Malcolm Copeland is new Mr. Prairie View A&M University

Malcolm J. Copeland, a junior accounting student is the new Mr. Prairie View A&M University. The pageant, held on April 21 at the university, saw six young men vying for the title, along with $3000 in scholarship and prizes and the opportunities for service and travel.

When the competition ended, Malcolm walked away with first place in talent, private interview, evening/formal wear and impromptu/onstage question. Winning the pageant is the culmination of months of preparation and training provided by Creative Imagery and Pageant Consulting. Next stop for Malcolm is the Mr. Collegiate African American Scholarship Pageant, set for Houston, Texas in October 2010.

Terry Barton, junior business management major was first runner up, with DeShawn Parks, senior education major, as second runner up. Other Pageant contestants were Jawan C.M. Jenkins, DeAndre Augustus and Remington Belford.

Malcolm’s platform, “Developing the Next Generation of Leaders: A focus on the Youth” is dynamic program he plans to implement during his term. Malcolm believes that he “can inspire and help the young people, particularly the young men, through a variety of positive activities which will provide better opportunities for their future.” The title will give him the venue to implement his platform and make a difference in the lives of the college students.

Malcolm is a 2007 graduate of Langham Creek High School , where participated in numerous activities, including the Debate Team, Choir and Honors program. His career goals are to earn the CPA and the Doctor of Jurisprudence Law Degree.

In preparation for his accounting career, Malcolm will complete a second intern with Shell Oil this summer and has will travel to Seoul Korea for a week as part of the College of Business’s International Exchange program.

He serves as a positive role model for the students at the university and has provided mentorship to high school students through various programs at the university and in the community. Malcolm is visionary and innovative and seized the opportunity to assist the College of Business in enhancing the Toastmasters International organization, managing the Business Advisory Board for the Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) Team. Malcolm also directs the team’s leadership program “Unleashing Your Potential” and the Goldman Sach’s Capital Markets Financial Literacy program.

Malcolm is the recipient of a $5,000 scholarship from the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company Multicultural Scholarship Program, one of 12 selected nationwide.

He holds membership and leadership positions in Toastmasters International (President), Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society, Student In Free Enterprise (BAB Director and Chaplain), National Association for Black Accountants, Student Government Association (Former Chief Justice), Frederick Douglass Leadership Institute, and a Career Services Ambassador/Apprentice. In addition to his organizational affiliation, Malcolm finds time to volunteer with various community cleanups and services to his church and the community.

The Mr. PVAMU Pageant, in its 25th year, is one of the first pageant of its kind for College Men.

For booking information contact: Rev. Charles H. Lewter, IV at chlewter@pvamu.edu or 936-261-3591.

PVAMU Team wins Honda Campus All Star National Championship

After months of studying and three days of rigorous competition, the PVAMU Honda All Star Challenge Team is the National Champion at the 21 Anniversary games in Orlando, Florida. The field of 48 HBCU's, including Florida A&M, Howard, Hampton, Morehouse, Southern and Tuskegee, was narrowed to 16 and then to 8 and the final four.

PVAMU then went head to head with Mississippi Valley State University in the finals. When the final buzzer sounded the PVAMU team emerged victorious defeating MVSU 265-195 after answering the following question correctly:

"The title of a 1908 play was coined to refer to the concept that a number of ethnic groups, cultures, and religions in a society will fuse together to produce new cultural and social forms. For 10 points -- what is this term that also names a chain of fondue restaurants?" Final Answer: The Melting Pot

The Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is one of Honda’s largest and longest running philanthropic initiatives here in the United States. The game is an academic competition among the best and brightest students from the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Team members and coach are: Edward Hackett, Jonathon Gholston, Cedrick Wilson (Captain), Isaac Hoyt, Cedra Wilson and Gabrielle Washington, with Mr. Herbert Thomas (Coach).

For its victory, the team gets $50,000 for the university general educational/scholarship fund. Cedric Wilson was also named to the All-Star Team

PVAMU, a charter team, has been competing since 1990 when the team made it to the Final Four by defeating Howard University. This is the first time the team has one the National Championship. Commenting on the team’s success, Frederick V. Roberts, the team’s first coach stated, “I’ve waited for this moment for 20 years since coaching the first team. My sincere congratulations to the team on this victory. These students are among some of the most dedicated and committed I’ve seen over the years. I commend Mr. Thomas for the great work that he has done with the tournament.”

