Men's Basketball Heads To The Sunshine State To Face Bethune-Cookman - WINSTON-SALEM STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Jan. 26, 2007

WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- Quick Hits...The Rams (3-19) return to action on Saturday evening versus the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman College at Moore Gymnasium in Daytona Beach, Florida at 7:30 PM. WSSU saw their two-game win streak snapped in their last action, an 87-63 loss to North Dakota State University that came on January 20, 2007. The Wildcats (4-13) are entering into the contest coming off of a 59-57 win in Princess Anne, Maryland versus the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Setting The Scene...The Rams enter into tonight's contest with a 3-19 record overall. Winston-Salem State University just recently snapped a 15-game losing streak as they have posted a pair of victories and one loss over the past two weeks. WSSU followed up their first win of the season (over Anderson (SC) University by the score of 67-44 on November 14, 2006) with 15 consecutive losses to Auburn (95-62), Georgia State (94-87), Coppin State (81-65), Georgia Southern (70-41 and 59-49), Lipscomb (62-46), Notre Dame (90-45), the University of South Florida (63-43), Akron (79-67), Georgetown (76-32), #11/#12 Kansas (94-43), UAB (84-53), Towson (80-59), Georgia Tech (97-46) and most recently to Morgan State (53-50) to drop to 1-18 overall before snapping the losing skid with a 21-point (77-56) victory over Ferrum College that came on January 7, 2007. WSSU then added a second consecutive win when they defeated the Spartans of Norfolk State University 81-71 on January 18, 2007 before falling in defeat to the Bison of North Dakota State on January 20, 2007 by the score of 87-63.

Looking At The Past Schedule...The Rams will be playing in their 23rd game overall and their 18th contest away from home. The Rams opened the season with three games, all losses, in Fresno, California and followed it up with a home game on November 14. Following WSSU's win over Anderson (SC) on November 14, WSSU traveled to Auburn, AL where they played their fourth game away from home, losing 95-62 (November 17). They then traveled to Atlanta, GA where they dropped a 94-87 decision to the Panthers of Georgia State University at the GSU Sports Arena on November 19 before losing a game at Coppin State University on November 21 by the score of 81-65. The Rams' then fell 70-41 at Georgia Southern University on November 25 and added losses at Lipscomb and Notre Dame before falling to Georgia Southern and South Florida at home. The Rams then went out on the road and dropped a 79-67 decision to Akron and a 76-32 decision to Georgetown before falling in defeat in on of their most lopsided contests of the season by 51 points (94-43) to #11/#12 Kansas in Lawrence, KS before falling at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama on December 21 (84-53). WSSU then opened up yet another road trip on December 29 when they fell in defeat at Towson in Towson, Maryland by the score of 80-59. WSSU followed the loss to the Tigers with their most lopsided loss of the season when they fell to the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech by the score of 97-46 at Alexander Memorial Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia. WSSU then followed the loss to the Yellow Jackets up with their closest contest of the season, a 53-50 loss to Morgan State. Following the loss to the Bears, the Rams returned home and snapped a 15-game losing streak as they defeated Division III foe Ferrum College by the score of 77-56 and then followed that win up with a second straight win, an 81-71 win over Norfolk State on January 18, 2007. WSSU's two-game victory streak ended on January 20, 2007 when they lost to North Dakota State University by the score of 87-63 The Rams have played more road contests (17) than most Division I teams have played total games thus far in 2006-07 as WSSU has played 15 road contests (posting a 1-14 record) and two contests at neutral sites (posting an 0-2 record) for an overall record of 1-16 away from home.

What's On Tap...The Rams are returning to the road for a pair of road contests as they board an airplane and head to Daytona Beach, Florida to face the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman College on January 27, 2007 before traveling by bus to Tallahassee, Florida to face the Rattlers of Florida A&M on January 29, 2007.

