By Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
At North Carolina Central University, a milestone was marked Tuesday morning with the ribbon cutting of the Peggy M. Ward Financial Education Center, a space university leaders say will shape financial futures for generations of students and families across Durham and beyond.
The ceremony, held inside the university’s new 76,000-square-foot School of Business building, celebrated distinguished alumna Peggy M. Ward, Class of 1974, who's initial 2019 gift established the center and whose decades of leadership and philanthropy have left a lasting mark on the institution. The Business Incubator Suite—home to the Center of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development and now the Peggy Ward Financial Education Center—sits within a facility that also features a Trading Room with Bloomberg terminals, a Cybersecurity Lab, a Business Innovation Lab equipped with 3D printers and virtual reality technology, a Behavioral Research Classroom, and the 200-seat Lowe’s Auditorium.
Dean Anthony Nelson opened the ceremony by welcoming guests that included representatives from commercial and financial banks, city of Durham officials, university administrators, faculty, staff, and students. “Your presence here signifies the importance of this initiative.”
Nelson called the center “a testament to our commitment to equipping future leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the complexities of today’s financial landscape,” adding that “in a world where financial literacy is more crucial than ever, this center represents our pledge to enhance educational opportunities and empower our students and the community.”
He emphasized the School of Business’s distinction as the first HBCU with an MBA concentration in wealth management.
Dr. Tiffany Murray, director of the Peggy Ward Financial Education Center and a faculty member in the wealth management program, described the center as more than brick and mortar: “It’s a commitment, it’s a resource, it’s an opportunity,” she said. “An opportunity for our students to learn not just theory, but application. An opportunity for our community to gain tools that change financial futures. And an opportunity for us to create a generational impact through education.”
Murray outlined the center’s mission: “to empower NCCU students and the surrounding community through high-quality financial education, resources, and experiential learning opportunities.” She added that the center aims to equip participants “with the knowledge and skills to achieve financial wellness, make informed financial decisions, and excel in professional endeavors.”
Financial literacy, she stressed, “is not optional — it’s essential.”
The center will expand undergraduate and graduate coursework, develop a CFP Board-registered certificate program, and offer Securities Industry Essentials exam preparation and voucher support. It also oversees the Peggy Ward Financial Education Center Wealth Management Camp for high school students and works to provide digital credentialing options in partnership with NCCU’s Office of eLearning.
Chancellor Karrie G. Dixon called the moment “truly an honor” as she addressed the crowd. “All of you know how phenomenal Peggy Ward is,” she said. “I’ve only been here 18 months as your 13th chancellor, but from day one, I heard the name Peggy Ward.”
Dixon described Ward’s warmth and determination in equal measure. “That smile just warms your heart,” she said. “But don’t let the smile fool you, because Peggy Ward means business. She has that fire.”
Recognizing Ward as a 1974 graduate and lifelong Eagle, Dixon praised her service as former president of the NCCU National Alumni Association and as the first woman elected chair of the NCCU Board of Trustees.
On behalf of Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams, Dixon read a proclamation declaring Feb. 17, 2026, as Peggy Ward Financial Education Day in the City of Durham. The proclamation cited Ward’s more than five decades of leadership, her 40-plus-year career in financial services, and her role in providing the initial funding to establish the center in 2019.
A short film tracing Ward’s life journey was shown during the ceremony, beginning in Rich Square, North Carolina, where she grew up as the second of six children. Her mother worked long days in the fields of Northampton County, picking peanuts and cotton, instilling in her children discipline and a belief in “using one’s mind, not one’s hands, to make a living.”
Encouraged by her older brother, Ward entered NCCU in 1970 as a business administration major. She embraced campus life, crossed into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., in 1972 and graduated in 1974, prepared for a career in business. After five years in corporate America, she joined New York Life Insurance Company at age 27, expecting to stay six months. Instead, it became a career spanning more than four decades. In 1980, she was named Agent of the Year, ranking among the top 5% of life insurance representatives worldwide. She later became president of the Charlotte chapter of the Life Underwriters Association and built a reputation for integrity, mentorship, and leadership.
When Ward took the podium, she reflected on her days as a student. “I left North Carolina Central in 1974, and I only left with two books,” she said. “One was my personal finance book, taught by Sophia Brown, and my insurance book, taught by Dr. Fulbright. It’s amazing how things have come full circle.”
She outlined a broad vision: “As we place emphasis on budgeting, managing and reducing debt, saving and investing, providing protection for our families, our focus will be a bigger picture, which is creating wealth that is to be transferred to the next generations, which will ultimately narrow the racial wealth gap between African Americans and white America.”
Closing with scripture, she quoted Proverbs 13:22: “A good man—and I’m going to add, and a good woman—leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” She called it “a principle of wisdom, encouraging believers to be stewards of their resources to provide for future generations.”
