On Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 11 a.m., North Carolina Central University will ceremonially break ground on three major construction projects: a new nursing building, a residence hall and a parking deck. The combined cost of the projects will be about $70 million. The ceremony will take place on the front lawn of the old Holy Cross Church, at 1400 S. Alston Ave., where the new nursing facility will be built.

The $25 million, state-of-the-art nursing structure will offer 65,000 square feet of space, including a 250-seat auditorium, a large skills lab and a family room for students with children. Completion is anticipated in July 2011. The facility will better enable NCCU to help address the statewide shortage of nurses and increase diversity in the field. According to the N.C. Center on Public Policy, North Carolina will face a shortage of 9,000 nurses in the next five years, and 18,000 by 2020. Last year, 509 students were enrolled in NCCU’s nursing program, a four percent increase from 2007-08.

To make room for the nursing building, preparations are in place to move the old Holy Cross church to the historic corridor at 1912 Fayetteville St., beside NCCU’s Shepard House. No changes are planned to the exterior or interior of the church but it will be repurposed as meeting space for NCCU and the community.

Dedicated in 1953, the small, picturesque stone structure was home to one of the oldest African-American Catholic congregations in the state. The building and the 3.6 acres on which it stands were sold to the state for the development of the campus when parishioners moved to a new and larger Holy Cross Sanctuary at 2438 South Alston Ave., in 2006.

Chidley North Residence Hall, the planned 125,000 square foot, four-story residence hall will be built further north on Alston at the corner of Lawson Street. The $30 million building will house 520 students in suite-style accommodations. It will also contain staff apartments, a multi-purpose classroom, a computer lab and offices. The scheduled completion date is May 2011. Campus officials say it cannot come on stream fast enough; last fall, NCCU opened its doors to the largest freshman class in its history, 1,347 students, and the university is committed to housing its freshmen and sophomores on campus.

Finally, construction has begun on a mixed-use structure to house retail, office space, and a parking deck, with completion scheduled for August 2010. The Latham Parking Deck will cost $15 million and provide parking for 750. At ground level, the deck will contain a coffee shop, bookstore and a police substation.

Eagles’ Gridiron Slate Includes Six Home Games, Four MEAC Opponents in 2010
The 2010 North Carolina Central University football schedule features six home contests, including a Thursday night season-opener and the return of rival North Carolina A&T to O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium, along with four games against conference foes, as NCCU announced its gridiron slate on Thursday (Feb. 11).

The 2010 NCCU schedule also includes the continued series with rival Winston-Salem State, a return trip to Appalachian State, the first home contest against Hampton in 19 years, a game inside the Georgia Dome, and Bethune-Cookman’s first visit to O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

“It’s a very competitive schedule,” said Mose Rison, entering his fourth season as head football coach at NCCU. “We play six games on our campus, which is a big plus. Our kids enjoy playing in front of our student body and our fans.

“Without a question, this is a great home schedule, with the likes of Winston-Salem State, A&T, Hampton and Bethune-Cookman coming to Durham. Plus, the return of former CIAA opponent Johnson C. Smith and Edward Waters for Homecoming,” Rison added. “We’re excited.”

The Eagles will open their fourth NCAA Division I-FCS campaign with a rare Thursday night home game on Sept. 2 (7 p.m.) against former CIAA adversary Johnson C. Smith. This will be the first meeting between the Eagles and the Golden Bulls since 2006, NCCU’s last season in the CIAA. NCCU leads the series 48-18-3.

NCCU returns home on Sept. 11 to host the Rams on Winston-Salem State at 6 p.m. The Eagles earned an 18-10 road victory over the Rams last season to take a one-game lead in the series, which stands at 22-21. WSSU will play the 2010 season as a Division II member of the CIAA.

