PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – 2021 has been a remarkable one for Prairie View A&M University, despite the continuous fight against COVID-19. PVAMU has continued to stick to its core values of achieving excellence, teaching, research and service. The university had many outstanding moments, from launches, historic donations, new initiatives, faces, buildings and championships. As we wrap up the year, it is a great time to look back at some of the top moments from this trailblazing year.
Moment 20: The Launch of the Ruth J. Simmons Center for Race and Justice
“Fighting racism and discrimination and upholding justice must always be among our highest callings.”
Armed with this statement from President Ruth J. Simmons, PVAMU formally launched its Ruth J. Simmons Center for Race and Justice.
Led by Melayne T. Price, the Center serves as a hub for learning, research and activism.
Moment 19: The Launch of the Toni Morrison Writing Program and the Inaugural Writer-in-Residence
PVAMU launched its Toni Morrison Writing Program, with one of the most celebrated African American poets, Nikki Giovanni, named the 2021-2022 Writer-in-Residence.
“Prairie View A&M University aims to educate its students to become change leaders in an increasingly more diverse globally interconnected world,” said Program Director and Provost Emerita Emma Joahanne Thomas-Smith.
Giovanni’s appointment began with a virtual series this past September.
Moment 18: An Inaugural Activist-in-Residence
PVAMU announced Melina Abdullah as its inaugural Activist-In-Residence for the 2021-2022 academic year. Dr. Abdullah, scholar and co-founder of the Los Angeles Chapter of Black Lives Matter, will be charged with teaching students more about their power as change agents in society.
“I hope to tie students to the long history of the Black freedom struggle, to expose them to justice warriors who walked before them, to deepen their sense of ‘linked fate,’ to give them tools that enable them to do meaningful work in the world, to inspire them to bring their gifts and talents to the charge of Black liberation, and to deepen their understanding of and commitment to this movement moment,” Dr. Abdullah said.
Moment 17: The County’s First Vaccination Clinic
PVAMU hosted Waller County’s first COVID-19 vaccination clinic. Over two days, more than 1,000 doses were administered to aid in the fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“The university is really vested in making sure that we can do what we can to stop the spread of the virus,” said Tondra Moore, executive director of Health Services.
Moment 16: A New Building on the Horizon
PVAMU broke ground on a $70 million classroom and research building for its Roy G. Perry College of Engineering.
Designed by Stantec Architecture and to be built by Vaughn Construction, the 106,000 square-foot facility will offer lab spaces designed to support multidisciplinary research, a maker space to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and classroom spaces for direct instruction.
Moment 15: A New Academic Program
PVAMU’s College of Business launched its Doctor of Business Administration degree. “PVAMU will be the first public university in Texas accredited with AACSB International to offer this degree. Among Historically Black Colleges and Universities, this will be the first and only DBA program,” said COB Dean Munir Quddus.
PVAMU also moved its Department of Psychology to the Marvin D. And June Samuel Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences. Resulting from the Department of Psychology’s move, the College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology was renamed the College of Juvenile Justice.
Moment 14: A Tremendous Year of Philanthropy
PVAMU received several large donations during 2021, including $5 million each from H-E-B Chairman Charles H. Butt, Apple and Google; $4 million from the Brown Foundation; $1.7 million from the National Science Foundation; $1.5 million from Houston Endowment; $1.49 million from W.K. Kellogg Foundation; and $1 million each from Halliburton, Chevron, and Fluor.
“Investments like these are critical to preparing our students to become leaders in their industry,” Roy G. Perry College of Engineering Dean Pamela Obiomon said back in June of Apple’s “Innovation Grant.”
Moment 13: A Mobile Option to Serve
PVAMU’s Healthy Houston debuted its new mobile kitchen unit that will travel around the Houston area serving various communities.
The unit – adorned in PVAMU’s signature purple and gold – features an industrial-sized refrigerator, two sinks, two 4-burner gas stovetops, and a double-stack propane convection oven. It will be used at HHI events to conduct cooking demonstrations with healthy food products taken from community gardens.
Moment 12: A New Way for Youth to Shine
Aldine ISD announced a partnership with PVAMU to open a new leadership academy for the 2022-2023 school year. The Young Men’s Leadership Academy, a school of choice for grades one through eight, will focus on closing the achievement gap for Black and Latino male students.
The school will also allow students to delve into community engagement, social justice and advocacy work with an emphasis on social and emotional learning.