Last Action...The Rams' last action came on January 20, 2007 at the C.E Gaines Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina when WSSU dropped an 87-63 decision to the Bison of North Dakota State University. The Rams got 21 points from Darius Floyd in the loss while Ben Woodside and Brett Winkelman led the Bison with game-highs of 22 points. The win improved NDSU to 11-6 overall while WSSU fell to 3-19 with the loss.

Up Next...The Rams will return to the road as they make their first, and only, foray into the state of Florida as they pull a double-duty assignment against a pair of MEAC teams in Bethune-Cookman College and Florida A&M University. The Rams start the Sunshine State trek in Daytona Beach as they face the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman College on January 27 before traveling to Florida's capital city of Tallahassee to face the Rattlers of Florida A&M on January 29 as the Rams close out the month of January.

It Had Been A Decade...The Rams recently snapped a 15 consecutive game losing streak (with a win over Ferrum on January 7) that saw them lose 18 of their first 19 contests. The Rams' 15-game losing streak was the most consecutive losses for WSSU since a similar 15-game skid that occurred during the 1991-92 season, a season in which the Rams finished the year with a 6-20 record.

How Long Has It Been?...The Rams last losing season came in 1995-96 when Winston-Salem State University posted a 7-18 overall record. Since then WSSU had recorded ten consecutive winning seasons. Following the Rams' loss to UAB on December 23, 2006 the Rams were assured of their first losing season in over a decade.

On The Radio... The Rams will return to the airwaves when they broadcast the February 6, 2007 non-conference contest versus the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest University from the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum as the game will be broadcast on WSNC Radio 90.5 FM with Maurice "Big Mo" Stanfield calling the play-by-play and LA Batchelor providing color. The broadcast will also be available on the Internet at www.WSSU.edu. ISP Sports will carry the Demon Deacons' broadcast of the game. For WFU broadcast information, contact the Wake Forest Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 758-5640.

On Television...The games between the Rams and the Wildcats and the Rams and Rattler are not televised. However, the Rams' game versus Kansas was the second of three scheduled games that the Rams play on television. The Rams and the Hoyas of Georgetown played on MASN, the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network with Jason Knapp on the play-by-play and Mark Tillmon providing color commentary. The Rams returned to television versus Kansas on December 19, 2006 as they appeared on ESPN Plus and Jayhawk TV with Dave Armstrong and Paul Splittorff calling the action. WSSU will appear on Jefferson Pilot sports when they face the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest on February 6, 2006. Thus far this season the Rams have posted an 0-2 record in televised contests.

Live Audio/Live Stats...The WSSU Department of Athletics will provide a real-time live statistics broadcast of the game between the Rams and the Wildcats and the Rams and the Rattlers at www.WSSURAMS.com by accessing the men's basketball schedule link and accessing the GAMETRACKER function.

The Polls...Neither the Rams nor the Wildcats are ranked. The Rams have faced a pair of opponents this season that are currently ranked in the national polls in the Kansas Jayhawks (currently ranked #5/#5) and the Fighting Irish of the University of Notre Dame (currently ranked #20/#20). The first ranking indicates the Associated Press poll, the second indicates the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

RPI Rankings...Neither team is ranked in the national polls however both teams are rated in the RPI. Bethune-Cookman is ranked 325th in the NCAA men's basketball RPI report that was issued Tuesday. WSSU is ranked 298th in the RPI.

First Road Win...The Rams earned their first road win of the season on January 18, 2007 when they defeated the Spartans of Norfolk State University at Echols Hall in Norfolk, Virginia. The Rams also earned their first win on a Thursday this season, as well as winning for the first time when they were outrebounded by their opponent. The Rams also earned their first win in black uniforms.

Roy's Half-Century...Junior point guard Roy Peake started his 50th career game at WSSU when he took to the court versus Norfolk State University. Roy has appeared in 80 games for the Rams and has now started 51 of them.

Collins Versus The Wildcats...The Rams' Bobby Collins who is in his first season as the head coach at Winston-Salem State has faced the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman eight times in his career and has posted an impressive 6-2 mark in his four and a half seasons as a college head coach. Collins is riding a two-game win streak versus the Wildcats as he defeated BCC twice during the 2005-06 season. Collins' only losses to the Wildcats came during the 2004-05 season.

