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N.C. A&T Alumna Webb Leads Student Health Center During COVID-19 Pandemic
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit our nation, doctors and nurses stood on the frontlines to answer the call. With resilience and grace, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has been fortunate to have under its leadership, Dr. Padonda Webb ’03, the executive director of the Student Health Center. She is responsible for the public health safety of nearly 12,800 students and close to 2,000 faculty and staff members. In August 2020, Webb stepped into the role as interim executive director, when the previous director retired — during the peak of the pandemic and the re-entry of students coming back to campus. “It was very critical for me…
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Bluford Library Archives: The Origins of Aggie Pride
CAN I GET AN AG-GIE PRIIDEE? When Aggies hear that question, we already know how to respond. A loud and proud “AGGIE PRIDE!” Aggie Pride is much more than a catchphrase. So many alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends of Aggieland know what it is, but many do not how this saying came to be. Aggie Pride has always existed, but it was expressed with different words. For decades North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University had “Aggie Spirit” or the “Good Ol’ Aggie Spirit.” For over 60 years, dedicated Aggies have declared that they are “Aggie born, Aggie bred, and when I die I’ll be an Aggie dead!” For…
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John Outterbridge Remembered As an Icon in the Assemblage Art Movement
With materials that the average person would define as “junk,” world-renowned artist John Outterbridge ‘53 made masterpieces. With works beginning in the 1960s, he became a central figure in the Los Angeles Black Arts Movement of the Civil Rights Era. In a lifetime defined not only by his art but by his activities as a humanitarian, griot and activist, he is also known as a pillar in the assemblage arts movement – an art form that involves the use of everyday items that are assembled into three-dimensional sculptures. Outterbridge used his gift as an artist to address social and political concerns, and his talent as a griot to reflect on…
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N.C. A&T Alumna Oliver Shares Journey of Winning Five Emmys
Chanelle Oliver ’08 has mastered the gift of knowing what makes a good story for her TV audience. Throughout her career as a journalist, she has been awarded not one, but five Emmy awards. Oliver is a segment producer for Good Day DC on Fox 5 DC/ WTTG, an owned-and-operated TV station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, in Washington, D.C. “A good story to me has a unique element that is informative and entertaining to our audience. Sometimes I find myself in the grocery stores discovering stories from people who just want to share what’s going in the community,” said Oliver. “I believe this is what has set me apart…
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Benjamin Robinson Brings Aggie Pride into Visual Focus
For more than eight years, Aggies have enjoyed original social media content from @ghoedosanddonts that has covered everything from homecoming, student life, athletics, and encouraging alumni to give back to the university. The man behind this platform, Benjamin Robinson ‘09, is a visual content creator who has enriched us with his love for North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. “When I graduated in 2009, it was in the middle of the recession. I had moved back home to Raleigh, North Carolina, and I came up with an idea to start a social media page for @ghoedosanddonts with Darren Brand ’08. We started creating content about A&T that became successful…
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N.C. A&T Alumnus Demetrius Harrison Inducted into MEAC Sports Hall of Fame
One of the most veracious tacklers in MEAC history will finally be honored for his tremendous four-year career as N.C. A&T’s middle linebacker. Demetrius Harrison ’92 will be inducted into the MEAC Hall of Fame this coming March after being voted into the MEAC Hall in December. The Aggies all-time leader in career tackles with 497 (second-most in MEAC history), Harrison was a two-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Year (1988, 1989) and a three-time first-team All-MEAC selection (1987-89). As a junior in 1988, Harrison was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, and he led the conference in tackles in 1988 and ’89. His 155 tackles in 1989 are the…
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Bluford Library Archives: Aggie Athletes In The Sit-In Movement
In nearly 120 years, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University athletes have formed strong lines of defense against major rivals in the Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association (CIAA), The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and soon the Big South Conference. The athletes have also famously defended their fellow Aggies on the fields of segregation and civil rights in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. This is the story of athletes in the 1960s Sit-In Movement. On Feb. 1, 1960, Ezell Blair Jr (Jibreel Khazan), David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McCain entered the Woolworth department store on Elm Street in downtown Greensboro. After that first day, the A&T Four began recruiting other students…
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Collins Brothers Establish Family Legacy through Endowment
When it comes to brotherhood, the Collins brothers truly live by that word. Victor ‘07, Chantin ’11, and Daniel Collins ’17 attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University with their ambitions set to become engineers. On top of that, the brothers are members of the same divine nine organization, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. In December 2020, the trio accomplished a major goal for their family by establishing The Collins Brothers Endowed Scholarship. The $25,000 scholarship is for students in the College of Engineering with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, and who also reside in their hometown, Durham, North Carolina, or graduated from Hillside High School. The…
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N.C. A&T Alumnus Dr. Raheem Beyah Tapped to Lead the Nation’s Largest Engineering Program at Georgia Tech
The year 2021 started off for Dr. Raheem Beyah ‘98 on a high note when Georgia Tech announced his new appointment as dean of the College of Engineering – which is recognized as an elite engineering school and one of the top public institutions in the nation. Beyah, a native of Atlanta with deep ties to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, credits his grandmother for introducing him to engineering. “Growing up in Atlanta, my mother would send me to North Carolina to spend summers with my grandmother, who is an alumna of Winston-Salem State University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. My grandmother and aunt would check out computers that…
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Planned Giving in the African American Community
The African American community has a strong tradition of giving its time, talent, and treasure to others. Historically, these gifts have gone to churches, alma maters, and civic organizations such as the Urban League and NAACP. According to the 2016 U.S. Trust Study of High Net-Worth Philanthropy, African American households give 25% more of their discretionary income to charitable organizations and causes than their white counterparts. Despite this culture of giving, when I first mention planned giving to many individuals, they initially balk at the idea, believing it to be an option only for the extremely wealthy. However, planned giving is simply any major gift made during an individual’s lifetime…