By Hugh Fisher, www.salisburypost.com - Dan Menchey, vocalist and drummer for Boulder, Colo., alt-rock band Morsoul, said that anyone who wants to spread an Earth-conscious message ought to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. That's why his band's bus — a 1986 model that started its career hauling schoolchildren — no longer runs on diesel fuel.

A small Green Pig pin was handed out to all students, faculty and staff who attended Catawba College's Opening Convocation on August 27th and most wondered exactly why. But when College President Dr. Craig Turner officially introduced Green Pig, calling it "a new symbol of our commitment to the environment at Catawba College," the wondering ceased.

Catawba College kicked off its 158th academic year with an opening convocation held Thursday, August 27 in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel. The event marked the second full year at the institution for Catawba's 21st president, Dr. W. Craig Turner, and was an occasion to recognize some college employees for their years of service.

Sixteen students were commissioned for service as Junior Marshals and one faculty member was commissioned for service as Senior Marshal by Catawba College President Dr. W. Craig Turner in a ceremony held Wednesday, August 26 in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on campus.

Air pollution in North Carolina and the cause of surface ozone will be the topic of a presentation Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Center for the Environment facility on the Catawba College campus. Dr. Viney Aneja, North Carolina State University's Air Quality Research Director and a professor in N.C. State's Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, will elaborate on the state's poor air quality at the 7 p.m. event.

Robert Casmus, head athletic trainer at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, has been reappointed to a second term on the N.C. Board of Athletic Trainer Examiners by the N.C. General Assembly. This Board issues occupational licenses to athletic trainers in the state.

The line was long. Nearly 150 people queued up Thursday night to ask John Wear and Wanda Urbanska to autograph the newly released anthology Less is More: Embracing Simplicity for a Healthy Planet, a Caring Economy and Lasting Happiness. The book includes essays by both.

Catawba College is one of the nation's best baccalaureate colleges according to the 2010 edition of "America's Best Colleges," published by U.S.News & World Report. These 319 baccalaureate colleges are ranked according to geographic region (North, South, Midwest, West) with Catawba ranked 14th among 102 of these colleges in the South. Catawba moved up in this ranking category from 17th in 2009.

Conservation efforts are on the minds of Catawba College administrators as the institution begins a new academic year. Two recent projects on campus are indicative of the new emphasis. For years, the fountain installed on Stanback Plaza in front of the Cannon Student Center was a source of fun and pranks for students and a source of problems for the College Facilities Department.

Bird Banding at Catawba Conservation Camp (C3) - C3 is a residential science camp designed for rising 6th and 7th grade girls from rowan and contiguous counties all in an effort to enhance interest in the environmental sciences. Participants stay in a college dorm, band birds, explore lakes & woods, and make new friends who love science. The girls are challenged to identify and tally plant life, explore amphibian & aquatic life, and examine insects.

Catawba College's Resident Assistants for the 2009-2010 academic year are already on the job. Twenty-seven students are serving as RAs in Catawba's 14 residence halls this year. These students include Chris Beal of Goldston and Rebecca "Lucy" Scott of Mt. Pleasant as head RAs; Lindsey Jackson of Dana, N.C.; Caleb Terry of Bahama, N.C.; Andrew Tamer of Winston-Salem, N.C.; Tim Cook of...

A gray moustache, a rose bud boutonniere, a black beret and an unquenchable passion for teaching are just some of the most remembered attributes of the late Dr. David Earl Faust who served for 38 years on the faculty at Catawba College. Faust, a professor of religion and history, was also known for his memorable greeting, "There you are!" which he almost always enthused upon seeing a student, a colleague, an acquaintance or friend.

A few students came from far-flung places like South Africa and England, and some arrived from Maryland, Illinois, Delaware, California and Georgia. Others came from places much closer to campus, like Mt. Airy and Rockwell, N.C. However, they all came with one goal in mind — to get settled into their Catawba College residence hall before the first day of classes on August 20th.

By Ron Green Jr., www.charlotteobserver.com (August 14, 2009) - After averaging 157.6 yards passing while playing in eight games last season at North Carolina, quarterback Cam Sexton will be taking the snaps this season under center for Catawba in hopes of landing a job in the NFL.

