Community

As the nation prepares to commemorate its 250th anniversary, a WSSU junior is playing a key role in telling North Carolina’s story as part of her summer internship with State Archives. 

Winston-Salem State University has announced the appointment of two new members to its Board of Trustees, along with the reappointment of two current members.

Winston-Salem State University and Davidson-Davie Community College (Davidson-Davie) formalized a partnership on May 12 – but what made the Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony unforgettable was the personal connection that tied both institutions’ leaders to one woman.

Winston-Salem State University has been named the only university in North Carolina – public or private – to earn the distinguished designation of Opportunity College by the Carnegie Classifications of Higher Education and the American Council on Education (ACE).

Winston-Salem State University celebrates the success of two School of Health Sciences alumni, Lt. Darius McLean and Lt. Ivanna Plymouth, who were recently commissioned as officers in the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps.

Winston-Salem State University announced a $2 million grant from the Bedford Falls Foundation-DAF for its nursing program during a press conference April 22 featuring N.C. Gov. Josh Stein and other state legislators.

The Marguerite Casey Foundation (MCF), in partnership with Haymarket Books, will host an in-depth discussion on the impact of student debt on activism at Winston-Salem State University on Monday, April 14, at 7 p.m.

Winston-Salem State University students in the inaugural NASCAR Campus Lab Program cohort is gearing up for their first on-campus event, “Race You to the Yard: A NASCAR Experience,” on March 26, from noon to 2 p.m., on the WSSU campus in the Breezeway.

WSSU is excited to host Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Rapsody as a guest speaker for its annual Women’s History Month celebration, “Ladies First: Women on the Rise,” on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 7 p.m. in Dillard Auditorium.

Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is working to broaden awareness about the wide range of cancers affecting individuals worldwide. As part of this effort, the university will host its third annual two-day cancer awareness event, “Rams: Thriving Together Stronger than Ever,” on March 20-21.

Winston-Salem State University is set to host a series of impactful events throughout March, bringing together students, faculty, staff, and the community for discussions, performances, and educational initiatives.

Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) will host legendary hip-hop artist and producer Pete Rock as the featured guest speaker for its annual Black History Month celebration. The event, titled “The Miseducation of…”, will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 13, in Dillard Auditorium on the WSSU campus.

A team of researchers, led by Dr. Muztaba Fuad, professor and interim chair of computer science at Winston-Salem State University, are pioneering the use of mobile apps to make healthcare work more efficient. WSSU students are helping with the research by tracking their own movements and postures.

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr., two members of the Ramily were recognized during a joint program of Winston-Salem State University and Wake Forest University on the official federal holiday honoring the civil rights icon. Student Nia James and faculty member Maestra D’Walla Simmons-Burke were the 2025 honorees.

Winston-Salem State University hosted a ribbon cutting and grand opening of its new Allegacy Federal Credit Union Student Resource Center on Jan. 23, addressing food insecurity and enabling a lifeline of extended support for student success.

Winston-Salem State University students will have access to more food and clothing resources thanks to the generosity of Allegacy Federal Credit Union. Allegacy donated $120,000 to WSSU in 2023 to repurpose a former game room on the campus into a new Student Resource Center.

Winston-Salem State University celebrated its fall graduates during commencement Friday, Dec. 13. More than 500 students became alumni, ready to depart to serve, during the historic ceremony that was presided by the university’s first female chief administrator, Chancellor Bonita Brown.

The Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) Foundation is pleased to announce the acquisition of 42 acres of property, marking a significant step in advancing the university’s commitment to fostering student success and enabling future growth. The property, purchased for $7.5 million, is located at 2900 Reynolds Park Road, Winston-Salem. 

Winston-Salem State University received nearly half a million dollars to launch a new initiative focused on fostering a safe and supportive environment while addressing and preventing domestic violence. The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women, awarded a $499,976 grant to RamsSafe.

As I reflect on my first months as Chancellor of Winston-Salem State University, I am inspired by the incredible accomplishments of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Homecoming was a highlight of my time here. It was incredible to watch generations of the Ramily come together to celebrate all that is wonderful about WSSU.

Winston-Salem State University’s new advancement leadership team is poised to enhance alumni and community engagement, as well as philanthropic contributions. Kevan Turman is the new vice chancellor for University Advancement; and John D. Kirby Jr. is assistant vice chancellor.

From actor Samuel L. Jackson to a Purple Heart military veteran, Winston-Salem State University students presented stories on drugs and alcohol abuse for a Drugs, Crime and Justice community project titled, "Echoes of Resilience: Unveiling Stories of Drug Victims and Survivors." Take a listen by scanning QR codes in story.

This year’s homecoming was not only marked by excitement, merriment, pomp and circumstance, but it was also a testament to the generosity of alumni. One of the highlights of homecoming weekend was the announcement of this year’s alumni giving, which was a total of $287,963.97.

