Lincoln University Presents 144th Commencement, Sunday, May 4

Mark E. Dean and his co-inventor Dennis Moeller created a microcomputer system with bus control means for peripheral processing devices. Their invention paved the way for the growth in the information technology industry. In effect, the two developed the improvements in computer architecture that allow IBM and compatible personal computers (PCs) to use high performance software and to work in tandem with peripheral devices. Their work enhanced the PC by enabling components to communicate with each other in a high-speed, efficient manner. The first commercial use of their patents was marketed in 1984 in the IBM PC/AT computer. Thanks to Dean and Moeller, we can plug into our computers' peripherals, such as disk drives, video gear, speakers, and scanners.

Dean received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee, his MSEE from Florida Atlantic University, and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Early in his career at IBM, Dean was chief engineer working with IBM personal computers. The IBM PS/2 Models 70 and 80 and the Color Graphic Adapter are among his early work. He holds three of IBM’s original nine PC patents. Currently, Dean is vice president of performance for the RS/6000 Division. He was named an IBM fellow in 1996, and in 1997 received the Black Engineer of the Year President’s Award. Dean holds more than 20 patents. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1997.

~ Walter D. Chamber '52 – Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters ~ 

Walter D. Chambers of East Orange, N.J., is an award-winning corporate executive, community leader and distinguished educator. He served for many years as a manager and an assistant vice president with New Jersey Bell Telephone Company and Bell Atlantic before his retirement in February 1995. He was bestowed the title of Emeritus Trustee in 1997 for his years of service as a member of Lincoln's Board of Trustees.

Chamber's civic, community and educational activities include serving as chairman, Board of Directors, Academic Search Consultation Service, in Washington, D.C. (2002-present); chairman of the Board of Trustees for The College of New Jersey (2000-present); Board of Trustees, The College of New Jersey (and also when it was known as Trenton State College) (1989-92, 1997-present); Lincoln's Board of Trustees (1985-95); Board of Directors, INROADS/New Jersey, Inc. (1985-88); Executive Committee, Newark Private Industry Council (1985-88); and Board of Directors, Mellon Savings Bank, Paramus, N.J. (1980-96).

Chamber's awards and honors include Metropolitan Baptist Church of Newark (N.J.) Living Legends Award (2003); The College of New Jersey Foundation, Inc., Presidential Honoree of the Year (2003); Newark (N.J.) Boys Chorus School, Rainbow Award (2003); Lincoln University Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award (1978, 1996); and Man of the Year Award, National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs, North Jersey Unit (1985). He received his bachelor of arts degree cum laude in psychology from Lincoln in 1952 and his master's degree in human relations from New York University in 1958.

~ Mannie L. Jackson – Honorary Doctor of Humanities ~

As owner and chairman of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, Mannie L. Jackson has achieved a dramatic and extraordinary corporate turnaround. A former Globetrotter player himself, Jack-son revived the near-bankrupt organization into one of the most admired and publicized teams in the world. He also increased revenue five-fold and rebuilt the fan base to record levels. In September 2002, Jackson and the Globetrotters became only the fifth team to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Upon buying the team in 1993, Jackson became the first African American to own a major international sports and entertainment organization. He has amassed an impressive list of national sponsors, expanded countries visited to 117 with attendance of two million annually, and garnered year 2000 Sports Q ratings as the most liked and recognized team in the world. The Globetrotters have created their own merchandising and licensing company and landed major sponsorship and promotion agreements valued at over $100 million.

Jackson has served on the board of directors of five Fortune 500 companies and sits on the board of governors for the American Red Cross. He is a director and member of the nominating committee of the Basketball Hall of Fame and was among 12 distinguished nominees for the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Award for Human Rights in recognition of his work in South Africa. He is a founding member and former president of the Executive Leadership Council, which provides African-American executives with a network and leadership forum to promote excellence in business, economic and public policies. In 2002, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition awarded Jackson the prestigious Effa Manley Sports Executive of the Year Award.

Previously, Jackson served as president and general manager of Honeywell's Telecommunications Business before retiring as a corporate officer and a senior vice president of Honeywell, Inc. He has been recognized in various prominent financial publications, including being named one of the nation's 30 Most Powerful and Influential Black Corporate Executives. In the spring of 2001, Harvard Business Review published a first-person account of Jackson's business principles that turned the Globetrotters into a market leader and the most renowned team in the world. Since 1993, charitable contributions of the Globetrotters, affectionately known as "Ambassadors of Goodwill," have totaled more than $10 million. 

Born in a railway boxcar in Illmo, Mo., Jackson earned the title of "Mr. Basketball" while attending the University of Illinois. He became the first African-American All-American and captain of its basketball team.

Founded in 1854, Lincoln University on April 10 launched the yearlong celebration of its Sesquicentennial Anniversary as America's first Historically Black University. Lincoln University provides the best elements of a liberal arts and sciences-based undergraduate core curriculum and selected graduate programs to meet the needs of students living in a highly technological and global society. The University enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students.