Dr. Noel S. Bost

Dr. Thomas Conway (Ph.D. Counselor Education ’94) received his B.S. in Agricultural Education and M.S. in Guidance Counseling at North Carolina A&T University. Conway retired in 2018 from the University of North Carolina system after more than 43 years of service. 32 of those years were spent at NC State in a series of influential roles before he became vice chancellor and chief of staff at Fayetteville State University in 2008. In 2016, Conway achieved a lifelong goal to lead a historically Black college or university (HBCU) when he was appointed interim chancellor, and then chancellor, of Elizabeth City State University. During his long tenure at NC State, Dr. Conway was a change-maker as well as a mentor and role model for students, faculty and staff. His positions included Dean of Undergraduate Academic Programs, Vice Provost for the Division of Undergraduate Affairs, Director of the First-Year College, Director of the Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes, and Director of Recruiting and Minority Services for the College of Engineering. He was also a regular visiting lecturer in the College of Education’s counselor education program and was later honored as the College of Education’s 2017 Distinguished Alumnus. Tom Stafford, retired Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, remembered that there were few African American faculty or students on campus when Conway arrived in 1972. “Thomas played a very important role in NC State’s transformation throughout his years here. He helped all of us understand that the university had to culturally adapt to welcome African American students, to value them and to help them be successful.” In addition to his commitment to remove institutional barriers and close the equity gap around graduation, former students and colleagues, remember that Dr. Conway was always ready to listen and to offer advice and encouragement.

This scholarship was established by Dr. Noel S. Bost (B.S. Social Work ’94) in recognition of the many contributions that Dr. Conway made to African American students in particular and to the broader university community at large. Bost recalled, “As one of the first African American faculty members I met upon arrival at NC State, Dr. Conway was among the essential figures who influenced my success as a student. He was present throughout my tenure there, connecting students to resources and instilling tools of academic success on the one hand, while exerting his influence to promote broader, university-wide standards of inclusion on the other.” Conway’s example of moral character, intelligence and tireless support for students also inspired many young men, including Bost, to seek brotherhood in The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. through the Kappa Lambda Chapter, of which Conway was also a member. “His approach — unassuming, kind and free of judgment — left indelible reassurance that, although challenge and rigor were an inevitable part of the educational experience, we had someone on our side, tasked and devoted to the sole purpose of seeing us through to success”, Bost noted. Well into his own career, hindsight has afforded Dr. Bost a deeper appreciation for the true magnitude of Conway’s influence and for the lasting benefits of his mentorship, service and passion for education. “I am pleased to know that Dr. Conway’s transformative work remains key to NC State’s redress of the racial equity gap, particularly surrounding African American student retention and graduation, but also in promoting an overall culture of inclusion.” Noel Bost is the owner and executive director of Amethyst Consulting and Treatment Solutions, PLLC, providing professional mental health services in multiple counties throughout North Carolina. Dr. Bost received his M.S.W. in Clinical Social Work from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. His clinical work, research, and philanthropy focuses on the mental health needs of socio-economically disadvantaged individuals, families and groups from culturally diverse backgrounds.