The East Carolinian celebrates a century of campus reporting
Redefining Innovation
R1 STATUS PROPELS ECU TO THE TOP TIER OF RESEARCH
Biology Professor Emeritus John Stiller enjoys the zipline at the April 12 Family Day at ECU’s North Recreational Complex. The event was sponsored by the ECU Staff Senate as part of Staff Appreciation Month. (Photo by Rhett Butler)
On the Cover: Pharmacology and toxicology doctoral student Kathryn Lorbacher is studying zebrafish, which are 70%80% genetically identical to humans yet have a remarkable ability to regenerate tissue after an injury. This National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke-funded study, led by faculty member Karen Mruk, is indicative of ECU’s growing research enterprise that yielded R1 status this year. (Photo by Steven Mantilla)
Jessica Richmond ’15, sitting in her East Carolinian office when it was on Third Street, reads the last edition of the spring 2015 semester. Behind her are all the papers she served as editor-in-chief. Read more about the student-led newspaper’s 100th anniversary starting on page 18.
26 The Blueprint
With R1 status, ECU sets the course for the future of university research.
34
Two Decades Strong
After 20 years, the statewide impact of ECU’s public health program is evident.
40 Student Snapshot
Mohsen Zakaib aims to put lessons learned in Lebanon to work as an emergency physician.
44 Net Success
Tennis seniors traveled far to make ECU their home court.
East Carolina University is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina System. Recognized as a Research 1 institution, ECU offers baccalaureate, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees in the liberal arts, sciences and professional fields. Dedicated to fulfilling our mission to be a national model for student success, public service and regional transformation, ECU is classified as a Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate Large university with a higher earnings designation by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. ©2025 by East Carolina University
Chancellor Philip Rogers on ECU’s new top-tier research designation
In February, the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recognized ECU as a Research 1 university, a testament to the hard work, dedication and innovation of faculty, staff and students.
What is R1?
For more than 50 years, Carnegie has been categorizing institutions in the United States in terms of their mission, size and areas of focus so people who are interested in those institutions can get a feel for which ones best align with their goals. To achieve R1 status under its new guidelines, institutions must meet a threshold of $50 million in total research expenditures and award at least 70 research doctorates annually.
How exclusive is the R1 designation?
It comes with a lot of prestige. There were 3,941 institutions categorized by Carnegie this year, and just over 180 were named R1 institutions, so it puts us among the top 5% of research institutions in the United States.
What does R1 mean for ECU?
As an R1 university, ECU will see expanded opportunities for research, attracting top researchers and graduate students eager to contribute to cutting-edge discoveries. It boosts our ability to drive scholarly inquiry in the arts and creative endeavors, health sciences, engineering, education, coastal and marine studies, and many other fields that are critical to North Carolina and our world. It also reinforces
our commitment to community-engaged research, ensuring our work continues to address the needs of our region, from educational attainment, rural health care and workforce development to technological advancement.
What does R1 mean for students?
It means we’re committed to a culture of discovery at all levels. ECU offers hands-on research opportunities to undergraduates as early as their first year, allowing students to work closely with faculty mentors on projects that shape industries, advance knowledge and improve lives. ECU graduates enter the workforce equipped with in-demand skills, ready to collaborate on teams that solve problems and bring innovative ideas to life.
How will this benefit our region and state?
Our mission as a university centers on improving the lives of the residents of eastern North Carolina and across the state. Research offers a significant return on investment by driving innovation, economic growth and the development of solutions to pressing societal challenges. There are many ways faculty-led, student-engaged research can impact the world. This designation allows us to attract more high-achieving faculty members and students who are committed to the region, who want to do their research here or get their degrees here and then use what they’ve learned to make a difference in their communities. More than anything, it shows we’re incredibly successful at meeting our mission of service and making a positive difference for our state.
Karigan Zaferatos received an unexpected congratulations from her brother, Ryan, a U.S. Coast Guard member who traveled from Oregon for one of the College of Health and Human Performance graduation ceremonies. After HHP’s tradition of recognizing all in attendance who have ever served the nation through military service, Ryan Zaferatos entered the room and surprised Karigan, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work. They embraced and were cheered by the other graduates and guests. Watch the video at bit.ly/4kJ9Ses. (Photo by Steven Mantilla)
In This Issue
A Marine majors in maritime studies Helene recovery rolls on with help from Pirates
ECU premieres Wild Heart, a modern take on Joan of Arc’s story
When people hear the name Joan of Arc, they often think of her tragic end. But Chelsea Marcantel’s new musical, Wild Heart, brought Joan’s oftenoverlooked story to life in its world premiere in February at ECU.
It’s the story of Jehanne, better known to the world as Joan of Arc. The musical follows Jehanne, a poor and powerless teenager in France, who begins to see visions and hear voices from St. Catherine and St. Margaret. The saints tell Jehanne it is her destiny to leave home, take part in the Hundred Years’ War, save her people and change the world.
While the musical is set in the 15th century, the production features modern songs that audiences will recognize, including “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken” by P!nk, “Hero” by Weezer and “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten.
Marcantel is a Los Angeles-based writer, director and collaborator who has staged and produced 14 full-length plays. Wild Heart is her first musical. Working alongside Marcantel was director Trent Blanton, an associate professor at ECU.
Blanton said the production was in the works for two years, from securing production rights to holding readings, beginning rehearsals and preparing for opening night.
“Marcantel is so fantastically generous on top of being a ridiculously talented writer. And she’s a big advocate for students and a big fan of training this group of actors. Wild Heart is such a lovely collaboration, and it really looks like a Broadway show,” he said.
Blanton discussed how School of Theatre and Dance students brought their characters to life — especially with no previous performances to reference.
“They know how to sing, they know how to dance and how to act, but it’s demanding different skills in certain ways. Those are the skills that are really, really needed. It’s making them stretch muscles they didn’t know they had, but they’ve been really successful,” Blanton said.
One example was Casey Wild, an ECU junior, the first to take on the lead role.
“It’s been very challenging stepping into the role of Joan and having such big shoes to fill. She is an amazing revolutionary, so bringing that to life on stage has been a definite challenge, but a very rewarding one,” Wild said before the premiere.
Despite the show having to be delayed a couple of days due to a snowstorm — even creating a Monday performance — Blanton said the house was nearly packed for each show. And he plans to keep looking for fresh ideas like Wild Heart.
“We’re going to continue to develop new materials here. It’s great exposure for us and the university,” he said.
– Alondra Martinez
Casey Wild as Joan of Arc and Chris Brammer as King Charles perform in ECU’s production of Wild Heart in February. The show was the world premiere for the new jukebox musical by Chelsea Marcantel.
(Photo by B.J. Emerson)
Graduate programs ranked
ECU’s master’s and doctoral programs in allied health sciences, medicine and nursing earned high national rankings in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Graduate Schools, released April 8.
U.S. News’ best medical schools for primary care are presented in evaluative Tiers 1-4 rather than ordinal rankings. The Brody School of Medicine is a Tier 1 institution.
For the assessment, U.S. News placed medical and osteopathic schools in tiers based on primary care metrics, faculty and admissions data. The highest factor, the number of medical school graduates practicing in primary care specialties, makes up 45% of the score. Other factors include the number of medical school graduates entering primary care residencies, student selectivity and faculty-student ratio.
Brody also was recognized for research. Factors consider research activity, student selectivity and faculty resources.
In the College of Nursing, ECU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice family nurse practitioner specialty is in the top 10 in the nation. At No. 9, ECU is one of only two UNC System schools (both in the top 10) in the ranking, which is based on qualitative peer assessment.
The overall Doctor of Nursing Practice at ECU ranks 40th of 158 institutions, placing it in the top 25% in the country. This is up from last year’s ranking of No. 74. ECU is one of only four nursing schools in the UNC System ranked. There are 15 distinct ranking factors that make up that score.
Other ECU nursing programs include nursing anesthesia at 19th of 140, placing it in the top 15% in the nation, and nursing midwifery, 10th of 36 (top 30%).
In the College of Allied Health Sciences, occupational therapy ranked 39th of 282, placing it in the top 15% of U.S. schools.
Other ECU allied health sciences’ ranked programs were audiology, 45th of 74 (top 60%); physician assistant studies, 58th of 206 (top 30%); physical therapy, 65th of 264 (top 25%); rehabilitation counseling, 33rd of 80 (top 45%); and speech-language pathology, 65th of 283 (top 25%).
Not all graduate programs are ranked by U.S. News every year. Many programs in the sciences and humanities are updated every two to four years.
Programs that are offered predominantly online are ranked and published by U.S. News at a different time of year.
– Crystal Baity
Jon Gilbert, ECU director of athletics, listens as Sandra Wornom speaks and Laurie Wornom Phillips, Lily Grace Phillips and Lesley Wornom McKay look on during an April 24 groundbreaking ceremony for the Isley Indoor Performance Center and Wornom Family Field on the Grady-White Boats Athletic Campus.
The $24.5 million, 85,000-squarefoot facility was fully funded by 2,500 donors, including Jennifer and Van Isley, Sandra Wornom and her late husband, Sam, and Lance and Heath Clark and Bill Clark Homes. The center will be an all-weather training hub for all ECU sports programs. Also, the ECU board of trustees approved a $10.3 million expansion of Clark-LeClair Stadium that includes additional seating and an expanded players’ locker room. Both projects are slated for completion in late 2026. (Photo by Rhett Butler)
ECU recognizes research, creative success
Science and art and the people who pursue it were the focus March 4 during the university’s annual Research and Creative Activity Week.
Joseph Houmard, professor of kinesiology, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity. (Read more about him and the new Order of the Anchor on page 16.)
Jeff McKinnon, professor of biology, received the Scholarship of Engagement Award for his contributions to environmental conservation and public education. His work focuses on the biodiversity crisis and bridging the gap between science and the public.
Rachel Gittman, an associate professor of biology and research assistant scientist at the Coastal Studies Institute, received the Five-Year Research Achievement Award. Since joining ECU in 2018, Gittman has secured more than $2 million in external funding and published 28 peer-reviewed articles. Her research on living shorelines has influenced policy and restoration efforts worldwide to boost coastal resilience.
The Excellence in Research Administration Award honored research administrators for their vital role in advancing the university’s research productivity. Recipients were Annette Alligood, university program specialist for the College of Health and Human Performance, and Gaelle Deshayes, director of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and university program specialist for the Department of Comparative Medicine in the Brody School of Medicine.
The Trendsetter Awards celebrated faculty leaders who excel in research and creative activities and inspire their peers through knowledge-sharing, mentorship and campuswide initiatives. This year’s recipients were Loni Crumb, associate professor of interdisciplinary professions; Karlene Cunningham, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine; Robert Hughes, associate professor of chemistry; Yong-Qing Li, professor of physics; Linda May, professor of kinesiology; Ciprian Popoviciu, assistant professor of technology systems; Samuel Sears, professor of psychology; Chandra Speight, assistant professor of advanced nursing practice and education; and Swati Surkar, assistant professor of physical therapy.
Higher education bond passes
On Nov. 7, 2000, N.C. voters approved a $3.1 billion bond referendum for the state’s universities and community colleges. ECU’s share was $190.6 million, which helped pay for the construction of the Health Sciences Building, renovations to the Rivers and Belk buildings, and construction of the Science and Technology Building. The SciTech Building replaced Flanagan as the home of the chemistry department as well as housing the College of Engineering and Technology. “Flanagan hasn’t changed a bit since I was there, and that was in the ‘60s,” N.C. Rep. Marian McLawhorn told the health system newsletter before the referendum.
Pirates smoke the Tar Heels
On Oct 25, 1975 – the day after legendary coach Clarence Stasavich died – the gridiron Pirates beat the UNC Tar Heels for the first time, 38-17 in Chapel Hill. “We picked ourselves up and played this one for him,” said Williamston’s Mike Weaver, the Pirate quarterback. Coach Pat Dye felt the win coming and sent team managers out the night before to buy cigars to celebrate. “I guess I just had a premonition,” he told The Fountainhead The Pirates would finish the season 8-3.
ECU
The event also celebrated the following inventors: Stefan Clemens of physiology, whose patent addresses restless legs syndrome; Dr. Todd Watkins of the School of Dental Medicine, whose patent improves assessments of noncognitive, physical and communication skills to reduce dropout rates; Jo Anne Balanay of health education and promotion and Sinan Sousan of public health, who developed Temper, a heat stress app featured on The Weather Channel; and Emily Yeager of recreation sciences, along with her team, who created the Blue Economy Corridor. The $2.5 trillion blue economy features sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem.
