By Sherry Walker, Master Gardener (SalisburyPost.com). This time of year, many gardens in the area are bursting with colorful blooms from azaleas, most of which are hybridized plants. Another genus of azalea is a native one that lurks in few gardens but is gaining in popularity as people look to garden with native plants.

By Susan Shinn, Catawba College News Service. Here's an easy math problem for you: What do you get when you add one Catawba College professor with seven eager academically gifted fifth- graders? Answer: A lot of good writing. In mid-March, Dr. Paul Baker, mathematics professor at Catawba, attended a Meet the Author event for Donna Rymer '93, who teaches AIG students at Bostian Elementary School. Rymer received her master's from Catawba in 1999.

Source: WSOC-TV.com. North Carolina's 8th District is an unusual one. It's long and narrow, running along Highway 74 between Charlotte and Fayetteville. Political expert Michael Bitzer said candidates often find themselves running two races – one on each side of the district. "It's almost two different worlds," Bitzer, a professor at Catawba College, said.

Source: SalisburyPost.com. It's become a rite of spring in Salisbury. As the weather warms and the azaleas bloom, the Catawba College's Vernaculars gear up for their annual Legacy concert. Past years have brought performances of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, the Beatles' Abbey Road, a history of funk, and even a tribute to Michael Jackson. This year, the tradition grows as two Vernaculars ensembles square off to outdo each other.

Two students active in the Ralph W. Ketner School of Business Experiential Learning/Internship Program will be sharing their internship experiences through blogs. Senior and business administration majors Eric Schmehl and Timmy Readling are interning with ING Financial and Centry 21, respectively and are blogging about their experiences.

By Shavonne Potts, salisburypost.com. It can be a hug or a kind word. But no matter how she receives the love, Renita Ritchie is going back for more. Ritchie is therapeutic recreation supervisor with the Rowan County Parks and Recreation Department. She primarily works with people who have disabilities. For years, she has organized events for the blind and people with developmental disabilities.

The Catawba College Community Band and the Salisbury Swing Band will perform together in a program entitled, "Let Me Entertain You!" at 7 p.m. Friday, April 30th in Keppel Auditorium of the Robertson College-Community Center on campus. Dr. Stephen Etters will conduct the bands at this free event. Program selections include "The Sinfonians" (Symphonic March) by Clifton Williams, "Riders for the Flag" (U.S. Army Mounted Calvary March) by John Philip Sousa...

The Catawba College Chapter of Kappa Mu Epsilon, the mathematics honor society, inducted new members during an April 21 ceremony held in Ketner Hall on campus. Inductees include Spencer Ashley of Yadkinville; Dustin Craft of China Grove; Deon Cuffie-Joseph of Miramar, Fla.; Lori Fraley of Cleveland; Bridgett Henderson of Statesville; and Mary McKee of Mt. Airy. Faculty advisor for the organization is Dr. Douglas Brown.

Fifteen students from Catawba College's School of Evening and Graduate Studies were commissioned as Junior Marshals in an April 24 ceremony held in the Hurley Room on campus. Dean of the School of Evening and Graduate Studies, Dr. Edith Bolick, and College Marshal, Professor David Pulliam, officiated at the ceremony.

Twenty-six Catawba College students were inducted into Phi Epsilon, an honorary scholastic society, during a ceremony held Saturday, April 24 in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on campus. The honor society seeks to stimulate scholarship, develop character, encourage leadership, and create fellowship opportunities. Membership is open to rising juniors and seniors.

Twenty-two student members of Alpha Chi, the national college honor scholarship society, won $100 cash prizes for having the highest- rated conference presentations from their regions at the super-regional convention of Alpha Chi March 25-27 in Little Rock. Although faculty judges rated presentations in their fields of expertise, prizes were awarded regardless of field to the top 10 percent of presenters by geographic region.

Catawba alumnus G. Edward Hughes, president/CEO of Gateway Community and Technical College, has been elected to the board of directors of the American Association of Community Colleges for a three-year term beginning in July. "It is an honor to be elected by my peers across the country to the AACC Board," Dr. Hughes said. "This is a critical time for the AACC board, especially as we hire and begin working with a new association president.

"The energy level this year has definitely moved from the Democratic to the Republican side," said Michael Bitzer, an associate political science professor at Catawba College in North Carolina. "The Republicans are fired up across the state. In Kissell's district there are a number of Republicans running and all could potentially give him a run for his money in November."

Barbara Fister, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN (Library Journal, 4/22/2010). Recently there has been some heated discussion on Collib-L about the use of new social technologies as tools to promote information literacy. Some librarians argued we should be involved in Twitter, Facebook, Second Life, and other Web 2.0 spaces to stay relevant.

