Tobias Morgan, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania- c/o 2007, Sociology
Name : Tobias Morgan
HBCU : Lincoln University of Pennsylvania
Graduation Year : 2007
Major : Sociology
Email : tobias1morgan@gmail.com
Where are you from? Who introduced you to HBCUs?*
I hail from B.K. the home of Biggie and Jay - Brooklyn, New York (Crown Heights).
I was introduced to HBCUs by my College Access Advisor during my Junior year at Middle College High School at Medgar Evers College.
Honored at the Inaugural Student Choice Awards at Howard University for 2016-2017 Staff of the Year
Why did you choose an HBCU over a pwi?*
I chose to attend the FIRST Historically Black College & University not just any HBCU. As a child I watched the show A Different World. My perception of education was formed as a young Black Boy by my parents and eldest brother. I believe it was in the eighth grade I realized I wanted to attend an HBCU and join a fraternity, when a sorority member visited my junior high step practice (lol).
During my senior year in high school I decided I wanted my post-secondary educational journey to be meaningful at an institution that valued small class sizes, with instructors that cared about me in and out of the classroom, student affairs professionals that were invested in my holistic development, and friends that I would call family. Not to mention I wanted to experience an authentic BLACK COLLEGE EXPERIENCE.
What is the story of your "experience" at Your HBCU given its heralded status as a stellar and prestigious institution?*
Chartered as The Ashmun Institute, Lincoln University of PA is the first degree-granting HBCU. The Lincoln University has a rich and symbolic history specific to men as it was originally an all male school established to educate colored men in theological education. Today, Lincoln University has provided the educational foundation for men and women alike preparing leaders for a global economy.
My HBCU experience provided me with the skills necessary to be a successful African American male. My involvement in campus activities, student organizations, my fraternity, and student leadership propelled me to my current career field of Higher Education specifically working at HBCUs. The YARD was not just any yard, it was our family living room. Reflecting on my HBCU experience, I am able to lean on my Lincoln family, as they can lean on me. I truly have life-long friends.
My dear old Orange and Blue.
Hail! Hail! Lincoln.
With my students at a campus event "Kentucky State University"
"First time" experiences at your HBCU?*
This is going to be a shocker!
So I did not visit Lincoln prior to my arrival. Picture stepping out of your Dad's car into a field of weeds and corn up to your thigh and your mother looking at you as if we are going to get back in the car to go back home. LOL That was my first experience! I loved it and I am glad I stayed. I had so many 'FIRST' experiences in college and they have all played a vital role in the person that I am today. My HBCU experience shaped me, especially the hard life lessons some of my professors gave me that taught me to be a hard worker and scholar. Above all, my HBCU experience taught me resilience.
Who are the professors that have impacted your life in and out of the classroom? How did they do that?*
I have three people that immediately come to mind.
Dr. Carl F. Walton was a Political Science professor at Lincoln. He was so engaged and student centered that he eventually became the Vice President of Student Affairs after I graduated. I never had Dr. Walton as a professor, but many of my friends did. He was so REAL with us that I pushed myself to be like him (he never knew I looked up to him from a distance as a student). Today, he is my mentor and I am truly blessed to have crossed paths with this great man. Although he is not a Lincoln graduate, he has definitely earned his stripes as a Lincoln Man!
Dr. Genyne Royal, served as the Director of Student Life & Activities at Lincoln. She is practically the reason I work in Higher Education now. She gave her life to us crazy kids running around campus. I believe I mirror her dedication to young scholars in my daily life. We got on her nerves (I know we did) but she never gave up on us. Not to mention, she kept the campus LIT!
Ms. Rose-Anne Matthew was my Resident Director. She gave me my first "official job" at Lincoln as a R.A. Because of Ms. Matthew I was able to mentor first-year males at Lincoln. When I worked in Residence Life as a professional I would often reflect of my days working under her leadership.
Collectively, they have all motivated me along this PhD journey at Morgan State University. This says a lot about the unshaken relationships students develop with faculty and administration at an HBCU.
Your wildest moment at college?
I would say my wildest moment was Homecoming when I began modeling and did a Calvin Klein runway. First time I was ever basically naked in public.
Are you a member of a fraternity?
I am a proud brother of the LATEST & GREATEST FRATERNITY KNOWN TO MAN, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. I was initiated at the Epsilon Epsilon chapter on the campus of Lincoln University, PA during the spring of 2016. I thank God for directing my path to a brotherhood of Forward Mobility, Authentic Bonds, Realistic Culture Rooted in Heritage, and Principles Unshaken.... OW OW
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Lincoln University of Pennsylvania
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Students: 1,902
- Athletics: Lincoln University of Pennsylvania participates in the NCAA as a Division II institution. Lincoln has won 17 NCAA Division III Track & Field championships since 1985. Lincoln competes as a Division II member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and, the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Lincoln Lions compete in intercollegiate athletics in the following sports: Baseball, Soccer (Women), Basketball (Men & Women), Volleyball (Women), Indoor Track (Men & Women), Outdoor Track (Men & Women), Cross-Country (Men & Women), Softball, and Football.
- Notable Alumni: Ebenezer Ako-Adjei Ghanaian politician, member of the United Gold Coast Convention and The Big Six** Nnamdi Azikiwe 1930 first President of Nigeria** Cab Calloway 1930 entertainer, bandleader** Archibald H. Grimke 1870 lawyer, journalist, public speaker, member of the Niagara Movement** Langston Hughes 1929 poet** Larry Neal 1961 Black Arts Movement leader in the 1960s** Kwame Nkrumah 1939 first President of the modern Ghana** Dr. Joseph C. Price 1879 founder of Livingstone College** William Drew Robeson I 1876 minister, father of Paul Robeson** James H. Robinson 1935 founder of Operation Crossroads Africa (a model for the Peace Corps); Chapters 8, 9 and 10 of Robinson's 1950 autobiography, Road Without Turning, describe life at Lincoln in the early 1930s** Gil Scott-Heron attended, early 1970s, activist, singer-songwriter** Clive Terrelonge 1994 Olympic track and field athlete from Jamaica** Mose Penaani Tjitendero 1968 Namibian politician; former Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia ;Chairman, SWAPO Central Committee** Tjama Tjivikua 1983 Rector of the Polytechnic of Namibia** Albert H. Wheeler 1936 first African American Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan**
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