Archway Magazine Fall 2014

FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS W I N T E R 2 014 VOLUME 15 NO. 3

SPECIAL EDITION: The Legacy of Chancellor Reaves

After spending more than 35 years in higher education, it may be difficult to remember that Chancellor Donald Reaves wasn’t always on a college campus.

Indeed, he had a 12 year career before earning his degrees – a story he often shares with students to explain the importance of education in the 21st century.

“When I graduated from high school, college was not on my mind,” Reaves told a group of students at Glennville High School when he returned to his alma mater in Cleveland two years ago. “I graduated from Glennville and got a summer job with the City of Cleveland. Later that year, I went to work at Pick n’ Pay Supermarkets, where I worked for the next 12 years with nine of those years spent driving an 18-wheel truck delivering groceries and fresh food.”

Reaves talks about his time as a truck driver to explain that not going to college was a luxury he had at that time. He tells students that in 1965 jobs were plentiful and if you wanted to work you could find a good paying position. He also points out how times have changed and jobs for young people who only have a high school diploma have gotten fewer and fewer over the years.

“I went to work for that supermarket, but that company doesn’t exist anymore. I had friends who worked in the auto plants, but many of those jobs are gone as well. This change isn’t just in Cleveland. The same is true in Winston-Salem. Forty years ago, jobs in tobacco, textile and furniture plants were plentiful. Today, some of the factories may still be standing, but they are closed and those jobs are gone forever.”

Reaves always tells students that the university’s job is to prepare graduates to be competitive when they leave college.

“I warn them that competition is fierce and that their future will be determined by how well they are prepared and how well they can compete against someone from China or India or some other far-off place who is hungry for what used to be their jobs.”

Of course, Reaves also talks about eventually going to college with, as he acknowledges, the encouragement of his wife Deborah. He tells students that it took him six years to get his undergraduate degree because he continued to drive a truck. But, he did get his education and, as they say, the rest is history.

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For the Record

By Chancellor Donald Reaves

As I prepare to step down as Chancellor, I’d like to provide an overview, so to speak, of what we set out to do and what we got accomplished over the last seven-plus years.

Let me begin by acknowledging that I am leaving a lot of work for the next chancellor. That’s another way of saying that at a university the work is never done because the work at a university is about continuous improvement; it’s about always finding a way to make things better.

“By any measure, Donald Reaves has been an outstanding Chancellor for WSSU and positioned the campus for future success. Under his leadership, WSSU has raised academic expectations, strengthened the curriculum, improved graduation and retention rates, and expanded graduate education in select high-demand fields. He has also streamlined operations to more effectively target scarce resources, overseen the development of a campus master plan, and strengthened partnerships within the surrounding community.”

Tom Ross UNC President

2006

Under the watch of Chancellor Donald J. Reaves, WSSU has undergone yet another amazing transformation academically, athletically and physically.

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IMPROVING PERFORMANCE, SETTING METRICS I started work in August 2007 and by the following April I had developed a set of goals and objectives that I outlined in my installation speech. It was my first major speech before a large audience of the faculty, students, staff and the community, and I wanted to make sure that I was clear about what it was that I intended to do. I thought that it was a pretty good speech, but I discovered later that most everyone in the audience left angry about something that I had said.

A friend of mine from the University Chicago told me that I said all of the right things, but that it was the wrong place to say them. He said that I should have said nice things that made people feel good. But that’s not me; that’s not my style. That day I told them about the things that were broken and what I planned to do about it, and in no uncertain terms let them know that if we didn’t improve performance that those who provide our support, our funding, have every reason to question why we needed to continue to exist. I said it that morning and I meant it, and that belief has served as a guiding principle throughout my tenure. Without improved performance, I am convinced WSSU and other similar colleges and universities will eventually become less and less relevant.

