Alabama State University News April 20, 2012 President's Tour Ends in Montgomery By Tina Joly Alabama State University's seven-day "It's a Great Time President's Tour" made its final stop in Montgomery on Friday, April 20. *** ASU's Campus Road Team visited students at Jefferson Davis High School and Robert E. Lee High school in Montgomery on Friday, April 20. The high school students got a chance to meet with faculty, staff and students from each of ASU's colleges. Representatives from ASU's Admissions and Recruitment office also were on hand to answer questions and help students with the admissions process. The Road Team's visit to Lee High School was especially meaningful for the school's principal, Lorenza Pharrams, who is currently enrolled in ASU's doctoral program in Educational Leadership, Policy and Law. "It's great to have the students here to see, firsthand, the many programs that are available to them at ASU and to know that there is a University that cares enough about them to come and meet with them one-on-one," Pharrams said. Columbus/Phenix City ASU President William H. Harris and the Road Team visited Columbus, Ga., and Phenix City on Thursday, April 19. The group started the day at Central City High School in Phenix City. ASU sophomore Ayana Jordan, who traveled with the Road Team as a representative of the College of Business Administration (COBA), spoke to students at Central City High. Jordan graduated from the school and told the students what ASU means to her. "Both of my parents were incarcerated and I moved around a lot," Jordan said. "I always wanted to go to college but didn't know how to get there until my guidance counselor, Ms. Lewis, who graduated from ASU, introduced me to Alabama State University," Jordan said. "Going to ASU was the best thing that happened to me. ASU changed my life." The Road Team also visited students at Spencer High School in Columbus. Later Thursday evening, ASU hosted an alumni/scholars' reception at the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, where President Harris updated attendees on the many transformations taking place at ASU. Harris also awarded scholarships to 10 students, including Rey Rodriquez-Diaz, who attends Loachapoka High School in Loachapoka. Rodriquez-Diaz received a Presidential Scholarship, which will pay for tuition, room and board, books and includes a stipend. Rodriquez-Diaz said he is thrilled to know he will be attending ASU. "I was so worried about how I was going to pay for college and I doubted I would be able to afford to go," Rodriquez-Diaz said. "But the ASU recruiter helped me so much and told me about the many opportunities available at ASU, and now I'm going to be a Hornet!" Danielle M. Kennedy, ASU's vice president for University Relations, said the Tour has grown a great deal since its inception. Many high school students don't have an opportunity to visit ASU, and this is an opportunity to take the University's story and message directly to them. "The President's Tour has grown so much that many of our alumni chapters and high schools want us to come visit their cities," Kennedy said. "We have expanded the tour from a four-day week to a full seven-day week. We are really excited. We had stops in Gadsden, an area we have never been before, and our traditional stops included Birmingham, Mobile, Selma, Atlanta, Columbus and back home to Montgomery today." The Road Team awarded nearly two million dollars in scholarships to students during this year's "It's a Great Time Bus Tour." 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 404-520-0593 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street 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. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2012meeting-form.html for the October 21-23, 2012 HBCU Library Alliance 5th Membership Meeting and the Photographic Preservation Pre-Conference in New Orleans, LA. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.