No. 2 and holding

For the third consecutive year, North Carolina A&T State University has ranked No. 2 in the nation for social mobility in Washington Monthly’s 2014 National Universities Rankings. Social mobility measures how well a university performs as an engine for improved social status.

By using data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System Survey, Washington Monthly compares the percentage of Pell Grant recipients to the predicted graduation rate, the actual graduation rate and other factors. While 57 percent of N.C. A&T students receive Pell Grants, a figure the magazine uses to determine the school’s commitment to educating lower income students, graduation numbers soar to 41 percent—well over the predicted graduation rate.

Overall, A&T ranked No. 49, an improvement over last year’s place at No. 53. To view the rankings click here.

Atlanta Football Classic

Mark your calendars and plan to attend the Atlanta Football Classic, presented by 100 Black Men of Atlanta, as the N.C. A&T Aggies take on the S.C. State University Bulldogs, Saturday, Oct. 4, in the Georgia Dome. The Classic is one of the nation’s largest black college football games.

The Omni CNN Center Hotel, located at 100 CNN Center, will serve as the host hotel. All A&T alumni are eligible to book under the special room block. The rate is $169 per night plus tax. The N.C. A&T State University room block is available for check-in Friday, Oct. 3 through Sunday, Oct. 5.

To make reservations, call 1-800-843-6664 and reference ‘N.C. A&T State University Block’ or visit Omni CNN Center Hotel online. The discounted rate is available until Thursday, Sept. 11, or until the room block is filled. 

Pictorial history of A&T

Bluford Library is collecting historical photographs for a pictorial book that will celebrate N.C. A&T’s 125th anniversary in 2016. To participate, send your photos by Monday, Sept. 15, to Bluford Library, 1601 E. Market Street, Greensboro, N.C. 27411, Attention: Pictorial Review.

The university seeks photographs and other documents that can help tell our history. Inclusion in the book is not guaranteed; however, all materials will be considered and will be returned.

For more information, contact co-authors Dr. Teresa Styles at teresaj@ncat.edu or Valerie Nieman, vgnieman@ncat.edu. Persons who do not have access to email may call Bluford Library at 336-285-4151.

Entrepreneurship counseling clinics

Do you currently own or thinking about starting a business or thinking about starting a business? If so, then the entrepreneurship counseling clinic is for you. N.C. A&T students, faculty and staff are invited to attend one of the free hour-long sessions sponsored by the Department of Management this fall.

Counseling Session I will be at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on the following dates: Wednesday, Sept. 17, Oct. 22 and Nov. 19. Counseling Session II will be at noon on Thursday, Sept. 18, Oct. 16 and Nov. 20.

The counselors for Session I will be Sharonetta McIntyre, business counselor, and Bob Weston, director, Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC). Shana Ayscue, president and CEO of STA Technologies LLC, will counsel Session II.

All sessions are by appointment only. Contact Dr. Thaddeus McEwen, 336-285-3356, to schedule an appointment.

Text-in-community kickoff

Shiza Shahid, co-founder of the Malala Fund, will kick off the 2014-15 Text-in-Community program for the fall semester, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 4 p.m., in Harrison Auditorium.

Named by Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30” for her social entrepreneurship, Shahid, 24, met Malala Yousafzai in 2009 and traveled to London in 2012 to oversee the care of the young Pakistani girl when she was shot by the Taliban. The Stanford grad and McKinsey consultant became the 16-year-old’s chief strategist and co-founded the Malala Fund to turn Yousafzai’s vision for girls’ education into reality. “I am Malala” is the university’s text-in-community reading selection for this academic year. Co-written by Yousafzai and Christina Lamb, it chronicles the young woman’s traumatic experience and her continued fight for education.

Constitution Day Teach-in

This year’s annual Constitution Day Teach-in at N.C. A&T will be Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 6:30 p.m., in the General Classroom Auditorium, room A218. In commemoration of Constitution Day and in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the teach-in will address the successes and failures of the justice through the decades.

Hosted by the departments of political science, criminal justice, history and journalism and mass communication, discussion leaders, spoken word artists/activists and vocal ensembles will give voice to the following topics: inequality, human rights and civil rights issues, disparities in healthcare and the first amendment.  

For more information, call 336-285-2046 or email Donna Bradby, director of marketing and publicity for the College of Arts and Sciences, at dbbradby@ncat.edu.

Lyceum program

Brasil Guitar Duo, winner of the 2006 Concert Artist Guild International Competition, will open this year’s Lyceum Series at North Carolina A&T State University on Tuesday, Sept. 23, in Harrison Auditorium at 7 p.m.

Hailed by Classical Guitar magazine for their “maturity of musicianship and technical virtuosity,” the Duo’s programming features a seamless blend of traditional and Brazilian works, resulting in a global touring schedule and a growing catalogue of critically acclaimed recordings.

This year’s Lyceum theme is “Valuing and Exploring Cultural Expressions Part III: Through Jazz and Hip-Hop.” Other featured artists will include New Orleans Hip-Hop artist Dee-1, jazz guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan and Grammy nominee Cecile McLorin Salvant.

For more information about Lyceum at N.C. A&T, contact Gregory J. Horton at 336-334-7852. For ticket information, call the University Ticket Office, 336-334-7749.

Undergraduate research symposium

The Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium will be Thursday, Oct. 16, 9 a.m.–4 p.m., at the Alumni-Foundation Event Center. The symposium will be comprised of panel discussions from research faculty and students and information on managing résumes and internships.

The symposium is open to undergraduates of all disciplines. Faculty and staff are welcome to attend and support their students. Register by Wednesday, Oct.1.

Teaching award applications

Applications for N.C. A&T’s 2014–15 teaching awards applications are now available on the ATL web site. Applications and teaching/learning portfolios must be submitted to the school/college teaching awards committees by Wednesday, Oct. 15. For more information, contact Dr. Scott Simkins, chair of the Teaching Excellence Awards Committee, at 336-285-3047.

Alumni homecoming concert

N.C. A&T University Foundation Inc. will present the 2014 Alumni Homecoming Concert, A “Knight” to Remember, featuring Gladys Knight with special guest Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes, Friday, Oct. 24, at the Koury Convention Center. Individual seats are $120, $140 and $280 (individual seats) and tables are $1200, $1400, $2800 and $5000.

Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. and the buffet reception begins at 7:45 p.m. Showtime is 8:30 p.m. For more information, call 336-433-5560.