North Carolina Central University
Encyclopedia
North Carolina Central University (NCCU) is a public
historically black university
in the University of North Carolina
system, located in Durham, North Carolina
, offering programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional and doctoral levels.
North Carolina Central University was founded by James E. Shepard
as the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua in the Hayti District
. It was chartered in 1909 as a private institution and opened on July 5, 1910. Along with other progressives, future U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
contributed small private support for the school's founding. The school was sold and reorganized in 1915, becoming the National Training School, and supported by Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage
of New York. In this capacity, it supported Black teacher development in the Jim Crow era, a time when funding and support for Black education was severely limited. It became a taxpayer-funded institution in 1923, and was renamed Durham State Normal School. In 1925, it was renamed the North Carolina College for Negroes, the nation's only state-supported liberal arts college for black students. Shepard lobbied the North Carolina General Assembly
for support of college; when traveling to lobby the legislature, Shepard traveled by car since the train to Raleigh was divided into segregated sections. Its first four-year college class graduated in 1929.
The college was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools as an “A” class institution in 1937 and was admitted to membership in 1957. Graduate courses in the School of Arts and Sciences were added in 1939, in the School of Law in 1940, and in the School of Library Science in 1941. In 1947, the General Assembly changed the name of the institution to North Carolina College at Durham.
On October 6, 1947, Shepard, the founder and president, died, and was succeeded in 1948 by Alfonso Elder
. Elder remained with the institution until he retired September 1, 1963. Samuel P. Massie
was appointed as the third president on August 9, 1963, and resigned on February 1, 1966. On July 1, 1967, Albert N. Whiting
assumed his duties as president until his retirement June 30, 1983.
The 1969 General Assembly designated the institution as one of the State's regional universities, and the name was changed to North Carolina Central University. Since 1972, NCCU has been a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina
system. On July 1, 1972, the state’s four-year colleges and universities were joined to become The Consolidated University of North Carolina, with 16 individual campuses, headed by a single president and governed by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. However, each campus was led by a separate chancellor and a campus-specific Board of Trustees.
Whiting was succeeded by LeRoy T. Walker
as chancellor, followed by Tyronza R. Richmond, Dr. Donna J. Benson, Julius L. Chambers
(who had previously been director-counsel (chief executive) of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
), James H. Ammons
, and on August 1, 2007, Charlie Nelms
.
, whose pastor, Bishop Eddie L. Long, is a member of the University Board of Trustees. The accreditor refused to recognize the degrees awarded to the 25 students who attended the program.
and about three miles east of Duke University
. The campus is on the National Register of Historic Places.
, NCCU had a total of 8,587 students, (full and part-time) including 5396 full-time undergraduate and 1233 full-time graduate students. Sixty-four percent are women and 36 percent are men. Eighty-five percent are African-American, 6 percent are white, and 2 percent are Hispanic. . NCCU had a student faculty ratio of 13:1.
In 2005, NCCU was No. 1 among HBCU in North Carolina in the recruitment of National Achievement Scholars and a leader among all institutions in the state trailing Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
NCCU sponsors fourteen men’s and women’s sports teams that participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) Division I as a newly readmitted member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
. Athletic teams include football, softball, baseball, basketball, track and field, tennis, volleyball, bowling, and golf.
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
historically black university
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
in the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
system, located in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
, offering programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional and doctoral levels.
