The University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University have launched an important educational partnership in conjunction with the Paul R. Jones Collection of African American art, a premier compilation that was presented to UD in 2001.

Under the terms of the agreement signed by UD President David P. Roselle and then-Chancellor James C. Renick of North Carolina A&T, a historically black university of about 11,000 students located in Greensboro, the two institutions will create opportunities for students and faculty to participate in programs associated with the collection.

The universities have formed a joint partnership committee to facilitate implementation of the agreement. The committee is working to develop student internships, stimulate faculty exchanges, provide for expanded graduate study opportunities and build institutional links between various programs at the two universities.

The institutions also will share relevant art exhibitions and pieces, with UD drawing from the Paul R. Jones Collection and North Carolina A&T from its highly regarded collections. Those include the Henry Clinton Taylor Collection, featuring works by Charles Alston, Romare Bearden, John Biggers, Alma Thomas, Jacob Lawrence and Margaret Burroughs. In addition, the Mattye Reed African Heritage Collection features fine examples of African material culture, including sculptures, masks, figures, household implements, musical instruments and textiles from Africa and elsewhere in the African Diaspora.

At UD, programs developed by the committee will encompass academic units that have special interest in the Paul R. Jones Collection, including art, art conservation, art history, Black American Studies, museum studies and the Center for American Material Culture Studies. z