Graduation Survival Guide

There’s no better time to enjoy Durham than spring. Amid blooming landscapes, many students at Durham’s esteemed universities like North Carolina Central University and Duke University are studying for final exams and anticipating graduation weekend. It’s one of the busiest times of year in Durham, but we've prepared a Graduation Survival Guide for locals and graduates to help everyone have a great weekend.

The Executive Leadership Foundation Awards North Carolina Central University $350,000 for Summer Youth Business & Entrepreneurship Academy

North Carolina Central University will soon be able to help close the achievement gap of black middle and high school students, with assistance from a new grant.

The Executive Leadership Foundation (“ELF”) awarded North Carolina Central University (NCCU) a grant of $350,000 during its annual Recognition Gala on Thursday, October 24, 2013. The grant was provided under ELF’s Community Impact Initiative, a national program aimed at closing the achievement gap among black middle and high school students. Previous grantees include INROADS, LEAD and A Better Chance.  Dr. Debra Saunders-White, NCCU chancellor, accepted the award which will support the university’s Summer Youth Business & Entrepreneurship Academy.

“Through our Community Impact Initiative, we are making a strategic investment in the next generation of business leaders, providing more than $1 million in just three years to deserving grantees,” said Ronald C. Parker, president and CEO of The Executive Leadership Council and Foundation.  “We are pleased to expand our impact and reach by providing this grant to North Carolina Central University’s Summer Youth Business & Entrepreneurship Academy.”

The NCCU School of Business and ELF are aligned around the goal of preparing students for career success and global leadership. Under the Summer Youth Business & Entrepreneurship Academy, high school sophomores and juniors take part in a two-week, non-residential business and entrepreneurship immersion program.  Students participate in lectures, corporate visits, and a case competition, where they work in teams to prepare a business plan. A panel of judges from the business community evaluates the plan and awards a prize to the winning team.

“This generous gift from The Executive Leadership Foundation will enable NCCU to invest in training for the next generation of business leaders, entrepreneurs and scholars,” said Dr. Debra Saunders-White, NCCU chancellor. “We are thankful to the ELF for supporting our efforts to build a pipeline of skilled individuals for the workforce in North Carolina and our nation.”

The partnership with ELF will allow the NCCU Summer Youth Business & Entrepreneurship Academy to expand its outreach to include more students and provide additional services at no cost to the student.   The program began in 2012 with 16and is expected to grow to 60 students in 2014 and double its enrollment in both 2015 and 2016.

Learn more about Durham educational institutions online.

NCCU Will Ring the Shepard Bell to Mark the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington

North Carolina Central University in Durham will ring its historic Shepard Bell on Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 3 p.m. to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Dr. Debra Saunders-White, NCCU chancellor, will provide opening remarks at 2:55 p.m. Tiffany Adams, a senior, political science major and member of the Student Government Association’s Executive Board, will ring the bell along with North Carolina State Rep. H. M. Michaux Jr. An NCCU alumnus, Michaux took part in the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963, at the personal invitation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Adams attended last Saturday’s celebration in Washington.

The Shepard Bell, bearing the name of NCCU founder Dr. James E. Shepard, has been a campus fixture since the institution’s earliest days, when it rang out to announce class dismissals, mealtime, and game victories. The bell stands in a low tower on Campus Drive in front of the Hubbard-Totton Building and next to the Edmonds Classroom Building. The community is invited to attend. The campus map is here.

Founded in 1910, North Carolina Central University was the first publicly supported liberal arts college for African-Americans.  Today, this dynamic campus has a diverse student body of 8,300 enrolled in academic programs including law, biosciences, library science, business, nursing, education and liberal arts.

Learn more about African American history in Durham.

North Carolina Central University and Art of Cool Partner to Launch Jazz Festival

Art of Cool and North Carolina Central University’sjazz studies program are partnering in April 2014 to bring a world-class jazz festival to downtown Durham. The jazz presentations scheduled for the 24th Annual NCCU Jazz Festival will be presented during April 25-26, 2014 as part of the Art of Cool Music Festival. This is a departure from the last few years of the NCCU festival which is usually held solely on the campus of NCCU at B.N. Duke Auditorium.

