Dr. J. Michael Bitzer will serve as Catawba College's acting provost beginning June 1. President Brien Lewis made that announcement to the campus community on May 20. Bitzer, an associate professor politics and history and chair of the Department of History and Politics at Catawba, joined the faculty in 2002. He will fill a vacancy left by the departure of Dr. W. Richard "Rick" Stephens, Jr. who will lead the academic administration at Alfred University.

Catawba College recognized three retiring faculty members at its May 11 Commencement Exercises. Drs. James "Jim" Beard, John B. "Jack" Green and Cynthia B. Osterhus '73 were cited for their contributions to the institution at the 10 a.m. ceremony held in Keppel Auditorium.

Catawba College's End-of-the-Year Luncheon for Faculty and Staff was a time to recognize 10 individuals who are retiring from the college this year.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured on WFAE discussing the North Carolina GOP Leaders' plan to cut and expand taxes. Bitzer said it is an ambitious plan. "In conjunction with the budget, with voter I.D., with a lot of other big-ticket items that Republicans campaigned on, this is probably going to be the most controversial and biggest hurdle that they're going to have to try and get through if they want...

The professor whom students call "Dr. O" was recognized by the students and her colleagues in the Catawba College Department of Teacher Education at a retirement reception held April 30 in the atrium of Ketner Hall. Dr. Cynthia B. Osterhus, an associate professor of teacher education and director of the Shirley Peeler Ritchie Academy for Teaching at Catawba, will retire at the end of this academic year after 10 years as a full-time faculty member at the college.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured in several articles concerning current political issues. Read the articles...

Members of the Catawba College community gathered in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on April 23 to celebrate achievement. The occasion was the annual Awards Convocation.Scheduled the day after Earth Day, the awards distributed were eco-friendly, made of Catawba blue, 100% recycled glass. They symbolized the college's commitment to environmental responsibility and are a reminder to the recipients to promote a greener, more sustainable lifestyle.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured on the Charlotte Observer's website discussing the slowing of GOP lawmaking momentum at the halfway point and how well the House and Senate work together could determine how messy it gets. Bitzer said how the relationship progresses will help define the session.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured on the WRAL.com website discussing Gov. Pat McCrory's plans to ignore peripheral issues, to stay away from legislative peccadilloes and spend time on his "Three Es:" economy, education and efficiency.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured in a Winston-Salem Journal Journal article discussing Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx's decision to not run for re-election. Bitzer said Foxx will have numerous opportunities if he wants to continue in politics.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured in a WSOCTV.com article discussing how new local leaders might inherit divisive issues. Bitzer said that change is part of the job. "Those people that have risen to that level generally know this is the way that business works," he said.

Dr. David L. Fish, associate professor of music and chair of the music department at Catawba College, has been accepted to take part in a traditional Korean music international workshop at Korea's National Gugak Center in Seoul. The all-expense paid workshop starts June 17 and runs for two weeks.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured in several local and national articles discussing the proposed bill for establishing a state religion in North Carolina.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured in a WSOCTV.com article discussing how new legislation might cut back on early voting days and voting locations. Bitzer said it could be an attempt at saving money.

Amy Hrinsin, an instructor of Accounting in Catawba College’s Ralph W. Ketner School of Business, recently completed a Teaching Effectiveness Seminar offered by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Hrinsin was evaluated on her teaching effectiveness by five faculty members with considerable experience in the classroom and she received critical constructive feedback.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured in a WBTV.com article discussing the difference in freedoms state-to-state. A new study from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University has ranked the states based on freedom. According to the study, people in South Carolina have significantly more freedom than people in North Carolina because there is less government oversight and regulation in South Carolina.

Robert Casmus, head athletic trainer at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, was one of two individuals inducted on March 23 into the North Carolina Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame. The 36th annual NCATA Spring Awards and Business Meeting was held at Carolinas Healthcare System – Northeast in Concord.

Dr. John "Jack" Green, an associate professor of marketing in Catawba College's Ketner School of Business, chaired a session and made a presentation at an international conference held in Valencia, Spain, during the college's spring break.

Two faculty members and several students from the psychology department at Catawba College attended the annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association in Atlanta, Ga., March 13-16.

A 1962 Catawba College alumna, the Reverend June Grubb, was honored by her alma mater as the recipient of the institution's 2013 College Church/Ministry Award. Grubb, who makes her home in Lexington and is active in the First Reformed United Church of Christ there, was recognized in February at a Church/College Dinner held on Catawba's campus.

The Catawba College Board of Trustees approved tenure for Theatre Arts Assistant Professor Erin B. Dougherty at its February meeting. Dougherty joined the Catawba faculty in 2007 as assistant professor of costume design and technology. She has served since 2008 as the faculty advisor to Catawba's Blue Masque, a student theatre organization, and served during the 2012-2013 academic year as a member of the Catawba faculty's curriculum committee.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured on The Daily Tarheel website discussing the City of Charlotte's dispute with the City of Raleigh over funding for transportation projects.

From the sage perspective of his 66 years, Dr. Kurt Corriher shared advice on how to live a joyful life with those gathered for Catawba College's 10th Annual Lilly Colloquium. Beginning his remarks with lines from Poet Mary Oliver's "The Summer Day," Corriher spoke in the college's Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on Feb. 19...

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in the following recent articles about current political topics. Read the articles...

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured on the WCNC.com website. Bitzer discussed Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, who has been outspoken in his support for a ban on assault weapons and high-magazine clips but has declined to join the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Read the full story...

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured on the CharlotteObserver.com website regarding the possible influence of N.C. Republicans on a future GOP blueprint.

Dr. Buster Smith, an assistant professor of sociology at Catawba College, recently served as a moderator for a panel discussion on Arts of Faith held at Waterworks Visual Arts Center in Salisbury. The discussion was held Jan. 17. Smith, who joined the Catawba faculty at the start of the 2011-2012 academic year, is interested in the study of the sociology of religion.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured on the SalisburyPost.com website. The article featured the following excerpt from a blog that Bitzer wrote for "The Party Line" political blog at www.wfae.org: When the North Carolina General Assembly gaveled the two chambers into session, the leaders of the House and Senate took to their respective podiums to deliver their outlook on the upcoming biennium session...

A free piano concert provided by Catawba College adjunct faculty member, Wei Jiao, at 3 p.m. Sunday Jan. 20, in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel kicks off a Catawba Artist Series for spring semester. Jiao will perform works of Scarlatti, Mozart, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and modern Chinese composer Zhou Long.

Dr. Eric R. Hake, Associate Professor of Economics and Department Chair of Business & Economics at Catawba College, recently attended the annual conference of the Association for Evolutionary Economics in San Diego, Calif., a conference he helped organize as the secretary of the Association.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in the following recent articles about current political topics. Read the articles below:

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in several recent articles about current political topics. Read the articles below...

The 10th annual Lilly Colloquium will feature Catawba professor, author and actor, Dr. Kurt Corriher, who will emphasize the importance of examining the artistic dimension of our lives. The colloquium keynote is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday, February 19, in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel and is free and open to the public.

In a formal pinning ceremony held in late October, thirty eight Catawba College students and two faculty members were accepted into the Department of Teacher Education at the college. The ceremony, held in Hedrick Little Theatre, was sponsored by the Student North Carolina Association of Educators (SNCAE). Ms. Laura Ritchie, a 2011 Catawba alumna, shared remarks about her perspective on teaching and a reception followed in the Peeler Crystal Lounge.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, chair of and an associate professor of history and politics at Catawba was recently interviewed by WSOC-TV and News14 Carolina to discuss South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint's resignation announcement.

During this holiday season, we pause to reflect on all the wonderful memories of holidays and Christmases gone by. We invite you to catch a glimpse of some of the favorite holiday memories from the Catawba College community. We hope these special moments bring you additional warmth and joy this holiday season. View Catawba's 2012 holiday e-card below...

Longtime Catawba College religion and philosophy faculty member, Dr. J. Daniel Brown, was honored at the college on Dec. 6 when his book collection was dedicated. The J. Daniel Brown Book Collection will be housed in room 312 of Hedrick Administration Building, a small, intimate seminar room with a large built-in bookcase. A commemorative plaque, describing the collection and including a photo of Dr. Brown, is displayed on the door into room 312.

Associate Professor of Political Science and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer will be featured this week on the "Carolina Business Review: Election Debrief" segment. Air dates/times below...

Dr. Aaron Butler, Assistant Professor of English at Catawba College, delivered a paper at the 23rd Annual Conference of the Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association, held November 1-3, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The title of Butler's paper was " 'The [a]isle is full of noises': Using Contemporary Music to Enhance Performances at the Blackfriars Playhouse."

Dr. Julie Rhyne Chamberlain, an Associate Professor of Music and the Director of the Sacred Music Concentration at Catawba College, recently received Wingate University's Distinguished Alumni Award, that University's highest alumni honor.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured in several articles this week about current political topics. Read the articles below...

The Catawba College community celebrated its annual Christmas Tree Lighting Service together on Monday, November 19 in the Cannon Student Center. The event was co-sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA) and the President's Office.

Catawba College Professor Richard Browne recently shared insights in his presentation "Strategy vs. Execution – which matters more in achieving global business success?" while lecturing to the Master's of Business class at the Universidad Americana, Managua, Nicaragua. Browne, who lectures in International Business at Catawba's Ketner School of Business, utilized case studies from several Fortune 500 companies to highlight the factors for winning at business in the global arena.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured in several articles this week about current political topics. Read the articles below:

Dr. Janice Fuller, Writer-in-Residence and Professor of English at Catawba College, has had her fourth collection of poetry entitled On the Bevel accepted for publication in 2014 by Cinnamon Press in Wales. An independent press, Cinnamon has published books from Wales, Scotland, England Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, the US, and China. Their books have won the Wales Book of the Year awarded by Literature Wales and the Sundial Scottish Arts Best First Book of the Year.

By Lisa Thornton - Like most, Gary Freeze enjoyed "The Andy Griffith Show" in the same familiar progression as other Southerners: He laughed at its silly antics in his childhood, and reminisced like old friends when he revisited the characters in reruns as an adult. But for Freeze, a Statesville native and professor of North Carolina history at Catawba College in Salisbury, his views on the show don't stop there.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured in several articles this week about current political topics. Read the articles below...

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured in several articles this week about current political topics. Read the articles below...

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured in several articles this week about current political topics. Read the articles below...

By Dr. Paul Baker, Catawba College Professor of Mathematics and Part-time Missionary - The e-mails and Facebook postings began arriving about 9:00 Sunday night - 10:00 Monday morning in Cambodia. Norodom Sihanouk, the Pere-Roi, the Father King, who led Cambodia for the past seventy-one years, had died.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured in several articles this week about current political topics. Read the articles below:

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent WSOC-TV segment regarding privacy concerns surrounding the use of smartphone apps in Presidential campaigns. Bitzer said the app is effective and important for Obama's campaign, the only one using an app this advanced so far. "It will probably be widely used as cellphone technology, smartphone technology continues to advance," Bitzer said.

With the 2012 election headed to a photo finish in key battleground states, Catawba College's Community Forum slated at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, will offer a timely analysis of this year's elections and what they may mean for the future. The event, to take place in Tom Smith Auditorium of Ralph W. Ketner Hall on campus, is free and open to the public.

Volunteer Catawba is partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Rowan County and a local family to build a home by Christmas. The official ground-breaking for the home, located on Grants Crossing Lane, was held Saturday, September 22. The ceremony was attended by representatives of Habitat and Catawba College, as well as family members and friends of future homeowner, Kimberly Cornelius, and other community volunteers. Following a brief ceremony, which included music provide by members of the Corn

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent News14 article which discusses Democrat Walter Dalton hitting the campaign trail just one day after the first statewide television debate in this year's governor's race. While Dalton was talking education, others were talking about his chances at being the state's next top executive. "It would take, let's say a minor miracle to potentially pull that off. Stranger things have happened...

With the arrival of iPhone 5 and its record-breaking sales, experts are saying it could be a sign of recovery for the economy. Before lines to purchase the phone had even formed, pre-orders topped two million within the first 24 hours, according to Apple. It was projected that 10 million phones could be sold by Monday, September 24.

Catawba College Assistant Professor of English, Forrest Anderson, is teaming up with other Southern writers to participate in "The Great Write Off" October 3-5. The Great Write Off fundraiser will support six non-profit organizations based in Michigan. According to its website (http://thegreatwriteoff.com), donations of any amount can be made to support the participating writer(s). The event aims to encourage writers by showing them how much their work is valued.

Catawba's Blue Masque Theatre Hall of Fame will honor four new inductees on Friday, October 26, during the college's Homecoming Weekend. Those being honored for their meritorious lives in the theatre arts includetheatre administrator and preservationist John Bell, class of 1976; dance administrator, choreographer, and teacher Richard Steinert, class of 1981; composer, song writer and sound designer Mike Yionoulis, class of 1988; and longtime Catawba theatre arts professor, Dayna Anderson.

An original play about the Dorothea Dix Hospital by Dr. Janice Fuller, Catawba's Writer-in-Residence and Professor of English; Directed by 2008 Catawba Alumna Brianna Smith - Dix, a Story of the Back-Ward Women is a new show by local Salisbury playwright and poet Janice Fuller. The play will be offered at Lee Street Theatre in collaboration with TapRoot Ensemble in its East Coast Premiere.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer recently commented on the impact of young voters, whose enthusiasm helped propel President Obama's win four years ago. Although a recent poll revealed waning excitement among younger voters following dismal job growth, N.C. Democratic Party leaders and DNC youth delegates maintain a strong, positive outlook.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer recently commented on last week's DNC. Read the articles below...

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer will be commenting on this week's DNC and other topics during this week in politics.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in several articles this week regarding a number of popular political topics.

Dr. Janice Moore Fuller, Catawba College's Writer-in-Residence and Professor of English, has been awarded a two-week fellowship in December by the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA). The VCCA is located near Sweet Briar College in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in rural Virginia. Fuller will be among approximately 25 Fellows focusing on their own creative projects at this working retreat for visual artists, writers, and composers.

Catawba College President Brien Lewis commissioned sixteen junior marshals from the day program and a new senior marshal from the faculty for service in the 2012-2013 academic year during a ceremony held August 22 in the Hurley Room on campus.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent article from The Post & Courier regarding South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley's selection for a prime-time speaking spot at next week's Republican National Convention.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, chair of and an associate professor of history and politics at Catawba was interviewed by WSOC-TV recently to discuss the Republican National Convention co-chairwoman's visit to Charlotte.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent News & Observer article regarding Mitt Romney's visit to Charlotte to raise money for his GOP presidential campaign which needs North Carolina to retain the possibility of a victory in the November election.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent Charlotte Observer article regarding where the donations to the two men running for governor geographically fall in North Carolina. "With a candidate from the western part of the state (Dalton), it's going to be interesting to see how he makes inroads in the I-95 corridor where McCrory has been living for the last four years," said Bitzer.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured by News14 Carolina commenting on concern for the current economic climate."Gridlock is going to be with us because they're not going to have 60 votes in the Senate," said Bitzer. "Things are going to continue to come to a standstill and that's only going to create more uncertainty for the business community."

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer provides perspectives on the selection of US Rep. Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney's running mate for the presidential election. View Bitzer's video below...

Dr. Forrest Anderson, assistant professor of English at Catawba College, led a recent discussion on how author Wiley Cash came to write his bestselling book and learned from repeated rejections. The talk was held at Trinity Oaks Retirement Community, where the author spoke with attendees via Skype.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent segment on WFAE 90.7 discussing next month's Democratic National Convention and the November election.

Catawba College President Brien Lewis sought to inspire and motivate faculty and staff at the start the new academic year. During the annual fall conference held Monday, August 6, Lewis referenced the late Bart Giamatti, president of Yale University and the former commissioner of Major League Baseball, and Giamatti's thoughts on "the constant conversation" in higher education; Ben Franklin and his quote, "When you're finished changing, you're finished;" excerpts from a poem...

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent article from The Post and Courier discussing South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley's increased use of social media as her go-to political tool. Bitzer says Haley's posts are a way to bypass the traditional media and "speak directly to her people."

