NCCU Now Winter 2020 Alumni Magazine

WINTE R 202 0

A MAGAZINE FOR NCCU ALUMNI, FRIENDS, FACULTY AND STAFF

QUEST FOR QUALITY SCIENCE GRADUATES FIND TOP-PAYING JOBS IN PHARMA RESEARCH LABS

FOUNDING PRINCIPLES

NCCU MARKS 110 YEARS OF PROGRESS

SOLES FOR SCIENCE HOW A PH.D. STUDENT CHANNELS HER SNEAKER OBSESSION

NOW!

NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY / WINTER 2020

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Beyond Ultimate Our 2019 Homecoming celebration was one for the record books thanks to the enthusiastic support of millennials and other returning alumni.

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Taking Lab Skills to Work Bioscience companies snap up NCCU-trained researchers.

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Workshopping Ideas Fab Lab celebrates five years of hands-on learning.

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A Champion of Modern Morals

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University's founder combined reason with relationships to generate support for the institution.

Departments 4

Chancellor’s Message

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Academia

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Bookshelf

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Faculty I Staff I Campus News 14 Discoveries

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Student Life

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Cultural Arts

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Alumni News

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Giving

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Athletics

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From the Archives

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The Good That People Don’t See NCCU grad builds relationships as Ferguson, Missouri, police chief.

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Inbox

On the Cover

Student takes a shine to sneakers while earning her Ph.D. Photo by Vernon Samuels '14

For the latest NCCU NEWS, visit www.nccu.edu.

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Email us your feedback to now@nccu.edu

SUMMER 2019 ISSUE

NCCU NOW MAGAZINE

NCCU Now Gets a Makeover

is published by North Carolina Central University's Office of Communications and Marketing, 1801 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC 27707.

“NCCU NOW is fabulous —from the broad range of topics covered to the broad range of faculty, staff, students, and alumni that are featured. The combination of personal and professional information is an especially nice touch.”

View a digital version and past issues at issuu.com/nccentraluniv.

NCCU NOW CONTRIBUTORS EDITORS: Renee Elder, Ayana D. Hernandez SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Pandora Frazier '82 DESIGN & ONLINE MARKETING SPECIALIST: Bryan Huffman WRITERS AND COPY EDITORS: Kia C. Bell, Renee Elder, Ayana D. Hernandez, Robert Lewis, Kyle Serba ’19, Quiana Shepard, André D. Vann '93, Karen Willenbrecht

— Yolanda Anderson, Ph.D.

“The summer 2019 issue is absolutely wonderful! Very informative, nice pictures and great cross section of University news.”

— Gail P. Hollowell, Ph.D.

SOCIAL MEDIA Royster@_43xReasons I Dec. 11 I just want to thank God for blessing me by helping me live out my dreams and achieve just the beginning of my goals...I will be forever indebted to NCCU for the opportunity you presented to me on January 24, 2017, that change my life...

Mark 10:27, Romans 8:18 Mark 11:24 See page 57 to read more about NCCU senior defensive end Darius Royster. nccu_seal I Sept. 26 @keke Palmer was simply amazing...thank you for rocking the Lyceum and sharing your story with the #NCCU community!

PHOTOGRAPHY: Chioke Brown '12, Gregory Davenport, Rashid Abdus-Salaam '20, Vernon Samuels '14

NCCU BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIR Kevin M. Holloway '75 VICE CHAIR Michael P. Johnson '69 SECRETARY Oita C. Coleman

MEMBERS: Roderick G. Allison ’95 William V. Bell G. Keith Chadwell Brandon Hedgebeth '20 John A. Herrera Allyson Siegel Hellena Huntley Tidwell '68 Kenneth R. Tindall, Ph.D. James Walker L '88 Karyn S. Wilkerson '82, '97

ADMINISTRATION CHANCELLOR Johnson O. Akinleye, Ph.D. INTERIM PROVOST AND VICE CHANCELLOR OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Patrick R. Liverpool, Ph.D. VICE CHANCELLOR OF ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE Cornelius Wooten, Ph.D. VICE CHANCELLOR OF STUDENT AFFAIRS Angela Alvarado Coleman, Ed.D. INTERIM VICE CHANCELLOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Susan Hester CHIEF OF STAFF Al Zow, J.D.

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THEIR FUTURE IS OUR MISSION

Invest in NCCU. Give today at everyeagleeveryyear.org

Gifts to NCCU, no matter the amount, expand learning beyond the classroom. Your generosity ensures that the NCCU experience is possible for future generations.

(Pictured) NCCU student, Daniel Johnson '19

Chancellor’s Message Greetings!

North Carolina Central University is on an upward trajectory, with new buildings rising, more students enrolling, and academic programs launching. The academic year opened with the announcement of our new strategic plan: “Charting a New Landscape for Student-Centered Success.”

We welcomed more than 1,400 new Eagles to the nest in the 2019 fall semester and earned yet another distinction from U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s top HBCUs and regional universities in the South.

As we begin 2020, we are soaring into our 110th year.

Our academic departments are on the move, introducing new, highly relevant programs into the curriculum and forging partnerships. Our close and expanding ties to major companies help ensure that market-ready skills are taught in each program, such as the Clinical Research Science Certificate Program featured on page 8.

Our Ph.D. in integrated biosciences is a diverse and intellectually stimulating program, attracting young researchers such as Kala Nwachukwu, whose passions are science and sneakers. Read Kala’s story on page 36.

Additionally, we are creating opportunities for students who are actively seeking solutions to some of our most challenging problems. The Fab Lab is one way the university helps bright minds turn their ideas into inventions and, ultimately, business opportunities, which you can read about on page 10.

In this edition, we profile a graduate who is on the front lines in the field of law enforcement. Eagle Jason Armstrong was selected in June 2019 as the new police chief for Ferguson, Missouri, a town seeking new law enforcement leadership following a high-profile 2014 killing. Armstrong is enhancing connectivity between the community and police department to help repair public trust. Learn more about this story on page 47.

As always, students remain the university’s No. 1 priority. Since the 2017 implementation of The Eagle Promise, our assurance is that every student at NCCU will find a four-year path to graduation, a competitive credential in their chosen field, leadership opportunities on campus and a broader world view. We continue to increase the number of students who graduate from NCCU in a timely manner each academic year.

Throughout the year, please remember to share your feedback, accomplishments and celebrations with us.

We love to brag about the many successful members of our community. Contact our editors at Now@nccu.edu.

Once again, thank you for your partnership with NCCU and for taking time to appreciate our diverse stories of success!

In Truth and Service,

Johnson O. Akinleye Above: Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye congratulates Mr. NCCU Christian Allison and Miss NCCU Ti’Eja Woodson; Page 7, clockwise from top left: / 1 / Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye welcomes faculty and staff back to campus at University Conference in August 2019. / 2 / New students are initiated into the Eagle flock with a traditional pinning ceremony. / 3 / The university said goodbye to the old Alumni House but is gaining a new Student Center at the site. / 4 / NCCU was awarded three prizes in the 2019 HBCU Digest Awards. / 5 / A bigger, better full service Chick-fil-A restaurant comes to campus.

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UNIVERSITY CONFERENCE

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A look back on fall 2019

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academia

BRITE INITIATIVES HELP NCCU PREPARE THE WORKFORCE FOR

ields of blooming clary sage stand in contrast to the rows of peanuts and cotton along the backroads of Eastern North Carolina.

ROB ONYENWOKE, PH.D. Assistant Research Professor and Principal Investigator

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The slender herb tipped with purple flowers looks lovely in the landscape, but clary sage, known botanically as Salvia sclarea, is being grown here for commercial purposes. The plant produces a popular essential oils as well as sclareol, a compound that is used to make smells last longer in products ranging from laundry detergent to aftershave.

Production of these elements takes place at Avoca, a biotechnology company with operations in rural Bertie County that extracts, concentrates, purifies and otherwise reengineers botanicals for new uses.

BIOPHARMA

Avoca is among more than 6,300 biopharmaceutical companies in North Carolina employing more than 100,000 workers – an industry segment that just keeps growing as new drug discoveries and medical treatments are developed.

DENIS DOSSOU, an NCCU graduate student in pharmaceutical sciences, spent 10 weeks as an intern at Avoca in summer 2019, where he learned its biotechnology processes and gained hands-on industry experience that will help his resume stand out after he graduates with a master’s degree.

“I worked in the research and development department, mainly on extraction of the compounds, but also crystallization, which turns the sclareol from black to white,” Dossou said. “It was an amazing experience. And I felt really well prepared.”

Dossou specifically cited his laboratory experiences and organic chemistry lessons at NCCU’s Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise, or BRITE, for giving him the skills he needed to succeed in the internship, one of several funded by the North Carolina Golden Leaf Foundation to assist biopharma employers in rural counties.

“It’s easier for companies to find qualified employees in urban areas, so if BRITE can provide a pipeline of potential scientists to rural locations, these sites become more attractive to pharmaceutical companies and it helps diversify the workforce,” said ROB ONYENWOKE, PH.D., assistant research professor and principal investigator on the Golden Leaf grant.

According to Payscale. com, biotech salaries across the U.S. start at about $50,000 for an entry-level technician and climb well above $100,000 per year for a seasoned scientist.

Average pharmaceutical science wages for North Carolina are listed at $85,000.

“The industry demand for qualified professionals is

growing rapidly, especially in the biotechnology hub of North Carolina,” said JAMIE LANGLEY, regional director at Parexel, a biopharmaceutical firm that employs more than 600 workers in North Carolina and has announced an upcoming expansion in Durham.

“Whether someone is an entry-level professional, a career-changer or is seeking an advanced degree, I believe the NCCU programs offer relevant learning experience to meet the industry demands.”

Langley was on the industry advisory board that helped develop NCCU’s newest offering, a Clinical Research Science Certificate program that launched in January 2020.

The 12-hour program provides the knowledge students will need to work on a variety of research and clinical trials related to the development and testing of new medical devices, products and treatments, said ROSLYN LEWIS, coordinator of the program.

As a workforce development tool, the program adds specific laboratory skills to the university’s extensive academic offerings, she said. g

Core courses include Principles of Clinical Research, Trial Management, Good Clinical Practice and Medical Terminology. An internship is also required.

The certificate program is appropriate for a range of students – from undergraduate science majors to mid-career professionals looking to update their skills, Lewis added. The university plans to add a Bachelor of Science in clinical research and a clinical research minor in the near future.

Yet another path to the pharmaceutical field is through NCCU’s Stackable Credentials program, funded through the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL). The industry group sets aside $2 million every year to match federal and industry funds to support process innovation and workforce training for biopharma.

Stackable Credentials allows science majors to take a deeper dive into research skills with courses such as Big Data for Biopharma, Project Management, Regulatory Sciences, Manufacturing Sciences and Good Laboratory Practices.

It is also considered a professional development tool for mid-career scientists.

The initiative also works with area community colleges to ensure that credits taken are transferrable to NCCU’s pharmaceutical sciences program. Summer externships at BRITE are offered to introduce or reinforce community college students’ research skills, with participants from Alamance County Community College, Vance-Granville Community College and Durham Technical Community College in 2019.

Durham Tech student KATIE APPLETON was among students finessing their skills in the BRITE labs this past summer. Appleton, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, said she enrolled in the program to gain new skills that she hopes will land her a sought-after job in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

“The jobs are booming in the Triangle,” she said.

The industry demand for qualified professionals is growing rapidly, especially in the biotechnology hub of North Carolina.”

— JAMIE LANGLEY

BY RENEE ELDER

STACKABLE CREDENTIALS allows science majors to take a deeper dive into research skills with courses such as Big Data for Biopharma, Project Management, Regulatory Sciences, Manufacturing Sciences and Good Laboratory Practices. It is also considered a professional development tool for mid-career scientists.

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academia

Fab Lab Keeps Soaring with Drone Initiative and Five-Year Anniversary

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MIGHT BE EASY TO MISTAKE ROOM 3221

in the university’s Mary Townes Science Complex for a miniature manufacturing plant tucked away on campus.

A line of robots and 3D figures dot the room, and a sense of innovation is in the air as students and faculty members stream in and out, making use of 3D printers, CNC machines for automated tool control, water jets and most any other tool an aspiring engineer or novice designer could want.

What is a little harder to notice at first glance, however, is the Fab Lab’s instructional purpose: to teach creative people how to turn their ideas into reality.

“Here, you learn by doing,” said ERIC SALIIM, a biology instructor who has overseen the lab since it opened in 2014 with support from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Saliim said MIT’s only condition was that the Fab Lab resources be shared with members of the community.

ERIC SALIIM With that directive in mind, the Biology Instructor lab hosts Fab Fridays for students in à

Instructor Eric Saliim looks over a student project in the Fab Lab.

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Durham schools twice each month. So far, Fayetteville Street Elementary, Pearsontown Elementary and Shepard Middle School have participated by sending students over to work in the lab. Members of the public can also use the lab, and even get an orientation on the equipment.