This community-building partnership will raise awareness of the NCCU jazz studies program during the festival as student and faculty big bands and combos will perform at various festival venues as well as the headliners scheduled for the NCCU jazz festival will now be added to the AOC festival lineup.

Under the leadership of Dr. Ira Wiggins, NCCU initiated the NCCU Jazz Festival in 1990 to expose the campus and the Durham community to America’s first indigenous art form, jazz. This mission is now extended beyond the campus as the partnership is formed.

"The North Carolina Central University Jazz Studies Program is delighted to partner with the Art of The Cool Project as a part of the 1st Annual Art of The Cool Jazz Festival in conjunction with the 24th Annual NCCU Jazz Festival," says Dr. Ira Wiggins, Associate Professor, Director of Jazz Studies. Currently, AOC is running a Kickstarter campaign to raise additional funds for the 2014 festival.

The goal of the Kickstarter campaign is to raise at least $25,000 at our weekly events through August 5th. Kickstarter perk levels range from $5 as the minimum with a free music download to $1000 for a VIP experience and box seats at The Carolina Theatre during the 2014 festival. The 2014 Art of Cool Festival is sponsored by American Tobacco.

Dedicated to increasing the visibility of the local vibrant, varied and surprisingly under-appreciated jazz and live music scene, Art of Cool is a unique collaboration between the jazz and art communities to bring both creative mediums to supporters in an intimate concert setting. The live jazz performances showcase and stimulate the forward-focused creative thought that is occurring on the local jazz scene. AOC has additional goals of solidifying the Triangle as a metropolitan area with a world-class defined jazz culture by bringing a Jazz Festival to Durham, as well as recognizing the need to keep jazz as part of America’s fabric by cultivating the genre in future generations. With its second year in existence, expect many exciting things to come from Art of Cool.

Art of Cool is a creative philanthropic project spearheaded by Cicely Mitchell and trumpeter and educator, Albert Strong IV of Al Strong Music Productions.

Learn more about great events in Durham with the Durham Event Calendar.

NCCU Awards More Than 700 Baccalaureate Degrees

Durham's North Carolina Central University broke a record last weekend. A record-breaking number of students graduated from the esteemed university.

North Carolina Central University awarded more than 700 bachelor’s degrees on Saturday, May 11, in ceremonies at O’Kelly–Riddick Stadium. But before the graduates walked across the stage to collect their diplomas, they were challenged by veteran broadcast journalist and entertainer Ed Gordon to “start the journey to success today.”

Gordon, currently the host of the nationally syndicated radio program “WEEKend With Ed Gordon,” led the BET network’s coverage of the 2012 election, and has worked as a correspondent for CBS, NBC’s “Today” show and NPR. He replaced the scheduled commencement speaker, CNN correspondent and anchor Fredricka Whitfield, who was ill.

“The effect you have on others’ lives,” Gordon said, “is how you measure your success. Greatness follows success. Success is born of preparation. And preparation is initiated by a dream.” But he cautioned also that success “is hard work — it will not come knocking at your door. Wishing and hoping is not a game plan for success.”

Chancellor Charles Becton joined Gordon in congratulating the graduates and, in keeping with NCCU tradition, he publicly recognized a few of the graduates for their accomplishments and their success in overcoming obstacles.

He praised Shawn Muslim, a mother of 10 who graduated with honors with a B.S. in physics, who had first enrolled in college more than 30 years ago. Over the years, as life and parental duties intervened, she has operated a school for her children and others focused on Islamic values, opened a mental health center, and opened her own home to many families who were facing hardships. She also had a goal of completing her own college degree before any of her children did — and she did so by several hours: Her oldest daughter, Sajaa Waheed, graduated later in the day with honors from Meredith College.

Becton also recognized Korey J. Mercer, who graduated with a B.A. in political science. Active throughout his four years at NCCU as a volunteer and student leader, Mercer was one of 35 graduating members of the first cohort of the Centennial Scholars Program. Established in 2009, the program is designed to improve retention and graduation rates of male students by providing mentoring, networking, advising, leadership and training opportunities. It has since grown to include more than 400 students.

