Chancellor Donald J. Reaves

As I write this month’s column, it appears the budget for the State of North Carolina may finally be headed to Gov. Beverly Perdue for her signature.  As you know, state-supported organizations, such as WSSU and the local school system, have been operating with 85 percent of the funding we had for 2008-2009 since last year’s budget expired July 1.

While the state budget may be approved very soon, we will be waiting to see how the University of North Carolina System will handle the reductions it probably will receive.  So, we still do not know to what extent the WSSU budget will be impacted.  It has been very difficult to plan for the future when we do not know if we will have the 10 percent reduction in funding that we have dealt with in our recent restructuring plan; if the budget will be down by the 15 percent with which we are currently operating; or if there is another reduction number that has yet to be determined.

Yet, regardless of the budget situation, we will have students back on campus this month and we will be ready to offer them the best educational experience possible.  In this time of uncertainty, it is reassuring to know that our work continues and that the history and heritage of WSSU have provided us with a foundation for the future.

An emphasis on pride in our heritage and in our future will be extremely important this year as we bring many new students into the Ram Family.  Since we did reduce the size of the first-year class and increase our admission standards, we have fewer first-year students than in 2008.  While we consciously made the decision to manage our freshmen enrollment to ensure the class represented the student achievement we wanted, we are seeing an increase in transfer students.  That means the student body size will remain almost constant, but the mix of students will be different.

One of the positives that has come out of the shift in the mix of students is its effect on campus housing.  As you know, in May it looked as if we would be using hotels for housing again this year.  Today, we see that we will be able to provide housing on campus to all of the students who have requested it.

Another change that students will be seeing comes in our efforts to improve student services.  While we do not have our customer service levels where I would like to see them, we have made tremendous strides from last year.  Two key elements in those improvements have been: opening the call center which can answer probably 80 to 90 percent of the questions that come in without having to transfer the call, plus they know who does have the answer to the remaining 10 to 20 percent of those questions; and establishing a one-stop process that means incoming students will be able to go to the Anderson Center and take care of all registration activities in one location.

Finally, University College has planned an expanded and enhanced RAMDITION for our incoming freshmen and transfer students with less than 30 credit hours.  Students will spend a great deal of their time during the week-long event in Legacy Groups led by upperclassmen and will enjoy a variety of activities on campus and in the community.  They will also participate in a rites of passage ceremony to bring them into the Ram Family.

So, even though the budget situation looms large in our minds, we are still focused on starting a new year with our freshmen, transfers and returning students.  Having them back on campus will create a level of excitement and energy that we all can appreciate.

Camille Kluttz-Leach

Camille L. Kluttz-Leach was appointed General Counsel for Winston-Salem State University effective July 1.

She replaces Beverly R. Mitchell, who had served in that position for nine years.  “The University is grateful for the years of service provided by Attorney Mitchell,” said WSSU Chancellor Donald Reaves. “We also are extremely fortunate to have someone with the skills and abilities that Camille possesses to join our staff in the important role of General Counsel. Her work in higher education and in the non-profit sector has provided her with the background and experience that we believe will be of tremendous benefit to our University.”

As general counsel, Kluttz-Leach will serve as chief legal officer, providing legal advice to the Chancellor Reaves and the Board of Trustees.  She will be a member of the executive staff and will report to Chancellor Reaves directly.

Kluttz-Leach is no stranger to WSSU, having held several temporary and contract positions with the University since February 2008, including serving as temporary associate legal counsel and providing consulting work with an emphasis in personnel policy development.  Prior to her service at WSSU, she had been with North Carolina A&T State University for six years, having served as special assistant to the chancellor for legal affairs and assistant legal counsel.

Before moving into higher education, Klutttz-Leach served as a staff attorney for the Montgomery County Department of Social Services, an attorney advocate for the Guardian ad Litem program in Winston-Salem, a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Northwest North Carolina and had a private practice in Winston-Salem.

