The Giving and The Getting: Board Of Supervisors Meeting Full Of Surprises

“Today what you saw was a transformation of sorts in terms of moving into a new mindset of giving,” board member Attorney Tony Clayton proclaimed of Friday’s monthly Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting.
The new mindset of giving Clayton is referring to may have something to do with the $1.6 million the University raked in over the Bayou Classic weekend.
In addition to the excitement of the 44th Annual Bayou Classic, New Orleans was buzzing with the spreading news of Southern University’s (SU) newest financial safety nets.
SU Alumnus, Attorney Tony Clayton began the giving by presenting the Board with $1.1 million to fund the construction of the “Tony Clayton Championship Plaza.”
The structure will benefit athletic programs and The Human Jukebox. According to Head Basketball Coach Roman Banks, “17 plots have already been paid for by Attorney Tony Clayton to be placed.”
In the spirit of renaming structures, retired Head Coach of the SU Baseball Team, Roger Cador received a special honor.
SU System President-Chancellor, Dr. Ray L. Belton, presented Cador with a token of appreciation on behalf of the BOS, announcing that the campus’ baseball facility will be named after him.
“What I did over the 47 years I was with Southern University was not to have my name put on anything, but to have a job well done. A community well-served,” Cador affirmed as he humbly accepted the honor.
The meeting was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Southern University’s host for the weekend, so the SU spirit was flowing from the hallways and into the meeting.
In with the spirit came The Crescent City’s newly elected mayor, LaToya Cantrell.
The meeting paused as Southern University Law Center (SULC) Chancellor, John K. Pierre, introduced Mayor Cantrell, listing her many accomplishments leading up to her new position in office.
Cantrell quickly expressed her platform as the first African American woman to become Mayor of New Orleans, speaking to the Board members and the audience simultaneously.
“As I move, we move. . .we want to uplift and uphold the values that we know are dear to the nurturing that we get from our Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” she said.
The Academic Affairs Committee continued the meeting by awarding posthumous degrees to two fallen members of the Jaguar family.
Senior Elementary Education major, Cynthia L. Howard, and longtime volunteer for the Jaguar Football Team, Dr. Debra Fountain were both unanimously granted degrees for their completed matriculation at the University.
As the agenda moved forward, President and CEO of Research Park Corporation and Nexus Louisiana, Dr. Byron C. Clayton presented Chancellor Pierre with a $20,000 check for SULC Professor, Mark Thurman for his diligent work with technology in the Law Center.
The giving continued as Southern University became one of only two entities to receive a $500,000 gift from Capital One, the only institution of higher learning, and most certainly the only HBCU to receive the gift.
“Capital One has been a champion literally. A corporate friend and partner of Southern University for years,” Dr. Belton gleamed.
As the giving spirit faded from the room, newly re-elected Chairwoman, Ann Smith, wrapped things up with a video presentation, “Year-In-Review.”
“I would like to introduce a video. There was so much we could have put here, but it would have taken so long. But, if you pay attention you may see yourself. You’re going to see where we tried to reach out and be a part of making a success for Southern University to grow to another level,” Smith concluded.