The Eagles will play their first of four road games on Sept. 18 by returning to Boone, N.C., to play Appalachian State, winners of three FCS national championships. Last year, the Mountaineers defeated the Eagles 55-21 in their first meeting. ASU went on to win their fifth-straight Southern Conference title, advanced to the national semifinals, posted an 11-3 overall record and garnered a No. 3 national ranking in the final FCS poll.

On Sept. 25 (6 p.m.), the rival Aggies of North Carolina A&T return to Durham, N.C., for the first time since 1992. From 1994-2005, the two battled in the “Eagle-Aggie Classic” at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., before returning to a home-and-home series. Two years ago, NCCU opted to host its home game at Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., where more than 20,000 fans witnessed the Eagles beat the Aggies, 28-27. Last season, A&T edged NCCU 23-17 in double overtime in Greensboro, N.C. The Eagles have won three of the last four matchups, but A&T holds a 46-30-5 advantage in the 86-year history of the rivalry.

“People have been calling and talking about how this will be one of the greatest atmospheres we have had here at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium in a long time,” Rison said about the Aggies’ return to Durham. “It’s going to be an electric night.”

After an open week, the Eagles welcome another team to O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium that has not visited in a while. On Oct. 9 (4 p.m.), the Hampton Pirates travel to Durham for the first time since the end of the 1991 campaign. In last season’s contest, Hampton rallied for a 31-24 victory in Virginia, marking the Pirates’ sixth consecutive win a series that stands at 15-5 in favor of HU.

On Oct. 16, NCCU will compete in its fourth NFL stadium in the past decade as the Eagles play the Georgia State Panthers inside the Georgia Dome, home of the Atlanta Falcons. Georgia State enters its first year of football competition and is slated to join the Colonial Athletic Association in 2012.

On Oct. 23 (2 p.m.), the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman will take the NCCU gridiron for the first time. The only other meeting between these future MEAC foes took place on Sept. 24, 1994 in Daytona Beach, Fla., when the Eagles won by a score of 24-5.

On Oct. 30 (2 p.m.), NCCU celebrates Homecoming against the Tigers of Edward Waters in the sixth and final home game of the season for the Eagles. In the prior three meetings, all NCCU victories, the Eagles have outscored EWC 149-26, including a 34-14 win in the last matchup in 2008.

After playing seven of their first eight contests in North Carolina, the Eagles venture to Delaware State on Nov. 6. NCCU holds a 13-5 advantage in the series, including victories in the last four meetings against the Hornets. The last time these two teams met, the Eagles defeated DSU, 26-23, on Sept, 11, 2004, in Dover, Del.

NCCU wraps up the 2010 campaign on Nov. 13 at Savannah State. The Eagles beat the Tigers, 35-14, in Durham last season. NCCU leads the series 4-0-1.

In 2009, NCCU won four of its last five games to finish with a 4-7 record for the second consecutive season.

The Eagles are entering their fourth season of competition on the NCAA Division I-FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) level after winning back-to-back conference championships during their final two years (2005, 2006) in the NCAA Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

NCCU will become members of the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) on July 1, 2010, but will not be eligible for the conference championship during the upcoming season.

Information regarding NCCU football season tickets will be released next week.

NOTES:

NCCU Road Warriors (Driving Distance – One-Way):

Sept. 18 at Appalachian – 168 miles (2:59)
Oct. 16 at Georgia State – 383 miles (5:59)
Nov. 6 at Delaware State – 354 miles (6:20)
Nov. 13 at Savannah State – 352 miles (5:41)
(Source: Google Maps)

MEAC Opponents (NCCU Joins MEAC July 1, 2010):

North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro, N.C.)
Hampton University (Hampton, Va.)
Bethune-Cookman University (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
Delaware State University (Dover, Del.)

Recent Trips to NFL Stadiums:

Georgia Dome – Atlanta Falcons (Oct. 16, 2009 vs. Georgia State)
Giants Stadium – New York Giants (Sept. 15, 2007 vs. Elizabeth City State – W, 18-10)
Ericsson Stadium – Carolina Panthers (Nov. 4, 2001 vs. Johnson C. Smith – W, 34-3)
Veterans Stadium – Philadelphia Eagles (Sept. 30, 2000 vs. Morris Brown – W, 19-16)

For updated schedule information, visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or call (919) 530-7054.