2007 AUG. 2007 Chancellor Reaves takes office

2008 FALL 2007 WSSU hosts interactive exhibit on North Carolina’s eugenics program

APRIL 2008 Chancellor Reaves’ installation ceremony

20 APRIL 2008 Michelle Obama visits the campus

To get these things done, we developed a five-year strategic plan.

The Plan, as we call it, has served as the guide for everything that we do. It set the priorities and the path to achieving our goals, and during the last five years when resources from the State have been reduced by almost $35 million, The Plan has guided our decisions about the allocation of those resources.

Most importantly, it helped to merge my original goals with the mission of student success.

“Developing our integrated strategic plan to achieve academic distinction – The Plan – and then ensuring the implementation is Chancellor Reaves crowning achievement, I believe. Many of the individual achievements are notable in and of themselves, cumulative effect will enhance opportunity for the students and alumni and heighten the brand of Winston-Salem State University for years to come. I think two statistics illustrate the magnitude of the accomplishment – almost doubling the number $35 million in funding over the same time frame. Imagine what Chancellor Reaves would have achieved with more support.”

I also told the faculty that I expected improved performance from them. Shortly thereafter we raised the standards for tenure and promotion.

That morning I told the audience that we were going to need to control expenses and to prioritize our spending. I did not tell them that cutting costs would involve the abandonment of the quest to become an NCAA Division I athletic program because I knew that would be a controversial decision with many. Since rejoining the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the CIAA, our teams have won 15 conference championships and our football team has compiled a record of 55 and 7, losing only

Brenda Allen Provost Winston-Salem State University

009

I said that we needed to improve (freshman) retention and our graduation rates. We have done that, increasing the retention rate which stood at about 65% to more than 80% in 2012, the 7th highest in the UNC system, and moving the six-year graduation rate from about 35% to about 46%.

Recently U.S. News and World Report reported that WSSU had the 5th highest retention rate among the nation’s 105 HBCUs. That morning I said that we needed to graduate more students.

I am happy to report that we have done that. In 2007 we graduated 824 students. Last May almost 1,600 students received degrees.

but when you look at the interconnectedness of the plan, the

of students graduating from 2007 to 2014 and yet losing almost

Recently I went back and read that speech, and I am delighted to report that every single thing that I said I was going to do has been done.

2010

APRIL 2009 First student named Albert Schweitzer Fellow

SEPT. 2009 Athletics move back to Division II

FEB. 2010 Strategic Plan is developed

WS SU

2011 FALL 2010 Dual Admission Program begins (Forsyth Tech)

SEPTEMBER 2011 The Enterprise Center formally opens

FALL 2011 New liberal arts curriculum implemented

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three conference games in four years. Along the way we saved more than $10 million. Most folks are happy again.

Chancellor Reaves took a lot of flak over the decision to remain a DII school. The preparation to transition the athletics program to DI allowed us to enhance the overall infrastructure to include staffing, facilities and scholarships, hence when we began to compete within a DII schedule again, our immediate competitive success really quieted a lot of the noise.

While he has been extremely supportive of the WSSU athletics program, he also understands the financial implications that face most all programs at every level. For example, he was concerned that even if we could have reached the funding levels to have a DI program that our budget would have been at the bottom of our conference. That meant it would have been a struggle to stay afloat, much less to be competitive.

I then told the audience that in order to improve performance, we needed to admit students who were better prepared.

So we raised the standards for admission three times, all in advance of the General Administration. The result is reflected in the higher retention and graduation rates noted above, and the dramatic increase in the number of graduates. In the past we would graduate, each year, about 17% of the student body.

The past two years the percentage of the student body receiving degrees stood at 27%.

At the same time, we were careful that we did not cut off access to higher education. The legacy of the nation’s HBCUs is grounded in the notion of providing opportunity and access.

Therefore, to ensure that less-prepared students who were seeking an education could gain access, we developed a dual admission program with Forsyth Technical Community College.

