News

Johnson C. Smith University announces the appointment of Erna D. Perkins Jones as director of Facilities. Perkins Jones comes to JCSU from Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont in Charlotte. She will assume her role at JCSU on July 14.

Over the last several years, craft breweries have been one of the top trending businesses in the food and drink industry. For millennials, they serve as a new location to socialize, but like many industries, there’s a lack of diversity when it comes to the owners of these establishments. David McMullin Jr. ’12 is hoping to change that. The alumnus was recently mentioned in a Forbes article for his business, Mack Brewing Co.

On Friday, June 5, 2020 Lelia Jackson ‘20 and her daughter Kneadee Lester-Jackson ‘20 both received their diplomas from President Clarence D. Armbrister during Johnson C. Smith University’s diploma pick-up.

“I couldn't have made a better decision,” said Andrew Alexander ’15 while reflecting on his journey at Johnson C. Smith University. “I was very happy with the idea of being able to go to college, an HBCU at that, in the city of Charlotte that's close to my family so they can watch me play.”

As the world continues to deal with the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, essential personnel are hard at work. At Johnson C. Smith University, faculty and a majority of staff are working remotely, but a number of essential workers remain on campus during this unprecedented time. Members of Institutional Advancement, the Health Center, Post Office, Facilities, Residence Life, Campus Police, Housekeeping and the Business Office are among the essential employees on campus during this pandemic.

Five years after the massacre at Emanuel AME Church, in Charleston, South Carolina, Johnson C. Smith University alumnus and Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham ‘85 is honoring all of the victims, especially his sister, Cynthia Graham Hurd.

Gracyn Doctor ‘16 was enjoying the summer before beginning her senior year at JCSU when bullets from the white supremacist’s gun changed her life forever. Doctor’s mother, Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, was one of the nine parishioners killed in the massacre at Emanuel AME Church.

Many Johnson C. Smith University alumni are working to make a difference during the COVID-19 pandemic, including Charlotte City councilman Malcolm Graham ’85, who serves District 2. Graham is the chair of Charlotte’s COVID-19 Housing Task Force, which provides relief for rent and mortgages, in addition to assisting the city’s homeless population.

COVID-19 has created challenges for the students and faculty of Johnson C. Smith University, as well as staff members like Monika Rhue, director of Library services at James B. Duke Library. When the University moved classes online in March, Rhue and her team quickly took action to ensure students had the necessary tools to work remotely.

With the recent global pandemic affecting the country, small businesses have had to re-strategize, re-create and develop concepts of conducting “new normal” business practices.