Aggie77
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Post by Aggie77 on Mar 7, 2007 1:06:33 GMT -5
REAL TRUTHS: The State of North Carolina A&T State University Special Alumni Information Session
Presented by Chancellor Lloyd V. Hackley
All alumni leaders and Aggies are cordially invited to come and…
Explore…the facts! Discover…the plan of action! Become…part of the solution!
MEAC Tournament Weekend Saturday, March 10th 10:00 AM Marriott Hotel Crabtree Valley (Signs will direct you to the meeting room) 4500 Marriott Drive Raleigh, NC
Many of you have seen, heard or read snippets of information about what is going on at North Carolina A&T State University . Come hear for yourself to be prepared to be the source of the right information vs. the mis-information that is being communicated.
If you won’t be attending the MEAC basketball tournament, don’t worry. There will be another opportunity to hear Dr. Hackley’s presentation on Saturday, March 17th (time to be announced). We are planning for this session to be a live webcast from the campus of North Carolina A&T State University . An audio feed will also be available for those without internet access. Logistics will be provided in the next few days once they are finalized.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you this weekend.
Aggie Pride! Teresa
Teresa M. Davis '89 National President N.C. A&T State University Alumni Association, Inc. (704) 535-9301
tdavis107@carolina. rr.com
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Post by Bornthrilla on Mar 7, 2007 8:44:34 GMT -5
I'm gonna try to make this. I wish it was scheduled a little later in the afternoon though.
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Post by captaggie on Mar 8, 2007 16:09:18 GMT -5
No regular communication from senior leaders breds miscommunication.
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AggieWJM
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Post by AggieWJM on Mar 10, 2007 17:07:27 GMT -5
Somebody get us some info on how the meeting went.
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Aggie77
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Post by Aggie77 on Mar 11, 2007 10:56:38 GMT -5
The thing I don't understand, 50 MOFOs in the room. All you MOFOs talk crap about Hackley, none of you MOFOs show up face to face to tell the man what you think, or to ask one single MOFO question. If this is the interest level, then we should close the University down and develop the property as a retirement community. 50 MOFOs, what kinda crap is that. I could have haven’t 50 people in Iowa, but in the state of NC that’s just plain ridiculous.
Hackley went through his PowerPoint presentation on the facts and figures, the doom and gloom, the prognosis, and what needs to be fixed. There will be a soft copy of the presentation available, an “ask the chancellor” email address for feedback and questions is forthcoming, a webcast of the presentation on Aggie TV or some other outlet is in the planning phase. There was a mix crowd of young and old, Alums and staff, male and female, in my opinion just not enough. I was disappointed that Dr. Battle wasn’t in attendance, who just 24 hours before I heard speak at the National Aggie Club meeting. There was a Q&A session that brought to light how information is getting to media. It appears that people at the University have faxed internal documents to TV-2 and N&R, resulting in a call to Hackley for comment on the contents. We can agree/disagree on the effectiveness of Hackley's handling of the media, but we shouldn’t disagree on what should happen to the individual faxing internal documents to the media. Base on some of the questions from current staff, morale at A&T is probably at an all-time low. Expect changes in most if not all of the key leadership positions at the University by the fall.
Bottom-line; we are at the bottom or near bottom in every measurable category: retention rates, graduation rates, scholarships, national merit scholars, certifications (pass/fail ratio). Students choose NCCU and WSSU over A&T. The bad news is we haven’t even bottomed out yet. Over the past 5-6 years 9500 students have left the University for academic reasons. It’s obvious that Hackley isn’t to keen on the previous Administration or the BOT for that matter, but seeing the numbers you have to ask what was the mission?
One of my boys told me he heard Hackley speak at HC, and he used the term “your University” and that pissed him off because he felt Hackely was excluding himself from the fight. Well Hackey is right it is our University. The Hackley’s of the world will come and go, the question is where do we stand? I encourage you to get involved, financially, through volunteerism, whatever, but Hackley is only the messenger. Which is the very same message the DOOMS has been speaking about the last three years, you can believe it now or you believe it when there is no nursing program, or when the Engineering program fails accreditation, or the University System President recommends A&T could better serve the citizens of the state as a community college.
DIEHARDAGGIE, and AggieJazz were there maybe they a differing or additional viewpoints.
