A&T CHOSEN TO PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL INITIATIVE
North Carolina A&T State University is one of 13 institutions chosen through a national competition sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) to participate in Preparing Critical Faculty for the Future (PCFF), a project that will support women of color faculty in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) disciplines in becoming strong academic and administrative leaders on campus and within their respective disciplines.
The PCFF project is funded by the National Science Foundation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP).
"Through this initiative, we hope to provide support to a network of scholars and teachers who can help each other and the rest of the nation as we all seek to improve undergraduate STEM education for students at HBCU's and for students, especially those historically underserved, at all different kinds of colleges and universities," said Alma Clayton-Pedersen, AAC&U senior scholar and project director.
The goals of the PCFF project are to provide professional and leadership development for women of color faculty in STEM disciplines or NSF natural and behavioral science disciplines and to improve undergraduate STEM education at HBCUs and beyond. This new project will provide participants with the opportunity and the financial support to engage in and influence the national dialogue on improving undergraduate STEM education.
Project participants will contribute to and gain from national efforts to develop and implement innovative STEM teaching and learning practices and effective curricular change strategies. By uncovering useful strategies for preparing women faculty of color for academic leadership in STEM fields, PCFF expects to improve STEM education broadly as well as at HBCUs.
A&T has nominated two faculty members to participate in all phases of the project along with colleagues from the other participating institutions. These two faculty members will be joined by a larger team of A&T faculty who will attend an AAC&U summer institute on engaging departments.
In addition to N.C. A&T, the selected institutions include Bennett College for Women, Central State University, J.F. Drake State Technical College, Livingstone College, North Carolina Central University, Spelman College, Tennessee State University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, University of Maryland at Eastern Shore, University of the District of Columbia, Wiley College and Winston-Salem State University.
For additional information about the project, visit www.aacu.org/pcff.
STEVE PERRY TO SPEAK AT
MLK COMMEMORATIVE CELEBRATION
CNN education contributor and Essence bestselling author Steve Perry is the keynote speaker for this year's Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration, "The Legacy – Remember, Celebrate, Act," which will be held Thursday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. in Harrison Auditorium. The event is being sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs in conjunction with the university's Lyceum Series.
Born as one of 16 children into a family of generational poverty in Middletown, Conn., Perry believes that success is determined by where you end, not where you start. It is this philosophy that inspired him to dedicate his life to transforming the lives of poor and minority children by providing them with access to a college education.
Perry's career has taken him from directing a grassroots organization in Chester, Pa., to a full scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Work, back to his hometown of Middletown where he ran a homeless shelter, became a candidate for state representative and published his first of four books – all before the age of 26.
He founded the Connecticut Collegiate Awareness Program on the campus of Capital Community College in Hartford, Conn., in 1998, and the Capital Preparatory Magnet School (Capital Prep) in 2004. Both initiatives were responsible for equipping a large percentage of low-income first generation students with the necessary skills to attend four-year institutions of higher learning upon graduation. Capital Prep has been recognized by the Hartford Courant and U.S. News & World Report as one of America's best high schools.
Perry has appeared on over 200 radio and television broadcasts, and he is featured as a regular contributor on issues of education for CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Channel. He is the Essence Best Selling Author of the book, Man Up! Nobody Is Coming To Save Us.
This free, ticketed program is open to the public. For ticket information, contact the University Ticket Office at (336) 334-7749.
The North Carolina A&T State University Board of Visitors was reestablished by Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. in November 2010.
"The board is comprised of a broad spectrum of extremely talented and committed individuals, who will help A&T reach new heights as the institution continues to actualize its full potential as a state-supported land-grant university," said Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. "They are voluntarily lending their talents to assist us with our effort to attract bright and ambitious students, forge new partnerships and strengthen old relationships."
The N.C. A&T Board of Visitors is an unincorporated advisory association whose primary functions are to advise the chancellor on matters related to maintaining and enhancing the University's quality and excellence; assist the University in achieving its mission; provide feedback to the chancellor and senior administrators; assist the University in obtaining resources for the continued enhancement of the University; and serve as advocates for the University.
"We will work with the chancellor and his deans on issues that he feels or they feel are relevant to the advancement and growth of the university," said A&T alumnus Royall M. Mack Sr., founder and CEO of Ciara Enterprises and board chairman.
