Tommie Rush Jr. is one of four recent graduates of Mississippi Valley State University to earn a degree through the school’s ‘Complete 2 Compete’ program. He shared his personal story about the initiative designed to attract and graduate continuing and adult learners who paused their college careers for work and family, but returned for increased chances at professional mobility.
Soon after starting school at MVSU, Rush took on a full-time job. His grueling schedule included working from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. before heading to classes at MVSU at 8 a.m.
He would eventually stop attending college.
“I’ve worked the same job for 37 and a half years. I’ve been married for 34 years, and I have four adult children, so I’ve had a great life,” Rush said.
Yet, he always carried the desire to finish what he started at MVSU.
“I’ve always wanted to complete my degree so that I could become the first male in my generation to graduate from college. Now, I can represent,” he said with a grin.
Read the full story at:
https://www.mvsu.edu/mvsu-celebrates-first-graduates-through-complete-compete-program
Is the parent’s plus loan fiasco the cause of the enrollment decline here?
The parent plus fiasco is a major part of declining enrollment. A new admissions Director and working directly with our alumni chapter to increase enrollment.
Issues around Parent Plus certainly has affected Lincoln like many other colleges and HBCU’s . It however is not the primary reason for the pervasive issues at Lincoln. A void in leadership is at fault here. A large, dysfunctional and cumbersome Board of Trustees as well as a president with limited people/management skills and fundraising abilities is a large part of the problem. Things aren’t likely to improve until this president moves on.
These are problems that all HBCUs are facing today. It will be interesting to see what direction Lincoln U. (PA) will go next.
The article was a setup by members who run our alumni association, but also have a interest (potentially financial) in Lincoln restoring some of our older buildings. These same alumni are now trying to stop a STEM research facility be developed at Lincoln.
There was no set-up at Lincoln University. The president, Dr. Robert R. Jennings, who was previously fired from the same job at Alabama A&M in 2008 for many of the same professional deficiencies that have evidenced themselves under his tenure at Lincoln. He has been the purveyor of draconian measures while exhibiting an openly hostile stance to the Alumni Association of Lincoln University, students, staff and faculty. The AALU is the oldest organized group of collegiate alumni among HBCU’s (Est, 1872) and one of the oldest in the nation. Among the other deteriorating occurrences under Jennings is a revolving door of key administrators and cabinet level staff, with many hired and maintained on an interim basis. Morale at the school among staff, students faculty and alumni is at an all time low, while the Board of Trustees seems unable to muster even a half-hearted attempt to reign the president in amidst a toxic and hostile work environment that his actions have unfortunately promoted.
Robert Ingram
President
Alumni Association of Lincoln University
Are you saying that officers in the alumni associ
Robert Ingram wrote:
“The president, Dr. Robert R. Jennings, who was previously fired from the same job at Alabama A&M in 2008 for many of the same professional deficiencies…”
Then why would the board of trustees bring Dr. Jennings to the presidency in the first place? Some HBCU’s tend to recycle the same leadership that failed elsewhere and expect a different result. Mr. Jennings came on board in 2012 and stakeholders are trying to rid themselves of him less than two years into his tenure? This cast more of a negative light on Lincoln University than the president. Strong candidates will shy away from the Lincoln Universities of HBCU’s believing that those jobs are career breakers and will cite the lack of due diligence afforded a presidential search and tenure once hired.