For ticket information, visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or call the NCCU Ticket Office at (919) 530-5170.

(as of Feb. 11, 2010)

Organizers of North Carolina Central University’s Centennial are seeking nominations from the community for an honor that will be bestowed on five people connected to the university.

NCCU Chancellor Charlie Nelms will confer the Shepard Medallion on five individuals later this year as part of the school’s 100th birthday celebration. The university, then called the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua, officially opened its doors on July 5, 1910, at its current location on Fayetteville Street.

“People have always made this university what it is, beginning with the founder, Dr. James E. Shepard,” said Nelms. “So we think that people ought to be at the center of our centennial commemoration, and that those who have given the most of themselves ought to be recognized in a significant way during our celebration.”

The medallion will be given to five alumni, former faculty, staff and administrators, trustees or others connected to NCCU. The criteria are exemplary service or accomplishments in one or more of the following areas:

· The recipient’s profession, discipline or field of study;

· The recipient’s commitment and leadership in advancing the mission of NCCU;

· The recipient’s local, state or global service to humankind, consistent with the university’s motto of “Truth and Service.”

Those eligible for the award must be living. Former employees must have been separated from the university for at least a year on May 1. The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. on Feb. 26. A campus committee will review nominations and send its choices to Nelms, who will make the final selections.

A nomination form is available at www.nccufoundation.org/centennial/heritage.html. Residents also can mail or hand-deliver nominations to the Office of Public Relations, William Jones Building, Suite #118, North Carolina Central University, 1801 Fayetteville St., Durham, NC 27707. They must include their own name, address and phone number and a letter of nomination and biographical sketch of the person they are nominating. They also must submit one-page letters of reference about the individual from two other people. The letters should give specific examples of why the nominee should receive the award. The nominee’s curriculum vita should be sent, too.

On Thursday, February 25, WNCU 90.7 FM will partner with the American Red Cross, Central North Carolina Chapter to host a Day of Relief for Haiti. WNCU will conduct an on air fundraiser to benefit Haiti from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Red Cross volunteers and staff will operate phone lines and answer questions about the work of the Red Cross and the relief efforts in Haiti.

One month after a devastating earthquake in Haiti, people in the country still need food, water, relief supplies, shelter, healthcare, family services and other assistance.

“Financial donations are the best way to help. We are very grateful to WNCU for working with us,” said Toby Barfield, Chapter Executive for the American Red Cross, Central North Carolina Chapter headquartered in Durham. “We have had such an overwhelming response from so many generous organizations, schools, businesses, restaurants, and individuals who want to get involved in the relief efforts by donating their time and money,” said Barfield.

The American Red Cross has committed nearly $80 million to meet the most urgent needs of earthquake survivors. Because of the generosity of donors, people in Haiti will receive more than immediate relief—they will receive resources, support and training from the Red Cross that will help them recover and rebuild in the years ahead.

“This is one small way for us to help the people in Haiti. I hope our loyal and generous listeners will take a few moments to call in and make a donation. A gift of any size will really help the people, especially the children who have lost so much,” said Lackisha Sykes Freeman, Interim General Manager of WNCU 90.7 FM.

“We hope our listeners will join us on Feb. 25th for this special Day of Relief for Haiti, and ask everyone in the community to give what they can. During the fund drive from 5:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., we will hold a special community-based talk show to discuss Haiti and its relevance to the African Diaspora. Michelle Laws community activist, educator and creator of The Word On The Street talk show on Blogtalkradio.com will host the program. Laws and her guests will discuss Haiti’s past, present and future from a historical, cultural and sociopolitical perspective,” said Kimberley Pierce Cartwright, the News & Public Affairs Director for WNCU.

