ECSU Student-Athletes Celebrate ‘Favorite Faculty and Staff’ at Second Annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night
Robert Kelly-Goss
Posted On March 5, 2020
Elizabeth City State University’s athletics department hosted its second Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night during the men and women’s basketball games against Bowie State University on Feb. 12. Before each match-up, student athletes honored their favorite faculty and staff.
“Our mission is to inspire and empower our student-athletes to realize their intellectual, athletic and personal potential to have a high-level of academic and athletic experience,” said George Bright, ECSU’s athletics director. “We are honored to recognize our great faculty and staff.”
Mr. Bright said the event provided an opportunity to celebrate faculty and staff’s “unwavering support for the success of our student athletes.”
ECSU student-athletes are successful both on the court and field, and in the classroom. The number of student-athletes earning a 3.0 cumulative GPA or above has increased by 10 percent since the spring 2019 semester.
“Our expectations for our student-athletes continue to remain high. They continue to ring the bell and respond to classroom and competitive demands, a true test of their resiliency,” said ECSU’s interim dean of students and faculty and staff representative, Dr. Coray Davis.
Dr. Davis says ECSU’s student-athletes are fulfilling, and often exceeding, expectations. The 165 student athletes are represented in 20 majors across the ECSU curriculum. Four of the 165 student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 GPA last term, while 66 student-athletes earned a 3.0-or-higher GPA.
The most recent data from the NCAA’s Institutional Performance Program shows that ECSU’s student-athlete retention rate of 91.6 percent ranks as the highest among all institutions within the Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association (CIAA) and has increased nearly 4 percent when compared to last year’s retention rate.
“Our student-athletes have committed themselves to being excellent inside and outside of the classroom,” said ECSU’s provost, Dr. Farrah J. Ward. “Our student-athletes work hard, and faculty and staff wanted to show their support for their tremendous dedication.”
Dr. Ward says faculty and staff continue to provide enriching experiences that challenge each of the student-athletes, “and it certainly shows in their academic performance.”
Each member of the men and women’s Basketball team identified their favorite faculty and staff member who joined them during the announcement of starting lineups. The favorite faculty and staff who were honored, and the student athletes who chose them, included:
Women’s Basketball
Dr. Karra Shimabukuro (NyAsia Blango)
Ms. Lucretia Banks (NyAsia Davis, Asia Deal, Tiffany McCarter)
Dr. Latif Tarik (Monica Dixon)
Dr. Dolapo Adedeji (Felecia Jackson)
Dr. Jason Hughes (Angel James)
Dr. Andre Stevenson (Naomi Lockamy)
Dr. Jin Boung Kang (Naterria Luster)
Dr. Tesfaye Serbessa (Sydnee Neal, Iya Holley-Reid)
Dr. Debjani Kanjilal (Markeia Porter)
Dr. Confidence Amadi (Sireann Pitts)
Mrs. Valerie Price (Ninevah Reddick)
Mrs. Tara Bennett (Azhante Rodgers)
Dr. Sheryl Bradford (Devona Stell)
Men’s Basketball
Dr. Latif Tarik (Destin Dunton)
Mrs. Melba Smith (Julius Sallet)
Ms. Lucretia Banks (Justin Faison)
Dr. Jason Hughes (Joseph Allen)
Dr. Namhun Lim (Zach Hobbs, Jason Wallace)
Dr. Jennifer Brown (Gabe Kirkendoll, Aryn Gibson, Shykeef Daniels)
Dr. Eric Luchian (Marvin Trotman)
Dr. Kenneth L. Jones (Darius Webster, Tyjhai Byars)
Dr. Sheryl Bradford (Ahmad Onezime)
Dr. Karra
Shimabukuro (Jahzeer Baker)
ECSU
ACADEMICS AND ATHLETICS EXCELLENCE BY THE NUMBERS
91.6 percent – Student athlete retention rate, remains
the highest of all institutions within the CIAA
66 – The number of
student-athletes who earned above a 3.0 term GPA in the fall of 2019
20 –
The number of different majors represented by student athletes
20 – The number of
student-athletes who earned a 3.5-or-higher GPA in fall 2019.
6 –
The number of student-athletes who are members of the ECSU Honors Program4 – The number of
student-athletes who earned a 4.0 GPA fall 2019.
