Dr. John Wear will appear on a live webcast Oct. 31 during Central Piedmont Community College’s Geek Fest. Wear, founding director of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College, will speak from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on sustainability and technology that helps to solve environmental problems. The Geek Fest is an event designed to educate students and the community about the creative innovations of technology.

Three Catawba College Alumni, including two educators and a collegiate basketball coach, were recognized and honored during Catawba College Homecoming festivities that took place October 26-28. Other activities included a Blue Masque Reunion for former theatre students, an alumni golf tournament, an alumni lacrosse game, a 1:30 p.m. home football game against Wingate University, a free music concert, a president's reception, a first-year theatre performance and an alumni block party.

Catawba College's Residence Life staff hopes to provide 125 needy local families with a complete Thanksgiving meal this year thanks to the fourth year of a Duck Draw Community Service Fundraiser event. Over the past three years, the fundraiser has raised money to provide 275 families with Thanksgiving meals, and this year, event organizers are hoping to reach the 400 families fed mark.

Need a safe place for your children to trick-or-treat? The Catawba College Blue Masque invites you to the first annual Trunk-or-Treat from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday October 28, 2007 in the parking lot behind the Robertson College-Community Center.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor of political science in the Department of History and Politics at Catawba College, was a lecturer at the 2007 Chautauqua AVE! held October 15-16 in Andrews, N.C. Silverburg's lectures were entitled "The Perception of the United States in the Midst of Crisis and the Changing Attitude Towards Us" and "The United States and Globalization."

Dr. Aaron Butler, assistant professor of English at Catawba College, traveled to Jacksonville, Florida for the Popular Culture in the South / American Culture in the South Conference, which was held September 27-29. At the conference, Dr. Butler chaired the panel "Contemporary Warfare and the National Conscience," and as part of this panel, he also delivered a paper entitled "Do We Really Need Jack Bauer?: 24 and the Use of Torture."

Catawba College Alumnus Larry Beightol '64 of Fayetteville, Ark., wanted to do something special for his friend of close to 50 years, Charlie Little '64 of Salisbury, and he knew it had to be something to do with Catawba College. It was Catawba College after all that cemented Beightol's friendship with Little, a friendship that was born back in their home state of Pennsylvania.

by Juanita Teschner, Catawba New Service. Catherine Pancake grew up in West Virginia, the daughter of a Presbyterian minister who preached against the strip mining that ravaged the Appalachian Mountains when she was growing up. That experience, plus a visit to the region several years ago, prompted her to produce the documentary, "Black Diamonds: Mountaintop Removal and the Fight for Coalfield Justice."

by Amanda Hooker, Catawba News Service. Catawba College will present a documentary screening of "Black Diamonds: Mountaintop Removal and the Fight for Coalfield Justice" at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5, in the Center for the Environment facility on the college campus. The film's director, Catherine Pancake, will also be present for a discussion on the issue.

Three Catawba College Alumni, including two educators and a collegiate basketball coach, will be recognized and honored during Catawba College Homecoming festivities slated October 26-28 on campus. Other activities scheduled during this weekend include a Blue Masque Reunion, an alumni golf tournament, an alumni lacrosse game, a home football game, a free music concert, a president's reception, a first-year theatre performance and an alumni block party.

by Cyndi Allison, Catawba News. Phillip Kirk's life flashed before his eyes. He didn't suffer a near-death experience. In fact, he laughed from start to finish as friends and family members gathered to share memorable moments spanning his years of service in business, education, politics and as the father of four daughters.

by Cindy Stranad, articulon.com. The National Kidney Foundation of North Carolina presents "Speak Up while Phil Kirk Takes the Hot Seat," a gentle roast of Phil Kirk, vice president of external relations for Catawba College, chairman emeritus of the State Board of Education and former state senator.

by Belinda Branson, lincoln.k12.nc.us (June 6, 2007). Lincoln County Schools new 2007-2008 Teacher of the Year, Jennifer Carroll, walked into what she thought was a faculty meeting. She was surprised to learn that the faculty meeting was called to announce she had been selected as Lincoln County's Teacher of the Year. Jennifer is a 1st grade teacher at St. James Elementary School.

Piedmont High School Marching Band from Monroe was awarded Grand Champion and winner of the 2007 Lord Salisbury Cup during the second annual Lord Salisbury Marching Band Classic held Saturday, October 13 at Catawba College. Piedmont, under the direction of Jody Lukac, obtained an impressive overall score of 91, out of a possible 100 points.

Catawba College dedicated five new residence halls of Abernethy Village during an outdoor ceremony on the Abernethy Quadrangle on October 15. Donors for whom the residence halls are named were recognized during the dedication, along with other friends of the College who made gifts to help fund campus construction projects.

Thirty-five students, all recipients of Ralph W. Ketner Scholarships, joined donors Ralph and Anne Ketner for an October 10th luncheon at Catawba College. Mr. Ketner, co-founder and chairman emeritus of Food Lion, Inc., and his wife established the scholarships at the College to assist deserving local students with the cost of their education.