The Series...The two teams have never met in the history of the two programs. The Rams have posted an all-time mark of 1052-615 over the span of 60 seasons. Despite sponsoring basketball at both institutions for nearly 100 years, the two programs have never faced one another. However, the teams will meet twice a year starting next season when the Rams join the MEAC.

The Coaches...WSSU is led by Bobby Collins who is in his first year as the head coach of the Rams. He is entering into his fifth season as a Division I head coach and has posted a 68-76 overall record as he led Hampton University to a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament last season. He has posted a 3-19 overall record at WSSU with his wins coming in a 67-44 decision over the Anderson University Trojans, a 77-56 victory over the Ferrum College Panthers, and an 81-71 victory over the Spartans of Norfolk State. The Wildcats are led by Clifford Reed, Jr. who is in his sixth season as the head coach at Bethune-Cookman College. He has posted an overall record of 54-93 while at BCC. The two coaches have met eight times in head-to-head action with Collins posting a 6-2 mark versus Reed.

The Century Club...Senior guard/forward Curtis Hines appeared in his 100th game as a Rams when he played versus Akron on December 9, 2006. He celebrated cracking the century mark with a 20-point performance, including going 5-of-7 from behind the three-point arch.

A Look At The Wildcats...Saturday's contest will be the 18^th game for the Wildcats as Bethune-Cookman College heads into the contest with a 4-13 overall record. The Wildcats are 3-3 at home this season and have posted a 1-10 mark on the road. BCC snapped a two-game losing streak on January 22, 2007 when they recorded a 59-57 road win over the Hawks of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

A Look At Bethune-Cookman College...Bethune-Cookman College is an institution of higher education that is located in Daytona Beach, Florida and was founded in 1904. BCC boasts an enrollment 3,100 students. BCC's school colors are Maroon and Gold and the mascot is a Wildcat. They play their home games in Moore Gymnasium with a capacity of 3,000 persons. They are a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and NCAA Division I.

A Tribute To Coach "Big House" Gaines...Since the unfortunate passing of legendary WSSU coach Clarence E. "Big House" Gaines nearly 20 months ago, the Rams have continued to adorn the name-plate on the back of all of their uniforms with his name. C.E. "Big House" Gaines still ranks as the fifth winningest coach in NCAA history and remains the winningest African American coach in NCAA history. He put Winston-Salem State University on the map and as such, the team pays tribute to him by adorning their jerseys with his namesake.

O-Fer In The Harbor Town...The Rams are currently 0-2 this season when playing in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. The Rams lost an 81-56 decision to the Eagles of Coppin State in Baltimore, Maryland on November 21, 2006 and lost their most recent contest, a 53-50 decision to Morgan State University on January 7, 2006.

A November Record...The Rams played 10 games during the month of November, turning in a 1-9 record. Until this season Winston-Salem State University had never played 10 games during the first month of the season. WSSU had played nine games in the month of November three times in history but had never played 10 games like they did this season. Of those ten games, nine came on the road.

14 Conferences Down...The months of November, December, and January saw the Rams play teams from 14 different conferences. The Rams faced the: Western Athletic Conference (WAC) when they played Fresno State, Big West when they played UC-Irvine, the Sun Belt when they played South Alabama, the Carolinas-Virginias Athletic Conference (NCAA Division II) when they played Anderson, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) when they played Auburn, the Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA) when they played Georgia State and Towson, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) when they played Coppin State and Morgan State, the Atlantic Sun (A-Sun) when they played Lipscomb, and the Big East when they played Notre Dame, the University of South Florida, and Georgetown. The Rams added their 11th conference played when they faced the Akron Zips of the Mid-American Conference and added their 12th conference faced at Kansas as they faced the big 12 for the first, and only, time this season. The Rams then added Conference USA in their loss to UAB as WSSU faced their 13th conference of 2006-07 before adding their 14th conference of the season with a loss at Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) member Georgia Tech. The contest versus North Dakota State marked the first NCAA Independent that the Rams have faced this season.

