News

Johnson C. Smith University is proud to announce its distinguished speaker for the 2025 Commencement Ceremonies. The University’s 152nd Commencement will take place on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Bojangles Coliseum, featuring acclaimed television personality, comedian and philanthropist Sheryl Underwood as the keynote speaker. 

Johnson C. Smith University proudly celebrates its 15th president, Dr. Valerie Kinloch, on receiving the American Educational Research Association’s (AERA) 2025 Scholars of Color in Education Distinguished Career Contribution Award.

At the National Association of Black Journalists Region III Conference held April 10–12 at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC, more than 100 journalists gathered for a series of dynamic discussions. Among them was a standout panel titled “How to Power Forward in Political Reporting,” moderated by Walter Smith Randolph, Executive Producer of Investigations at CBS New York.

August 6, 2025, was a momentous day that echoed the bold spirit of August 7, 1867, the day of Johnson C. Smith University’s founding, originally the Freedmen’s College of North Carolina, later Biddle Memorial Institute, Biddle University, then Johnson C. Smith University. 

In 2025, the African drummers and the robed promenade of faculty, staff, students and dignitaries signaled back to the auspicious day 158 years prior.

Johnson C. Smith University faculty member and alumna, Shakoya Brown, is on a mission to raise awareness and funds for women’s heart health as a nominee for the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Woman of Impact campaign. As a stroke survivor, Brown is using her platform to educate, empower and advocate on behalf of women’s heart disease and stroke. 

In honor of Social Work Month, JCSU will spotlight a student from the Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work programs each week in March. Today’s spotlight features Eliana Moultrie, an El Paso, Texas, native and a senior in JCSU’s Bachelor of Social Work program. 

Music Producer Michael Mauldin, father of hip-hop mogul Jermaine Dupri, hit the stage at JCSU as a Lyceum Engagement Series speaker in December 2024. Mauldin began the night with a sparkly video originally played in 2021, when the music maverick was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, alongside his son, Dupri.  

Since early August, the Johnson C. Smith University Department of Veterans and Military Affairs, under the direction of Dr. Cheryl Harris Curtis, has undergone a remarkable transformation, experiencing exponential growth and significant changes. One significant change was the hiring of Veterans Services Coordinator Rikketta Franklin, M.Ed., on Aug. 19, 2024. After Franklin’s position, an additional four were granted through the Veterans Administration (VA). The department scaled from a single person to a team of six within one semester. 

Sixty-five percent of Johnson C. Smith University students are Pell Grant-eligible, a statistic that underscores the exceptional financial need of its students.
In 2023, JCSU got to work in helping to connect students with more scholarship opportunities by hiring Shirley Townsend to take on the role of Scholarship Coordinator and Financial Aid Counselor.

For the second consecutive year, Duke Energy Corporation hosted a comprehensive Career Development & Professionalism Workshop aimed at empowering students with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to succeed in today’s competitive job market. 

The event took place on Saturday, Nov. 2, in the James B. Duke Library where Duke Energy provided breakfast, lunch, and numerous giveaways. The POWER UP Bootcamp attracted a diverse group of more than 33 undergraduate students from various majors who were eager to enhance their career readiness and skills as well as develop other essential professional competencies.