SUM M E R 2021
A MAGAZINE FOR NCCU ALUMNI, FRIENDS, FACULTY AND STAFF
THAT MOTON MAGIC EA GLES’ COA C H I N SP I R ES T EA M THROU G H R OU G H SEA SON
NOW!
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
p. 48
Called by the Coast Studying geographic sciences at NCCU launched Durham native Ryan Bethea on a path to creating Oysters Carolina, his business growing and harvesting oysters on the North Carolina coast.
Photo by Baxter Miller
NCCU NOW MAGAZINE is published by North Carolina Central University's Office of Communications and Marketing, 1801 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC 27707. 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 ’14, Kyle Serba ’19, Quiana Shepard, Chelsea Taft '21, André D. Vann '93, '95, Karen Willenbrecht, Keisha Williams
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On the Cover
______________________ Moton in Motion Eagles Coach LeVelle Moton’s personal history prepared him well to lead his team through a season beset by scheduling challenges and other effects of the pandemic.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Chioke Brown '12, Vernon Samuel '14
Photo by Chioke Brown '12
Departments
p. 26 ADMINISTRATION CHANCELLOR Johnson O. Akinleye, Ph.D. PROVOST AND VICE CHANCELLOR OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS David H. Jackson Jr., Ph.D. VICE CHANCELLOR OF ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE Akua J. Matherson, M.Ed. VICE CHANCELLOR OF STUDENT AFFAIRS Angela Alvarado Coleman, Ed.D. VICE CHANCELLOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Gia Soublet, Ph.D. CHIEF OF STAFF Al Zow, J.D. 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 Emily M. Dickens '95, '99, ’02 John A. Herrera James Mitchell Jr. '85 Cornell Slade '75 Derrick C. Stanfield '22 Hellena Huntley Tidwell '68 James Walker L. '88
For the latest NCCU NEWS, visit www.nccu.edu.
______________________ In Defense of Good Ideas The Intellectual Property Clinic helps train law students to assist inventors, writers, musicians and others who specialize in the output of creative ideas.
Inbox
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Chancellor’s Message
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Academia
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Faculty I Staff
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Student Life
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Cultural Arts
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_______________________ Nursing on the Front Line
Alumni News
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Giving
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Athletics
60
Nurses have played key roles in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many making personal sacrifices to assist others.
From the Archives 66
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________________________________________ Reflecting on the Past The third and final installment of the university’s timeline takes us from the mid-1900s to today.
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Email us your feedback to now@nccu.edu. WINTER 2020 ISSUE
Excellent! When I received it, I read it from cover to cover. Full of exciting, thought provoking news, information on schools and achievements, fellow alumni, university new hires and promotions, student achievements and, sadly, deaths - plus, how we can support NCCU. Very well done and always a keepsake!
—Dianne Pledger '79, President, Orange County Chapter, NCCU National Alumni Association
This is a keepsake hard copy. Rev. Dr. Barber is a critical reason why it is important to financially support NCCU. This is what giving to NCCU will produce.” —Cynthia Pullen '87 SOCIAL MEDIA
NCCU
N.C. Central University I Jan 19 Looking mighty flyyyy in that #NCCU gear, @rolandmartin! Thanks for rockin' with us. #EaglePride
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The News & Observer @newsobserver I Jul 2 As Maggie Poole Bryant turns 106, the NCCU alumna shared her pearls of wisdom for longevity. She graduated in 1938.
For the latest NCCU NEWS, visit www.nccu.edu.
Graduating during a pandemic was very emotional for me. I’m a first-generation college graduate. I told myself, no matter what, I was going to get my college degree, and with God on my side, I DID IT!”
Aramis Watkins '20 Mass Communications, Broadcast Media Concentration Hometown: High Point, N.C.
Photographer: Tony Cunningham Jr. Photography
Chancellor’s Message Greetings, The first half of 2021 continued to challenge us in ways that we never imagined. We followed and adapted to ever-changing guidelines as we slowly and carefully transitioned and adjusted our lives during COVID-19. At North Carolina Central University, the pandemic may have changed our modes of academic delivery and created physical-distancing requirements on campus, but our resiliency and innovation, along with our students’ commitment to maintaining their health and well-being, led us safely through the 2020-2021 academic year. We opened the NCCU COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic on March 9, 2021, and began vaccinating our students, faculty, staff – as well as residents of the Durham and Triangle communities. As of August 2021, more than 4,200 doses of all three available vaccines had been administered at NCCU. Despite the pivots and adjustments, we stayed the course and recorded numerous successes throughout the Spring 2021 semester, including: NCCU received several large corporate grants in 2021, including a $1 MILLION GIFT FROM TIK-TOK, a leading online destination for short-form mobile videos. The funds are used to support students pursuing degrees in health care (see on page 14). NCCU also received a $5 MILLION GIFT, payable over the next five years, from Intel Corporation. The gift establishes a Tech Law and Policy Center in the School of Law (read more on page 59). The university, our men’s basketball team and head coach LEVELLE MOTON were featured in an eight-part docuseries, “Why Not Us,” that was presented by The Undefeated and ESPN+ beginning in February. The series placed NCCU in an international spotlight and brought increased attention to our championship-winning athletics program (see page 60). We celebrated the graduating classes of SPRING 2020 AND SPRING 2021 at Commencement ceremonies (pages 18-21). In late June, NCCU’s health disparities team expanded their outreach to address underserved areas across North Carolina using with a new MOBILE HEALTH UNIT, which is operated through the Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute (BBRI) and ADVANCED CENTER FOR COVID-RELATED DISPARITIES (ACCORD) PROGRAM. The university broke ground on a NEW SCHOOL OF BUSINESS on June 30, 2021. The 76,608-square-foot, state-of-theart facility is scheduled for completion in fall 2022. As we begin a fresh academic year and we welcome new Eagles to the nest, we are ready to thrive and soar as our campus and communities reopen.
In Truth and Service.
Johnson O. Akinleye, Ph.D. Chancellor
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PICTURE OPPOSITE PAGE / 1 / Students, staff and faculty as well as area residents are vaccinated against COVID-19 during special clinic sessions on campus. University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans tours the vaccine clinic. / 2 / A new mobile health unit enabled NCCU to reach more communities throughout the region. / 3 / The campus community watched with much interest as the first new Student Center in more than 50 years was constructed. / 4 / Chancellor Akinleye welcomed students of the class of 2025 to campus for orientation. / 5 / A groundbreaking also took place for the new School of Business. Pictured (L-R) SGA President Derrick C. Stanfield, Vice Chancellor Akua J. Matherson, Provost David H. Jackson Jr., Trustee and Chairman Kevin M. Holloway and Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye.
Looking Ahead
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3
to 2021-2022
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academia
Unsung health care professionals get top billing at knowledge–management event BEHIND THE SCENES, INFORMATION MANAGERS WIELD DATA TO FIGHT COVID-19
Health care workers aren’t the only ones to respond when a new virus appears somewhere in the world. Researchers and medical professionals rely on information managers to capture and share new knowledge and information as it is discovered. From there, they use this data to work toward a cure.
DEBORAH SWAIN, PH.D. Associate professor/ conference chair
The International Conference of Knowledge Management held Dec. 3-5, 2020, and hosted by NCCU’s School of Library and Information Sciences, drew attendees from around the world virtually to discuss current issues in the field. W. Ed Hammond, Ph.D., a Duke University professor who originated foundational design and implementation strategies for electronic health records and standards, was the keynote speaker.
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Hammond said there is still disconnection in data aggregation across health care sites and countries, with different systems and languages leading to misunderstandings and medical errors. This fragmented data makes addressing large-scale problems like a pandemic more difficult. “We all need to speak the same language; we need to avoid ambiguity,” Hammond said. He said major stakeholders in health care need quick, reliable data, and they rely on knowledge managers in ways that aren’t entirely transparent to the public. Knowledge managers – also known as librarians – are trained in skills for collecting data from multiple resources on extensive topics, digitizing and organizing it, and making it accessible to researchers and others. That’s no small task, and there’s no single roadmap for the massive undertaking. Health information was just one of the topics addressed as global scholars dedicated to streamlining information-sharing in health care and business took part in the 16th annual conference with the theme “Knowledge Commons in the City of Medicine.” The conference also addressed subjects such as smart cities, social networking and intellectual capital.
Deborah Swain, Ph.D., conference chair and an NCCU associate professor, had hoped to showcase in-person what NCCU and Durham had to offer, but the conference was ultimately forced online due to COVID-19. Yet the relevance of health care data management was not lost on those who attended, hailing from as far away as Bangladesh, Brazil, South Africa and Singapore. Hammond warned attendees that Americans are overall less willing to participate in data sharing than some other members of the global community, and he urged his U.S. colleagues to encourage more openness.
æ Knowledge managers – also known as librarians – are trained in skills for collecting data from multiple resources on extensive topics, digitizing and organizing it, and making it accessible to researchers and others. “Collaboration will bring us down the line much quicker,” he said. If there is a silver lining to COVID-19, it’s the possibility of change to the clinical community and how that shift will positively affect the future of data and its use in health care, Hammond concluded.
BY ROBERT LEWIS '14
Counseling Association Honors Education Professors School of Education professors Peggy P. Whiting, Ed.D., and Regina Gavin Williams, Ph.D., were honored by the North Carolina Counseling Association (NCCA) on Feb. 25, 2021. Whiting is a professor in the School of Education and serves as the Counselor Education Program coordinator. She received the NCCA Administrator of the Year award that recognizes a counselor-educator administrator who best advances the philosophy and objectives of the counseling profession. Whiting has served in numerous positions in higher education and mental health counseling for more than 30 years and has been on NCCU’s faculty for the past 10 years. In 2016, Whiting was honored with the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. Gavin Williams, assistant professor in the School of Education and the Higher Education Administration Program coordinator, was honored with the NCCA’s Devoted Service Award recognizing a professional who has excelled in leadership and service to NCCA and the counseling field. Before joining NCCU in 2019, Gavin Williams served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and John Brown University. She was previously a director of Student Engagement and Diversity Affairs at NC State University. She is a recent recipient of Chi Sigma Iota Honor Society International’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
PEGGY P. WHITING, ED.D. Coordinator Counselor Education Program
REGINA GAVIN WILLIAMS, PH.D. Coordinator Higher Education Administration Program
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academia
UN role allows kinesiology professor to preserve, promote international traditions
æ (Pictured above) Archery, horse racing and wrestling are the three games that are played during the Nadaam festivals, which is celebrated in Mongolia each year starting July 11.
HE HISTORY AND THE CULTURE OF A SPORT ARE KEYS TO ENGAGING FANS. They are part of what spurs us on to cheer the NCCU Eagles when they face their biggest rivals - like the N.C. A&T State University Aggies. Jerono P. Rotich, Ph.D., department chair and professor of Kinesiology and Recreation Administration at North Carolina Central University, is immersed in such issues through her role on a United Nations council dedicated to promoting and preserving traditional sports. “I’m from Kenya, and we want to promote our traditional sports and games so visitors feel more comfortable engaging in them, which brings unity and teaches about our culture,” Rotich said. Rotich represents the United States on the International Council of Traditional Sports and Games’ Research and Publication Commission, which is responsible for ensuring that the cultural heritage of traditional games is broadened and recognized globally. The council is part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Collective Consultation (UNESCO), an agency that seeks to build international peace through education, science and culture. COVID-19 temporarily halted planned international visits with colleagues and dignitaries in other countries, Rotich said. During the pandemic, however, she took part in monthly Zoom meetings with United JERONO P. ROTICH, PH.D. Nations participants. One online meeting she attended was hosted by Chair and professor of Kazakhstan and Turkey to discuss publications and literature that promote Kinesiology and Recreation traditional sports and global awareness. Administration
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Rotich hopes to leverage her experience to educate others about the differences and similarities exhibited between countries in appreciation of sports. “In the spirit of health and wellness and promoting peace and unity, we want people to be confident in engaging in their traditional sports and games and others to be more engaged, especially now,” Rotich said. The kinesiology professor is also co-authoring a book centered on achieving diversity and global awareness through traditional sports.
BY CHELSEA TAFT '21
æ
Camel racing is a traditional sport with origins in the desert culture of the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Photos by B. Chadraabal and courtesy of the International Council of Traditional Sports and Games.
Digital Preservation Handbook Earns National Archivist Award An open-access handbook for curation of digital-born materials led to a national award for NCCU Assistant Professor Alexandra Chassanoff and co-author Colin Post. The 2021 Preservation Publication Award was presented to Chassanoff and Post by the Society of American Archivists, who recognized it as an “outstanding published work related to archives preservation.” Post is a faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, while Chassanoff teaches at NCCU's School of Library and Information Sciences. The pair created the handbook, OSSArcFlow Guide to Documenting Born-Digital Archival Workflows, over the summer of 2020 to address the challenges of preserving information created and disseminated using online resources.
A good example is a communications department creating all sorts of documentation of things happening at the university. All that information used to be in print and get dropped off at the university archives. Now it’s mostly digital.”
ALEXANDRA CHASSANOFF Assistant professor Library and Information Sciences
“A good example is a communications department creating all sorts of documentation of things happening at the university,” Chassanoff said. “All that information used to be in print and get dropped off at the university archives. Now it’s mostly digital. Our guide can help archivists and librarians work with borndigital information at any institution or could be used by anyone needing to archive their personal digital files.” The guide outlines steps for creating workflows to handle borndigital archival materials, including selection, acquisition, accessibility and preservation using OSSArcFlow, an earlier project that analyzed digital preservation at a dozen institutions over three years. The Society of American Archivists called workflow implementation an “under-discussed element of digital preservation.” The guide, published by Educopia Institute, received support from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
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academia
School of Business Unveils Cutting-edge Cybersecurity Lab HE SCHO OL OF BUSINESS
DEANNE CRANFORD-WESLEY Director, Cybersecurity Program School of Business
DONNA GRANT, PH.D. Chair, Computer Information Systems Program School of Business
recently launched a cybersecurity lab for information technology students. The lab, which opened on October 20, 2020, is a response to the global need for increased cyber protection, particularly as more and more interactions and transactions are happening digitally. “There have been more than three major hacks since the beginning of the year,” said Deanne CranfordWesley, director of the cybersecurity program. “The details are still unfolding, but what we do know is that we need to tighten up our cyber defense mandates and institute additional security protocols at private companies.”
