TODAYNorth CaroliNa agriCultural aNd teChNiCal State uNiverSity

SuMMer 2007

ALSO INSIDE

NEw ChANCELLOr BEgINS rEIgN Stanley F. Battle is welcomed to Aggieland

TAkINg ThE LEAD Doctoral program prepares tomorrow’s leaders

FLyINg hIgh Meet Tuskegee Airman William G. Wilson ’56

The UiTenham Family RecRUiTs FRom wiThin

Eight Isn't Enough

North Carolina agricultural and technical State university

Summer 2007

TODAY

executive CabinetChancellor - Stanley F. Battle Provost/Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs - Janice Brewington ‘70 Vice Chancellor, Business and Finance - Willie T. “Tommy” Ellis ‘77Vice Chancellor, Development and University Relations - Mark KielVice Chancellor, Information Technology and Telecommunications/CIO - Vijay K. VermaVice Chancellor, Research and Economic Development - Narayanaswamy “Radha” RadhakrishnanVice Chancellor, Student Affairs - Sullivan A. Welborne Jr. ’61 (Interim) Special Assistant to the Chancellor, Community Outreach and Special Projects - Wendell PhillipsSpecial Assistant to the Chancellor, Development - William A. Clay Special Assistant to the Chancellor, Finance, Contracts and Athletics - Henry L. NicholsSpecial Assistant to the Chancellor, Legal Affairs - Camille Kluttz-LeachSpecial Assistant to the Chancellor, Research and Public Health - Dorothy C. BrowneDirector, Athletics - Delores S. "Dee" Todd Director, Internal Auditing - Larry R. Kreiser

alumni association Board of directorsPresident - Pamela L. Johnson ’91 First Vice President - Marvin L. Walton ’91 Second Vice President - “Chuck” Burch Jr. ’82 Treasurer - Gerald Williams ’83 Recording Secretary - Charvetta Ford-McGriff ’85Immediate Past President - Teresa M. Davis ’89 Executive Director - Gladys Outlaw Gallop ’76 Geographical Area I Director, Seat 1 - T. Roberson Edwards ’73 Geographical Area I Director, Seat 2 - Eugene H. Preston Jr. ’57 Geographical Area II Director, Seat 3 - Deloris C. Chisley ’73 Geographical Area II Director, Seat 4 - Malinda N. Carmon ’73 Geographical Area III Director, Seat 5 - James E. Bridgett Jr. ’53 Geographical Area IV Director, Seat 6 - Irvin Moore ’72 Geographical Area V Director, Seat 7 - Ulysses J. Cozart Jr. ’77Board of Directors (BOD) Seat 8 (School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences) - Arthur Purcell ’67 BOD Seat 9 (College of Arts and Sciences) - James J. Gooch ’67 BOD Seat 10 (School of Business and Economics) - Anthony C. Wright ’92 BOD Seat 11 (School of Education) - Velma Speight-Buford ’53 BOD Seat 12 (College of Engineering) - Anthony “TJ” Jackson ’81 BOD Seat 13 (School of Nursing) - Linda R. Wilson ’75BOD Seat 14 (School of Technology) - Tony E. Graham ’78

editor

Sandra M. Brown

editorial assistants

Nettie Collins Rowland ‘72Mable Springfield Scott

Contributing WritersRobyn AbdusamadVanessa Duren-WinfieldPhyllis Banks Fulton ‘69 Laurie GengenbachSamantha V. HargroveBrian M. Holloway ‘97 June McDowell-DavisNettie Collins Rowland ‘72Joya Wesley

university PhotographersCharles E. Watkins ‘03James Parker

design

Donna M. Wojek Gibbs

Printing

P.N. Thompson/Henry Wurst, Inc.

Board of trusteesJohn J. “Nick” Becton ‘79 Carole Bruce, Vice ChairD. Hayes ClementEunice M. Dudley Michelle Gethers-ClarkHenry H. IsaacsonAlbert Lineberry Jr. Franklin E. McCain Sr. ‘64Velma R. Speight-Buford ‘53, ChairMichael L. Suggs ‘82Steven C. WatsonArnita Floyd Moody ’07, Student RepresentativeJoseph A. Williams ‘72, Secretary

A&T TODAY North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State UniversitySummer 2007

A&T TODAY is published quarterly by The Division of Development and University Relations North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University1601 East Market Street • Greensboro, N.C. 27411Phone: (336) 334-7582 • FAX: (336) 334-7094

Postage Paid at greensboro, N.C.

All editorial correspondence should be directed to Sandra M. Brown, University Relations Office, N.C. A&T State University, The Garrett House, 400 Nocho Street, Greensboro, N.C. 27411, or smbrown@ncat.edu.

PoStMaSter: Send address changes to Development Operations, North Carolina A&T State University, Dowdy Building, Suite 400, 1601 East Market Street, Greensboro, N.C. 27411. Phone: (336) 334-7600.

Visit us online at www.ncat.edu

ARTICLES

11) Street and Johnson to lead Students in 2007-08

12) Friends reorganize to aid School of education

30) Cultivating, Communicating and Connecting

31) Past President led association through transition

FEATURE ARTICLES 14) eight isn't enough?

Uitenham family recruits from within

16) taking the lead

Doctoral program prepares tomorrow’s leaders

18) From aggieland to Broadway

NaTasha Williams is seeing “Purple” in hit musical

20) Flying high

Tuskegee Airman William G. Wilson ’56 receives

Congressional Gold Medal

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a land-grant university that is ranked by the Carnegie Classification System as “high research activity.” N.C. A&T is an AA/EEO employer, and it is an ADA compliant institution; thus, facilities are designed to provide accessibility to individuals with physical disabilities.

Page 18 Page 20Page 8

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical

State University is a learner-centered

community that develops and preserves

intellectual capital through interdisciplinary

learning, discovery, engagement, and

operational excellence.

DEPARTMENTS

2) inside aggieland

6) Campus Briefs

8) research

22) aggie Sports

26) aggies on the Move

29) in Memoriam

33) Mixed Bag

Page 32Page 2

On the Cover: The Uitenham Family

deansAgriculture and Environmental Sciences - Alton ThompsonArts and Sciences - Michael PlaterBusiness and Economics - Quiester CraigEducation - Deborah J. Callaway (Interim) Engineering - Joseph Monroe ’62

Graduate Studies - William J. Craft (Interim)Library Services - Waltrene Canada ’70Nursing - Patricia A. Chamings (Interim) Students - Judy N. Rashid ’74Technology - Benjamin O. UwakwehUniversity Studies - Joseph L. Graves Jr.

40,000 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $21,248.00 or $0.53 per copy

2 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 3

INSIDE AGGIELAND

1: N.C. A&T Chancellor Stanley F. Battle

2: N.C. A&T First Lady Judith Rozie-Battle, former First Lady Elizabeth Dowdy and Chancellor Stanley F. Battle

3: Former N.C. A&T Chancellor Lloyd V. Hackley and Chancellor Stanley F. Battle

4: Past and present chancellors of N.C. A&T: Drs. Edward B. Fort, Stanley F. Battle and Lloyd V. Hackley

5: Former Special Assistant to the Chancellor Shirley T. Frye ’53, N.C. A&T Chancellor Stanley F. Battle and N.C. A&T Trustees Chairman Velma Speight-Buford ’53

n July 9, history was made at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical

State University when former Chancellor Lloyd V. Hackley passed the torch to the new chancellor, Stanley F. Battle. The ceremony was held at 5:30 p.m. on the front stairs of the James B. Dudley Building. Members of the N.C. A&T and local communities gathered to welcome Dr. Battle and his wife Judith Lynn Rozie-Battle to Aggieland. Battle reciprocated with a resounding “Aggie Pride.”

Battle assumed the role of chancellor July 1. He is the 11th chancellor/president to serve at the helm of the land-grant university since its inception in 1891. Prior to coming to A&T, Battle served as president of Coppin State University in Baltimore, Md., for four years. He was the fourth person in the institution’s 107-year history to hold the position. In addition to serving as president of Coppin, Battle earned academic administrative experience working as

an associate vice president at Eastern Connecticut State University and as a vice chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He has four academic degrees: B.S. degree in sociology from Springfield College; M.S.W. in casework, University of Connecticut; and M.P.H. in maternal and child health and Ph.D. in social welfare policy, University of Pittsburgh. Battle is also an accomplished opera singer and fitness buff. He and his wife are the parents of one daughter, Ashley Lynn.

COnferenCe On BehAViOrAl ADDiCTiOns

The N.C. A&T Department of Human Development and

Services M.S. Human Resources (Rehabilitation Counseling)

Program hosted its first conference on racial and ethnic

minorities’ behavioral addictions, June 7-8, on campus.

The Rehabilitation of Racial and Ethnic Minorities

with Behavioral Addictions (REMBA) Annual Conference,

Unmasking the Face of Addiction, addressed effective

counseling techniques for individuals who are experiencing a

host of substance and behavioral addictions including: alcohol

and drug abuse, sexual addictions, gambling addictions, eating

disorders, and criminal offenses. It also focused on the impact

of such addictions on minorities.

Nationally known life coach Gabrielle Bonner, cultural

diversity specialist Jacquelyne Gordon, and mental health and

substance specialist Dan Fox were among the guest speakers.

Topics included treating African American women with co-

occurring disorders; understanding cultural hyper-masculinity

and substance abuse in Latinos; food addiction; the use

of clergy as a resource for church members with alcohol

problems; the implications of substance use and abuse on

HBCU campuses; and the superwoman syndrome.

Funding for the conference was provided by the

Rehabilitation Services Administration Capacity Building Grant

and Sebastian Health Center of N.C. A&T.

For more information, contact Stephanie Lusk at (336)

334-7280 or by emailing sllusk@ncat.edu.

TexT in COmmuniTY

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart has been selected as the

university’s text in community for the

academic year 2007-2008.

Things Fall Apart is considered

to be Achebe’s masterpiece and it

is compared to the Greek tragedies.

This compelling story depicts the

African culture and a sweeping

picture of Nigeria, its people,

practices and turmoil experienced

by invasion.

The book has been translated

into 50 different languages.

