chancellor reflects Board of Trustees 2011-2012 Mrs. Debra B. Miller ’78, Chair Mr. Victor Johnson, Jr. ’61, Vice Chair Dr. Vivian H. Burke Mr. F. Scott Bauer Mr. Martin B. Davis ’86 Dr. James C. Hash, Sr. Mrs. Sue Henderson Mr. Jeffrey T. Lindsay Dr. Steve Martin Dr. Karen McNeil-Miller Mr. James R. Nanton Mr. Keith W. Vaughan Mr. Charles F. Wallington Mr. David Butler Winston-Salem State University Foundation, Board of Directors 2011-2012 Ms. Peggy Carter, Chair Ms. Cheryl E. H. Locke, Vice Chair Mr. Ray Owen, Secretary Ms. Cynthia Williams, Treasurer Mr. William G. Benton Mr. David W. Burke Ms. Michelle M. Cook Mr. Tony Ebron Mr. Kelvin Farmer ’86 Mr. Timothy A. Grant ’80 Mr. Fred Harwell Mr. Harold Kennedy III Mr. W. R. “Randy” Loftis, Jr. Ms. Martha Logemann Dr. Charles Love ’66 Mr. J. Walter McDowell Mr. James E. Martin Ms. Patricia D. Norris ’93 Dr. Donald J. Reaves Ms. Shirley Danner Shouse Mr. Clifton H. Sparrow ’80 Ms. Claudette Weston Mr. Errol Wint Ex Officio Directors
Mrs. Debra B. Miller Mr. Gerald Hunter Mr. Gordon Everett ’78 Mr. Gordon Slade ’93 Mr. David Butler Emeritus Directors
Ms. Florence P. Corpening Mr. Victor Johnson, Jr. ’61 Dr. Steve Martin
I
t is an exciting time to be at Winston-Salem State University. We are in the process of planning our 120th anniversary celebration and we are also beginning to see the early results from the many changes that have been implemented on our campus. As the 120th anniversary approaches and we look to our past, we can visualize the transformations that the university has gone through. Each one marked an important period in the history of the university and in the towns of Winston and Salem and then in the City of Winston-Salem. From our humble beginning as a one-room schoolhouse, we quickly became a teachers college, meeting the need to educate what was known as the Colored population then. Next came the nursing program which trained the nurses who staffed the then Colored hospitals. Moreover, these professionals became the Black middle class of Winston-Salem, and contributed significantly to the growth and well-being of the city through the ownership of businesses and homes. By the early 1970s programs had expanded and enrollments had grown and what was by then Winston Salem State College joined the UNC system. Today we are a comprehensive degree-granting institution that serves a diverse student body of 6,500. With program offerings at the undergraduate, masters and doctoral levels, the University continues to meet the needs of our students as well as those of the community and of the broader society. The latest transformation began nearly three years ago when we implemented the Plan for Student Success. The Strategic Plan redefines student success and, in addition to improved graduation rates, includes improved student outcomes. Do our graduates compete well for jobs in their careers of choice? Do they get admitted to the best graduate and professional degree programs? These and others are the measures of success that will determine ultimately how well we are doing as an institution of higher education. To achieve these student success goals, we needed to change how we teach, what we teach, who we teach, and to some degree, who teaches. Through curriculum reform and a liberal arts approach to learning, we are teaching our graduates to think critically, to be analytical and strategic in their approach to problems and opportunities, and to communicate well both orally and in writing. These are the skills they will need to thrive in a world that requires much more than subject matter knowledge. Beyond curriculum reform, we made changes in just about every other area of the university. For example, we have reformed the tenure process, raising the bar for tenure and promotion. We know that many of the changes will bear fruit over longer periods of time. There is one very important measure, however, that has shown significant improvement in a short period of time and is the result of the reform of the enrollment management process. Admission standards have been increased three times. Today our standards are higher than those required by the UNC system. At the same time our applicant pool for this fall has increased by more than 40 percent. While a minimum GPA of 2.5 and an SAT score of 850 are required for admission to WSSU, the average GPA and SAT scores for the students to whom we have offered admission for Fall 2012 is 3.4 and 929. Directly related to the higher admission standards is a significant improvement in our ability to retain our students. Five years ago the retention rate, which is the percentage of first-year students who return for their second year, stood at 68 percent. Today that rate is in excess of 80 percent. The retention rate of second to third year students is also up significantly, from 58 percent five years ago to 64 percent today. Yet, we continue to maintain our HBCU mission to provide access to higher education. Because our goal is to produce college graduates, we do not admit students who have little or no chance of being successful. Instead, we often recommend community colleges as an alternative since they do a much better job of preparing students who are not college-ready. Some of these students have been admitted to the Dual Admission Program with Forsyth Technical Community College. They will move directly to WSSU upon completion of the work at Forsyth Tech. While in the program, the students are able to participate in WSSU campus life activities, such as the four students who were in the marching band this past year. The program has been so successful that there is a substantial waiting list that includes some students who have been admitted to other UNC campuses, but want to attend WSSU and are willing delay their full admission. To use an old cliché, we have come a long way in 120 years. From one room to a sprawling campus, from a teacher’s college to an institution that offers doctoral level degrees. And the university’s transformation continues with changes that are necessary to ensure that our graduates are prepared for success in a very competitive 21st century economy. Just as Slater Industrial Academy eventually became Winston-Salem State University, we must always take the steps necessary to ensure that our students are prepared for today. With your support we can continue to contribute to the success of our students and to the success of the communities where they will live and work. Thus, we will follow the tradition established by Dr. Simon Green Atkins that lives on in our motto – “Enter to Learn. Depart to Serve.”
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Summer 2012
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Donald J. Reaves, PhD
To view the university’s Strategic Plan, visit www.wssu.edu/strategicplan.
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