THE NUMBER OF POSITIONS FOR CYBERSECURITY SPECIALISTS HAS GROWN BY 350% SINCE 2013 AND IS CONTINUING TO EXPAND.
— Donna Grant, Ph.D., chair
Computer Information Systems program
The number of openings for cybersecurity specialists has grown by 350% since 2013 and is continuing to expand, said Donna Grant, Ph.D., chair of the Computer Information Systems program. The worldwide information security market is expected to reach $170.4 billion in 2022, according to Gartner business research and advisory firm. “Before organization can hire good talent, we must train students to become cybersecurity professionals,” Grant said. Among recent cybersecurity hacks was disruption at a technology firm, Solar Winds, in December 2020, an attack on the Texas electricity grid in February 2021, and a ransomware assault on the Colonial gas pipeline that caused panic on the East Coast in May 2021. All three were linked to criminals in Russia, Cranford-Wesley said. With incidents on the rise, the companies are eager to find knowledgeable, well-trained workers to serve in digital security positions, said School of Business Dean Anthony Nelson, Ph.D. “At North Carolina Central University, with this new lab, we are well positioned to answer the call,” Nelson added. Organizations concerned about the security of their online information can mitigate the risk by following best-practices for cyber security defense, such as creating secure passwords with two-step authorization requirements, Cranford-Wesley said.
BY KEISHA WILLIAMS 12 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
à
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Summer 2021 saw construction begin on a new School of Business at the northeastern edge of campus. The spacious building, set to open in fall 2022, will have innovative features, including a business incubator and live stock-trading room.
Breaking New Ground à
LAWSON STREET APARTMENTS The new Lawson Street Residence Hall is expected to be move-in ready at the end of Fall 2021. The five-story structure can accommodate 406 students, as well as retail amenities on the ground floor.
COLLABORATIVE HUB
à
The 24/7 Collaborative Learning and Research Center will include a mix of study areas, multi-purpose rooms, retail space, and an inviting indoor-outdoor lounge. Construction is set to start in early 2022 at the corner of Fayetteville and Lawson streets.
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academia
TIKTOK EMPOWERS NCCU WITH $1 MILLION GIFT
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IKTOK, a leading app for short-form mobile video, awarded $1 million to assist students pursuing degrees in health care. The donation was one of 10 across the country given to academic institutions that train public health workers and other medical and health care personnel where enrollment includes a significant number of underrepresented students.
TikTok announced its commitment to supporting the health care workers in early 2021 with creation of a $150 million Health Heroes Relief Fund. The recent scholarship program focuses on individuals from underrepresented groups studying medicine, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and who are planning to enter careers in medicine, science, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
“Health care workers are the heroes of the global pandemic,” said Belinda Frazier, head of Culture and Diversity for TikTok North America. “The TikTok Health Heroes Relief Fund was created to support their efforts, and we are honored to be able to continue our commitment to the health care community. We believe the next generation of health heroes should be reflective of the world around us, and we are proud to support medical and health education programs that serve Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students.” Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye said NCCU and TikTok share a commitment to inspiring creativity as a means of improving our society. “This investment will ensure our students who aspire to serve on the front lines of care can complete their education and pursue solutions for some of the most challenging medical issues confronting our society, including COVID-19,” Akinleye said. “NCCU graduates are leaders in the health sciences and provide valuable services to vulnerable citizens in North Carolina and around the country. We are grateful to TikTok for demonstrating the value of this critical workforce with a significant gift that furthers the education of healthcare professionals at our university.”
BY AYANA D. HERNANDEZ
“The TikTok Health Heroes Relief Fund was created to support their [Health care workers] efforts, and we are honored to be able to continue our commitment to the health care community.” —Belinda Frazier, head of Culture and Diversity for TikTok North America
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f a c u lt y a n d s t a f f
appointments
David H. Jackson Jr., Ph.D., Joins as Provost Following a Long Tenure at FAMU
David H. Jackson Jr., Ph.D., was appointed as provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs effective July 1, 2021, following a competitive national search. Jackson was previously associate provost for graduate education and dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Research, and Continuing Education at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Fla. He began his academic career as assistant professor of history at his alma mater, FAMU, in 1997. He was later elected chairman of the Department of History, Political Science, Public Administration, Geography, and African American Studies. Jackson has earned many awards and distinctions, including Teacher of the Year twice and the FAMU Research Excellence Award. In 2014, Jackson received the Equity Award from the American Historical Association, the largest historical association in the country. In 2017, he was a Fulbright-Hays Fellow and studied in Botswana and Namibia. He has visited seven countries on the continent of Africa over the course of his professorial career. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from FAMU and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in history from the University of Memphis. In addition, Jackson completed the Management Development Program at Harvard University and was selected as an American Council on Education Fellow, as part of the 2017-2018 class. He completed his fellowship at the University of Houston. Jackson plans to support development of new doctoral programs to help achieve NCCU’s strategic goal of rising in Carnegie classifications, among other initiatives.
Akua Johnson Matherson, M.Ed. Chief Financial Officer and Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Akua Johnson Matherson, M. Ed., was appointed as chief financial officer and vice chancellor for Administration and Finance. Her duties entail a broad level of oversight, including auxiliary enterprises, university budgets, capital planning, accounting, and much more. She previously served as finance director for NCCU.
Fenita Morris-Shepard, J.D. Chief Legal Counsel Fenita Morris-Shepard, J.D., was named chief legal advisor and also heads the Office of Legal Affairs in providing legal advice and counsel on all matters affecting the university. Morris-Shepard served as interim chief legal counsel at NCCU from March 2020 to January 2021. Prior to joining NCCU, she served as counsel at Phelps Dunbar LLC.
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appointments
CHEN
CHEEKS
ERVIN
ENDSLEY VINES
Po-Ju Chen, Ph.D. I Program Chair Hospitality and Tourism Administration Program Po-Ju Chen, Ph.D., was named as chair of the Hospitality and Tourism Administration Program and will also serve as the Michael P. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Business. Prior to joining NCCU, she was associate executive director of Northern Arizona University’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Management.
Jeremi Cheeks I Executive Director, Residential Life
PONE
Jeremi Cheeks has been appointed executive director of Residential Life, leading a team charged with providing a safe and comfortable residential experience for students. He previously served as the associate director of Housing and Residence Life at Winston-Salem State University.
Jim Ervin I Assistant Vice Chancellor for Development Jim Ervin has been named assistant vice chancellor for development. In this role, he will work with development directors within NCCU's academic colleges and schools, as well as the Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE), the Division of Student Affairs, and the Department of Athletics. He is responsible for securing principal and major gifts in support of institutional priorities and initiatives. He previously served as senior vice president at Atrium Health Foundation and as executive director of the Doernbecher Children's Hospital Foundation.
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TEAGUE
Kara Endsley Vines I Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations Kara Endsley Vines was named director of Corporate and Foundation Relations in the Division of Institutional Advancement, where she is responsible for outreach to corporations and foundations in the Triangle area and beyond. Endsley Vines previously served as NCCU’s director of Annual Giving.
Jalisha C. Pone I Director of Development School of Business Jalisha C. Pone was named director of development for the School of Business, where she will focus on developing major gift prospects and supporters for the school. Pone was formerly director of development for NCCU’s Division of Student Affairs.
Dwain Posey Teague Director of Development, School of Education and School of Library and Information Sciences Dwain Posey Teague was appointed director of development for the schools of Education and Library and Information Sciences. His focus will be on increasing the pipeline of major gift prospects and individual support for both schools. Prior to joining NCCU, he was the emerging technologies and outreach librarian for North Carolina Wesleyan College's Pearsall Library.
Candace Bailey, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor of Arts Musicologist Candace Bailey, Ph.D., was named the John Neville Distinguished Professor of the Visual and Performing Arts at NCCU. In announcing the appointment, College of Arts, Humanities and Sciences Dean Carlton Wilson praised Bailey's teaching and scholarship on women musicians in the antebellum South. The chair is funded by the C.D. Spangler Foundation.
NCCU TRIVIA For two decades straight, from 1956 to 1976, an Eagle student-athlete represented NCCU in the Summer Olympic Games. Can you name the NCCU Olympian who won gold and silver in track and fields, in 1972?
ANSWER ON PAGE 66 (FROM THE ARCHIVES)
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136 TH COMMENCEMENT
Resiliency of Fall 2020 Graduates Noted at 136th Commencement Exercises Eagle pride was on full display during the 136th Commencement Exercises, despite the shifting of the traditional in-person celebrations to a virtual ceremony on Dec. 5.
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PPROXIMATELY 642 GRADUATES earned degrees, with 434 receiving their bachelor’s, 202 earning master’s, five earning Juris Doctor degrees from the School of Law, and one completing the Ph.D. in integrated biosciences. The fall graduating class endured a number of unusual circumstances during their final college months, including a viral pandemic, a social justice movement spurred by the killing of unarmed African Americans, and a historic U.S. presidential election where a record-breaking 161 million Americans cast ballots. Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye highlighted the resiliency of the fall graduates in his address, noting that “collectively, [they] are a group of scholars who are determined, adaptive, disciplined and focused.” University of North Carolina Board of Governors member Pearl Burris-Floyd also praised the graduates, stating that “[their] efforts are enthusiastically acknowledged and appreciated by all of the System leaders.” Akinleye gave special recognition to doctoral recipient Ariel Williams and COVID-19 frontline hero George Price, who earned an undergraduate degree. Williams, a Greensboro, N.C., native, focused her dissertation on lipid and glucose dysregulation in African Americans with Type 2 Diabetes
SERVICE HOURS UNDERGRADUATES CONTRIBUTED TO THE COMMUNITY
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Valued at $1.38 million Photos by Chioke Brown '12, Vernon Samuel '14
Above: The family of fallen senior Shayla Marie Chavis accepted her degree.
under the guidance of professors Sean Kimbro, Ph.D., and ClarLynda Williams-Devan, Ph.D. Williams hopes to pursue a career working on health disparities. Price, a U.S. Army veteran, began working toward his bachelor’s degree in nursing as an NCCU transfer student after serving as a medic and licensed practical nurse in the military. During the pandemic, he worked at the University of North Carolina Medical Center in its medical/surgical unit as part of a capstone experience required by his degree. Price also served as a Food Lion MVP student ambassador, leading NCCU’s team to win $10,000 in a contest that supports hunger-related initiatives, such as campus-based food pantries, community gardens, food recovery efforts and the like. The university also awarded two posthumous degrees to two fallen Eagles. Sylvia A. Rice Claytor was a senior when she died in February 2020. She was on track to earn a degree in nursing. Senior Shayla Marie Chavis also died suddenly in August 2020. She was working toward a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. Fulfilling their Eagle volunteer requirements, Fall 2020 class members contributed more than 50,000 community service hours, translating to a $1.38 million boost to the state’s economy.
BY QUIANA SHEPARD
642 GRADUATES
æ
434 208
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES
GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL DEGREES
To view a rebroadcast of the 136th Commencement Exercises, click here. NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 19
student
Life 137 TH COMMENCEMENT
Eagles Return to Campus for Spring Commencement
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PRING’S 137TH COMMENCEMENT SAW APPROXIMATELY 974 GRADUATES RECEIVE THEIR DEGREES ON CAMPUS. The May 8, 2021, ceremonies included some members of the winter and spring classes of 2020, who had to forego in-person commencement because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye addressed the undergraduates gathered at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium, offering praise for their persistence despite the difficulties of the last year. “While we know the work has just begun in making America a better and more equitable country, as NCCU graduates you will supply the world with innovation, ideas and solutions that will further improve our society for the next generation,” Akinleye said. Alumna Jasmine Crowe, ’05, offered remarks at the 8 a.m. undergraduate service, where 608 students received their degrees. Crowe, an award-winning social entrepreneur and nonprofit business leader, encouraged graduates to have confidence in their abilities and embrace potential failures as a means of uncovering their true talents. “Even if you fail, you will have learned some lessons; and storms pass,” said Crowe, who founded the successful nonprofit Goodr in 2017 after developing several different short-lived business ventures. Alumnus James H. Johnson Jr., Ph.D., ’75, the William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kenan-Flager Business School, spoke to 285 graduate students and 81 Juris Doctor recipients at a noon ceremony.
While we know the work has just begun in making America a better and more equitable country, as NCCU graduates, you will supply the world with innovation, ideas and solutions that will further improve our society for the next generation.” — Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye 20 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
Photos by Chioke Brown '12, Vernon Samuel '14
974 GRADUATES
608 366
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES
90,349.02
GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL DEGREES
SERVICE HOURS UNDERGRADUATES CONTRIBUTED TO THE COMMUNITY --------------------Valued at $1.38 million
JAMES H. JOHNSON JR., PH.D.
To view a rebroadcast of the 137th Commencement Exercises, click here.
