Meredith Magazine, Spring 2016

A Publication for Alumnae and Friends of Meredith College

Spring 2016, Volume 41, Number 1

M A G A Z I N E

STRONG IS TIMELESS 125 Years And Counting

Meredith Magazine Volume 41, Number 1 Spring 2016 Executive Editor Kristi Eaves-McLennan, ’14, MBA Managing Editors Melyssa Allen Karen T. Dunton Assistant Editor Gaye Hill Writer Emily Parker Art Director Vanessa Harris Designer Margaret McIver, ’09 Alumnae Connection Editors Hilary Allen, ’01 Alexis Trell, ’15 Contributing Writers Leslie Maxwell, ’01 Karen Mishra Betsy Rhame-Minor, ’01 Editorial Assistant Kaye Rains Photographers Robert Campbell Christopher Ferrer Peter Finger Gary Knight Brian Lynn Charlotte McKinney Susan Murray Michael Zirkle Meredith College Faculty & Staff

CONTENTS FEATURES 14 MEREDITH COLLEGE TIMELINE 22 PRESERVING AND SHARING MEREDITH’S STORY

28 STRONG IS TIMELESS

Immortal Ten Class of 1902 and Going Strong Class of 2016

30 TALL TALES AND TRADITIONS

Shared History Connects Alumnae of All Ages

NEWS 4

Poll Examines North Carolinians’ Views of Women as Business Leaders

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Annual Event Honors Women Veterans

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Johnson Hall Renovations

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Candice DeLong Shares Lessons from FBI Career

11 Avenging Angels Collect Championships

IN EVERY ISSUE 1

Meredith Campus News

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Letter from the President

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Strong Stories

11 Newsmakers 12 Meredith Experts in the News Meredith Magazine exists to serve the Meredith community by providing readers with insight and information about the news, activities, events, programs, plans, and people of the College. Meredith Magazine is published three times a year by the Meredith College Department of Marketing. Questions or comments may be submitted to marketing@meredith.edu. © 2016 Meredith College. The Meredith name and word mark are registered trademarks of Meredith College and may not be used without permission. All rights reserved. 15-199

41 Alumnae Connection

On the Cover:

Members of the Class of 2016 hold a well-known photograph of the Immortal Ten, Meredith’s first graduating class.

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In 1891, the founders of the future Meredith College received a charter from the State of North Carolina to create a higher education institution for women. Many milestones have been reached in the 125 years since, resulting in a college that is still Going Strong. Learn more in the special features inside this issue, starting on page 14.

Aerial photo showing campus in 1965.

Where can you find reviews you can trust?

By Karen Mishra

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ow do you know where to turn to get trustworthy information about companies and products? Most Americans are increasingly less trusting of traditional advertising, yet are bombarded with company information on social media.

How do you really know which is more trustworthy?

The annual Edelman Trust Barometer study consistently finds that consumers are actually most trusting of “someone like us” when searching for information on products and services. That is, you usually trust what your friends, neighbors, and colleagues tell you about their experience with a product or service. Edelman finds that trust in traditional media, such as newspaper or TV advertising, runs around 64%, and trust in social media advertising is just slightly lower at 59%.

With so much information online, how can you know where to find reliable information?

1. Look for online sources that allow you to make comments on reviews.

Companies like Nordstrom and Amazon not only allow you to make comments about each purchase, but also allow people reading reviews to rate whether or not those reviews are helpful in deciding whether or not to make a purchase. This ensures that those reviews are constantly vetted by customers who are genuinely interested in those products.

2. Look for online sources where companies respond to customer comments, both good and bad.

Companies should always be “listening” on social media to see what their customers are saying about their products and services, both good and bad. You will know if a source is being monitored by the company if you see them respond to both positive and negative comments with either thanks or concrete steps they will take to repair any wrong. Some

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companies respond to customer complaints on sites like Yelp or Twitter, asking customers to allow them to follow up and fix the problem that is mentioned. It is even better when you read a customer review that shares how their problem was successfully resolved.

3. Look for personal stories about products and services.

Because consumers trust “someone like us,” it is most helpful to know how that product or service was used in a more personal way, such as through a story. Facebook is one place where customers tell stories to their friends without even knowing that they are giving reviews. You can trust that when someone shares their experience with a brand on their own personal Facebook page, they are provid-

ing true information that you can rely on.

With so many review options available to you, it pays to spend a bit more time seeking out many reviews from multiple sources. This ensures that you are getting the most useful information so that you can make the best purchase decision possible.

Karen Mishra is an assistant professor in the Meredith College School of Business. She teaches business consulting and digital marketing. You can follow her @KarenMishra.

Subscribe to Meredith’s YouTube channel to make sure you won’t miss any new episodes of The Meredith Minute video series.

Meredith Celebrates Retired Faculty and Staff

By Emily Parker

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ach year, Meredith College hosts a special event that helps the College stay connected with retired faculty and staff.

Seventy-eight guests attended the fifth annual Retired Faculty and Staff Dinner in September.

The keynote speaker was Provost Matthew Poslusny, and other speakers were Vice President for Institutional Advancement Lennie Barton, Allen Page, former academic vice president, and Ginny Knight, former dean of the School of Natural and Mathematical Sciences.

The dinner gave the guests the opportunity to hear about academic updates on campus including upgrades to the Learning Center in the library, a highly successful mathematics summer camp, current undergraduate

research, and new faculty who have joined Meredith in the last year. Guests also learned more about Beyond Strong | The Campaign for Meredith and the impact it will have.

Page pointed out that there were three generations of academic leadership in the room.

Page served twice, from 1997-2000 and 200610. Also attending were Allen Burris, who served as vice president of academic programs from 1969-99, and Poslusny, the current senior vice president and provost.

Page, whose mother, sister, wife, and a cousin attended the College, said, “Meredith has a mission to educate women to make them strong in the world. The Campaign gives us the opportunity to give back to a community that made a difference in our lives.”

Knight spoke about the excellent education

Meredith students receive and her belief that the College is getting stronger, with support from retired faculty and staff.

“This is a great way to be connected to the campus again and to learn about the needs with which we may be able to help,” Knight said.

The event is organized by the Division of Institutional Advancement.

“This is one of my favorite events, because this is a group of people who have served the Meredith community for so many years,” said Director of Advancement Services Astra Ball, who coordinated the dinner. “We think they are so deserving of this time to gather with old friends and to hear about the community they changed so much.”

New Novel by Meredith Professor Published

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ecrets of Gray Lake, the debut novel

by Professor of English Rebecca Duncan, has recently been released.

In the novel, which is set in the early 1980s, journalist Jenna Harris strives to write her way out of a quaint Great Lakes town and onto the staff of a major newspaper. The town and its people tug back, tempting her with layers of private and communal secrets that baffle her inquisitive mind and ensnare her heart.

“Jenna settles into a fading Italian neigh-

borhood on the bay front and befriends Sophie, a widow of Polish descent who nurses painful secrets. The two friends first observe and then find themselves folded into the entourage of Roger, a young landlord, techie pioneer, restorer of antique boats, and buddy to all,” Duncan said. “Through a series of adventures, relationships, and missteps, Jenna passes from detached observer to a woman of

passion and loving connection with others.”

Duncan has been an English faculty member at Meredith since 1997.

“Around three years ago, after my son went off to college, the creative spark returned, and Secrets starting spilling out,” Duncan said. “I spent the last year of my term in the [Meredith faculty position of] Norma Rose chair producing the first draft.”

The book was published by Anaphora Literary Press. It is available on Amazon and in bookstores including Quail Ridge Books.

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Poll Examines North Carolinians’ Views of Women as Business Leaders

By Melyssa Allen

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he Meredith College Poll has recently explored North Carolinians’ views of women as business leaders and entrepreneurs. According to the poll, 85% perceive the leadership abilities of men and women equally.

“There are areas of this poll that really put in a positive light the strides women are making in business. The good news for women is that the public is seeing them as qualified as men in terms of leading corporations,” said Kristie Ogilvie, dean of the Meredith College School of Business.

North Carolinians are generally pessimistic about the abilities of women to achieve gender equity as corporate leaders or business owners. When asked if there will be an equal

“There are areas of this poll that really put in a positive light the strides women are making in business.” – Kristie Ogilvie 4

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number of women in top executive leadership positions as there are men in the next decade, a slight majority of all North Carolinians (57%) thought it was likely or very likely to happen. Less than half of the women surveyed (47%) thought that gender equity would be achieved in corporate CEO positions in the next decade.

“Though this data shows we are making progress, there are conversations that need to continue to happen, because if a woman is as qualified, and is perceived as qualified, but a majority of corporations are not ready to put women in those roles, then I don’t believe we are as far along as we need to be,” Ogilvie said.

Poll respondents were asked their opinions on why there are relatively few women in corporate executive positions or who own their own businesses. In many ways, North Carolinians, like most Americans, feel that there is a double standard for women in the corporate world. More than three-quarters of North Carolinians believe that men have it easier in the business world, especially in

achieving top executive positions.

Other business-focused questions explored by the poll include perceptions of leadership abilities of men and women; the impact of family on women’s leadership; the impact of having children; and whether the country has made most of the changes needed to give women equal rights as men.

About The Meredith Poll The Meredith Poll survey about women as business leaders was conducted in October 2015 using a live-caller, dual frame (landline and cell phone) survey of 528 registered voters of North Carolina. The survey, conducted

by Meredith students, has a margin of error of +/- 4.25 percentage points for registered voters. This is the second Meredith College Poll, which is produced as part of the College’s commitment to civic engagement. This Meredith College Poll was directed by David McLennan, visiting professor of political science. View the full report at meredith.edu/ college-research.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

The Power of Evolutionary Change

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wame Anthony Appiah’s fascinating work The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen argues that significant social change occurs only when humans shift from acceptance of any given practice to questioning (and eventual outrage) that we ever let that practice happen. From slavery to foot binding, he posits that some practices were just done – without question or even thought – until they were considered such reprehensible concepts that we changed our behavior.

In many ways, women’s education has followed a similar moral shift. For centuries, women simply were not educated. Beyond learning from their mothers how to sew, clean, cook and take care of children (and husbands, of course), why would a woman need an education? Pointless, ridiculous, expensive … can only end badly.

Over time, of course, the idea has shifted from not educating women, to questioning whether we should educate women, to seeing that we absolutely must educate women. Increasingly clear is that this is not just a moral imperative (although that alone is certainly reason enough to proceed), but an economic, cultural, and social imperative as well.

Societies that educate women are stronger, safer, healthier, wealthier, and more stable.

Meredith College’s history tells us that the idea of Meredith was discussed for almost 50 years before its actual establishment. That Meredith College’s founders accepted the premise that women should be educated, even without the extensive data we now have showing the multi-faceted benefits of societies populated by educated women, speaks to the moral heart of our founding. It speaks, further, to the ongoing imperative to continue to offer excellent education in all its forms.

For 125 years, Meredith has adapted the education we offer to changing realities in our world. While honoring the foundations of the liberal arts, the curriculum has certainly changed with the addition of professional studies and new majors such as public health and criminology.

Additional change has come through expanding opportunities to learn outside the classroom, through study abroad, highlighted by the establishment of our learning site in Sansepolcro, Italy; undergraduate research with opportunities to study with our own top faculty and in sites throughout the world; community-based learning, which asks students to apply what they learn in class to community settings to make a difference; and internships with top-tier employers. Athletics and the recent addition of lacrosse and track and field are wonderful reminders of the competitive spirit of women. New student organizations such as those that focus on career networking, sustainability, and fighting human trafficking are extraordinary venues for practicing advocacy for change.

Meredith’s social regulations have certainly changed with relaxed rules about curfews (there are none), male visitors (we welcome men at certain times under certain conditions), chaperones (you are kidding, right?) and required dress for being seen in Raleigh (nope). All these changes happened in evolutionary ways, and Meredith will continue to evolve over the future.

So what might the future bring? Surely, new programs, new opportunities for learning beyond the classroom, and new technologies

that impact teaching and learning. Our clubs and organizations will continue to evolve as our students band together to explore conditions in other countries (and in our own backyard) that demand change. And, yes, social regulations will also change as we balance the safety of our students with their need to practice adult decision-making.

In short, Meredith will continue to evolve as she always has. We fully commit to the moral imperative to educate women to be the informed change agents they truly are, making a difference in the world by recognizing and speaking out about all kinds of circumstances, threats, injustices, and opportunities that face humanity. Serving as teachers, engineers, social workers, artists, writers, scientists, and a host of other roles, they will continue to weave their contributions into the fabric of our lives and make us all better.

This is, after all, what has made Meredith and her graduates strong … for 125 years.

And that is our future as well.

Jo Allen, President This column is an excerpt from President Allen’s remarks given at the Gala to celebrate the public launch of Beyond Strong | The Campaign for Meredith.

