People

The Hickory Council, Boy Scouts of America will hold its annual Distinguished Citizen Award event on Thursday, April 27, 2023, to recognize Dr. Elwood Robinson, chancellor of Winston-Salem State University, who has shown to personify the spirit of Scouting.

Dr. Keisha G. Rogers, Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Counseling at Winston-Salem State University received the Professional Writing and Research Award at the North Carolina Counseling Association (NCCA) Annual Conference, held on February 10-11, 2023, in Durham, NC.

The Center for Applied Data Science (CADS) at Winston-Salem State University hosted the 2023 Day Data Science Workshop for High School Students in early March. The workshop was funded by a grant from University of North Carolina System and received support from Hanes Brands, Inc.

Dr. Kathy Stitts was selected to chair the Academic Resilience Consortium. The consortium is an association of over 600 faculty, staff, and higher education students dedicated to understanding and promoting student resilience.

Winston-Salem State University congratulates the faculty members listed below who received promotions and/or tenure in 2021-2022.

In August 2022 Winston-Salem State University celebrated its first in-person Research and Sponsored Programs Banquet since the Covid-19 pandemic. WSSU honored faculty and staff members for excellence in teaching, research, service, and procuring grant funding.

Nearly a dozen Winston-Salem State University students will start the new year with new job and internship opportunities.

2022 Golden LEAF scholarship recipient Myanna Lassiter knew Winston-Salem State University was the right college for her when she visited the campus and researched the website.

Winston-Salem State University ranks high on a diverse group of national lists, especially in the areas of value, affordability, and student success.

Here is a list of some of WSSU’s notable rankings for 2022-2023.

The campus of Winston-Salem State University has become even more beautiful, thanks to a $20,000 grant from the Home Depot Retool Your School initiative. Home Depot is dedicated to giving back to the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to honor what HBCUs bring to their communities “a strong foundation, renewed purposed and distinctive character.”

On October 25 Winston-Salem State University’s Political Action Committee in conjunction with Black Voters Matter and Common Cause organized a march to the polls that brought out over 200 students and trended on the @blackvotersmtr Twitter account with over 394,000 views.

Winston-Salem State University alum actor Chris Greene portrays an assistant chaplain in the Netflix hit true crime drama “DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” In the limited series, viewers are walked through the upbringing of one of the most notorious serial killers in history, the warnings neighbors made concerning his behavior, how he lured his victims, his capture, and ultimately, his trial.

Winston-Salem State University employee Tiffany Turner Lynch was awarded the prestigious Governor’s Award for Excellence in the category of Efficiency and Innovation. 

Winston- Salem State University has been awarded a $299,835 grant from NSF led by Dr. Sarah Adjei-Fremah, for Environmental Factors Modulation of Structure-Function of Biological Systems.

Winston-Salem State University has been awarded a $139,594.83 grant from DHHS Administration for Community Living (ACL) led by Dr. Allison Calhoun, Clinical Assistant Professor Occupational Therapy to build a stronger and more resilient dementia-capable aging network in Forsyth County.

Winston-Salem State University has been awarded a $10,000.00 grant from the Ellucian Foundation led by Raisha Cobb, Associate Provost & Chief Information Officer Office of Information Technology to provide scholarships to students in financial distress so they can reach their educational goals. 

Occupational therapy involves the use of assessment and intervention to develop, recover, or maintain the meaningful activities, or occupations of individuals. All-to-often though, a key tool is missing for occupational therapists: mental health training.

Earl Robinson, a 19-year-old sophomore at Winston-Salem State University, is living, smiling, shining proof that life often travels in a full circle.

When Rita Ismailova was selected to be a Fulbright Scholar, she had the choice to pick most any college or university in the world to attend for almost a year of research.

Inspiration and encouragement often come from the unlikeliest of places. Take the case of Sharandica Midcalf. She had chance meeting with entertainer Nick Cannon three years ago. His words of encouragement that day emboldened Midcalf to attack her dream of going to Winston-Salem State University.

Awardees are recognized during the annual MLK celebration event that is co-sponsored by WSSU and Wake Forest University. The awards are presented to a professor or administrator and a student from each institution who exemplify Dr. King’s spirit of justice and equality for the betterment of the community as well as the institutions.

Rod Isom has been elevated to chief audit risk and compliance officer at Winston-Salem State University, effective immediately.

Haley Gingles has been appointed chief marketing officer (CMO) at Winston-Salem State University.

Thesha Woodley has been appointed director of alumni engagement for Winston-Salem State University, where she will lead the creation of programs and services to effectively manage and sustain relationships with the over 30,000 alumni.