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student
Life
Student Researchers Share Discoveries at N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences OUR NCCU STUDENTS TOOK CENTER STAGE at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in April to present their research to the public. The four are all graduate students enrolled in a science communication course taught by Julie Horvath, Ph.D., head of the Genomics and Microbiology Research Lab at the state museum and an NCCU microbiology professor. A’siah Thomas, a first-year graduate student in biology and biomedicine, described the advantages of the zebrafish model in her talk, “Are Zebrafish the Future of Research.” She has worked with faculty researcher Andy P. Li, MD, Ph.D., to examine genes that play a role in exodermal tissues, such as the skin. Thomas said researchers use zebrafish in studies because they are easy to maintain in laboratories, mature quickly, and have transparent bodies that allow scientists to view the organs being studied. Her goal is to attend medical school after earning a master’s degree and eventually become a professional medical examiner. Donia Kased is studying for her Ph.D. in integrated biosciences and is hoping for a research career studying causes and treatments for human disease. Her presentation, “Battle of Science Against Cancer: Mutations in Minority Populations,” examined genomic differences that may lead to cancer. Kased said African Americans have a 33% greater likelihood of dying of cancer than the general population, based partly on genetic variations in the DNA sequence. She has been working with NCCU Assistant Professor Nathan Wymer, Ph.D., to investigate the impact of three common mutations on the growth and spread of cancer. With more study, Kased believes their work will lead to better treatment options for non-white cancer patients.
Nadine Thomas, a candidate for the Ph.D. in integrated biosciences, has developed an interest in plant-based medicines. Her career goal is to become a research scientist in the field of medicine. Thomas’ presentation was titled “Using Natural Products to Treat Cancer: Small Molecules are Still Hot.” She explained that small molecules extracted from plants are being investigated for their potential to treat certain types of cancer. For example, some plants in the Clusiaceae family have been found to regulate the enzymes in immune cells and inhibit cancer growth. Other plant extracts have been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects but no toxic side effects, holding promise for future use in treating patients. Her research advisors are chemistry professors Omar Christian, Ph.D., and Nathan Wymer, Ph.D. Jeffrey Shipman, a first-year graduate student in biology, has been working with NCCU professor Vijay Sivaraman, Ph.D., to study the effects of vaping on the lungs. Shipman reported that more than 8 million Americans are electronic cigarette users, although not much is known yet about its health effects. In “Vaping + COVID-19: A potentially bad combination,” he explained that investigators used a mouse model for their research, exposing some animals to nicotine vapers then infecting their lungs with a coronavirus variant. They found that mice exposed to vaping experienced more severe lung impairment than those not exposed. Next, the investigators will try to determine whether nicotine levels or other factors, such as chemicals in flavored vapes, contribute to the severity of illness. Shipman said the work was part of an overall effort to examine biological and social factors that increase COVID-19 risks. The presentations were part of the museum’s Virtual Triangle SciTech Expo in April.
BY RENEE ELDER
To view the presentations, click here. 22 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
Truth and Service in the Information Age
Eagles Partner with Google to Bridge Digital Divide NCCU students are wellversed in community service, leadership and stewardship, but what does that look like in the information age, where problems such as lack of internet access aren’t easy to discern? In 2016, NCCU and Google Fiber formed the first HBCU-run Community Leadership Program, or CLP, under the Google umbrella to address issues surrounding access and digital literacy. Overseen by NCCU Chief Information Officer Leah Kraus, the program empowers students to have an impact on the surrounding community. Kraus said the students use a three-legged-stool approach, asking three key questions: “Does your community have access to broadband? Do they have access to a device other than a phone? Do they have digital literacy or the understanding of how to use the tools at their disposal?” While providing students with up to as many as 500 hours of volunteer service, the program also brings in leaders from tech organizations such as Google and Cisco, as well as other fields, to engage with students and offer advice. Tia McLaurin, program manager at Google, said she reached out to NCCU to launch the project because of the Eagle campus’s reputation for service. She saw the commitment from day one. “We knew we had something special when hundreds of students applied,” McLaurin said. “They were ready to teach those ever-important digital
skills. I could tell that this was passion work for them. It’s super inspiring and worth noting that Leah has been the linchpin for this program. There’s something to be said for the CIO of a university jumping in the trenches to get this work done.” Over the past five years, Google Fiber has donated $45,000 toward the effort. The student leaders come from a variety of majors, including internet technology, communications, history and law. They reach out to residents and local agencies – most recently, Head Start and the Durham Literacy Center – to pinpoint their needs and address a wide range of skills, from resume building on LinkedIn to managing spreadsheets for monthly expense tracking. Working in the communities surrounding NCCU, students meet with residents and service agencies to identify needs and develop possible remedies.
But it is up to the students to implement the plan. “We lead and we decide on the curriculum,” said Ammarah Haynes, an NCCU junior studying computer science and business. “Taking ownership of the process has given me more confidence and shown me that you can teach and learn from anybody, regardless of age.” Digital skills may be taken for granted by those who have used the internet and technology all their lives. However, many people from all walks of life haven’t developed those skills because of lack of access to high-speed internet or upto-date hardware. The skills are important for a variety of reasons, including the fact that employ-
ers often expect new hires to dive into work using Google docs or other popular applications without instruction. Along with the technical skills, digital fluency also includes safety precautions. Ramya Mulugu, a firstyear law student, said “digital stranger danger” is something newcomers to tech may not be familiar with. “We’re already seeing these new fraud schemes with COVID, where new or less-savvy internet users are trying to sign up to receive the vaccine and are drifting into murky territory,” Mulugu said. “The program is working to help them navigate potential threats.” After updating the curricula during the fall of 2020, the students turned to webinars to teach their classes. Maurice McKellar, a junior in internet technology, said he misses the camaraderie of meeting in-person with a team, but he still enjoys the work. “Obviously it has been different, but the energy of helping people is still there,” McKellar said. “Working with people to get their resumes built and get them active on LinkedIn to further their professional careers gives me a sense of pride.”
BY ROBERT LEWIS
NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 23
NCCU Art Museum Features Faculty Works THE NCCU ART MUSEUM turned the spotlight on
TROY BROWN
MYONGSIN CHOI
24 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
works by faculty in a featured exhibit mounted for in-person visitors and offered through a virtual experience online. Featured artists included Brenda Faison Ph.D., director of the NCCU Art Museum and interim chair of the Art and Design Department, as well as professors Troy Brown, Myongsin Choi, Kwame Hawkins, Connie Floyd and Chad Hughes. Works in the exhibit included drawing, painting, graphic design, printmaking, collage and sculpture. Faison’s paintings were created using an array of digital tools that translate the physical elements of the environment onto print. Brown showed a series of diverse African American figures in varying forms. The works explore rich narratives hidden within layers of images. The political and social aspects of human life were addressed in the works of Choi and Hawkins. Choi provided a collection of captivating sculptures that illustrate the unpredictability of society and the role of human suffering in the healing process. Hawkins examined key issues facing the African American community through a set of striking digital prints. Floyd showed an African-inspired 3D collage composed of hair picks that were individually carved out of pieces of wood. Hughes’ oil paintings provided a look into self-expression and an inventive take on painting construction.
c u lt u r a l
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BRENDA FAISON, PH.D.
CHAD HUGHES
KWAME HAWKINS
I
T H E AT R E
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MUSIC
Campus Featured in Writer John Grisham’s Newest Novel, “Sooley” Novelist John Grisham is well known for his best-selling legal tales, including “The Client” and “The Pelican Brief.” But in his latest book, “Sooley,” the attorney-turned-storyteller takes on South Sudan and the NCCU Eagles. “I grew up with athletics in Mississippi and am a fan of college basketball,” said Grisham, who watches with his wife and daughter, both graduates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “It so much part of our lives from December through March.” The fast-paced novel published in April 2021 captures the journey of South Sudanese athlete Samuel Sooleymon as he travels to the United States for a basketball tournament and winds up with a scholarship offer from NCCU. “As the story develops, NCCU plays the ‘other’ school in Durham; I thought that it was fun to mix that in, too,” said Grisham, of a NCCU-Duke matchup in the plot. Grisham discusses the book’s NCCU setting, gives advice for budding writers, and recalls his background conversations with Eagles Coach LeVelle Moton in an exclusive interview. View the full video interview here
BY AYANA D. HERNANDEZ
SHARE YOUR NEWS
Are you a member of the NCCU
Eagle family (alumni, faculty, staff or student) and have upcoming CONNIE FLOYD
cultural arts news you would like to share? Submit by emailing to now@nccu.edu. Photos must be digital and 300 dpi or higher. NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 25
ROBERT TROWERS Department of Music
26 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
TO PATENT AND BEHIND EVERY SUCCESSFUL CREATIVE IDEA, INVENTION OR PRODUCT is a lawyer working to obtain a patent or trademark. Some of the greatest ideas and items are protected by intellectual property law in some way. Intellectual property – often referred to as IP – is work or inventions created by an individual or organization, including but not limited to digital content, symbols, names, slogans, music and logos. IP law protects and enforces owners’ rights to their creative work. NCCU’s Intellectual Property Clinic is a nucleus for aspiring intellectual property lawyers and patent attorneys. Housed within the School of Law, it provides no-cost counsel for clients with patent or trademark issues. The IP Clinic is unique within the University of North Carolina System. Specializing in this area of the law can catapult a legal career into exciting directions, with practitioners working in the music industry, business, manufacturing, art and many other fields, said law professor and IP Clinic Director Mimi Afshar. “Our mission is not only to help individuals obtain patents, but also to bridge the gap between the IP sector and minorities seeking careers in IP law,” Afshar said. The American Bar Association National Lawyer Population Survey reports only 15% of lawyers are minorities, with a much smaller percentage specializing in IP. The 2017 American Intellectual Property Law Association Report of the Economic Survey indicates 1.8% of IP attorneys are African American, 2.5% are Hispanic or Latino, and less than 0.5% are Native American. Clients who come to the clinic are served by upper-level law students who work under the supervision of licensed patent and trademark attorneys within the School of Law.
Our mission is not only to help individuals obtain patents, but also to bridge the gap between the IP sector and minorities seeking careers in IP law.”
MIMI AFSHAR, J.D. IP Clinic Director School of Law
NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 27
HE IP CLINIC is certified by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to assist with patent and trademark preparation, filing and prosecution. Its reach extends beyond North Carolina, with clients in states including Florida, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and California. The clinic offers its free legal counseling and services to those without access to high-quality intellectual property legal services, which may include innovators, entrepreneurs, small businesses—number of patents obtained to date
my experience with the ip clinic was very efficacious. i don’t know when i would’ve been able to pursue this process without the services provided by the ip clinic.” —robert trowers, music lecturer
by clinic and early-stage start-up companies. The N.C. Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistance Program (LEAP), a program of the N.C. Bar Association, also refers clients. The fusion of practical clinics with traditional classroom lessons gives NCCU Law School students an opportunity to put legal theory into practice and gain first-hand experience in problem-solving, client management, drafting briefs and critical thinking skills. Thanks to the efforts of law students, NCCU Department of Music lecturer Robert Trowers recently obtained a patent for an innovative mouthpiece he developed for use with brass instruments. Trowers’ invention is an elliptical-shap e d mouthpie c e with characteristics of the traditional V-cup and bowl-shaped mouthpieces. His invention produces a distinct sound when playing a brass instrument. The patent was accepted by the Patent and Trademark Office on the first submission. “My experience with the IP Clinic was very efficacious,” Trowers said. “I don’t know when I would’ve been able to pursue this process without the services provided by the IP Clinic.” Trowers plans to market his invention in stores as an option for musical artists in the near future. Two more patents are expected to this year, joining the dozens of others obtained by the IP Clinic, Ashfar said. While students working in the clinic gain satisfaction by ensuring that creators get full credit for their inventions, they also understand the long-term value in pursing an IP law specialty. The American Intellectual Property Law Association recently reported the average median annual salary for IP lawyers as $130,000, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment rates for all lawyers will increase by about 8% over the next five years.
BY KIA C. BELL
28 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
Eagle Nursing Grads Join Front Lines to Fight COVID-19 Not all heroes wear capes and white coats; some wore scrubs while caring for the most vulnerable during the coronavirus pandemic.
TINASIA INGRAM
AS COVID-19 SICKENED MILLIONS ACROSS THE WORLD, nurses played key roles as first responders, earning widespread recognition for their skills and knowledge and for making personal sacrifices on behalf of the community. That recognition may help the world get a better picture of the nursing profession, said Nursing Department Professor Erma J. Smith-King, Ph.D. “It has helped people realize the impact of the work that nurses really do,” Smith-King said. The newfound recognition is bolstering spirits among those whose field has seen better days. A 2021 American Nurses Foundation survey of 22,316 nurses reports about 40% considered leaving or were planning to leave their job in the next six months. In comparison, the turnover rate for bedside registered nurses in 2019 was approximately 16%. The exhaustion and trauma experienced throughout the coronavirus pandemic has been often cited as reasons for switching professions. The Department of Nursing is helping bridge the gap and continues to make an impact on the well-being of North Carolinians and people around the world. Recent graduate Tinasia Ingram, ’20, cares for COVID-19 patients in Duke University Hospital’s surgical trauma intensive care unit. During her spare time, she works as a tutor for NCCU nursing students because she knows the value of nursing education to the health care field.
NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 29
ERMA SMITH-KING, PH.D. Professor Department of Nursing
“NCCU’s offerings of hands-on training, including Eagle General Hospital and practice labs, are really helpful, especially during the pandemic,” Ingram said. “Enrolling in a critical-care course and having clinical experience helped me obtain a specialty and my current job.” As a recent graduate going to work during the pandemic, Ingram has faced some challenges in the first year of her career. She said the training has helped her overcome obstacles. “My experiences at NCCU helped to prepare me to be a better nurse,” she adds. While the nursing profession spans a wide range of opportunities, many Eagle graduates choose to work in underserved communities and volunteer
PANDORA DUMAS, D.N.P. Lecturer Department of Nursing
DARLENE HICKS, D.N.P. Lecturer Department of Nursing
their spare time to special causes, a trend that has increased during the pandemic, . “A lot of our graduates travel to places that are short on nurses,” Smith-King said. “During the pandemic, that has included New York and other cities with nursing shortages.” Yolanda VanRiel, Ph.D., chair of the Nursing Department, says she is proud of the job nurses are doing as front-line workers, deploying their skills and knowledge of infectious diseases against the virus. COVID-19 has shown us how valuable nurses are now and will continue to be in the future, VanRiel said. “People now see we are the front-line workers, whether there is a pandemic or not,” VanRiel added. Micah Haymer, a fall 2019 graduate, began her professional career in nursing in early 2020.
