President Walters on the COVID_19 Challenge at Tougaloo
As President of Tougaloo College, it is my utmost pleasure to thank you once again from the depths of my heart for your continued engagement in this institution. Without a doubt, we are living through an unprecedented global situation. As we move through this challenging and uncertain time of dealing with COVID-19, I wanted to let you know that Tougaloo College continues to thrive thanks to the prayers and generosity of alumni and friends who believe that this special place matters.
Our students, faculty and staff clearly understand that we are in this together, and Tougaloo College has the best interest of all of our community members at heart. Our students, faculty and staff have stepped up to the challenge of learning, teaching and working remotely. We remain committed to cultivating success for our students and ensuring that they end the semester strong. While we have had to postpone some of our events that are near and dear to us, we will reassemble in large groups when it is safe to do so.
From the Desk of the Tougaloo College Board of Trustees’ Chairman
Hello Fellow Alums,
First, I must say it is both an honor and privilege to serve as the chairman of the board of trustees of our illustrious institution. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Wesley F. Prater for his years serving as board chairman and his continued dedication as a trustee emeritus.
I can only say at this point that we are living in interesting times. COVID-19 has fundamentally changed how the world, this nation and our beloved Tougaloo College operates. As you know, the nation has basically shut down. However, our mission to educate the next generation of eaglets has not and will not stop. The academic semester continues with online courses.
The board has been meeting on a regular basis to discuss the impact to the college. Our next full board meeting is Friday, May 1, 2020.
Our focus is fairly straightforward. We need to increase enrollment, increase fundraising, improve our infrastructure and find innovative ways to develop our land in a manner that enhances the prior three items…
2019 Hall of Fame Wrap Up
The Tougaloo College National Alumni Association Hall of Fame Committee is moving forward as planned. Last year’s Hall of Fame was a success as we inducted five phenomenal honorees, and we raised $56,680.00 for the association. We look forward to honoring five more outstanding Tougalooians this fall. The committee thanks each of its supporters, and we anticipate another successful Hall of Fame Ceremony this year. Hall of Fame Inductees will be announced once the nomination process has concluded.
Ro’chelle Williams ‘14
Board of Directors Chairwoman Message
During these unprecedented times, it is reassuring to witness the unwavering support of alumni. The Board and the Executive Committee of TCNAA continue to join efforts in collaboration with the college, ensuring that our institution remains viable and sustainable during the unchartered territory of COVID-19 and beyond. Although the shadow of uncertainty looms over all of the HBCUs, many of which are tuition and alumni support driven, Tougalooians continue to dig deep, step up recruitment efforts, and support our institution. Our collective efforts have and will continue to make a difference!
The President’s Board Report
Public Safety
Under direction from President Carmen J. Walters, all college and alumni-sponsored events as well as large on and off-campus gatherings, including events sponsored by any registered student organizations, are postponed until further notice. In addition, Tougaloo College has postponed all baccalaureate and commencement activities. Public health officials recommend drastically limiting nonessential travel and all large gatherings.
As the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to develop and impact our communities, the Tougaloo College National Alumni Association (TCNAA) decided to postpone all alumni association events until further notice. We took this proactive measure out of consideration for the health and well-being of our alumni, constituents, and campus community. We continue to work closely with campus leadership to determine next steps as the situation evolves.
From the Office of Alumni Relations
“Count Down to June 30, 2020”
As we count down to our fiscal year end and official end of our Sesquicentennial Celebration on June 30, 2020, there is still time to support our beloved Tougaloo College with our financial resources. For 150 years, alumni have created and supported scholarships to ensure that the College is able to build on our foundation as it continues to keep doors open for its students. Each year we rely on the participation of our alumni because our gifts are Tougaloo’s lifeline. The College wouldn’t be what it is today without this ongoing support.
It is not the size of the gift, but the number of alumni who give that matters most. U.S. News & World Report and other publications look at alumni giving percentages to help determine national rankings for colleges and universities. As the percentage of alumni who give increases, the stronger Tougaloo’s reputation becomes.