Winston-Salem State University has partnered with Barnes & Noble College to implement BNC First Day® Complete, a course material delivery model that will drive student success by ensuring all students are prepared to begin learning on the first day of class.

First Day® Complete, an innovative course material delivery model, addresses equitable access, convenience, and affordability across all courses at an institution by bundling the cost of course materials into tuition and ensuring students have all their materials for the semester available on or before the first day of class. WSSU will cover all associated expenses so that no additional costs will be passed on to students.

Back in the fall of 2019, LaMonica Sloan Wilhelmi and senior staff members at Winston-Salem State University were brainstorming, searching for ideas to help provide more career development options for students.

The innovative ideas from that session laid the groundwork for what turned into a $1.2 million Job Corps Scholars Program on the WSSU campus that will provide intensive two-year career preparation for 40 community members a year.

It is no secret that underserved segments of the population … minorities and the disabled … face serious barriers when it comes to health care in this country.

A team of Winston-Salem State University faculty members – Dr. Tammara Thomas, Dr. Keisha Rogers, and Dr. Felicia Simpson – recently concluded research that showed those barriers were even more pervasive during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sometimes to move forward, you need to look back, or at least that’s according to the old adage.

It certainly rings true for Laura Garner, aquatics director at Winston-Salem State University.

Taylor Adams is a big fan of Coming To America, the 1988 comedy blockbuster starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall.

The Winston-Salem State University senior may be an even bigger fan of Coming 2 America after getting to interview the stars of the recently released sequel.

While the global pandemic shaped the Class of 2021’s final year on campus, these graduates are #RamStrong activists, advocates, artists, and athletes who are prepared to take on whatever challenges they may face in the future.

WSSU alum Tristen Johnson'16 becomes first lieutenant in the newly minted United States Space Force. 

Marquia James became a part of history when she added her makeup artistry to Vice President Kamala Harris’ Vogue cover look last month. Read more as James gives an inside look at her evolution as a makeup artist, her memories of WSSU and what’s in store for 2021.  

Former teacher, mentor, school administrator, school board member and Winston-Salem State University alumnus Victor “Vic” Johnson Jr.’61 dies of COVID-19 at age 85.

Mona Zahir, WSSU’s 2016-17 student body president, was recently awarded the U.S. Department of State Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship.

As the first year of this new decade comes to an end, here’s a look back at some of the year’s most memorable WSSU news stories.

WSSU receives $30 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.   

WSSU welcomed over 60 new Heritage Society members during a virtual induction ceremony on Dec. 3.

NBA star and WSSU student Chris Paul teamed up with WSSU Student Government Association to organize “March to the Polls Pt. 2,” on Oct. 27.

Kelly White, a native of Hertford, North Carolina, has joined Winston-Salem State University’s Police and Public Safety department as deputy chief.

Dr. Ereka Williams had several goals when she stepped into her new leadership role as the associate dean of education. WSSU News caught up with her to discuss her mission, goals and personal experiences. Here are eight questions with... Dr. Ereka Williams.

Eight WSSU faculty members and CITI fellows become Adobe Creative Campus Faculty Fellows after completing the Adobe Creative Campus Faculty Development Institute.

Elizabeth Barker Johnson’49, World War II Army Veteran and the first woman to enroll in the university on a GI Bill, passed away on Aug. 23 at the age of 100.

August Mebane joins WSSU as the associate vice chancellor of human resources. Her appointment began on July 13. 

Dr. Ereka Williams joins WSSU as the associate dean of education, quality assurance, and community engagement as of July 1.

Eight questions with … Chief Amir Henry, director of campus police

Justin Ross, a business administration major, finance minor from Philadelphia, has secured a full-time, post-graduation job with Vanguard, one of the world’s largest investment management companies.

Six WSSU students accepted into the North Carolina You Can Vote Civics Fellowship Program, an eight-week program that develops community leaders that educate, register and mobilize voters.   

Two WSSU students will be interning this summer through North Carolina Governor's Historically Black Colleges and Universities Internship Program. 

As your incoming Director of Police and Public Safety, I want to share with you my thoughts on the recent events in Minneapolis where George Floyd, an unarmed man, died while in police custody, says Amir Henry.

Haley Gingles will be joining WSSU’s Office of Integrated Marketing Communications as the Director of Communications and Media Relations effective March 2, 2020.

WSSU Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson has been named one of the ten most dominant leaders of 2020 by HBCU Campaign Fund (HCF).