Activity in the Fab Lab takes place in three spaces: a discussion space, design space and the documentation center.

In the discussion space, students plan their projects and think through the ideas they want to pursue. Projects vary from 3-D printing to new clothing concepts to inventive musical instruments.

In the design space, makers learn how to create design layouts for their projects in a variety of open source software that was written by MIT researchers, as well as how to write to computer code in eight different languages.

In the documentation center, creators can use video and audio recording and editing hardware and software to put the final touches on their projects.

Over the past five years, these spaces have spurred real innovation and entrepreneurship resulting in technology that has marketing potential.

VIDEO

Among innovations developed at the fab lab was the “Overwatch” app, which enables students to discreetly connect with campus security at the push of a button.

Recently, interest has expanded at the lab for developing drones, also known as unmanned aircraft systems.

Builders are learning to solder circuit boards and program LED lights for two different classes of drones. They even have opportunities to train with flight simulators in the lab to hone their skills before heading outdoors. All drones are flown via first-person headsets that let pilots see the viewpoint of the craft.

Saliim said the lab is working toward establishing a drone racing team that will eventually compete against others in a Triangle-area league, which is also in development.

Once the league and team rules are worked out, official racing can begin, he said.

Academic competitors could include teams from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Duke University, Elon University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Wake Forest University and the North Carolina School of Math and Science.

The lab’s five-year track record of growth is due in no small part to the backing of NCCU alumnus CLARENCE G. WILLIAMS, PH.D., a professor emeritus of urban studies and special assistant to the president at MIT who was instrumental in the lab’s creation. Other funding comes through grants from nonprofits and corporate partners.

“HERE, YOU LEARN BY DOING.” — ERIC SALIIM, biology instructor

BY ROBERT LEWIS

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book shelf

Book Addresses Challenges of Growing Up in “My Silent Loud” NCCU adjunct professor MALIK MUHAMMAD, PH.D., still remembers feeling left out and misunderstood as a child, especially after moving from his hometown of Chicago to Palo Alto, Calif.

“I was kind of thin and shy, without athleticism or rapping abilities,” Muhammad said. “Sometimes it seemed really hard to fit in.” After graduating from college and moving to North Carolina to complete his doctorate, Muhammad established a successful career as a psychology practitioner and teacher.

Then one day he heard his own 7-yearold son ask a question that brought back a rush of memories.

“My son asked his mom: Do you believe in me?” Muhammad recalled. “It was a critical moment, but my wife had a perfect answer, ‘Hell, yes, I do!’ And I began thinking about the many children who might not get that kind of an answer.

So, I wrote this book for them.”

“My Silent Loud: The Voice Inside Every Black Boy” was published in June 2019 by Supreme Noir Publishing.

The author hopes it can help families better understand their children’s feelings.

“Thick” Looks at Implications of Being Black in America A book by alumna TRESSIE McMILLAN COTTOM, PH.D., “Thick: And Other Essays,” was a longlist nominee for the 2019 National Book Awards in nonfiction, a top honor in the literary world.

In the book, McMillan Cottom draws on life experiences to examine issues ranging from sexual abuse and divorce to race, standards of beauty and education. Published in March 2019, “Thick” was praised by Publisher’s Weekly as a selection of “incisive, witty, and provocative essays.”

Cottom, a 2009 graduate of NCCU with a degree in English and political science, earned her Ph.D. in sociology from Emory University in 2015. McMillan Cottom, now an assistant professor of sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University, speaks and publishes widely on issues of inequality, work, higher education and technology and has appeared on “The Daily Show,” NPR, PBS, CBC and MSNBC, and in Time, VIBE, Entertainment Weekly and Well-Read Black Girl.

In 2017, McMillan Cottom published “Lower Ed: The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy,” which also drew critical acclaim.

She is also the author of two volumes on technological change and inequality.

Born in Harlem, N.Y., McMillan Cottom grew up in Winston-Salem and Charlotte, N.C.

GOVERNANCE AND DEMOCRACY IN AFRICA HY DO SOME AFRICAN COUNTRIES, such as Ethiopia and Rwanda, experience strong economic growth while others, including Nigeria, struggle to stay afloat?

NCCU Political Science Chair EMMANUEL O. ORITSEJAFOR, PH.D., and Public Administration Professor JAMES S. GUSEH, PH.D., explore this question in their new book titled “Governance and Democracy in Africa: Regional and Continental Perspectives,” published by Rowman & Littlefield (2018).

“It's really exciting to have the book out, and to know that it is being used by the U.S. Naval Academy,” Dr. Oritsejafor said.

Reviewer Dr. Andrew Ewoh, a professor of political science and public administration at Texas Southern University, called Governance and Democracy in Africa an outstanding contribution to the scholarly literature on political economy and development.

Oritsejafor received his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Atlanta University. Guseh received a joint M.P.A./J.D. and Ph.D. from Syracuse University and the University of Texas.

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Publishing Helps Eagle Faculty Share Deep Knowledge The variety of topics addressed in books and articles written by NCCU faculty runs the gamut from societal issues to physical sciences to geopolitics. Lacking room to list every submission, here are a few highlights from the past several months: îMOHAMMAD W. AHMED, PH.D., associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Physics, co-authored “Nature Photonics, Volume 13,” June 2019 issue in the journal Nature. îTAKEIA N. ANTHONY, PH.D., assistant professor in the Department of History, authored “The Universal Ethiopian Students’ Association, 1927-1958,” published by Palgrave Pivot in 2019. îDARREN R. BENEBY, PH.D., assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, contributed “The Internal Colonialism Model: A Theoretical Approach to Understanding Life in the Black Ghetto” to the Western Journal of Black Studies and “Variation in Administrator and Staff Support for Community Based Probation” to the Journal of South Texas, both in 2019.

îLARRISHA McGILL-YOUNGBLOOD, PH.D., program manager in the Department of Public Administration, published “Black female leaders: Where are they?” in the Journal of Leadership and Management in December 2018.

TAKEIA ANTHONY, PH.D.

DOHYUN LEE, PH.D.

îCRISTINA CABRAL, PH.D., professor in the Department of Language and Literature, was invited by the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora to teach in the 2019 Global July Program following publication of Telarana (Ecos & Sonidos de la Afro Diaspora), a book of poetry. îMARCO HERNANDEZ-CUEVAS, PH.D., professor in the Department of Language and Literature, published an essay titled “AfroAndalucian Conqueror Beatriz de Palacios and Other African, Afroindigenous or Originary Women Vailed from the History of the Conquest of Mexico” in the Cuban online journal Desde la Ceiba. îLORNA E. GRANT, PH.D., professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, authored “Procedural justice, obligation to obey and cooperation with police in a sample of Jamaican citizens” that appeared in the July 2019 edition of Police Practice and Research. îDOHYUN LEE, PH.D., assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Recreation Administration, published “The convergent, discriminant and nomological validity of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21” in the Journal of Affective Disorders in June 2019.

DARREN R. BENEBY, PH.D.

LARRISHA McGILLYOUNGBLOOD, PH.D.

KATHRYN WYMER, PH.D.

îMALIK MUHAMMAD, PH.D., adjunct instructor in the Department of Psychology, coauthored “Building Resilience in African American Males During Pursuit of Higher Education” in the May 2019 Journal of Psychology and Clinical Psychiatry. îLISA M. PAULIN, PH.D., associate professor in the Department of Mass Communication, contributed articles to “Narratives of Storytelling Across Cultures” and “Representations of Black Womanhood on Television: Being Mara Brock Akil,” both published in 2019 by Lexington Books. îGABE PETERSON, PH.D., associate professor in the School of Library and Information Sciences, authored “The Effectiveness of Correction & Republication as Quality Control in Scholarly Communication – A Bibliometric Analysis” in the January 2019 Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. îVIJAY SIVARAMAN, PH.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, co-authored “Home Self-Collection

by Mail to Test for Human Papillomavirus and Sexually Transmitted Infections,” published in Obstetrics & Gynecology in December 2018. îKIMBERLY S. WEEMS, PH.D., associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Physics, presented a co-authored paper, “A Bridge to the Ph.D. for URM Students,” at The Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity in April 2019. îKATHRYN WYMER, PH.D., associate professor in the Department of Language and Literature, co-authored “Tonight We’re Gonna Give It 35%: Expressions of Transgender Identity in the Early Work of Laura Jane Grace,” published in the April 2019 issue of The Journal of Gender Studies.

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campus news

CAMPUS ACCREDITATION DIRECTOR NAMED TO NATIONAL BOARD I am dedicated to share the HBCU perspective so my peers can gain more insight and knowledge about our esteemed institutions.”

successful rounds of accreditations with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation is the only national organization focused exclusively on higher education, accreditation and quality assurance.

—Pauletta Bracy, Ph.D.

T

he highest university accreditation

organization in the nation has added an Eagle to its board of directors.

PAULETTA BRACY, PH.D., professor of library science and director of the Office of University Accreditation at North Carolina Central University, was appointed to the board of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation in July 2019. She is the only member from a historically black college or university. “I am dedicated to sharing the HBCU perspective so my peers can gain more insight and knowledge about our esteemed institutions,” Bracy said.

Bracy has worked on educational oversight panels for three decades, beginning as an accreditation facilitator for the American Library Association.

“I gained a lot of experience serving on teams and chairing the executive boards of the accreditors, so that gave me much experience in governances, as well in the field of working with different programs and institutions,” she said.

Since 2009, Bracy has guided NCCU through three 14 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

J.D. Clement Early College High School Earns Honor NESTLED ON NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY'S CAMPUS, JOSEPHINE DOBBS CLEMENT EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL (JDC-ECHS) SHINES BRIGHTLY AMONG NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOLS. OSEPHINE D OBBS CLEMENT EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHO OL was recently named one of the nation’s top schools by the United States Department of Education, which listed it among 362 institutions selected nationally as a 2019 Blue Ribbon School based on academic performance and progress in closing achievement gaps among students. The honor recognizes the hard work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students are able to master challenging and engaging content.

“Being recognized as a Blue Ribbon School is a gratifying acknowledgment,” said GLORIA WOODS-WEEKS, ED.D., the school’s principal and an NCCU alumna. “We strive to make a difference in the lives of students and prepare them for post-secondary education and this honor recognizes our hard work,”.

f a c u lt y ___________________________________________

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___________________________________________ Music Professor CANDACE BAILEY, PH.D., received a 2019-20 Walter Hines Page Fellowship to the National Humanities Center – a feat accomplished this year by only one out of 16 applicants.

Bailey, a musicologist, will use the prestigious fellowship period to work on her book manuscript, “Women, Music, and the Performance of Gentility in the Mid-Nineteenth Century South.” Her research focuses on women and music in the southern United States during the 19th century and keyboard music in England during the 17th century.

Bailey holds a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in musicology from Duke University.

The Walter Hines Page Fellowship was named for the late Cary, N.C., native who was an accomplished journalist, publisher and diplomat.

The National Humanities Center is a private, incorporated institute for advanced study in the humanities.

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campus news

The Raleigh Parks, Recreation

RACHEAL BROOKS, PH.D.

CANDACE BAILEY, PH.D.

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Professor Awarded International Fellowship

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Moton's Childhood Landmark Gets New Name

E-learning Coordinator Named to Symposium Panel

RACHEAL BROOKS, PH.D., coordinator of the Office of e-Learning in NCCU’s Division of Extended Studies, was appointed to the Quality Matters Academic Advisory Council in July 2019. The Council provides guidance to and oversight of the programmatic directions and initiatives of Quality Matters. Quality Matters is the global organization leading quality assurance in online and innovative digital teaching and learning environments and has over 60,000 members. NCCU became a Quality Matters institution in 2009 and was one of the first to implement it as an institutional approach; it is part of the NCCU Strategic Plan 2019-2024.

Brooks, an NCCU alumna, is the only member of the Council to represent an HBCU and looks to assist other HBCUs in implementing the program as part of expanding their online education.

“I’m excited about contributing new perspectives as a Council member. I am particularly passionate about the idea of accessibility and usability with online education,” said Brooks.

In 2018, Brooks was selected to serve on the University of North Carolina’s Quality Matters Council. She has published several works and presented nationally regarding online education.

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“It’s where I grew up.

I’ve seen so much happen at that park.”

and Greenway Advisory Board has named a park in honor of NCCU men’s basketball head coach LEVELLE MOTON ’96, ’15.

The half-acre plot was renamed from Lane Street Mini Park to LeVelle Moton Park in November 2019. The park, at 902 Lane St., was built in 1969 near Moton’s childhood home.

An early basketball standout, Moton played for Daniels Middle School and Enloe High School before entering NCCU in 1992, where he was a leading scorer and earned the nickname Poetry ’n Moton. After graduation, he played professional basketball with teams in Indonesia and Israel before returning to Raleigh and serving as boys basketball coach at Sanderson High School.

He was named head coach at NCCU in 2009, after serving as assistant coach for two years. Moton appeared touched by the renaming, calling the park “my park,” when asked about it by local news media.

“I’ve seen so much happen at that park.”

