Alabama State University News February 7, 2014 Board Approves Two Academic Resolutions Alabama State University's Board of Trustees passed two significant academic resolutions during a meeting held Friday, Feb. 7. The Board renamed ASU's graduate school to The Harold Lloyd Murphy Graduate School, and established a new division to encompass online programs, off-campus sites and continuing education programs. The Harold Lloyd Murphy Graduate School ASU's graduate school is named in honor of the Hon. Harold Lloyd Murphy, for his diligent efforts in the Knight v. Alabama desegregation lawsuit. The lawsuit was heard by Murphy on two separate occasions, once in 1990 and once in 1994, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Murphy took on the monumental task of digesting the testimony of 200 witnesses, perusing hundreds of thousands of pages of exhibits and reviewing more than 20,000 pages of transcripts. After his efforts, Murphy rendered an 840-page court order on Dec. 27, 1991, and a second 198-page order on Aug. 1, 1995, ruling that vestiges of segregation had impeded and duly restricted both Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University, and that the 14th Amendment required the state to eliminate those vestiges. Murphy's historic ruling became the foundation for the unprecedented expansion of academic programs at Alabama State University, including the creation of the University's graduate school. The Murphy ruling subsequently has helped Alabama State University to achieve Level VI status with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, indicating that the institution offers four or more doctoral degrees as its highest degrees. "Had it not been for his actions, we would not have the graduate programs we have today," said Dr. Leon C. Wilson, interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. "Past President (William H.) Harris and the Board thought that we should mark that in history, because that is part of the legacy of the University." New Division to Encompass Online, Off-campus and Continuing Education Programs The Board approved the recommendation to create a new division of academic excellence to include online courses/programs, off-campus sites and continuing education programs under the purview of the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. A resolution released by ASU during the meeting stated that establishing the new division would be advantageous to the continued development and implementation of online courses/programs, increasing the number of students at the University's off-campus sites and enhancing continuing education offerings. "We believe that if we can concentrate these in one division, that would be a tremendous growth area for the University," Wilson said. Both resolutions are effective immediately. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.