“People now see we are the front-line workers, whether there is a pandemic or not.”
30 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
— Yolanda VanRiel, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Nursing
I’m thankful for my professors that provided the groundwork for me to be a skillful nurse. With the learning experiences in NCCU’s Eagle General Hospital, and professors who went the extra mile for me to learn, I felt I was more prepared than most to do my job.”
VALERIE JONES-COHEN, D.N.P. Lecturer NCCU Department of Nursing
— Micah Haymer '19, Medical-Surgical Unit, Duke Regional Hospital
“Being a new nurse during this time has been very challenging, but I have learned a lot from my experiences,” Haymer said. Haymer’s workday on a medical-surgical unit at Duke Regional Hospital was swiftly transformed into a COVID-19 treatment response effort to meet the growing need for acute care during the pandemic. “I’m thankful for my professors that provided the groundwork for me to be a skillful nurse,” said Haymer. “With the learning experiences in NCCU’s Eagle General Hospital, and professors who went the extra mile for me to learn, I felt I was more prepared than most to do my job.” NCCU’s nursing education program has been seeing increased demand in recent months, as the pandemic continued. About 110 students are now enrolled in the department. AMONG RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Department of Nursing was chosen by the National League for Nursing to receive a free faculty training series, “Excellence in Technology Innovation: Coaching for Excellence in Nursing.” Sponsored by the Elsevier Foundation, the series was developed to help faculty at HBCU schools of nursing sharpen the critical thinking skills of next-generation learners and create a positive learning environment. Only a small group of select nurse educators were chosen to participate. Smith-King led the program that included six additional
NCCUfaculty participants: Pandora Dumas, DNP; Darlene Hicks, DNP; Valerie Jones-Cohen, DNP; Sujayalakshmi Devarayasamudram, Ph.D.; Lily (Jian) Chen, MSN; and Tajauana Robinson, MSN. Department Chair Yolanda VanRiel, Ph.D. was elected to serve as a governor-at-large by the National League for Nursing in September 2020. This premier organization is a 40,000-member association of nurse educators, health care agencies and organizations headquartered in Washington D.C. The NLN is led by a board of governors elected at-large by the membership for three-year terms. VanRiel also was selected to participate in the National League for Nursing’s yearlong Lead program, one of three tracks in the NLN Leadership Institute. Lead is designed for nurses in education and practice being challenged with rapid transition into leadership. VanRiel was the MSN Nursing Education Program Concentration Coordinator for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro before being named as Nursing Department chair at NCCU. VanRiel provided leadership to nursing students and nursing faculty volunteering in NCCU COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic. Alumni and nurses in professional nursing organizations were also solicited to volunteer. Alumnus Ernest Grant, Ph.D., ’85 was recently named president of the American Nurses Association, the nation’s largest nurses organization representing the
SUJAYALAKSHMI DEVARAYASAMUDRAM, PH.D. Assistant professor Department of Nursing
TAJAUANA ROBINSON, M.S.N. Lecturer Department of Nursing
ERNEST GRANT, PH.D. President, American Nurses Association
Photo by Juli Leonard @ NewsandObserver
NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 31
interests of the nation’s 4 million registered nurses. Grant has over 30 years of nursing experience as an internationally recognized burn-care and fire-safety expert. Prior to his appointment, he served as the burn outreach coordinator for the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Hospital. Grant also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the UNC School of Nursing, where he engages with nursing students in the classroom and in clinical settings.
Assistant Professor Erma J. Smith-King was awarded a $4,250 grant by Wake Area Health Education Center to develop a clinical wellness site at CAARE, a Durham nonprofit that provides services for individuals who are homeless or in financial need. The site will allow nursing students to address health and socio-economic disparities and practice evidence-based public health nursing and health education.
Nursing Lecturer Selected as Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar JIAN LILY CHEN, R.N., M.A., CNE, a lecturer in North Carolina Central University’s Department of Nursing, was named a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar for cohort 2020-2023. Chen collaborated on the project with clinical scholars Juliana Chen, M.D., and Justin Chen, M.F., MPH, both of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and Weiyang Xie, Ph.D., HSPP, of the University of Notre Dame. The project is titled, “Breaking Silences in Model Minority: A national intervention to increase mental health awareness and decrease stigma in Asian immigrant families.” As part of the Clinical Scholars program, NCCU’s Chen is participating in a COVID rapid response project that is addressing a rise in health disparities due to the pandemic. She has established a partnership between United Chinese Americans, Artois Mae Consulting, LLC and University of Notre Dame Counseling Center United Chinese Americans (UCA) to collaboratively develop a peer mentoring program for NCCU’s junior and senior nursing students.
32 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
Former Clinical Assistant Professor Brittany Baker, DMP, was one of six nurse-educators from across the state selected for the Invest in Nursing Faculty Fellowship, a leadership development program offered by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing. Through the program, Baker will spend a year participating in seminars and online workshops and then designing and implementing an innovative project to strengthen professional development and provide scholarly contributions in the field of academia and nursing. Baker’s interest in immunizations and health promotion launched her participation with NCCU’s Advanced Center for COVID-19 Related Disparities (ACCORD) after she received funding to conduct research on the “Barriers and Acceptability to COVID-19 Testing, Contact Tracing, and Vaccination Among African Americans.”
BY KIA C. BELL AND RENEE ELDER
FROM A TO NEW HORIZONS
Modern, diverse campus grows from one man’s vision The1980s was a period of campus expansion, including dedication of the new Albert L. Turner School of Law. In 1991, a former student was named as chancellor. Rounding out the era was the addition of a new doctoral degree and a robust response to the COVID epidemic.
BY ANDRE D. VANN ’93, ’95
Dr. LeRoy T. Walker
1 9 8 0 I The Choir Ball was
started by Neal Bailey as part of Homecoming Week.
Law School Dean Harry Groves and Gov. Hunt
1980
19 80 I The new Albert L.
Turner School of Law building was dedicated on Sept. 19. Guest speakers included Gov. James B. Hunt and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart.
19 80 I The first Gathering of Eagles was held to honor men and women athletes.
19 81- 1994 I The Bimbe
Festival was celebrated on campus.
1982
Alumna Dora E. Carrington ’59, became the first woman to serve as president of the NCCU National Alumni Association.
1 9 8 2 I Alumnus and former
1983
1 9 8 3 I On July 1, Dr. LeRoy T.
Walker became interim chancellor after serving as chair of the Department of Physical Education and Recreation and vice chancellor for University Relations. He was officially named as chancellor in 1986.
registrar B. T. McMillon began serving as volunteer historian and archivist for the university, a post he held until his death in 2013. The appointment was passed down to his protégé, History Instructor André D. Vann.
NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 33
1989
1984 I Jesse Jackson visited
campus for a voter registration drive.
1985 Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees and Coach McLendon
1985 I The Athletics Hall of
Fame honored pioneering athletes Marian T. Alston, William M. “Bill” Bailey, Mary J. Boyd, Annette L. Bryant, Clarissa A. Bryant, Willie L. Incorminias, Alice H. Dolphy, Maggie L. Lee, Thelma F. Smith and Louise M. Shipman.
1985 I The university celebrated its diamond anniversary.
34 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
Chancellor Tyronza R. Richmond
1986
1 9 8 6 I On July 1, former School of Business Dean Tyronza R. Richmond succeeded Walker as chancellor.
1 9 8 9 I The Alumni
Association reconstructed the University Bell Tower (Shepard Bell) and dedicated it during Homecoming activities.
19 89 I The men’s basketball
team captured the NCAA Division II Championship, defeating Southeast Missouri State 73-46.
1991
Alumnus Daniel T. Blue Jr., Class of 1970, was elected the first African American speaker of the N.C. House of Representatives and was re-elected in 1993.
1 9 9 1 I Attorney and NCCU
alumnus Julius L. Chambers ‘58, was named as chancellor, becoming the first alumnus to lead the university. He retired in 2001.
1 9 9 1 I Alumna Eva M. Clayton, Class of 1962, became a member of the 102nd Congress to fill a vacancy. She was re-elected four times.
Eva M. Clayton
Mary E. Wright
Chancellor Julius L. Chambers Coach John B. McLendon Jr.
1991
19 91 I The McDougald-
McLendon Gymasium was rededicated to include the name of pioneering basketball coach John B. McLendon Jr.
1 9 9 1 I Professor Mary E. Wright became the first female to serve as dean of the School of Law, one of only two African American women then serving in that capacity nationwide.
1993
1 9 9 3 I A recital by guest
musician Herman D. Taylor, Ph.D., helped dedicate the new M.P. Moller pipe organ installed in B.N Duke Auditorium.
NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 35
2004
Clement Early College High School opened its doors with 84 ninth-grade students in the classroom wing of the NCCU School of Education building.
2000 I
In November, a bond referendum was approved overwhelmingly by N.C. voters, generating $3.1 billion for higher education in the state, including $145 million for NCCU.
Alex M. Rivera Jr.
Josephine Dobbs Clement
Sept. 11 Memorial Plaque in honor of Harry Glenn
Chancellor James H. Ammons
Dr. James H. Ammons became the ninth chancellor on June 1, 2001. He served until 2007.
36 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
2 0 0 3 I The Class of 1983 dedi-
cated a memorial plaque honoring fallen Eagle alumnus Harry Glenn, a global technology expert who died on Sept. 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center.
2001 I
2 0 0 4 I Josephine Dobbs
2 0 0 3 I The Golden LEAF
Foundation awarded $19 million to establish the Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE). This was the first step in creating the university’s doctoral program in biology.
2005
2 0 0 5 I University photographer
and alumnus Alex M. Rivera Jr. was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of service.
2 0 0 5 I A roundtable discussion
brought together the university’s four living former chief executives: Albert N. Whiting (1966-83), LeRoy T. Walker (1983-1986), Donna J. Benson (1992-93), and Julius L. Chambers (1993-2001).
c e l e b rat i n g o u r h i s to ry
2007
2 0 0 9 I O'Kelly-Riddick
Stadium was transformed with the installation of artificial turf and a modern scoreboard to enhance the visitor experience.
2010
c e n t e n n i a l c e l e b rat i o n
Anica Green rings the Shepard Bell
20 07 I Then Presidential
2 01 0 I Chancellor Nelms
Mayor Bill Bell and NC Governor Beverly Perdue
hosted a Centennial Birthday Bash that included the ringing of the Shepard Bell by Anica Green, great-great-granddaughter of the university founder.
20 07 I Dr. Charlie Nelms
was named the 10th Chancellor of NCCU in August 2007. He retired in 2012.
A bell ringing ceremony and Charter Day Program took place in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua for the Colored Race founded in 1910.
2007 I The women’s basketball team won the CIAA championship, as the NCCU Department of Athletics transitioned to Division I.
2009
2 0 1 0 I NC Gov. Beverly Perdue
and Durham Mayor Bill Bell at the opening of Centennial Square.
2 01 0 I Radio personality Tom Joyner
delivered the Centennial Commencement address and gave each graduate $5.
Candidate Barack Obama visited NCCU during his campaign. NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 37
2011
2 0 1 1 I Chidley North
Residence Hall and Nursing Building ribbon cutting is held.
The last print edition of the yearbook was published for the graduating class of 2011.
2011 Nursing Building
2011 I The Marching Sound
Machine performed in the Rose Parade in Pasadena on New Year’s Day.
38 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
2012
2 0 1 2 I First Lady Michelle
Obama spoke to a crowd of 3,000 on campus as part of President Barack H. Obama’s re-election campaign.
2 0 1 2 I The historic lunch
counter from Durham’s Woolworth store, site of student-led sit ins for civil rights, was installed in the James E. Shepard Memorial Library during a rededication ceremony.
Chidley North Residence Hall
20 13 I In February, Dr. Debra
Saunders-White was elected as the 11th and first permanent female chancellor of the university. Saunders-White was installed in 2014, and took a leave of absence two years later after a cancer diagnosis. She died in November 2016.
2014 2 0 1 4 I The men's basketball
team made its first appearance in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
2016
The Eagles won the MEAC football championship and made an appearance in the Celebration Bowl.
Interim Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye
2013
2 0 1 5 I Eric Kimber became
the first Eagle to sign with a Major League Baseball organization, the Kansas City Royals.
2017
2 0 1 7 I Dr. Johnson O.
Akinleye was named as interim chancellor in January 2017.
First Lady Michelle Obama
NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 39
Shepard Library received $35,000 to establish the Renee Flood Stiff Professional Development Endowment Fund to support research and its Government Documents Collection.
2017
2 0 1 7 I Graduate students Elena
Arthur, Rasheena Edmondson and Helen Oladapo (from left) received their Ph.D.s in integrated biosciences, the first doctorates awarded at NCCU in more than 50 years.
2020
2 0 2 0 I Two new suite and
apartment style residence halls, George Street Residential Complex and Alston Avenue Apartments open.
Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye
2018 I Akinleye was
formally installed as the 12th chancellor in April 2018.
2018 I Shepard Memorial Library revitalized the NCCU Undergraduate Research Journal as a digital publication that is part of the Open Journal Systems.
40 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
2019
Clyde R. Hoey Administration Building was renamed as James E. Shepard Administration Building.
2 0 1 9 I NCCU officially broke
ground on construction of two new residence halls and a 100,230 square-foot student center.
