Message from the Founder

Published on Wednesday, 25 May 2011 21:12

By Preston J. Edwards, Sr.

I am very pleased and excited with the publishing of our 40th Anniversary Commemorative Issue. THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine was established back in 1970. We saw the need for THE BLACK COLLEGIAN when employers were starting to create minority-recruiting programs in response to federal legislation requiring equal opportunity in employment. Because of past employment discrimination, employers were required to install Affirmative Action Programs to demonstrate their willingness to recruit minorities. THE BLACK COLLEGIAN was established to connect equal opportunity employers to qualified candidates. We distributed our career and self-development magazine free through career services offices. The magazine quickly became the "go to" magazine for students and recruiters alike.

The magazine has come a long way since 1970. Our expansion to the Internet began in 1995, when THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Online was launched, followed by the 1997 publication of IMDiversity.com—the companion site for experienced, multicultural professionals. In 2010, we launched the Diversity Registry, a site where employers promote their diversity initiatives. Our slogan in our 40^th Anniversary Publishing Year is, "And the adventure continues ..."

The past 40 years have been, indeed, a wonderful adventure. We are proud to have been instrumental in connecting thousands of equal opportunity employers with hundreds of thousands of African-American college students for job opportunities.  In our ever-changing world, it is our goal to remain at the forefront of all issues of diversity.  We have again expanded our reach to an even larger audience of readers and advertisers with DIVERSITY EMPLOYERS, which serves all underrepresented minorities, both entry-level and experienced professionals, and other job seekers interested in employment with diversity-committed employers.

As we transition from THE BLACK COLLEGIAN to DIVERSITY EMPLOYERS, I want to share with you a sample of the treasured feedback we have received from our readers and advertisers over the years.

“There is no publication available, in my opinion, that combines editorial quality, design and reader service as admirably as does THE BLACK COLLEGIAN.  Although it is self-described as ‘The National Magazine of Black College Students,’ a title it has earned unarguably, it is much more than that.  THE BLACK COLLEGIAN is the finest publication for students, prospective graduates, counselors, placement officials and administrators with respect to employment opportunities and the preparation required to compete successfully for them. It stands alone at the top of those publications with similar aims and aspirations.”

- John B. Slaughter, Chancellor, University of Maryland

“In the six months of being unemployed I send out many resumes; one went to THE BLACK COLLEGIAN. This, unknown to me, was the beginning of my future.  Through the Job Assistance Selection Service of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN, I received applications from the Naval Underwater System Center in Newport, RI.  I never thought that I would be relocating to Rhode Island from Baltimore, MD but there are many good opportunities for upward mobility and continuing education.  My main goal in this letter was to tell you and everyone else at THE BLACK COLLEGIAN, thank you.  I hope that you can help someone else start on a bright future.”

- Jonathan M. Hurt, Middletown, RI

“THE BLACK COLLEGIAN has impressed me as one of the most comprehensive and effective publications, dealing with issues of careers and job hunting, that has crossed my desk in some time. Congratulations on an outstanding accomplishment!”

- Athena P. Constantine, Director of Placement & Career Service, Columbia University

“…we know that our relationship with THE BLACK COLLEGIAN has been instrumental in helping us recruit and retain African Americans as employees and customers.  It is a long-term relationship that we appreciate and value.”

- Vincent J. Trosino, Sr., President of State Farm Insurance, February 2004 Issue of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine

“Hearing about THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine recently brought up some enjoyable memories, recalling how much time I spent with the publication that played such an important role in introducing me to my career. During my years as an upperclassman at Boston University, I'd consider lots of different professions in the search for life after college, but I quickly found out how unaware I was of the opportunities which actually existed for me.

