Government Affairs Virtual Forum – Brief by FSU Chancellor Darrell T. Allison

Please join us for our monthly virtual forum at 10 a.m.
 
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to engage with Chancellor Darrell T. Allison from Fayetteville State University; Executive leader and strategic visionary!
 
Learn more, make connections, be recognized and be heard!
 

 

 
Darrell T. Allison is the 12^th chancellor and chief executive officer of Fayetteville State University (FSU), the second oldest public institution in the University of North Carolina System. Chancellor Allison’s visionary leadership has catalyzed widespread institutional renewal, yielding unprecedented success in these core areas: academic progress, economic empowerment, and development; major funding acquisition and fundraising; service to military-affiliated students; and athletic competition. His tangible impact at FSU has caught the attention of state influencers, earning him a spot in Business North Carolina’s “Power List” in Education for two consecutive years, in 2022 and 2023. A champion of educational opportunity, Chancellor Allison has worked intensively to
 
improve college affordability and access, and to maximize student success. In 2021 and 2022, he used COVID relief funding totaling $3.2 million to clear student debt amassed during the pandemic, targeting student retention. Additionally, the University’s 30-60-90 Free Summer School program, now in its 3^rd year, continues to optimize on-time
 
graduation and has helped boost FSU’s retention numbers considerably. In 2023, nearly 66 percent of FSU students – 4,270 students – participated in the summer school program. Most recently, FSU welcomed nearly 7,000 students, with the largest first-year
 
class enrollment in recent years and boosting its freshmen retention by 14% since 2020 (78%). At Chancellor Allison’s direction, FSU has expanded access, services, and programming for military-affiliated students. The university recently launched a program to provide
 
free tuition to all military-affiliated students, awarding scholarships to over 450 students in the program’s initial two years. FSU’s innovation and commitment resonate with this student population as the university marked its largest enrollment ever of military-affiliated students for the
 
second consecutive year. FSU is proud to serve more than 30% military-affiliated students, making the institution the highest by percentage of military affiliated enrolled students in the UNC System, and FSU has tapped top talent to advise on innovative military programming, appointing four-star General (Ret.) Michael X. Garrett as the military executive-in-residence in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
 
Allison secured a $10 million appropriation in the state budget to renovate and construct a new, full-service academic support center for military-affiliated students that provides study, meeting and houses two ROTC detachments as well as FSU’s Department of Military Affairs.
 
Under Chancellor Allison’s leadership, the university rolled out the FSU Strategic Plan 2022-2027: Ready for Tomorrow. This blueprint for success captures five major priorities and metrics that will fulfill its promise to help all students, faculty and staff achieve goals and advance the university’s mission. Simultaneously, the university underwent an intensive process to invest in its Campus Master Plan and introduced a
 
10-year (2023-2033) design that focuses on the enhancing academic spaces and study areas, outdoor features like walking paths and greenways, and additional resources that connect the university with the surrounding community.