Over the course of two consecutive weekends, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University elevated its national profile as its documentary, “Our Blues Make Us Gold,” earned a Nashville/Midsouth Regional Emmy Award nomination and was later featured during a special screening at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. What began as a project to chronicle the university’s institutional history unfolded into a series of milestones that shared the Aggie story across respected cultural and professional platforms. On Feb. 14, the film was recognized in the Documentary Historical category during the Nashville/Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards ceremony at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts…

Black History has a long and deep legacy at A&T and unknown to many Aggies until recent years, our university directly inspired the creation of “Negro History Week, or what is now called Black History Month.   A&T has a full heritage of being a proud HBCU land grant college and efforts to teach the history of Black Americans are rooted from our earliest faculty. Mrs. Susie B. Dudley (c.1852-1933) the matriarch of theatre arts at A&T composed plays on Black History and uplift like “The Evolution of the Negro” (1902) “The Negro’s Quota To His Commonwealth” (1905) that were presented at “Industrial Night” during commencement. President James B. Dudley (1859-1925) was active in many campaigns to teach and monumentalize Black History and the services of Black veterans.  Beginning in 1907, the A&M College began including a celebration of the birthdays of Frederick Douglas and…

Alumni chapters of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University have proudly organized the February One Reading Project for a number of years, creating an initiative designed to educate and inspire children across the United States about the powerful legacy of the A&T Four.  Each February, alumni chapter members share the book “Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down” by Andrea Davis Pinkney with young readers in schools, libraries, and community spaces. The book tells the compelling true story of four college freshmen who peacefully protested segregation by sitting at a “whites-only” lunch counter, demonstrating how determination, unity, and nonviolent action can spark meaningful and lasting change. Through this annual reading experience,…

When Gov. Josh Stein appointed North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alumna Alicia Marks Flowers to Superior Court for Judicial District 14B in Cumberland County, North Carolina, it brought her back to the community that shaped her earliest understanding of justice. “This moment represents coming full circle,” she said. “I am returning home to serve the people and the court system that helped shape who I am. It is both humbling and deeply meaningful.” Flowers ‘05 began her legal career nearly two decades ago as an assistant district attorney in Cumberland County, where she prosecuted misdemeanor and felony cases, worked closely with law enforcement and stood before juries in…

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 28, 2026) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University paid tribute to alumnus, physicist and astronaut Ronald E. McNair, Ph.D., Wednesday, Jan. 28, on the 40th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster that took the lives of him and his six fellow crew members. But McNair himself, his life and legacy is what the community celebrated above all else during the university’s annual commemoration in the Deese Ballroom of the Student Center. McNair’s widow, Cheryl McNair, offered a personal reflection on her husband’s life and enduring influence in a prerecorded message during the program, which also featured remarks from university and local officials, TRIO McNair…

January 28, 1986, is a date that anyone old enough will remember where they were and what they were doing. Tragically, that morning, only 73 seconds into liftoff, the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all seven astronauts on board. The first fatal shuttle mission in American history, millions worldwide watched this event unfold, a number amplified by extensive live coverage for schoolchildren and everyday citizens who planned to follow Christa McAuliffe, the first civilian and “Teacher in Space.” While Aggies grieved the loss of all seven astronauts, we were especially in mourning for our hero, Dr. Ronald E. McNair, PhD (1950–1986). Ronald McNair’s official NASA portrait, taken July 1985…

Kennedy West, a 2024 North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alumna and Astronaut Scholar, is continuing her trajectory of academic excellence and service as a graduate student at the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, where she is pursuing advanced training in patient-centered care and health equity. West, who earned her B.S. in chemistry from N.C. A&T’s College of Science and Technology, was recently recognized with the Kappa Phi Award, an honor that celebrates outstanding academic achievement, leadership and commitment to service. The recognition underscores her sustained dedication to advancing STEM education, mentorship and equitable access to health care. “The award reflects the work I’ve committed to…

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University recognized its fall 2025 graduating class during the Fall Commencement Breakfast and Graduation Rehearsal, an event conducted by the Office of Alumni Relations to celebrate student achievement ahead of graduate and baccalaureate commencement ceremonies held Dec. 12 and 13. The breakfast brought together graduate and undergraduate students, university leadership, faculty and staff to reflect on the academic journeys leading to commencement and reaffirm the values of Aggie excellence, leadership and service. The event also served as the official rehearsal for the commencement ceremonies. University representatives opened the program by emphasizing the importance of preserving and sharing the story of North Carolina A&T and…

A “Blue Christmas” is a holiday season met with loneliness, grief, and sorrow. In the history of North Carolina A&T State University, no Christmastime matches that phrase more than the season of 1955. That was when President Ferdinand Douglas Bluford passed away on Wednesday, December 21, 1955. He was 73 years old and had served A&T for 43 years, 30 of them as our longest-serving leader. Looking back on this season brings up some of the hardest moments in A&T’s history but also highlights how our university has persevered through hardship. Officially, Dr. Bluford’s death could be attributed to illness; however, there was no question among Aggies that the events…

More than 400 enthusiastic Aggies and guests came together May 8-10 for an unforgettable Alumni Reunion Weekend – North Carolina A&T’s largest two-class reunion ever, celebrating the Golden Class of 1975 and the Silver Class of 2000.   Golden and Silver Aggies from Arizona to Massachusetts traveled in to enjoy the festivities and reconnect with classmates. Celebrants gathered at the Alumni Foundation Event Center on May 9 for a kick-off event that includes games, line dancing, food, Aggie vendors and photo opportunities with CeeCee, the AI robot.   That evening, the Induction Banquet for the Society of Golden Aggies (SOGA) and the Society of Silver Aggies (SOSA) was held at the Koury…