ORLANDO, FLA. — A team of students from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Fla., emerged as the national champion at the 2003 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC), an academic competition among the best and brightest students at the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) today in Orlando, Fla.
Winning a best two-out-of-three game series against South Carolina State University, Florida A&M University's students showcased their skills and intellect by quickly and accurately answering 10-point “toss-up” questions and 20-30 point bonus questions on world history, science, literature, religion, the arts, social sciences, popular culture, and African-American history and culture.
More than 320 college students from 64 HBCUs across the country competed in the three-day tournament for more than $300,000 in institutional grants. Nearly 100 HBCU presidents, educators, alumni and community volunteers attended the event, themed "Friends for Life," to support the participating students.
The Association of College Unions International (ACUI) is proud to have been educational partners with the Honda Campus All Star Challenge since its inception 14 years ago. More than 80 volunteers help make this program a success, and the majority of them are from ACUI member institutions.
As the HCASC national champion, Florida A&M University took home a $50,000 grant, while runner-up South Carolina State University won a $25,000 grant. Remaining teams earned grants ranging from $3,000 to $15,000.
In addition to winning institutional grants, the competition gives HCASC students the chance to exercise teamwork and establish long-term relationships through unique networking forums. Over the three-day period, the initial field of 64 teams is pared down to 16 teams, which then participate in a single-elimination playoff round until only the final four teams remain.
The Florida A&M University’s team included: Capitan Jeffery D. Rogers Jr., a senior majoring in business administration from Pensacola, Fla., and players Alonzo Brandon Alexander, a junior majoring in physics from Raleigh, N.C.; Jonathan Daniel Evans, a junior majoring in psychology from Morgantown, W.Va.; and Michael Ghebrebrhan, a senior majoring in physics from Jacksonville, Fla. Alternate was Kevin J. Johnson, a junior majoring in physics from Durham, N.C. The team was coached by Vivian L. Hobbs from Tallahassee, Fla.
In addition to Florida A&M University and South Carolina State University, students from Alabama A&M University and Alcorn State University also demonstrated their academic prowess by making it to the final four.
“HCASC provides an opportunity for students to grow academically and come together as competitors, but leave as friends who are richer and more confident from the experience,” said Eric Conn, assistant vice president of national advertising for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Honda is proud to provide a platform for such growth.”
The Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is the only competition of its kind and was established by American Honda Motor Co., Inc., in 1989. Since the inception of the program, more than 15,000 HBCU students have participated, and Honda has awarded nearly $3.5 million in grants to HBCUs to improve campus life through facility improvements and increasing academic resources.
ACUI has served college union and student activities professionals since 1914. Its members work at private and public, large and small, technical and liberal arts institutions throughout the world, many of which do not have a college union building. More information about ACUI can be found at http://www.acui.org/.
For more information: <BR>Jack Voorhees: (812) 855-9886<BR>Abby Pluth: (310) 781-5056 or (310) 729-1440 cell<BR>Wendell Bugg: (310) 783-3217 or (310) 503-4290 cell