UNC ASHEVILLE SENIOR STAFF CHANCELLOR
Anne Ponder PROVOST AND VICE CHANCELLOR FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Jane Fernandes VICE CHANCELLOR FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS
William K. Haggard VICE CHANCELLOR FOR FINANCE AND OPERATIONS
ponderings Each spr ing, U NC Ashev ille’s ca mpus comm u nit y gathers on the Quad to celebrate our newest class of graduates. It’s
John Pierce
from this central spot on campus, where ideas intersect and paths
VICE CHANCELLOR FOR UNIVERSIT Y ADVANCEMENT
cross, that we can look toward Mount Pisgah, a reminder of the
Buffy Bagwell SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR FOR UNIVERSIT Y ENTERPRISES AND DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
unique place from which the university has grown. It was here that I first met with the campus community when I became chancellor, and
Janet Cone
it’s from the steps of the library on this same Quad that I will share
CHIEF OF STAFF
my final commencement address in 2014.
Christine Riley University General Counsel
The landscape of higher education has
Lucien “Skip” Capone III
changed dramatically during these past
UNC ASHEVILLE MAGAZINE STAFF
nine years. We have learned together
EDITOR
Amy Jessee
as a campus to develop new models
DESIGNERS
that will help us better meet the future
Nanette Johnson, Mary Ann Lawrence
needs of our students, our state and the
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
world of higher education.
Aaron Dahlstrom ‘09, Nancy Dillingham ‘66, Hannah Epperson ‘11, Jon Elliston, Mike Gore, Amy Jessee, Mary Lynn Manns, Steve Plever, Karen Shugart ‘99, Melissa Stanz, Rebecca Sulock ‘00
In this issue of UNC Asheville Magazine,
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
David Allen ‘13, Mike Belleme, Luke Bukoski, Perry Hebard, Peter Lorenz, Blake Madden, Galen McGee ‘08, Matt Rose, Casey Toth ‘16, Jameykay Young
we explore beyond the ever-expanding campus boundaries, going into the community on service-learning projects and following our alumni on their career journeys around the
UNC Asheville Magazine is published twice a year by UNC Asheville Communication and Marketing to give alumni and friends an accurate, lively view of the university—its people, programs and initiatives. Contact us at magazine@unca.edu.
drill down to the surface-level too, meeting the landscape architect
UNC ASHEVILLE ALUMNI OFFICE
and the faculty founder of the campus rock garden, one of the newest
Associate Vice Chancellor of Alumni Relations & Annual Giving
features of the Quad.
world. And we learn about Lookout Observatory, which has expanded our capacity to see beyond the Earth through new technology. We
Laura Herndon
Address Changes Office of University Advancement & Alumni Giving CPO #3800 • UNC Asheville One University Heights • Asheville, NC 28804 alumni@unca.edu • 800.774.3381 UNC Asheville enrolls more than 3,700 full- and part-time students in more than 30 programs leading to the bachelor’s degree as well as the Master of Liberal Arts. The university is committed to equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students or employees on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, disabling condition or sexual orientation. © UNC Asheville, April 2014 32,000 copies of this magazine were printed on paper with recycled content at a cost of $15,584.65 or 49 cents each.
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We also take a closer look at the best-known Rocky on campus—our mascot—who comes to life thanks to the students who take on the challenge and costume. They personify the Bulldog determination that has positioned UNC Asheville to continue as a regional resource, a statewide success and a top 10 national public liberal arts university, with an undergraduate research program unparalleled by any institution of this size. These stories, which stem from our collective achievements, signal the bright future alluded to in the literary promise of Pisgah and bring home to Asheville and Western North Carolina what the rest of the world already knows about us. This bright future also is what will attract the very best talent in higher education to be UNC Asheville’s
A R O U N D T H E Q UA D
next chancellor—a leader ready to collaborate with your great work
HONOR SOCIETY
and to blaze the next trail from the mountains.
P R A C T I C A L LY S P E A K I N G G O, B U L L D O G S !
It has been an honor to join you on this journey to excellence, and
C L A S S N OT E S
though this will be my last official “Ponderings” as your chancellor,
O f f the Page
UNC Asheville will never be far from my thoughts.
ON THE COVER: Chancellor Anne Ponder celebrates
Commencement with the graduates and their families. (Photo by Perry Hebard )
—Chancellor Anne Ponder