(Thelma Jane) Bryan is an American educator who rose from poverty in rural Maryland to become the first African-American woman to be elected by the University of North Carolina (UNC) Board of Governors (BoG) to serve as Chancellor of one of its constituent institutions.
From 1978 to 1998, Bryan was a faculty member at Baltimore's Coppin State College (later University), where she rose to the rank of full professor.
Four years later, in 2002, she became Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
In June 2003, Bryan made history when she became the first woman elected by the UNC Board of Governors (BoG) to serve as Chancellor of Fayetteville State University.
Of special note is the 36% rise in the enrollment of Latino/Hispanic students, North Carolina's fastest-growing population group.
The Princeton Review's designation of the FSU MBA Program as one of the "Best 296 Business Schools: 2009 Edition" is an outgrowth of the emphasis placed on high academic standards during Bryan's chancellorship.
After her departure, the undergraduate program in computer science earned ABET accreditation—a pursuit that began during her chancellorship.
Under Bryan's leadership, FSU signed seven memoranda of understanding with Asian universities and constructed a new state-of-the-art language lab that was one of the best in the UNC system and the nation.
During her tenure, award-winning Cross Creek Early College High School, a Cumberland County (NC) public high school located on the university campus, was launched, and Fayetteville Fire Station #14, serving the university's surrounding community, was constructed on the campus.
An award-winning 2+2+2 collaboration among the university's fire-sciences program, the city of Fayetteville, area community colleges, and a local public high school was formed while she served as Chancellor.