Winston-Salem State University

Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is a historically black public university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina.

Winston-Salem State University
MottoEnter to Learn, Depart to Serve.
TypePublic, HBCU
Established1892 (1892)
Parent institution
UNC System
Endowment$49.8 million (2019)[1]
ChancellorElwood Robinson
ProvostAnthony Graham
Academic staff
400
Administrative staff
800
Students5,190[2]
Undergraduates4,741
Postgraduates449
Location
Winston-Salem
,
North Carolina
,
United States
CampusUrban
ColorsScarlett and White[3]
         
AthleticsNCAA Division II - CIAA
NicknameRams
Websitewww.wssu.edu

History

Winston-Salem State University was founded as Slater Industrial Academy on September 28, 1892. It began with 25 pupils and one teacher in a one-room frame structure. By 1895 the school was recognized by the State of North Carolina and in 1899 it was chartered by the state as Slater Industrial and Slater Normal School[4]

In 1925, the North Carolina General Assembly renamed the school Winston-Salem Teachers College and the North Carolina State Board of Education allowed the college to award elementary teacher education degrees, making it the first black institution to provide this specialized training.[5]

The School of Nursing was established in 1953 offering baccalaureate degrees. In 1963 the North Carolina General Assembly authorized changing the name from Winston-Salem Teachers College to Winston-Salem State College. A statute designating Winston-Salem State College as Winston-Salem State University received legislative approval in 1969. On July 1, 1972, Winston-Salem State University became one of 16 constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina.[6]

Philanthropy

In 2020, MacKenzie Scott donated $30 million to Winston-Salem State. Her donation is the largest single gift in the university's history.[7]

Academics

Winston-Salem State offers over 40 academic majors and 10 graduate degrees. The school enrolls approximately 5,200 students and employs 400 faculty and over 550 staff members.[8]

Rankings

Winston-Salem State University was ranked the #7 top college in the United States by the Social Mobility Index college rankings.[9]

Winston-Salem State has been ranked #27 by U.S. News & World Report in the Top Public Comprehensive Baccalaureate Colleges of the South category between 2001 to 2009. By 2016, the university had fallen to a ranking of #84 in the same category.[10]

Library

C. G. O’Kelly Library is the main academic library on the campus of Winston-Salem State University, which was originally the Slater Industrial Academy. The original library was housed in Blair Hall until 1967 when the new library was built and O’Kelly Library has gone through two additions and one renovation within the past forty years.[11]

Campus
The Alumni House on campus

The campus has more than 40 buildings covering 117 acres (0.47 km2).[12] WSSU's Diggs Gallery was recognized as one of the top African-American galleries in its region.[13]

Student activities

Athletics
See also: Winston-Salem State Rams men's basketball

Winston-Salem State University is currently a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) in NCAA Division II. From the 2007–08 season through the 2009–10 season, the Rams competed in the NCAA's Division I Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), despite being a transitional member that was attempting to attain full membership within the MEAC or within NCAA Division I, in which the Rams were also scheduled to begin full membership and gain access to NCAA tournaments in 2011. However, it never occurred due to financial difficulties.[14][15]

The men's basketball team and WSSU cheerleaders at the 2012 CIAA Tournament

In 1967, Winston-Salem State became the first Historically Black College to win an NCAA Basketball Championship. The Rams won the College Division Championship (now Division II) with a 31-1 record. They were led by high-scoring guard Earl Monroe, who averaged an amazing 41.5 points per game that season before being selected second overall in the 1967 NBA draft by the Baltimore Bullets (now the Washington Wizards).

Winston-Salem State played in the 2012 Division II National Championship football game on December 15, 2012. They lost, 35-7, to Valdosta State University, finishing the season, 14-1, the best of any historically black college/university. The team was led by head coach Connell Maynor and All-American quarterback Kameron Smith.

In August 2010, Winston-Salem State University reinstated their baseball program after a 37-year hiatus. Despite only being the first year of the program, the baseball team managed to win the CIAA Conference Championship and move on to the Atlantic Regional. The team again won the CIAA Conference Championship in 2012, 2013, and 2014, making that four consecutive conference championships in the first four years of the program. The team also achieved success in the 2013 season by earning the program's first ever national ranking of No. 23 in the country while also hosting the 2013 NCAA Atlantic Regional.