2021 The university opened its doors
as a vaccine clinic site for the campus and community in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A L U M N I R E L AT I O N S à Alumni Relations develops, coordinates and fosters
NEWS I EVENTS I IN MEMORIAM
BAKER
DOZIER
MA'AT
programs to keep you informed and involved with NCCU. For information, call 919-530-6363, email alumni@nccu.edu or visit nccu.edu/alumni.
President, North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges
I ‘79, ‘85 I Pamela Teel Wright has published “Our Cake Lady - A Collection of Lessons Learned, Recipes and Loving Memories From My Mama.”
I ‘80 I James “Jim” Holland was named as chair of the Chesterfield County, Virginia, Board of Supervisors for 2021. Holland is the Dale District supervisor and longest tenured current member of the board. He holds an MBA degree from NCCU.
I ‘84 I Rosalind Baker was sworn in on June 2, 2021, as a North Carolina District Court judge in
‘83 I ’86
Judicial District 22B, serving Davidson and Davie counties. Baker, a School of Law graduate, is the first African American judge to serve in either county.
I ‘91 I Esu Ma’at was named chief officer for diversity, equity and inclusion by the NBA’s Orlando Magic in December 2020. Ma’at earned his undergraduate degree in marketing at NCCU.
I ‘02 I Shauna Dozier, elections and registration director in Clayton County, Georgia, was presented the Democracy Action Hero Award by the University of Southern California’s Schwarzenegger Institute in December 2020 for showing “true leadership, bravery and commitment to American democracy.“
THOMAS A. STITH III, a double-Eagle who majored in business administration, was named as president of the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges in December 2020. He was a member of the Durham City Council from 1999-2007. NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 41
alumni
Three Eagles Named to the Chief Justice’s Commission on Fairness and Equity The Chief Justice’s Commission on Fairness and Equity was created by an October 2020 order of the Supreme Court of North Carolina and is charged with recommending plans “to reduce and ultimately eliminate disparate treatment, impacts, and outcomes in the North Carolina judicial system.” The Eagles named to the commission were Judge Michael Morgan ‘79, Law School Dean Browne Lewis and Parole Officer
Post Office and School Named after Julius L. Chambers
Debra Teasley ‘84.
The late Emeritus Chancellor JULIUS L. CHAMBERS '59 was honored in February 2021 with the naming of the U.S Post Office on Derita Avenue in Charlotte as the Julius L. Chambers Civil Rights Memorial Post Office. In July 2021, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools renamed Vance High School after the civil rights icon.
MORGAN
LEWIS
TEASLEY
DR. HOWARD FITTS JR. CELEBRATES 100 TH BIRTHDAY
HOWARD MONROE FITTS JR., PH.D., who celebrated his 100th birthday on June 8, 2021, is one of the oldest living graduates of NCCU. Fitts grew up in Wilson, N.C., and relocated to Durham in 1938 to attend North Carolina College for Negroes. Graduating with a degree in biology in 1941, he taught school for a brief period before being drafted into the U.S. Army. In 1945, Fitts re-enrolled at NCCU, earning a master’s degree in public health education and, later, a doctorate from the Teacher’s College of Columbia University in New York. Throughout his career, Fitts was dedicated to improving life for North Carolinians through teaching, public health advocacy and support for civil rights. From 1954 to 1987, he served as a professor and chair of the NCCU Department of Health Education. 42 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INC.
NEWS & EVENTS
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.
2021 Alumni Award Recipients
Every year, the NCCU Alumni Association honors dedicated alumni for their service to the community, their chapter and others.
THE 2021 HONOREES ARE:
GIVING BACK TO NCCU IS A LONG STANDING TRADITION of the NCCU Alumni Association Inc. President Tomeika Bowden and members of the NCCU Alumni Association presented Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye with a $25,000 donation on behalf of its 1,800-plus members to support the university and students. Pictured (L-R): Gia Soublet, Ph.D., vice chancellor of Institutional Advancement; LaMisa McCoy Foxx ‘95, assistant vice chancellor of Alumni Relations; Tomeika Bowden ‘00, president of the NCCU Alumni Association; Jamie Patterson ‘00; Faith Patterson ‘04; Chancellor Akinleye; Jonathan Leach ‘04, ‘10, interim treasurer, NCCU Alumni Association; Janelle Terry ‘99, ‘00, and her daughter, Bailey Terry.
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR › TANYA COLEMAN ‘94 Metro/DC Alumni Chapter COLEMAN
TRUTH & SERVICE AWARD › NIKIA DAVIS-GREEN ‘98 Charlotte Alumni Chapter DAVIS-GREEN
HARPER
MEETIN G SCHEDULE OCT. 16, 2021 Council Meeting I Virtual I Noon ET FEB. 5, 2022
JEFFREYS
Council Meeting I Virtual I Noon ET
îFor more information, visit nccualumni.org.
PERRY
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD › JIM HARPER II ‘94 & ‘97 Durham Alumni Chapter CHAPTER OF THE YEAR AWARD › DURHAM ALUMNI CHAPTER PRESIDENT'S AWARDS › THE LATE DR. HAROLD L. JEFFREYS III ‘66 & ‘71 Raleigh-Wake Alumni Chapter › MONICA PERRY '93 Metro/DC Alumni Chapter
2020 & 2021 Graduates–Welcome to the NCCU Alumni Association Inc.
Keep NCCUwith you after graduation. By joining the NCCU Alumni Association, you will join a worldwide network of more than 40,000 loyal NCCU Eagles! As a member of the NCCU Alumni Association, you’re always close to friends. Our gift to the graduates of the class of 2020 and 2021 is a complimentary one-year membership to the NCCU Alumni Association. Sign up here: www.nccualumni.org/young-alumni-membership/ NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 43
alumni
Eagles Excel in Education
HESTER
BRACY
JONES
NEWKIRK SR.
SIMMONS
The leadership skills I learned at NCCU have equipped me for my initial success. I am humbled that my colleagues trust and respect me enough to allow me to lead.” — TAYLOR-GRACE WHITE WHITE
FLOYD
I ‘93 I LaShonda B. Hester has been
named principal of South Mebane Elementary in Alamance County. She formerly served as founding principal at Cardinal Charter Academy at Wendell Falls.
I ‘95 I Eric Bracy, Ph.D., has been appointed superintendent of Johnston County Public Schools in Smithfield, N.C. He earned his bachelor’s in education from NCCU. I ‘04 I Assistant Principal Kirtisha Jones
of Northside Elementary School was named as Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' Assistant Principal of the Year in May 2021.
COOK
44 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
I ‘07 I Vann R. Newkirk Sr., Ph.D., who earned a master’s in library science from NCCU, was appointed as president of Fisk University on February 15, 2021. He previously served as interim president and provost at Fisk.
I ‘09 I Tarryn Lael Simmons received the
Advisor of the Year award from Johnson C. Smith University. She received a bachelor’s degree at NCCU and is now pursuing a doctorate in education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
I ‘13 I Taylor-Grace White, who has taught English at the City of Medicine Academy for the past seven years, received the 2020-21 Teacher of the Year award given by Durham Public Schools. I ‘13 I Eugenia Floyd was named 2021 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year on April 9, 2021. She has served as a fourth-grade teacher for the past eight years at Mary Scroggs Elementary School in Chapel Hill. I ‘86 I Sharon Warren Cook, Ph.D., was named provost and vice president for academic affairs at West Virginia State University on Nov. 9, 2020. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from NCCU.
yo u n g
a l u m n i
A for Alpha HBO sponsored film --------------submitted by
REGGIE LOCHARD
Alumnus Reggie Lochard Releases Second Film
BRIEFS
I ‘10 I Sierra Hobbs was named as director of sports medicine for the Alabama State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics in Montgomery.
HOBBS
I ‘11 I After a nationwide search, the Wake County, N.C. town of Apex selected Jason Armstrong as the new police chief. Armstrong a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, will be the first African American police chief in the nearly 150 year history of Apex. He formerly served as chief
ARMSTRONG
of police in Ferguson, Missouri, for
I ‘08 I A lifelong love of film turned into a meaningful career for Eagle alumnus Reggie Lochard. Lochard received a bachelor’s degree in political science and English literature from NCCU in 2008 and also participated as a track and field student-athlete. Following his parents’ firm advice about obtaining a practical education, Lochard ignored his artistic aspirations and focused on academics while at NCCU. “I did not participate in anything theatrical during my time at NCCU,” Lochard said. “I never thought the arts would be an avenue that I could be a part of.” After he graduated in 2008, Lochard took screenwriting courses through the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, which led him into the film industry. He believes his liberal arts education at NCCU has contributed significantly to the analytical thinking and processing skills required of screenwriters and film directors. Lochard's first feature film, "When the Well Runs Dry," was released in 2018. His most recent work, ‘A’ For Alpha, sponsored by HBO, is being screened at several film festivals for the 2021 season.
the past two years.
NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 45
yo u n g
a l u m n i
I ‘15 I Travis Taylor, assistant
ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT
athletics director for football at NCCU, participated as a panelist on the NFL’s
Alumnus to Manage New York City’s Local
HBCU forum in December 2020. He
CBS News and Television Market
earned his master’s degree in public administration from NCCU.
I ‘20 I Jayla L. Cole began serving as assistant district attorney for Chatham County, Georgia, in May 2021. She was a Dean’s Ambassador while attending NCCU’s School of Law.
JOHNNY GREEN JR., ’99, has been named president and general manager of CBS News and Television Stations’ local businesses in the New York City news market. He will begin his new role after serving as interim news director at WCBS-TV and vice president of News Services at CBS News, where he managed Newspath, the division’s affiliate news service. Previously, he served as vice president and news director of CBS-owned WBZTV and WSBK-TV in Boston. In this role, Green produced local news coverage and ovesaw the development of newscasts and additional stories. Prior to this role, Green served as assistant news director for the station.
The Emmy award-wining journalist also served as executive producer at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. In that position, he oversaw the hiring of cast and crew, as well as writing and editing content. Green also worked as an executive producer at WPDE-TV in Myrtle Beach, S.C., for 15 years. Prior to joining WPDE-TV, Green served as special projects executive producer at WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh, Penn. He began his career in New Bern, N.C., as a news producer at WCTI-TV before stints as a news producer at WRAL-TV in Raleigh; and WSOC-TV and WCNC-TV in Charlotte. Green earned a bachelor’s degree in history and media communications from North Carolina Central University.
I ‘10, ’13 I Former NC Central volleyball player Naima Stennett, MD, is doing big things and has plans to do more. She's ready to crank up a cycling program at her alma matter. As a sports medicine physician, it's Stennett's job to put people on the right path to health, and she believes getting on a bike is a good way to start. Stennett played volleyball for the Jamaica National Volleyball Team and at NCCU. Now she is a board-certified family medicine physician and completing a fellowship in sports medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. TELL US YOUR STORY
Did you land a new job, receive a promotion or earn a degree or professional award? These are accomplish-
ments we want to announce. Email now@nccu.edu with a 300 dpi photo and include your graduation year, college and major.
46 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
WITH THIS
Ring
EAGLES CELEBRATE THEIR NUPTIALS
Ajamu Amiri Dillahunt ‘19 and Samone Bullock Dillahunt ’19 didn’t let the coronavirus
pandemic steal their chance to celebrate love. The couple wed on Aug. 15, 2020, in Raleigh, N.C.
Jonathon Leach ‘00 and Alethea Byrd Leach were married Oct. 19, 2020, in Durham, N.C.
Jamie Patterson ‘00 and Faith Bynum Patterson '04 were married Dec. 12, 2020. They met at NCCU in the
early 2000s. Jamie pledged the Tau Psi chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and Faith pledged the Alpha Chi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
JONATHON AND ALETHEA LEACH
SHARE YOUR MILESTONE
AJAMU AND SAMONE DILLAHUNT
JAMIE AND FAITH PATTERSON
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.
YOUNG ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Geography Guides Path to Oyster Business Alumnus harvests lessons from geospatial sciences program to cultivate oyster business
Working in the food service industry is chaotic and demanding, but it teaches soft skills many people never have a chance to learn. Pairing those soft skills with technical skills isn’t always easy.
Photo by Baxter Miller
48 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
However, it was that combination that led alumnus Ryan Bethea, ’14, on his journey to owning one of the most prominent oyster farms in North Carolina. During a period as a bartender during a college hiatus, Bethea often listened to the clacking of his shoes on the hardwoods in the hall as he strode between the restaurant’s kitchen and dining room.