Today, we’re doing well and making strides to graduate champions. We have a stronger outreach to the campus as well as to our alumni, former athletes and the community. Our program has been successful so it is becoming a bit easier to gain sponsorships and other financial support. So, we will continue to forge ahead and sustain our desire to be a campus of champions.

Tonia Walker Athletic Director Winston-Salem State University Chancellor Reaves, in 2011, delivers message at Breakfast Briefing event.

2012 FEBRUARY 2012 Center for Design Innovation Groundbreaking

SEPTEMBER 2012 120th Anniversary

2013 SEPT. 2013 Donald Julian Reaves Student Activities Center opened

OCT. 2013 New Martin-Schexnider Residence Hall opened

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A significant legacy of Chancellor Reaves’ tenure at WSSU is his commitment to maintaining access to Winston-Salem State, while raising admission standards and thereby ensuring an intellectually and academically challenging learning environment.

The joint admission program of WSSU and Forsyth Tech that he championed, beginning with his inaugural address, has provided a unique opportunity for many young people to connect with the university --to pursue their dream of higher education -- while preparing themselves academically for the university at Forsyth Tech. Access, opportunity, and high quality community college and university education – no small contribution to the future of the university and community.

Were we educating students in such a way that they were competitive when they graduated? Could they compete against students from other schools and other countries for seats in the best graduate schools or for the best jobs? The answer to those questions was no.

Our programs in the health sciences were strong and those graduates were very competitive. But in the other schools that was not the case. Perhaps the major reason was that their curriculums were outdated. The way that we taught students and what we taught them was obsolete, having not been changed in any substantial way in more than 50 years.

Gary M. Green President Forsyth Technical Community College

Students in the program are dually admitted to both schools; they take classes at Forsyth Tech and can access the resources on our campus at the same time. Once they complete the work at Forsyth Tech, they can automatically move into programs at WSSU. The program is extremely popular, it’s cheaper, the students tend to be better prepared, and we are seeing the first group of those students on our campus this year.

2014

WSSU had done a wonderful job preparing graduates for life in the 20th century; as a teachers’ college and a nursing school we had done a wonderful job – but the world had changed and our curriculum had not kept pace.

For our students to be successful, we needed to be sure they had the skills necessary to compete in today’s global marketplace. Just think how many of today’s best jobs didn’t exist 10 or 20 years ago.

FUTURE MAY 2014 1,600 Graduates

MARCH 2014 Student Success Center opened

RESHAPING TO REMAIN RELEVANT The comment I made about remaining relevant had to do with more than just statistics like retention and graduation rates. It also pertained to the way that we educate students in the 21st century.

APRIL 2014 US News Retention Rating 5th Amoung HBCU’s

FALL 2014 Formation of “The College”

CIAA Championships (15 Championships between 2011-2014)

The acquisition of Bowman Gray Stadium is basically completed with the finalization coming in six to eight months. Because the stadium is a brownfield site since it once contained a landfill, a brownfield agreement is necessary to protect the State of North Carolina from any future environmental issues that may or may not exist on the property.

“City of Winston-Salem and the appropriate agencies within North Carolina state government have been great partners in this effort and we are working closely to ensure that all the necessary steps are taken to complete this acquisition,” Chancellor Reaves said.

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“In a moment when higher education is undergoing fundamental change, it is vitally important to have dynamic and visionary leadership. Chancellor Reaves has provided exemplary leadership in positioning Winston-Salem State University to not only meet these challenges in a rapidly changing environment, but to thrive well into the long future. The foundation of the university has been strengthened by his stalwart dedication to an integrated learning community based in the liberal arts tradition designed for a new century. His inspired leadership reaffirmed what is great about our historic institution – our distinctive mission as a historically black university committed to access and opportunity with an unwavering commitment to academic excellence and student success. “ Corey Walker Dean, College of Winston-Salem Sate University Winston-Salem State University

So, we changed what we teach and how we teach it. That doesn’t mean our students don’t learn English or biology, math or history – it just means they learn it in a different manner. With a focus on the liberal arts, we are teaching our students to think, to be analytical, to communicate effectively, and to develop a more global perspective.