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent AP article discussing the readiness of the City of Charlotte's police department in the case that crowd control is needed at the upcoming DNC convention. "The city's landscape and the close proximity of the major convention venues will help security," Bitzer said.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor emeritus of political science at Catawba College, recently had an article published in the "Indian Yearbook of International Law & Policy 2010-2011, Volume II." Silverburg’s article was titled "The Contravention of Consistency: Indian Foreign Policy Toward Israel."

Dr. Pam Thompson, a Catawba College associate professor in the Ralph W. Ketner School of Business, has had a paper accepted for an upcoming conference. Her paper "From Music to Emotions and Tinnitus Treatment, Initial Study" (with Deepali Kohli, Zbigniew Ras, Pawel Jastreboff, and Alicja Wieczorkowska) has been accepted as a regular paper with oral presentation to a top level conference in the field of Information Systems and Artificial Intelligence...

Dr. Steve Coggin, Dean of the Hurley School of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Biology at Catawba College, traveled to Costa Rica this summer with a group of high school students from First Presbyterian Church in Salisbury. The group worked together to build a house for a Costa Rican family.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, chair of and an associate professor of history and politics at Catawba, joined Scott Huffmon of Winthrop University on Capital Tonight to talk about Southern politics. Watch the video segment below...

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer recently appeared on a RadioExiles.com segment to discuss the recent Obamacare ruling and what it means for politics and public health. Listen to the segment below...

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent article on the HuffingtonPost.com website regarding the costly inter-party battle in the North Carolina Republican primary. "It is a battle within the Republican Party," said Bitzer. "It is basically the establishment Republicans versus the Tea Party faction. I literally think it's anybody's ball game."

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent article on the CharlotteObserver.com website. The topic was the recent political equivalent of a civil war centered around the the 8th Congressional District race.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer provides a little bit about the history of the vice presidency and modern vice presidents, along with some perspective on who Mitt Romney may select for his running mate. View Bitzer's video on YouTube @CatawbaPolitics below...

Darin S. Spencer, an assistant professor of accounting in Catawba College's Ketner School of Business, has been asked to serve on the Accounting Advisory Board at Rowan Cabarrus Community College. Spencer holds his bachelor's degree and master of accountancy degree from UNC Charlotte and his M.B.A. from Pfeiffer University.

A paper authored by a Catawba College professor of psychology and two college alumnae has been accepted for publication in the journal, "Psychology." Dr. Sheila Brownlow and alumnae Amanda Kanoy of Salisbury and Tiffany F. Sowers of Asheville authored the paper entitled "Can reward obviate stereotype threat effects on mental rotation tasks?"

Dr. Gary Freeze, Catawba College professor of history and a recognized expert on North Carolina history, will be featured on WFAE's "Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins" on July 11 to discuss the late Andy Griffith's legacy and impact. The segment will be devoted to the famous North Carolinian from Mayberry. The show can be heard at 9:00 a.m. on WFAE (90.7 FM) and will also be streamed on the WFAE.org website.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent article on the Centre Daily Times website. The topic of the article was the Democratic Party feud that emerged recently as African-American backers of U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell pulled their support after his decision not to endorse President Barack Obama and his plan to vote to repeal the health care law.

Catawba College associate professor of communication arts Dr. Tim Moreland and his friend "Chester," a six-year old Australian Shepherd, fly dogs to safe havens for Pilots N Paws animal rescue. Chester has been Moreland's co-pilot on rescue flights since his own adoption in Sarasota, FL.

Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer recently appeared on a WSOC-TV segment regarding political campaigns which are aiming to capitalize on the June 2012 jobs data.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent article on The Post and Courier's website. The article discussed U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-Greenville, who has announced plans to transform a fund he's used to back insurgent GOP Senate candidates into a super political action committee — known as a "super PAC."

Dr. Jim Shepherd is Catawba College's new director of choral music and assistant professor of music. He will join the faculty at the college in August for the start of the 2012-2013 academic year. Shepherd comes to Catawba from Concord University in Athens, West Virginia, where he served during the 2011-2012 academic year as assistant professor and director of choral and vocal music.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, chair of and an associate professor of history and politics at Catawba, says the June 28 U.S. Supreme Court decision on President Barack Obama's health care law "turned out to be a definitive legal and policy victory for the President, but perhaps a political victory for the Republicans in the long run."

Political expert and Catawba College professor of politics Dr. J. Michael Bitzer will be offering insight on the U.S. Supreme Court's health care decision today, June 28, at 10:00 a.m. Tune in to the News 14 Carolina website, which will be streaming LIVE COVERAGE.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent article on the CharlotteObserver.com website. The article discussed the emerging dynamic between Phil Berger and Thom Tillis.

Catawba College and the Rev. Dr. Kenneth W. Clapp, the college's chaplain and senior vice president, were recognized at the annual conference of the Southern Conference of the United Church of Christ. The June 14-16 conference event, held at the Holiday Inn in Salisbury, was hosted by the Western Association.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent article on the NewsObserver.com website. The article discussed N.C. Rep. David Price's newly unveiled legislation that would restructure financing of presidential elections by substantially increasing the public tax dollars used to match private contributions.

On the June 20 edition of News14 Carolina's Capital Tonight, Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer and James Kotecki discuss the polarization of politics in America, and Larry Shaheen and Dan McCorkle duke it out in our Quick Takes Section.

In a recent News14 Carolina interview, Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer commented on North Carolina's unemployment rate, which was 9.4 percent in May, well above the national average of 8.2 percent. "Realistically they need the unemployment rate to continue to go down," Bitzer says, "Holding steady or even increasing a little is really going to be problematic."

St. Thomas Players, the award-winning theatre company of the Center for Faith & the Arts, will present Dinner with Friends, written by Pulitzer prize winner, Donald Margulies. Dinner with Friends will be presented in the Florence Busby Corriher Theatre on the campus of Catawba College on June 14-16 and 21-23 at 7:30pm and June 17 at 2:30pm.

In a recent News14 Carolina interview, Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer commented on the advertising battle that is just beginning over two hotly contested congressional seats in North Carolina. "The airwaves are just going to be completely over taken by campaign commercials," Bitzer says.

By Hugh Fisher, for the Salisbury Post - The holidays bring with them joy and splendor, warm memories and favorite songs, comfort foods and family memories. The challenge for many Americans is not just enjoying the season, but surviving it. Erin Wood, assistant professor of psychology at Catawba College, said that two of the keys to happier, healthier holidays are positive attitude and realistic expectations.

Beginning with this fall's incoming first-year class, Catawba College students will need to complete community service hours to officially graduate with honors. That proposal was approved unanimously last year by both the Student Council and the Honors Faculty Board at Catawba.

In a recent WSOC-TV interview, Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer commented on the effect of the second month in a row of meager job gains to the stock market and experts' optimism.

In a recent WSOC-TV interview, Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer commented on the early negative ads in the North Carolina Governor's race.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured in a recent article on The New York Times website. The topic was the effect of President Obama's self-described "evolution" on same-sex marriage that appears to be catalyzing an early similar shift among African-Americans.

In a recent WSOC-TV interview, Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer commented on the role the state delegates will play at the Democratic National Convention. Watch the video below...

In a recent WSOC-TV interview, Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer commented on the fundraising group that is taking corporate money for the DNC. Watch the video below...

By Karissa Minn, salisburypost.com - A local political analyst says that while he wasn't surprised that Amendment One passed, figuring out who voted for it and why is more complicated than it seems. Michael Bitzer, political science professor at Catawba College, said no exit polls from Tuesday's election show how voters made their choice. But the political and religious makeup of North Carolina and Rowan County could help explain it.

Two long-serving faculty members at Catawba College were recognized during the college's commencement exercises on Saturday, May 12. Dr. Michael Baranski, a professor of biology with 38 years of service, and Dr. Laurel Eason, a professor of English with 21 years of service, will retire at the end of this academic year.

After a busy week in North Carolina politics with several hot topics, Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was interviewed and featured by a number of local media outlets. Read Bitzer's comments and the full stories below...

North Carolina's most crowded congressional primary has been marked by personal attacks, calls to dismantle government, a detour into the "birther" controversy and one of the biggest self-funded campaigns in the country. And that's just the opening round. With 10 Republicans on the ballot, Tuesday's 9th District primary is almost certainly headed to a July 17 runoff. "I would be shocked if we don't," says Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College...

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer welcomes visitors to his "ivory tower," the third-floor office in the stone tower of Catawba College’s Hedrick Administration Building. Layers of neatly spaced term papers are on his desk, waiting to be read and graded. The whole wall behind him is filled with books on politics, history, sports and law — virtually all of which he has read.

Dr. Michael Bitzer, associate professor of politics and history at Catawba College, was an invited speaker at the Asheville Chamber of Commerce's "Redistricting 101" public forum. Speaking to 40 business leaders, Bitzer described the process of redistricting in North Carolina, as well as his analysis of how the new district lines may impact the composition of the North Carolina General Assembly and the congressional delegation from the state.

Dr. Stephen Hiatt, a Catawba College professor of management in the Ketner School of Business, has been invited to join other top management educators at Cengage Learning Headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, in early June as a member of an exclusive advisory board on digital learning. The advisory board, which includes other faculty from across the country, will discuss technology and teaching strategies in management.

"People love passion," says Cyndi Allison Wittum, a Catawba College communication professor. "I always tell my students that everyone will forgive you almost any sin if you are enthusiastic and excited about what you're doing." Wittum will be blogging this summer for Sears on a "Grilling Is Happiness" project which includes some of the top grilling and barbecue writers across the country. Sears is hosting a corporate blog to help consumers learn about and enjoy cooking outdoors.

Dr. Laurel Eason scurried to drape a table with books and roses before the 1:30 p.m. start time of her Southern Literature class at Catawba College on April 24th. She knew she was a day late for her celebration, but it did not matter.

Dr. Michael Bitzer, Associate Professor of Politics and History at Catawba College, was an invited respondent to The University of Georgia's Future Faculty Program Conference held recently at Sapelo Island, Ga. During the conference, sponsored by UGA's Center for Teaching and Learning, Bitzer worked with doctoral students in their career preparations for teaching and serving as future faculty.

Catawba College President Brien Lewis had a chance to meet and learn about the achievements of some of the college's best and brightest students during his first week on the job. That opportunity came for Lewis at the college's annual Awards Convocation held April 19 in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and political expert at Catawba College, was one of four area political analysts to share their reactions to Wednesday's gubernatorial debate.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, Professor of Politics at Catawba College, was recently featured in an article on newsobserver.com. The topic of the article was the prospect of North Carolina changing its House delegation from a Democratic majority to a Republican super-majority and how a current scandal involving sexual harassment allegations comes into play.

by Len Clark for SalisburyPost.com - Are You Lonesome Tonight? Well put on your Blue Suede Shoes and Surrender yourself to an evening chronicling the era and honoring the influence of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. If you don't laugh you have a Wooden Heart.

Three Catawba College students and one faculty sponsor represented the North Carolina Omicron chapter at the super-regional convention of Alpha Chi, the national college honor society, March 22-24 in Baltimore, Md.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, Professor of Politics at Catawba College, was featured in an article on WRAL.com. The topic of the article was the importance of North Carolina in the marriage debate. Bitzer says the debate in North Carolina has a special resonance because of the prominence the presidential election will bring to the state.

Catawba College, in conjunction with The Salisbury Post and the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, will be hosting several Candidate Forums on Wednesday, April 11, and Thursday, April 12 on campus in Tom Smith Auditorium. These forums are offered as a public service to the Salisbury and Rowan County community.

On March 3, Catawba College hosted CAT-RUM-2012, a regional undergraduate mathematics conference, sponsored in part by the Mathematics Association of America and the National Science Foundation [DMS-0846477]. Catawba College Mathematics Professor, Dr. Paul Baker, served as the conference director for the second year. Math and science undergraduates from area colleges and universities came both to present their mathematical research and to hear about research at other schools.

The Mathematical Association of America held its Southeastern Regional Section Meeting at the Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia, on March 8-10. At the conference, Catawba College Mathematics Professor, Dr. Paul Baker, made a presentation: Using Topology to Solve a Geometric Existence Question.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor emeritus of political science at Catawba College, recently had a paper accepted for presentation at the International Organization of Social Sciences and Behavioral Research in Atlantic City, N.J., April 23-25. The paper is entitled "The Grotian Moment of Post-Intra-State Conflict: Accountability Process as a Normative Foundation of Jus Post Bellum."

In the April 2012 edition of "Music Alive!" two individuals — a student and a faculty member — from Catawba College's Music Department were featured in advertisements. Blakley Leonard, who will graduate May 12, 2012 from Catawba with a degree in Music and concentrations in Music Business and Popular Music, appears in an ad for Notion Music. The ad is about music notation for iPad.

U.S. Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (NC-5), whose new congressional district will include Catawba College and northern Rowan County in 2013, visited the Catawba campus on March 16. Accompanied by Todd Poole, her chief of staff, and Brad Langston, her constituent liaison, Congresswoman Foxx toured campus...

In a recent video interview with WSOC-TV, Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer discussed President Obama's visit as part of his election strategy. With praise for a local company, local workers and a storied basketball rivalry, President Barack Obama's speech carried with it a healthy dose of political strategy, said Bitzer.

"When you have a sitting president — when you know who we're going to be re-nominating — it's a way to engage everyone in the process," Emmerling said. J. Michael Bitzer, a political science and history professor at Catawba College, called the approach smart and novel. "If you can sponsor, particularly here in North Carolina, a barbecue contest, that will create a lot of chatter on the street," Bitzer said.

In a recent interview with News 14 Carolina, Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer discussed what candidate names will be on the NC ballot. Watch the video...

by Katie Scarvey, SalisburyPost.com - Three cheers for ignorance. An early historian and participant of Piedmont Players Theatre, Betty Anne Stanback wrote in a history of the group that the organizers of PPT back in 1961 were "blissful" in their ignorance — unaware of what challenges lay ahead.

A Catawba College alumna, a faculty member and a student were each recognized at the College's annual Church/College Dinner held Feb. 20 on campus in Peeler Crystal Lounge. Those attending included trustees, college administrators, students and supporters of Catawba's Campus Ministry and its Lilly Center for Vocation and Values.

Two faculty emeriti from Catawba College's Theatre Arts Department were honored Feb. 20 with a facility on campus named in their honor. College President, Dr. Joseph B. Oxendine, recognized Dr. Hoyt M. McCachren, Jr. and Dr. James R. Epperson during a dinner on campus. He unveiled a bronze plaque and announced that the McCachren-Epperson Theatre Arts Office Facility is being named in their honor.

Food Lion co-founder and Chairman Emeritus Ralph Ketner is trying to re-create history. He'd love to have in his hands a list of the 125 original investors in Food Town, which became today's Salisbury-based Food Lion grocery chain.

As Rep. Fred Steen aims for a place in Congress, several people have subtly begun to set their sights on his State House office, including Democrat John Williams and County Commissioner Carl Ford. Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, political science professor at Catawba College, was recently featured in a Salisbury Post article discussing the matter.

Nine-term Republican Congresswoman Sue Myrick is leaving Congress at the end of the year. She announced Tuesday that she won't seek re-election to North Carolina's 9th Congressional district, which covers portions of Mecklenburg, Gaston and Union Counties. WFAE political blogger Dr. J. Michael Bitzer discusses her career and what this means in the race to replace her.

The state of South Carolina recently filed a lawsuit challenging the Justice Department's blocking of the state's voter identification law, possibly costing taxpayers $1 million or more. The state has hired high-powered Washington attorneys and other contracted associates and paralegals that will receive high earnings. Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, Professor of Politics, was featured in an article on The Huffington Post website after being asked to share his thoughts on the topic.

The Salisbury branch of the English Speaking Union will hold a dinner program at the Country Club of Salisbury on Thursday, Feb. 9 starting at 6:30 p.m. The guest speaker will be Michael Bitzer, Professor of Political Science and History at Catawba College, speaking on "American Politics in 2012."

