NCCU musing advisory board
By EMILY COAKLEY : The Herald-Sun, Sep 27, 2006 : 7:55 pm ET
DURHAM -- A new advisory board could be in N.C. Central University's future.
NCCU's trustees discussed the possibility Wednesday of forming a board of visitors, and Chancellor James Ammons said he hopes the administration can make a recommendation to the trustees by the end of the academic year.
The board of visitors concept grew from discussions about how NCCU operates, Ammons said. It's possible such a board could act as advisers, supporting a number of university functions.
"We're looking at various models," Ammons said.
NCCU officials have been exploring the idea since the summer.
The issue arose Wednesday after trustee Eric Michaux said a memo he received from UNC suggested that asking some people to be trustees emeritus could pose a perceived conflict of interest.
Leslie Winner, vice president and general counsel for UNC, said NCCU representatives asked her last week whether it would be proper to ask members of the UNC Board of Governors or General Assembly to be trustees emeritus.
Winner said it was not implied that anyone had done anything wrong. But she said she believed that asking a Board of Governors member to become a trustee emeritus or member of an individual campus' advisory board went against the spirit of the policies.
Also, the state statutes that created the university system mention a long list of people who should not be trustees, including members of the General Assembly, she said.
Winner's response wasn't what Michaux was looking for.
"I'm just extremely disappointed. It certainly hampers schools like Central from gaining support from people who understand the school and what it needs," Michaux said after the meeting.
A trustee emeritus could help the university in many ways, including fundraising, he said. The university will soon embark on a centennial campaign.
"We're going to need this help. We're going to need this support out there," Michaux said at the meeting.
Emeritus status, he added, already has been bestowed on some.
Taken to an extreme, Michaux said, he's concerned that someone would have to choose trustee emeritus status over serving in the Legislature or on the Board of Governors, and he's worried about the effect that could have on NCCU.
Trustee Travis Porter asked whether officials had considered forming a board of visitors -- a body that wouldn't necessarily have any power, but would act in an advisory capacity.
"In some institutions they're very active," Porter said.
Also Wednesday, NCCU celebrated its 96th anniversary with a program that included a speech from Suzan Johnson Cook, author of "Too Blessed to be Stressed: Words of Wisdom for Women on the Move."
Cook, also pastor of Bronx Community Church, has a new book, "Live Like You're Blessed: Simple Steps for Making Balance, Love, Energy, Spirit, Success Encouragement and Devotion Part of Your Life." She explained how each of those fits into life.
She offered the audience several pieces of advice for leading a more blessed life.
"Be careful who you let in your life, and be careful what you put in your body," Cook said.*
Cook told students to have self-respect and to love themselves. When you honor yourself, she said, invitations will come from people who want to be in your presence.
"Go where you're celebrated, not where you're tolerated," she said.
http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-773703.html
* Let's not forget about the other school in town.
Durham has new 'branding' logo
Staff; Herald-Sun, Sep 28, 2006 : 10:14 pm ET
DURHAM -- A two-year process has led to the development of a new Durham logo, part of an "overarching brand" for the city.
The new logo reads "Durham: Where great things happen" and features a multicolored star within which are scattered five colored circles and five colored stars. The logo is part of a larger "branding" campaign funded by the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau's Tourism Development Authority and guided through its final stages by the Durham Brand Advisory Group.
"[The branding] is critical not only to defining the brand with clarity, but in differentiating Durham from other communities in a way that connects it emotionally to the consumer," said advisory group member Carver Weaver of Durham's Square One Marketing.
"I love the way the star demonstrates not only excellence, but also represents people who are different but working together for a better world," said advisory group member Rosalind Fuse-Hall of N.C. Central University.
http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-774036.html
* * * "Durham: Where great things happen" * * *