One Conference To Go...The Rams have faced 14 different conferences thus far in 2006-07 and will face one additional conference this season. In the upcoming weeks the Rams will face the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) again when they face Wake Forest (January 3 and February 6), and will revisit the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference when they face Florida A&M, and Bethune-Cookman (January 27 and 29 respectively). However, the Rams' last unique conference that they will face is the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) when they face Alabama A&M (February 12) giving the Rams a total of 15 different conferences faced this season.

Home, Sweet Home?...The Rams have played five games at home and have posted a .400 record in those contests en route to a 2-3 mark in homes games. The Rams defeated Anderson (SC) and Ferrum (VA) and lost contests to Georgia Southern, the University of South Florida, and North Dakota State. WSSU looks to move that record to 3-3 at home on February 10, 2007 when they face Columbia Union at the C.E. Gaines Center.

Road Weary...The Rams won their first road game of the season on January 18, 2007 when they defeated Norfolk State. WSSU has dropped 16 contests away from the C.E. Gaines Center. WSSU has posted a 1-14 record on the road and an 0-2 record at neutral sites.

No Rest For The Wicked...It gets no easier for the Rams as they follow up a road contest at Norfolk State (Jan. 18) with a home game versus North Dakota State (Jan. 20) and then three straight road contests as they travel to Daytona Beach, Florida to face Bethune-Cookman College on January 27; Tallahassee, Florida to face Florida A&M on January 29; and travel across town to face the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest on February 6, 2007 in the Twin-City Classic.

Must Score More Than 59...The Rams need to hit the 60-point mark if they want to earn a win. WSSU has posted an 0-14 record when they score 59 or less points during the 2006-07 season.

Chilly December...The Rams are not sad to see the month of December pass them by. Winston-Salem State posted an 0-7 record in the final month of 2006 as they dropped all seven games they played.

Winless When They Score First...The Rams have only one win when opponents score the first basket of the game. The Rams have posted a 1-12 record when their opponents score the first points of the game. WSSU has posted a 2-7 record when they tally the contest's first points.

Field Goal Defense Keys Wins...The Rams are allowing their opponents to shoot nearly 51% from the field this season and the results show it. WSSU has posted a 1-14 record this season when they allow their opponents to hit more than half of their shots.

Rebounding Deficit...The Rams are being out-rebounded by nearly nine boards per game in 2006-07 and WSSU has posted a 1-18 record when opponents out-rebound them. WSSU is 2-1 when they out-rebound their opponents.

Look Good, Feel Good? Maybe Not...The Rams fashion choices may have no correlation between their winning and losing as WSSU has posted an 0-10 record while wearing their red jerseys, a 1-6 record while wearing their black jerseys and a 2-3 record while wearing their white jerseys.

Wednesday's Second Time...The contest versus Georgia Tech on December 7, 2007 marked only the second time that the Rams have played on a Wednesday. WSSU has posted an 0-2 record in 2006-07 when playing on a Wednesday.

Winless On Saturday's...The Rams have yet to post a win on the sixth day of the week as WSSU has earned a record of 0-6 on Saturday's this season.

Lewis Gets Starting Three-Peat...Greg Lewis started his first career game for the Rams versus the Bulls of the University of South Florida. Unfortunately, Lewis fouled out of the contest after recording only seven minutes of playing time while scoring no points. He logged his second career start versus Akron where he played 11 minutes, scoring four points and picking up a pair of personal fouls and followed it up with his third career, and third consecutive, start at Georgetown University where he logged 15 minutes, missed both his shots from the field and collected three personal fouls.

On The Receiving End...The Rams were again on the receiving end of another team record as the University of South Florida's McHugh Mattis recorded the Bulls' second-ever triple double as he tallied 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 blocked shots while playing all 40 minutes in the game against the Rams on December 7, 2006.

