North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a force for educational achievement, innovative research and community service. Yet, like many of my colleagues leading higher education institutions, I sometimes encounter individuals who don’t yet know who we are or what we are all about.

We are a land-grant university, established in response to the second Morrill Act of 1890. We are also a doctoral institution with higher research activity, as classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, and we are North Carolina’s third-most productive public research university, a position we’ve held for more than a decade. Through generations of dedicated scholarship and teaching, we have earned a national reputation as a leader in STEM education.

There are other fine attributes, as well. Our accounting program was the first at any historically black university to earn accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), a recognition it shares today with only 186 programs worldwide. In fact, our College of Business and Economics is one of the nation’s most productive for graduation of African American students in marketing and accounting, and all of its programs, including its MBA, are AACSB accredited.

While our strengths are diverse, they share an important commonality: They are part of a comprehensive, strategic approach to preparing our students for success and impact in the world beyond our classroom and laboratories. Our students rely on N.C. A&T’s commitment to their success, and we believe in honoring the faith they’ve invested in our university.

Who are our students? They come from all corners of North Carolina, 44 states and 60 nations around the world. Two-thirds of our student body are the first in their families to go to college. All deserve the best we have to offer.

Our efficacy in enrolling students from modest backgrounds and graduating them into strong career paths, highly educated and well prepared to succeed – social mobility – is one of those attributes for which we are increasingly well known. CollegeNET is one of a growing number of organizations and studies that point to N.C. A&T’s national leadership in this area. For 2017-18, CollegeNET ranked A&T in the top 2.3 percent of 1,363 campuses nationally on that quality.

Social mobility dynamics are also at the heart of the widely cited Chetty Study. Released last year, the study provided a look at data from campuses across the country, including N.C. A&T.

The Chetty Study showed that among selective public colleges, N.C. A&T ranks among the highest in enrollment of students from the bottom 20 percent of income percentiles. We also rank among the top one-seventh of the nation’s most selective public colleges in the likelihood that our graduates move up two or more income quintiles in the workplace.

Two additional 2017 rankings strongly underscored the Chetty findings. Money magazine ranked N.C. A&T alumni second in the 17-campus University of North Carolina System in highest early career earnings. For out-of-state students, we were ranked third in the system by PayScale for best return on investment.

Long after campus points of pride fade from memory, our educational legacy shines on in the extraordinary lives of our graduates. Of all the many things for which we might be known, that is the most rewarding.

As an important part of its work to prepare students for success in graduate school and rewarding careers with strong earning potential, North Carolina A&T focuses extensively on involving undergraduates in faculty-led research in disciplines across the university.

The Office of Undergraduate Research pairs students with mentors, helps undergrads find available research positions, hosts panel discussions where students get to share learnings from their lab experiences and more. It’s all part of an institution-wide belief that undergraduate lab participation in any discipline not only expands learning beyond the classroom, but adds significant value to the student experience.

“By increasing opportunities, helping students get involved and promoting recognition of quality undergraduate research and scholarly inquiry, we draw students into experiences that can be transformational,” said Lando Little, program coordinator for Undergraduate Research.

N.C. A&T’s fall 2017 Undergraduate Research Symposium showed that commitment in action. A poster session and competition drew nearly 70 participants in disciplines ranging from psychology to urban horticulture to geomatics. One of the workshop speakers, Dr. Gregory Goins, an N.C. A&T biology professor and a White House Champion of Change for HBCUs, offered a guide for successful research careers.

In addition to a student panel, a faculty-led discussion presented research focused on N.C. A&T undergrads that provided an in-depth examination of students’ digital screen time habits.

“The students’ lab experiences and participation in programming like the symposium inspire confidence,” said Little. “They help students become stronger graduate school candidates, as well as individuals who are ready to handle responsibility and think critically in the workplace.”

A degree from North Carolina A&T is a hot commodity in today’s marketplace. Employers increasingly seek out N.C. A&T graduates-to-be, both for the quality of those students and for the disciplines in which they are enrolled.

N.C. A&T offers degree programs for the strong majority of today’s 25 top-paying careers requiring a bachelor’s degree. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that positions such as computer and information systems manager, software developer, marketing manager and more not only draw median wages well into six figures, but are all marked by strong projected growth over the next six years.

The picture is even more compelling as calculated in 2017 by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Academic disciplines including engineering, business, computer sciences, accounting and physical sciences – all leading strengths at N.C. A&T – are in high demand, with new-hire growth ranging from 13 percent (physical sciences) to 53 percent (engineering).

Given all of that, it should be no surprise that the biannual career fairs at N.C. A&T grow larger each year. Between the fall 2017 and spring 2018 fairs, about 400 employers and nearly 1,200 employer representatives took part. Interests such as BMW Manufacturing, the U.S. Department of State, Visa, Honeywell, IBM, Baltimore County Schools, Microsoft and many more were represented.

The heart of campus is always abuzz on fair day, with students in professional attire walking purposefully toward a packed Corbett Sports Center, portfolios in hand and ready to network. Some employers this spring took to social media to help their efforts stand out from the crowd.

“We are looking forward to meeting #Aggies interested in a career with the @RichmondFed Stop by booth #3 to learn what it’s like to work for the Nation's Central Bank! #careers #NCAT @ncatsuaggies,” tweeted the official account for the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank. Added the Twitter feed for Marathon Petroleum, “MPC recruiters will be on campus … @ncatsuaggies today! #JoinMPC #WeFuelOpportunity.”

N.C. A&T leaves nothing to chance in preparing its students not just for graduation, but for meaningful careers and impact in their communities. While that preparation crosses many student services areas, academic programs and extracurricular experiences, N.C. A&T sets its approach apart from the crowd in these three areas

• Internships. N.C. A&T’s campus culture attaches special value to internships and the opportunities they can create to ensure strong transition to the workplace. Knowing that, companies seek out Aggie underclassmen. One prominent computer science student, Brandon Long, interviewed with 27 companies in 2017, earning nine internship offers along the way and recognition as a White House HBCU All Star. He graduates this spring, and has already committed to join Microsoft’s Cortana At Work artificial intelligence team.

• Career Fairs. These twice-annual affairs (see Trendline story above) attract top employers from around the United States, and thousands of N.C. A&T students and alumni. Graduating students are there in significant numbers, but so are underclassmen prepared to open long-term relationships with future employers. Preparation for the fairs is intense and includes resume-building advice, interview coaching, tips on dressing for success and workshops where employers critique resumes and provide advice on landing co-ops and internships.

• Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Dedicated to helping students turn their business ideas into realities, this center provides classroom instruction, experiential learning and direct support through its Aggie Venture Development Accelerator. The accelerator offers deeper help for select students, including mentoring and start-up seed funding. Prominent successes thus far include Little Brown Box Works, a web and app development company; the urban fashion line, Pish Posh Apparel; and Onyx Ocean Technologies, a software and web development firm.