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Annual Event Honors Women Veterans

By Melyssa Allen

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uring Meredith’s annual Honoring Women Veterans event, keynote speaker Patricia Harris shared stories of women veterans of the past and present.

Harris, a retired Army veteran who is the founder and CEO of Women Veterans Support Services, Inc., spoke at the event held on Veterans Day 2015 in Jones Chapel.

“It was for the love of my country that I stepped forward,” said Harris about her military service. “I am here because of the women who went before me.”

Harris spoke about women veterans from U.S. history, some of whom disguised their gender in order to serve. She said patriotism, educational opportunities, and economic reasons are among the motivations for modern women to join the military.

As founder of Women Veterans Support Services, Inc., Harris helps veterans transi-

tion to civilian life after their service ends.

“The challenges veterans face are the war we continue to fight at home,” Harris said.

Her organization, which specializes in crisis management for homeless and in-crisis women veterans, connects veterans with needed resources.

All veterans present were asked to stand for recognition. The service also included a medley of service hymns and ended with a presentation by the Enloe High School U.S. Army JROTC Drill/Exhibition Team.

Meredith College has been recognized as a strong choice for veterans. U.S. News & World Report calls Meredith the #4 Best College for Veterans in the South. This list, which includes institutions certified for the GI Bill and that participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, identifies schools that offer benefits that make college more affordable for veterans and active duty military.

New Agreement to Benefit Students Pursuing Health Careers

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eaders of Meredith College and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) have formally signed an articulation agreement that will benefit Meredith graduates who apply to VCOM for admission into its Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) program.

At the ceremony, Meredith President Jo Allen said VCOM serves the national need for a healthier population, and Meredith College was fortunate to become a partner with the medical college, which seeks to provide medical care in underserved areas.

Provost Matthew Poslusny noted the growth of students interested in health careers. There are currently more than 150 stu-

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dents at Meredith who intend to pursue prehealth programs.

“As the program continues to grow, the articulation agreement with VCOM will benefit our students tremendously,” Poslusny said. “It provides a framework for preparation and helps students set goals that, when met, will give them an excellent opportunity to be interviewed by a medical school.”

The articulation agreement applies to both graduates of Meredith’s undergraduate programs and to those who complete the College’s pre-health post-baccalaureate certificate program. Meredith is the only school with which VCOM has an articulation agreement at both the undergraduate

and post-baccalaureate levels.

Representing VCOM was founder John Rocovich, Jr., and Associate Vice President Bill King.

Rocovich said VCOM is a “medical school that looks like America. We are very proud of that.” He also noted that there are five Meredith College alumnae and post-baccalaureate alumni in their first year at VCOM, and three more are further along in the program.

By the Numbers: Johnson Hall

1926 Year students began their spring semester on Meredith’s new campus, which featured six Georgian-style buildings, including the now iconic Johnson Hall.

52,000 Books moved from Johnson Hall to the new Carlyle Campbell Library by students and employees in 1969.

1957 Class year of Jo Ellen Ammons, in whose honor the new Welcome Center will be named, and Bobbitt Clay Williams, for whom a new executive suite will be named. (Read more about gifts supporting the Johnson Hall renovation on page 39).

10+ Times renovations have been made to Johnson Hall during its 90 year history, to help the building meet the changing needs of the campus community.

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Years that Livingston Johnson, for whom the building was named in 1937, served as a trustee.

Johnson Hall Renovations

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ohnson Hall, the most recognizable of Meredith’s buildings, serves many purposes. It is where prospective students visit the Office of Admissions, and where current students can take care of important tasks in essential offices including the registrar, accounting, and financial assistance. It is the home of the president’s office and a place where the campus community gathers for special events.

The College began renovations to Johnson Hall in the fall, with the project scheduled to be completed later in 2016. The current renovation project includes creating a Welcome Center, installing a new copper dome, and restoring historic elements of the building.

Visit meredith.edu/renovations to learn more about campus renovation projects.

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Candice DeLong Shares Lessons from FBI Career

By Melyssa Allen

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BI Agent Candice DeLong shared stories from her career as an FBI special agent during a Fall 2015 visit to Meredith College. DeLong spoke to Meredith criminology students, conducted a safety workshop, and delivered a public lecture.

Until her retirement in 2000, DeLong was the head profiler in the San Francisco Division of the FBI. She served as liaison to the Bureau’s world famous Behavioral Science Unit at Quantico and was a member of the California Child Abduction Task Force.

She was a key player in some of the FBI’s most memorable cases, including the Tylenol murders, which she noted “changed the way we live our daily lives” because it motivated pharmaceutical companies to begin using tamper-proof packaging.

During her public lecture, DeLong discussed the Tylenol case and her experience as

one of three agents to carry out the manhunt for the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski in Montana.

Students interested in working in law enforcement should develop their communication skills, according to DeLong.

“You need strong verbal skills – you have to be able to interview – and you need to strengthen your ability to listen and observe,” DeLong said. “Read everything you can related to your field, listen to [experienced officers] and learn from them.”

DeLong can be seen on the Investigation Discovery network’s hit shows Deadly Women and Facing Evil with Candice DeLong.

DeLong’s visit was the centerpiece of CSI Week, sponsored by Meredith’s Criminology Program. CSI Week is a showcase of criminal justice and law enforcement careers. Speakers included representatives from the U.S. Marshal Service, the Raleigh Police Department K-9 Unit, and other law and justice professionals.

First-Year Students Participate in Engineering Competition

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ine students in Meredith’s Engineering Dual Degree program participated in the 16th annual NC State Freshman Engineering Design Day (FEDD) event. FEDD is an end-of-semester opportunity for first-year engineering student teams to showcase their design projects and compete for awards.

Teams built projects such as animatronics, arcade games, bubble makers, hovercrafts, and water fountains. The projects allowed students to put core design concepts into practice during their first semester while learning how to work successfully in a design team.

Four of the Meredith participants were on teams that placed high in the competition.

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Nicole Kendzierski and Wendy Espinoza were on a team that tied for first place among animatronics projects. “We built an animatronic of the NC State wolf that wagged its tail and then stood up to play the [NC State] fight song,” Kenzierski explained.

Shannon Holian was on a team that tied for first place in its category. The team built a remote controlled hovercraft with an onboard power source.

Rebecca Stewart’s team project was a stair stacker. This project placed third in the toy design category. The object of the stair stacker game is to race an opponent to build a staircase out of five different colored blocks.

Madison Mabry’s team built a pinball ma-

chine. Paige Plaskonos and her team built a bubble-blowing machine. Safa Khan and her teammates built a Rube Goldberg device, which is a series of complex machines that complete a simple task. Julia Doyle’s task was building a projectile launcher that was powered by a five pound weight. Mariia “Mary” Kolisnichenko’s project was a water fountain through which water flowed against gravity.

The engineering dual degree program is an agreement between Meredith College and NC State University that allows students to attend Meredith and earn a Bachelor of Arts in either chemistry or mathematics and a Bachelor of Science in engineering from NC State’s College of Engineering.

STRONG STORIES

Going Strong from the sidelines to the screen

By Melyssa Allen

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s a senior at Meredith, Shantel Jordan, ’16, is already on her way to achieving her aspiration to be a sports reporter on a national network.

“My major goal is to become a sideline reporter on network television one day,” Jordan, a mass communication major, said.

“When all is said and done, I hope to have covered a Super Bowl, Stanley Cup playoffs, and the NBA finals, and to have an Emmy on my shelf.”

As a way of working toward that dream, Jordan completed internships with local news stations and worked as the team reporter for NC State men’s basketball and football during her junior and senior years.

Her tasks at NC State included reviewing stats, researching opponents, writing scripts for video features in the studio, attending press conferences, pitching story ideas, and producing game day content.

SHANTEL JORDAN, ’16

“I chose Meredith because of the smaller class sizes and the learning environment.”

– Shantel Jordan, ’16 Armed with this experience, she was hired as a production assistant with Time Warner Cable (TWC) Sports Channel in the Raleigh market.

“I knew this job opportunity would be a great experience, a way to really dive into the production side of television and form a better understanding of what goes on during a live broadcast,” Jordan said.

Her hard work paid off, and soon TWC Sports hired Jordan to be an on-air sideline reporter. She began this job with a fulltime schedule as a Meredith student.

Jordan said her experience at Meredith has been a positive one.

“My professors have been supportive of my goals, always encouraging me to stay on top of my schoolwork while juggling reporting jobs, internships, and a full course load,” Jordan said. “I chose Meredith be-

cause of the smaller class sizes and the learning environment.”

Jordan praises her professors for bringing their professional insights into the classroom.

“Our professors take the time to teach us more than what is written in our textbooks,” she said. “The courses I’ve taken have given me a deeper knowledge of the industry I’m going into and have prepared me for the real world.”

Find more stories like this one at meredith.edu/goingstrong. Learn more about Meredith’s communication program at meredith.edu/communication.

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Meredith MBA Early Career Enrollment

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raditionally, the Meredith MBA has served working professionals who have significant experience. Now, recent college graduates who want to start their careers with a strong business knowledge base can apply for the Meredith MBA program.

Meredith’s flexible program offers a parttime, evening schedule that would be attractive to a working professional as well as a full-time program that couples those classes with an internship.

“The Meredith MBA is a credential that is highly recognized and that will be an asset for life,” School of Business Dean Kristie Ogilvie said. “The new early career option gives access to a value-added educational experience when those students have the time and commitment to enroll.”

Having classes with students who have varying experiences will be beneficial to all MBA program participants because it will more accurately replicate what graduates will experience in the workplace.

“Our classroom experience will be a more

realistic job preview – a mid-level manager with a business background, another mid-level manager with an engineering background, an analyst, a traditional student who is an emerging leader, and an international student

“The Meredith MBA is a credential that is highly recognized and that will be an asset for life.”

with a couple of years of experience in the business sector,” Ogilvie said. “This diverse team is what is experienced in the workplace, and we feel it is important to replicate that in the classroom.”

The Meredith MBA is a coeducational program offered through the AACSB-accredited School of Business. Learn more at meredith.edu/mba or contact MBA Recruiter Allison Anthony at anthonya@meredith. edu or (919) 760-8212.

– Kristie Ogilvie

Sansepolcro Experience Changes Students’ Lives

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t a fall event celebrating Meredith’s Sansepolcro, Italy, study abroad program, Ashley Scarborough, ’17, said studying in Italy had changed her forever. After returning home, she found that she was more outgoing, adventurous, and spontaneous than before. She learned to manage issues, such as navigating the train system to travel independently, while also building a network among her study abroad peers.

“I cannot imagine a better way to spend part of my college experience,” Scarborough said. “The relationships and connections I have as a result of studying abroad are what seem to me to be the greatest gift of all.”

Learn more at meredith.edu/sansepolcro.

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Newsmakers Professor of Dance Carol Finley’s latest dance for camera work premiered in November 2015 at the NC Dance Festival.

The commission reimagined NC Dance Festival founder Jan Van Dyke’s 25-yearold dance, The Life and Times.

A journal article, “Sensory Sensitivities of Young Adults with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders,” written by Kendyl Cole, ’15, was recently published in Explorations, the journal of undergraduate research and creative activities for the State of North Carolina. Cole’s faculty mentor on this project was Professor of Psychology Cynthia Edwards.

Associate Professor of Art Shannon Johnstone’s Landfill Dogs project, in which she uses her art to help shelter dogs, continues to garner attention.

Her Landfill Dogs book was released in November. One of her photographs was featured on the cover of another new book, Dogland, A Journey to the Heart of America’s Dog Problem, by journalist Jacki Skole. Another Landfill Dogs photograph was on the cover of July/ August 2015 Animal Sheltering magazine produced by The Humane Society of the United States.

Associate Professor of Theatre Steven Roten appears in the movie Ashby. The movie, released in September 2015, stars Mickey Rourke, Nat Wolf, and Sarah Silverman.

Avenging Angels Collect Championships

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eredith’s Avenging Angels won two championships during fall competition, securing a 35-point lead in the USA South Women’s President’s Cup standings. Meredith won the award for the first time in program history in the 2014-15 season, and the prospect of a repeat is strong.

The Avenging Angels cross country team, led by junior Itzel Gonzalez, captured the program’s third consecutive USA South Conference Championship. First-year Head Coach Leslie Payne continued Meredith’s new tradition to defeat rival Covenant by 12 points for the title.

With a nearly perfect record, including 11 consecutive league victories and only two goals allowed, the Avenging Angels soccer team claimed the USA South Regular Season Championship and earned the number one seed in the conference tournament.

Meredith hosted the semi-final round of the USA South Conference Women’s Soccer Tournament, where they were upset by the fourth-seeded Methodist University Monarchs 1-0.

School of Business faculty Bing Yu, Mary Jane Lenard, Anne York, and Shengxiong Wu’s paper, “Women Leaders in Banking and Bank Risk,” was presented at the World Business Research Conference, Beijing, China, and was named Best Paper at the conference.

