North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a learner-centered community that develops and preserves intellectual capital through interdisciplinary research, discovery, engagement and operational excellence. The university’s rich history dates back over 118 years. N.C. A&T was established as the A. and M. College for the “Colored Race” by an act of the General Assembly of North Carolina ratified March 9, 1891. It was in the fall of 1890, when the North Carolina General Assembly enacted a second Morrill Act that mandated a separate college for the colored race. (The College operated in Raleigh as an annex to Shaw University during the years 1890-1891, 1891-1892, and 1892-1893). A group of Greensboro citizens banned together to make a permanent home for the institution. Members such as Dr. DeWitt, a black dentist, C. Benbow and Charles H. Moore donated 14 acres of land for the site and an additional $11,000 in cash that aided in construction of the buildings. This amount was supplemented by an appropriation of $2,500 from the General Assembly. The plan was approved on March 9, 1891, and the first building was completed in 1893: the Agricultural and Mechanical College for the Colored Race (now North Carolina A&T State University) had found its new home.

In 1915 state legislators changed the college’s name to The Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina, and in 1967 elevated its status to university. N.C. A&T became a constituent university of The University of North Carolina in 1972.

Since its inception, A&T has maintained a tradition of excellence in education. Under the leadership of Dr. Harold L. Martin Sr., the university’s current Chancellor, A&T continues to thrive as it sustains its rich legacy.

N.C. A&T is a public, land-grant, institution located in Greensboro, N.C., on 200 beautiful acres. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a doctoral-granting research university (high research activity). There is also a 600-acre university farm. Its enrollment is more than 10,000 students and its workforce includes 2,170 employees.

The university offers 117 undergraduate degree programs, more than 58 master’s degree programs, and Ph.D. programs in mechanical, electrical and industrial engineering; energy and environmental systems; and leadership studies. The academic programs are offered through the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Economics, School of Education, School of Technology, College of Engineering, School of Nursing, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering; and School of Graduate Studies.

A&T’s outstanding student body is the primary strength of the university. Students are carefully selected from thousands of applicants annually. Once enrolled, they are taught and mentored by excellent faculty, the majority of whom have earned doctoral and other degrees from some of the nation’s most prestigious graduate and professional schools.

A&T graduates the largest number of African-American engineers at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels and psychology undergraduates in the nation. Through its nationally accredited AACSB School of Business and Economics, the institution is among the largest producers of African American certified public accountants. True to its heritage, North Carolina A&T is home to the largest agricultural school among HBCUs and the second largest producer of minority agricultural graduates. The institution was recently awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation's Engineering Research Center (ERC) grant for biomedical engineering and nano-bio applications research.

The University has advanced to the forefront in the area of research. For the fiscal year 2008-09, A&T has generated over $57.7 million in sponsored programs and more than $6 million in appropriations for agricultural research and cooperative extension. It also generates contracts with major international companies, foundations, and federal agencies to secure funding to enhance academic programs and to provide student scholarships.

A&T is proud of its 40,000 alumni of record who occupy leadership positions across the country and around the world. These alumni spread the Aggie tradition throughout the nation, continuing to strive for excellence and to make their mark in society. Among its well known successful alumni are the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., civil rights activist; U.S. Congressman Edolphus Towns (D-NY); retired Maj. Gen. Charles D. Bussey; retired Brig. Gen. Clara Adams–Ender; Ralph Shelton, founder of Southeast Fuels; Dr. Joe Dudley, Sr., founder of Dudley Products, Inc.; Alvin Attles, vice president of Golden State Warriors; former District Court Judge Lawrence McSwain; U.S. Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-ILL); former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Henry E. Frye; The Greensboro/A&T Four, Jibreel Khazan, Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain and the late David Richmond; North Carolina legislator Alma Adams; Elvin Bethea, 2003 Pro Football Hall of Famer; Janice Bryant-Howroyd, founder and CEO of ACT 1 Group; Willie Deese, president, Merck Manufacturing Division; Donna Scott James, managing director, Lardon Associates LLC; Dmitri Stockton, president and CEO of GE Consumer Finance for Central and Eastern Europe; and the late astronaut Dr. Ronald E. McNair.

Twelve presidents/chancellors have served the university since its founding: Dr. John O. Crosby (1892-1896), Dr. James B. Dudley (1896-1925), Dr. Ferdinand D. Bluford (1925-1955), Dr. Warmoth T. Gibbs (1956-1960), Dr. Samuel DeWitt Proctor (1960-1964), Dr. Lewis C. Dowdy (1964-1980), Dr. Cleon Thompson Jr. (1980-1981, interim), Dr. Edward B. Fort (1981-1999), Dr. James C. Renick (1999- 2006), Dr. Lloyd V. Hackley (2006-2007, interim), Dr. Stanley Battle (2007- 2009) and Dr. Harold L. Martin Sr. (2009 – Present).