Fayetteville State University Welcomes Our 12th Chancellor

Interviews With The Media & Other News

Spectrum News 1, March 5, 2021

Read FSU Chancellor-Elect Allison’s interview with Spectrum News1 reporter Amy Elliott


Fayetteville Observer, March 4, 2021 

Chancellor-Elect Darrell T. Allison spoke with Myron Pitts from the Fayetteville Observer and shared his vision and plans for the future of Fayetteville State University. He also discusses the name change and other topics surrounding his appointment as the 12th Chancellor of FSU. Listen to the interview:


Read the Q&A printed by permission from: Myron B. Pitts: Fayetteville State chancellor addresses vision, faculty revolt, 'UNC-F', Silent Sam (fayobserver.com):


Last month, Darrell Allison was named the 12th chancellor of Fayetteville State University.

The 49-year-old had been a member of the University of North Carolina system Board of Governors, a position he resigned from in the fall to pursue the FSU job. He was appointed by the same board, beating out more than 60 other applicants.   Allison worked on behalf of minority-serving institutions while on the Board of Governors. He earned his undergraduate degree at N.C. Central University before going on to earn a law degree at UNC-Chapel Hill. He did not practice law, instead becoming an advocate and lobbyist for school choice in K-12 education.

The manner of his selection and slim experience at the university level have generated opposition from some FSU alumni and faculty. Some have questioned his role in a controversial settlement between the Board of Governors and Sons of Confederate Veterans over the Confederate statue, Silent Sam, that was toppled by protesters in 2018 on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill.

In a wide-ranging Q&A on Wednesday morning, Allison, whose official start date is March 15, sketched out his vision for FSU and addressed the controversies surrounding his appointment. Note: Information in parentheses is paraphrased.

Q. What is your vision for Fayetteville State University? What do you hope to accomplish?

I'm not here to necessarily change Fayetteville State University. I really am here to elevate the impact that Fayetteville State University has.

We have some of the leading programs in the UNC system. Our nursing program is second to none. Our business program, each year it goes higher on the list of really being a strong program in the nation. We have a great education program.

Right here in the Sandhills region we've got an athletic program that in the last five years, this program has competed for 20 CIAA championships. We've got a lot of great stuff that is happening, that is occurring on these hallowed grounds at Fayetteville State University, and it's time for us to elevate that.

(Allison says FSU has been here and doing great work since 1867, and says most don't know it is the second-oldest publicly supported university in the UNC system, after UNC-Chapel Hill. He said alumni, staff, students and faculty will be vital in helping him refine and develop the vision.)   This is not a "me" vision. If I'm going to be an elective leader, it's got to be a "we" vision.

I'm excited. The way I work, the way I operate, I am a collaborative leader. We bring partners in - individuals that look like us, individuals that don't look like us, individuals that have not previously invested in us, etc.

Q. In what areas do you believe Fayetteville State University can improve?

(Allison says FSU can become the top Historically Black College and University in the country for educating military-affiliated students. It currently ranks fourth in the UNC system, behind N.C. State, East Carolina University and UNC-Wilmington, he says.)

When you think about the fact that we've got a vice president (Kamala Harris) who is a graduate of an HBCU, you think about the kind of corporate foundations that are shifting their strategic plans and resources with intentional purpose of supporting HBCUs, when you look at the fact that the first Black secretary of the Department of Defense (Lloyd Austin), previously was a commander at Fort Liberty, and his wife is a graduate of F-S-U. Today is the day that Fayetteville State University says we're going to place a stake in the ground, and we're going to build out a serious military engagement effort like we've never seen before.

Q. During your press conference last month, you made mention that 80% of FSU students come from rural areas. I found that to be both amazing and surprising. You yourself are from a small town, if I recall correctly?

Cabarrus County, that's right, a rural county.

Q. Can you tell me a little bit about your upbringing and how that influenced you, and how it will help in this new role?

It's personal. I think about the students today and I see Darrell. I see Darrell Allison. I come from a small town, Kannapolis, North Carolina, where my parents and most all of my family worked in the textile mill. My parents appreciated education but they did not have an education.

(Allison says he and his younger sister and brother knew they were going to college but also knew their parents could not afford to send them. All went to NCCU, an HBCU in Durham, on full academic scholarships.)   We were very fortunate to have an HBCU who looked at us, understanding we were first-generation students and took a shot on us.

We worked hard. We did well. We got our undergraduate degrees. We were doubly blessed by the UNC system, where my brother and I attended UNC-Chapel Hill and my sister got a medical degree at ECU. So I appreciate the diversity and uniqueness of this UNC system on a very personal level.