Associate Professor of Education Tisha Duncan wrote an article that was published in the English Journal, in September 2015. The article, “Looking Inward: Reflecting on My Cultural Competence as an Educator,” discusses Duncan’s personal experience and reflections on incorporating cultural competence and responsiveness within her daily life and into her area of expertise.

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In 2015, Meredith College became the first single-gender institution to earn the USA South Women’s President’s Cup. The Avenging Angels are vying to hold on to the President’s Cup in 2016.

FOLLOW THE SUCCESS OF MEREDITH’S AVENGING ANGELS S ummer 2014 | M E R E D IT H M A G A Z I N E 11 ATHLETICS AT GOAVENGINGANGELS.COM

Students Show Their Cornhuskin’ Spirit

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eredith’s annual Cornhuskin’ parade is always filled with interesting costumes and smiling faces, giving a glimpse of what will take place during the main competition later that evening. This year’s parade was no exception. Alumnae, friends, and family all lined Main Campus Drive to cheer on the current students in this special experience. Read more about the traditions that help make Meredith College unique on page 31.

Meredith Experts in the News Meredith faculty and staff served as experts in a wide variety of news outlets, including The Christian Science Monitor, Forbes.com, WTVD (ABC), WRAL (CBS), and USA Today College.

“In society, we have this expectation that our companies are there for us all the time, whether they are or not.”

“Theater is such a collaborative art form. So it takes a while for theater to process ideas, issues, cultural diversity, and then come up with some creative format for what is happening in the world, whether they be political or human rights issues.”

— Assistant Professor of Marketing Karen Mishra, in a WRAL-TV story about the rise of the on-demand economy.

“I can easily envision sugar icons next to menu items in the near future. Having sugar and salt icons together makes perfect sense because heart disease and diabetes

— Professor of Theatre Catherine Rodgers, in a Christian Science Monitor story about increasing diversity on Broadway. Rodgers was also quoted in a New York Observer story about Mamma Mia!, which closed after 14 years on Broadway.

go hand in hand.”

— Dietetic Internship Site Preceptor Tara Wind in a Forbes.com story about new salt warning requirements on New York City menus.

“We’re really encouraging students to do a lot more now with computer technology, that’s definitely the way of the future. We’re so used to thinking about guns and gangs and all that, but in all honesty, fighting crime today is more of a cyber kind of issue.”

— Professor of Sociology Lori Brown in a WTVD (ABC-11) story about the impact of technology on law enforcement

“That way you’ve already got the network in place. People already know you … your personal brand and what you’re about.

A less scary way to think about that is just starting to build relationships. ‘Networking,’ I think, sometimes has kind of a daunting connotation to it.”

— Assistant Director of Employer Relations Jane Matthews in a USA Today College story about how college students can tap into the “hidden” job market

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Nutrition Students Celebrate National Food Day with Service More than 17,000 meals were packaged during a service project led by students in Meredith’s Nutrition Graduate Student Association (NGSA) on National Food Day 2015.

The NGSA is a student-led service, leadership, and professional development organization.

Eighty volunteers participated in the food packaging event to support Stop Hunger Now, a Raleigh-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to end world hunger by mobilizing resources to communities most in need.

Meals packaged are distributed internationally to those most vulnerable to food insecurity.

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MEREDITH COLLEGE

TIMELINE

By Leslie Maxwell, ’01

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our events in Meredith’s history are engraved on the cornerstone of Johnson Hall: “Projected 1889, Chartered 1891, Opened 1899, Relocated 1924.” Of course,

Meredith’s story has continued past 1924; events of today will become part of Meredith’s history. Every faculty member, every staff member, every president, and every alumna has contributed to Meredith’s story.

In the opening paragraph of A History of Meredith College, Mary Lynch Johnson quoted the College’s second president, Richard Tilman Vann: “If you ask about the beginning of Meredith, no one can answer you. It is the incarnation of an idea.

Events may be dated and chronicled, but who can trace the genesis of an idea?”

While we may not be able to trace the genesis of the idea that became Baptist Female University, Baptist University for Women, and finally Meredith College, we can trace the events that have brought Meredith to where it is today: a college that is going strong, 125 years and counting.

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1891 On Feb. 27, 1891, Baptist Female University received a charter from the state legislature.

The trustees hoped classes would begin that fall, but fundraising efforts fell short.

1899

Baptist Female University, at the corner of Edenton and Blount streets, opened on September 27 with 19 faculty and staff members, including President James C. Blasingame. The Biblical Recorder’s editorial that day is titled “At Last.” One hundred-eighty students registered on the first day; by the end of the year, 220 students had registered. A college year was three terms of three months each. Room and board was $36 per term, and tuition was $17.50, for a total of $165.50 per year.

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1910s

1900s 1902 The first 10 women graduated from Meredith. Trustee Thomas Skinner gave out diplomas, using the term “the immortal ten,” which stuck. The first graduating class also contributed $19.75 to start the school’s endowment.

1904 The trustees changed the name from Baptist Female University to Baptist University for Women (BUW), and the school paid off its mortgage. Students published the first annual, Oak Leaves, and, as sophomores, the class of 1906 made the first ivy chain.

1900 Richard Tilman Vann became the second president.

1905 BUW established a student government, “apparently the first college in the state to do so, and one of the first in the South,” said Johnson.

1915 Charles Edward Brewer was selected to take over. On the first day of class in the fall, he knew the names of all 403 students and their hometowns.

1921 President Brewer wired campus to report that Meredith was admitted to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; “in half an hour,” Johnson said, “every person on the campus had heard the glad news.”

The Twig, the student newspaper, was first published that spring.

1909 On May 24, trustees changed the name to Meredith College.

“The name’s lack of pretentiousness, its brevity, and its beauty of sound were welcome,” Johnson said. And everyone was “pleased with the tribute to” Thomas Meredith. Upon its name change, Ida Poteat designed the College seal.

1924 On March 15, 1924, the faculty presented the first production of Alice in Wonderland to the students. “Faculty Wows Students,” read the headline in the next day’s Twig.

1903 The Athletic Association began offering basketball, tennis, and volleyball.

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1918 Students were quarantined on campus during the flu epidemic. The campus was still quarantined on Armistice Day, and the students paraded around campus in celebration.

One faculty member, Louise Cox Lanneau, Class of 1908, died from the flu after the epidemic and quarantine were over.

1920s

1906 The tradition of the hiding of the Crook began, though the tradition ended in 1913 because, according to Johnson, students began hiding it in increasingly dangerous places. It was introduced again in 1929.

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1915 President Vann retired.

Among his accomplishments, he wrote the words and music to Meredith’s “Alma Mater”; increased enrollment to nearly 400; and accumulated $127,000 for Meredith’s endowment.

1926 In January, students returned from winter break to the new campus: an administration and classroom building, a dining hall, and four residence halls. At the time, the dormitories were called A, B, C, and D. Students had to get used to living in the “country,” as the Twig editor wrote.

1928 The Association of American Universities added Meredith to its list of “approved colleges.” It was the first women’s college in North Carolina to receive the distinction and the fourth school in the state.

1940s 1945 Classes held the first Cornhuskin’ competition; “in deference to” the Midwestern student who thought up the event, Johnson wrote, “the shucks are called husks.” And equitation was offered as a formal program, with a 1946 Twig article noting that it became “a major activity.” The College discontinued the program in 1990.

1947 Meredith adopted its Honor Code.

1924

Construction began for Meredith’s new campus, the Tucker farm site on what is now Hillsborough Street. The College purchased the 135 acres for $60,000.

1950s 1953 The Mae Grimmer Alumnae House was built. In 2001, the house was relocated from its original location for the construction of the Science and Mathematics Building.

1930s

1956 The first edition of A History of Meredith College was published.

1939 President Brewer retired.

Under his leadership, the College built and moved to the new campus; the endowment grew to more than $500,000; and the student body had grown by 200. Dr. Carlyle Campbell was chosen as the fourth president.

1936 The class of 1936 presented the first doll. Classes from before 1936 then created class dolls to complete the collection.

1954

The class of 1954 was the first to wear the Meredith ring that is still used today.

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1960s

1970s

1964 Dr. Norma Rose spoke at the first Faculty Distinguished Lecture, and Class Day, which began in 1901, was held in the new McIver Amphitheater.

1971 President Heilman resigned. According to Carolyn Robinson’s The Vision Revisited, he increased faculty salaries and the number of faculty with doctorates, began offering faculty sabbaticals, and increased student enrollment by 44 percent.historstnt

1966 President Campbell retired, leaving a legacy of seven new buildings – Joyner Hall, Jones Auditorium, Mae Grimmer Alumnae House, Ellen Brewer House, Hunter Hall (now Martin Hall), Carroll Health Center, and Poteat Residence Hall; plans for a new library; a larger campus; and a nearly doubled enrollment (to 983 students).

1968 The first two African-American students enrolled at Meredith.

1969 Carlyle Campbell Library was completed. On a day called “Book-In,” students moved the books from Johnson Hall to the new library. The first edition of A History of Meredith College was the first book moved to the new library. That fall, students moved into Heilman Residence Hall, nicknamed “the Heilman Hilton.”

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1972 Dr. John E. Weems became Meredith’s sixth president, and the Massey House President’s Residence was built.

Barefoot Residence Hall opened. The Cate Student Center opened, with Weems calling it “a visit to the 21st century.”

Under the leadership of Anne Clark Dahle, ’54, Meredith’s continuing education program began.

1974 Meredith appointed its first female vice president, Dr. Sandra Thomas, and Meredith students in earnest took up the cause of women’s rights. An editorial in the Twig addressed Thomas: “You have set one precedent already, and, who knows, perhaps one day someone will follow you to the never-before-achieved accomplishment of becoming Meredith College’s first woman president.”

1971 Gwendolyn Matthews Hilliard, ’71, made history as the first African American student to receive a degree at Meredith.

Meredith offered its first study abroad program, with Dr. Roger Crook as the director.

1978 Sir Harold Wilson, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, gave the first Lillian Parker Wallace Lecture. Since its inception, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, among others, have spoken as part of the series.

1966 Dr. Bruce Heilman was chosen as the fifth president.

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1979 Meredith began the paralegal program. Today, Meredith’s program is the only one in the Triangle approved by the American Bar Association.

1972 Dr. John E. Weems became Meredith’s sixth president, and the Massey House President’s Residence was built.

1980s 1980 The angel became the school’s official mascot. Since the campus’s move in 1926, the school had been known as the Angel Farm. Sports teams joined the NCAA Division III, the golf team won the NCAIAW (N.C. Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) state championship, and the tennis team won the conference title.

1983 Meredith began offering master’s degrees in business, education, and music.

1984 Twenty-one students enrolled at Meredith as members of the new Honors Program. The school established its first endowed chair, the Mary Lynch Johnson Chair of English, the same year Johnson died, having committed 65 years of her life to Meredith.

1986 The Twig was renamed the Meredith Herald; in the last issue of the Twig, the editor wrote, “Be a part of the new tradition!”

1988 Meredith was one of two private colleges selected to participate in the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program. When funding for the state program ended in 2012, Meredith launched its own program, the Meredith Teaching Fellows, to continue support for future oustanding educators.

1990

In the spring, Jane Goodall visited campus after meeting Dr. Lyn Aubrecht, professor of psychology, in Raleigh two years prior. He’d invited her to campus, telling her, “your life has in it a message for young women.” “

1990s 1990 In the fall of that year, the class of 1992 held the first Ring Dinner.

1991 Meredith celebrated its centennial anniversary, with Jean Jackson, ’75, heading the Centennial Commission. Sandra Day O’Connor, Retired Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, spoke as part of the Lillian Parker Wallace Lecture Series, in conjunction with the centennial. Columnist Erma Bombeck was that year’s commencement speaker.

Instructor of English Suzanne Britt wrote the text for Images: A Centennial Journey.

In 1991, the Board of Trustees amended Meredith’s charter so that the school could elect its own trustees, rather than having the Baptist Convention choose them.

1987

The Gaddy-Hamrick Art Center opened, holding the first student art exhibit that spring. Meredith offered the only four-year art program in the area at the time.

1993 Meredith faculty and administrators began using computers, the Internet, and email.

1997 Meredith’s continuing education program became known as the 23+ program, with Sandra Close, ’86, as the director.

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1990s 1997 Meredith College broke its close ties with the Baptist State Convention to give the school autonomy amid concerns about the convention’s views on women.

1999 Dr. Weems retired. During his 27 years as president, the endowment grew from $887,000 to $49.5 million. Both the student body and the faculty nearly doubled in size.

One week after the College’s 108th anniversary, Dr. Maureen A. Hartford was chosen as Meredith’s seventh and first woman president. An article in The Meredith Herald quoted a junior

as saying, “Not only does she seem like the best woman for the job, but also the best person.”

