President’s message
Members of the African American Alumni Association (AAAA),
I hope you have all had a wonderful summer. It is my pleasure to greet you as students return to school. I am excited about the year to come for our students, whether they are in their first year of higher education, or preparing to graduate.
Before you dive into the information enclosed in the newsletter, please allow me to share some highlights on what has happened and what is to come!
First, thank you to everyone who joined us for African Americans at CWRU: Our Legacy on June 18. Imagine my joy when I flew in from Dallas the day before my birthday and saw so many of us eager for a conversation on the university’s strategic direction related to African American students, faculty, and alumni, and its plans for advancing initiatives for our community.
I sent a special thank you to Constance Hill-Johnson (WRC ’80), chairperson, board of directors at the Cleveland Foundation, for facilitating the conversation, and Anthony Peebles, director of national development and diversity Initiatives, for making this long overdue conversation a reality. Whether or not you were able to attend, please stay connected with AAAA! With everyone engaged, we can accomplish so much!
Speaking of engagement, homecoming registration is open. Mark your calendars for Nov. 14-17! Our signature events, listed below, provide great opportunities to network with fellow alumni.
If you are available, I also encourage you to join us for the university’s Homecoming Luncheon on Friday, Nov. 15, to celebrate Quad A’s own Linda Berry Wheatt (FSM ’72; GRS ’77, education), the first African American recipient of The Alumni Association of Case Western Reserve University’s Daniel T. Clancy Alumni Service Award! We are incredibly grateful for her service to the university and her dedication to Quad A since its inception in 2009.
I hope to see you all in November! In the meantime, peace and blessings to all.
Warmest regards,
Tiarra Thomas (CWR ’12)
President, African American Alumni Association
Home sweet homecoming: Nov, 14-17
Homecoming is rapidly approaching. Register now for these signature events and others! It won't be the same without you.
Friday, Nov. 15
Alumni Awards Luncheon
Case Western Reserve University President Eric W. Kaler will share the state of the university with the campus community and the 2024 recipients of the Alumni Association Awards will be recognized from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Tinkham Veale University Center
Candlelight Vigil and Mixer
Kick off the weekend with networking, food, friendly competition and a special remembrance for alumna Stephanie Tubbs Jones (FSM ’71, LAW ’74). Play one of our games or bring your own. It’s always a great time! Alumni, students and families are encouraged to attend this free event from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Linsalata Alumni Center Great Hall.
Saturday, Nov. 16
AAAA Annual Meeting
Your participation in this meeting is vital, as we gather to discuss programming for the upcoming year and elect the leadership that will guide our association forward. Join us from 9:30 a.m. to noon at Tinkham Veale University Center.
AAAA Awards Celebration and Dance
Please join us from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Thwing Student Center for an evening of dinner and awards recognizing the significant contributions of our alumni. “Get your dance on” at the party that follows the program.
Sunday, Nov. 17
Inspirational Breakfast
Feed your body and soul with a delicious breakfast, uplifting keynote speaker, and the fellowship of alumni and friends before saying farewell for another year. Join us from 9 a.m to noon at the Linsalata Alumni Center Great Hall.
View the full schedule and register for events.
African Americans at CWRU: Our Legacy
On the evening of June 18, more than 70 members of the Case Western Reserve community filled the Linsalata Alumni Center for African Americans at CWRU: Our Legacy, a conversation highlighting strategic initiatives focused on African American students, faculty, alumni and neighbors. The event, brainchild of Constance Hill-Johnson, Anthony Peebles, Tiarra Thomas and the Office of Alumni Relations, celebrated CWRU’s advances in diversity and inclusion and also made known the work that is still to be done.
Moderator Constance Hill-Johnson kept the conversation flowing as panelists Provost and Executive Vice President Joy Ward, Co-Dean of the Weatherhead School of Management Andrew Medvedev, Assistant Vice President, Local Government and Community Relations Julian Rogers (MNO ’08) and Vice President, Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Engagement Robert Solomon presented information on a variety of topics, including the 2023 Supreme Court ruling requiring race-neutral admissions and how CWRU is working within the law to circumvent its obstacles to diversity and inclusion.
