The Department of Social Work and Diggs Gallery are best of the best among nation’s HBCUs, according to HBCU Digest.

For the second consecutive year, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) has won multiple HBCU Awards, presented by HBCU Digest. WSSU received awards for Best Social Work Program and for Best Fine Arts Program for the Diggs Gallery.

The awards were presented at a ceremony on Friday, Aug. 2, at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture in downtown Baltimore.

WSSU was a finalist for 10 awards this year, tied for the third-most overall and a record for the university.

“We are thrilled to be recognized this year among the best HBCUs by HBCU Digest,” said WSSU Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson. “This is a testament to the exceptional faculty and staff who give their best each and every day to make sure that our students succeed and another sign of WSSU’s growing national reputation.”

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Graduates of the WSSU Department of Social Work’s Class of 2019 – pictured here with faculty – were accepted to master’s programs across the country, including Tulane University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (WSSU File, April 2019)

For the second consecutive year, WSSU’s Department of Social Work has received the award for Best Social Work Program among the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities.

The Diggs Gallery was named the Best Fine Arts Program among HBCUs. The gallery, located in the lower level of C.G. O’Kelly Library, is one of the largest galleries for African and African-American art in the Southeast.

WSSU was also a finalist in these categories:

  • HBCU of the Year
  • Male President of the Year, Elwood L. Robinson
  • Female Faculty of the Year, Dawn Hicks Tafari, assistant professor of education
  • Alumna of the Year, Tish Guerin ’05, a 2019 WSSU Young Alumni Council “Forty Under 40” honoree, and the in-house mental health clinician for the Carolina Panthers.
  • Best HBCU Marching Band, The Red Sea of Sound
  • Best HBCU Choir, The Singing Rams
  • Best Research Center, the Center of Excellence for the Elimination of Health Disparities (CEEHD)
  • Best Nursing Program

About Winston-Salem State University

Winston-Salem State University fosters the creative thinking, analytical problem-solving, and depth of character needed to transform the world. Rooted in liberal education, WSSU’s curriculum prepares students to be thought leaders who have the skills and knowledge needed to develop innovative solutions to complex problems. Founded in 1892, WSSU is a historically Black constituent institution of the University of North Carolina with a rich tradition of contributing to the social, cultural, intellectual, and economic growth of North Carolina, the region and beyond. Guided by the motto, “Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve,” WSSU develops leaders who advance social justice by serving the world with compassion and commitment.