Photo by Jeyhoun Allebaugh
You have to have a lot of patience in oyster farming. It takes one to two years for an oyster to fully mature, and sometimes you’re not completely sure if it will yield the results you need.” — R Y A N B E T H E A ‘ 1 4 Photo by Baxter Miller
“The noise was something that made me think I’m affecting people’s lives, but I also realized it was time to find a different path and find some purpose in life,” Bethea said. Bethea returned to finish his degree at NCCU and enrolled in the Environmental, Earth and Geospatial Sciences (EEGS) program. About that time, he read a magazine article that said the North Carolina coast is ripe for oyster farming, but few people are willing to put in the work. That ultimately led to Bethea’s business, Oysters Carolina. “Ryan’s a really voracious learner and an energetic guy,” said Bethea’s EEGS adviser, Tim Mulrooney, Ph.D. “He had the soft skills to go along with the technical skills that we were able to teach him.” Mulrooney said he never anticipated one of his GIS students would become an oyster farmer, but the program ticked all the boxes for Bethea to do just that. Data-driven decision-making is paramount for efficient planning and design, and geospatial studies offer deep insight into factors affecting an outcome, Bethea said. Geospatial information is widely used in various fields – from determin-
ing the site of the next big-box home improvement store to drawing legislative electoral maps. Web app developers and corn farmers also use geospatial information. While these skill sets are developed and honed by the EEGS program, mastery also requires patience and curiosity, Bethea said. He said his classes with professors William Harris, Ph.D., Chris McGinn, Ph.D. and Mulrooney all contributed to his success. “They were great professors,” Bethea said. “I took oceanography with Dr. Harris where we studied sand formations, Coriolis effects, currents, and a lot more.” This area of study, known as geomorphology, continues to be of use in his business. “Understanding how these processes are taking shape is information I use every day,” Bethea said. After graduating from NCCU, Bethea earned a certificate in oyster genetics and aquaculture from the William & Mary Virginia Institute of Marine Science. He then taught science and social studies at Terrell Lane Middle School in Franklin County for three years as his plans for an oyster farm in Westmouth Bay near
TIM MULROONEY, PH.D. Advisor and Professor Environmental, Earth and Geospatial Sciences
Harkers Island started to take shape. “I was teaching during the week, and over the weekends and summers, I was building the oyster farm,” he said. “You have to have a lot of patience in oyster farming. It takes one to two years for an oyster to fully mature, and sometimes you’re not completely sure if it will yield the results you need.” Now, Bethea paddles into the bay to check the oyster cages daily, following sustainability practices that include hand picking the oysters from their cages. His goal is to harvest his oysters and deliver them the same day– anywhere in North Carolina. His efforts have already gained statewide attention. In 2016, Bethea’s harvest won the North Carolina Seafood Festival’s “Oyster of the Year” award. Bethea hopes oysters will someday be as synonymous with North Carolina as barbecue and craft beers.
BY ROBERT LEWIS NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 49
alumni
in Memoriam
MASON '40
’40 I Edna Mae Mason, 101,
Durham, N.C., April 9, 2021
'43 I Thelma Delores Lee, 97, Durham, N.C., Dec. 17, 2020 ‘44 I Ruth Perry Watkins, 98,
Rockingham, N.C., Feb. 6, 2021
’44, ’59 I Margaret Evans York,
98, Wilmington, Del., Sept. 20, 2020
’46 I Thereasea Clark Elder,
93, Charlotte, N.C., Jan. 5, 2021
‘47 I Celia Oliver Rackley, 95,
Burlington, N.C., Jan. 14, 2021
’47 I Mable B. Wright, 93,
Raleigh, N.C., Nov. 5, 2020
’51 I Barbara A. Brisby Perry,
90, Washington, D.C., Feb. 22, 2021
‘52, ‘59 I Cecilia Isham Hayes, 89, Durham, N.C., June 15, 2020 ‘52 I Doris Scipio-Dees, 90.
Chadbourn, N.C., Dec. 28, 2020
50 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
SI M E ON H OL L OWAY ’50 | Simeon Holloway, an actor in Trouble Man, Hill Street
Blues, Sanford & Son and many other productions, died Dec. 30, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at age 100. A native of Gary, Indiana, Holloway enrolled at NCCU in 1941 to study music and theater. However, a year later his education was interrupted by the U.S. Navy when he was commissioned, along with 44 other musicians from across the nation, to form the first all-Black U.S. Naval Band. Holloway proved himself a versatile talent, with command of the clarinet, baritone saxophone and several other instruments. Honorably discharged in 1946, he returned to NCCU to compete his degree and begin a three-decade-long teaching career. Meanwhile, he also worked for many years as an actor, appearing in television shows and commercials alongside celebrities like Redd Foxx and Juanita Moore. Holloway was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. He was also an expert swimmer, continuing to teach swimming and competing in the Senior Olympics until shortly before his death. He and his wife of 56 years, Dorothea Holloway, who died in 2002, raised five children.
’52 I Richmond Edward Stewart, 91, Durham, N.C.,
Nov. 1, 2020
’52 I Elwood James Streeter, 90 89, Pasadena, Calif., Dec. 2, 2020 ’53 I Jesse Lee Allen, 89,
Durham, N.C., July 15, 2020
’54 I Mary Knight Clifton, 88, Winston-Salem, N.C., March 8, 2021 ’54 I Anna Harkley, 88, Raleigh, N.C., Aug. 1, 2020 ’54 I Katie Camel Nixon, 95, Wilmington, N.C., Oct. 17, 2019 ’54 I Savannah Craighead Thomas, 89, Henry County,
Va., April 4, 2021
’54 I Barbara Kelly Tillman, 86, High Point, N.C., Sept. 24, 2020 ’55 I Clarke A. Egerton, Jr. 88,
Durham, N.C., Oct. 18, 2020
REBECCA PALMER EDMONDS
100, an alumna and longtime employee of NCCU, died July 27 at her home in Durham. Edmonds was the daughter of the late Eddie L. and Lucille Dixie Palmer of Bluefield, West Virginia, where she attended public school. An outstanding student, she enrolled at Hampton Institute (University) in 1939 to complete her high school education. In 1941, she began classes at North Carolina College for Negroes to study commerce and economics. She also joined the Alpha Lambda Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. After graduating in 1943, Edmonds accepted a job with NCCU’s secretarial pool, while continuing her studies at the college to earn a Master of Arts degree in guidance and counseling. She went on to hold a series of positions with the college, including secretary to the chair of the of Home Economics Department, secretary to the Dean of Students, and director of campus housing. In 1974, she became the university's purchasing director, a role she held until her retirement in 1986. Edmonds earned many awards and much recognition for her dedication and leadership during her years as an NCCU employee, which began during the administration of founder James E. Shepard and continued under Presidents Alfonso Elder and Samuel Massey, President and Chancellor Albert N. Whiting, and Chancellor LeRoy T. Walker. Other members of her family also had long careers at NCCU, including husband Harry J. Edmonds Sr.; sister-in-law Helen G. Edmonds; son Harry J. Edmonds Jr.; daughter, LuAnn Edmonds-Harris Raley; and daughter-in-law Ann J. Edmonds. Edmonds was a member of Durham’s St. Titus Episcopal Church, Jack and Jill of America, and was a charter member of the Durham Chapter of The Links. On Founders Day, Oct. 29, 1993, she was inducted into the Society of Golden Eagles. The university considered Edmonds an Eagle hero for her commitment to the university's ideals of Truth and Service, her generosity and her many good works on behalf of North Carolina Central University.
’62 I James Mann, 62, Upper Marlboro, Md., Nov. 6, 2020 ‘61 I Thelma Odessie Walton Myles, 81, Whitsett, N.C.,
Jan. 28, 2021
‘62 I Clifford Outlaw, 81,
Coral Springs, Fla., Feb. 6, 2021
JEFFREYS ’66, ’71
’62 I Jessica Euzelle Patterson Smith, 101, Chapel Hill,
N.C., Sept. 19, 2020
’55 I Doris Smith Herrell,
88, Winston-Salem, N.C., Aug.18, 2020 ’55 | Willie Blanche Baker Hill,
99, Durham, N.C., Nov. 9, 2020
‘56, ’60, ’72 I Gwendella Guinevere Gilmore Clemons,
86, Durham, N.C., May 11, 2021
’56 I Jean L. Moore, 86,
‘63 I Ardetha S. Smith, 79, Duplin County, N.C., Dec. 5, 2020 ‘63 I John David Stokes, 81, Goldsboro, N.C., Dec. 25, 2020 '64 I Joanne Peterson Boykin, Hillsborough, N.C., May, 18, 2021 ’64 I Norman Lovick, Sr., 79,
Bowie, Md., June 11, 2021
Washington, D.C., June 11, 2021
‘64 I Perry Ann Murphy, 59, Zanesville, Ohio; Aug. 2020
’57 I Douglas Campt, Mount Ranier, Md., May 11, 2021
’64 I Billy D. Shropshire,
‘57 I Earlene B. Satterfield,
’65, ‘74 I Albert D. Burnette, Jr., 79, Durham, N.C.,
84, Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 20, 2020
Washington, D.C., Dec. 2020
Sept. 10, 2020
’58 I Margaret Anderson Barnes, 83, Lanham, Md.,
’65 I Doris Peaks Jones, 88,
April 3, 2019
East Point, Ga., March 10, 2021
’61 I William Ralph “Sonny” Stroy, 80, Miami, Fl., Aug. 2,
’66 I Virginia L. Flintall, 76, Bronx, N.Y., April 22, 2020
2020
’62 I David George Bond, 79,
Pomona, N.Y., June 10, 2020 ’62 I Robert "Bob"Lee Covington, 78, Las Vegas,
Nev., Feb. 19, 2021
’66 I Paul D. Harrison, Sr., 81,
Durham, N.C., Aug. 15, 2020
’66, ’71 I Harold L. Jeffreys,
77, Garner, N.C., April 29, 2021
NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 51
alumni
in Memoriam
JO SE P H I N E R AY SH E R I N ST R AY H OR N ’44 | Josephine Ray Shearin Strayhorn, 97, a former NCCU
Trustee and one of the nation’s first African American women to reach the higher echelons of banking, died Feb. 11, 2021.
STRAYHORN '44
Strayhorn was born and raised in Durham, where she
ALSTON '73
attended Hillside High School before completing her bachelor’s degree in business at NCCU in 1944 and then a Master of Business Administration degree from Atlanta University.
In 1958, she went to work at Mutual Savings & Loan
Association, part of Durham’s “Black Wall Street,” where she
’66 I Leroy Walker, Jr., 78, Durham, N.C., Jan. 8, 2021 ’67 I Jessie Bernadine Carroll Davis, 92, Lillington, N.C.,
rose from clerk through the ranks until being promoted in
Jan. 21, 2021
1982 to vice president-secretary of the financial company.
'67 I Doris Hill, 82,
Strayhorn was a member and trustee at St. Joseph A.M.E.
Church and was an early member and officer for the Durham
Feb. 7, 2021
Committee on the Affairs of Black People.
'67 I Thomas Johnson, 68 , Fairfax, Va., June 20, 2021
’67 I Melvin Wall, Charlotte,
She served on NCCU’s Board of Trustees from 1973 to 1980,
taking on the role of secretary for several years, and was a
N.C., May 8, 2021
member of the Durham Alumnae Chapter of Delta
‘69 I Joseph Arrington, Sr., 83,
Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 1, 2020
’69 I Carolyn Augustus Wyatt, 72, Charlotte, N.C.,
Her survivors include daughter Cheryl Strayhorn-
Williams, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Nov. 23, 2019
’70 I Charlotte Johnson Carlton, Voorhees, N.J.,
Sept. 10, 2020
’ 70 I Dewana Gail Bagley, 72, Raleigh, N.C., Aug. 15, 2019 ’70 I Charles E. Fuller, 74, Baton Rouge, La., May 10, 2021 ‘70 I Rosetta Maxine Holmes Nobles, 73, Kinston, N.C.,
Feb. 4, 2021
’70 I William Henry Proctor,
75, Baltimore, Md., Oct. 13, 2020
‘70 I Dennis Lee Robinson, Sr., 74, Hyattsville, Md., Dec. 28, 2020
S A’ I D A B DU L - S A L A A M ’59 | Sa’id Abdul-Salaam served NCCU as a
many years, Abdul-Salaam returned to
communications operator in the Office of
serve his alma mater by directing callers
Communications and Marketing for more than
from the university’s main phone line to
15 years and passed away on July 12, 2021.
departments throughout campus. He was
active in the Durham community and
Abdul-Salaam was also an Eagle alumnus,
having earned his degree in biology in 1959.
served on the board of directors of Jamaat
Additionally, he played on the men’s basket-
Ibad Ar-Rahman, Inc.
ball team.
and two daughters, along with a host of
After serving in the U.S. Airforce and
Abdul-Salaam leaves his wife, Karen,
working at agencies including the U.S.
family, friends and colleagues to cherish
Environmental Protection Agency for
his memory.
52 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
’73 I Johnny Alston, 74,
N.C., Dec. 28, 2020
Durham, N.C., Sept. 15, 2020
’73 I James Garland Scales,
N.C., June 19, 2021
’71 I Kenneth Purcell Thompson, 73, Greensboro,
’71 I Granger R. Martin, 70,
’71 I Carolyn Rose Trice Walker, 84, Colonial
Heights, Va., March 1, 2021
’73 I Gary Devon “Germ” Henderson, 70, Durham,
N.C., March 17, 2021
'74 I Kay Francies Lawson-Demery, 69,
‘72, ‘76 I Freddie LeRoy Lee, 69, Hanover, Md., Jan.26, 2021
’73 I Leroy Douglas McClain, Jr., Orangeburg, S.C.,
‘74 I Nafiskas Johnson Covington, 68, Holly Springs,
’71, ’78 I Linda Joyce Tucker Johnson, 72, Mooresville,
Dunn, N.C., Sept. 10, 2020
‘71 I Linda Lee Tate-Suiter, 72,
Durham, N.C., June 10, 2020
July 25, 2020, Age 77
70, Silver Spring, Md., Nov. 2, 2020
Durham, N.C., April 6, 2021
N.C., Dec. 23, 2020
'74 I Ronald McNeil, 68, Raleigh, N.C., Nov. 7, 2020
JOHN CLARENCE (SKEEPIE) SCARBOROUGH III ’62 I John Clarence (Skeepie) Scarborough III, 83, longtime
president and CEO of Scarborough & Hargett Celebration of Life Center in Durham, died Nov. 7, 2020, after a brief illness. Scarborough, a member of the NCCU Class of 1960, attended
Scarborough was born on Sept. 12, 1937, to J.C. and Hattie Strong Scarborough. He grew up
residential and commercial district in the mid-20th century. In 1949, Scarborough was a plaintiff in a court case filed by a group of African American
parents seeking equal funding for Black schools, a case that was settled in their favor in the early 1950s, shortly before the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision. Later in life, he especially enjoyed sharing his memories of the Hayti community, including
touring visitors around Hayti Heritage Center, a former church that was among few structures remaining after urban renewal obliterated most of the neighborhood beginning about 1960. Scarborough was on the boards of the NCCU Foundation, Mechanics & Farmers Bank, St. Joseph‘s Historic Foundation, and John Avery Boys and Girls Club. He was a member of the Human Relations Committee of the Durham Chamber of Commerce. In 2005, he was awarded with the Hayti Legacy Award. He was a proud member of both Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and Alpha Tau Boule-Sigma
Pi Phi Fraternity, as well as a Shriner and 32nd degree Mason. He was an active congregant at St. Joseph A.M.E. Church. A skilled tennis player, Scarborough played at the historically Black Algonquin Tennis Club in Durham against the likes of Arthur Ashe.
