WSSU Chancellor Bonita Brown introduces herself to faculty, staff at kickoff assembly
Employees of Winston-Salem State University got a chance to hear from its 14th Chancellor Bonita Brown during the annual faculty and staff kickoff Aug. 14 at Dillard Auditorium on the campus of WSSU.
It was Brown’s first address to the campus community as it prepares for the new academic school year.
Entering the stage to the song, “We Gon’ Be Alright” by Tye Tribbett, Brown spent the next few minutes sharing who she is a person and as a college administrator, and what her expectations are under her leadership.
Brown loves music and is a professed New Edition fan for life. She enjoys traveling; loves to eat but doesn’t cook; believes laughter is good for the soul; and said she is a church girl who is serious about her faith, as she graced the audience with a snippet of “His Eye is on the Sparrow.”
“This is the core of who I am. This is who you’re going to get every time you interact with me,” Brown said. “But who I am and what I stand for are two different things.”
Brown said she stands for student success. Her mother was a schoolteacher, and she has seen how education changes the trajectory of people’s lives. The impetus of her decisions will be what impact it has on students.
She said she also believes in doing what is right, has a strong sense of fairness, and values working hard and celebrating successes.
The Golden Rule is also important to Brown: treat others as you expect to be treated. “That’s respect; that’s care; that’s support,” she said.
Brown did not shy away from revealing her competitive side. She wants WSSU to be on the cutting edge, to be the trendsetter, to be first. She followed that by highlighting areas in which the university is leading, such as in astrobotany and 3D printing of orthotic splints.
Her conversation also focused on the changing higher education landscape. Higher education is at an inflection point, she said, noting budget cuts, spiraling enrollments, mergers and closures, political influences and reorganizations happening across the country. She also spoke specifically to WSSU’s challenges.
Brown discussed her foundational five priorities: increase student enrollment; improve undergraduate degree efficiency; increase four-year completion rates; enhance operational efficiency; and strengthen partnerships with constituents.
“The public is literally questioning the value of higher education. What do you do as an industry when someone is questioning your very existence,” she said. “We cannot stay in this moment. We have to take these moments of challenges and turn them into opportunities.”
As she meets with various departments across campus, she said she is seeing firsthand the “amazing work” in how these challenges are being addressed and is assessing where improvements can be made.
She encouraged faculty and staff not to be afraid to do things differently; to be creative; to bring their ‘A’ game; to be strategic with university resources; and to continue engaging and supporting students. She also spoke about the budget, current enrollment numbers and retaining good employees.
“Change is here to stay,” Brown said. “It is literally impossible to keep doing things the same way we’ve been doing it and thinking we’re going to get a different result. So, we need to get ready.
“Change is scary,” she said. “But it can also be exciting.”
