FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MOREHOUSE RECOGNIZED FOR CHARACTER BUILDING

ATLANTA, October 22, 1999 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the most famous graduate of Morehouse College, once said, "Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of a true education." For more than 132 years, Morehouse has endeavored to give its students that true education, which includes academic as well as moral development.

Those efforts have been recognized once again by the John Templeton Foundation, which has included Morehouse in The Templeton Guide: Colleges that Encourage Character Development, a guidebook that will be released nationwide today. Designed for students, parents, and educators who believe that character matters, The Templeton Guide contains profiles of 405 exemplary college programs in 10 categories; 50 college presidents who have exercised leadership in character development; and 100 colleges and universities named to the Templeton Honor Roll for their record of commitment to inspiring students to lead ethical and civic-minded lives.

Specifically, Morehouse was lauded for the rites-of-passage activities it offers for first-year students during New Student Orientation Week; the Student Creed every student must sign that affirms the College's ideals and practices of personal and academic integrity; its commitment to community service illustrated by the Community Revitalization Initiative and the Technology and the Morehouse Learning Community program; and its devotion to developing future leaders through programs created by the Leadership Center and mandatory attendance at Crown Forum sessions, which expose students to a series of lecturers on ethics, character development, and leadership.

"We are delighted to be among the institutions profiled in The Templeton Guide," said Dr. Walter E. Massey, president of Morehouse College. "We are very proud of our efforts to help students develop the strong values that will serve them well beyond their college years. Character development is a lifelong process, and we believe that colleges and universities have a very important and unique role to play in that regard."

Founded in 1867, Morehouse College is the nation's only historically black, private liberal arts college for men. The College enrolls approximately 3,000 students and confers bachelor's degrees on more black men than any other institution in the world.

Prominent alumni include Samuel Dubois Cook, former president of Dillard University and former member of the National Council on Humanities; the Rev. Otis Moss Jr., chairman of the Morehouse College board of trustees and pastor of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church; and
Dr. David Satcher, U.S. Surgeon General.

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