Q. Almost every time there is a leadership change at FSU, some alumni and others worry that there will be a renewed push to change the name to the University of North Carolina at Fayetteville. Where do you stand on that issue?

I am an HBCU graduate. A proud graduate of an HBCU. I don't know where (the name-change) idea came from but it dare not come out of my lips, I'll tell you that.

It is internal - for those stakeholders, those alumni, those faculty, students (to decide). If it is among that leadership, that they are saying and driving the notion, that, "Hey, we think it makes sense to change the name," then I will help lead.   To be clear: If this is somehow external, the powers that be to kind of force this upon us? I'm in a nice suit right now, but I will quickly go put on my jogging pants, my boots and I will be on the front lines to actively resist that effort.

Q. You have worked extensively as an advocate for school choice. What do you say to those who say this puts in doubt your commitment to a publicly supported institution like FSU?

(Allison notes that he and his wife were educated at public schools through post-graduate degrees, and their two daughters, Dayana, 15, and Daila, 11, are in public school. He says in total it represents 50 years of commitment and investment in public schools.)

I don't talk about it from a philosophical standpoint. It is who we are and who I am.

My wife and I have been very fortunate in life. My two daughters have parents who are going to do, and have the means to do, whatever they need to do, to help provide them with the best education they could possibly have. So if that means we have to maybe perhaps move to a public school district where schools are performing a little bit better, we will do that. If that means we will have to go into our wallet and secure some tutorial hours with certain teachers, we will do that.

But here's the flip side of that. There are far more parents, far more families, far more students, who don't have parents that are in that unique position - they're in abject poverty. The schools for them, the only pathway isn't the best for them.

K-12 is the most critical time in an individual's life. If we don't get it right there, it has irreparable harm for the rest of their lives. It's that important.   I want them to get to Fayetteville State University. The first rung is graduate from high school. And I promise you, if they step foot on Fayetteville State University we're going to carry them the rest of the way.

It is that kid. It's the same kid. We're targeting a kid at K-12, and we're targeting the same kid in higher ed.    I'm that kid, first-generation kid, (to) college. That's what this is all about.

Q. The process whereby you became chancellor has caused some anger and concern among a number of people in the FSU community, including some alumni. Specifically, the Faculty Senate voted that your appointment be revoked, and the search process declared failed. The senate lists as one of its main problems with the appointment process is that they believe it will threaten the school's accreditation. What is your response to those concerns? Would you remain as chancellor-elect if the selection process does in fact put in jeopardy FSU's accreditation?

I was a candidate who submitted his name to be entered in the process. I had no oversight, I had no other activity other than just present my case to the best of my ability. From the search committee to the (FSU) Board of Trustees to the UNC System to the UNC president, you'll have to speak to them as relates to the process. I can't speak to that.   We've made outreach to meet with senate faculty leadership. I've actually worked, (during) my time on the Board of Governors, with the chair, Chet Dilday. They've declined the opportunity.

But on the flipside, I'm happy to say that there are a number of faculty that want to speak with me and we'll be scheduled to talk in the next 24 hours - quite a big number. And the same with alumni.

Yes, we have the national alumni association, and they've taken similar positions but, I have to tell you, I've spoken to a significant number of alumni, both in the state of North Carolina and beyond and will continue to do just that. I have a number of alumni, that once they get to know me and understand me, they will be supportive. The same with faculty, the same with staff.

(Allison cited support from alumni such as State Sen. Ben Clark; State Reps. Marvin Lucas and Garland Pierce;  and Dr. Algenia Warren Freeman, a retired HBCU administrator.)

Q. One issue that has been out there is the issue of Silent Sam. Can you explain your role in the agreement between the Board of Governors and the Sons of Confederate Veterans? In an op-ed that you co-signed in the News & Observer, you appear to take credit for making the agreement happen.

  I appreciate the question. Only recently have I started to speak to it.    (Allison said when he served on the Board of Governors, he believed that when a board made a decision, the board was speaking as one. He says he would not give a differing opinion unless it was "highly principled.")

When the statue was toppled in Chapel Hill and the issue was thrust upon the laps of the UNC Board of Governors to deal with, Darrell Allison, at that time being the only African-American male on the board, did not raise his hand to be a part of a working group to deal with this issue. There were a lot of priorities I had on my list, and a Confederate statue was not one of them.

But when leadership came back to me and said "Darrell, we've got to find a solution here. This is really becoming a major problem. We need your perspective and your voice. Would you please consider?" I reluctantly agreed.