New Chancellor Begins Reign

1

2 3

4

5

O

INSIDE AGGIELAND continued

SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 54 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007

NC System President Erskine Bowles and former N.C. A&T Chancellor Lloyd V. Hackley have donated

money to the department of biology in honor of the late state Sen. William N. “Bill” Martin. Martin, who died April 6, graduated from A&T in 1966. The Eden, N.C., native earned his J.D. degree from George Washington University School of Law in 1973 and spent most of his professional years practicing law and serving his community. Martin’s political career began in November 1982 when he was first elected to the North Carolina Senate. He would spend the next 20 years serving North Carolinians on legislative matters involving equity in education and public policy. He was instrumental in linking public school educational services, higher education institutions, human

services and community organizations in countless initiatives in an effort to close the academic achievement gap. Hackley said, “As one member of the black community, I am so appreciative of the work Bill Martin did for so long to get this state and this nation to live up to their responsibilities to fully educate all of our children, with particular regard for those children ill-served by our education systems, especially African American children. Over the years, I have been involved in too many activities to count where I found Bill Martin right in the middle of the struggle, in General Assembly activities and beyond.” Contributions from Bowles and Hackley & Associates were donated to the department of biology’s Williams-Mack Endowed Scholarship Fund, which recently awarded scholarships to four high achieving students: Stacy Angu, of Bowie, Md., Jasmine

he National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Interdisciplinary

Scientific Environmental Technology (ISET) Cooperative Science Center at North Carolina A&T hosted a weather and climate camp for middle and high school students in July. Camp participants performed a variety of hands-on experiments and computer simulations to learn about weather and climate forecasting, and they explored careers in meteorology. They researched a weather phenomenon of their choice and then made a presentation. At the end of the camp, each participant took home a tape of his/her presentation of a television weather forecast. Faculty from the NOAA ISET Cooperative Science Center, NOAA researchers and meteorologists led the sessions. The ISET Cooperative Science Center at A&T, led by physics professor and department chairman Solomon Bililign, is a part of the NOAA Educational Partnership Program. The research and technology themes in the ISET Center include atmospheric science, sensor science, sensor technology, numerical and physical

research, analysis of hurricanes, information technology tools for data fusion, data mining, and geospatial modeling and analysis. The ISET Center involves a diverse team of scientists, engineers, educators and students from N.C. A&T State University, California State University-Fresno, The City College of the City University of New York, Fisk University, University of Alaska Southeast, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, University of Minnesota, North Carolina State University, industrial partners, and state and federal partners. The Center collaborates with NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) in Boulder, Colo., and is aligned with NOAA’s mission to provide the data needed to address specific climate and weather related concerns, such as hurricanes, droughts, tornadoes, global warming, and ecosystem degradation. As a NOAA Educational Partnership Program Cooperative Science Center, the ISET Cooperative Science Center provides opportunities for underrepresented students to study in NOAA-related sciences.

WeATher AnD ClimATe CAmp high perfOrmAnCe COmpuTing TrAining

he Department of Defense (DOD) Computational Science and Engineering and High Performance Computing training workshop for faculty from under-

represented minority serving institutions was held on campus July 23-27. The program is sponsored by the DOD High Performance Computing Modernization Office under their Joint Educational Opportunities for Minorities Program. The purpose of the workshop was to introduce and educate participants to the field of computational science and engineering and high performance computing technologies that play a critical role in solving real world problems. DOD and other government agencies, like Homeland Security, employ these techniques as they work to solve challenging problems in areas of electronic battlefield environments, chemical/biological defense, climate and weather modeling and system of systems. According to faculty member Ram Mohan, using high level thinking strategies and an interdisciplinary formula, problem solving is extended and examined from every angle. In addition to exposing, educating and training in these critical technology areas, the workshop also encouraged faculty members to introduce the techniques to their students and guide students to pursue graduate studies and careers in these critical technology areas. Faculty participated in seminars, lectures, presentations and hands-on tutorials in several areas of CSE, HPC, software applications, visualization and data mining.

Bryant of Belvidere, N.C., Kimberly Chimonyo of Fairfield, Calif., and Endya Frye of Greensboro, N.C. The scholarship award is based on high school GPA, two letters of recommendation (one from science teacher), outstanding SAT scores, and other qualities such as leadership. It covers tuition and fees for one year and a $1,000 book voucher. “The department of biology is indeed pleased to be able to offer four scholarships in memory of Sen. William N. Martin, who was an outstanding advocate of higher education. Awarding these scholarships to highly qualified students is a testament to the department’s efforts to build on its legacy of producing some of the nation’s most outstanding educators, researchers and health professionals,” said Goldie S. Byrd, department chair.

“The department is indebted to and appreciative of the efforts of Chancellor Lloyd V. Hackley, Mr. Erskine Bowles and the Williams-Mack Endowed Scholarship Fund for making these scholarships a reality,” she added. As a scholarship recipient, students are expected to be visible role models for other students. Scholars are required to study full time, maintain an honors GPA, and be active participants in biology-related activities, biology clubs, science seminars and independent research opportunities that foster leadership skills, academic and professional growth. Scholars also are expected to give back by contributing to the broader community through a service learning activity.

BiOlOgY sChOlArship funD

The Department of Defense and other government agencies,

like Homeland Security, employ these techniques as they work

to solve challenging problems in areas of electronic battlefield

environments, chemical/biological defense, climate and weather

modeling and system of systems.

T T

U

fACulTY & sTAff

SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 7

CAMPUS BRIEFS

6 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007

yoko Crume, assistant professor in the department of sociology and social work, has been awarded the Social Science Research Council’s Abe Fellowship for a research project titled “Comparative Study of Senior Housing with Long-Term Care Options for Japanese and American Middle Class.” The fellowship will support research activities in Japan for six months between May 2007 and August 2008 or two three-month periods during the summers of 2007 and 2008. As an Abe Fellow, Crume also will participate in two Abe Fellows retreats held annually in the U.S.

Michael day, an assistant professor in the department of visual and performing arts, attended this year’s International Association for Jazz Education Conference in New York City. The conference is held annually to ensure inclusion of jazz in music education programs at all levels and provide additional training and exposure to music educators. In February, Day directed the Greensboro Big Band in the annual Opus Concert at Green’s Supper Club. A&T’s Jazz Ensemble director, Mondre Moffett, was a featured guest performer. The Opus Concert series is sponsored by City Arts and the City of Greensboro.

Joyce edwards, executive director of career services and experiential learning, co-chaired the conference committee for

the North Carolina Association of College and Employers Conference that was held in Asheville, N.C., May 9-11. Cynthia downing, assistant director for career counseling programs in the Office of Career Services, served as co-chair of the program committee and as a workshop presenter.

angela K. Miles, assistant professor in the department of business administration, has co-written “Expressed Emotion as a Social Influence Tactic,” a paper that was presented in August at the Academy of Management Conference. She participated in a symposium titled “When Emotion is no Longer (Merely) Feelings: The Social Role of Emotion in Organizations.”

donna Morris-Powell has been named director of the University Bookstore. Prior to coming to N.C. A&T, she was the operations and general merchandise manager for Howard University Bookstore.

ivan t. Mosley Sr., chair of the manufacturing systems department, and Shayla Stevenson, associate director of the university event center, are among the 48 graduates of Leadership Greensboro’s class of 2007. The program’s mission is to prepare and nurture a diverse group of citizens to assume responsible leadership roles that will strengthen and transform the community.

Business and economics professor Japhet

Nkonge presented “Globalization of African Economics” at the 2007 Academy of Marketing Science Conference in Coral Gables, Fla.

arthea Benita Perry in the department of journalism and mass communications is one of the featured artists in the Voyage to America: Beyond the Middle Passage exhibition at the Apex Museum in Atlanta. One of the objectives of this show is to reference great events in the 400 year history of blacks from slavery and rebellion to the struggles for freedom and on to the Civil Rights Movement. Perry’s video installation is included in the Ancient and Contemporary Africa Civilization exhibit that is part of the attraction for the National Black Arts Festival. The exhibit is open to the public through Dec. 30.

Mable Scott, associate vice chancellor for development and university relations, made a presentation at the Eighth Annual Thurgood Marshall College Fund Member Universities Professional Institute and Exhibition. Scott’s presentation for a special session on preparing for the unexpected addressed the fast paced environment of the media and how universities can filter positive news to promote academic excellence overall. Scott also addressed ways to handle campus crises and lessen negative images when dealing with media.

abolghasem Shahbazi, director of the biological engineering program, is one of five co-authors of Fueling North Carolina’s Future: North Carolina’s Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership, a plan commissioned by the North Carolina General Assembly for developing an ethanol and biodiesel industry in the state. Shahbazi contributed his research expertise in technologies that convert an array of different agricultural products and byproducts into feedstocks for liquid biofuels production. He and the co-authors are continuing to serve as consultants for the General Assembly as it funds implementation of the plan.

teresa Jo Styles, professor and former chair of the department of journalism and mass communication, attended the New Media Academic Summit sponsored by Edelman and PR Week. Edelman is the nation’s largest public relations firm. The summit, held at the Harvard Club in Manhattan in June, brought business leaders, academics, journalists, bloggers and communications professionals to discuss the challenges facing universities in preparing students who will enter the industry. For more information go to www.edelman.com/summit07. Styles also attended the first World Journalism Education Congress in conjunction with the Asian Media Information Centre Conference held in Singapore June 25-29. Styles served as a

member of a syndicate team that provided recommendations for the Congress that would address the role of journalism education in changing the media. Partial funding for the trip was provided by the Scripps Howard Foundation. The World Journalism Education Congress was funded by UNESCO, Shantou University, The French Embassy, Singapore and the Hong Kong University Journalism and Media Studies Centre, to name a few.

godfrey uzochukwu, director of the Waste Management Institute, is featured in the May 28 edition of Jet magazine in an article titled “Why Blacks Should Go Green.”

Several professors from the School of Business and Economics contributed to the book, Sowing SEEDS for Creative Solutions: Cases from the Sales Field (Eagle Press 2007), initiated and edited by Jacqueline Williams. Chapter contributions include “Are Good Salespeople Born or Made?,” by Kathryn

Cort; “A Back Road to Sales Success,” by Keith Jones and Kathryn dobie; “The Price of Protection,” by angela Miles and alice C.

