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The 2009 Homecoming Weekend welcomed a record 700 alumni to campus for a weekend of programs, sporting events, and activities. This is the largest Homecoming attendance in the history of the College, rivaling the College's Centennial Celebration in 2002 with an attendance record of 750.

Homecoming 2009 proved to be a weekend of celebrations that included new Barton College Athletic Hall of Famers: Allen Searson (1975), Will Flowers (1976), Teasha Murphy (1996) and Todd Bailess (1999), as well as the 2009 alumni award winners: Alumnus of the Year A.J. Walston (1958), Alumni Achievement Award winners: Bobby Bennett (1967), Steve Hart (1992), and Scott Cruikshank (1995), Young Alumnus of the Year Ben Bridgers (2004), and Honorary Alumna Tina Hensley.

Barton Bulldogs, from near and far, cheered enthusiastically on Friday and Saturday for our collegiate volleyball and soccer matches as well as Sunday's alumni baseball game.  Business, Nursing, Science, and Mathematics alumni flocked together for their respective reunions held across campus on Saturday, and large numbers of Greek alumni came back for good-spirited competition and camaraderie.  The members of the Class of 1959 celebrated their 50^th reunion with gusto throughout the weekend while students and alumni alike enjoyed the Saturday evening luau with the band Fantasy.  Cheers were heard across campus when students Will Cobb and Brittany Wade were crowned the 2009 Homecoming King and Queen! Summer Brock, director of alumni and parent programs, promises the 2010 Homecoming Weekend will be even bigger and better. We can't wait!

For more information about Homecoming, contact Summer Brock at 252-399-6383 or 800-422-4699; or email her at sebrock@barton.edu.

Wilson, N.C. - Barton College will welcome poet Jaki Shelton Green as the featured speaker for the annual Joyce T. Boone Southern Authors Series.  The lecture will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 22, in The Sam and Marjorie Ragan Writing Center at 7:30 p.m.  The program is open to the public at no charge, and the community is invited to attend.

Green was selected as the first North Carolina Piedmont Poet Laureate in 2008.  She received the Sam Ragan Award in 2007 and the North Carolina Award for Literature in 2003.

Her publications include "breath of the song" (2005), "singing a tree into dance" (2003), "Conjure Blues" (1996), "Dead on Arrival and New Poems" (1996), and a play, Blue Opal. Her poetry has appeared in journals such as "The Crucible," "The African American Review," "Ms. Magazine," "Callaloo," "Obsidian," and in "Poets for Peace" and "Black Poets Lean South Anthology."

Green's poetry has been choreographed by the Chuck Davis African Dance Ensemble in conjunction with the Kennedy Center and Duke University's Nasher Museum as well as by Danca Nova Dance Company.  She has performed her poetry and led workshops throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, and Central and South America.

Collaborating with human service and non-profit organizations, Green teaches creative writing to marginalized populations such as the incarcerated, the newly literate, the writer-as-survivor, and the homeless.  She lives in Mebane.

The Joyce T. Boone Endowed Lectureship for Southern Authors was established in memory of the late Joyce Thornton Boone by her husband, Doug Boone.  This endowed lectureship supports special programs featuring visiting Southern writers.

Boone graduated from Atlantic Christian College with degrees in business administration (1978) and nursing (1988).  An enthusiastic advocate for students and alumni of Barton College, Boone believed in the mission of the small, private, liberal arts college.  She served on both the Barton College Board of Trustees and the Barton Alumni Council.  Boone was president-elect of the Barton College Alumni Council when she passed away in October 2004.

For additional information about this program, please contact Dr. Rebecca Godwin, professor of English and director of The Sam and Marjorie Ragan Writing Center, at 252-399-6364 or email: rlgodwin@barton.edu.

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Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

September 11 Remembrance Ceremony

WILSON, N.C. - The stately colors of the United States stood at half-staff across America on Friday in remembrance of the horror of September 11, 2001. With flames and destruction, that terrible Tuesday roared to the world the hideous reality of human depravity; but, like a crucible, that day also revealed the golden gleam of heroism, as the world witnessed America's first responders jeopardizing their own safety to save others. To honor Wilson's first responders and show gratitude for their continual service to the Wilson community, Barton College's Volunteer Services Organization held a ceremony of remembrance this September 11 at noon by the Hamlin Student Center fountain.

As the College remembered the events of eight years ago, her flags flew at half-staff to honor the dead. Several times throughout the morning, the Alumni Bell Tower pealed to signify the moment of each plane crash and each collapse of the World Trade Center towers.