(Allison says his main objectives were that the monument not be placed back on UNC-Chapel Hill's campus or on any other campus in the system. He says he feared that reinstalling the statue could lead to violence. He says people on both sides of the issue cited state law in advocating to reinstall the statue or remove it permanently.)

We needed to rid the system of this ugly issue once and for all. For me, I can only speak for me, it was a matter of life and the potential for senseless deaths of students on our campus - that's what it was building up to. So in order to ensure that the statue never be raised again forever on our campuses, and when faced with two options - there was the no-option, which means the status quo, then we had the not-so-good option. The not-so-good option was providing some compensation to the group so that we could rid ourselves of this issue forever. So Darrell chose the not-so-good option.

To the op-ed. The allegation of lying, being dishonest - I don't practice lying. So, opponents will look at any way to be negative and critical. Those that say, "Well, Darrell you weren't at the negotiating table negotiating with the Confederates." Let me tell you something, I would never be at that table. Again, as the only Black man on the board. I would never be at a table negotiating with a group, with individuals who are diabolically different from where I am at.   But we had officers of the system and of the university who were at that table. So when we say "we" in our op-ed, we say "we" - the system - that's the UNC Board of Governors, that's the UNC system, an institution that "we" stand behind a decision that we made. That's where clarity, I hope, is understood, because I do not practice lying, and character and integrity is important to me.

(Allison is asked to respond to an allegation that the FSU chancellor's job was a pay-off for his supporting the Board of Governors on the Silent Sam agreement. He said "absolutely not" and "Never would I do such a thing.")   (He also addressed a story in The Fayetteville Observer that highlighted that his mother-in-law, Brenda Timberlake, is a member of the FSU Board of Trustees, which approved his appointment. Allison called the story disappointing and said Timberlake was a big supporter of FSU who is known for her high character and integrity. The school said in a statement, published in the story, that Timberlake did not take any role in the chancellor selection process. Allison says his mother-in-law "followed the letter of the law to the nth degree.")

Q. What haven't we covered in this interview that you would like to address?

(Allison said he intended to learn more about Fayetteville and the people who live here. He said his wife and daughters were excited.)

One of the things that sealed the deal in terms of my girls feeling like Fayetteville State was the destination, (was) because they found out that Fayetteville State University had a Chick-fil-A. (Laughing).   I'm excited for my girls.

This is real important. This campus has a population, female students, 70%. And my girls when they come to see daddy and go to the games and go to various events, they're going to see smart, powerful intelligent women walking this campus, lecturing and in every aspect - athletics, etc. That energizes me. That excites me. We are head-first, all-in.   

Darrell T. Allison, a longtime education advocate and champion of North Carolina’s historically minority-serving institutions, was named the 12th chancellor of Fayetteville State University on today.

He was elected by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, following his nomination by University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans.

Allison will assume his role on March 15. He will succeed Interim Chancellor Peggy Valentine, who was appointed in July 2019 and previously served as dean of the School of Health Sciences at Winston-Salem State University.

“We are thrilled and excited to welcome Mr. Allison to FSU,” said Stuart Augustine, chairman of the FSU Board of Trustees. “We are anticipating great things for our university and Bronco community based on everything we know about Mr. Allison and the tools and resources he brings with him.”

A former member of the Board of Governors and former trustee at North Carolina Central University, Allison’s career and public service have been focused on education.

Chancellor Elect Darrell Allison
Chancellor-Elect Darrell T. Allison

He is currently vice president of governmental affairs and state teams at the American Federation for Children. In this capacity, he has developed successful partnerships, led advocacy programs and generated philanthropic support for the organization.

“Darrell T. Allison is a creative leader who understands the value of Fayetteville State University to the community, the region, and the state,” Hans said.

“Darrell’s expansive career in education and service to the UNC System has been important to this state, and especially our HBCUs,” Hans added. “He brings with him a proven track record for student advocacy and a reputation for fostering partnerships that can further this university’s strategic goals. Through his leadership of the Racial Equity Task Force, he was a powerful voice in advancing critical issues of equity, and I know he will help us continue to push forward on this priority.”

Board of Governors Chair Randy Ramsey shared his enthusiasm for Allison’s new role.

“I have worked alongside Darrell for many years now and he is not only a person of great ability but one of true character,” Ramsey said. “He is deeply committed to higher education and to the citizens of North Carolina. He brings to this position a broad understanding of Fayetteville State University’s strategic role and impact in the region.”

Allison’s career in education spans decades of service advocating on behalf of students and expanding educational opportunities for underserved families in North Carolina and across the nation.