The Park Center Mural was dedicated during Alumnae Weekend. Designed by Linda FitzSimmons, ’73, professor of art, and funded by the Class of 1997, the project honors the achievements of 100 alumnae.

That fall, the graduate school opened its doors to men, with the Meredith Herald reporting that the school made this change to meet a federal law.

Meredith published Carolyn C. Robinson’s The Vision Revisited.

1999

One week after the College’s 108th anniversary, Dr. Maureen A. Hartford was chosen as Meredith’s seventh and first woman president.

2000s 2001 Meredith’s Technology Initiative began providing laptop computers for students. Meredith discontinued the program after spring 2013.

2002 Four men – the first in the College’s history – graduated from the MBA program.

2003 Meredith held the first Celebrating Student Achievement Day, featuring awards, performances, and research presentations.

2001

The College broke ground for the Science and Math Building in the spring, and from May to November, the Mae Grimmer Alumnae House was moved to “a more prominent location adjacent to Jones Chapel,” reported The Meredith Herald.

2009

Meredith established a study abroad location in Sansepolcro, Italy.

2005 Meredith began offering the dual degree in engineering program in conjunction with NC State University. Cross country became a varsity sport.

2007 The Campaign for Meredith, launched in 2004, concluded, raising more than $41.5 million, exceeding its goal by more than $8 million.

The Alumnae Legacy Steering Committee, led

by Elizabeth Triplett Beam, ’72, and Ione Kemp Knight, ’43, funded the first Meredith Legacy Scholarships. Meredith’s athletic teams became known as the Avenging Angels and joined the USA South Conference.

2009 On campus, the athletic field and track complex opened, the largest first-year class in the College’s history enrolled, and The Oaks, Meredith’s residential apartments, opened, the first new residential construction since 1970.

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2010-present 2010 The School of Business earned Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. Meredith is one of only two women’s colleges in the world accredited by AACSB International.

2011 President Hartford retired after 12 years, having strengthened academic offerings, expanded and enhanced campus facilities, including the addition of the Science and Mathematics Building and The Oaks student apartments, increased student diversity to more than 20%, and increased the endowment to more than $70 million.

Dr. Jo Allen, ’80, became Meredith’s eighth president on July 1, 2011. President Allen is the first Meredith alumna to hold the office.

2012 The Board of Trustees approved Meredith Forever, a three-year rolling strategic plan that guides priorities and decisions to strengthen the College.

Meredith added lacrosse as the school’s seventh varsity sport. The team won two consecutive conference championships in 2014 and 2015, and the team went to the NCAA tournament both years.

2013 Meredith launched the Meredith College | Going Strong brand.

2011 Dr. Jo Allen, ’80, became Meredith’s eighth president on July 1, 2011.

President Allen is the first Meredith alumna to hold the office.

2014 The College announced StrongPoints®, an advising and personal coaching program found only at Meredith that’s designed to help students maximize their college experience. The College re-launched Wings, its adult education program.

And the College raised a record $18 million in the fiscal year.

2015 Renovations began on Johnson Hall, thanks to the gifts of Bobbitt Clay Williams, ’57, and her husband Bill Williams, and the Jud Ammons family, in memory of Jo Ellen Ammons, ’57. In three and a half years, the Beyond Strong campaign raised more than $52 million.

Meredith received the USA South Women’s President’s Cup, which recognizes the league’s top athletic program.

Meredith launched Stronger U, personal and professional development programs for women.

Beyond Strong | The Campaign for Meredith, the College’s most ambitious fundraising campaign, entered its public phase in 2016.

2016 Meredith added track and field as its eighth varsity sport.

Meredith celebrated the beginning of its 125th anniversary year with events, including an exhibit at the City of Raleigh Museum and a gala celebrating the public launch of the Beyond Strong campaign.

2012

Meredith added lacrosse as the school’s seventh varsity sport.

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PRESERVING AND SHARING MEREDITH’S STORY

By Leslie Maxwell, ’01

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n the basement of Meredith’s Carlyle Campbell Library is a room with a dehumidifier and a gauge measuring humidity.

A 1968 Time magazine ad for Meredith leans, framed, against

a wall. Drawings of young women holding pennants for Meredith College and Baptist University for Women, done by the Fidler sisters in the early 20th century, hang on the wall. Filing cabinets hold thousands of photographs. Books, magazines, and boxes of various sizes line the shelves.

Together, these items add up to something invaluable: Meredith’s history. This room is home to the Meredith College Archives, which serves the College community by preserving Meredith’s memories, history, and heritage.

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According to Ted Waller, recently retired technical services librarian and head of the Archives, this is “a place where those important stories can be preserved and shared.”

A visitor to the Archives can see the scrapbooks of Lucy Sanders Hood, who attended Meredith from 1909 to 1913. The scrapbooks contain images of everyday life at Meredith, including photos of students in dorm rooms and even of a breakfast party “with Miss Ida [Poteat].”

It’s unclear when the Archives were formalized, but Mary Lynch Johnson’s A History of Meredith College first mentions them in conjunction with the year 1945. In fact, according to Jean Jackson, ’75, vice president for college programs, the Archives “were very important for both editions of Mary Lynch Johnson’s books and the centennial book.”

The Archives store minutes from board meetings and each year’s College Catalogue. They hold the records of Oliver Larkin Stringfield and Thomas Meredith, the College’s namesake, as well as each College president. The Archives include the personal

“The collections we have are an important gateway for the story of women’s education, not only in North Carolina, but also the South and the nation as a whole. ” – Dan Fountain

library of Carlyle Campbell, the College’s fourth president. They include files from longtime Professor of English Norma Rose and Johnson herself and commencement programs for every year since 1902, the first graduating class. The Archives store files from academic departments and other campus offices, along with every issue of the Acorn, Twig, Herald, and Meredith Magazine. They store recordings of plays, dance concerts, music recitals, and Cornhuskin’ competitions.

Did you know that you can access Oak Leaves from 1904 to 2009, as well as Twig and Herald issues from 1921 to 2007, online?

Mary Lynch Johnson’s A History of Meredith College has also been digitized, as has Carolyn C. Robinson’s The Vision Revisited. Visit infotogo.meredith. edu/archives_publications to access these publications.

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Scrapbooks such as Hood’s are Archives Assistant Meredith Haynes’ favorite items.

From them, “you really get a good idea of the student life here at certain times,” she said.

One of Waller’s favorite items is an undated – but very old – Meredith College water pitcher, perhaps from the dining hall or a washbasin, before indoor plumbing. The Archives also has a spoon, ladle, and napkin ring used at the old campus.

Waller said that artifacts and documents

“Meredith Moments” Showcases College History

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o coincide with the 125th anniversary of Meredith College, Archives Assistant Meredith Haynes and Professor of History Dan Fountain created the “Meredith Moments” blog.

The idea, Haynes said, was to showcase, in 125 entries, some of the items and documents in the Archives and to emphasize Meredith’s history in the lead up to the 125th anniversary.

Haynes and Fountain chose the items and moments for the blog by referencing Mary Lynch Johnson’s A History of Meredith College and Carolyn Robinson’s companion, The Vision Revisited. They also read through Twig and Herald issues and looked through objects in the Archives.

Said Fountain: “We wanted to represent broad constituencies — faculty, administrators, students, visitors to campus — as well as reflect on the day-to-day experiences of Meredith students.”

For the blog, Haynes looked at Meredith’s history from 1891 to the 1950s, and Fountain looked at Meredith’s history from the 1950s to today.

Haynes’s favorite entries are the ones on Dr. Elizabeth Delia Dixon-Carroll, who was the Meredith College physician for 35 years

such as these play an essential role in preserving Meredith’s history.

“It’s really a big part of the College’s collective memory,” Waller said. “We’re the only part of the College that does that, and without it, much, if not most, of the College history would disappear, as the people who experience things leave.”

According to Dan Fountain, associate professor of history and director of Meredith’s public history program, archives such as Meredith’s do important work: “The Archives safeguard these documents so that they are available for individual study for centuries to come.” He added that preservation is important because “historical interpretation isn’t stagnant.”

and the first female doctor in Raleigh; World War I; and the quarantine during the flu epidemic.

“The combination of these three all together” is interesting, Haynes said, noting that the 1919 yearbook was dedicated to Dixon-Carroll “because of how she helped them through the quarantine.”

Fountain said the blog illustrates that “what is tradition has, in many cases,

Alumnae Support Keeps Archives Going The Archives serve the College and alumnae as a place of preservation, but alumnae serve the Archives by donating artifacts and documents they’ve saved.

Cindy Griffith McEnery, ’70, has donated items, such as her Philaretian bear, to the Archives. McEnery has also donated, on behalf of her class, some items her classmates brought to reunions, such as a Meredith gym suit and a pair of Pappagallo shoes, which were popular during their college years.

“I was a history major,” McEnery said, “and I just think this kind of stuff is important. A college’s traditions and history define a college so much. It’s up to the alums to pro-

evolved over time.” He cited Palio, which was featured on the blog, noting that it “was a major campus event that has faded, but it was a centerpiece of a time.”

The blog also depicts how Meredith fits into society’s larger changes.

For instance, Fountain noted that while the academic rigor has stayed the same, society has changed: “The College that opened its doors in 1899 was in a rural state with very little global connection. Today, 45 percent of [North Carolina’s] population has an origin outside of the state.

We’re a very different community,” said Fountain. “It’s important for the blog to show this part of Meredith’s story.”

Haynes was pleased with the Meredith community’s response to the blog: “It’s been fun to see what people think of when they see the photo” on social media, she said.

She hopes that with the blog entries, readers will learn information about Meredith’s history but also want to explore the Archives further.

Read the blog at meredith.edu/ celebrate125/objects-blog/.

vide that because if we don’t, it gets lost.”

Waller said alumnae and their families “provide a lot of material,” such as the recent donation of a trunk from 1904, which belonged to a student who graduated from Meredith in 1907.

The trunk, along with other artifacts in the Meredith Archives, was on display for the month of February at the City of Raleigh Museum. Haynes and Fountain helped create an exhibit featuring important documents and artifacts from Meredith’s 125-year history.

This display of archived materials at the museum highlights another function of the College Archives: the sharing of preserved materials.

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“I was a history major, and I just think this kind of stuff is important. A college’s traditions and history define a college so much. It’s up to the alums to provide that because if we don’t, it gets lost. ” – Cindy Griffith McEnery, ’70

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How to Contribute to the Archives

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ou might have archival material and not know it. For instance, as an example of the kind of material that is preserved in the Archives, one alumna recently donated a box of letters written both by her and to her while she was a student at Meredith.

Meredith Haynes, archives assistant, notes that, in general, the Archives collects documents and artifacts from alumnae of Meredith or that pertain to Meredith’s history.

According to the Archives’ website, these materials include “primary source material about the College,” “resources on student life and experience,” “information about Meredith’s Baptist heritage,” “publications by people associated with the College,” “college publications,” and “photographs, scrapbooks, memorabilia, videos, jewelry, clothing, and oral history.”

Haynes noted that class boxes are great places to store classspecific information or records. As well, she noted the Archives accepts scans or copies of documents or photographs if alumnae are not quite ready to part with the item. If you have items that you are interested in donating to the Archives, please email or call before you bring or send in the items: archives@meredith.edu or (919) 760-8381.

ple – a combination of alumnae, faculty, staff, students, and outside researchers – visited the Archives, nearly one for every day the Archives was open.

When alumnae come to the Archives, they frequently use the boxes associated with their classes. Each graduating class has a box, in which the class can preserve photos, documents, artifacts, and mementos associated with the class.

In preparation for her class’s 50th reunion in May 2015, Sally Howard Moore, ’65, along with several of her classmates, visited the Archives to help them create a memory book for their class.

“We had a blast,” Moore said of looking in their class box, which contained photographs, scrapbooks of college days, and other documents. “It was just a great resource for us in working on this memory book for our class reunion.”

Jackson noted that she has used letters

from the Archives as resources for talks she has given, noting that the letters “give a vivid and particular accounting of what life was like when that alumna was a student.”

“It’s really a big part of the College’s collective memory.

We’re the only part of the College that does that, and without it, much, if not most, of the College history would disappear, as the people who experience things leave.”

– Ted Waller

Archivists want people to use archives in these ways because fun and interesting discoveries about the past are made there.

Moore and her classmates made one such discovery in their class’s box. In a scrapbook donated by Moore’s college roommate, they found a note signed by Ms. Lucile Dandridge, who served as the assistant house director from 1961 to 1971. “Don’t use so much toilet paper,” the note said.

Even something as small as this scrap of paper is important because, as Fountain said, the Archives “house the daily lives and experiences of generations of women, and the faculty and staff who have worked with them.”

Although the history kept in the Archives is important to the Meredith community, Fountain sees a role for Meredith’s Archives beyond the bounds of campus.

