Lincoln alumnus James "Scrappy" Jordan spoke recently at a NAACP forum held on campus.

NAACP Guest Speaker Provides Insight to Students

James "Scrappy" Jordan helps prepare students for life after graduation

By: J'Nai Pinkard

Posted: 11/2/09

Business Executive and Lincoln University alumnus, James "Scrappy" Jordan spoke to students on October 28th as a part of the NAACP's premiere forum on campus in the Ware Center Theatre.

"So I Graduated, Now What?" was the first forum for the organization's "WAKE UP" Series, a campus outreach initiative which will include a total of five forums aimed at educating students on the issues that African Americans face.

Upon taking the stage to room of about 30 students, faculty, and visitors, Jordan made it clear what his purpose would be. "I'm not here to talk at you…I want this to be as interactive as possible," he said.

"My goal is to help you all become a little more practical about what life after college entails," he said. "You're objective should always be 100% complete".

He told Lincoln students that they should work hard to accomplish everything that they set out to do and he urged them to create a checklist to keep themselves accountable. Jordan also told students that preparation for life after college actually begins the first day of their freshmen year. "There are three stages: getting to college, getting through college, and life after college," he said.

Getting through college is the vital stepping stone to life beyond it, according to Jordan. As an accomplished business executive, with awards from Lincoln as well as from private business associations, he cemented his success by being an active student during his college career. He was a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated.

Jordan spent a fair amount of time answering questions from eager students with their own personal concerns about who, what, where, and when to start molding their lives after Lincoln.

One student inquired, "I'm a print journalism major, but since the down turn of the newspaper industry, should I switch to broadcast?"

Jordan encouraged her and all students to "keep up with the trends" of their desired field, telling this student in particular to "transcend from print to internet" and be sure to diversify her skills in total.

After more questions and being presented with a gift of gratitude from the NAACP student board, Jordan concluded with lasting words of support:

"Lincoln has come a long way from 1988 when I was here. Don't reinvent the wheel; just make the spokes better as you set out into the world."