Emeritus Quiester Craig, former dean of NC A&T School of Business and Economics, dies at 87

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- Emeritus Quiester Craig, who led the School of Business and Economics at North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University (NC A&T) for over 40 years, has died.

The school said he passed away Thursday at the age of 87.

Craig mentored generations of Aggie business leaders, among them retired Merck executive Willie A. Deese, for whom the college was named.

According to a news release from NC A&T, he launched programming for faculty, staff, and students, including the Closing Bell lecture series and the Executive Advisory Council. Both involve bringing in prominent alumni and top business leaders.

Under his leadership, the school was ranked the No. 1 HBCU Graduate Business School by U.S. News & World Report.

"We lost an icon yesterday, and we will miss him dearly," Deese said in a news release. "He touched thousands of lives and changed the trajectory of business careers for countless Aggies and their families. Quiester Craig was simply a great American educator."

Craig joined NC A&T back in 1972 as a professor of accounting and dean of the business school. At the time, he was only the 10th African American in the United States to hold a Ph.D. in accounting.

Under his guidance, A&T in 1979 became the nation's first historically Black College or university to earn accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The vote was unanimous. Later, Craig led the school to earn AACSB's separate accreditation for accounting programs.

He retired in 2013.

"Quiester Craig's iconic leadership in business education at North Carolina A&T set a standard for the entire nation," Chancellor James R. Martin II said in a news release. "Those who chart contemporary success are often said to have stood on the shoulders of giants. Dr. Craig was one of those giants, and North Carolina A&T would not be where it is today without his incredible accomplishments and legacy."

In the 2019-20 academic year, Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics was ranked among the top 100 U.S. News & World Report's best graduate schools for its online and in-person MBA programs. It remains there.

Craig says the school's success was a team effort. However, some disagree. There was a three-day celebration at his retirement.

"I've been fortunate to have been a part of a team that has been a part of quite a few achievements," Craig said at the time. "I didn't do this by myself. Everybody was on this train."

"I grew up in an era where the opportunities available were a fantasy - they didn't exist. Now we have transitioned to a time where preparation can be the foundation to get something started."

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