’76 I Ronald G. Blanchard, 72,
’76 I Alexander Killens, 66,
in the Hayti neighborhood of Durham just as the area reached its apex as a thriving Black
Md., Oct.21, 2020
the fourth generation of Scarborough’s to oversee the business 36th president of the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association.
‘75 I Mae Wanda Freeman-Reid, 69, Glenarden,
before joining Scarborough & Hargett in 1961. He later became co-founded by his great-grandfather in 1871. He served as the
May 9, 2021
Oak Island, N.C., March 31, 2021
Temple University’s former Eckels College of Mortuary Science
’74, ’79 I Anne Kornegay Gregory, 88, Durham, N.C.,
He is survived by his wife, Queen Marble Bass-Scarborough; a son, J.C. (Scottie) Scarborough
IV; and a daughter, Tonya Colleen Scarborough, as well as three grandchildren.
Fairmount, N.C., Dec. 28, 2020
’76 I Lillian Edge Taylor, 73, Durham, N.C., April 1, 2021 ’77 I Jimmie J. Devone, 64,
Upper Marlboro, Md., Aug. 7, 2020
’77 I Leroy Hope, 75, Graham,
N.C., Aug. 9, 2020
‘77 I James E. “Brute” McKoy,
65, Durham, N.C., Jan. 26, 2021
’79 I Joyce Ann Campbell, 64, Durham, N.C., April 1, 2021 ’79 I Vincent L. Pledger, 64,
Chapel Hill, N.C., May 12, 2021
'80 I Rose Christian Wooten Allen, 65, Whispering Pines,
N.C., June 9, 2021
‘83 I Beulah Graham 81, Silver Spring, MD, July 24, 2020
Photo courtesy of Discover Durham NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 53
alumni
in Memoriam
RO SE L I N E Mc K I N N E Y ’72 | Roseline (Rose) McKinney died
on May 17, 2021. McKinney was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. in 1970 through the Alpha Lambda Chapter at NCCU, where she received her bachelor’s degree in business education. She joined the ranks at National Headquarters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. on October 16, 1972, as the sorority’s first assistant comptroller and was appointed as executive director in 1990, a position which she held for nearly 30 years. She retired after 45 years of committed service in 2017. McKinney oversaw the growth of the sorority from 460 chapters and only 10 staff members, to over 1,000 chapters and a staff of more than 50 workers by the end of her tenure. She attended every National Convention since 1973 (22), most regional conferences since that time (154) and served under 11 past national presidents of the sorority.
D OU G L AS S W I L K E R S ON ’73 | Douglass Wilkerson died on
February 21, 2021. He was a professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL)for the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) and San Diego Chargers (now Los Angeles Chargers). Named to the Pro Bowl three times, he was also a three-time All-Pro, including a first-team selection in 1982. He was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame. He also played one season in the Austrian Football League. In 15 NFL seasons, Wilkerson played in 204 regularseason games, starting 195. He ended his Chargers career with 195 games played, the second most in franchise history. In his later years, Wilkerson was the strength and conditioning coach for the Los Angeles Raiders (1990–1994) and player relations executive for the St. Louis Rams (1995–1996).
54 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
McCORKLE '90
DOUGLAS '10
’86 I Celeste Banks Chandler Brown, 77, Henderson,
’01 I Beta V. Caesar, 41, Winston-Salem, N.C., Nov. 1, 2020
’86 I Beverly “Babs” L. Watts-Vaughn, Chevy
’05 I LaCharra Janell Leggett, 36, Rowland, N.C., March 16, 2021
'87 I Tyra J. Kinsler, 55, High Point, N.C., Feb., 21, 2021
’06 I Shelly Denece Canady,
’88 I Doris Evans, 82,
’06 I Ema Temu, Durham, N.C., April 21, 2020, Age 42
’90 I Brian McCorkle, 52,
’08 I Lorrie Foster Crawley, 58, Durham, N.C., Feb. 13, 2021
N.C., Aug. 12, 2020
Chase, Md., Aug. 10, 2020
Raleigh, N.C., Feb. 7, 2021
Charlotte, N.C., Feb. 26, 2021
‘92 I Sherricca Privette Fennell, 62, Raleigh, N.C.,
Jan. 24, 2021
38, Columbia, S.C., March 5, 2021
’09 I Sarah Jane Brinson, 37,
Grantsboro, N.C., March 12, 2021
‘92 I Sylvia Tionne Kelly Little, 50, Raleigh, N.C.,
’10 I Lynn L. Douglas, 34, Greensboro, N.C., March 18, 2021
'92 I Marcus "Tennessee" Smith, 51, Wake Forest, N.C.,
’10 I Rachel A. Smith, 33, State College, Pa., May 5, 2021
Dec. 7, 2020
Feb. 10, 2021
’93 I Richard Anthony “Sticks” Robinson, 53,
Durham, N.C., March 24, 2021
’96 I Larry Johnell DeBerry, Sr., 70, Durham,
N.C., Nov.17, 2020
’00 I David Daniel Hadley, 73,
Durham, N.C., Aug. 23, 2020
’19 I Shelly Ann Wheeler, 23,
Mount Vernon, NY
’21 I Ciara Nicole Gee, 20,
Raleigh, N.C., July 18, 2021
’21 I Raegan Sharnae Chisley, 20, Hampton, Va.,
June 22, 2021
alumni
Empathy and Nostalgia Increase Alumni Donations During Virtual Homecoming Celebration NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY ALUMNI
and supporters celebrated the university’s 110th anniversary during Homecoming 2020 with events that enhanced the spirit of giving. Approximately 756 alumni who graduated in years ending in ’5s and ’0s celebrated their class reunions during Homecoming and demonstrated support with contributions that exceeded $2 million. “NCCU is extremely grateful for the continuous support of donors – especially during an unpreceVirtual Homecoming dented time when donor support is essential,” said Gia Soublet, Stadium Sellout Ph.D., vice chancellor for InstiTOTAL RAISED: tutional Advancement. “These donations will address the most urgent needs of the university and provide support for students experiencing financial hardship.” For many fans, giving to the Department of Athletics was an important aspect of the celebration, with 896 university supporters donating $228,777 to the Virtual Homecoming Stadium Sellout. An anonymous donor contributed a single gift of $25,000 to the fundraising campaign.
$ 2 M ILLION R AISED
$228,777
NCCU Class of 1975 45th Reunion
TOTAL RAISED:
NCCU Society of Golden Eagles
TOTAL RAISED:
$798,500 $595,000 The initiative is the first phase of the department’s #NCCUStrongerTogether giving campaign in support of student-athletes, both to lessen the financial impact of the pandemic and ensure a championship experience. Celebrating their 45th class reunion, alumni from the Class of 1975 donated the largest dollar amount, with $798,500 in gifts to the university. Members of the Society of Golden Eagles, comprised of alumni graduating 50 years ago or more, contributed $595,000.
BY KIA C. BELL
the
make your plans today for the return of the
E X P E R I E N C E
OCTOBER 31- NOVEMBER 7, 2021 / Homecoming is our time to reconnect with classmates and friends and enjoy a great football rivalry. Join us to celebrate the induction of the classes of 1970 and 1971 into the Society of Golden Eagles. For more Homecoming information, visit nccu.edu/the-ultimate-homecoming. NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 55
Giving
institutional advancement
Division of Institutional Advancement
Dear NCCU Community, During my first year, I have been invigorated by the knowledge gained about all things NCCU. My motivation to serve this jewel of an institution and secure financial resources for the outstanding programs and deserving students grows daily, and I am grateful to Chancellor Akinleye for the opportunity to do so. I have had the pleasure of meeting many alumni and friends of NCCU. Your stories of how the university has enriched your lives are also a source of my enthusiasm. I look forward to meeting more of you as I continue in my role. North Carolina Central University has been the conduit to success for alumni leading in Truth and Service all over the world. Continuing the university’s rich legacy will require the support of alumni and friends near and far. I am pleased to be working alongside each of you to ensure that NCCU has the resources it needs to remain relevant and competitive for years to come. Thank you for your warm welcome, and thank you also to those who have shared their time, talents, and treasures to make the university what it is today. Your investment in NCCU’s noble mission will ensure that this great institution will continue to shine brightly for many years to come. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me or a member of my team if we can ever be of assistance to you. With Eagle Pride,
Gia Soublet, Ph.D. Vice Chancellor Institutional Advancement
All★star Alumna‘s Eagle Pride Still Strong After 30 Years NCCU’s star volunteer thinks her work with the university is paying off, but she is asking for help to enhance the Eagle experience for students. Levone Winston ’88, can always be counted on to respond to calls from NCCU as she has done for more than 30 years, saying “yes” to requests for volunteer assistance. She thinks more alumni should respond in kind. “Not everyone can afford to give financially, but everyone can give an hour of their time here or there,” she said. Solicitations through mailers and email blasts typically focus on cash donations, but that’s not where institutional giving has to start and stop, Winston said. Hands-on support is equally valuable. While plenty has changed since her time as an undergraduate earning a criminal justice degree, she remains impressed with the educational experience NCCU offers. She is also excited to see ongoing campus construction, especially the new Student Center.
“I’m amazed, I’m impressed and I’m excited,” she said. “That’s why I want to encourage everyone to give what they can, however they can.” Winston was a NCCU Forty Under Forty awardee in 2020 and was elected Ms. Alumni in 2012, representing the Durham chapter. She is employed by Durham Public Schools after several years with the Durham Sheriff’s Department. Winston sees networking as the key to building a larger volunteer base. For her, “Truth and Service” means telling the
NCCU story wherever she may be. “I am always talking about Central,” Winston said. “It’s because of NCCU that I am who I am and where I am. Hopefully, telling my story gives someone else the motivation to come to NCCU or become active in the alumni organization.” Looking back, she remembers how her passion for NCCU took root early in life when she lived in Rocky Mount. Both her brother and sister graduated from NCCU and often talked about their experiences with Winston, youngest of the three. Others she knew and respected as a youth were NCCU graduates, including Donald Smith and his wife, who were family friends and always encouraged her to pursue higher education. Winston attended NCCU football and basketball games as a middle school student, as well as games at N.C. Agricultural & Technical State University in Greensboro. Such exposure can make a big impression on young Black students as they mature, she said. And it’s something she is trying to pass down. “I work with summer camps and after-school programs trying to make sure that young African Americans attend HBCU campuses. Exposure to higher education is key,” she said.
BY ROBERT LEWIS '14
Revered Biologist Honored with Memorial Scholarship by Former Colleague SCHOLARSHIP HONORING AMAL ABU-SHAKRA, PH.D., a longtime member of the biological and biomedical sciences faculty at NCCU, is being established through an estate gift of her longtime friend and mentor David DeMarini, Ph.D., of Chapel Hill. Students and fellow faculty members knew Abu-Shakra as a brilliant toxicologist and biochemist, said DeMarini, who hired her to work at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency office in Durham as a postdoctoral researcher. / continued on page 58 / NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 57
/ continued from page 57 /
“She was a fabulous teacher and mentor to students,” DeMarini said. “I wanted to do something to ensure that her immense talent and influence was not forgotten.” Professor of Biological and Biomedical Sciences Veronica Nwosu, Ph.D., said she and AbuShakra began their tenure-track teaching careers at the same time in 1994, calling her a “global woman of substance.” “Amal exceled in all three areas of teaching, research, and service and rose through the ranks to become a tenured full professor and a department chair,” Nwosu said. “She was an excellent teacher and received both the NCCU Excellence in Teaching and the UNC Board of Governors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching. Abu-Shakra, a native of Beirut, Lebanon, earned her Ph.D. from the University of Surrey in England, as well as a bachelor’s degree from the American University of Beirut and a master’s from the University of London, before coming to North Carolina to work for the EPA. She died of ovarian cancer in 2017, nearly three decades after her first cancer diagnosis during her postdoctoral years.
DEMARINI 58 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
Hard Work, Financial Acumen Characterize this Forty Under Forty Honoree HE GENERIC HGTV meme goes something like this: A couple goes out looking for their first home with a real estate budget of $500,000 or more. This unrealistic reality TV premise is well known to NCCU alumna Ericka Black ’07, ’09, a hard-working real estate entrepreneur who made her first investments before finishing her graduate degree. Black stayed on track with her academics, even while working a full-time job. “I took the max number of classes every year, and had multiple jobs,” she said. She even called herself the “Kool-Aid packet lady” in reference to her habit of clipping
proof-of-purchase emblems from the beverage packets to earn prizes and save money. Black has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and her master’s degree in public administration. As a freshman, she started saving money and researching the real estate market, even as her friends were focused on other activities. “I tried to get classmates to look into investing, but nobody was that financially minded,” she said. By the time she started graduate school, she and her husband had enough savings to make down payments on two houses.
Giving Briefs Erica Black is considered one of Washington, D.C.’s top real estate agents and serves as a member of the D.C. Real Estate Commission.