Along with Prairie View A&M University and Mississippi Valley State University, teams from North Carolina Central University and Fayetteville State University also demonstrated their academic prowess by making it to the final four.

The spirits are high on the campus and folks are wondering if the team will get a trip to the White House, since academics seems to be a top priority for President Barack Obama. Additionally, will this team see the likes of appearances on the daily shows i.e. ABC Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, NBC Today Show, CNN with Soledad O'Brien, Oprah, BET with Monique or even Fox, who is ‘fair and balanced!'

Next up for the team is another championship!

Prairie View A&M SIFE wins Regional Award

Prairie View, Texas: -- The Dallas Hilton Anatole Hotel was the scene for the 2010 Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) Regional Expo which attracted some 900 students from 60 university from across the country. The Prairie View A&M University SIFE Team was among the teams competing for a national spot. After the league rounds of competition, the PVAM Team fell short and received 2nd place honors and missed out on the national trip this year.

This year marks the 25th Anniversary for the Team which had hoped to best its placing since its chartering at the university in 1985. The 24 students making the trip along with the advisor Frederick V. Roberts and Mrs. Glenda Jones, Director for Career Services was the largest contingent ever to represent the university.

“The team has everything to be proud of,” said Roberts, the teams Sam Walton Fellow. “This was one of the group of students to attend and I am proud of the amount of work and time they devoted to the projects. While we wanted to win so badly, there is solace in knowing that next year could be better.”

SIFE encourages students to take what they are learning in the classroom and apply it to real-life situations, using their knowledge to make life better in their communities by teaching the principles of free enterprise and entrepreneurship. The PVAMU team touched the lives of many students and persons in the surrounding community in 2009 with more than 40 seminars and other projects. Noted projects include: Ethics in the Global Market Economy, the HSBC Financial Literacy - Money Management 101 for College Students, How to Start & Manage a Business, Social & Professional Networking, Talent Showcase/Competition, Copyrights, Patents and Trademarks, Club Pees & Vees and AIG Credit Counseling.

The team’s newest project Texas Fashion Week, modeled after New York's, was a major success that showcased student designers, models and artists. Additionally, the team enhanced its “Panther Pete Goes Green” (Paper Recycling) Project with Student Government Association and the Environmental Safety Department to raise awareness on environmental sustainability as well as encouraging recycling at the university. The team also partnered with Mt. Corinth Missionary Baptist Church in sponsoring its Campbell Soup Canned Hunger Project and distributed more than 300 lbs of food and clothing to the needy in the community. Following the appeal of President Obama, the team also raised money and collected clothing to support the Haitian Relief Project.

Its Financial Literacy and Credit Counseling Programs continue to educate the students on personal finances and investment, through its HSBC Financial Literacy and AIG Grants for the Credit Counseling for freshmen and senior students. For 2010, the team, taking Oprah's advice to help the young women too, will extend its programs for students in Elementary through high school with services to schools in the Hempstead and Waller ISD’s.

On April 14-16, the team will host its 3rd Annual Entertainment Business/Hip Hop Summit along with Music Executive Ernie Singleton’s “Business of the Music Business College Tour.” The program, produced and directed by Anita Jones, will provide opportunities for students interested in the entertainment business and will feature a talent contest and concert.

Founded in 1975 and active on more than 1800 college and university campuses in 50 countries, SIFE is an international non-profit organization that works in partnership with business and higher education to mobilize university students to create economic opportunity for others while realizing their own potential. The students also develop leadership, teamwork and communication skills through learning, practicing and teaching the principles of free enterprise and entrepreneurship.

The PVAMU SIFE team, one of a few HBCU's in SIFE, was chartered at the university in 1985 and is cosponsored by the Career Services Center and the College of Business . Members of its Business Advisory Board and supporters are Beth Allday, HR Manager with Enterprise, Yvette Barker General Manager, American Campus, Denise Carreathers Armstrong, Manager, Amistad Bookplace, Rebecca Faison, Director, Small Business Development Center, George Higgs, President, Chamber of Commerce, Frank D. Jackson, Mayor, City of Prairie View, Glenda Jones, Director of Career Services at PVAMU, Morrell Price, Training Consultant, Munir Quddus, Dean, College of Business, Don Sowell, President of Wilmic Ventures and Malcolm Sykes, Vice President, Wells Fargo Bank.

The team and its supporters continue to be a major contributor to the student personal and professional development programs at the university.

For more SIFE information, contact Ridge Fields-Cooper, President at 936-261-3579.


PHOTO Credit: Photos by Courtney Cunningham