– Kim Tilghman
years ago
VP Alben Barkley visits campus
On April 28, 1950, Vice President Alben Barkley, who served under President Harry Truman, spoke in Wright Auditorium to a crowd of approximately 1,000, including state and national dignitaries. Barkley pointed out problems with the federal budget, the spread of Communism and discord between the Republican and Democratic parties, according to the May 5, 1950, Teco Echo Future East Carolina President Leo Jenkins and future N.C. Gov. Terry Sanford also spoke. In addition, music faculty member Gladys Reichard sang “The Lord’s Prayer.”
years ago
Work begins on the Wright Building
Costing $325,000, the building, now known as Wright Auditorium, was completed in 1927 and in 1936 was named for Richard Wright, president of East Carolina Teachers Training School from its start until his death in 1934. The building served as the social and religious facility for the campus, hosting everything from morning vespers to graduations. On May 10, 1970, a fire damaged the building. A 1981 renovation, costing $1.2 million, installed a new roof, removed the balcony and added an elevator, among other improvements.
Rachel Gittman, center, associate professor of biology, received the Five-Year Research Achievement Award. Also pictured are Chancellor Philip Rogers, left, and Provost Chris Buddo, right. (Photo by Steven Mantilla)
Campus Cribs brings it home at Aman Pirate Challenge
A startup that partners with local rental homes and apartments to market their properties directly to college students has won this year’s Aman Pirate Challenge and the $20,000 prize that comes with it.
Campus Cribs is the product of sophomores Quincy McKay and Gavin DeGregorio, junior Stuart Cohen and Ben Casatelli ’24. They bested five other teams at the April 15 showdown at the Murphy Center.
“It feels awesome to win. I was not expecting it at all,” said McKay. “I’m proud of our team, and this will make our success a lot quicker.”
The Gene T. Aman Pirate Challenge is the Miller School of Entrepreneurship’s premier competition. It was renamed in 2024 in memory of Gene Aman ’65. The $3.2 million gift from Helen Aman and family supporting the Miller School allows the entrepreneurship program to provide more opportunities for participation, larger cash gifts and expands its reach and influence across the campus and in eastern North Carolina. With more than $280,000 in cash and prizes awarded this year, it’s the largest competition of its kind in the UNC System.
The idea for Campus Cribs started in an entrepreneurship class taught by College of Business teaching instructor Corey Pulido during the fall 2023 semester.
“I was sitting in class, and at the same time my friends were talking to me about figuring out where to stay off campus and how the process works,” said McKay. “In class, (Pulido) said to come up with a problem and a solution. I came up with a solution at the time called Grid Housing, and since then it has blossomed into Campus Cribs and what it is now.”
Surf Stick Wax, a heat-resistant, sealable applicator for surf wax, was developed by
Garrison Miller and Will Jones. They finished as the runner-up and earned $15,000 as well as an in-kind prize worth $1,000 from Radiate Prints.
Kidfit, which uses science-backed programming and a culture of encouragement to help children reach their full potential one gym exercise at a time, finished third and earned $10,000 and won the Rural Community Impact Award, sponsored by First National Bank for another $10,000. Kidfit is run by Greenville native Parker Raven.
The finalists had five minutes to make their pitches to six judges from various business backgrounds, followed by a three-minute question-and-answer session.
The contest has surpassed the $1 million mark in cumulative prizes since the first challenge eight years ago.
“The next step for us is finishing our website,” said McKay. “It’s live, but not 100% perfect. Once we get it perfected, I’m going to market to more homeowners and get their properties on board and start expansion.”
– Steven Grandy
From left, Campus Cribs team members Gavin DeGregorio, Quincy McKay and Stuart Cohen, right, pose with College of Business Dean Mike Harris at the Aman Pirate Challenge. (Photo by Steven Mantilla)
A Marine’s new mission
Geoff Anthony ’25, a retired Marine Corps colonel, received his master’s in maritime studies in May. Now he’s applying the Marine motto, Semper Fidelis, or “Always Faithful,” to his new passion: studying and documenting military aircraft and ships lost at sea. A lifelong passion for history and maritime issues led Anthony to ECU after COVID-19 disrupted plans to study abroad. “It ended up being the perfect choice,” he said.
Anthony’s studies have a personal mission: honoring his grandfather, a World War II bomber pilot shot down in the Pacific. After visiting the crash site in 2007, Anthony was inspired to work with the Defense POW/ MIA Accounting Agency, recovering remains of lost service members. “That experience has been extraordinarily rewarding,” he said.
At ECU, Anthony has participated in recovery missions in Croatia, Portugal and Saipan and established the Colonel Geoffrey M. Anthony Scholarship to support students studying Marine Corps or U.S. naval military history.
“If I could just recommend one thing to anybody, it would be to make sure that as you’re pursuing your passion, you’re developing the next generation,” he said. “Whether that’s by offering advice, offering your time or offering your skills because at some point, you’re not going to be able to continue it, but whatever it is that you love, there will always be people behind you who love it just as much.”
– Alondra Martinez
Programs mark milestone anniversaries
Jalen Wilson, left, and Will Horn are two of the hundreds of students who’ve gone through the recreation and construction management programs over the decades. The Department of Construction Management marked 40 years in 2025 while the recreation therapy concentration in the Department of Recreation Sciences celebrated 50 years. Recreational therapy prepares students to become certified and licensed recreational therapists. The construction management program was the first to be accredited in North Carolina and is one of the largest in the Southeast. (File photos)
Geoff Anthony is mapping the remains of a downed World War II aircraft lost during the Battle for Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
(Contributed photo)
Pirate Nation rolls to rebuild WNC
Pirate Nation pulled together in the fall to help western North Carolina following Hurricane Helene’s devastation. This spring, they continued to the next steps: rebuilding what’s gone and preserving what’s still there.
Bob Barnhill ’70, chairman of the board for Barnhill Contracting Company of Rocky Mount, put his company to work in the region.
Crews from the company’s Raleigh and heavy highway divisions have been hard at work on road repairs. Barnhill noted a particular 5-mile stretch of N.C. 80 near Marion where flooding took one lane of the two-lane highway and sent it cascading down the mountain. The company’s crews have been working to stabilize the slopes, grade roadside ditches and place riprap — stones designed to protect the soil from eroding — so the road that intersects the Blue Ridge Parkway can be repaved and fully restored.
“The damage to the road system in western North Carolina is far worse than anything we have ever seen,” Barnhill said. “The number of people that lost their homes and businesses makes getting the roads back open even
more critical for fellow North Carolinians. We have pledged to do all we can to help speed up this process.”
Dekota Marshall ’10, a former Pirate football player and owner of 1st and Goal Hauling of Raleigh, has his trucks hauling materials to rebuild roads in western North Carolina.
“There are roads washed away, downed trees, houses upside down or completely destroyed, burned vehicles, debris everywhere, piles of mud, upside-down vehicles, power lines down, trees on top of houses,” he said.
The work hasn’t been easy.
“A lot of the challenges we have faced is seeing the roads weren’t built for big dump trucks,” he said. “The roads are very small along the mountainsides. You have to really watch the roads to make sure your truck can navigate safely. While driving, we have had roads collapse because of erosion. Some trucks have turned over on sharp curves, and some have hit the mountainside.”
He is proud of his workers and what they have done to support storm victims.
“We have helped to open a lot of roads and bridges for the locals to get back to everyday life,” he said. “There is a lot of work to be done there. I don’t see my company leaving the area until the last load is hauled. We started the job and will finish the job.”
Trucks from 1st and Goal Hauling, owned by Dekota Marshall ’10, roll through Chimney Rock Village after Hurricane Helene. (Contributed photo)
And in January, ECU students and staff worked with the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County to conduct a historic house survey in Montreat, which took significant damage from the hurricane. The team surveyed about 400 historic properties, some dating back to 1898, to assess damage and contribute to recovery efforts.
Led by Jennifer McKinnon, a professor of history with extensive experience in community archaeology, and Chelsea Freeland, a research fellow and Montreat resident, the project aimed to document the storm’s impact and assist with preservation. Twelve graduate students participated, using their academic skills in a real-world setting. The survey will help inform rebuilding efforts and assess historic properties’ needs. The experience also provided students with valuable disaster recovery insight and a deeper connection to the affected community.
“The students surveyed 400 houses in two days, which is one-third of the survey that needs to be accomplished by the preservation board. So it was a huge help,” McKinnon said. “This allowed students to use their classroom skills to contribute to the efforts of recovery in the region and assist in the preservation of houses from the late 1800s to the 1970s.”
David Price ’05, owner of David Price Construction and first vice president of the N.C. Home Builders Association, said the organization went to work immediately after the storm.
“We have raised over $600,000 for grants for our members and their employees who have been directly affected,” Price said. “We also worked with the U.S. Veterans Corps of Raleigh to fly Starlink into affected areas when they had no means of getting in touch with the outside world over the first month or so after the storm. We have sent tractor-trailers of construction supplies, clothes, cleaning supplies, food, etc. We worked with Lowe’s to build 100 tiny homes that people are now living in instead of tents.”
Price, who came to ECU shortly after Hurricane Floyd devastated eastern North Carolina with historic flooding in 1999, said the recovery will be long.
“We have seen destruction before, but not on the scale of what we are seeing in western North Carolina after this storm,” he said. “Only a few storms have brought this type of destruction, but not this widespread. Please help these people any way that you personally can. They will need it for years to come.”
– Ken Buday, Lacey Gray
Top, Harley Drange, a first-year graduate student in the Department of History, was one of 12 ECU students to assist with a survey of historic homes in western North Carolina in January as part of a service project run by the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County. (Photo by Jennifer McKinnon) Above, Bob Barnhill, an ECU alumnus and chairman of the board for Barnhill Contracting Company, stands with others amid storm relief supplies donated for western North Carolina. (Contributed photo)
Discovery
ECU investigations, research and creative activity benefiting the region and beyond
Professor studies genetic markers associated with sudden infant death syndrome
Keith Keene, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences associate dean for research and professor in the Department of Biology, has been looking for answers about sudden infant death syndrome in the form of biomarkers in genes, blood and tissues that may lead to an increased risk of the condition.
“SIDS is the second leading cause of death – closely behind congenital and genetic abnormalities – in infants from 1 month to 1 year of age,” Keene said. “SIDS is the sudden unexpected death of an infant that remains unexplained after autopsy, death scene investigation and review of medical history.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1,500 infants in the United States died of SIDS in 2022 despite a significant decline in incidents since the Back to Sleep campaign. The campaign, named for the recommendation to place babies on their backs to sleep (now known as the Safe to Sleep campaign), was launched by the National Institutes of Health in 1994.
In 2020, along with Fern Hauck and Josyf Mychalecky of the University of Virginia, Keene and his team received a four-year, $2.3 million NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development grant to continue research into the cause of SIDS. The project, which moves the research field away from environmental factors, was extended through the summer.
The goal of their study – one of only a handful looking at SIDS and the largest research study of its kind – is to evaluate genetic expression and identify DNA methylation (which prevents genes from being switched on) and metabolomics (metabolites) profiles that might serve as biomarkers in infants at greater risk of death from SIDS.
“I think this underscores the complex biological nature of SIDS. Many key biological pathways and processes are important, or have potential implications, for SIDS,”
Keene said. “It is also important to understand that there are many potential subtypes of SIDS. Some infants may die of SIDS because of brain or cardiac issues; others it may be respiratory issues or it could be a combination of all three.”
Through their study, the researchers examined liver, heart and blood samples from approximately 300 cases of SIDS.
Earlier this year, the team published its first paper, “Metabolomic profiles of infants classified as sudden infant death syndrome: A case-control analysis,” in the journal eBioMedicine. It identified 35 biomarkers in an infant’s blood that may be important biomarkers for SIDS.
“I think there is nothing worse than losing a child,” he said. “So if we can find ways to either identify high-risk infants or prevent SIDS altogether, that will not only save lives but contribute to the reduction of the emotional impact that losing a child can have on a family.”
– Lacey Gray
Biology professor Keith Keene
Researchers record glacial melt in Antarctica
ECU researchers are studying glacial melt in Antarctica to better understand the effects of climate change in the polar region.
Tristan Bench, an ECU postdoctoral researcher, spent 40 days at the U.S. National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station in Antarctica from November to January. Along with Regina DeWitt, a professor in the Department of Physics, Bench aims to record glacial melt fluctuations and assess their impact on Antarctic landscapes.
The researchers focus on how past regional climate fluctuations have affected glaciers, providing crucial data for understanding current and future climate change impacts. “These improved assessments are useful for predicting, for instance, flood risks of communities that live near glaciers, or for understanding how climate fluctuations could impact the accessibility of freshwater sources supplied by glacial melt,” Bench said.