Serving on the Board of Governors from 2017 to late 2020, he was a vocal supporter of the system’s historically minority-serving institutions. As the inaugural chair of the Historically Minority-Serving Institutions (HMSI) Committee, Allison helped lead efforts resulting in all 17 campuses gaining at least $2 million for repairs and renovations – an investment that especially supported the system’s smaller universities. Allison advocated for a multi-million dollar upgrade for fundraising software and data management for the universities, which ushered in cost savings and strengthened fundraising programs.

FSU’s Monument to Leadership, The Transformative Vision
FSU’s Monument to Leadership, The Transformative Vision, by Vandorn Hinnant

Allison also initiated and finalized a partnership with UNC-Chapel Hill’s NC Policy Collaboratory, which awarded $6 million for COVID-19 programming and research at historically minority-serving institutions.

While on the UNC Board of Governors, Allison served on several committees, including: Budget and Finance; Historically Minority-Serving Institutions (chair); UNC System Racial Equity Task Force (chair); Educational Planning, Policies and Programs (secretary); Strategic Initiatives Committee; and UNC K-12 Laboratory Schools.

Prior to that, Allison served on the NCCU Board of Trustees, where he played a key role on the Advancement, Athletics and External Affairs, Academic and Student Affairs committees, and as a member of the NCCU Chancellor Search Committee. In 2017, Allison endowed a scholarship fund at NCCU, his alma mater, in memory of his father, Thomas Allison.

Allison holds a Juris Doctor degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree from NCCU. He and his wife La Nica are the proud parents of two daughters.


Accolades

“Chancellor-Elect Darrell T. Allison serves as a pioneering North Carolina Central University graduate who paves the way for aspiring scholars. On behalf of NCCU’s Board of Trustees, students, faculty, staff and alumni, I offer congratulations to our esteemed alumnus and former member of our Board of Trustees. The Eagle community is excited about this milestone achievement for Chancellor-Elect Allison, who is also a generous supporter of our institution. I know that he believes in the transformative power of higher education and continuously demonstrates his commitment and passion as an advocate for those seeking higher education.”
- Chancellor Johnson Akinleye, North Carolina Central University

“I have known Darrell T. Allison for many years. He is a strong, collaborative leader. I truly believe that he will make an excellent leader for FSU.”
- North Carolina Senator Dan Blue, 14th District

“This will be an extraordinary opportunity for Fayetteville and our region. I’m confident that with Chancellor Allison at the helm, FSU is on the threshold of major growth and advancement.”
- North Carolina Senator Ben Clark, 21st District

“My dream is that your greatest achievement at Fayetteville State University will be preparing the next generation of phenomenal leaders who will make our world a better place for all persons. It is my hope that you will succeed in providing stellar leadership as the 12th Chancellor of this remarkable institution. As you succeed in your new role, Fayetteville State University will reap the benefits. Fayetteville State University’s future rests on your remarkable and dedicated leadership. GO BRONCOS!”
- Dr. Algeania Warren Freeman, FSU ’70, former president of Wilberforce University, Livingston College, and Martin University

“Darrell T. Allison has a long a history of dedication to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). As a graduate of a HBCU, he knows that a quality education can transform a student’s life and will impact not only the student, but the student’s family and community. Fayetteville State University will have a new leader in Allison who will bring innovation and resources to a great university and make it greater.”
- David Green, former UNC System Faculty Assembly Chair, NCCU School of Law

“I am excited to see Darrell Allison take the helm at Fayetteville State University. During his time as chair of the HMSI committee and the Racial Equity Task Force, I saw him navigate through tough issues with a spirit of partnership. He will be a great advocate for students at FSU and I look forward to seeing what’s to come.”
- Isaiah Green, ASG President and BOG Member, UNC Asheville

“Congratulations FSU and Chancellor Darrell Allison! I believe this is a positive step in the right direction for the university and Cumberland County. Bronco Pride!”
- North Carolina Representative Marvin Lucas, 42nd District, FSU ’64

“I am excited about the future of Fayetteville State University and look forward to working with Chancellor Darrell T. Allison. I am confident that he will be a great asset to our institution.”
- North Carolina Representative Garland Pierce, 48th District, FSU ’77

“I look forward to working with Darrell Allison and this great institution in the days ahead.”
- North Carolina Representative Robert Rieves, 54th District

“It was through Darrell T. Allison’s vision and leadership that the Collaboratory was able to commit $6 million to our HMSI campuses for COVID-19 research. I look forward to working with Chancellor-elect Allison in his new role for the next big research partnership between the Collaboratory and FSU that I’m sure is right around the corner.”
- Dr. Jeff Warren, Executive Director, North Carolina Policy Collaboratory, UNC-Chapel Hill

Chancellor-Elect Darrell Allison