This year we took that same thinking a step further. Based on the belief that students would benefit from the marriage of their discipline with the liberal arts, we made the decision to consolidate the School of Business and Economics and the School of Education into the College of Arts and Sciences, creating the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. We just call it the College.

It’s too early to declare the merger a success, but we believe that the integration of these programs will produce better prepared students.

This restructuring will also allow us to align projected spending with available resources in an era of flat or declining enrollment and no major increases in state support. Moreover, the savings generated from the consolidation will be used to improve the quality of the education that we offer by hiring new faculty who are trained in the latest and most innovative approaches to their disciplines.

In addition to its focus on student success and quality improvement, The Plan also addressed campus facility needs, focusing on the types of facilities that best support the academic mission.

By the Numbers By any measure, the numbers show improvement, and that was the goal.

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RETENTION RATE 2007 2012

65% 80% 7th highest in UNC system

“As someone who thinks about, plans and works on facilities everyday, my comments may sound surprising, but I’ve been inspired by Chancellor Reaves because of his commitment to each and every student that passes through our campus – not only during his tenure but for years to come. Every building we’ve built or up-fitted or campus plan we’ve instituted has been designed to enhance the potential for our students to succeed. Even with the financial challenges we’ve faced, Chancellor Reaves has been committed to a holistic effort to support our students – higher standards, improved curriculum and facilities designed to support their academic success. We all will remember Chancellor Reaves for some of the bricks and mortar achievements, but I believe his real legacy will be the WSSU students who will become future leaders in our community and our country.”

Owen Cooks Associate Vice-Chancellor for Facilities Winston-Salem State University

Consistent with that approach has been the construction of several new residence halls to increase the number of students who live on the campus. The research shows that students who live on campus tend to perform better academically, and that has proven to be the case at WSSU.

LOOMING CHALLENGES: ENROLLMENT AND FINANCIAL AID I like to think that we have a done a lot over the last seven-plus years and that it has all been for the benefit of our students.

But like I said at the outset, the work is never done and the next chancellor will face major challenges, just as I have. Chief among those challenges are two big issues: maintaining a sufficient enrollment size and finding the resources for financial aid.

The enrollment challenge is complicated and will not be easily solved. The problem is grounded in the historical legacy of schools like WSSU which were founded to offer educational opportunities to African-American students during the time when the South was segregated. When segregation ended, so did the monopoly that these schools enjoyed over the most academically talented African-American students. Today, these students have choices and they are taking advantage of the opportunities that are available at the majority institutions.

In 1972, 83% of African-American students attending universities in the UNC system were at HBCUs. Today, that number is about 50%.

GRADUATION RATE

GRADUATION CLASS

(6 yr)

(degrees earned)

2007 35%

2012 46%

= 824

2007 2014 = 1,600

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“Chancellor Reaves has accomplished so much during his tenure here at WSSU. In particular, he has championed the financial challenges that our students face disproportionately.

For any institution, losing $35 million of support is an issue.

Chancellor Reaves has worked to highlight that for WSSU, and most HBCUs, the financial squeeze is particularly difficult for our students. Many of them are first-generation college students with limited resources. In fact, more that 85% of our students receive some form of financial aid.

“In spite of the financial challenges, under Chancellor Reaves’ leadership we have increased our graduation rate and dramatically improved our retention rate. Yet, he has been outspoken in arguing that while improving standards, facilities and curriculum we must also support our students financially to remain viable for the future. His commitment to the success of our students was evidenced early in his tenure when Chancellor Reaves and his wife pledged $100,000 to scholarship. Today, the Donald J. and Deborah R. Reaves Endowed Scholarship Fund has a total value in excess of $300,000.