Stewart; “Racing for Growth,” by george

Stone and thaddeus Mcewen; and “Dying for Your Business,” by Japhet Nkonge and Patrick rogers. Williams coordinated the first Sales Education for Enhancing Deliverable Solutions (SEEDS) event that was held in February. Over 60 sales professionals from 3M

visited and co-taught classes with marketing faculty. The event was meant to promote sales as a viable, professional career path and as an integral part of businesses.

Marcia F. Williams, coordinator of sponsored programs in the College of Engineering, and Saundra DeLauder, an associate professor in the department of chemistry at North Carolina Central University, presented “North Carolina Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation: Increasing Graduation Rates of Underrepresented Minorities through Pipeline Programs” at the 2007 Enriching the Academic Experience of College Science Students. The program was held at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, May 21-23.

Downing Edwards McEwen Morris-Powell Mosley Scott Shahbazi Stewart Styles Uzochukwu J. Williams

SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 98 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007

sTuDenTs

CAMPUS BRIEFS continued

Shontae Clark, a junior accounting major, is a recipient of the National Association of Black Accountants Scholarship. Clark was awarded $10,000 to fund her studies for the upcoming academic year.

Jacklyn elmore, Sharon lewis-Keith, euniqua Neal,

Natasha Sanders and tedrick vernon, along with nursing clinical instructor terrall Bryan, attended the Ninth Annual Dr. Lonnie B. Mitchell National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Substance Abuse and Mental Health Conference, March 29-April 1, in Washington, D.C. The conference introduces students to the profession of mental health and substance abuse. This year’s focus was HIV and AIDS.

Four N.C. A&T students are among the 420 recipients of Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships for fall semester 2007. akilah edgerton, a junior social work major, was awarded $5,000 for study at the University of Ghana, Legon; Meneka Johnson, a senior family and consumer sciences major, was awarded $3,500 for study at Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey Tech) in Mexico; Moses ochola, a senior liberal/international studies major, was awarded $5,000 for study in Uganda at the School for International Training; and James Perry, a senior liberal studies major, was awarded $5,000 for study in Peru with the Council on International Educational Exchange Study Center, Lima. The Gilman International Scholarship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Institute of International Education. The program awards up to $5,000 for U.S. undergraduate students to study abroad for up to one academic year. The program focuses on student populations who have traditionally been under-represented in study abroad. Only students receiving a Pell Grant are eligible to apply for the Gilman scholarship.

RESEARCH

orth Carolina A&T State University’s picnic pavilion in southeast Greensboro

was the setting for the ribbon cutting and ground breaking for the South Campus of Gateway University Research Park. A large crowd of community and university officials gathered May 16 for the event. Gateway University Research Park is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit entity created to manage and operate the joint collaboration between North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro for the purposes of supporting research and economic development within the Triad. The South Campus is located across from Barber Park (East Lee Street) on approximately 75 acres of A&T’s farm property. The campus

will house multiple research facilities and offer scenic landscaping, pedestrian friendly walkways, sculpture gardens, amphitheatre, auditorium, and roof garden and patio. The North Campus, which currently has eight buildings that will be renovated in support of university research and economic development, is located northeast of Greensboro off Hwy. 29 near Bryan Park. “Gateway will meld the best of North Carolina A&T, UNCG, the Triad, North Carolina and the best this nation has to offer,” said then N.C. A&T Chancellor Lloyd V. Hackley. “A&T brings 116 years of successful accomplishments, agriculture, engineering, technology, business, education, and arts and sciences. Our work has never been confined to the campus.

“This park allows us to move to a higher phase of working side by side with education, government, business and industry leaders as we seek ‘right now’ solutions for a wide range of problems and challenges facing the Triad, the state and even the nation.” N.C. A&T and UNCG are developing state-of-the-art research facilities for cutting edge work in the life and physical sciences, engineering, technology and other applied science areas at Gateway University Research Park. When fully developed, Gateway University Research Park will generate an economic impact in excess of $50 million per year within the Triad region. Erskine Bowles, president of the University of North Carolina system, said that the Gateway University Research Park

is Greensboro’s future, N.C. A&T and UNCG have an obligation to lead the Triad into the 21st century, and he is energized by the potential of the joint schools of nano technology and nano science. “The world is seeing explosive growth today in the commercialization of nano technology,” said Bowles. “We will have all of the assets right here in Guilford County that we need to participate in that explosion, and they will be right here at the Gateway University Research Park. I fully expect to see new technologies, new patents and new companies come forward in this park, and that will create a vibrant new economy right here in the Triad.”

gATeWAY uniVersiTY reseArCh pArk

N

Different views of the Gateway University Research Park South Campus

Street and Johnsonn April, David N. Street and Candace Michele Johnson were elected to the university’s highest

student offices for academic year 2007-2008. Street will serve as president of the N.C. A&T State University Student Government Association and Johnson as Miss A&T. Street, 21, decided to seek the presidency last semester after completing an internship as part of the UNC Washington Program. “When I came back from interning in D.C., it seemed as though my fellow Aggies were sleepwalking,” the rising senior political science major said. “I wanted to wake them up on political and social issues.” It took a run-off election for Street to win the number one seat. The Washington, D.C., native’s platform was awareness, involvement and leadership. Street’s goal is to better utilize existing resources on campus and create more innovative ways of making the A&T community more aware of the happenings of SGA and the community. He plans to accomplish this by creating an A&T newscast that will accompany the campus newspaper, The A&T Register, to keep students informed about current events and politics, by developing innovative ways of communicating with the off campus student population and campus organizations, and by increasing A&T’s involvement with the community. In addition, the former high school football player will enhance the organizing and advertising of activities, sponsor more life-learning workshops, and expand the speakers invited to campus to stimulate the students’ intellect. An honor student, Street has held several leadership positions at the university including president of Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society and vice president of the Political Science Society. He also served as a member of the 37th Legislature Assembly and is a member of the History Club. He is the son of Cynthia Street. Johnson, 20, is from Columbia, S.C. The rising senior is a nursing major who had no plans of running for Miss A&T when she enrolled at the university. She ran for class president during her freshman year and was defeated; however, the next year she was elected Miss Sophomore. Serving in that position was an eye opener for the scholar,

who was unaware that being a “queen” meant being heavily involved in community service projects, something she enjoys. The idea of her running for “Miss A&T” came from a former queen’s mother, Valerie Rasheed Dale, whose daughter Anisah Rasheed was Miss A&T 2005-06. “She spoke it into my life,” Johnson said. “She said to me, I see you in another two years exactly where my daughter is today. It made me think. I prayed about it.” According to Johnson, by the end of the summer, God had given her the sign she needed. The next year, the junior ran for the class president and was successful. Johnson’s theme for her platform was “Real Aggies Make the World Go Around.” She has numerous programs she plans to implement during her reign including “Winter Wishes in Aggieland,” a holiday community service program that caters to foster children around the Greensboro area, and “Spreading Something Positive Other than HIV/AIDS,” a program she introduced her sophomore year that will certify students, faculty and staff to be educators of HIV/AIDs Awareness. In addition there is “Smart, Fly and Intelligent,” a mentoring program geared toward freshman females, and “May You Please Help Me and My Struggle,” a year-round program that will lead to having a telethon that will raise money for the Feed the Children Foundation. Johnson is a member of the Student Senate, TELOCA Nursing Society, A&T Honors Program, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the NAACP. She is the daughter of Carl and Rosetta Johnson.

n agricultural researcher at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical StateUniversity has developed a simple post-harvest

process to take peanuts grown today and make them free of allergens. The new process – believed to be a first for food science – could provide relief to millions of peanut allergy sufferers, and be an enormous boon to the entire peanut industry. Doug Speight of the N.C. A&T Office of Outreach and Technology Transfer said food companies will have a strong interest in licensing the process, which does not degrade the taste or quality of treated peanuts, and might even render them easier to process for use as a food ingredient. Immunoassays showed 100 percent inactivation of peanut allergens in whole roasted kernels, and the processed peanuts showed no

reaction in tests on human serums from severely allergic individuals. The inventor, Mohamed Ahmedna, is optimizing the process further to remove allergens from other foods. “We are extremely pleased that we are well on the way to finding a solution to a vexing problem that has enormous economic and public health ramifications, both for peanut sensitive individuals, and the food industry as a whole,” said Dr. Ahmedna, associate professor of food

science in A&T’s School of Agricultureand Environmental Sciences. Peanut and tree nut allergies are the most severe of all food allergies, affecting approximately 3 million Americans, and causing 100-150 deaths from anaphylactic shock annually and many more hospitalizations. In industrialized nations, the allergy has been rapidly increasing in children, for causes that are not entirely understood. One study showed that between 1997 and 2002, peanut allergies in children doubled in the United States. Today, an estimated one percent of all children suffer from the allergy.

Life can be stressful for families with peanut sensitive children, who must take extraordinary precautions to prevent contact with even small traces of peanuts or peanut dust. Tracking, record-keeping and labeling for peanuts is costly for industry, while schools and other institutions that serve the public have limited their use due to concerns about public health and liability. Ahmedna’s work on peanuts has been funded through a United States Agency for International Development grant. During the course of the project, he has developed many other value-added products and processes for the benefit of the peanut industry worldwide, including a process to remove a common mold toxin from peanuts, a low-fat, high protein meat substitute, an infant formula, and antioxidants from red peanut skins. The allergy-free peanut is the first in a portfolio of peanut innovations to be available for commercialization from N.C. A&T. Ahmedna’s process is expected to add value to a crop that is already economically and nutritionally important. Peanuts are the 12th largest crop in the United States, with a farm value of close to $1 billion a year. The Southeast is the main peanut producing region in the nation. Worldwide, the legume is even more important from an economic development standpoint. In developing nations, and Africa in particular, the soils and climate are especially suitable for peanuts. Peanuts are not only important commercially, but nutritionally as well. Packed with proteins, healthy fats and a broad array of essential vitamins and minerals, they are considered an almost complete food. Their rich flavor, nutrition, fat and protein profile makes for a nearly perfect food from a food processing standpoint as well. From his lab at Tuskeegee University in the early 1900s, the famed agricultural chemist George Washington Carver discovered approximately 300 food and non-food products from the legume. But despite their versatility, the allergy issue has caused the peanut to be viewed increasingly with caution. That might change, thanks to Ahmedna’s work at N.C. A&T.

