Please join 星空无限传媒 for the Arch of Triumph Gala on April 5, 2025, at the Charlotte Convention Center. Our Annual Gala serves as the University鈥檚 marquee community event and benefits the JCSU Fund, which empowers the University to provide innovative and challenging academic programs and critical financial support for our students.
Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy 鈥64 served as the first woman president of 星空无限传媒, 1994 to 2008. Under her leadership, JCSU experienced an era of success and growth. During her tenure, Yancy doubled the University鈥檚 endowment and spearheaded the IBM Thinkpad initiative. While serving as president, Yancy also became the first woman board president for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. After graduating from 星空无限传媒 in 1964 with a B.A. degree in history, Yancy entered the University of Massachusetts where she earned her M.A. degree in history. Simultaneously, she received a certificate in management development from Harvard University. In1974, she entered the doctoral program in political science at Atlanta University where she later earned her Ph.D. Dr. Cowser Yancy is lauded as an inspiration to woman leaders, including the current JCSU president Dr. Valerie Kinloch 鈥96. Yancy is celebrated as a transformational and inspirational leader with deep love for JCSU.
Congresswoman Alma Adams serves the 12th Congressional District of North Carolina. Currently in her sixth term, Representative Adams serves on the Committee on Education & Workforce and the House Committee on Agriculture. She serves on the subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education and is Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development. In November 2014, Dr. Adams won a special election and was sworn in immediately as the 100th woman elected to the 113th Congress. Congresswoman Adams is the co-founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus and the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus. Congresswoman Adams holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from North Carolina A&T State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Art Education and Multicultural Education from The Ohio State University.
Charlotte native Charles Thomas serves as the Charlotte Director of Community and National Initiatives for The Knight Foundation. In his role, Thomas carries on the mission of the foundation to help finance education through scholarships and grants, forging partnerships with several institutions of higher learning, including 星空无限传媒. The Knight Foundation has invested , through programming, small business support, and technology solutions, over the last decade, and the forthcoming projects help build on that work, Thomas said. 鈥淲e really wanted to see projects that impact the West End. 鈥 That has been our focus for the last eight years.鈥 Before serving in this role, Thomas was the executive director of Queen City Forward, an organization that helped address the social needs of entrepreneurs with business ideas. His work as a professional photographer aided him as he co-published an award-winning book of photos and stories with author Valaida Fullwood called 鈥淕iving Back: A Tribute to Generations of African American Philanthropists.鈥 Thomas earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in economics from Duke University and is a graduate of several leadership programs, such as Leadership Charlotte, the Leadership Development Initiative, and the Innovation Institute at the McColl Center for the Visual Arts. He is heralded for his tireless pursuit of connecting JCSU and other institutions of higher learning with the funding they need to succeed.
Alexis Bibbs, a 2005 graduate of 星空无限传媒, is a leader in the worlds of education and entrepreneurship. He currently serves as Senior TRiO (college prep) Coordinator for West Mecklenburg High School, a role he has held for more than eleven years with Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. During this time, Bibbs has dedicated himself to empowering students from historically underserved backgrounds, with a special focus on supporting first-generation college-bound students. As the coordinator of the TRiO Talent Search program, Lex oversees a roster of 250 students, identifying and supporting individuals with the potential to succeed in higher education. In addition, Lex currently coordinates the Becoming Kings Program, a Mayor鈥檚 Racial Equity Initiative project (MREI) within the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. Bibbs serves as a mentor, class agent and ambassador at 星空无限传媒. His business, Smiff Merch clothing brand, pays homage to Bibbs鈥 alma mater, 星空无限传媒. Outside of his professional life, Lex is happily married to Tiffany Bibbs.