“We cannot list race, but we can list the attractive attributes that many diverse students have,” Ward said. “And we can still allocate scholarships to underrepresented populations. Although our numbers will be lower this year, we have been successful in admitting diverse students and continue working hard to do so.”
Currently, 80 percent of CWRU students come from outside of Ohio, however Rogers hopes the seventy K-12 programs on campus each year, including Provost Scholars and the National Youth Sports Program, will change that statistic.
In addition, the university is opening Wade Park Community Engagement Center this year to strengthen relationships and the belief that the university is accessible for students from surrounding communities.
CWRU is addressing the fact that students want to see people in authority positions who look like them. Faculty 100 and North Star are two programs seeking to increase faculty of color. Intentionally, there is diversity on each search committee and there are associate deans of diversity in each college.
Solomon cited ongoing training for faculty and staff to ensure that students not only feel respected, but see accomplishments of people of color in the curriculum. Andrew Medvedev detailed the support that exists in the Weatherhead School of Management, citing faculty and executive mentoring, Leadership Development for Black Professionals and Women in STEM and Manufacturing programming.
In answer to the question, “How can we help?”, alumni were encouraged to recommend people for open faculty and staff positions, meet and mentor students, use their connections to provide jobs and internships for students, introduce them to industry partners, and stay engaged!
Want to Keep Up with Quad A?
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Reach Beyond Legacy
Reach Beyond Legacy, the African American Alumni Association giving campaign, honors past trailblazers while supporting current and future students. The Diane O. McDaniel Scholarship is one of many diversity scholarships supported by the campaign.
McDaniel (MGT ’87) was a consummate professional and proponent of continued education. She served as vice president of human resources at Acme-Cleveland Corporation and later as director of human resources for the Cleveland Metroparks. Grateful for the financial assistance from Acme-Cleveland Corporation that helped her earn an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management, McDaniel provided similar life-changing opportunities for others.
In 2007, she created a scholarship through the Cleveland Foundation for graduating fourth-year students at Glenville High School in Cleveland, and shortly after graduation from the Weatherhead School, endowed the Diane O. McDaniel Scholarship Fund for students from diverse backgrounds pursuing an MBA or a Master of Science in Positive Organizational Development. Please consider donating to this scholarship or another in AAAA’s Reach Beyond Legacy initiative.
AfroAm Gives Back
The African American Society (AfroAm) is one of the oldest and most active student organizations on campus. It exists as a platform for African American students at Case Western Reserve to take action by raising awareness of issues in our community. The organization celebrates and educates others about African American culture and experiences, while reaching out and giving back to surrounding neighborhoods.
Each year, AfroAm offers a scholarship to one active general-body member. Recently, this scholarship was renamed in honor of CWRU and AfroAm alumnus Myron Matlock, who earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Case Western in 2006 and is senior technical advisor at HNTB Corporation, an engineering consulting company in Cleveland.
With the help of the Office of Multicultural Affairs and AfroAm, Myron Matlock built lifelong connections and gained the support he needed to turn a struggling academic career around. He was encouraged by his life-changing experience with AfroAm to give back to the Black community at CWRU.
With the Myron Matlock Scholarship, the African American Society aims to appreciate and support the ambitions of our general-body members and carry on Matlock’s motivation of giving back. We believe that all of our members have the skills to achieve their career goals, and we offer this scholarship as an additional form of support in doing so.
To donate to the Myron Matlock Scholarship, please use this link.
Support a New Black Business
Debra J. Mines’ Book Company writes and publishes inspirational books for adults and books for children ages one to 12. It also provides tutoring in language arts. The company can be reached by email at debramines@icloud.com on its website at, stinkyshoes.shop, and by phone at 404.790.3604.
We would love to promote your business in the newsletter and/or include it in the African American Alumni Association Directory of Black Businesses. Please send your name, affiliation, business name and focus, and business email, website, and/or phone number to alumnirelations@case.edu.
What would you like to see highlighted in future newsletters? Have news to share? Know someone who wants to receive AAAA communications? Contact us at alumnirelations@case.edu.
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