History
| James E. Shepard James E. Shepard James E. Shepard was the founder of what became the only taxpayer-funded liberal arts college for blacks in the nation, North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina.-Personal life and family:... |
President | 1909–1947 |
| Alfonso Elder Alfonso Elder Dr. Alfonso Elder was the second president of North Carolina Central University.On January 20, 1948, Dr. Alfonso Elder was elected President of North Carolina College at Durham. At the time of his election, Dr. Elder was serving as head of the Graduate Department of Education and had formerly been... |
President | 1948–1963 |
| Samuel P. Massie Samuel P. Massie Dr. Samuel Proctor. Massie jr. was elected as the third President of North Carolina College at Durham on August 9, 1963. Dr. Massie came to the institution from Washington, D... |
President | 1963–1966 |
| Albert N. Whiting Albert N. Whiting Albert Nathaniel Whiting is an American academic who was President and Chancellor of North Carolina College from 1966 to 1983.-References:... |
President Chancellor |
1967–1972 1972–1982 |
| LeRoy T. Walker LeRoy T. Walker LeRoy T. Walker was the first black president of the United States Olympic Committee. In the 1996 Olympics, Dr. Walker was delegated to lead a 10,000 member group of the most talented athletes in the world. His goal is to make sure that American citizens have a feeling of ownership in the program,... |
Chancellor | 1983–1986 |
| Tyronza R. Richmond | Chancellor | 1986–1992 |
| Donna J. Benson | Chancellor | 1992–1993 |
| Julius L. Chambers Julius L. Chambers Julius LeVonne Chambers is an American lawyer, civil rights leader, and educator.-Early life:Julius Chambers grew up during the Jim Crow era in rural Montgomery County, North Carolina... |
Chancellor | 1993–2001 |
| James H. Ammons James H. Ammons Dr. James H. Ammons, is currently the president of Florida A&M University . He is a native Floridian who grew up in the heart of Florida's citrus belt. He graduated from Winter Haven High School in 1970 and entered Florida A&M University on the Thirteen College Curriculum Program during the fall... |
Chancellor | 2001–2007 |
| Beverly Washington Jones | Chancellor | 2007–2007 |
| Charlie Nelms Charlie Nelms Charlie Nelms is the tenth and current chancellor of North Carolina Central University. As one of the University of North Carolina's 16 campuses, NCCU is the fastest-growing campus and today enrolls more than 8,500 students.... |
Chancellor | 2007–pres |
North Carolina Central University was founded by James E. Shepard
James E. Shepard
James E. Shepard was the founder of what became the only taxpayer-funded liberal arts college for blacks in the nation, North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina.-Personal life and family:...
as the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua in the Hayti District
Hayti District
Hayti district is the African American community in Durham, North Carolina. Over 200 African American businesses were located along Fayetteville, Pettigrew and Pine Streets, the bounties of Hayti. Hayti is home to many nationally known African Americans.North Carolina Central University lies...
. It was chartered in 1909 as a private institution and opened on July 5, 1910. Along with other progressives, future U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
contributed small private support for the school's founding. The school was sold and reorganized in 1915, becoming the National Training School, and supported by Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage
Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage
Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage was an American philanthropist. Upon the death of her husband Russell Sage she received a fortune estimated at more than $50,000,000, to be used as she saw fit...
of New York. In this capacity, it supported Black teacher development in the Jim Crow era, a time when funding and support for Black education was severely limited. It became a taxpayer-funded institution in 1923, and was renamed Durham State Normal School. In 1925, it was renamed the North Carolina College for Negroes, the nation's only state-supported liberal arts college for black students. Shepard lobbied the North Carolina General Assembly
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...
for support of college; when traveling to lobby the legislature, Shepard traveled by car since the train to Raleigh was divided into segregated sections. Its first four-year college class graduated in 1929.
The college was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools as an “A” class institution in 1937 and was admitted to membership in 1957. Graduate courses in the School of Arts and Sciences were added in 1939, in the School of Law in 1940, and in the School of Library Science in 1941. In 1947, the General Assembly changed the name of the institution to North Carolina College at Durham.
On October 6, 1947, Shepard, the founder and president, died, and was succeeded in 1948 by Alfonso Elder
Alfonso Elder
Dr. Alfonso Elder was the second president of North Carolina Central University.On January 20, 1948, Dr. Alfonso Elder was elected President of North Carolina College at Durham. At the time of his election, Dr. Elder was serving as head of the Graduate Department of Education and had formerly been...
. Elder remained with the institution until he retired September 1, 1963. Samuel P. Massie
Samuel P. Massie
Dr. Samuel Proctor. Massie jr. was elected as the third President of North Carolina College at Durham on August 9, 1963. Dr. Massie came to the institution from Washington, D...
was appointed as the third president on August 9, 1963, and resigned on February 1, 1966. On July 1, 1967, Albert N. Whiting
Albert N. Whiting
Albert Nathaniel Whiting is an American academic who was President and Chancellor of North Carolina College from 1966 to 1983.-References:...
assumed his duties as president until his retirement June 30, 1983.
The 1969 General Assembly designated the institution as one of the State's regional universities, and the name was changed to North Carolina Central University. Since 1972, NCCU has been a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
system. On July 1, 1972, the state’s four-year colleges and universities were joined to become The Consolidated University of North Carolina, with 16 individual campuses, headed by a single president and governed by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. However, each campus was led by a separate chancellor and a campus-specific Board of Trustees.