Candidates for Rowan County Sheriff will answer questions and lay out their plans for the job during a forum Wednesday evening. The forum is April 28th at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at Salisbury High School, 500 Lincolnton Road. It is sponsored by Catawba College and the Salisbury Post. All 11 candidates have indicated they plan to attend. WSAT Memories 1280 AM will broadcast the forum live. Access 16 will videotape the forum to broadcast later on TV.

by Lauren Ebersole '07. I would like to start this e-mail with a little story about differences in perception. This past Monday, my cluster taught at a different school, one in Batu rather than Malang. We were told the first class would start at 7 a.m. Unfortunately, we were not told there was a ceremony at 7 and that class would not actually start until 7:45, but that is not the important part of the story...

View highlights and presentation of awards from Catawba College's 2010 Spring Awards Convocation service. Speakers included Provost Dr. Rick Stephens and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Paul Fisher.

Because it fell on Earth Day, Catawba College's Awards Convocation on April 22nd turned out to be just a little bit more. It was an opportunity for the campus to gather in the Omwake-Dearborn Chapel for what the Office of the Provost dubbed "Earth Hour." Students, faculty and staff turned off the lights, left their offices and residence halls, and celebrated the achievements of some, while promoting awareness and a commitment to energy efficiency and acknowledging the precious and finite resourc

By Susan Shinn, Catawba College News Service. Peter Forbes was the perfect speaker for Earth Day. In his years as a conservationist, he has learned that the work is all about relationship building. He has also learned that those who are interested in conservation and those who are interested in social justice must work together to solve the planet's problems. Forbes, co-founder of the Vermont-based Center for Whole Communities, spoke Thursday evening, April 22

Nicole Durant '09 could not have predicted upon graduation that she would have success and some fun while promoting the "As Seen on TV Hat." Nicole, who is currently living in Asheville, N.C., works at a local restaurant there while pursuing her dream [of acting] in her spare time. She shared her experience in landing the job as the young woman in the "As Seen on TV hat" and her comments follow in the first-person.

On Thursday, April 15, the Catawba College Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Stephen Etters, associate professor of music, embarked on its "Springtime in the Carolinas" tour. Approximately 30 students, with majors as diverse as Biology and Environmental Science, in addition to Music and Music Education, presented concerts in Concord, Rock Hill, Florence, and North Charleston before returning to the Catawba campus on Sunday, April 18.

Their outfits were made of Hershey Kisses wrappers, Styrofoam packing peanuts, bubble wrap, tinfoil, old record albums and used CDs and DVDs, but the models sported them with pride and wide smiles. The five outfits were entries in Catawba College's annual Recycled Fashion Show, sponsored by student organization Environment Catawba Outreach and held April 21 in the Cannon Student Center.

By Susan Shinn, Catawba News Service. So how did a 43-year-old, slightly overweight, non-traditional Catawba College student find herself at the Cooper River Bridge run in late March? It was about a bridge. But it was about much more than that, too. I'd always wanted to do the Cooper River Bridge Race. My mother ran over 500 miles last year so I figured surely I could make it across some dinky bridge. "Some dinky bridge" turned out to the be Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge — 2.5 miles long, 200 feet h

by Jon Rhodes '08. Where does one begin when recounting a story? Do I first start with our food exploits? I could talk about how we feasted on locusts, grasshopper and a local fruit called durian, a fruit that is illegal to eat on trains in Malaysia due to its smell and has been likened to skunk spray with a hint of sweetness. I could start with the elephant rides through the jungle. About how some places take great care of the magnificent creatures and then about how some places don't.

Catawba College's Theta Phi Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (KPD) education honor society installed new officers for the 2010-2011 year and inducted 21 new members in a ceremony held at 7:00 p.m. April 13 in the Tom Smith Auditorium on campus. Dr. James K. Stringfield, dean of the Goodman School of Education and Physical Education, opened the ceremony with welcoming remarks to the inductees, members, and invited guests. Mrs. Pam Rutherford spoke about how new teachers can be effective and can thrive i

Three Catawba College alumni were honored by their alma mater on Sunday, April 18, as recipients of the College's prestigious Adrian L. Shuford, Jr. Award for Distinguished Service. Recipients included Mr. Raymond '53 and Dr. Shirley Ritchie '52 of Salisbury and Mr. David E. "Gene" Fuller '52 of Charlotte. College President Dr. W. Craig Turner made the presentations during a special President's Circle Event held to recognize the institution's major donors in Hedrick Theatre of the Robertson Coll

Their student research projects were diverse, but their pride in them was clear. Eleven different research projects were on display in the Leonard Lounge of the Cannon Student Center during Catawba College's 2010 Interdisciplinary Research Symposium. During a two-hour window, more than 100 faculty, staff and students had an opportunity to listen and learn about each of them.