Four faculty members were honored during the ceremony. Susan E. Hauser, associate professor in the NCCU School of Law, received the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. NCCU awards for teaching excellence were presented to Dr. Lorna E. Grant, assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice; Dr. Alisha D. Malloy, assistant professor in computer information systems in the School of Business; and Dr. Lisa Paulin, assistant professor in the Department of Mass Communication.

According to preliminary figures from the NCCU Registrar's Office, the university awarded 712 baccalaureate degrees at the ceremony on Saturday. At the commencement exercises on Friday, 246 master's degrees and 162 law degrees were conferred. The unofficial total of 1,120 degrees awarded this spring is a record for NCCU, exceeding the previous record of 943 in May 2012. When combined with the 597 degrees awarded in December 2012, the total for 2012-13 academic year is 1,717 — also a record, topping the 2011-12 total of 1,550.

Discover more about Durham, NC online.

NCCU Awards Master's and Law Degrees to More Than 400

North Carolina Central University has released hundreds of eagles into the wild. The wild job market, that is.

The Durham, NC University awarded graduate and professional degrees to more than 400 students on Friday, May 10, in ceremonies at McDougald–McLendon Gymnasium. In a spirited commencement address, Johnnie C. Taylor Jr., president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, urged the graduates to take charge of their careers, and he provided some personal perspective and specific tips on how to do so.

“After you graduate should be when you really start learning,” he said. “You must become an expert in your chosen profession.” An essential part of career management, he said, is to find mentors who can provide guidance and advice, and, just as important, a sponsor — the person in a position to make promotions and advancement happen. “You should review your career annually,” he said. “You need to ask, ‘Is this still working for me?’ If it’s not, you need to develop a plan. There’s nothing wrong with moving on.”

Taylor is an attorney by training who worked in the private sector for many years as an executive and counsel before joining the Thurgood Marshall College Fund in 2010. The fund is a philanthropic organization that raises tuition and scholarship money for students attending public historically black universities, medical schools and law schools throughout the United States. Named for the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to serve on the high court (1967-91), the fund has awarded more than $200 million in scholarships and other support since its founding in 1987.

Taylor concluded by urging the graduates to “avoid the ‘isms’ ” — racism, sexism and all other forms of discrimination. “Someone in this life will discriminate against you,” he said. “Succeed in spite of it. Discrimination exists, just as gravity exists. But in spite of gravity, planes take off and trees grow. Gravity is omnipresent, but it’s not omnipotent.”

For more information about Durham, NC visit this site.

Psychologist Robert Sellers Leads Off NCCU Lecture Series

North Carolina Central University in Durham is raising the bar.

Noted psychologist Robert Sellers will be the inaugural speaker in a lecture series focused on innovations in behavioral and social sciences research, presented by North Carolina Central University’s College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.

Sellers is the Charles D. Moody Collegiate Professor of Psychology and chair of the psychology department at the University of Michigan. He will speak on April 23 at 11:35 a.m. in the auditorium of the H.M. Michaux Jr. School of Education Building. His address it titled “Inspiring the Minds of African-American Researchers: Yes I Can!”

A native of Cincinnati, Sellers attended Howard University, where he earned All-American honors in football as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in personality psychology from the University of Michigan in 1990. He taught at the University of Virginia before returning to Michigan as a professor in 1997. His research interests include ethnicity, racial and ethnic identity, personality and health, athletic participation and personality.

NCCU’s Department of Psychology is sponsoring the lecture. Dr. Pamela Martin, associate professor and department chair, said she thinks Sellers is an ideal speaker to initiate the lecture series, which is aimed at engaging students, junior faculty and others in the research process.

“Dr. Sellers is a scholar-athlete who chose to pursue academics instead of athletics for a career,” Martin said. “He not only has a distinguished research record, he is also an exemplary mentor. His research labs are often large and consist of trainees at various stages in their career, but he takes the time to foster relationships with each member and attends to their specific developmental needs. His enthusiasm and passion for creating scholarship that accurately represents and empowers communities of color is transferred to his students and fellows.”  

The lecture is free and open to the public. 

