By Tim Whitmire, Associated Press, 7/21/2003

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- People driving around Charlotte have been getting an eyeful of Elizabeth City State University, a small, historically black school on the other side of the state.

Despite being six hours away from Charlotte, the university is running billboards in the city touting Elizabeth City State as ''Your Place to Succeed.''

Other schools are running comic strips and signing up celebrities for their promotions -- part of a national trend that has seen black colleges turn to unconventional, aggressive advertising to boost enrollment and endowments.

The colleges say such creativity is necessary at a time of deficits and dwindling corporate and foundation support.

''The times are simply extremely challenging for any institution,'' said Johnnetta Cole, president of all-female Bennett College in Greensboro and former president of Spelman College in Atlanta.