“Meredith as a college is one of the few places where academic egalitarianism would have been supported as an ideal and where it thrived, and that’s an important story. Our Archives help support that story.”

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Immortal Ten

Immortal Ten Class of 1902 The first ten graduates of Meredith College (then known as Baptist Female University) are often referred to as the “Immortal Ten.” Nine received Bachelor of Arts degrees and one received a Master of Arts.

1 Eliza Rebecca Wooten – First cousin of J.Y. Joyner, for whom Joyner Hall is named. Described by her children as a “real intellectual.”

5 Margaret Whitmore Shields –

2 Sophie Stevens Lanneau –

6 Elizabeth Gladys Tull – An active

First president of Meredith’s alumnae association. Went to China as a missionary where she founded the Wei Ling Girls School.

3 Mary Estelle Johnson – Leader in church missionary society. Organ in Jones Chapel was given in honor of her lifelong love of church music.

4 Rosa Catherine Paschal –

Earned M.A. in Psychology. Taught mathematics and was first dean of students at Meredith. Became professor of mathematics and psychology at Anderson College.

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Studied at Radcliffe, including one class with Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan. First woman elected as Trustee of Meredith College.

resident of Kinston, N.C., became president of the Kinston Alumnae Club, which raised over $150 for the Ida Poteat Fund to assist students.

7 Margery Kesler (M.A.) – First

of three students to receive M.A. degree.

Taught science at Howard Payne College.

Also studied at Columbia University and University of Montana.

8 Minnie Willis Sutton – Elected president of Class of 1902. Senior thesis titled “The Modern Poetic Drama.”

9 Elizabeth Parker – Continued her studies in art, traveling to New York and Europe. Taught art at the college level in Idaho and Missouri before returning to North Carolina.

10 Mary Ellen Perry – After graduating from Meredith, taught all grades in Millbrook, N.C., for two years and was a charter member of the Millbrook Book Club.

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Class of 2016

Going Strong Class of 2016 125 years later, ten students from the Class of 2016 are living proof that Meredith women are going strong, thanks to the College’s founders – and the groundbreaking women who were the Immortal Ten.

1 Bailey Benge – The Senior Class

President and an Honors student, Teaching Fellow, and psychology major pursuing K-6 licensure. Studied abroad in Belize and taught while there.

2 Mollie Melton – A Presidential Scholar double majoring in English and environmental sustainability. Conducted research on stream erosion in an urban environment and religion and the environment.

3 Tia Joyce – A Legacy Scholar who is a triple major in biology, chemistry, and psychology. Completed several internships and has been a Resident Assistant on campus.

4 Nikki Truax – A Wings student and

social work major who interned with Interact,

started the No More campaign against domestic violence, and led the WINGS student organization.

5 Alla Akiyeva – A business adminis-

tration major from Kazakhstan who has conducted in-depth research on data collection in collaboration with business faculty.

6 Jasmine Aguinaldo – The captain of the volleyball team and pursuing dual degrees in engineering and mathematics.

Earned USA South All-Academic and AllSportsmanship honors.

7 Meredith Hovis – An environmental sustainability major who studied in Costa Rica and was one of five students selected nationally for a summer research program.

8 Savannah Allen Johnson –

2015-16 SGA President and history major.

Served as chair of Honor Council, a student adviser, and tour guide for the Admissions Office.

9 Cathi Bert-Roussel – MBA student employed full-time in corporate finance.

Owns and edits Triangle Dog magazine.

10 Zainabu Otieno – An economics

and accounting major and Broyhill Business Fellow who held two highly competitive summer internships in New York City with Citi.

Watch a video that takes you behind the scenes of this photo shoot at youtube.com/meredithcollege.

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TALL TALES AND

TRADITIONS Shared History Connects Alumnae of All Ages

By Betsy Rhame-Minor, ’01

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s a sophomore, Carolyn Carter, ’73, was driving around Raleigh looking for daisies for Class Day, to be held later that afternoon. Carter and her classmates found daisies in a field where Rex Hospital is now. Noticing these unusual visitors at such an early hour, a neighbor called the police and a deputy was dispatched to investigate. “[He] was questioning us and we had to explain the daisy chain, which he didn’t quite get but he left us alone,” she remembers. “He got that we were harmless. That’s part of the history and legacy of our class.”

Explaining Meredith traditions can sound like a tall tale to those outside the Meredith community.

“I am a member of the White Iris Circle and therefore have to answer questions about Meredith’s many traditions frequently,” said Katie Murphy, ’18. “I find that explaining the traditions is fairly simple, but explaining why they mean as much to the students as they do is difficult.”

Emily Kelleher, ’17, feels similarly. “Since I didn’t understand [Cornhuskin’] until I got to see it, that’s the way I explain it to people,” she said. “You have to see it to understand it.”

Though they may seem unusual to some, for students, alumnae, faculty, and staff, these time-honored traditions bring the whole campus together. Making sure those new to Meredith understand these traditions is an important way to build our community.

In that pursuit, about 75 percent of freshmen students take the First Year Experience course, which teaches in part Meredith history and traditions.

“We try to help students figure out where they will find their niche,” explained Cheryl Jenkins, director of student leadership and service. “So we have a comprehensive class that helps them understand the history of the college, where the traditions began, and how they can get involved.”

Information sessions on Meredith traditions are offered during fall orientation for freshmen, and in both spring and fall for transfer students. Student advisers tell their freshmen about Cornhuskin’. The Student Government Association runs the first freshman class meeting each year and talks about the events they experience. Even parents can attend a fall session about Cornhuskin’.

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Alice in Wonderland – A Special Faculty/Staff-Led Tradition

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n January 2016, Meredith College faculty and staff performed Alice in Wonderland, a play put on once every four years (once per college generation) since 1924. This performance was particularly notable since 2015 was the 150th anniversary of the publication of Lewis Carroll’s famous work.

“The faculty decided to do something

Once new students have a basic understanding of these traditions, many students show interest in participating, which is something they often reminisce about later.

Carter enjoys the commonality she finds with other alumnae and says she is often recognized as a Meredith alumna by her class ring.

The ring, received during a student’s junior year, is one of the most recognizable signs of a Meredith tradition. Seeing others with their onyx reminds many about receiving a class ring during their junior year.

“When [an alumna] talks about Ring Dinner, I know how special it is to put that ring on,” said Hilary Allen, ’01, director of

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for the students,” explained College Archivist Meredith Haynes. “They had such a close connection, and that continues …. A lot of faculty members keep their roles for as long as they’re here and the rest of Alice is a mystery until you go see it.”

Said Kathy Rhodes, ‘84, who saw the play in her senior year, “Watching that was amaz-

ing and hilarious. Seeing our professors in a totally different light gave us another level on which to interact with them. Alice was, and continues to be, a seminal event in Meredith life even though students aren’t the primary players.”

Carolyn Carter remembers seeing the performance during her junior year, 1972.

“We had all heard about Alice in Wonderland and knew that it was special,” she said.

“I remember which professors were which characters. Alice was the quintessential of all things that are neat at Meredith.”

Vice President for College Programs Jean Jackson also saw Alice for the first time in 1972, her freshman year.

“I knew some faculty by sight and very few by voice,” she remembered. “Most of the people on the stage were a mystery to me.”

“It demonstrates how much faculty and staff love this community and love students.”

– Hilary Allen, Alumnae Director

In 1983 Jackson came back to Meredith to join the faculty. In 1984 she performed one of eight or 10 dancing cards. Now, so many faculty and staff members participate that, she said, “We are close to a full deck of cards.”

Jackson has had a speaking role since 1988 and began directing the play in 1992.

Alumnae Director Hilary Allen says that part of what makes the performance so special is that it’s the only tradition that doesn’t involve student participation.

“For [students] to be able to see their faculty members in a totally different setting is

alumnae relations. “That is something that goes across the decades.”

While the class ring has had the same design since 1953, the Ring Dinner did not become a celebrated event until 1990 for the class of 1992. Vice President for College Programs Jean Jackson said, “I was at the first Ring Dinner as a young faculty member.”

While it was a very informal gathering of juniors with their dinner trays on a Friday night in Belk West, Jackson said, “That was the first inkling of tradition.”

Today, Ring Dinner is at the end of Ring Week, which consists of daily activities and a different costume ring to wear each day.

“Ring dinner definitely made me feel

fun for them …. It’s the best surprise party you’ve ever attended.”

The play is a little different each time it’s performed.

“I think one of the reasons it has continued to be popular is that it has evolved with the times just as the College has,” said Jackson.

If a faculty or staff member has a special interest, like inline skating, baton twirling or belly dancing, sometimes that gets incorporated into the play. Sometimes special roles are created. References to current literature and events often wind up in the script.

Once a faculty member accepts a role, he or she almost always keeps performing it until their retirement.

“We are attuned to popular culture and try to remain relevant,” said Jackson. “I think Alice puts us in touch with our younger selves and shows spirit in the face of all obstacles.”

Alice is a story that remains timeless and entertaining. The Meredith translation of the play continues to resonate with a Meredith audience.

Said Jackson, “A bold, adventurous girl who made her way [is a] metaphor for anyone confronting new and familiar experiences (when making one’s way) through the world.

Most students who come to Meredith are successful in making their way to graduation and to successful lives.”

closer to my classmates, and the student body as a whole,” said Kelleher. “It also draws

Like Ring Dinner, Cornhuskin’ is one of the most fondly remembered of Meredith traditions by alumnae for similar reasons.

Said Kathy Rhodes, ’84, “In those large moments, everyone was part of the crowd …. It was nice to have major bonding events occur so that we all shared some history.”

In fall 2015, friends Mandy Steele Johnson, ’96, and Ashley Parr Henderson, ’97, served together as Cornhuskin’ judges.

“Cornhuskin’ has changed a lot from 20 years ago,” said Johnson. “The most amazing thing, though, is that it is still exactly the same – excited young women who have worked so hard to achieve a common goal.”

That isn’t an unusual observation for

“It’s a bond that lasts all through your life. When I meet somebody, even very young recent graduates, there’s an instant connection. It is a sisterhood and it is all-inclusive.”

– Carolyn Carter

me closer to graduates of Meredith, because this is something that binds us all together.”

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alumnae who return years after graduation for Cornhuskin’.

“Every tradition to some degree has become more in depth,” said Jenkins. “There’s more to it or the students decided to enhance it in some huge way from the original tradition.”

Co-Director of First Year Experience Chrissie Bumgardner says there is a reason for this.

“I feel like every class wants to put their stamp on it,” she said. “If there’s already a lot in place … it continually moves things to the next level.”

Said Kristen Rivera, ’16, “We all have the ability to customize the traditions to our class, but the classes before us have all experienced the sense of sisterhood and belonging that we’re experiencing now …. I think the fact that so many students were in our shoes before us is energizing.”

While some traditions increase in scale, others change simply because interest in them wanes.

For instance, Palio, which started in 1935 and was later phased out, took place during

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the same day as Stunt, and had a parade and themes for each class. The main event that day was a horse race. Horses were made out of papier-mâché or horse heads on sticks.

More recently, Freshman Frolic was phased out, which was a field day-like event that ran from 1996-2004.

“All of these traditions made you think about what the students had to do,” said Archives Assistant Meredith Haynes. “They were stuck on campus and had some fun outside of academics. Students [bringing

“The tradition and the sense of community bind us together.”

– Hilary Allen, ’01

cars to campus] and [being] able to leave has changed things.”

As old traditions have died out, newer ones have started.

Charming Evening was created by the class of 2000 as a sophomore class event.

Said Haynes, “Each student received a charm special to her class. It has ‘MC’ on the front and the graduation year on the back.”

Henderson, a children’s pastor in Raleigh, draws upon her experience at Tea for Two, a sophomore class event previously called the Mother Daughter Tea. It was started in 1991 by the class of 1993. At the event to be held this year at her church, Meredith student and Miss North Carolina Kate Peacock will be the speaker.

Participating in events like Tea for Two and Cornhuskin’ helped Henderson gain experience to rely on later.

“I was a pretty strong leader before coming to Meredith but Cornhuskin’ taught me so many life lessons,” said Henderson. “I remember being right out of college and being able to think about things for work like they were Cornhuskin’.”

This comes as no surprise to the Student Leadership and Service office.

“These students who are involved in these traditions learn so many skills,” said Jenkins. “Cornhuskin’ co-chairs … show organizational skills, creativity, interpersonal

skills, written communication skills.”

Murphy agrees that being in a leadership role for Cornhuskin’ does prepare students for the future. “[It] requires discipline and dedication. It teaches accountability,” she said. “Your classmates are counting on you to show up and deliver. It reinforces time management techniques, because schoolwork always comes first, but everyone wants to participate in their class activities.”

For Rivera, her role in Cornhuskin’ as a script writer for her class skit gives her experience she’ll draw upon later.

