SALISBURY — Actress Terri J. Vaughn, famous for her role on the sitcom “The Steve Harvey Show,” will encourage Livingstone College students to continue performing well academically when she visits the campus today.
Vaughn, who portrayed high school secretary Lovita Alize’ Jenkins-Robinson on the sitcom that aired on The WB Network from 1996-2002, was invited to Livingstone by President Dr. Jimmy Jenkins Sr., who is now offering color-coded ID cards – akin to credit cards – to students to reward academic excellence and inspire improved academic success.
The cards are styled after bank credit cards and have different colors based on their rank. They are silver, gold, platinum and black, in ascending order of prestige, and will provide students with special privileges and benefits commensurate with the color of their ID card. For example, cards will award students game and movie tickets, free pizza from area restaurants, passes to cultural events and other goodies.
“American Express has a famous slogan, ‘Don’t Leave Home Without It,’ ” Jenkins said. “We want our students to feel that way and to always have their cards on them as they traverse campus so the cards can serve as reminders that hard work pays off.”
Jenkins said the cards also can inspire students whose GPAs haven’t yet reached the minimum required to obtain a color-coded card to study harder and focus more on their school work.
As GPAs increase, students can earn higher-ranking cards.
Vaughn will speak to the students at Monday’s Academic Achievement Dinner, scheduled to be held at 5 p.m. in Livingstone’s Trent Gym. More than 400 students are expected to attend the event and be awarded cards.