Frances Peppers is an alumna of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and this year’s recipient of the National Alumni President of the Year award from the National Black College Hall of Fame Foundation.

On the first day of summer orientation she got lost behind “the Scotts,” or Scott Hall an old residence hall, where she encountered a small white building. While there, she ran into Dr. Velma Speight-Buford who quickly told her about the alumni association.

“Anytime I needed encouragement throughout school I knew I could go by that little white house,” said Peppers.

From that moment she knew that one day she too would be a part of the dynamic group of alumni.

Peppers stayed true to her goal and eventually became the N.C. A&T Alumni Association president.

“It’s the camaraderie,” she said.

For Peppers, N.C. A&T is all “about the family,”

She graduated in December 1985 with a degree in electrical engineering and is now a senior facilities design engineer for the United State Navy in Norfolk V.A.

Pepper’s summed up everything she knew about being a leader in three thoughts. Have “compassion for others,” be willing to “stand by and make the hard decisions” and “be a good communicator,” she added.

“I couldn’t have been successful without the board of directors, without the support of the people on campus, without the alumni at large or the campus support,” she said. “You’re not a good leader if you think you’re doing it all by yourself.”

Of the 40,000 plus alumni on record Peppers says only 3,000 to 3,500 actually give back to the university.

“We say we’ve got Aggie Pride but we need to write checks,” she said. “You can’t just wear the t-shirt, have the bumper sticker and come back from homecoming –A&T is so much bigger than the greatest homecoming on earth.”

Peppers enjoyed her time as the association’s president where she said she was able to turn her passion into action.

“I enjoyed those 18 months, it was a lot of work but I enjoyed it,” she said.

“As alumni we need to reach back, nurture and encourage the students before they get their degrees,” she said. “It doesn’t get any better than A&T.”

Peppers will receive the honor during the National Black College Hall of Fame Conference Sept. 26-29 in Atlanta, GA. 

By: Courtney J. Jackson