Praise for the Rams
Greater Cleveland Avenue Christian Church Senior Pastor Sheldon
McCarter and Co-Pastor Joyce McCarter (far right) present a $1,000
check to Winston-Salem State Athletic Director Bill Hayes ( far left).
Associate Athletic Director Valerie Dinkens and Head Football Coach
Connell Maynor (center). The donation, which was made at the church
recently, is in support of the "1000 HORN$ Campaign," which asks
1,000 alumni and friends of Winston-Salem State University to make an
annual contribution of $1,000. Join the cause by contacting Hayes at
336-750-2142 or hayeswl@wssu.edu.
NCCU recognized for graduating at-risk students
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
North Carolina Central University has been
recognized nationally for "beating the odfc" in
helping students most prone to dropping out of
college stay on track toward graduation. In a new
national report published by HCM Strategists, a
Washington, D.C., public policy advocacy firm,
NCCU is profiled along with more than 30
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(jvj^i-M.-wiimiy msuiuiions ior lis eiH'
improve college completion rates a
prepare students for successful careers.
Approximately 2.2 million stu-J
dents will enroll as full-time fresh-/
men in America's colleges and uni-jj
versities this fall, but less than 60,;
percent will earn a four-year degree''
within six years, and less than 30 per
cent will earn a two-year degree withi
three years. It is even worse for 1
income and minority students, putting
America further behind in meeting future
workforce needs.
"Beating the Odck: What It Means and Why
It's Important," developed with support from the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is the result
of a series of conversations with leaders from 32
post -secondary institutions about what colleges
must do to help students. Each of the colleges
and universities featured in the report is consid
ered a national model for their approaches to
boosting completion rates.
The odds of a low-income American com
pleting college haven't changed in at least 20
years," said Kristin Conklin, founding partner at
HCM Strategists. "North Carolina Central
University is demonstrating how to beat those
odds, ensure student success and help our econ
omy recover. Today, these campuses are the
exception. "Beating the Odd*" provides a blue
print for others to follow and help change the
exception to the rule in post -secondary educa
The NCCU Division of Student
Affairs staff is leveraging peer pres
Isure and group dynamics to
achieve student success. The
Centennial Scholars program
invites applications from incom
ing black male freshmen who are
also Pell Grant eligible. They take
ield trips together, volunteer at
ClI's H;ihital for Humanitv house.
serve as tutors at local elementary and
middle schools, and coach at the Boys and Girls
Club. Furthermore, they live together in the
same residence hall.
In addition to the academic tutoring they
receive at University College, these students are
monitored and mentored for one hour per week,
and staff members are available to them on the
phone and through electronic means virtually
around the clock. Seventy-four percent of the
first two cohorts were retained from first to sec
ond year, and their average GPA for the year was
a respectable 2.5.