Throughout their academic lives, students have been taught the importance of critical thinking. Now, it will be put to the forefront of this institution's process of reaccreditation.

North Carolina A&T State University is in the process of reaffirming its accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the regional agency that grants A&T its national accreditation status from the U.S. Department of Education. The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is an integral component of the process that must be in compliance with SACS criteria and the University's strategy for demonstrating its commitment to ongoing quality enhancement.

The key goal of the QEP is to help improve aspects of student achievement. The decision to focus on critical thinking was based on input from students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Vincent Childress, a professor in the School of Technology and chair of the QEP committee, discusses the importance of critical thinking skills being administered to students.

"No department needs to create a critical thinking course, but (departments) should integrate the development of skills into courses they have in place," Childress said.

The data from the QEP was gathered during two phases of surveying from various input sessions and was gathered across various campus information sources including student achievement data, department reports and university strategic plans. The goal is for the plan to be implemented during the summer with professional development starting in the fall. That way students could be taught (about critical thinking) as early as next spring.

Childress believes that teaching these skills consistently from the freshman through the senior year will better prepare the students to compete with those from other institutions and force them not to take information at just face value.

"This commitment to ongoing quality enhancement will help our university create a better culture of scholarship."

Members of the QEP committee have expressed the importance of being a part of this process and hope that everyone will catch on.

"I've worked on many committees, but this one is different in that it touches the heart of students and that makes it really important to me," said Lawanda Wallace, assistant athletics director for student services and QEP committee member.

By the time this program is underway, students should be much better at inquiring, analyzing and making better decisions. Instead of just hearing about something and not doing any research to check its validity, they should be able to analyze a situation and make an informed rational decision based on their nvestigation.

QEP input session participant Patricia Shelton, associate dean of nursing, sums up the plan perfectly by quoting former A&T President Warmoth T. Gibbs: "We teach students how to think, not what to think."

Over the last few years, the Center for Energy Research and Technology (CERT) at North Carolina A&T State University has grown into one of the most funded and prestigious research centers of its type in the state of North Carolina. 

CERT was formed in 1984, as a multidisciplinary research, teaching and outreach center that is grounded in the engineering and building sciences. It specializes in fostering the collaborative research between different departments that is necessary for the continued research and development of new energy-related technologies.

Most of CERT's focus is divided across the branches of basic and applied research, outreach and extension activities, and education relating to renewable energy, energy efficiency, alternative fuels and vehicle technologies, sustainable green building and the environment resulting in the nation's energy security and energy independence.

A&T's CERT is not the only center of its kind in the state located on a college campus. Two other major energy centers are housed at North Carolina State and Appalachian State universities. Those institutions deal primarily with residential properties, whereas, CERT works with various local companies in the public and private sector, community colleges and local government. The center was recognized recently by the Guilford County Commissioners for its assistance and achievements.

Harmohindar Singh, director of CERT at A&T, emphasizes the recycling of knowledge as a key factor as to what has made the students, teachers and researchers of CERT so successful.

"Whatever we learn in the industry, we immediately bring it back to the classroom so that our students can learn it," he said.

According to Matt O'Brien, AIA, LEED AP and a researcher of green building design, "We have a special niche among the three schools.  We integrate students and faculty into the work of the research center allowing us to teach as we observe, learn as implement energy conservation measures across the Triad."

The vast majority of the work and research conducted by CERT would not be possible without some type of government funding. Federal funding is the area that CERT has been very adept in: funded for the last three years by state legislation and writing close to $1 million in grants for the constituents they serve, including Guilford County. Funding agencies such as the State Energy Department, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center and U.S. Department of Energy have contributed greatly to CERT.

O'Brien hopes that more people will become familiar with CERT since they are tackling one of the biggest problems on the domestic agenda in energy conservation.

"Energy is often in the news and nearly every press conference President Obama gives is about energy," said O'Brien. "Saving energy isn't just nice for saving trees; it makes sense economically for the entrepreneur. And now that they see it, big businesses are buying into it."

Those who are interested in learning more about the Center for Energy Research and Technology at North Carolina A&T State University and upcoming programs can visit the website at http://cert.ncat.edu.