Meredith College Traditions Corn Huskin’ Bee – 1945-present

CLASS-SPECIFIC TRADITIONS

(name changed to Cornhuskin’ in 1961)

Bathtub Ring – 1968

Stunt – 1916-present

Freshman Frolic – 1996-2004

Palio – 1935-1951

Guardian Angel Dance – 1991-present

Play Day – 1940-1969

(formerly the Father-Daughter Dance)

Crook Hunt – 1906-present

Tea for Two – 1991-present

Alice in Wonderland – 1924-present Class Day – early 1900s-present Class Dolls – 1936-present Big Sis/Lil’ Sis – 1919-present

(by the class of 1970)

(formerly the Mother-Daughter Tea) Charming Evening – 1998-present

(by the class of 2000) Ring Dinner – 1990-present

(by the class of 1992)

“I want to go into video production, and learning how to write a clever script in conjunction with ‘client’ guidelines helped me problem solve and think outside the box in my personal creative endeavors,” she explained.

It’s both experiencing Meredith traditions in the moment as well as reflecting on them later with fellow alumnae that resonate.

In 1997, Carter delivered the commencement speech, and said, “I was certainly aware of this closeness while I was at Meredith, but as the years have gone by, I am increasingly aware of how strong this bond is.”

After watching students experience Meredith traditions for over 20 years, Bumgardner observed, “The longer a tradition has been in place, the more meaningful it becomes. It helps Meredith become their home.”

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The Girls In fall they greet each other here, remark on one another’s clothes, describing trips abroad and near (for they have seen the world, God knows), glance outside where a freshman goes while they themselves still feel the same, although the pane’s reflection shows the women that the Girls became.

They crack their copies of Shakespeare, reciting verses, citing prose.

If faces have become severe, and quilted folds bracket a nose, the undimmed eyes resemble those upon the walls in gilded frame, regarding with serene repose the women that the Girls became.

Those portraits witness every year that moment dream and dream oppose, where someone glimpses a career beyond the whirl of proms and beaus, or online jokes, or painted toes, and sees a self she cannot name – to bluejeans from Edwardian bows, the women that the Girls became.

So friends return to where they chose the paths they walked, relight the flame, once more revise and recompose the women that the Girls became.

—Robert Alden Rubin

Poet and writer Robert Alden Rubin is an English instructor at Meredith College. His poem was inspired by the continuing education class he taught for Meredith alumnae in the fall of 2015.

Rubin is an author who has worked as a journalist and was an editor for Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. His latest book is Going to Hell in a Hen Basket: An Illustrated Dictionary of Modern Malapropisms. He is also the editor of two well-regarded popular poetry anthologies and author of a book of literary nonfiction about the Appalachian Trail.

The Girls was the overall competition winner in a poetry contest held to commemorate Meredith’s 125th Anniversary. The winner of the student category was A Meredith Woman by Elena Mulligan, ’17. The contest, which was cosponsored by the 125th Celebration Steering Committee and the Carlyle Campbell Friends of the Library, was open to anyone connected to Meredith College.

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BEYOND STRONG The Campaign for Meredith

FUELING THE FUTURE OF MEREDITH

A

s Meredith College celebrates 125 years in 2016, Beyond Strong | The Campaign for Meredith will make the College even stronger.

More than 19,000 graduates have used the education they received at Meredith to build strong careers, families, and communities in which they live.

Investing in education is important, and alumnae and friends of Meredith know what a unique and special place Meredith College is to all who attend. Meredith has made an impact on the lives of our students, and our alumnae make an impact in the world immediately – and long after they leave campus.

Meredith’s strategic plan, Meredith Forever, has given the College the tools needed to support fundraising efforts in six priority areas: educational excellence, optimal enrollment, enhanced financial strength, cutting edge facilities and technology, greater visibility, and enhanced quality of life. The Campaign offers the opportunity to continue to make the plan a reality and to give Meredith students the best education possible.

With a strong alumnae base and the support of numerous friends of the College, we know we can exceed our goal.

In the last three and a half years, Meredith has raised more than $52 million, sur-

passing the last 7-year campaign by more than $10 million.

So how can you help? There are a number of ways you can support Meredith. Make a gift that addresses the most pressing needs of the College or select a more specific way to support the College. Make the long-term, endowed gift that you have been considering. However you decide to give, you will be making a difference for our students today and in the future.

Visit meredith.edu/beyondstrong to see how you can support Meredith College and how others are helping Meredith go Beyond Strong.

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CAMPUS

BEYOND STRONG NEWS The Campaign for Meredith

Johnson Hall Renovations Underway

T

he scaffolding outside Johnson Hall this fall was the first visible sign that renovations were underway. Thanks to the generosity of the Jud Ammons family, in memory of Jo Ellen Ammons, ’57, and from Bobbitt Clay Williams, ’57, and her husband Bill Williams, the iconic building is undergoing interior and exterior renovations that will make it more welcoming for all who enter. The project is expected to be completed by summer 2016. Visit meredith.edu/renovations to learn more about campus renovation projects.

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Gift from Ammons Family is Largest Current Gift in Meredith’s History

T

he Jud Ammons family, of Raleigh, N.C., honors Jo Ellen Ammons as a wife, a mother, and a grandmother who brought a warm and welcoming personality to all she encountered. The family’s $3.5 million gift is funding renovation of Johnson Hall and creating the Jo Ellen Ammons Welcome Center.

The Welcome Center will house admissions, financial assistance, the registrar, and the business office while creating a more userfriendly experience for students and their families.

“The renovation will create a better experience for all who come in contact with Meredith and allow the College to make needed repairs,” said President Jo Allen. “We are so pleased that Jo Ellen’s family has given this gift in her honor, expressly reflecting her own singular purpose of helping us recruit top students.”

The renovations include building the Welcome Center, restoring the historic elements of the building, adding a new copper dome, and moving the staircase to create a view from the front entrance through the Rotunda into the courtyard.

Jud and Jo Ellen met for the first time at the front entrance of Johnson Hall, when she was a student at Meredith. Jud, an NC State student at the time, vividly remembers his blind date with Jo Ellen and her stepping out of Johnson Hall in the yellow sweater that she said she would be wearing. He shared that memory

fondly, knowing how important Meredith College was to her.

“Jo Ellen’s greatest interest was students,” said Jud Ammons, her husband of 57 years. “She was compassionate, hard-working, and always smiling. She loved Meredith and was always interested in helping people.”

Ammons says this gift is a perfect way to honor his wife because she was such a welcoming person to all who met her.

Jo Ellen Ammons earned a degree in religion from Meredith in 1957 and served four terms on the Board of Trustees. She was involved in numerous initiatives over the years and was the recipient of the Meredith College Alumnae Philanthropy Award in 1997.

Alumna Honors Anniversary

B

obbitt Clay Williams, ’57, and her husband, Bill Williams, of Newport Beach, Calif., commemorated their 60th wedding anniversary by making a $1 million gift that will fund additional Johnson Hall renovations and help to create a positive educational experience for students at Meredith College.

Williams said the gift was meaningful to her because she loved her days at Meredith, where she earned a degree in business administration. She believes Meredith has directly contributed to the wonderful life she has led. Further, Williams says, the gift would have made her mother, Parrieleigh Clay, of Rocky Mount, N.C., quite proud.

“My mother was the kindest and most generous woman, sharing so much of what she had with others. Most important were her values, her family, and her friends.”

When asked about the purpose of the gift, she said, “Bill and I are delighted to make a gift that helps women get an excellent education.”

In honor of her gift, a suite of offices will be named the Bobbitt Clay Williams Executive Suite. The new suite is expected to open

in the summer.

“Meredith College is grateful to the Williams family for their gift, which is a touching tribute to the life they’ve built together and evidence of the lasting impact of the Meredith experience,” said President Jo Allen.

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BEYOND STRONG

Celebrating Scholarship Donors

The Campaign for Meredith

Donors Fulfilling Dreams for Students

Campus Community Shows Commitment Faculty and Staff Surpass Campaign Goal

71% 66%

This year’s giving from current faculty and staff.

FACULTY AND STAFF

Meredith College faculty and staff who gave to the Meredith campaign last year.

26%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

National average for faculty and staff who contribute to their own institution.

$227,574: Gifts and three-year pledges from current and former faculty and staff.

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On Thursday, October 22, 2015, more than 300 students and donors attended Meredith’s Annual Scholarship Dinner.

The dinner focuses on pairing students with their donors to give them time to learn more about each other, with Meredith students taking the opportunity to thank donors for their scholarships.

“For our students in this room, one of their dreams is a degree from Meredith College,” said President Jo Allen.

“Surveys show us that they have a great experience while they are here, and our donors enable that to happen for many of them. Tonight, we celebrate and thank you for giving another woman something she thought she would never have –– a Meredith College education.”

ALUMNAE

CONNECTION Class notes and news for Meredith Alumnae 1951

1968

LeGrace Gupton Benson began serving as president of the Haitian Studies Association in January 2016. Since 1992, she has served as associate editor of the Journal of Haitian Studies, a peerreviewed scholarly publication. Her book, Arts and Religions of Haiti; How the Sun Illuminates Under Cover of Darkness, is published by Ian Randle Press of Jamaica, W.I.,

Jennie Jones Jeffries is living in her hometown, Beaufort, loving it, and is looking forward to reconnecting with Meredith. Jane Waller Smith enjoyed her first session in the N.C. Senate. She was pleased to be able to accomplish a number of things for District 13 (Robeson and Columbus counties). She would like to have seen more of the cuts to education restored and teachers receiving an across-the-board raise but will try to promote that in the short session that begins in April.

1959 Alice Kelley Burrows was inducted into the Raleigh Hall of Fame in honor of her work as the founder of Project Enlightenment, a first-of-its-kind program for preschool children with mental health problems.

1963 Bryna Barrett Barnes recently retired from her position as the Founder of The Charlotte Spiritually Center, a three year program to train spiritual directors for certification. She continues to supervise students and provide spiritual direction. She is the proud and happy grandmother of a new grandson, making 11 grandchildren in all! Anna Shadoin Rickell, as semi-retired clinical social worker, continues to help by leading grief groups at her church.

She occasionally provides Critical Incidents Debriefing for companies that experience crisis such as the sudden death of an employee, downsizing, bank robberies, etc. She is also the ethics chair for the Society of Clinical Social Work. She cares for her husband who has a muscle wasting illness and loves spending time with her three grandchildren.

1970 Janet Morris Belvin and her husband celebrated their wedding anniversary in October with an extended trip sponsored by the National Corvette Museum to various sites in Kentucky. Their eighth grandchild was born in November. Katherine Lawing Capps and her husband just celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. They live in Hilton Head, S.C., and would love to see any of her classmates who visit the island. They enjoy good food, good friends, good golf, and lots of fun. Sue Hammons Cook is loving life with five grandchildren, teaching reading part time, spreading the word about organ donation as an ambassador of Donate Life, and trying to survive the fun of raising a lab puppy. Brenda Parks Hughes has published a book of poetry, Reflections of a World War II Veteran: Poems about War and Life.

The poems were written by Paul J. Willis, who fought in the European theatre and was featured in one of Hughes’ documentaries, Thank You, Ed-

die Hart. For more information, go to her website, wetbirdproductions.com. Betty King Johnson has just learned that her son was inducted as a Fellow in the International College of Dentistry. Only three percent of the dentists in the United States are awarded this recognition. The induction ceremony and festivities were held in Washington, D.C. Johnson’s younger son was promoted to market administrative manager for Merrill Lynch. His new position makes him responsible for the supervision of nine offices throughout western North Carolina and southern Virginia. He, his wife, and two children have relocated from Raleigh to Greensboro, N.C. Donna Burgess Lupo recently visited Suzanne George Palmer in Kitty Hawk. Together they made a day trip to visit Jean Wolf Robb - three home economics majors together again. Lupo reports that Palmer’s sewing room is awesome. Since her retirement, Lupo stays busy helping out with her seven grandchildren. Cindy Griffith McEnery is enjoying retirement thoroughly. Photography has become her passion. You can see some of her work on cindymceneryphotography.com. When she’s not behind the camera, she is enjoying traveling with her husband, most recently to Greece and Turkey.

She is proud to announce that she is the “mother of the first First Lady” as her daughter is now portraying Martha Washington at Colonial Williamsburg!

Emma Ruth Bartholomew Stewart was recently reelected as a member of the Louisburg, N.C., Town Council, a position she has held for 22 years.

1976 Cynthia Creech Beasley, Susan Jordan Small,

Compiled by the Office of Alumnae Relations from August – November 2015. Information may be edited for space limitations and content restrictions. Submit class notes to your class agent, online at meredith.edu/alumnae, by email at alumnae@meredith.edu, by fax (919) 760-2818, or by phone to the Office of Alumnae Relations at (919) 760-8548. Deadline for the Summer 2016 issue is March 18, 2016. Submissions received after this date will appear in the Fall 2016 issue.

