Purdue News
May 2, 1997
Purdue Black Cultural Center creates advisory council
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Twelve Purdue University alumni, faculty, staff and students
have been appointed to a new Black Cultural Center advisory council.
After seeking recommendations of students, faculty, staff, alumni and others, Purdue
President Steven Beering appointed members to serve one- or two-year terms on the
council, which will meet quarterly beginning in the fall.
"The advisory council is comprised of a special group of individuals who are interested
in the future of the BCC," Renee Thomas, director of the BCC, said. "As Purdue moves
into the 21st century with new initiatives and a beautiful new facility, it is essential that we have the benefit of wise council and input from sectors of the Purdue
community."
At-large members are:
- Steven Lewis, St. Louis,
a 1980 graduate from the Krannert School of Management. He is president of Umpire
Industries Inc., a commercial and industrial painting company.
- Cheryl Gurnell-Pierson, Indianapolis
, a 1984 graduate from the Schools of Engineering. She earned a masters degree in
1991. Gurnell-Pierson works for Mays Chemical Co. as a quality assurance manager
and was a member of the Black Voices of Inspiration choir.
- Sarah Price, Lafayette
, owner of Sarah's Fabric Shop. She is a Purdue retiree who was a participant in the
march on Washington led by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.
- Fred Williams, Calumet City,
assistant director of admissions at Purdue Calumet. He was involved in the establishment
of the BCC in the early 1970s. He is a member of the Purdue Alumni Board and the
Purdue Black Alumni Organization. He graduated from the university in 1973.
Faculty and staff members are:
- Marion Blalock, senior program manager of freshman engineering. She is a member of
the National Society of Black Engineers, the Black Caucus of Faculty and Staff, and
the Purdue Black Alumni Organization. Blalock graduated from Purdue in 1969 and received her master's degree in 1973.
- Marvis Boscher, assistant director of residential life. She is a life member of the
Purdue Alumni Association and serves on the Consumer and Family Sciences Alumni Board
of Directors and the Purdue Convocations Advisory Board. Boscher graduated in 1989.
- Tony Hawkins, dean of students. He has supervised the faculty/staff minority mentor
program, is a member of the National Association of Student Presonnel Administrators,
and serves on the University Senate. Hawkins received his doctoral degree in counseling and student personnel administration from Purdue in 1980.
- Anthony Lemelle, associate professor of sociology and anthropology. His teaching
and research emphasis has focused on race and ethnic relations, social theory, and
deviance.
Student members of the council are:
- Erica Bentley, Indianapolis
, a junior majoring in organizational leadership and supervision. She is a member
of Phi Eta Sigma national honor society and is on the BCC student staff as a receptionist.
- Lauren Davis, Benica, Calif.,
a graduate student in the School of Liberal Arts. He previously was president of
the Black Student Union and was student director of a multicultural theme house at
the University of Puget Sound, Washington.
- Sharon Parkinson, New York City,
a doctoral student and teaching assistant in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
She is a member of the American Sociological Association and the National Council
for Black Studies.
- Troy Walker, Hammond
, a junior majoring in psychology. He is a member of the center's Haraka Writers creative
writing group and is a library aide for the BCC.
The Black Cultural Center serves about 35,000 people each year through its four performing
arts ensembles, speaker series, tours and other programs.
Purdue is in the midst of a campaign to raise $3 million to finance construction of
a new center. The two-story, 18,000-square-foot structure will be almost twice the
size of the current center. Purdue has contributed the land and $1 million toward
the construction.
For more information on the advisory council or other events at the BCC, contact Thomas
at (765) 494-3091.
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
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