Philander President Hosts Students for Thanksgiving

For most people, Thanksgiving is all about sharing a meal with your family. But for people who live far from home, like college students, it can take on a whole new meaning. While students say they miss their loved ones, there are a few positives to sticking around, like being able to focus on their studies while campus is quiet.

For those who want to have a Thanksgiving meal in a familial setting, they can. Thanks to professors and administrators like college president Dr. Walter Kimbrough. He opened his home to students this afternoon.

For students living on college campuses, sometimes a phone call is the closest to home they can get.

These Philander Smith College students come from San Antonio, Sacramento and the Bahamas, but getting back there for Thanksgiving then turning around again for Christmas, can be too much trouble. They make the most of staying here.

Student Jeremy Carter said, "For me, I like it. I love the quietness about it. It actually gives me a chance to study and catch up with grad school work, because I'll be done in December."

They've also learned to beat the holiday blues by relying on classmates and school officials as their second family.

Student Felicia White said, "It makes me feel good, it's actually a closer knit institution than a lot of other places."

So close, they're sharing stuffing with the school president, Dr. Walter Kimbrough.

Dr. Kimbrough - dubbed the hip-hop president - has been texting, calling and rounding up students he knew would be around, to make sure they had a place around the table with his family.

Dr. Walter Kimbrough said, "It's not easy for them to get home. When you have, I think almost 10 percent of our students are international now. They really aren't going to have a chance to go home. You want to have this extended family and make it real for them."

Students say not only does the generosity of Dr. Kimbrough and other professors reinforce their decision to come to Philander, it puts their families back home at peace, knowing they're not on alone.

Dr. Kimbrough welcomed about 12 students to his home for Thanksgiving this year and says he plans to keep the tradition going.