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Valeria Tyndall Taylor, and Annette Rountree Taylor thoroughly enjoyed a long weekend at Atlantic Beach in late October. For 31 years, Beasley has been the bookkeeper for Mitchell’s Hairstyling. She lives in Zebulon and still loves to spend time at the beach. Reya Blount Roller is retired but keeps busy taking her son to therapy, going to the beach whenever the opportunity arises, and visiting with friends. Susan Jordan Small lives in Greensboro and became a grandmother on April 13, 2015. Since her grandson lives in Florida, her classmates predict there will be a lot of trips taken to the Sunshine State. All four of her children are married. Annette Rountree Taylor lives in Apex and retired from Duke Energy in December 2014 after 38 years with CP&L/Progress Energy/Duke Energy. She started there after completing her Meredith co-op with CP&L. She was Meredith’s first co-op student and CP&L was the first corporate participant. Her two sons are in Asheville and Charlotte. Her husband is retiring soon, and they plan to put some miles on his Camaro convertible.

Valeria Tyndall Taylor has been declared cancer free after four years. She became a grandmother in November to a baby girl. Her daughter-in-law is a 2010 Meredith graduate. Taylor lives in Deep Run and is in her 36th year of teaching at South Lenoir High School.

1977 Kathryn Christian Bender is happily teaching law to undergraduate and graduate students at The College of Charleston. She is also thrilled to announce that her family is growing and she has a 2-year-old grandson.

1979 Tracy Vosburgh has been named senior associate vice president for university relations at Virginia Tech.

1982 Betsy Roach Switzer has moved to Virginia after 21 years in Tennessee and is serving as the pastor of First United Methodist Church of Rich Creek, Va.

1983 JoAnne Williams Branch and her husband are celebrating 26 years together. They are blessed with four “almost or mostly” grown children. She enjoys watching her daughter, who is a member

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TRAVEL THE GLOBE WITH MEREDITH 2016 Alumnae Travel Program What would make traveling to interesting locations around the world even better? Touring with fellow Meredith alumnae and other friends of the College as part of the Alumnae Travel Program.

The Alumnae Travel Program is open to all adults, especially Meredith alumnae and friends of the College. These tours work well for singles, couples, mothers, daughters, and granddaughters.

Recent participants praise the Alumnae Travel Program experience.

“Meredith College partners with top-rated tour companies to bring you interesting and fun itineraries. The hotels where we stayed were wonderful and comfortable. The itinerary included fascinating towns that we may never have visited if we were traveling on our own.”

—Michelle Duda, ’99 “The trip to Italy was wonderful; my daughter and I had a very good time. I would highly recommend any of the Meredith trips. The two I have gone on with [program leaders] Betty Webb and Becky Bailey have been outstanding.” —Sandra Walker Questions? Contact Denise Parker at dpparker@meredith.edu or (919) 7608051. Visit meredith.edu/alumnae/travel for information on upcoming programs.

meredith.edu/alumnae

ALUMNAE

CONNECTION

[ALUMNAE GOING STRONG]

LAKISHA CHICHESTER Prepared When Opportunity Knocked

By Melyssa Allen When Lakisha Chichester heard about Meredith’s paralegal program, she was instantly intrigued. Once she learned more, she knew the profession was the right one for her.

The experience at Meredith went beyond coursework. “At Meredith, I was mentored and coached, plugged into paralegal networks, and encouraged to seek out opportunities,” Chichester said.

Chichester now uses the knowledge she gained at Meredith as a corporate paralegal at Self-Help, a community development lender and real estate developer in Durham, N.C. Self-Help consists of two credit unions, a nonprofit loan fund and an advocacy group. She is the sole paralegal for the legal group, working with six attorneys.

“I manage and maintain corporate records and report filings; review advertising and marketing materials for compliance with various banking, finance, and fair lending regulations; prepare and file quarterly and semi-annual lobbying reports and disclosures; draft commercial and residential real estate documents; and serve as the contract administrator,” Chichester said.

The Meredith paralegal program experience helped Chichester define what she wanted from her career.

“For me, career success meant being a certified paralegal and working with autonomy at an organization that respected and supported the value that I bring to the organization,” she said. “I have achieved my original goals: I have a wonderful job, I am a North Carolina State Bar certified paralegal and I am an NALA advanced certified paralegal.” NALA is the nation’s leading professional association for paralegals.

Completing the paralegal program at Meredith made Chichester able to take advantage of more opportunities.

“Louis Pasteur said ‘Chance favors only the prepared mind,’” Chichester said.

“We are not in control of when or how an opportunity will come our way, but we are in control of preparing for them. Once you identify your career niche, prepare for it and stay ready,” she advised.

Learn more about Meredith’s paralegal program at meredith.edu/paralegal.

of the Class of 2018, take part in the wonderful traditions of Meredith! Karen McArden Broadway works with Coldwell Banker Coastal Rivers Realty in Washington, N.C. Belinda McAllister Sellers welcomed her first grandchild on February 11, 2015.

She and her husband have recently made a huge career change to work for Walker’s Funeral Service in Chapel Hill, Mebane, and Hillsborough, N.C.

1984 Laurie Pomeranz Grimm has been living in Vermont for 25 years, having arrived in 1990 to serve for two years as a SBC US2 Home Missionary in a small church in Montpelier Vt. Her husband of just over 24 years is in his 41st year of teaching high school. Their daughter is a college sophomore at Campbell University studying music education and their son is a high school senior interested in studying culinary arts and restaurant management after graduation. Grimm works full time in patient financial services at the local hospital and is active in community events and her local church. She lives in beautiful Newport, Vt., just six miles south of the Canadian border.

Liza Walters Weidle is enjoying her new position at the YMCA of the Triangle as the communications specialist. Part of her job includes developing key messages for print and online communications and leadership. To learn more, visit ymcatriangle.org.

She also welcomed the birth of two granddaughters in January and May.

1988 Julia Edwards Kinlaw began working with Barry Z. Dodson, CPA PLLC in July 2015 as a staff member, certified public accountant.

1990 Linda Walters Messer moved to Thousand Oaks, Calif., in July 2015 for her husband’s job. Cheryl Alderman Slokker is now working as the director of marketing and development at the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. She is also on the Board of Directors for the Visual Arts Center, chair of the Collectors’ Night Art Auction, and on the Junior Board of the Children’s Hospital of Richmond. Amy Jo Scarboro Tant is now working as the director of school nutrition services at Weldon City Schools.

Deanna Harris is in her 21st year as an educator, and is currently working as the teacher librarian at East Cary Middle School. She is also serving as the PTA president at her daughter’s elementary school.

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Julia Toone is the executive director of Family Services of Davidson County.

1991 Sarah Kelly Burns is working as a realtor with Scott and Bond, Inc. in Bedford, Va. She is also still working as associate professor of English at Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, Va.

1992 Lesley Williams Faulkner has enjoyed her first year as a realtor with Lilac Realty in Charlotte, N.C. Melinda Walker Hall was hired in October as a commercial real estate broker with Triangle Real Estate Group. Martha Hornthal and her partner adopted their two girls in June, ages 8 and 3.

1993 Mitchell Brown recently published a book with Kathleen Hale and Robert Montjoy titled Administering Elections: How American Elections Work (Palgrave MacMillan). She is an associate professor and director of the Ph.D. program in public administration and public policy at Auburn University. Leigh Anne Perkinson Naas was recently tapped as her team’s newest community manager at her job with Eli Lilly and Company. Becky Yarbrough Norman works at the Department of Veterans Affairs as a social worker in the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program. She is also very excited to be a new Arbonne Independent Beauty Consultant. Karen Nipper North is serving as Millbrook Elementary Magnet School’s PTA President this school year.

Millbrook Elementary is an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) school in Raleigh, N.C.

1995 Leigh Butler Longino was named chief operating officer of Camp Corral, a free, weeklong summer camp for military children. Based in Raleigh, Camp Corral partners with 23 host camps across the nation to provide the week of a lifetime to the children of wounded, disabled, or fallen military service members.

1996 Ruth Anne Bowles Sawyer graduated in May 2015 with a Master in Christian Ministry from Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary in

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Lynchburg, Va. She was ordained a reverend in May and currently serves at Haymarket Baptist Church in Haymarket, Va.

1998 Fran Bolin Absher was recently recognized in the “Top 40 under 40” for Richmond, Va. She works as the executive director of Assisting Families of Inmates where she helps families of people in prison to stay connected with their loved ones through transportation, childcare, and moral support.

1999 Courtney Duncil works as an attorney, practicing law in Charlotte at McGuireWoods. In October, she was sworn in as a member of the United States Supreme Court Bar in Washington, D.C.

2000 Danielle Letourneau-Therrien serves as the executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County in Massachusetts. Her organization was selected as one of 32 mentoring programs throughout the Commonwealth to receive a men-

2008 Leigh Ann Alford-Keith graduated from UNCChapel Hill with a Master of School Administration in May 2015 and began working as special assistant to the northern area superintendent in Wake County Public School System in July 2015.

Liz McLean joined the Raleigh office of CBI in July of 2015 as a sales consultant focusing on sales and business development. McLean was also appointed by Governor Pat McCrory to serve on the Historic Blount Street Oversight Commission.

Amanda Powell started a new job as the lab manager for the biology department at Meredith College. Elizabeth Vines was recently hired as lead forms designer at the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts.

2006 Meredith Strub is working on her M.S. in publishing from Pace University in New York.

2009 Katie Perkins O’Neill and her husband reside

toring matching grant.

in Raleigh, N.C. She started a teaching job as the

2001

private piano lessons teacher at Ravenscroft School.

Kristen Monaco Johnson was recently hired as the new choir director at Providence High School in Charlotte, N.C. Sarah Fawn McLamb is the director of choral programs at Corinth Holders High School and is proud to announce that three of her students auditioned and were accepted as members of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) All National Honor Choir. They performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., in October 2015. Chassie Selouane was nominated for three international Middle East/North Africa Educational Awards. She has been promoted to the vice principal of teaching & learning for the SAIS-Dubai campus.

PreK-3rd music teacher, 3rd-5th choir director, and Samantha Price was appointed chief resident of the foot and ankle residency at St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, Ohio, and received a North Carolina Podiatric Medical License as of July 2015.

2010 Jennie Lee Wells was hired to work as an interior designer for LS3P in the firm’s Wilmington office.

2014 Skye Hakes Liles recently moved back to Raleigh and started a new job. She is now the venue coordinator for an event venue called the Leslie-AlfordMims House in Holly Springs.

2005

MARRIAGES

Megan Jones is now an Emerald Ambassador with Plexus Worldwide. Ashley Ellis Smith started a new job at Quintiles as a clinical research associate resourcing manager. Leslie van den Berg is teaching first grade at Concordia International School Shanghai.

2001 Amanda Puckett to Todd BenDor, 08/12.

Colleen Mazza to Matthew Kinser, 08/21.

2002 Talia Caligiuri to Alan Fann, 10/18/14.

2004

1996

Lacy Cuthbertson to Jeff Todd, 09/27.

Shauna March King, a daughter, Adeline Donna, 10/14/15. Rebekah McRoy Williams, a daughter, Molly Kathryn, 10/16/15.

2005

Parker, 09/02/15. Mary Catherine Saunders Revelle, a son, Henry Charles, 08/26/15.

2005

2011

Kimberly Franklin Kavanagh, a son, Reid Patrick, 03/15/14.

Chambliss Hill Barrow, a son, Edward “Ned” Bruce, 03/18/15. Stewart Parham DiFiore, a daughter, Mildred “Millie” Stewart, 05/11/15. Katie Fuller Dohrman, a daughter, Olivia Leistra, 02/19/15. Kristin Smith Harris, a son, Wylder Bennett, 10/08/15. Jennifer Sasser Holland, a daughter, Harper Ann, 07/28/15. Beth Briggs Holt, a son, Briggs Bryant, 01/22/15. Meagan Matt Maddox, a daughter, Lillian Christina, 05/23/15.

Megan Arnold Parker, twin boys, Bennett Griffin and Cameron Nicholas, 09/30/15. Katherine Fuccella Perkins, a son, Edward (Ned) Vail, 03/20/15. Becky Rudder Sykes, a daughter, Caroline Claire, 08/26/14.

Elizabeth Robinson Throckmorton, a son, Andrew Ware, 10/29/15. Leann Ruff Wilson, a son, Colton Durham, 07/17/14.

Sarah Buster to William Joyner, 10/24.

2001

2006

Keeva Tate Cook, twins, Tate Allred and Ava Elizabeth, 07/24/15. Kim Joyner Dail, a son, Carter Hayden, 03/31/14.

Ashley Adams Eller, a daughter, Olivia Kate, 09/02/15. Elizabeth Loftis Plotkin, a son, Samuel Wilson, 04/16/15.

