The Rose Parade debut of the Marching Sound Machine in Pasadena, California, on New Year’s Day was a complete success!  The tricky 110-degree turn onto Colorado Boulevard? Flawless. The moon-walking dance moves? Smooth as silk. The response of the crowd?  Almost louder than the band’s drum line.

Turquoise Thompson, captain of the auxiliary dance team, said, “It felt like we were doing it for a lot of other people, people who came before us and those who’ll come after. My favorite part was when we finished, we cheered and hugged each other and began rejoicing.”

Our first dual Commencement Exercises were a complete success.  Dr. Norman B. Anderson, chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association and an NCCU alumnus, delivered the address at the university’s inaugural ceremony for about 430 graduate and professional students on the Friday afternoon in McDougald – McLendon Gymnasium.

Then, at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a giant of the civil rights movement, delivered the undergraduate address and witnessed the conferral of about 550 degrees during the baccalaureate ceremony.

Fall 2011 enrollment included about 1,700 new students — 1,261 new freshmen and 452 transfer students.  This is a better-prepared class of freshmen with an average high school GPA of 3.02 (up from 2.95 in 2010).

The Annie Day Shepard Scholars program was launched.  This fall, 40 first-generation African-American freshmen women were housed together as a living and learning community in McLean Residence Hall.  This program is intended to serve as a counterpart to the highly successful program for men.  The Centennial Scholars has grown to include 400 males this year.

NCCU Law students have received EPA Fellowships in which they spend a summer attending Vermont Law School while also working in paid positions at the EPA.  Now in its second year, the Fellowship program is valued at $18,000 per Fellow. The EPA renewed its relationship with NCCU with the formal signing of an updated memorandum of understanding last month.  

Our Ph.D. program in integrated biosciences is about to become a reality.  The Board of Governors approved the proposal and we will enroll the first cohort of students in fall 2012, pending final approval by the Commission of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Numerous sponsored research grants in the sciences are limited to institutions with Ph.D. programs.  So without a Ph.D., NCCU was locked out of that competition.  But our Ph.D. in integrated biosciences is on track and on target.  It’s consistent with the UNC Tomorrow initiative, our mission and our strengths in health disparities research and biotechnology.

Our sponsored research grants increased by 19 percent last year, to more than $25 million, under the capable leadership of Dr. Hazell Reed, vice chancellor for research and economic development.

The largest amount this calendar year was the annual installment of $1.3 million of the $7 million from the multi-year National Cancer Institute grant.

Lenora Helm, a music professor who is also an accomplished jazz performer, Emmanuel Oritsejafor, director of the Office of International Affairs, and Dan Reis, multimedia designer in the Center for Teaching and Learning were selected

as fellows to the State University of New York’s Center for Collaborative Online International Learning Institute.  They will work to create and team-teach a course in jazz for students through universities in Europe and Africa.

The NCCU School of Law established a partnership with the University of North Carolina Wilmington to offer courses in ocean and coastal law, coastal and marine science and policy, and environmental science to law students and practicing attorneys who wish to expand their expertise in these fields. The program will be held on the UNCW campus in the summer of 2012.

A Call to Action is a policy paper I developed and distributed nationally regarding the measures that must be taken to strengthen historically black colleges if we are to achieve President Barack Obama’s goal of increasing the percentage of college graduates to the highest in the world by 2020.  We called for a “National HBCU Reinvestment Act” to support infrastructure, curriculum development, research, teaching and learning at our nation’s HBCUs.

An Academic Program Review was initiated by Provost Debbie Thomas to assess all low degree-granting programs, in collaboration with the deans and department chairs.  I have asked her to provide me with a report by December 31. The report will be used to guide decisions about which programs to eliminate, consolidate or expand in the coming years.  The recommendations contained in the report will be thoroughly examined through several open forums early in 2012.

A Process Improvement and Efficiency Review is due to be completed by Vice Chancellor Wendell Davis by year’s end.  All university administrative operations will be scrutinized and measures for increasing efficiency and effectiveness will be delineated. 

This fall, we received four more national recognitions.  First, NCCU was one of 32 colleges and universities cited in a national survey funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation titled Beating the Odds. This small group of institutions was acknowledged for graduating low-wealth students in greater than expected numbers.

Next, the Washington Monthly ranked NCCU in the top 40 of more than 600 master's-level universities in the country for our contributions to the public good.  To arrive at the overall ranking, the Washington publication combined measures of social mobility, referring to the recruitment and graduation of low-wealth students, research and service.

For two years in a row, NCCU was the top public HBCU, in the U.S. News & World Report ranking.  Now we’re tied for No. 2 with another North Carolina university.

In the latest rankings compiled by preLaw magazine, a National Jurist Publication, the NCCU School of Law placed fourth in the nation in providing clinical opportunities for our students.  The ranking is based on the ratio of full-time clinical positions available.  NCCU’s law school manages 12 law clinics, which pair law students with low-income North Carolinians who need pro bono help with everything from home foreclosure to their defense of criminal charges.

And the School of Law is now able to offer legal services across the state through the use of its brand new telepresence classroom.  With an entire wall of video screens, it is truly like being there for participants seated in classrooms at four partner HBCUs in Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, Greensboro and Elizabeth City.

NCCU is now a full member of NCAA Division I athletics. The five-year reclassification process moving from Division II is complete, and the Eagles are now eligible to participate in post-season championships.

To meet Division I standards, NCCU made some major improvements in its facilities, the most visible being installation of a new artificial turf field and a digital scoreboard at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium.  The university also increased its minimum number of scholarships in each sport.  This fall, the football team played a full conference schedule against eight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opponents.