I’m inspired by Chancellor Reaves’ personal philanthropy and the thoughtful and courageous stand he has always taken to support our students and WSSU’s future.”

Ms. Michelle Cook Vice Chancellor Winston-Salem State University

Chancellor Reaves and Chancellor Anderson from Fayetteville State University.

The dwindling pool of African-American students is made more challenging by the higher admission standards that General Administration has recently implemented, and the scarcity of financial support at the state and federal levels. Over the last several years several historically black campuses have closed, and more will likely follow suit.

The aid problem is equally daunting. Many of our students are first-generation college students, and many of them come from under-resourced families – families that cannot afford the cost of a college education. At WSSU more than 85% of our students receive some form of aid, yet the availability of funds continues to decline. At the federal level, more stringent credit criteria have made it more difficult for parents to borrow to send their children to college; and recently the UNC Board of Governors placed a cap on the percentage of tuition dollars that can be spent for need-based aid.

RAISING EXPECTATIONS As I’m sure you know, not all of the decisions that I have made have been universally popular. Luckily, popularity was not one of my concerns.

STUDENT BODY GRADUATION PERCENTAGE

By the Numbers

27%

17%

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2012

But from the day that I set foot on this campus, my primary goal has been improved student outcomes – student success. I have not wavered from that and I have empowered those on my team to do what is necessary to ensure that our students can fulfill the vision we stated in our Strategic Plan – that the university develops graduates of distinction known for leadership and service in their professions and communities.

When you look at what has been accomplished and accomplished with shrinking financial resources, it is easy to see that his academic knowledge and his business acumen – along with his courage and his vision – have been tremendous benefits to the our students, to Winston-Salem and to all communities where our graduates will work and live.

Mrs. Debra B. Miller ‘78 Chair

The timing of Chancellor Reaves arrival at WSSU was perfect.

Winston-Salem State University Board of Trustees

I’m not quite sure we knew what was needed to make this a strong, competitive university, but he did. As chair of the WSSU Board of Trustees and as an alumna of Winston-Salem State, I appreciate the vision, leadership and direction he has provided the university. He has been a futuristic thinker and strategist who could look challenge and controversy right square in the eye – then charge forward in pursuit of resolution.

Chancellor Reaves is one of the most courageous leaders I know. He was not afraid to raise the expectations for our students and our faculty. He took the steps necessary to ensure that a degree from Winston-Salem State University had merit in

That vision is important to our graduates - it is important to this community, to this state, and to the nation. The vast majority of our students are from North Carolina and the majority of our graduates stay in this state or return here when they are ready to raise a family.

Our graduates work at medical centers across North Carolina.

They are managers at banks in Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Raleigh, and in small towns across the state. They are attending graduate schools, becoming lawyers, getting Ph.Ds.

the eyes of those who earned those degrees and in the eyes of those who would judge all graduates by the merits of those degrees. He initiated the process of changing the perception of the local community and spoke openly and honestly about what those perceptions were – resulting in the stark improvement of the university’s positioning.

AVERAGE SAT OF INCOMING FRESHMAN

2007 = 876

2012 = 907

At the beginning I mentioned relevancy and I mention it again.

It is important that we perform at a high level because it is critically important that WSSU and other HBCUs survive.

I believe that they are as relevant today as they were in the 19th century when many of them were founded.

AVERAGE GPA OF INCOMING FRESHMAN

2.9 2007

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Here is why I say that. HBCUs represent only 3% of the colleges and universities in this country, yet they enroll 12% of the African-American college population.

HBCUs produce 23% of all African-American college graduates and confer 40% of the degrees earned by African-Americans in the STEM areas – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. They educate 50% of the country’s AfricanAmerican teachers and 40% of all African-American health professionals.

But beyond the statistics, HBCUs like Winston-Salem State hire faculty and staff who contribute to the economic health of the communities where they are located. They buy goods; they buy services; and they provide an educated workforce for businesses and nonprofits.

