WINSTON-SALEM – To explain what makes Winston-Salem State University great, Chancellor Elwood Robinson points to Simon Green Atkins and the emancipated slaves who started the university after they sought approval from the local powers that be.

“They said, ‘What will you teach?’ And he answered that question by saying, ‘What do they teach at Harvard? And what do they teach at the world’s great universities?’” Robinson says in the accompanying video.  “So I think greatness at Winston-Salem State is in its DNA.

“We have a history where we’ve delivered on the promise of being able to educate every student that comes to this university.  They leave, and they go out and do great things.”

Robinson attributes WSSU’s success to its 27,000 alumni, its staff, to the Winston-Salem community and, of course, to the people who teach its students.

“It’s also related to the great faculty that we have, who committed to coming to this institution and teaching these students at the highest possible level,” he says. “Oftentimes I tell folks that teaching at Winston-Salem State is more than a job – it’s a mission, that we want to deliver to students a high-quality education.”

“So when you have all of those different entities looking at you, trying to help you, trying to support you, you can’t help but deliver and be a great university.”