Central State Captures 2017 HBCU of the Year Honors

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Central State University, Ohio’s flagship public historically black university, captured its first ‘HBCU of the Year’ award during the annual HBCU Awards ceremony, held in Washington D.C.
The Marauders took home two awards from the event, presented by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and held at its downtown headquarters in the nation’s capital. Head women’s basketball coach Sheba Harris also received the ‘Female Coach of the Year’ award, after coaching the Lady Marauders to West Divison championship in its first year of competition in the NCAA Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
CSU President Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, the 2016 ‘Female President of the Year’ award recipient, called the honor a tribute to the full campus’ commitment to excellence.
“Central State University is honored to receive this prestigious award from HBCU Digest,” she said. “There are 107 HBCUs and this award is received in recognition of our commitment and mission to provide quality academic collegiate experiences to the students that we serve.”
Male and Female President of the Year awards went to Virginia State University’s Makola Abdullah and Shaw University’s Tashni-Ann Dubroy, respectively.
Both credited family, their boards of trustees, faculty and their students for their success over the academic year.



Hampton University captured three awards on the evening, Best Student Organization and Female Student of the Year for Aria Hill and her Service Spree nonprofit, and Malia Tate Defreitas was named Female Athlete of the Year. Recent Morehouse College graduate Jonathan Hill received honors for Male Student of the Year, and for Best Student Government Association of the Year.
The full list of winners:
 

Awards in Student Activities

Best Marching Band  
Tennessee State Aristocrat of Bands

Best Choir  
Bethune-Cookman University Concert Chorale

Best Student Government Association  
Morehouse College
Best Student Organization  
Service Spree – Hampton University


Awards in Publications

Best Student Newspaper
The Hilltop  Howard University
Best Alumni Publication  
Alcorn: The Magazine  Alcorn State University
 

Awards in Academic Excellence

Best Research Center  
Florida Memorial Department of Communications
Best Fine Arts Program  
Norfolk State University Division of Drama
Best Business Program  
Virginia State University
Best Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics (STEM) Program
Tennessee State University College of Engineering
Best Nursing Program  
Southern University
Best Social Work Program  
North Carolina Central University
 

Awards in Alumni Activity

Male Alumnus of the Year  
Michael Bonner – Elizabeth City State University
Female Alumnus of the Year  
Rep. Alma Adams – North Carolina A&T State University
National Alumni Association of the Year  
Spelman College National Alumnae Association
 

Awards in Athletic Excellence

Female Coach of the Year  
Sheba Harris  – Central State University
Male Coach of the Year  
Jerry Mack – North Carolina Central University
Female Athlete of the Year  
Malia Tate DeFreitas – Hampton University
Male Athlete of the Year
Tarik Cohen – North Carolina A&T State University
Best Women’s Team of the Year
Savannah State University Cheerleading
Best Men’s Team of the Year
Grambling State University Football
 

Awards in Individual Achievement

Female Student of the Year  
Aria Hill – Hampton University
Male Student of the Year  
Jonathan Hill – Morehouse College
Female Faculty Member of the Year  
Cheryl Taylor  Southern University

Male Faculty Member of the Year  
Abdalla Darwish – Dillard University
 

Highest Honors

Female President of the Year  
Tashni Dubroy – Shaw University
Male President of the Year  
Makola Abdullah – Virginia State University
Historically Black College/University of the Year  
Central State University