Shreveport natives and Southern University (SU) alums Tony and Tina Williams donated $25,000 to Southern University Shreveport (SUSLA) to establish The Williams Center for Undergraduate Student Achievement. The new program, which is part of The Five-Fifths Agenda for America program (FFAA) will start in 2018, and will target underprivileged minority males who are driven and want to eventually achieve a four-year college degree. The donation took place during the 2017 Southern University Alumni Federation Leadership Summit at SUSLA.
“A lot of guys and gals I grew up with didn’t make it out, so we know this agenda is very important. Statistics show it’s important. That’s the reason we want to be a part of it,” said Tony Williams.
The Five-Fifths Agenda for America (FFAA), conceived by former SU System president Ronald Mason Jr., is a national effort with the dual goals of increasing the number of college degrees among black men and increasing the ranks of black male classroom teachers. The initiative also serves to increase the number of black male degree graduates, increase the number of black male teachers or STEM graduates, establish HBCUs as institutional bases for long term systemic change, and to influence the national dialogue on the relationship between black men and America.
“We are certainly grateful for his generous donation that will contribute to the facilitation of the FFAA project on our campus,” said SUSLA Chancellor Rodney A. Ellis. “We also encourage other alumni and friends of the college to consider matching this gift.”