NCCU and Blue Cross/Blue Shield to Dedicate Nursing Classroom

Durham, NC is home to a very supportive and engaged community, both from private citizens and from the businesses located here. That support will be showcased in ceremony next week at North Carolina Central University (NCCU).

A laboratory-classroom in NCCU’s new Nursing Building will be formally dedicated as the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) Health Assessment Room in a ceremony on Wednesday, April 24, at 11:45 a.m.

The naming recognizes BCBSNC’s gift of $100,000 last year, a grant intended to help fund new technology to train nursing students and to underwrite research that will prepare them to address the state’s health care needs.

The dedication will include brief remarks from Charles L. Becton, NCCU’s interim chancellor; Dr. Brian Caveney, vice president and medical director of BCBSNC; Dr. Dwight Perry, chair of the NCCU Board of Trustees; and Dr. Betty Dennis, chair of the NCCU Department of Nursing.

The Health Assessment Room is contained within a facility called Eagle General Hospital, a comprehensive training center that provides nursing students with a wide range of realistic practical experiences. Angeline Baker, director of Eagle General, said the Health Assessment Room (Room 2123), is one of the largest training rooms. It is used primarily as a lab and classroom for students, usually sophomores, who are preparing to enter the nursing major.

“It’s where students are introduced to nursing,” Baker said. “They begin to learn how to make health assessments. Practicing on each other, they take temperatures and blood pressure. They learn how to assist patients — and they learn how to listen.”

The room contains six patient care units that include exam tables and related equipment, and four units with hospital beds. It also houses conference tables and seating for 16 people. Cameras and microphones are located above the patient care areas to allow recording of the students as they learn basic nursing skills.  

BCBSNC’s gift to the NCCU nursing program is part of a broad effort by the insurer to support the development and training of North Carolina’s healthcare workforce. The company has awarded similar grants to academic institutions working to fill shortages of nurses and other healthcare workers in the state, programs that encourage graduates to remain in North Carolina and those with an emphasis on serving rural communities. Similar funding has been awarded to Appalachian State, Campbell and Elon universities.

NCCU opened the new Nursing Building in 2011 to support the university’s 64-year old nursing program. The program received full accreditation by the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission in 1970, a status it has maintained ever since.

About NCCU
Founded in 1910, North Carolina Central University was the first publicly supported liberal arts college for African-Americans.  Today, this dynamic campus has a diverse student body of 8,300 enrolled in academic programs including law, biotechnology, library science, business, nursing, education and the arts.

For more information about education in Durham, click here.

NCCU To Host Annual Athletic Awards Program "The Eddies"

How would you like to attend an awards program right here in Durham, NC? The North Carolina Central University Department of Athletics will host its annual awards program, “The Eddies,” on Monday, April 22 inside McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium. The event, which is open to the public with free admission, will start at 7 p.m.

The awards program, named in honor of NCCU's mascot Eddie the Eagle, will recognize student-athletes who have demonstrated outstanding athletic and academic performance.

The NCCU Department of Athletics will present Most Valuable Player, Academic (student-athlete with highest grade point average) and True Grit (recognizing leadership, sportsmanship and pride) awards to chosen student-athletes from each team. Presentations will also be made to the male and female student-athletes of the year (LeRoy T. Walker award), the student-athlete with the highest overall grade point average (Chancellor’s award) and the teams with the highest grade point average (Faculty Athletic Council award).

A complete list of award winners will be available at online following the awards program.

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.

Click here for more information about Durham.

Benny Golson, Carl Allen Quartet to Perform at NCCU Jazz Festival in April

The 23rd Annual North Carolina Central University Jazz Festival will feature performances by saxophonist Benny Golson and the Carl Allen Quartet. The schedule for the festival, running from April 15–20, was announced today by Dr. Ira Wiggins, director of NCCU’s Jazz Studies Program. The festival will also include performances by the NCCU Jazz Ensembles, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, the NCCU Jazz Faculty group, student combos and the UNC–Chapel Hill faculty jazz group.

