Rhodes Scholar to Speak at NCCU Honors Convocation

"A football player, a Rhodes Scholar and a group of honors students walk into a gym."  No that isn't a joke, it's about to be a real event in Durham.

North Carolina Central University (NCCU) will recognize the academic excellence of more than 200 students at the annual Honors Convocation on Friday, April 5, at 10:15 a.m. in the McDougald – McLendon Gymnasium. The event speaker is Rhodes Scholar and former NFL player Myron Rolle.

In 2006, Rolle was ranked as the No. 1 high school football prospect in the country by ESPN. A graduate of the Hun School of Princeton, he received 83 scholarship offers from Division I schools. He selected Florida State University.

Rolle made news again when he sat out his 2009 football season, choosing instead to study for a year at Oxford University in England as a Rhodes Scholar. He received his master’s degree from Oxford in medical anthropology in June 2010. That same year, he entered the NFL draft and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round. After being released before the start of the 2011 season, Rolle went to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is only the third Rhodes Scholar to play in the NFL.

Now retired from pro football, Rolle is a scholar and philanthropist, heading the Myron Rolle Foundation dedicated to the support of health, wellness, educational and other charitable initiatives throughout the world that benefit children and families in need.

“As a nationally recognized and distinguished Rhodes Scholar who has excelled in the classroom, in the community and on the field of play, Myron Rolle exemplifies what is possible for our students if they live a life of dedication, without limitations,” said Ansel Brown, assistant professor of political science and director of the University Honors program.

NCCU will confer honors to students in a number of categories, from the Chancellor’s Award and University Award recipients — the university’s top honors — to deans’ lists and departmental academic honors. In addition, students will be recognized for performing arts distinctions, community service and membership in professional and academic honor societies. Students will receive a lapel pin that distinguishes them as honor students, which is worn during the week of convocation and on Convocation Day.

A reception for honorees in the Alfonso Elder Student Union follows the convocation along with a poster presentation of students’ research pursuits. This year’s University Honors Convocation is a partnership with the Lyceum Committee.

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