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VSUAA/Alfred W. Harris Tuition Assistance Fund

The VSUAA/Alfred W. Harris Tuition Assistance Fund was established in 2008 with a $10,000 gift to the Virginia State University Foundation by the Virginia State University Alumni Association. Awards from this fund are used to immediately help offset tuition costs for the 95% of students who require financial aid to attend our beloved alma mater. Named in honor of VSU's Founder, Delegate Alfred W. Harris, this fund celebrates his legacy and continues his vision of a school "where all....may go and drink from the fountain of knowledge until their ambition is satisfied."

Awards from the Fund are based on the following conditions:

Awards shall be made in the name of Alfred W. Harris/VSUAA Tuition Assistance Fund;
Awards are provided for tuition, room, and board, and comprehensive and miscellaneous fees;
Recipient(s) shall have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 on a 4.00 collegiate scale;
Recipient(s) shall be selected by the Virginia State University Foundation's Scholarship Committee and will be based on financial need; and the
Awards are renewable as long as the recipient maintains the specified 2.0 GPA.

Learn More About Delegate Alfred William Harris

life-member

Alfred William Harris was born in Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1854, the son of Henry Harris and Jemima Mazingo. He was a member of the very large family of Harrises in the counties of Fairfax and Prince William. They were free in these counties as early as the year 1776.

Harris attended public schools in Alexandria, Virginia. He studied law privately in the office of an African American lawyer, George W. Mitchell, and finally enrolled in the law department of Howard University, where he graduated in 1881. He moved to Petersburg, Virginia in the 1870s. Here he became involved in local politics and began his practice of law.

He was very active in several civic and social organizations in and around the city of Petersburg. In 1881, Harris was elected to the House of Delegates representing Dinwiddie County. He served in the house until 1888. In 1882, Delegate Harris persuaded the Virginia General Assembly to establish an institution of higher learning for Virginia's African-Americans.

Harris envisioned a school with strong black leadership that would give newly-freed slaves and their children the knowledge to become full participants in democracy. Virginia State University was founded on March 6, 1882, when the legislature passed a bill to charter the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute. Upon its passage in the General Assembly, 33 acres of the former Fleets Plantation in Ettrick became chartered as the Virginia State Normal and Collegiate Institute. However, a hostile lawsuit delayed opening day for nineteen months, until October 1, 1883. Delegate Harris served as the first secretary of the board of visitors for Virginia State University and was later Principal of the John A. Dix School in Dinwiddie.

VSUAA Endowments

News From The VSUAA Chaplain

15 February 2025

Thank you for Joining Our First VSUAA Prayer Call of the Year!

Dear VSU Alumni,

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of you who joined us for the first Virginia State University Alumni Association Prayer Call of 2025. Your presence, prayers, and unity in faith created a powerful and uplifting experience for all.

Because of your engagement and the positive feedback we received, we are excited to announce that the prayer call will continue once a month! Beginning in March, we will gather in prayer at 9 AM on the first Saturday of each month through December. We look forward to strengthening our spiritual connection and support for one another as we lift up our alma mater and our communities in prayer.

As we embark on this journey together, we are reminded of the words in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14:

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so, the body is not made up of one part but of many.”

Our collective strengths as alumni across the country make us a force for good, and through this prayer call, we continue to unite in purpose, faith, and service. With gratitude and excitement, we invite you to mark your calendars and join us in prayer each month. A flyer with login details will be sent out soon.

Together, we are Building a Bridge to Greater!

Blessings,

Rev. Kenyana Dawson
VSUAA Chaplain

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