—LEVELLE MOTON

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appointments

ROBERT WORTHAM, PH.D.

Interim dean for the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Former Role: Associate dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Where were you born and raised? I was born and raised in Henderson, N.C. What did you study in college and why?

I earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Elon College (now university), and a Master of Theological Studies and a Ph.D. in religion from Emory University. I studied economics as an undergraduate because I believed that economic factors played a role in the range of options available in everyday life. Theological and religious studies have been a primary interest for me since I was a teenager.

What excites you about your new position?

The opportunity to cast vision for the college, assist in forming strategic collaborations for the college and its departments, and to be available to address the concerns of students, staff, faculty and administration excites me.

What is one thing that most people here don’t know about you?

I play the trombone. While in college, our jazz band was given an opportunity to play with jazz trumpeter Ray Copeland in New York City.

YOLANDA VANRIEL, PH.D.

Interim chair for the Department of Nursing Former Role: Professor of nursing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Where were you born and raised? I was born and raised in Rockingham, N.C. What did you study in college and why?

My first degree was an associate’s degree in nursing, then I earned my RN-BSN, an MSN in nursing education and a Ph.D. in nursing. My youngest daughter had surgery when she was three weeks old. Nurses provided my daughter with high-quality care in a stressful situation, and I wanted to provide others with the care that I received.

What excites you about your new position?

I am excited and honored to work with faculty and staff who are committed and dedicated to providing student-centered success and also about the opportunity to give students the foundation to move nursing forward.

What is one thing that most people here don’t know about you?

I love to bake cakes. My family loves my strawberry shortcake and butter cake.

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appointments

SARAH CARRIGAN, PH.D.

Associate vice chancellor for Institutional Research Effectiveness and Planning Former Role: Director of Institutional Research for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Rushville, Ind., and grew up on a small family farm.

What did you study in college and why?

My master’s degree is in college student personnel work. During my first job as director of residential life at Midway College, I began my doctoral studies at the University of Kentucky.

While at Midway, I was introduced to institutional research, assessment and accreditation.

That is when things clicked.

What excites you about your new position?

This position gives me the opportunity to bring my knowledge, skills and experience together to contribute to the continuing success of NCCU. There is nothing better professionally than being able to contribute your best work in areas that are recognized and appreciated.

What is one thing that most people here don’t know about you?

Throughout my life, people who first are getting to know me sometimes call me Susan. I happen to have an identical twin sister named Susan. I can’t explain it, but I am always amused!

KAREN KEATON JACKSON, PH.D.

Director of the University Honors Program Former Role: Assistant professor of English and director of the Writing Studio Where were you born and raised? I was born and raised in Detroit, Mich.

What did you study in college and why?

I studied secondary English education at Hampton University, where a few professors got me thinking about earning a Ph.D. Once I realized I could study English composition with a focus on the teaching of writing and literacy, I found my passion and never looked back.

What excites you about your new position?

I am excited that I get to engage with students in an entirely different way. One of my mentors describes college students as having “contagious energy.” I totally agree. Students make me laugh and just give me life! Also, I love that I get to learn from my students.

What is one thing that most people here don’t know about you?

Often people think that because I am an English professor, I must use Standard English in every situation. The truth is, I don't! You always must be aware of your purpose and your audience when communicating with others. But get me around my family or some good girlfriends, and I love to have fun just like everyone else!

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 17

board of trustees

news

NEW BOARD MEMBERS BRING EXPERIENCE TO LEADERSHIP ROLES Three new members have joined the North Carolina Central University Board of Trustees to serve four-year terms.

WILLIAM BELL

KEITH CHADWELL

Appointed by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors were William Bell, a retired engineer and former mayor of Durham, and Keith Chadwell, Durham’s deputy city manager. Attorney Roderick Allison, of Creedmoor, N.C., was appointed by the North Carolina Senate.

WILLIAM BELL is executive vice president and chief operating officer at UDI Community Development Corp. and previously served 16 years as Durham’s mayor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Howard University and a master’s in electrical engineering from New York University.

RODERICK ALLISON

MICHAEL JOHNSON

KEITH CHADWELL has been deputy city manager for Durham since 2009. He previously held city administrative posts in Pompano Beach, Fla., and Fulton County, Ga. Chadwell holds a B.S. in political science from Morehouse College and an MPA from the University of Toledo.

ATTORNEY RODERICK ALLISON, an NCCU alumnus, is an attorney at The Allison Office, a general law practice in Creedmoor. He previously worked as in-house counsel for a nonprofit corporation. Allison earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and English from NCCU and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Also appointed to a second four-year term were sitting board members MICHAEL JOHNSON and OITA COLEMAN.

OITA COLEMAN

BRANDON HEDGEBETH

The 2019-2020 president of NCCU’s Student Government Association, BRANDON HEDGEBETH, assumes membership on the Board of Trustees for a one-year term. Hedgebeth is a senior double majoring in history and English and a native of High Point, N.C. Selected by the board to serve as officers were KEVIN HOLLOWAY as chairman, Johnson as vice chairman and Coleman as secretary.

KEVIN HOLLOWAY

HELLENA HUNTLEY TIDWELL

18 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

ISAIAH TIDWELL, an alumnus and longtime donor to the university, had just been reappointed to serve a second four-year term when he passed away in August 2019. The board acknowledged this great loss for the university community and its governance. His wife HELLENA HUNTLEY TIDWELL, an NCCU alumna, was appointed to serve on the board in November 2019.

L U N G D I S E A S E M AY B E L I N K E D T O NEIGHBORHOOD AIR QUALITY pilot project at NCCU’s Research Center in Minority Institutions will help scientists understand how air quality may affect people differently depending on where they live and their racial background.

VIJAY SIVARAMAN, PH.D. Assistant Professor Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences

VIJAY SIVARAMAN, PH.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, studies the contributions of microbes and environmental toxins on lung inflammation, a condition that may lead to pneumonia and even death.

“Lungs are like a big sponge, and we are constantly breathing, so inflammatory, toxic things are coming into our lungs,” Sivaraman said.

“We are trying to understand and evaluate air quality in targeted areas of Durham to monitor levels of particulate matter in the air and whether it is linked to lung inflammation and distress.”

The body’s immune system normally helps

combat infections with neurons, immune cells and proteins that break down or remove harmful bacteria and pollutants.

“These can help clear the nastiness in the lungs by smothering it or sometimes gobbling it up,” Sivaraman said. “They may also trigger the lungs to produce mucous, which causes us to cough to expel the harmful substance.”

To more closely examine lung function and response, Sivaraman will conduct a population-based analysis in Durham to determine which zip codes have higher percentages of people arriving at emergency rooms with pulmonary infections and compare it to census track and racial data.

“We hope to also find out if there are higher instances of lung disorders and distress associated with an individual’s racial background,” he added.

A number of NCCU students also will be involved in this research, collecting air samples to analyze pollutants, such as particulate matter, and conducting toxicity students on human and mouse airway cells to analyze the effects, Sivaraman said.

The two-year project, funded by NCCU's Research Centers in Minority Education grant program, will generate data that can be used to re-examine public health policies and ultimately help communities improve residents’ health.

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 19

discoveries

$1.5M Grant to Investigate New Treatment for High LDL Cholesterol

ssociate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences DAYAMI LOPEZ, PH.D., was awarded a $1.48 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to study better methods of treating high cholesterol and preventing heart disease.

The four-year grant will advance Lopez’s research into regulation of low-density lipoproteins, also known as

LDL cholesterol, considered a major risk factor in heart disease.

“Heart disease causes about a quarter of all deaths each year,” Lopez said.

“It occurs because of a combination of genetic mutations and environmental factors, including lack of exercise and too much fat in the diet.”

Statins, a class of medicines known to block cholesterol production in the liver, are widely used to treat patients with high LDL. However, not all patients respond well to statins. Some have serious side effects, and others, including those with a genetic marker for high cholesterol, fail to improve.

A secondary way to control cholesterol levels by regulating proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9, or PCSK9, has been in use since 2015.

But this treatment is expensive, costing hundreds of dollars a month, and often not covered by health insurance, Lopez said.

Lopez’s grant will enable her to continue working to develop a third type of

treatment to modulate PCSK9 using the Alpha 1 antitrypsin protein, a method expected to lower treatment costs and help more people with genetically based high cholesterol.

Because of genetic differences, some ethnic groups, including African Americans, are at greater risk of having additional complications than just high cholesterol. These studies have the potential to personalize treatment for patients suffering from multiple cardiometabolic risk factors.

“We will be using cell lines from three different ethnic groups: Caucasian, Asian and African American,” Lopez said.

Lopez will work in collaboration with SEAN KIMBRO, PH.D., associate professor of biology, who will support the project through his expertise in the study of health disparities.

“Support from the National Institute for General Medical Sciences underscores the value of NCCU’s research mission,” said EUN K. PARK, PH.D., associate provost and dean of the Division of Research and Sponsored Programs at NCCU. “Dr. Lopez’s research team is at the forefront of international efforts to reduce heart disease mortality rates, particularly in minority populations.”

I NVESTIGATING WHY STUDENTS FROM RURAL AREAS ESCHEW STEM

W

hy do so few rural students go into science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) fields when choosing their careers?

That question is being asked by associate health education professor CHERISE HARRINGTON, PH.D., and several colleagues with help from a $350,000 grant provided by the National Science Foundation.

In today’s highly technological work climate, STEM subjects are important skills for high school students to master.

However, the type of community in which they live can help determine which students take on the academic challenge.

Previous research examined differences such as STEM teacher pay, availability of laboratory facilities and the range

20 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

STEM

NCCU and Duke Partnership Brings Science to Life TELEVISION SHOWS SUCH AS

“Grey’s Anatomy” and “Chicago Med” have found success serving up medical drama as entertainment.

Now, NCCU and members of the Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute are turning that idea around by bringing health information to audiences as theatrical productions that are both entertaining and educational.

of advanced-placement class offerings in rural high schools. In many rural areas, families simply lack funds to send their sons and daughters off to college. Harrington said there also may be social factors in play.

“We will conduct structured interviews and focus groups to examine barriers impacting student retention in STEM subjects and to examine any social determinants,” Harrington said. “The results will help us gain an understanding of the factors behind the lower attainment.” In North Carolina, approximately 40% of the school-age population lives in a rural community, compared to just over 20% nationwide, according to the Center for Public Education. As principal investigator for the project, Harrington will lead a multidisciplinary team of researchers from psychology,

The plays, known as ethnodramas, are designed to improve the health of underserved and underrepresented populations while advancing the field of translational science, which is the process of leveraging research findings to create practical benefits for individuals and communities.

In June 2019, the group produced “Write Now We Will Heal,” a play that focused on cervical cancer prevention and screening by depicting cultural experiences and belief systems that resonate with people of color.

“The ethnodrama experience is not only a theatrical play tackling the subject of HPV and cervical cancer, but also an opportunity to come out and participate in panel discussions with cancer survivors, oncologists and health workers who are familiar with the disease,” said NCCU associate professor of psychology JONATHAN LIVINGSTON, PH.D., whose research contributed to the production content.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, black women develop cervical cancer at rates of 8.4% per 100,000 individuals and Hispanic women at the rate of 9.1% per year.

Rates for white women are slightly lower, at 7%.

The drama was written by award-winning poet, playwright and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill visiting professor DASAN AHANU. The plot involves J’Condria, a young woman writer who is struggling with the news that her mother may have cervical cancer and how she processes that information with close friends. STEPHANIE “ASABI” HOWARD, Ph.D., NCCU Theatre Department chair and associate professor, served as director. The production was staged on campus at NCCU, at the Carolina Theatre in downtown Durham and at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte.

Be on the lookout for more dramas based on health research in 2020 and beyond.

computer science, business and social work.

Harrington’s co-investigator, DONNA M. GRANT, chair of the Computer Information Systems program at NCCU, said those working on the project have a combined 70-plus years of experience working on health and social disparities issues.

“Our results will provide a better understanding of factors affecting the STEMbased attainment of rural students of color,” Grant added. The project will start with interviews and focus groups to learn more about the barriers to STEM advancement.

A second phase will involve a pilot study examining the effectiveness of GO STEM (Gaining Opportunities in STEM), a program designed to recruit more minority students onto STEM-based career tracks.

CHERISE HARRINGTON, PH.D. Associate Health Education Professor

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 21

student life

GRADUATES URGED TO ‘GET INVOLVED’ TO IMPROVE SOCIETY NCCU awarded undergraduate degrees to 684 students at the 133rd Commencement ceremonies that took place May 11, 2019.

The degrees conferred included 339 Bachelor of Science, 193 Bachelor of Arts, 71 Bachelor of Business Administration, 24 Bachelor of Social Work, 50 Bachelor of Science in Nursing, seven Bachelor of Music degrees and one doctorate.

Guest speaker, the Rev. Dr. William Barber II, an NCCU alumnus, urged the graduates to “get up, get together and get involved.”