Benny Golson, a legendary tenor saxophonist, composer and arranger, has performed all over the world in a career that began in the 1940s when he was a teenager in Philadelphia. Now 84 years old, he was inducted into the International Academy of Jazz Hall of Fame in 2009. He has played alongside Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Earl Bostic, Art Blakey and other noted musicians. He is the composer of such jazz standards as “Killer Joe,” “I Remember Clifford,” “Along Came Betty,” “Stablemates,” “Whisper Not,” “Blues March,” “Five Spot After Dark” and  “Are you Real?” Over the years, he has recorded more than 30 albums.

Carl Allen is a Milwaukee-born, New York-based drummer, sideman, bandleader and educator. Starting in the early 1980s when he was still in college, he joined trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, served as his musical director for eight years, and recorded several albums with him. He has also played with Benny Golson, Jennifer Holliday, J.J. Johnson, Rickie Lee Jones, Sammy Davis Jr., Branford Marsalis, Lena Horne, Ruth Brown, Herbie Hancock, and many others. In addition to maintaining a busy performing and recording schedule, he is currently the artistic director of jazz studies at the Juilliard School in New York City. In the Carl Allen Quartet, formed just in the past year, he is joined by Tim Green on alto and soprano saxophone, Xavier David on piano and Yasushi Nakamura on bass.

Here is the schedule for the Festival:
April 15 — NCCU Jazz Combos II, III and IV and Big Band II, 7 p.m. in B.N. Duke Auditorium. Free admission, no ticket required.

April 16 — NCCU Vocal Jazz Summit, featuring NCCU Vocal Jazz Combo and Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and additional performances by high school students, 7:30 p.m. in B.N. Duke Auditorium. Free admission, no ticket required.

April 17 — NCCU Faculty Jazz Group and UNC–Chapel Hill Faculty Jazz Group, 8 p.m., B.N. Duke Auditorium. Free admission, no ticket required.

April 18 and 19 — Master class workshops, noon, NCCU Jazz Band Room. No ticket is required.
April 19 — Performance featuring Benny Golson with the NCCU Jazz Ensemble; Opening performance by NCCU Vocal Jazz Ensemble, 8 p.m., B.N. Duke Auditorium. Tickets $15.

April 20 — Performance featuring Carl Allen Quartet; Opening performance by the NCCU Jazz Ensemble, 8 p.m., B.N. Duke Auditorium. Tickets $20 (Combo ticket for both nights $30).

Tickets will be available starting March 8 at the NCCU Ticket Office. The phone number is 919-530-5170.

For more great music events in Durham, check out the Durham Event Calendar.

History Hub Teams With Duke and NCCU for Dec. 6 Pop-Up

Durham is a place rich with history and great stories. Fortunately, it is also a place with a strong sense of preservation and a desire to know and catalog the past as it barrels ahead to an exciting future.  The Museum of Durham History is helping make that desire a reality now.

The Museum of Durham History’s second Pop-Up Museum, scheduled for 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM on Thursday, December 6, will exhibit a dozen local history projects completed by Duke and NCCU students. Located at the Museum’s History Hub at 500 West Main Street, the event is free of charge and open to the public.

Two NCCU graduate students in Dr. Rhonda Jones’ Museum Interpretation class are taking an in-depth, multi-media look at the Piedmont Blues. Duke undergraduates working with Dr. Joshua Clark Davis will display mini-projects ranging from movie-going in Durham and the origins of our Bull City nickname to school desegregation.

This pop-up museum is the second in a series designed to invite the community into the process of creating a history museum in Durham. Currently a work-in-progress, the Museum’s History Hub is slated to open in 2013.

“We’re raising the money needed to design and install some top-flight, engaging exhibits about Durham’s past,” said the Museum’s Executive Director Katie Spencer. “But until we can open our doors, we’re hosting temporary, pop-up museums to bring people into the Hub and start telling some of Durham’s stories. Our first pop-up in September featured ‘Tools of the Trade’ that Durhamites used in their jobs or homes in years past.”

Food trucks will be on site for the Dec. 6 event. See the museum website for more information about this and upcoming events, as well as History Hub plans.

