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Post by The Professor on May 8, 2024 13:00:45 GMT -5
GREENSBORO, N.C. — North Carolina A&T has renamed its Academic Classroom Building (ACB) after two of its most profile alumni, 1953 graduates Justice Henry Frye and his wife, Shirley Frye. As they are well-known across the state for their historic contributions to the civil rights movement, public life, higher education, and the legal profession in North Carolina, the Fryes are the namesakes of what had been known as the Academic Classroom Building. The building will now be known as the Henry E. and Shirley T. Frye Hall. Frye Hall is one of six buildings on campus designed by the architectural firm of the late Phil Freelon, a nationally recognized figure in the architecture community. ACB, as most refer to the building, is notable for its angular green and white facade, soaring atrium, and large classroom spaces. Located in the heart of campus, it stands next to the Deese Clock Tower and Proctor Hall, another Freelon-designed structure that houses the NC A&T College of Education. The Fryes met while undergraduates at NC A&T. www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/education/ncat-rename-building-honoring-henry-shirley-frye/83-f19d13f5-54d7-4f5e-9355-9567abe7c3c1
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Post by The Professor on May 8, 2024 13:03:33 GMT -5
Although I'm happy the Fryes are getting their respect, that building was supposed to be named for former chancellor Renick. His name was removed after he was accused of crimes and he was exonerated.
At that point , his name should have went back but it never did
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Post by Bornthrilla on May 8, 2024 13:05:57 GMT -5
That was a grave injustice organized by Velma Speight. Now she has her name on a building and he doesn't.
Shameful.
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oleschoolaggie
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Post by oleschoolaggie on May 8, 2024 13:12:31 GMT -5
thank gawd we made it a priority to name a building after ronald mcnair, but at the rate we're going it appears that jesse jackson is pot outta luck. still no building in his name but should be...
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Post by Bornthrilla on Jun 27, 2024 15:52:32 GMT -5
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Post by The Professor on Jun 27, 2024 16:41:34 GMT -5
thank gawd we made it a priority to name a building after ronald mcnair, but at the rate we're going it appears that jesse jackson is pot outta luck. still no building in his name but should be... What building? Academic, dorm, what?
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@ProfBellamy
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Post by @ProfBellamy on Jun 27, 2024 16:58:25 GMT -5
Although I'm happy the Fryes are getting their respect, that building was supposed to be named for former chancellor Renick. His name was removed after he was accused of crimes and he was exonerated. At that point , his name should have went back but it never did No, Frye Hall is formerly the Academic Classroom Building (ACB). Proctor Hall, the home of the College of Education was to be named after Dr. Renick. westcoastaggie may still have the photo from inside the building where the elevator certificate still listed "Renick School of Education Building." They should name General Classroom Building (formerly New Classroom Building) after Dr. Renick since the building was built during his tenure along with Craig Hall and the renovations of Merrick and Crosby. They also need to put a real name of New Science Building which houses Chemistry and Psychology.
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oleschoolaggie
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Jun 27, 2024 17:33:19 GMT -5
thank gawd we made it a priority to name a building after ronald mcnair, but at the rate we're going it appears that jesse jackson is pot outta luck. still no building in his name but should be... What building? Academic, dorm, what? could "re-name" an existing building in his name or name a "future building" in his name. finding a building to name after him should not be a difficult chore...
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Post by The Professor on Jun 27, 2024 18:32:55 GMT -5
What building? Academic, dorm, what? could "re-name" an existing building in his name or name a "future building" in his name. finding a building to name after him should not be a difficult chore... Again I ask what building should be named for Jesse Jackson since it's not a difficult decision
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Post by codeblu78 on Jun 27, 2024 18:36:06 GMT -5
Well, the Student center doesn’t have a name. Thought that would have happened by now
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bluehaze
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Post by bluehaze on Jun 27, 2024 18:50:11 GMT -5
Although I'm happy the Fryes are getting their respect, that building was supposed to be named for former chancellor Renick. His name was removed after he was accused of crimes and he was exonerated. At that point , his name should have went back but it never did I think there’s some revisionist history on this. A crime wasn’t committed, but there were audit findings and use of university funds for his own benefit. There were other items of note at the end of his tenure. He did a lot of good things as well, but I’d like to see a list of all Named buildings before I say he should or shouldn’t be included.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Jun 27, 2024 19:28:08 GMT -5
A crime wasn’t committed, but there were audit findings and use of university funds for his own benefit. There were other items of note at the end of his tenure. That is not accurate and it’s dangerous when you get facts wrong about a man who is no longer here to defend himself.
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oleschoolaggie
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Jun 27, 2024 20:06:06 GMT -5
could "re-name" an existing building in his name or name a "future building" in his name. finding a building to name after him should not be a difficult chore... Again I ask what building should be named for Jesse Jackson since it's not a difficult decision well, there ya go. as codeblue pointed out, the student center still does not have a name. and i'm not gonna waste my time figuring out which buildings have not been named after someone nor which future buildings have not been named yet. as far as i'm concerned, let the admins find a building, it shouldn't be difficult. but the man deserves to have a building named after him. a&t to this very day uses his name to a&t's benefit. just check any aggie posting of "famous" a&t alums and jesse jackson is usually the first name you'll see. my point is that he deserves to have a building named after him and its long "overdue". you always take issues like this off on another tangent. instead of discussing whether he's worthy or not, you want someone to determine which building it should be and that's not my job...