Two Winston-Salem State University graduate students, Cristina Sorensen of the occupational therapy program and Stefanie Ramsey of the family nurse practitioner program, have designed a training program to teach mothers how to avoid common injuries.

Chancellor Bonita Brown and Winston-Salem State University invite you to WSSU's Forever Red Homecoming 2024. This is the moment to celebrate our pride, traditions and everything that makes being a Ram special. While we want you to enjoy the festivities, it’s important to stay aware and safe. WSSU Police and Public Safety, along with local law enforcement, fire departments and EMS, are working to make this homecoming the safest yet

Each year during homecoming week, Winston-Salem State University recognizes the progress made in healthcare for African Americans and the East Winston community and honors that history during the Healthcare Legends Awards Luncheon. The program will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Donald J. Reaves Student Activities Center, Room 100.

There is a new Winston-Salem State University homecoming event this year designed to benefit students in the military program. The WSSU Military Affairs Association (MAA) will host a dance on Friday, Nov. 8, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the WSSU Thompson Center, Room 207.

The Winston-Salem State University Department of Education hosted a grand opening of its newly renovated Curriculum Materials Center (CMC) and Innovative Teaching Lab on Oct. 3, as well as unveiled a new Mobile STEAM Lab: Bringing Classrooms to Communities.

Winston-Salem State University is excited to announce The Ramily Road Tour, coming soon to a city near you. WSSU is hitting the road, offering high school students, parents, families and community leaders an opportunity to learn what makes WSSU’s Ramily (Ram family) so special.

Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded nearly $4 million to Winston-Salem State University to establish a Research Center of Excellence. Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman made the announcement during a press conference on WSSU’s campus following her visit with students.

Winston-Salem State University Office of Emergency Management (OEM) personnel have been deployed to UNC Asheville to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene while the WSSU campus holds a drive to help peer institutions impacted by the storm. Jason Stogner, director of OEM, was deployed on Sept. 28, and Sarah Isom, assistant director, left Sept. 30.

Alexandria Brown, a senior at Winston-Salem State University, has been selected to attend the prestigious inaugural Allstate Foundation National Youth Service Summit in Chicago September 27-29. She was one of only 75 students chosen for this honor.

Winston-Salem State University earned impressive rankings in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2025. WSSU was recognized among top public colleges and universities, best HBCUs, social mobility and the nursing program. The most significant achievement is WSSU’s surge ahead by 40 spots in the national universities ranking.

Winston-Salem State University officially became a StormReady campus during a Recognition Ceremony on Sept. 17. Nick Petro, warning coordination meteorologist of the National Weather Service (NWS), Raleigh office, read the official letter and designation during the program and presented it to Jason Stogner, director of the WSSU Office of Emergency Management.

This is a special year for Dr. Fran Bates Oates, who has 50 reasons to celebrate. This year marks her 50th anniversary as an educator and is also her 50th class reunion at Winston-Salem State University as a member of the Class of 1974.

Winston-Salem State University will officially become a StormReady campus during a recognition ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 2 p.m. in the Donald J. Reaves Center, Room 100A, featuring Nicholas “Nick” Petro, warning coordination meteorologist of the National Weather Service in Raleigh.

Encourages campus to get excited about change

Employees of Winston-Salem State University got a chance to hear from its 14th Chancellor Bonita Brown during the annual faculty and staff kickoff Aug. 14 at Dillard Auditorium on the campus of WSSU. It was Brown’s first address to the campus community as it prepares for the new academic school year.

Winston-Salem State University senior Robert Moore has spent this year serving as a business operations year round intern with the SAS Healthcare and Life Sciences team in Cary. Moore, who is majoring in healthcare management, said the internship, which started in January 2024, has been profoundly impactful on his educational journey and career aspirations in healthcare administration.

If there’s one thing Winston-Salem State University senior Ayanna Tewolde has learned, it’s the importance of networking and relationship building. Tewolde is spending her summer as a marketing intern with Team Penske as part of NASCAR’s Diversity and Inclusion Program.

Today, Barbara Woods is a hair stylist. But after two weeks, she could start a new career in biomanufacturing thanks to a new program at Winston-Salem State University. Woods is a member of the first WSSU cohort of the Accelerate NC Life Sciences Manufacturing Coalition, led by the NC Biotechnology Center, which received $25 million from President Biden’s Build Back Better program to strengthen life sciences manufacturing in the state of North Carolina.

Three Winston-Salem State University students have been selected to participate in the North Carolina Governor’s HBCU Internship Program this summer. The program was established in 2015 to build a bridge between North Carolina’s HBCU students and leading Fortune 500 companies in the state.