Whiting was succeeded by LeRoy T. Walker
LeRoy T. Walker
LeRoy T. Walker was the first black president of the United States Olympic Committee. In the 1996 Olympics, Dr. Walker was delegated to lead a 10,000 member group of the most talented athletes in the world. His goal is to make sure that American citizens have a feeling of ownership in the program,...
as chancellor, followed by Tyronza R. Richmond, Dr. Donna J. Benson, Julius L. Chambers
Julius L. Chambers
Julius LeVonne Chambers is an American lawyer, civil rights leader, and educator.-Early life:Julius Chambers grew up during the Jim Crow era in rural Montgomery County, North Carolina...
(who had previously been director-counsel (chief executive) of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is a leading United States civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City....
), James H. Ammons
James H. Ammons
Dr. James H. Ammons, is currently the president of Florida A&M University . He is a native Floridian who grew up in the heart of Florida's citrus belt. He graduated from Winter Haven High School in 1970 and entered Florida A&M University on the Thirteen College Curriculum Program during the fall...
, and on August 1, 2007, Charlie Nelms
Charlie Nelms
Charlie Nelms is the tenth and current chancellor of North Carolina Central University. As one of the University of North Carolina's 16 campuses, NCCU is the fastest-growing campus and today enrolls more than 8,500 students....
.
Issues concerning degree accreditation
In 2008, it was disclosed that the university had, since 2004, been operating a small satellite campus at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, GeorgiaLithonia, Georgia
Lithonia is a suburban town in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, incorporated as a city. Lithonia's population was 1,924 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, whose pastor, Bishop Eddie L. Long, is a member of the University Board of Trustees. The accreditor refused to recognize the degrees awarded to the 25 students who attended the program.
Campus
The campus is located about a mile south of downtown Durham, North CarolinaDurham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
and about three miles east of Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. The campus is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Organization
NCCU is a part of the UNC System. The campus is governed by a thirteen member Board of Trustees. Eight Trustees are elected by the UNC System‘s Board of Governors, and four are appointed by the Governor. The president of the Student Government Association also serves as an ex-officio member. The Board elects its officers annually and meets five times per year., NCCU had a total of 8,587 students, (full and part-time) including 5396 full-time undergraduate and 1233 full-time graduate students. Sixty-four percent are women and 36 percent are men. Eighty-five percent are African-American, 6 percent are white, and 2 percent are Hispanic. . NCCU had a student faculty ratio of 13:1.
Rankings
- US News and World Reports #1 Public HBCU
- US News and World Reports #11 HBCU
- US News and World Reports #36 Public University in the South Region
- US News and World Reports #55 Masters level University
In 2005, NCCU was No. 1 among HBCU in North Carolina in the recruitment of National Achievement Scholars and a leader among all institutions in the state trailing Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Colleges
- College of Behavioral & Social Sciences
- College of Liberal Arts
- College of Science & Technology
Schools
- School of Business (AACSB)
- School of Education
- School of Law
- School of Library & Information Sciences
- School of Nursing
Research Institutes at NCCU
NCCU in conjunction with the African American Jazz Caucus sponsors a Jazz Research Institute which conducts an annual Summer Jazz Festival and offers a program in Jazz Studies.- Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute
- Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise
Student organizations
North Carolina Central University has 130 registered student organizations and 12 honor societies.Athletics
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National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) Division I as a newly readmitted member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is a collegiate athletic conference of historically black colleges and universities in the Southeastern United States...
. Athletic teams include football, softball, baseball, basketball, track and field, tennis, volleyball, bowling, and golf.
Rivals
- North Carolina A&T State University
- Winston-Salem State UniversityWinston-Salem State UniversityWinston-Salem State University , a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina, is a historically black public research university located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. It is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.Winston-Salem State has been...
- Duke UniversityDuke UniversityDuke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
: This is the newest rivalry. In what appears an attempt to patch the relationship between the two universities, strained by the 2006 Duke University lacrosse case, they played the first annual Bull City Gridiron Classic in September 2009.
Marching band
The North Carolina Central University Marching Band known as the Marching Sound Machine was one of two bands selected from North Carolina to participate in the 2011 Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, CA.Notable alumni
External links
- www.nccu.edu -- Official website
- www.campusecho.com -- Student newspaper
- nccueaglepride.cstv.com -- Official Athletics website