April by far, will prove to be a busy month, Alums. Region I will have
its conference and two chapters will host scholarship fundraisers on the same day. Another chapter will
host the touring choir. So mark you calendars and plan to reserve a room, or buy an ad or ticket to
show your support.
NCCU is rich in tradition and legacy--the picture above includes me--class
of '00, my son, my sister--class of '11, and my mother, class of '75. Everywhere I go, I
see NCCU paraphernalia on display from license plates to t-shirts. Eagle pride is a force that is
STRONG! I'm proud to be an eagle. Are you?
Hezekiah Walker and the LFC have a gospel song that
goes,
"I need you, you need me,
We're all a part of God's body {Eagle
Family}.
Stand with me, agree with me,
We're all a part of God's body {Eagle Family}"
Let's make the
commitment this month to gather amongst eagles, to spread the joy and the pride!
This alumni e-newsletter is a communication
vehicle to help keep you informed, involved and invigorated about NCCU! Please share your ideas,
thoughts and suggestions. The alumni communication can only become better if you do your part and get
involved.
In Truth and Service,
Tomeika Bowden
Class of 2000
Public Awareness Chairperson
NC Central University Alumni Association
National News
Mr. and Mrs. Alumni Contest 2008
The Mr./Ms. Alumni Contest for 2008 has officially begun.
This year Homecoming is scheduled for November 1, 2008. As we always advise, please be mindful of the
deadlines this year. Furthermore, we are hoping that you will enter contestants and order raffle tickets in
support of the contest. Tickets are available for order in the Office of Alumni Relations (530-6363). You are
encouraged to get started with your efforts early and to proceed as competitively and vigorously as possible.
Please be reminded that all Chapters are assessed $500 each year in support of our scholarship program whether
or not they submit a candidate.
With your help, we can increase the number of National Alumni scholars on campus. Let the excitement spread to
each of our Chapters. You and your Chapter may participate by:
1. Ordering and selling raffle tickets
2. Creating your own Chapter fundraiser or
3. By paying your $500 assessment
Please e-mail news@nccualumni.org to obtain a package of materials to assist you in entering the Mr./Ms.
Alumni Contest and ordering tickets.
This year our goal is to raise $60,000 with proceeds to
benefit the NCCU Alumni Associations' Scholarship Fund. Let's make the 2008 Mr./Ms. Alumni Contest an
event to remember by exceeding our fundraising goal. Please contact Ainsley Owens at 336.558.6576 or by e-mail
ainsleyowens@yahoo.com or contact the NCCU Office of Alumni Relations at 919.530-6363. Thank-you, in advance,
for your support and participation.
2008 NCCU
Alumni Awards
The Memorials and Awards Committee of the NCCU Alumni
Association has been working diligently to fulfill the goals and commitments of the Association to promote
more excitement and recognition among its alumni, while promoting growth in membership.
Again this
year we have launched several awards to expand our methods of recognition for alumni who volunteer their time
and talents in and out of the Association. Each award has criteria that will be evaluated by
the members of the Committee and announced during the Annual Meeting luncheon to be held on May 2,
2008.
All
entries must be submitted on or before the deadline date to be eligible. All listed
requirements must be met to qualify. Any submission that does not meet each requirement will be
eliminated and a letter of explanation will be returned. Chapters may apply for more than one
(1) award, but an official application form must be submitted for each entry.
Please contact Tanya Weaver, Memorial and Awards
Committee Chairperson for additional information at (757) 274-4990 or email news@nccualumni.org.
Chapter of the Year:
Criteria: Must provide completed package to include, but not limited to:
Outline of goals set and the achievement process of each; Creativity (newsletter, banquets, fundraisers,
etc); Recruitment initiatives; Number of financial members; List of chapter events or functions (goals and
outcomes must be listed). Explain any additional reasons for your nomination.
DEADLINE FOR ENTRY: April 18, 2008
University News
...Stay Connected to the NCCU Family ...
Move over Myspace and try
again Facebook, because NCCU has an exclusive site for alum, students and friends to stay connected. It is
called NCCU Networking and you can join by going to http://nccunetworking.ning.com/.
It is your virtual opportunity to locate past classmates, or catch up with former roommates and friends.
Sign-up today! Eagle membership has reached over 500! Spread the word!
NCCU All-Access Card, Football Season
Tickets
...Football Season Tickets Only $80
When Ordered by June 30...
North Carolina Central University Ticket Office is now taking orders for the 2008 All-Access Card and Eagles
Football Season Tickets. Place your order by contacting the the Ticket Office at (919) 530-5170.
The All-Access Card is the ultimate deal for the NCCU sports enthusiast. The All-Access Card includes a
football season ticket, a basketball season ticket, preferred seating for baseball and volleyball contests, and
a 10 percent discount for NCCU special events (banquets, golf tournaments, etc.)... all for only $150.
