The Black Alumni Society held its 3rd Annual Black Alumni Society Conference from Friday, March 30, through Saturday, March 31, 2007. The theme of this year’s conference was “50 Years and Counting: Believing, Achieving and Succeeding,” reflective of the golden anniversary of the first African American undergraduates to attend NC State University. The conference was held at the new Dorothy and Roy Park Alumni Center, which opened its doors in September 2006. Highlights of the conference included the Wildwood Greens golf outing, tours of the Park Alumni Center, the unveiling of the “100 Most Influential Black Alumni,” a jazz social at Yancy’s on downtown Raleigh’s newly renovated Fayetteville Street, campus updates, emerging issues forums, the Pan-Afrikan Step Show and Blackout, the closing banquet and red carpet affair hosted at Carmen’s Cuban Café.

The campus updates, shared Saturday morning, included presentations from Dr. Lennie Barton ’77, ’81 MS, ’87 DED, executive director of the Alumni Association; a representative from Athletics; Dr. Louis Hunt ’83, ’00 PhD, vice provost of enrollment management; Dr. Jose Picart, vice provost for diversity and African American Affairs; Dr. Tracey Ray ’93, co-chair of the 50th Anniversary Task Force; and Toni Thorpe, program coordinator for the African American Cultural Center.

Emerging issues were discussed in three sessions:

1. Believing Session—The Worth of the Black Dollar: Real Estate, Entrepreneurship and Black Enterprise as a Change Agent
2. Achieving Session—Take Care of Home: African American Graduation and Retention Rates.
3. Succeeding Session—From Student Leadership to Global Leadership.

Genevieve C. Sims ’69 served as the closing banquet keynote speaker on Saturday night. She is a private practicing attorney specializing in family law.

Conference sponsors and supporters included Progress Energy, the College of Design, the College of Education, the African American Cultural Center, Keaton Barrow Realty, Chancellor James L. Oblinger, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Multicultural Student Affairs, Southern Company, University Housing, the Office of Greek Life, the Union Activities Board Black Students Board, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Dean Thomas Conway ’94 PhD, Mu Omicron Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., AIMS Realty, Wanda Pollard & City Chic Hair Studio, the Women’s Center, Between Us Travel Agency, 6D Enterprises, NC State’s Collegiate Chapter of 100 Black Men of America and many individual patrons and alumni.

BAS would like to see this annual event grow in alumni participation to become a tradition at NC State. The 2008 Black Alumni Society Conference/Reunion planning sessions will begin this summer. If you live in the Raleigh area and you want to work on the 2008 Black Alumni Conference Planning Committee, please contact president Keon Pettiway ’05 at bas_president@yahoo.com or vice president Tracey Ray ’93 at tracey_ray@ncsu.edu or 919.515.9243. The committee is considering a couple of changes for upcoming events: alternating conference and reunion formats and making the events more inclusive of children and families. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.