Wonge Scoreless No More...Darrell Wonge, who turned in three consecutive scoreless games in the month of December, broke his scoreless drought as he tallied 14 points versus Akron. Wonge posted a five-of-eight shooting night and hit three of his four three-point field goal attempts.

Only 20%...The Rams shot a chilly 20.4% from the field versus the Hoyas of Georgetown on December 16 as WSSU hit only 10 of their 49 field goal attempts. The Rams have shot less than 40% in 17 of 22 games this season and have posted a loss in all 17 of those games.

Frequent Flier Miles...The Rams will travel over 25,000 miles round trip this season as they play 23 road games this year. The Rams will travel by plane to visit 12 opponents and will travel by charter bus for the remaining 11 opponents.

Unique Opponents...The Rams will face 27 unique opponents during the 2006-07 season. The Rams will play only the Georgia Southern Eagles and the North Dakota State Bison more than once during their first year as a Division I team.

Trailing At The Half...The Rams have led at halftime six times this season and have posted a 3-3 record when doing so. WSSU has trailed at the half 16 times and WSSU has posted losses in all 16 of those contests.

Have To Hold `Em Under 30%...The Rams' have posted a pair of wins of the 2006-07 season came when they held their opponents to under 35% shooting from the field. When opponents shoot 40% or better from the field the Rams are a collective 1-18 on the season. The Rams are also 1-13 when allowing their opponents to shoot 50% or better from the field.

Margin Is High...The Rams have lost 13 games by 17 points or more. WSSU has had only one contest decided by less than 10 points. That close contest came in a 53-50 loss at Morgan State University on January 5 2007.

Don't Bet On Black...The Rams have played 14 games away from home (non-neutral site games). However, WSSU has lost six of those games while wearing their alternate black jersey and lost 10 games wearing their road red jersey (the other two losses coming in a neutral-site game away from home when they wore their home white jersey).

Transition Year Two...The Rams are currently in the second year of a five-year transition from the Division II level to the highest level of competition in Division I. The Rams are an independent team this season but will join the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2007-08. The Rams will become a full-fledged Division I member that is eligible for all NCAA championships in the 2010-11 season.

12th MEAC Member...On July 20, 2006, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced that it will expand its membership to 12 members next year, as the league voted to admit Winston-Salem State University into the league beginning in 2007-08. "We are elated to welcome Winston-Salem into the MEAC family", said Commissioner Dennis Thomas. "Obviously we think that WSSU is an outstanding academic institution with an excellent athletics program." Winston-Salem State University is currently in the second year of its reclassification from Division II to NCAA Division I status. WSSU will begin a full MEAC schedule in all sports beginning in 2007-08. However they will not be eligible for MEAC Championship play until the 2010 football season. The addition of WSSU marks the first expansion for the MEAC since 1997, when Norfolk State University became the 11th member of the conference.

Tough Tests...The Rams have one of the most difficult schedules in the nation. They face 15 different conferences and will face 27 unique opponents. The Rams face #11/#12 Kansas (December 19), previously-ranked, and vote-getter Georgetown (December 16) and vote-getter Georgia Tech (January 3) this season. WSSU faces four teams that made the 2006 NCAA Tournament (Georgetown, Kansas, South Alabama, and Alabama-Birmingham) and five teams that made the NIT (Wake Forest, Lipscomb, Georgia Southern, Notre Dame and Akron).

It's In The Game...With their transition to the Division I level, the Rams have been included in the latest installment of Take 2 Interactive's NCAA 2K7 video game for X-Box, X-Box 360 and Sony Playstation 2. The Rams are rated a 68 overall and are ranked higher overall than all but two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference teams.

A New Era; A Proud History...The Rams are entering into a new era at WSSU as they are heading into the Division I ranks. However, the Rams have a history of basketball excellence as they have recorded 49 winning seasons including 10 consecutive winning years. The Rams have posted 23 20-win seasons and a 30-win season in 1967 when they won the NCAA Championship with a 31-1 record.

