SCHOLARLY SUCCESS.

AuthorWanbauch, Taylor

It's been 230 years since UNC Chapel Hill was established in 1789. Since then, more than 1 million students have earned degrees from the UNC System, which now comprises 17 campuses. In 2016-17, the system awarded nearly 55,000 degrees. Still, North Carolina ranks 26th among U.S. states in percentage of the population with a four-year degree. While each university sports legions of dynamic alumni, selecting one graduate from each campus gives a snapshot of the extraordinary range of callings made possible, at least partly, by education at the state's acclaimed public universities.

Appalachian State University

Steven Dubner

author. Freakonomics series

New York City

The 1984 graduate's writing career went into overdrive in 2005 when he co-authored Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, with Steven Levitt, a University of Chicago business professor. The book and its SuperFreakonomics sequel sold more than 5 million copies and created a franchise that includes a consulting group, a blog and a podcast that boasts more than 12 million monthly downloads.

After leaving Boone, Dubner earned a master's degree in fine arts at Columbia University. He was writing a profile on Levitt for The New York Times when the duo conceived their book.

East Carolina University

David Fussell Jr.

president, Duplin Winery

Rose Hill

Four years after earning a bachelor's in economics in 1990, Fussell joined the business formed by his grandfather, dad and uncle. At the time, Duplin Winery had one employee and sold about 4,400 cases. Recording its first profitable year in 1995, the South's largest winery now has annual production of more than 500,000 cases. More than 80% of the grapes used at the winery are grown in North Carolina. Both of Fussell's parents earned education degrees at East Carolina.

Elizabeth City State University

Stephen Rohrer

head of data science. TIAA

Davidson

A graduate of the system's second-smallest university, Rohrer leads a team that focuses on using artificial intelligence and machine learning at TIAA. He joined the financial-services giant in 2014 after earning a master's degree in advanced analytics at N.C. State University. In 2009, he received a bachelor's in business administration from ECSU, then worked in northeast N.C. until moving to the Charlotte area three years later.

Fayetteville State University

Mitch Colvin mayor, Fayetteville; owner, Colvin Funeral Home Fayetteville

Colvin took over leadership of his family's mortuary business in 1995 at age 21. After earning an associate degree in funeral service at a Virginia school, he received a bachelor's in sociology at Fayetteville State University. He was elected to the Fayetteville City Council in 2013, then won the mayor's race in 2017 by nearly 19 percentage points. As chair of the city's baseball committee, he led negotiations for the new downtown baseball stadium that officials expect to revitalize the center city.

North Carolina A&T State University

Janice Bryant Howroyd

founder and CEO, The ACT-1 Croup

Los Angeles

One of 11 children in a Tarboro family, Howroyd says she is the first...

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