By Kenneth Mullinax/ASU
Three Alabama State University students have received country-wide recognition from the National Association of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Title III Administrators, as representatives of Region-7, of which Alabama State University is a member.
The ASU student winners are Malaysha Brunner, a junior majoring in Secondary Math from Columbus, Ohio; Caleb Martin, a sophomore majoring in Criminal Justice from Conyers, Georgia; and Louisa Tembo, a Computer Science sophomore from Mufulira, Zambia. In addition to the national honor, each student was given a small scholarship.
ASU’s Title III administrator, Kimberly Tolbert Tims, expressed her pride in the student’s accomplishments.
"Each year, the Association awards at least one scholarship to a student in each of the eight regions that constitute the nation in our national group, and this year, Alabama State University had not just one but three winners in our region," Tims stated. "Of course, it is an honor for a university to have just one of its students win this prestigious award from our Association, but for The Alabama State University to have three student winners is phenomenal, exciting and speaks well of our student winners."
Tims explained that for the awards, students had to meet certain criteria related to their academic standing and their character, as well as having their entries certified by the school's Title III director.
"This has been a dream-come-true year for Alabama State in 2024 and one that far exceeds the recent history of our past concerning this award," Tims said. "The last scholarship winner we had was in 2022, and we sure have certainly built upon that record by having three winners this year alone. Being in Title III, we love to see our students win and represent The Alabama State University, and we are all so proud of our students - Ms. Brunner, Mr. Martin and Ms. Tembo!"
The Title III Programs Department at Alabama State University manages funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to establish or strengthen the university’s academic resources, physical plants, financial management, and endowment-building capacity. The program currently receives three Title III grant awards that support six of the seven anchors of the ASU Strategic Plan through funding twenty-five campus activities. These activities range from establishing community outreach programs that encourage elementary and secondary students to develop academic skills to pursuing postsecondary education through ASU’s ASPIRE activity. Other activities include student service programs designed to improve academic success through ACES, University College and the Living Learning Center; academic instruction in disciplines in which Black Americans are underrepresented through Biomedical Engineering and Hemp Research activities; and the purchase of library books, periodicals, and other educational materials, including telecommunications program materials through the Levi Watkins Learning Center.