Moment 11: Making a Global Impact
PVAMU made its long-anticipated first appearance on the global TEDx platform, becoming the second university in the Texas A&M University System and among the first handful of Historically Black Colleges and Universities to hold a TEDx event, according to event coordinators.
TEDx prides itself on encouraging individuals and organizations to spread researched ideas that spark conversations in communities worldwide.
Moment 10: Leading the Way in Every Way
Students representing nearly every college on campus received national, regional and local honors this year.
In addition, a team of researchers from PVAMU’s Center of Excellence in Research and Education for Big Military Data Intelligence topped 31 universities to win the Department of Navy’s Artificial Intelligence Tracks at Sea Challenge. As a bonus, their work could help the Department of Defense with a real-world problem regarding unmanned surface vehicles.
Moment 9: Making History in the Band
PVAMU Senior Jesus Mata achieved a huge milestone as the Marching Storm’s first Latino drum major.
“At first, it was kind of overwhelming because I’m used to keeping to myself,” said the 24-year-old music performance major, who is originally from Rio Bravo, Mexico. “I realize that being a drum major means you have a lot of people look up to you, so I try to be a good example.”
Moment 8: Welcome (Back) to “The Hill”
PVAMU welcomed Panthers (and Panthers at heart) to “The Hill” and into the stands for its first in-person homecoming game and related festivities since 2019 (pre-pandemic). Various events were scheduled with the theme “Forever Connected.”
Special Virtual Programming also took place on the university’s official YouTube channel every day. There were masterclasses, performances, and interviews with PVAMU students and alumni alike.
Moment 7: SWAC West Champions
For the first time in over a decade, PVAMU Football played in a SWAC championship title game. Hundreds of Panthers traveled to cheer on and support the SWAC West champion team against Jackson State University.
The Panthers finished the season with a 7-5 record (6-2 conference).
Moment 6: Where Champions Are Built
PVAMU Women’s Track and Field, Women’s Bowling, Men’s Golf, Men’s Track and Field and Women’s Soccer secured 2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships.
SWAC also recognized PVAMU as the winner of the 2020-21 James Frank Commissioner’s Cup Award.
Moment 5: Star-studded Speakers Bring Wise Advice
“Hold on. Never give up. Never give in. Keep the faith.”
Award-winning actress, playwright and scholar Anna Deavere Smith spoke to hundreds of PVAMU graduates as the keynote speaker for the university’s 26th Fall Commencement Convocation.
Houston’s Honorable Judson W. Robinson III served as the 110th Summer Commencement Convocation Speaker, and award-winning author, esteemed public intellectual and noted political analyst Michael Eric Dyson for the 139th Spring Commencement Convocation. President Ruth J. Simmons presented an honorary degree to Dyson, her first time doing so as president of PVAMU.
Moment 4: A Presidential Honor for a Fellow Alumna
PVAMU alumna and award-winning comedienne, host and actress Loni Love delivered her oration in a separate Recognition Ceremony for 2020 Graduates in the spring of 2021. President Simmons also bestowed upon Love the Presidential Medal.
At the discretion of the president, the medal is awarded to exceptional individuals who have attained the highest levels of success in their respective fields and have made significant cultural, social, economic or scientific contributions that benefit society.
Moment 3: New Faces and New Roles
Within the President’s Cabinet and Executive Committee, there were several promotions and hires this year.
This included Vice President for Student Affairs Beverly Copeland; College of Nursing Dean Allyssa L. Harris; Chief of Staff Kevin H. Hoffman; Senior Executive Director of Public Affairs and External Relations Andrea Sankey; and Executive Director of International & Intercultural Programs Godlove Fonjweng.
Moment 2: Remembering Our Fallen Panthers
The PVAMU family also lost of few of its own during 2021, including College of Business Professor Jermaine Vesey, as well as first-year communication major Jerrilynn Taplin; second-year pre-nursing major Valencia M. Lewis; junior psychology major Carleon McPhail; junior kinesiology major Christopher D. Sims; junior psychology major Donyeahviyah Lewis; and graduating biology major Johnitha Charles.
Charles’ family received a posthumous degree on her behalf during PVAMU’s 26th Fall Commencement Convocation.
Moment 1: A Year for the Books
PVAMU gained 1,933 alumni this year, bringing the total degrees awarded in the university’s 145-year history to over 79,000.
The spring class of 1,015 graduates was PVAMU’s largest class to date.
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