that scholars graduated with a skill. While Brown's administration doesn't intend to revert to brickmaking, it has set its sights on building a ‘renaissance era’ where students take with them a Tuskegee degree and walk away with a certification and completed internship – a modernized version of Tuskegee founder Booker T. Washington's ‘head, heart, mind” philosophy of educating the whole person. “We believe that that same theory is lasting,” said Brown. “We believe it is equally as important where our students are today, where the economics of the country are, and where they start their journey for an education. It's about social and economic mobility. A student should be better off for having gone to college than they would have been had they not. We know as a people we don't have the luxury of going to college just to say we went. We need to go with some expectations of what will happen on the other end. We want our students to be ready in that same sense so they can have the economic outcomes of their education that it was intended to give them.” IT'S THE BAND FOR BROWN Since the 1980s, Tuskegee presidents – including Brown – have lived on campus in Grey Columns, a historic mansion that was originally acquired by university founder Booker T. Washington. It’s situated an earshot away from the field where the Marching Crimson Pipers
practice. Instead of being minorly inconvenienced by the clang of the symbols and the steady beat of a bass drum, Brown is transported back to his time as a band member. As such, he is looking forward to seeing how the band of 2026 measures up to his band of 1986. Brown said the largest gathering for the band’s performance is during homecoming and they are always under the microscope. This year will feature the largest band in a decade. “You do not want to disappoint those alumni that have come back, so if you ever really flipped your horn, and blown hard and did your split just right, you're gonna’ do that on homecoming,” recalled Brown on his experience as a band member which mirrors that of the 40 classes following his example. “This is your time to show that your marching Crimson Piper band is just as good in 2026 as it was in 1986 and you have maintained your era of the band.” “The band will practice and practice and practice leading up to the game,” said Brown who named his doberman pinchers Crimson and Piper. “Then, when they come down the hole, coming down into the stadium, they are surrounded on every side by alumni that used to be in the band and they’re all cheering for them, ‘Jam Pipers, Jam.’ It is a mix of pride and anticipation. For me, it’s both my profession right now, and it’s also very personal… ”
from people of color, as though the solution would have them in mind? What better place to discover and learn that than Tuskegee?” There’s no better time than homecoming, when alumni and other stakeholders flock to Mother Tuskegee en masse, to showcase new research, updated buildings and innovative projects. The university’s current alumni-giving rate is at 17% – a number it wants to double. Homecoming is the perfect time to boast about projects and present asks to the stakeholders that know and love Tuskegee best. “If you show alumni the products you're building and they know the outcomes of what that's used for, I think that helps with alumni engagement and getting that 33% active alumni which is our goal.” ‘RENAISSANCE ERA’ When Tuskegee was founded by Booker T. Washington, students went to school in the fall and worked in the spring. Known as the brickmakers, students made the bricks, built the school and then attended the school, said Brown. This process guaranteed
HBCU TIMES FALL ISSUE 2026 | 3 1
Powered by FlippingBook