The Huntsville Times January 19, 2011 Drake State President Helen McAlpine sworn in as member of White House Initiative for HBCUs HUNTSVILLE, AL -- A longtime Huntsville educator is now a national educator. Helen McAlpine, president of Drake State Technical College, was sworn in Tuesday as a member of the advisory board on the White House Initiative for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. McAlpine, a former assistant superintendent of Huntsville City schools, received the nomination from President Barack Obama last September, has already attended one White House Initiative meeting in Washington and is scheduled to attend a second meeting in March. "You have always been this community's shining star," Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said in the swearing in ceremony. "And now you are a shining star for the whole nation." Madison County District Judge Lynn Sherrod -- a lifelong friend of McAlpine's -- performed the ceremony as McAlpine's husband, Johnny, held the Bible. McAlpine is one of 17 people on the advisory board. She unwittingly became a candidate last April when the White House Initiative on HBCUs held a Technical Assistance Conference at Alabama A&M University. The executive director of the White House Initiative, John Wilson, toured Drake State with McAlpine as his escort. McAlpine said she urged him that two-year colleges should not be overlooked by the Initiative. And McAlpine said Wilson called back about two weeks later, extending an invitation to the board. The Technical Assistance Conference will be returning to Alabama A&M in April. "Oftentimes, two-year colleges have taken a back seat to four-year colleges," McAlpine said. "We work well with the ones in our area. But I want to make sure I'm an advocate for them and the 14 HBCUs across the state." In October, McAlpine traveled to the White House to take part in the first White House Summit on Community Colleges. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, chaired the summit. Funding is always an education issue but McAlpine said that issue is even greater for HBCUs. Connecting with African American males is also a critical issue, she said. "The research is clear that we're losing a lot of our black males," McAlpine said. "We are, without a doubt, the biggest provider (of education) for African American males in this country. That is an issue that is paramount for the board to study." SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 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.