That’s what we do. We educate young people and they impact the social and economic well-being of the communities where they live and where they work.

There is one last point that I want to make and it has to do with something that I said in that installation speech in April of 2008. I commented that since my arrival at the university I was experiencing a clash of culture. That’s the comment that upset folks the most. The clash of cultures, I said, had to do with low expectations. I had come from very different places where expectations for everything were through the roof, and I had

arrived at WSSU where expectations were low. I said that the faculty held low expectations for the students’ ability to learn; that the community had low expectations for our graduates; that alums sent underprepared students to WSSU because our low admissions standards created low expectations for the institution.

After we first raised admission standards, I even received a letter from the Student Government Association president who urged me to lower the standards because, quote, “WSSU is for Black people.”

Chancellor Donald Reaves is a visionary leader. When he came to Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) seven years ago, he had the wisdom and forethought to put processes in place that would make the institution one of the best in the University of North Carolina System, the region, state, and nation. As a professional colleague, I have watched him work tirelessly to make his visions become realities. The proof can be found in the results of his labors.

Among his many milestones and achievements, Chancellor Reaves set out to improve freshmen retention and graduation rates at WSSU. He achieved that goal.

Recently, U.S. News and World Report lauded WSSU for having the 5th highest retention rate among the nation’s HBCUs. In 2007, WSSU graduated 824 students. In May 2014, that number nearly doubled.

NUMBER OF DEGREE PROGRAMS 2007 = 42 2012 = 46

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2007

2012

As with any effective leader, decisions must be made that may

From one professional colleague and friend to another,

not be popular among the university community, alumni, and

congratulations and the best of luck to you as you prepare for

supporters. When Chancellor Reaves arrived at WSSU, he made

the next chapter in an already impressive professional life.

a bold move that proved cost-saving for WSSU and made it a

Chancellor Reaves has been a great CEO, but his real strength is

force in the famed Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association

as a colleague and friend.

(CIAA).

Chancellor James A. Anderson Previous leadership decided to move the university to the ranks

Fayetteville State University

of Division I athletics, a move that would enhance the WSSU brand even further, but also at the same time make deep cuts in the institution’s budget. Chancellor Reaves determined this was not a wise move, especially in those tough economic times. As can be expected, many were unhappy. But how did Chancellor Reaves respond? He said little. He let the results do the talking.

Since rejoining the CIAA, WSSU athletic teams have won 16 conference championships and the football team has compiled

Among all of the challenges that I faced, I knew that the problem of expectations would be the toughest to solve. So today, I take great pride when I move among this community and I hear people talk about WSSU much more favorably and talk about what our students are doing, and when students come to me and tell me that they are not being challenged or when they ask that the library hours of operation be extended, that’s when I know that progress has been achieved.

an impressive 55 and 7 record, losing only three conference games in four years. The team also was Division II national runner-up in 2012.

It has become evident that the WSSU community, especially the Board of Trustees, has been pleased with Chancellor Reaves and the direction he took WSSU. The newly constructed student

I am proud of what has been accomplished at WinstonSalem State over the past seven-plus years. I believe we have strengthened this institution and positioned it for a very bright future. I have enjoyed thoroughly the times we have spent together over the years and appreciate your support for me and for the university. Thank you so much.

center at WSSU now bears his name and will forever remain a reminder of his leadership, vision, and wisdom.

NUMBER OF GRADUATE PROGRAMS 2007 = 8 2012 = 10

2007

2012

PERCENTAGE OF FACULTY WITH PhD or PROFESSIONAL DEGREE 2007 = 60% 2012 = 70%

2007

2012

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A Chancellor’s Parting Thoughts I arrived at WSSU in 2007 having spent nearly two decades at universities that were so different that they might as well have been on Mars; different in fortune, different in perspective, and different in countless other ways.

Every university is unique; each has its strengths and its warts – things about which it is proud and matters that cause consternation.

At Brown, the flexible curriculum is its crown jewel while its adherence to political correctness causes embarrassment.