10 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007

Sga executive Board

President, David Street

Vice President, Internal Affairs,

Desiree McNair

Vice President, External Affairs,

Marcus Bass

Secretary, Justin Blake

Treasurer, Vinnetta Singletary

Attorney General, Amina Cliette

Miss North Carolina A&T State

University, Candace Johnson

Senior Class officers

President, Kendra Arrington

Vice President, Indya Howard

Miss Senior, Ashley Little

Junior Class officers

President, Amber Nave

Vice President, Gerard Wheeler

Miss Junior, Carly Hampton

Sophomore Class officers

President, Roger Weathers

Vice President, Katerra Riggins

Secretary, Jessica Gowins

Treasurer, Christopher McLeod

Miss Sophomore, Shakeika Colvin

Sga Student Senate

Judiciary Council, Tarra Nero

District 1 -

College of Arts and sciences

Aryn Bussey, Calie Edmonds,

Natalie Gwishiri

District 2 - school of Business

and economics

Ulysses Hemingway,

Cierra Wilson, Lynette Cox

District 8 - school of

graduate studies

Teresia Paul, Frances Barnes,

Joseph Bostic

to Lead Students in 2007-08 By Nettie Collins Rowland ’72

RESEARCH continued

Allergen-free peAnuT By Laurie Gengenbach

The Olson Laboratory at The Scripps Research

Institute is collaborating with the computer

science department at North Carolina

Agricultural and Technical State University

to develop high performance genetic and

evolutionary computations to be added to the

lab’s suite of AutoDock optimization methods.

Olson Laboratory is the developer of

FightAIDS@Home, a biomedical distributed

computing project that is used to assist in the

discovery of new drugs for fighting AIDS. The

project runs AutoDock to discover the most

effective therapies to defeat the evolution drug

resistance.

“The high performance genetic and

evolutionary computations will be developed

as part of the AttackAIDS@A&T grid computing

project,” said Arthur J. Olson, Ph.D., Anderson

Chair Professor at Scripps Research Institute

and director of Olson Laboratory. “We

believe that these genetic and evolutionary

computations will be instrumental in the

discovery of new drugs for fighting AIDS.”

Olson Laboratory will provide the

computer science department at A&T with

assistance in operating AutoDock 4.0 while

the department, under the direction of Gerry

V. Dozier, Ph.D., develops the computations

that will be added to the suite of AutoDock

optimization methods.

fighTAiDs@hOme

A I

SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 11

Street Johnson

Ahmedna

SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 13

he Friends of the School of Education at N.C. A&T State University, a 20-year-old support organization, recently reactivated by former education dean Lelia L. Vickers, has launched a campaign to raise funds for student scholarships

in time for the opening of the new School of Education building. Mary Purnell, an A&T graduate and retired official with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, serves as chairwoman of the organization, which is made up of alumni, retired and active faculty members and administrators, community supporters and public schools personnel. The group’s purpose is “to support and strengthen the School of Education’s mission of developing teachers and other school personnel.” Purnell says she and other Friends are keenly aware of the nation’s shortage of teachers and the role A&T plays in addressing that shortage. “Having been in education all my life and knowing the need for good teachers, I think the Friends have an obligation to do all we can to ensure that the state provides students the

best education they can get and the best teachers we can find,” Purnell said. The Friends are continuing the work envisioned by the administrators who initiated the organization in 1987: raising money for scholarships. “It was done by Dean Albert J. Walker with the help of Dean S.J. Shaw, who preceded him,” said Myrtle Sampson, a retired faculty member who is a founding and current member of the Friends. “Dean Walker, at the time, really thought that people in the community would be able to help him give scholarships to students who didn’t have enough money for books or who had crises.” The early success was due to the work of individual members such as Sampson, Vivian Harding Hampton, the late Ann Kornegay, Georgia Williams, who was the first recording secretary, and former Greensboro Mayor Carson Bain, who was the group’s first treasurer. Other early members included the late football coach Bert Piggot and faculty members B.W. Harris, who presented plans for the first fundraiser, and J. Neil Armstrong, who was the group’s first chairperson.

By Joya Wesley

T

Friends Reorganize to Aid School of Education

The Friends of the School of Education at N.C. A&T have launched a campaign to raise funds

for student scholarships. Members pictured attending a recent meeting are (front row, l-r)

Myrtle Sampson, Mary Purnell, Jesse Marshall, former dean Lelia Vickers; (middle row) Melvin Swann,

Miriam Wagner, Linnie B. Foster, Margaret Foskey, Mary Peek, Charles Hayes, Vivian Barnette;

(back row) Dian Williams, James Battle, Fred Wood, Larry Powers, Morris Peterkin,

Stephen McCary-Henderson and Patricia Whitfield. Not pictured are Dorothy Barnett,

Isaac Barnett, Velma Speight-Buford, Sharon Hoard, Walthea Cobitz, Katie Dorsett, Nelda Bynum,

Karen Guy, Walker Sanders, Faye Sharpe, Georgia Williams and Michael Fleming.

The organization awarded numerous scholarships in amounts up to $1,000, depending on funds available, to students chosen based on criteria including financial need, personal motivation and grade point average. Among the early highlights of the Friends history was a $20,000 gift that Greensboro businessman Michael B. Fleming made in honor of his late housekeeper, Emma Wilson, a longtime member and soloist in the choir at Greensboro’s Bethel AME Church. “His feelings were that she did not have an opportunity for an education, so he wanted to give something in her memory for a student to have an opportunity that Mrs. Wilson didn’t have,” Purnell said. Although the Friends as an organization became inactive between deans, the generosity of individuals such as Fleming has continued to play an important role in providing support for the school. The group’s fundraising plan is to use many avenues, including pledges solicited from its members, direct mail appeals to alumni, businesses and education faculty, selling bricks for a memorial wall or walk at the new building, and a resumption of Friends

fundraising banquets. They also hope to attract more supportive alumni, retirees and other allies to become official members, and invite all who are able to contribute to the campaign. Some generous pledges already have been received from current Friends members, including $25,000 from Sampson, more than $15,000 additional monies from Fleming and $10,000 from Purnell. “The money from this campaign is needed to attract top students to teaching, because they’re now going to other fields,” said Charles Hayes, a Friend and retired faculty member who – like Sampson – was around from the group’s beginning. “If that can be pulled off, we will have an improvement of education universally, not just in North Carolina.” For information about joining the Friends of the School of Education at North Carolina A&T, contact Purnell at (336) 272-2795. Contributions can be sent to the N.C. A&T University Foundation, 200 N. Benbow Rd., Greensboro, NC 27411. Donors should make checks payable to the N.C. A&T University Foundation with “Friends-The School of Education” written on the memo line.

12 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007

14 A&T TODAY • SPRING 2007 SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 15

alling the roll at North Carolina A&T State University means hearing

from lots of Uitenhams. That’s because five Uitenhams have attended or are attending A&T, with two more on the way. Plus, three Uitenhams currently work at the university and there are 15 more who will consider A&T when they reach college age. “It has just been a domino effect,” says Leonard Uitenham, chair of the mechanical and chemical engineering department at the university and a full colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserves. “A&T has a lot of good programs, and as family members from all over the country come out of high school looking for a place to attend college, they find A&T is very competitive with other universities so they choose to enroll here.” Where do all of the Uitenhams come from? Uitenham explains that he is the oldest of nine children – the only one with a Ph.D. and the only one who is a college professor. Not only have his wife Alvenia and daughter Tia attended the university and now work here – Alvenia in the accounting office and Tia in the campus event ticket office – but nieces and nephews who are children of his younger siblings from across the country also are attending or planning to attend A&T. “I think the university sells itself,” says Uitenham, who explains that he doesn’t act as a recruiter; however, he and his wife do provide a family support network that serves as a back-up for his nieces and

nephews who are far away from home. “I think this is an added attraction in their choosing A&T and a comfort factor for their parents,” he says. First, wife Alvenia graduated in 2002 with an accounting degree, having taken some classes with daughter Tia, who graduated in 2001 with a degree in romance languages. Then came Uitenham’s nephew Fabias Uitenham from Kansas. He is a junior in computer engineering and also in ROTC. He will graduate in 2008. Next came Kellie Uitenham, from Washington, D.C., who is a sophomore honor student in journalism and mass communication scheduled to graduate in 2009. Following Kellie from the capital city was her sister Kristen, a freshman in chemical engineering slated to attend medical school after earning her degree in 2010. Fatriziera Uitenham, also from Kansas, is the sister of Fabias. She is a freshman honor student in the nursing program and is scheduled to graduate in 2010. But that’s not all of the Uitenhams. Two more from Ohio are on the way. Nephew Nathaniel Uitenham, who served for two years in Iraq, will be coming soon, as will his sister Katherine. The dominos keep stacking up as cousins of the nieces and nephews already attending A&T report good things about the university to their relatives, Dr. Uitenham says.

“They see the value of education in today’s competitive environment,” he explains, adding that A&T’s national accreditation is a plus when seeking career opportunities. So how did Uitenham and his family end up in Greensboro? He served as a Marine Corps pilot in Desert Storm in 1991, taking a leave from his job with Sherwin-Williams in Ohio. After returning from active duty, the company sent him to North Carolina, where the family of four – wife and childhood sweetheart Alvenia, daughter Tia, son Leonard E., who is now a Marine, and Dr. Uitenham – settled for good. For the past six years, Uitenham has been with A&T, taking another brief leave in 2005 to serve as a technical engineer for the Marine Corps in Iraq. He now teaches and supervises Ph.D. students at the university in addition to serving as a department chair. “We love it here at A&T,” he says, “and it seems our nieces and nephews do, too. They are gaining excellent educations while having a family cheerleading team to offer support when they need it.” Looks like the cheerleading will be long lasting, since there are five more Uitenhams still in high school and 10 more in elementary and middle school who will consider A&T as their college home. However one looks at it, that’s a lot of Uitenhams!

When it comes to the number of Uitenhams at North Carolina A&T State University,

try 25!

Eight Isn’t EnoughBy June McDowell-Davis

C

25Leonard Uitenham (front row), chairman of the mechanical engineering department, began the trend of Uitenhams at N.C. A&T. Pictured clockwise from the top left are his wife Alvenia Uitenham ’02, accountant; daughter Tia Uitenham ’01, cashier, and nieces Fatriziera Uitenham and Kristen Uitenham, both freshmen, and Kellie Uitenham a sophomore. The inset is nephew Fabias Uitenham, a junior.