A graduate of Wake Forest University, where she earned a B.A. degree with a double major in sociology and psychology, she earned her Juris Doctor degree and completed Superior Court Mediation Training at North Carolina Central University School of Law.  She is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, the North Carolina Bar Association Education Law Council, the 18th Judicial District Bar, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

Rams hit the Yellow Pages cover.

The WSSU football team is featured on the cover of the 2009 AT&T Real Yellow Pages directory, which serves Winston-Salem and surrounding areas.
More than 490,000 copies of the Winston-Salem directory have been produced for distribution in the area this year.  Delivery started this month and continues for about four weeks.  The directory also will be available to current and new residents and businesses throughout the year.
“We are pleased that Winston-Salem State University is featured on the cover of the new AT&T Real Yellow Pages directory for Winston-Salem,” says Dr. Donald J. Reaves, WSSU Chancellor. “This will be a powerful tool in advancing the WSSU story in the region.”
The book includes yellow pages featuring area businesses, business white pages and community information pages. It also includes a profile of WSSU.
“We are proud to feature the Winston-Salem State University football team on the cover of our new AT&T Real Yellow Pages directory for the Winston-Salem area,” says Wendi Fleener, area marketing manager, AT&T Advertising Solutions. “We continually work to make our directory covers special on the outside, and tailor the community information inside our directories to best meet the needs of local residents and businesses.”
In addition to Winston-Salem, the Real Yellow Pages also includes business listings for Advance, Clemmons, Cooleemee, Courtney, Danbury, East Bend, Forbush, Ijames, Kernersville, King, Lewisville, Mocksville, Oldtown, Rural Hall, Sedge Garden, Stanleyville, Stokes, Quaker Gap, and Walkertown-Belews Creek.
As new books are delivered, Winston-Salem area businesses and residents are encouraged to recycle their outdated directories. AT&T Real Yellow Pages directories are recyclable, and the paper used to print the directories contains recycled materials. Residents and businesses can call the AT&T Real Yellow Pages Project ReDirectory help line, listed on the directory cover, at 800-953-4400 for directory recycling information in this community.

O.T. students interacting with patients in clinic in Costa Rica.

“Nothing beats being there” is probably a thought that crossed the minds of six WSSU occupational therapy graduate students and faculty members who participated in an international field experience program in Costa Rica July 12-27.

The experience is offered as an elective under the direction of Dr. Darlene Perez-Brown, who organizes the field experience as part of the Occupational Therapy Program’s focus on diversity and promoting cultural competence among occupational therapy students as health care professionals.

Participants in the experience were first-year graduate students Mark Williams, Chris Sellers, Michelle Reams, Holly Shadoin, Tamara Crockett and second-year graduate student Dana Nelson. The collaboration between Winston-Salem State University and Santa Paula University, an institution of higher education that specializes in the education of allied health professionals, was initiated in 2000. But the 2009 experience differed from earlier trips to the Central American country.

On previous trips, students were primarily engaged in service-learning projects, fitting special needs children with wheelchairs. The students modified the chairs to meet the individual needs of each child. This time, the focus was different.

“The focus of the International Fieldwork Experience is broader and aims to prepare students to function in a global society by developing and advancing their knowledge of culture and culturally competent skills that would result in improved client-centered care,” says Dr. Perez-Brown.   ”The second purpose is to evaluate the effectiveness of the international fieldwork/learning experience in Costa Rica in developing cross-cultural competency skills in Occupational Therapy Master Level students.”

O.T. students implement therapeutic intervention with a group of women with fibromyalgia.

“No wonder they called Costa Rica the happiest place to live. Everyone is so friendly.  I hope we can remember this experience and learn how to treat one another

when we get back,” says Tamara Crockett. Holly Shadoin realized how much she still doesn’t know. “I realize I have a lot to learn from the “Ticos” (nickname for Costa Ricans),” said Shadoin.

“I feel a renewal of interest in OT and in culture.  I think this experience will help me in my practice. I will connect better with my Latino clients,” says Mark Williams.

