N.C. A&T to Celebrate 60th Anniversary of Sit-In; Roland S. Martin to Keynote
Tonya Dixon
EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 9, 2020) – In celebration of the courageous and brave acts of Jibreel Khazan (formally Ezell Blair Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond – known collectively as the A&T Four – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Feb. 1, 1960 Sit-In Commemorative Program, beginning at 7 a.m., Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, with special guest speaker, Roland S. Martin.

Six decades ago, those four N.C. A&T freshmen, sat down at a “White’s Only” lunch counter at Woolworth’s Department Store, in peaceful demonstration and request of equal service. Their act of unity sparked the sit-in movement across the country, further amplifying the voice of the modern Civil Rights Movement.

Accordingly, Martin has devoted a significant portion of his career focusing on issues impacting the African American community, most notably political advocacy.

Martin is currently the host and managing editor of #RolandMartinUnfiltered, the first daily online show in history focused on news and analysis of politics, entertainment, sports, and culture from an explicitly African American perspective.

Having been named as one of the 150 Most Influential African Americans in the United States four times by Ebony Magazine, he has been showered with more than 30 awards for journalistic excellence, including Journalist of the Year in 2013 by the National Association of Black Journalists for his extensive focus on voter suppression and other issues of concern to African Americans during the 2012 election.

Martin spent six years as a contributor for CNN, appearing on numerous shows and earning accolades for his no-holds barred honesty, conviction and perspective on various issues. He spent 13 years at TV One, where he played an integral role in building the Black-owned network.

He has penned several books including, “Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith,” “Speak, Brother! A Black Man’s View of America,” and “The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House as originally reported by Roland S. Martin,” and contributed to many others.

The February One Sit-In program includes (all events are on the A&T campus):
•Breakfast: 7 a.m., Alumni-Foundation Event Center
◦Program, featuring Roland S. Martin, 8 a.m.
•Laying of the A&T Four Memorial Wreath, 10 a.m., February One Monument
•Panel Discussion, 10:30 a.m., Harrison Auditorium

Free tickets are required to attend the commemorative breakfast and program. Distribution will begin at 9 a.m., Monday, Jan. 13, at the University Ticket Office in Brown Hall. Call 336-334-7749 for information regarding hours.
 
N.C. A&T to Establish Sports Performance Center Named for Glovers

Jackie Torok

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 24, 2020) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will establish a sports performance center to be named for 1975 alumni and longtime Aggie Athletic Foundation supporters Darnell S. Glover Sr.and Carolyn Harrison Glover.

The center will occupy the 12,430-square-foot Aggie Dome beside Moore Gymnasium and serve as an indoor training facility for the Aggies baseball, softball, golf and cheer teams. The space also will be used by the Air Force and Army ROTC programs for drills and the Department of Kinesiology for research.

“The center is another step toward addressing the needs of our students holistically,” intercollegiate athletics director Earl Hilton III said, noting the athletics department most recently added a nutritionist and mental health counselor to its resources.

While a completion date for the Aggie Dome transformation has not been announced, retrofitting the structure and adding training equipment is already under way, said Eric Hart, associate athletic director and executive director for major gifts.

“We will be the first university in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to have something like this,” said Hart. “We deeply appreciate Darnell and Carolyn Glover for recognizing the need for this center and their commitment to making it reality,with an endowment to continue its funding.”

The Glovers each earned a B.S. in business administration from North Carolina A&T. Darnell Glover, who as an A&T student interned at Greensboro’s WFMY-TV from 1972 through 1976, serves as vice president of the Aggie Athletic Foundation and retired from Allstate Insurance Co. as a senior manager. Carolyn Glover earned her master’s degree from Hollins University and retired as the city of Roanoke, Virginia’shuman resources director.

As four-year Aggie letterman in wrestling, Darnell Glover earned first place in the 1974 A&T Invitational and received the 1973-74 Hustle Award. The Snow Camp, North Carolina native was the first wrestler from Southern High School, where he also played football and ran track before graduating in 1971, to place in the North Carolina State High School Finals.

