Men's Basketball Closes Season At South Carolina State On Friday - WINSTON-SALEM STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

March 2, 2007

WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- The Rams (5-23) return to action for their final contest of the 2006-07 season as they face the Bulldogs of South Carolina State University (12-16) at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center (capacity 3,200) from the campus of South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina at 7:30 pm (Eastern Time).

The Setting (WSSU)...The Rams (5-23 overall) enter into the contest riding a two-game losing streak as the Rams dropped a 79-63 decision to the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M University on February 12, and followed it up with an 83-68 loss to the Bison of North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota in WSSU's last action which came on February 21, 2007. In the loss to the Bison the Rams received 19 points from Darrell Wonge as he and teammates Norman Carter (14 points) and Brian Fisher (11 points) were the only three WSSU players in double-figures.

The Setting (SCSU)...The Bulldogs (12-16 overall) enter into the contest riding a one-game losing streak as South Carolina State University saw their three-game win streak snapped with a 70-65 road loss to the Spartans of Norfolk State University (a team that the Rams defeated in Norfolk, VA on January 18, 2007). Despite 23 points from Derrick Davis the Bulldogs were unable to hang on for their fourth consecutive win as they fell in defeat to NSU in front of 1,232 fans at Echols Hall in Norfolk, VA.

On The Radio...The contest between the Rams and the Bulldogs will not be broadcast on WSNC Radio 90.5 FM. Winston-Salem State University radio coverage of WSSU Athletics will begin anew on September 1, 2007 as the WSSU football team takes on North Carolina A&T State University at Bowman Gray Stadium. South Carolina State University will broadcast the contest on WSSB 90.3 FM with longtime announcer "Bulldog Willie" providing the play-by-play action.

On Television...The game between the Rams and the Bulldogs will not be televised. However, the Rams' game versus Kansas (December 19) was the second of two scheduled games that the Rams played on television. The Rams and the Hoyas of Georgetown (December 16) 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. The Rams posted an 0-2 record in televised contests this season.

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 Bulldogs at www.WSSURAMS.com by accessing the men's basketball schedule link and accessing the GAMETRACKER function.

Website...The Official Website of WSSU Athletics is www.WSSURAMS.com and the Official Website of South Carolina State athletics is www.SCSU.EDU/ATHLETICS.edu. The Rams are partnered with College Sports Television (CSTV) a subsidiary of CSB Sports and www.CBSSPORTSLINE.com. A new-and-improved WSSURAMS.com will be unveiled in mid-April with several new technological advances.

The Polls...Neither the Rams nor the Bulldogs are ranked. The Rams have faced a trio of opponents this season that are currently ranked in the national polls (AP Top 25) in the Kansas Jayhawks (currently ranked #3/#3), the Hoyas of Georgetown (currently ranked #9/#10), and the Fighting Irish of the University of Notre Dame (#22/#17). The first ranking indicates the Associated Press poll, the second indicates the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

What's On Tap...The Rams look to close the season on a high note as they strive for a win in a very hostile environment at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. WSSU will see three seniors playing in their final games as Rams as Norman Carter, Curtis Hines, and Lowen Wray wrap up their WSSU careers. With 23 losses headed into the game on Friday, the Rams are already assured to finish the season with the most losses of any team in the 61-year history of WSSU basketball. Bobby Collins will cap his first season as the head coach of the Rams with either a 6-23 record or a 5-24 overall mark.

Last Action Meeting...The two teams have never met. The Rams are in the midst of a five-year transition from the NCAA Division II level towards NCAA Division I classification. The Bulldogs and Rams will meet every season starting in 2007-08 as Winston-Salem State University begins its first year as a full-time member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

Up Next...The Rams return to the road for their final game of the 2006-07 season. Winston-Salem State will travel the three hours from home to face the Bulldogs of South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina as the Rams close the season in a contest versus a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opponent. WSSU head coach Bobby Collins will put his 4-5 all-time coaching mark versus South Carolina State on the line as he looks to even his career coaching mark versus the Bulldogs with a win. The contest will mark the final game in the WSSU careers of seniors Curtis Hines, Lowen Wray and Norman Carter.