The civil and social rights activist told the crowd to continue working to defeat poverty, racism and other injustices in America and around the world.

“You cannot merely get a job and a car and quarantine your life,” Barber said. “Your graduation is more than just getting anothTo view a rebroadcast er slice of materialism. You must of the 133rd stand against injustice and be part Commencement of reviving the heart of this nation.”

Barber is leader of the revived Exercises, visit Poor People’s Campaign, initialwww.nccu.edu/live. ly founded in 1968 by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others.

In the May 10 graduate and professional ceremonies, the university also awarded 294 master's degrees and 117 students Juris Doctor degrees.

During the undergraduate celebration, NCCU Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye commended several students, including Denzel Goodlin, a social work major who was tapped as an All-Star by the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

JONATHAN LIVINGSTON, PH.D., assistant professor

of psychology, was presented with the UNC Board of Governors Award in Teaching Excellence, the System’s highest award for faculty members.

Recipients of the university’s 2018-2019 Award for Excellence in Teaching included Yvette Bonaparte, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing; Christopher Paul, Ph.D., assistant professor of public administration; and Nina Smith, Ph.D., assistant professor of human sciences.

“As an educator, you have the privilege and responsibility each day to do the best that you can to help shape the lives of students in a positive direction,” Bonaparte said.

your graduation is more than just getting another slice of materialism. you must stand against injustice and be part of reviving the heart of this nation.”

— Rev. Dr. William Barber II

22 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

VIDEO

GALLERY

1,096 GRADUATES

VIDEO

684 294 118

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES

GRADUATE DEGREES

PH.D. AND PROFESSIONAL DEGREES

REV. DR. WILLIAM BARBER II

Photos courtesy of Chioke Brown '12, Vernon Samuels '14, Rashid Abdul-Salaam '20

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 23

student life

HISTORY MAJOR COMBS PORT RECORDS FOR EARLY AFRICAN ARRIVALS

The goal of this project is to find records of a Civil Rights movement in all of the N.C. counties and compile them all together in hopes of creating an interactive website that will showcase all of the movements.”

—MIRANDA CLINTON

24 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

What became of the 42 African men and women who disembarked along the Cape Fear River at Port Brunswick in the 1740s is still not known.

But their arrival is now an official part of North Carolina history thanks in part to the efforts of NCCU junior MIRANDA CLINTON. Clinton spent the summer of 2019 – a year marking the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first captured Africans in North America – as an intern in the office of the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission.

Among her assignments was to research incidents where the Africans were brought directly to one of the state’s five colonial-era ports: Brunswick, Currituck, Bath, Beaufort and Roanoke.

“I examined historic records to find out where the ships came from, and whether they made stops on the way at places like Jamaica and Barbados,” Clinton said.

“Most of my time was spent in the state archives. I went through shipping records of the ports, their imports, and personal records of colonial residents.”

She also searched records kept by companies that insured the boats, including some still active today, such as Lloyd’s of London and Aetna.

The information uncovered

by Clinton will become part of the Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project commemorating the arrival of nearly a half million people directly to the continental U.S.

from Africa between 1526 and 1860.

Another 9 million Africans came to North America after stopping at Caribbean islands and other points in between.

“I think it is very important that we recover this information,” Clinton said.

“Slavery and its impact are an important part of the history of America.”

The Middle Passage project was launched as a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the transatlantic journeys, as well as the economic, spiritual, intellectual and cultural contributions that Africans infused throughout America.

Port Brunswick was located in Brunswick Town, the first successful European settlement in the Cape Fear region. The village existed for only 50 years before it was raided by the British in 1776.

More than 80 years later, during the Civil War, Fort Anderson was erected at the site.

North Carolina ports were shallower than those in some

neighboring states, so fewer large vessels disembarked there, Clinton said.

The history major also assisted in a commission project to establish sites for he state’s Civil Rights Trail.

“The goal of this project is to find records of a Civil Rights movement in all of the N.C. counties and compile them all together in hopes of creating an interactive website that will showcase all of the movements,” Clinton said.

She said the internship added to her skills in research and presentation of information, and to the work of the state commission.

“I have gotten the chance to research my home state and the African American history within, which brings a greater appreciation for the state of North Carolina,” Clinton said.

Previously, Clinton interned at the Library of Congress in Washington, D. C.

BY RENEE ELDER

Photo above courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

BATTLING THE ENEMY WITHIN HEALTH EDUCATION STUDENT LEARNS HOW TO FIGHT GERMS – AND HER FEARS ELSON MANDELA

defined courage as “not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.”

By that standard, senior public health education major TIA EVANS is one courageous Eagle.

“I’ve always been a little terrified of germs,” she admitted. “And I am especially concerned in places like hospitals, where infections are common.”

Embracing that fear, Evans spent the summer of 2019 studying epidemiology at Duke University Health System, where she learned a lot about infectious diseases, such as C. difficil, which causes a stubborn intestinal infection.

“Bleach is the best way to kill most bacteria,” Evans said. “I also found out why doctors often wear bow ties. It’s because they are less likely to spread germs around.”

The internship was arranged through NCCU’s Health Careers Access Program, whose director, KAYE THOMPSON-ROGERS, PH.D., said the goal is to help students increase their odds of success in graduate school.

Evans called it an invaluable experience. “This summer was a turning point,” she said. “Now I’m inspired to get my master’s degree and maybe a doctorate, so I can educate the public about infectious diseases and epidemics.”

Other NCCU students who participated in the program at Duke were: PAULINA AFRIYIE, in the outpatient pharmacy; DAVID ALSTON JR., in physical therapy; JALYNN BIDDY, in the neonatal intensive care unit; ASHA HARDY, in the Emergency Department; PHILOMENA ONASANYA in radiology; MARIA PARRA, in neurosurgery; and KRISTINA PEACE, in outpatient pharmacy.

This summer was a turning point. Now I’m inspired to get my master’s degree and maybe a doctorate, so I can educate the public about infectious diseases and epidemics.”

—TIA EVANS

Student Researcher Provides Science Lessons to Museum Visitors GENESSIS PICHARDO NUNEZ worked with two types of primates during her summer internship, conducting research with macaques and interacting with visitors to the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences.

A junior biomedical science major originally from Puerto Rico, Nunez spent 10 weeks assisting the museum’s veterinary services group. She also worked in the genomics and microbiology lab alongside NCCU professor Julie Horvath, Ph.D. Learning to conduct research is an important lesson for students, but so is learning to talk with and educate the public about science.

As part of her internship Nunez was required to make informative presentations in the Windows on the World theater, oversee the mobile Moments of Science cart and other duties.

“I interacted with people of all different ages and backgrounds and ethnicities, explaining what we were doing in the lab,” she said.

“I learned a lot about how to communicate with different people.

It really was amazing.”

Nunez said the internship nudged her to think somewhat differently about career plans.

“I was originally planning to go to medical school, but now I’m also open to the possibility of research – so I might either go for a Ph.D. or an M.D.,” she said. “But I know I definitely want to work in the neuroscience field.”

The internship was sponsored by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources for students attending HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions.

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 25

c u lt u r a l

Arts

A R T I T H E AT R E __________________________________

WNCU News Director Finds Inspiration in Fabric Arts

ú FEB. 14, 15, 21-22 I 8 P.M.

KIMBERLEY PIERCE CARTWRIGHT grew up watching her mother sew clothes for the family, and by high school was making her own outfits.

Cartwright studied broadcast journalism at Shaw University, and her career path led her to work as the news director at WNCU radio. A fiber artist in her spare time, she was asked by a member of the African American Quilt Circle in Durham to enter a quilt into their 2006 exhibit.

“I went out and got scraps of fabric from the Scrap Exchange [reuse store] and made what I thought was a quilt,” Cartwright said. “When I brought it in to show them, I heard thunderous applause.”

That spontaneous affirmation was the start of a new chapter for the artist, who is now a celebrated quilt-maker with pieces on display across the nation.

Her quilt depicting civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer (above) is part of a traveling exhibit called “A Better World” that is rotating between art festivals and quilting museums from Lowell, Mass., to San Diego, now through 2022. In North Carolina, the show will hang at the Page-Walker Arts and History Center in Cary Aug. 4-Sept. 28, 2020.

One of Cartwright’s quilts hangs at Duke University Medical Center, where she mounted a one-woman show in 2018. Recently, she received a 2019 Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artist scholarship grant sponsored by the Durham Arts Council to help prepare for her fall 2020 solo exhibit at the NCCU Art Museum.

Quilting, once a considered a practical household skill, has evolved into an art form, with many quilters, like Cartwright, employing fabric scraps and quilting squares to create colorful abstract or representative images.

For this Durham resident, quilting is a way to remember the past as well as pursue “artistry of the heart,” she said.

FEB. 16, 23 I 3 P.M.

NCCU Theatre and Dance Department DREAMGIRLS NCCU Farrison-Newton Communications Building

ú APRIL 17-19, 24 AND 26

NCCU Theatre and Dance Department TWELFTH NIGHT NCCU Farrison-Newton Communications Building

ú APRIL 23 –JUNE 19

NCCU Art Department NEW HORIZONS STUDENT ART EXHIBITION NCCU Art Museum

ú FEB. 16 – APRIL 17, 2020

I NCCU ART MUSEUM

BRYAN COLLIER is known for his unique style combining watercolor and detailed collage. He is a four-time Caldecott Honor recipient for Trombone Shorty, Dave the Potter, Martin’s Big Words and Rosa. His books have won many other awards as well, including six Coretta Scott King Illustrator Awards.

His recent books include By and By, Thurgood, The Five O’Clock Band and Between the Lines. He lives in New York with his family.

BRYAN COLLIER

MUSIC _________________________________________________________________ LITTLE BROTHER RELEASED ITS FIRST ALBUM IN ALMOST 10 YEARS

 The August 2019 release was a

reunion album, of sorts, being preceded the previous year at Durham’s Art of Cool Festival by an unannounced performance by band members PHONTE COLEMAN, RAPPER BIG POOH and third original member of Little Brother, producer PATRICK ”9TH WONDER” DOUTHIT, who was not involved in the recording project. The record is the first for the group since 2010’s Leftback on Complex Records. A video from the release featuring the track Black Magic is also receiving raves. The video was shot in Durham’s Historic Black Wall Street District.

FEB. 16 ú

VALENTINE’S DAY CONCERT WITH THE NCCU JAZZ ENSEMBLE Concert by the NCCU Jazz Ensemble, with musicians from Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill. 3 p.m., B.N. Duke Auditorium, NCCU

MARCH 21 ú

NCCU INVITES GIRLS TO PLAY JAZZ NCCU’s Jazz Studies Department, in collaboration with UNC Wilmington and UNC Greensboro, welcomes middle-school students through college-age instrumentalists and singers for workshops and performances.

10 a.m. – 9 p.m., B.N. Duke Auditorium, NCCU

___________________________________ ALUMNA HEATHER VICTORIA RELEASES ALBUM

 R&B vocalist HEATHER VICTORIA

recently released Boutique Hotel, a nine-song collection that critics say delivers a “dreamy” and “high-end” sound. Victoria, from Wilson, N.C., is a Jamla Records artist, signed

by NCCU artist-in-residence PATRICK ”9TH WONDER” DOUTHIT, after the two met in his history of hip-hop course on the Eagle campus. Victoria’s first album, Victoria Secret, came out in 2009.

___________________________________ SHAQUIM MULDROW IS MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF IN JAZZ.

 In January, SHAQUIM MULDROW appeared in Raleigh as a guest artist for the PineCone-Piedmont Council of Traditional Music. Muldrow is a former member of the NCCU Jazz Ensemble and has played at the Shed Jazz Club and Dizzy’s CocaCola Theater.

For more information on cultural arts events and to purchase tickets, visit nccu.edu.

New York State of Mind Jazz musicians from NCCU took the Big Apple by storm Jan. 18-19, earning group and individual awards at the inaugural Jack Rudin Jazz Championship.

The NCCU JAZZ ENSEMBLE joined nine other university- and college-level jazz programs for two days of performances and educational opportunities at the famous Jazz at Lincoln Center venue.

NCCU master’s student SAMUEL KING (pictured above) brought home the Outstanding Alto Saxophone award as a featured instrumentalist, and the university’s Jazz Ensemble was recognized for Outstanding Trombone Section.

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 27

Celebrating 110 Years

TO NEW HORIZONS

M O DE R N , DI V E R SE C A M P U S G R OWS F R OM O N E M A N ’ S V I SION

cool, with rain buffering the heat on the newest college camUCH OF NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL pus in the United States. Shepard watched excitedly as the UNIVERSITY’S HISTORY IS BOUND UP first drenched students arrived to attend the National Reliin the biography of its founder. As we celegious Training School and Chautauqua for the Colored Race. brate the campus’s 110th anniversary in 2020, As he watched, he may have reflected on the lessons we will hear a great deal about Dr. James E. he learned from his parents, the Rev. Augustus and Hattie Shepard’s life and his successes, but we also must understand Whitted Shepard. His father, Augustus Shepard, was born in the hardships he overcame in turning his dream into a reality.

