Years ago, when Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe was a 29-year-old administrator at Georgia Southwestern State University, he disaggregated some data related to the GPAs of students who were members of fraternities and sororities. One result stunned him. “With 200 Black, male undergraduates, the cumulative GPA was 1.75,” he says.

Bledsoe called a “state of emergency” and committed to meeting with as many of these 200 students as possible, hoping to learn why they were struggling academically. This emergency meeting turned into weekly meetings and fostered new connections. For some attendees, it was the first time they understood that the financial, societal or systemic barriers they were encountering affected a lot of other people, too. “They looked around the room and realized they weren’t alone,” Bledsoe says.

As a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Bledsoe knew the impact that fraternal organizations can have on young people’s sense of belonging and achievement. He wanted to create a similar experience outside traditional Greek-life networks. This is how SAAB (formerly known as Student African American Brotherhood) was born. SAAB spread to other college campuses and then grew to include high school and middle school chapters. “I had no idea back then that it would be a big deal,” Bledsoe says. “I only started it to help those students on that small campus.”

Now, 33 years later, there are 370 chapters in 41 states. SAAB is the umbrella organization. Chapters can use the SAAB name, the Brother to Brother name — or, as part of a new pilot program for young women, the Sisters to Sisters name. Membership is open to all students regardless of race, ethnicity or background.

SAAB’s Impact at Missouri State

In 2020, SAAB moved its headquarters to Missouri State. Bledsoe recently reflected on the move and shared some of SAAB’s latest highlights and news with us. These are just five of the inspiring takeaways we’d like the campus community to know.

1. The results are tangible.

Now that SAAB has been headquartered at Missouri State for almost four years, its impact on a generation of students has really come into focus.

For example, during the recent Recognition of Scholastic Excellence (ROSE) banquet — when Springfield Public Schools (SPS) honored the top academic students from each of its five high schools — SAAB was well represented. Of the 10 ROSE honorees from Parkview High, four were SAAB students.

Here on the Missouri State campus, SAAB members have seen similar results. “Missouri State’s chapter has more than 50 members,” Bledsoe says. “And for the last seven semesters, the cumulative GPA is 3.3.”

2. It creates an educational ecosystem.

Because SAAB chapters exist at the middle school, high school and college levels, students get to grow within the organization. This type of structure, sometimes called “educational scaffolding,” helps students build confidence and leadership as they take on increasingly demanding roles.

One example of this approach happened this academic year, when a combination of federal and nonprofit funding allowed Bledsoe to hire 10 Missouri State students to serve as liaisons for SPS chapters. The liaisons attended chapter meetings and made sure that chapters stayed on track with key milestones, like developing a strategic plan. This arrangement not only promoted leadership for the senior SAAB members who served as liaisons; it also encouraged the development of mentoring relationships.

3. It goes beyond academics.

While SAAB was founded from a desire to help students raise their GPAs, its members forge meaningful social connections as well. Friendships develop and grow during SAAB’s social events, including the annual holiday party held at Missouri State’s historic Kentwood Hall.

Early next month, a fishing excursion at Bass Pro headquarters is planned, with 100 local SAAB members expected to attend. The agenda includes a conservation seminar, a breakfast and plenty of time to fish in one of Bass Pro’s ponds. More than 30 Bass Pro staff members have volunteered to be on hand for the event. Thanks to a generous donation, every student gets to fish with their own rod and reel — and take it home.

4. Young women can now be part of SAAB.

Practically since SAAB’s inception, Bledsoe says people have asked if female students could participate. “Everywhere we go, we get asked: ‘What about the young ladies?'” he says. “I got tired of saying ‘no’! And certainly there’s a need for young ladies to have this opportunity, so we introduced Sisters to Sisters.”

Sisters to Sisters is an ongoing national pilot, through June 2025. SPS high schools Parkview, Kickapoo and Central have Sisters to Sisters chapters. Local leader Francine Pratt of Community Partnership of the Ozarks serves as the community resource liaison.

5. You can get involved.

Missouri State’s SAAB chapter holds weekly meetings during the semester, and they’re open to the public. “Our meetings are only one hour, and we get a lot done because of how we structure it,” Bledsoe says. “I don’t want students sitting in a three-hour meeting when they need to be studying — that’s why they have a 3.3 [GPA]!”

Bledsoe personally serves as the main advisor of Missouri State’s SAAB chapter, along with his twin brother Jerome Bledsoe, SAAB’s office manager/special projects coordinator. Provost Dr. John Jasinski says that SAAB leaders and members “are making a profound impact. They’re reshaping how our community — and communities across the country — promote student success and engagement, with a holistic mindset. They’re changing hearts and minds and are in the middle of doing something that is imminently critical, robust and with significant long-term positive reverberations. We couldn’t be happier or more honored that SAAB made Missouri State its headquarters.”

Bledsoe encourages faculty to attend the Missouri State chapter’s meetings or to consider presenting to the group. Contact the national headquarters at Office@saabnational.org or call (417) 837-3650 to learn about other ways to engage with SAAB. 

Around Campus…

May 13 is approaching. This means that we are very close to Missouri State’s official transition to Brightspace learning management system.

The Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL) offers resources and support this transition.

Find the latest news about the transition on FCTL’s Brightspace blog.

Key Dates in the Brightspace Transition

• May 13: Beginning with summer intersession, Brightspace becomes the sole learning management system for Missouri State courses.
• May 31: Faculty access to Blackboard ends. This is the last day that faculty can download gradebooks and data from Blackboard.