“I'm excited about the opportunity to lead a UNC System institution,” said Conway. “My first priority at ECSU has to be enrollment. A few unfortunate incidents have overwhelmed the good news about the quality of the experience at the institution. Long term, my goal is for ECSU to enhance its role as a key economic development engine for northeastern North Carolina. The potential for the university and the region is tremendous.”

Like North Carolina A&T State University, ECSU was founded in 1891 and is categorized as a historically black college and university (HBCU). “Both universities have proud legacies worthy of celebration,” said Conway. “They are also relevant 21st century universities committed to the education of all who desire quality higher education experiences.”

Prior to this position, Conway was vice chancellor and chief of staff at Fayetteville State University (FSU) since 2008. He also worked at North Carolina State University for 32 years, where he served as vice provost for enrollment management and services from 2002 to 2005.

Conway’s extensive background in higher education has prepared him to meet the challenge of serving as Chancellor, but he points to his experiences as a student at N.C. A&T that prepared him for a lifetime of success. In 1971 he graduated with honors with a degree in Agricultural Education, and then returned to A&T for his master’s degree in 1973. But his first day at A&T did not go as he expected.

“During my first day of classes at A&T I was asked to write an essay in Dr. Thomasina Brown’s English class,” said Conway. “The next day she handed me back my essay with a grade of ‘D’ at the top. I stared at that ‘D’ the entire class period. I had always been a good student and had never seen a ‘D’ on an assignment. I worked up the nerve to stay after class and ask her what I had done wrong. Her response was, ‘Mr. Conway, that’s not how we write in college.’ Then she pointed out areas where I had done too much and some where I did too little. I learned to make the adjustments and earned an ‘A’ in that class, but more importantly I learned to adapt to a new set of expectations and standards.”

Conway also recalls encounters with the Dean of Men his sophomore year and the Dean of Women his junior year.

“Usually a summons to Col. Goode’s office meant you were about to receive a bus ticket home. It turned out he wanted to talk about what I wasn’t doing. He told me, ‘Conway, you are doing well academically, but you could be doing much better.’ I heard the message but I resisted. The next semester I was summoned to Dr. Gloria Scott’s office. Her message was simple and more direct. ‘Conway, you will do more here [at A&T] and in life, because you can.’”

These experiences convinced Conway that the administrators at the university were paying attention to his performance, and if they were paying attention, he needed to do the same.

In addition to the academic challenges he faced, times were turbulent during Conway’s undergraduate experience at A&T. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in the spring of his freshman year, and then spring 1968 finals were cancelled due to campus unrest. The unrest continued in the following spring with the Scott Hall siege and the death of Willie Grimes, an event that made a significant impact on Conway.

“The night Willie was killed I started out of Scott Hall with the same group he was with when he left the building. I stopped in the stairwell to talk to a couple of people. We were still in the stairwell when the group ran back to Scott Hall. The frailty of human life became very real to me that night; as did wanting my life to count for something of value.”

This desire inspired Conway to strive to reach his potential, and to instill in others that same desire. Today, Conway is poised to bring his track record of success and his commitment to achieving excellence to ECSU. “One of the first calls I received after the announcement of my appointment was from Chancellor Harold Martin Sr. offering whatever advice and counsel I might need. I had already talked with Chancellor James Anderson at FSU, who also offered his support. These successful chancellors understand that a strong ECSU will strengthen other institutions in the UNC System. Because I understand the essence of ‘Aggie Pride!’ I could embrace ‘Go Pack!,’ then ‘Bronco Pride!,’ and now ‘Viking Pride!’”

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