ESU Calls for MLK Nominations, Reservations for the 17th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Breakfast with Rev. James D. Jackson, Ph.D., as Keynote Speaker

Posted by: admin on November 6, 2013, No Comments

Nominations are being accepted for the 2014 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards, which will be presented at the 17th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Celebration Breakfast at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania on Monday, January 20, 2014, at 8 a.m. in the Keystone Room.

Nominees for the awards should exemplify two or more aspects of Dr. King’s philosophy of non-violence, equality, justice, cultural diversity and respect for humanity.

Two awards will be presented at the Celebration Breakfast: one to an ESU community member and another to a member of the community at large. ESU candidates must be currently employed by the university as a faculty member, staff member, administrator and/or must be currently enrolled as a student for at least two full-time semesters with a minimum grade point average of 2.5. Candidates from the community must be current residents who are active in the Monroe County community in ways such as advocating for education or working with children and underprivileged groups.

All nominations need to include a short biography of the candidate and one letter of recommendation. Nomination forms are available online at www.esu.edu/mlk. The deadline for submissions is Friday, December 6.

Keynote Speaker Announced

The keynote speaker for this year’s breakfast is Rev. James D. Jackson, Ph.D., who is the senior pastor of the Goodwin Memorial Baptist Church (GMBC) of Harrisburg, Pa., and is an associate professor in the department of psychology at Kutztown University and an adjunct professor at Wesco Evening College at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa.

Jackson is a member of the Central Baptist Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania State Baptist Convention (PBSC), for which he serves as vice president of the Central Region of the PBSC Clergy Ministry.

Jackson received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. He did his graduate work at the University of Kansas where he received his master’s and Ph.D. in cognitive experimental psychology with a concentration in gerontology. He is currently pursuing a master’s of theological studies at Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem, Pa.

Jackson has won many awards during his professional and academic careers, including being given an Outstanding Young Men of America award in 1991. In 2010, he was nominated for Who’s Who Among African-Americans. The following year he was nominated for Who’s Who Among African-American Executives and Professionals.

Jackson served on the Berks County Labor Council from 2008 to 2012 and is the former chairperson of the Pennsylvania State Student-Faculty Liaison Committee of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF). He teaches courses in general psychology, child psychology, adolescent psychology, adulthood and aging, life span development, experimental psychology, history and systems and cognitive psychology.

Jackson is also the faculty and spiritual advisor of the Campus Praise Ministries at Kutztown University.

Reserve Your Spot Today

Reservations are being accepted for the breakfast, which is open to all faculty, staff, students and members of the community. Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for ESU students. Proceeds will benefit the Gertrude Mary Smith Boddie Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to undergraduate students of color at ESU. In 1904 Boddie was the first African-American student to graduate from what was then known as East Stroudsburg State Normal School and later became East Stroudsburg University in 1983.

As a result of the breakfast, two Boddie Scholarship awardees will each receive a $2,890 scholarship award for the Spring 2014 semester. Winners are selected based on their ability to demonstrate, through community service or university involvement, a commitment to Dr. King’s philosophy of non-violence, equality, justice, cultural diversity and respect for humanity.

Breakfast organizers are also asking regional businesses to consider being a sponsor for this event. For more information, visit www.esufoundation/org/mlksponsorship or contact Angela Beers at 570-422-3179 or at abeers@esufoundation.org no later than December 6.

For more information about the Celebration Breakfast, nomination procedures or special day-of-event accommodations, contact Cornelia Sewell-Allen, director of multicultural affairs, at 570-422-3896 or at csewell@esu.edu.