Dr. Gary Freeze, professor of History at Catawba College, will be a guest lecturer at the 15th Annual Salisbury Confederate Prison Symposium. The event, which runs April 13-15, will move to Tom Smith Auditorium in Ketner Hall on the Catawba College campus on April 14. A series of six lectures on topics relating to the Salisbury Prison will be presented from 9:15 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Freeze will present an overall synopsis of the prison's history from 1861 to 1865.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, political expert and Professor of Politics at Catawba College was recently quoted in an article by TheNation.com entitled, "How the GOP Is Resegregating the South."

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, political expert and Professor of Politics at Catawba College recently commented on the negative approach of Mitt Romney's campaign ads. Polls show Romney heading toward victory in the Florida GOP primary, which is likely due to the relentless onslaught of negative ads attacking and targeting Newt Gingrich.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, political expert and Professor of Politics at Catawba College was recently featured in several articles discussing the effect of Gov. Bev Perdue's exit from office on voting this May on the proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriages in North Carolina. Bitzer says the contested primary is a golden opportunity for those who want the state to remain the only one in the southeast without a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, political expert and Professor of Politics at Catawba College was recently featured in an article by the Charlotte Observer regarding the possibility of two Charlotte mayors facing off for the N.C. Governor position following Gov. Bev Perdue's announcement that she would not seek re-election.

As recently as 2004, it would have been unheard of for the Republican Party to spend money on TV ads in North Carolina this early in the election season. The state was a shoo-in for Republican presidential candidates. "I mean it was basically a true part of the Republican Southern base," says Catawba College political science professor Michael Bitzer.

Dr. Eric R. Hake, associate professor of economics at Catawba College, presented a paper at the Allied Social Science Association (ASSA)/American Economics Association Conference in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 6, 2012. Seven students, accompanied by two Catawba College faculty, will present four pieces of research at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association.

Catawba College Professors Sean Meyers and Janice Moore Fuller will be on hand for the opening of an exhibit of their photographs and poems on Thursday, January 26, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Waterworks Visual Arts Center, Delhaize Room. The exhibit entitled "This Has Been My Life All My Life: Portraits of Residents, Lutheran Home-Winston Salem, North Carolina" includes 16 pairings of photographs and poems based on interviews with the residents.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor emeritus of political science at Catawba College, authored a chapter included in a 2011 book published by Cameron May of London. Dr. James Slate, associate professor of economics at Catawba College, will attend the annual meeting of the Academy of Economics and Finance to be held in Charleston, S.C., Feb. 9-11.

Michael Baranski, professor of biology at Catawba College, recently spoke to the Winston-Salem Journal about "Flat Rock" in Stokes County. The rock formation is made up of a mass of granite that is 300 feet long and is one of only two found in the northern part of the Piedmont. "Soils are hard to form on it, and it is very, very dry," says Baranski."

In a recent Creative Loafing Charlotte article, Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer commented on why Larry Kissell may be the political story of 2012.

In a recent WBTV interview, Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer commented on the endorsement by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley of Mitt Romney for President. Watch the video...

Wrapped in bright red like presents next to the Christmas tree, about 145 children sang for residents of Oak Park retirement community Thursday. Catawba College Community Music Program Director Erin Harper directs the North Hills choir, which includes students from first through fifth grades.

In a recent WCNC.com article, Catawba College Professor of Politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer commented on the two N.C. congressmen who have stood their ground in the budget divide issue. Bitzer says Haywood County's Heath Shuler's role in the debate could serve him well in a conservative district. "He probably sees himself more as a bridge between the two parties," Bitzer says, pegging Shuler as "a classic, conservative-moderate Southern Democrat."

The Alumni Board of Directors hosted a Catawba College Faculty and Staff Appreciation Reception on Thursday, November 17 from 3:00 to 4:00pm in the lobby of the Hedrick Administration Building. Dessert and hot apple cider was served. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the Alumni Board of Directors hosted the event to thank Catawba's employees for their continuous positive impact on students and the campus community, as well as...

Source: raleigh.broadwayworld.com - Heavenly melodies are at the heart of a romantic musical showcase when the North Carolina Symphony, led by Music Director Grant Llewellyn and featuring concertmaster Brian Reagin and soprano Christina Pier, presents "Mahler's Fourth Symphony."

The Cabarrus County Public Library will present "A Look at the Cannon Family," a lecture by historian and Catawba College Professor Gary Freeze, on November 10 at 5:30pm at the Cabarrus County Public Library. Freeze will discuss the history of the Cannon family, their business and cultural legacies and their contributions to the Cabarrus County community. This event is free and open to the public.

With much going on in the area of politics and voting right now, Catawba College politics professor Dr. J. Michael Bitzer has been frequently sought after to comment on these hot topics. Read the stories in which Bitzer has been recently featured...

Catawba College politics professor Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, who has followed South Carolina politics for two decades, recently commented on the questions raised by Gov. Nikki Haley's use of donated plane rides. "That's quid pro quo," Bitzer said.

Catawba College political science professor Dr. Michael Bitzer spoke to WSOC-TV about the impact of the campaigns Anthony Foxx and Scott Stone have been running these past few months.

Three of Catawba’s students in the School of Evening and Graduate Studies – Crystal Hodges, Katrice Pruitt, and Colleen Smiley – traveled along with the professor of their Shakespeare class, Dr. Aaron Butler, to the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia on October 8-9. The American Shakespeare Center is home to the Blackfriars Playhouse, a re-creation of an indoor theatre used in Shakespeare’s day.

Forty eight Catawba College students and one faculty member were honored in a formal pinning ceremony held in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on Wednesday, October 12, 2011. This event marked admission to the Teacher Education Program at Catawba College. The ceremony was sponsored by the Student North Carolina Association of Educators (SNCAE).

by Travis Allen '06 (Business Administration Alumnus) - Allen attributes his turning point at Catawba to former faculty member Dr. Andrew Morris of the Ketner School of Business.

Associate Professor of Political Science and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently asked by Charlotte News 14 to comment on President Obama's visit to North Carolina and how the state's importance comes into play at the 2012 elections. Bitzer said that the suburbs are where the kind of "real battle" plays out. In terms of the rural vote, Bitzer says Obama has a long way to go. Watch video...

Hundreds of people waited in line outside of West Wilkes High School Sunday in hopes of getting a ticket to see President Obama. The president plans to stop at the school Monday as part of his three day American Jobs Act bus tour. Professor of Politics Dr. J. Michael Bitzer comments on the possible impact of the President's visit to areas in rural America on spreading his message.

When Dr. Bethany Sinnott retired from the faculty of Catawba College this past spring, the entire college rose for tribute after tribute to her gentle spirit and unflagging dedication to the college community. Dr. Sinnott left a remarkable legacy: hundreds of former students who, under her tutelage, learned to love English language and literature in general, and the works of William Shakespeare in particular.

An article published online by the Smithsonian Institution's www.Smithsonianscience.org site highlights the results of collaborative research conducted in part by Dr. Jay F. Bolin, assistant professor of biology at Catawba College. The online article, entitled "Super tough seed coat keeps Michaux's sumac on critically endangered list," presents highlights from a scholarly research paper authored by Bolin and fellow researchers...

By Katie Scarvey, SalisburyPost.com [EDITOR'S NOTE: Erin Harper is Director of Catawba's Community Music Program and is only the fourth director since the program began in 1984.] Parents of young children often say to Musikgarten teacher Erin Harper, "Oh my child is so musical!" Erin's response is always: "Of course they are!" All babies are musical, says Erin, who has been a certified Musikgarten instructor for three years now, but that instinct needs to be nurtured to see its full expression.

Ralph W. Ketner, founder and chairman emeritus of Food Lion, Inc., celebrated his 91st birthday Tuesday, Sept. 20 with some help from his colleagues at Catawba College. Ketner was surprised with flowers and an array of refreshments in the conference room of Ketner Hall on campus.

By Jordan Clifton, Class of 2014 - A piece of classic Southern literature, adapted for the stage by Catawba College Writer-in-Residence and Professor of English Dr. Janice Moore Fuller, kicks off Catawba's 2011-2012 theatre season. Fuller's adaptation of William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" will be offered in Hedrick Theatre on campus at 6:55 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 27 and 28, and at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 29 through Saturday, October 1.

North Carolina voters will decide whether to ban same-sex marriage in the state's constitution next May, rather than in the November general election. The timing has serious political implications. Catawba College political science professor Michael Bitzer says Democrats were in a tough spot. Without enough votes to defeat the measure, opponents saw putting it on the primary ballot as a way to "take the lesser of the two evils and see what happens eventually in the courts."

A 9-11 poem written by Catawba College's Writer-in-Residence and Professor of English, Dr. Janice Moore Fuller, was featured Sept. 7 on the N.C. Arts Council's website. Her poem, "This Whistling is For You There in the Dark," was among poems by N.C. poets featured on the site to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9-11.

Past and present members of the Catawba College Theatre Arts Department — students, alumni and faculty — received many nominations for the 2010-2011 season of Metrolina Theatre Awards. The awards will be presented at the Metrolina Theatre Association's 8th annual Gala on Sunday, October 9 at the Omni Charlotte Hotel at 132 East Trade Street in downtown Charlotte.

One is a Toastmaster and has authored four books, including one entitled, "Cows Are People Too: Lessons from Someone Out Standing in the Field." One signed his employment contract in Borneo and left his job at the Smithsonian Institution to come to Catawba College. Another is a nationally certified athletic trainer with a keen personal interest in motorsports. Then, there is one who can solve a Rubik's Cube in just two minutes and is interested in studying the sociology of religion.

Catawba College Professor of Political Science Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured on the IndependentTribute.com website. Bitzer was asked to comment on the topic of who will be chosen to serve out the term for for N.C. House of Representatives legislator Jeff Barnhart, who announced he would be retiring from the General Assembly.

by Julie Rose, WFAE.org - The two most likely candidates for North Carolina governor in 2012 are already raising significant money: Governor Bev Perdue's re-election campaign reports pocketing $1.3 million in the first half of this year. Former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory raised just over a million.

In a recent webcast by CLTblog.com, Catawba College political science professor Dr. Michael Bitzer joined Warren Cooksey, Dan McCorkle, and moderator Brian Francis in a discussion on how Mecklenburg County is affected by the redistricting in North Carolina.

What began as an adjustment involving five N.C. counties on Tuesday turned into a congressional map that jumbles districts across the state and pits four Democrats against other incumbents. Republican lawmakers had promised a ripple effect when they began redrawing their 2-week-old map. "That ripple effect turned out to be a tidal wave," said Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Salisbury's Catawba College.

Dr. Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College recently spoke to the Charlotte Observer about his analysis of the new legislative districts according to the voting results from the last two presidential elections compared to how the state voted.

By Emily Ford, salisburypost.com - Dr. Erin Wood, assistant professor of psychology at Catawba College, offers some advice on how employees can stay focused and productive during the summer. As temperatures soar outside, the summer slump begins inside. When desk jockeys and cubicle dwellers should be crunching numbers, making sales or writing articles, they are daydreaming about the beach or pool.

Catawba College Professor of Political Science Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was recently featured on the IndependentTribute.com website on the topic of the possible new representative Cabarrus County could gain in the N.C. House if the proposed legislative district changes are approved.

by Michael Tomsic, WFAE.org - Republicans today released a map of how they plan to redraw voting districts for the North Carolina senate. The House maps are supposed to come out today too, but aren't available online yet. GOP lawmakers are in charge of redistricting this time, and have carved out some major changes to districts in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties.

The plan for North Carolina's new Senate and House voting districts was due out Monday, but lawmakers said they have received so much input from voters and want to ensure that the map is easily downloaded, so they postponed the release date until Tuesday.

by Mark Wineka, SalisburyPost.com - Catawba College associate professor Dr. Cyndi Osterhus has strong, personal ties to the shuttle program as one of the NASA Teacher in Space finalists and considered traveling to Florida for the final shuttle launch.

When the new academic year begins, the Catawba College Music Department will welcome a new Director of Choral Music and an Artist-in-Residence. Justin Hazelgrove will be Catawba’s new Director of Choral Music, and Christina Pier, will be a Catawba Artist-in-Residence. College Provost, Dr. Rick Stephens, announced the appointments July 8.

Catawba College professors Missy Barnes and Bethany Sinnott and alumna Brie Smith are among the creative team behind this production, which they hope might lead to an annual summer Shakespeare event in Salisbury. Those who think that Shakespeare's history plays are tedious and long will be pleasantly surprised by Lee Street Theatre's upcoming production of Henry V. Funny and fast-paced, this show is true to the Elizabethan tradition of popular entertainment.

The recent release of preliminary proposals for the state legislative districts have made Democrats and civil rights activists angry. Catawba College Professor of Political Science Dr. J. Michael Bitzer recently spoke to WFAE 90.7 FM regarding the redistricting. Bitzer says redistricting is a messy political process in most states, but especially in North Carolina.

Catawba College Professors, Pam Thompson (ABD) and Darin Spencer, CPA, M.Acc., MBA, attended the annual meeting of the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) in Indianapolis, Indiana June 24 - June 27 with the generous support of Mr. Ralph Ketner, a trustee of the college. While there, the two attended workshops and seminars in preparation for continuing accreditation activities. They also met with regional and national leaders of ACBSP.

Source: foxcharlotte.com - Game, money, and power. That's how political science professor Dr. J. Michael Bitzer describes political campaigns for the White House. "I explain to my students in the classroom on the first day, that politics is a game," said Bitzer. "And just like any game, you've got players, you've got strategies, and you've a court."

Catawba College professor of History and Politics, Dr. Michael Bitzer, recently spoke to WSOC-TV regarding the possible political impact of redrawing the voting districts across the state. "This is probably the key thing that will shape North Carolina politics for the next decade," said Bitzer.

Catawba College professor of History and Politics, Dr. Michael Bitzer, recently spoke to WBTV on the topic of the flurry of new bills the GOP majority is scrambling to push through.

Catawba College may have to get a bigger trophy case just to house all of the awards collected by longtime Head Athletic Trainer Robert Casmus, MS, LAT, ATC, EMT. Last year, he was named an NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer, which will fit nicely alongside his NCAA Division II College and University Athletic Trainer of the Year and North Carolina College and University Athletic Trainer of the Year awards.

When Dr. George Drum, a 1962 alumnus of Catawba, returned to his alma mater as a faculty member in 1987, he brought his academic journey and his family ties to the institution full circle. Drum followed his grandfather’s footsteps as a faculty member; Harvy Kopenhaver was on the faculty at Old Catawba in Newton.

A paper authored by Catawba College professor, Dr. Sheila Brownlow, and several of her students, Amanda J. Janas of Concord, Kathleen A. Blake of Atlanta, Ga., and Kathleen T. Rebadow of Melbourne, Fla., has been accepted for publication by the journal, "Psychology."

The House Elections committee recently voted to shorten the early voting period from 18 to 11 days. The popularity of early voting has increased over the past few years. A recent study by Dr. Michael Bitzer, professor of political science, showed 60% of NC's 2008 general election ballots were cast before election day, up from 30% in the 2004 election.

By Susan Shinn, Catawba College News Service - At age 3, Dr. Bethany Sinnott was introduced to William Shakespeare. It's a love affair that continues to this day. In May, Sinnott retires from Catawba College after 42 years of teaching English — most notably Shakespeare. To encapsulate a career that's touched so many lives, we'll have to ignore this quote from "Hamlet": "Brevity is the soul of wit."

John Wear, director of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College, delivered the keynote address April 29 at the three-day 2011 Moravian Environmental Stewardship Conference in Laurel Springs, N.C. The conference, co-sponsored by Laurel Ridge and the former Commission on Church & Society, was for congregations and stewardship leaders from across the Moravian Church's Southern Province.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, professor of Political Science and political expert recently spoke to the Charlotte Observer regarding the GOP proposal that would cut a week from early voting and would also end Sunday voting and so-called "same-day registration."

By Susan Shinn, Catawba College News Service - Fifth-graders at Bostian Elementary School got a taste of the Bard on Tuesday, April 19, as Donna Rymer's AIG class presented a Shakespeare festival. Special guest was Dr. Bethany Sinnott, Catawba College professor of English, who retires this spring after more than 40 years of service to the institution.