14 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007

16 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 17

In the fall of 2005, a group of budding leaders began North Carolina A&T State University’s new interdisciplinary doctoral program in leadership studies. Now, after 18 months of hard work, members of the inaugural class are accomplishing things they never thought they would. From research grants to scholarships, presentations at recognized leadership forums to traveling abroad, students are acquiring the skills and experience for becoming leaders in a variety of fields – business, agriculture, industry, science, engineering, education, technology, medical and military. “North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s establishment of a unique and innovative doctoral degree in leadership studies is reflective of its expansion into the uncharted waters of higher education,” says Alexander Erwin, chair of the Ph.D. program. Erwin points out that the program is inherently interdisciplinary and is designed to prepare the next generation of leaders and researchers. He says the integration of disciplines offers students an opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills in a variety of academic areas through research and experiences. As a result, students are expected to make significant contributions to the expansion of general knowledge in leadership. The inaugural class has taken the message very seriously, with many of its members discovering new ways to put their acquired knowledge into practice as well as share their research with others. “Because of this program, I look at the world with a different perspective and I’m preparing to be involved in assisting in the change the world so desperately needs,” says Tonya Hargett, who recently received a $2,000 scholarship award to continue her studies. The award was presented in Dallas, Texas, at the National Women’s Convention of the Church of God in Christ, Inc.

Hargett and Marcia Williams, another doctoral student, also participated in international research during the summer. The two traveled to Oslo, Norway, with Ellen Van Velsor of the Center for Creative Leadership to share in the collection of data from employees of Wallenius Wilhelmsen, a leading global shipping company, regarding corporate social responsibility. “There were several benefits of having the opportunity to conduct international research,” Hargett and Williams echoed. They said having the chance to visit a place they had never been was exciting, as was interacting with another culture. In addition, the opportunity to observe a professional researcher at work provided a tremendous learning opportunity and allowed them, they said, to connect the lessons taught in A&T leadership courses with actual practice. Van Velsor, who led the trip, explained that the two students helped facilitate focus groups and observe interviews, which enabled them to write a final report for the company and a research paper on sustaining a triple bottom line strategy – financial, social and environmental. David Clark received his first taste of academic presentation at an elevated level when he was selected to share his dissertation topic at the 2006 Shelton Leadership Forum held at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center in Raleigh, N.C., in November. “It was an honor to represent the leadership studies program at the first research session held at the Shelton Leadership Forum,” Clark says. “This was the second year that members of our program attended the conference and our first opportunity to participate. “This was also my first academic presentation on this level. It was an opportunity to present my potential dissertation topic, ‘Implications of Electronic Communications and Collaborative Systems on the Leader-Follower Relationship in Virtual Organizations.’ I was extremely honored to represent North Carolina A&T and our program.” Clark adds. “My primary research interest is in business leadership, particularly leadership in virtual organizations,” Clark explains. “Because of the growing shift to multinational, global organizations and our ability to conduct work using improving telecommunications infrastructure and software tools, leaders find themselves in different geographical locations than other members of their team. “Studies have shown that over a relatively short amount of time relationships develop between team

members, as well as between leaders and followers. The latter is an important dyadic relationship to understand and study how the virtual environment affects how leaders and followers relate to one another. As the globalization phenomenon continues to grow, leaders must understand how to effectively manage their teams under these conditions,” Clark contends. “This is a very young topic with very little literature available on the subject, compared to other leadership topics. I’m hoping that my research will make a significant contribution to the limited existing body of knowledge that will lead to further research in this area,” Clark concludes. Daniel Miller, a leadership and organizational consultant who provides instruction in the leadership studies program, made two significant presentations to the University Council for Educational Administration in November. His first was a dialogical narrative, “A Theoretical Model for Inquiry and Sense-Making,” that will be published in Volume IV of the series Research on Stress and Coping in Education in 2007. His second was “Heroic Leadership in the Wake of Katrina: The Resurrection of St. Augustine Elementary School (pseudonym) and the People Who Made It Happen.” Miller spent four months doing relief work along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi following Katrina, managing logistics, volunteer centers, supply chains and interagency projects. “I am honored to be part of the groundbreaking leadership studies Ph.D. program at A&T,” Miller says. “I have the good fortune of working with a talented group of faculty and outstanding doctoral students.” Other students branching out are Charlie Wilson, who presented papers at the International Leadership Association Conference, and Marjorie Jenkins, whose poster was presented at the same conference. In addition, Gladys Robinson has received funding from the National Institute of Health for research in the summer of 2007. The leadership studies doctoral program emphasizes the importance of diversity, ethics, technology, informed practice and research in the areas of leadership. The program is designed for full-time and part-time students. Persons interested in the program can contact the School of Graduate Studies at (336) 334-7920, or visit the program’s website at www.eng.ncat.edu/idp/leads. Financial support is available for both U.S. citizens and international students on a need and/or merit basis, and is competitive with other universities.

By June McDowell-Davis

Taking the Lead

Doctoral program prepares leaDers of tomorrow through unique curriculum that spans a variety of Disciplines.

Alexander Erwin (second from left), chair of the Ph.D. program in leadership studies at N.C. A&T, leads a discussion with students Charlie Wilson, Marjorie Jenkins, David K. Clark Jr. (first and second photo) and Harvey L. Lineberry, III (third photo).

SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 19

Thetheatermajorfirstviewedthemovieatage15,andnowitwastimeforhertoconductsomein-depthprobing. “Researchwasoneofthethingsparamountinthetheatredepartment,”Williamssaid.“Youdon’tjustgetupbecauseyouthinkyoucandosomething.Youhavetofigureoutwhatyoucanbringtotheparticularcharacterthroughyourresearchandthat’swhatIdid.” FortwoyearsshestudiedthecharacterofSofiathatAliceWalkercreatedinherclassicPulitzerPrizewinningnovel,The Color Purple. WhenauditionsbeganfortheBroadwaymusical,WilliamsaskedtotryoutforthepartofSofiaandshewasturneddown.However,whilepreparingtobeanunderstudy,theenergeticperformerendedupsingingeverybody’spartincludingSofia.Asfatewouldhaveit,shewouldlaterreceiveacallinformingherthatshehadlandedtheroleofthestrong-willedSofia. Theactresswasoverwhelmedwithjoywhenshediscoveredthatshehadacquiredthepart. “Itwasanincrediblefeeling,”shesaid.“Ablessed,favor-filledmomentinmylifethatcontinuouslygivesmejoy.” EverynowandthenwhenWilliamsthinksaboutwhereherjourneyhastakenherinlife,shesobs:fromthedirtroadofherhometownFayetteville,N.C.,tothebigcitywithbrightlights,NewYork. Hertalentwasrevealedatagethreewhenshebegansinginginthechurchchoir.Nowinherearlythirties,hergiftshavemultipliedandshehasbecomemulti-talented. Williamshastouredinnumerousnationalproductionsincluding“SeussicaltheMusical,”“Cinderella,”“TheGoodbyeGirl,”“Mahalia”and“AllShookUp.”Shealsohasappearedonseveraltelevisionshowsincluding“OneLifetoLive”and“DomesticBliss,”

andshehasproducednumerousgospelalbums. InApril,Williamsreturnedtoheralmamatertoperforminthedepartmentofvisualarts’firstscholarshipgala.Thehonorstudentwhocametotheuniversityasamathmajorbutlaterchangedtotheaterwasexcitedtobebackoncampus. “AsapersonwhoisdoingwhatIwastrainedtodohere,itisbeautifultometobehomeandtoberecognizedasanAggie,”shestated.“IfeelfortunatetodosomethingIenjoydoingandtobeabletocomehomeanddoitandbecelebrated.” A&TtheatremajorsCameronDashiellandChristopherBerrywerethrilledtoperformonstagewithWilliams. “Ilearnedalotfromthatperformancewithher,”Dashiellsaid.“However,IthinkIwasalittlestarstruck.” Berryadded,“Itwasalotoffun,anditwasinspiringbecausesheisanalumnusofthetheatredepartment.Itisalwaysnicetoseeproofthatwhatwearebeingtrainedtodoherecancomparewithanyinstitutionandcanbeacatalysttogreataccomplishmentsinmycareer.” DashielldescribedWilliams’performanceasflawlessandBerry’scommentwas,“Whenshehitsthestage,sheisaforcebeyondanythingimaginable.” Atthegala,WilliamsprovidedtheAggieswithanextratreatbyinvitingher“ColorPurple”co-star,ChazLamarShepherd(Harpo),tojoinherfortheperformance.Thestudentswereawestrucktohavetheactorwhoisknownforhistelevisionrolesin“Moesha,”“SisterSister”and“SeventhHeaven”intheirpresence. Williams’numberonefanandheroisherformerprofessor,FrankieDay,who

currentlyservesasexecutivedirectoroftheuniversity’stheatre. DaydescribesWilliamsasanexcellentstudentwhowasveryfocusedandresourceful.ShelaughsassherecallsthenightWilliamslearnedavaluablelesson. “Itwasabirthdayscene,andfortheplaywehadachocolatecakedonatedeverynightfromK&W.Iexplainedtothestudentsthatinactingyouhavetocamouflagewhenitcomestoeatingbecauseyoumaygetchokedormissyourcue. “IexplainedtoWilliamsandtheothersthattheyhadtoplayateating–takealittlebiteandputthesaucerdown.ItwasclosingnightandIthinkNatashainstigatedtheothersintoactuallyeating.Shebeganeatingthecakeandwhenitwastimeforhertospeakshecouldn’tgetherlinesout.Itwasprettyfunny.” Anoutstandinggospelsinger,Williamsencouragesaspiringartiststogoaftertheirdreamsandtrywhatitisthattheylovetodo.WhensheleftA&Tin1992,shewenttograduateschoolatMichiganStateUniversity.Afterteachingforayear,sheheadedtotheBigAppletolaunchhercareer. Thededicatedartisthaslotsofgoalsinlifebutnonespecificotherthanbeinghappyandworking.However,sheisawarethattheproductionsheisinwillgivehertheopportunitytoopendoorstofilmsandtelevision. Ahumblebeing,Williamsstaysgroundedbyunderstandingthatlifeisnotabouther. “Noneofthisisaboutme,”shesaid.“It’saboutHim.Fameissofleeting.Itisheretodayandgonetomorrow.ThebusinessthatIaminisaconstantlychangingone.” Shepointsoutthatwhen“TheColorPurple”endsshewillbeunemployed. Thespiritualmentoracceptsnocreditforheraccomplishments. “IbelieveIcandoallthingsthroughChrist,”shesaid.

alumna lands dream role in“the color purple”By Nettie Collins Rowland ’72

From Aggieland to

broadwayWhen NaTasha Yvette Williams heard that her favorite movie, “The Color Purple,” was going to be a Broadway production, the A&T graduate knew immediately that she would be vying for a role. The question, she asked herself was, “Where do I fit?”

