Dr. Atkinson to Speak at 15th Annual Braswell Lecture

Dr. June St. Clair Atkinson will be the special guest speaker for the 15th annual Braswell Lecture on March 21st at 7:30 p.m. in the Southern Bank Auditorium on the University of Mount Olive campus. This event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Atkinson is the first woman elected state superintendent of the public schools in North Carolina and has served in this position since August 2005. She oversees almost 1.5 million students in over 2,500 public schools and has more than 35 years of experience in education. Atkinson earned a bachelor’s degree in business education from Radford University, a master’s degree in vocational and technical education from Virginia Tech, and a doctorate’s degree in educational leadership and policy from North Carolina State University.

Atkinson has received numerous awards over the years including recent accolades such as the Champion of Children Award from the North Carolina Association of School Administrators, the State Policy Maker of the Year Award from the National Association for State Educational Technology Directors, and North Carolina Association of Educators Inclusive Leadership Award.

The Braswell Lecture is held annually at University of Mount Olive in memory of Jessie Dail Braswell. Braswell taught in Princeton public schools for 34 years and demonstrated a life-long commitment to education. The Jessie Dail and Walter Vernon Braswell Endowment funds the Braswell Scholars, the largest scholarship program at University of Mount Olive. Since 1998, the Braswell Lecture has featured leaders in North Carolina education and presented speeches on significant issues.

University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The College, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Research Triangle Park, Washington and Jacksonville. For more information, visit www.moc.edu