Bench’s research interest began during his undergraduate studies in geology, where he volunteered in labs dating rocks and minerals. After working as a field technician, he pursued graduate studies in luminescence dating, a method for determining the age of glacial rock deposits. His expertise in luminescence dating made him a strong candidate for the Antarctic project.
Before heading to Antarctica, Bench underwent extensive training on field safety, including how to handle extreme weather and prevent hypothermia
and frostbite. He also learned to operate a ham-style radio for communication in remote areas.
Bench’s research took place in the Dry Valleys, about an hour’s helicopter ride from McMurdo Station. The Dry Valleys are unique in Antarctica because they lack continuous snow cover, with surfaces consisting of sediment and rock from past glacial and hydrological activity.
“The Dry Valleys is considerably warm for Antarctic standards, with December and January often hosting many days above freezing, which allows for glaciers to melt and streams to flow during this period,” he said.
Bench said the typical day was between 20 and 30 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny but usually with a persistent, icy wind of about 20 miles an hour.
“It was the kind of weather where you did not want any skin exposed to the elements,” he said.
Bench sampled alluvial fans, which are sediment deposits created by glacial meltwater streams. These deposits provide insight into how glaciers responded to past climate change. The study of these fans, combined with past climatic data, helps researchers understand the long-term environmental effects of glacial melt and its impact on the landscape.
The research uses optically stimulated luminescence to date sediment deposits. This method measures the radiation absorbed by quartz grains in the sediment, allowing researchers to calculate the age of the deposits. Samples must be shielded from light to preserve the radiation record.
Now back from Antarctica, Bench is analyzing the data and looking at future environmental research projects using luminescence dating to study Earth surface processes.
– Lacey Gray
Tristan Bench, a postdoctoral researcher, recently returned from a trip to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica. (Contributed photo)
Focus
Joe Houmard College of Health and Human Performance Professor of kinesiology
This spring, ECU’s Office of Research introduced the Order of the Anchor, recognizing an elite group of faculty and staff who have secured more than $1 million in grant funds in a single year.
Hitting this mark once in a career is extraordinary, but some have achieved it multiple times. The funding that drives discovery and fuels innovation has also elevated ECU’s national profile, playing a key role in the university’s recent designation as an R1 research institution.
In its inaugural year, the society recognized 45 researchers who collectively brought in $153.7 million since 2020. Among them is Joseph Houmard of the College of Health and Human Performance and recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Research from ECU.
During more than three decades at ECU, Houmard has advanced the field of exercise physiology, particularly through his research on skeletal muscle metabolism and the prevention and treatment of obesity and diabetes. He has secured more than $16 million in external research funding throughout his career. Notably, he served as ECU’s principal investigator for the National Institutes of Healthfunded Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium, a $170 million multi-institutional initiative exploring the molecular impacts of exercise.
Another major contribution is his leadership in the STRRIDE (Studies of Targeted Risk Reduction Interventions Through Defined Exercise) trials –large-scale studies examining how different exercise regimens affect metabolism and overall health. This research demonstrated that moderate-intensity exercise can significantly improve the body’s ability to process sugars and fats, helping to shape exercise guidelines.
“We found that it takes very little exercise to make a person healthier,” Houmard said. “Walking at a brisk pace can improve your health status and how your body responds to what you eat.”
His findings have shaped global exercise and diabetes management guidelines and reflect the bold, impactful work being done at ECU – work that continues to chart new frontiers in health and science.
– Kim Tilghman
FACULTY NEWS
Debra Jackson, dean of the Graduate School, has been appointed to serve on the executive committee of the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools, an organization of more than 200 graduate schools in 15 states and the District of Columbia. CSGS considers topics related to graduate study and research, promotes educational standards and encourages research, serves as a liaison on behalf of its members and organizes the annual Three-Minute Thesis competition. Jackson’s term will continue until 2028.
Angela Lamson, the Nancy W. Darden Distinguished Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science, has received the 2024 Governor James E. Holshouser, Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service from the University of North Carolina System. Lamson joined the ECU faculty in 1999 and co-created the first medical family therapy doctoral program in the nation in 2005. She served as interim assistant vice chancellor for economic and community engagement from 2022-2024 and is a senior fellow for the ECU Office of Innovation and Engagement. She earned the ECU Distinguished Graduate Faculty Mentor Award last year and in 2022 received the ECU Research & Creative Activity Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tom Irons, a retired pediatrician at the Brody School of Medicine, has received the Spirit of Free and Charitable Clinics award from the state association of the same name. The association says the Spirit Award celebrates Irons’ “sacrifice, compassion and contributions” to the cause. Today, Irons is medical director of Access East, which handles Medicaid care management and uninsured care for patients at ECU Health. He also serves as the medical director for the N.C. Agromedicine Institute. He spends a few hours each week helping administer the JOY Community Center and Soup Kitchen in Greenville.
Brian Dietrick, a teaching assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Cincinnati School of Information Technology. He graduated from the school at the top of his class in 2001. Dietrick began working at ECU in 2023 and teaches data structures; software architecture and design; requirements of engineering; explorations and computing; and software project management.
A JOURNALISM JOURNEY
STORY BY CRYSTAL BAITY AND PATRICIA EARNHARDT TYNDALL
ECU’S STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER TURNS 100
The East Carolinian, East Carolina University’s student-run newspaper, has had several names and operated from different campus buildings. But its core mission — to provide real-world media training for students and a historical record of campus — remains strong as it enters its 100th year.
The first edition of The Teco Echo, The East Carolinian’s forerunner at then East Carolina Teachers College, was published Dec. 19, 1925. “‘Teco’ is, of course, derived from ‘Teachers College’ and the
word ‘Echo’ just fitted in with our idea of what we wanted the paper to be — an echo of the college,” an introductory article says.
“Let us make our paper live up to its name, be an echo of what we in the college do and what we think. We do not lack for topics of conversation on the halls and in chapel, so why not express some of our ideas through our paper? With your co-operation fellow students we will be able to do this. Speak out with pen as well as with tongue. Tell the students and the public what you tell them in the corridors.”
In 1952, the paper was renamed East Carolinian, then was the Fountainhead from 1969-1979, and has been The East Carolinian ever since.
Diego Lerma ’25, who served as editor-in-chief this spring, holds a recent edition of The East Carolinian (Photo by Steven Mantilla)
A learning laboratory
The No. 1 goal of The East Carolinian is training for students, says Cherie Speller, TEC adviser and ECU director of student media, which includes WZMB radio, print magazines, design and visual arts, and advertising and marketing.
“This is a real-life laboratory for them to work in, make mistakes, learn and build off of so that when they leave here and work in the professional world, they’ve been exposed to it and know how to do it,” Speller says.
“There’s plenty of room to try out different things. I had seven or eight different positions during my time here,” says Annah Schwartz Howell ’18, multimedia and production adviser for ECU student media and former East Carolinian editor-in-chief. “Being able to push people to try new things sometimes that they may not have otherwise considered, they all end up being grateful for trying things that they didn’t think they were interested in initially.”
Diego Lerma ’25 was editor-in-chief this spring before graduating in May with a bachelor’s in communication. Lerma, who grew up in Sampson County, studied abroad in Poland, where he learned from a Ukrainian journalist covering the war.
“Her firsthand experience and seeing all that footage and her story, I was like, ‘Yeah, I think I want to do this,’” Lerma says. “Joining The East Carolinian was the turning point.”
Jessica Richmond ’15, an English major, served as a news reporter before moving into leadership roles and eventually editor-in-chief in 2014-15.
“I learned how to write stories that people related to. I learned the importance of journalistic integrity. And I learned how to stand by my convictions and advocate for myself,” Richmond says. “Beyond that, I also learned every skill that I currently use for my career: graphic designing, writing, research, coding and more.”
After graduating, Richmond was assistant managing editor at The Keene Sentinel in New Hampshire and
At top, Deanie Boone Haskett, left, was elected the first editor after students voted unanimously in favor of a student-run newspaper. Frances Smith, right, served as business manager. Above left, editorial staff of The Teco Echo in 1942 look over the paper. Above right, Jennifer Jendrasiak ’85 and BettyJo Norman ’86 work at newsroom light tables to lay out the pages of The East Carolinian. Content was printed in columns, cut and waxed, and applied to layout pages to prepare the newspaper for the press. (Archive photos)
In 1952,
was renamed East Carolinian. In 1969, it was renamed Fountainhead. The name was picked by staff “because the student newspaper should be the origin or source of news and ideas for the student.” In 1979, it was renamed The East Carolinian
now works as a search engine optimization specialist for Confie.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without The East Carolinian. I found a place on campus where people’s words become actions. I found the power that journalism can have on the world, on a community,” Richmond says. “I feel immensely lucky to be part of such a long and illustrious history … I look back at the pictures from TEC in the ’30s and ’40s and despite the difference in dress and hairstyles I see kindred spirits. I’d love to hang out with them.”
Amanda Lingerfelt Jackson ’05 ’07, the creator of the popular Pirate Rants section, remembers having a lot of freedom as editor-in-chief in 2004-2005.
“You realize when you leave, looking back, that you don’t get that kind of opportunity anymore,” she says. “It was really just a moment of learning lessons and trying what works and experimenting.”
Jackson joined The Rocky Mount Telegram after earning a communication degree before returning to ECU for her master’s in English. Now she is lead product manager at ADP, a human resources software firm in Atlanta where she focuses on the mobile app and web application.
Above, Bennie Teel ’67 became the publication’s first Black editor in 1966 following desegregation. He went on to travel and teach abroad before returning to the U.S. as a professor at Harvard. At top right, Alice Leary enters content into a typesetter in 1975. (Archive photos)
“Paper, Annual Get New Names”
The Teco Echo
Former East Carolinian staff members attended a reunion last fall at Pitt Street Brewing Company in downtown Greenville. At top are, left to right, Brian Wudkwych, Ryan Clancy, Jessica “Jess” Richmond, Alaina Corsini, Kelsey Faulkner, Dan Hunt, Jennifer Bridgers, Annah Howell, Kate McElroy, Jordan Anders and Corey Keenan. Poster boards filled with front pages of past issues and candid photos encouraged attendees to
(Contributed photos)
‘Cheetos and Red Bull’
Being involved with student media offers benefits beyond job skills and having a front-row view of the life of a university. “In addition to giving them professional experience and knowledge … it also gives them a sense of belonging and connection and lifelong friendships,” says Glenn Hubbard, associate professor of communication who has served on the Student Media Board since 2019.
Richmond, who organized an East Carolinian reunion last fall, stays in touch with many fellow staffers. She trusts them for career advice, questions and more, helps edit friends’ resumes or social media posts — all built over shared experiences and long production nights spent editing and proofing in prepress routines.
“I had a table at my wedding just of TEC people. We really do become a family. Once you’ve bonded at 2 a.m. while surviving entirely on Cheetos and Red Bull, you’re bonded for life,” she says.
reminisce about their time at ECU.
Marc Barnes and Susie Reis met at The East Carolinian, where Marc was editor-in-chief in 1979-1980 and Susie handled page layout. They’ve been married 40 years.
“The East Carolinian taught me about the business of journalism, and in a larger sense, about the idea of being an entrepreneur. We tapped business students to run the business end; English/journalism students to write and edit the paper,” says Marc, who owns a public relations firm in Greensboro.
That entrepreneurial spirit was evident 50 years ago when Bill Owens ’73, the paper’s first Black business manager, and his staff sold enough advertising to produce a 36-page back-to-school issue of the Fountainhead, which was then and may be the paper’s biggest issue ever, says Robert McDowell ’71, a two-time editor-in-chief who retired as webmaster for the N.C. Industrial Commission.
The paper even once spurred some competition.
“In my second year of grad school, I left The East Carolinian to join with two other ECU alumni, Jimmy McKee and Phil Cope, to become managing editor of The ECU Marauder, an independent campus newspaper that ran for one semester in 1991 in competition with TEC,” says David Herring ’89 ’92, who served as general manager of The East Carolinian in 1989-1990. “There was a fierce rivalry but also camaraderie between the two staffs of both papers that led to some amusing stories.”
Herring is now director of the communication, education and engagement division at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Program Office in Silver Spring, Maryland.
“The East Carolinian taught me about the business of journalism, and in a larger sense, about the idea of being an entrepreneur. We tapped business students to run the business end; English/ journalism students to write and edit the paper.”
arc Barnes, editor-in-chief 1979-1980
Leading stories of the day made their way to the front pages and special editions of TEC and its predecessors, including damage from Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and a tribute to Chancellor Leo Jenkins in 1977. In addition to having different names, the newspaper changed size through the years, from a smaller tabloid to its current 11-by-22-inch broadsheet. (Photos by Rhett Butler)
FOR MORE INFO The East Carolinian looks back on 100 years of journalism at bit.ly/3RELkqn.