1846 to an enslaved couple once owned by a former North Shepard was a founder, builder, organizer and adminisCarolina governor. He attended Shaw University and became trator, but not just of institutions. He also remolded minds a prominent minister, eventually serving as pastor of White to become stronger and wiser. He was considered one of Rock Baptist Church the most giftin Durham. His ed educators, SHEPARD BELIEVED IN PROVIDING mother, Hattie, was a religious advocates and STUDENTS WITH SOUND ACADEMIC TRAINING, graduate of Hampton Institute and among race leaders of WIDE CULTURAL AND INTELLECTUAL the earliest African the first half of HORIZONS AND STRONG FAITH. American educators the 20th cenin North Carolina. tury. Yet it was Their son James was born in Raleigh’s Oberlin community largely through faith and hope that he created the school he on Nov. 3, 1875 – a mere 10 years after the close of the Civil imagined and that has endured despite numerous financial War. He was the eldest of 12 siblings, part of the first generaand social hardships.

Shepard believed in providing students with sound action of African Americans born after Emancipation.

The Shepard children learned to read and write in ademic training, wide cultural and intellectual horizons local public schools, and were also taught by their mother. and strong faith. In seeking support for the school, ShepIn 1890, Shepard entered Shaw University at age 15 to study ard called on friends and connections from across the Unitpharmacy. Graduating in 1894, he carried with him Shaw’s ed States and from varying backgrounds, noting that it “had motto, “For Christ and Humanity,” and embarked on a career no particular creed, but opened to all faiths and is designed of public service, as both a pharmacist and religious educator especially to meet the needs of the leadership of the race.” in Virginia and North Carolina.

On its opening day, July 5, 1910, the weather was unusually

1875

Dr. James Edward Shepard (pictured far right) was born in Raleigh, N.C., on Nov. 3, 1875, to the Rev. Dr. Augustus and Hattie E. Whitted Shepard (left and center).

Photos courtesy of the North Carolina Central University Digital Collection NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 29

In 1905, he began working with the International Sunday School Association, whose mission was to promote a standardized Christian education curriculum across denominational lines. Shepard traveled nationally and internationally as a field superintendent for the association, soaking in words of “Negro ministers” and learning a variety of educational models.

He concluded that a complete education should address the mind, the body and the soul, a philosophy that negotiated a path between the positions of W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. He believed that industrial and academic educational approaches were both valid, but that neither was sufficient without religious education. He also felt that to educate the general population of African Americans, one must first educate the black clergy.

outside the city limits and within the black part of south Durham called Hayti.

Shepard had considered other sites, but the Durham Merchants Association, along with prominent African American businessmen, physicians and educators, raised $25,000 to build the school in Durham.

The offered site was sometimes referred to as “the trash heap,” deemed unworkable as a farm due to deep ravines. But supporters vowed to make it work.

Shepard’s wife, ANNIE DAY SHEPARD, recorded some of the hardships the couple encountered en route to opening the school in 1910. Most notably was the decision by her husband to “sell their home and his interest in their drug store” to support the venture.

THE NATIONAL RELIGIOUS TRAINING SCHOOL AND CHAUTAUQUA FOR THE COLORED RACE INC. WAS CHARTERED IN 1909. ITS PURPOSE WAS TO DEVELOP IN YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN “THAT FINE CHARACTER AND SOUND ACADEMIC TRAINING REQUISITE FOR REAL SERVICE TO THE NATION.” Thus, he saw the future of the race as resting upon the most respected leader in the African American community: the minister.

The National Religious Training School and Chautauqua for the Colored Race was chartered in 1909. Its purpose was to develop in young men and women “that fine character and sound academic training requisite for real service to the nation.”

Durham was considered an ideal site for the new school because it was a major center of economic, social and political advancement for African Americans.

Philanthropist Brodie Leonidas Duke donated 20 of the initial 25 acres for the campus on Fayetteville Street, just one mile

The mother of three remarked in an article: “I felt pretty bad about our home. But I couldn’t dream of not going along with him.” She said she told him, “If this is what you want to do, we must do it.”

Annie Day Shepard’s support for her husband’s work continued throughout their marriage, with Annie serving in various roles, including as matron of the dining room, a role she carried out without pay for six years.

Meanwhile, Shepard went well beyond the state borders to find support for the school. The 17 members of his initial advisory board represented 10 states in both the North and

1894 Dr. Shepard received his Ph.G. Degree from Shaw University. A trained pharmacist, he opened the first African American drug store in Durham.

1895 Dr. Shepard along with Dr. Aaron M. Moore, William G. Pearson, Jesse A. Dodson and Richard B. Fitzgerald organized a community pharmacy and drug store for the benefit of black citizens and to help black druggists gain business experience. In that same year, the Durham Drug Company was formed.

30 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

Investors of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company were (pictured left to right, seated), Dr. A.M. Moore, John Merrick, T.D. Watson; (left to right), standing), Professor W.G. Pearson, Professor P.W. Watson and Shepard.

South. Many early benefactors were people he had met through his work with the International Sunday School Association.

By 1909, Shepard had $7,000 in donations from friends and supporters in New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts and authorized construction to begin.

Several of the earliest buildings, including Avery Auditorium, the DINING HALL, Chidley Hall, Theology Hall and the president’s new house, were designed by noted African American architect and designer William Sidney Pittman, who was married to Portia M. Washington and was the son-in-law of Booker T. Washington. Pittman also designed the original White Rock Baptist Church that opened in 1910 in the Hayti community.

By 1912, 10 buildings on the new campus had been erected. The hope and promise of the fledgling school rested with the early faculty and staff, who taught and mentored a student body of around 140.

Shepard resolved that costs to students would be kept to a minimum. A notation regarding pre-1915 pricing listed six weeks of courses at $10 for tuition and fees and $3.50 for room and board.

Early course offerings included music, commerce, religion, English, French, German, Greek, mathematics, geography, philosophy, ethics, agriculture, domestic science, basketry, dress making, millinery, physical education and history.

In a 1910 catalog, students were admonished to maintain a strict standard and code of conduct that included: “All profanity, obscene language, games of chance and pool playing are strictly forbidden. Use of intoxicating liquor or tobacco in any form is forbidden. Leaving the grounds without permission or remaining in the city beyond

/ Top / Early photo of the Bell Tower and Dining Hall designed by architect William Sidney Pittman / Bottom / Brodie L. Duke (left); In his last will and testament, Benjamin Newton Duke (right) included a financial donation to North Carolina College in 1926.

1905

1909

Dr. Shepard was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt to serve as Deputy Collector of the United States Revenue Department in Raleigh, N.C. He served in this capacity until 1905.

Students of the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua for the Colored Race, Inc. (Circa 1913)

The National Religious Training School and Chautauqua for the Colored Race, Inc., was chartered on June 30, 1909. The incorporators were: James E. Shepard, John Merrick, Aaron M. Moore, William G. Pearson, Charles H. Shepard and Charles C. Spaulding.

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 31

/Above / Renowned educator Booker T. Washington (front row,

center, holding hat) and his entourage visited the National Religious Training School on Nov. 1, 1910, just four months after it opened. Pictured is founder James E. Shepard (back row, center) and other local leaders. / Right / Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, philanthropist, was known for her contributions to education and progressive causes, including donations to the National Religious Training School.

time limits is forbidden. Absence, without excuse, from recitation or other regular school appointments is forbidden.”

In 1923, the North Carolina legislature was so impressed with the work going on under Shepard that it provided $20,639 in state funding. At that point, the National Training School became Durham State Normal (Teachers) School.

In 1925, upon hearing that state leaders were seeking to establish a higher education liberal arts curriculum for African Americans, Shepard and his chief

1911

The Hon. Wendell P. Stafford, associate justice, U. S. Supreme Court, was the first Commencement speaker.

The first Commencement exercise was held on Thursday, May 25, 1911, at 10:30 a.m. The first three graduates received certificates from the Commercial Department. They were Dora Alston, Weldon, N.C., Beatrice Bynum, Durham, and Nellie Hunter, Lynchburg, Va. 32 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

lobbyist, Charles C. Amey, campaigned for selection of the Durham campus.

During this same period, two fires at the school – on Jan. 28 and Jan. 29, 1925 – destroyed the administrative building, a men’s dormitory, and the dining/classroom hall. Despite the damage, Durham State Normal School became the North Carolina College for Negroes that year.

It was the first state-supported liberal arts college for African Americans in the United States.

Shepard’s vision always included training students in moral leadership, as well as academics. Not only were the school’s graduates expected to better the condition of their race, they were to be model citizens deserving the virtues of a democratic nation. continued on page 35

NCCU Says Goodbye to Member of Founding Family

2

C A R O LY N M A R I E S M I T H G R E E N , 89, of Henderson, N.C., a devoted Golden Eagle and a member of North Carolina Central University’s founding family, died Aug. 7, 2019.

Green graduated Summa Cum Laude from North Carolina College in 1951, earning a Bachelor of Science degree. She later earned a Master of Education degree at Boston University. She was a charter member of the Nu Chi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. As a granddaughter of college founder Dr. James E. Shepard and his wife, Annie Day Robinson Shepard, Green entertained prominent visitors to campus, including former U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, vocalist Marian Anderson and sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois.

Her maternal great-great-grandfather was Thomas Day of Milton, N.C., a noted furniture maker whose work adorns many great homes and institutions, including the North Carolina Governor’s Mansion.

She was married to Dr. James P. Green Sr., a physician and member of the North Carolina General Assembly, from 1956 until his death in May 2006. The couple had three children, Isaac, Carolyn and the late James P. Green Jr. Green was active in Cotton Memorial Presbyterian Church and other organizations, as well as many facets of public life, including serving as president of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Old North State Medical Society. She was inducted into the Society of Golden Eagles in 2011.

3 / 1 / The family includes a long line of accomplished North Carolinians, including university founder Dr. James E. Shepard (seated center) / 2 / Parents Isaac Hughes Smith Jr. and Annie Day Shepard Smith raised Carolyn and her sister, Annie Day Smith Donaldson, in New Bern, N.C., with frequent trips to Durham / 3 / Carolyn Marie Smith Green laying a wreath at the gravesite of her grandfather, Dr. James E. Shepard / 4 / Green attending Founder’s Day celebrations in 2019 with her family

1916

1923

Campus is rechartered as the National Training School.

1924 Students at Durham State Normal School, Class of 1924-25, gather on auditorium steps.

1920 Dr. Shepard served as grand master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina from 1920-1928 and was reelected in 1936 until 1947.

1921 Dr. Shepard hired Jesse Lawrence, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, as the first football coach.

Purchased by the State of North Carolina, the school is renamed the Durham State Normal School.

(Pictured) Avery Auditorium

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 33

(Above) NCCU chemistry lab; (Right) View of campus, early 1900s

1927-1928 Thelma Mitchell (Keck) was crowned the first Campus Queen at North Carolina College for Negroes.

1928 North Carolina College was admitted to the CIAA in 1928.

1925 White and Black citizens in Durham built and donated to Dr. Shepard the present Shepard House (pictured) after a fire gutted the President’s Home that formerly sat on the site of the present William Jones Building.

34 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

(Pictured) Football and basketball coach Franklin "Burgie" Burghardt and basketball coach John B. McLendon

Shepard cultivated many relationships near and far to further his goals, including that of the Rev. Howard James Chidley (1878-1966), a financial supporter who served as chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1916 to 1921.

Chidley’s church, the First Congregational Church in Winchester, Mass., provided clothes, linens, food and operating costs in the early years. After state support began, the church’s donations were earmarked for scholarships, with more than $60,000 collected during the first 50 years.

Chidley spoke often to the student body in Durham and allowed Shepard to preach in his Massachusetts pulpit, often sharing news about the ongoing work and needs of the college. The former all-male Chidley Hall was dedicated in 1952 and was the only structure on campus named in honor of a non-resident of North Carolina.

By 1947, the year of Shepard’s death, the school had been accredited by the Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools for Negroes and the American Council on Education. It was then one of only four African American members of the Association of American Colleges.

BY 1947, THE YEAR OF SHEPARD’S DEATH, THE SCHOOL HAD BEEN ACCREDITED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS FOR NEGROES AND THE AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION. During his later years, Shepard was often asked to consent to the casting of a bust that could be displayed on campus.

Instead, he would guide visitors to a window overlooking the campus and with a sweeping gesture, say: “This is my monument. If I am not remembered for this, I will be remembered for nothing.”

To learn more about founder James E. Shepard, the university or Durham’s Civil Rights period, read the Shepard Papers, which have been digitized and are free and accessible as a part of Content, Context and Capacity: A Collaborative LargeScale Digitization Project on the Long Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina. (crdl. usg.edu/collections/ccc/), a project by the Triangle Research Libraries Network.

The Rev. Howard James Chidley

BY ANDRÉ D. VANN '93, '95

 PART II of the university's history will appear in the summer edition of NCCU Now.

