Black Alumni of Loma Linda & La Sierra Universities
The Black Alumni of Loma Linda and La Sierra Universities, better known as BALL, was formed in 1980 as a support system for minority students. Dr. Gaines R. Partridge, along with other interested alumni, formed the organization to address the needs of Black Students at Loma Linda and La Sierra Universities.
In 1999, the Minority Introduction to the Health Sciences (MITHS) program was established to introduce promising Black Seventh-day Adventist high school students to a career in the health sciences and to stimulate these students to pursue an educational track specifically designed to prepare them for an academic/teaching career in the health sciences at Loma Linda University.
The mission of the Black Alumni of Loma Linda and La Sierra Universities is to be instrumental in promoting and facilitating Christian professional health-science education of Black young men and women at Loma Linda and La Sierra Universities.
This mission will be carried out by:
| Acting | … | as advocates for Black students to University administration and faculty, particularly in the admissions and retention process. | |
| Working | … | to improve the social and emotional environment in which Black students must live and study. | |
| Providing | … | financial assistance, as possible, through various direct and indirect avenues. | |
| Developing | … | and implementing career guidance programs for matriculated students and career stimulating programs for college and K-12 Black students. | |
| Acting | … | as role models and mentors for Black students. | |
| Providing | … | a vehicle for current students to become alumni who will reach back and give a helping hand to students coming behind them. | |
| Advocating | … | favorable working condition for Black teachers and administrators who indirectly influence the positive environment for Black students. | |