‘An invaluable resource’ and a First Amendment case
Another main goal of The East Carolinian is to serve as a historical record, Speller says.
“It’s interesting to see how journalism evolves, because the very early papers are very opinionated. They’re not written in a way that I would have approved them,” says Howell.
Some headlines included the tragic death of The Teco Echo’s 20-year-old editor, who died of a heart attack while reviewing content in 1944. In 1972, a letter to the editor about residence hall regulations ended with an expletive for university president Leo Jenkins. The letter writer and editor were expelled but took the case to court, which decided the letter did not violate the First Amendment. As a result, both expulsions were lifted in a win for students’ freedom of speech.
“Our student newspaper … is an invaluable resource for understanding the history of our school. Without the student press, historians would have little to go on when trying to capture the students’ perspectives on what’s happened at East Carolina,” says John Tucker, ECU professor of history and former university historian.
Major stories have included Jenkins’ retirement, Hurricane Floyd’s devastating impact and 9/11. An issue investigating sexual assault on campus featured a high-impact blacked-out cover. It was sent to First Lady Michelle Obama, who commended the staff, Howell says.
“We really dug into the heart of the issue, spoke to victims and highlighted their voices. We blacked out the cover of the paper, and it was extremely impactful,” Richmond says.
Under editor Matthew Prensky ’19, TEC reported on asbestos and
water quality in campus buildings buildngs and wrote an unflattering series on Greenville’s fire department.
Along the way, at least one Greenville City Council member accused him of being the most dogged reporter he had ever met. “I took it as a compliment. Looking back, I very much don’t think he meant it as a compliment,” Prensky says. “It was important to me that the truth come out and that people understand the danger that they’re in or the risk that they’re facing, or whatever’s going on. And I didn’t like taking no for an answer, which got me in trouble.”
Merging print and online news
The East Carolinian began expanding its reach in the late 1990s with its first website while maintaining a focus on local news.
“We got a lot of tips through Twitter, and our sports guys were the ones that started tweeting out during games,” Richmond says. “I was the generation that actually created a lot of the social media accounts that are still being used. We
Top, members of the editorial staff of the 1926 Teco Echo pose for a yearbook photo. Above, TEC staff members gather during a production night this spring in the new media offices in Mendenhall. They are, left to right, Gabriel Key, Trisha Rangaraju, Jamie Antinore, Garett Skillman, Diego Lerma and Parker Smith. (Photo by Steven Mantilla)
LESSONS AND MEMORIES OF PAST TEC LEADERS
“Dr. Rachel Kilpatrick, a legendary English professor, once told me that she used the abundant grammatical and punctuation errors in The East Carolinian as examples in her classes — until I became the student newspaper’s copy editor. That’s probably the best compliment that I ever received.”
– Robert McDowell ’71, editor-in-chief 1969 Retired. Served 24-plus years as webmaster for the North Carolina Industrial Commission in Raleigh
“We printed two editions per week, which required a trip to The Daily Southerner in Tarboro for printing. We spent several all-nighters there, which included my first experience with coffee — lots of coffee.”
– Fielding Miller ’84, general manager 1982-1983 Founding partner, chairman and CEO of CAPTRUST and an ECU trustee
also redesigned the website the year that I was managing editor (2014).”
Less than five years later, Prensky could see increases in views and readers online. He started having discussions about taking the printed product to once a week, and having reporters and others focus more on the digital side.
Prensky had seen other universities successfully make the switch. “You could see the signs and trends of where everything was going,” he says. “You know from a cost-saving perspective, that’s obviously huge, but also just in terms of going to where the readers are. Shifting to social media was really important.”
While content is produced and uploaded 24/7 to the newspaper’s website, Instagram, Facebook and X accounts, just one weekly edition is printed at The Daily Reflector facility in Greenville, hitting campus newsstands on Thursdays. But writers still covet a printed byline, Speller says.
“It’s just the coolest feeling. Being able to pick up a physical newspaper and see your story on the front page,” Prensky says.
After 100 years, the newspaper strives to serve its community.
“When you have a media outlet that is very specific to a university community, I think it becomes a voice of that community and a backbone of that community, and a sounding board for people in that community,” Hubbard says.
It’s a voice from down the hall, not the other side of the planet, he says. “I think it’s the idea that there are still media that say, ‘We are of and about this place and this entity.’”
Cass Norris ’14, right, served as production manager of The East Carolinian. Norman led staff in online layout of the newspaper.
STORY BY KIM TILGHMAN AND CRYSTAL BAITY
WITH R1 STATUS, ECU SETS THE COURSE FOR THE FUTURE OF UNIVERSITY RESEARCH
Somewhere above the shifting sands of the Outer Banks, a drone hums in the Atlantic winds, documenting the migration of North Carolina’s fragile barrier islands.
On the state’s coastal plain, a farmer tracks irrigation patterns with real-time analytics, coaxing life from the soil with the help of precision agriculture.
Meanwhile, in a Greenville lab, a centrifuge spins as a computer crunches gigabytes of genomic data, illuminating potential new treatments for chronic diseases.
These are not isolated stories. They’re interconnected strands in the tapestry of research emerging from East Carolina University, a public institution once known primarily for its teaching mission and now as a national research powerhouse.
Above, sophomore biochemistry student Ariana Collins is studying the fundamental mechanisms of a family of proteins called cryptochromes, which are involved in sensing the Earth’s weak magnetic field and used for migration by birds, amphibians, fish and select reptiles. She’s a recipient of the George T. Barthalmus Undergraduate Research Award from the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research & Creativity Symposium. (Photo by Rhett Butler)
This spring, that transformation received its most significant endorsement yet. ECU was officially designated an R1 university by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education — an elite classification placing it among the top 5% of research universities in the United States. For an institution whose heart has always beat in service to North Carolina, the milestone is as symbolic as it is practical: proof that community commitment and world-class research can be mutually beneficial.
R1 designation comes when two thresholds are met: more than $50 million in annual research expenditures and more than 70 research doctoral degrees granted annually. But the spectrum of research excellence is much broader than just these two measures. Faculty develop expertise over many years. Hours spent writing articles, creating art and music, in classrooms and labs, and doing fieldwork allow them to expand the boundaries of knowledge and innovation. When their work is shared with their peers and the world around them, they are fulfilling the most central role of an R1 university, and this is what makes funders take note and gets students ready to learn from top-tier research faculty.
R1 universities are known for having broad academic and research portfolios housed in major research centers and institutes with robust
Chancellor Philip Rogers, left, moderates an April 2 panel discussion on the future of top-tier U.S.-based research universities with Ted Mitchell, center, president of the American Council on Education, and Sharon Paynter, ECU’s chief innovation and engagement officer and interim chief research officer. (Photo by Steven Mantilla)
Former geography graduate student Michael Moody prepares to fly a drone to survey Sugarloaf Island in Carteret County, North Carolina. The state allocated $2 million to restore the shrinking island. (Contributed photo)
graduate programs. They emphasize peer-reviewed publications, grant funding and pushing the boundaries of knowledge. But U.S. research universities also grapple with balancing tradition and innovation, addressing cost of attendance and responding to market demand and workforce needs. Future R1 institutions may lean into the practical value that defines the ECU approach.
“For me, why create a blueprint for the new American university when it’s right here?” said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, speaking at a campus celebration in April. “This is the university that is creating the model for what the American research university will be in the future. Period. End.”
A mission that matters
ECU is not the kind of place that chases prestige for prestige’s sake. Its roots run through eastern North Carolina — an often overlooked, underserved swath of the American South where tobacco fields and tidal marshes stretch across the horizon. From the beginning, ECU existed to serve this region: to educate its youth, heal its sick and fortify its communities.
For me, why create a blueprint for the new American university when it’s right here? This is the university that is creating the model for what the American research university will be in the future. Period. End.”
So when Chancellor Philip Rogers says the university’s rise as a research institution is “a direct reflection of our mission — advancing student success, public service and regional transformation,” it’s more than rhetoric. The R1 status, he says, is not an endpoint but a springboard. “This milestone will open doors to more opportunities for collaboration, discovery and academic excellence,” he says.
With $67.1 million in research expenditures last year alone and $326.9 million in grant awards over the past four, ECU is not just competing with elite institutions, it is redefining the value proposition of public higher education. It’s carving a different
Anthropology professor Charles Ewen, center, works with students Mackenzie Mulkey and Regina Wheeler to locate and document gravesites at an abandoned cemetery in Ayden, North Carolina. (Photo by Rhett Butler)
path defined not by endowment size or historic pedigree but by practical impact and communityrooted innovation.
“Our research is about solving real-world problems,” says Sharon Paynter, ECU’s chief innovation and engagement officer and interim chief research officer.
“We’re talking about new treatments for chronic illness, strategies for rural economic development, ways to protect and sustain our coastlines. This is research that matters.”
Ted Mitchell, president American Council on Education
Faculty leadership, student discovery
The transformation has been decades in the making, with faculty as its architects. Programs such as the Faculty Research Startup Program have helped attract and retain researchers committed to ECU’s mission, offering seed funding and support systems that allow scholars to jumpstart pursuit of ambitious questions within the first three years after joining ECU.
Mary Farwell, assistant vice chancellor for research development, points to these efforts as foundational. “Research-active faculty have built the base of this achievement,” she says. “They’ve expanded our research portfolio and pushed us to this milestone — not by chasing rankings, but by staying true to our mission.”
The R1 research classification identifies U.S. universities that demonstrate the highest levels of research activity as designated by Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education and the American Council on Education.
To achieve R1 status, an institution must award at least 70 research doctorates and spend a minimum of $50 million on research and development annually.
ECU is now part of the top 5% of research institutions across the country designated as R1 and one of only five in North Carolina.
One of those faculty members is Jessica Cooke Bailey, a researcher in the ECU Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. A transplant from another R1 university, Bailey says ECU’s values were the draw. “I came here because I saw the opportunity to do research that serves the region,” she says. “Now, with the R1 designation, we can attract even more students and faculty who want to do work that matters.”
Pharmacology and toxicology doctoral student Kathryn Lorbacher is studying the regenerative properties of zebrafish to better understand central nervous system injuries and possible treatments. (Photo by Steven Mantilla)
At ECU, the next generation of researchers isn’t confining its learning to classrooms alone. Research experiences put students directly into the lab, field and community. “Faculty with active research programs bring the latest discoveries into the classroom, enriching coursework with cutting-edge knowledge. Earning a degree from an R1 university signals that students entering the workforce are critical thinkers with technical skills to make a contribution to their employer on day one,” says Paynter. Programs such as Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences are also helping ECU build a pipeline of future scientists, scholars and innovators prepared to excel in their fields. These engaging opportunities build advanced skills, and collaborating with peers and mentors often helps shape students’ next steps.
Lovens Paul, a biochemistry major studying fruit fly stem cells, puts it simply. “I love doing research. It helps me think critically, ask new questions and find ways to answer them,” he says. His curiosity echoes throughout the university, where researchers across disciplines are testing ideas that may one day become breakthroughs.
Or take Maddi Craney, a fourth-year doctoral student studying cancer therapeutics. She’s already working on licensing and commercialization efforts to make those therapies available to patients.
And consider faculty members Bhiba Das of the College of Health and Human Performance and Adrienne Steiner-Brett of the School of Music, whose interdisciplinary project merges kinesiology and music therapy in a virtual clinic for caregivers — a fusion of science and humanity grounded in ECU’s mission of service.
Top, Scott Eagle, associate professor of art in the School of Art and Design, points out details in his original artwork for Jeff VanderMeer’s 2008 novel, The Situation. The pair have collaborated on VanderMeer’s books for years. Eagle’s artwork has also been displayed at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and the British Library in London and featured by the Pera Museum in Istanbul. Above, dental student Tanner Butzin works on restorative dental techniques in the sim lab while faculty member Dr. Hanan Elgendy observes. (Photos by Steven Mantilla)
Reimagining the American research university
The R1 designation is not simply an internal validation; it’s a catalyst for broader economic and societal transformation. ECU’s expanding research activities have ripple effects across the region, bolstering biotech, improving rural health care and building new workforce pipelines. These efforts not only create high-paying jobs and strengthen local economies but also position North Carolina as a leader in critical fields such as biotechnology, coastal resilience and advanced manufacturing.
Mark Phillips, executive director of the Eastern Regional Office for the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, sees it as a turning point. “ECU has long been a driver of economic growth in life sciences,” he says. “With R1 status, its impact on innovation and business development will only grow.”
Private-sector collaborators are already noticing. Steven LaFevers, vice president of global emerging technology at Hyster-Yale Group, notes the importance of faculty-student partnerships in preparing the workforce of tomorrow.
