expect success! - North Carolina A&T State University

A C A D E M I C A F F A I R S
ACADEMIC UNITS at North Carolina A&T State University experienced success, particularly
in enrollment, curricula development and organization. The University continued to attract talented
individuals, including 362 faculty members and 7,748 students.
Growth and service characterized the year for the School of Agriculture and Environmental and
Allied Sciences (SAEAS). Enrollment climbed from 282 in 1990 to 488 in 2000, a 73% increase,
while faculty generated approximately $4.8 million in competitive funds to complement the School’s
base funding of $5 million. Over 90% of its graduates received offers for employment in their areas
of concentration or will attend graduate/professional schools.
SAEAS renewed its commitment to the basic principle of the land-grant system through participation
in community outreach programs:
■ SAEAS established a new farmers market for produce grown in southeast North Carolina with gross sales exceeding $30,000
the first year;
■ A “Safety Conscious” program for school children in farming communities saved families more than $236,500 in medical
expenses, and safety training for farm workers using pesticide applicators saved farms $484,000 in losses due to respiratory illnesses;
and
■ As a charter member of Agricultural Distance Education Consortium, SAEAS participated in a National Science Foundation
grant to help develop and deploy advanced satellite technology that delivers Internet services to remote rural areas that previously
could not access these technologies.
The College of Arts and Sciences revitalized its vision and mission by expanding or combining several academic programs. The
theatre, visual arts, music and dance departments were combined to form the new Visual and Performing Arts Department.
Three new Smart Classrooms enhanced the School of Business and Economics’ emphasis on effective teaching and learning. In
ACADEMIC
AFFAIRS
the fall, the Board of Governors approved a request from the
School to offer the Master of Science in Management (M.S.M.)
degree program with concentrations in transportation/logistics
and management information systems.
One of the most salient highlights of the School of
Education was accreditation of the Master of Science degree
programs in Community Counseling and School Counseling in
the Department of Human Development and Services by the
Council of Accreditation for Counseling Programs (CACREP) in
Related Education Programs. This distinction made North
Carolina A&T State University the only Historically Black
College/University (HBCU) in the nation to achieve CACREP
accreditation.
The School also experienced a 33% increase in the passing
rate on undergraduate licensure examinations over the previous
year. Notably, the Counseling Program continued a 100% pass
rate on the graduate exam, the Physical Education Department
achieved a 100% pass rate on Praxis II, and the technology
portfolio requirements were successfully completed by 100% of
teacher education graduates.
The School of Education increased collaboration with public
schools and teachers across the state, including Coach-to-
Coach activities, N.C. Teach and technology enhancement programs
in six school systems, and implementation of the GEAR-
UP Project in two K-12 school systems. Successful recruiting
strategies resulted in a 38% increase in the number of students
participating in the Teaching Fellows Program.
The College of Engineering better utilized its resources by
merging the civil, architectural and agricultural and bio-systems
engineering programs to create the new Department of Civil,
Architectural, Agricultural and Environmental Engineering.
Steps also were taken to begin an interdisciplinary doctoral program
with the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of
Business and Economics.
Entering scores of engineering students rose with approximately
12% of admitted students ranked in the top five percentile
of their high school class, 22% in the top 10%, 40% in
the top 15% and 67% in the top 25%.
Engineering faculty were awarded over $30 million for 105
proposals.
Successful completion of the North Carolina Board of
Nursing survey by the School of Nursing resulted in continuing
approval for the maximum five years. The School also
received eight-year accreditation from the National League for
Nursing Accreditation Commission. Partnerships with community
based agencies continued to expand, and academic support
services were enhanced through a new total-testing program for
all students.
Employee of the Year/Governor’s Award
for Excellence
■ The word “foster” is synonymous with Shirley Ballard Foster, an
accountant in the department of contracts and grants and the
2000 Employee of the Year at North Carolina Agricultural and
Technical State University.
Since 1998, Foster has
selflessly provided children
and single parents with
encouragement and hope
as co-founder and executive
director of Greensboro
Lifeskills Center (GLC), a
nonprofit organization that
sponsors programs that
help improve the social
skills and self-esteem of
single parents and at-risk ■ Shirley Foster
children, ages 6-12, by
providing prevention, intervention and enrichment opportunities.
Over 100 children are served in a year’s time.
“Having an extended family and role models in the community
made a difference in my life, and that is our mission at Greensboro
Lifeskills Center,” said Foster, who grew up impoverished in
Greensboro. “We have built a little village that provides peer and
other tutoring programs, weekend academies and summer and
after school enrichment.”
GLC has made such a positive impact in the community that a
group from Pakistan has sought assistance in modeling the program
to educate poverty stricken children in that country.
In addition to being named Employee of the Year at A&T, Foster is
a recipient of the state’s prestigious Governor’s Award of Excellence
for public service. The Governor’s Awards for Excellence – which is
presented in five categories (outstanding state government, innovations,
public service, safety and heroism, and human relations) – is
the highest honor for state employees in North Carolina.
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