For more information about the American Red Cross, please visit www.redcross.org or contact the local chapter at (919) 489-6541. For information about WNCU 90.7 FM, please call the station at (919) 553-7445 or visit the website at www.wncu.org.

An exhibition of the photographs and articles of Alexander “Alex” Rivera, Jr., nationally acclaimed photojournalist, will go on display February 7 through April 23, 2010, at the North Carolina Central University Art Museum.

“It is difficult to imagine celebrating the university’s centennial without considering the artistry of Alex Rivera. Not only did he chronicle the early days of the university in pictures, but he was the first publicist for the university,” said Kenneth Rodgers, director of the NCCU Art Museum.

The exhibition, “Alexander ‘Alex’ Rivera: Pioneer Photojournalist for Black America” includes early photographs of North Carolina College, photographs taken during the civil rights movement and photographs of celebrities who visited Durham, including tennis great Arthur Ashe, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshal, and singer Marion Anderson.

John Hope Franklin wrote that “Alex Rivera is an outstanding photo-journalist whose role in reporting World War II and the Civil Rights Movement is one of the stellar performances of the last half century. To his task he brought intelligence, sensitivity, and courage. He reported marches, protests, intimidations by authorities, and actions and reprisals by the enemies of justice. At home and abroad, in peace and in war the dramatic and intelligent images that Rivera produced have nudged this nation a bit closer to justice. For his courage and for his vision those who are the beneficiaries of his work will be ever grateful.”

Rivera, the oldest child of three born to Alexander M. Rivera, Sr., grew up in Greensboro, N.C. His father, a practicing dentist, was deeply involved with leaders of the NAACP and their crusade against injustice and segregation. During his childhood and teen-age years, Rivera was exposed to the struggles for justice and equality for the African-American people. He attended Greensboro public schools and graduated from James B. Dudley High School. He enrolled in Howard University and during his freshman year worked part-time for the Washington Tribune, the largest black owned printing business in Washington D.C.

The founder and first president of what is now North Carolina Central University, Dr. James E. Shepard, invited Rivera to organize the institution’s first news bureau in 1939, while working toward his Baccalaureate degree. In addition to publicizing the N.C. College, Rivera publicized Durham news and activities in the National Negro Press. He captured the financial and civic organizations, both photographically and editorially including the early years of the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs. After graduating from North Carolina College in 1941, Rivera took a position with the Norfolk Journal and Guide in Norfolk, Virginia.

Rivera completed World War II military service in Naval Intelligence from 1941 to 1945. After his military service, he returned to the journalism profession as a reporter for the Norfolk Journal and Guide and the Pittsburgh Courier. He investigated the last lynchings in South Carolina and in Georgia, risking his life traveling through communities inflamed with racial conflict and violence. One time, he had to pass himself off as a chauffeur to escape a dangerous encounter.

As a reporter, Rivera covered a number of the lawsuits that ultimately led to the Brown v. The Topeka Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954, that struck down the concept of “separate but equal” educational facilities. Rivera served with Attorney and later Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in the Clarendon County South Carolina case from beginning to the end. Clarendon was one of the five cases combined by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education ruling. After this landmark decision ended legal school segregation, Rivera and Pittsburgh Courier News Editor Robert M. Ratcliffe initiated the series “The South Speaks,” which chronicled the political climate and public reactions across the South. In 1955, Rivera and Ratcliffe received a Global News Syndicate Award for their coverage of the Brown decision and its impact on desegregation in public schools.

Rivera also kept North Carolinians in the headlines as the southeastern correspondent at the Pittsburgh Courier. He followed the efforts of five African-American students to integrate the law school at UNC-Chapel Hill. His articles attracted support for their efforts, and in 1951, the first blacks, Harvey Beech and Kenneth Lee, were admitted.

He was the first black journalist to participate regularly in North Carolina Governors’ press conferences. He was admitted to regular coverage during the term of Governor Kerr Scott. In 1957, Vice President Richard M. Nixon invited Rivera to accompany him on an historic trip to the continent of Africa. This trip was extended to Europe and included an audience with the Pope.