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bluehaze
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Post by bluehaze on Jun 27, 2024 20:42:27 GMT -5
A crime wasn’t committed, but there were audit findings and use of university funds for his own benefit. There were other items of note at the end of his tenure. That is not accurate and it’s dangerous when you get facts wrong about a man who is no longer here to defend himself. What's not accurate? linkAfter six years in Michigan, Renick came to Greensboro in the summer of 1999 to replace Edward Fort, who had stepped down as A&T's chancellor after nearly two decades. Renick called A&T the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to lead an historically Black institution. "Our key to invigorating innovation is keeping our focus on our students," Renick said during his installation ceremony in 2000. "Ultimately we want to nourish the spirit that marks North Carolina A&T as the university that enriches the lives of its students and adds value to the quality of life in North Carolina and the nation.” Renick's seven years in Greensboro were a whirlwind. The charismatic new chancellor helped put in place much of what current Aggies see around campus today. The university used proceeds from a statewide bond issue to build a slew of new buildings, including a new science facility, the Alumni-Foundation Event Center, the Academic Classroom Building and Craig Hall, home of A&T's business school. A&T cleared space on the east side of campus for a pair of residence halls and tore down Scott Hall in 2004 to make room for the Aggie Village dorm complex. A&T also added onto its former student center, upgraded campus infrastructure and renovated several academic buildings, residence halls and the cafeteria. Renick seemed particularly proud of the campus expansion, especially because it eliminated more than 80 old homes in and around the university. A News & Record photograph from 2002 shows him behind the controls of a bulldozer as he knocks down some of those houses. The photo shows him wearing a hard hat that reads "Chancellor" and holding a fist triumphantly overhead. Also during Renick's tenure: The university added new academic programs in engineering, business counseling and other areas as well as doctoral programs in leadership studies and energy and environmental studies. A&T joined forces with UNCG to start planning a shared new campus that opened as the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering in 2010. Research funding grew, too, and NASA invited A&T to help form a new aerospace research institute. In 2000, A&T awarded its first Human Rights Medal, which it presents annually to a courageous person who has fought against social injustice. Two years later, A&T unveiled the February One Monument on campus to commemorate the four A&T freshmen who launched the lunch counter sit-in movement in downtown Greensboro. Renick raised money. Early in his tenure he attracted a $3 million donation from the Ford Motor Co., which at the time was the largest corporate gift ever given to A&T. Most of the money went to student scholarships and to install lights on A&T's football stadium. He later launched a $100 million fundraising campaign. As the campus grew, so, too, did the student body. Enrollment increased every fall while Renick was there, from 7,600 students when he arrived to a high-water mark of 11,100 students in Renick's final fall term. A&T wouldn't reach that number again until 2016. His supporters hailed him as a visionary. Renick preferred the term caretaker. “I looked at my role as someone who would be a good steward of the institution and add value and try to contribute in meaningful ways,” Renick said in 2006, shortly before he left for a new job in Washington, D.C. But Renick stumbled at times.
The $100 million fundraising campaign fell short of its goal.
Renick announced that A&T might jump to Division I-A in football — the highest level of competition — but quickly abandoned those plans when it became clear the university didn't have the money to make the move.
A 2007 audit commissioned by Lloyd V. Hackley, the chancellor who succeeded Renick, found that A&T improperly transferred $380,000 in campus vending receipts to a discretionary fund controlled by Renick. The audit said that, instead of using the fund for scholarships and student activities, Renick spent a portion of it to buy art and to pay for his wife to accompany him on university business trips.
The Guilford County district attorney ultimately declined to press charges because no laws appeared to have been broken.
Hackley also uncovered a long list of other concerns, according to News & Record reports published at the time. Among them: A quarter of undergraduates were on academic probation or suspension during Renick's final semester on campus. Nursing school graduates struggled to pass licensing exams. And a team of UNC System officials called in to untangle A&T's financial records discovered issues with overspending, oversight and misappropriation.
This accumulation of problems led the News & Record's editorial page to declare in early 2007 that there was "an unexpected shadow on Renick's legacy."
Renick said at the time that annual audits during his tenure "found no serious financial irregularities." Renick left A&T to become senior vice president at the American Council on Education, the coordinating body for more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities. He later served as an adviser to the president of Central State, his alma mater. In 2011, he became an adviser to Jackson State University's president, Carolyn Meyers, who had been Renick's provost at A&T. Renick was later named interim provost and then provost, the institution's second-ranking position, before resigning from the Mississippi university in 2015. Information on funeral and memorial services was unavailable Monday.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Jun 27, 2024 21:08:31 GMT -5
The audit found that all the money he spent was ultimately used to help him execute his duties as the chancellor of this university. Renick brought his wife to events where they interacted with potential donors. I believe the artwork in question was actually displayed inside the school; not at his home.
If he had used the money for personal enrichment there would surely have been criminal charges brought. Those allegations were just a smear campaign by Hockney and Velma Speight to attack someone who they considered to be a political rival.
I remember they even accused the head of IT around that time of embezzlement, dragged him in out in handcuffs and had to eventually drop all charges and settle a lawsuit for wrongful termination.
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