Elizabeth City State University News September 2016 ECSU, HALIFAX COMMUNITY COLLEGE PARTNER ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE, SOCIAL WORK DEGREES Elizabeth City State University and Halifax Community College (HCC) have inked a deal that will provide students in the Roanoke Rapids and Weldon, North Carolina region an opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or social work. On Tuesday, September 20, 2016, ECSU Chancellor Thomas Conway traveled to HCC in Weldon to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutes of higher education. Chancellor Conway joined HCC President Ervin Griffin to sign the MOU and usher in a new opportunity for mutual cooperation in an effort to educate future leaders in Northeast North Carolina. “We do this because we can,” said HCC President Griffin. “We are using it as a tool to promote student success and economic development in Northeast North Carolina.” The bi-lateral agreement will give students in the Halifax County area the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree in either criminal justice or social work. Halifax students will then move on to earning a bachelor’s degree in those disciplines from ECSU, while remaining on site at HCC. ECSU and HCC currently offer a similar program for teacher preparation students. Teachers, President Griffin said, are a much needed commodity in the region and across the state. Currently, he said, there are 28 teachers in the Roanoke Rapids-Halifax School District who are graduates from both HCC and ECSU. Cooperative agreements such as this can only benefit the region, he said. “I think we are headed for a great partnership,” said Chancellor Conway. After the signing, HCC student Shereen Butler expressed her excitement with a series of questions. Butler said she wants to make certain that all of her questions are answered as she prepares to continue her education through ECSU. “It is important that you get your questions answered,” ECSU Provost Vann Newkirk told Butler. Provost Newkirk, who has been working closely with HCC to tailor the program to the needs of Halifax students, said the two institutions are working to make certain all student questions are answered. He is looking forward to a smooth process, he said. SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org sphoenix@hbculibraries.org Honor the ancestors, honor the children. 7th Biennial Membership Meeting: Register here http://hbculibraries.org/2016meeting-form.html for the October 10,11 Membership Meeting in Atlanta. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/