Top, ECU undergraduates Kensey Tarkington, left, and Abby Ortiz demonstrate the yoga and music therapy they use during the virtual study sessions they lead with informal family caregivers. Right, Maddi Craney, a doctoral student, is working in cancer therapeutics at ECU.
(Photos by Steven Mantilla)
David Lagomasino, an associate professor of coastal studies, recently secured more than $1 million in grants to fund research projects aimed at strengthening coastal resilience. His work covers a broad spectrum of coastal issues, including sediment movement in Currituck Sound, the relationship between coastal ecosystems and cyclones, and dune restoration efforts along North Carolina’s coastline. (Photo by Rhett Butler)
Our research is about solving real-world problems. We’re talking about new treatments for chronic illness, strategies for rural economic development, ways to protect and sustain our coastlines. This is research that matters.”
Sharon Paynter, ECU chief innovation and engagement officer and interim chief research officer
“What ECU is doing is aligning education with real-world needs,” he says. “That’s incredibly powerful.”
Perhaps the most radical aspect of ECU’s rise is how it challenges traditional narratives about what a research university should be. The standard image — an ivy-covered campus in a wealthy ZIP code distanced from the public it serves — is crumbling. In its place stands a new model grounded in access and relevance.
At a time when public confidence in higher education is eroding, ECU is making the case for why it still matters. Its researchers aren’t confined to laboratories; they’re in local clinics, coastal communities, startup incubators and K-12 classrooms. Its students aren’t passive learners; they’re co-creators of knowledge. Its leaders aren’t chasing prestige; they’re redefining it.
“In the future, every R1 is going to aspire to be ECU,” Mitchell said.
It may sound like hyperbole, but a closer look reveals a constellation of national awards for public service, an infrastructure built for engagement, a faculty anchored by mission and a student body that reflects the communities it serves.
This is not just a story of one university’s ascent. It’s the story of what’s possible when research, education and service are not treated as separate pillars but as interlocking gears in a larger machine. At ECU, that machine is humming, spinning and lifting the region — and the nation — with it.
Doug Boyd contributed to this story.
TWO DECADES STRONG
AFTER 20 YEARS, THE STATEWIDE IMPACT OF ECU’S PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM IS EVIDENT
STORY BY BOBBY AMPEZZAN
In the fall of 2003, a large class of incoming medical students was joined for the first time by a smaller group of advanced degree candidates studying human health through a wider lens.
This was the inaugural class for the master’s in public health degree who, like their allopathic mates, chose a program, a school and a place — East Carolina University — with a unique focus on rural health care. One was Christa Radford, a graduate with a degree in environmental health.
“At the time, the closest MPH (program) was in Chapel Hill, and public health in rural communities is very different than in the Triangle,” says Radford, an industrial hygiene consultant with state government. “We have to be more creative. Some of our counties don’t have hospitals. The public health department may be looked upon as the health care provider.”
Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities, according to the Centers for Disease Control Foundation. This work is achieved by promoting healthy lifestyles, studying disease and injury prevention, and detecting, preventing and responding to infectious diseases.
A community health administration track was available through ECU’s Master of Public Administration degree program, but ECU leaders saw North Carolina needed more. “The MPA degree was acceptable,” says professor emeritus Christopher Mansfield, “but it was clear that more academic training in public health was required.”
Public health in rural communities is very different than in the Triangle. We have to be more creative.
Some of our counties don’t have hospitals. The public health department may be looked upon as the health care provider.”
– Christa Radford, environmental health graduate and industrial hygiene consultant
Mansfield wrote the book on rural health disparities in the region, the Eastern North Carolina Health Care Atlas. It was an educational resource as well as the opening for the master’s in public health. “Health data in eastern North Carolina were among the worst in the nation,” Mansfield says. “Premature mortality was worse than in any of the 50 states. Meaningful improvement would require a transformation that emphasized health promotion and prevention and strategic partnerships between medical and population health experts.”
“There were compelling health disparities in our geographical area,” says Doyle “Skip” Cummings, a pharmacist, Berbecker Distinguished Professor of Rural Medicine and co-director of the E-CARE Practice-based Research Network. “They existed and still exist. (And) there was evidence that not many public health directors in our region had a graduate degree in public health.”
In 1999, the university granted approval to plan the program. Staffing, curriculum, facilities and student admissions took years before a class could muster. The MPH program became a division of the Department of Family Medicine inside the Brody School of Medicine. Financial resources came from several internal and external offices but principally the University of North Carolina System Division of Academic Affairs.
Today, 20 years after the very first ECU Master of Public Health degree holders walked at a commencement, there are about 600 alumni from 76 of the state’s 100 counties, plus some from other states and 12 international students and graduates. Many are employed at local, state and federal public health agencies. Two alumni and one faculty member have served as president of the North Carolina Public Health Association. Faculty and graduates have created a strong and capable workforce in eastern North Carolina that, together with local communities, build collaborations in health needs assessments, better preparedness, more consistent community engagement and a discernable shift toward improved population health — especially, but not exclusively, in the East.
“The program here really prepares degree holders for work in rural communities,” Radford says.
Evidence-based projects
As Mansfield, Cummings and others had hoped, the establishment of the MPH program led to the creation of the Department of Public Health inside the medical school, which has forged research partnerships that have advanced the science of population health.
Health data in eastern North Carolina were among the worst in the nation. ... Meaningful improvement would require a transformation that emphasized health promotion and prevention and strategic partnerships between medical and population health experts.”
– Christopher Mansfield, professor emeritus
Consider a set of publications that sprang from a partnership spanning more than a decade with the Albemarle Regional Health Services evaluating farmers market initiatives in northeastern North Carolina. Professor Stephanie Bell Jilcott Pitts directs the research. In 2022, one of her former students, Mary Jane Lyonnais ’17, was lead author of an article about the agency’s prescription produce program in the journal Nutrients.
“We did have some doctors literally prescribe fruits and vegetables,” says Lyonnais, a regional planner at the Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments. “It was important to us that we were not just implementing healthy eating programs at Albemarle Regional but that we were evaluating them — the data helped tailor the program to rural northeastern North Carolina.”
Through her graduate assistantship with Pitts, Lyonnais became committed to research projects as part of a professional life, not strictly to advance an education.
“The program emphasizes research, and that the community we’re serving should drive the research. So, I’ve been a big proponent of community-based participatory research — making sure communities have access and title to the research and benefit from it.”
There were compelling health disparities in our geographical area. They existed and still exist. (And) there was evidence that not many public health directors in our region had a graduate degree in public health.”
– Doyle “Skip” Cummings, Berbecker Distinguished Professor of Rural Medicine and co-director of the E-CARE Practice-based Research Network
Christa Radford conducts an N95 mask fit test with Tawanna Kirkland, a regional administrative specialist with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, using a TSI PortaCount machine. (Photo by Steven Mantilla)
The program had produced alumni who were directly affecting the health outcomes of eastern North Carolinians. I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted my own legacy within that.”
– Truman Vereen ’15, long-term care administrator
The department has led regional health needs assessments, created health councils and led workplace-based health interventions. It has advanced investigations into environmental health (such as exposure to “forever chemicals”), nutritional assessment, chronic disease management, school-based telehealth for mental health and evidence-based interventions for childhood obesity.
Over the last 10 years, publications from research originating in the department exceeded 100, with grant awards during the last five years totaling more than $12.6 million.
Improving health and outcomes
Seven years ago, the department added two doctoral programs, one in health policy administration and leadership, the other in environmental and occupational health, which brought aboard four full-time faculty members. Then, two years ago, it added
biostatistics from the College of Allied Health Sciences — and five more faculty joined the department for a total of 21.
Graduates support and lead organizations across a range of industries — long-term care centers, industrial hygiene consultancies, food systems planning offices, health departments, water departments, universities and more.
“The health policy administration and leadership concentration of the MPH program has a special track for preparing graduates to be licensed nursing home administrators,” says Suzanne Lazorick, chair of the Department of Public Health. “And there is a designated scholarship program for this track” — the J. Craig Souza Long Term Care Scholarship — “that meets a huge need for qualified professionals in eastern North Carolina — and Truman (Vereen ’15) has become a national leader in the field.”
Another early graduate, Krissy RichmondHoover ’06, began her public health career in hospital epidemiology and has gone on to become the health director in Onslow County, serving nearly one-quarter million residents.
Relatively few of them have visited Richmond-Hoover’s public health department, she says, “but that doesn’t mean we haven’t touched their lives.”
Map by K. Jones, ECU Center for Health Disparities
At ECU, we strive for
regional transformation. The MPH graduates do their part by reducing risks for chronic disease across multiple health determinants and improving health outcomes for North Carolina.”
– Suzanne Lazorick, chair of
the Department of Public Health
Other graduates agree. “When public health professionals are doing a great job, you don’t see it — we make outbreaks not happen,” says Leah Mayo ’13, past president of the North Carolina Public Health Association and assistant dean for community engagement and health equity at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. In 2018, Hoover returned to the Brody School, this time in pursuit of a doctorate in public health.
RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• In 2022, the department joined the Association of Schools and Programs in Public Health, the central organization of academic public health in the U.S., connecting ECU to national networking and resources for academic public health. Membership offers access to a centralized application system, which has broadened the applicant pool and enhanced program visibility.
• During the past two years, faculty members have undertaken a complete curriculum revision for the master’s degree based on the most recent accreditation criteria. The new curriculum will take effect this school year, the first major changes in 20 years.
“Talking with students in the MPH program now, the strength I see is the commitment to partnering to achieve big (population health) outcomes,” Richmond-Hoover says. “You take a group of like-minded, committed folks, it’s amazing the work we can do.”
“We’re an asset-based mindset, not a deficit-based mindset,” says Mayo, and that means interprofessional cooperation. “I’ve worked with so many people — the police department, the fire department, the local Food Lion — and I’ve never had anyone say, ‘No, I’m not interested in seeing my community improve.’”
Closing health disparities
From the Brody School of Medicine, the Department of Public Health has added synergy and a wide lens to the school’s mission. Vereen, a certified long-term care administrator, says the unique value of training in public health in the medical school is that it’s focused not on career tracks but on a mission: to raise health and wellness in a large, rural, underserved area of the country.
“The program had produced alumni who were directly affecting the health outcomes of eastern North Carolinians,” Vereen learned before he ever applied. “I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted my own legacy within that.”
Still, Lazorick says, “sometimes I have been asked, ‘After 20 years, what has the program accomplished?’”
“We’ve conducted nationally significant research investigations into population health and interventions. We’ve placed dozens of our graduates in leadership in public health agencies and offices. And we’ve continually collaborated with our medical students to give the next generation of primary care physicians a deeper understanding of the persistent challenges to health in rural communities,” Lazorick says.
“I’m not discouraged by the question. I’m encouraged that we continue to focus our research and education here directly at the people who matter most: our eastern North Carolina neighbors and community. At ECU, we strive for regional transformation. The MPH graduates do their part by reducing risks for chronic disease across multiple health determinants and improving health outcomes for North Carolina.”
STUDENT SNAPSHOT
Mohsen Zakaib
Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Class: Third-year medical student
Career goals: Emergency medicine, internal medicine, critical care, trauma surgery
Mohsen Zakaib was an 8-year-old living in Beirut when fighting broke out between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese paramilitary group, in 2006. Two sympathies grew out of the experience: an affection for refugees and a fascination with the medics.
“Though the world is so set on tearing itself apart,” he said, “at least there are some people set on doing something right.”
The family took refuge in Jordan. Then, a few years later, they moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where Zakaib finished high school before heading to N.C. State University to earn bachelor’s
and master’s degrees in nuclear engineering. But the pandemic rekindled his first career love: medicine.
“In Islam, we have this prayer, Salat al-Istikhara,” he said. “If you’re confused about a decision, you pray, and something will push you toward the opportunity or away from it.”
His spirit was being pushed toward medicine, and the Brody School of Medicine proved its own kind of blessing for Zakaib.
He was named a Brody Scholar, an award that covers tuition and fees and most living expenses for four years of medical school at ECU.
The carnage he witnessed in Lebanon has faded in his memory, but the fate of that moment becomes clearer as he moves closer to his calling.
“There’s a Quranic principle: Saving a single life is akin to saving all of humanity, while taking a life unjustly is akin to killing all of mankind,” he said. “That shows the value placed on preservation of life, and it’s at the very core of me.”
– Bobby Ampezzan
Kwan Yi, an associate professor of piano, works with ECU sophomore Holden Burroughs at Fletcher Music Center. Burroughs won the grand prize in last November’s Hampton Roads Philharmonic Young Artist Competition and performed his competition piece, Beethoven’s 3rd Piano Concerto, at the HRP Young Artist Competition Showcase on March 9 in Hampton, Virginia.