1000-Plus Wins All-Time...Winston-Salem State University has posted an all-time record of 1052-615 for a winning percentage of 63.1%. Legendary coach Clarence E. "Big House" Gaines won 828 games at WSSU during his career which still places him fifth on the NCAA's all-time win list (behind Bobby Knight of Indiana and now Texas Tech, Dean Smith of North Carolina, Adolph Rupp of Kentucky, and Jim Phelan of Mount Saint Mary's).

California Love?...The Rams are not thrilled with their early-season road trip to California. The Rams are now saddled with an overall all-time mark of 0-2 versus teams from the State of California, and head coach Bobby Collins is now 0-4 all-time versus California schools.

First In Shooting...The Rams were first in the CIAA in shooting percentage last season as they hit 47.6% of their shots. WSSU shot 50% or better from the field in 11 of their last 15 games in 2005-06 and posted an 11-4 mark over that stretch. This season the Rams have yet to crack the 50% shooting barrier in any game.

Turnover Differential...The Rams ranked first in the CIAA in turnover margin as they turned in a plus (+) 3.04 turnover ratio last season. This season the Rams are committing eight-tenths of a turnover more per game than they force.

Injury Update...Heading into the 16th week of the 2006-07 season, the Rams are again mostly healthy. 13 active roster members will be at head coach Bobby Collins' disposal for Sunday's game. Jarmel Baxter is ineligible this season and Jason Smith was lost for the season in the USF game as he will have knee surgery in the off-season.

Jamal Durham Up To His Old Tricks...WSSU sophomore forward Jamal Durham is continuing the 2006-07 season right where he left off last season, a season that saw him earn CIAA All-Rookie honors. Durham heads into this week's action averaging 8.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest.

The Last Time WSSU Scored 100...The last time that the Rams scored 100 points was on December 2, 2005 versus Knoxville College. The Rams earned the 103-80 win in Winston-Salem, NC at the CE Gaines Center. In that game WSSU had seven players score in double-figures as Alleggrie Guinn tallied 20 points to lead the Rams.

The Last Time WSSU Gave Up 100...The last time that the Rams gave up 100 points to an opponent was on February 14, 1998 (Valentine's Day) at Capel Arena in Fayetteville, NC. The Rams lost that contest, broadcast live on television on MBC Networks, in triple-overtime, to Fayetteville State University by the score of 112-104 (3OT).

The Last Time WSSU Held An Opponent To Under 30% FG Shooting...The last time that the Rams held an opponent to less than 30% shooting from the field was on November 14, 2006 when they held the Trojans of Anderson University (SC) to a 28.6.0% shooting percentage as the Trojans converted only 14 of 49 field goal attempts. The contest was a 67-44 win for WSSU at the C.E. Gaines Center in Winston-Salem, NC. It also served as Bobby Collins first win as head coach at WSSU.

Keep `Em Under 70...The Rams are a dismal 1-9 this season in the ten games that their opponent scores 70 points or more.

Deep Bench...Despite being young, the Rams, and head coach Bobby Collins have a deep bench. Through 22 games of the 2006-07 season, Winston-Salem State University has eight players on the roster who have appeared in all 22 games. The Rams also have 10 players who have started at least one contest.

The Last Time WSSU Had Two Players Record Double-Doubles In The Same Game...Was on December 1, 2001 at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC when Marcus Best, WSSU's all-time leader in steals (346), scored 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Devonaire Deas, a transfer from Florida State University, chipped in with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The Last Time WSSU Had A Player Record An Assist/Points Double-Double...Was on January 31, 2006 as Alleggrie Guinn scored 26 points and added 10 assists in WSSU's 82-75 loss to the Broncos of Fayetteville State University at the LJVM Coliseum Annex.

The Last Time That A WSSU Player Led The Rams In Points/Rebounds/Assists...Was on December 7, 2004 at Mars-Hill College when Alleggrie Guinn recorded 25 points, six rebounds, and four assists in WSSU's 83-80 win. He also led the Rams in steals in that same contest with four.

