This collection is open for research. Access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.
Transferred by the Office of Diversity and African American Affairs.
[Identification of item], North Carolina State University, Office of the Provost, Office of Diversity and African American Affairs Records, UA 005.014, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The nature of the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NCSU Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Processed by Todd Kosmerick,
Encoded by Todd Kosmerick,
Finding aid updated by Todd Kosmerick,
The collection has been inventoried, but it has not yet been fully processed.
This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.
In 1989 North Carolina State University created a position of Facilitator of African American Affairs within the Office of the Provost. Dr. Augustus M. "Gus" Witherspoon became the first to fill the position. His responsibilities came to include helping in the interview process of all associate professors, reviewing and making recommendations for faculty promotion and tenure, coordinating college dean reviews, and serving as liaison between faculty bodies and administration on academic matters. The Facilitator of African-American Affairs was also responsible for the University Recruitment and Retention Programs and the programmatic activities of the African-American Cultural Center, which was established in 1991 through Dr. Witherspoon's efforts. The position also had a liaison role with African-American faculty and staff organizations and African-American student organizations.
Following Dr. Witherspoon's untimely death in 1994, Drs. William C. Grant, Rupert W. Nacoste, and Jose A. Picart have followed in his footsteps. By 2000 the position had become the Vice Provost for Diversity and African American Affairs.
By 2007, the Vice Provost for Diversity and African American Affairs had the primary responsibility of forging a shared vision concerning the recruitment, retention, and graduation of a diverse student body. The position has been the focal point in the office of the Provost for advocating, assisting, encouraging, evaluating, and monitoring African American undergraduate and graduate student success. The Vice Provost facilitates communication about diversity as being at the core of the University's academic mission.
Additional information on the early history of African American affairs at North Carolina State University can be found in
This collection is comprised of correspondence, surveys, and reports related to discrimination and African-American issues. It also includes information on the African-American Cultural Center. This office of African-American Affairs worked in cooperation with the Affirmative Action Office. The materials date from 1987 to 2007.
The collection has not been fully processed and remains in the order received.