(Photo by Rhett Butler)
PIRATE NATION
Briley King ’14 did not wait years for the crowning achievement of her fledgling business — she started with one: a handmade trucker hat that can take you from a bad hair day to the red carpet.
The College of Fine Arts and Communication graduate launched Little Bird Trucking in 2023 and put her heart into designing feather-crested trucker hats. The business name and each hat design are stitched with a backstory from the songs of her husband, country musician Marcus King, and her father’s long-haul trucking career.
“I was always wearing trucker hats on the road with Marcus because you never know if you’re going to be able to dry your hair or anything like that,” King said. “Watching him play all these venues obviously bled into my style. He always wears a feather crest on his cowboy hats (and I thought) you know what, that would be sick on a trucker hat.”
She wanted to give her hats an elevated look, began researching ideas for her specialty designs and started Little Bird Trucking. King has designed and sold more than 10,000 caps.
Briley King created Little Bird Trucking and designed the company’s signature line of fashion trucker hats. (Contributed photo)
Her designs include three caps named for Marcus King’s songs. Each cap in this classic lineup is emblazoned with a colorful feather crest. Other designs pay tribute to trucking, with pithy sayings like Trucker Hat and crocheted granny squares representing the slow or “granny” lane on highways.
“Everyone looks good in a trucker hat, I think,” King said. “I’m notorious for wearing mine with high heels, and I’d even wear them with a ball gown.”
King’s first 300 caps sold out after family and friends began sporting Little Bird Trucking caps, and she and her Little Bird Trucking line have soared since.
King had gifted one of her hats to Lainey Wilson, who wore it while touring with the Marcus King Band. The hat caught the attention of rapper and songwriter Post Malone.
King sent “a whole slew of hats.” During the Video Music Awards in September, Malone wore his hat on stage when he accepted an award with Taylor Swift.
Founding a fashion business was not the trajectory King expected when she enrolled in the ECU School of Theatre and Dance. “No, this was not on the agenda at all, but it’s been a great journey,” she said.
The Kinston native imagined she was destined for Broadway. But she switched programs and entered the School of Communication with an eye on a media- or communication-related field.
She has leaned on lessons from ECU throughout the launch of Little Bird Trucking. King has been in charge of social media creation, website creation, interviews, marketing and networking in the “hard and scary growth” of her business.
King said she hopes people feel the authenticity of her business and begin to see “that there’s just so much love behind it. Every hat is unique and has a story behind it.”
Fans can follow King on her company Instagram page or learn more on the Little Bird Trucking webpage.
– Patricia Earnhardt Tyndall
FEATHER IN HER CAP
When the “magnet in his backside” began to pull Michael Basnight ’95 back home to Roanoke Island, he had built a successful career in medical technology sales thousands of miles away. Once he was on the island, searching for a house, ideas for new business ventures began to take root and change his future.
Basnight bought a historic 1871 home in Manteo and launched a plan to share it — as its previous family had done – with those interested in a tourism experience. Manteo House is part of Legacy Collective, a collaboration through which Basnight, family members and business partners are restoring and renovating historic properties in Manteo.
On an adjoining property, his sister Jamie Hatchell and her family and cousin R.V. Owens have developed The Pearl Hotel, a boutique hotel that is part of The Legacy Collective.
“We’re building a brand,” Basnight said. “I had to try to figure out: How do you stay home? How do you make this work?”
While working on Manteo House, Basnight and his sister saw a social media post that Manteo’s movie theater was closing and being sold.
“The Pioneer Theater has been such a legacy,” he said. “This is your first movie, your first date, your first time out on your own as a teenager. The theater has meant so much to so many since 1918.”
They created a plan to save The Pioneer, develop it into a business feature of Manteo’s social district, and added the marquee property to Legacy Collective.
They bought it in in early 2023, made quick work of renovations and reopened in May 2023. With its original façade and marquee, the oldest familyowned independent theater in the United States
— where Andy Griffith once held a movie premiere — is a movie house and event space hosting musicians, comedians and movies. An additional garden venue surrounds the building.
All the pieces of the Legacy Collective provide opportunities for Basnight to fulfill his vision of hosting corporate retreats, weddings, charity functions and public events within historic Manteo.
Working on Roanoke Island is not what Basnight set out to do. He expected to live on the island and travel to work in the medical technology field. “It just happened,” he said.
Basnight graduated from the College of Industrial Technology — now College of Engineering and Technology — curious about how to harness what was coming next in technology. His aunt had a pacemaker and told Basnight about the “company man” who talked to her about the device.
“That technology got my attention,” Basnight said. His curiosity led to his first job with Abbott Pharmaceuticals in Chicago. His career led him to San Diego and Austin, Texas. He became an independent entrepreneur as a distributor for a medical device company, St. Jude Medical, returned to Abbott Labs, and then developed a consulting business in health care technology.
“If you’re curious, you’ll figure it out. You might have to take some risks, and if you fall, that’s OK, you learned a lot,” he said. “Maybe you learn to walk in a different career path or industry.”
–
Patricia Earnhardt Tyndall
Jamie Hatchell and Michael Basnight pose in the renovated Pioneer Theater in Manteo. (Photo by Bethany Cunningham/ Three Little Birds Photography)
PIRATE SPIRIT
Tennis seniors leave lasting legacy
The ECU women’s tennis senior class of Ines Bachir, Anne Lou Champion, Martina Muzzolon and Isabella Rivera Ortiz came from around the world to Greenville not knowing each other or ever having seen the campus.
Over four years, the quartet has become a closely knit group that individually and collectively made their mark on the tennis program and the campus community.
Kirstin Burgess ’06, whom Bachir referred to as “being like a second mom,” was responsible for restarting ECU’s women’s tennis program in January 2021. This was her first recruiting class, which she did virtually and over the phone, not meeting any of them in person until they arrived in North Carolina for the fall 2021 semester.
“It was an interesting process,” said Burgess. “I started recruiting in March and they were here by August.”
The student-athletes had to adjust to a new environment, but they didn’t do it alone.
“All of us were freshmen international students. We understood who we were at the time and just connected,” said Rivera Ortiz.
The team has grown on the court, finishing with 11 wins last season, the program’s best since 2017.
The foursome has made an impact in the classroom. ECU won the AAC Women’s Tennis Academic Excellence Award for 2023-2024. For
the fall 2024 semester, the team recorded a 3.86 GPA, which led ECU athletics and is the highest single-semester GPA in program history. In November, Muzzolon was one of three students to receive an International Student Award.
The team embraced ECU’s motto, Servire, earning the 2024 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Carolina Region Community Service Award. They logged over 400 hours of community service, serving the Greenville community by volunteering at local elementary and middle schools and the Ronald McDonald House.
“They’ve all brought such unique skills,” said Burgess. “From academics to the tennis court to personalities, all four of them are very, very different, yet they’ve united in a way that’s a strength that can’t be broken.”
– Steven Grandy
Ines
Bachir
Major: Sports studies with a minor in merchandising
Hometown: Casablanca, Morocco
Major: Business management
Hometown: Saint-AmandMontrond, France
Martina Muzzolon
Major: Accounting with a minor in business administration
Hometown: Padua, Italy
Major: Economics
Hometown: Medellin, Colombia
Isabella Rivera Ortiz
Anne Lou Champion
From left, ECU women’s tennis seniors Anne Lou Champion, Isabella Rivera Ortiz, Martina Muzzolon and Ines Bachir have left their mark on and off the court. (Photo by Steven Mantilla)
5 minutes with JESSICA
LEIF ’97
By Patricia Earnhardt Tyndall
Position: Associate director of the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core – Houston Quality Assurance Center and senior medical physicist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Degree: Master’s degree in physics, ECU; bachelor’s in physics, Union College, Schenectady, New York
Resides: Houston, Texas
We want to hear stories from alumni about how their experiences at ECU shaped them today and how they pass those lessons to others. Send us an email at easteditor@ecu.edu
Briefly describe your job responsibilities. I collaborate with radiation oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists and radiation technologists to perform quality assurance on patient charts and the linear accelerators used to treat patients participating in National Cancer Institute-funded clinical trials.
What led you into this career?
During my undergraduate studies, I worked in several research labs, including those at Brookhaven National Laboratory. During my junior year my grandfather was diagnosed with colon cancer, and I had the opportunity to speak with his radiation oncologist, who introduced me to their medical physicist. This sparked my interest in medical physics. Subsequently, I met with another medical physicist who provided valuable guidance on master’s programs in physics. This ultimately led me to pursue my studies at ECU.
What’s most rewarding about your job?
It’s profoundly rewarding to know that I have contributed to someone overcoming cancer and have played a role in establishing the standard of care for cancer patients.
What are you working on that you’re most excited about right now?
I am collaborating with the Global Quality Assurance of Radiation Therapy Clinical Trials Harmonization Group to improve worldwide quality assurance of radiation therapy when dealing with multi-institutional clinical trials.
What professor at ECU influenced you most?
Jeff Shinpaugh was one of my favorite professors. He consistently demonstrated his passion for physics within and beyond the classroom. His class has assisted me multiple times in the applications of protons and heavy ions in particle therapy for cancer treatments.
GOLD STANDARD
Hometown:
Cary, North Carolina
Major:
Interpersonal and organizational communication Career goal:
A marketing and communications role Scholarship:
Michael Aho Communication Excellence Scholarship
Will Lukas
What do you like most about your major?
I love being a communication major because it provides endless opportunities to connect with diverse groups of people. The curriculum is designed not only to build strong foundational skills in media, public relations and marketing but also to encourage real-world experience. One of the best parts of my journey has been working with University Advancement, where I’ve had the chance to contribute to several exciting projects, most notably Pirate Nation Gives.
What does receiving a scholarship mean to you?
This scholarship was a powerful validation of my hard work and dedication. College is a significant investment, one that I know will pay off for years to come, but in the present, it comes with financial challenges. Thanks to the generosity of Michael Aho, that burden was a little lighter. One day, I hope to pay it forward and help future ECU students chase their dreams, just as I’ve been given the opportunity to chase mine.
How has receiving a scholarship benefited or changed your student experience?
This scholarship has had a powerful impact on my student experience and has allowed me the freedom to take advantage of hands-on learning opportunities, such as internships and campus involvement, that are shaping my future career.
Why should alumni support scholarships?
Scholarships have the power to change a student’s life. Beyond the immediate impact, scholarships strengthen the ECU community by fostering a culture of support and success. By investing in scholarships, alumni are opening doors, creating opportunities and shaping the next generation of Pirate leaders.
Donor spotlight:
Michael Curtis Aho
Michael Curtis Aho ’02 earned his bachelor’s degree in communication with a concentration in public relations. He is the senior advisor on multilateral and nuclear affairs at the U.S. State Department. Aho has been recognized with the ECU Alumni Association’s Outstanding Alumni Award and was a member of the inaugural class of 40 Under Forty Leadership Award recipients in 2015. He previously served on the ECU Board of Visitors and is past president of the ECU Alumni Association board of directors.
give.ecu.edu
DONOR SUPPORT
BURNS BRIGHTLY DURING PIRATE NATION GIVES
More than 2,300 alumni, friends and students supported East Carolina University during Pirate Nation Gives on March 5.
Student success was the priority of the ninth annual day of giving event. Participation by students and bold support for student programs led to $10 million in contributions for scholarships, health care initiatives, athletics, and faculty and program support. More than 600 donors answered the call to support ECU for the first time.
More than 60 donors invested in the Chancellor’s Scholars Initiative, creating new scholarships that will aid in enrolling prospective Pirates from North Carolina. Chancellor Philip and Rebekah Rogers ’07 ’10 established the Drs. Philip and Rebekah Rogers Chancellor’s Scholar Endowment to provide two Chancellor’s Scholarships at ECU.
“We deeply believe in the transformative power of the Chancellor’s Scholars Initiative and the difference scholarships make in the lives of the students that we serve,” Chancellor Rogers said. “Scholarship programs like this one are essential to our mission and demonstrate our commitment to providing an affordable and accessible education to ECU students.”
Staff and faculty on the Health Sciences Campus added layers of energy and fun to the day beginning with a first-time Pirate Nation Gives kickoff breakfast hosted by the ECU Health Foundation. Dean Bim Akintade engaged support for the College of Nursing by accepting a cake to the face after 100 donors made a Pirate Nation Gives gift.
Students accounted for 28% of the day’s donors. Hundreds visited tables at campus
student centers to share social media posts, snap up philanthropy cords, thank donors and support the cause.
