Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Abstracts

The University College’s mission is to promote student learning and development by providing coordinated and centralized academic resources and support services that help first- and second-year students define their educational and career goals. The program focuses on relationships developed through proactive advising, educational planning, academic support and enrichment, and ongoing training to ensure students are retained and equipped to persist toward graduation. Additionally, the University College allows students to enjoy a healthy relationship with academic advisors, academic coaches, instructors, mentors, supplemental instruction leaders, tutors, and writing center consultants, as well as to connect with other resources (e.g., the EAB Student Success Collaborative) on the University campus. Students who take advantage of these resources receive encouragement to internalize their learning experiences. They are instilled with a sense of pride and responsibility to maintain satisfactory progress, with graduation from NCCU in four years as the ultimate goal.

The A.A.M.I. program provides a community that celebrates and promotes scholarship, diversity, high achievement, leadership and global citizenship. The goal of the program is to increase African American male students’ retention and graduation through the implementation of an intentional and comprehensive program designed with these students’ unique needs in mind. Data gathered from the state of North Carolina revealed African American males currently comprise nine percent of full-time college students. The 2007 African American Males retention rate from first to second year is 71.60%, but it drops to 55.18% after the second year. Moreover, the 4-year graduation rate for African American males is an alarming 10.92%. The African American Male Initiative is designed to aid in increasing North Carolina Central University’s retention and graduation rates. This initiative is a comprehensive living-learning community that produces skilled and knowledgeable African American male citizens who understand the importance of communal responsibility and contribute positively to their own and society’s economic and social well-being.

Enhancing the Mass Communication Major through WNCU-FM and the Television Studio is the title of this Activity. WNCU is a 50,000-watt noncommercial educational radio station licensed to North Carolina Central University (NCCU). The television studio is a standalone video production facility for the campus and external partners. WNCU serves as a resource to NCCU and the surrounding areas. Both programs have been designed to improve the academic quality of the Mass Communication program and the success of the students enrolled. WNCU and NCCU TV Studio provide supplemental training through internships, professional networking programs and operations of facilities to support and improve student learning and teaching excellence by providing academic support to faculty and students through instructional workshops. WNCU and the Television Studio continue supplemental classroom training for mass communication courses, such as MSCM 3570 Audio Production, MSCM 3560 Writing for Radio and Television, MSCM 3600 Internship I, MSCM 4680 Internship II, MSCM 4620 Media Practicum and MSCM 4650 Independent Study. This Activity is important to allow our students the opportunity to receive practical training and professional networking opportunities and build professional relationships that will prepare them for the competitive media industry.

The Office of Faculty Professional Development (OFPD) is a resource dedicated to providing comprehensive programming for professional development, including collaborative, innovative and sustainable strategies for improved andragogy in all disciplines; support for increasing the scholarship of teaching; and innovative approaches to active student engagement and success. The OFPD is committed to promoting an ongoing academic exchange between university faculty and students in the effort to foster an environment that reflects higher performance and achievement, which results in student retention and an improved intellectual climate. The OFPD encourages excellence in teaching through programs for course development and improvement, implementation of new and emerging instructional technologies and best practices, and support services to faculty that encourage instructional and curricular development, cross-disciplinary planning and efficiency in the workplace. An expansion of the Office of Faculty Professional Development is being implemented this year to provide professional development access to all NCCU’s teaching faculty who impact student learning outcomes, retention and success.

The desire among colleges and universities to use reliable data to make better decisions is rapidly accelerating. This Activity will allow North Carolina Central University to advance the use of existing and new institutional data through the use of data analytics tools and reporting software. This activity allows North Carolina Central University senior leaders, administrators, staff, faculty and students to be actively involved in turning data into decision-support information and improvements. The use of analytic tools and reporting software provides senior leaders, administrators, faculty and students with the opportunity to regularly review and explore data, such as student outcomes, non-success courses, performance, student learning and program outcomes. Through thoughtful reflection, monitoring, problem-solving, planning and implementing, new approaches/strategies will transform data into actionable information and improvements. It is imperative that there are analytics in place that amplify the effectiveness of the management of data and provide timely access to address the ever-changing data, use and transparency demands. The development and use of analytics tools ensure senior leaders, administrators, faculty and staff use data effectively to improve decision making.

The Achieving Student Services Through Improved Student Services Title III Activity will provide a seamless continuum of high-quality student services, using appropriate and responsive technology to enable the Undergraduate Admissions Office, the Office of Transfer Services, the Enrollment Research Office, Scholarships and Student Aid, New Student and Family Programs and Information Technology Services to promote student success. The Division of Enrollment Management supports and enhances the total educational experience of NCCU students through a commitment to quality service that is responsive to the needs of students, faculty and staff. The Division seeks to attract and enroll a highly diverse class of new and transfer undergraduate students with outstanding ability and potential, assuring access and affordability for all students who qualify for admission to the University, regardless of family socioeconomic status. The Division also utilizes efficient classroom and course availability and monitors the appropriateness of academic regulations to improve student retention and graduation rates commensurate with the goals of the University.