Catawba College's First-Year Theatre Arts students will offer performances of a creative collaboration, "Pulse," Wednesday, October 24, through Sunday, October 28, in Florence Busby Corriher Theatre on campus. This production, developed during the first six weeks of the fall semester through writing and rehearsals, is an experimental exploration of the students' thoughts and opinions on life, American culture, and the state of the universe.

by Shelley Basinger (wset.com, 10/9/07). The countdown to local Election Day is here. We have 29 more days of fliers, TV ads and campaign events, as politicians fight for your vote. But on the Southside, the race for the 14th District isn't just a fight to win at the polls, it's turning into a war of words. Democratic challenger and Catawba Alumnus Adam Tomer has taken jabs at Republican incumbent Danny Marshall's voting record, while Marshall has taken aim at Tomer's youth.

"As an educator, you can be a dream maker and serve students by helping them develop dreams," Dr. June Atkinson, North Carolina's State Superintendent of Public Instruction told prospective teachers, educators and community members gathered Tuesday evening, October 9th, at Catawba College. "In our classrooms, we have students with short-term goals but many don't have short-term, intermediate or long-term goals. In the big scheme of things, little happens without dreams," she continued.

Catawba College received the Salisbury Community Appearance Commission Award for the month of October 2007 for the appearance of the Hedrick Hall Lawn/Garden area. Catawba Grounds Supervisor Jeff Hartley, and his staff, Gene Trexler and Sawaha Brown, are responsible for this area.

Catawba College plans to dedicate the five new residence halls of Abernethy Village during a 4:30 p.m. outdoor ceremony on the Abernethy Quadrangle on Monday, October 15. Donors for whom the residence halls are named will be on hand for the dedication, along with other friends of the College who made gifts to help fund campus construction projects.

by Alumnus Devin Richards. Working on this show ("Les Miz") brought to me a wonderful surprise that I only learned about at the last minute. I was already excited at the opportunity to just do "Les Miz" as I said. In most shows when you get hired you try to find out who the other people are who are in the cast. You look online and google the show, if you find out which people are in the show, then you begin to google the people's names to see what they've done, if you know them, etc.

Catawba Alumnus Ed Wenck '58 recently shared two stories from the rich history at Catawba College. Both of the stories took place 50 years ago this year. Includes "The Revival of the Track Team" and "The First Golden Screw"...

One Catawba College alumnus and one Catawba College student are among the top three winners of an online audition for the Broadway musical, "Rent." Alumnus Anthony Johnson of Osaka, Japan, a 2005 graduate with a degree in musical theatre, and musical theatre major senior Candace Neal of Waxhaw, will receive round-trip transportation to New York City, an official "Rent" audition with Bernard Telsey Casting, free hotel accommodations and two free tickets to see "Rent" on Broadway.

by Denice Thibodeau (registerbee.com) - The race for the 14th District House of Delegates seat is heating up into what promises to be one of the most bitterly fought and contentious races in the region. Words have flown from the candidates and their supporters that include "misrepresenting the facts" and "misleading the people."

Catawba College's Omicron Chapter of Alpha Chi, the national college honor society, held an initiation ceremony for candidates Friday, Sept. 28 in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on campus. The organization's 2007-2008 president, senior Meagan Kittle of Winchester, Ontario, officiated, assisted by faculty sponsor Dr. Bethany S. Sinnott, a professor of English, and faculty advisors Dr. Cynthia Osterhus, assistant professor of teacher education, and Dr. Maria Vandergriff-Avery, associate professor...

2006 Catawba College alumnus Dennis Reed of Charlotte will give his initial sermon on Saturday, October 13, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. at New St. John Baptist Church. While at Catawba, Reed was the first place winner of the BMI Foundation's 9th Annual John Lennon Scholarship Awards in 2006. In 2007, Reed was a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition (ISC).

Two Catawba College Trustees, both former members of the college's teacher education faculty, will be honored October 9th at a dedication ceremony. Catawba's new Academy for Teaching will be dedicated in honor of Dr. Shirley Peeler Ritchie of Salisbury, while student teaching scholars admitted to the Academy this fall will be recognized as Martha Kirkland West Teaching Scholars in West's honor, the first group of such students who will be so designated.

What exactly is "mountaintop removal?" What is its history in the exploitation of natural resources in Appalachia? What impact has it had on the people and environment of that region? Writer Ann Pancake will discuss those questions and more in the next edition of the Catawba College Community Forum, October 23.

On Sunday, Sept. 30, Catawba College Professor of Religion, Dr. Barry Sang, was the inaugural speaker in Salisbury's First United Methodist Church's new Preaching and Teaching Mission. The program is endowed by Margaret Parker, one of Dr. Sang's former students, in memory of her husband, Carl. Mrs. Parker audited Dr. Sang's Old Testament Introduction course last fall at Catawba, and insisted that he be the first speaker.