North Carolina Central University News January 11, 2015 NCCU Celebrates the Life and Legacy of Dr. King North Carolina Central University (NCCU) will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a special convocation program beginning at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, in the B.N. Duke Auditorium. Cheryl Pearson-McNeil, senior vice president for U.S. community alliances and consumer engagement with Nielsen, a global information and media company, will serve as the keynote speaker. This event is free and open to the public. For more than 11 years, Pearson-McNeil has worked with Nielsen in several leadership positions: senior vice president of public affairs and government relations; senior vice president of communication and vice president of communication and community affairs. In her current role, she is charged with identifying the global organization's philanthropic priorities, which include the advance of ethnic and cultural diversity and civic engagement, development of quality learning environments in math, technology, science and literacy, and resolving global issues, such as hunger. She also is responsible for increasing the Nielsen's brand awareness among African-American, Asian American and Hispanic non-profit organizations, leaders and consumers - elevating their understanding of Nielsen's measurement services to assist in improving the overall probability of their inclusion in Nielsen's panels, studies and surveys. After the Convocation, participants will march to Brant Street Plaza, across the street from B.N. Duke Auditorium, for a wreath-laying ceremony in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King and Mrs. Coretta Scott King. In addition to the Convocation, the NCCU community, in partnership with the United Way of the Greater Triangle, will participate in a series of "Truth and Service" volunteer events from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday, Jan. 19. More than 700 volunteers will gather at the LeRoy T. Walker Complex on the NCCU campus to package soup mixes and pantry items, make blankets, teddy bears and educational flash cards, which will be distributed to Triangle-area residents. Additionally, the university will collect canned goods and non-perishable food items for the NCCU Food Pantry. The pantry, which opened in April 2014 in the Dent Human Sciences Building, was developed in response to the food insufficiency faced by some in the NCCU community. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree 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.