by Terri Hill '09. Wow! That is one of the first things that comes to mind when I reflect on this trip. Our Internet [at the host church] has been down for a while, since day one to be exact so now that it is up, let me give you a day-by-day play-by-play. Arriving in Pascagoula was exciting to say the least. We were so tired of riding and napping, arriving anywhere was a good thing. After unloading from the bus and praying, we settled in for something to eat and a few games. From day one, people

The shy smile on George McCleave's face spoke volumes about how the Brightmoor Nursing Home resident felt about the Christmas tree he was given by Catawba College students. The tree was a final project for the students' Operations Management class, a product that different teams had assembled using specialized tools and seven different raw materials, including coat hangers.

The 32nd Annual Catawba College Sports Hall of Fame Weekend is set for Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2, 2009. Reservations are required. Register now by calling the Office of Development at (704) 637-4394 or print and mail the completed registration form.

Details on Blue-White Weekend 2009, including Ladies Night, Blue-White Football Game, and Luncheon with Chip Hester. Reservations required for Ladies Night and the luncheon. Please call (704) 637-4394 for reservations or with questions.

Catawba College's Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society were among student affiliates from five institutions recognized for their entry into the National Chemistry Week Chemvention contest. The entries were creative and innovative hands-on activities for elementary school children and centered on the 2009 theme of "Chemistry – It's Elemental."

Catawba College students are saving money by buying and selling used books and the College bookstore is committed to help continue that trend by securing as many used books as possible. Students were able to buy more than 50% of their textbooks used for the Fall 2008 semester and through used books sales and buyback dollars saved more than $244,000 during the 07-08 fiscal year.

Pascagoula, Mississippi is the destination for 12 Catawba College students who will participate in a mission building trip during part of their Christmas break, December 13-19. Catawba Chemistry Professor Dr. Mark Sabo organized the trip which is co-sponsored by the College and his church, First Presbyterian Church in Salisbury.

A new Business Mentor Program launched by Catawba College's Ketner School of Business will pair junior and senior business majors with successful business leaders who are members of the Business Advisory Board, alumni or friends of the college. The program will provide an essential link between the classroom and business reality, according to Professor Pam Thompson, chair of the Ketner School of Business.

Not even cancer could have kept Professor Paul E. Oakley from directing Catawba College's 21st annual Service of Lessons and Carols this year. Most of the almost 1,300 people who attended one of the two performances held December 2 and 4 in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on campus weren't even aware of Oakley's personal battle.

One of Catawba College's most successful music graduates will return to his alma mater for a special performance this coming Monday evening, Dec. 8, as Dennis Reed brings with him the acclaimed gospel choir he founded and directs, God's Appointed People (GAP). Reed and GAP are quickly becoming a significant force in the world of gospel music, and Catawba proudly celebrates their success with this special public event.

Catawba College's Tri Beta members kicked off the holiday season with plenty of beautiful red poinsettias for sale. Each plant was sold for $5 each, with all proceeds going to support biology Tri Beta members with conference expenses. The poinsettias were donated by Rockwell Farms.

Charles Dickens as a character in his "A Christmas Carol," indebted to the miserly Scrooge? Catawba College's Reading of A Christmas Carol offers this for consideration at 6 p.m. this Friday, December 5 in the Weintz Reading Room of the Corriher-Linn-Black Library on campus. The event is free and open to the public.

"The students of Catawba are here not just to take away an education but to give something back, and by giving back to the community, we're also educating ourselves further,” explains Catawba College Senior Daniel Robertson. Robertson, who hails from Little Rock, Arkansas, not only coordinates volunteers and volunteer projects on campus for Volunteer Catawba, but he is an active volunteer in his own right.

"I'm telling you, I really go deep with Catawba," says Randy Southard of Stokesdale, a 1974 College alumnus, and as he explains, one realizes how truthful his statement is. Southard describes himself as "just a little wet behind the ears kid from Stokesdale" who ended up as a student at Catawba thanks to two people with ties to the institution, both of whom were named Ron.

Catawba College's chapter (#1002) of the Collegiate Music Educator's National Conference received its seventh straight annual "Chapter of Excellence Award" for exceptional activities in service and professional development in music education at the 2008 N.C. Music Educators Association In-Service Conference held annually in Winston-Salem at the Benton Convention Center.