Women History Month Spotlight on Sarah Sims

Sarah Sims, SU Ag Center's Nutrition Educator for Madison and Richland Parishes, discussed the equipment needed to properly make preserves and jams from fresh fruits and vegetables during the 8th annual Fall Garden Workshop on Nov. 26, 2019.

Baton Rouge, LA - During this Women History Month, we highlight the work that Sarah Sims is doing in the area of Family and Consumer Sciences and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed).

For 44 years, Sarah Sims has served the citizens of Madison Parish through her work as a Family and Consumer Sciences (FSC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed) nutrition educator.

“I have never had a day that I didn’t want to go to work,” recounted Sims. “I enjoy most of everything about my job. Being able to interact with people and learn daily. It’s very rewarding for me,” she expressed.

Sims says her fondest memories working at the Southern University Ag Center are bringing youth to the Southern University campus to participate in the Youth Expo.

“I really loved the Youth Expo,” said Sims. “We live in a very some town and small youth don’t get a chance to travel outside of town. When we would bring the children to the campus you would hear them say wow or awesome! And over the years I have had the opportunity to work with entire families. I worked with the mother, then the mother’s children, and now the grandchildren,” said Sims.

She even created a Wall of Fame which contained the photos of students from the parish that have attended and graduated from Southern University.

Although the pandemic has stopped Sims from conducting face-to-face visits with her constituents so still enjoys her work.

“I am 70 years old, but I feel like I’m six inside and I’m going to continue to learn something new every day,” said Sims.

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SU College of Ag set for its Second Virtual Student Forum

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Baton Rouge, La. – The Southern University College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences (CAFCS) will host its second virtual forum for its Ag students at 6 p.m. on March 17, 2021 via Zoom.

The forum will provide students with information on upcoming opportunities in Ag and tips on leadership skills from Chancellor-Dean Dr. Orlando McMeans and the faculty and staff of the CAFCS. By participating, students will also earn extra credit in their courses and meet other Jags in Ag.

The theme of the forum will be "Lucky Jags" and the College will be "going green" by highlighting the Department of Urban Forestry.

To register for the forum, visit https://sus.zoom.us/j/93906165081.

For additional information or if you have questions, contact Saturn Douglas at saturn_douglas@suagcenter.com or saturn_douglas@subr.edu.

 

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Southern University Ag Center’s Owusu Bandele uses the Black History Quiz Bowl to teach youth the importance of Black History

 

Baton Rouge, La. – For 26 years Southern University’s Black History Quiz Bowl has been held on the campus as an educational tool used to stimulate the university’s students. The competition covers a variety of topics, including current events, politics, history, sports, and entertainment.

The quiz bowl’s organizer, Dr. Owusu Bandele begin the event in 1994 after several faculty and staff decided to have a Black History program within the University’s College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences (CAFCS).  Dr. Bandele decided to host a discussion on Black Female/Male Relationships. Following the success of the event, his research associate at the time, Marion Jarvis, suggested that he host a quiz bowl, and thus the CAFCS Black History Quiz Bowl was born. 

Dr. Bandele said it became his passion to educate youth about Black history after graduating from Towson State University in 1963.

“The history curriculum was taught from a white supremacy perspective, and did not include the history and contributions of African Americans,” recounted Dr. Bandele. “When I began teaching middle, and later high school in Baltimore City, I always incorporated our history in my teaching.  Likewise, in teaching agricultural courses at Southern University I always included the rich history and contributions that Africans and African Americans have made to the agricultural sciences,” he said.

In 2016, Bandele, with the help of Erica Williams Mitchell, conducted two elementary Black History Quiz Bowls at Brownsfield and Audubon Elementary Schools. Dr. Bandele also hosted a science quiz bowl with special emphasis on the scientific achievements of African and African Americans at Audubon Elementary that same year.

“Initially, the teachers at Audubon were somewhat uneasy because much of the information that I provided in the study guide was not covered in their curriculum,” added Dr. Bandele. “However, they were pleasantly surprised at the level of preparation and outstanding performance of their students,” he added.

The Southern University Ag Center has continued to conduct Black History Quiz Bowls at the school each year. 

In 2017, Dr. Bandele began conducting quiz bowls at several middle schools in the Baton Rouge area, and included high schools the following year at individual schools, culminating in middle and high school championships at the Southern University Ag Center with the best teams from each school competing. 

Plaques or medallions are given to the top three teams in each division, and all participants at the championship rounds receive books written by or about people of African descent. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Southern University Ag Center to postpone its 2021 Black History Quiz Bowl, but plans are underway to safely host the event.