Test your personal finance knowledge by taking this 50-question finance exam! Even if you weren't able to take the class, you can take the final exam for a chance to have a meal on Mr. Ralph Ketner and Professor Al Carter! During spring semester at Catawba College, Mr. Ralph Ketner and Professor Al Carter have been teaching a one-hour Personal Finance course, trying to develop some basic financial understanding among Catawba students.

by Devin Rodgers of Glen Burnie, Md., Class of 2011 - Comments ranging from the truly meaningful to the humorously trivial could be heard coming from the sleepy faces that gathered in front of Omwake-Dearborn Chapel early (very early!) on a recent Saturday morning. A team of 15 Catawba College students, faculty, staff, and alumni headed west for John's River Valley Camp.

Catawba College President Joseph Oxendine encouraged those who received awards during the annual Awards Convocation to "show off, brag modestly, throw your chest out, and feel good." But more important than the awards received, he said, was a characteristic shared by all of the recipients. "At some point, you decided you were going to excel and strive to be the very best," Oxendine told the award recipients. "You won these awards for the spirit of striving to be the very best."

Dr. Paul Baker, a Catawba College professor of mathematics, attended the Mathematical Association of America's Southeastern Regional Section meeting at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa on April 1-2.

Former and current students, representing almost each of the 40 class years that Dr. Sanford R. Silverburg has taught at Catawba College, turned out Saturday, April 2 for a dinner to honor the professor of political science on the advent of his retirement. Silverburg, who joined Catawba faculty in 1970, will retire from the institution at the end of this academic year.

Thanks to Dr. Eric Hake, associate professor of economics, a leading academic journal, "The Journal of Economic Issues" (JEI), is now being hosted by the Association For Evolutionary Economics (AFEE) with a professional address of Catawba College. Hake serves as secretary of AFEE.

Jay Meachum, an adjunct professor of trumpet at Catawba College and director of the Catawba Pride Marching Band, will be the featured guest artist with the Wake Forest University Jazz Ensembles at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13 in Brendle Recital Hall at Wake Forest University.

Pam Thompson, an associate professor of information systems in Catawba College's Ralph Ketner School of Business, has had a paper accepted for publication. Thompson co-authored the paper with three other professors, two at UNC Charlotte and one at Emory University. The paper will be included as a chapter in the book, "Learning Structure and Schemas from Documents," which is soon to be published by Springer in its "Studies in Computational Intelligence" series.

Source: SalisburyPost.com - The 14th Annual Salisbury Confederate Prison Symposium, sponsored by the Robert F. Hoke Chapter No. 78 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, will be held April 8-10. Every year in April, descendants, historians, and interested individuals gather in Salisbury to learn about the history of North Carolina’s only War Between the States prison and to exchange information.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, a professor of political science at Catawba College, has authored an article, "The Contravention of Consistency: Indian Foreign Policy Toward Israel," that will be published this spring in "The Indian Yearbook of International Law and Policy."

In the Feb. 26 edition, the Salisbury Post gave a “dart” to NC House Bill 64 (Senate Bill 47, co-sponsored by Rowan County’s state Sen. Andrew Brock (R-Davie)) to return judicial elections in North Carolina to a partisan election, rather than the current non-partisan election system. In the study of judicial politics, it might be helpful to know what researchers have found when judges are subjected to the “will of the people,” both in terms of partisan and non-partisan elections...

There will be no increase in Catawba College's tuition, room and board for day students in the 2011-2012 academic year. College Trustees made that decision at their Feb. 15 meeting. Tuition will remain $25,160 per year for students in the day program enrolled in between 12 and 18 semester credit hours, while annual room and board for these students will stay at $8,700.

Cyndi Allison Wittum, lecturer in the department of Communication Arts at Catawba College, was recently polled by Associated Press writer Tom Breen for his article examining Charlotte as one source for great barbecue. Read the full article: "Charlotte Barbecue? Hog Experts Say Look Elsewhere" by Tom Breen.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor of political science at Catawba College, is one of the judges in the 2011 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. The International Law Students Association of Chicago, Ill. coordinates the competition, now in its 52nd year. The Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is the world's largest moot court competition, with participants from over 500 law schools in more than 80 countries.

Professor of Political Science Dr. Sanford Silverburg recently spoke to WBTV in reference to the Egyptian crisis and how it could impact our lives. Watch this Video on WBTV.com...

Political Science Professor Michael Bitzer recently spoke to WSOC-TV following the win of the Democratic National Convention by the city of Charlotte. Bitzer said that strategy was the key in Charlotte winning the DNC.

Political Science Professor Michael Bitzer recently spoke to WSOC-TV about the local health-care challenge by a Charlotte area lawmaker. Bitzer said the bill may have no effect on health care, that federal law trumps state law and that the health care law passed by Congress will stand unless ruled unconstitutional. Read more...

Source: Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011, CharlotteObserver.com - There are a lot of resources to help with a genealogical search; the library is a good place to start. I've yet to meet a person who embarked on a family-history search and didn't become mesmerized by his own bloodline. It doesn't even take the discovery of somebody famous (or infamous) in the lineage. Just finding out that great-great-grandpa and great-great-grandma Jones were farmers, owned a couple of acres and raised corn and kids is eno

Dr. W. Craig Turner, president of Catawba College, has informed the College Board of Trustees that he will not seek to have his contract as president renewed when it expires May 31. President of the College since June 1, 2008, Dr. Turner's letter to the board said that "It is with genuine sadness that I inform you that I will not seek renewal of my contract with Catawba College that expires on May 31, 2011. While Annette and I have made a number of friends here and have enjoyed many very special

Have you made a New Year's resolution? Have you already broken one? Catawba College Business Professor Pam Thompson is betting you can make a promise, not a resolution, and stick to it while "making the world a better place one promise at a time." Thompson is launching a business venture that depends on people making a promise and going public with that promise with a bracelet and social networking. She has spent most of the last three months "learning about starting a product-based business ra

By Susan Shinn, Catawba College News Service. Did you see the article in the "Salisbury Post" on the 10 to Watch for 2011? Did you know that five people on the list have a Catawba College connection? Four of the five are Catawba alumni and one is a Catawba professor.

The old maxim, "nothing is more permanent than change," is particularly apparent in world politics today. Change is taking place on the global level, no less than on the national one. The nature of international relations is undergoing a quiet revolution. Globalization and the accumulation of economic resources are rapidly replacing the old conception of power as a mechanical force. At the next Catawba College Community Forum, Dr. Sanford Silverburg, senior professor of Political Science at Cata

It was a letter that Ralph W. Ketner received from a recent Catawba College graduate that made him think that young adults need lessons in personal finance. Now, the 90-year-old Food Lion founder will be co-teaching a class at Catawba during the spring semester with Professor Al Carter, a classroom veteran of 42 years, to try to share those lessons.

Dr. Aaron B. Butler, assistant professor of English in the School of Evening and Graduate Studies at Catawba College, recently delivered a paper entitled "Beowulf Then and Now: Women and Warriors in the Old English Poem and in Robert Zemeckis's Film Adaptation" at the annual conference of the Mid-Atlantic Popular American Culture Association.

Source: WSOCTV.com - Political Science Professor Michael Bitzer recently spoke to WSOC-TV about the possible leadership changes for the Mecklenburg County Commission. He said politically it's all about getting five commissioners, a majority, voting the same way. If this situation plays out with Cogdell, it could give Republicans the five votes they need, even if they don't hold the majority. Read more...

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor of political science at Catawba College, recently participated in the 42nd annual meeting of the Northeastern Political Science Association. That meeting was held November 11-13 in Boston, Mass. Silverburg chaired a session entitled "International Organizations and Global Governance" and was a discussant in a session entitled "Policing and International Politics."

By Susan Shinn, Catawba College News Service. This fall, the Catawba College community welcomed three new faculty members: Dr. Forrest Anderson, Dr. Eric Hake and Dr. Erin Wood.

As poll workers opened the doors at 8 a.m. on Thursday at the Hal Marshall Annex in uptown, a line of voters had already formed. Thursday was the first day of early voting in Mecklenburg. Voter Sam Spencer was the first to get in line three hours at 5 a.m. "It doesn't matter if you're voting Democrat, Republican, independent. What matters is that you have a myriad of opportunities over the next couple of weeks to let your voice be heard," Spencer said.

Dr. Janice Fuller, Writer-in-Residence at Catawba College, was invited to read her poetry as part of the recent Novello Festival Tribute, held at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. The reading was part of a launch of a new anthology Topograph: New Writing from the Carolinas and the Landscape Beyond. A celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Novello Festival of Reading edited by Jeff Jackson, the anthology includes five of Fuller's poems.

Catawba College Assistant Professor Darin Spencer recently attended the N.C. Association of CPA's Accounting Educators Conference. That conference was held in Durham Oct. 1-2 and included forums on classroom technology, teaching international accounting standards (IFRS) and case studies on corporate governance (ethics).

Dr. Michael Bitzer, associate professor and chair of Catawba College's Department of History and Politics, will be one of three individuals who will sit on the N.C. FreeEnterprise Foundation's Panel of Political Experts on Tuesday, Oct. 19 at the N.C. Farm Bureau Federation Auditorium in Raleigh.

Mr. Ralph Ketner, an adjunct professor of business at Catawba College and chairman emeritus of the board of Food Lion, Inc., was recently inducted into Queens University's McColl School of Business Carolinas Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. Ketner was a member of the first class of entrepreneurs to be so honored at a ceremony held Oct. 7 in Charlotte.

Four members of the Catawba College Theatre Arts Department were winners in the Metrolina Theatre Association’s annual awards, presented in Charlotte on Sunday, October 3. Winners included John Stafford for Outstanding Musical Direction in Catawba's production of "Working; Theatre Arts Professor Christopher D. Zink and student Amanda Lederer for Outstanding Lighting Design in Catawba's production of "Working" and Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Erin Dougherty for Outstanding Costume Design..

By Shelley Smith, SalisburyPost.com - Dr. Jay Buxton went on his 38th mission trip to Georgia in February when he was 90 years old. Three years ago he climbed scaffolding, mixed concrete and helped build a health clinic in Guatemala. After retiring from Catawba College in 1987 when he was 68, he hiked most of the Appalachian Trail with his friends.

It's a great week for music lovers in Salisbury. Two outstanding musicians from the Catawba College faculty are offering free recitals in one week. On Wednesday, September 22, at 7:30 p.m. in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on the Catawba College campus, woodwind player Jack Murray will perform works by Benjamin Britten, Steven Harlos, and others.

Catawba College is pleased to announce that Dr. Woodrow Hood is one of only 42 mid-level administrators in higher education nationwide selected by the Council of Independent Colleges and the American Academic Leadership Institute to participate in a year-long Senior Leadership Academy. Individuals chosen for the program are mid-level administrators in higher education who aspire to senior leadership positions in independent colleges or universities.

A poem by Dr. Janice Fuller, Writer-in-Residence at Catawba College, is featured in the current issue of the online magazine "The Pedestal". "Visitations at Harlaxton" is a four-part poem based on her experiences teaching at Harlaxton College in England during the fall of 2007. The magazine also includes a recording of Fuller reading the poem.

Many Salisbury businesses will extend hours and add staff this weekend in anticipation of North Carolina's sales tax holiday. Back-to-school items like classroom supplies, clothes, sports equipment and computers will ring up without state and local sales taxes beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday and ending at 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

SOURCE: WSOCTV.com - A Democratic Party insider said that politics, not logistics, may determine whether Charlotte is chosen to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention. A DNC site selection team is expected in Charlotte on Tuesday to look at hotels, convention space and security, but the final decision may hinge on something else. "When it comes to the location itself, it does boil down to politics specifically," said Mark Erwin, a former ambassador in the Clinton administration.

Source: WSOCTV.com. Political Science Professor Michael Bitzer recently spoke to Eyewitness News anchor Erica Bryant about Charlotte's chance of hosting the National Democratic Convention. Charlotte, Cleveland, Minneapolis and St. Louis are in the running to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention. The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority said the Queen City is an ideal choice because of its infrastructure, convention space and airport.

Dr. Carol Miderski, a Catawba College chemistry professor, was among 51 senior women professors in chemistry and physics from 46 liberal arts colleges gathered in Washington, D.C. recently to participate in the first ever summit focused on the Advancement of Senior Women Scientists at Liberal Arts Colleges.

Robert Casmus, head athletic trainer at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, is the recipient of the 2010 Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award. The National Athletic Trainers' Association presented the award June 24 during its 2010 annual meeting and clinical symposia held in Philadelphia, Pa.

By Deirdre Parker Smith, SalisburyPost.com. It's that time again. Summer — at least it feels like summer, so that means it's time for the Summer Reading Challenge. Now in its seventh year, a few changes have been made. Barbara Setzer, who started the challenge and spearheaded it for the last six years, has stepped back and a committee has taken over the project.

By Susan Shinn, Catawba College News Service. Graduates of Alpha Chi honor society paused to remember "what is" and ponder "what will be" in their graduation ceremony Friday in Catawba College's Omwake-Dearborn Chapel. About 75 students, parents, faculty and staff attended the 30-minute afternoon ceremony, followed by strawberries and cream on the lawn.

Source: WBTV.com - Buzz is building that Charlotte is becoming a favorite to host the Democratic National Convention in 2012. Formal bids to the DNC do not go out until next Friday, May 21st. However, national reports say Charlotte is among four cities vying for the convention. Charlotte might be more attractive to the party because President Obama carried the state two years ago.

By Julie Rose, WFAE.org. Tuesday's Republican primary in the 8th Congressional District came up too close to call. Tim D'Annunzio and Harold Johnson will face a run-off election on June 22nd. The outcome for Democrats in the district was more predictable, but still held a surprise. Going into the Republican Primary, Tim D'Annunzio spent five times as much money on his campaign as any of his competitors. So Catawba College political scientist Michael Bitzer says D'Annunzio was bound to do well.

Associate Professor and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer recently spoke to WSOC-TV regarding the eleven people in North Carolina are running for one U.S. Senate seat. WATCH VIDEO...

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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.

Michael Eden, an instructor of physical education and assistant athletic trainer at Catawba College, is the recipient of the N.C. Athletic Trainers Association Educator of the Year Award. Eden received the award March 6th at the annual NCATA Symposium.

Faculty and students of the Catawba College Psychology Department attended the annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association in Chattanooga, Tenn., March 10-13. Students attending included Lauren Graham of Salisbury, N.C., Andrea Clabaugh of York, Pa., and Tiffany Sowers of Asheville, N.C.; faculty included Drs. Lyn Boulter and Sheila Brownlow.

Two individuals associated with Catawba College were honored as recipients of Paul Fisher Service Awards. Mr. Paul Fisher, chairman of the Catawba College Board of Trustees and the person for whom the awards are named, made the presentations to Catawba professor of history, Dr. Charles McAllister, and Catawba student, Amber Hughes of Seattle, Wash.

Four new scholarship funds have been established at Catawba College in honor of five individuals associated with the institution. The scholarship funds are established in honor of College President and First Lady, Dr. W. Craig and Mrs. Annette Turner; Tom Childress; Director of the Ritchie Academy for Teaching and Associate Professor of Teacher Education, Dr. Cynthia Osterhus; and Director of Vocal Choral and Sacred Music Studies and Associate Music Professor Paul Oakley...

By Shavonne Potts, salisburypost.com. When Catawba College theater arts professor Missy Barnes' students come to her office they ask her to "fix" them. The fix they are seeking is found in the Alexander Technique, which is a way to re-educate the body in how to move more efficiently. Essentially, it's not fixing at all, Barnes said.

By Shavonne Potts, salisburypost.com. When Dr. Jim Epperson retired as a theater arts professor at Catawba College, he soon got another job — sportsman. Epperson, 70, avidly participates in the Salisbury/Rowan Senior Games and competes nationally against athletes from all over the country...

Dr. Sheila Brownlow, a professor of psychology at Catawba College, and two of her former students, Jessica Davison of Springfield, Pa., and Danielle Schneider of New Castle, Del., both 2009 graduates, co-authored a paper that has been accepted for publication by the Psi Chi Journal.

