Awhile back, Olympic gold medalist and LeMoyne-Owen College track and field coach Rochelle Stevens, Ph.D., told the school’s president, Vernell Bennett-Fairs, Ed.D., that she wanted to introduce her to someone: Marvin Ellison, the president and CEO of home improvement retailer Lowe’s.
Stevens already knew Ellison, and she had raved to him about Bennett-Fairs’ vision, and the HBCU’s (historically black colleges and universities) potential. He had wanted to learn more.
So, the group met, and Bennett-Fairs laid out her vision for the college. She described her focus on the four Rs — recruitment, retention, revenue, and relationships — and LeMoyne-Owen’s burgeoning cybersecurity program. Everything Stevens had said, Ellison found, was true.
“We were very impressed with LeMoyne-Owen College’s focus on technology and the potential to grow access to education that was laid out in the school’s strategic plan,” Ellison told MBJ in an email. “I have also been impressed with the vision of their president, Dr. Vernell Bennett-Fairs, to transform the college.”
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