She said she would urge other students to follow her lead, as real estate is a time-tested way to build wealth. “People just need to do their research and don’t overextend themselves,” she said. “I was able to purchase two houses with my husband, and both mortgages together totaled around $600.” After graduating in 2007, Black worked for N.C. Gov. Bev Purdue and Sen. Doug Berger as a liaison between the state and federal governments while earning her MPA degree. Today, she is considered one of Washington, D.C.,’s top real estate agents and serves as a member of the D.C. Real Estate Commission, which regulates professional real estate licenses and serves as a consumer watchdog for the industry. Recently, Black launched a fundraising drive to establish an endowment for NCCU, with the goal of reaching $25,000 by October 2021, when she will be honored as a member of the university’s Forty Under Forty award winners. The Forty Under Forty honor is provided through the Office of Alumni Relations to graduates with outstanding abilities who “forge partnerships, blaze trails and serve their communities worldwide.”
BY ROBERT LEWIS '14
institutional advancement
Intel Corporation
Intel Corp. is donating $5 million over the next five years to the NCCU SCHOOL OF LAW to create a new tech law and policy center. The semiconductor technology firm will also support the program through appointment of executive vice president and general counsel Steven R. Rodgers to the law school’s board of visitors, and executives Allon Stabinsky, senior vice president and chief deputy general counsel, and Rhonda Foxx, leader of social equity policies and engagements, to the center’s advisory board.
State Employees Credit Union
The university’s CAREER AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTER got a $100,000 boost from the State Employee’s Credit Union (SECU) Foundation through the funding of 20 paid internships. This was the second year the SECU Public Fellow Internship Program has offered NCCU undergraduate students from various majors 10-week internships in rural counties.
ViiV Healthcare Co.
ViiV Healthcare Co. will provide training and mentoring for NCCU researchers and students to use implementation science in the effort to reduce health disparities and improve HIV care for patients in underserved communities. The company’s pharmaceutical scientists will work with NCCU’S CENTER FOR HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH, part of the Research Center in Minority Institutes funded by the National Institutes of Health, in deploying the program.
Fifth Third Bank
The bank gave $20,000 to the NCCU SCHOOL OF BUSINESS to assist with financial literacy education being provided through the Society of Financial Education and Professional Development. The donation also will provide scholarships for undergraduate business students studying personal finance and MBA students concentrating on wealth management, two new concentrations for the School of Business.
NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 59
THAT MOTON EAGLES COACH INSPIRES TEAM IN DIFFICULT TIMES
60 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
Photo courtesy of Raleigh News & Observer
LeVelle Moton
Moton gives credit to his grandmother, Mattie McDougald (pictured above), and mother, Hattie McDougald, for his strong values.
is a man of many sayings. Anyone who has spent time around the North Carolina Central University men’s basketball head coach knows that he has a quote for every situation. His depth of knowledge and vast experience allow him to pull passages from spiritual scripture, notable thought leaders, significant historical figures and pop culture. He also has quite a few gems of his own. These bits of wisdom and insight have not only made him one of the most followed social media profiles but also a successful coach who uses basketball to teach life lessons while gaining attention and respect around the country. His inspiring messages have spread through many mediums and can be found throughout his autobiography, “The Worst Times Are the Best Times,” as well as his TED Talk, “My Grandma’s Basketball Truth.” In February, the world experienced Moton’s words and philosophies through an eight-episode docuseries, “Why Not Us,” presented by ESPN’s The Undefeated about the NCCU men’s basketball program that debuted on ESPN+. It is easy to become enamored with the success Moton has achieved on the hardwood, both as a player and a coach, and define his life by the sport of basketball. However, he is quick to point out:
“Basketball is what I do, not who I am.”
Raised in the housing projects of Boston, Mass., and Raleigh, N.C., Moton became hardened by the circumstances of his surroundings. “Every day I left my home, I was confronted with life-or-death decisions,” he said. His father left the family when Moton was a child, but he found father figures in youth basketball coaches, who helped develop his athletic talents and personal character. However, Moton gives most of the credit for the man he has become to two strong women: his mother Hattie McDougald and grandmother Mattie McDougald. A key moment in life occured when he was nine years old and won the national Pepsi Hotshot competition in Washington, D.C. The youngster proudly returned home and told his grandmother that he was going to buy her a car and a house by playing basketball. After hearing this revelation, she sat her grandson down and explained the way she saw things. “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you figure out why,” his grandmother told him. “And when you leave this earth, if people remember you as a basketball player, then you’ve done a poor job of living.” Those words paved the way for many of the decisions he has made and the life he now enjoys with his wife, Bridget, and their two children, Brooke and LeVelle Jr.
NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 61
Moton considers among his many blessings the opportunity to give back to those in need. He established the Velle Cares Foundation to assist community-based organizations that promote health, education and life skills for children and families in at-risk situations.
Moton and his mother, Hattie McDougald (pictured above), attending the annual Single Mother Salute banquet.
H R O U G H H I S F O U N D AT I O N , he hosts an annual “Back to School Community Day” event at his hometown Boys & Girls Club that provides book bags, school supplies and entertainment to more than 700 kids and families each year, as well as a Single Mother Salute banquet to annually honor more than 100 single mothers. These are just a few examples of how Moton has poured himself into his community and how he has lived his life to leave a meaningful and lasting legacy that extends well beyond being a basketball coach. “The standard is the standard.” As Moton describes it, there is a standard of excellence within the NCCU men’s basketball program that is rooted in a rich tradition, which includes two Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers, legendary coach John B. McLendon and 10-time NBA champion Sam Jones. He feels a sense of honor and duty to pay tribute to those who built
the NCCU basketball tradition, and sees himself as a caretaker of the program who will one day pass the torch to someone else to continue the tradition. As a former standout studentathlete at North Carolina Central University and now a championshipwinning head coach at his alma mater, Moton stands as an example of Eagle excellence. He preaches about this standard to his student-athletes and demands that they understand and live up to those expectations without excuse. Moton reinforces his message by regularly reminding his young men that “the standard is the standard.” Moton has personally delivered on the standard by guiding the Eagles to four Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament championships, four March Madness appearances in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, and garnering numerous coach-of-theyear awards during his 12 seasons as head coach. He also upheld that tradition as a student-athlete at NCCU, becoming the university’s third all-time leading scorer with 1,714 points during his historic hardwood career from 1992-96, earning the nickname “Poetry `n Moton.” During his junior and senior seasons, Moton was voted first team all-conference, first team all-region and NCAA Division II all-America honorable mention. He was named the 1996 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and was inducted into the NCCU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004 and the CIAA Hall of Fame in 2020. True to his grandmother’s teachings,
ON THE COVER Moton insists that his team’s standard of excellence extend beyond the court into the classroom. He demonstrates the importance of higher education as a double-Eagle, earning both a bachelor’s degree in recreation administration and a master’s degree in special education with a focus on learning disabilities from NCCU in 1996 and 2013, respectively.
nation erupted in protests over the death of George Floyd while in police custody, Moton used practice time to simulate a traffic stop. Arranging four chairs on the floor, he had members of the coaching staff role-playing as aggressive police officers and student-athletes assuming the roles of passengers in the car. It’s a situation that Moton unfortunately has
Moton has certainly experienced more than his share of adversity in his life, and he understands that the way he confronted and responded to challenges has helped shape the man he is today. He uses his personal story to help those he leads and advises them, “Adversity introduces a man to himself.” That message held extra meaning during the past year, as his team and the nation encountered a pandemic and a divisive social justice movement. During this time, Moton leaned on his longtime approach of using basketball as a metaphor for life. As COVID-19 canceled games, shortened practice opportunities and forced his team into multiple periods of quarantine and isolation, Moton applauded his student-athletes for their determination, grit and perseverance while finishing the season. And, as the
experienced first-hand – and a lesson that he wants to make sure is understood by the young men entrusted to his care was about survival. Moton knows about survival. Those life-or-death decisions he made when he left his home as a child frequently led him to the neighborhood basketball courts. His mother did not like him hanging out there because elements of drugs and violence gathered at Raleigh’s Lane Street Park. Still, those courts were Moton’s place of refuge. In a bit of irony, but more as a testament to the significant impact Moton has made in his hometown, in December 2019, Lane Street Park was renamed LeVelle Moton Park by the city of Raleigh.
KOBBY AYETEY, '21, left, and NICOLAS FENNELL, '21, played for the Eagles and appeared in the Why Not Us docuseries.
“Adversity introduces a man to himself.” ABOVE: Eagle Pride kept the men's basketball team in competitive spirit as they faced opponents throughout the past season. BELOW: Pick-up games helped a young LeVelle Moton avoid less productive pastimes in his Raleigh neighborhood. The park on Lane Street is now named for him.
BY KYLE SERBA '19 Ethan Hyman, The News & Observer
The docuseries Why Not Us premiered in February 2021. Cameras followed Coach Moton, his staff and players as they navigated a season beset by disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it all, the men's basketball team strove for greatness on and off the court. Catch the eight-part documentary on
NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 63
at h l e t i c s
For Volleyball Standout
CHRISTINE ALCOX
Life Skills and Athletics Go Hand in Hand
LAYING VARSITY VOLLEYBALL
for NCCU seemed like a natural progression for Christine Alcox, who took up the sport in middle school and was a key player on her Carrboro High School team. Granted a full scholarship from the Eagles in 2017, she attended the Preparing to Soar Academy, an orientation experience for incoming student-athletes. “They talk about maximizing your experience during this period,” she said. “They encourage student-athletes to broaden their interests and look for other things they might be good at, academically and otherwise. It helps build their resume and prepare them for life.”
Alcox took the advice to heart As a freshman, she joined the Athletics Department’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee that works on behalf of student-athletes in various areas of university life and began to take on responsibilities and leadership roles. “The point of the committee is to be an advocate for athletes, plan events and professional development programs for them and make sure their needs are met,” she said. Under Alcox’s leadership, the committee sponsored a series of workshops, guest speakers and skills-training sessions to help Eagles prepare for their lives as adults.
The point of the committee is to be an advocate for athletes, plan events and professional development programs for them and make sure their needs are met.” – Christine Alcox 64 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
Including a voter registration campaign and a Rock the Vote appearance, the committee’s get-out-the-vote efforts culminated in a “masked and distanced” march to the polls that resulted in 150 Eagle athletes casting their ballots in the 2020 national election. Alcox also served in other roles during her time at NCCU. She was a volunteer tutor and coach in the surrounding community and worked as an intern for Academic Support Services, among other duties. Her university honors include Student-Athlete of the Month, the Debra Saunders-White Leadership Award, and a spot on the MEAC All-Academic Team roster. But perhaps most importantly, she received her magna cum laude bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in May 2021. Leading others was not something Alcox said she intended to do when enrolling at NCCU. “I didn’t come with the idea of being super involved, but there is a lot that you learn being a student-athlete, like time management and being able to work well with others, and those skills are transferable,” she said. With encouragement from her mentors at NCCU, Alcox said, she was able to “step outside my comfort zone” to help herself and other student-athletes soar.
at h l e t i c b r i e f s
Baseball Hits a Home Run in Final Season of Competition Members of the Eagles Baseball team completed a winning season in 2021, securing the team’s first division title playing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). And that was despite learning in February that the sport was being eliminated for budgetary reasons and that 2021 would be the final season for Eagles Baseball competition. Coach Jim Koerner broke the news to the players after meeting with Athletics Director Ingrid Wicker McCree, who explained that the cut was being made to stem financial losses suffered by the university’s Athletics Department during the COVID-19 pandemic. In her statement, Wicker McCree expressed empathy for the student-athletes, including 13 seniors, who worked diligently toward the goal of playing college baseball. “There is never the right time to make an announcement such as this,” she said. “However, this decision was made after a rigorous internal and external review of our long-term financial model.” Koerner has since taken a position as director of player development for USA Baseball. The team’s final home game was a 6-1 win over Florida A&M University, completing a five-game winning streak in the team’s home stadium, played in the Durham Athletic Park. The win also put the 2021 team in a tie for third-most wins by any Eagles baseball team, 25, and an impressive win percentage of .581. Pitcher Austin Vernon also was credited with throwing the first no-hitter in modern history for NCCU on May 7 against Delaware State. Later that month, Vernon was chosen by the Tampa Bay Rays Eagles in the Major League Baseball Draft.
On May 14, 2021, NCCU SOFTBALL defeated rival NC A&T and Norfolk State to advance to the MEAC Softball Championship Game for the first time in program history.
PHILLIPS
S TO K E S
B LO U N T
MILLS
NCCU Baseball alum KOBE PHILLIPS was selected to coach with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. STEPHEN STOKES of NCCU Football was one of only 22 student-athletes in the nation named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his dedicated efforts in the community. Men's basketball alum JIBRI BLOUNT, 2019-20 MEAC Player of the Year, has signed a professional contract with the Miami Dolphins. Blount is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Mel Blount, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Former North Carolina Central University cornerback BRYAN MILLS is headed west after signing a free-agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
TWO EAGLES RECEIVE SUPER BOWL RINGS
Ryan Smith '15 (left) and Nick Leverett '18 (right) became North Carolina Central University’s first Super Bowl champions when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9, on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. Smith is currently a member of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Fo r m o r e a t h l e t i c n e w s a n d t i c ke t s , v i s i t n c c u e a g l e p r i d e . c o m NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021 I 65
FROM THE ARCHIVES /
CIRCA
1972
/
Pictured with teammates Robert Taylor (left) and Eddie Hart (center) NCCU’s Larry Black won a gold medal as the lead leg of the American 4x100-meter relay and a silver medal in the 200-meter dash at the Olympics in Munich. Photo cour tesy of AP/f i le 1972
Please send address corrections to Advancement Services, Phone: 919-530-7399 / E-mail: rgallow7@nccu.edu or mail to 1801 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC 27707. At a cost of $1.28 each, 20,000 copies of this public document were printed for a total of $25,654 in Summer 2021 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 2021, North Carolina Central University.
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To give, visit nccu.edu/givenow or scan the code
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North Carolina Central University 1801 Fayetteville Street Durham, NC 27707
DL HUGHLEY
comedian