Unity in The Community Outdoor Music Festival In Durham This Year

Among the many things happening in Durham this coming weekend, and there are so many a special web page was built to help folks keep track, is Unity in the Community Day which will be at NCCU on Saturday.

Radio One Raleigh, The Light 103.9FM, Novartis, McDonalds and Elli Lilly present the 2012 Unity in The Community Outdoor Music Festival and Yolanda Adams Health and Lifestyle Tour. This free event will take place Saturday September 15th from 11am to 6pm on Lawson Street on the campus of North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC.

Unity in the Community is currently in its 10th year and is full of events for the entire family. The day-long musical festival will feature child ID kits, face-painting, a kids’ zone with inflatable rides, vendors and the opportunity to meet gospel singer Yolanda Adams as part of the Yolanda Adams Health and Lifestyle Tour. Attendees will be able to receive health education and free medical screenings such blood pressure, cholesterol, HIV/AIDS screening and more.

As always, Unity in the Community will feature various live gospel performances. This year’s event will have performances by Byron Cage, Maurette Brown- Clark, Veronica Pertrucci, Jonathon McReynolds, Jason Nelson, Damita Haddon, J.J. Hairston and Earl Bynum. Attendees will also be treated to performances by NCCU’s Pep Band and cheerleaders.

The Light 103.9FM originally created Unity in the Community to honor service men and women throughout the Triangle and surrounding areas. The event has since grown to be a fun-filled day for the entire family.

Durham is always alive with events and happenings.  Keep track of them all with the Durham Event Calendar.

A Great Weekend in Durham

Marketing is a job that never rests and takes on any form imaginable – destination marketing is no different.  Sometimes the best marketing is simply showcasing all the things that are happening organically, and Durham, NC most certainly seems to be that place for the weekend of September 14-16.

Durham is a diverse and welcoming community located within a day’s drive or an hour flight for more than half the population of the US. Coming up in mid-September there will be a weekend with so many reasons to visit that the organization responsible for marketing the place, the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB) is making a full-court press effort to ensure that everyone is aware.

DCVB has built a website to help people see all that is happening on this weekend, as well as give them easy access to the services and information they would need to plan a visit and enjoy several events. “Travel decisions are far more spontaneous than they used to be, so we’re doing our best to ensure that potential visitors have access to the information they need to decide to make Durham their destination,” said Sam Poley, DCVB’s Director of Marketing and Communications.

The organization is also using its social media channels on Facebook and Twitter to push out information about the weekend, as well as an email blast to thousands of interested people. “The email is a great resource and it’s linked to all the online tools we have that make Durham an easy choice for visitation,” Poley added. “Getting here is a breeze, staying here is a blast, and with a line up like we’ve got from September 14-16, we’re betting that getting people to go home will be our biggest challenge.”

Among the events upcoming are CenterFest, the longest running outdoor arts festival in NC which has undergone a major overhaul to make it more exciting and engaging, a concert by gospel superstar and Durham native John P. Kee, the Bull City Gridiron Classic which is a football game between Durham’s two university teams from Duke and NC Central, and much more.

Visit Durham online, and also see the website just for the weekend of September 14-16 to make planning that visit easier.

NCCU Chancellor Announces Retirement

NCCU Chancellor Charlie Nelms

The face of education in Durham will change come next month, according to an announcement from NCCU today. After serving North Carolina Central University for five years, Chancellor Charlie Nelms will retire from his position effective August 6, 2012.

Nelms is recognized nationally for his leadership and expertise in the areas of student retention and academic success. His accomplishments at NCCU are many, ranging from raising admission requirements and academic progression standards to establishing the University’s first Ph.D. program in more than 50 years to transitioning the institution from Division II to Division I in athletics.

In Nelms' own words, "Five years ago, I took the road that led me to North Carolina Central University and experienced one of the most fulfilling periods of my extensive career in higher education. As I complete my five-year commitment to my beloved NCCU and prepare to celebrate my 66th birthday, I have made a decision that will carry me into the next phase of my life."

The outgoing Eagle's complete retirement announcement is posted to North Carolina University's website. Learn more about Durham's other educational institutions here.

