ASU Founders Day

WVAS | By Melanie Hogan

Published January 29, 2025 at 12:52 PM EST

Alabama State University will celebrate its 125th Founders' Day on February 7, 2025, at 10 a.m. in the Dunn-Oliver Acadome. The event honors the founders of the university, including the Marion Nine, a group of formerly enslaved men who established the school on July 18, 1867, in Marion, Alabama.

Executive Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications Shani Crayton reflects on the impact of Founders Day.

Brandon J. Hurst, a Chick-fil-A franchise owner and ASU alumnus, will be the speaker for the event.
The celebration will also recognize the university’s original trustees. ASU, originally called Lincoln Normal School, became the first state-sponsored institution for the higher education of Black citizens.

Melanie Hogan

Melanie began her career as a work study student, working in the areas of news reporting, anchoring and news-gathering. After graduating from Alabama State University, she worked as a production assistant at the local NBC affiliate, WSFA-TV. As a News Director at WVAS-FM, Melanie leads her team to produce award- winning newscasts and talk shows. Her professional achievements includes News Reporter of the Year for a number of years and awards for talk show producer, by the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the Associated Press. She is an active member of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Her goals are to expand the reach of WVAS FM into more homes locally, regionally and nationally.

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