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Thursday, February 10, 2005

Five Lincoln Students to Contend in National Academic Competition on March 31-April 4, 2005 in Orlando, FL

Five Lincoln University undergraduates have qualified to represent the University in the Annual Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, a national academic competition scheduled for March 31-April 4, 2005, in Orlando, FL.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc established the competition in 1989. For the 16th consecutive year, the contest will celebrate the academic excellence of students at America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This academic competition brings together 64 HBCU teams of students who compete for the title of National Champion by answering questions on a variety of topics including history, science, religion, the arts and popular culture, as well as African-American history and culture.

At Lincoln, the on-campus competition to select the national representatives began last October with 15 teams, according to Ihsan Mujahid, coordinator of Student Life and Development, who also coordinated the contest. Each team consisted of four players. At the end of the tournament, the five best players were selected to represent Lincoln based on their individual performance. Students were challenged with a variety of questions, including in science, literature, geography, Black and American history, and sports. The five students representing Lincoln University in the national academic competition are:

• David J. Chase, a senior, of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; Major: English Communications; Career Goal: Sports broadcaster.
  
• Leslie J. Farrell, a senior, of Queens, NY; Major: Biology and secondary education; Career Goal: University professor.
  
• Robert M. Holliday, a junior, of Willingboro, NJ; Major: Computer Science; Career Goal: Captain in U.S. Coast Guard.
  
• Zchagiel M. Monroe, a senior, of Philadelphia, PA; Major: Mass Communications; Career Goal: News media producer and international correspondent.
  
• Kyle L. Wanamaker, a sophomore, of Philadelphia, PA; Major: Business administration; Career Goal: Urban developer.
  
  The five Lincoln undergraduates will be accompanied to Orlando by Benson W. Prigg, Ph.D., associate professor of English at the University, who will serve as their coach.
  
  Over the past 15 years, approximately 25,000 HBCU students have taken part in this prestigious program. The National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) is the educational partner for the program. Last year, the winning team was crowned National Champions and received a $50,000 institutional grant. Since Lincoln’s first participation in 1989, University teams have earned $23,500 in cumulative grants.
  
  Founded in 1854, Lincoln University is a premier, Historically Black University that combines the best elements of a liberal arts and sciences-based undergraduate core curriculum and selected graduate programs to meet the needs of those living in a highly technological and global society. The University is nationally recognized as a major producer of African Americans with undergraduate degrees in the physical sciences (biology, chemistry and physics); computer and informational sciences; biological and life sciences. Lincoln enrolls 2,012 undergraduate and graduate students.

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