RELEASE DATE: April 8, 2008
Minority Male Mentoring Conference Continues
The Minority Male Mentoring Conference continues through Wednesday
and will include two keynote speakers and the completion of an
action plan.
Two speakers have already presented at the conference and offered
stirring keynote addresses.
Dr. Don Locke (left), NC State Professor Emeritus, opened the conference
during the luncheon on Monday with an inspirational message for all
participants. He shared a ten-part plan for success for mentors,
suggesting they get as much - if not more - out of the process than
the students they mentor.
"Teach students how to knock down barriers," Locke said. "Passion
and curiosity are the key components of education," he suggested,
"more important than intelligence." He also encouraged the students
to fight for what they believe, adding that self-reliance is
important.
Dr. Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools (SACS), started Tuesday with enthusiasm and
encouragement. She told the students in the room to "have pride for
who you are and where you come from. Have integrity; you have to
stand for something." She encouraged the young men to reach back and
help those who follow, to volunteer with younger students.
Wheelan (right) praised the NC Community College System for the mentoring
initiative, adding she would expect it to begin with community
colleges. "It is a place where people care about you becoming
somebody," she said.
Tonight, beginning at 6:30 p.m., leadership and service will be
recognized at an awards banquet. Dr. Scott Ralls, System
president-elect, will greet the conference participants. Dr. Simon
Whitaker, cofounder of the Whittaker Institute for Success and
Enrichment is the keynote speaker.
After the awards banquet, several students will share their writing
and performance skills during a Poetry Slam that begins at 8:30 p.m.
in the Empire Ballroom.
The conference ends Wednesday with the presentation of the strategic
plans developed by various groups on Tuesday afternoon. The final
luncheon keynote speaker is Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe, Executive Director
of the Student African American Brotherhood.
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Friday, April 11, 2008 05:58:16 PM
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