News for 2024

The Winston-Salem State University A.H. Ray Wellness Center has been accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). Accreditation distinguishes the WSSU student health center from many other outpatient facilities.

Two Winston-Salem State University graduate students, Cristina Sorensen of the occupational therapy program and Stefanie Ramsey of the family nurse practitioner program, have designed a training program to teach mothers how to avoid common injuries.

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.

Chancellor Bonita Brown and Winston-Salem State University invite you to WSSU's Forever Red Homecoming 2024. This is the moment to celebrate our pride, traditions and everything that makes being a Ram special. While we want you to enjoy the festivities, it’s important to stay aware and safe. WSSU Police and Public Safety, along with local law enforcement, fire departments and EMS, are working to make this homecoming the safest yet

Each year during homecoming week, Winston-Salem State University recognizes the progress made in healthcare for African Americans and the East Winston community and honors that history during the Healthcare Legends Awards Luncheon. The program will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Donald J. Reaves Student Activities Center, Room 100.

There is a new Winston-Salem State University homecoming event this year designed to benefit students in the military program. The WSSU Military Affairs Association (MAA) will host a dance on Friday, Nov. 8, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the WSSU Thompson Center, Room 207.

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 is excited to announce The Ramily Road Tour, coming soon to a city near you. WSSU is hitting the road, offering high school students, parents, families and community leaders an opportunity to learn what makes WSSU’s Ramily (Ram family) so special.

NASCAR announced the expansion of its Campus Lab Program Oct. 8 on the campus of Winston-Salem State University, making WSSU the first university in North Carolina to offer the program. The announcement was made from the Bowman Gray Field House at a Memorandum of Understanding ceremony.

Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded nearly $4 million to Winston-Salem State University to establish a Research Center of Excellence. Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman made the announcement during a press conference on WSSU’s campus following her visit with students.

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 Office of Emergency Management (OEM) personnel have been deployed to UNC Asheville to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene while the WSSU campus holds a drive to help peer institutions impacted by the storm. Jason Stogner, director of OEM, was deployed on Sept. 28, and Sarah Isom, assistant director, left Sept. 30.

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.

Alexandria Brown, a senior at Winston-Salem State University, has been selected to attend the prestigious inaugural Allstate Foundation National Youth Service Summit in Chicago September 27-29. She was one of only 75 students chosen for this honor.

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.

Winston-Salem State University officially became a StormReady campus during a Recognition Ceremony on Sept. 17. Nick Petro, warning coordination meteorologist of the National Weather Service (NWS), Raleigh office, read the official letter and designation during the program and presented it to Jason Stogner, director of the WSSU Office of Emergency Management.

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 will officially become a StormReady campus during a recognition ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 2 p.m. in the Donald J. Reaves Center, Room 100A, featuring Nicholas “Nick” Petro, warning coordination meteorologist of the National Weather Service in Raleigh.

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.

Dr. Leslee Battle, dean of the Winston-Salem State University School of Health Sciences, has been awarded the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) Fellows Program Award for 2024. The ASAHP is a national professional association for administrators, educators and others who are concerned with critical issues affecting allied health education.

Encourages campus to get excited about change

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.

Winston-Salem State University senior Robert Moore has spent this year serving as a business operations year round intern with the SAS Healthcare and Life Sciences team in Cary. Moore, who is majoring in healthcare management, said the internship, which started in January 2024, has been profoundly impactful on his educational journey and career aspirations in healthcare administration.

Cam Witherspoon, a golfer for Winston-Salem State University, is featured on the Greensboro Six mural that was unveiled at the Gillespie Golf Course in Greensboro Aug. 6.

Winston-Salem State University alumnus Jeremiah Erby learned an important concept from his experience with the University of Chicago that inspired him to give back to his alma mater.

If there’s one thing Winston-Salem State University senior Ayanna Tewolde has learned, it’s the importance of networking and relationship building. Tewolde is spending her summer as a marketing intern with Team Penske as part of NASCAR’s Diversity and Inclusion Program.

Today, Barbara Woods is a hair stylist. But after two weeks, she could start a new career in biomanufacturing thanks to a new program at Winston-Salem State University. Woods is a member of the first WSSU cohort of the Accelerate NC Life Sciences Manufacturing Coalition, led by the NC Biotechnology Center, which received $25 million from President Biden’s Build Back Better program to strengthen life sciences manufacturing in the state of North Carolina.

Three Winston-Salem State University students have been selected to participate in the North Carolina Governor’s HBCU Internship Program this summer. The program was established in 2015 to build a bridge between North Carolina’s HBCU students and leading Fortune 500 companies in the state.

Winston-Salem State University’s food pantry has received $1,500 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to help nourish neighbors experiencing hunger. The donation will help supply non-perishable food, toiletries, personal hygiene items and other needed supplies to the Allegacy Federal Credit Union Student Resource Center at WSSU.

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). 

Winston-Salem State University’s Office of Integrated Marketing Communications has won two Telly Awards for a recruitment video in the record-breaking 45th Annual Telly Awards.

Bonita J. Brown has been named the 14th Chancellor of Winston-Salem State University. She was elected by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, following her nomination by University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans. Brown will assume her role on July 1, 2024.

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. 

A Winston-Salem State University alumnus is giving back to his college and helping his high school in the process. Dr. Clayton Scott of Statesville, a 1976 graduate of WSSU, has established a scholarship to help students from Statesville High School to further their education at his alma mater.

Winston-Salem State University football wide receiver RJ Mobley has been selected to the Chicago Bears minicamp. Mobley, who played two seasons with the Rams, played in every game the last two seasons.

Winston-Salem State University partners with the Winston-Salem Dash minor league baseball team for WSSU Night at the Dash on Thursday, April 25. The game will feature the WSSU band, Powerhouse cheerleaders and Amon the Ram. Admissions' representatives will also be on site.

Winston-Salem State University’s Office of Integrated Marketing Communications was named among the top in the nation in the 2023 Collegiate Advertising Awards Program.

Winston-Salem State University is the first campus to support the ELETE Experience, Inc. program, which aims to increase healthy dining and entrepreneurial mentorship opportunities for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

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.

Join us for the second annual Cancer Awareness Event.  Thursday, March 21 will feature a panel discussion on the different types of cancer.  The panelists will feature representatives from the local healthcare community. The following day, Friday, March 22 enjoy a variety of interactive events taking place at WSSU's practice field.

The Winston-Salem State University Foundation Inc. has named Dr. Alfredo I. Aguilar as its chief operating officer. He is the first person to assume this role with the foundation. Aguilar, who began his duties on March 1, has worked in finance and operations during the span of his 23-year career for four major organizations.

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.

Not only did the WSSU Rams men’s basketball team win 64-47 over the Virginia Union Panthers in a game simulcast on three major networks – TNT, ESPN2 and NBA TV – but the once-in-a-lifetime experience spilled off the courts as well.

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.

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.

It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of the passing of a beloved figure in the history of our institution, Dr. Cleon F. Thompson, our former Chancellor. Dr. Thompson served as the university's leader from 1985 to 1995.

Winston-Salem State University’s Department of Physical Therapy is looking for participants for a study titled: “Evaluation of segmental lumbar spinal motion and physiological responses following common spinal mobilization techniques.”

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.