S.C. convocation to highlight academic achievement April 1
Sunday, March 30, 2008South Carolina State University will formally recognize more than 900 student scholars who have achieved academic excellence at its annual spring Honors and Awards Convocation at 3 p.m. Tuesday in the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.
The theme of this year's convocation is: "SC State: A University With A New STATE of Mind." The convocation keynote speaker will be Dr. Calvin Mackie.
The annual convocation honors students who have distinguished themselves in scholarship and service. These distinctions are manifested through the attainment of Presidential Medallions, academic scholarships and induction into academic honors societies.
The Presidential Scholar Awards were initiated in 1977 by Dr. M. Maceo Nance Jr., the university's fifth president. The underlying objectives for establishing the awards were: to recognize students who demonstrate academic excellence; to encourage those who demonstrate academic excellence to maintain and achieve higher levels of academic pursuits; to provide symbolic recognition via the Presidential Pin; and to provide an incentive to all students to achieve academic excellence.
A recipient of the Presidential Scholar Award must be a full-time, regularly enrolled, degree-seeking undergraduate at the university. To qualify for a gold pin, freshmen and transfer students must have averages of 3.94 to 4.00. Pins are awarded based upon the following criteria for cumulative grade point averages: Bronze Pin (3.00-3.49); Silver Pin (3.50-3.74); Gold Pin (3.5-4.00).
Mackie started college in remedial reading because of weak SAT scores. He earned a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech, a bachelor of science in mathematics from Morehouse College in 1990, an M.S. in 1992 and a Ph.D. in 1996 in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech. Following graduation, he joined the faculty at Tulane University, where he pursued research related to heat transfer, fluid dynamics, energy efficiency and renewable energy. In 2002, he was promoted to associate professor with tenure.
Mackie's 11-year academic career ended in June 2007, when Tulane University disbanded the engineering school in response to financial hardship induced by Hurricane Katrina. In 1992 he co-founded Channel ZerO, an educational and motivational consulting company and has presented to numerous civic, educational institutions and Fortune 500 corporations.
He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Tau Sigma and Tau Beta Pi National Honor Societies. While pursuing his doctorate degree, he served as an instructor of mathematics at Morehouse College.
Mackie has won numerous awards including the 2003 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring which was presented at a White House ceremony. In November 1999, he received a patent on a device to retrofit luggage stowbins on 737 and 757 Boeing commercial airliners.
Most recently, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco appointed Mackie to the board of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the guiding agency to lead the state's rebuilding efforts following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Mackie was featured prominently on the HBO world premiere of Spike Lee's Katrina documentary titled "When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Parts," and has appeared on numerous national and local news shows including the PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer and the Tom Joyner Morning Show. He received international acclaim related to a recent visit to the country of Kuwait as an ambassador of the LRA. He is the author of the book: "A View from the Roof: Lessons for Life and Business."
Mackie is married and has two sons.
The April 1 convocation is open to the general public. For more information, call the S.C. State Office of University Relations and Marketing at 803-516-4791.
