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UD, North Carolina A&T launch new partnership 11 a.m., May 4, 2006--The University of Delaware and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University have launched an important educational partnership in conjunction with the Paul R. Jones Collection of African-American art, a premiere compilation that was presented to UD in 2001. Under the terms of the agreement signed by UD President David P. Roselle and Chancellor James C. Renick of North Carolina A&T, an historically black university of about 11,000 students located in Greensboro, the two institutions will create opportunities for students and faculty to participate in programs associated with the collection. The universities have formed a joint partnership committee to facilitate implementation of the agreement, and that committee is working to develop student internships, stimulate faculty exchanges, provide for expanded graduate study opportunities and build institutional links between various programs at UD and North Carolina A&T. In addition, the institutions will share relevant art exhibitions and pieces, with UD drawing from the Paul R. Jones Collection and North Carolina A&T from its highly regarded collections. The Henry Clinton Taylor Collection features works by Charles Alston, Romare Bearden, John Biggers, Alma Thomas, Jacob Lawrence and Margaret Burroughs. The Mattye Reed African Heritage Collection features fine examples of African material culture, including sculptures, masks, figures, household implements, musical instruments and textiles from Africa and elsewhere in the African Diaspora. At UD, programs developed by the committee will include academic units that have special interest in the Paul R. Jones Collection, including art, art conservation, art history, Black American Studies, museum studies and the Center for American Material Culture Studies. The relationship extends beyond the arts, with interns in political science and international relations, sociology, English and chemistry, as well as in art conservation, scheduled to come to the UD campus this summer. Jones, an Atlanta resident, said it was part of his dream in giving the collection to UD that it would foster interaction between the institution and historically black colleges and universities. Shortly after the gift of the collection, UD signed an agreement with Spelman College that has resulted in an exchange of students, faculty and exhibits. The relationship between UD and North Carolina A&T took flight when Renick was invited to campus to deliver the annual Paul R. Jones Lecture in October 2005. During the lecture, he proposed a partnership between the two institutions and Roselle readily agreed. The two universities quickly arranged several exchanges and meetings, with Eleanor Gwynn and the E. Gwynn Dance Company from North Carolina A&T performing at Mitchell Hall in mid-March to an enthusiastic and appreciative audience. Tom Apple, dean of UD's College of Arts and Sciences, led a delegation to Greensboro on Monday, April 24, to begin exploring possible cooperative ventures between the two institutions. Discussed were joint classes via live video link, shared international travel opportunities for students, and a joint multimedia project centered around the famous civil rights case of the Greensboro Four, in which four North Carolina A&T students integrated a Woolworth's lunch counter on Feb. 1, 1960. Article by Neil Thomas |
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