Bandele began his tenure at Southern in 1987 as an assistant professor. He went on to obtain the rank of associate professor, and later, full professor in the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences until the establishment of the Southern University Ag Center in 2001. In 2009, Bandele was awarded the title of professor emeritus following his retirement.

Erica Williams Mitchell, a Research Associate at the Southern University Ag Center, has assisted Dr. Bandele in conducting the Black History Quiz Bowls at all levels for the past twenty years and was a member of the team that won first place during the first Collegiate Black History Quiz Bowl in 1994.

 

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SU College of Ag Professor Dr. LaShunda Hodges named one of 1,000 inspiring Black Scientists in America

 

Dr. LaShunda Hodges, Assistant/Associate Research Plant and Soil Science Professor in Southern University's College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences, has been named one of 1,000 inspiring Black Scientists in America.

Baton Rouge, La. –  Southern University College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences Assistant/ Associate Research Plant and Soil Science Professor Dr. LaShunda Hodges has been honored as one of the 1,000 inspiring Black Scientists in America by Cell Mentor.

 

The list of scientists was compiled by a community of scholars and includes scientists from universities and the private sector. The December 28, 2020 article was published to “dismantle the myth that outstanding Black scientists make up a small percentage of the scientific community.” 

 

Before joining Southern’s College of Ag, Dr. Hodges served as an Assistant and Associate Professor of Soil and Plant Sciences in Alcorn State University’s Department of Agriculture, a Visiting Scientist for the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Crop Production Unit and a Research Associate/ Native Grass and Wildlife Habitat Project Manager for the Southern University Ag Center.

 

Hodges earned a B.S. in Soil and Plant Science, an M.S. in Agronomy, both from Alcorn State University and a Ph.D. in Agronomy-Environmental Planning and Management from Louisiana State University.

 

The article and the full list of scientists are available at http://crosstalk.cell.com/blog/1000-inspiring-black-scientists-in-america.

 

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Small Business owners invited to SU Ag Center, SBA webinar on PPE & EIDL Programs

 

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Baton Rouge, La. –  The Southern University Ag Center has partnered with the U.S. Small Business Administration to host a webinar for small business owners to discuss the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program.

 

The virtual event, which will be held at 6 p.m. on January 26, will provide participants with information on the PPP application process, participating lenders, requirements for the first and second draw applicants, and covered periods and loan terms.

 

Participants will also receive information on the EIDL Program’s application period, businesses who are eligible for an EIDL advance, information on how to request reconsideration for the program, as well as information on how to address credit issues.

 

To register for the webinar, visit http://bit.ly/2XJVTw8.

 

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Members of Congress Deliver Record Levels of Support for the 1890 Historically Black Land Grant Universities during the 116th Congress

Bipartisan HBCU Caucus helps champion Land-Grant Investments in Students and Research

Washington, D.C. – The 1890 Universities Foundation, representing the 19 Historically Black Land Grant Universities, extends its appreciation to the members of the 116th Congress for their continued advocacy on behalf of our 1890 Land Grant Universities. The FY 2021 Appropriations bill supported initiatives that will help our universities respond to many of the pressing challenges confronting the communities we serve. 

Of specific significance to the 1890 community are increases in funding for: Education Grants to 1890 Universities; 1890 Extension programs, Evans-Allen Research, Facilities Improvements, 1890 Centers of Excellence and Scholarship Programs. Also of note is the HBCU Capital Finance Debt Relief bill (HR 7380), which will provide $1.3 billion in Capital Finance Debt Relief for our universities. 

“We especially want to thank U.S. Representatives Alma Adams (D-NC), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), David Scott (D-GA), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Doug Jones (DAL), Richard Shelby (R-AL), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) for their unwavering support and for leading the way to enable these increases in all of our 1890 Land Grant programs. In addition, we thank the Members of Congress who continue to recognize the significant impact of COVID-19 on our students, our research, our facilities and our cooperative extension programs, said Dr. Mort Neufville, President & CEO of the Foundation. 

“Our Universities will continue to face tremendous challenges and opportunities as we rebound from the pandemic and it is important that our recovery efforts also enable us to be better prepared for all future disasters. Again, on behalf of the 1890 community, we thank the Members of Congress for their support during these unprecedented and challenging times. We look forward to continuing our engagement with our elected leaders during the FY 2022 appropriations process,” concluded Dr. Neufville. 

This press release was written by Paul Brathwaite. For more information on the 1890 Universities Foundation visit: www.1890foundation.org. 

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