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Tuskegee University honored 1,136 students Friday at the Scholarship Convocation in the Daniel “Chappie” James Arena. Students are recognized annually in three categories – Annual Honor Roll, Eminent Scholars and University Scholars.
In congratulating the scholars, president and CEO Dr. Mark A. Brown made it clear that academic achievement remains the highest and most important celebration at the university.
“Today is our Super Bowl,” he said. “Today we are celebrating the ‘main thing’ and the main thing will always be our students and their scholarship.”
“I want to thank the guests of honor here today – the scholars. The reason that you are here at Tuskegee is for the very same reason that you are assembled here today and being rightfully recognized. It is because you are putting scholarship into action.”
Later in the program, guest speaker, Dr. Calvin Mackie delivered a powerful address in which he challenged students to remember that, with their scholarly excellence at Tuskegee as a foundation, they can create and control their own destinies and impact the world.
“You have greatness in your DNA,” said Dr. Mackie, a sought-after speaker and national advocate for STEM education who hails from one of the most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in the United States, New Orleans, Louisiana’s Lower 7th Ward.
He encouraged students to view passion as positive fuel for the work ahead.
“Passion contains an unspeakable hope – this thing called hope is real,” he said. “Hope is that voice in your head that says ‘yes’ when the whole world says no.”
A former tenured engineering professor at Tulane University, Dr. Mackie holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech, earned in 1996 as one of just 11 African Americans to do so nationwide that year. He also holds a patent for a safety mechanism used to retrofit stow bins used in Boeing aircraft.
He is the founder and CEO of STEM NOLA and its expansion initiative STEM Global Action, two groundbreaking organizations dedicated to expanding access to STEM education in under-resourced communities. Since its founding in 2013, STEM NOLA has engaged over 200,000 K–12 students in hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning experiences across the U.S.
“Here at Tuskegee, you have everything you will need to make something – make a living, make a life and make a difference,” said Dr. Mackie.
“Scholarship is about more than knowing, it is also about the application of that knowledge,” he added. The men and women who have specialized skills aren’t asking how much things cost, they are telling people how much they charge. When you leave Tuskegee – whether you are an engineer, a veterinarian, or a pilot, you will be able to tell people how much you charge.”
“It’s the same principle Booker T. Washington was talking about over one hundred years ago,” he noted.
Annual Honor Roll: 1059 students
In recognition of academic excellence and for the promotion of scholarly work, based on the work of the preceding school year
2024-2025 Eminent Scholars: 69 students
Students who maintain a grade point average of 4.00
University Scholars: 8 students
One student in each of Tuskegee University’s eight colleges and schools will be designated as a University Scholar.
© 2025 Tuskegee University