William G. Wilson ’56

hen William G. Wilson ’56 became a Tuskegee Airman during the latter

part of World War II, there was no fanfare. After being drafted in September 1945, and then quickly herded off to Fort Lewis, Wash., for basic training, Wilson soon would find out that his choice to sign up for three years in the Air Force would be a rewarding feat. “I always liked airplanes. I had taken an airplane ride when I was eleven and since then I was interested in airplanes,” the 80-year-old Aggie recalled. His love for airplanes, however, never afforded him the opportunity to become a pilot. When he showed up at Lockbourne Air Force Base, pilot training was closed. The young man instead trained as a mechanical engineer. “I used to fix the airplanes. I really enjoyed it. I rose to the rank of sergeant. I could have gone further, but by then there was still segregation in the armed forces and I knew that I would be better off getting an education,” he said. Looking back, he remembers how elated he was to find out he had been selected to join the Tuskegee Airman. At that time, all he knew was that it was an

all black unit and the only one allowing African Americans to fly. “I was truly honored. It was an excellent opportunity for me. I remember getting back from an assignment and an African American personnel clerk came up to me and told me I had been selected. He told me that day that all black airmen in the Air Force with a 90 or above IQ were to report to Lockbourne.” Wilson said that decision helped him shape his future. The native of Cherryville, North Carolina, had already seen his share of segregation and had been contemplating returning to the South. “When I got to Lockbourne, everyone there was black except maybe the civilian employees. I had never seen that before. It was such a good feeling at the time.” During his service there, Wilson was a part of the 602 Engineering Squadron and supervised six to eight men. He would finish out his term in the Air Force and eventually make his way to N.C. A&T, earning a degree in business administration. The Silver Springs, Md., resident said he earned his second degree in accounting and finally landed a job at the Pentagon. He credits himself with designing the

automated pay system in his department, writing computer programs and upgrading the overall accounting system at the time. He retired in 1982. Wilson married an Aggie and they had two children together. Now divorced, he spends his time giving back to the community and working with the East Coast Tuskegee Airmen chapter as well as the D.C. Alumni Association Chapter, where he served as the vice president and treasurer in the mid 1990s.

The MedalThe news that he would be a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal this past spring was bittersweet. “I was honored, but I had been waiting a long time to get the recognition we deserved,” said Wilson. “But I truly am grateful that I was alive to receive it. Many others have passed away,” he added. Wilson and approximately 300 other Tuskegee Airman received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award that may be bestowed by the United States Congress. The decoration is awarded to any individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States. On March 29, Wilson attended the ceremony to receive the medal and hear words of praise from President George W. Bush. The President, along with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, also joined the honored guests at the U.S. Capitol for a group photograph that was a part of the ceremonial activities honoring America’s first African American military airmen.

20 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007

WTuskegee Airman William G. Wilson ’56 receives long awaited Congressional Gold Medal

Flying High By Samantha V. Hargrove

“The Tuskegee Airmen helped win a war, and you helped change our nation for the better. Yours is the story of the human spirit, and it ends like all great stories do – with wisdom and lessons and hope for tomorrow. And the medal that we confer today means that we’re doing a small part to ensure that your story will be told and honored for generations to come.”

Excerpt of speech made by President George W. Bush at the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony, March 29, 2007

View the ceremony online at www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/03/20070329-6.html# and click on “Video.”

22 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 23

AGGIE SPORTS By Brian M. Holloway ’97

September 1 Winston-Salem State University* Winston-Salem, NC 6 p.m.

8 Prairie View Los Angeles, CA 2:30 p.m.

Angel City Classic

15 Hampton University* Aggie Stadium 6 p.m.

Hall of Fame Day

22 North Carolina Central University Aggie Stadium 6:30 p.m.

Triad Chambers of Commerce Day

27 Norfolk State University* Aggie Stadium 7 p.m.

College Night

October 6 Morgan State University* Baltimore, MD 4 p.m.

13 Delaware State University* Aggie Stadium 1:30 p.m.

Church/Community Day/University Day

20 Howard University* Washington, D.C. 1 p.m.

27 Bethune-Cookman University* Aggie Stadium 1:30 p.m.

Homecoming

November 3 Florida A&M University* Tallahassee, FL 3 p.m.

10 OPEN

17 South Carolina State University* Charleston, SC 1 p.m.

televised

ticket information: (336) 334-7749

www.ncataggies.com

Student and children’s tickets also available

radio/internet Simulcast: WNAA 90.1 FM

www.wnaalive.ncat.edu

TeleViseD gAmes enhAnCe hOme fOOTBAll sCheDuleBoth TV games are against Tidewater foes

he Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference has released its ESPNU television schedule and

the North Carolina A&T football team is on it twice. The Aggies will play both televised games from Aggie Stadium after going last season without having a televised game at home. Their first televised game of the 2007 season will be against Hampton on a tape delayed basis. The game will be played at 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 15, and it will air later that night at 10. On Thursday, Sept. 27, the Aggies will face Norfolk State live from Aggie Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Having two games on ESPNU this season is an added bonus for the N.C. A&T program and its fans because of the announcement in May that ESPNU will be made available to those who subscribe to Time Warner Cable’s digital package. “The more people who see you play and know you play on national television every year, the better it helps your recruiting and gives your school positive exposure,” said A&T head football coach Lee Fobbs. Another bonus for the Aggies is that the two televised games add to what is already an impressive home schedule. In addition to playing two nationally-televised home games, the Aggies will renew the 78-year-old rivalry with N.C. Central on Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m. A&T’s Homecoming game, one of the biggest events in the Triad area each year, is scheduled for Oct. 27 at 1:30 p.m. Sandwiched in between those high-profile games is a showdown with Delaware State on Oct. 13 at 1:30 p.m., which will also serve as University Day.

“It’s really an exciting schedule because we have a lot of opportunities to play at home in front of a larger number of our fans and supporters,” said Fobbs. “When our young men can look up in the stands and see a large number of people wearing gold and cheering them on, it definitely motivates them.” The Aggies open the 2007 season against rival Winston-Salem State on Sept. 1 at 6 p.m., at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem. The following week the Aggies will head west to Los Angeles to play in the Angel City Classic inside the historic L.A. Coliseum against Prairie View A&M at 2:30 p.m., Pacific Standard Time. Fobbs said, “The classic (in Los Angeles) is great for everybody. It gives our fans a spectacular place to visit, and it exposes our young men to an environment and an area many of them have seen and heard about but never experienced.”

T

Coach Lee Fobbs

2007 Aggie Football * meAC games

SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 25

AGGIE SPORTS continued

Aggie BAseBAll plAYers Win AWArDs

arely has the North Carolina A&T softball team had a first-team

MEAC member since beginning fast-pitch softball play in 1996. But this year the Aggies softball program made up for lost time thanks to head coach Mamie Jones’ impressive freshman class. Freshman shortstop yahamma White (Lancaster, S.C.) and freshman second baseman lillian Bullock (Anchorage, Alaska) earned first-team All-MEAC honors prior to the 2007 MEAC Tournament held at Randazzo Softball Park in May. Two other Aggies earned second team honors, including freshman pitcher Sasha Philpot (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and freshman first baseman Jessie larson

(Morrison, Colo.). The four players

recognized are the most postseason accolades the Aggies have received since the fast-pitch program began. White earned first-team honors by leading the MEAC in batting at .425, which also ranks her 20th in the nation. At one point during the season, White’s batting average reached .474. Despite her absences from the lineup – White missed 11 games to recover from a hamstring injury – she still ranked third in the country in runs scored per game. Only MEAC Player of the Year and Hampton third baseman Maggie Wolfe had a better slugging percentage (.705) than White. To top off her impressive first season as an Aggie, four of White’s seven home runs were inside-the-park homers. Speaking of home runs, Bullock hit

plenty of them. Bullock has 14 home runs on the season, which leads the MEAC. At various times during the season, she had more home runs than any other freshman in the country. She is the only Aggie to play every game this season. Philpot had one of the best seasons in Aggie history on the mound. She finished 14-9 with a 3.36 ERA. She struck out 102 batters in 148 innings pitched, while walking just 59 opponents. From March 15-23, Philpot went 19 straight innings without giving up an earned run. Larson leads the MEAC in RBI with 49, while batting .331 with six home runs. Her defense was also stellar this season with only two errors all season and a .995 fielding percentage.

TWO Aggie freshmen eArn firsT-TeAm All-meAC sOfTBAll hOnOrs Two more freshmen earn second-team honors

BlAnD reCeiVes nCCsiA hOnOr, All-meAC AnD A&T femAle AThleTe Of The YeAr hOnOrs

Gamble

Beatty

WhitePhilpot

Bland

LarsonJones

hen Collegiate Baseball newspaper released its list of 2007 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-Americans in June, North Carolina A&T’s outfielder C.J.

Beatty earned a spot on the list with 90 other freshmen from around the country. Not to be outdone by a freshman, senior outfielder Charlie gamble was named to the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association All-State Baseball team for the second straight season, on the same day. Gamble was the only repeat performer on the team that includes Division I players from around the state. For Beatty and Gamble, the announcements added to a postseason that has been very prosperous for the duo. In April, Beatty was named N.C. A&T’s Freshman Male Athlete of the Year. Two-and-half weeks later he earned MEAC Rookie of the Year honors along with being named First-Team All-MEAC. Gamble, meanwhile, will need to clear a lot of space of his trophy case. Gamble was named the Aggies’ Senior Male Athlete of the Year followed by being named MEAC Player of the Year. He also earned first-team honors for the third time in his career. After the MEAC Tournament, in which Gamble led the Aggies to the championship game, he was named a third-team All-American by Louisville Slugger. Gamble is now playing for the Tri-City Valley Cats in Troy, N.Y. The Valley Cats is the Class A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros. Gamble was a 23rd round draft pick of the Astros in June. He reported to the Valley Cats on July 1.

amber Bland was named to the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association All-State

Women’s Basketball Team in May. Bland’s 2006-2007 women’s basketball season also led to her

being named first-team All-MEAC and the N.C. A&T Athletics Department Female Player of the Year.