Currently, there are 35 board members; the maximum is 60: Alma Adams, N.C. State Representative; Clara Adams-Ender, retired brigadier general; Joe L. Anderson Sr., president, Rochester N.Y. Alumni Chapter; Michelle Ballard, assistant vice president, BB&T; David Barksdale, chief banking officer, New Bridge Bank; Claudette Bennett, chief, Racial Statistics Branch, U.S. Department. of Commerce; Ernestine Bennett, president, EB Enterprises; Chuck Burns, city executive, First Citizens Bank; Robert China, vice president, Fortress Credit Corp.; George Clopton, vice president of operations, Polo Ralph Lauren; Carolyn Q. Coleman, Guilford County Commissioner; Kimberly Gatling, partner, Smith Moore Leatherwood, LLP; Kevin Gray, program associate, Weaver Foundation; Derric A. Gregory Sr., CPA, senior pastor, Mount Bright Baptist Church; Michael Hardison, consultant; Marc Howze, factory manager, John Deere Turf Care; Terrence Jenkins, television personality, BET Network; Stephanie Johnson, senior manager of corporate accounting, Cox Media Group Inc.; Frankie Jones, president/CEO, Phoenix One Enterprises; Jim Kee, Greensboro City Council District 2; Cornelius "CC" Lamberth Jr., president, C2 Contractors, LLC; Vonnetta Mickens, manager, Americas Diversity Operations; Lonnie Miles, CEO, Miles-McClellan Construction; Henry McKoy, retired senior foreign service officer; Kenneth Owens, CPA, manager of real estate, Coca Cola Refreshments; Princess Palmer, partner, KPMG; Joe Parker Jr., retired, Wachovia Bank; Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, vice president of corporate public affairs, Progress Energy; Annette Smith, vice president of nursing/patient service, Wesley Long Hospital; James Smith, owner/operator, McDonalds; Jini D. Thornton, CPA, CEO, Envision Business Management Group; Ponce DeLeon Tidwell Jr., assistant general counsel, Eli Lilly & Company; Janeen Uzzell, manager of global program, General Electric; and Stacey Youngdale, director of talent management, AB Volvo.
Each board member also serves on one or more standing committees in the areas of Academic Affairs, Public Affairs, Marketing and Communications, and External Partnerships.
The Board of Visitors will meet twice each calendar year, and the next meeting will be held March 31-April 1. For additional information, contact Wendell F. Phillips, director of state and community relations in the Division of University Advancement and staff liaison to the board, (336) 334-7600 or wfphilli@ncat.edu.
North Carolina A&T State University will host its 25th Annual Ronald E. McNair Commemorative Celebration and 10th National Research Symposium, Jan. 26-28. This year's theme is "Striving for Excellence, While Continuing the Dream."
The program honors and pays tribute to the life of Ronald E. McNair, a scholar, distinguished physicist and one of America's first African American astronauts. McNair graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. degree in physics from N.C. A&T in 1971 and earned a Ph.D. in laser physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1976. He died Jan. 20, 1986, in a fiery explosion nine miles above the Atlantic Ocean along with six other crew members aboard the space shuttle Challenger.
Randal Pinkett, an author, entrepreneur, scholar, community servant and Season 4 winner of NBC's The Apprentice with Donald Trump, will deliver the keynote address at the Commemorative Celebration Luncheon at noon Friday, Jan. 28, in Stallings Ballroom. Pinkett is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, a multi-million dollar management, technology and policy consulting firm based in Newark, N.J., that works with corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations in the areas of housing and community development, economic development, human services, government, healthcare and education.
Pinkett has been featured on nationally televised programs such as the Today Show and Live with Regis and Kelly, as well as featured in Parade magazine, The New York Times and The Boston Globe. After winning The Apprentice, he later served as an executive with Trump Entertainment Resorts in Atlantic City, N.J., where he was responsible for overseeing renovation and information technology projects.
The Philadelphia, Pa., native has a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Rutgers University, where he made history as the school's first African American Rhodes Scholar. He also has an M.S. degree in computer science from Oxford University, an M.S. degree in electrical engineering from the MIT School of Engineering, an M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and a Ph.D. from the MIT Media Laboratory. He has authored three books.
Other activities during the three-day celebration and symposium include plenary discussions, a memorial march and conversations with McNair's friends. For registration information, contact Joyce Brown, symposium chair, at (336) 334-7109.
This new project will provide participants with the opportunity and the financial support to engage in and influence the national dialogue on improving undergraduate STEM education.
Born as one of 16 children into a family of generational poverty, Perry believes that success is determined by where you end, not where you start.
"We will work with the chancellor and his deans on issues that he feels or they feel are relevant to the advancement and growth of the university." – Royall M. Mack Sr., Chairman of the Board
Randal Pinkett, an author, entrepreneur, scholar, community servant and Season 4 winner of NBC's The Apprentice with Donald Trump, will deliver the keynote address at the Commemorative Celebration Luncheon.