Rivera knew and advised each of the Presidents and Chancellors of his alma mater during his tenure, from Dr. Shepard, the founder, to former Chancellor, James H. Ammons. He was a director of public relations for five NCCU Chancellors: Dr. Albert N. Whitling, Dr. Leroy T. Walker, Dr. Tyronza R. Richmond, Dr. Donna J. Benson, and briefly, Dr. Julius L. Chambers. Upon his retirement in 1993, Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., conferred on Rivera the State of North Carolina’s prestigious award, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine. Rivera died in October 2008.

As part of the NCCU Centennial Celebration and in honor of Black History Month, North Carolina Central University will host a lecture with Dr. Ben Carson, director, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, on Tuesday, February 9 at 3 p.m. in the McDougald – McLendon Gymnasium. Dr. Carson will speak from his motivational book, Think Big. The event, as well as the reception and book signing following the program, are free and open to the public.

A graduate of Yale University and the Medical School of the University of Michigan, Carson pioneered several surgical innovations. In 1987, he performed the first successful operation to separate craniopagus (Siamese) twins, joined at the back of the head – leading a 70-member surgical team through 22 hours of surgery. Named by CNN and TIME magazine as one of the 20 most notable scientists and physicians, Carson holds more than 50 honorary degrees. In June 2008, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by then President George W. Bush.

Perhaps Carson is best known for his story of triumph over tragedy. Raised in a single-parent home, Carson struggled through his early years of school, resulting in poor academic performance, low self-esteem, and a terrible temper. It was the intervention of his mother – who challenged both Carson and his brother to strive for excellence – that resulted in the realization of his childhood dream, becoming a doctor.

Today, Dr. Carson works to expand the Carson Scholars Fund, with the goal of naming a Carson Scholar in every school in the country. His motivational book, Think Big, utilizes eight principles of excellence, his personal formula for success.

This event is sponsored through the NCCU Lyceum Series. For more information on this program, contact Robin Williams, Developmental and Supplemental Learning Center, at (919) 530-6932, or rwilliams@nccu.edu.

RESCHEDULED DATE: Saturday, February 6, 2010

The St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation, Inc/ Hayti Heritage Center send our condolences to the people of Haiti. This catastrophe is beyond comprehension to a people who have been struggling to recovery from natural disasters over the last year. In an effort to act the Foundation along with 18 groups and over 100 artists from Durham and surrounding communities will come together to raise money at the DURHAM ARTISTS FOR HAITI RELIEF CONCERT, Saturday, January 30 in the St. Joseph’s Performance Hall at the Hayti Heritage Center beginning at 5:00 pm – 12 midnight. Suggested donation of $20 at the door and all proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross for Haiti Relief.

“I have been so saddened by the events in Haiti and after talking with others in the community just felt we need to do something to show our support as artists. So I begin to plan this concert last week and it has all come together with the support of so many people, businesses and volunteers. We (Hayti Heritage Center) have a unique connection to Haiti having been named after the first free and independence nation of the Diaspora. In addition to a link that many may not know that is seen daily on top of the steeple of the historic St. Joseph’s structure- a VeVe (the weathervane) which is the symbol of Erzulie, The Goddess of Love, which is a voodoo symbol worshiped in the Haitian culture”, states V. Dianne Pledger, President/CEO of St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation.

We are fortunate to have artists that are willing to give back to support worthy causes, and on Saturday night the public will have the opportunity to hear some jazz, gospel, R & B, comedy, spoken word, blues, a little bit of everything to raise money to support the efforts to restore the nation of Haiti.

