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Tom Joyner to Raise Funds for N.C. Central

By Dana Hart
Black College Wire

North Carolina Central University has been selected "College of the Month" by the Tom Joyner Foundation, established by the host of radio's syndicated �Tom Joyner Morning Show.�

Tom Joyner crew: Myra J, left; Miss Dupree; J. Anthony Brown; Joyner; Sybil Wilkes and Tavis Smiley.

NCCU is to be honored Feb. 27 during a live broadcast of the traveling �Tom Joyner Sky Show.� The university is expected to receive donations from alumni, faculty, staff and students, and from area businesses, churches and community members.

The Joyner foundation selects different historically black colleges and universities as the �College of the Month� as it raises money for student scholarships.

Chancellor James H. Ammons said he was pleased by the honor, saying, �Increased scholarship support for our students has emerged as one of our highest institutional priorities.�

Apart from scholarships, NCCU receives a little fame.

�Being selected as college of the month will help image the university in recruiting students,� said Susan Hester, director of corporate and foundation relations.

�The Tom Joyner Morning Show� has more than 10 million listeners.

In conjunction with the Joyner Foundation, NCCU has taken other steps to help raise money for student scholarships.

The student body, faculty, staff and alumni have their own campaigns and initiatives. Each campaign is asked to raise at least $5,000 toward the student scholarship.

�Students are encouraged to give at least $1 to their respective class president,� said Timothy Gibson, vice president of event management. �Each class has been designated $1,250 to raise.�

For faculty, the expected contribution is higher.

�Our suggested level of giving is in the amount of $191 per faculty member,� said Minnie Forte, faculty representative.

�We have enough faculty to reach this goal, however; my earnest hope is that we have the commitment.�

Joyner is allowing all contributors to make live presentations on the Sky Show for donations of $5,000 or more.

Dana Hart, a student at North Carolina Central University, writes for The Campus Echo.

Posted Feb. 13, 2004