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N.C. A&T Joins National Group Focused On Student Success

Courtesy N.C. A&T

North Carolina A&T is one of two new members joining a group of universities focused on building student success rates.   

N.C. A&T and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County have both been selected to join The University Innovation Alliance.

The consortium was founded with eleven members in 2014 to help grow the retention and graduation rates, particularly among low-income and minority students. It's expanding for the first time in six years after significantly exceeding its projected goals.

According to a news release, the Alliance's next phase will adopt a focus on eliminating disparities based on race and ethnicity, while increasing its commitment to addressing income, generational, and ethnic inequities.  

A&T Chancellor Harold Martin released a statement saying the school is eager to share “approaches and dialogue with others on innovation that might lead to further success.”

N.C. A&T is the country's largest four-year HBCU, and the first to join the Alliance.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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