Scheduled to appear: Prince Miah & The Girl ToyZ, The Marcus Anderson Group, Baron Tymas Trio, Jasme Kelly, The Rise Band, Bull City Slam Team, The William Darity Group, Jatovie McDuffie, Jennifer Evans Gospel, Brandi Q & PB Band, Darrell Stover, Cinnamon Davis, Dasun Ahanu, The Johnny White Band, The William McLaughlin Group, Ian Siler & True Prayze, Kurt Melges & Leslie Land and more.

We urge you to support the recovery of this nation with a financial contribution; our neighbors in Haiti are racing to confront the enormous devastation. It is at times such as this that our help is need most. If you are unable to attend the concert the Hayti Heritage Center has set up a fund which will be sent to the Red Cross for relief efforts. You may donate through our on line donation system and identify your contribution for Haitian Earthquake Relief, or drop by the Hayti Heritage Center. Our prayers are with the Haitian community throughout the world.

Additional relief efforts and contact information is as follows:

Donate

• Financial Donations
  • Donate $10 to the American Red Cross – charged to your cell phone bill – by texting “HAITI” to “90999.”
  • Contribute online to the Red Cross
• Find more ways to help through the Center for International Disaster Information.

The St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation, Inc. (SJHF) founded in 1975, is an African American cultural and educational institution deeply rooted in the historic Hayti community of Durham, North Carolina. SJHF is dedicated to advancing cultural understanding through diverse programs that examine the experiences of Americans of African descent – locally, nationally and globally. The Foundation is committed to preserving, restoring and developing the Hayti Heritage Center, the former St. Joseph’s AME Church, a National Historic Landmark, as a cultural and economic anchor to the greater Durham community. For more information call (919) 683-1709 or www.hayti.org

North Carolina Central University will celebrate Black History Month in its Centennial Year with a series of events that are free and open to the public. The keynote speaker is Glenn Harris, associate professor, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, who will address this year’s theme, “The History of Black Economic Empowerment.” The lecture is scheduled for Monday, February 15, at 3 p.m. in the H.M. Michaux, Jr. School of Education Auditorium.

On Tuesday, February 9, Dr. Ben Carson, director, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, will speak from his book, Think Big, in the McDougald – McLendon Gymnasium, at 3 p.m. A book signing and reception will follow the program.

The stage comedy, “Dance on Widow’s Row” by playwright and North Carolina native Samm-Art Williams will open at the University Theatre, Friday, February 12, at 8 p.m. NCCU students will lend their talents to this production set in Port Town – a fictional, coastal community. This play was featured in the 2001 National Black Theater Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C. Kenneth Hinton, adjunct instructor, is the director.

Other highlights include a lecture by Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, Oluwafemi Faseum, “Talking Drums as Instruments for Music Making and Communication in West Africa,” a cello recital, “A Cello Recital of Negro Spirituals,” by Associate Professor Timothy Holley, and what has been billed as an “African American Cultural Explosion,” sponsored by the Earle E. Thorpe Historian Society. For more details, visit <www.nccu.edu>.

Discussion/Presentation – “Youth for Justice”
Date & Time: February 1, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Location: Alfonso Elder Student Union, Room 146 – 146A
Description: Speakers include Tomasi Larry, Benita Artis, Charmaine Troy and Norma Petway

Lecture – “Talking Drums As Instruments For Music Making And Communication In West Africa”
Date & Time: February 2, 5:30 p.m.
Location: BRITE Building, Room 1050
Description: The event speaker will be Oluwafemi Faseum, Fulbright scholar-in-residence, NCCU Department of Music.

Film – “Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin”
Date & Time: February 2, 6 p.m.
Location: Miller – Morgan Building, Auditorium
Description: The NCCU Department of Public Health Education will sponsor this event. A reception will follow the film.

Lecture – “Marcus Garvey: Race First”
Date & Time: February 3, 3 p.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 201
Description: The event speaker will be Balca Ceesay, NCCU undergraduate student.

Discussion – “Hayti and the Parrish Street Gang During the Jim Crow Era”
Date & Time: February 4, 2:30 p.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 207
Description: The event speaker will be André Vann, university archivist.