The Last Time WSSU Defeated A Ranked Team...Was on February 11, 2006 in Charlotte, NC as the Rams handed the 23rd-ranked (NCAA Division II) Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith University an 81-57 defeat at Brayboy Gymnasium. The Rams have defeated at least one ranked team each season for four consecutive seasons (the Rams were a Division II team for 61 years with the 2006-07 season marking their first year as a Division I program).

A Look At The University...Winston-Salem State University was founded as the Slater Industrial Academy on September 28, 1892. It began in a one-room frame structure with 25 pupils and one teacher. In 1895, the school was recognized by the state of North Carolina, and in 1897, it was chartered by the Slater Industrial and State Normal School.

From the beginning, the school has insisted upon the vital importance of elementary school teachers in building an improved citizenship. Emphasis has, therefore, constantly been placed upon the quality and quantity of training for these teachers. In 1925, the General Assembly of North Carolina recognized the school's leadership in this field and granted the school a new charter, extending its curriculum above high school. The school changed its name to Winston-Salem Teachers College and empowered it, under the authority of the State Board of Education, to confer appropriate degrees. Winston-Salem Teachers College thus became the first Negro institution in the nation to grant degrees for teaching in the elementary grades.

The Nursing School was established in 1953, awarding graduates the degree of Bachelor of Science. The basic nursing program covers four years of study with equal emphasis on academic and professional education.

In 1957, the North Carolina General Assembly revised the charter of the college and authorized the expansion of the curriculum to include secondary education and any other specific types of training as directed and determined by the State Board of Higher Education.

The North Carolina General Assembly of 1963 authorized the changing of Winston-Teachers College to Winston-Salem State College. A statute designing Winston-Salem Teachers College as Winston-Salem State University received legislative approval in 1969. On October 30, 1971, the General Assembly reorganized higher education in North Carolina, and on July 1, 1972, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) became one of 16 constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina, subject to the control of the Board of Governors.

Winston-Salem State University is located on 110 acres in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina, a city of 185,470 residents. This thriving Twin City is part of the Piedmont Triad, which encompasses the neighboring cities of Greensboro and High Point. The Triad is one of the most heavily populated and fastest growing metropolitan areas between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, GA (U.S. Census Statistical Information).

Winston-Salem State University rapidly is changing its "well-kept secret" status. The University has been ranked by U.S. News and World Report's "Best Colleges and Universities" publication as one of the best public liberal arts colleges in the south for the last five years. WSSU is perhaps best defined by part of the University's mission statement which reads: "Excellent academic programs with a strong liberal arts foundation will be offered within a learning culture which exemplifies excellence in teaching and scholarship; emphasizes faculty-student interaction; promotes lifelong learning; and prepares individuals for leadership and service in the global society."

The present day Winston-Salem State University has come a long way from its humble beginnings as Slater Industrial Academy in 1892; WSSU now enrolls over 5,557 students, offers bachelor's degrees in over 40 majors, master's degrees in seven degree programs, and employs nearly 250 full-time faculty and 350 staff members. It is accredited by the Commission on College of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. WSSU has a diverse student population with increasing enrollment of non-traditional and part-time students.

On March 5, 1998 the University's "Strategic Framework for Change" was unveiled to the Board of Trustees and the Winston-Salem community. The document provides the context for transforming today's Winston-Salem State University into one of the region's finest public undergraduate institutions. Nursing at Winston-Salem State University offers a global health curriculum and international student and faculty exchange. Gottenburg's University in Sweden, the Nightingale Institute at King's College in London, the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, Waterford Regional Technical College in Southern Ireland, and WSSU are all partners in this exciting venture.

The pass rate for Winston-Salem State University nursing graduates on the state board examination is above 90 percent, one of the highest in the state of North Carolina and the highest among historically black colleges and universities nationally.

In the 90's, Fortune 500 corporations increasingly recruited business, economics, and accounting graduates. Recently, the University's student chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants was recognized in the national competition at the Association's annual meeting. Winston-Salem State University is no longer a hidden jewel or "Best Kept Secret." The word is out about WSSU.

WSSU are all partners in this exciting venture.