The year 2001 has brought many changes to N.C. Central University, and the recently-announced retirement of Angela Terry, vice chancellor for student affairs, is a major one. Terry came out of full retirement five years ago to work at NCCU. According to Terry, she enjoys working with students and the challenges it brings.

During the 26 years she worked at the University of Connecticut, she changed positions every 4 to 5 years to broaden her horizons and keep from becoming complacent.

Terry held various positions while at the university, with the last being assistant vice president for student affairs.  

Terry did her undergraduate work at Spellman College in Atlanta, a historically black university, and her graduate studies at Fisk University in Nashville.

One of Terry’s most significant accomplishments since arriving at NCCU was the creation of the Freshmen First Program. The program has been well received and is in its fourth year at NCCU.  

“The program’s initial focus centered on student learning, student development and increasing student involvement in campus life,” said Terry.

According to Terry, Freshmen First is a way to retain students at NCCU and to help get them acclimated with college life.

According to Terry, the Freshmen First program is also a venue to open lines of communication, and to help bridge the gap between the faculty and students.  Another aim of the program is to make students comfortable enough to discuss school issues with the faculty and staff.

Terry said she is interested in seeing more students getting involved in their education and asking more questions regarding what is being provided for them at NCCU.

During the next few months, the Freshmen First Program will implement the “Early Alert Academic Intervention System,” a program designed to alert instructors to possible problems students may be having early in the semester. 

“Students will be counseled on problems before they fall through the cracks and get discouraged,”  said Terry.

The whole idea of the EAAIS is “to get up close and personal with students, and to let them know that there is help if they need it, no matter what the problem is,” Terry said.

Terry started her career as assistant professor of psychology at Albany State in New York, taught a graduate course on assessment, and has also done work on the graduate and doctoral level.

Terry held the vice chancellor job at NCCU for five years split between two periods. She began in 1993 and left a year later to work at the University of Connecticut as vice president of student affairs. That way, she could be closer to her ailing father in Massachusetts.

“He was with my brother and we had to share his care,” said Terry. Her father died in 1996.

Terry’s re-emergence at NCCU was prompted in part by the insistence of someone who came to admire her during her first year there.

“I knew there was a vacancy here, and the person who was to become student government – Catilla Everette – contacted me,” said Terry, who returned in 1997. “I knew that in one year I’d only begun to scratch the surface of what I wanted to accomplish in the division.”

Terry said that her retirement stems in part from a lifelong belief in setting specific time goals, then moving on to bring in fresh ideas.

“I believe that beyond five years in a position, one should move on, otherwise organizations become stagnant,” said Terry.

Asked if she has experienced many obstacles while at NCCU, Terry said: “The major obstacles have been resources, both monetary and physical.”  Terry said that this issue is not exclusive to NCCU and that the same obstacles exist in college systems nationwide.

Terry said that administrators and faculty have learned to make due with what they have.

A national search is underway for Terry’s replacement, which should come sometime next year. She has promised to stay on until her replacement is found.  

“The university is without question headed in the right direction,” said Terry. “I’ve seen a seen a lot of progress during my time at this university as vice chancellor. She says she will “definitely” miss NCCU.

Terry said she has fulfilled her five-year commitment, and now it is time to pursue other opportunities. Terry, a widow, plans to stay in Durham.