 
Southern University System
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SUNO chancellor to receive award from African Writers Endowment - Wednesday, August 25, 2010
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 Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) Chancellor Victor
Ukpolo will receive the 2010 Quintessence Award from the African Writers
Endowment, Incorporated on Saturday, August 28, 2010, at the Marriot Trenton
Hotel in Trenton, New Jersey.
An accomplished and extensively published
professor of economics, Ukpolo has been at the helm of SUNO since January of
2006 having previously served Southern University System vice president for
academic and student affairs.
The Quintessence Award is given each year as part of "Quintessence Ball: A
Celebration of African People in World History. "The award is presented to
at least one continental African leader and at least one African-American
leader 'for distinguished accomplishments in the person's field of
endeavor, and for outstanding contributions to the history and heritage of
African people'." The Quintessence Ball brings together African
people from Africa, North America, and the Caribbean. Ukpolo will be honored
along with Ambassador Joy Uche Ogwu, the Nigerian Ambassador and permanent
representative to the United Nations, and the Honorable Tony Mack, mayor of the
City of Trenton, New Jersey.
A native of Nigeria, Ukpolo started work in America as a dishwasher and taxi
driver to put himself through school. He is a graduate of the University of
Maryland in College Park and received his master of arts and doctorate of
philosophy degrees from The American University, Washington, D.C. Ukpolo serves
as a member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’
Committee on Economic and Workforce Development.
Ukpolo is being honored because of his efforts in leading the SUNO's recovery
after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In 2006, the Tall Drums television team did
a documentary on Ukoplo and the recovery efforts at SUNO (http://www.talldrums.com/website/videogallery.html).
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