Winston-Salem State University News May 12, 2011 WSSU Professor Is 2011 Alumnus of the Year from Malone University The Rev. Dr. Cedric Rodney, veteran educator and pastor, has been selected as the 2011 Alumnus of the Year from Malone University. The award honors Malone University graduates who have made significant contributions to their profession, church, community and the university. It will be presented to Rodney at the Alumni Awards Banquet which will be held during Malone's Homecoming in October. Rodney has been on the faculty of Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) for 41 years and has served as the school's James A. Gray distinguished Professor of Religion and Ethics since 1992. He also is program coordinator for the annual James A. Gray Lecture Series that is designed to generate discussion on the moral and ethical issues of the day. In 1997, he became the first recipient of the university's Distinguished Service Award, which was later named in his honor. He also has received the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from WSSU. Rodney was ordained in the Moravian Church in 1959 after emigrating to the U.S. from Guyana. He served two pastorates in the C.M.E. (Christian Methodist Episcopal Church) and also served a total of 27 years during two pastorates at St. Philips Moravian Church in Winston-Salem. Rodney retired from active ministry of the Moravian Church in December 2003. Rodney was the first full time pastor at St. Philips and served the congregation from 1968 until 1976 and from 1984 to 2003. He was also a leader in the effort to restore the original St. Philips Church which was built in what is now Old Salem in 1861, making it the oldest standing African American church in North Carolina. He was involved in the reclamation of the church's graveyard and the reconstruction of the original 1823 log church. St. Phillips is now part of the Old Salem tour and serves as a center for a variety of community activities. A long-time community volunteer, Rodney currently is a member of the board of directors of Hospice & Palliative Care Center and is a member of the Wachovia Historical Society and Winston-Salem Rotary. He has also served on the board of trustees of Salem Academy and College and the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Board, as well as being a member of numerous other boards and commissions. A published author and well-known lecturer, Rodney is a graduate of the School of Religion at Malone College. He earned his master's degree from John Carroll University and holds the Doctor of Divinity degree from Moravian Theological Seminary. Rodney is married to Dr. Mae Lipscomb Rodney, director of Library Services at WSSU, and the father of three children, Elise, Yvette and Cabot. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.