"I can't think of anything I'd rather talk about than barbecue," says Cyndi Allison Wittum, a Communications lecturer at Catawba College. "That's my passion. Chopped pork on a white bun with a vinegar-based sauce. That is 'good eating.' "

Dr. Janice Fuller, Writer-in-Residence and Professor of English at Catawba College, has been awarded a Regional Artist Project Grant by the Arts & Science Council. The funding is made possible through North Carolina Arts Council, the Blumenthal Endowment, and the Arts Councils of Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Rutherford and York (SC) counties. A panel from the ASC reviewed 67 applications and selected only 20 recipients.

by Catawba Students Elvis Torbush, Laura Davis, and Christian Rogers. Professor Pamela Thompson NEEDS YOUR HELP! "I'm going behind bars for 'GOOD'. On November 19th I will be incarcerated and need to raise $3000 for Muscular Dystrophy in order to bailed out of jail. Your donation is my key to freedom! Be proud of the fact that together we're providing help and hope to kids and adults served by MDA in our community."

Thanks to a Catawba College service project, soldiers in Afghanistan have been receiving some comforts from home since August. Three separate shipments, a total of 110 packages, have been shipped to soldiers in the 159th Air Support Battalion, 563d Trans Platoon, part of the 101st Airborne Division stationed at Ft. Campbell Kentucky. The battalion is currently serving at Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, Afghanistan.

A guest column by Dr. John Wear, executive director of the Center for the Environment, appeared in the Oct. 14 edition of the Charlotte Observer. He noted that cooler summer temperatures, increased rainfall and the recession played a role in the number of reduced ozone alert days. So did environmental laws that were instituted earlier in this decade.

Dr. Bethany Sinnott, a Catawba College professor of English, wrote an article, "Why Shakespeare?" that was published in the N.C. Shakespeare Festival's playbill for Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor of Political Science at Catawba College, will serve as editor and as a contributor for "International Law: Readings on Contemporary Problems and Future Issues." The new publication has been approved by the editorial board at Westview Press.

"I wasn't sure how many people would show up for "Take Your Parents to Class" on Friday [September 25th]," says Cyndi Allison Wittum, a Catawba College Communication Arts Instructor. "It's hard to compete with football games and ice cream socials when you're offering a class lecture."

What would you want to ask Salisbury City Council candidates in a public forum? The Post is gathering questions for a forum involving Salisbury City Council candidates scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 in Hedrick Little Theatre. The Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, Catawba College and the Post are sponsoring the forum.

By Roxanna Haynes, FOX8 News: HIGH ROCK LAKE, N.C. - An environmental expert believes the nearly 16 million gallons of sewage dumped into a creek that feeds into High Rock Lake could lead to a fish kill, among other effects.The city of Thomasville could face a massive fine from the federal government for the sewage leak, which occurred between July 13 and August 4.

Four Catawba College theatre arts alumni recently participated in a reading of a stage adaptation of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying at Ragdale, an artist colony in Lake Forest, Illinois. Allison Barnes (2005), Jen Short (2009), Jordan Danz (2008), and Taylor Edwards (2007) all live in the Chicago area and work in theatre there.

The Music Department of Catawba College will be presenting multiple woodwind performer and adjunct professor Jack Murray accompanied by Anna Brock in a recital on Thursday night September 3rd at 7:00 P.M. at Catawba College's Omwake-Dearborn Chapel.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

An essay by John Wear, executive director of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College, will be published in the upcoming book Less is More: Embracing Simplicity for a Healthy Planet, a Caring Economy and Lasting Happiness.

Ken Clifton, a visiting instructor of information systems in Catawba College's Ketner School of Business, has recently earned his Linux+ Certification. Clifton also attended the North Carolina Local Government Information Systems Association Conference held May 27-29 in Wilmington, N.C.

Local novelist Dr. Kurt Corriher, who serves as professor of German, Acting, Dramatic Literature, and Film Criticism at the institution, won third prize in the Writers' Workshop of Asheville's annual Meet the Writers fiction contest.

Source: Republicans Regroup After Sanford Admission (WSOCTV.com). Republican leaders are trying to reinvent the party in the Carolinas. They thought S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford was a step in the right direction. But now, in some ways, they may be back to square one.

Catawba College's Writer in Residence Dr. Janice Moore Fuller and Catawba Theatre Arts Associate Professor Dr. Elizabeth Homan have been awarded a residency at the Ragdale Foundation in July and August of this summer. This honor is bestowed upon Drs. Fuller and Homan in recognition of their outstanding work. During the residency, the two will be working on their second collaboration together...

It started as just a cookout on the banks of the Yadkin River, but after a drowning teen was rescued from the rain-swollen water, the meal was especially comforting. Catawba College communication arts lecturer Cyndi Allison Wittum was excited about being selected to host a Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 meal. Cyndi did not, however, bank on her son rescuing a drowning teenager right in the middle of the meal she prepared on Saturday, May 30th.

Two retiring members of Catawba College's faculty were recognized at commencement exercises held in Keppel Auditorium on Saturday, May 9th. Dr. Andrew A. Vance, Jr., a professor of modern foreign languages and business law, and Dr. Patricia Whitley, professor of Physical Education and Recreation, both retired from the College after a combined 88 years of service, effective May 31, 2009.

"I thought perhaps a friend was playing a joke," says Cyndi Allison Wittum, a Catawba College Communication Arts lecturer. "It's not typical for an editor from a national magazine to send an e-mail about covering an assignment, especially when you've never written for the magazine."

Students, faculty and staff at Catawba College were recognized at the institution's annual Awards Convocation held Thursday, April 16, 2009 in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on campus. The event is an opportunity for the campus community to recognize student achievements in a variety of academic and service areas, as well as faculty and staff members for their significant contributions to the institution.

Danielle Schneider of New Castle, Del., received the David Hoyle Award for Outstanding Service in the area of student activities. It is awarded annually to a student who has made exemplary contributions to all areas of student activities. The new Mr. and Miss Catawba, elected to serve the College in the coming year, were announced at the convocation. Read more...

Catawba College employee G. Ben Smith, assistant director of residence life and coordinator of the Lerner Wellness Center, received the Staff Member of the Year Award. It is presented annually and selection is made by a popular vote of the students.

Catawba College will host the Charlotte Writers Club's Anthony Abbott Undergraduate Poetry Competition Reading and Reception at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 18 in Tom Smith Auditorium in Ketner Hall on campus. The event will include readings of the winning poems by Caitlin McCann, Valerie Bright, V. Janeen Bradley, Alexander Binns Hoyt, Natalie Kennedy, Kiah McCoy, and more. Read more...

Dr. Michael J. Baranski, a professor of biology at Catawba College, was presented the Association of Southeastern Biologists Meritorious Teaching Award at that organization's 70th Annual Meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 3rd.

"My passion is writing," says Cyndi Allison Wittum, Communication Arts instructor. "In the back of my mind, I dreamed of hosting my own web page at some point, but I was content to write for online magazines." The turning point came last year when an online magazine that housed a large collection of Cyndi's grilling articles sold out to a large Internet company.

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. 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.

Catawba College psychology professor, Dr. Sheila Brownlow, and several of her students traveled to the 55th annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association held Feb. 18-21 in New Orleans, La. While there, the student presented peer-reviewed research in interactive poster sessions.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor of political science at Catawba College, was a lecturer at the 2009 Florida Chautauqua Assembly. The theme of the assembly this year was "A Journey into Africa." Dr. Silverburg offered three different lectures at the multi-day event: "Africa in World Politics Today," "U.S. Policy towards Africa Today," and "Why Africa is Important to Us."

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, an associate professor of political science at Catawba College, had no idea that the textbook to which he recently contributed a chapter would be selected as the best textbook/primer in popular and American culture in 2008.

An oil painting of President Abraham Lincoln made a circuitous route across that country before arriving at its new home at Catawba College. The painting, given to Catawba by Salisbury newcomers Rodger and Mary Lindsay, was officially unveiled Feb. 17 during a college trustees' luncheon held in the Corriher-Linn-Black Library on campus.

Source: "Charlotte Blogs" website (from Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins). Dr. Michael Bitzer, Associate Professor of History & Politics at Catawba College was a guest speaker on a panel discussion that took place Wednesday, January 21. The group met to discuss the first 100 days that President Barack Obama will have in office.

Catawba College Assistant Professor of Sociology Dr. Carla Eastis was in Washington, D.C. on Monday, January 19th and witnessed the gathering of people in the capitol for Barack Obama's inauguration as the United States' 44th President. A colleague of hers at Brandeis University who is a member of the Obama transition team invited her to attend an event with his group on the evening of January 19th.

by Dr. Carla Eastis, Assistant Professor of Sociology. I have a leisurely morning with my friend and don't get to the Metro station till 11 a.m. The train is full — some people are standing — but not crowded. I get off at the Smithsonian station and ride the escalator to the surface. I hardly recognize this as the same place I was just 3 weeks ago on vacation!

by Dr. Carla Eastis, Assistant Professor of Sociology. About 10 folks get on the Amtrak train with me in Salisbury at 8:30 on a Sunday morning. Several of us are going to D.C., and the conductor puts us in one of the rear-most cars. That car is almost full already, and there has only been one stop!

Dr. James Slate, associate professor of economics at Catawba College, made a presentation entitled "Assessing the Current Economy and Financial Crisis in America" on October 22nd at First United Methodist Church in Lexington. He is slated to speak at an open lecture at Milford Hills United Methodist Church in Salisbury on November 3rd.

from "Political Polling has Limited Impact" by Jennifer Moxley, www.news14.com. Mike Caskey is one of hundreds of thousands of North Carolina voters heading to the polls early. He headed to the Rowan County Government Center late Thursday afternoon to cast his ballot.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor of political science at Catawba College, offered two lectures at the Chautauqua Andrews Valley Experience (AVE!) in Andrews, N.C. on October 13th and 14th.

Delivered by Dr. Lou Ann Kasias during the Pinning Ceremony for Students Admitted to the Teacher Education Program. My comments tonight will be directed in tribute to Dr. Shirley Lambert Haworth, former chairperson of the Department of Teacher Education at Catawba College. Shirley, we welcome you back to Catawba College.

The Poetry Council of North Carolina has awarded Dr. Janice Fuller, Catawba College's Writer-in-Residence, the 2008 Oscar Arnold Young Award for her poetry book Séance.

At a recent political rally for presidential candidate Barack Obama in Uptown Charlotte, Catawba College political science professor Dr. Michael Bitzer said the energy level there was “through the roof“ and that Obama hit all the key points for North Carolina voters and delivered.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, associate professor of political science and history at Catawba College, was recently invited to the University of Louisville's McConnell Center to deliver a public presentation on the 2008 election and the television show, "The Simpsons." In addition, he was a guest lecturer for a criminal law class and spoke on "Cinematic Crime: Using the Movies to Explore Law, Crime, and Justice."

Catawba College's Community Music Program is pleased to announce the addition of new faculty members for 2008-2009 classes. This program is now enrolling students for classes, ensembles and lessons. Classes and lessons begin the week of September 8, 2008. To register or for more information, please call the Catawba College Community Music Office...

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.

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.

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...

By Kathy Chaffin, Salisbury Post. In the meantime, Steve, a music professor at Catawba College, was getting ready to lead his first Community Band rehearsal when his family came running into his office. "The kids are crying," he recalls. "Kim's saying, 'I want to move. I'm not spending one more night in that house.'"

Dr. Albert E. (Robin) Roberts recently attended the 13th meeting of the European Society of Neurosonology and Cerebral Hemodynamics held in Genoa, Italy. This meeting attracted participants from 44 countries and focused on the new developments in using clinical ultrasound as a neuroimaging tool to assess progressive cerebrovascular impairments which can lead to a set of problems such as stroke, dementia, and general cognitive dysfunctions.

The Catawba College Board of Trustees has established the Robert E. Knott Endowed Faculty Development Fund to honor Dr. Robert E. Knott, who is retiring May 31 after six years as Catawba's 20th president. Information about the new fund, which will support faculty and curriculum development at the College, was presented to Dr. Knott at the Board's annual Trustees Retreat in Blowing Rock on May 16.

Several individuals, including students, an alumnus and retiring faculty members, received special recognition during Catawba College's May 10th Commencement Exercises.

from www.wsoctv.com. Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, Professor of Political Science, discusses how thousands of undecided voters could cast the crucial votes that decide which presidential candidate will be victorious in North Carolina.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor of political science in the Department of History and Politics at Catawba College, recently participated in an internal conference organized by the Middle East Studies Program at Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara, Calif. The conference, held April 18-19, was entitled, "Looking to the Future: New Paradigms and Perspective on the Middle East."

Dr. Michael Baranski, a Catawba College professor of biology, was recently honored with the 2008 Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award by the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society (SABS). The award was presented during the society's annual awards banquet held in Spartanburg, S.C. on April 18.

Catawba College students, faculty and staff were recognized at the institution's annual Awards Convocation held Thursday, April 17, 2008 in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on campus. While this event is an opportunity for the entire campus community to recognize student achievements in a variety of academic and service areas, several faculty and staff members were also cited for their contributions to the institution.

Two members of the Catawba College mathematics department, Dr. Paul Baker and Dr. Sharon Sullivan, recently attended the 87th annual meeting of the Mathematical Association of America Southeastern Section held at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C.

North Carolina Poet Laureate Kay Byer has selected Dr. Janice Moore Fuller's third poetry collection Séance to feature for the month of March on her segment of the North Carolina Arts Council website. Fuller is Professor of English and Write-in-Residence at Catawba College.

from www.news14.com. Catawba College political science professor Michael Bitzer said writing off North Carolina would be dangerous, considering the state’s history of Democratic governors, several undecided super delegates, and an expected strong voter turnout.

Robert Casmus, head athletic trainer at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, has been recognized for the second time in his career as the North Carolina Athletic Trainers' Association College/University Athletic Trainer of the Year. He received the award March 8 during the association's annual meeting in Wilmington.

Members of the faculty and several students of the Catawba College Psychology Department attended the annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association in March. Student Kathryn Shanklin of Cypress, Texas presented her work titled "Facebook: An Addiction?" during the Undergraduate Poster Session.

Several faculty members in Catawba College's Theatre Arts Department have received awards and have been recognized for publications. These recent outstanding achievements by Dr. Woodrow Hood, Christopher Zink, and David Pulliam include...

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, an assistant professor of political science and dean of admissions at Catawba College, was recently featured on News 14 Carolina. Bitzer commented specifically on the huge impact that North Carolina will have and how it will play a pivotal role in the results of the presidential race.

The William F. Palmer Archives was dedicated to late Dr. William F. Palmer of Salisbury, a 1956 alumnus of Catawba, a retired faculty member in the teacher education department, and College archivist and historian.

Tenure for four faculty members was unanimously approved when the Catawba College Board of Trustees met Feb. 18 and 19 on campus. Trustees heard tenure recommendations from Catawba's faculty tenure and promotions committee.

Dr. Bruce Griffith, a beloved and longtime Catawba College History Professor, died Tuesday, February 12, at his home. A 1962 alumnus of Catawba, Dr. Griffith joined the faculty at his alma mater in 1964 after earning both his master of arts and doctor of philosophy degrees from UNC Chapel Hill. At the time of his death, he shared the distinction of being senior faculty member at the college...

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor of political science at Catawba College, was a lecturer at the 2008 Florida Chautauqua Assembly, "A Journey into the American Presidencey," held January 31 through February 3 at the Chautauqua Center in DeFuniak Springs, Fla.

Catawba College Theatre Arts Professor Christopher Zink has written several sections to be included in a book to be published by the Southeastern Theatre Conference. The book is a collection of 25 articles by theatre designers, technical directors and technicians from across the region...

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, an assistant professor of political science and dean of admissions at Catawba College, has written a chapter of a soon-to-be-published book edited by Joseph J. Foy, "Homer Simpson Goes to Washington: American Politics through Popular Culture."

By Hannah Mitchell, CharlotteObserver.com. For generations, almost everybody who grew up in the Catawba Valley worked in a mill, lived in a mill village or had relatives who were mill hands, if not all three. The manufacturing way of life that replaced farming molded the people, along with the economy, influencing standards of living, community and more.

