Lebron James, the basketball player of great renown, recognized Kent State University for it's efforts to provide education to children (some of whom are now young adults). On Thursday, 10 February 2022, Mr. James appeared on television as part of the National Basketball Association's All-Start promotion, he was asked, "LeBron, you go first. Who are you playing for?"

"I am very proud to announce that I am playing for the Kent State 'I Promise Scholars Program.' These are my kids and now at Kent State. They started at the 'I Promise' program in third grade, and now they're in college. They've been awarded a full-time scholarship...it makes me extremely happy." [John’s transcription; errors are mine]

Why's this important for SET readers? Well, it's not just that Mr. James is a world-famous figure who is doing good…“I Promise” is pretty cool!…encouraging kids to get an education…but also that he is acknowledging a strong relationship with Kent State. That strong relationship is predicated at least in part on his connection with Melody Tankersley, an educator whom many SET readers will recognize, because she has a long history with special education.

Without belaboring her accomplishments, Melody is provost at Kent State. She has been in that office for a couple of years, but she was associated with the provost's office for many more years. She got to be a player in higher education administration because...well, because she is competent. That goes back through her early teaching career and her graduate studies.

Here’s a link to the video in which Mr. James announces that his choice of charities is the "I Promise Program." [Watch long enough—it’s only about 90 seconds]—and you'll see Kevin Durant, another super-star hoopster, give a shout out about why he's sponsoring the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.]