New_Layout_v19_Layout 1 12/13/2017 1:08 PM Page 1 The BullA Magazine From Johnsonet C. Smith Universityin | 2015 – 2016 Call to Greatness oprah Winfrey • Hillary Clinton • Bill Clinton Jussie smollett • Jesse Jackson • K Michelle New_Layout_v19_Layout 1 12/13/2017 1:08 PM Page 2 New_Layout_v19_Layout 1 12/13/2017 1:08 PM Page 1 02 President’s Message 03 Cover Story CONTENTS OF TABLE 06 Features 12 University News 24 Academics 32 Student News 40 Athletics 46 Philanthropy 52 Donors 76 Community Engagement 82 Alumni 92 Class Notes A magazine from Johnson C. Smith University 2015 - 2016 President Ronald L. Carter, Ph.D. Vice President Institutional Advancement Joy Paige Springs Executive Editor Sherri Belfield Editors Antia Dawkins | Emiene Wright Contributing Writers K.C. Culler | Melissa Davis | Emiene Wright Photographers Troy Hull | Jonathan Keitt | Kate Marcus Joshua Nypaver Published annually by University Communications and Marketing for alumni and friends of JCSU. Johnson C. smith University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Johnson C. Smith University. Note:Throughout this publication, STEM refers to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Opposite page: Oprah Winfrey, international media mogul and philanthropist, waves with President Ronald L. Carter during the processional into Irwin Belk Complex for Commencement Exercises. Winfrey received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. 2 0 1 54 / 2 0 1 65 1 New_Layout_v19_Layout 1 12/13/2017 1:08 PM Page 2 President’s Message n music, a call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases played by different musicians, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or response to the first. But in the African-American spiritual tradition, call and Iresponse is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience, in which the speaker's statements or calls are punctuated by responses from the listeners. Over the years at Johnson C. Smith University, we have built up a reflex for tenacity, for audacity, for action. But rarely have we been graced with the opportunities to display our strengths as much as in the 2015-16 school year. We opened our cutting edge, 62,000-square-foot science center; established a Center for American Culture and Race (CACR) in Guangzhou, China; hosted the Track Ronald L. Carter, Ph.D. and Field trials for the 2016 U.S. Paralympic Games; and were the toast of Spoleto USA, an international performing arts festival. Each act of intellectual daring, community building, global vision, social consciousness and bold change was itself an individual statement. Together, they were a call to action. And when a great call is given, great people—political, intellectual and cultural leaders from across the board—respond. Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, and Bill Gates are only a few of the luminaries who drew closer to our small, private university in Charlotte, North Carolina over the 2015-16 school year. Their presence, their support, their investment in our students is a direct commentary on the legacy of excellence at our beloved institution. I leave you with but one question: When JCSU calls, how will you respond? ronald l. Carter, Ph.D. President 2 President’s Message New_Layout_v19_Layout 1 12/13/2017 1:08 PM Page 3 COVER STORY COVER Former president Bill Clinton 1909, when President William Howard Taft addressed When a great call the University. is heard, great The concert choir and marching band joined the Student Government Association, National Pan- people respond Hellenic Council, Clinton Global Initiative and other student leaders in showcasing the excellence of JCSU. For more than a century and a half, Johnson C. A host of local and national media outlets covered the Smith University has established itself as a center of event, including National Public Radio affiliate WFAE, greatness on the higher education landscape. Our The Wall Street Journal, The Charlotte Observer, The professors, students and illustrious alumni have well- Charlotte Post, Charlotte Magazine, WCNC, WSOC-TV, deserved reputations as some of the best and WCCB, WBTV, Fox 46, Charlotte Business Journal and brightest minds in the country and, like moths to Creative Loafing. flames, this illuminated atmosphere has captured the attention of world leaders, pace setters Addressing students in the audience a number of and game changers. times, the former president said, “That’s why I’m here – because it is young people like you, and universities The 2015-16 year illustrated this point perhaps better like this, that will shape America’s economy and set than any other year in University history. Politicians, the conditions for growth in this country.” celebrities and those in the know clamored for the opportunity to be connected with the institution. On May 15, 2016, media titan Oprah Winfrey drew a standing