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Maxell
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Post by Maxell on Mar 11, 2007 12:11:29 GMT -5
I think it all works itself out when there is a permanent leader. It's all a leadership issue. Hackley is an interim in every sense of the word. His mission is to do what he's doing. I wouldn't expect Battle to be there at this point. Battle's job is to ride in on the white horse after the dust has settled and separate the wheat from the chaff.
As far as the measurable categories are concerned, most of those are a function of admission policies IMO. Renick's mission was to increase enrollment. He did that but at a price. But all of those things are fixable.
As far as the doom and gloom goes if Battle is a good leader, he can change the tide in 12 months guaranteed. It's all about Leadership. The rest is just talk.
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Aggie77
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Post by Aggie77 on Mar 11, 2007 14:22:35 GMT -5
I think it all works itself out when there is a permanent leader. It's all a leadership issue. Hackley is an interim in every sense of the word. His mission is to do what he's doing. I wouldn't expect Battle to be there at this point. Battle's job is to ride in on the white horse after the dust has settled and separate the wheat from the chaff. We had a permanent leader that lead to this. When will we know if we have the right leadership? Battle said at the Aggie Club meeting that he constant contact with Hackley and is fully abreast of ongoing actions and issues. He is either the Chancellor of NCA&T or not. This was a missed opportunity for him express to Alums and staff his philosophy on these issues. As far as the measurable categories are concerned, most of those are a function of admission policies IMO. Renick's mission was to increase enrollment. He did that but at a price. But all of those things are fixable. I agree 100 % that policy is part of the problem and this can be fixed. The resoultion requires better students and that my friend requires more than just policy changes. Where did this mission to increase enrollment come from? As far as the doom and gloom goes if Battle is a good leader, he can change the tide in 12 months guaranteed. It's all about Leadership. The rest is just talk. I don't follow this statement, please expand. 12 months (one academic year) is awfully optimistic when you have 2500 students currently on academic probation or suspension and no internal resources to accommodate this need. No scholarship money to compete for the top high schoolers. On the Fort to Renick scale this dude is closer to Fort in personality. This dude needed to be at every Aggie hospitality suite, hell he needed to be greeting every car with an Aggie sticker on it that pulled in to the parking lot. I don't see a change in the tide for at least two academic years.
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Post by DOOMS on Mar 12, 2007 8:32:46 GMT -5
Well, that's distressing.
I'm willing to bet if Renick gave the same speech we'd have seen hundreds more people and he'd make it sound like we were the next University of Florida in athletics and the next Yale in academics. It's all in how it's told.
Unfortunately I'm pretty sure Hackley told it like it is as opposed to sugarcoating it. At least we've got nice accomodations for all those kids that spend a semester or two there.
I don't think Battle should've been there or at the Aggie Club meeting. His job is to run Coppin State University until it's no longer his job. Hackley's job is to run A&T and clean it up for Battle as best he can. A man can't serve two masters.
How do we fix it? Did you ever see Jerry Maguire? Less clients. Less students. We're a university not a pizzeria. The goal isn't to sell as many half-a$$ tasting pizzas as possible nor give as many half-a$$ admissions as possible. The goal should be to educate these kids and teach them how to think.
As far as attendance unless it's homecoming or a WSSU or Central game we just give lip-service. Most people would rather read about it on a chain e-mail that gets corrupted through repeated forwards than show up for it.
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Post by aggiejazz on Mar 12, 2007 10:45:56 GMT -5
I concur with Aggie77 about his comments on last Saturday’s meeting with Chancellor Hackley. We may feel he is acting-chancellor but he is currently making big decisions on his watch. If you did not attend the meeting you missed a rare opportunity to see numbers presented by the Chancellor from a fact-finding mission done on A&T. This was really rare moment for any alumnus who had no connection to the university’s leadership.
Being in the technical field you learn not to assume anything until you at least have some facts. I assume the worse about Hackley but not so, now. Make not mistake he is not an Aggie but that should not detract from what he has done and what he has found through fact-finding diligence. The numbers are not good at A&T. Declining enrollment, declining average SAT scores, declining graduation rate and ranked last in performances on different criteria in the NC University System.
You can take it the wrong way and assume Hackley is just badmouthing the university or you can take it as a wakeup call and move into action to help correct the ills. He denied talking to N&R that he has been quoted so often in their articles. He admit some quotes were his that he stated in meetings with staff and faculty that somehow found their way to the N&R, mostly likely from someone in his meetings, and were printed out of context or partially misquoted. One of Hackley conclusions was that A&T leadership may have compromised servicing its undergraduate students to the fullest by trying hard to increase student population, increase new buildings and increased post-graduated programs.