TCNAA Membership Donations Rates
One of the 6 pillars of the mission of the Tougaloo College National Association, Incorporated is “Encouraging alumni to raise and/or make contributions annually to the Tougaloo College Annual Giving Fund.” Across all institutions, research shows that there is a general presumption that alumni giving increases where membership based alumni associations are present. Therefore, the TCNAA Membership Committee undertook the task of determining what percent of it’s members donated to the college on a regular basis. The expectation, based on several published reports was that the number of members donating would be greater than the number of non-members.
Data was obtained and analyzed from giving reports for the last three fiscal years (FY2016/2017—FY2018/19) . Information on the dollar amount of donations was not provided and was sought for this study, only the number of donors. The analysis consisted of counting the number of TCNAA members that were found on the donor list.
Pre-Alumni Council Special Thanks
I am writing in a humble attempt to express my sincere gratitude to members of the Tougaloo College National Alumni Association for your unconditional support of the Pre-Alumni Council (PAC) during the academic school year of 2019-2020. It was because of incredible individuals like you that we were able to accomplish so much within this time. The success and growth of the Pre-Alumni Council will only continue forward from here because of you.
We were able to take twenty active students of the council to the United Negro College Fund’s 74th Leadership Conference in Charlotte, NC. As a result of a very successful year, the Tougaloo College PAC received awards for President of the Year, Advisor of the Year, and Best Scrapbook of the Year. We ended this year with a total of 55 members. Although we were not able to continue our great events because of the pandemic, we look forward to continuing the legacy and mission of our esteemed organization during this upcoming fall semester. Thank you for being the ideal example of what it means to give back and support the place from whence you came. Please know how much the council truly values and appreciates your help. Thank you again for your generosity and support.
74th National Alumni Council - 62nd National Pre-Alumni Council Leadership Conference Report
National Alumni Council (NAC) New Tougaloo Officers:
*Southwest Regional Representative - Joyce Delk ’72
*Western Regional Representative - Michael Cleveland ’17
National Pre- Alumni Council New Officer:
*LaShon Webb’ 21, Vice President
NPAC Awards
Local Chapter News
Chicago Tougaloo Alumni Chapter
The Chicago Tougaloo Alumni Chapter was honored to host the Tougaloo Concert Choir as one of the stops on their Spring 2020 Tour. The choir arrived on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 and was met at the hotel by our alumni hosts Dr. Diana Grant Burke, Mrs. Rose Small Ramey, and Mr. Willie L. Lewis, Jr., where they were provided a lunch in the hotel’s dining area. It was a very spirit-filled gathering of students along with alumni, two of which were former choir members: Mrs. Ramsey and Mr. Lewis. Later that evening, the choir performed at St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church, one of Chicago’s historic African American Catholic churches, which was founded 128 years ago. Many of the Chicago-area alumni attended the concert. Afterwards, the alumni had dinner in the church dining room with the choir members and were hosted by Zeta Phi Beta, Zeta Tau Zeta Graduate Chapter courtesy of Dr. Diana Grant Burke and the church culinary team. Mrs. Annie Rose Pope was our facilitator for this concert.
Tougaloo College Houston Area Alumni Chapter has been busy!
Under the leadership of Houston Area Alumni Chapter president Emleigh Mitchell, the Houston Chapter has been busy with multiple college fairs, the annual holiday social and the Perry Lee Homes Annual Bike Give Away sponsored by TCNAA Trustee, Marion Tresvant. 2019 Christmas Social was a HUGE success. A heartfelt thanks goes to the Christmas Social Committee: Shirley Evans, Teresa McCoy, Felisha Stiff, and Emleigh Mitchell. Thank you also to Umekei and Zurich Smith for allowing the chapter to host our Christmas Social at your location: US Dentistry, Umekei Smith, DDS, 3264 South Loop West, Houston, TX 77025
MATAC’s (Memphis Area Tougaloo Alumni Chapter) Impact and Commitment
For many years, the Memphis Chapter has demonstrated the level of commitment of our members and our sense of purpose! We invite all Memphis Area Alumni to get INVOLVED, VOLUNTEER and SUPPORT the CHAPTER! Joining the chapter encourages continued success for our students and support for the college.