As a bonus for 2008, those that purchase the All-Access Card will receive a complimentary ticket to NCCU's
football match-up with rival North Carolina A&T on Oct. 4.
As a special incentive, the first 50 fans to purchase the All-Access Card will receive a complimentary football
stadium seat cushion rental for NCCU's four home games (a $30 value).
NCCU football season tickets are now available to order at a reduced rate of $80 - a $10 savings off of the
regular price of $90 when purchased by June 30, 2008.
The NCCU football season ticket, a $125 value, provides the buyer with a reserved seat in O'Kelly-Riddick
Stadium to four home games, including the "Labor Day Classic" against Fayetteville State on Aug. 31,
"Homecoming" versus Edward Waters on Nov. 1, Winston-Salem State on Nov. 15, and Savannah State on
Nov. 22.
For enhanced comfort, football season ticket holders have the opportunity to rent a chair-back stadium seat
cushion at a cost of only $30 for NCCU's four home games.
An NCCU tradition, the "Family Package," also continues for 2008. The "Family Package"
contains general admission tickets for two adults and two children to all four homes games-for just $150.
To order, call the NCCU Ticket Office at (919) 530-5170.
NCCU
Foundation Spectacular Travel Deals
...Your Travel Helps Fund the NCCU
Foundation...
Welcome to the most recent edition of the NCCU Foundation Travel Advantage. Below you will find great deals
on travel. We hope you enjoy this service to our supporters and friends. Please remember to book all your
travel on the NCCU Foundation travel website. You will get great travel rates and you'll be supporting
our organization. Thanks for traveling with the NCCU Foundation!
100% of the travel commission received by the NCCU Foundation from the travel vendors you use goes to support
our organization.
On Thursday, April 10th, CNN stopped by NCCU as part of the Black in America series. CNN and the
National Association of Black Journalists are offering African American students the opportunity to
chronicle their experiences at historically black colleges and universities through the network's
Black in America series. The purpose of CNN's tour is to conduct a study for its documentary
titled "Black in America."
CNN has also
launched a Campus iReporter contest in association with the Black in America tour at each of the six HBCU
schools. Check out the talented students: http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=5854. CNN, together with the
National Association of Black Journalists, will choose one Campus iReporter from NCCU, whose prize will
be a digital video camera. The winner from each school will also be able to submit additional footage
from their Black in America campus stop to win the grand prize: a trip for two to the Essence Music
Festival in New Orleans over the Fourth of July weekend.
The HBCU tour
included a trailer outfitted with a jumbo television screen, along with video kiosks, where participants
can submit their video response to a programming-related question via iReport. There will be live DJs,
text-message polling, a graffiti wall and electronic polling stations using questions from a CNN/Essence
Magazine/Opinion Research Corporation poll. Exclusive video previews from upcoming Black in America
programming will also be featured. CNN, Essence Communications and Comcast will all have representatives
and giveaways on site.
North
Carolina Central University's Department of Theatre and the Theatre Alumni Chapter present a
new musical, At the Beginning; directed and written by Gil Faison, lyrics and music by
Deneen Tatum, musical arrangements by Cameron Morgan, and choreography by Staffford Berry Jr.
At the
Beginning chronicles the history of an African- American family from 2001 to 2005, and the
early beginnings of mankind, as told by the first nine chapters of the Book of Genesis. The play
tells a story about an elderly woman who regales her 13-year-old granddaughter with stories from
the Bible; beginning with the creation of the world and ending with its destruction by the Flood.
The grandmother also mixes the Bible stories with stories about events that tragically affected the
lives of her family. These events include the 9/11 Attacks, the Iraq War and Hurricane
Katrina.
Showtimes
April 11,12, 18 & 19 at 8:00 p.m.
April 12, 13, 19 & 20
at 2:00 p.m.
University Theatre
located at Farrison-Newton Communications Bldg. (corner of Fayetteville & Lawson Sts.,
Durham, NC )
Admission: $15 General, $10 Students, Children 4-17, Seniors
Children under 4 years, not admitted
Ticket information: Call 919-530-5170 or 919-530-6242
Faculty Member Spotlight
Percy Murray, Ph.D., Dean of Graduate Studies
Percy E. Murray is Dean of the
School of Graduate Studies and Professor of History. He graduated in 1970 with the BA in History
and in 1972 with the MA in History. He received in Ph.D. in History from Miami University (Ohio) in
December 1977. He has taught at Winston-Salem State University, Miami University, and Fayetteville
State University before coming to North Carolina Central University in June 1979 as Chair of the Department of
History. He served as Chair of the Department for thirteen (13) years before becoming Interim Vice
Chancellor for Development for two year. He returned to the classroom teaching history and advising
graduate students until he was appointed Interim Dean for the School of Graduate Studies in 2002, after which he
was appointed Dean in 2003. He is also a former Chair of the Faculty Senate at NCCU.
