NC A&T College of Arts & Sciences

News & Events

NC A&T professor nominated for state poet laureate

On October 12, Dr. Anjail Rashida Ahmad, director of the NC A&T State University Creative Writing Program, was notified by the North Carolina Arts Council that she is among the individuals being considered for the prestigious State Poet Laureate position.

Ahmad was elated to learn she is being considered. “It’s quite an honor just to be nominated,” Ahmad said. The state poet laureate serves as the ambassador of North Carolina literature, and final selection will be announced in January 2010 by Governor Beverly Purdue.

The post, created by the General Assembly in 1935, uses the office as a platform to promote N.C. writers and the potentially transformative qualities of poetry and the written word.

The poet laureate receives a $10,000 annual stipend funded by the N.C. Arts Council, along with support from staff. While each poet laureate leaves his or her own personal imprint on the program, duties typically include public activities with schools, community groups and the press, and contact with writers and readers by mail, email and/or through a Web site.

The selection criteria for the poet laureate position include:

A North Carolinian with deep connections to the cultural life of this state.
Literary excellence of the writer's work.
Influence on other writers and appreciation of literature in its diversity throughout the state.
Ability and willingness to conduct the public engagement duties of the office.
Statewide, national or international reputation.

Happenings
Faculty & Staff

the aggie minute!

Vote for the blue and gold marching machine!

BLACK NATIVITY

Jazz Ensemble

The 'A&T News Minute' is hosted by JOMC majors and produced through the facilities of the North Carolina A&T State University Television Studio. The 'A&T News Minutes' are recorded daily to update the Aggie Community on important happenings on and around campus. If you would like to submit an item for the 'A&T News Minute' please email the event details to kpdevann@ncat.edu

The Blue & Gold Marching Machine of North Carolina A&T State University has joined nearly 5,000 student-musicians from 45 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in taking their first steps on "The Road to the Honda," in hopes of being one of the eight lucky bands slated to finish their journey in Atlanta, Ga., at the 2010 Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase.

The Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB) Invitational Showcase, scheduled to take place Sat., Jan. 30, 2010 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, is the world's largest and most highly anticipated HBCU musical event of its kind. The Invitational Showcase not only serves as a platform to highlight and showcase the heritage and showmanship of the HBCU college marching bands, but it also serves as the only national music scholarship program of its kind. For the 2010 program, the A&T Blue & Gold Marching Machine is among the 45 participating bands that will receive a $1,000 grant for their musical programs, with an additional $20,000 awarded to the eight institutions selected to advance to the 2010 Invitational Showcase.(Read More)

Back by popular demand, the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Department of Visual & Performing Arts, Theatre Arts Program will present its annual production of "Black Nativity" by Langston Hughes.

This high-energy gospel musical chronicles the birth of Christ using vibrant songs and dance of praise and worship. Storytellers guide the viewer through the glorious words of the Holy Scripture allowing the audience to fully experience this biblical story.

Show dates and times will be Thursday - Friday, Dec. 3-4 at 8 p.m. and Saturday - Sunday, Dec. 5-6, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Harrison Auditorium. Tickets are: $15 - general admission; $10 - senior citizens; $10 - non A&T students and $5 – children 12 and under. A&T students are free with Aggie One Card.

For more information call the Ticket Office at 336.334.7749.

Date	Thusday, November 19, 2009
Event	Duke Ellington was one of the most popular and prolific composers, pianists and big band leaders in the world. A&T’s Jazz Orchestra commemorates Ellington with “A Salute to Duke” directed by A&T Music Department adjunct professor and director of jazz, noted jazz trumpeter and composer Mondre Moffett. Moffett performed with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, from 1995 to 2000. Ellington’s music is so rich and varied that it really is a treasure trove of very artistic entertainment and music education at the same time. The first half of the concert features music by other jazz greats such as John Coltrane and W.C. Handy, leading up to the exciting Salute to Duke.
Location	Harrison Autorium 1601 E. Market St. NC A&T State University Greensboro, NC 27411
Ticket Information	General Admission - $10.00 Non-A&T Students - $5.00 A&T Students Free with Aggie One Card
Box office Information	336-334-7749

FACULTY AND STAFF IN THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
The new chairperson of the Department of Foreign Languages, Dr. Jose Bravo de Rueda, seeks to combine teaching of languages with teaching of culture. Ongoing community service outreach efforts and a special cross-campus initiative this fall exemplify his vision. Born in Lima, Peru, Bravo de Rueda moved to the U.S. in 1989 and attended the University of Maryland, where he received his master’s and Ph.D. In 1995, Bravo de Rueda was hired as an adjunct instructor at North Carolina A&T State University. Since then, he has gained experience of how the department works; networking with other chairpersons and friends also gave him insight on how to do the job. (Read More)	Dr. Goldie Byrd has been invited to speak at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in Washington DC, on the topic of Alzheimer. Read the invitation letter here. Congratulations, Dr. Byrd!	Dr. Sarita D. Jackson, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice, has been selected as a Fulbright scholar to the Dominican Republic. Dr. Jackson will conduct research on the impact of business associations on the U.S.-Dominican Republic and Central American free trade negotiations. Her project titled, “DR-CAFTA from the Room Next Door,” will be funded from January to May 2010. In addition, Dr. Jackson gave a guest lecture at UNC-Charlotte on March 25, 2009 upon receiving an invitation from the Latin American Studies program. Her lecture titled, “International Power through Multilateral Institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean," was based on a current research project analyzing the establishment of particular institutions among the developing countries in the Western Hemisphere.