Catawba Professor of History Charles McAllister was recently awarded the first ever Referee Emeritus Award. National referees Wade Brence and Michael O'Connell personally presented the award by the N.C. Volleyball Officials Board of the national Professional Association of Volleyball Officials. The NCVOB supervises the certification and training of collegiate referees in N.C.

Dr. Elizabeth "Beth" Homan, an assistant professor of theatre arts at Catawba College, has been awarded a Regional Artist Grant by the Rowan Arts Council. She will use the grant to underwrite the costs of participating in a 2008 program in Italy.

In late November, Catawba College Chemistry Professor Dr. Mark Sabo and senior chemistry major Angela Bailey of Kannapolis visited to Anthropological Research Facility (ARF) at the University of Tennessee Knoxville.

Dr. James Beard, a Catawba College professor of chemistry, has signed a contract with the publishing house of Taylor and Francis and its CRC Press to publish the latest version of his book, "Environmental Chemistry in Society." The book is designed to teach environmental chemistry to non-science majors and should be available late in the summer of 2008.

Dr. Cyndi Osterhus, director of Catawba College's Shirley Peeler Ritchie Academy for Teaching and assistant professor of teacher education, recently made a presentation at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Regional Conference and Exposition held Oct. 11-12 in Richmond, Va.

Dr. John Wear will appear on a live webcast Oct. 31 during Central Piedmont Community College’s Geek Fest. Wear, founding director of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College, will speak from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on sustainability and technology that helps to solve environmental problems. The Geek Fest is an event designed to educate students and the community about the creative innovations of technology.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor of political science in the Department of History and Politics at Catawba College, was a lecturer at the 2007 Chautauqua AVE! held October 15-16 in Andrews, N.C. Silverburg's lectures were entitled "The Perception of the United States in the Midst of Crisis and the Changing Attitude Towards Us" and "The United States and Globalization."

Dr. Aaron Butler, assistant professor of English at Catawba College, traveled to Jacksonville, Florida for the Popular Culture in the South / American Culture in the South Conference, which was held September 27-29. At the conference, Dr. Butler chaired the panel "Contemporary Warfare and the National Conscience," and as part of this panel, he also delivered a paper entitled "Do We Really Need Jack Bauer?: 24 and the Use of Torture."

On Sunday, Sept. 30, Catawba College Professor of Religion, Dr. Barry Sang, was the inaugural speaker in Salisbury's First United Methodist Church's new Preaching and Teaching Mission. The program is endowed by Margaret Parker, one of Dr. Sang's former students, in memory of her husband, Carl. Mrs. Parker audited Dr. Sang's Old Testament Introduction course last fall at Catawba, and insisted that he be the first speaker.

When Catawba’s chaplain and senior vice-president, the Rev. Dr. Ken Clapp, traveled to Maiden, N.C. on September 2 to preach the sermon for the Homecoming service at St. Matthews United Church of Christ, it was not just another homecoming.

Four faculty members in the Catawba College Mathematics Department have collaborated to author a textbook being used in two courses this semester. "Principles of Mathematics," a general education text which requires only high school algebra as a prerequisite, is being used in two sections of Mathematics 1601.

Paul E. Oakley's rather unconventional childhood fueled his own passion for music. He is hoping to stoke that same passion in Catawba students, whether they seek to major in sacred music, his area of expertise, or simply to maintain their music as a hobby or pastime.

Dr. David Lee Fish, an associate professor of music at Catawba College, and two Catawba music business majors participated in Muzak's Summer Noise! Camp in Los Angeles in July. Noise! is sponsored by the Muzak's Heart & Soul Foundation and brings teens from across the country together for two weeks each summer for an up-close view of the music industry.

Dr. Philip Acree Cavalier, Dean of General Education and Associate Professor of English at Catawba College, recently presented a paper at a two day international conference on 'The Idea of the City: Early Modern, Modern, and Post Modern Locations and Communities" at the University of Northampton, England.

By Jennifer Moxley, Salisbury Post. Two decades after the space shuttle Challenger explosion, teachers selected across the country for the space program will reunite and watch a fellow educator embark on a space mission. Christa McAuliffe was selected over 114 other finalists in 1985 to be the first teacher in space. But the Challenger was never able to complete its mission. Now, another teacher will make the journey.

Dr. Philip Acree Cavalier, associate professor of English who has served at Catawba College as director of the First-Year Experience and assistant dean, has been promoted to Dean of General Education. In his new role, Acree Cavalier will oversee a task force on general education assessment and review with a goal to strengthen the institution's general education program. He will also continue to coordinate the First-Year Experience program. Acree Cavalier's appointment was announced by Catawba Co

Ms. Pamela Thompson, associate professor of business administration/information systems and chair of the Ketner School of Business at Catawba College, has had a paper accepted for oral presentation and publication at the upcoming Intelligent Agent Technology Conference. This international conference, slated Nov. 2-5 in Silicon Valley, Calif., is sponsored by the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM).

When NASA launches the Shuttle on August 7th, it will carry teacher Barbara Morgan into space, 21 years after the Challenger disaster and the death of teacher Christa McAuliffe and her six fellow astronauts. McAuliffe was the finalist selected from 110 Teacher in Space Project candidates to make that ill-fated flight on Jan. 28, 1986; Barbara Morgan was McAuliffe's backup.

Robert Casmus, head athletic trainer at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, has received a national honor. The College/University Athletic Trainers' Committee of the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) has chosen Casmus as the Division II Head Athletic Trainer of the Year. He will be formally recognized at the NATA annual meeting in late June in Anaheim, Calf.

Ask Catawba College Chemistry Professor Dr. Mark Sabo how he liked his summer vacation last year and he'll tell you he liked it so much that he's going back to the same place this summer.

Dr. James Slate, associate professor of economics at Catawba College, presented a paper entitled "Toward Economic Geography in the Economic Principles Course" at the 18th annual International Conference on College Teaching and Learning in Ponte Vedra, Fla., on April 5th.

In honor of retiring director and assistant professor of music, Rosemary C. Kinard, the Catawba Chorale and Camerata will join with the Catawba Singers in a presentation of some of Mrs. Kinard's favorite choral compositions in a 4 p.m. concert on Sunday, April 15th. The St. John's Men's Chorus will also perform as special guests at the free performance to be held in Catawba College's Omwake-Dearborn Chapel.

Catawba College's English Department will sponsor a reading by poets Mary Kay Rummel and Janice Fuller on Tuesday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Tom Smith Auditorium.

Students and faculty from Catawba College's Theatre Arts Department attended the United States Institute of Theatre Technologies (USITT) Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. March 13-17. The conference offered workshops, professional development, networking opportunities and summer internship interviews for participating students.

Two student tutors at the Catawba College Writing Center, Victoria Hamilton and Meagan Kittle, along with the director of the writing center, Dr. Aaron Butler, traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to attend the annual conference of the Southeastern Writing Center Association, held February 8-10. At the conference, the three presented a poster entitled "Making Noise about the Writing Center," which illustrated various methods of publicity used to promote the writing center's services over the past fe

Several individuals were recognized and several appointments announced at Catawba College's annual Board of Trustees Meeting held Feb. 19 and 20 on campus.

Since 1984, Dr. Carla Eastis has had one big goal: to be a contestant on "Jeopardy." Next month, March 8th to be exact, she'll fulfill that goal. But, the journey she made to reach her goal began last spring when she took an online "Jeopardy" test. Her responses on that 50-question test got her an invitation to Atlanta, Ga., in October for a videotaped "Jeopardy" audition.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor of political science at Catawba College, was a lecturer at the 2007 Florida Chautauqua Assembly held February 7-9 at the Chautauqua Center in DeFuniak Springs, Fla. Silverburg's lecture was entitled"Migration, Immigration, and Globalization."

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor of political science at Catawba College, will participate this summer in the Vermont Law School's 2007 Environmental Law and Policy Scholarship Program. He applied for and received a full-tuition scholarship to take part in the two-week program at the campus in South Royalton, Vermont.

Students and faculty of the psychology department will attend the annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association in New Orleans, La., February 21-24. Dr. Karen Horner, Dr. Lyn Boulter, and Dr. Sheila Brownlow will attend, along with students Lindsay Mellon, a senior from Berlin, Conn.; Katherine Fair, a senior from Fairbanks, Alaska; and Kathleen Blake, a junior from Greensboro.

A new Catawba College Business Advisory Board has recently been formed which will offer assistance to the Ketner School of Business. The 31-member Board, which has held its initial meeting and plans to reconvene March 16, consists of local and regional business professionals.

Dr. Michael Baranski, a Catawba College professor of biology, was recently honored with the 2007 Conservation Communicator Award by North Carolina's Hugh Hammond Bennett Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS). The award was presented January 13 at the society's annual awards banquet held in Raleigh.

Catawba College Communication Arts Lecturer Cyndi Allison Wittum was the designated dishwasher when she was growing up because she always burned the food. "I put Pop Tarts in the toaster," said Wittum. "I ducked around the corner to watch cartoons. The corner of one of the breakfast pastries caught in the edge of the toaster, and my Pop Tarts were scorched black."

Dr. Sharon Sullivan, assistant professor of mathematics at Catawba College, recently presented a paper at the national Joint Mathematical Association of America and the American Mathematical Society meeting in New Orleans. She presented her paper entitled, Counting Isomorphic (16,6,2) Configurations to a particular (16,6,2) Design, which deals with her research in algebraic combinatorics.

A new scholarship has been established at Catawba College in honor of Dr. Michael Baranski and in recognition of his many contributions to the institution. Baranski, a professor of biology, joined the Catawba faculty in 1974 and has spent his career promoting environmental preservation and awareness among his students and the public at large. The Michael J. Baranski Endowed Scholarship will be awarded to a student majoring in environmental science until that student graduates.

Dr. Rhonda Truitt, assistant professor of teacher education at Catawba College, has been awarded a Learning to Teach, Learning to Serve subgrant in the amount of $20,000 by the Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education for the project year 2006-07.

Dr. Paul Baker, a professor of mathematics at Catawba College, made a presentation in late October to the National Convention of the School Science and Mathematics Association. The Convention was held in Missoula, Montana.

Dr. Calvin Hunter, an assistant professor of physical education recreation at Catawba College, was inducted into the Guilford College Athletic Hall of Fame earlier this month. He was one of the top quarterbacks in Guilford College history, winning the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's Football Player of the Year Award and guiding the Quakers to the league title in 1991. He graduated from Guilford with a degree in sports management and 13 school records, three of which stand today.

Dr. John Wear, director of Catawba College's Center for the Environment, was one of the featured speakers at a national public conference, "Simple Living and the Rekindling of Public Life," held earlier this month in Leavenworth, Wash. Wear's topic was "Creating Sustainable Communities at the Grassroots Level."

Dr. Kenneth Clapp, Catawba College's chaplain and senior vice president, and Jim Mallinson, an adjunct professor in Catawba's School of Evening and Graduate Studies, recently participated in the Carolinas Conference on Addition and Recovery in Chapel Hill. That conference was sponsored by the Bowles center for Alcohol Studies at UNC Chapel Hill and the Addiction Recovery Institute.

Dr. Janice Fuller, Catawba College's Writer-in-Residence, has been invited to read her poetry at the Troubador Club in London on December 4. She will be one of the featured readers at the launch of the latest issue of Magma, London's leading poetry magazine. Her poem "Séance: On the Road to Stradone" is one of the poems included in the magazine. This issue of Magma also includes new poems by Seamus Heaney and former U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins. Only 60 poems were selected for publication fr

Dr. Beth Homan, assistant professor of theatre arts at Catawba College, has been named coordinator of Catawba's First-Year Seminar Program, beginning immediately and running through the 2007-08 academic year. The appointment was announced by Dr. Barbara Hetrick, vice president and dean of the college.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, a Catawba College professor of political science, has had a paper accepted for presentation at an international conference, scheduled Feb. 22-23, 2007 in Brussels. The conference is titled "Law and Economic Development: Towards Constructive Engagement in the Middle East."

Dr. Frank "Dutch" Meyer, a retired wrestling coach and professor in Catawba College’s physical education department, held court on Saturday, Nov. 4, Catawba’s Homecoming. More than a hundred of his former students, colleagues and friends lined up to greet him before the start of a 10:30 a.m. ceremony which dedicated the Auxiliary Gymnasium of the Abernethy Physical Education Center to him.

Dr. Michael Bitzer, chair of the Department of History and Politics, offered commentary on election returns Tuesday, Nov. 7 on Time Warner Cable's News 14. He was featured in election updates that aired each half hour beginning at 7:25 p.m. and lasting until 10:30 p.m.

Dr. Constance Rogers-Lowery, an assistant professor of biology at Catawba College and two Catawba students, seniors Amanda Durham of Rockwell and Christopher Junker of Salisbury, attended the Fifth Annual Charlotte's Emerging Role in Biotechnology Conference at UNCC on October 12, 2006. Durham, a biology major, and Junker, a chemistry major, participated in "Biotech – It's Academic," a biotechnology quiz bowl contest. The Catawba team won second place in the contest and were awarded a $300 check

At the recent North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics conference in Greensboro, Dr. Sharon Sullivan, assistant professor of mathematics at Catawba College, presented a talk "Teaching Math through Art."

Dr. Aaron Butler, a visiting assistant professor of English and director of the Writing Center at Catawba College, recently made a presentation at the annual conference of the Popular Culture/American Culture Association in the South, which was held October 5-7 in Savannah, Georgia.

A manuscript written by Dr. Sheila Brownlow, Catawba College's Jefferson Pilot Professor of Psychology and director of the College Honors Program, in collaboration with three former Catawba College students, Mary Attea ('05), Alex Lopez ('06), and Jill Makransky ('06), has been accepted for publication.

Eight local musicians have been selected to play in a movie being filmed in the Charlotte region. "We're kind of excited about it," Dr. Stephen Etters said Tuesday. Etters is associate professor of music education at Catawba College and a member of the Catawba Brass. All five members of the Catawba Brass will take part in the film along with three other Rowan County musicians.

Dayna Anderson, a Catawba College professor of theatre arts, has earned an international certification from Alexander Technique International. She becomes one of six instructors in North Carolina to obtain such certification. Alexander Technique is a way of thinking about the body, its use, and the rediscovery of freedom/ease and joy of movement.

Dr. Bethany Sinnott, a Catawba College professor of English, was one of five Shakespearian scholars from state colleges and universities invited to speak at Elizabeth's Bard Weekend in High Point Sept. 23-24. That event was organized by the N.C. Shakespeare Festival (NCSF).

Dr. Barbara Hetrick, vice president and dean of the college at Catawba College, was re-elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) last week in Boulder, Colorado.

Three members of Catawba College's Music Department faculty presented papers September 15 at the national meeting of the College Music Society in San Antonio, Texas. They were Dr. David Fish, associate professor of music, Dr. Julie Chamberlain, assistant professor of music, and Dr. Renee McCachren, professor of music and chair of the music department.

Dr. Carla Eastis, assistant professor of sociology at Catawba College, delivered a homily Sept. 15, 2006 during the Initiation of Candidates Ceremony for Catawba's Omicron Chapter of Alpha Chi, the national college honor society.

The recipients of several endowed professorships were announced Thursday, August 31 during Catawba College's Opening Convocation for the 2006-2007 academic year. Dr. Michael J. Baranski, a professor of biology, received the Bashore Distinguished Professorship in Environmental Science. This professorship must be awarded to a faculty member in environmental science who is a high achiever as a scholar and teacher with outstanding qualifications and enthusiasm for his work and the students who are e

During the 2005-2006 academic year, Dr. Philip Acree Cavalier, Assistant Academic Dean and Associate Professor of American Literature at Catawba College, was a Fulbright Scholar in American Literature in Kyiv in the former Soviet Republic — now independent nation — of Ukraine. He lived in Ukraine with his wife and three young children, taught American literature at two universities in Kyiv, and lectured around the country.

Catawba College Writer-In-Residence Dr. Janice Fuller has had several of her poems accepted for inclusion in different publications. Fuller's "Séance: On the Road from Stradone" will be published in an upcoming issue of the London literary magazine "Magma." The issue is being showcased at the Aldeburgh International Poetry Festival in November and then will be launched in London in early December.