Notable gifts this year include the following:
• Jim Harris, in memory of his wife, Selba Harris ’64, and Joanne ’76 and Jack Faer, whose $77,000 challenge celebrated 65 years of nursing at ECU.
• Burney ’67 and Judy ’65 Rivenbark, who gave $50,000 toward College of Business scholarships.
• David E. McCracken, who gave $15,000 to support the ECU Smiles for Veterans Patient Care Fund in the School of Dental Medicine.
• Harvey S. Wooten, Mitchell Hunt, Carlos Ochoa and Victoria McGowen, who gave $10,000 to support the Harriot College Military and Veterans Scholarship.
• A challenge gift from Anonymous Trust, which will provide $300,000 for the Healthier Lives for Children and Beyond program at the Brody School of Medicine when the program raises $300,000.
• Honors College parent Lea Ann Nichols, who gave $5,000 to the Honors College Priority Fund for study abroad and high-impact experiences.
• Lt. Col. Bill ’82 and Nancy Miller, whose $25,000 gift to the Military and Veteran Mental Health Priority Fund is dedicated to supporting fostering a campus environment that prioritizes mental health, wellness and safety.
• A Friends of Joyner Library challenge gift from an anonymous donor, which will provide $10,000 to the Joyner Library Dean Fund for Excellence.
– Patricia Earnhardt Tyndall
In Memoriam
ALUMNI
1940s
Mary Anna Grady ’47 ’53 of Albertson, N.C., on Oct. 1, 2024.
1950s
Anne S. Briley ’57 ’60 ’61 of Greenville, N.C., on Jan. 21, 2025.
Patricia S. Cheek ’56 of Tarboro, N.C., on Oct. 24, 2024.
Calvin W. Chesson ’57 of Charlotte, N.C., on Jan. 30, 2025.
Barbara S. Conder ’57 of Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 26, 2024.
Willard T. “Bill” Cox ’59 of Shallotte, N.C., on March 7, 2025.
Treasure Edwards ’56 ’59 of Chocowinity, N.C., on March 11, 2025.
David A. Evans ’58 of Knoxville, Tenn., on Dec. 5, 2024.
Betty G. Gauss ’57 of Beaufort, N.C., on Oct. 26, 2024.
Charles L. Greene ’58 of Dunwoody, Ga., on Aug. 31, 2024.
Jo Ann Hilldrup ’56 of Powhatan, Va., on Jan. 15, 2025.
Edna B. Morgan ’59 of Wilmington, N.C., on Sept. 20, 2024.
Frances Brake ’57 ’61 of Rocky Mount, N.C., on Aug. 20, 2024.
John S. Byrd ’59 of Wilson, N.C., on July 17, 2024.
Monna T. Cutler ’54 of Chesapeake, Va., on Aug. 24, 2024.
Betty Hensley ’56 of Jacksonville, N.C., on Dec. 10, 2024.
Robert L. “Roddy” Jones ’58 of Raleigh, N.C., on March 24, 2025.
Sarah McCormack ’54 ’57 of Garner, N.C., on Dec. 29, 2024.
Peggy Lou Moore ’56 of Franklinton, N.C., on March 5, 2025.
Jane Morrow ’57 of Charlotte, N.C., on Feb. 2, 2025.
Laura K. Onsrud ’55 of Simpsonville, S.C., on April 16, 2025.
Ruth Parrott ’53 of Wilton, N.C., on Oct. 31, 2024.
Josephine Piver ’59 of Atlantic, N.C., on Nov. 20, 2024.
Matilda V. Turner ’59 of Beltsville, Md., on Sept. 22, 2024.
William O. Underseth ’57 of Swansboro, N.C., on Jan. 27, 2025.
Mary G. Waters ’54 of Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 30, 2024.
Frances B. White ’52 of Gainesville, Ga., on Oct. 26, 2024.
Fred J. Wood ’57 of Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 21, 2024.
John Wooten Jr. ’59 ’65 of Asheboro, N.C., on March 8, 2025.
1960s
Judy B. Baker ’63 ’82 of Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 24, 2024.
Perry D. Barnes Jr. ’65 ’70 of Atlantic Beach, N.C., on Aug. 24, 2024.
Kenneth “Sonny” Basinger ’61 of Fayetteville, N.C., on Nov. 30, 2024.
Herbert T. “Tommy” Belote ’68 of Melfa, Va., on Dec. 20, 2024.
Gail Bentley ’69 of High Point, N.C., on Feb. 2, 2025.
Gene T. Brooks ’61 of Pittsboro, N.C., on Aug. 14, 2024.
Thomas B. Carroll ’61 ’62 of Atlantic Beach, N.C., on Dec. 16, 2024.
Joyce J. Causey ’62 ’66 of Cary, N.C., on Feb. 9, 2025.
Tensil T. Clayton ’65 ’92 of Wilson, N.C., on March 8, 2025.
Richard Cottingham ’65 ’66 of Hampton, Va., on Sept. 28, 2024.
William D. Creech ’65 ’67 of Snow Hill, N.C., on Oct. 19, 2024.
Charles L. Davis ’61 of Kinston, N.C., on Nov. 3, 2024.
Frances M. Daughtry ’66 of Tarboro, N.C., on Dec. 7, 2024.
Donald “DC” Dickens Jr. ’64 of Wilmington, N.C., on Aug. 26, 2024.
Jesse C. “Cliff” Edwards ’69 of Oakboro, N.C., on April 13, 2025.
William C. Everett ’68 of Cape Carteret, N.C., on Jan. 30, 2025.
Glenn J. Fisher Jr. ’67 of High Point, N.C., on March 15, 2025.
Sidney C. “Rick” Gambill ’69 of Mooresville, N.C., on Feb. 8, 2025.
William D. Garner Jr. ’64 of Goldsboro, N.C., on Nov. 26, 2024.
Donald E. Glenn ’61 of Hillsborough, N.C., on Feb. 13, 2025.
Bobby D. Godwin ’67 of Bennettsville, S.C., on Jan. 6, 2025.
Alene C. Goolsby ’67 of Lillington, N.C., on Feb. 24, 2025.
L.S. Guy Jr. ’61 ’71 ’77 of Faison, N.C., on March 3, 2025.
Richard Haddon ’64 of Richmond, Va., on Oct. 22, 2024.
David C. Hanner ’68 of Baton Rouge, La., on Feb. 28, 2025.
Roberta S. Harrison ’64 of Midlothian, Va., on April 12, 2025.
Johnny G. Hatch ’63 ’72 of Four Oaks, N.C., on Jan. 13, 2025.
Christopher K. Haymore ’83 of Winston-Salem, N.C., on Nov. 9, 2024.
Lynda R. Haywood ’65 of Goldsboro, N.C., on Jan. 26, 2025.
Richard Hedgecock ’68 of Kernersville, N.C., on Nov. 5, 2024.
Brenda B. Hollowell ’67 of Rocky Mount, N.C., on Feb. 13, 2025.
H. Bruce Jackson ’66 of Apex, N.C., on July 24, 2024.
Ann B. James ’65 of Cary, N.C., on Oct. 26, 2024.
Ollie R. Jarvis ’67 of Buxton, N.C., on Dec. 19, 2024.
Irving T. “Tom” Jennings Jr. ’69 of Richmond, Va., on April 3, 2025.
Larry D. Johnson ’68 of Myrtle Beach, S.C., on April 6, 2025.
Bob G. Jones ’68 of Kings Mountain, N.C., on April 8, 2025.
Jane H. Knox ’66 of Raleigh, N.C., on Aug. 29, 2024.
Mary Ann Kruslicky ’69 of Beltsville, Md., on Dec. 23, 2024.
Henry Land ’65 of Kannapolis, N.C., on Dec. 19, 2024.
Arrington Laughlin ’69 ’84 of Goldsboro, N.C., on Oct. 2, 2024.
Martha Marcom ’61 of Raleigh, N.C., on July 29, 2024.
Neale R. McCombs Jr. ’68 of Charlotte, N.C., on Jan. 3, 2025.
Dennis A. Moore ’65 of Emporia, Va., on April 5, 2025.
Mary T. Outland ’64 of Rich Square, N.C., on March 20, 2025.
Donald Park ’60 of Colfax, N.C., on Oct. 18, 2024.
Judy Pate ’67 of Wilmington, N.C., on Nov. 20, 2024.
Ann Pridgen ’66 ’71 of Morehead City, N.C., on Feb. 14, 2025.
Mary Jo Redmon ’62 of Midlothian, Va., on Sept. 12, 2024.
Clayton M. Rich ’68 of Leesburg, Va., on March 26, 2025.
Clyde E. Roberts ’64 of Oriental, N.C., on Oct. 22, 2024.
James Robertson Jr. ’66 of Indian Land, S.C., on Sept. 20, 2024.
Stuart H. Russ Jr. ’67 of Smithfield, Va., on Oct. 3, 2024.
Francis J. “Frank” Scalzi ’66 ’74 of Lima, Ohio, on Feb. 19, 2025.
Franklin P. Smith ’63 of Frisco, N.C., on Oct. 11, 2024.
Harold W. “Wes” Smith ’77 of Wilmington, N.C., on Feb. 1, 2025.
Carroll A. Stearns III ’66 of Burlington, N.C., on Oct. 3, 2024.
Carolyn Thompson ’61 ’62 of Albemarle, N.C., on Aug. 11, 2024.
Kathryn A. Tyson ’66 of Nashville, N.C., on Feb. 17, 2025.
Joseph L. Veillette ’68 ’76 of Mills River, N.C., on March 6, 2025.
Katherine L. Walker ’66 of Las Cruces, N.M., on Feb. 21, 2025.
Stephen G. “Jack” Wall ’64 ’65 of Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 19, 2024.
J. Ralph White ’63 of Hampton, Va., on Dec. 13, 2024.
Warren K. White ’60 of Wilson, N.C., on Jan. 25, 2025.
Christine L. Wilkerson ’66 ’91 of Montgomery, Texas, on July 30, 2024.
Bobby T. Williams ’67 of Greenville, N.C., on Oct. 2, 2024.
Ralph D. Williams ’68 of Greensboro, N.C., on Oct. 10, 2024.
George Winstead ’68 of Richmond, Va., on Nov. 6, 2024.
Dan Wright ’67 of Brunswick, Ga., on Nov. 27, 2024.
1970s
Bobby Ray Adams ’76 of Goldsboro, N.C., on Oct. 1, 2024.
Bernard H. Arnold ’75 of Morehead City, N.C., on March 29, 2025.
Billie M. Atkins ’73 of Sanford, N.C., on Oct. 25, 2024.
Aubrey K. Barbee ’76 of Spring Brook Township, Pa., on Oct. 19, 2024.
Bonnie F. Barbee ’76 ’91 of Elm City, N.C., on March 11, 2025.
Mark S. Brady ’79 of Mooresville, N.C., on March 24, 2025.
Billie E. Braswell ’73 of Fredericksburg, Va., on Feb. 21, 2025.
Lelia H. Carter ’73 of Roanoke Rapids, N.C., on Jan. 15, 2025.
Camille D. Clark ’74 of Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 8, 2025.
Stephen Cucchiara ’78 of Woodbridge, Va., on March 31, 2025.
James W. Dale ’73 of Godwin, N.C., on April 6, 2025.
Emmitt R. “Bobby” Davis ’76 of Kinston, N.C., on Aug. 14, 2024.
Joseph J. Dudasik ’74 of Marshall, N.C., on Dec. 17, 2024.
Dennis Ennis ’73 of Raleigh, N.C., on Jan. 31, 2025.
Bonnie W. Everette ’79 of Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 12, 2025.
Edwin L. Foushee Jr. ’78 of Sanford, N.C., on March 9, 2025.
Deborah D. Freeman ’78 of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., on Oct. 9, 2024.
Beverly S. Fulcher ’78 of Wilson, N.C., on Feb. 27, 2025.
Nan U. Grady ’71 of Florence, S.C., on March 3, 2025.
Richard “RT” Harry ’73 of Fluvanna County, Va., on Nov. 20, 2024.
Estelle Heigele ’77 of Duncanville, Texas, on Dec. 3, 2024.
Robin K. Henning ’73 of Bahama, N.C., on Dec. 20, 2024.
Karen Houston ’79 of Asheboro, N.C., on Nov. 29, 2024.
Wade C. Hunt ’75 of Pembroke, N.C., on Dec. 21, 2024.
Michael R. Jacobson ’74 of Oxford, Miss., on Dec. 17, 2024.
Cathy J. Johnson ’72 of Sanford, N.C., on Jan. 30, 2025.
Glynda Johnson ’76 of Franklin, N.C., on Dec. 16, 2024.
Mary P. Keel ’74 of Tarboro, N.C., on Oct. 11, 2024.
