Catawba College is ranked 17th in the South among the nation's 319 best baccalaureate colleges, according to the 2009 edition of "America's Best Colleges," published by U.S. News & World Report. These baccalaureate colleges are ranked according to geographic region (North, South, Midwest, West).

by Lainey Nichols '09. A good night's sleep was had by all, and thank the dear Lord for that —we played a national team this morning. We warmed up on a remote field (on top of a hill) where the shadow of one cloud rolling by directly followed the next and patterned the grass like a green Holstein cow with rotating spots.

Catawba College Softball Alumni should save the weekend of April 18th, 2009 for a reunion. If you have recently moved or if you unsure we have your correct mailing address, call Gordon Kirkland at (704) 637-4394 or e-mail him at gakirkla@catawba.edu. Reunion details will be mailed January, 2009.

Catawba College professor of psychology, Dr. Sheila Brownlow, collaborated with two of her students, Stephanie Valentine and Alvin Owusu, to produce a paper which has been published. The paper, "Women Athletes' Mental Rotation Under Stereotypic Threat" has been published by Perceptual and Motor Skills.

Three panelists will provide insights and perspectives on Catawba College's 2008 common reading selection, "We Are All the Same," when they participate in the annual BookRevue on campus Tuesday, August 26th.

Catawba College's fall semester classes in the traditional day program began Thursday, August 21, and preliminary projections indicate close to 900 students will be enrolled. This figure includes returning students as well as first-time and transfer students. A final enrollment tally will not be available until after the drop/add period concludes August 27.

New faculty and staff members hired by the College since the start of last academic year were introduced at the August 12th Fall Conference held in Hedrick Little Theatre.

When Catawba College faculty and staff gathered for their annual fall conference on August 12th, it was an opportunity for the institution's new president, Dr. W. Craig Turner, to rally the troops before the start of a new academic year.

The Catawba College Ketner School of Business, will sponsor "Prepared Communities Win," at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 9, 2008, presented by the Salisbury - Rowan Economic Development Commission. This free program, to be held in Tom E. Smith Auditorium in Ketner Hall on the Catawba campus, begins with refreshments at 5:30 p.m. and reservations are required.

by Lainey Nichols '09. This morning was fairly uneventful. A group of us, consisting of Big Cat (Catawba alumna Catherine Ballentine) Lays (sophomore, Layla Ghorbani), Becks (Becky Factau), and Paige Harrington (senior forward) walked in the rain to a nearby library like a line of baby ducks. This weather is beyond soupy. I was a drowsy kid today

by Lainey Nichols '09. Bath is incredible. I walked into my first building with a rotunda, oculus, and coffered ceiling today — until this point, I had only learned about them in my Art History books. This building was the reception building for the Roman baths and is all that is classic and beautiful.

by Lainey Nichols '09. I cannot begin to express the excitement — our team has to play today! The morning was left to us, but this evening was to be our first game against a Cambridge club. The pitch was ridiculous. Everything is just so green here. Lys (teammate) and I did cartwheels across the center circle when Coach left us to explore the surface as a team prior to the game.

by Lainey Nichols '09. Haggared and punchy, we entered into a lunch-time London where bankers move like ants and few smile. We were completely conspicuous, perhaps slightly obnoxious (we are just a loud group — no stopping us), but not rude.

by Lainey Nichols '09. I would like to preface this first entry with an apology — I'm afraid between leaving the country for the first time and interacting with my goofy family of teammates, my focus has not been the completion of this task! I feel as if I am suffering from William Miller from Almost Famous syndrome — a boy is asked to write an article on a rock band and ends up being completely immersed in the rock scene...

Again this year, Catawba College's Theatre Arts Department is nationally ranked. It is rated tenth in the nation for best college theatre, according to the 2009 edition of The Princeton Review's "Best 368 Colleges" guide which hit bookstands July 29.

Martha Caulder talks fast, walks fast and likes to stay busy. You'll probably notice her start to fidget if you ask her to sit still too long. That's good, because she's taking on a lot in her new job as principal at Andrews Elementary School. But she's not new to administration: Caulder has been an assistant principal at four elementary schools.

The Catawba College Community Music Program is now enrolling students for 2008-2009 classes, ensembles and lessons. Providing quality music education and opportunities for students of all ages and levels of ability since 1984, Community Music is located in the Williams Music Building, Music Annex and the Hoke Building on the campus of Catawba College.

A book, "Palestine and International Law," authored by Dr. Sanford Silverburg, a professor of political science in the Department of History and Politics at Catawba College, will soon be available in softcover. "Palestine and International Law" is published by McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers of Jefferson, N.C. That company expects the softcover edition to be available by late 2008 or early 2009.

Dr. Janice Moore Fuller, Catawba College's Writer-in-Residence, has returned from a reading and teaching tour in Europe. She spent three weeks in May in Portugal doing a writing residency at Foundation Obras, the Centre for Art and Science. During that time, two of her poems "Laundry Day" and "Obras: Work in Progress" were selected to be displayed in English and Portugese as part of an art exhibition...

Lainey Nichols, who hails from Frederick, Md., is a senior English major and art minor at Catawba. She plays center mid on Catawba's women's soccer team. She hopes to pursue a career in public relations after graduation. Lainey is the daughter of Chuck and Kathy Nichols. Lainey's mom, Kathy is a 1981 Catawba alumna who played field hockey and was a cheerleader while she was a student at Catawba.