ART 2020ALUMofYr
Arthuro V. (“Art”) Lawson, a native of Washington, D.C., earned his Bachelor of Science in urban studies from Morgan State University in 1974. He embarked the next year on the first of two successful careers, joining the District of Columbia Government as a senior center director for the D.C. Department of Recreation. Lawson retired from the D.C. Department of Public Works in 2000 and joined the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, from which he retired as a government relations officer in 2012.
Lawson has had a rich life of community leadership and service and has received numerous awards in recognition of that work, among them two Council of the District of Columbia Resolutions, in 2000 and 2012. He has also given invaluable service to the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Chapter of the MSUAA, serving as Chapter President, Chair of the Membership Committee, Financial Secretary and in other important roles. He also represented the chapter as a Charter Member of the D.C. HBCU Alumni Alliance.
Lawson supports Morgan’s University Memorial Chapel as a member of the Friends of the Chapel. The Embrace-the-Chapel/Adopt-A-Service program he created in 2018 has yielded an additional $14,000 in revenue for the institution and helped increase attendance there tenfold during the 2018–19 academic year. He also conceived the 2017 concert featuring Morgan alumni Lonnie Liston Smith and Maysa at Murphy Fine Arts Center, in celebration of Morgan’s sesquicentennial anniversary. Lawson and his wife, Jacqueline, have established an endowed scholarship fund for MSU students.
There is no better example of Excellence, Integrity, Respect, Diversity, Innovation and Leadership than Art Lawson, and MSUAA was proud to name him as its 2020 Alumnus of the Year.
Lawson has had a rich life of community leadership and service and has received numerous awards in recognition of that work, among them two Council of the District of Columbia Resolutions, in 2000 and 2012. He has also given invaluable service to the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Chapter of the MSUAA, serving as Chapter President, Chair of the Membership Committee, Financial Secretary and in other important roles. He also represented the chapter as a Charter Member of the D.C. HBCU Alumni Alliance.
Lawson supports Morgan’s University Memorial Chapel as a member of the Friends of the Chapel. The Embrace-the-Chapel/Adopt-A-Service program he created in 2018 has yielded an additional $14,000 in revenue for the institution and helped increase attendance there tenfold during the 2018–19 academic year. He also conceived the 2017 concert featuring Morgan alumni Lonnie Liston Smith and Maysa at Murphy Fine Arts Center, in celebration of Morgan’s sesquicentennial anniversary. Lawson and his wife, Jacqueline, have established an endowed scholarship fund for MSU students.
There is no better example of Excellence, Integrity, Respect, Diversity, Innovation and Leadership than Art Lawson, and MSUAA was proud to name him as its 2020 Alumnus of the Year.
ART & JACKIE LAWSON
Aaron Randy Andrews, Class of '74, center, front, CHAPTER OF THE YEAR
CHAPTER OF THE YEAR
MSUAA selected the Northern Virginia Alumni Chapter as its 2020 Chapter of the Year. In the short time since it was chartered in 2013, the Northern Virginia chapter has established itself as an exemplar of Leadership, Excellence, Integrity and Innovation, four of MSU’s six Core Values.
Over the past seven years, the chapter’s local membership has grown from 18 to 33 financial members, and its Life Membership has increased to 17. Its treasury has increased tremendously, positioning the group to offer book and financial scholarships to deserving students, and the chapter has developed a long-term strategy to establish a University endowment.
Countless hours and resources are devoted to creating a sense of family within the chapter, identifying alumni in the northern Virginia area and encouraging them to support Morgan and its students, financially and otherwise. The Northern Virginia chapter has represented Morgan at several HBCU college fairs and other student recruitment venues in the area, and it was recently recognized for that service by the MSU Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment. Chapter members participate regularly in all alumni activities, such as the Alumni Awards and Class Reunion Luncheon, MSUAA Board Meetings, and Homecoming activities, and the chapter supports the University Memorial Chapel and the MSU Alumni Association. The demographics of the chapter are shifting toward young, energetic alumni with fresh ideas, who are actively participating in community events through the Divine Nine organizations, the NAACP, the Coalition of 100 Black Women, community churches and schools, and more. Aaron Randy Andrews, Class of '74, is a member of this chapter.
The Northern Virginia chapter strives to stay at the forefront of change, using current technology to connect its membership and enhance its giving to Morgan, while never losing sight of the ethical business practices, integrity and hard work at the foundation of its value system. Its Chapter Vision, “Morgan Forever,” continues to be its guiding light.
MSUAA selected the Northern Virginia Alumni Chapter as its 2020 Chapter of the Year. In the short time since it was chartered in 2013, the Northern Virginia chapter has established itself as an exemplar of Leadership, Excellence, Integrity and Innovation, four of MSU’s six Core Values.
Over the past seven years, the chapter’s local membership has grown from 18 to 33 financial members, and its Life Membership has increased to 17. Its treasury has increased tremendously, positioning the group to offer book and financial scholarships to deserving students, and the chapter has developed a long-term strategy to establish a University endowment.
Countless hours and resources are devoted to creating a sense of family within the chapter, identifying alumni in the northern Virginia area and encouraging them to support Morgan and its students, financially and otherwise. The Northern Virginia chapter has represented Morgan at several HBCU college fairs and other student recruitment venues in the area, and it was recently recognized for that service by the MSU Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment. Chapter members participate regularly in all alumni activities, such as the Alumni Awards and Class Reunion Luncheon, MSUAA Board Meetings, and Homecoming activities, and the chapter supports the University Memorial Chapel and the MSU Alumni Association. The demographics of the chapter are shifting toward young, energetic alumni with fresh ideas, who are actively participating in community events through the Divine Nine organizations, the NAACP, the Coalition of 100 Black Women, community churches and schools, and more. Aaron Randy Andrews, Class of '74, is a member of this chapter.
The Northern Virginia chapter strives to stay at the forefront of change, using current technology to connect its membership and enhance its giving to Morgan, while never losing sight of the ethical business practices, integrity and hard work at the foundation of its value system. Its Chapter Vision, “Morgan Forever,” continues to be its guiding light.