In the first week, students participated in activities including OT classes and observations of treatment sessions at the SPU clinic. They also conducted occupational profiles of adult patients and developmental assessments on children with disabilities. In addition, students collaborated in training sessions and attended educational sessions to learn about Costa Rica’s health care system.

O.T. faculty and students present donated items from the university community to grateful Costa Ricans.

In the second week, students conducted developmental assessments in a community setting; wrote treatment goals, designed and implemented therapeutic interventions for clients under the supervision of WSSU or SPU instructors.  On the last day at Santa Paula, WSSU and SPU students made a presentation about their cultural and academic learning experience in Costa Rica and shared their impressions about their interactions with other OT students, faculty, clinicians and clients.

Mindful of Costa Rica’s needs in the aftermath of an earthquake, the WSSU community conducted a successful drive, collecting donations of school supplies for victims of the earthquake. Those supplies were delivered to administrators, teachers and students of a grateful nation.

See the video about their trip.

Dr. Audrey Forrest-Carter, an associate professor in the Department of English and Foreign Languages at Winston-Salem State University, was recently appointed Interim Chair of the department, effective July 1.

Dr. Audrey Forrest-Carter

Dr. Forrest-Carter, who brings more than 30 years of college-level teaching experience to her new position, began her teaching career as an English instructor at Winston-Salem State in 1979 after receiving her undergraduate degree in Interdisciplinary Studies at Bennett College in 1978.  While teaching at WSSU in 1979, Forrest-Carter became a teaching fellow at NC A&T State University, while pursuing a master’s degree in English and Afro-American Literature. She also served as assistant director of the Writing Center at WSSU.

She left WSSU in 1984 to pursue a Ph. D. in English at Miami University of Ohio through a Faculty Development Grant and a North Carolina Board of Governor’s Grant. While at Miami University, she served as a teaching fellow. She earned her Ph.D. in 1990 and returned to WSSU as an assistant professor in the Department of English and Foreign Languages, where she served from 1990 to 1992.

In 1992, Dr. Forrest-Carter joined the faculty at NC A&T State University as an assistant professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences. She served there until 2001. During her tenure at A&T, she served one year (2000-2001) as assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Forrest-Carter rejoined the faculty at WSSU in 2001. During her career at WSSU, she has helped redesign an English course using WriteSpace as a teaching tool; made presentations on ways to improve student-writing skills; and, created a digital portfolio for Honors English. She was a participant in WSSU’s Distance Learning Boot Camp in 2007 and developed an online course in advanced composition.

She has served as an alternate on the WSSU Faculty Senate and as a contributing writer for WSSU’s SACS Quality Enhancement Plan.

She has been an entrepreneur, having owned and operated Courtesy Kids, an etiquette school for children in Greensboro for nearly two years. She is poet and a writer, having authored two books, The Wages of Sin in 2004 and Judge Not! in 2005.

Her awards and special recognitions include:

Marquis Who’s Who in America, 2009;

The Round Table Group, 2009;

The Winston-Salem State University Excellence in Teaching Award, 2009;

Novel Interview, The Wages of Sin: Black Authors Network Radio show, 2008;

Cambridge Who’s Who Among Executive and Professional Women, 2008;

Editor’s Choice: World of Poetry, 2007;

The Winston- Salem State University John Fountain Master Teacher Award, 2005;

Honors College Professor: Winston-Salem State University, 2004-Present;

Who’s Who Among American Teachers, 1996 to Present;

North Carolina Board of Governor’s Grant, 1988 to 1990.

Who’s Who Among Black Americans, 1987 to Present; and,

Silver Poet:  World of Poetry, 1986.

Her professional associations include membership in the North Carolina Teachers of English Association and the National Council of Teachers of English.

She is a member of Mount Zion Baptist in Greensboro. She also serves as a judge for senior thesis at Caldwell Academy also in Greensboro.<–>

YEHS campers in a makeshift field hospital near the Anderson Center with Marilyn Foote-Hudson (far left), director of the N.C. Glaxo Smith Kline Foundation and Marina Skinner (standing next to Foote-Hudson) director of the YEHS program.