If the old saying about dogs is true, Dr. Jason Hunt has 11 best friends. But Zip, Fly, Sweep, Spot, Nova, Craig, and the others are more than just pets. In fact, Dr. Hunt warns that border collies in general do not make good pets. So why get one ... much less 11? Dr. Hunt, an assistant professor of mathematics at Catawba College, spends time training them for sheep herding competitions when he is not training college students in mathematics skills.

Beginning with the 2006-2007 academic year, two departments at Catawba College will merge into a single entity. The Departments of History and Classics and Political Science will become the Department of History and Politics. Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, an assistant professor of political science, has been tapped to serve for the next three years as the chair of this department.

Pamela L. Thompson, an associate professor of business and information systems, has accepted a two-year appointment as chair of Catawba College's Ralph E. Ketner School of Business, effective with the 2006-2007 academic year.

Two Catawba College faculty members, Drs. Carla Eastis and J. Michael Bitzer, are participating in this summer's Wye Institute July 22-28 in Queenstown, Md. The focus of the institute, established in 1983 and co-sponsored by the Aspen Institute and the American Association of Colleges and Universities, is faculty development with an emphasis on the theme of "Leadership and Citizenship."

Dr. Michael Baranski, a Catawba College biology professor, served as editor for "The Proceedings of the Andre Michaux International Symposium," which was published and distributed in late May. The 237-page "Proceedings" appear in "Occasional Papers in Eastern Botany," a supplement to "CASTANEA, The Journal of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society."

A second volume of Catawba College Mathematics Professor Dr. Paul Baker's autobiographical fiction work, "A Shadowy Passage," is now available. Part I, "Vietnam: The Initiation," covers the first month or so Baker spent as an intelligence officer in Vietnam.

Dr. Laurel Eason, a professor of English at Catawba College, recently presented a paper at the Association of Core Texts and Courses conference held April 7 in Chicago, Ill. Her presentation was entitled "Kipling's KIM and Monica Ali's BRICK LANE: Cross Currents of Migration in Literature."

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, an assistant professor of political science at Catawba College, recently attended two conferences. The first was the annual North Carolina Political Science Association’s conference at High Point University, in which he helped to organize a roundtable discussion of North Carolina politics, presented a paper on Tar Heel voting patterns in the 2004 election, and was re-elected historian for the association.

Catawba College's Dr. Edith Bolick has accepted a promotion from associate dean of the College for Lifelong Learning to dean of the School of Evening and Graduate Studies.

A Catawba College student and faculty member served as official delegates to the Alpha Chi Region III Convention held March 23-25 in Wilmington. Senior Ray Porter of Salisbury and Dr. Charlie McAllister, a professor history, were the delegates, representing Catawba's N.C. Omicron Chapter of Alpha Chi.

Dr. Mark Sabo, an associate professor of chemistry at Catawba College, has been selected to participate in the FBI Laboratory's Visiting Scientist Program this summer at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va.

Catawba College students and a faculty member attended and participated in the 103rd annual meeting of the N.C. Academy of Science held March 24-25 at Bennett College for Women in Greensboro.

Dr. Gordon Grant, an associate professor of English at Catawba College, has agreed to serve as chair of the Department of English for a three-year term beginning in August, 2006. That announcement was made by Dr. Barbara Hetrick, vice president and dean of the College.

Catawba College Writer-In-Residence Dr. Janice Fuller has had several of her poems accepted for inclusion in different publications. Fuller's "Pond Pantoum" will be published in the Comstock Review, while "Zinnia. Versimilitude. Yes." will be included in Kakalak 2006, a new anthology featuring poetry by North and South Carolina writers.

Catawba College Assistant Professor of Sociology Dr. Carla Eastis recently made a presentation at the Southern Sociological Society Conference held in New Orleans March 22-25. Eastis was a member of a panel entitled "Bringing Sociology into the First Year Experience."

Catawba College Alumnus and Trustee Phil Kirk has accepted a position at his alma mater as Vice President of External Relations. According to College President Dr. Robert Knott, Kirk's appointment becomes effective July 1.

Professor of English Dr. Laurel Eason spent part of her Spring Break sunbathing in the courtyard of the Museum for the German People in Berlin.

Catawba College celebrates the 20th year of its annual Brady Author's Symposium April 13 with author Jodi Picoult. Tickets are on sale now for symposium events (scheduled between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.), which include a lecture, luncheon, book signing, and an exclusive writing question and answer session.

Catawba College Professor of English Bethany Sinnott, shares her recent Spring Break experience of visiting with her new 7-month old great-nephew in Sunny California.

Several Catawba College psychology faculty and their students attended the annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association in Atlanta, Ga., this month. Dr. Lyn Boulter, professor of psychology, chaired the Association’s Committee for Professional Opportunity (CEPO) undergraduate research poster session and sat on a Psi Chi panel with faculty from other schools discussing "Preparing for Graduate School: Preparation Strategies."

Dr. J. Andrew Morris, Dr. James W. Slate, Dr. Jason Hunt, and Dr. John Zerger had a paper entitled "Overcoming Bad Management Theory: Rediscovering Moral Sentiments" accepted for presentation at the 2006 Academy of Management (AOM)Annual Conference The AOM is the premier outlet for management research.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, an assistant professor of political science at Catawba College, recently presented a paper at the 15th Biennial Symposium on Southern Politics at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina.

Dr. John Wear, director of the Catawba College Center for the Environment, will be featured March 8 on the syndicated science radio program "Earth & Sky." The series is broadcast globally on 1,000 radio stations and has 10 million weekly listeners.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor and chair of the political science department at Catawba College, was a lecturer at the 11th annual Florida Chautauqua Assembly held February 23-26 at the Chautauqua Center in DeFuniak Springs, Fla. Silverburg's lecture was entitled "America as the Cop on the World Beat."

The Catawba College Board of Trustees voted at its annual meeting February 21 to grant tenure to two faculty members. Dr. Gordon Grant, associate professor of English, and Dr. Joseph Poston, assistant professor of biology, will be tenured effective with the beginning of the 2006-2007 academic year.

Dr. Barbara Hetrick, Catawba College Vice President and Academic Dean, was recognized at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) annual meeting as a founder and continuing contributor to the Associated New American Colleges (ANAC) on the occasion of the ANAC's 10th anniversary. The tribute was made during the AACU's annual meeting held earlier this month in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Andrew Morris, Catawba College Associate Professor of Management, Dr. Lynn Boulter, Catawba College Professor of Psychology, and Dr. Celeste Brotheridge of the Université du Québec à Montréal had an article accepted for publication in Journal of the Academy of Business Education (Wake Forest University). The article was entitled" Bringing Positive Psychology into the Business Classroom: Gratitude Visits as a way to Develop Emotional Intelligence."

Catawba College Mathematics Professor, Dr. Paul Baker, recently presented a paper at the national conference of the School Science and Mathematics Association held in Fort Worth, Texas. His paper was entitled "Do Two Half-Lives Equal One Whole Life?"

Catawba College Writer-In-Residence Dr. Janice Fuller has had several of her poems accepted for inclusion in different publications.The San Diego Reader selected Fuller's poem "My Aunt Raises Violets from Africa," as the Poem of the Week for its December 8, 2005 edition.

It's not often that a sister gets paid to toot her brother's horn. Catawba College Communication Arts lecturer Cyndi Allison Wittum was recently contacted by SAS (a computer software company) about taking on some freelance writing projects starting with a story about her brother, Dr. Robert Allison, winning a national computer dashboard contest.

The Catawba Community Music Program, an outreach of the Catawba College Music Department, is accepting enrollments for spring semester and a new instructor has joined the piano faculty.

Ms. Pamela Thompson, associate professor of business administration/information systems at Catawba College, has agreed to serve as interim chair of the Ketner School of Business for spring semester 2006.

Catawba College student Cathrine Balentine of Charlotte, a senior psychology major, and Dr. Sheila Brownlow, professor of psychology, have collaborated to produce a research paper which has been accepted for publication.

Dr. Philip Acree Cavalier, associate professor of English and assistant dean of Catawba College, along with wife Carol and their three sons, are living in Kiev between September 2005 and June 2006. Acree Cavalier is completing a Fulbright Lectureship in American literature there during the 2005-06 academic year through the Fulbright Scholars Program.

For almost 20 years, Catawba College Mathematics Professor Dr. Paul Baker repressed memories of the year he spent as an intelligence officer in Vietnam. But while he was recovering from a back operation in 1988, he discovered he "could think about that time" again, And, he realized he had a primary source of information about that time in his life – his daily letters to his wife.

Catawba College Professor Business Dr. Stephen Hiatt has been involved in a variety of activities outside the classroom. Hiatt has served and will serve on the Salisbury Convention Center Task Force. He recently completed serving on the Business Incubator Task Force for the City of Salisbury.

Dr. Cyndi Osterhus, an assistant professor of teacher education at Catawba College, recently attended the N.C. Teacher of the Year Reunion, sponsored by the N.C. Association of Educators. She was one of 35 N.C. teachers to have been selected to receive the honor since its establishment in 1970. Osterhus was the 1987 N.C. Teacher of the Year.

Dr. Bethany Sinnott, professor and chair of English at Catawba College, recently published an article " 'N.C. Shakes': The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival" in a new peer-reviewed online Shakespeare journal at the University of Georgia named Borrowers and Lenders.

The Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on the Catawba College campus will be the scene of a non-denominational Community Thanksgiving Service slated for 6 p.m. Sunday, November 20. Members of the college community and the community at large are encouraged to attend.

Dr. Mark Sabo, an associate professor of chemistry at Catawba College, reviewed and edited the chapters of a new textbook, "Forensic Chemistry," recently published by Prentice Hall. The textbook was authored by Suzanne Bell. Sabo also served as the accuracy reviewer for the laboratory manual that accompanies the textbook.

Dr. Barbara Hetrick, Catawba College Vice President and Academic Dean, attended the Council of Independent College's 33rd Annual National Institute for Chief Academic Officers held November 5-8 in San Antonio, Texas.

Catawba College Senior Dennis Reed of Charlotte wants to be real, for God that is. He wants to exploit his talents as a musician and composer and sort of be all he can be for God. You might say that Reed’s new gospel album, "Water Walker," is a tribute to God. This music business major is grateful for his talents and has not buried them in the biblical sense, but rather grown them three-fold with "Water Walker" as the result.

Catawba College’s First-Year Experience will host historian turned science editor, author Edward Tenner for an 11 a.m. lecture Thursday, November 10 in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on campus. The event is free and open to members of the college community as well as members of the larger Salisbury-Rowan community.

Seats are still available on the buses heading to Chapel Hill, N.C. on November 12 for the men’s basketball game between Catawba and UNC. Tip-off time will be announced approximately 7 days prior to game day and bus departure will be 3.5 hours before game time. The trip will drop you off in front of the Dean Smith Center and return you to Catawba College immediately following the game. Light refreshments will be served during the ride as well.

In reaction to the horrific disaster of Hurricane Katrina, a group of 22 students and five staff members from Catawba College ventured to the Gulf Coast over fall break (Oct. 21-25). The students ranged from freshmen to seniors, chemistry and athletic majors to business and religion majors, and were teamed with staff members from various departments on campus to make a very diverse group of volunteers.

Dr. Cynthia Osterhus, an assistant professor of teacher education at Catawba College, recently made a presentation to the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCCTM) Conference in Greensboro. Her presentation was entitled, “Integrating Technology into Mathematics Methods Courses.”

Dr. Philip Acree Cavalier, associate professor of English and assistant dean of Catawba College, along with wife Carol and their three sons, are living in Kiev between September 2005 and June 2006. Acree Cavalier is completing a Fulbright Lectureship in American literature there during the 2005-06 academic year through the Fulbright Scholars Program.

Dr. Bethany Sinnott, professor and chair of English at Catawba College, recently participated in several events associated with the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival in High Point.

Dr. Philip Acree Cavalier, Catawba College’s assistant dean and associate professor of English, is traveling and giving scholarly lectures in Ukraine while there on a Fulbright Lectureship in American literature. Acree Cavalier, wife Carol and their three sons, left for Kiev in early September and will return to Salisbury next June.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor and chair of the political science department at Catawba College, will lecture Monday, October 10 and Tuesday, October 11 at the Andrews Valley Experience (ave!) in Andrews, N.C. Silverburg’s lecture at 7 p.m. on October 10 is entitled “Protection and Civil Liberties,” and his lecture at 2 p.m. on October 11 is “Culture Wars in America.”

Catawba College’s Teacher Education Program has received the highest possible rank on the 2004-2005 Institution of Higher Education Performance Report and is judged by the North Carolina State Board of Education as having “met expectations.” Additionally, Catawba’s first-year teachers (the 2003-2004 cohort of student teachers) had a 100 percent pass rate on the PRAXIS II, placing the program in the first quartile of teacher education programs in the state.

“Sex Education,” a poetry book by Catawba College Writer-in-Residence Dr. Janice Fuller, had been selected as runner-up for this year’s Oscar Arnold Young Award. That award is given annually by the Poetry Council of North Carolina to the outstanding book of poetry published during the year by a North Carolina poet.

The Catawba Community Music Program, an outreach of the Catawba College Music Department, announces the addition of two new performing-artist teachers. Dr. Joan Metelli, who teaches voice, and Jesse Davis, who teaches piano, have joined that program.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor and chair of Political Science at Catawba College, is writing an article, “American Israel Political Affairs Committee (AIPAC),” for the Encyclopedia of the Modern World. The Encyclopedia will be published by Oxford University Press.

Some Catawba College Theatre Arts students and a theatre production have been nominated for 2004-2005 Metrolina Theatre Awards. Catawba’s “The Marriage of Figaro” was nominated for Outstanding Production and several of its cast and crew members also received nominations.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, assistant professor of political science at Catawba College, recently participated at the American Political Science Association’s annual conference in Washington, D.C.

Members of the Catawba College community paused for a moment of silence to recognize the victims of Hurricane Katrina when they gathered for fall convocation Thursday, September 1 in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel. Then, College President Robert E. Knott officially convened the college for its 154th academic year.

Faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of Catawba College have pooled their culinary resources into a new cookbook, “Catawba Cooks.” And now, this collection of 311 favorite recipes is available for purchase in Catawba’s bookstore on campus, with proceeds to benefit on and off-campus service and charitable organizations.

Dr. Andrew Morris, Associate Professor of Management in the Ketner School of Business along with co-authors from Western Carolina University and Université du Québec à Montréal had an article accepted for publication...

“My books are U-books,” has been the mantra recently of Dr. Phillip Acree Cavalier, associate professor of English and assistant dean of Catawba College. That’s because Acree Cavalier knows that the “U” stands for Ukraine, a place he and family will spend the next 10 months.

Dr. Andrew Morris, associate professor of management in the Ketner School of Business, recently had 3 poems published in the cutting-edge poetry journal, Right Hand Pointing.

Do you really understand the current controversy over the use of stem cells in biological and medical research? Have you taken time to consider seriously the ethical issues that accompany our potential ability to clone human beings? If the answer to either of these questions is "no"— and especially if it’s "yes"— then you won’t want to miss the first Catawba College Community Forum of 2005-2006.

Catawba College Mathematics Professor Joyce Caddell has agreed to serve as the College’s faculty representative to the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In that capacity, she replaces Dr. Karl Hales who retired at the end of the 2004-2005 academic year.

Dr. John T. Zerger, chair and professor of mathematics at Catawba College, will be recognized for his contribution in helping W.H. Freeman and Company develop a revision plan for a mathematics textbook. Zerger assisted with the revision of the Consortium of Mathematics and Its Applications’ “For All Practical Purposes” textbook. His name will be included in the acknowledgement section of the preface of that textbook.

Catawba College President Dr. Robert Knott became a black belt in karate recently during a rare and special tribute paid to him August 13 by the grandmaster and founder of a Houston-based martial arts establishment.

In September, Catawba College Associate Professor of Management Dr. Andrew Morris will pedal for the 10th year in the Multiple Sclerosis Bike Tour and he’s challenging both students and colleagues to either join him or support his efforts.

Marcia Miller joined the Catawba College community as director of career services on August 1. She had been employed as assistant director of the career development center at Northern Kentucky University since 1995.

