Historically black colleges and universities made a strong showing in the 2011 Washington Monthly College Rankings, which were released Tuesday.

“Unlike U.S. News and World Report and similar guides, this one asks not what colleges can do for you, but what colleges are doing for the country,” the magazine states. “Are they educating low-income students, or just catering to the affluent?”

Here are some of the findings:

• Jackson State University, at No. 9, was the only HBCU ranked among the nation’s top 10 colleges and universities.
   
•  Among liberal arts schools, Morehouse College was ranked No. 2 (down from No. 1 last year). Spelman College was ranked No. 4, up from No. 8 last year.
   
• Tuskegee University was ranked as the nation’s No. 1 baccalaureate college. Elizabeth City State University was ranked No. 5, and Claflin University in Orangeburg, S.C. was ranked No. 10.
   
• SC State University was ranks among the top 10 schools for enrolling the most cadets in its ROTC program, which was established in 1947 and has produced 15 generals.

Washington Monthly, a bimonthly publication covering politics, government, culture and the media, rates schools based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: Social Mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), Research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and Ph.D.s), and Service (encouraging students to give something back to their country).

CLICK HERE to see the latest rankings.

Related link:
Washington Monthly's take on college rankings
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It's time for the MEAC/SWAC Challenge

The seventh annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge is slated for Sunday at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

This year’s matchup features Bethune-Cookman of the MEAC against Prairie View A&M of the SWAC. The game will be televised on ESPN at noon.

On Saturday, three former NFL Pro Bowl players -- long-time Detroit Lion Robert Porcher III (South Carolina State) and NFL Hall of Famers Ken Houston (Prairie View A&M) and Larry Little (Bethune-Cookman) -- will lead a group of five honorees at the Legends Reception. Also being honored are Vice Admiral David Brewer III (Prairie View A&M) and poet-educator Nikki Giovanni (Fisk University).

Each will receive an HBCU Trailblazer Award in recognition of his or her lifetime achievements.

ESPN sportscaster Jay Harris will host the event.
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New coaches set to debut at JCSU

Johnson C. Smith University will have four new coaches when the Golden Bulls football team plays its season opener Saturday against West Virginia State University on the JCSU campus.

They are:

Former Carolina Panther Mike Minter joins as assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator. He was head of football operations and head coach at First Assembly Christian School in Concord, where he had a three-year record of 33-4.

Deshawn Baker is JCSU’s new running backs coach. He was running back at SC State from 2003 to 2007, and was 2006 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) offensive player of the year. He also led the MEAC in rushing that year with 1,289 yards.

Jonathan Hodges joins the Golden Bulls as linebackers coach. His coaching career began at Millbrook High School in Raleigh as the training camp assistant in 2004. He later moved to Wake Forest-Rolesville High. Prior to joining the JCSU staff, Hodges interned under the director of athletics at Cedar Shoals High in Athens, GA.

Marques Reese, a former JSCU student-athlete, will learn and teach as the student assistant offensive lineman coach. He played four seasons for the Golden Bulls (2007-10) on the offensive line and is currently completing his degree in Sports Management at JCSU.
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In other JCSU news…

• The school will hold its seventh annual Festi-Bull Kickoff at the Irwin Belk Complex on Saturday, Sept. 3, from noon to 1:30 p.m. This is a free event.
   
• Gastonia radio station WGNC (1450 AM) will broadcast all 10 JCSU football games this season. Dave Friedman, a Syracuse University graduate, will serve as the play-by-play announcer, and Joshua Diggs, a graduate of UNC-Charlotte, will provide the color commentary.
   
• Follow Johnson C. Smith University Athletics on the official Twitter page at http://twitter.com/JCSU_Sports . Check for updates, upcoming events, links to release, and all other happenings with JCSU Athletics.

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