Twelve middle-school students from the Piedmont Triad region to Charlotte participated in a new Winston-Salem State University School of Health Sciences summer program in July to help boost the number of people of color entering tomorrow’s health science careers.

WSSU’s Youth Exploring Health Sciences (YEHS) Summer Camp is a two-week summer enrichment program for rising ninth-grade students from underrepresented populations.  The program is designed to educate, prepare and enhance students’ academic qualifications for careers in nursing and the health sciences.  The program included a two-week residency on campus and an opportunity to shadow a health care professional in their community. The program also included guided career facilitation sessions and a post-mentorship experience. The free program was sponsored by a North Carolina Glaxo Smith Kline Foundation grant.

“This program was specifically for those underrepresented students who would not otherwise have an opportunity to participate in such a program,” says Marina A. Skinner, director of the program.

Campers practice performing CPR.

Another goal is to increase parents’ engagement and enhance their competency and participation in helping their students prepare for college studies in nursing or other health science fields.

“We believe programs like these will make a real difference in tomorrow’s numbers of health care professionals from underrepresented groups and in the overall delivery of health care,” Skinner said.

See more photos from camp. View the video.      

Six junior faculty members from the School of Health Sciences headed to camp in July. But instead of fending off mosquitoes in the great outdoors, the professors grappled with the challenges of the blank page, or screen, during a two-week writing camp in O’Kelly Library.

Junior Health Sciences faculty members consult with senior faculty during writing camp.

“We created the camp for faculty who wanted to get away from their offices and just write,” says Wanda Lawrence, associate professor of nursing who is working on a number of initiatives to enhance scholarly activity among her colleagues. “We hope they’ll be able to produce some substantial work.”

The “campers” will work on scholarly manuscripts or dissertations and submit drafts twice each week to senior faculty members who have agreed to offer feedback as blind reviewers.

The School of Health Sciences is also in the middle of a two-year mentorship program. Nine pairs of senior and junior faculty members have attended educational sessions together for a year.

“Our goal is that each mentor/mentee pair will be able to write a grant application or scholarly manuscript together,” says Lawrence, who chairs the school’s Research Advisory Committee. “The ultimate goal is to help more of our junior faculty earn tenure.”

Student guide shows new students around campus.

Freshmen coming to Winston-Salem State University for the fall 2009 semester will be introduced to the campus through a new initiative inspired by University College called RAMDITION, from Aug. 15-22.

RAMDITION’s name is derived from the word tradition. The program’s aim is to instill Ram pride and tradition into the new arrivals. University College’s concept of the freshman week experience specifically focuses on making sure that a first-year student’s transition from high school to college is successful. From the very first day of the new students’ arrival, UC will manage every aspect of their first week on campus. In addition, UC will over the students’ academic advisement and class scheduling. Throughout the year, UC will offer services that include learning support, supplemental instruction, tutoring, and more.

Undergraduate admissions assistant director DeMarcus Coleman makes a presentation.

Under the theme, “RAMDITION: Connecting to Our Legacy, Discovering Your Future,” new students are strongly encouraged to participate to help them “connect” early and successfully to campus resources available to them. Most of the event’s activities are organized around small Legacy Groups to which each student will be assigned. These groups are led by upperclassmen who will serve as their guide during the week.

The week’s activities will include campus tours, placement testing, academic advising, formal orientation and fun. Fun activities will include a talent show, a dance, and “RamGras,” a Mardi Gras-styled celebration filled with fun, music, food and more.

“We are trying to create a premier first-days experience,” says Dr. Michelle Releford, dean of University College. “We want to do everything we possibly can to ensure these students get off to a great start.”

View of proposed Student Activities Center from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive

Winston-Salem State University is currently engaged in the design phase of a new Student Activities Center.  The facility will be approximately 92,000 square feet in area, with an proposed budget of $31.5 million.  The selected architects are Woolpert North Carolina PLLC, with design consulting from the architectural firm of Moody Nolan, a nationally recognized expert in the design of student activities centers.