The Department of Athletics at Catawba College has announced a new 5K road race on the running calendar for local and regional runners. The race, which is for runners and walkers alike, will begin at 9 am on Saturday, September 26, 2009. Pre-registration fee is $20 (on or before 9/23) and race day registration is $25. View the race brochure to register today.

The Center for the Environment's Fourth Annual Ugly Bug Ball will be held Friday, October 2, from 6:30 p.m. to midnight at the Center facility. The popular fund-raiser offers a festive evening of dinner, entertainment and dancing. Dress is casual. The cost is $75 per person ($40 is tax-deductible). The proceeds support the ongoing activities of the Center, value-added education for Catawba students and the Center's outreach to the region, including its Campaign for Clean Air.

Catawba College faculty and staff who gathered for their annual fall conference on August 10 learned that the institution will soon welcome its largest class of first-time freshmen since 2001. Three hundred and eleven first-year students will join the campus community and push the total headcount enrolled in the traditional day program to 967.

Joe Popp '52 of Mooresville, N.C., was the eldest son of nine children in a Yugoslavian immigrant family living in Johnstown, Pa., when Catawba College Football Coach Gordon Kirkland made him an offer that he did not refuse. Kirkland offered Joe a chance to attend Catawba College on a football scholarship and Joe did...

SAVE THE DATE! A reunion for Lacrosse has been scheduled for Saturday, April 24th, 2010. Detailed information will be mailed at a later date and posted through Facebook and Twitter. If you have recently moved or to make sure we have your correct mailing address, please call Gordon Kirkland in the Development Office at (704) 637-4394 or e-mail gakirkla@catawba.edu.

SAVE THE DATE! A reunion for Athletic Training has been scheduled for Saturday, February 20th, 2010. Detailed information will be mailed at a later date and posted through Facebook and Twitter. If you have recently moved or to make sure we have your correct mailing address, please call Gordon Kirkland in the Development Office at (704) 637-4394 or e-mail gakirkla@catawba.edu.

Source: www.wsoctv.com. Eco-Friendly Classroom Educates College Students: Students at a local college might have a hard time finding their classes this fall because one classroom is designed to blend in with its surroundings.Nestled in the woods next to Catawba College in Salisbury is a building that almost seems at one with nature.

The Catawba College Community Music Program is now accepting enrollments for the Fall 2009 semester. All lessons and classes will begin the week of September 14. Celebrating 25 years of musical excellence, Catawba Community Music will offer the following courses for aspiring music students of all ages and abilities.

It started in 1984 with only 12 students enrolled in a Music and Movement class using Orff-based music concepts. Now, as it marks its 25th anniversary, Catawba College's Community Music program has grown to serve more than 100 students each semester and to offer a Musikgarten program, vocal ensembles for children and youth, instrumental ensembles for youth, songwriting classes, piano classes, drama classes, and private instruction on almost any instrument.

by Cyle Petersen '10. After safely arriving back in Salisbury after a 9-hour train ride, which gave me lots of time to think about all I had done in the past 2 months, I thought it would be interesting to recap my summer to everyone else. My summer seemed normal while it was happening because it was roughly the same each week, but after leaving I have realized that I would never have had the opportunity to do all the things...

Amanda Nash, Instruction Librarian at Catawba College's Corriher-Linn-Black Library, contributed a chapter to a book released in July. The book, called The Library Instruction Cookbook, contains lesson plans for teaching various research/information literacy skills and was published by the Association of College and Research Libraries.

With funds raised through the 2008 Catawba 100 Golf Marathon, the Rodger H. Lofland Weight Room has been refurbished with the purchasing of new equipment. The Lofland facility is located in Goodman Gymnasium and is used by Catawba's indoor athletic teams. Special thanks goes to Larry Kinder, a Rowan-Salisbury YMCA employee, for overseeing the project.

By Barbara Bamberger Scott, JOURNAL BOOK REVIEWER. Source: www.journalnow.com. LESS IS MORE: Embracing simplicity for a healthy planet, a caring economy and lasting happiness. Here is a book with its roots in the earth that can move you to new places, stimulate ideas and encourage change.