“In my visits to the BU careers office, I always found THE BLACK COLLEGIAN stacked on a table in the entranceway. I would always get the latest issue, go through it cover to cover, and thumb through places I’d never heard of like Milwaukee, Wis., and employers like Northwestern Mutual. The ads featured people who looked like me, and included little captions about their background and responsibilities, which interested me greatly. I would actually create an index of the employers I wanted to contact, jot down the addresses, and eventually type a letter to the human resources contact they listed. Northwestern Mutual was one of those employers; they quickly set up an interview, flew me out to Milwaukee, and offered me an entry position in what was their new information technology area. The rest, for me, is pretty much history.

“That’s literally how I found out about Milwaukee, Northwestern Mutual, and what was to become my path to a rewarding career in IT.”

- Thomas Pina Windsor, Director, Information Services, Miller Brewing Company

“I have seen the 30^th Anniversary Edition of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine.  It is impressive! It’s very well edited and produced. The quality is exceptional. It will be a collector’s edition.  Congratulations!”

- Professor James Turner, Africana Studies & Research Center, Cornell University

“…As a New Year’s present to some of my college friends, I decided to give them a one-year subscription to your great magazine.  I was first introduced to your magazine through the Career Placement Center at my school, Michigan State University.  MSU subscribes to your magazine and provides free copies for its students.  However, some of my friends don’t attend MSU, but another local school.  So, I decided to introduce them to your great magazine.  I have always loved your magazine.  THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine provides useful and essential information for today’s Black student.”

- Jason Honeycutt, Michigan State University

“My thanks, therefore, for this timely article which greatly assisted me in preparation for recruiting Black students to the graduate engineering program at Stanford.”

- Harold K. Boyd, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Stanford University

“‘We’re Proud Of Our Family.’ This was the theme the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies utilized to advertise career opportunities in thirteen major professional areas for Black students in the JOBS Issue of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine.

“The response from the interested students has far exceeded our expectations and the costs were minimal when shared by our operating companies.  We firmly recommend and support THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine as a viable recruiting source for qualified, entry-level Black professionals.”

- Carol C. Woods, Johnson & Johnson

“NASA Lewis Research Center has advertised twice in THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine. Through our first advertisement, we hired two Black mathematicians. One was a female who had a 3.4 GPA from Spelman College and the other was a male from SUNY-Binghamton with nearly all A’s.  From our second advertisement, a Black freshman electrical engineering student from Southern University applied for a summer job.  During his first semester he received five B’s out of six courses.  The Center is appreciative of quality students from a quality magazine and I will share that viewpoint with others.”

- Judy Montfort, Resource Development Specialist, NASA—Lewis Research Center

“… And THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine named CIA one of the best places for young African Americans to work – twenty-seventh on a list of fifty companies…  This second item was especially gratifying to me because I had made it a priority to enhance the Agency’s record on diversity.”

- George Tenet, At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA (Pg. 23, Harper Collins, 2007)

“THE BLACK COLLEGIAN is one of our most effective advertisement vehicles for attracting college-degreed minorities in the technical fields.  We recommend the services of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN without reservations.”

- Nevin Stewart, Office of Employment, National Security Agency

“Please know that our Career Counseling and Placement Center subscribes to some 40 collegiate publications annually. Through the years, THE BLACK COLLEGIAN has been and continues to be our top-rated magazine, not only among our staff but among our students and alumni as well! They too have come to expect and rely on the comprehensive and concise content of each issue. Keep it up; it’s an invaluable tool to all of us.”

- Obra V. Hackett, Director, Career Counseling & Placement, Jackson State University

Also, we are proud to have received over the years numerous awards and recognitions in journalism, business, and in community support.

In closing, I want to say that I had 40 years of fun and struggle. I have been blessed and I cannot begin to thank everyone who sustained me for 40 years. However, I must thank God who continues to bless me and wake me up everyday. I want to thank our loyal advertisers and readers; our career services officers; our dedicated staff; our friends and family, in particular Preston, Jr. and Trina, Preston III, Coleman, Chancellor, Scott and Leslie, Jude and Max; and, my rock, my foundation, the love of my life, Rosa.

Preston J. Edwards, Sr.

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