After 40 years at the helm of the School of Business and Economics at North Carolina A&T State University Dean Quiester Craig is set to retire at the end of the academic year.

“There is a season and a time for everything,” Craig said about retiring now.

While he feels great and still enjoys his work, Craig feels it is time for him to spend more time with his family and do other things.

“And I won’t have to keep answering the questions, ‘when are you going to retire’ and ‘you’re retired aren’t you’,” he said.

In 1972, Craig was appointed professor of accounting and dean of the SoBE. During his tenure, the SoBE programs received a unanimous vote for undergraduate accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and became the first HBCU to receive AACSB International accreditation.

“I’ve been fortunate to have been a part of a team that has been a part of quite a few achievements,” Craig said. “I didn’t do this by myself. Everybody was on this train – even the Doubting Thomases and the Doubting Thomasinas, both inside and outside the university.”

Over the past four decades, some of the university’s most successful graduates are products of Craig’s work in the SoBE. Regional, national and even global leaders in business, industry, education and even law have all, in some way, been touched by Craig. Whether it was a scholarship, an encouraging word or the figurative kick in the pants, he made a point to make an impact.

“We aren’t worth a dime if they aren’t successful,” Craig said. “You’re only as good as your last graduates and what they are doing. What we want to have is a flock of students who will carry on the legacy of the School of Business and Economics.”

Dr. Frederick Hill is the superintendent for the Natchez-Adams School District in Natchez, Miss. He remembers having two encounters with Craig. But it was the first of the two that changed his course.

“One time I met with him to talk with him about some possible scholarships that he may be aware of.  He asked me about my GPA.  I shared with him what my GPA was at the time and he hit the ceiling. He said come back when I have demonstrated to him that I am serious about college,” Hill said.

After a meeting with his advisor who agreed with Craig, he started to improve his studies and get more serious about his education.

“That encounter with him made me who I am today.  I have talked with my former advisor and have thanked her several times but I have not had the opportunity to say thank you to Dean Craig. You made an impact on my life in just the three minutes I stood before you,” Hill said.

Transformations like the one Hill made as a student are some of the highlights of Craig’s career. It is challenging to get students to change their course from instant gratification to delayed gratification but the hard work is worth it.

“We are trying to get as many students to buy into quality education as possible. It’s enjoyable to see a student make that choice to delay that gratification to get that education,” he said.

In addition to helping students make impactful decisions about their academics and careers, Craig has spent a great deal of time creating and fostering relationships that translate into scholarship dollars for students in the SoBE. He likes to drive home the point that relationships are paramount to achieving success in the classroom as well as the boardroom. They are preparation for the future.

“I grew up in an era where the opportunities available were a fantasy – they didn’t exist. Now we have transitioned to a time where preparation can be the foundation to get something started,” Craig said.

The awards, the accreditation distinctions, having the SoBE building named after him and securing scholarships are all a part of the legacy Craig will leave at A&T. The most important is the students and the graduates.

“These will always be my students whether I’m in this office or not,” Craig said. “People in this profession who don’t, won’t or can’t experience the joy of student development have missed out.”

Enjoying the development of students and the team of faculty and staff is what this job is all about, he said. That is why Craig and the SoBE alums he’s interacted with hope the search committee for the new dean of the SoBE will look for someone who is “P.C.”

“The P.C. I’m talking about is passion and commitment. They need to have passion for what the school and the university are about,” he said. “They need to be committed to believing in, caring for and having an interest in the students.”

Craig says the new dean will have to provide the leadership to prepare the students to be competitive and to further the impact they will have on a global society. He is confident the search committee will do just that.

“The university is geared toward the selection of talented people and the alumni are assuming that will continue,” he said.

Next month, Craig will be honored in a 3-day celebration that includes a picnic, a reception and a scholarship banquet. For additional information about attending or donating to the scholarship fund, contact
Samantha Hargrove at svhargro@ncat.edu.