Wayfinders to Help NCCU Eagles

Durham is a unique for many reasons - among them is the helpful nature of the people who help to make it the place where great things happen. So engaged are Durham's citizens that there is an organized group they can join to volunteer at events and cultural facilities. It is called the Durham Wayfinders.

For sports fans, this group just got a whole lot more attractive. The NCCU Athletics Department is teaming up with the Durham Wayfinders to provide help at the schools athletic events. “NCCU Athletics will start using the Durham Wayfinders to assist with many of the home games on campus.” said George "Bulldog" Smith, NCCU's Assistant Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Development.

Those interested in being a part of this initiative are encouraged to attend a meet and greet in McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium from 6 to 7PM on July 11th; parking is available in Latham Parking Deck.

Wayfinders is a program open to people interesting in volunteering their time in the community. People aged 16 years or older can sign up to be a Wayfinder by clicking here.

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Merrigan to Highlight Job Creation Opportunities for North Carolina Businesses at NCCU

Tomorrow, June 6, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan will travel to North Carolina Central University to highlight federal contracting opportunities for local small business.
 
Agriculture Deputy Secretary Merrigan will give keynote remarks at the USDA Small Business Training and Matchmaking conference sponsored by the USDA and North Carolina Central University to discuss steps to increase small business contracting within the federal government, and subsequent job creation.  The event is open to the public.

The event starts at 9 AM and takes place in the Miller – Morgan Building Auditorium at 1801 Fayetteville Street.  Those interested in attending can register here.

Workshop topics include:
                        Doing Business with USDA
                        Small Business Administration/Procurement Technical Assistance Centers
                        Doing Business with General Service Administration and Homeland Security
                        Small Business Administration/Procurement Technical Assistance Centers
                        Federal, Local and Industry Resources
                        Food Commodity Contracting Opportunities for Rural America

Celebrate Graduation & Mother's Day With Durham Farmers' Market

At the Durham Farmers' Market Wednesday Market, there were THREE different fruits represented: strawberries, blueberries and peaches. Blueberries and peaches are making an early appearance this year on account of the mild winter and warm spring. Farmers often grow many different varieties of fruits and vegetables to extend their season as much as possible. The blueberries and peaches that will be at Market are specific varieties that are bred to come in very early in the season. Shoppers might notice that throughout the season, there are subtle shifts in the flavors, colors, and sizes of the fruits as the varieties change.

This is a big weekend in Durham! Not only is it Mother's Day, it is also graduation day for our two universities - NC Central and Duke. The appearance of blueberries and peaches has almost never coincided with these events. Add these items to your list of great things to get your momma and favorite graduate. As always, the Market will be full of great ideas and gifts for these folks - lots of lovely flowers and sweet things, cards, plants, ingredients for a delicious meal, and so much more. 

There are a couple of exciting things happening at the Market this weekend. The Market will do a Durham Farmers' Market Gift Certificate Giveaway Drawing in celebration of the weekend's events. Visit the Market Information table to enter your name or someone special's name into the drawing.  At the end of Market, 10 names will be chosen and each person will receive a $10 gift certificate.

Diane Daniel, author of Farm Fresh North Carolina will be doing a book signing during the Market.  Farm Fresh North Carolina is the country's first statewide farm-travel guidebook that includes lots of information about local farms as well as farms throughout the state. Diane's book will be on sale for $18 as a fundraiser for the Market. Tomorrow's Chef in the Market is Chef Katie Coleman, owner of Durham Spirits Company.  Katie will be cooking several dishes with super fresh seasonal ingredients at 10am on the Market lawn. There will be lots to taste and plenty of copies of her recipes.

