‘Year of China’ focus
The 2008-2009 academic year marks the “Year of China” at Catawba College, according to the institution’s Glenn and Addie Ketner Center for International Studies.
A faculty-staff coordinating committee selected China as the focus for Catawba’s inaugural “Year of ….” program in part because of the focus that the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing brought to that country. In recent years, China, the most populous nation in the world, has emerged as a political and economic force, with Chinese products flooding the world’s markets. Travel to China, once difficult and restrictive, is now routine.
According to Dr. Kurt Corriher, director of international studies, Catawba’s “Year of …” program aims to increase awareness and understanding of foreign peoples and cultures, to promote the “internationalization” of the campus, and to help prepare students to succeed in the current era of globalization.
Several events open to the public are scheduled, including two Community Forums. The first, offered at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18, wlll feature Dr. Sharon Sullivan, associate professor of mathematics, speaking on Ancient Chinese Mathematics and Chinese Art, and Mathematical Aspects of the Chinese Calendar. The second will be offered at 7:30 p.m. Jan.20 by Dr. Jack Green, associate professor of marketing, and students who participated in a summer 2008 China trip. Both will be in Tom Smith Auditorium.
Several courses offered during the year include a unit on China. Catawba’s Office of Student Affairs will also offer some student events with a Chinese theme to tie into the “Year of China” program.
Murphy books donated
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s Small Business Center has received the extensive entrepreneurship book collection of former instructor John “Chris” Murphy.
Murphy died Sept. 14 at his home in Charlotte. When his health began to fail earlier this year, he contacted SBC director Barbara Hall and offered his collection of nearly 100 books.
“We are very saddened by the loss of Chris Murphy. He was a longtime friend and one of the most experienced and knowledgeable entrepreneurship educators in the region,” said Hall. “His book collection is a bittersweet gift. It enhances our SBC Resource Center in a most significant way, but it comes at a loss that will be far more reaching.”
Murphy’s son, Tom, delivered the books in late August, and they are now part of the SBC’s Resource Center lending library at RCCC’s Cabarrus Business and Technology Center in Concord. Hall sent an “Entrepreneurship Champion” plaque back to him.
Throughout his career, Murphy started and ran 16 businesses, including manufacturing, wholesale, retail and banking. In addition to teaching SBC classes and seminars for the past two years, he was a professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he helped establish the Institute for Women as Entrepreneurs. He also taught entrepreneurship courses in the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Belk College of Business for six years.
Murphy’s funeral was scheduled for Sept. 18 in Huntersville.
Hurley Good Citizens
Hurley Elementary School recently recognized the following students as August Good Citizens:
Kindergarten: Janiya Baldwin, Evelyn Lambert, Ronni Lilly, Gabrielle McDaniel, Jackson Murphy.
First grade: Megyan Anglin, Olivia Connor, Ariel Coughenour, Jaqurious Joseph, Graham Smith, Carly Stiller.
Second grade: Je’sus Guerrero, Caroline Kruger, Estela Mercado, Kathryn Prince, Briana Saelinger.
Third grade: Mason Beck, Elly Burks, Alex Ho, Camryn Nooner, Brittney Tavira.
Fourth grade: Santiago Caballero, Lizette Hernandez, Megan Rich.
Fifth grade: Clara Ketchie, Meghan Maxey, Caitlyn McDonnell, Hannah McLimore, Mimi Webb.
Pfeiffer appoints two
MISENHEIMER ó Marisa Wheeling and Sudie Nallo have been appointed to take lead roles in the Francis Center for Servant Leadership at Pfeiffer University.
Wheeling, former director of career services at Pfeiffer, was named interim executive director of the center. Nallo, who came from the Centre for Enterprise Development and Action Research in Nigeria, will be director of service scholar programs.
The Francis Center infuses servant leadership experiences, including engaged learning, volunteerism and co-curricular activities, throughout the university’s fabric and coordinates Pfeiffer’s service scholarship and community engagement programs. These programs include Bonner Leaders, Francis Scholars and NC-ACTS!, all of which involve community service for varying educational awards. The Francis Center also helps to connect students with community partners and works with faculty and staff to incorporate service-learning into the Pfeiffer curriculum.
As executive director, Wheeling will work to integrate the university’s mission into all aspects of the university community to include curricular and co-curricular activities. She will have oversight of all the Francis Center programs, which involve service learning and service scholar initiatives, budgeting, collaboration with local, regional and national community partners and funding agencies.
She will also serve as executive administrator of the Francis Center staff and the Francis CORPS volunteer office.
Before coming to Pfeiffer, she was director of council management for Girls on the Run International, managing 128 council directors across the United States and Canada for the nonprofit organization.
She has held similar administrative outreach and volunteer positions at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Miami. She also serves on a number of community boards and foundations.
Wheeling has a bachelor’s degree from Longwood College in Farmville, Va., and a master’s degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
As director of the service scholar program, Nallo is responsible for coordinating and managing four service-based scholarship programs. She supervises and coordinates program development, implementation and evaluation of students and placement sites within all service scholar programs. She is also a critical link between the Bonner Foundation and the North Carolina Campus Compact.
Nallo collaborates with a team of professionals to increase and engage all Pfeiffer students in civic engagement and service programming and various initiatives in an effort to facilitate strong community connections.
At the Centre for Enterprise Development and Action Research in Ibadan, Nigeria, she worked as a field and research graduate intern and designed youth enterprise development training programs that promoted entrepreneurship development as a tool for poverty alleviation. She also identified researched opportunities for the international community to connect with Nigeria in the area of economic sector/industry development and participated in community driven development and awareness programming.
She has also served in similar capacities for Gephardt Institute for Public Service at Washington University in Missouri and the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club in St. Louis, International and Area Studies Office at Washington University in St. Louis, Justine Petersen Housing and Reinvestment Corp. in St. Louis.
She has a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University and a master’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis.