What We Need Now
By. Kalo Oglesby
By. Kalo Oglesby
As I hopped into
my car and gave my parents the ceremonial hug and kiss good bye, slamming the
trunk of my car- the sound of the trunk closing was the final alarm that summer
was officially over and yet another fall semester was calling my name to come
home, that home being my HBCU… “The Fort Valley State University”!
It was a call that countless of others before me and what I hope after received to finally come be with an extended family, a family made of friends, activists/professors, and a community that holds most students who declare Fort Valley State University as our school of choice, in high regard.
I thought about my journey on the sacred land that my father graced, along with history makers like the university’s first president, Horace M. Bond, who solidified Fort Valley State College in 1943, just 78 years after the ending of the Civil War as a preeminent school for the African-American community.
President Bond - along with other countless unknown and notable alumni like Charles Robinson Jr (class of 1970’), former CEO of Sadie G. Mays Health and Rehabilitation Center in Atlanta, Ga.; Samuel D. Jolly (Class of 1962’), 14th president of Morris Brown College; and John W. Blassingame (Class of 1960’), professor and chair of African Studies at Yale University for 29 years - helped shape the culture and founding principles of this institution’s history into a solid foundation.
The principles were based on two criteria that President Bond stated in his submission of the Planning for The Fort Valley State College to the Board of Regents of the University System Chancellor S.V. Sanford.
President Bond, in his plans for the future of Fort Valley State College, said on August 21, 1943,
As I made the pilgrimage to “The Fort Valley State University," navigating down I-75, like so many others before me-, I thought about my parents and countless of other souls who came in search for a dream that only could be grasped through the sacred journey at this institution of higher learning.
I found my self-thinking about all of the changes that has taken place, inevitably thinking about what we need now at such a crucial time for the longevity of this Institution that embodies what it means to be faithful to it’s people and true to the cause.
It was a call that countless of others before me and what I hope after received to finally come be with an extended family, a family made of friends, activists/professors, and a community that holds most students who declare Fort Valley State University as our school of choice, in high regard.
I thought about my journey on the sacred land that my father graced, along with history makers like the university’s first president, Horace M. Bond, who solidified Fort Valley State College in 1943, just 78 years after the ending of the Civil War as a preeminent school for the African-American community.
President Bond - along with other countless unknown and notable alumni like Charles Robinson Jr (class of 1970’), former CEO of Sadie G. Mays Health and Rehabilitation Center in Atlanta, Ga.; Samuel D. Jolly (Class of 1962’), 14th president of Morris Brown College; and John W. Blassingame (Class of 1960’), professor and chair of African Studies at Yale University for 29 years - helped shape the culture and founding principles of this institution’s history into a solid foundation.
The principles were based on two criteria that President Bond stated in his submission of the Planning for The Fort Valley State College to the Board of Regents of the University System Chancellor S.V. Sanford.
President Bond, in his plans for the future of Fort Valley State College, said on August 21, 1943,
“There are Two Criteria for the Planning a Negro College: (1) Faith and a Vision for the Future, and (2) Meeting the People’s Needs.”
As I made the pilgrimage to “The Fort Valley State University," navigating down I-75, like so many others before me-, I thought about my parents and countless of other souls who came in search for a dream that only could be grasped through the sacred journey at this institution of higher learning.
I found my self-thinking about all of the changes that has taken place, inevitably thinking about what we need now at such a crucial time for the longevity of this Institution that embodies what it means to be faithful to it’s people and true to the cause.
A PIVOTAL MOMENT
Now, more than ever before, we have a need to reflect back on President Bond’s criteria for the university that exhibited such a faith and a vision for the future and a desire to meet people's needs.
It is indeed a pivotal moment for this institution! If we are honest with ourselves there have been a series of unfortunate events that have occurred within the past decade, leaving little to no gains in many aspects of an institution that has so much potential and a force like it was in the 20th century to reckon with.
It is indeed a pivotal moment for this institution! If we are honest with ourselves there have been a series of unfortunate events that have occurred within the past decade, leaving little to no gains in many aspects of an institution that has so much potential and a force like it was in the 20th century to reckon with.
First, with every
successful institution of higher learning, the founding principle for success
will always be the power of support from the alumni. At some point the alumni
base for this institution receded into a rapid decline. This argument could be
supported simply by the attendance of sporting functions, and inevitably by the
financial status of the alumni chapters and their giving.
