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The 2025 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Basketball Tournament 2025 in Baltimore, MD, brought competitive action on the court, an interactive Fan Fest off the court, high-stepping band bravado, a regal royal court competition and high school takeovers for the record books. Dr. Valerie Kinloch, 15th President of Johnson C. Smith University, says the CIAA was an impressive display of competition and collegiality.

As the CIAA Tournament celebrated the 50th Anniversary of The Women’s Championship Tournament, a few hundred women, including Johnson C. Smith University student leaders, faculty and staff gathered for the Women's Empowerment Brunch on Thursday, February 27, 2025. 

As the CIAA Tournament celebrated the 50th Anniversary of The Women’s Championship Tournament, a few hundred women, including Johnson C. Smith University student leaders, faculty and staff gathered for the Women's Empowerment Brunch on Thursday, February 27, 2025. 

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.  

The JCSU Competing Members of the Debate Team – Kirksey Beaty, Ananasa Dobson Holiness Mhlanga, Shanitra Scott and Symphonie Whitted – had one of their best team performances in years at the 14th Annual North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU) Ethics Bowl in Raleigh.

Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in the Virgin Islands, Omar Sanchez struck gold in the USA, right here on Beatties Ford Road. As a sophomore international business major, Sanchez was able to acquire the Barings scholarship, securing a promised $10,000 per academic year that he is enrolled at Johnson C. Smith University.

History was made as the first-ever joint Mister HBCU and Miss HBCU Conference and Competition took center stage in Charlotte. This groundbreaking event showcased the leadership, talent and advocacy of student royalty from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, while also marking the inaugural Miss HBCU competition. The expansion provided a new platform for queens to uplift and advocate for HBCU culture worldwide.

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.