Companies keep coming back to A&T for workforce talent

   

"Each year hundreds of local, national and global companies attend the annual Career Awareness Program and Career Fair at North Carolina A&T State University. This year, two recruiters share their experiences in interviewing and hiring North Carolina A&T talent just in time for the Sept. 10 fair that will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Corbett Sports Center.

    The office of career services, led by Joyce Edwards is prepared for another successful fair. The 2014 Unlock Your Potential themed event marks the 40^th annual career fair at N.C. A&T. There are 169 companies registered for the fair, which provides a fine balance of returning and new employers representing various industries across the world.

     “We attend the career fair at A&T to build relationships with students who are starting to explore career options,” said Kathy Woodard, a 14-year recruiting veteran and recruiting manager at First Citizens Bank. “We also want to build awareness of First Citizens Bank as a place where you can do far more than be a banker. We have so many career paths here – IT, finance, audit, HR, marketing, analytics, risk management, project management and the list goes on,” she added.  

First Citizens Bank launched an IT summer internship program last year and hired four Aggie interns. Woodard shared that two of those interns will be joining the FCB team after graduation.

BASF, The Chemical Company has attended the fair for the past two years. Latasha Teemer, university recruitment specialist said that “BASF comes to the N.C. A&T career fair to recruit great talent into its Professional Development Programs.”

    “The students are very professional and have a talent we are seeking. We enjoy building relationships with the students and faculty. We have sites that are in close proximity to the University so we are always looking for up and coming talent to join our workforce. It's truly a career fair where the caliber or quality of candidates is just like none other,” Teemer added.

BASF has hired interns for the Engineering Professional Development Program, a 2 year engineering rotational program.

    “My interns have helped me make contacts with faculty and student organizations. I am very impressed with the talented interns and FT employees I have hired through attending the career fair. They make me proud and represent our company very well,” Teemer shared.

To access the full list of companies registered for the career fair click here."

-A Press Release

Washington Monthly ranks N.C. A&T in 2014 National Universities list University maintains No. 2 spot for Social Mobility

"For the third year in a row, North Carolina A&T State University ranked No. 2 in the nation for social mobility in Washington Monthly’s 2014 National Universities Rankings.

Social mobility measures how well a university performs as an engine for improved social status.

By using data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System Survey, Washington Monthly compares the percentage of Pell Grant recipients to the predicted graduation rate, the actual graduation rate and other factors. While 57 percent of North Carolina A&T students receive Pell Grants, a figure the magazine uses to determine the school’s commitment to educating lower-income students, graduation numbers soar to 41 percent—well over the predicted graduation rate.

Overall, N.C. A&T ranked No. 49 with a score of 66 out of 100, an improvement from last year’s place at No. 53. In addition to social mobility and overall placements, Washington Monthly ranked the 277 colleges and universities listed in research and service.

N.C. A&T was ranked at No. 19 for ROTC programs in the service category. In the service category, N.C. A&T came in at No. 189 for federal work-study funds spent on service, No. 172 for community service participation hors and No. 174 for service staff, courses and financial aid support.

N.C. A&T was listed at No. 215 for science and engineering PhDs awarded, No. 189 for faculty receiving significant awards and No. 157 for faculty in national academies in the research category.

To view the rankings click here. "

- A Press Release

Engineering Undergraduate Programs Reaccredited for Six More Years

"North Carolina A&T State University’s College of Engineering (COE) announced that its undergraduate and graduate degree programs in architectural engineering, biological engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, industrial and systems engineering and mechanical engineering have been reaccredited by the Accreditation Commission of ABET -- the nationally recognized accreditor of college and university programs in engineering, computing, applied science, and engineering technology.  For Engineering programs throughout the nation, ABET accreditation demonstrates a program’s commitment to providing its students with a quality education, where the maximum review cycle is six years. North Carolina A&T’s College of Engineering has a proud tradition of its programs earning ABET accreditation, where its oldest programs first earned ABET accreditation in 1969.