The efficient delivery of customer service and the need for continued enhancement of technical capacity, state-of-the-art systems and equipment continues to be a critical need of the Registrar’s Office informational management infrastructure. The improvement of the execution of Registrar processes was due largely in part to the implementation of new technologies and the automation of processes. The implementation of the Curriculum, Advising and Program Planning (CAPP) Module in Banner, the replacement of CAPP with Degree Works, the implementation of automated processes and reports, the implementation of the electronic Academic Catalog Management System (ACALOG), and the automation of the Repeat Grade Process in Banner have been and continue to be important contributors to the success of Registrar processes and customer service. Increasing efficiencies in transcript delivery, catalog management and diplomas on demand are improvements that will continue to enhance the University’s informational management infrastructure. Additionally, the imaging process continues to be extremely important in reducing the retrieval time for records.

One goal of the ITS Division at NCCU is to enhance the teaching, learning and research of our faculty and students through the use of technology. In order to accomplish this strategic initiative, we must acquire, install and support technology for our faculty and students. The Information Technology Services (ITS) Division of North Carolina Central University (NCCU) has implemented the Title III Academic Computing Initiative (ACI) to improve availability and access to technologically advanced methods of teaching and learning and will give students and faculty access to these tools both in the physical and virtual classroom. The new classroom standard includes a faster and more efficient computer, an LED data projector, a multi-function document camera, and improved video conference capabilities; and in smaller rooms, a large-sized Sharp Aquos or Dell display (instead of a data projector). Classrooms will have video and/or lecture capture technology available. Additions to this standard also include Cisco Room Kits, Microsoft LifeCams and Elmo Document cameras with lecture capture and streaming camera capabilities.

The E-Learning activity provides centralized services, training, resources and support to NCCU faculty engaged in the development, delivery and assessment of online courses. This activity for enhancing e-learning at NCCU aligns with the University’s goal of fostering student learning through new programs and experiences; as well as, the University of North Carolina system’s strategic directive of making higher accessible to North Carolinians and other student markets through distance education options. According to the 2019 Changing Landscape of Online Education (CHLOE 3) report, online learning has become commonplace in higher education and more strategic and interwoven into the institution at all levels. However, it requires consistent and strategic leadership and management. This Title III Activity provides the resources necessary to ensure e-learning planning and management, at NCCU, is focused and stable. As a result, several of NCCU’s online degree programs have received national recognition and rankings by U.S. News & World Report, Affordable Colleges, College Choice and Best Online Counseling Degrees.

The Upper Division Academic Advising Program seeks to provide centralized, professional undergraduate academic services, at the upper division level, within the (1) College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities; (2) College of Health and Sciences; (3) School of Business; and (4) School of Education. The creation coordinator of Upper Division Academic Advising, with a reporting line to an associate vice chancellor in the Office of the Provost, is charged with addressing the administrative barriers and uncoordinated approaches to academic advising at the upper division that have impacted NCCU’s student support efforts. A team of graduation specialists (professional advisors) will work closely with the coordinator to develop and adopt streamlined policies and processes, identify and resolve progression issues resulting from course bottlenecks, improve retention and graduation rates, help more students reach on-time degree completion, and increase student satisfaction with academic advising and the NCCU experience.

North Carolina Central University is a historically black university (HBCU), founded in 1910 to provide a liberal arts education for African Americans. NCCU is located in close proximity to the world-renowned Research Triangle Park. NCCU’s mission is to provide underserved populations with greater access to higher education. In Fall 2021, there were 6,067 degree-seeking undergraduate students across all classes. Of that figure, 3,357 (63.1%) were Pell recipients; for first-time new undergraduates, 824 (72.9%) were Pell recipients. The University anticipates that by 2021–2022, NCCU will produce 961 low-income graduates, an increase of 23.0% (180 additional low-income completions over a base of 781). The University assisted more than 5,200 students during the 2020–2021 academic year by clearing over $10 million in outstanding tuition and fees and waiving costs for its summer session. NCCU allocated approximately $8 million directly to 3,832 students, covering their unpaid balances. To further mitigate many of the problems that the university already knows these students face, Title III is establishing an Activity to hire a professional academic advisor and two professional tutors to identify, track, mentor and provide interventions to mitigate some of these problems and to increase the retention rate of a cohort of 50 low-income students over time.

This project will focus on enhancing the Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) services by increasing informational sessions regarding the CPDC’s career fairs, career readiness technologies, and career readiness programs and activities. In addition, this project will also focus on increasing the monthly career coaching appointments, group sessions and alumni engagement/involvement in CPDC activities. The focus on these areas is an integral part of the CPDC’s mission because of the shifting focus of the higher education sector to gainful employment and career readiness. The CPDC has already laid the groundwork to facilitate this project through deployment of its career readiness technologies and well-maintained employer-relation efforts. The tasks of this project will be facilitated through the associate director of the CPDC, who will dedicate 100% of their time and effort to this project’s activities.