Join us for the Annual Awards Ceremony at Catawba College on Thursday, April 22 from 11:00am to 12:00pm in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel. April 22nd is also Earth Day and by attending Awards Convocation, you will participate in our own version of "Earth Hour."

Dr. Aaron Butler, assistant professor of English in Catawba College's School of Evening and Graduate Studies, attended the Shakespeare Association of America conference that was held April 1-3 in Chicago, Ill. This annual conference brings in scholars from all over the world for presentations, seminars, workshops, and other activities related to Shakespeare studies and education.

Source: SalisburyPost.com. College graduation season is almost here, and that means thousands of college seniors in the Carolinas will soon be in the job market. One recent survey actually has some encouraging news for job seekers, but how easy will it really be to find work? According to a new survey by Career Builder, chances may be improving. The total number of employers planning to hire recent college graduates in 2010 – 44 percent – is relatively unchanged from 43 percent in 2009...

Students will be sharing their research from Catawba's various disciplines at the 2010 Interdisciplinary Research Symposium on Thursday, April 15th from 11am-1pm in the Cannon Student Center. This is a perfect opportunity to learn about what students are researching in relation to their majors on campus. Faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend. Free refreshments will be served. The symposium is co-hosted by Psi Chi, the Psychology Club, Tri Beta, and the American Chemical Society Affi

by Lauren Ebersole '07. Much has happened in the past week. Two Saturdays ago, I went to an Arema soccer game with a group of fellow volunteers. Arema is the team from Malang and also the best team in the Indonesian Super League. The stadium is outside the city in an absolutely beautiful spot with a mountain rising up behind the stadium. Not a great game of soccer, but a wonderful atmosphere with constant singing and dancing from the crowd.

by Lauren Ebersole '07. Based on responses to my last entry I feel a little pressure to keep up the quality. Prepare to be disappointed. I never should have led with squatty potties; I just can't top squatty potties. But here are some observations from the last week: Working at KFC [Kentucky Fried Chicken] appears to be as terrible a job in Indonesia as it is in the US.

On Thursday, April 15, the Catawba College Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Stephen Etters, associate professor of music, will embark on its "Springtime in the Carolinas" tour. Approximately 30 students, with majors as diverse as Biology and Environmental Science, in addition to Music and Music Education, will present concerts in Concord, Rock Hill, Florence, and North Charleston before returning to the Catawba campus on Sunday, April 18.

Catawba College mathematics professor, Dr. Paul Baker, chaired the Professional Session at the Southeast Regional Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America held March 26 at Elon University. During that session, Baker presented "Basic Operations on Khmer Numbers." On March 16, Dr. Baker was a guest speaker at the "Meet the Author" event at Bostian Elementary School. The event was sponsored by Mrs. Donna Rymer's fifth grade class. Mrs. Rymer's class presented an original play about the au

by Ben Steelman, StarNewsOnline. Writers' Group of the Triad (WGOT) has announced its seventh biennial Greensboro Awards for poetry and short fiction. Poetry judge will be Janice Moore Fuller of Catawba College, author of "Archaeology is a Destructive Science" and "Sex Education and Seance." Fiction judge will be Alice J. Wisler, author of "How Sweet It Is" and "Slices of Sunlight."

By Hugh Fisher, salisburypost.com. Don Srail, a Rowan County resident who lives just outside of Salisbury, said it best when he described the purpose of Saturday's annual Statewide Putt Putt Tournament for the Blind and Visually Impaired: "We encourage each other a lot more than what doctors can do or pills can do."

By Susan Shinn, Catawba College News Service. In the spring of 1970, there was one overriding factor that brought Robin Roberts to Catawba College. "They offered me a job," Roberts says. Dr. Albert E. "Robin" Roberts is retiring in May after 40 years on the faculty. Roberts is chairman of the psychology department and Dr. Sheila Brownlow will take over those duties in fall 2010. Roberts is approaching retirement with his typical aplomb.

By Catawba College student Katie Haeuser. "I did the job, I was the one, everyone should have something to point to. Some way to be tall in the crowd. Proud." These words taken from the play, "Working," emphasize the fact that America was built on the backs of the working class. "Working," based on the book by Studs Terkel and adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, highlights and exemplifies the plights and pleasures of real working-class people.

"It's not about working for the title or working for the money, it's about doing something that you want to do. Find passion in what you do," Lowe's senior vice president of specialty sales and store operations support, Robert Wagner, told those gathered at Catawba College's Ralph W. Ketner School of Business' 5th Distinguished CEO Lecture Series on April 8.