Dr. Robin Coger, dean of the College of Engineering acknowledged the sustained efforts of the college faculty and administrators in making this reaccreditation possible. “This result was achieved through a true team effort due to actions of our constituents within the College, combined with those of our many partners across the greater University. We are all pleased that our programs have once again been granted the full six-years of ABET accreditation.”

For more information about North Carolina A&T State University’s College of Engineering degree programs, visit www.coe.ncat.edu.

About Accreditation
ABET is the recognized accreditor of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology.  Accreditation is a voluntary, peer-review process that requires programs to undergo comprehensive, periodic evaluations.  The evaluations, conducted by teams of volunteer professionals working in industry, government, academe, and private practice within the ABET disciplines, focus on program curricula, faculty, facilities, institutional support, and other important areas. 

One of the key elements of ABET accreditation is the requirement that programs continuously improve the quality of education provided.  As part of this continuous improvement requirement, programs set specific, measurable goals for their students and graduates, assess their success at reaching those goals, and improve their programs based on the results of their assessment. 

ABET is a not-for-profit organization, owned and operated by its more than 25 professional and technical member societies.  An internationally respected organization with some 1,500 volunteers, ABET has set the higher-educational standards in its fields for nearly 75 years. More information about ABET, its member societies, and the evaluation criteria used to accredit programs can be found at http://abet.org/"

A Press Release

Greensboro Selected by NC Department of Transportation for Watch for Me NC Campaign

"The N.C. Department of Transportation will partner with various communities from the mountains to the coast in 2014 to spread the Watch for Me NC campaign message of pedestrian and bicycle safety. The City of Greensboro, UNCG, and NC A&T have been selected as partners in the Watch For Me NC program, which improves enforcement of bicycle and pedestrian safety laws and educates motorists, pedestrians and cyclists on safety awareness. The goal of the campaign is to reduce bicycle and pedestrian crashes and fatalities in North Carolina.

Each year more than 2,400 pedestrians and 960 bicyclists are hit by vehicles in North Carolina. On average, about 160 pedestrians and 20 bicyclists are killed each year in the State, representing about 12% of all traffic fatalities that occur on North Carolina roads. In collisions with cars, pedestrians in particular have a lot to lose. Those hit at 40 mph have an 85 percent chance of dying.

The City of Greensboro will be working with NC A&T and UNCG to put together a local campaign which will roll out during the fall. Additional partners from throughout the community will be asked to help support and organize the educational aspects of the campaign.

We all share the responsibility to make sure North Carolina roads are safe for everyone, including pedestrians and bicyclists. Safe places to walk and bike are important for supporting active, vibrant communities. As a campaign partner, Greensboro will receive assistance with printed and multi-media materials and police officer enforcement training. Additionally, the Highway Research Center at UNC-Chapel Hill will provide technical support with campaign implementation. For more information on the Watch for Me NC initiative visit: www.watchformenc.org. For more local information visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/index.aspx?page=4493."

A Press Release

A&T Signs Agreement to Commercialize Hypoallergenic Peanut

Dr. Jianmei Yu

"Hypoallergenic peanuts, peanut butter, and other peanut products are a step closer to grocery stores with the signing of an exclusive licensing agreement for the patented process that reduces allergens in peanuts by 98 percent.

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University signed the agreement with Xemerge, a Toronto-based firm that commercializes emerging technologies in food, agriculture, and a variety of other fields. Xemerge has opened an office at the Gateway University Research Park south campus in Greensboro.

“This is one of the best technologies in the food and nutrition space we have seen,” said Johnny Rodrigues, Chief Commercialization Officer of Xemerge. 

“It checks all the boxes: non-GMO, patented, human clinical data, does not change physical characteristics of the peanut along with maintaining the nutrition and functionality needed, ready for industry integration from processing and manufacturing to consumer products.”

The process was developed by Dr. Jianmei Yu, a food and nutrition researcher in the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, department of family and consumer sciences, and two former A&T faculty members, Dr. Mohamed Ahmedna and Dr. Ipek Goktepe, both of whom are now at Qatar University.