Theo Howard, WSSU associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs, said the center is needed to keep pace with the university’s growth. “WSSU’s enrollment has ballooned from roughly 2,500 to 6,400 since 2003.  With such significant growth, we found it necessary to begin plans for this new facility to meet the various needs of our students with regard to campus life,” said Howard.  ”Studies have shown the student involvement, collegiate

View of Plaza between Thompson Center and proposed Student Activities Center

experiences, and satisfaction with student life have a direct impact on retention.  The Association of College Unions International defined the role of the union back in the 1930s, and it still exists as the same idea – A Student Union is supposed to be the living room of the campus; it is the hearthstone.  We seek to enhance our students’ in-class experiences with quality out-of-class experiences; that’s what campus life is all about.”

Howard said the new facility will serve as a combination recreation center and student union.  ”We will make it as easy as possible for students to host events, catch a bite to eat in between classes, exercise, compete in intramural sports, watch the news and keep up with events on one of our digital display boards.”

The current design includes 2 indoor basketball courts, fitness areas including weights and cardio circuit training, group exercise/dance studios, jogging track, locker facilities, administrative offices, student activities offices, student government offices, fitness staff offices, social lounge, commuter/study lounge, meeting/study rooms, campus hall/multi-purpose flexible space including stage with seating up to 600 persons, arcade/game room, billiards/table tennis room, barber shop and beauty salon, food court, and 150 person dining area.

Proposed Student Activities Center, northwest entrance.

The Student Activities Center will be located adjacent to the south side of the Thompson Student Services Center, with a planned addition of a new terraced plaza between the two buildings.  The Student Activities Center will be prominently viewed from Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, as well as from other locations on campus.

The current schedule is anticipating a completion date in the fall of 2012.

Young Ram fan gets up close and personal.

The university is combining two end-of-summer traditions – the family day cookout and Meet the Rams day – this year into one celebration. All are invited on Saturday, August 29, from noon – 4 p.m., to Bowman Gray Stadium to celebrate the first Ram Fan Fest.

The event, free and open to the greater Winston-Salem community, features a cookout, games for kids, performances by the marching band and cheerleaders, an autograph session with the Rams, and much more, including prize giveaways from the bookstore. Watch your mail for more news about the festival.

WSSU's stockcar in action at Bowman Gray Stadium.

The campus community was urged to come out and support the Robertson Race Team on Saturday, Aug. 8, at 8 p.m., for Race Night at Bowman Gray Stadium, where it was Winston-Salem Journal $1 Ladies’ Night and Demolition Derby.

WSSU is an associate sponsor of the race, which allowed for several public address announcements and for one car to enter the race. Robertson Racing had two stockcars sporting the WSSU Motorsport brand there. While one car stormed the track, the other car was on display at the far end of the track, where motorsport management students shared material about the program with the general public.

WSSU’s Motorsport Management program is a sponsor of Robertson Racing. The event gave members of the Ram family and the community an opportunity to learn more about the sport and the motorsport program.

Ram Graphix has relocated from Hauser to 101 Old Nursing Building. As renovations to the new location continue, service will be limited. Work such as binding and finishing will be sent off site, requiring an additional two days to complete your job. The staff apologizes for this temporary inconvenience as the renovations are completed.

D'Walla Burke conducts University Choir during 2009 spring concert.

D’ Walla Simmons Burke, director of choral and vocal studies at Winston-Salem State University, who was originally invited by MidAmerica Productions to return to Carnegie Hall as guest conductor of John Rutter’s Requiem, January 17, 2010, has instead been asked to consider conducting the Winston-Salem State University Choir, highlighting music of African-American composers, on Jan. 18, 2010, the date of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday observance.  The WSSU Choir would be the featured spotlight performance of the evening.

Burke’s Carnegie Hall debut performance was April 20, 2008, when she directed Gabriel Faure’s Requiem to a near capacity audience.  Select members of the University Choir accompanied Burke in 2008. For the 2010 engagement, the entire choir will perform.

