The Board of Governors of the multi-campus University of North Carolina has selected 17 of its most outstanding faculty to receive the 17th Annual Awards for Excellence in Teaching. Each award winner will receive a commemorative bronze medallion and a $7,500 cash prize.

The 17 recipients, representing an array of academic disciplines, were nominated by special committees on their home campuses and selected by the Board of Governors Committee on Personnel and Tenure, chaired by Fred Mills of Raleigh. The awards will be presented by a Board of Governors member during the spring graduation ceremony on each campus.

Winners include Professor Myra L. Pennell, Department of History, Appalachian State University; Associate Professor John W. Howard, School of Communication, East Carolina University; Professor José S. Gil, Department of Language, Literature and Communication, Elizabeth City State University; Associate Professor Todd S. Frobish, interim chair, Department of Communication, Fayetteville State University; Associate Professor Robert L. Howard, Sr., Department of Economics and Finance, North Carolina A&T State University; Professor Drew Williams, director of advising, Department of English and Mass Communication, North Carolina Central University; and Professor Sarah Ash, coordinator of the nutrition undergraduate program, Department of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University.

Other winners are Professor Sophie Mills, chair, Department of Classics, UNC Asheville; Professor Dino S. Cervigni, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, UNC-Chapel Hill; Associate Professor Jeffrey W. Price, Department of Music, UNC Charlotte; Associate Professor Patrick Lee Lucas, Department of Interior Architecture, UNC Greensboro; Associate Professor Joseph P. Lakatos, Department of Accounting and Information Technology, UNC Pembroke; Professor Frank J. Bongiorno, jazz studies coordinator, Department of Music, UNC Wilmington; Artist faculty/instructor Steven LaCosse, assistant dean of enrollment, School of Music, UNC School of the Arts; Associate Professor Aaron K. Ball, Department of Engineering and Technology, Western Carolina University; Associate Professor Jill J. Harp, Department of Life Sciences, Winston-Salem State University; and John Kolena, instructor of science and physics, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.

Established by the Board of Governors in 1994 to underscore the importance of teaching and to reward good teaching across the University, the awards are given annually to a tenured faculty member from each UNC campus. Winners must have taught at their present institutions at least seven years. No one may receive the award more than once.

Award citations and thumbnail photos for all 17 award recipients can be found at 2011 Board of Governors Teaching Awards on the University of North Carolina website.

The oldest public university in the nation, the University of North Carolina enrolls more than 220,000 students and encompasses all 16 of North Carolina’s public institutions that grant baccalaureate degrees, as well as the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics, the nation’s first public residential high school for academically gifted students. The UNC Center for Public Television, with its 12-station statewide broadcast network, the UNC Health Care System, and the N.C. Arboretum are also under the University umbrella.

North Carolina A&T State University's Rehabilitation Counseling Programs and the Capacity Building Grant are hosting the Fifth Annual Rehabilitation of Ethnic Minorities with Behavioral Addictions (REMBA) Conference, April 14-15 at Grandover Resort in Greensboro. This year's theme is "Taking the First Steps to Recovery: Unveiling the Intimate Relationship between Minorities and Addictions."
 
The conference addresses the growing needs of racial and ethnic minorities with alcohol, drug, sex and gambling addictions. Other areas addressed are eating disorders, co-occurring disorders and criminal behaviors.

Actor/Writer/Producer/Director Todd Bridges is the keynote speaker. He is most famously known for his role as Willis in the 1978-1986 television sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes." Bridges has starred in other television shows such as "Everybody Hates Chris," "The Waltons," "Barney Miller," "Roots," "Little House on the Prairie." As featured on "Oprah," Bridges will take the conference attendees through his journey from stardom to addiction and to a successful recovery.

The opening speaker is Barbara Akins, who is known in the Greensboro community as "B." Akins is a registered nurse, certified substance abuse counselor and a graduate of N.C. A&T. She is the president of OASNA Task Force here in the city, director of nursing for Detox Residential Treatment Facility, a consultant for behavioral health and substance abuse service providers, co-owner of Akins & Associates DWI Services, and is part of countless other endeavors within the community.

Annually, approximately 200 or more attend the REMBA conference, which offers professional development opportunities, CEUs, CRCs and other continuing education credits. Attendees include rehabilitation counselors, community counselors, school counselors, mental health professionals, psychologist, nurses, psychiatrists, counselor educators and supervisors, human resource professionals, administrators, students, other human service personnel, and anyone interested in learning more about addictions in underrepresented communities.

The cost to attend the conference is $40 for students and $65 for professionals. To register, contact the program managers, Calena Creft and Marquita Williams, by email at rembaconference2011@gmail.com or by phone, (336) 334-7916.

Rod Broadway's first game as the head football coach at North Carolina A&T will occur Saturday, Sept. 3, when the Aggies take on the St. Paul's College Tigers at Aggie Stadium. N.C. A&T's 2011 football schedule features five home and six away dates. 

N.C. A&T fans will get their first glimpse of the Aggies on Saturday, April 9, as the Aggies play in the annual Spring Game at 1 p.m., from Aggie Stadium.

After the Spring Game and the contest versus the Tigers, the Aggies head to Boone, N.C., on Sept. 10 to face Appalachian State. The Mountaineers won three straight Division I-FCS National Championships from 2005-07. They also have won the Southern Conference six straight seasons.

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers return to Aggie Stadium Saturday, Sept. 24. The two teams last faced each other in 2009. Bethune-Cookman comes to Greensboro, Saturday, Oct. 8, before the Greatest Homecoming on Earth, Oct. 15. The historic rivalry between A&T and N.C. Central moves to the final game of the season with the two teams clashing at Aggie Stadium on Nov. 19. 

The Aggies' remaining five road games include a stretch of four straight conference games. A&T plays Howard, Norfolk State, Florida A&M and S.C. State away from home Oct. 22-Nov. 12. The Aggies' other road game is against Morgan State on Oct. 1. For the complete schedule, visit www.ncataggies.com. Game dates and times are subject to change.