Features

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.

Winston-Salem State University nursing alumnus Dr. Clifton Kenon Jr. is no stranger to being a trailblazer. At age 33, he won the highest honor given to a nurse from the American Academy of Nursing. Now, at age 37, he is making history again by becoming the first male and first millennial to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from AWHONN.

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.

Students from Winston-Salem State University’s Mass Communications program embarked on a field trip to Atlanta during fall break, immersing themselves in the world of film and media. A highlight of the trip was the opportunity for students to shadow various positions on a two-day independent film shoot, “Nature of the Threat.”

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.

Cam Witherspoon, a golfer for Winston-Salem State University, is featured on the Greensboro Six mural that was unveiled at the Gillespie Golf Course in Greensboro Aug. 6.

Winston-Salem State University alumnus Jeremiah Erby learned an important concept from his experience with the University of Chicago that inspired him to give back to his alma mater.

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’s Office of Integrated Marketing Communications has won two Telly Awards for a recruitment video in the record-breaking 45th Annual Telly Awards.

This class was unique as it was the class that felt the disruptions of the global pandemic as students transitioned from high school graduates to college freshmen. Their high school graduations were mostly likely in person and college orientations were shackled by social distancing.

The Center for Innovative and Transformative Instruction (CITI) recognized its Class of 2024 Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) Credentialed Educators and micro-credential completers. The pinning ceremony was held May 14 at the Bermuda Run Country Club.

The Class of Spring 2024 celebrated commencement on Friday, May 10. Witnessing the excitement and sense of accomplishment radiating from our graduates was truly inspiring. We invite you to read these profiles and to browse through our Spring 2024 Commencement photo album.

Several students from Winston-Salem State University’s Sport Management program walked across the stage at commencement on May 10, 2024. Here are some success stories of these impressive scholars. 

Winston-Salem State University offers an excellent Sport Management program that prepares our students for dynamic careers in the sports industry. WSSU is the first and only HBCU to receive accreditation from the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA).

Winston-Salem State University is committed to helping our students Unleash Their Genius and succeed in all areas of their lives.  On May 10, 2024, WSSU will honor our spring graduating class.  Here's a glimpse of where a few students from the Class of Spring 2024 are headed. 

A Winston-Salem State University alumnus is giving back to his college and helping his high school in the process. Dr. Clayton Scott of Statesville, a 1976 graduate of WSSU, has established a scholarship to help students from Statesville High School to further their education at his alma mater.

Winston-Salem State University football wide receiver RJ Mobley has been selected to the Chicago Bears minicamp. Mobley, who played two seasons with the Rams, played in every game the last two seasons.

Winston-Salem State University’s Office of Integrated Marketing Communications was named among the top in the nation in the 2023 Collegiate Advertising Awards Program.

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).

On Monday, April 1 Winston-Salem State University kicks off Scholarship Week 2024: A Gallery of Genius. WSSU students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend biggest academic event of the year that shines a spotlight on how scholars from all disciplines Unleash their Genius.

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.

The Winston-Salem State University Foundation Inc. has named Dr. Alfredo I. Aguilar as its chief operating officer. He is the first person to assume this role with the foundation. Aguilar, who began his duties on March 1, has worked in finance and operations during the span of his 23-year career for four major organizations.

The American Council on Education (ACE) announced that Dr. Mel Johnson-Norwood, vice chancellor and associate provost of Student Affairs at Winston-Salem State University, has been named an ACE Fellow for academic year 2024-25.

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.

Winston-Salem State University is taking steps to ensure that students learn how to use artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly and ethically. More than 200 students are studying various ways to develop and use AI in courses such as art, world films, statistics, chemistry, English, business ethics, and exercise science.

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.

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 Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi will install its 361st chapter at Winston-Salem University this month. Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society recognizing academic excellence.

Technology provider CollegeNET ranks Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) No. 2 in the United States for being a driver of social mobility for its students. Social mobility, as defined by CollegeNET, involves delivering a high-quality college education at an affordable price to create opportunities for students to move from one socioeconomic class to another.

Ask Virgil Bryant what he likes about motorsports racing and without hesitation he starts to rattle off: it’s the smell of the fuel, the revving of the engines, the squealing of the tires, the drivers – everything. Equally important, he said it was the most fun he had in years when he attended his first NASCAR race.

Winston-Salem State University student A’nya Buckner of Morrisville is unleashing her genius out of this world. The junior biology major with a chemistry minor has been selected by the N.C. Space Grant as one of the 2023-2024 Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) STEM Bridge Scholars.

Briana Tshiona was a member of the Epsilon Tau Sigma Honor Society for Allied Health while at WSSU.

While at WSSU, Ananye Fontaine was involved in the National Council of Negro Women, first as a mentee then as a mentor. She was a resident advisor for two academic school years; and was inducted into Phi Eta Sigma Honors society.

Not only is Wilson now leading the WSSU Campus Activities Board (CAB) as president, but his college experience has landed him at the White House – not once, but twice – and next year he will be headed to California to pitch a product concept to NASA.

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.

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.

The New York Times names Winston-Salem State University as the number one school in North Carolina for economic mobility based on the people’s choice.

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 is ranked as one of the Best Colleges in America for the seventh year in a row by Money magazine.

Winston-Salem State University was ranked by Washington Monthly magazine as the No. 1 HBCU in the Southeast for “Best Bang for the Buck” for the 2023-24 academic year. The ranking is based on how well schools help non-wealthy students earn high-quality marketable degrees for affordable prices.