At noon, an honor guard from the Wilson Police Department presented the national and state colors as the crowd, which had gathered around the Hamlin Student Center fountain, looked on.  A third member of the honor guard, leading a contingent of first responders, placed a memorial wreath by the lectern in front of the Student Center.  Then, they saluted the flag; and senior mass communications major Drew Johnson sang the national anthem.

Kellie Lewis, a junior English major, and Brittnee Parker, a sophomore majoring in the education of the deaf and hard of hearing, welcomed those assembled and introduced the program.  Each took turns recounting the key moments of the morning of September 11:

"8:46 a.m. - Flight 11 hits the first World Trade Center."

"9:03 a.m. - Flight 175 hits the second World Trade Center."

"9:30 a.m. - Flight 77 hits the Pentagon."

"9:59 a.m. - The second World Trade Center collapses."

"10:03 a.m. - Flight 93 crashes in Pennsylvania."

"10:28 a.m. - The first World Trade Center collapses."

The assembly then paused for a solemn moment of silence.

Student Government Association President Will Cobb, a senior religion and philosophy major, shared the sentiments of a popular email written from the perspective of God as He stood with the dying on the planes and in the World Trade Center.

Cobb then spoke of first responders, honoring those who worked so selflessly eight years ago and those who do so today.

"I would imagine that those who rushed to the scene first in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania would not want to be recognized," said Cobb.  "They would say that they were just doing their jobs; but today we recognize and acknowledge those unsung heroes from New York, Washington, Pennsylvania, and all the first responders in this country, especially here in the city of Wilson, North Carolina.

"Thank you for, not only what you do today, but everyday of our lives, to protect us here at Barton College and around the great city of Wilson, North Carolina.

"May God bless you, and may God bless this country, the United States of America!"

Cobb led those assembled in a round of applause for Wilson's first responders and then presented the first responders with posters signed by the Barton College community in appreciation "for all the work you do to serve the Wilson community and our country."

Concluding the ceremony, Lewis said that "remembrance ribbons" had been sold earlier in the week to raise money for the National September 11 Memorial and Museum and for a "foundation for families and children who lost loved ones in the September 11 tragedy."  She then invited the first responders to lunch in the dining hall of the Hamlin Student Center.

Each day we take our freedom and safety for granted.  Let us always be thankful for those who fight to protect us and for those who rush to our aid.  And, may we, in the words of our national anthem, "Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!"

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Questions?  Contact Ken Dozier, web services manager, by email at kdozier@barton.edu or by phone at 252-399-6596.

Wire-wrapped vase by Mark Gordon

WILSON, N.C. — The 2009-2010 exhibition season for the Barton Art Galleries begins with Mark Gordon: Recent Works.  The ceramics exhibition will open on Monday, Aug. 24, and will run until Friday, Sept. 18. An opening reception for the exhibition will be held on Sunday, Aug. 30 from 2-4 p.m. This event is open to the public at no charge, and the community is invited to attend.

A professor of ceramics at Barton College, Gordon fills the Virginia Thompson Graves Gallery with many of his iconic vessels. Forms in the exhibit, placed on individual pedestals and lining the walls, create a monolithic display evoking a quiet reverence as if in a place of worship.

"Clay is a universal medium; potters' vessels have formed an essential part of material culture, shared Gordon. "Often, in the vessels, Greek or Chinese forms seem to be echoed in my clay shapes." Works presented range from more traditional smooth-surfaced vessels to composite, coagulate encrusted versions. In these latter pieces, the surfaces retain a comfortable tension somewhere between chaos and structure. Their forms resemble things one might find in nature, but on the molecular level.

Gordon's inspiration is often derived from an eclectic mix of nature and plant growth, animal skeletons, machinery, scrap yards and through travel. He sees his artwork as a melding of idea and action, of inspiration and impulse. "I approach claywork as the creation, pulling form out of inchoate matter, as an ongoing experiment in seeking new direction through variation," Gordon said. "The physicality of clay, along with its remarkable ability to freeze action and respond to physical impact or retain any fleeting impression, immediately and permanently captured my interest."

From 1980 to 1983, Gordon taught at Altos de Chavón in La Romana, Dominican Republic, creating a vocational workshop for local youth. He later traveled throughout the Mediterranean observing and documenting traditional pottery and brickmaking.  "Knowing these traditional clay artisans has contributed to my education," Gordon added. "I continue to make ceramic vessels to celebrate and maintain a connection to traditional potters worldwide."