1929

1935

1947

Dr. Shepard, one of the founders of the Durham Committee of Negro Affairs, was named vice chairman at the first meeting.

The Lavender and Silver class became the first four-year college class of North Carolina College for Negroes. The Hoey Administration Building (now renamed James E. Shepard Administration Building) became the first brick building built on the present campus.

On Oct. 6, 1947, Dr. Shepard died in Durham from complications from a stroke.

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 35

A SOLE FOR SCIENCE How Ph.D. Student Kala Nwachukwu’s passions for sneakers and science collide

By day, NCCU doctoral student KALA NWACHUKWU researches the neuroimmune system within the brain and how it responds to binge-like consumption of alcohol in the Mary M. Townes Science Complex in the laboratory of DR. ALEX S. MARSHALL, assistant professor in Biological and Biomedical Sciences.

36 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

After hours, she nurtures a passion for her pursuit of finding rare, limited edition sneakers or working on details for her next Kick Back Sneaker Expo, which she founded five years ago.

Nwachukwu, a second-year student in NCCU’s integrated biosciences program, has been equally fascinated with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and sneakers since grade school.

“I remember doing math workbooks in the third grade — they were always fun for me,” Nwachukwu said.

“I’ve always enjoyed discovering the unknown. What’s so captivating about science is that you still have so much more to learn.”

The Upper Marlboro, Md, native entered NCCU her sophomore year, after a year at Belmont Abbey College near Charlotte on a full-ride basketball scholarship. She wasn’t the first Eagle in her family: her older sister, Jori, played basketball on the CIAA-winning Eagles women’s basketball team and graduated in 2011.

As a biology major, Nwachukwu met Dr. Antonio Baines, associate professor in the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, who took her under his wing.

FAVORITE

sneaker

Air Jordan 11 (XI).

I really like the silhouette of the shoe.

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 37

Sneakerhead Defined

She completed a genome science-based internship at Duke University in 2010 before being selected as an Amgen Fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine the following year.

“At Stanford, I first saw and did work on neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases,” she said.

“When I later learned that Dr. Marshall was doing similar work at NCCU, I knew I wanted to get back in that type of lab when I started my Ph.D. program.”

After her bachelor’s degree, Nwachukwu earned a Master of Science degree at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in cell and molecular physiology. She then taught science for a two years at Reedy Creek and Neal middle schools in Durham.

“The scores on the science exams for students in her classes went up,” explains her aunt, Kimberly Phifer-McGhee, who is director of Distance Education at NCCU. But seeing only a few African Americans in staff meetings, internships and classrooms, Nwachukwu felt drawn to pursue her Ph.D. “We have to see more of us,” she added.

38 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

Alongside these academic accomplishments, Nwachukwu has nurtured her other passion: sneakers. She is what is known in popular culture as a “sneakerhead.”

According to the Urban Dictionary a sneakerhead is: “One who is in love with but not limited to Jordans, Forces, Dunks, Maxes, etc. Willing to camp out and face lines that wind around blocks for a pair of once in a lifetime exclusives!”

Nwachukwu said her fascination with sneakers also began when she was young.

“My grandad really liked the Nelly song ‘Air Force Ones’,” she fondly recalled.

The refrain of the hip-hop classic, which debuted in 2002 and peaked at No. 3, notes, “Give me two pairs, (cause) I need two pairs, so I can get to stomping in my Air Force Ones.”

Then Nwachukwu’s grandfather took her shopping. “He took me to Foot Locker and said: ‘No, you’ve got to get two pairs. That’s what it said in the song!’”

Further incentivized by getting new sneakers from her grandfather as a reward for good grades, her collection grew.

“At one point, I was getting so many ‘A’s that he couldn’t keep up,” she added. “Once I was able to finance my habit, I started buying a ridiculous amount of sneakers.”

She learned the value of her collection in 2008, when she put 10 pairs up for sale on eBay and earned more than the original purchase price.

She once had as many as 500 sets of sneakers, but has since reduced her collection somewhat, Nwachukwu said. In fact, she still keeps a room in her home “dedicated to sneakers and sneaker art.”

Being a sneakerhead means being part of a special community, she explained “There is a strong connection between sneakerheads,” she said. “It’s the rarity of things — some sneakers are numbered and everyone wants to get their hands on limited collections.”

BEST SCIENCE NERD MOMENT?

(LEFT) PATRICK "9TH WONDER" DOUTHIT

That passion is shared each year at the Kick Back Sneaker Expo she founded. It was modeled on Washington D.C.’s legendary Sneaker Con that draws 10,000 people annually. Celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2019, the Expo drew 700 fans and 50 vendors, up from 60 attendees and 15 vendors at the first event.

“It brings a community together for the sole purpose of connecting about sneakers,” said Nwachukwu.

When not in the lab or planning her next Kick Back Expo, Nwachukwu coaches Carolina Dream, a girl’s AAU basketball

Photos by Vernon Samuels '14

“In one of my internships, we had the opportunity to meet the people who provided their samples for the research we were conducting. When you are doing ‘bench’ science, you may forget about how it will impact society. At that moment, I put two and two together and I realized how I am contributing to science and that what I am doing is serving a purpose. It was my aha moment.” team led by NCCU alumnus, artist-in-residence and fellow sneakerhead PATRICK “9TH WONDER” DOUTHIT and Nike.

Nwachukwu and Douthit were on a panel at NC State University in September 2019 titled, “Sneakerheads: The Intersection of Hip-Hop, Heritage and Hypebeast.”

What’s next for this busy scientific sneakerhead?

“My goal is to go to medical school.”

BY AYANA HERNANDEZ

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 39

the

homecoming experience

BEST OF THE NEST The Ultimate Homecoming Experience exceeded expectations yet again in 2019.

VIDEO NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ROYAL COURT

GALLERY

VIDEO

GOLDEN EAGLES CLASS OF 1969

SILVER CLASS OF 1994

More than 7,000 alumni in classes ending in ‘4 and ‘9 held reunions Nov. 3-9, with several hundred others along for the ride. Those classes in reunion generated more than $2.2 million in gifts to the university, including more than $50,000 from young alumni in the Class of 2014, far exceeding fundraising goals.

SOCIETY OF GOLDEN EAGLES 1925-1965

$871,921

Class of 1969

$463,626

Class of 1994

$172,498

Class of 1974

$448,796

Class of 1999

$ 31,812

Class of 1979

$111,313

Class of 2004

$

9,275

Class of 1984

$100,971

Class of 2009

$

8,866

Class of 1989

$ 13,247

Class of 2014

$ 53,822

GRAND TOTAL: $ 2,286,147

the

homecoming experience

For students, activities kicked off on Sunday, Nov. 3, with the 11th annual Ultimate Praise Homecoming Gospel Concert, followed by the Miss and Mister NCCU Coronation and Ball on Monday and Tuesday’s Ultimate Talent Show and Late Night Breakfast. A large crowd turned up again on Thursday for the Ultimate Hip-Hop and R&B concert featuring Megan Thee Stallion, Tink and Lil Durk.

VIDEO

GALLERY

VIDEO

42 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

VIDEO

GALLERY

VIDEO

Ribbon-cutting for a new CHICK-FIL-A restaurant in the A.E. Student Union was celebrated during Homecoming.

BET NETWORKS featured the

2019 Ultimate Homecoming Experience in its ”We Own Homecoming” Facebook web series.

VIDEO

VIDEO NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 43

T E L L U S YO U R S T O RY à Did you land a new job, receive a promotion or earn a

degree or professional award? These are accomplishments we want to announce. Email now@nccu.edu with a 300 dpi photo and include your graduation year, college and major.

NEWS I EVENTS I IN MEMORIAM

SARAH WILLIAMS I

Founder of The Esteem Program

’18 I Sarah Williams founded The Esteem Program in Raleigh to help young girls develop self-worth.

Williams holds a master’s degree in career counseling from NCCU. Her six-week program is offered to girls ages 10 to 15 and includes guest speakers, educational sessions and group discussions.

Photo courtesy of Tamisha Diaz of DVOC Photography

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS I ’69 I Judge Brown, a native of Bethel, N.C., was named as Volunteer of the Year by LeadingAge retirement community in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Brown, a retired Fort Dodge High School teacher, has donated time to the facility for 12 years.

44 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

I ’88, ’90 I Linda Strong-Leek, Ph.D., was named provost for Berea College in Berea, Ky., and is the first African American to serve as a senior academic administrator at Berea College.

NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INC.

A L U M N I R E L AT I O N S à Alumni Relations serves to develop, coordinate and

foster programs to keep you informed and involved with NCCU. For information, call 919-530-6363, email alumni@nccu.edu or visit nccu.edu/alumni.

à

For news, events, information and/or to join a local alumni chapter, visit nccualumni.org or email info@nccualumni.org or call 919-530-5222.

I ’57 I Jackie Lacy of Selma, N.C., was honored in 2019 with the naming of the town’s new tennis courts. Lacy, a social-sciences major, served four terms on the Town Council, three as mayor pro tempore, is a past president of the Retired Teachers Association and a community volunteer. The Jackie Lacy Tennis Courts are smaller than regulation size to accommodate clinics and lessons for children and older adults.

I ’70 I Ernest G. Brown was honored for his service to the North Central Medical Center in Rock Hill, S.C., with the naming of the Ernest G. Brown Women’s and Pediatric Center. He holds a bachelor’s degree in health education from NCCU and a master’s in public health administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Brown started the Pitt County Chapter of the NCCU Alumni Association in the 1980s.

I ’84, ’91 I Elaine O’Neal, J.D., interim dean of the NCCU School of Law, was honored by the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People at its 84th Founders’ Day banquet on Aug. 24, 2019.

She attended NCCU for her undergraduate degree and NCCU School of Law for her Juris Doctor.

O'Neal previously served as a Superior Court judge. She has been acting clerk for Superior Court since August 2018. She is a member of the District of Columbia and North Carolina bar associations.

I ’88, ’93 I Teresa H. Vincent, J.D., was appointed as Chief District Court judge for Guilford County in August 2019. She has been a judge in Judicial District 18 since 2000.

JOHNSON

PAGE

ROBINSON

Three NCCU Alumni Tapped for National Hall of Fame Businessman MICHAEL P. JOHNSON SR. ’69, the REV. DR. MICHAEL D. PAGE ’83, and Winston-Salem State University CHANCELLOR ELWOOD L. ROBINSON, PH.D.,’78, were all inducted as members of the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame in 2019. The three NCCU graduates received their awards at the 34th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Sept. 27, 2019, in Atlanta, Ga. Johnson received the Lifetime Achievement Award. He earned a degree in business administration at NCCU before rising through the ranks at several companies, including Lockheed Martin and Amoco, and founding his own business consulting group. Page, who received the Community Award, holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from NCCU and a doctorate in ministry from United Theological Seminary. He has been a member of the Durham Board of Education and Board of Commissioners and currently directs external affairs and government relations for NCCU. Robinson received the Educator Award. He earned an undergraduate degree in psychology from NCCU before completing a doctorate in clinical psychology. He was on the faculty of NCCU from 1984 to 2012.

I ’99 I Derrick Jordan was named 2018-19 Piedmont-Triad Regional Superintendent of the Year. He was also appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper as a member of the North Carolina Board of Opticians.

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 45

I ’86 I Nathan Hunt Gwyn Jr., J.D., has been appointed to serve as presiding judge for the Union County Superior Court. Gwyn received his Juris Doctor degree from NCCU and his bachelor’s from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

DEMPSON

I ’90, ’07 I Anthony Donaldson Jr., Ph.D., joined the faculty at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn.

Donaldson conducts research into the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power organizations and is working on a book manuscript, “Waiting is Not an Option: The Quest for Black Political Power in North Carolina, 1963-1981.” Donaldson earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history at NCCU and his Ph.D. in 2019 at the University of Florida.

I ’93 I Joseph Edgar “Ed” Brown III, J.D., was appointed by N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper to serve on the District Court bench for the 7th Judicial District, which covers Wilson, Nash and Edgecombe counties. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Juris Doctor degree from NCCU. AMON-HARRISON

NCCU EVENTS MARCH

10-14 APRIL

north carolina central university

8-9 n at i o n a l

MEAC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT Norfolk, Va. I Norfolk Scope Arena

71ST HONORS CONVOCATION McDougald-McLendon Arena I 9 a.m.

MAY

nccu

men's and women's

north carolina central university

3

135TH COMMENCEMENT Durham, N.C.

alumni

a s s o c i at i o n

REGIONAL MEETING SCHEDULE MARCH 6-7

Raleigh, N.C. (Region IV)

MARCH 27-29 Los Angeles, Calif. (Region II) MARCH 27-28 Carrboro, N.C. (Region III) APRIL 3-5

Richmond, Va. (Region I)

JULY 18

Durham, N.C.

îFor more information, visit nccualumni.org.

46 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

I ’91, ’95 I Zabrina W. Dempson, J.D., was named clerk of Superior Court of Washington, D.C., and is the first woman to be appointed to serve in the position.

