A&T: An HBCU powerhouse rises in Greensboro

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — It was the week before Thanksgiving, and Aggie Stadium was awash with blue and gold.

North Carolina A&T State University had just defeated its archrival, North Carolina Central University, 24-10, to earn the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship and a berth in the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta. The bowl was in December, and the undefeated Aggies blew out traditional HBCU power Grambling State.

In winning the national championship, A&T proved to be the best black-college football team in the country. But over the last decade, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University – known for its engineering programs and with a legacy that includes “The Greensboro Four,” Jesse Jackson and Ronald McNair – has moved quietly and resolutely toward its goal of becoming the best black college in the country.

“This is truly an exciting time to be an Aggie,” said Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr.

With 11,877 students enrolled this fall – including a record 2,309 freshmen — A&T is the largest black college in the country, having surpassed Howard University, Florida A&M, Jackson State and Texas Southern. Those new freshmen came on campus with an average GPA of 3.51.

“We are fortunate to have been trending in the upward direction for the last few years,” said Erin Hill Hart, A&T’s associate vice provost for enrollment. “There is no question of where we trying to go and when we are going to get there.”



CONTINUE READING