Academics

Winston-Salem State University has formed a groundbreaking alliance with Cisco, a global technology leader, that will enhance student employability, bolster faculty and staff resources, and strengthen the university’s infrastructure. The transformative agreement was officially signed Oct. 29 during an on-campus ceremony.

Students from Winston-Salem State University’s Mass Communications program embarked on a field trip to Atlanta during fall break, immersing themselves in the world of film and media. A highlight of the trip was the opportunity for students to shadow various positions on a two-day independent film shoot, “Nature of the Threat.”

The Winston-Salem State University Department of Education hosted a grand opening of its newly renovated Curriculum Materials Center (CMC) and Innovative Teaching Lab on Oct. 3, as well as unveiled a new Mobile STEAM Lab: Bringing Classrooms to Communities.

Winston-Salem State University has received a $400,000 National Science Foundation grant that will integrate esports into its computer science education program. This project will help WSSU improve computer science education and attract new underrepresented minority students to pursue a computer science degree.

Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) and Wake Forest University School of Law signed a Memorandum of Understanding today, creating a pathway for WSSU students to matriculate into the Wake Forest School of Law full-time residential juris doctor (JD) program.

Winston-Salem State University is honored to announce a historic first meeting between Chancellor Bonita Brown and Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah, Minister of Education of the Republic of Liberia. The meeting took place on Sept. 30 on the WSSU campus and marks an important landmark in fostering bilateral collaboration in higher education.

The Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and the S.G. Atkins Honor Society will host induction ceremonies for each group from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29, at Dillard Auditorium in the Anderson Center. This will be the first induction ceremony for Phi Kappa Phi. WSSU's chapter was installed in January.

Winston-Salem State University earned impressive rankings in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2025. WSSU was recognized among top public colleges and universities, best HBCUs, social mobility and the nursing program. The most significant achievement is WSSU’s surge ahead by 40 spots in the national universities ranking.

As Winston-Salem State University launches into the 2024-2025 academic year, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr. Anthony Graham, announced the following new and acting appointments in the Divisions of Academic and Student Affairs.

This is a special year for Dr. Fran Bates Oates, who has 50 reasons to celebrate. This year marks her 50th anniversary as an educator and is also her 50th class reunion at Winston-Salem State University as a member of the Class of 1974.

Winston-Salem State University was awarded a $370,000 grant to better prepare students for STEM jobs. The award is a part of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) program.

Winston-Salem State University junior Maliyah Winters is already a history maker. The Raleigh native is the first historically Black college student to intern at the NC Real Estate Commission in the 2024 Summer Education and Licensing Department.

The Department of Education at Winston-Salem State University has been awarded a $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). 

This class was unique as it was the class that felt the disruptions of the global pandemic as students transitioned from high school graduates to college freshmen. Their high school graduations were mostly likely in person and college orientations were shackled by social distancing.

The Center for Innovative and Transformative Instruction (CITI) recognized its Class of 2024 Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) Credentialed Educators and micro-credential completers. The pinning ceremony was held May 14 at the Bermuda Run Country Club.

The Class of Spring 2024 celebrated commencement on Friday, May 10. Witnessing the excitement and sense of accomplishment radiating from our graduates was truly inspiring. We invite you to read these profiles and to browse through our Spring 2024 Commencement photo album.

Several students from Winston-Salem State University’s Sport Management program walked across the stage at commencement on May 10, 2024. Here are some success stories of these impressive scholars. 

Winston-Salem State University offers an excellent Sport Management program that prepares our students for dynamic careers in the sports industry. WSSU is the first and only HBCU to receive accreditation from the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA).

Winston-Salem State University is committed to helping our students Unleash Their Genius and succeed in all areas of their lives.  On May 10, 2024, WSSU will honor our spring graduating class.  Here's a glimpse of where a few students from the Class of Spring 2024 are headed. 

