FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UNC-TV to Air Program on the Impact of North Carolina’s Historically Minority-Serving Institutions
UNC System Leaders and Six Chancellors Highlight Innovation and Community Partnership
Chapel Hill, NC – The University of North Carolina System and UNC-TV Public Media NC will air “Focus on the Future: North Carolina’s Historically Minority-Serving Institutions” on October 22 at 8 pm on UNC-TV. This hour-long segment will highlight the System’s commitment to these six institutions and the impact they have on their communities and the regions they serve.
In 2018, the UNC Board of Governors created a special Committee on Historically Minority-Serving Institutions to address their diverse challenges and to create promising strategies for their future growth. The six institutions under the purview of the HMSI committee include the state’s five public historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as well as UNC Pembroke, which has the designation of North Carolina’s historically American Indian university. This program reflects the UNC Board of Governors’ commitment to increase awareness of and appreciation for these six institutions throughout the state.
“We’ve never been more certain of the crucial role these historically minority-serving institutions play in strengthening our state and our System,” said William Roper, UNC System interim president. “This show brings into focus the innovation and excellence at each of these institutions and puts the spotlight on their many accomplishments.”
The program will feature a roundtable discussion with UNC Board of Governors members Harry Smith and Darrell Allison, UNC System Interim President Bill Roper, and the leaders of each of the six UNC System historically minority-serving institutions: Chancellor Karrie G. Dixon, Elizabeth City State University; Interim Chancellor Peggy Valentine, Fayetteville State University; Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr., N.C. A&T State University; Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye, North Carolina Central University; Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings, UNC Pembroke; and Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson, Winston-Salem State University.
“The UNC Board of Governors is leading the way in supporting our historically minority-serving institutions. This committee was created to not only find new ways to highlight their uniqueness and strengths, but to also explore ways to make strategic investments where our schools continue to be beacons of light in their communities and economic engines in their respective regions,” Allison said.