As a professor, Dr. Murray
has directed more than forty master's thesis and from these graduate students more than fifteen have gone on
to earn the Ph.D. in history. His former students are professors at Virginia Tech, Paine College,
Brevard College, State University of New York (Buffalo), Duke University, University of Memphis and North
Carolina Central University. Currently, there are several of his students pursuing doctorate
degrees at Howard, UNC-Chapel Hill, the University of South Carolina and Miami
University.
As a historian and civic
leader, Professor Murray has served on the North Carolina Historical Commission, the NC Historical Highway Marker
Commission, the John Avery Boys and Girls Clubs of Durham, St. Joseph Historic Foundation, Planned Parenthood of
Central and Eastern North Carolina, and Genesis Home, and as Executive Director of the Orange, Person and Chatham
Mental Health Foundation. He has been a volunteer in the Durham Public Schools through several
programs reading at least a half-hour per week to elementary school children. He is a member of Mount Vernon
Baptist Church, Durham, NC, where he serves a Sunday School Teacher, and a member of the Trustee Board, and is a
"Deacon-in-Training."
Professor Murray is the
author of one book and several articles in historical publications and journals. He is currently a member of the
NCCU Centennial Planning Committee as well as numerous other University councils and committees. In
2001-2003, he served as co-chair of the Strategic Planning Committee for NCCU under former Chancellor James H.
Ammons.
As Dean of the School of
Graduate Studies, Dean Murray has undertaken the task of increasing the enrollment and funding for students
attending graduate and professional school. The graduate enrollment has grown under his leadership
and the University has developed several new graduate degree programs. Some of these are:
Master's of Social Work, Master's of Music in Jazz Studies, Master's of Computer and Information
Sciences, and Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Additionally, the University has developed
two Ph.D. proposals in Communication Disorders and Information Sciences since he became Dean. Funding has
increased, and currently more than 150 receive awards each year to attend graduate school. As the
University responds to UNC Tomorrow, Dean Murray is one of several University officials helping to shape this
response for the 21st century.
In his spare time, Dean
Murray plays golf and enjoys reading and traveling. He is member of the Shepard Society and $1000 Eagles and an
avid supporter of NCCU Athletics. He married to Carol Watson Murray, class of 1970, and they have
one daughter, Amber E. Murray, who is an attorney with the firm, King & Spalding in Atlanta,
Georgia.
Chapter of the
Month
Greater AtlantaChapter
The Greater Atlanta NCCU Alumni Association was founded in 1975 by four NCCU graduates
anxious to form a community. Now, 33 years later, the seeds they planted have grown into a thriving chapter
with strong branches and enduring roots.
The chapter continues to grow
with over 30 paid local members and at least 10 national members who applied through our chapter. But actual
membership tells but half the story. We have hundreds of diverse alums in the Atlanta area and many of them
remain connected of this community.
One way we have all reached
out has been through the creation of our
website,
www.nccuatlanta.org.Our website is one of the most unique of any alumni chapter in the
country. Our website is truly a newsgathering and news-providing resource for our members, Atlantans and the
NCCU community. Each Monday, our site is updated with news from the University and Atlanta. Each week, one of
our members is selected for a Photo of the Week. Additionally, we spotlight one member in our "Eagle
Spotlight" section. To flood the market, all members are sent an email on Monday mornings letting them
know the site has been updated. The Web site has received overwhelming recognition and praise and traffic has
grown steadily.
The chapter's outreach has also been long. We
have formed a
partnership with
the NCCU satellite campus located at New Birth Missionary Church. Students from the school have attended our
meetings and have been active in helping us plan events. In exchange, we provide them a kind of "freshmen
orientation." With their students being so removed from the campus, many elements of the institution are
lost on them, like the history of the university and its mission. Additionally, school colors and the words of
our alma mater may become excluded from the process. Because of our chapter, these students are now armed with
knowledge and a sense of community despite the distance. We have filled that disconnect and they feel more like
Eagles. We have also recently hosted a table at the Black College Expo, Chancellor Nelms and the NCCU delegation
for a reception after the Battle of the Bands, and the 2008 NCCU Region III Conference. We also found time to
donate food to the homeless during the holidays and help build a house with Habitat for
Humanity.
For fun, our annual flagship events are our summer
picnic, holiday brunch and Mardi Gras Gala. Held for the second year this past February, our Mardi Gras Gala
has been a huge success and is growing into a citywide "must-attend" event.