Chowan University Hosts CIAA Commissioner Leon Kerry at Rouson Memorial Lecture Feb. 2nd
January 26, 2011
MURFREESBORO, NC – This year’s Reverend George T. and Luvenia B. Rouson Memorial Lecture will welcome the Commissioner of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Leon G. Kerry, and will be held on Wednesday, February 2nd at 11:00 am in Turner Auditorium, located in the historic McDowell Columns Building on the Chowan University campus.
Commissioner Leon Kerry also serves as Chief Executive Officer for the CIAA Conference, headquartered in Hampton, VA, and has guided the 99-year-old, thirteen member athletic conference to unprecedented success. Implementing savvy marketing, innovative technology and corporate sponsorships to maximize growth, Kerry has seen the annual CIAA Basketball Tournament grow into a weeklong social engagement drawing over 180,000 fans - the third most attended athletic event in collegiate sports after the ACC and Big East tournaments.
Kerry has received many honors and awards for his noteworthy work for the CIAA including the Trailblazers Award from the 100 Black Men of America Inc., induction into the Hampton Roads African American Hall of Fame, the NAACP Leadership Award, and was presented by the Honorable Randy J. Forbes of Virginia in a proclamation in the US House of Representatives for his outstanding leadership in college athletics.
Reverend and Mrs. Rouson were noted Hertford County religious leaders whose legacy of religious stewardship, family values and community service lives on today in the lives of their children, former students, co-workers and county residents. The lecture is sponsored jointly by Chowan University, the town of Murfreesboro and the Rouson Foundation.
“The Rouson Memorial Lecture is a wonderful community and university event that is free and open to the public,” stated lecture organizer and local historian Alice Eley Jones of Historically Speaking. “The lecture is unique in that it joins Chowan University, the municipal government of Murfreesboro and local citizens in a continuing effort of Christian brotherhood and community fellowship.”
The memorial lecture program is one of only a few continuing efforts between a college community, town council, and local citizens in the nation. Originally stemming from a 1958 Town Council vote honoring Rev. Rouson upon his death for his commitment to the Hertford County community, the Murfreesboro Town Council voted to award the guest lecturer’s plaque at the first Rev. George T. and Luvenia B. Rouson Memorial Lecture held at then Chowan College in 2003.
“The purpose of this event is to recognize Christian values, brotherhood, stewardship, and the importance of family,” Jones said, “To recognize good Christians who do good deeds for their community.”
In this spirit, the Rouson Memorial Lecture is proud to host CIAA Commissioner Leon Kerry on Feb. 2nd at Chowan University. The public is welcome to join Chowan University for this free event honoring his civic achievements.
Chowan University, a Christian liberal arts university founded in 1848, enrolls more than 1200 students each year and is located in the Historic Inner Banks community of Murfreesboro in Northeastern North Carolina. The university is in close proximity to the Outer Banks and Hampton Roads Virginia. Chowan’s park-like campus features 300 acres including Lake Vann, the beloved “Squirrel Park” and the original McDowell Columns Building, erected in 1851 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Chowan offers 63 undergraduate academic programs among The School of Arts and Sciences, The School of Education and The School of Business, and offers Masters Degrees through the School of Graduate Studies. Several departments are also individually accredited, such as Teacher Education Program’s accreditation by NCDPI and NCATE, as well as the Music program’s institutional accreditation by NASM. Chowan offers 11 varsity programs in the CIAA conference as well as co-ed cheerleading, with dual-affiliation in the NCAA D-II and NCCAA.