General | 5/1/2025 2:21:00 PM
DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central Athletics is winning again – both on the field and in the classroom.
Since its two-year NCAA probation was lifted in 2020, the Eagles have won a MEAC football title, captured the Celebration Bowl and claimed its first conference softball crown in the MEAC. Student-athletes have earned numerous academic honors.
More notably, NCCU achieved the highest cumulative grade point average in its Division I history – a 3.25 – through the fall 2024 semester. The GPA for the fall 2024 semester alone was an impressive 3.27, setting a new single-semester departmental record.
“I remember when we didn’t have that grade point average of a 3.27, it wasn’t even a 3.0 but it was close,” said Dr. Deborah Fortune, the Faculty Athletics Representative. “They have worked and got it to this point.”
Recently, the NCCU athletic department shared the good news during a presentation at the School of Business Lowe’s Auditorium. The “State of Academics” was the first report about the student-athletes’ academic progress since the Eagles were put on probation by the NCAA in 2018 for eligibility violations.
The faculty and staff in attendance watched a slide presentation by Kwadjo Steele, Associate Athletics Director of Student-Athlete Support, and Lucy Mason, Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Experience. They were guest speakers at the A2 (Squared) Meeting facilitated by Dr. Fortune. The A2 Meeting was created by Attorney Marlynn Jones, who was the Director of Compliance in Athletics, in collaboration with Dr. Fortune. Its purpose was to provide an opportunity for faculty/staff and athletics staff/coaches to meet in an open forum to discuss ways to support student-athletes at NCCU.
“It was important for us to take some time and talk with our strategic partners, specifically after spending a decade working with student-athlete support to look at the accomplishments we have and how we got there,” Steele said.
The slide presentation detailed the student-athletes’ academic rise in recent years. The biggest key was recruiting student-athletes who were strong academically and athletically.
“We’ve attracted some really talented students who are in it for the right reasons and are willing to maximize their experiences,” Steele said. “The second thing is our coach buy-in. It’s really hard to buy-in to academics being a real integral part of how you perform on the field. People will talk about it but our coaches this year have lived it. Probably the biggest jump we’ve had is our coaches have believed in their core when they recruit. We’ve got some really talented students and that matters. We don’t raise these kids, their parents do. It allows us to maximize their strength.”
Once the new student-athletes step on campus, it is vital that NCCU provides support, according to Steele. As an example, one slide during the presentation showed a bicycle wheel. Each spoke connected to the wheel represented an NCCU department. The picture symbolized that each department plays a role in the student-athletes’ development and collegiate experience.
Kia Robinson, University College Senior Academic Advisor, was in the audience listening intently. She said the presentation was on point.
“Being a part of the department during a pivotal time – when NCCU Athletics faced NCAA infractions – and contributing to the team that helped change not only university processes but also the culture and mindset of our coaches and student-athletes was a challenging yet rewarding experience,” Robinson said. “After transitioning to University College, witnessing the continued growth of Student-Athlete Academic Support Services has been incredibly exciting. Seeing our student-athletes succeed not just on the field but also in the classroom has been the most fulfilling part of this work.”
Dr. Fortune plans to host more A2 meetings in the future to update the faculty and staff about the academic successes of the student-athletes. A2 meetings were once held twice a year before COVID struck.
“Our student-athletes are doing really well.” Dr. Fortune said. “Where do we go from here? Do we maintain or do we go to the next level? We got a 3.27, why not get to a 3.5 and keep going?”
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com, or download the NCCU Eagles Athletics app.