On Monday, April 1 Winston-Salem State University kicks off Scholarship Week 2024: A Gallery of Genius. WSSU students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend biggest academic event of the year that shines a spotlight on how scholars from all disciplines Unleash their Genius.

The American Council on Education (ACE) announced that Dr. Mel Johnson-Norwood, vice chancellor and associate provost of Student Affairs at Winston-Salem State University, has been named an ACE Fellow for academic year 2024-25.

As we honor Black History Month, we commemorate Winston-Salem State University’s long and distinguished list of firsts and its contributions to the transformative milestones of the collective African American journey.

Winston-Salem State University is taking steps to ensure that students learn how to use artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly and ethically. More than 200 students are studying various ways to develop and use AI in courses such as art, world films, statistics, chemistry, English, business ethics, and exercise science.

Winston-Salem State University student Vinsha Torain placed second in the PNC North Carolina HBCU Pitch Competition. The second annual competition was held in early February at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro.

As we honor Black History Month, we commemorate Winston-Salem State University’s long and distinguished list of firsts and its contributions to the transformative milestones of the collective African American journey.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi will install its 361st chapter at Winston-Salem University this month. Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society recognizing academic excellence.

Technology provider CollegeNET ranks Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) No. 2 in the United States for being a driver of social mobility for its students. Social mobility, as defined by CollegeNET, involves delivering a high-quality college education at an affordable price to create opportunities for students to move from one socioeconomic class to another.

Ask Virgil Bryant what he likes about motorsports racing and without hesitation he starts to rattle off: it’s the smell of the fuel, the revving of the engines, the squealing of the tires, the drivers – everything. Equally important, he said it was the most fun he had in years when he attended his first NASCAR race.

Winston-Salem State University student A’nya Buckner of Morrisville is unleashing her genius out of this world. The junior biology major with a chemistry minor has been selected by the N.C. Space Grant as one of the 2023-2024 Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) STEM Bridge Scholars.

Briana Tshiona was a member of the Epsilon Tau Sigma Honor Society for Allied Health while at WSSU.

While at WSSU, Ananye Fontaine was involved in the National Council of Negro Women, first as a mentee then as a mentor. She was a resident advisor for two academic school years; and was inducted into Phi Eta Sigma Honors society.

Not only is Wilson now leading the WSSU Campus Activities Board (CAB) as president, but his college experience has landed him at the White House – not once, but twice – and next year he will be headed to California to pitch a product concept to NASA.

N.C. Governor Roy Cooper visited Winston-Salem State University recently to discuss diversity in education. The visit on Nov. 17 was the final stop on the DRIVE Task Force’s statewide tour. DRIVE stands for Developing a Representative and Inclusive Vision for Education.

In February 2023 the Winston-Salem State University Chancellor’s Executive Staff issued a request for proposals for faculty and staff to create programs designed to improve undergraduate student success outcomes focused explicitly on student retention, student engagement, student belonging, and student debt load.

The New York Times names Winston-Salem State University as the number one school in North Carolina for economic mobility based on the people’s choice.

The couple, Prince David and Nancy Patterson Jernigan, both members of the WSSU Class of ’73, served and retired from extensive careers in public education; have raised tens of thousands of dollars for their alma mater over a span of 40 years; and most recently, established the Prince David and Nancy Patterson Jernigan Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Winston-Salem State University is ranked as one of the Best Colleges in America for the seventh year in a row by Money magazine.

Winston-Salem State University was ranked by Washington Monthly magazine as the No. 1 HBCU in the Southeast for “Best Bang for the Buck” for the 2023-24 academic year. The ranking is based on how well schools help non-wealthy students earn high-quality marketable degrees for affordable prices.

Winston-Salem State University will host its first esports competitive event this month to further expose students to the growing gaming industry. WSSU Campus Clash will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30, at the University Recreation Game Room and Salon on campus.