“Treated peanuts can be used as whole peanuts, in pieces or as flour to make foods containing peanuts safer for many people who are allergic,” Dr. Yu said.

“Treated peanuts also can be used in immunotherapy,” she said. “Under a doctor’s supervision, the hypoallergenic peanuts can build up a patient’s resistance to the allergens.”

Research funding was provided by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The process treats roasted peanuts, removed from the shell and skin, with food-grade enzymes commonly used in food processing. The treatment consists of soaking the peanuts in an enzymatic solution.

The treatment reduces two key allergens, Ara h 1 to undetectable levels and Ara h 2 by up to 98%. The resulting peanuts look and taste like roasted peanuts. The peanuts are not genetically modified.

The effectiveness of the process was demonstrated in human clinical trials at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, using skin-prick tests.

In contrast to various other approaches to eliminating peanut allergens, the N.C. A&T process doesn’t involve chemicals or irradiation, and uses commonly available food-processing equipment.

In collaboration with Xemerge, Dr. Yu is continuing to refine the process by testing the effectiveness of additional food-grade enzymes.

Peanuts cause serious allergic reactions in an estimated 0.9% of the U.S. population, about 2.8 million people. Highly sensitive children and adults can develop anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, in as little as a few seconds from ingesting extremely small amounts. Anaphylaxis symptoms can include difficulty breathing; low blood pressure; swelling of the tongue, eyes or face; stomach pain, nausea and vomiting; skin rashes, blisters, itching, inflammation, and pain; and in some cases even death.

Xemerge

Xemerge (pronounced “zee-merge”) specializes in helping early-stage and established companies achieve business milestones, including early customer acquisition (pilots/simulations), strategic channel development, company messaging and positioning.  The firm commercializes clients’ intellectual capital and products by implementing repeatable and measurable approaches to media, management, and collaboration.

Xemerge collaborates with technology transfer offices of research labs and universities to aggressively push technology into the marketplace. The firm helps faculty researchers turn inventions into products and in many cases serves as the supportive management team to lead a start-up company into a commercial entity.

http://www.xemerge.com/

North Carolina A&T State University

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a doctoral research university, located in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is a constituent member of the University of North Carolina system. The university’s history as an 1890 land-grant university is reflected in its strengths in agriculture, animal science, engineering, and environmental science.

The development of the hypoallergenic peanut is the latest example of A&T’s research strengths in food safety, value-added food processing, and post-harvest technologies emerging from its School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

A&T research news appears first on the Aggie Research blog (aggieresearch.wordpress.com) and Twitter (@AggieResearch).

research.ncat.edu"

A Press Release

A&T Gets Approval for MBA Program

"GREENSBORO, N.C.-North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University recently received approval from the University of North Carolina General Administration to change the name of its Master of Science in Management Program (MSM) to the Master of Business Administration (MBA).  The change will become effective in the fall semester 2014.

This change is significant because MBA programs are the signature graduate programs for business schools. The renaming will enhance the visibility of graduate programming in the School of Business and Economics at North Carolina A&T State University.

The MBA program will continue to offer prospective students opportunities to focus on concentrations in accounting, human resources management, and supply chain systems. In the near future, the MBA will also offer more interdisciplinary opportunities to individuals with STEM backgrounds.

“This is an excellent opportunity for North Carolina A&T to showcase its wealth of knowledge and expertise. This MBA program will prepare more qualified and highly marketable employees who understand the business process,” said Joe B. Whitehead Jr., provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at North Carolina A&T State University.

According to the North Carolina Department of Commerce - Labor and Economic Analysis Division report, employment in professional and business services will experience the highest growth rate of all sectors between 2010 and 2020. The university’s goal is to build a highly competitive MBA program with core courses that continue to provide traditional business and management concepts that are very responsive to current workforce needs. 

“Our goal is to create an MBA graduate who is adept in a specific area of concentration but who can also apply interdisciplinary knowledge within a management system,” added Whitehead."

A Press Release