2002

2008 Lindsey Lawlor Baker, a daughter, Harper Lee,

1985

Emily Roudabush Anderson, a daughter, Grace Nicole, 07/26/15. Kelly Fish Wilson, a daughter, Laney Kate, 08/18/15.

Bliss Bright Forrer, a daughter, Rebekah Annelise,

2003

Ella Idell, 03/06/14. Laura Tietgen Racz, a daugh-

07/12/96. Bliss Bright Forrer, a daughter, Meredith

Sara Thornton Carpenter, a son, Chandler Everett, 05/19/15. Allee Byrd Harrell, a son, Charles

ter, Hailey Kay, 02/24/15. Leigh Ann Stephenson, a son, Graham Cole, 09/28/15.

Virginia Cameron Baldwin to Richard Joyce, 04/18.Brittany Crumley to Jeffrey Sammons, 10/2014.

2006 Sarah Edwards to Steven Benko, 06/13.

2008 Lindsey Lawlor to Christopher Baker, 09/17/11.

Ashley Smith to Andrew Deisler, 06/20/15.

2009 Allison Jacobs to Edward Mason, 10/17.

Katie Perkins to Michael O’Neill, 10/10.

2013 Christina Cole to Justin Spears, 10/24.

2014 Alison McQueen to Jonathan Ray, 10/10.

BIRTHS

Gabrielle, 06/12/98.

1997 Jasmine Hart Lauer, a daughter, Hartlee Cathryn.

10/04/14.

1999 Corey Thompson Davis, a son, Benjamin Samuel, 05/02/14. Nikki Illingworth Eyquem, a son, Harlan Ambrose, 09/10/15. Christa Mazza Moore, a daughter, Kylie Cienna, 09/29/15.

2000 Sarah Poole Wincovich, a son, Samuel Patrick, 06/01/15.

11/07/14. Natalie Roane Colhoun, a son, Robert Carey, 03/31/15. Jessica Wolf Driscoll, a daughter,

STOCK UP

ON SPECIAL MEREDITH PRODUCTS Are you in need of new ways to show your love of Meredith College? The Meredith Market is an online store curated by the Office of Alumnae Relations, and filled with items that especially appeal to alumnae.

Whether you want to show that you are Going Strong with a Meredith mug or celebrate Meredith’s 125th anniversary with a set of coasters, the Meredith Market is the place to shop. Visit meredith.edu/alumnae and click on Meredith Market.

Contact Denise Parker in the Office of Alumnae Relations at dpparker@meredith.edu or (919) 760-8051 with questions.

S p ring 2016 | M E R E D IT H M A G A Z I N E

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ALUMNAE

CONNECTION

2009

[ALUMNAE GOING STRONG]

Jennifer Inscoe Baker, a son, Oliver George, 01/31/15. Erin Dahlen, a daughter, Mckenzie Grace, 02/19/15.

2010

HEATHER BLACKWOOD, ’07

Alice Brown, a daughter, Mary Alice, 06/14/15.

Achieving a Lifelong Goal

Danielle Baskin Edwards, a daughter, Finley Kate, 04/30/15. Kerianne Bethea Peaden, a daughter, Kinsley Anne, 09/18/15. Amy Brooks Roach, a daughter, Ella Kathryn, 07/02/15.

2011 Bethany Osborne Schenider, a daughter, Emily Kate, 10/15/14.

2013 Irene Serrano, a daughter, Sophia, 11/26/14.

By Melyssa Allen For as long as she can remember, Heather Blackwood, ’07, has loved racing.

“My dad is a race fan, so racing was something we bonded over,” Blackwood explained. As she got older, this pastime became a career she wanted to pursue.

At Meredith, she found ways to incorporate her interest into her classes while she gained the skills needed to make that goal a reality.

“My business classes allowed me the opportunity to share my passion

DEATHS

for motorsports,” Blackwood said. “I

1940

remember completing projects about the

Dorothy Coble Helms, 11/06/15. Frances Lanier Powell, 09/11/15.

1941 Evelyn White Harthcock, 09/18/15. Helen Byrd Menius, 10/25/15.

1942

cost of sponsorships throughout racing. I think I opened some minds in my classes about how that form of marketing is very appealing to Fortune 500 companies.”

Blackwood supplemented her classwork with internships in the field. “I was fortunate to do an internship at Charlotte

Amelia Pruitt Nichols, 08/30/15.

Motor Speedway soon after graduating,

1945

and that opened a lot of doors for me,”

Jane Foushee Garrison, 08/19/15. Marie Shuffler Welch, 08/05/15.

she said.

1947

worked in corporate sales. She then worked for an agency that handled NASCAR

Betty Jean Donley Burbank, 08/23/15.

1948 Arlene Hall Work, 08/28/15.

1949 Marianna Worth Morgan, 07/13/15.

1950

Her career has taken her to Richmond International Raceway, where she projects for Toyota. Her tasks included managing catering, driver appearances, and other VIP experiences for special guests.

She is now the client services manager at World Racing Group (WRG), the premier sanctioning body for dirt track racing in the U.S. and Canada. WRG manages more than 5,000 races annually at 120 tracks. Blackwood’s primary focus is on Sprint Car, Late Model, and Super DIRTcar series.

“I love seeing the final product — the race itself — come to fruition,” Black-

Annette Miller Swenson, 08/31/15.

wood said. “My role now is very grassroots. When I go to an event, I’m hanging

1951

banners and handing out decal kits to teams.”

Mary Elizabeth “Betsy” Jordan Goldston, 07/31/15. Helen Walker Harris, 08/04/15. Emma Lee Hough McCracken, 10/09/15.

done previously, and meeting the needs of her clients.

1952 Betty Jo Smith Farrington, 11/03/15.

1953 Martha Baird Blackley, 08/18/15.

The most challenging part of her job is not repeating things that have been “My group of clients now is different from any other I’ve dealt with,” Blackwood said. “They don’t want fancy things, so I’m tasked with coming up with ideas that aren’t too extravagant but that still show a worthy return to these clients.”

Blackwood, who wants to someday work for NASCAR’s partnership marketing team, credits Meredith College with putting her career on the right track.

“My decision to attend Meredith was one of the best decisions I’ve made. The

1954

skills and confidence I developed are making a difference in my career,” Black-

Ruby C. McSwain, 08/30/15.

wood said. “I believe if I hadn’t attended Meredith I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

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1955

1993

1970

Lillian Leary Balzer, 08/29/15.

Cari Davis Plyler, 10/24/15.

Janet Morris Belvin in the death of her grandson.

1957

SYMPATHY

1973

Grace Bost Rouse, 09/12/15.

1962

1947

Linda Louise Kirby, 08/12/15.

Peggy Parker McCaskill in the death of her husband.

1963

1953

Joan Farinholt Thompson in the death of her father.

1974 Louise McCaskill Baker in the death of her father.

Meta Mae Williams Kennedy in the death of her husband.

Equilla Minga in the death of her mother.

Sandra Temple Hohing, 10/20/15.

1956

Cathy McCaskill Kearney in the death of her father.

1970

Delores Blanton Murphrey in the death of her husband.

1976

Julia Hacskaylo Abernethy, 11/06/15.

1971

1958

1977

Margaret Tharrington, 09/05/15.

Margaret Creech Sutton in the death of her sister.

Margaret Phoenix Agee in the death of her father.

1973

Betsy Greene Waters in the death of her husband.

Cathy McCracken James in the death of her sister.

Patty Bridges, 09/13/15.

1962

Lee Coble Worden in the death of her father.

1986

Sybil Williams Pope in the death of her husband.

1978

Paula Wright, 03/23/14.

Lou Perry Tippett in the death of her brother.

Marjorie Warren Sink in the death of her mother.

1988

1965

1979

Susan Haines Reid, 10/11/15.

Pat Rogers Dozier in the death of her husband.

Landis Beddingfield in the death of her mother.

Harriet Dodd Barlowe, 10/02/15.

1968

1975

Reya Blount Roller in the death of her mother.

STRONGER U

BECOME EVEN

STRONGER. This spring, Meredith is offering three day-long, interactive workshops that will make you even stronger.

Leading With Your Strengths – Friday, March 4, 2016 Identify your primary strengths and learn how to use them to advance your career, develop your leadership skills, and collaborate more effectively with others.

Financial Planning – Saturday, March 19, 2016 Learn to use your strengths to develop a budget that works for you, manage credit responsibly, and direct your investments to achieve your goals.

Developing Your Strong Career Path – Saturday, April 2, 2016 Whether you’re considering a career change or just want to make the most of your strengths in your current position, this workshop will help you become a more focused professional.

Stronger U – Personal and Professional Development Programs for Women.

Register today. meredith.edu/strongeru S p ring 2016 | M E R E D IT H M A G A Z I N E

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ALUMNAE

CONNECTION

1980

[ALUMNAE GOING STRONG]

Julia Poston in the death of her father.

1983 Stephanie Prevatte Warren in the death of her son.

1984 Liza Walters Weidle in the death of her mother.

1985 Deborah Merritt Cobb in the death of her son.

1986 Anne Scruggs in the death of her father-in-law.

1987 Lisa Byrd Fitchett in the death of her husband.

1990 Tricia Neale Daniels in the death of her father.

1992

VICTORIA BUNCH, ’05 Teaching Essential Skills

By Melyssa Allen Victoria Bunch, ’05, works to ensure a system that is essential to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is used properly.

The NCDOT uses software made by SAP for functions including accounting, budgeting, payroll, purchasing processes, project management, and tracking of inventory and repairs. This software is known as the SAP system.

“There is very little that happens at NCDOT from a business operations perspective that isn’t somehow recorded in the SAP system,” Bunch explains.

Emily Bell Gibbons in the deaths of her husband and her daughter.

Developer, Bunch coordinates and delivers

1997

training to NCDOT employees across the

Robin Hollingsworth Williford in the death of her father.

state. The unit in which she works offers

1999

ness processes. She is the primary trainer,

Lori Messina Moscato in the death of her father.

2000 Natalie Hunter in the death of her grandmother.

2001 Anna Abernethy Douglas in the death of her mother.

As the main SAP Trainer and Course

nearly 60 classes that cover these SAP busiand the only one with experience teaching all of the different SAP functions. Bunch is regularly in the classroom four days a week, and she can be found in Edenton one day and Asheville another.

“Lately a typical day for me has been spent in the classroom. I teach classes all

2002

over the state for all of the NCDOT divisions

Casey Hunter in the death of her grandmother.

… with end users including a range of posi-

2012

tions from business executives to mechanics,

Esther McCaskill-Baker in the death of her grandfather.

office assistants to engineers,” she said.

2014

such an important responsibility had no pre-

Hannah Thornton in the death of her grandmother.

It may be surprising that someone with vious experience in IT or SAP training. Two NCDOT internships and a stint as an English instructor in Angers, France, led Bunch to take on her current position.

“Knowing from my experience in France that I loved to teach, and feeling confident in what I had learned about SAP, I took the opportunity,” Bunch said.

She brings to her work enthusiasm, strong organizational skills, and an ability to engage learners.

“I believe in many ways teaching adults is more about having a conversation. I talk to people in my classes like I would talk to anyone,” Bunch said.

The determination to meet a challenge is something Bunch sharpened at Meredith, where she was an honors student studying accounting.

“I constantly make connections from what I’m teaching to many of the things I learned in the School of Business, but the biggest strength I gained at Meredith was confidence,” Bunch said. “I had the opportunity to be involved in so many different experiences, both academic and student life, that I walked away feeling like I could take on just about anything.”

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CELEBRATING 125 YEARS Beyond Strong | The Campaign for Meredith Visit the Beyond Strong website on February 29 for a special announcement including a video you will not want to miss. Learn how you can be part of the future of Meredith College.

meredith.edu/beyondstrong “Meredith has been going strong for 125 years. Now is the time, with our tremendous history of empowering women, for us to invest in the power of moving Beyond Strong.”

-Jo Allen, ’80 President

BEYOND STRONG The Campaign for Meredith

Department of Marketing 3800 Hillsborough Street Raleigh, North Carolina 27607-5298 meredith.edu

STRONG WOMEN ARE

WELL-READ. As an alumna, you know firsthand the importance of Carlyle Campbell Library. It is our students’ gateway to information – but it’s also home to the Learning Center, and a critical resource for faculty.

You can support the library by becoming a member of the Friends of the Carlyle Campbell Library.

As a member, you’ll receive the following benefits: • Invitations to Friends events (and reduced fees!)

• Borrowing privileges at the College Library • The Library Friends newsletter, with library news and upcoming events Become a Friend of the library today. Sign up at meredith.edu/library.

Friends of the Library Spring Dinner March 1, 6:30 p.m.

Belk Dining Hall Featured speakers are food writers Andrea Weigl of the News & Observer and cookbook author Bridgette Lacy.

To register: infotogo.meredith.edu/friends

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Raleigh, NC Permit No. 369