Leadership Perspectives

Leadership Perspectives

Message from the President & CEO Dwayne Ashley

When the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Inc. was established 20 years ago, it was founded on the belief that America is the land where dreams can come true for all of us, given the opportunity. The strong belief in delivering dreams and opportunities to young men and women have been the principles that guide the organization’s growth and development since it was founded in 1987. 2007 marked the 20th anniversary of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, which is an important milestone in the life cycle of any corporation or organization. However, when an organization exists to change the lives and futures of the recipients it services, the impact of that organization is much more profound and lasting.

Thurgood Marshall College Fund has provided more than $80 million in merit scholarships and programmatic support to students who otherwise would not have the financial means to fulfill their dream of a college education and leadership preparation. During the past 20 years, approximately 7,500 students have earned college degrees and began successful careers, a direct result of financial support from TMCF. Those students represent 7,500 dreams that were fulfilled over a 20-year period, and annually, TMCF’s support impacts another 235,000 students who are enrolled in our 47 member public Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

The increasing recognition by business leaders that investing in TMCF’s mission is also an investment in America’s future is growing both exponentially and measurably each year. In 2007, corporation and foundation support to TMCF continued to rise. Our research reveals that corporate support for TMCF is growing because the organization continues to increase the value of what it provides to industry, the marketplace and society by strategically building on the organization’s initial mission of awarding merit-based scholarships.

TMCF continues to award merit-based scholarships to deserving students but the Fund’s impact is much more inclusive and global in scope today.

Today, through a strategic execution of an expanded focus that includes Leadership Development; Capacity Building; National School Reform & Partnerships; Research; and Talent Sourcing (TMCF’s Five Innovations for America’s Future), TMCF is having a lasting impact on the larger picture including businesses and organizations as well as higher education and students’ leadership capabilities. As a result of an intense concentration on these five areas, TMCF is changing the landscapes of higher education, leadership preparation, talent recruitment and societal progress.

This global approach to educating students has resulted in a new generation of men and women who have been prepared to lead, because of our member public HBCUs and TMCF’s multifaceted educational and leadership development support.

Thurgood Marshall committed many years of his life to opening the door of educational opportunity for all Americans because he passionately believed their future depended on education. Our organization bears his name and has dedicated 20 years to fulfilling his vision that we can shape a better future for the entire nation by helping to deliver on the promise that in America, given the opportunity, dreams can come true.

Thurgood Marshall College Fund is committed to delivering dreams and preparing a new generation of leaders for the future of America.

Message from the Chairman of the Board

Jim Clifton, Chairman & CEO of The Gallup Organization

The board of directors continues to be highly engaged in and committed to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s focus on producing graduates who are leaders in their communities, the nation and the world.

Members of the board of directors believe that supporting the Fund’s mission is a strategic investment in America and further believe that in supporting the organization in extending educational opportunities, they have answered a call to change the world in some meaningful and lasting way. Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s growth and development over the past 20 years into an organization helping to transform lives is a testimonial to the dedication, passion, and purpose that each director applies to their role as board members.

Like many careful observers of societal changes and trends, the board has noted a growing need and demand for what the organization contributes to college students, public HBCUs, higher education, industry and society.

One of the most visible trends is the nation’s racial, ethnic and social diversity and the accompanying growth of minority populations. By any definition, the United States of America is now one of the most diverse nations in the world. However, despite greater diversity, people all across this nation are bound together by beliefs in the same basic dreams, and one of those dreams is the opportunity for a quality education.

Increasingly, the marketplace is becoming a knowledge-and-service-based economy that requires skilled minds. TMCF believes that with a more enlightened and educated society, there are no doors that we cannot unlock and virtually no limits on individual and societal achievement. For 20 years, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund has helped young men and women fulfill their dream of a college education and leadership preparation. In return, they have emerged as leaders who contribute immeasurably to the nation and the world.

This organization’s mission is imperative and with the continued support of a committed board of directors and many corporate partners who share our vision, Thurgood Marshall College Fund is poised to continue to help prepare future generations of leaders for many years to come.

 

Message from the Founder

Dr. N. Joyce Payne

Each day in this nation, far too many bright young people who are so very talented, academically accomplished and have so much to contribute to the communities, the marketplace and the world, are challenged by the seemingly insurmountable barrier of the lack of financial means to fulfill their dream of a college education. Yet, these courageous young men and women continue to pursue that dream with persistence and passion.

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund was established as a beacon of hope for placing that dream within reach of thousands of young men and women, and it was established to provide a means for corporations, organizations and individuals to invest in America’s future.

Nurturing leadership, extending educational opportunity and giving wings to the aspirations of young leaders, TMCF serves as a powerful instrument for social change.

In the creation of the Fund, we recognized that educating a new generation of leaders had to remain an integral part of our challenge as the nation bargains for greater world power in the global arena of the 21st Century. To that end, for 20 years the Thurgood Marshall College Fund has remained committed to serving as an indispensable adjunct to the American economy. Linking the Fund to the condition of social and economic progress is more than a moral issue. It is an issue of vision, of rational economic sense, of enlightened self-interest. The most striking testimonial to the resilience and value of the Fund is approximately 7,500 Thurgood Marshall Scholars who completed their college education with distinction and are now contributing to the nation’s economic strength and vitality. They didn’t have to abandon their dream because they lacked financial resources.

Beyond our scholars, TMCF impacts more than 235,000 students annually by providing much needed capacity-building and programmatic support to the nation’s 47 public Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Our support is contributing to the development of new academic offerings, innovations in instructional methodologies and in the production of teachers for the nation’s public schools. With sustained support, public HBCUs will continue to make great strides in building competitive academicand research programs in engineering, business and other disciplines that offer opportunities in new and emerging fields of science and technology.

TMCF has made an enormous difference in its 20-year journey of service to students at public HBCUs who are preparing to serve as public servants in government, teachers in the nation’s public schools and business leaders in the corporate world. Our goal is to produce students who will leave our universities with a veritable wealth of knowledge and experience to serve at the vanguard of America’s progress.

Thus, we envision the continued need for new partnerships with government, industry, major corporations, foundations, research centers and public schools—joining us in charting a new course for America’s progress and prosperity that includes highly talented students as interns and employees working to build a more perfect union. We want to open doors to new opportunities in philanthropy, government and corporate America, while helping to enhance and improve student engagement and success. While the corporate community and government have been enormously supportive, there is still much work to be done in serving our national interest and driving the global marketplace.

Progressive societies run on talent and innovation—talent prominent among graduates of public HBCUs.

Drawing on principles outlined by Ernest Boyer, we are committed to relating the work of the academy more directly to the realities of contemporary life…to the realities of global stewardship …to the realities of corporate citizenship. We are committed to producing students who have the superior power to create a new America, driven by an unbridled passion for freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. With all of our progress over the last 20 years, we must be proud of our achievements. But, we must never stop pushing for greater understanding and investments in improving the human condition for our students, the institutions we serve, our nation and the world.