Darnell Glover, who joined Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. after he began working for Allstate, said N.C. A&T offered “a very nurturing and family-oriente denvironment where there is always someone lifting you up.”

“One of the hurdles for historically black colleges and universities is to be counted in the top tier of all universities,” said Darnell Glover.

Establishing a state-of-the-art sports performance center at N.C. A&T is a step toward remedying that oversight.

“Our students deserve the same upscale amenities other elite universities have,” he said. “From an athletic standpoint, I want us to compete ata level where others don’t take us for granted. I want our programs to be at the top.”

From the time they became Aggies, the Glovers always believed N.C. A&T is an institution bound on achievement.

“This is another way for us to contribute to the university so other students will have the same opportunities to excel as we did,” said Carolyn Glover. “We are blessed to be in a position to do it.”

“We give back to North Carolina A&T because it has given back to us,” said Darnell Glover.

About North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is the nation’s largest historically black university, ranked number one among public HBCUs by U.S. News & World Report. It is a land-grant, doctoral high-research classified university by the Carnegie Foundation and constituent member of the University of North Carolina system. A&T is known for its leadership in producing graduates in engineering, agriculture and other STEM fields. The university was founded in 1891and is located in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Three N.C. A&T Seniors Named to Transportation Fellowship Program

Jacqueline Torok

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 24, 2020) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University students Tyler Huggins, Joseph Smith and Kiana Williams have been named to the prestigious Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program (DDETFP).

The fellowships – $6,500 for Huggins, $8,000 for Smith and $10,000 for Williams – were procured under the recommendation of N.C. A&T Transportation Institute Director Maranda McBride, Ph.D., and program manager Teresa McRae.

The funds cover 2019-20 academic school year tuition assistance, a stipend and expenses associated with attending the 99th Transportation Research Board (TRB) annual meeting in Washington, D.C., which took place earlier this month.

“At TRB, they had the opportunity to network with other fellows and professionals and learn about current innovations in the transportation industry,” McCrae said. “I am proud of our students for being selected to receive this national fellowship.”

Huggins, from Columbia, South Carolina, will graduate in May with a B.S. in civil engineering. She has been an active executive board member for the Institute of Transportation Engineers for the past four years. During her collegiate career, she had three internships in the transportation field – two summers with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and a summer with NV5, formerly known as CALYX.

Smith, from High Point, North Carolina, will graduate in May 2020 with a B.S. in supply chain management. He credits his experience as a Summer High School Transportation Institute participant in 2014with influencing his educational focus. Having had an internship with Volvo Trucks, he plans to pursue a career in supply chain management with the U.S. Air Force.

Williams, from Columbus, Ohio, will graduate in December 2020 with a B.S. in supply chain management. She interned with L Brands Inc., Zoetis LLC and Chick- fil-A Inc. and completed a five-month co-op with Georgia Pacific.

The DDETFP has awarded more than $50 million to outstanding individuals in the transportation industry, from its initial support of graduate research fellowships in 1983 to the current program's inception in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991.

From this investment, fellows have pushed for innovative change in multimodal areas from highway infrastructure to aviation to maritime, making the industry more effective and efficient. Fellows go on to pursue careers in academia, private industry and public service while becoming leaders across the nation.

The DDETFP competition provides funding for students to pursue associate, bachelor, master and doctoral degrees in transportation related fields. The awards are given on the basis of merit, including academic records, class standing, GPA, transcripts, transportation work experience and recommendations.

Students were required to submit an abstract for a research project that was conducted during the fall 2019 semester with their grant application. After completion, they had to participate in an interview about their research with a panel of transportation professionals.

The goal of the DDETFP is to advance the transportation workforce by helping to attract the nation’s brightest minds to the transportation-related fields of study. It also encourages existing transportation professionals to seek advanced degrees with the goal of retaining top talent in the U.S. transportation industry.

About North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is the nation’s largest historically black university, ranked number one among public HBCUs by U.S. News & World Report. It is a land-grant, doctoral high-research classified university by the Carnegie Foundation and constituent member of the University of North Carolina system. A&T is known for its leadership in producing graduates in engineering, agriculture and other STEM fields. The university was founded in 1891and is located in Greensboro, North Carolina.