Bland led the MEAC scoring at 19.6 points per game and broke the Aggies single-season

scoring record this past season.

The first and second teams consist of students from some of the smaller NCAA Division I

colleges and universities throughout the state. North Carolina sports information professionals

submitted nominees and NCCSIA members selected the two-five student teams. All students

involved with ties in the voting process are included on the all-state squad.

Founded in 2002, NCCSIA is comprised of sports information professionals from NCAA

Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions in North Carolina. The organization seeks to

promote collegiate athletics and student-athletes at all schools. Membership is open to anyone

affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina, and whose area of

responsibility lies within sports information.

NCSSIA selects all-state teams for men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s

basketball, softball and baseball on the college (Division II, III, NAIA) and university (Division I) levels.

More than 400 student-athletes have been recognized on all-state teams since 2003.

W

R

24 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007

1960s __________________________________

robert e. “Bob” Wilson

’60, an elder at Fellowship Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Ala., was confirmed in June 2006 for a two-year term as vice

moderator of the 217th General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Wilson became a Presbyterian in 1963, ordained as an elder in 1964 and ordained a deacon in 1985.

1970s __________________________________

harriet Frink davis ’75 has been named assistant vice president for development at Hampton University. Davis brings over 25 years of higher education experience

to the position. She held several leadership positions at North Carolina A&T State University including director of development and director of alumni affairs, helping to raise over $3 million in scholarship contributions. Creating and implementing the first Aggie

Awards Scholarship Gala and coordinating The Ray Charles Dinner Concert were feats also accomplished under her leadership. She is also credited with raising the bar for alumni giving and engagement at North Carolina A&T. At Hampton University, Davis’ position will consist of aiding the vice president of development in identifying financial needs and opportunities for the university and cultivating relationships with the university alumni.

hoyte Phifer Jr. ’74 has authored a book titled The Crystal Vaz. Phifer is assistant to the director of facilities at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

linda r. Wilson ’75, executive director of student health services for Sebastian Health Center at North Carolina A&T State University, was

elected South Atlantic Regional Director for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. during the organization’s 23rd South Atlantic Regional Conference in June. In attendance were more than 1,600 delegates from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Bermuda.

Wilson was initiated into Alpha Mu Chapter (N.C. A&T) in 1973, and she is a Golden Life Member of the Greensboro Alumnae Chapter where she was president 1998-2002. She has served in leadership roles at the local, regional and national levels, and she is currently secretary of the National Scholarship and Standards Committee.

1990s __________________________________

tonya McMillan-reed ’94 is a family and consumer science teacher with Durham Public Schools (North Carolina). McMillan-Reed is the

owner and operator of Reed’s Educational Consulting, a tutoring business that teaches students how to study and master test-taking skills. She is also director of GEMS (Girls Enrichment Ministries), a program for girls ages 11-19 that aims to help prevent teen pregnancy, promote self-respect, and build high self-esteem, leadership skills, academic success and spiritual practices that will assist them with everyday life.

leonora Bryant ’99 has been appointed interim director of alumni affairs at North Carolina A&T State University. Bryant will serve as chief liaison

with the Alumni Association and will carry out the duties and responsibilities of serving to strengthen the bonds of loyalty and enthusiasm between the University and its alumni. Prior to this appointment, she served as special assistant to the vice chancellor for development and university relations. Bryant can be reached via telephone at (336) 433-5570 or email, leonora@ncat.edu. The Office of Alumni Affairs is located on campus in the Alumni-Foundation Event Center, 200 N. Benbow Rd.

fOur reCeiVe 2007 Alumni AWArDs

Four graduates were honored for alumni service at the North Carolina A&T State

University National Alumni Association’s 2007 Annual Alumni Awards/Class Reunion

Banquet on May 12.

linda r. Wilson ’75 was awarded the 2007 Julia S. Brooks Achievement Award.

She is a community advocate and an active member of the Gate City Alumni Chapter,

where she has served in numerous roles of leadership. She also has served as interim

executive director for the National Alumni Association and interim director of Alumni

Affairs. Wilson is the executive director of Sebastian Health Center at N.C. A&T.

april C. Cameron ’01 is the recipient of the 2007 Velma R. Speight Young

Alumni Award. She is an active public health professional in the Atlanta area and

enjoys providing community service with the Atlanta Alumni Chapter.

Marva l. tidwell ’62 and Ponce d. tidwell ’63 are the recipients of the 2007

Howard C. Barnhill Distinguished Service Award. They are active members of the

Northern New Jersey Alumni Chapter and always have given back to the university as

well as the community, region and state in which they live.

26 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007

ALUMNI NEWSAGGIES ON THE MOVE

SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 27

Meet Pamela L. Johnson ’91,

newly elected president of the

National Alumni Association,

on page 30.

Joseph Monroe ’62, dean of the North Carolina

A&T State University College of Engineering,

was honored by the department of computer

science in the Dwight Look College of Engineering

at Texas A&M University. Monroe received the

Distinguished Former Student award for developing

and implementing accredited computer science

programs worldwide. Monroe earned his doctor of

philosophy in computer science from Texas A&M

in 1972, the first African American to earn such a

degree. He later held a faculty position at the United

States Air Force Academy, where he advanced

through the academic and military ranks during 25

years of service.

SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 2928 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007

n September 2006, Raleigh-Wake Alumni Chapter President larry galloway ’72 shared information at the

chapter meeting that could have put the chapter in a tail-spin: he had just learned from the North Carolina A&T University Foundation that the chapter needed $9,000+ to reach the $25,000 required to establish an endowed scholarship, and June 30, 2007, was the deadline to reach the goal. While $9,000 is not a lot of money in some cases, for the Raleigh-Wake Chapter it is a lot. Hence, it had taken four years for the chapter to raise $16,000. Thanks to the efforts of a few dedicated Aggies, Raleigh-Wake Chapter reached the $25,000 goal on time. The final push for the goal came from two events one week prior to the deadline. On June 22, the chapter sponsored a Summer Gala at the Cardinal Club in downtown Raleigh. Club member george latham ’74 was the official host for the event. velma Speight-Buford ’53, chair of the N.C. A&T Board of Trustees, was the highlight of the evening. She gave an update on the state of the university. On the next day the chapter sponsored its fifth annual golf tournament at Hedingham Golf and Athletic Club in Knightdale, N.C. Knightdale is in Wake County and the mayor is douglas Boyd ’72. The tournament was the brainchild of the late Fred davis ’59, whose spirit and love for the game have kept the tournament alive.

larry atkinson ’80 directed the tournament operations and deserves a big “Aggie Pride” for his accomplishment. Bill riddick ’61, george latham ’74, larry galloway ’72

and Phyllis Fulton ’69 were among the key sponsors of the tournament.

he N.C. A&T Class of 1993 is actively preparing for its 15th year reunion to be celebrated during

Alumni Weekend in May 2008. Class of 1993 reunion co-coordinators verdina

Bingham, donovan Kirkland and Maurice Stuart hope that early planning will result in an overwhelming turnout. In addition to their classmates’ physical presence, the trio is excited about the efforts the class is undertaking to make a sizeable financial donation to the university. Spearheaded by Kirkland, the fundraising committee has set a goal of raising $250,000 and believes this goal is achievable. However, it will take the participation of all classmates to make this goal a reality. If you are a member of the class of 1993 and have not yet been contacted, send an email to ncat1993@yahoogroups.com. Please include your name (maiden if applicable), address, telephone number, email address,

class year, school/college and major. You may also send your updated contact information to devinfo@ncat.edu for university records. The class of 1993 wants every classmate to consider becoming a Leadership Giver by making a commitment to donate $1,000 or more to the class’ fundraising gift. Those who are interested in becoming a Leadership Giver should send an email directly to donovan_kirkland@yahoo.com. Donations are tax deductible and no amount is too great or too small in helping the class reach its goal. When making a donation to the university, remember to note “Class of 1993” on the donation. “Class of 1993, it is time for us to step up and set the benchmark for the next generation of alumni giving,” says Kirkland. “Let us reconnect with each other and our alma mater by recommitting ourselves to showing true Aggie Pride through our unwavering support of A&T!”

ALUMNI NEWS continued

AGGIES ON THE MOVE

ClAss Of 1993 plAns 15Th YeAr reuniOn

Raleigh-Wake Alumni Chapter members Vernia Wilson ’98 (left) and Grover Payne (right) greet keynote speaker Velma Speight-Buford ’53 at the chapter’s Summer Gala. Speight-Buford is chair of the N.C. A&T Board of Trustees.

rAleigh-WAke ChApTer meeTs gOAl By Phyllis Banks Fulton ’69

Memoriamalumni

Clifton edward “Smooth” Britt ’81, July 24

Charles d. Bussey ’55, Major General, U.S. Army (Ret.), June 22

Winifred Jenkins dawson, May

hugh douglas hunter iii ’98, June 13

Madie ruth oliver ’62, March 28

Willie Mae Broadnax Pitts, June 21

Maceo Smith ’78, July 14

others

Kenneth Jerome Brown, former employee, July 6

Marvin leon Smith, university employee (Facilities), June 27

T

I

Teresa Davis, immediate past president of the National Alumni

Association, and Pamela L. Johnson, the new president, are

friends. That’s a great beginning to any transition.

As Davis makes room for Johnson to take over, she looks

back on her own accomplishments and can safely say there’s no

turning back.

“I am just finishing up my second term (as

president) and we have gone through a lot of

growth,” said Davis.

Davis said the organization went through a big

transition, moving from being an executive council

type format to a board format. It was a much

needed transition that aided in helping make the

association a more “collective voice on campus.”

Part of that transition included the creation

of affinity groups and structuring alumni groups

around the colleges and schools.