Film – “Favela Rising”
Date & Time: February 5, 11 a.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 205
Description: The NCCU Department of History will sponsor this event.

Exhibit – “Alexander (Alex) Rivera: Pioneer Photojournalist for Black America”
Date & Time: February 7, 2 p.m.
Location: NCCU Museum of Art
Description: The exhibit will run through April 23.

Lecture/ Video Presentation – “Reviewing A Colored School, A Narrative Film on Black Education, Self-Determination, and Pride: Parallels to the NCCU Traditional Experience”
Date & Time: February 8, 1 p.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 207
Description: The event speaker will be Janice Dargan, visiting assistant professor, NCCU Department of English and Mass Communication.

Lecture – Lyceum Program Speaker Dr. Ben Carson
Date & Time: February 9, 3 p.m.
Location: McDougald – McLendon Gymnasium
Description: Dr. Ben Carson, director, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, will speak.

Lecture – “The Right Man: The Genealogy of James Edward Shepard, 1875– 1947”
Date & Time: February 10, 3 p.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 203
Description: Historian Henry Lewis Suggs will speak.

Lecture – “Uncovering the Lost Papacy: The Three Black Popes”
Date & Time: February 11, 10:45 a.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 207
Description: NCCU undergraduate student James Blackwell will speak.

Play – “Dance on Widow’s Row”
Date & Time: February 12, 13, 19 & 20, 8 p.m.
Location: Farrison Newton-Communications, University Theatre
Description: A Samm– Art Williams comedy, directed by NCCU visiting lecturer Ken Hinton, will be performed by NCCU’s Department of Theatre.

Lecture – “The History of Black Economic Empowerment”
Date & Time: February 15, 3 p.m.
Location: H.M. Michaux, Jr. School of Education, Auditorium
Description: Glenn Harris, associate professor, University of North Carolina at Wilmington will offer this keynote address.

Presentation – “President Barack Obama: Identity and Dreams of My Father”
Date & Time: February 16, 6 p.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 207
Description: Michael V. Taliefero, NCCU undergraduate student will speak.

Lecture – “NCCU’s Economic Impact on the Durham Community”
Date & Time: February 17, 3 p.m.
Location: C.T. Willis Commerce Building, Room 315
Description: Andrea Harris, president of N.C. Institute of Minority Economic Development, will speak.

Lecture – “Infected with Fear: White Supremacy in North Carolina Politics 1876– 1965”
Date & Time: February 17, 7 p.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 201
Description: A.J. Donaldson, NCCU graduate student, will speak.

Film – “The Jackie Robinson Story”
Date & Time: February 18, 11 a.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 205
Description: The NCCU Department of History will sponsor this event.

Lecture – “It is Deeper than Rap: ‘Caught the Jingle but not the Music,’ Gangsta Rap and Black Masculinity”
Date & Time: February 18, 1 p.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 201 – B
Description: Brian Robinson, NCCU graduate student, will speak.

Seminar – “Somebody Had to do it: Children on the Front Lines of School Desegregation—Engaging HBCU Students as Researchers”
Date & Time: February 19, 1 p.m.
Location: Alfonso Elder Student Union, Room 146 – 146A
Description: Paula Q. Hall, NCCU associate professor, and Millicent E. Brown, associate professor, Claflin University will speak.

Film – “Black Panthers and San Francisco State: On Strike”
Date & Time: February 22, 11 a.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 205
Description: The NCCU Department of History will sponsor this event.

Lecture – “Grace Campbell: Cooperatives and Black Economic Empowerment”
Date & Time: February 23, 6 p.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 201
Description: Lydia Lindsey, NCCU associate professor will speak.

Lecture – “Maroon and Gray: Fight or Flight, Slaves in Antebellum Eastern North Carolina”
Date & Time: February 24, 3 p.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 207
Description: Marcus Nevius, graduate student, NCCU, will speak.