She oversees all Superior Court operations and supervises 700 employees.

Dempson joined the Court in 2006 as branch chief of the Small Claims and Conciliation branch.

I ’93 I Rahesha Amon-Harrison was named senior executive director for leadership and professional learning at the New York City Department of Education.

Previously, Amon-Harrison served as superintendent of Community District 16 in Brooklyn, N.Y. She has been recognized by the New York City Mayor’s Office for achievement in English, language arts and mathematics education.

I ’96 I James Lyons II was named dean of Humanities, Education and Social and Behavioral Sciences at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh. He joined the faculty at Saint Augustine’s in 2007 after earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from NCCU and a master’s in criminal justice and urban studies from Michigan State University. Previously, he was a juvenile court counselor and social worker.

Tracie Clark, was named vice president of strategy and organizational excellence at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, N.C., where she had been serving as special assistant to the college president. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from NCCU, a master’s degree in communication from the University of Maryland, and a Ph.D. in urban education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

To Protect and Serve ALUMNUS

J A S O N A R M S T R O N G ' 11

ASSUMES ROLE AS POLICE CHIEF IN FERGUSON, MISSOURI

T H E W O R L D C A M E TO K N OW F E RG U S O N , M I S S O U R I , I N 2 0 1 4 with the shooting of an unarmed teen-ager by a police officer. Five years later, NCCU alumnus JASON ARMSTRONG, ’11, was introduced as Ferguson’s new police chief, bringing his criminal justice education, nearly two decades of experience and an upbeat demeanor to the department.

BORN IN NEW JERSEY and raised in Fayetteville, N.C., Armstrong said he attended North Carolina Central University to play basketball.

“I wanted to play on the collegiate level and came to NCCU on a recruiting visit,” Armstrong said.

After a year of balancing basketball and studies, he decided to drop basketball and focus on his academic schedule. Originally a business major, he switched to the Department of Criminal Justice.

“Law enforcement wasn’t at the top of my list, but I always had an interest in it,” Armstrong said. “It was the cool stuff I saw, like what was seen in the movie Bad Boys. When I switched my major, it elevated my academic standing. I became interested in the legal aspects of what I was learning.”

Armstrong said all his experiences at NCCU weren’t perfect.

“I actually didn’t like it a whole lot at first,” he recalled. “There were long lines at financial aid, and I got booted out of a dorm room that I had been assigned to, just to name a few incidents.”

/ Top / Chief Armstrong, pictured with his family, is officially sworn in as the new police chief during the Ferguson City Council meeting. / Bottom / Chief Armstrong makes a point of mingling with and listening to his constituents in Ferguson, even in a high school gymnasium.

Credit (Ferguson City Council Meeting): Steve Pellegrino/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News as chief of police.

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 47

VIDEO

However, over four years, Armstrong developed a deep love for the rolling hills and verdant green.

“I was learning a lot about life,” he said.

“I was away from home and the university was preparing me for the trials and tribulations of being on my own and being self-sufficient. Nothing came easy. Students now have access to things that I did not. I look back on the life lessons I learned, friendships I gained, and people I met, and I see that all of them were invaluable.”

T H E NC CU FORT Y U NDER F ORT Y AWA RDE E SA ID H E G ET S ASKED A LOT AB OU T HOW SOME ONE C OU LD HOPE TO C HANG E THE CULTURE IN FERG USON. HI S ANSW ER IS SIMPLE :

“ONE CONVERSATION AT A TIME.”

During his senior year, Armstrong heard about a program for young college graduates to enter police officer training through the Department of Justice. Their goal was “to change the issues and problems in policing,” he recalled.

/ Center photo / Residents’ input helps Armstrong set goals for the department. / Bottom / Interacting with children comes naturally for this father of two.

48 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

“I knew after college, I wanted to leave North Carolina, and since the program was broken up by states, I had my eyes set on a big city that had an NFL team. Georgia was on my mind.”

The final leg of the acceptance process was an interview in front of the panel on May 11, 2001.

“It was a Friday, and I was graduating the next day, May 12, 2001,” Armstrong said. “After finishing the interview and walking out of the room, a woman stopped me and said, ‘Eagle Pride.’ She was a Central graduate.” It must have been a good sign.

“Before I left, they told me I was accepted into the program,” he added.

Two years after graduation, Armstrong relocated to Georgia and began his rise through the law enforcement ranks, serving for 17 years in the Forest Park, Ga, Police Department. He started as an officer

before being promoted to serve on the Special Operations Viper Unit and ascending to the rank of sergeant.

“There had never been a black lieutenant or captain in the department’s history, and I was appointed acting captain in 2013 and then interim police chief in 2018,” said Armstrong, who by then was married to Selina Armstrong and the father of two, Jaxon, 13, and Jase, 4.

The decision to relocate to work for the police department that had been criticized for its handling of the Michael Brown shooting was not taken lightly, said Armstrong.

“I waited until the Department of Justice report was released and read it,” he said. But it was hard to resist the challenge.

“The opportunity in Ferguson came at a turning point in my career. I saw myself bringing some of what I was doing in Forest Park to Ferguson. We need to have better relationships with the community. I get a lot of out the community activities and encourage my officers to attend various events in uniform.”

The NCCU Forty Under Forty awardee said he gets asked a lot about how someone could hope to change the culture in Ferguson. His answer is simple: “One conversation at a time.”

“Ferguson is a really nice city,” he explained. “There are big, beautiful homes, lots of amenities and restaurants. There are neighborhood associations, and people are doing great things, from farmer’s markets to the annual The Taste in Ferguson event. This is the Ferguson that people don’t see.”

He calls his Missouri neighbors a “proud and prosperous people” that he and his family are proud to know.

“They love this community and are hurt by the narrative that has been spread about their city.” Armstrong said. “There are many who are working to do good work and show the day-to-day successes of Ferguson.”

BY AYANA HERNANDEZ

yo u n g

a l u m n i

HIGHLIGHTS

I ’01 I Deena Smith, a history major, was named a member of the Forty Under Forty class by the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund. Her award was in the public service category.

l

Janie Outlaw '15 recently received her white coat during ceremonies at St. George's School of Medicine, in Grenada, West Indies.

I ’03 I Ronnie Chalmers was appointed director of strategic initiatives for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at North Carolina State University. Chalmers, who majored in accounting, previously served as assistant and associate admissions director for NCCU.

I ’11, 17 I DeWarren K. Langley, J.D., MPA, was selected as a Black Male Achievement Leader-in-Residence Fellow with the Campaign for Black Male Achievement in partnership with the University of Louisville and Metro United Way. Langley is a research compliance manager at NCCU.

YOUNG ALUMNI BRIEFS I ’01 I Charles E. Harris was named among the “Nation’s Best” in the Midwest region of Lawyers of Color, a nonprofit organization that promotes diversity in the legal profession. Harris practices business law in Chicago.

He also holds a Juris Doctor degree from Cleveland Marshall College of Law. I ’01 I Forrest Foster has been named director of Library Services at Fayetteville State University. Foster earned his bachelor’s degree in media and mass communications from East Carolina University and a Master of Library Science degree from North Carolina Central University.

I ’07 I Antoine Fredric Harris was promoted to a sergeant in investigations by the Durham Police Department. Harris earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from NCCU and has been a member of the Durham police force for 12 years.

I ’09 I Michele Josey received her Ph.D. in epidemiology from the Arnold School of Public Health.

I ’10 I Takeia Anthony, assistant professor of history at NCCU and a Forty Under Forty honoree of the university, presented a talk on her book, “The Universal Ethiopian Students’ Association, 1927-1948: Mobilizing Diaspora” at NCCU’s Hubbard-Totten Auditorium.

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 49

REUNIONS > BIRTHS > MILESTONES

ALUMNI ALBUM I ’10 I Turquoise Parker partnered with Legal Eagle T. Greg Doucette to raise $7,000 for food assistance for students during winter break 2018. Parker is a teacher at Glenn Elementary School, Durham, N.C.

m

The City of Durham’s 150th brand for their yearlong celebration of incorporation was designed

by TOBIAS ROSE '05 of Kompleks Creative.

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I ’14 I Jasmine Thomas, B.S., was named senior social worker for the Mecklenberg County Department of Youth and Family Services. She earned her degree in social work from NCCU and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

I ’14 I William Paģan, J.D., became a member of the partnership at Coats & Bennett law firm of Durham. Previous recognitions include induction by the NC State Computer Science Alumni Hall of Fame and selection as an NCCU Forty Under Forty program honoree.

I ’18 I Zoe N. Coleman, of Fayetteville, a political science major, has graduated from Air Force Reserve basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and has been awarded the status of Airman 1st Class.

2

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NCCU National Alumni Association members volunteered to provided diapers and other badly needed items for victims of Hurricane Florence, as part of the Alumni Annual meeting held July 2019 in Durham.

2

Former NCCU SGA President Stefan Weathers ’14, his wife, Keturah S. Clark-Weathers, and Stefan J. Weathers Jr., born in August 2019, enjoy an ugly sweater party for the young adult ministry of Emmanuel Baptist Church, in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he serves as the associate pastor for youth and young adults.

SHARE YOUR MILESTONE Share photos of your milestones— such as weddings, births, legacy announcements, reunions with classmates — or memories from your days on campus for potential publication online, on social media and/or in our magazine. Photos must be digital and 300 dpi or higher and can be submitted by emailing to now@nccu.edu.

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3

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Photo courtesy of Glenn Parson

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Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Ashley & Co.

3

Former NCCU SGA President Reggie McCrimmon ’13 recently announced his engagement to Nadia Jefferies '14.

4

During Homecoming 2019, members of the Alpha Kappa chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., fall line 1979 and spring line 1994, celebrated their anniversaries.

5

“The Golden Girls,” Bessie Taylor, Marzella Bryant and Channie Johnson, best friends since attending NCCU and members of the class of 1964, still travel together and visit regularly.

6

Celebrating their 20th anniversary during homecoming weekend were members of the Alpha Lambda chapter fall line of 1999 of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 51

in memoriam | ’40 | Gertrude Philips Mitchell, Alexandria, Va., Aug. 10, 2019

| ’61 | Doris Fay Brooks,

| ’57 | Emma Lash Martin, Laurel, Md., July 21, 2019

Raleigh, N.C., Aug. 15, 2019

| ’58 | Dorothy Smith Sneed, Townsend, Del., July 27, 2019

| ’52 | Atty. Wade Wayne Perry, 88, Durham, N.C., Sept. 21, 2019

| ’58 | Omega Curtis Parker, 82, Durham, N.C., Sept. 30, 2019

| ’63 | Fred A. Burke, Winston-Salem, N.C., Aug. 30, 2019

OMEGA CURTIS PARKER

| ’63 ’65 | Johnnie Lee Tyson, 75, Paterson, N.J., July 10, 2019 | ’69 | Marjorie Mitchell Allen, 74, Smithfield, N.C., July 22, 2019

G L A DYS H E N D E R S O N R E N N I C K

GOLDEN EAGLE DIES AT AGE 104

| ’62 | Eagle alumna and longtime Caswell County, N.C., teacher GLADYS HENDERSON RENNICK died Aug. 10, 2019.

Born Gladys Lolita Brown in 1915, she grew up with six siblings on their parents’ Caswell County farm. She attended the private Palmer Memorial Institute in Sedalia, N.C., for her high school diploma and an associate’s degree before earning a bachelor’s degree at Virginia State University in 1939 and pledging the Alpha Zeta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc. In 1959, she married W. Fred Henderson and moved to Durham, where she earned a Master of Library Science degree from NCCU in 1962. She also joined White Rock Baptist Church.

Rennick taught elementary and high school students in Caswell County for much of her career. She retired from the school system in 1977.

E D WA R D C A R L " E D D I E " WAT S O N

GOODBYE TO TRACK AND VOCAL STANDOUT

| ’67 I EDWARD CARL “EDDIE” WATSON, a high school and college track athlete from Amityville, N.Y., died Jan. 16, 2019, at age 74. At North Carolina College, now NCCU, he participated on Coach Leroy T. Walker’s relay squad, breaking several local and national records. In 1967, Watson was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Gelhausen, Germany, as a weapons specialist and tank driver. Upon returning to the New York area, he performed with the Universals, a popular regional singing group, and founded Watson’s Driving School.

On his 50th birthday, Watson won a 100-meter sprint in Santa Barbara, Calif. After retiring to Virginia, he and his wife, Patricia, enjoyed traveling and gardening.