“As with any change you have your

challenges,” she said. “But we had a well thought

out plan and were willing to be the change agents.”

In retrospect, Davis admits that the role of president was

a daunting task. She remembers learning how to balance her

professional life and her personal life with the presidency; but in

hindsight, she enjoyed the opportunity to grow.

“It was a daunting task with this being a volunteer type of

role. I had to balance my life and also face as the leader not being

able to make everyone happy. But I always continued to try and

move the organization forward.

“I had a great experience meeting everyone, interacting with

the university administration and seeing different aspects of the

university,” she said.

Davis served two consecutive two-year terms while

working at Bank of America as the vice president, senior change

consultant. She has been with the company for 13 years and

currently is responsible for directing projects around the bank’s

procurement system.

Davis is very proud of the work Johnson has done with the

Washington, D.C. Alumni Chapter.

“I’m hoping to offer my experience and hope she can

leverage off of those,” said the former president of the Queen City

Chapter (1991-95).

As with Johnson, Davis is looking forward to seeing younger

Aggies get involved. And she adds, with Johnson now at the head,

“We are very capable of doing that.”

“This was a journey that I am very privileged and honored to

have traveled and to have served. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in

the world.”

“(Pamela) is just that type of person and she’s a communicator. She has the ability to energize people, and she wants people to be involved,” he added. It was Johnson who arrived at a local town hall meeting where radio host Tavis Smiley was discussing the book, The Covenant with Black America, and presented an invitation to her Covenant discussion party. Johnson, who periodically hosts private book discussions at her home, came to the event in hopes that Smiley would sign her 20 copies of the book that she had pre-purchased to give to her invited panelists. Smiley liked the idea so much he used it to create a national contest that encouraged people from all over the country to host book discussions in their homes. It was no surprise when Johnson won the contest. The gathering at her Upper Marlboro home in May 2006 drew more than 100 invited guests who got the surprise of their life when Smiley and Princeton University religion professor Cornel West arrived to meet and greet them. It’s things like that, Petty said, that make Johnson the perfect person for the job. “She is that bridge that we need. She has that ‘we will get it done’ attitude – and she has a lot of support behind her,” he added.

pAsT presiDenT leD AssOCiATiOn ThrOugh TrAnsiTiOn

By Samantha V. Hargrove

30 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007

ALUMNI NEWS continued

amela L. Johnson, newly elected president of the National Alumni

Association, has already laid the ground work for her new position. Her campaign slogan, “Cultivating, Communicating and Connecting,” is more than a catchy phrase. As the former president of the D.C. Alumni Chapter, Johnson already has proven that. The win just made the victory even sweeter. Johnson understands that she doesn’t have to take this journey alone. She totes a spirit of collective work and finds her gift in the art of getting other alums to join on. “Communication is extremely important. Really, it’s built upon establishing those relationships,” said the 1991 industrial engineering graduate who also has a master’s degree in operations research from George Washington University. “(You) don’t always have to agree, but we should always remain respectful and work toward that common goal. To me, that means responding to the needs of the university, making sure students have scholarships and what it takes for them to be successful and eventually become alumni,” she added. Johnson’s alumni service record is impressive. She has served as the chapter’s first vice president, second vice president, budget chairperson, and on a host of other chapter committees. As the co-chair of the membership committee, she was very instrumental in the chapter’s membership reaching a milestone of over 200 active alumni. Concurrently, the chapter’s annual

fund donations increased by more than 200 percent during her tenure. She is also the concept designer of the chapter’s website and is the founder of the D.C. Future Aggies Club. In 2003 the D.C. Chapter awarded her its Isaac Woodward Achievement Award and on the national level she was the recipient of the Velma R. Speight Young Alumni Award (2000). Johnson is the founder and chairperson of the Carla Macon Granville Engineering Scholarship. In 1988, she along with 14 other industrial engineering students named the scholarship after a fellow classmate who died of breast cancer. Since then, Granville’s family has been instrumental in awarding $40,000 in scholarships. The National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) honored Johnson as one of its 2007 Distinguished Alumni. In addition to her work with N.C. A&T alumni, Johnson is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Cost Estimating and Analysis, American Statistical Association, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (life member). Her family’s legacy as active alumni and HBCU graduates is one of Johnson’s points of pride. The third generation HBCU graduate says, “I always knew I would have some type of participation with my university. It was indoctrinated as I was growing up.” Her father Paige Johnson, now deceased, was the National Alumni

Association president for Shaw University. The Chesterfield County, Va., native’s sights are set on creating stronger communication on all levels. “Collectively we will breed success. Now I will have to be a manager on a national level and communicate with all entities including the university, alumni, students and constituents, so that we can provide more resources. “I do know there are a lot of resources that I need to tap into. I can’t accomplish this alone. All parties will have to be involved. I can’t be successful by myself,” she said. Others, who have watched her grow into the leader she has become, believe that Johnson can handle the load ahead. “She’s a hard worker. Once she sets her mind to something, she just doesn’t stop until she finishes,” said her mother Stella Little Johnson, a Shaw University graduate. “She loves A&T. Her passion for (the university) is on a different level. She has that same passion for people as well. I am extremely proud of her achievements,” she added. John Petty, a former president of the National Alumni Association (1999-2003), said he has watched Johnson’s metamorphosis into a committed leader. “I really think she is a born leader. I have seen her in action. She will have a much broader scope of work to accomplish but I know she is up for the challenge,” said Petty. Of all her traits, Petty said he admires Johnson’s ability to transcend generations.

CulTiVATing, COmmuniCATing AnD COnneCTingThe newly elected national president of the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University National Alumni Association will focus on cultivating, communicating and connecting alumni, students, university officials and friends.

By Samantha V. Hargrove

P

SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 31

Johnson Davis

32 A&T TODAY • SUMMER 2007 SUMMER 2007 • A&T TODAY 33

MIXED BAG

he interdisciplinary leadership studies doctoral program at North Carolina A&T recently launched The Malawi

Project, a long term capacity building partnership between Domasi Province in Malawi, Southern Africa, and A&T’s leadership studies program. Led by Liz Barber, associate professor in the leadership studies program at A&T, the project focuses on developing change agent leaders in both sites who are able to envision, support and carry out sustainable development in the areas of education, medicine, agriculture and industry. I participated in the comprehensive in-country experience, June 23-July 20, along with Jacqueline Greenlee, director of organizational development at Guilford Technical Community College, and Tonya Hargett, training coordinator for the division of lab animal medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill. The Malawi Project is designed to support highly engaged doctoral candidates already functioning as leaders in their communities to build expertise for working ethically and compassionately for social justice across global contexts. Such work holds promise for advancing global awareness and social responsibility, and for scaffolding pre-dissertation scholars in the ethical dilemmas involved in conducting research across power differentials. Collaborative and reciprocal service learning research projects that target sustainable change on two continents will be engaged. Projects include a health knowledge exchange – Children, AIDS and Photovoice – whose goal is to enhance health literacy and knowledge of HIV/AIDS among Malawian schoolchildren through the development of teacher authored “big books.” I am the principle investigator of Children, AIDS and Photovoice, and Hargett and Greenlee are the co-investigators. Another authoring project, Big Books, involves schoolchildren in both sites in writing and classroom publishing giant books for each other to read. Book Share assists children

in both sites in expanding their reading repertoires and comprehension strategies, and in developing familiarity with award-winning children’s authors and school information. Doctoral candidates Frederick Hill and Manuel Dudley, who are public school and community college administrators, will implement E-Mentors, a program for black male youth considered at-risk and Malawian youth. Both groups will engage in a virtual mentoring program to develop cross cultural understanding and communication skill in written English. This service oriented social justice action research project seeks to build leadership capacity in young black and Malawian males. The Malawi Project provides opportunities for potential Malawian change agents to pursue university study in education, medicine, agriculture or business/industry. A year’s tuition costs the equivalent of $500 U.S. During these experiences participants identify potential Malawian change agents to receive

one of four $500 scholarships for a year of university study. The project team thanks all individuals and organizations that contributed to the Malawi Project. We specifically wish to acknowledge former N.C. A&T Chancellor Lloyd V. Hackley, Associate Professor Daniel Miller and his colleagues in the leadership studies program, the department of social sciences and health policy at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, The American Association of University Women (Winston-Salem), and many others too numerous to list.

Vanessa Duren-Winfield is a research associate in the Wake Forest University School of Medicine Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, and affiliate in the Maya Angelou Research Center on Minority Health. She serves as principle investigator for the current Malawi, Africa, international service learning project, “Children, AIDS and Photovoice.” Duren-Winfield is a Ph.D. candidate in the Leadership Studies Program at North Carolina A&T State University. The focus of her dissertation will be “The Association of Health Literacy on Pre-diabetes Outcomes.”

It’s that time again in Aggieland, when a room comes alive filled with the energy and excitement of students. Every fall, the Aggie Call Center gears up to begin its phonathon program by contacting alumni and friends across the nation, like you, to encourage lifetime participation and involvement with North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The funds raised are for academic and program support. These student callers are proven leaders who take pride in what they do, and each day they look forward to speaking with you and sharing in the Aggie Pride experience.

Things to Remember about the Phonathon:

• Your gift, regardless of size, increases our alumni giving rate.

• An annual giving staff member is always available to speak with you during the phonathon.

• To eliminate paperwork, you can give the student caller your credit card or check information via the phone.

• You can save the phonathon workers a call by making a gift today at www.ncat.edu.

As we embark on a new year, help demonstrate to our students that you believe in them and the continued success of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

The mAlAWi prOjeCTLeadership research and service learning study is launched in Malawi, South Africa. By Vanessa Duren-Winfield

T

N.C. A&T Phonathon Program Gears Up

Jackie Greenlee, Liz Barber, Tonya Hargett and Vanessa Duren-Winfield

____________________

Non-Profit Organization____________________

US Postage PAID____________________

Greensboro, NC____________________

Permit Number 47____________________

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

1601 East Market StreetGreensboro, NC 27411

REMEMBERING THE PAST

John hope Franklin

(left center) noted

historian and professor

of american history

at the university of

Chicago, talks with

N.C. a&t students

(left-right) Claudia lytle,

ralph lee and angeline

Nelson following his

presentation.

February 17, 1965

www.ncat.edu

Photo courtesy of Bluford Library Archives