found a clip of the entire song, the video of her practice warm-up before the real thing was the truth.

Listen here and tell us what you think. Is it time to get her solo career cracking?

More on Madame Noire!

• Unnecessary Adjustment: That Time I Compromised My Standards For A Relationship
• Where Are They Now? 11 Singers and Rappers Who Didn’t Blow Up Like We Thought They Would…
• Baby Geniuses: Snapshots Of 7 Of Our Favorite Black Child Prodigies
• OO-OOP! Did You Know These Celeb Women Are Deltas?
• You Don’t Have To Be Wonder Woman: The Importance of Vulnerability In Relationships
• Bison Brothers: 10 Notable Men Who Attended Howard University
• Love On Your Terms: Are Your Expectations Too High?

by Sue Naylor

There are over 100 HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) where over 370,000 black students study with larger groups of non-black students. This network of integrated schools provides black students a safe and secure learning atmosphere.

At the bottom of the list of the top 10 black colleges is North Carolina Central University, which is the only public college that has made it to the list. With over 100 undergraduate and 40 graduate programs of study, NCCU appeals to all students. Dillard University in New Orleans offers more than 35 majors and has a reputed nursing school. It is famous for the Institute of Jazz Culture that was established in 2002. Claflin University is a ‘Very Selective HBCU’ and is a South Carolina based liberal arts college. Tuskegee University has a strong agricultural tradition as was designated by Congress as a national historic site. Hampton University offers 68 undergraduate programs, 27 masters programs, 6 doctoral programs and 2 specialist degrees in education. Among the top 5 black colleges, at number 5 is Xavier University of Louisiana, which is the only black Roman Catholic university in the United States and has one of two pharmacy schools in Louisiana.

Fisk University at Tennessee was give tier 1 status in the 2008 ranking by the U.S. News & World Report. It is renowned for its Jubilee Singers choir. Morehouse College is a part of the Atlanta University Center and is an all-male liberal arts college. Howard University or ‘Black Harvard’ with ‘Spelman College’ tops the list of black colleges.

by R. Asmerom

Howard University is in a critical phase right now. While many continue to question the need of HBCUs in this day and age, the University is going through an academic renewal, by which it is seeking to cut down on departments in order to strengthen other academic offerings. According to the Washington Post, the university is considering cutting its undergraduate programs in philosophy, anthropology, the classics and even African studies.

Although Howard’s intentions are in line with making the school more efficient financially and more focused academically, cuts to certain programs like undergraduate African studies raises questions as to how these changes will impact the identity and legacy of a college which defines itself as being in service to Black studies and Black students.

“Howard University has to demonstrate more than a symbolic commitment,” said Dr. Anthony Samad, professor of political science and African American studies at East Los Angeles College.  “Getting rid of African studies is troubling from the perspective that colleges with large African American populations cannot be ignorant about Africa and claim they advance a total and complete global perspective. That’s a perpetuation of what has occurred in America’s study of Africa and the stereotypes that have come out of an uneducated perspective. It’s like Harvard or Yale discontinuing the study of Europe. It just wouldn’t happen.”

At the same time Samad says that he appreciates the efforts of the school to do whatever it takes to heighten its productivity.  “Howard is not a Black University. “It must keep current on global curricula that make its graduates competitive in the global space.”

Howard, which is one of the top schools amongst the 105 HBCUs, is competing against not just other Black schools but the top schools in the country to recruit the top Black students.  Although Howard is “the leading producer of on-campus African American doctorates and the nation’s only historically black institution identified as a first-tier “Research I” university,” competition is stiff and administration believes that cutting down on its 171 programs will free up more resources to focus on its professional programs like that in medicine, law, dentistry and nursing as well as social work, psychology, business and pharmacology.

“You can’t do everything at once,” said Howard’s President Sidney Ribeau to the Washington Post. One of the 20 undergraduate programs on the chopping block is philosophy. Howard’s philosophy department is significant in that it represents the only philosophy department at a historically black college and a major source of Africana philosophy. A Save Howard Philosophy petition has attracted more than a thousand signatures according to the Post.

Students, past and present, have expectantly mixed reaction to the school’s evolution. “Change is not necessarily a bad thing,” said Queshia Bradley, a 2006 graduate of Howard. “As I understand it, the undergraduate programs that are being cut have a very low student enrollment.  So why not reign in resources by cutting down the 171 programs Howard offers?”  It will be interesting to see how matriculation will be affected by the changes, especially amongst those who value a liberal arts focus. “The other side of the coin is that [Howard may be] robbing these students of an experience just because their focus isn’t valued,” said Bradley. “Which raises the bigger question not just on how Howard is devaluing these programs, but how educational institutions generally support more tangible programs [like engineering and business].

Spelman alumnus and cofounder of the HBCU site AUCAlumni.com, Tiffani Murray, believes that Howards’ remodeling is strictly a business decision and one that will help the institution remain strong and relevant for many years to come. “I think that the school could continue to operate and fund departments and professors that have a low enrollment, but at what cost?,” she asked. “We can look at some of the HBCUs that have closed their doors in the past decade and think that if some choices had been made differently or strategies employed they could still have students attending them. I think if it is a choice of making changes that will keep HBCUs in operation and competitive with mainstream schools that are attracting the same top students or keeping programs and the risk of the schools going into debt, the choice is clear.”

(TargetMarketNews.com) — This spring, the creators of HBCUConnect.com, the largest network for HBCU alumni and students worldwide, are charting new territory in the ever-growing online and social networking space. HBCULove.com, a new online personals community, is the first to exclusively target HBCU alumni, and help high-achieving, financially stable African-American professionals connect with individuals with similar backgrounds, values and career goals. “Many online dating personals sites leave much to be desired for successful, tight-on-time, African-American professionals seeking to make a connection on the web,” said Will Moss, co-founder of Lee Moss Media, the parent company of HBCUConnect.com and HBCULove.com. “Our goal is to bring real value to online personals for our target demographic. Our brand attracts high-caliber singles, increasing members’ chances for establishing meaningful relationships.”

Read More…

(TargetMarketNews.com) — This spring, the creators of HBCUConnect.com, the largest network for HBCU alumni and students worldwide, are charting new territory in the ever-growing online and social networking space. HBCULove.com, a new online personals community, is the first to exclusively target HBCU alumni, and help high-achieving, financially stable African-American professionals connect with individuals with similar backgrounds, values and career goals. “Many online dating personals sites leave much to be desired for successful, tight-on-time, African-American professionals seeking to make a connection on the web,” said Will Moss, co-founder of Lee Moss Media, the parent company of HBCUConnect.com and HBCULove.com. “Our goal is to bring real value to online personals for our target demographic. Our brand attracts high-caliber singles, increasing members’ chances for establishing meaningful relationships.”

Read More…