Lecture – “’Segregation Must and Will be Destroyed’: Louis Austin, the Carolina Times, and the Long Civil Rights Movement”
Date & Time: February 25, 2:30 p.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 201
Description: Jerry Gershenhorn, NCCU associate professor, will speak.

Panel Discussion – “Sixty Years of Health Education at North Carolina Central University”
Date & Time: February 25, 6 p.m.
Location: Miller-Morgan Building, Auditorium
Description: Event speakers include B.T. McMillon, Howard Fitts, Ted Parrish, Laverne Reid, and LaHoma Romocki.

Book Presentation/Signing – Adriana Lentz-Smith
Date & Time: February 26, 3 p.m.
Location: Edmonds Classroom Building, Room 201-B
Description: Adriana Lentz-Smith, Duke University assistant professor and author of Freedom Struggles: African Americans and World War I, will speak.

Musical Performance – “Negro Spirituals and Cello Music of African Americans”
Date & Time: February 28, 4 p.m.
Location: Edwards Music Building, Recital Hall
Description: Timothy Holley, NCCU associate professor will perform.

“African American Cultural Explosion”
Date & Time: February 28, 6 p.m.
Location: Alfonso Elder Student Union
Description: This event is sponsored by the Earle E. Thorpe Historian Society.

In the 114th annual meeting of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) that concluded yesterday in Atlanta, North Carolina Central University received reaffirmation of its accreditation as a degree-granting institution of higher education. The next formal review will be conducted in 2019.

Chancellor Charlie Nelms said, “I’m obviously pleased that the Commission reaffirmed our accreditation. I want to thank the faculty and staff for their continuous commitment to teaching and learning and their diligent pursuit of means to enhance the quality and effectiveness of our programs.”

The university offered its self-evaluation to the Commission several months prior to SACS’ reaffirmation visit conducted April 14 – 16, 2009, by a team of administrators from peer institutions. Chaired by Dr. Velvelyn Foster, vice president for academic affairs and student life at Jackson State University, the team assessed NCCU’s compliance with the Association’s standards. They also evaluated the university’s required Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) titled Communicating to Succeed.

Subsequent to their assessment, Dr. Pauletta Bracy, NCCU’s director of accreditations, led the effort by campus faculty and staff to address the action items identified prior to the submission of the on-site team’s final status report to the Commission this fall.

“This process of reaffirmation has been a valuable exercise in our continued quest for excellence and it is especially significant as it falls during our centennial year,” said Bracy.

NCCU elected to focus its QEP on improving the quality of students’ oral and written communication skills. The university has begun to invest greater resources in its writing and speaking laboratories and to institute greater emphasis on these skills throughout the curricula.

North Carolina Central University’s Staff Senate, Sodexo, the NCCU Academic Community Service Learning Program and WNCU 90.7 FM are collaborating to collect food donations to benefit the Durham Rescue Mission. They’re seeking help to feed hungry families during the holidays. On Friday, November 20, WNCU will broadcast live from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the McLean Parking Lot to fill NCCU vans with food. The lot is located on the corner of Nelson and Fayetteville Streets near the Alfonso Elder Student Union.

“We are a strong and compassionate group that cares about our students, faculty, and staff, but also, the community of which we are a part,” states Rebie Coleman, chair of NCCU’s Staff Senate. “During these tough economic times, we realize there is a tremendous need, so we’re calling on others to help us help them by donating food.”

The Durham Rescue Mission needs non-perishable food items including canned meats, canned vegetables, soups, sugar, coffee and tea to restock their pantries to feed hungry families in the community. On Thanksgiving Day, the Durham Rescue Mission hosts an annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner. They serve a free traditional thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings, and give away free clothing and free groceries.

“We have been blessed to have mild weather but still we have had record attendance of 199 men, women and children staying at the mission this fall,” said Gail Mills, co-founder of the Durham Rescue Mission.

For additional information or how you can help, call Rebie Coleman at (919) 530-5369.