Collins Versus The Bison...The Rams' Bobby Collins who is in his first season as the head coach at Winston-Salem State has faced the Bulldogs of South Carolina State University nine times during his five-year head coaching career with all nine of those head-to-head matchups with the Bulldogs coming while Collins served as the head man at Hampton University. Collins has posted a 4-5 record versus SCSU during his career. He looks to even the all-time mark at 5-5 if he can lead WSSU to a win on Friday evening.

The Series... The two teams have never met. The Rams are in the midst of a five-year transition from the NCAA Division II level towards NCAA Division I classification. The Bulldogs and Rams will meet every season starting in 2007-08 as Winston-Salem State University begins its first year as a full-time member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

The Coaches...WSSU is led by Bobby Collins who is wrapping up his first year as the head coach of the Rams. He is coaching in the final game of his fifth season as a Division I head coach and has posted a 70-80 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 5-23 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, an 81-71 victory over the Spartans of Norfolk State, a 56-48 victory over Bethune-Cookman College, and a 77-61 win over the Pioneers of Columbia Union College. The Bulldogs are led by Jamal Brown. Brown is in his first season at the head of the SCSU program and has posted an overall record of 12-16 this season. Collins and Brown have never met in head-to-head coaching action as both are in the first seasons at their respective institutions.

Last Game For Senior Lowen Wray... Wray, a 5'10" guard from Charlotte, NC has appeared in 79 games for the Rams, starting six contests. He has recorded 128 points and 91 assists during his career for an average of 1.56 points and 1.09 assists per game. A Deans List student in the classroom, Wray is planning to attend graduate school.

Last Game For Senior Norman Carter... Carter, a senior forward from Greensboro, NC has appeared in 57 games for the Rams, starting nine contests, including the Rams' last two games. He has recorded 191 points during his WSSU career for an average of 3.37 points per game. Carter has pulled down 95 rebounds in his career for an average of 1.47 rebounds per game. He recorded career highs of 14 points and 10 rebounds versus Columbia Union College on "Senior Day 2007".

Last Game For Senior Curtis Hines... Hines is a 6'2" guard from Charlotte, NC who has appeared in 115 games for the Rams making eight starts, earning him the distinction as the most seasoned of all WSSU men's basketball players. Hines has recorded 625 points and 157 rebounds over the course of his career earning him career averages of 5.3 points and 1.31 rebounds per game.

A Tribute To Coach "Big House" Gaines...Since the unfortunate passing of legendary WSSU coach Clarence E. "Big House" Gaines nearly 22 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.

It Had Been A Decade...The Rams snapped a 15 consecutive-game losing streak that saw them lose 18 of their first 19 contests with a win over Ferrum on January 7. 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. The Rams will finish this season with the most losses of any team in WSSU basketball history (61 seasons) as they will cap 2006-07 with either 23 or 24 losses.

First Road Win...The Rams earned their first road win of the season and in the Division I history of the program 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 out-rebounded by their opponent. WSSU added their second road win, and second win of the season when being out-rebounded when they defeated Bethune-Cookman College 56-48 on January 27, 2007 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Double Your Pleasure...The Rams have recorded four double-doubles this season and have posted a 2-2 record this season when a player on the roster tallies double-digit points and rebounds. The most recent double-double occurred on February 10, 2007 when the Rams earned a 77-61 win over Columbia Union College as Norman Carter tallied the first double-double of his career with a career-high 14 points and 10 rebounds.

100 Helpers Yet Again...With six assists versus Florida A&M on January 29, 2007, Roy Peake broke the century mark in helpers for the second consecutive season. Missing the 100 assist mark in only his freshman season (86 assists), Peake has led the team, or had a share of the lead, in assists each game this season except for one and has amassed a streak of 24 straight contests where he leads, or has a share of the lead, the team in assists in each game. The lone contest this season where Peake did not lead the team in assists was on November 12, 2006 versus South Alabama when Brian Fisher led the team with five assists. Peake heads into the contest with South Carolina State with 125 total assists this season.