Fresh this Week....
VEGETABLES:   FAVA BEANS, RADICCHIO, FENNEL, DAIKON RADISHES, Asparagus, Asian Greens (Pac Choi, Tatsoi, Mizuna), Artichokes, Arugula, Beets, Broccoli, Broccoli Raab, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chinese Broccoli, Chinese Cabbage, Collards, Greenhouse Grown Cucumbers, Dandelion Greens, Escarole, Frisee, Fresh Herbs (Cilantro, Mint, Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme, Parsley) Green Onions, Green Garlic, Garlic Scapes, Greenhouse Grown Green Beans, Gourds, Mustard Greens, Kale, Lettuce, Leeks, New Potatoes, Onions, Rhubarb, Radishes, Rutabega, Salad Mix, Shiitake Mushrooms, Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, Sugar Snap Peas,  Swiss Chard, Summer Squash Greenhouse Grown Tomatoes, Turnips, Turnip Greens, Zucchini
FRUITS: BLUEBERRIES, PEACHES and Strawberries!
MEATS AND EGGS: Beef, Bison, Cornish Game Hens, Chicken, Duck, Goat/Chevon, Lamb, Pork, Duck Eggs & Chicken Eggs CHEESES: Fresh and aged cow and goats milk cheeses.
FLOWERS & PLANTS:  Calla Lilys, Asiatic Lilies, Peonies,  Dutch Iris, Snapdragons, Larkspur, Batchelor's Buttons, Mixed Bouquets, Vegetable & Herb Seedlings, Landscaping Plants, House Plants
SPECIALTY ITEMS:  Pecans,  Flour, Cornmeal, Grits, Baked Goods including Pies, Breads, Cookies, Pastries, Gluten Free Items, etc; Pasta, Beer, Wine, Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Preserves, Wool
CRAFTS: Pottery, Jewelry, Stained Glass Art, Handmade Baskets, Gourd Birdhouses, Woodwork, Photographs, Hand-dyed Clothing and other items, Handmade Clothing, Soaps, Yarn, Roving, and much more...

Graduation Weekend in Durham To Bustle With Activity

Duke and North Carolina Central Universities are both holding graduation celebrations this weekend in Durham.  Invariably, the weekend is busy as evidenced by the occupancy rates at hotels and the scarcity of local restaurant reservations.

Duke will award more than 4,900 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees during its annual commencement ceremony; NCCU will award approximately over 900 degrees during  their  various commencement ceremonies, as well.

Fareed Zakaria, journalist, author and foreign policy advisor, will deliver the commencement address at Duke.  NCCU's Friday speaker will be Warren Ballentine, noted attorney, motivational speaker and radio talk show host. Saturday's speaker will be The Rev. Dr. William Barber II, president of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP.

Aside from commencement ceremonies, the weekend will be filled with revelry of all manner from sponsored university celebration events to families dining out in Durham. Most of Durham's top ranked and celebrated restaurants are nearly completely booked.

About 14,000 people are expected to visit Duke's campus to attend the main commencement exercise and other ceremonies, according to Duke’s Office of Special Events and University Ceremonies, which oversees graduation weekend planning. NCCU estimates 10,000 attendees throughout the weekend.

The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates the economic impact of Duke's graduation alone - through sales of food, hotel rooms, retail items, gasoline, car rentals and entertainment - will be about $5.8 million, said Shelly Green, CEO of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“Graduation weekend has always been an important event for Durham,” Green said. “The thousands of parents, friends and family members who attend leave a substantial economic impact on the community.”

Jazz Pianist and A Cappella Group Headline NCCU Jazz Festival

The 22nd Annual NCCU Jazz Festival will take place in Durham from April 16 – 21 with performances by Grammy winners Take 6, pianist Cyrus Chestnut, the U.S. Air Force big band Airmen of Note, the UNC–Chapel Hill Faculty Jazz Group and Gary Smulyan, and the NCCU Jazz Combos, Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Faculty Jazz Group.

Cyrus Chestnut

The performers have all had rich and full careers which they will bring to bear during their shows at the festival.
Highlights of the festival will include a meet-the-artist session with Take 6 and Cyrus Chestnut on April 19 at the Beyu Caffé at 7 p.m., a free master class workshop on April 19 and 20 at noon in the Jazz Band Room, and a Vocal Jazz Summit at noon in the B.N. Duke Auditorium on April 20.

Under the leadership of Dr. Ira Wiggins, NCCU initiated the Jazz Festival in 1990 to expose the campus and the Durham community to America’s first indigenous art form, jazz. Tickets for the festival are $45 and include admission to all performances. To purchase tickets or for more information visit the festival's website.

See Also: Jazz Legend Was "Sentimental" About Durham