Burke had called the 2008 opportunity “a once-in-a-life-time experience that could not have happened without the support of her students, administrators, faculty/staff at Winston-Salem State University and the community of Winston-Salem.”

“When I walked onto the stage, Carnegie Hall looked like K. R. Williams Auditorium because I saw faculty, staff, administrators and many members of my church in the audience,” Burke recalled.  “I turned to look at the orchestra and chorus (with people from Arizona, New York and Arkansas), I saw no one but my students from Winston-Salem State University!  They gave me the green light with a wink or a smile!”

It appears that Burke will get that support and more with her own choir in front of her.

Over the past 23 years, MidAmerica Productions has brought together conductors, choruses, soloists, and orchestral musicians for performances at some of the world’s greatest venues, especially New York’s Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall.  In addition to presenting classic choral and instrumental works, MidAmerica Productions has championed the works of contemporary composers. MidAmerica’s series in Carnegie Hall and at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall has presented approximately 31 world premieres, 16 United States premieres, and 50 New York premieres.

The Winston-Salem State University Choir traveled to the Czech Republic in November 2006 to perform with the Dvorak Symphony Orchestra of Prague at the invitation of conductor/composer, Maestro Julius P. Williams. WSSU’s choir was also asked to perform and  record Maestro Williams’ premiere Classical Gospel CD. While in Prague, the choir taped and performed Joe K. Westmoreland’s Somewhere Far Away with the Dvorak Symphony Orchestra, which has recorded soundtracks for a number of Hollywood’s major motion pictures.

Dr. Hines

to Dr. S. Maxwell Hines, professor in the School of Education and Human Performance, who, after serving on the team that revised the grade K-12 science education standards for the state of North Carolina last year, has now been appointed to the national panel tasked with setting science cutoff scores for grades 4, 8, 12 for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP data is used to compare the academic achievement of US students to their peers, globally. ACT and the National Assessment Governing Board will provide training and subsidize travel, room and board for the panel, which will meet for a week in San Antonio, TX this fall. At this writing, Dr. Hines will be the only African-American, Ph.D.-level science educator appointed to this panel.

WSSU’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning offers tremendous opportunities for faculty development.  Professors (including adjunct faculty) are encouraged to participate in classes and workshops which promise to increase classroom teaching skills as well as technology integration skills.  Pre-tenured faculty are particularly invited to become active in the new series of ‘lunch topics’ scheduled this academic year.

The CETL staff includes: Dr. Alvaro Galvis, Director; Dr. Carolyn Anderson, Assistant Director; Dr. Ian Toppin, Faculty Development Specialist for Technology Integration, Mrs. Shira Hedgepeth, Faculty Development Specialist for Technology Integration, and Dr. Joanne Chesley, Faculty Development Specialist for Pedagogy. The staff can be reached at x8609, 8610, or 8611. Download the schedule here.

Marching Band Competition

Save the dates: On Sept. 5 and 6, the Battle of I-40 weekend comes to town. On Saturday, Sept. 5, at 6 p.m., the Winston-Salem State Rams take on the Aggies of N.C. A&T to continue a rivalry dating back more than 50 years. More than 20,000 fans are expected to jam Bowman Gray Stadium for the Time Warner Cable I-40 Showdown.

The next day, Total Entertainment, Inc., and WSSU’s Marching Rams bring the North Carolina Battle of the Bands to Bowman Gray Stadium. Gates will open at 3 p.m. for the 4 p.m. showtime. Marching bands from across North Carolina and Virginia have been invited to participate in this event. Outstanding high school high-stepping marching bands have been selected to participate as well, with an opportunity of receiving scholarships to alleviate some of the financial strain on well-deserved band programs. A total of 26 scholarships have been awarded in the past 5 years.

The Time Warner Cable I-40 Showdown and the North Carolina Battle of the Bands promise to make an exciting weekend of excitement and entertainment in the Triad.

For game tickets, contact the WSSU Ticket Office, 336-750-3220. For Battle of the Bands tickets, contact Donna Montgomery, 336-965-9016.