Check out MATAC’s Happenings! 
New Orleans Area Tougaloo Alumni Chapter
The New Orleans Area Tougaloo College Alumni Chapter participated in the 3rd Annual HBCU Fair, “Putting Education First,” sponsored by the Q.U.E.E.N.S, Inc. on March 6th. Mr. Paul Scott, Tougaloo College Recruitment Representative, joined alumnae Freddi Williams Evans at the Algiers Westbank Regional Library to answer questions about the college from prospective students as well as parents and staff from local schools.
Washington Area Tougaloo Alumni Chapter(WATAC) News and Update
As we look back at December 2019, one might describe it as the end of the “Era of great social gatherings.” During that time, the Washington Area Tougaloo Alumni Chapter gathered to celebrate as family with its annual Christmas holiday festivities. To usher in the holiday season, chapter members, friends and alums spanning three generations were treated to the best pot luck ever, games, and music by “Beyond the Divide.”
In February, The Gaylord at National Harbor was the site for the Alfred Street Baptist Church College Fair, where recruiters from Tougaloo, the WATAC team, and area alums met with thousands of college-bound students in hopes of making them future eaglets.
Eagle Roll Call
Greetings Tougaloo College Alumni!
The Eagle Queen and TCNAA are partnering to engage you on social media.
It’s time for the Eagle Roll Call!
- Take a photo of yourself wearing your Tougaloo gear.
- Use Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to post your photo, along with your name, graduation year, major and career title.
- Use the hashtag #EagleRollCall
We look forward to learning more about how you are impacting the world.
Represent the Loo today!
We are Tougaloo!
TCNAA Membership Update
Thank you for you continued commitment to the mission of the Tougaloo College National Alumni Association. I would like to extend a special thanks to our local alumni chapter presidents who lead by example and encourage their members to join and become involved. Our levels of membership have continued to accelerate, as reflected through a steady increase during the past four years. Life and Sub-Life, by far, have shown the highest levels of increase. Our young alumni are becoming more and more engaged. This reflects that Tougalooians are aligned with our goals to support the college and our students…
In order to provide more proficient services to our TCNAA membership, beginning July 1, 2020 all applications must be submitted through our online portal at: https://tcnaa.org/membership. A new integrated online application/payment will go live on or before July 1, 2020. Membership numbers will be assigned by the system for every current and past member in the membership database. A link will be posted on the website where ID numbers can be requested as well as updating individuals contact information. A valid email address will be required to process these requests. This new secure system will operate seamlessly on the front end and facilitate greater efficiency and labor saving on backend processing of membership information management.
AKAs and Alphas Celebrate 70 Years on the Campus of Tougaloo College
Initiates of Gamma Omicron Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Gamma Upsilon Chapter, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity returned to Tougaloo College during the 2019 Founders’ Weekend to celebrate 70 years of contributing to the very fabric that makes up Tougaloo College.
Gamma Upsilon was chartered on February 27, 1949 and Gamma Omicron was chartered on April 23, 1949. Both have the distinct honor of being the first undergraduate Greek chapters within their organizations to be chartered on college campuses in the state of Mississippi.
In Memoriam
Mr. Hiawatha Douglas ’48 and other alumni.
You made this world a better place just by being in it.
Commemorative Luggage Tags
Now available for sale in the TCNAA Shop. Proudly display your Tougaloo College support and identifying your luggage with these two image (TCNAA Seal & Tougaloo College sesquicentennial logo), 4.25 inch x 2.5 inch, lenticular printed plastic luggage tags.
Each card comes with a 5.75 inch loop strap. The tag’s distinctive design makes them ideal for identifying your luggage, brief cases, backpacks, laptop bag, golf bags and many more personal items.
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