room-only audience of 7,000 to the On March 8, 2016, former President Bill Clinton University’s 144th Commencement Exercises. addressed the campus from the steps of Biddle Hall. The crowd of hundreds included faculty, staff and “Every stumble is not a fall and every fall is not a students from JCSU as well as elected officials, failure. Your crown is paid for,” Winfrey told the community members and leaders such as Trustee hundreds of graduates assembled. “Your number Emeritus Thomas Baldwin ’71, Mecklenburg County one job in life is to put it on your head and Commissioner Vilma Leake, Civil Rights icon Dorothy wear it.” Counts-Scoggins ’65 and members of the Indaba Council of Elders. It marked the second time in JCSU Hillary Rodham Clinton was history that a current or former occupant of the White the next cultural force to House had visited campus. The last occasion was in grace campus. Oprah Winfrey New_Layout_v19_Layout 1 12/13/2017 1:09 PM Page 4 Congresswoman Alma Adams (r) and Congressman John Lewis (c) lead march to the polls. K. Michelle Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks with students in Biddle Auditorium Jussie Smollet Clinton hit several high notes with the crowd, including her focus on making college affordable for students, paying down debt and raising the national minimum wage. “And we're finally going to guarantee equal pay for women's work,” Clinton said to a cheering crowd. As expected, Clinton took aim at her opponent, then- Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, calling him Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton “temperamentally unfit to be commander in chief.” She packed Brayboy Gymnasium to capacity on September 8, Clinton had visited Charlotte three times in the prior eight 2016, as she stumped for a historic presidential bid. weeks. Campus police reported people showing up at the University as early as 3:30 a.m. to make sure they had a seat. Clinton started by addressing voting issues in the state, saying Officially, the gym opened to the public around 10 a.m. and she planned to expand early voting, and praised a recent quickly neared its capacity of 1300 people. Two overflow rooms federal court ruling that struck down key portions of North were set up to hold an additional 850 people. Carolina's 2013 voter identification and ballot access law. “Such laws discriminated against minorities,” she said, calling them “a Though ultimately unsuccessful in her presidential bid, Clinton blast from the Jim Crow past.” energized students with encouragements to be the change they wanted to see in the world. 4 C O V e r s t O r Y New_Layout_v19_Layout 1 12/13/2017 1:09 PM Page 5 K. Michelle with members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. As Election Day drew closer, civil rights icons also felt the pull of Some may wonder why so many top activists and creative the Golden Bulls. Congressman John Lewis led hundreds of professionals are drawn to this small, private university. But the students, staff and alumni, along with community members, to answer is clear: When a great call is issued, great people vote at a local poll during early voting season. President Barack respond. JCSU is a humble institution that nevertheless has a Obama requested that JCSU’s International Institution of Sound legacy of producing astounding people, and it is this very play for him at a North Charlotte rally. Rev. Jesse Jackson held tradition that will ensure we remain a beacon for innovators for an informal, intimate discussion with students in historic Biddle years to come. Memorial Hall, leaving the podium to mingle in the seats with students, eager to answer questions with the wit and wisdom of an elder statesman. Politics aside, students were energized a few weeks later by a surprise visit from hit recording artist K. Michelle. She made back-to-back appearances at JCSU: once at the Irwin Belk Complex during the Commemorative Classic football game and again the next day at the New Science Center, when she brought along Jussie Smollett, a principal actor on the top- rated TV series “Empire.” Both stars entertained the masses of students who thronged to see and hug their favorite celebrities. They also made time to impress upon the youth the importance of showing up on Election Day. Professional sports figures basked in the light of JCSU. Retired NBA center Jason Collins encouraged students to stand in their truth, sharing his story of being the first openly gay professional athlete in the NBA. And top Obama aide Reggie Love held court, playfully sparring with JCSU’s political science and history scholars. Jussie Smollet and Alana Seldon ’17 2 0 1 5 / 2 0 1 6 5 New_Layout_v19_Layout 1 12/13/2017 1:09 PM Page 6 FEATURES Oprah Winfrey to 2016 graduates: “Know who and whose you are” Global media entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey was the class.