Derrick Stanfield, a spring 2022 graduate of North Carolina Central University (NCCU), was named a 2022-2023 Presidential Scholar for the University of North Carolina (UNC) System.
Presidential Scholars serve a one-year appointment and provide a wide range of professional functions for the UNC System Office. The scholars interact with the president, his senior leadership team and members of the UNC Board of Governors. They also work in areas including education, public policy, research and strategic initiatives that affect higher education.
Scholars are selected from a competitive pool of applicants who demonstrated leadership skills, intellectual curiosity and a strong interest in higher education and public service.
“This position is an opportunity for me to further my understanding of our state’s higher education system, pursue my passion for education policy and positively represent NCCU to UNC System stakeholders,” Stanfield said.
As a presidential scholar, he is also looking forward to the rotational component of the program, where he will be able to learn about the operations of each department within the UNC System and how their work impacts the more than 240,000 students it serves.
Stanfield is grateful to NCCU for preparing him for this role.
“From assistance with my resume, interview preparation and my academic course of student, I have been able to walk into this program with the knowledge, experience and professionalism needed to succeed in this position,” he said.
While an NCCU undergraduate, Stanfield served as student government association president, an NCCU Board of Trustees member and senior vice president for the UNC Association of Student Governments. In 2022, he received the Chancellor’s Award for Academic Excellence, the NCCU’s highest honor for students who demonstrate the capacity for real service to the nation. He also was named a White House HBCU Scholar as well as a UNC System Marian Drane Graham Scholar where he interned with the N.C. Department of Military and Veteran Affairs while conducting research on the attainment of higher education for working-class students. Stanfield was also an active member of member of the University Honors Program, McNair Scholars Program, NCCU’s African American Male Initiative and the Gamma Beta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
Stanfield holds bachelor’s degrees in history and political science from NCCU.
