WINSTON-SALEM – Winston-Salem State University doesn’t participate in U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings.

That’s because, rather than celebrate how exclusive it is, WSSU celebrates how inclusive it is and the difference it makes in the social standing of its students.

“That’s … a key hallmark of what we do at Winston-Salem State University,” WSSU Chancellor Elwood Robinson says in the accompanying video.

“And that is providing opportunities to come here and get a wonderful educational experience and go out into the world – oftentimes changing the trajectory of their families by being employed and making a high salary.”

Robinson will deliver the keynote address at the Social Mobility Summit 2019 that WSSU will host April 2-3.

WSSU’s students often come from rural or under-resourced families, Robinson says. The university has a higher percentage of Pell-eligible students than many institutions.

Robinson notes that for the past five years, WSSU has ranked among the top 20 schools in the nation in the Social Mobility Index, a measure of how well an institution adds to the economic and social advancement of its students.

In the following video, Robinson also says he sees something different in today’s students.

“I find this group of students exciting. Because they come here and they have a passion about making a difference,” he says.

“And I have not seen that since probably when I was a student, in the ‘70s and ‘60s – when people had that. They went to college and they were committed to making the world a better place,” he says.

“I see that in this generation, and that’s kind of who we are as an institution.”