It is important to note that majority not all alumni have forgotten what it is to support the university financially and actively with a voice of engagement. What needs to happen now is an active and robust alumni to once again become apart of the fabric in making key and quality decisions that support vision for the future.
The alumni of this institution need to make the effort to show up and display the unity and belief in this institution by supporting the existential functions that promote the spirit and quality of who we have been and are.
What I think has happened based on speaking with many of my father's classmates and fraternity brothers, is that when they attended this institution the alumni were engaged, along with the community. They had a sense of obligation, because they knew that quality education was not afforded to all and the importance of the support in the black community was key to sustain exponential growth for a people who could not be accepted into other institutions otherwise.
It is important to note that majority not all alumni have forgotten what it is to support the university financially and actively with a voice of engagement. What needs to happen now is an active and robust alumni to once again become apart of the fabric in making key and quality decisions that support vision for the future.
The alumni of this institution need to make the effort to show up and display the unity and belief in this institution by supporting the existential functions that promote the spirit and quality of who we have been and are.
What I think has happened based on speaking with many of my father's classmates and fraternity brothers, is that when they attended this institution the alumni were engaged, along with the community. They had a sense of obligation, because they knew that quality education was not afforded to all and the importance of the support in the black community was key to sustain exponential growth for a people who could not be accepted into other institutions otherwise.
Secondly, what needs to happen is a reformation of how this institution provides services. The longevity of any college depends on recruitment, retention and producing a product – that product is graduating quality individuals who will display beneficial gains within the work place that employ Fort Valley State University alumni.
Recruiting means designating key quality people who can communicate the essence of who we are and why students should attend this university. What I know to be true is that it is hard to attract students when the process becomes difficult and these are simple issues that I truly think technology could solve with the right hand guiding the process. The time-worn method of arena-style admissions and the exercise regiments of trekking across campus more than once to get a piece of paper signed have to stop.
In the 21st century we must become innovative in making the process for attending this university easier. It creates dysfunction among the customers (students) and burns out the small staff that is often stretched.
Inevitably, the retention of students is based on the faculty and the morale of campus. As a Middle Grades Education major, and a student who has always had teachers who displayed innovation, enthusiasm, and a zest for engagement with their pupils, I know what a difference quality faculty can make. At some point there has to be an evaluation system for the instructors.
When individuals are held accountable and the hierarchy chart is held attentive to the effectiveness of the quality of education, this will inevitably flow down to the students that they are required and expected to excel.
The evaluation will allow for incremental improvement for the better and ensure we have highly qualified instructors who have the best interest of the customer (student) at hand.
FAITHFUL AND TRUE
Finally, what
needs to happen - in the middle of #blacklivesmatter movement - is that we as the student body must take charge. In whatever capacity possible we most become family
again. There has to be a loyalty that is unfaltering and unequivocal to Fort
Valley State University.
When we as students buy into the faithful and true- we buy into the challenge that we are all students who, like the university, will serve the people and have a vision for the future. As rocky as the journey may be at times, we must stay faithful.
I have an allegiance to Fort Valley State University unlike any other. It changed my father’s life, and it allowed him to be introduced to a world that gave him access to education. That same education was passed down to me- allowing me to see how impactful one generation can be when they are educated and how impactful Historically Black Colleges and Universities are to not only black families, but to society.
What we need now will take work; it will take being uncomfortable and facing the challenges we have ahead. It will be a collective effort guided by a leader who will have the intellect and forethought of innovation to serve the people’s needs and a vision for the future.
When we as students buy into the faithful and true- we buy into the challenge that we are all students who, like the university, will serve the people and have a vision for the future. As rocky as the journey may be at times, we must stay faithful.
I have an allegiance to Fort Valley State University unlike any other. It changed my father’s life, and it allowed him to be introduced to a world that gave him access to education. That same education was passed down to me- allowing me to see how impactful one generation can be when they are educated and how impactful Historically Black Colleges and Universities are to not only black families, but to society.
What we need now will take work; it will take being uncomfortable and facing the challenges we have ahead. It will be a collective effort guided by a leader who will have the intellect and forethought of innovation to serve the people’s needs and a vision for the future.
Kalo Oglesby
SGA Director of Public Relations
Middle Grades Education Major
