Grambling State University has received three nominations, for this year’s first awards ceremony honoring excellence at HBCUs, hosted by Jackson State University located in Mississippi. The winners will be announced on Friday, June 28 as part of the inaugural National HBCU Media Week.
Grambling’s World Famed Tiger Marching Band was nominated for the best marching band. The university’s weekly newspaper, The Gramblinite, was nominated for the best student newspaper. GSU student Corban Bell was nominated for male student of the year.
The national renowned World Famed Tiger Marching Band, which is under the direction of Dr. Larry Pannell, was able to demonstrate performances outside of its home campus and city.
This year the band was the first and only HBCU that was invited back to perform at the inauguration for President Barak Obama’s second term. In January they were featured on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 Show, and performed during the halftime show for the Dallas Mavericks.
This year The Gramblinite newspaper received 24 awards while attending various conferences during the 2012-2013 year. In addition to writing for The Gramblinite, several staff members are a part of the university’s Media Bureau, which exposes them to publishing articles in professional news outlets.
Bell, who recently graduated in May as a double major in accounting and economics, spear-headed the university’s first recycling student assessment fee that students voted for in April. In May he won the Toyota Green Initiative grand prize and was loaned a free Toyota Prius for one year. During his tenure at Grambling, Bell was a part of the National Association of Black Accountants and chief of staff of the Student Government Association’s executive broad.
A native of Alameda, Calif., he interned with KPMG LLP, a Big 4 CPA firm that generated $7.1 billion U.S. based revenue in 2011. On Aug. 14, Bell will start his first day with the firm as an associate-auditor.
The Center for HBCU Media Advocacy, Inc., which promotes culture and development, established the annual awards as a primary fund raising initiative for the organization three years ago.