Winston-Salem State University’s food pantry has received $1,500 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to help nourish neighbors experiencing hunger. The donation will help supply non-perishable food, toiletries, personal hygiene items and other needed supplies to the Allegacy Federal Credit Union Student Resource Center at WSSU.

Winston-Salem State University junior Maliyah Winters is already a history maker. The Raleigh native is the first historically Black college student to intern at the NC Real Estate Commission in the 2024 Summer Education and Licensing Department.

Winston-Salem State University partners with the Winston-Salem Dash minor league baseball team for WSSU Night at the Dash on Thursday, April 25. The game will feature the WSSU band, Powerhouse cheerleaders and Amon the Ram. Admissions' representatives will also be on site.

Winston-Salem State University is the first campus to support the ELETE Experience, Inc. program, which aims to increase healthy dining and entrepreneurial mentorship opportunities for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Join us for the second annual Cancer Awareness Event.  Thursday, March 21 will feature a panel discussion on the different types of cancer.  The panelists will feature representatives from the local healthcare community. The following day, Friday, March 22 enjoy a variety of interactive events taking place at WSSU's practice field.

As we honor Black History Month, we commemorate Winston-Salem State University’s long and distinguished list of firsts and its contributions to the transformative milestones of the collective African American journey.

Not only did the WSSU Rams men’s basketball team win 64-47 over the Virginia Union Panthers in a game simulcast on three major networks – TNT, ESPN2 and NBA TV – but the once-in-a-lifetime experience spilled off the courts as well.

Winston-Salem State University student Vinsha Torain placed second in the PNC North Carolina HBCU Pitch Competition. The second annual competition was held in early February at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro.

As we honor Black History Month, we commemorate Winston-Salem State University’s long and distinguished list of firsts and its contributions to the transformative milestones of the collective African American journey.

It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of the passing of a beloved figure in the history of our institution, Dr. Cleon F. Thompson, our former Chancellor. Dr. Thompson served as the university's leader from 1985 to 1995.

Winston-Salem State University’s Department of Physical Therapy is looking for participants for a study titled: “Evaluation of segmental lumbar spinal motion and physiological responses following common spinal mobilization techniques.”

The schools, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) and Southern University Law Center (SULC) join more than 200 private, nonprofit and governmental organizations across the country that have received Gold Standard accreditation.

The Delta Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. presents a $1,300 check to Samaritan Ministries for its annual Penny Campaign.  The funds were raised during the fraternity's 27th Annual Homeless Awareness Week held on the campus of Winston-Salem State University.

N.C. Governor Roy Cooper visited Winston-Salem State University recently to discuss diversity in education. The visit on Nov. 17 was the final stop on the DRIVE Task Force’s statewide tour. DRIVE stands for Developing a Representative and Inclusive Vision for Education.

In February 2023 the Winston-Salem State University Chancellor’s Executive Staff issued a request for proposals for faculty and staff to create programs designed to improve undergraduate student success outcomes focused explicitly on student retention, student engagement, student belonging, and student debt load.

Oscar Ball III, Winston-Salem State University Class of 2009, is the creator of the 4th Quarter Scholarship Fundraiser. The event is a basketball game between current WSSU students and alumni and is held on the Sunday after each homecoming at the C.E. Gaines Center.

Members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated along with Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) students will brave the elements on Friday, Nov. 17, to shed light on the issue of homelessness in the community.

For the past seven years, WSSU, in partnership with Northwest Area Health Education Center (NW AHEC) of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, honors this history by hosting the Healthcare Legends of East Winston luncheon, said Cooper, who serves on the planning committee.

The NBA today announced that the Virginia Union University Panthers (VUU) and Winston-Salem State University Rams (WSSU) men's basketball programs have been selected to compete in the 2024 NBA HBCU Classic presented by ATT. 

Healthcare Management’s Global Understanding Class will be collecting items for gift bags through Nov. 15 to be presented to the homeless population. The bags will be delivered to the Samaritan Ministry on Nov. 17.

WSSU’s Forever Red Homecoming is the time to celebrate Winston-Salem State University’s spirit and respect some of our most beloved traditions. By celebrating all the wonderful things about being a Ram, it is advised to be cautious while enjoying the festivities of WSSU Homecoming.

What will be your motivation for participating in Winston-Salem State University’s annual Day of Giving on Sept. 28, Founder’s Day, as the institution celebrates its 131st birthday.

The couple, Prince David and Nancy Patterson Jernigan, both members of the WSSU Class of ’73, served and retired from extensive careers in public education; have raised tens of thousands of dollars for their alma mater over a span of 40 years; and most recently, established the Prince David and Nancy Patterson Jernigan Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) will celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2023 at a Commencement Ceremony at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial (LJVM) Coliseum on Friday, May 12.