Academic excellence at Chicago is unsurpassed, but a rigid curriculum makes recruitment and enrollment of undergraduate students more difficult than one would expect at a world-renowned institution. What I found upon my arrival at WSSU was no different.

I found an institution with a historical legacy of providing access to higher education that was unsurpassed among its peers; an institution that since its founding had produced graduates of distinction and through its school of education and nursing program had made significant contributions to the growth of the African American middle class.

At the same time, I found an institution that was struggling against the contemporary issues that challenged similar institutions in the 21st Century – how to do more with less; how to compete for a pool of talented African American students; how to maintain its HBCU identity and still attract students for whom the HBCU monogram was less important than it had been to their parents and grandparents.

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ought to be places of comfort. The goal of a university is not to make students comfortable but to prepare them for life in the real world.

Now, after more than seven years as chancellor, I can reflect on the accomplishments of my administration. I can measure the progress that has been achieved and I take tremendous pride in having, as they say, moved the institution to another level, not solely for the sake of the achievement, but for the long-term beneficial effects that will accrue to the graduates of WSSU. I did what I came here to do.

Please don’t take my words to mean that I have not enjoyed the experience. To the contrary, it been challenging, but tremendously rewarding. I wouldn’t trade all of the years that I spent at Brown and Chicago for the last seven at WSSU.

Of course, there are the students. Along the way, I met many wonderful students who were deserving of a quality education, and we were determined to make that possible for them and for future generations.

These were not trivial matters in 2007, and their remnants are not trivial today. But these were the challenges that I inherited, and being the foreigner in a foreign land that I was, and remained, made dealing with them doubly difficult. My perspective on the world and on higher education had been forged by my experiences at very different places and my approach was at odds with the traditional way of doing things in the south and at WSSU. So heads butted and from time to time there were eruptions over issues. There also were misunderstandings and feelings were sometimes hurt, but I never wavered in my belief that WSSU could perform better across a wide array of measures that mattered and I never wavered in my approach to making that happen. That’s because I brought with me from Brown, the smallest and least wealthy of the Ivies, a sense of pragmatism, a nose for what is achievable relative to resources available, a belief in the importance of priorities; and from Chicago, a hard-headed approach that sees value in confrontation for the resolution that it brings, and a rejection of the belief that universities

By Chancellor Donald Reaves

I want to thank those who have supported me, including the past and current trustees, my executive staff especially, and the university staff. They had to deal with the massive doses of change I injected into an institution that was not always a willing and grateful patient.

Then, there is the faculty whose responsibility spans generations – alums, those who are enrolled currently, and those who will one day enroll at WSSU. The impact faculty has can mold the way that thousands of young people think about the world and serve their communities. I look forward to joining their ranks.

Of course, there are the students. Along the way, I met many wonderful students who were deserving of a quality education, and we were determined to make that possible for them and for future generations.

I also want to thank Erskine Bowles and Tom Ross, the two presidents for whom I have worked. They too believed in what I was trying to do, and for that I am grateful. I especially remember when Erskine hired me and we talked about my goals, he cautioned me, but he also encouraged me. He said be bold, and I think I have done that.

Our experiences, that of Deborah and me, were made all the more enjoyable by the wonderful relationships and friendships that we have established since our arrival more than seven years ago. We have forged friendships that we cherish and plan to maintain as we transition to ordinary citizens of Winston-Salem.

“The Graduate” by Ernie Barnes ©Ernie Barnes Family Trust

“The Graduate,” a timeless work by artist Ernie Barnes, is a favorite of Chancellor Donald Julian Reaves.

Over his career, North Carolina native Barnes transitioned from professional football player to the foremost contemporary African American artist. His distinctive, expressive style has captured the energy and power of sports (he was the official artist for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles) and of black culture, including the 1971 “Sugar Shack” dance scene that appeared on the “Good Times” television show.

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