|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Fresh leadership steers NCCU to record enrollment and strong financial standing
As the higher education industry faces economic turmoil, a school within the UNC System is defying the trends with record growth: North Carolina Central University. Visitors who tour NCCU see signs of this momentum throughout campus. They see the new Collective Learning and Research Center, featured in Architect Magazine for its modern design and adaptable multipurpose rooms. They see a new radio station, holding the latest technology for aspiring media professionals to create broadcasts and podcasts. And they see the state’s first Immersive Interactive Room is the first such room at a university’s nursing program in the state, a new space that uses virtual reality to prepare nursing students for complex clinical situations.
More than buildings are going up at NCCU; enrollment is, too. Since the arrival of Karrie Dixon, Ed.D., as chancellor in 2024, NCCU has experienced the fastest enrollment growth in the UNC System. Last fall, enrollment climbed past 9,000 students for the first time in the 116-year history of this historically Black university. In addition, retention is up, and the transfer rate is soaring.
“In this market, when you have a university with increasing enrollments for the last several terms—when you have that steady revenue stream of students coming in—it shows the value that this HBCU brings,” said Laurie Wilcox, vice chancellor for business and finance. “People want to be here.”
Innovating, Wisely
NCCU’s growth is especially notable given the challenges it faced several years ago. The state auditor found significant financial reporting errors from the 2023-2024 fiscal year, and the university responded with an urgent call for change. NCCU brought in Dixon, a proven veteran within the UNC system, to usher in a new era at the institution.
Dixon arrived with a track record in this very endeavor, after she reversed enrollment and financial challenges in her previous role at another university. As the leader of NCCU, Dixon filled top roles with other proven change agents: a new chief of staff, executive vice chancellor, provost, and vice chancellor of business and finance. She also built bridges between new and existing staff. New leaders gained insights from long-time employees and invested in training to elevate their careers. While the field of higher ed is known for its reverence of tradition, Dixon encouraged her team to embrace a vision of decisive change. First: Have difficult conversations, respectfully. Next: Innovate, wisely. Then: Act, collaboratively.
Under Dixon, NCCU launched a five-year strategic plan. In addition to advancing the acedemic enterprise, student experience and operations within the institution, it also focuses on expanding partnerships with corporations and organizations beyond it.
Results came quickly. Within one year, the university had a clean audit with every dollar accounted for. It never wavered from its Moody’s A3 credit rating with a stable outlook.
“Having a clean audit says that we are in a sound financial position,” Wilcox said. “It’s showing a level of transparency and trust in our data that tells others: If you put your money in our institution, we will do right by it, and it will serve the institution well.”
This proof of transparency and trust has empowered the university to seek new partnerships and funding that bring mutual benefit. Students have more internship and job opportunities, while companies gain access to top-tier talent. Students earn more scholarships that allow them to stay in college and graduate with less debt, while North Carolina gains more skilled employees ready to contribute to the economy.
“Those of us who work here have a strong commitment to the mission of NCCU,” Wilcox said. “There’s so much potential here, and we do all we can to elevate this institution and give these students the best value in a quality education.”
A Civic-Minded Student Body
“Mission” is a word used frequently at NCCU. As the only school in the UNC system to have a service requirement, NCCU attracts a civic-minded student body. It turns their motto—“Truth and Service”—into practice.
“Our students learn to move the needle,” said Heather Davis, executive director of Student Engagement and Leadership (SEAL). “When they come here, they’re presented with opportunities that teach them to translate their skills into impact. Then they carry that knowledge with them after they graduate. It’s a beautiful thing to see.”
About three-fourths of the school’s undergraduate students are eligible to receive Pell Grants, aid that’s reserved for students with exceptional financial need. The result is a student body that is not only civic-minded but one that’s also demonstrated resiliency before even walking onto campus.
“When people invest or partner with our university, they’re getting early access to the best and brightest in the workforce. Our students have already demonstrated a high level of resilience, despite many of them navigating significant barriers,” said Angela Coleman, Ed.D., vice chancellor for student affairs. ”They persist, they excel, they graduate, and they contribute in a meaningful way to the community.”
A Not-So-Hidden Gem
When Coleman arrived at NCCU in 2018, she often heard the school referred to as North Carolina’s hidden gem or best-kept secret. For an administrator working to promote the institution, it wasn’t the compliment she hoped to hear.
Today, the secret is out. The record enrollment and the innovative leadership—not to mention the new and innovative campus spaces—continue to grab headlines and attention. Three cutting-edge research institutes—in biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and artificial intelligence—prepare students to enter a fast-evolving professional landscape. It’s been a long time since Coleman has heard NCCU described as a hidden gem.
“We’ve been intentional about telling the good news about everything the university has been doing,” Coleman said. “People see that. People come and visit campus and see all the growth happening here. Students and parents look at NCCU, and they want to be a part of it – what’s new, what’s fresh, what’s exciting.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.