Charles L. Kelly ’76 of Sanford, N.C., on July 25, 2024.
David Knoch ’70 of Corolla, N.C., on Jan. 16, 2025.
James D. Lisenby ’71 of Hilton Head, S.C., on Feb. 22, 2025.
Deborah Kaye Long ’79 ’84 ’86 of Carrboro, N.C., on Dec. 23, 2024.
Jane Mabry ’78 ’96 of Edenton, N.C., on Jan. 20, 2025.
Beverly N. Markley ’73 of Winston-Salem, N.C., on Sept. 12, 2024.
Samuel M. March ’77 of Pinehurst, N.C., on March 28, 2025.
David M. “Mike” McCray ’73 of Newport, N.C., on Jan. 10, 2025.
Patricia Minges-Kalinowski ’71 of Greenville, N.C., on Jan. 19, 2025.
Joseph Motley ’76 of Vanceboro, N.C., on Aug. 15, 2024.
Dorothy Lynn Neese ’73 of Richmond, Va., on Nov. 29, 2024.
David Paden ’76 ’77 of Beaufort, N.C., on Feb. 4, 2025.
Richard R. Phillips ’75 ’82 of Wilson, N.C., on Aug. 25, 2024.
Rebekah Pindzola ’75 of Auburn, Ala., on March 29, 2025.
Jimmy N. Royal ’71 of Rocky Mount, N.C., on July 1, 2024.
Christopher J. Servoss ’89 of Tarpon Springs, Fla., on Aug. 15, 2024.
Thomas Shore ’75 of Chapel Hill, N.C., on July 26, 2024.
Marylynn Sloop ’77 of Moravian Falls, N.C., on Jan. 30, 2025.
Steven G. Smith ’73 of Topsail Beach, N.C., on Sept. 13, 2024.
Joseph E. Stroud Jr. ’73 of Jacksonville, N.C., on March 25, 2025.
Marjorie M. Stutzman ’77 of Wilmington, N.C., on Feb. 13, 2025.
Marilyn B. Swart ’77 of Winston-Salem, N.C., on Jan. 23, 2025.
William C. Taylor ’75 of Calabash, N.C., on March 27, 2025.
Sybil Thornton ’79 of Greenville, N.C., on Oct. 7, 2024.
David Whitby ’76 of Rocky Mount, N.C., on Feb. 8, 2025.
Donald Williames ’73 of Naples, Fla., on Aug. 27, 2024.
Danny Wilmer ’72 of Troy, Va., on Feb. 26, 2025.
Patrice Winstead ’74 of Ammon, Idaho, on Dec. 13, 2024.
1980s
Stephen Bath ’88 of Greenville, N.C., on April 1, 2025.
Jeanne Batten ’85 of Williamston, N.C., on March 13, 2025.
Jean S. Boyce ’81 of Morganton, N.C., on Sept. 15, 2024.
Elizabeth P. “Lisa” Britt ’88 of Winterville, N.C., on March 1, 2025.
Wayne Carson Brown ’80 of Henrico, N.C., on March 18, 2025.
Kenneth “David” Bullock ’86 of Greenville, N.C., on March 18, 2025.
Anthony Christiano Jr. ’83 of Fountain, N.C., on Sept. 27, 2024.
Douglas R. Cline ’82 of Pineville, N.C., on Feb. 16, 2025.
David B. Dean ’87 of Roanoke Rapids, N.C., on Feb. 17, 2025.
Sandra R. Ellenor ’84 of Gates, N.C., on March 21, 2025.
Laura Farley ’82 of Greenville, N.C., April 14, 2025.
Lynda A. Garris ’81 of Dortches, N.C., on March 2, 2025.
Tracy S. Gibbs ’85 of Charlotte, N.C., on Aug. 19, 2024.
Bonnie I. Gordon ’83 ’87 of Charlotte, N.C., on Jan. 17, 2025.
Stephen C. Hall Jr. ’86 of Kinston, N.C., on Aug. 16, 2024.
Betty Jo Harrell ’82 of Morehead City, N.C., on April 3, 2025.
Dorothy Hennigan ’80 of Virginia Beach, Va., on March 15, 2025.
Gerald Herring Jr. ’82 ’84 ’91 of Goldsboro, N.C., on Jan. 14, 2025.
Allan Hoffman III ’85 of Charlotte, N.C., on April 1, 2025.
Deborah Hooper ’82 of Greensboro, N.C., on Jan. 20, 2025.
Patricia G. Johnson ’82 of Durham, N.C., on April 16, 2025.
Laura P. Jones ’80 ’88 of Greenville, N.C., on. Jan. 28, 2025.
Valerie W. Kolkjen ’80 of Sautee Nacoochee, Ga., on Oct. 23, 2024.
Paul B. Little Jr. ’85 of Wadesboro, N.C., on Feb. 25, 2025.
Donald E. Lundy ’82 of Fayetteville, N.C., on Aug. 14, 2024.
Bobby T. Manning ’80 ’86 of Greenville, N.C., on Jan. 25, 2025.
William S. Marley II ’83 of Jamestown, N.C., on April 13, 2025.
Edwin F. Martin ’80 of Greenville, N.C., on Aug. 28, 2024.
Maria J. McDaniel ’85 ’88 ’06 of Grimesland, N.C., on Jan. 27, 2025.
Janice R. Miller ’84 of Jacksonville, N.C., on Oct. 7, 2024.
Matthew G. Mulholland ’80 of Charlotte, N.C., on Jan. 17, 2025.
Linda G. Murphy ’86 of Morehead City, N.C., on Nov. 9, 2024.
James E. Rich ’84 of Wilmington, N.C., on Feb. 18, 2025.
Bonnie E. Robbins ’85 of Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 20, 2024.
Julian W. Shearin Jr. ’84 of Cary, N.C., on March 6, 2025.
John Warren ’86 of Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 19, 2025.
Lisa B. Wheeler ’86 of Pikeville, N.C., on March 19, 2025.
Daniel Whitley Jr. ’83 of Snow Hill, N.C., on Sept. 30, 2024.
John C. Woods ’80 of Winterville, N.C., on July 19, 2024.
1990s
Susan W. Hunt ’96 of Lillington, N.C., on Dec. 24, 2024.
Darious “D.A.” Ballou III ’96 of Morehead City, N.C., on April 2, 2025.
Christopher S. Bender ’95 of Wrightsville Beach, N.C., on Jan. 20, 2025.
Christian Berg ’97 of Trenton, N.C., on Sept. 18, 2024.
Barbara J. Boulanger ’93 of Summerville, S.C., on Dec. 10, 2024.
John Durham Jr., who guided university communications for nearly 20 years, died March 10, 2025. He was 80. John’s career in journalism, public relations and teaching spanned 40 years. He worked for the Houston Chronicle, the San Diego Evening Tribune, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Austin-American Statesman. In 1990, he joined the University of Texas at Austin as director of the university news and information service. In 1994, he came to Greenville to become director of public affairs and then executive director of university communications at ECU. He also taught undergraduate courses in communications and was assistant secretary to the board of trustees before retiring in 2012. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving as a military reporter in Vietnam.
Charles T. “Tom” Doyle ’91 of Edmond, Okla., on Dec. 19, 2025.
Russell L. Heidebrecht ’97 of Humboldt, Tenn., on Jan. 18, 2025.
Theodore S. Karr ’94 of Winterville, N.C., on Jan. 11, 2025.
Jeffrey M. Kole ’85 of Virginia Beach, Va., on Oct. 14, 2024.
Larry Lynn ’95 of Stevensville, Md., on Jan. 6, 2025.
Ginger A. Melton ’92 of Richlands, N.C., on Feb. 11, 2025.
James W. “Diamond Jim” Parker ’92 of Greenville, N.C., on Oct. 22, 2024.
William S. Pierce ’93 of Greenville, N.C., on Jan. 1, 2025.
Cynthia H. Poole ’90 of Clayton, N.C., on Oct. 11, 2024.
Victor B. Putze ’98 ’00 of Franklin, Va., on Dec. 20, 2024.
Kimberly A. Rawls ’97 of Tarboro, N.C., on Jan. 8, 2025.
Gail Sonnesso ’90 of Kill Devil Hills, N.C., on Feb. 7, 2025.
Neil A. Wolf ’97 of Whispering Pines, N.C., on Nov. 2, 2024.
Carolyn D. Yantorn ’91 of Kernersville, N.C., on March 25, 2025.
2000s
Brenda W. Allen ’02 of Ayden, N.C., on Oct. 28, 2024.
Raymond Anchan ’01 of Sharon, Mass., on Oct. 9, 2024.
Andrew S. Bingner ’09 of Edgerton, Wisc., on Feb. 2, 2025.
James T. Clagett Jr. of Newburg, Md., on Jan. 29, 2025.
Sharon O. Crockett ’03 of Winterville, N.C., on March 15, 2025.
Tanya J. Fowler ’00 of Greenville, N.C., on Oct. 6, 2024.
Richard A. Fritz ’03 of Morehead City, N.C., on Sept. 20, 2024.
Mindy Golds ’09 of Morganton, N.C., on Jan. 28, 2025.
Donald E. Payne ’06 of Sims, N.C., on Nov. 19, 2024.
Tracey W. Taylor ’06 of Maysville, N.C., on Dec. 14, 2024.
2010s
Thomas B. Bilisoly ’19 of San Diego, Calif., on Jan. 1, 2025.
Ashley N. Cartledge ’10 of Greenville, N.C., on Oct. 7, 2024.
Julian T. Murray ’10 of Newport, N.C., on March 7, 2025.
Ly Mai Nguyen ’15 of Raleigh, N.C., on Sept. 20, 2024.
Joseph P. Perez ’17 ’20 of Jacksonville, N.C., on March 6, 2025.
Elizabeth A. Turner ’18 of Wilson, N.C., on Nov. 25, 2024.
FACULTY/STAFF
Don Collins (history) of Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 1, 2025.
Antonia Dalapas (music) of Greenville, N.C., on March 2, 2025.
Orville Day (physics) of Lehi, Utah, on Dec. 22, 2024.
Don Edmondson (facilities) of Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 12, 2024.
Don Ensley (allied health) of Greenville, N.C., on March 28, 2025.
Stephen Green (medicine) of Greenville, N.C., on March 14, 2025.
Theresa Hackney (nursing) of Havelock, N.C., on Aug. 17, 2024.
Martha Jackson (nursing) of Winterville, N.C., on Aug. 25, 2024.
Peter Jones (art) of Bridgman, Mich., on Aug. 18, 2024.
Nancy Leggett (medicine) of Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 13, 2025.
Travis Lockhart (drama) of Morehead, Ky., on Nov. 21, 2024.
John Maiolo (sociology and anthropology) of Fort Mill, S.C., on Aug. 25, 2024.
Aneil Mishra (business) of Cockeysville, Md., on Aug. 4, 2024.
Ashna Pokhrel (medicine) of Greenville, N.C., on Jan. 9, 2025.
Enrique Reyes (biology) of Greenville, N.C., on Jan. 10, 2025.
Debra Rhodes (medicine) of Greenville, N.C., on Nov. 18, 2024.
Bradley Rodgers (maritime studies) of Greenville, N.C., on Oct. 24, 2024.
Tim Runyan (maritime studies) of Greenville, N.C., on Jan. 8, 2025.
Nina Smith (central supply) of Goldsboro, N.C., on Nov. 21, 2024.
Nancy Stamey (nursing) of Hillsborough, N.C., on Feb. 17, 2025.
Judy Wagner (business) of Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 16, 2024.
Robert Lee West (pathology) of Greenville, N.C., on Sept. 28, 2024.
Madalyn Butler and her mom, Lisa, were among the more than 6,000 future Pirates, family and guests who visited campus March 29 for Pirates Aboard Admitted Students Day. It’s an annual celebration where admitted students connect with faculty, explore their intended majors and see all ECU has to offer. (Photo by Rhett Butler)
CONNECT
SUMMER 2025 VOLUME 23, NUMBER 2 East is produced by East Carolina University
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Doug Boyd ’99
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Mike Litwin ’01
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Rhett Butler, Steven Mantilla
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Photography, B.J. Emerson
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Jimmy Rostar ’94
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03.21.25
Graduating medical student Pranaya Pakala and Dr. Jason Higginson celebrate onstage with a synchronized dance during the National Residency Match Day event March 21 at the Health Sciences Campus Student Center. Pakala is headed to New Orleans for a residency in internal medicine at Louisiana State University School of Medicine, where her husband is also a resident. Of the 69 students in the Class of 2025, 27 are staying in North Carolina for residency – 11 at ECU Health Medical Center. Thirty-two are entering a primary care residency: family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics and OB/GYN.
(Photo by Steven Mantilla)