In January, the “World Famed” Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band received the latest in a string of honors over the years when it became one of 94 participants to perform in the Inaugural Parade of President BarackObama. The Presidential Inaugural Committee had 1,382applications to perform in the parade. It was the only organization from Louisiana represented in the parade.

Grambling State University enhances the life experiences of its students, employees, and community members by creating unique learning and cultural opportunities.

Located in north central Louisiana, Grambling enriches its community with arts and humanities programs such as the African Art Show, Children’s Festival on the Green, and the Martin Luther King Musical Tribute Celebration. These programs and others bring local, national, and international lectures, music, and theatrical programs to the campus and communities it serves.

Grambling’s university community relies on GSU to serve as the hub for cultural programming, family-friendly activities, and community-building events above and beyond university activities.

Grambling State University’s State Farm Bayou Classic in New Orleans attracted 59,784 people in 2008. The event, dubbed the “most distinguishable sporting event in all of Black America,” is not only a football game between Grambling and Southern University but also includes a job fair, college fair, volunteering opportunities and of course, the always popular Battle of the Bands and Greek Show.

According to the New Orleans Metropolitan Visitor and Convention Bureau, the Bayou Classic drew an estimated 200,000 visitors and had a $200 million economic impact throughout the event weekend.

On average, there are 100 events taking place every day at UL System campuses.

Combined, the eight UL System universities, of which Grambling is a member, had almost 36,000 event days and 3.9 million visitor days last year

Examples of major event attendance at Grambling include:

• The McConnell Art Collection, which drew 6,000 people over a period of a month,
• The BET Black College Tour, which drew a crowd of 3,500,
• The 30th Annual High School Day, also with 3,500,
• Miss Black and Gold pageant, which attracted 2,100 people to the university
• 2008 Black History Month Activities, which brought in 1,000 visitors, and
• Spring Commencement 2008, which had an attendance of 2,000.

Grambling visitor spending had a $36 million impact on the state; $12 million of that impact came directly from visitor spending for events and activities.

Campus events at Grambling attracted over 189 ,000 people, 58 percent of those being off-campus visitors.

Those visitors infused money into the state’s economy through food purchases, lodging, and travel expenses. For example, 128,000 (60%) of university visitors stayed in paid lodging.

Service-Learning and Volunteerism
Enhancing service-learning and volunteerism across the eight universities is a priority for the UL System. In 2006, the system acquired a three-year, $1.2 million grant from the Corporation for National Community Service’s Learn and Serve America Division to create service-learning programs that address hurricane recovery and disaster preparedness.

Over the past two years, the program, titled “ULS Serves,” has funded 70 service-learning projects at the eight campuses. These projects have engaged 675 faculty and staff, 8,462 college students, 201 youth volunteers, 1,276 adult volunteers, and 243 community partners - all working towards improving Louisiana’s communities.

Grambling State University faculty, staff and students volunteered approximately 147,000 hours last year. Contributing vastly to the communities in which they serve, students volunteered 101,000 hours and faculty and staff served 46,500 hours.

Research shows that student participation in service has positive impacts on leadership ability, grades, retention, degree aspirations, critical thinking skills and commitment to helping others in difficulty. College graduates are also more likely to volunteer and participate in civic activities, so the foundations set in service-learning at the eight UL System schools will continue to benefit Louisiana for years to come.

Grambling is establishing a mentoring program as part of the final year of the ULS Serves grant that has an increased emphasis on Pre-K-12 partnerships. As part of the largest provider of education graduates in the state, this is a natural outgrowth of the symbiotic relationships UL System schools have with their local elementary and secondary schools

The economic and community impact study results show a solid foundation of service-learning and volunteerism at the eight universities. Officials are working towards institutionalization of servicelearning activities to ensure a wide range of community programs remain available in the future.

The current UL System Learn and Serve grant has fostered growth on the Grambling State University campus in multiple ways. More visibility has been given to service learning and to the students and faculty who work with grant funded projects. As a result, 25 teaching education students hosted tutorial sessions for students preparing for LEAP and other standardized tests. Also, over 300 students traveled to New Orleans to help the rebuilding and recover efforts after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The first UL system school to establish an office of Service-Learning, Grambling has also recently added a service-learning requirement of 160 hours to its General Education Program. Grambling State University improves the quality of life for communities in which it serves by providing cultural, economic, and educational opportunities that would not likely be available otherwise.

“Grambling has a historical character and mission as a HBCU – the commitment to young people of color and to include international students. It has a positive national and international reputation,” said Barbara McIntyre, a Realtor/Restaurateur in Lincoln Parish.