I believe there were at least a third or more in attendance who did not believe the numbers of decline that Hackley presented. Those people who felt that way did not go after the numbers but questioned the gloom that they felt Hackley was causing. They felt A&T is in no danger of being abolished or even crippled in its mission to educate black folks.
I felt, as Hackley did, that this was a warning and a call to action. Hackley’s warning wasn’t that A&T would go away if things aren’t changed and improved but rather A&T may become a smaller version of itself. He may have been referring to the kind of smaller version we have seen other black institutions become, mostly private HBCUs where A&T could lose undergraduate schools as well as post-graduate schools. In my opinion you could see an UNC-A&T at Greensboro (UNCA&T-G or UNCG-A&T).
Black people forget or don’t realize that college education is a business, albeit non-profit and state supported in A&T’s case. A university like A&T should be run like an upscale family business where service, customer satisfaction and accountability are paramount.
I won’t repeat the numbers given in the presentation. The presentation was handed out on a cd and you can contact the National Alumni to get a copy of it.
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@ProfBellamy
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Post by @ProfBellamy on Mar 12, 2007 11:51:14 GMT -5
Sadly, I was not able to be at this Chat with the Chancellor session...however, I've heard the message, seen the reports, listened to the comments at the Board of Governor's meeting.
Chancellor Hackley from before day 1 (yes, day one was June 1 officially...but he was on the job around May 12th) meeting with people, SGA and others. He knew he had a clean-up job ahead of him...There may be times when I don't agree in how we're doing things.
However, we must support Chancellor Hackley through this rebuilding process...and support the University in word, deed, money... more comments later.
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Post by A&T AGGIE 96 on Mar 12, 2007 11:52:45 GMT -5
So now what I mean did Hackley offer any solutions to the problems or did he just point them out. I know it will be the job of the next Chancellor to fix what's wrong, but surely at some point in time he said "This is what is wrong, and in my opinion this is how we fix it". I'm just trying to get an idea of what Battle will have to do to correct our current ills.
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Aggie77
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Post by Aggie77 on Mar 13, 2007 12:16:17 GMT -5
Hackley offered solutions, but it's like Max says better students. Below is more of the same this time about NCCU. Many enroll, leave in 1st year Some urge NCCU to stress retentionEric Ferreri, Staff Writer DURHAM - As an impressionable N.C. Central University freshman, Kai Christopher hung around his dormitory lobby listening to older students debate the merits of W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr. These vigorous conversations helped shape Christopher's academic curiosity, and as he became older he felt a responsibility to bring young students into such debates. But Christopher, now a senior, thinks that environment has fallen victim to the university's enrollment boom and other forces that pushed older students off campus. With less interaction between elders and underclassmen, Christopher believes NCCU's intellectual prowess has faded to the point where "we have a bunch of knuckleheads running around." Complete Article ---> www.newsobserver.com/145/story/552567.html![](http://newsobserver.com/content/news/story_graphics/20070312_Retention.jpg)
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Post by Aggie One on Mar 13, 2007 12:42:41 GMT -5
Fairly simple. Be more demanding and selective, especially on the character issues. You raise your entrance requirements which the UNC system is already slated to do this coming fall with three more core courses, a higher GPA, and entrance scores. IMO, a 820 on a SAT should not get anyone into in school automatically anymore unless its a JUCO or a community college.
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Post by captaggie on Mar 13, 2007 12:47:33 GMT -5
77,
What solution, to any of the problems he presented, seem credible?
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Gator
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Post by Gator on Mar 13, 2007 12:48:08 GMT -5
Humm...
To me it seems a matter of interpretation. When you raise enrollment, you'll bound to suffer in other catogories. How do we know the students that left weren't all good students? I'm sure all were not the best, but it may be a sign that all kids are not socially, personally, and financially prepared for an atmosphere such as college. These things are not new though. I wonder what are the african-american rates at PWCs. We all know some kids don't return after their first or second year. We don't need to push the panic button to soon. As for enrollment dropping, all HBCUs are feeling that effect. Some more than others.
Hell, I thought the man was going to come in there and talk about major financial problems.
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