by Aly Halter '10. Junior Aly Halter of Hertford is a member of Catawba's Honors program. Halter is majoring in communication arts with a minor in Spanish. Halter is also a Junior Marshal for the 2008-2009 academic year. Halter is sharing her experiences abroad in Costa Rica in the blog.

On March 26, Catawba College was a qualifying site for the N.C. Council of Teachers of Mathematics state contests in Algebra I and Geometry. Catawba's Mathematics Department hosted the contest which drew students from Salisbury, Charlotte and the surrounding areas. There were a total of 75 students and 17 supervisors attending.

Author Chris Bohjalian rode into Salisbury, N.C., hoping to connect with readers. He arrived cognizant that they might read his latest novel on Amazon's Kindle or scan only part of his weekly newspaper column online via the Internet. This lover and writer of books was willing to compromise; he would give a nod to a reader regardless of what vehicle they took to the task.

Catawba College celebrates National Athletic Training Month during the month of March 2009. The Athletic Training Department at Catawba College is responsible for the health care needs of all 18 varsity sports. The certified athletic trainers on staff include Bob Casmus, ATC, Rob Dingle, ATC, Mike Eden, ATC, Travis Armstrong, ATC, Christy Hawley, ATC and Sara McCauley, ATC.

Calling the readers in his audience, "the medieval monks of the digital age," New York Times bestsellers list author Chris Bohjalian spoke at Catawba College’s 23rd annual Brady Author’s Symposium on March 26th. The topics he touched on ranged from the state of reading in America, to his latest novel, "Skeletons at the Feast," to the travails he has suffered while on book tour.

"Counting the days of our lives" was a key theme that author Jim Wooten spoke about to Catawba College first-year students on Tuesday, March 24th. He took the stage in Keppel Auditorium to share some insights about his book, "We Are All the Same," Catawba's '08-'09 common summer reading text for first-year students.

Enter the Catawba STORIES Contest and You Could WIN a $50 Gift Card to the Campus Bookstore! We want to hear YOUR Catawba Stories! And, if share your story between now and Monday, April 13th, you will be entered into the contest for the best Catawba STORY! Read more...

Dr. Clyde Young, an alumnus the Class of 1943 at Catawba, is a retired Salisbury dentist. Young was also a musician in the MusicMakers Orchestra. Young frequents the student section at Salisbury High School and leads the cheers on his trumpet. Young graduated almost 70 years ago.

An interview with Catawba College's Corriher-Linn-Black Library Director, Dr. Steve McKinzie, was published in the December 2008 – January 2009 edition of "Against the Grain." In the interview, McKinzie discussed the recent renovation of the 25,000 square foot library at Catawba.

Dr. Paul Baker, a professor of mathematics at Catawba College, represented the College at the Mathematical Association of America Liaison's meeting at the MAA Southeastern Section Annual Meeting on March 13 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.

They come from a variety of backgrounds and teach at every level in the school system. Five finalists have been announced for Cabarrus County Schools Teacher of the Year. This week the candidates were observed by the judges. They will now prepare portfolios, and on May 6, the winner will be announced. Read more information about the candidates...

If you talk a while with attorney Franklin Smith of Elkin, North Carolina, he is likely to touch on five words that hold a very special meaning for him. In his deep, resonant Southern voice, honed through years of practice in the courtroom, he will probably explain exactly why these words figure so prominently in his life.

Catawba College students felt like rock stars, Music Professor Paul E. Oakley said, as they sang the last measures of Felix Mendelssohn's "Elijah" in Carnegie Hall with the New York City Chamber Orchestra and Catawba faculty soloists. "The large crowd in attendance leapt to their feet screaming, 'Bravo,' an uncommon, yet welcomed response that only a New York audience can give," Oakley added.

Be a part of the social network that's "just us" ... just Catawba! Sign up now to become a member of Catawba's OFFICIAL online community website (www.catawba.edu/us). This is a private social network exclusively for members of the Catawba College community. Join Catawba students, faculty, staff, and alumni and enjoy some great features.

Author and ABC News Correspondent Jim Wooten will speak at Catawba College at noon on Tuesday, March 24 in Keppel Auditorium. He will address first-year students, their first-year experience professors and peer mentors on his book, "We Are All the Same."

Wednesday's Rowan County United Way Annual Awards Breakfast was a time of celebration. There was lots of laughter, congratulations and applause as campaign leaders handed out more than 100 certificates, plaques and trophies to volunteers and participating employee groups.

Jeremy Aggers is a man with an acoustic guitar: a formula contemporary music shows no sign of exhausting. The "What it Comes Down To" EP, his first commercial release and the first installment in a three-record deal with Atlanta-based Brash records, does not add anything new to the vocabulary of pop music, but an album does not need break down walls to be worth hearing. Aggers' flair for lyrical storytelling and often vivid imagery keeps him afloat at his best...

Catawba College has been honored by the Corporation for National and Community Service with a place on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to America's communities. The award was announced on Feb. 9th at the 91st annual meeting of the American Council on Education.

Jeffrey S. Kane, former senior vice president in charge of the Charlotte office of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, will be the speaker for the third Distinguished CEO Lecture Series at Catawba College on Tuesday, April 7. Sponsored by the Business Advisory Board for the Ralph W. Ketner School of Business, the lecture will be held in Hedrick Little Theatre on campus. A luncheon will immediately follow the lecture in Peeler Crystal Lounge.

by Stephanie Hill '11. On Thursday, February 26, 2009, The Academy for Teaching and the Martha West Teaching Scholars of Catawba College attended the Rowan Salisbury Schools/Rowan Partners in Education's 2nd Annual Winter Education Summit at Cornerstone Conference Center in Salisbury, NC.

Thanks to assistance from a local eatery, Catawba College's Phi Beta Lambda Chapter of Future Business Leaders of America hosted a successful fundraiser, the proceeds of which will support student travel and lodging expenses at an upcoming state conference this spring.

Eight Catawba College seniors, all pursuing academic majors in the Ketner School of Business, were inducted into the Business Honor Society during a ceremony held at the Cloninger Guest House on campus. Membership in this scholastic honor society is open to all senior majors in the fields of accounting, economics, information systems, management and marketing who have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.2.

Dr. Woody Hood, a Catawba College professor of theatre arts and the director of Catawba's upcoming production of "Far Away," calls the play "a cautionary fairy tale" and describes it as "dark, scary, creepy and valuable." The production will be offered at 6:55 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24 and Wednesday, March 25, and at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 26-28 in Florence Busby Corriher Theatre on campus.

by Amanda Sowards '10. Catawba's new Provost, Dr. W. Richard "Rick" Stephens, Jr. has embraced Catawba with open arms and is ready to embark on a new journey as part of the Catawba community. Dr. Stephens has two children. His daughter Ashlee, is married to Paul, a firefighter in Chicago. She is a cancer research coordinator at Northwestern University, where she oversees experimental clinical trials.

by Philip Russ '10. What does Education, Technology, Orange People, Pencil Darts, ABC News, and National Teacher of the Year Finalist mean? Well of course there is only a single name that comes to mind, Mrs. Cindi Rigsbee, AT&T's 2008-2009 North Carolina Teacher Of the Year. She met with West Scholars in the Tom Smith Auditorium this morning, discussing her path in education and technology in her seminar titled "Making Connections as a Teacher."

The "Covenant Community Connection," a sub-group of the Salisbury Rowan Human Relations Council, will co-sponsor the next Catawba College Community Forum at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, 2009. The group is "committed to being a multicultural voice helping to foster unity and harmony in our community," reports Ms. Betty Jo Hardy of the Connection.