National fraternities and sororities

All of the National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations currently have active chapters at Winston-Salem State University except Delta Sigma Theta sorority, who were suspended for at least a 10-year period in April 2010.[16][17] The remaining organizations are:

Organization Symbol Chapter Chapter Symbol
Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority ΑΚΑ Gamma Lambda ΓΛ
Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity ΑΦΑ Beta Iota ΒΙ
Iota Phi Theta fraternity ΙΦΘ Kappa Κ
Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity ΚΑΨ Delta Chi ΔΧ
Omega Psi Phi fraternity ΩΨΦ Mu Epsilon ΜΕ
Phi Beta Sigma fraternity ΦΒΣ Delta Alpha ΔΑ
Sigma Gamma Rho sorority ΣΓΡ Rho Ρ
Zeta Phi Beta sorority ΖΦΒ Omega Ω

Other National fraternities and sororities with registered chapters are members of the Council of Independent Greek Organizations. The current members on campus include:

Organization Symbol Chapter Chapter Symbol
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity ΦΜΑ Mu Beta ΜΒ
Tau Beta Sigma honorary band sorority ΤΒΣ Theta Upsilon ΘΥ
Kappa Kappa Psi honorary band fraternity ΚΚΨ Kappa Lambda ΚΛ
Pi Sigma Epsilon professional sales, marketing, and management fraternity ΠΣΕ Zeta Lambda ΖΛ
Alpha Nu Omega Christian sorority ΑΝΩ Pi Π
Kappa Omicron Tau sorority ΚΟΤ Beta Lambda ΒΛ
Chi Eta Phi nursing sorority ΧΗΦ Chi Chi Beta ΧΧΒ
Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity ΑΦΩ Tau Chi ΤΧ
Swing Phi Swing social fellowship SΦS Groove
Sigma Phi Omega National Academic Honor & Professional Society in Gerontology ΣΦΩ Epsilon Alpha ΕΑ

Notable alumni

References
  1. As of June 30, 2019. "U.S. and Canadian 2019 NTSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2019 Endowment Market Value, and Percentage Change in Market Value from FY18 to FY19 (Revised)". National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  2. "WSSU enrollment is highest since 2014". Winston-Salem State University. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  3. Winston-Salem State University Brand Guide (PDF). July 20, 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  4. https://www.wssu.edu/student-life/student-handbook/university-history.html#:~:text=Winston%2DSalem%20State%20University%20was,Industrial%20and%20Slater%20Normal%20School.
  5. https://www.wssu.edu/student-life/student-handbook/university-history.html#:~:text=Winston%2DSalem%20State%20University%20was,Industrial%20and%20Slater%20Normal%20School.
  6. https://www.wssu.edu/student-life/student-handbook/university-history.html#:~:text=Winston%2DSalem%20State%20University%20was,Industrial%20and%20Slater%20Normal%20School.
  7. https://myfox8.com/news/winston-salem-state-receives-30-million-donation-from-mackenzie-scott-largest-ever-gift-from-a-single-donor/
  8. "WSSU Fact Book 2015-16" (PDF). Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  9. "Social Mobility Index 2018". Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  10. "Winston-Salem State University | Best College | US News". colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
  11. "Okelly Library". wssu.edu. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  12. "Historical Sketch - Winston-Salem State University - Acalog ACMS™". Catalog.wssu.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-09-12. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  13. "About WSSU - Why WSSU? - Transformation Happens Here". Wssu.edu. 2016-08-05. Archived from the original on 2016-08-24. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  14. "Winston-Salem State jumps to Division I, joins MEAC – College Sports – ESPN". sports.espn.go.com. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
  15. "Winston-Salem ready to return to D-II, CIAA – NCAA Basketball – Sporting News". aol.sportingnews.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
  16. Staff, JournalNow. "WSSU suspends sorority for hazing its pledges". Winston-Salem Journal.
  17. "Fraternity and Sorority Life - Winston-Salem State University". www.wssu.edu.
  18. "Earl Monroe". Pro-Basketball Reference.Com. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  19. "Ramily, ESPN honor Stephen A. Smith". www.wssu.edu. September 20, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  20. "Winston Salem State Rams Hall of Fame: Stephen A. Smith". Winston Salem State Athletics. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  21. "spurgeon ellington - North Carolina Room -- Forsyth County Public Library". northcarolinaroom.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-08.

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