Hubert and Barbara Avent College of Business Scholarship

The Hubert (Herb) and Barbara Avent Scholarship is named for Herb ‘69 and Barbara, his wife. Herb was born in Oxford, Mississippi and began elementary school in Chicago. Upon graduating from high school in Mississippi, he joined the US Army. Upon discharge, Herb attended Southern Illinois University of Carbondale and obtained his BS degree in Marketing. Herb was a member of the American Marketing Association. After graduation he worked as an Academic Advisor in the College of Business and Administration (CoB) and served as director of the college’s Encouragement of Black Businessmen and Economist (EBBE) program. Herb opened the Nubian II Bar and Eatery in 1968 on the north side of Carbondale. Later, he worked as a Lecturer/Planner for the development of SIU College of Medicine and enrolled in the SIU’s Master’s in public health program. He believes in giving back to his community. In 1971, he began to work in a community health center, providing primary health care services, located in East St. Louis, Illinois. He became national Director of the community health center program’s Urban Health Initiative program in 1980. Herb was voted into the SIU CoB Hall of Fame in 1999 and served as the President of the SIU Black Alumni Group from 1999-2003.

As creators of the Hubert and Barbara Avent Scholarship, they have created criteria that matches Herb’s academic career and to some extent his professional career. “Herb has two children who are both graduates of SIU and his family thanks Southern Illinois for this honor. Herb knows education is the key to success,” said Michael Haywood College of Business Director of Minority Affairs. While marketing and health care are very important to him, it is his vocation !hat we are most thankful for-his commitment of helping others. He cherishes the concept of education, and he realized that some students need help to attain that. This scholarship seemed like an appropriate way to achieve both his professional and personal desires. Herb is very proud that they are helping someone else to climb the educational ladder.

• Scholarship for a full-time junior or senior majoring in marketing.
• Qualified applicants must have completed a minimum of 56 hours at SIU and have a minimum overall GPA of 2.5.
• Recipients must have held a leadership position in a Recognized Student Organization (RSO) and must demonstrate financial need.