52 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

| ’70 | Dewana Gail Bagley, 72, Raleigh, N.C., Aug. 15, 2019 | ’70 | Ethel J. “Cool” Pittman, 71, Rocky Mount, N.C., Aug. 15, 2019 | ’70 | Naomi Cassandra Shaw Bullock, Durham, N.C., July 9, 2019 | ’73 | Nathaniel “Bubba” Baker, Sr., Sumter, S.C., Aug. 4, 2019 | ’79 | Jacqueline Boyd Parham, 62, Henrico, Va., Sept. 11, 2019 | ’87 | Atty. Marjorie Sibley Canady, 69, Blowing Rock, N.C., Sept. 13, 2019 | ’90, ’93 | Stephany Hand-Biggs, 51, Durham, N.C., June 30, 2019 | ’97 | Jonita Dingle, 43, Wilmington, N.C., Sept. 6, 2019 | ’05, ’06 | Julius “Juice” Sampson, Winston-Salem, N.C., Aug. 6, 2019

DOUGLAS E. MOORE

ROYAL ICE CREAM PROTESTER DIES

| ’65 | Civil Rights Era activist DOUGLAS E. MOORE, 91, who led one of the South’s first sit-ins to oppose segregation, died Aug. 22, 2019, in Clinton, Md. Moore, a Methodist clergyman, received his undergraduate degree from North Carolina Central College at Durham in 1949 before attending Boston University, where he studied theology alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1956, he returned to Durham to become pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church. He was a key participant in the 1957 sit-in at Durham’s white-owned Royal Ice Cream Parlor, one of the nation’s first civil disobedience actions. Moore was arrested along with six others following the incident and fined $10 plus court costs.

Moore moved to Washington, D.C., in 1966, where he befriended and worked with other black leaders, including Stokely Carmichael. In 1974, he was elected to the D.C. Council, where he served as an at-large member.

B E R N I C E Mc P H AT T E R G O R H A M

COMMUNITY SAYS GOODBYE TO EDUCATOR

Wagram Town Council member and longtime educator BERNICE McPHATTER GORHAM died Oct. 4, 2019, at the Reid Heart Center/Moore Memorial Hospital in Pinehurst.

Gorham, who taught in Scotland County, N.C., for 35 years, was the wife of the Rev. Dr. Johnie W. Gorham, pastor of Shady Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Raeford, N.C., and a former Wagram mayor. She earned a dual degree in library sciences and home economics from NCCU. “She was the real definition of a caring person,” her husband told the Laurinburg Exchange.

“She cared for Wagram, her family and her church.”

For the past 12 years, Gorham has served as a member of the Wagram Town Council.

NCCU TRUSTEE

Trustee Isaiah Tidwell Invested His Heart in Eagle Pride I ’67 I Alumnus, NCCU Board of Trustees member and longtime university supporter ISAIAH TIDWELL died Aug. 4,

2019, following a brief illness.

Tidwell was a native of Charlotte, N.C., born on Feb. 13, 1945, and graduated with the West Charlotte High School Class of 1963. He attended North Carolina College at Durham, now NCCU, where he served as president of both his junior and senior classes. Tidwell received his Bachelor of Science degree in commerce in 1967. While an undergraduate, he also met and courted HELLENA HUNTLEY '68, who became his wife of 51 years.

In 1980, he earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Wake Forest University and went to work at Celanese Fibers Co. in Rock Hill, S.C. In 1972, he joined Wachovia Bank and rose through the corporation’s ranks over a span of 32 years. After settling in Atlanta, he retired in 2005 as executive vice president and director of wealth management for Georgia.

Throughout his life, Tidwell remained an enthusiastic Eagle alumni and supporter, while also providing service throughout his community in organizations such as the Afro-American Culture Center and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Education Foundation. He was president-elect of the Charlotte Regional Partnership. A life member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Tidwell received its 50th-year service award and was named Omega Man of the Year in 1983 by the Psi Phi Chapter of Winston-Salem.

Survivors include his wife, two sons, four grandchildren and many other friends and relatives.

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 53

Giving

university advancement

J A R V I S ‘72 A N D N O R M A M A R T I N ‘ 74

BUSINESS GRADS DONATE FUNDS TO HONOR PARENTS Norma Martin joins her mother, Elsie Canon Blackman, at her graduation from NCCU.

HREE NAMES held dear by alumni couple JARVIS and NORMA MARTIN will also become familiar to current and future Eagles when NCCU’s new School of Business facility opens in 2021.

The names ELSIE CANON BLACKMAN ’51, BRISTOL MARTIN SR. and QUEENIE MARTIN will appear on plaques marking two classrooms at the business school thanks to a $60,000 gift from

Jarvis said his parents, Bristol and Queenie Martin, were strong advocates of education, as was Norma’s mother, Elsie Canon Blackman, herself an Eagle alumna.

“I grew up with a picture of my mother with her cap and gown on in front of B.N. Duke Auditorium,” Norma said.

And when it was time to enroll in college, “I only applied to NCCU,” she added.

Although Jarvis’s parents went to work early and couldn’t

their parents with the donation.

Queenie and Bristol Martin Sr. encouraged their six children to attend college.

NORMA AND JARVIS MARTIN, who wanted to honor

à

After graduation, I worked for a local business development agency and then a local minority community bank, and I later had the opportunity to go into business for myself. The catalyst was having education and support from the Durham business community.”

—JARVIS MARTIN

54 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

attend college themselves, they were determined to offer the option to all six of their children – four of whom graduated with at least a bachelor’s degree.

Jarvis, who grew up in Havelock, N.C., met Norma, from Winston-Salem, on the NCCU campus in the early 1970s.

Jarvis ’72 became a Double Eagle, earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in business administration. Norma ’74 completed a commerce degree at NCCU before earning a master’s in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1979.

Both said they believe the time they invested at NCCU enhanced their lives educationally, economically and personally.

“It afforded me the opportunity to have a professional career here in Durham,” Jarvis said. “After graduation, I worked for a local business development agency and then a local minority community bank, and I later had the opportunity to go into business for myself. The catalyst was having education and support from the Durham business community.”

Jarvis is now a principal at Stewart, Martin & McCoy, a real estate appraisal, brokerage and consulting firm based in Durham. After more than a decade at IBM, Norma Martin now works at Stewart, Martin & McCoy as a retail broker.

g i v i n g by b u s i n e s s

$6

MILLION

CISCO SYSTEMS PROVIDES IN-KIND GIFT FOR NETWORK REFRESH PROJECT AT NCCU echnology and networking solutions company Cisco Systems Inc. has contributed equipment and technical services to NCCU as part of a $6 million network refresh and upgrade.

The network improvements will assure a faster and more robust internet service throughout campus, as well as lower power consumption requirements, and have been a strategic priority for Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye.

“Cisco’s investment in NCCU will support the expansion of our campus network infrastructure and growing use of technology by the university community,” Akinleye said. “As our longstanding partner in education, we are grateful for their investment and the optimum service that Cisco continually provides to North Carolina Central University.”

The upgrade will bring seamless Wi-Fi service into classrooms and other learning spaces, research facilities, residence halls and administrative offices, as more than 3,000 new wireless access points are installed.

“Cisco recognized the investment that the university was making and that this project was

a priority for student success,” said Leah Kraus, NCCU’s chief information officer. “The network refresh and upgrade could have taken multiple years to complete, but the chancellor’s vision and Cisco’s contributions shortened it to a one-year project, which is already

providing value to our campus community.”

Cisco has supported the university with previous networking initiatives, including a network refresh in 2011 and conversion to Cisco’s VoIP-enabled communications platform in 2016.

“We are excited about the opportunity to once again partner on your 2018-19 network refresh and design,” said Scott Aaron, director of sales operations for Cisco.

FUJIFILM

Pharma Student Scholarship Established by Fujifilm

An award for students established by Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnology will provide $5,000 per year to a rising senior majoring in pharmaceutical science. During Homecoming week 2019, the Morrisville-based pharmaceutical manufacturer donated $25,000 to establish the Philip A. Ropp Scholarship, named in honor of a senior director of the company, who was present at the ceremony. Attending, left to right, were BRITE Director Dr. Hernan Navarro; Dr. Michael Murray, of Fujifilm; Ropp; BRITE development director William G. Smith; and Dr. Patrick Liverpool, interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 55

at h l e t i c s

FROM OVERLOOKED TO

DRAFTED T I E S C O R E , T H E B OT TO M O F T H E N I N T H ,

runner on second base, and a freshman in his first college baseball game is at the plate. The pitcher delivers and the batter sends a shot into the outfield. The runner scores from second base, and the rookie saves the day with his game-winning RBI double.

That freshman was NCCU Baseball’s Corey Joyce, who also hit a solo home run and a two-run home run in that opening day doubleheader. Less than three years later, he was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 2019 MLB Draft.

“It was one of my most memorable moments,” Joyce said, describing his first college game. “It was one of those games where I was just on it.”

Joyce wasn’t sure if he would make the starting team that day in spring 2017, until he was assigned to second base.

“I didn’t know if I was going to start, so I went in there with an open mind,” Joyce said. “I ended up getting the start and it kicked off from there. I had a great day.”

The Lexington, N.C., native discovered baseball at a young age and quickly fell in love with the sport.

56 I NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020

“My grandpa introduced me to the game and we would play in the backyard,” Joyce said. “Once I got old enough to move on to T-ball, that’s basically where it all started.”

Although Joyce would go on to become one of the most decorated Eagle baseball players ever, he left high school with just one Division I offer.

“I had some junior college teams looking at me, but they were looking for players to try out,” Joyce said. “Coach (Jim) Koerner was the only guy that stepped up and gave me a shot.”

Joyce departed NCCU as a two-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year (2018, 2019), MEAC Rookie of the Year, and a threetime First Team All-MEAC selection. He also owns

EAGLE BASEBALL’S COREY JOYCE NOW AIMS FOR A HOME RUN IN THE MAJORS

THIS IS A VERY EXCITING TIME FOR COREY AND OUR PROGRAM. WE ARE PROUD OF ALL OF HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THE JOURNEY IS JUST BEGINNING FOR HIM.”

NCCU’s highest career batting average (.348) and slugging percentage (.527). In addition, he has the most runs scored with 125 and the second-most RBI with 112 in the modern era at NCCU. Joyce said he is glad he spent his college years with the Eagles.

“I enjoyed the team dinners and the karaoke on the bus rides,” Joyce said. “We became brothers and we helped each other on and off the field.”

Joyce also recalled some of his best on-field performances.

“Going 4-for-4 against nationally ranked N.C. State was huge because of the hype of the game and how close it ended up being,”

m

—COACH JIM KOERNER

Joyce said. “Also, going 6-for6 against Bethune-Cookman University. It was one of those games where I was just on it. I just couldn’t get out, and the baseball looked like a beach ball when I was at the plate.”

Joyce was selected in the 12th round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

“It was definitely a relief to see the amount of work and dedication that I have given the game over the years has paid off,” Joyce said. “From being an overlooked little high school player to where I am now, it is really a sigh of relief that somebody acknowledges the work I put in.”

Koerner, the head NCCU baseball coach, said having a student-athlete drafted “goes to show what hard work and determination can do."

“This is a very exciting time for Corey and our program,” Koerner said. "We are proud of all of his accomplishments. The journey is just beginning for him.”

Joyce was moved up in August to the West Michigan Whitecaps in the Midwest League at the A level, after batting .219 with 15 RBI for the Connecticut Tigers in the New YorkPenn League.

BY JAILEN LEACH '20

at h l e t i c b r i e f s

ROYSTER ANNOUNCED AS MEAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR VIDEO

g NCCU senior defensive end DARIUS ROYSTER was announced as the 2019 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in Dec. 2019.

NCCU EAGLES vs NC A&T AGGIES

Thurs., March 5 / 4 & 7 p.m.

McDougald-McLendon Arena Durham, N.C.

For tickets, visit nccueaglepride.com NCCU NOW I WINTER 2020 I 57

FROM THE ARCHIVES

/ CIRCA

1947

/

CAROLYN SMITH GREEN was a freshman when she had the opportunity to introduce former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt at B.N. Duke Auditorium in 1947. Carolyn Smith, who later married James Preston Green, a physician, was the granddaughter of NCCU founder, Dr. James E. and Annie Day Shepard and often stayed with them at the Shepard House, assisting with guests and other ceremonial activities at the college. Carolyn Smith Green died on Aug. 7, 2019. She was 89.

Photo cour tesy of t he Nor t h C arolina C ent ra l University Dig it a l C ol le c t ion

Please send address corrections to Advancement Services, Phone: 919-530-7399 / E-mail: altoler@nccu.edu or mail to 1801 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC 27707. At a cost of $1.33 each, 17,000 copies of this public document were printed for a total of $22,631 in winter 2020 and distributed to NCCU supporters and donors. NCCU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degrees.

Contact the SACSCOC at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of NCCU. Copyright 2020, North Carolina Central University.

YOUR FUTURE BEGINS HERE. North Carolina Central University prepares students to succeed in the global marketplace.

Consistently ranked as a top HBCU and among leading regional universities in the South, NCCU offers flagship programs in the sciences, education, law, business, nursing and the arts.

Founded in 1910, NCCU remains committed to diversity in and access to higher education.

(Pictured) NCCU student, Rashid Abdus-Salaam '20

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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Durham, NC 27705 Permit No.1156

North Carolina Central University 1801 Fayetteville Street Durham, NC 27707

(Pictured) NCCU student, Genevieve Ellis '23