OSU honors Black Excellence

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More than a dozen Black faculty, staff, alumni, students and community members were honored at this year’s Oregon State University Black Excellence event on Feb. 3, held at Reser Stadium. Sponsored by the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center, Oregon State Athletics and the OSU Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the formal event featured dinner and an awards ceremony.

Erika McCalpine, executive director of strategic diversity initiatives at OSU-Cascades, and the director of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Laboratory, received the President’s Commission on the Status of Black Faculty and Staff Affairs Black Excellence Award. The award honors a faculty or staff member at Oregon State that has been dedicated to the culture and embodiment of Black excellence through mentoring, advocating for Black community members, building partnerships, and engaging with the broader community. The award recognizes efforts to keep the Black community afloat, present, and visible at OSU. 

Black faculty, staff, alumni, and community honorees were:

Barbara Forrest-Ball (program manager)

Christopher Stout (faculty)

Dante Holloway (assistant director)

Grace Atebe (director)

Marquis Bryant-Morgan (alumni)

Janelle Layton (graduate student)

Marlena Thomas (community member)

Student Spotlight honorees were:

Abigiya Bekele

Benajza Jones

Bethlehem Kassa

LeWaski Watkins

Quentin Onyemordi

NAACP Leadership Award recipients were students:

Faisal Osman

Destiny Franklin

Gabe Frazier-Jenkins

Mateo Olmos