We were fortunate to recruit two outstanding vice chancellors, five deans and a new chair of the nursing program in 2011.

New Vice Chancellors
Debbie Thomas was named provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. She previously served as associate provost and associate vice chancellor, and she succeeded Kwesi E. Aggrey, who resigned to return to full-time teaching and research in the Chemistry Department.

Thomas came to NCCU in 2010 from Indiana University Northwest, where she was executive director of the Center for Urban and Regional Excellence. She previously held administrative posts at Fisk University, the University of Arkansas at Monticello and University of Central Florida.

Wendell M. Davis, deputy county manager of Durham County since 1999, was named vice chancellor for administration and finance — the university’s chief financial officer. 
As Durham County’s second-ranking administrator, Davis managed about 1,300 employees and an annual operating budget of about $300 million in the areas of administration, planning and development, public safety and human services.

He graduated from NCCU in 1987 with two degrees, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts, and subsequently earned a master’s in urban planning from the University of Illinois and an M.B.A. from Southeastern University of Washington, D.C.

New Deans
Abdul K. Mohammed was appointed dean of the College of Science and Technology.  He came to Durham from Winston-Salem State University, where he was chairman of the chemistry department.

A native of Nigeria, Mohammed earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Benin in Nigeria in 1983.  He earned a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry in 1992 from Louisiana State University.  He taught chemistry at North Carolina A&T State University from 1993 to 2004 before moving to Winston-Salem State.

Chanta A. Haywood was named associate vice chancellor and dean of graduate studies.  She served as dean of the School of Graduate Studies at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) since 2003.

Dr. Haywood earned her bachelor’s degree in English at FAMU, a master’s degree in American literature from the University of California, San Diego, and a Ph.D. in American literature from the same university in 1995.

Carlton E. Wilson, chair of the NCCU History department since 2004, was appointed dean of the College of Liberal Arts.  Dr. Wilson had been teaching at NCCU since 1980.  He also has served as director of the General Education Curriculum, director of NCCU convocations and commencement ceremonies and chair of the University Quality Enhancement Plan Advisory Council.

Wilson earned his Bachelor of Arts in history from NCCU, a Master of Arts in British history from The Ohio State University and his Ph.D. in modern British history from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1992.

D. Keith Pigues, a business executive, author and teacher, was named dean of the School of Business. He comes to the university from PlyGem Industries, a privately held building products company based in Cary, where he was senior vice president and chief marketing officer. He previously held executive positions at CEMEX, RR Donnelley, ADP and Honeywell International. He also has been an adjunct professor at Kenan–Flagler Business School at UNC–Chapel Hill.

Pigues received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1984 from Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn., and an MBA from UNC’s Kenan–Flagler in 1993.

Ontario S. Wooden was appointed dean of University College. He had been associate dean of University College since 2008. In that role, he managed NCCU’s academic advising program.

A native of Albany, Ga., he received his Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood education from Albany State University in his hometown. He earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. in higher education administration from Indiana University.

The former dean of University College, Dr. Bernice Duffy Johnson, was named associate vice chancellor for academic affairs.  Johnson has previously served in this role.  She has also served as interim provost, and dean of the former College of Arts and Sciences. 

New Nursing Chair
Betty Pierce Dennis, who chaired the Nursing Department at North Carolina Central University from 1999 to 2004, has returned to chair the department once again as it heads into a period of significant expansion in its new state-of-the-art teaching facility.

Since 2004, Dennis was a professor of nursing and dean of the Division of Nursing at Dillard University in New Orleans. She was also the director and a professor at the Minority Health and Health Disparities Center, a collaborative initiative between Dillard and Louisiana State University funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Dennis earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree from N.C. A&T State University, a Master of Science in medical–surgical administration from Emory University and a Doctor of Public Health from UNC – Chapel Hill.

The new nursing facility opened its doors in time for the school year.  This 69,000 square-foot building was constructed at a cost of $25 million.  The first of three floors offers three classrooms, including a 203-seat auditorium and two 72-seat classrooms; a student services section with a grab-and-go food service and a student lounge. The lobby can accommodate almost 360 people for receptions.

The second floor has a 62-seat classroom, simulated hospital rooms with computer-controlled mannequins and robots to simulate patients, quiet study and group-study rooms, and locker space for the students.

The third floor offers office space for faculty and staff, including, on a temporary basis, the Office of the Provost and her staff.

Chidley North Residence Hall has a capacity for 517 juniors and seniors. With 135,000 square feet, this newly opened facility was built at a cost of $30 million.  Most of its hotel-style accommodations are double rooms, every one with its own bathroom, but there are also eight corner suites designed to house four students each.  The four floors all offer a large laundry room, a big kitchen, and a study room with lounges on every wing.  There is a classroom and computer lab on the second floor and wireless Internet access throughout.

Both Chidley North and the nursing building are LEED silver-certified.

The historic B.N. Duke Auditorium underwent substantial interior renovations including new seating, overhead lighting and carpet, and remodeled bathrooms.

With a $500,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant, NCCU has replaced older, inefficient fluorescent lighting with more efficient fixtures. Energy use for these purposes will be cut by 31 percent.

We also have replaced 375 single-layer windows in academic buildings with double-paned windows. This will yield savings on cooling costs in summer (our biggest energy expense) and heating costs in winter.

We have a contract with ESCO (a division of Chevron) to upgrade HVAC, lighting and water systems in 10 of our largest buildings that we expect to yield a 10 percent reduction in energy consumption in those buildings.  NCCU is working to reduce its carbon footprint, improve sustainability and reduce operating expenditures.