WNAA – Tony Welborne and fellow students 1966 Long before radio became a familiar part of campus life at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Aggie students were experimenting with technology that allowed their messages and voices to travel past Greensboro.  In 2026, North Carolina A&T State University commemorates 60 years since WANT began operating as the university’s campus radio station, marking a milestone in a broadcasting tradition shaped by student initiative, technological innovation and a commitment to serving the community.  WANT officially began operations in February 1966 from Julian Price Hall. But A&T’s connection to radio stretches back more than three decades earlier, when students studying electrical engineering…

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alumnus Craig Stokes is stepping into the national spotlight as host of Chick-fil-A’s unscripted competition series, “Kind and Seek,” blending his experience in entrepreneurship, television and community engagement with a message centered on kindness. The series, which premiered Sept. 1, follows three teams of relatives as they compete in challenges throughout Atlanta designed to encourage acts of kindness. Each completed challenge contributes money toward Feeding America, combining competition with service and community impact. For Stokes, the opportunity represents more than a new professional milestone. It marks a return to an interest in entertainment that began while he was a student at N.C. A&T.…

1947 Homecoming Miss A&T Felicia Payne – Ayantee 1948 “5,000 Grid Fans Enjoy College’s Gala Home-Coming!” was a national headline for the Agricultural and Mechanical College for the Colored Race in 1936. More than 75 years ago in 1951, “20,000 homecoming fans” watched A&T tie 7-7 with the Florida A. and M. Rattlers.   Today in 2026, 200,000 people are anticipated to come to campus and the city of Greensboro for the 100th edition of “The Greatest Homecoming on Earth.” That is a 3,900 percent growth in 90 years and it is an historic example of “A&T Exponential.”  How did North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s homecoming continue to…

N.C. A&T Alumni Chapters are celebrating the 25 Day Countdown to the Greatest Homecoming on Earth! Join your local Alumni Chapter for Wine Down Wednesday on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

The Greatest Homecoming on Earth is a spectacle that fills Aggieland, East Greensboro and the entire city every year. Thousands of Aggies return every fall for the biggest event on North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s calendar – and have for a century. The history of how homecoming started has a lot of mystery that is becoming clearer with more research from the University Archives.  Before homecoming, the A. and M. College Alumni Association hosted alumni gatherings or “home comings” during commencement. “Home Coming” was also used to describe events to welcome soldiers home after World War I. However, these were not “homecomings” as we know them today. A…

Long before Virginia Novella Horton Coverson became a mother, educator and proud 1948 North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alumna, she was a determined young woman from Lenoir, North Carolina, raised in a close Christian family that believed education could open doors.  As Coverson approaches her 100th birthday July 24, 2026, her life reflects courage, independence, faith and an enduring devotion to family and service. Her journey has stretched from a small western North Carolina community to classrooms throughout Philadelphia and New Jersey, and through extraordinary social, cultural and technological change.  Her daughters, Edwina Coverson-Barnes and Rolanda Coverson-Durham, describe her as intelligent, strong-willed and generous.  “She’s always had an independent spirit,” Rolanda said. That independence began early. Coverson was born the second of six surviving children of Larkin Horton Sr. and Effie Lipford Horton. (Two siblings…

May 30, 1901, 125 years ago, three students were awarded bachelors’ degrees from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of the Colored Race (now North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University). This ceremony featured the smallest graduating class in A&T history, and yet they still have profound meaning in our modern prestigious university. Their class motto was “Fortune Favors The Brave”.  To understand the class’s size and significance, some background history is needed. A&T was established by an act of the NC General Assembly that was ratified on March 09, 1891. By 1893 an established Board of Trustees had elected our first president, and a bid was won by the city of Greensboro to locate the college close to the city’s railroad depot. The first…

There is great excitement in 2026 with news that a Netflix reboot sequel of A Different World is going into production with A&T alum Joshua Suitor among the new cast. This is tremendous news in the 70+ years Aggies have appeared on TV. With this news let’s revisit the original A Different World a landmark in representation of HBCUs, budding African American professionals with a strong memory of one Aggieland’s greatest alumni.   For those who don’t know, A Different World (1987 – 1993) was the sitcom spin-off of the hit television series The Cosby Show (1984-1992) that initially followed daughter Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) as a freshman at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU. The new program was a hit in the ratings in its first season but received mixed reviews. It was felt that A Different World needed a more connected portrayal of HBCU life.   The show received a lot of retooling in its second season under producer & director Debbie Allen, a Howard University graduate. Add a revamped version…

When Tanya Y. Mitchell introduced More Than a Dean to the Aggie community, she did more than release a book. She honored a man who helped shape her future and generations of North Carolina A&T students; Dean Quiester Craig. She arrived at North Carolina A&T in 1975 from Roper, North Carolina, with a clear goal and a strong work ethic. Once she reached A&T, upperclassmen warned her that accounting under Dean Craig would be tough. She stayed committed, embraced the challenge, and graduated magna cum laude in accounting during an important period of the business school’s growth. Mitchell said her connection to North Carolina A&T reinforced the values she had…

In Aggieland, if you just say the name “Elreta” generations know who you are talking about. Those who do not know are always amazed when they learn about her. Elreta Melton Alexander-Ralston (1919–1998) was a barrier breaking African American attorney and jurist who was not only the first African American judge elected in North Carolina but also the first Black woman to be elected a judge from a popular election in the nation.   Her birth and homegoing were both within Women’s History Month, and her story is being retold with emphasis on her connections to North Carolina A&T State University.   A historic moment: Elreta Melton Alexander takes the oath as district judge in Guilford County, becoming the first Black woman to serve as a judge in North Carolina. Elreta Narcissus…