Wingate's inaugural MLK Awards were handed out Thursday at an event featuring Judge Tyyawdi Hands as keynote speaker.

Website ranks Wingate tops in North Carolina and No. 49 in the nation for provision of financial aid.

Wingate will honor a faculty member, staff member and a student who exemplify the values of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the University's Jan. 16 MLK Celebration. The event, free and open to the public, will feature a speech by N.C. District Judge Tyyawdi Hands as well as music from the United in One Gospel Choir and the Elizabeth Baptist Church Youth Praise Team.

In the fall semester, a team of Wingate students served as the de facto marketing agency for Union Diversified Industries, a Monroe nonprofit that provides work opportunities for special-needs adults. UDI was overjoyed with the results.

"Don’t let your circumstances limit your success; find a way to serve; invest in yourself; and stay true to your values." These core pieces of advice were handed out to graduates by Commencement speaker Phyllis Wingate, Atrium Health's northern division president. Wingate awarded more than 200 degrees during its third December graduation, held Saturday morning in Cuddy Arena.

After spending time on the pro tour, Michela Verpelli found a home at Wingate. She made the most of her time here, becoming an All-American and making straight A's to boot.

Even as a communications professor, Chuck Yarbrough was always the guy who could help you get your computer going again. He reinvented himself as an IT guy in the '90s, and now he's on the front lines keeping the nation safe from cyberattacks.

Even after being reclassified as a doctoral-level institution, Wingate continues to rank among the best in the nation in giving students opportunities to study internationally.