Dr. Andrew Morris, an associate professor of management in Catawba College's Ketner School of Business, recently presented a cross-disciplinary paper entitled, "Bringing Positive Psychology into the Business Classroom: Gratitude Visits as a way to Develop Emotional Intelligence" at the 32nd annual Organizational Behavior Teaching Conference.

Dr. John B. “Jack” Green, an associate professor of marketing in Catawba College’s Ketner School of Business, and one of his students, Allan C. Rohrbaugh of Lexington, a junior in the Lifelong Learning program, recently participated in the Marketing Science Conference at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.

Dr. Janice Fuller, a local poet and Catawba College’s writer-in-residence, will have one of her poems included in the July 20 broadcast of “The Writer’s Almanac,” a daily radio program hosted by Garrison Keillor. Fuller’s “My Aunt Raises Violets from Africa” will be read on the program which is broadcast to about 280 non-commercial public radio stations around the country.

Dr. John Wear, director of the Catawba College Center for the Environment, will speak July 21 to a five-person delegation from the International Visitor Leadership Program. The participants will travel to Salisbury to learn about environmental education and community participation.

Robert J. Casmus, head athletic trainer at Catawba College was honored earlier this month while attending the National Athletic Trainers’ Association annual meeting in Indianapolis , Indiana. He received N.A.T.A.’s Atheltic Trainer Service Award for dedicated service and outstanding contribution to the profession of athletic training and to the Association. He also received the Dan Libera Service Award from the Board of Certification, Inc. for his outstanding contributions.

All former Catawba College choir members are invited to participate in a very special Choir Alumni Reunion July 8 and 9 on campus! Choir alumni are invited to bring their families and return for a weekend of music making. Events get underway Friday, July 8, with check in slated at the Williams Music Building on campus between 4 and 6 p.m. A Presidential Welcome Reception follows between 7 and 9 p.m. at the home of College President and First Lady, Robert and Brenda Knott.

Gordon A. Kirkland Jr., Associate Dean of Admissions at Catawba College, is moving to the athletics department, it was announced today by Dennis Davidson, director of athletics. Kirkland, a member of the admissions staff since 2000, will become assistant to the athletic director, effective June 1. Davidson said that Kirkland’s duties will include coordinating all athletic recruiting, assisting Catawba’s coaches with initial contacts and campus visits, as well as other duties.

Catawba College’s Vice President and Dean of Students Dr. Carl Girelli is so accustomed to the life and sights in Costa Rica that he doesn’t even take photos there anymore, but his students do. “No matter how many times I’ve seen it all, it’s still a real kick to watch new students experience this,” Girelli explains. “It’s a life-changing experience for them. The first year we went, I had a student who cried for a week because she was homesick. We called her Miss Rain. Now, we could call

Eight members of the Catawba College faculty and staff were among those recognized during the 2005 Awards Convocation held April 21 in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on campus.

Dr. Philip Acree Cavalier, Assistant Dean of Catawba College and Associate Professor of English, has been awarded a Fulbright Lectureship in American literature in Kiev, Ukraine for the 2005-06 academic year through the Fulbright Scholars Program.

Catawba College students and faculty attended the 66th annual meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists (ASB) in Florence, Ala., April 13-16. Biology Professor Dr. Michael Baranski, past president of ASB, judged the Odum Prize Competition for that meeting.

All four faculty members of the Catawba College Psychology Department, along with several of their students, participated in the annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association held recently in Nashville, Tenn. Faculty members attending included Drs. Lyn Boulter, Karen Horner, Al Roberts, and Sheila Brownlow.

Dr. Laurel Eason, a professor of English at Catawba College, recently participated in the Association of Core Texts and Courses conference held April 7-11 in Vancouver, British Columbia. While there, she delivered a paper entitled, “Mario Vargas Llosa’s Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter: A Comedic Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.”

Three members of the Catawba College Music Department participated in the plenary session, “Musical Inclusiveness: the Catawba College Initiative,” at the College Music Society – Mid-Atlantic Chapter annual meeting held March 19 at West Virginia University.

Two of Catawba College’s creative writing students from Salisbury are among four N.C. college students honored in the Charlotte Writers’ Club’s annual Anthony Abbott Poetry Award for undergraduates.

Catawba College Writer-In-Residence Dr. Janice Fuller is one of 30 N.C. poets selected by the state’s new Poet Laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer to be included in Byer’s “A Poem a Day” project during April, poetry month.

Theatre Students to Study Abroad; New Catawba Ambassadors; Students Earn Merit Scholarships from Catawba College Honors Program; Students Receive Funding to Participate in Scholarly Association Meetings; Students Attend N.C. Academy of Science Meeting; Political Science Students Participate in Association Meeting...

Dr. Janice Fuller, Catawba College’s writer-in-residence, has been invited by the Writers Group of the Triad to participate in a poetry ready to kick off Poetry Month. She will read from her poetry, along with Fred Chappel and Ann Deagon, at the Green Bean Café in Greensboro at 7 p.m. Monday, April 4. The Dave Fox Trio will also perform that evening, providing jazz interludes

Catawba College faculty and staff members pride themselves on their professional accomplishments outside the classroom. Following are some of their recent activities.

Sex Education, a book of poetry by Catawba College Writer-In-Residence Dr. Janice Fuller, has been nominated for the 2005 Southeastern Booksellers Association (SEBA) Book Award in the poetry category. SEBA is an organization representing independent booksellers in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and Mississippi.

Several Catawba College professors are active in their areas of expertise outside the classroom. Following are details of some of their recent accomplishments and upcoming plans.

Dr. Paul Baker, a Catawba College mathematics professor, recently made a presentation to the Rowan County Ministerial Association about his mission trips to Russia and Cambodia. He also delivered the sermon at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Kannapolis on Feb. 13, along with the sermon for the 6 p.m. on-campus worship service that same day.

Dr. Janice Fuller, Catawba College’s Writer-in-Residence, has been elected a board member for the North Carolina Playwrights Alliance. The mission of the alliance is "to unite and serve playwrights of North Carolina through the promotion and advocacy of playwrights' work and the creation of state, regional, national, and global production and networking opportunities."

In January, three faculty members of the Catawba College’s Mathematics Department attended the annual National Joint Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America and the American Mathematical Society in Atlanta, Georgia.

In January, three faculty members of the Catawba College’s Mathematics Department attended the annual National Joint Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America and the American Mathematical Society in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Maria Vandergriff-Avery, Assistant Professor and Chair of the Catawba College Department of Sociology, recently had an article published. "Resiliency Capacities Among Rural Low-Income Families," was published in the October-December 2004 edition of the journal, Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services.

A full-featured email/calendaring system was installed over the holiday break. To get started using it, click on the WEBMAIL icon above (on the front of the Catawba website.) To view an online tutorial about using WEBMAIL, go to the Documents tab in CatLink. Look in your Inbox for an email message from Computer Services with more details about the new system. Students, faculty, and staff now have access to this new e-mail system which is the industry standard.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor and chair of the political science department at Catawba College, will lecture Saturday, March 5, at the 10th annual Florida Chautauqua Assembly held at the Chautauqua Center in DeFuniak Springs, Fla. Silverburg’s lecture is entitled “9/11 to 2/2 and Beyond.”

J. Michael Bitzer, assistant professor of political science at Catawba College, earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs. Bitzer participated in commencement exercises at UGA this past Saturday.

Catawba College Mathematics Professor Dr. Paul Baker was recently honored by the Mathematical Association of America for demonstrating his professionalism in the field of mathematics over the past 35 years. He received a certificate of recognition from that organization.

Catawba College’s Writer-In-Residence Dr. Janice Fuller has had a poem, "For William, Who Lived Twelve Hours" from her book, Sex Education, selected as the poem of the day for November 10 by Verse Daily. The poem was posted on the website--www.versedaily.com.

Dr. John Zerger, a Catawba College associate professor of mathematics and chair of that department, has been selected for inclusion in this year’s edition of the “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.” This is the fifth year that Zerger has been so recognized.

Two of Catawba College’s faculty members use their voices for reasons other than lecturing. Dr. Karl Hales has been announcing the Catawba football games on the stadium public address system for 25 consecutive years and Dr. Tim Moreland has handled radio play-by-play for the East Carolina University Pirates Football network for 11 years. Some may see their part-time jobs as hobbies, but these two colleagues see it as an extension of their profession.

Bethany and Aidan Sinnott suspended time for six weeks this summer and traveled in the footsteps of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. It was the Sinnotts’ way to mark the 200th anniversary of those explorers’ trek across the continental United States and, at times during their trip, to actually see what the explorers saw when viewing some of the same vistas. Aidan, inspired with his recent reading of Stephen Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage, suggested the trip.

Phi Epsilon and the Lilly Center for Vocation and Values will sponsor a "Vocation and Values Dinner" on Wednesday evening, October 27 at 5:30 p.m. in the Hurley Room of the Cannon Student Center. All students, faculty, and staff are invited to sign up on a first come, first served basis. The meal is free. All we ask is that your conversation focus on the speakers' messages.

Dr. Cynthia Osterhus, an assistant professor of teacher education at Catawba College, has been selected to participate in a planning meeting to design a national project on the effective use of the Internet in the pre- service training of K-12 teachers. The meeting, organized by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), will be held December 2-3 at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.

Dr. Maria Vandergriff-Avery can’t wait to take her students to Floyd – Floyd, Virginia that is. And there, at the Floyd Country Store, they’ll gather with local residents, farmers, tourists, yuppies, academics, artists and business men and women to witness the Friday Night Jamboree, some of the best impromptu bluegrass music in the country and some authentic flat foot dancing. After the experience, she’s hopeful they’ll have a truer and deeper understanding of Appalachian people and their cult

Dr. Aaron Butler of the Catawba College English Department has had an essay accepted for publication.  The essay is entitled "The Gift of the Magus: Mystical Glasses in Renaissance Drama," and it will appear in the 2005 volume of Shakespeare and Renaissance Association Selected Papers (SRASP).

J. Michael Bitzer, assistant professor of political science at Catawba College, and Kiki Caruson, assistant professor of government and international affairs at the University of South Florida, Tampa, have co-authored a recently published study.

There is a way for orphans in both Russia and Cambodia to improve their lots, Catawba College Mathematics Professor Dr. Paul Baker learned this summer during mission trips to both countries. Those orphans can learn to speak English. Speaking English provides an escape route for these children, Baker says, allowing them to work as translators, or to work in hotels frequented by international travelers. These options stand in stark contrast to the normally preset fate for Russian boys, who ty

Dr. Bethany Sinnott, a professor of English and chair of the English Department at Catawba College, will participate in the upcoming N.C. Shakespeare Festival in High Point. From 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2, she will present the Nancy Lyles Classics in Context Seminar on "Othello." Sinnott's presentation will be offered in the Victorian Room of the Radisson Hotel, a block from the High Point Theatre where NCSF performs.

Catawba College History Professor, Dr. Gary Freeze, was honored in absentia during an August luncheon at the Museum of History in Raleigh for his work with the Tar Heel Junior Historians Association (THJH).

Catawba College Mathematics Professor Joyce Caddell said she plugged a hole in her knowledge this summer when she visited Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to study the numerology of the ancient Mayas. Caddell was among 35 educators from across the U.S. who participated in a faculty development program offered by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

During the summer of 2004, Dr. Woodrow Hood, Chairman of the Theatre Arts Department at Catawba College, and his wife, Dr. Cynthia Gendrich, Associate Professor of Theatre at Wake Forest University, took part in an Asian faculty seminar funded by the Mellon Foundation. They traveled extensively in the far East and will present their impressions of the ancient city of Shanghai (Old City to New), of the tension between Beijing and Hong Kong (planned economy versus Western capitalism), and of the

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor and chair of the political science department at Catawba College, will offer several lectures at Chautauqua’s Andrews Valley Experience in October in Andrews, N.C. He will lecture on “Threats to American Security – Domestic and Foreign,” at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 11; “American Media – Fair and Balanced?” at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12; and “Trouble in the World and U.S. Policy” at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12.

Dr. Sharon Sullivan, assistant professor of mathematics at Catawba, has been selected, for the second consecutive year, to appear in the 2005 edition of “Who’s Who in America.”

The Catawba College Community Music Program is pleased to announce the addition of Daniel Skidmore to its faculty.

Retired Catawba College faculty and staff members were feted at a luncheon held Thursday, July 22 in the Hurley Room on campus.

Two Catawba College professors, Dr. Sanford Silverburg and Michael Bitzer, earlier this month participated in the annual reading and scoring of the College Board’s Advanced Placement Examinations in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Dr. Maria Vandergriff-Avery, an assistant professor of sociology at Catawba College, is attending Ferrum College's second National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute for College and University Teachers June 3-29.

A new Center for International Studies is being established at Catawba College and Dr. Kurt Corriher has been tapped as its director, effective June 1. College President Dr. Robert Knott made the announcement at the annual President’s Circle Dinner held May 12 on campus.

Dr. Albert E. Roberts, chair and professor of psychology at Catawba College, recently attended the ninth meeting of the European Society of Neurosonology and Cerebral Hemodynamics in Wetzlar, Germany.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor and chair of Political Science at Catawba College, is the author and compiler of the third edition of “Index to Law School Theses and Dissertations” on CD-ROM. The electronic publication should be available in June.

Dr. Janice Fuller, Catawba College’s writer-in-residence, has a new book of poetry recently published and entitled “Sex Education.” It is available locally at the Literary Bookpost.

J. Michael Bitzer, assistant professor of political science at Catawba College, will be among the North Carolina scholars and public officials invited to participate in a roundtable on the theme of “Legislative and Executive Governance in Federal Countries” May 22 at Wake Forest University.

Dr. Aaron Butler, a member of the English Department faculty at Catawba College, attended the West Virginia Shakespeare and Renaissance Association Conference April 22. While there, he also delivered a paper, “Gift of the Magus: Mystical Glasses in Renaissance Drama.”

Four faculty members and five students from the Catawba College Mathematics Department attended the Southeastern Section of the Mathematical Association of America meeting held in Clarksville, Tenn. March 26-27.

Dr. Bethany Sinnott, a professor of English and chair of the English Department at Catawba College, attended the Shakespeare Association of America annual meeting held April 8-10 in New Orleans. While there, she participated in a seminar on Shakespeare and the American South.

Some members of the Catawba College faculty have recently been notified that they will receive summer block stipends in varying amounts to pursue scholarly and academic study projects.

Two Catawba College professors were among the participants at the 33rd annual meeting of the N.C. Political Science Association held March 26 and 27 at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg attended the 45th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association in Montreal.

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor and chair of the political science department at Catawba College, offered several lectures at the recent Chautauqua Assembly held at the Chautauqua Center in DeFuniak Springs, Fla.

Members of the Catawba College Psychology Department faculty will attend the 50th annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association in Atlanta, Ga. in early March.

On Sunday, February 29 at 2:00 p.m. in Catawba College’s Florence Busby Theater, a cast of Catawba College and Wake Forest University students and faculty will present a reading of a new play Dix by Dr. Janice Moore Fuller.

Three members of the Catawba College Mathematics Department faculty recently attended the Joint Mathematics Meetings of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of American in Phoenix, Arizona.

Dr. Philip Acree Cavalier, assistant professor of English and director of the Freshman Seminar Program at Catawba College, has been appointed assistant dean of the College, effective with the advent of spring semester.

Cyndi Allison Wittum, an instructor of communication arts at Catawba College, will attend the national conference of the Associated Collegiate Press in Las Vegas, Nevada in early March.

Catawba College Writer-in-Residence Dr. Janice Fuller has had a poem, “Rapunzel” accepted for publication in the 2004 issue of Poems & Plays.

Dr. Renee McCachren, chair of the Catawba College Music Department, was a contributor to the recently published, two-volume Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era, 1760-1850. McCachren authored an article entitled, “Eroica 1803, Symphony N. 3 by Ludwig van Beethoven.”

Dr. Sanford Silverburg, professor and chair of the political science department at Catawba College, has been invited to serve on the advisory board of “Millenium,” a prestigious British journal of international relations.

J. Michael Bitzer, assistant professor of political science at Catawba College, recently presented a paper at the Southern Political Science Association’s annual conference in New Orleans, La.