Winston-Salem State University News April 12, 2017 In Brief: AT&T executives, WSSU faculty join forces to support student success WSSU faculty learned from AT&T executives how skills taught in the classroom help to prepare students to enter the workplace. About 50 faculty and student leaders attended the first WSSU AT&T Academy on Thursday, April 13. The daylong event included breakout sessions where executives spoke about what they expect from new hires and how the essential skills taught in the classroom, such as critical thinking and written and oral communications, translate to careers at corporations like AT&T. WSSU Provost Brenda Allen said WSSU is focused on preparing students for the global knowledge-based economy. "Here at WSSU, we stress the importance of weaving essential skills into the curriculum," said Brenda Allen, WSSU provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs. "Hearing from AT&T executives about how these skills are performed daily will better prepare our faculty, providing them with examples of how these skills are applied in the workplace." According to a study by the North Carolina Department of Commerce released in 2014, WSSU ranks No. 1 in the UNC System for graduates receiving jobs in North Carolina after graduation and No. 1 in the Triad for highest salary after receiving an undergraduate degree. AT&T opened with remarks from Venessa Harrison, president of AT&T North Carolina and WSSU Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson. Sessions focused on AT&T's competency-based approach to talent management, corporate citizenship and student internships. WSSU student receives recognition for support of non-traditional peers A WSSU student has received a national award for her work helping fellow non-traditional students. Stephanie Street, a senior biology major at WSSU from Rural Hall, is the winner of the Association for Non-Traditional Students in Higher Education (ANTSHE) Student Recognition Award. At age 21, Street left college to work full time and take care of her grandparents. She says she promised her father that she'd go back to school. Twelve years later, she enrolled at WSSU. "I am extremely honored to win this award because I take pride in being a non-traditional student," Street said. "I believe in every non-traditional student's goals and dreams. I know that non-traditional students struggle and need a voice on campus." The award was announced at the ANTSHE Conference at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, on March 25. DJR Student Activities Center wins national design award WSSU's Donald Julian Reaves (DJR) Student Activities Center has been awarded a national design award. The building, which opened in 2013, was awarded the ACUI's Facility Design Award of Excellence during the Architecture and Design Showcase on Tuesday, March 21, at the 2017 ACUI Annual Conference in Philadelphia. Projects were judged on 11 criteria by a jury of peers in the architecture and higher education industries. The project, a collaboration with WSSU campus architect Ron Vanard and Moody Nolan's design team, was developed with input from the school administration and students. The 96,000 mixed-use center, named for WSSU's previous chancellor, includes two multipurpose rooms, a food court, meeting space, a student lounge, a two-court gym and a fitness room. "The site for the DJR Student Activities Center at WSSU had several opportunities, but what turned the opportunities into successes was the constant, open collaboration of the design team and the university for the best solution," said Dana Ford, Market Director at Moody Nolan. Minor League Baseball reaches out to WSSU students Pat O'Conner, president of Minor League Baseball (MiLB), will be at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) on Thursday, April 20, to talk with students about careers and internships in professional sports. The event, sponsored by WSSU's Department of Health, Physical Education and Sports Studies, included a presentation from O'Conner and a question-and-answer session. "In order to be a dynamic leader in sport and entertainment, we know how important it is to actively engage the next level of diverse leaders through targeted outlets such as these, showing the many opportunities that exist in Minor League Baseball," O'Conner said. MiLB is reaching out to students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) through its Fostering Inclusion through Education and Leadership (FIELD), a program to increase diversity in the front offices of MiLB's 160 clubs. SANDRA M. 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