Collins Gets To 70...WSSU head coach Bobby Collins earned his 70th victory as a collegiate head coach when he guided the Rams to a 77-61 victory over Columbia Union College on February 10, 2007 at the C.E. Gaines Center in Winston-Salem, NC.

Fabulous Freshman...Freshmen have led the Rams in scoring in 17 games this season. Darius Floyd has led the Rams in scoring seven times and Brian Fisher has led the Rams in scoring 10 times as the freshmen guard duo continue to each average over 20 minutes per game and have started all but two contests. Unfortunately for the Rams, the services of Darius Floyd were lost when he suffered an ankle fracture in practice prior to the Alabama A&M game.

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 85 games for the Rams and has now started 56 of them.

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.

O-Fer In The Harbor Town...The Rams had a hard time in "Harbor Town" this season as they posted a mark of 0-2 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 in the harbor city, a 53-50 decision to Morgan State University on January 7, 2007.

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.

15 Conferences Down...The months of November, December, and January saw the Rams play teams from 15 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. The last unique conference that WSSU faced was 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 played six games at home in 2006-07 and posted a .500 record in those contests en route to a 3-3 mark in homes games. The Rams defeated Anderson (SC), Ferrum (VA), and Columbia Union and lost contests to Georgia Southern, the University of South Florida, and North Dakota State. WSSU closes out their first season under Bobby Collins with that 3-3 home record.

Road Weary...The Rams won their first road game of the season on January 18, 2007 when they defeated Norfolk State. WSSU has dropped 20 contests away from the C.E. Gaines Center. WSSU has posted a 2-18 record on the road and an 0-2 record at neutral sites.

Must Score More Than 59...The Rams need to hit the 60-point mark if they want to earn a win. WSSU has posted a 1-13 record when they score 59 or less points during the 2006-07 season with the lone win coming on January 27 in Daytona Beach, Florida when they defeated the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman College by the score of 56-48.

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.

One Win When They Score First...The Rams have only two wina when opponents score the first basket of the game. The Rams have posted a 2-16 record when their opponents score the first points of the game. WSSU has posted a 3-7 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 1-13 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 2-22 record when opponents out-rebound them. WSSU is 3-1 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 1-12 record while wearing their red jerseys, a 1-8 record while wearing their black jerseys and a 3-3 record while wearing their white jerseys. WSSU earned their first win of the season when wearing their road red jersey on January 27 in Daytona Beach, Florida when they defeated Bethune-Cookman College by the score of 56-48.

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 contest on a Wednesday.

Two Wins On Saturday...The Rams have posted only two wins on the sixth day of the week as WSSU has earned a record of 2-7 on Saturday's this season with the first victory coming on January 27 at Bethune-Cookman College (56-48) and the second coming on February 20 versus Columbia Union (77-61).

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. He has not started a contest since.

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. He has not gone scoreless in a contest since.

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 20 of 28 games this season and have posted a loss in all but one 20 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 faced 27 unique opponents during the 2006-07 season. The Rams played 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 seven times this season and have posted a 4-3 record when doing so. WSSU has trailed at the half 21 times and WSSU has posted losses in all but one of those contests.

Have To Hold `Em Under 30%...The Rams' have posted a trio 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 1-23 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 14 games by 17 points or more. However, as of late, the Rams are playing in much closer contests.

Don't Bet On Black...The Rams have played 18 games away from home (non-neutral site games). However, WSSU has lost eight of those games while wearing their alternate black jersey and lost 12 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 faced #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 1054-619 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 final two weeks of the 2006-07 season, the Rams are again mostly healthy. 12 active roster members will be at head coach Bobby Collins' disposal for Wednesday'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. As well, leading scorer Darius Floyd is now inactive due to an ankle injury that has sidelined him since the Alabama A&M game.

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 7.9 points and 4.5 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 1-18 this season in the eleven games that their opponent scores 70 points or more. When opponents tally 80 points or more, WSSU is a collective 0-14 this season.

Deep Bench...Despite being young, the Rams, and head coach Bobby Collins have a deep bench. Through 28 games of the 2006-07 season, Winston-Salem State University has seven players on the roster who have appeared in all 28 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.