A celebratory evening of champagne, chanteuses and the chancellor are featured when N.C. A&T State University celebrates the induction of its 12th leader with an Installation Gala. The black tie gala closes out a weeklong series of events commemorating the installation of Harold L. Martin Sr. as chancellor and is set for Friday, April 23, at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center, Guilford Ballroom.
Jazz singer Melva Houston and soul singer Tanya Ross, both recording artists who also perform a variety of other musical genres, will perform. The University Jazz Band also will be featured in an evening that begins at 6:30 p.m. with a reception, followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $100 and may be purchased by calling (336) 334-7695. The official installation ceremony for Chancellor Martin will take place earlier that day from 10 a.m. until noon in the Corbett Sports Center at A&T.
Houston has more than 20 years of live performances across the United States and internationally, executing standards from jazz greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Nina Simone. She has also performed with R&B greats such as Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding and Rufus Thomas. Houston was acknowledged in 2006 as the Goodwill Ambassador of the "Fundacion Alzheimer Aruba" and was a Telly Award winner for her short-form documentary promo, "Melva Houston: Keeping Jazz Alive." Today she tours the U.S., Spain, Germany, Holland, Switzerland and the Caribbean on her mission to keep jazz alive.
Ross composes music with touches of soul, jazz, reggae, rock, and other genres, and is also inspired by gospel. Her performance chops were honed in the all-female band "Ebonique" which opened for such recording artists as Sybil, Boney James, Kirk Whalum, Rick Braun, the Zapp Band and others. Her new band, "The Tonya Ross Project," performs a music mix of R&B, neo-soul, contemporary/traditional jazz and originals spanning the 1970s to now. She recently released her first solo project, "Free as a Bird."
"The gala will provide a delightful ending to a week of activities highlighting the difference that N.C. A&T makes in our community and the joy we are experiencing in having Chancellor Martin lead the university and champion university and town relationships," said Susan Schwartz, executive director of the Cemala Foundation, who co-chairs the Gala Committee with Dr. Alton Thompson, A&T interim provost.
Proceeds from the gala as well as direct contributions benefit the Chancellor's Leadership Fund for implementing strategic goals Martin set for the university. Those goals include enhancing and strengthening the student academic experience, developing important relationships and alliances throughout the greater community, and strengthening the research program and its impact on economic development.
For more information about the Chancellor's Installation activities visit www.ncat.edu.
ALUMNA CHOSEN TO ADDRESS
MAY GRADS
Donna A. James, managing director of Lardon & Associates LLC., will be the keynote speaker for the spring commencement exercises Saturday, May 8, at the Greensboro Coliseum. More than 1,000 candidates are expected to receive degrees.
A 1979 graduate, James is a corporate director for many public companies including three Fortune 500 companies. She has over 25 years of diverse leadership and management experience at the highest corporate levels, where she has been a trusted resource and advisor for senior business leaders on issues related to governance, new business development, strategy, financial and risk management, and leadership development.
James serves on the board of directors for brands such as Coca-Cola Enterprises, Conseco Inc., Limitedbrands and Time Warner Cable. Prior to her current position, she retired as president of Nationwide Strategic Investments, a division of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.
In her community, James is founder and chair of the Center for Healthy Families, a non-profit focused on transforming the lives of pregnant and parenting teens and their children.
In 2005 James was named by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the top 75 in corporate America. She is a 2007 inductee of the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Hall of Fame and a 2008 inductee of the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame.
The Washington, D.C., native and her husband Larry James reside in Columbus, Ohio. They have two sons and five grandchildren.
The commencement ceremonies begin at 8:30 a.m.
Submitted by Jeuron O. Dove, staff writer, jodove@ncat.edu
RESEARCH APPRECIATION DAY TO HONOR 'DR. RADHA'
This year, Research Appreciation Day and the Research Awards Dinner at North Carolina A&T State University will look to the future of research at the university while honoring the past achievements of the retiring vice chancellor for research and economic development, Narayanaswamy "Dr. Radha" Radhakrishnan.
Research Appreciation Day, April 16, will feature a daylong series of discussions on "The Future of Research at N.C. A&T." The program will begin at 8 a.m. and continue until 3:30 p.m. in Fort IRC, room 410. Activities include the following: a keynote speech by Paul Clayson, chairman and CEO of nCoat Inc., a Guilford County-based company that specializes in nanotechnology research and commercialization in the field of high performance coatings for the aerospace, automotive and defense industries, among others; a panel discussion with the chancellor and the deans; presentations by A&T's research center directors; and a panel discussion on undergraduate research, one of A&T's top research priorities.
The Research Awards Dinner will be held at the Alumni Foundation Events Center, beginning with a reception at 6 p.m. Radhakrishnan, who is retiring April 30 after serving seven years as vice chancellor, will be honored at the dinner along with the recipients of this year's outstanding research awards.
Under Radhakrishnan's leadership, A&T's level of externally funded research has more than doubled to more than $57 million in 2009, and it attained recognition from the Carnegie Foundation as a "high research activity" university.
For more information on Research Appreciation Day and the Research Awards Dinner, contact the Division of Research and Economic Development, (336) 334-7314.
Submitted by David Arneke, drarneke@ncat.edu, director of communications, Division of Research and Economic Development
Tickets for the gala are $100 and may be purchased by calling (336) 334-7695.
James is a corporate director for many public companies including three Fortune 500 companies.
Under the leadership of Dr. Radha, N.C. A&T's level of externally funded research has more than doubled to more than $57 million in 2009, and it attained recognition from the Carnegie Foundation as a "high research activity" university.