Winston-Salem State University professor of psychological sciences Dr. Michele K. Lewis has been named a 2023-2024 Fulbright Canada Distinguished Chair in Arts and Social Sciences in Canada and North America.

On May 1, 2023 Winston-Salem State University celebrated its Faculty Awards and Research and Sponsored Program Banquet. WSSU honored faculty and staff members for excellence in teaching, research, and procuring grant funding.

Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) will celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2023 at a Commencement Ceremony at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial (LJVM) Coliseum on Friday, May 12.

Another Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) Commencement is upon us, as graduates depart to serve. Here's a glimpse of where a few students from the Class of Spring 2023 are headed. 

Dr. Elva J. Jones is professor and founding and current chair of the Department of Computer Science at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), a position she has held since 1991. 

Another Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) Commencement is upon us, as graduates depart to serve. Here's a glimpse of where a few students from the Class of Spring 2023 are headed. 

Dr. Keisha G. Rogers, Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Counseling at Winston-Salem State University received the Professional Writing and Research Award at the North Carolina Counseling Association (NCCA) Annual Conference, held on February 10-11, 2023, in Durham, NC.

The Center for Applied Data Science (CADS) at Winston-Salem State University hosted the 2023 Day Data Science Workshop for High School Students in early March. The workshop was funded by a grant from University of North Carolina System and received support from Hanes Brands, Inc.

Dr. Kathy Stitts was selected to chair the Academic Resilience Consortium. The consortium is an association of over 600 faculty, staff, and higher education students dedicated to understanding and promoting student resilience.

Winston-Salem State University congratulates the faculty members listed below who received promotions and/or tenure in 2021-2022.

In August 2022 Winston-Salem State University celebrated its first in-person Research and Sponsored Programs Banquet since the Covid-19 pandemic. WSSU honored faculty and staff members for excellence in teaching, research, service, and procuring grant funding.

Nearly a dozen Winston-Salem State University students will start the new year with new job and internship opportunities.

After an internal search process, I am pleased to announce the interim appointment of Dr. Montrale Boykin as the interim Dean of the Graduate College effective December 1, 2022. Dr. Boykin’s appointment is for one year. We will conduct a national search for a permanent dean during the 2023 calendar year. Dr. Boykin previously served as the co-chairperson of the Department of Health Care Management in the School of Health Sciences at Winston-Salem State University since 2012.

2022 Golden LEAF scholarship recipient Myanna Lassiter knew Winston-Salem State University was the right college for her when she visited the campus and researched the website.

Winston-Salem State University ranks high on a diverse group of national lists, especially in the areas of value, affordability, and student success.

Here is a list of some of WSSU’s notable rankings for 2022-2023.

Winston-Salem State University has earned a high ranking for its online Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program. EduMed.org named the WSSU online MHA program no. 5 in the nation based on quality, accessibility, affordability and commitment to student success. 

Winston-Salem State University has been awarded a $525,658 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) led by Dr. Fenghai Guo Professor of Chemistry to develop and utilize highly selective metal-catalyzed carbon bond formation reactions that will lead to an efficient synthesis of novel selenium, sulfur, and oxygen-containing heterocycles with rich biological activities. 

Winston- Salem State University has been awarded a $299,835 grant from NSF led by Dr. Sarah Adjei-Fremah, for Environmental Factors Modulation of Structure-Function of Biological Systems.

Winston-Salem State University has been awarded a $139,594.83 grant from DHHS Administration for Community Living (ACL) led by Dr. Allison Calhoun, Clinical Assistant Professor Occupational Therapy to build a stronger and more resilient dementia-capable aging network in Forsyth County.

Winston-Salem State University has been awarded a $10,000.00 grant from the Ellucian Foundation led by Raisha Cobb, Associate Provost & Chief Information Officer Office of Information Technology to provide scholarships to students in financial distress so they can reach their educational goals. 

Winston-Salem State University is setting students up for success. On September 15, more than 100 employers and graduate schools will be on campus for a Career Expo.