It was a day of fellowship, progress and a bit of rain on Wednesday, Feb. 12, when leadership at Fayetteville State University (FSU) and Fort Bragg’s XVIII Airborne Corps joined together on campus to solidify a historical partnership. 

Chancellor Darrell T. Allison and Lieutenant General Gregory K. Anderson, commanding general of XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, signed an official Education Partnership Agreement in the Military Affiliated and Veteran Student Resource Center located within the Broadwell College of Business and Economics building.

The partnership formalizes a collaborative effort to expand opportunities for FSU students and faculty in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), leadership, cybersecurity and national security innovation. The agreement will provide FSU students with access to hands-on military research projects, mentorship from defense professionals and enhanced academic and career pathways.

The Education Partnership Agreement enables a wide range of opportunities, including: 

• Expanded Education & Research Collaborations
• Hands-On Military Research & Innovation
• Internships & Workforce Development
• Technology Commercialization & Innovation
• “This education agreement enables Fayetteville State University to not only do more through partnerships, but to be more through partnerships,” shared FSU Chancellor Darrell T. Allison. “The agreement lays the foundation for greatly expanded future collaboration. The future includes advances in collaboration of research, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, nano materials, supply chain and health. The future also includes our students [and] the expertise of FSU faculty and their exposure to better understanding military issues and how it impacts our community. This agreement also incorporates FSU collaboration with private sector businesses to help meet emerging new defense priorities, which is expected to be a major catalyst for accelerated growth in defense innovation in the greater Fayetteville region and beyond.”
• FSU was recently designated as a new hub for NCInnovation, a publicly funded initiative to increase research commercialization in the region. Even more, the agreement underscores FSU’s capabilities in defense-related education and research, further positioning the university as a catalyst for greater community collaboration.
• “We are particularly excited to expand strategic initiatives through our Center for Defense & Homeland Security and Center for Enterprise Resource Planning and Advanced Analytics, these centers will serve as hubs for innovation, research and applied learning, driving advancements in artificial intelligence, supply chain management, cyber security, data analytics and more. By leveraging the expertise of our faculty and students, we aim to foster industry and government partnerships, enhance interdisciplinary collaboration and develop real world solutions to complex challenges,” said Dr. Pamela Baldwin vice chancellor for Strategic Enrollment and Student Success.
• Fayetteville State University boasts one of the largest percentages of military-affiliated student populations in the state and nation at 33%, while also being one of the few non-military institutions in the nation to offer four-year tuition-free scholarships to military-affiliated students, ensuring that every service member will have access to further education as a FSU Bronco.
• FSU has offered free tuition to qualifying military-affiliated students through the military tuition scholarship since 2022 to reduce financial barriers for military connected individuals with no access to Department of Defense (DOD) tuition assistance. Active duty, members of the National Guard or Reserves with an honorable discharge, military spouses of active-duty service members or Veterans, children or other recognized legal dependents of active-duty service members or Veterans qualify for the military tuition scholarship. The University also received designation as a Silver Military Friendly School for the second consecutive year in 2024.
• With an office located at Ft. Bragg’s Training and Education Center and an Air Force – Air University Associate To Baccalaureate Cooperative partnership in place, this partnership is yet another way FSU is continuing to dedicate its resources to those who serve.
• “Fort Bragg is an integral part of this community, and I'm proud to formalize our partnership with Fayetteville State University. Countless soldiers and their families have been educated on this campus and off campus, and FSU maintains a world class facility on post as well, and a lot of soldiers utilize that tremendous resource. Thank you for that,” shared Lt. Gen. Anderson. “Our agreement here today is a natural extension of our past relationship, and I'm excited to see the impact it will have on our soldiers, our students and their community, and frankly, it could have far reaching effects to how we do business in the Department of Defense. I'm hopeful for that. We're definitely going to push towards that end.”
• “This is a worldwide agreement, and it enables the XVIII Airborne Corps personnel anywhere in the world to take advantage of FSU’s offerings and research and training capabilities. The depth and breadth of this agreement, it's extraordinary. Seven different informational technology arenas, five different operational management areas, four different applications of emerging new technologies and two applications in health domains. And finally, but most importantly, this agreement represents the future for our soldiers and our nation,” concluded Allison.