In contrast to the vessels, Gordon's installations in the Lula E. Rackley Gallery refer to architecture and industrialization. For Gordon, these works represent fragments, combined geometries, and biomorphic musings. "Geometry, being a form of math, has always served as a universal language for sculpture," shared Gerard Lange, director of exhibitions at Barton. "Gordon's use of these pure forms has placed the work in a global context, where many interpretations can be drawn by evaluating the sculptures from different cultural points of view. Influence of his time spent abroad is clearly evident in Gordon's complex manipulation and integration of these otherwise simple forms."

Gordon has presented over 100 lectures and workshops in 19 states and seven foreign countries. He has been recognized with numerous awards and grants and has held numerous art residencies across the nation as well as in Caracas, Venezuela; Cairo, Egypt; Madrid, Spain; Jerusalem, Israel; and La Romana, Dominican Republic.  In 1991, Gordon was a Fulbright Lecturer at the Facultad de Artes, Universidad Nacional in Obera, Argentina.

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Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations at Barton College, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

WILSON, N.C. - Freshmen, the countdown has begun for Summer Orientation at Barton College! With the first of two sessions beginning June 23, Summer Orientation will prepare you for the start of your academic career as a Bulldog.

Session I takes place June 23-24, and Session II closes out the week on June 26-27. Although they take place on different dates, both sessions are identical in structure.

On your first day, you'll meet your admissions counselor and other students from your geographical area. President Norval Kneten and Vice President for Student Affairs George Solan will extend their official welcome to you in Howard Chapel.

Next, you'll meet your Orientation Leader and your First-Year Seminar (FYS) Advisor. Dr. Terry Grimes, vice president for academic affairs, will join Vice President Solan to discuss Barton's Honor Code. Then, everyone will head to the fountain at center campus for lunch.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, you will have the chance to learn about college life from current Barton students; discover the amazing international travel opportunities available during January Term; meet the Student Affairs staff; and break out into information sessions on network technology, student activities, and residence life.

Your first day ends with dessert receptions hosted by athletics, the Disciples of Christ, and multicultural affairs, followed by a student activities meeting in the dining hall.

After breakfast, your second day begins with the opportunity to meet with the athletics staff, attend student advising, conclude business arrangements, and learn about health and wellness services at Barton. Later, the student activities department will showcase Barton's annual traditions. Special interest sessions on Greek life, fall move-in, and religious life will be available. Then, your day will conclude with a campus tour and lunch on your own in Bully's Campus Grill.

The complete Orientation schedule, including the family schedule, is available here as a PDF.

That's a lot of activity packed into just two days. Why do we do it? It helps make your transition to campus easier. With the preliminaries out of the way, you can focus on moving in and gearing up for class.

Fall is approaching, and the clock is ticking. If you haven't signed up for Summer Orientation yet, now is the time. Visit http://www.barton.edu/orientation/ to sign up. We look forward to seeing you here!

WILSON, N.C. - Barbara Lyons Goodmon of Raleigh, president and executive director of the A.J. Fletcher Foundation, will be the featured speaker at the 107th annual commencement exercises of Barton College in Wilson, scheduled for Sunday, May 24, on center campus at 1:30 p.m. Wilson Gymnasium is the rain site. Dr. Norval C. Kneten will preside over his sixth commencement program as president of Barton College. Dr. Terrence L. Grimes, vice president for academic affairs, will present the graduating class of 230 seniors.

Born in Meridian, Miss., Goodmon was raised in Memphis, Tenn. She moved to Raleigh upon her marriage in 1969 to James Fletcher Goodmon, president and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Company and chair of the board for the A.J. Fletcher Foundation and The Fletcher Academy School of Achievement. The Goodmons have three children and three grandchildren.

Goodmon graduated from the St. Joseph's School of Nursing in Memphis in 1965, earning her Registered Nurse licensure. In 1994, she graduated magna cum laude from Meredith College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and later completed a Master of Liberal Studies degree from North Carolina State University in 2000.

In addition to myriad responsibilities with the Fletcher Foundation, Goodmon is an ardent supporter of numerous community organizations. She has served on a variety of community boards in the Wake County area and has brought a wealth of experience to her administrative appointment with the Foundation as well as her leadership roles among the community organizations.

With primary interests in the field of human service, she has served as chair of the Wake County Human Services Board and the Salvation Army Advisory Board, and vice chair for The Healing Place of Wake County, a substance abuse treatment center of which she was one of the three principal founders. She also has served on the Meredith College Board of Trustees and Board of Visitors, the North Carolina State University Veterinary Medical Foundation, the North Carolina State University Advisory Board for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Parents Council for Hampden Sydney College, Ravenscroft School Board of Trustees, and the Board of Visitors for the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Goodmon currently serves on the Pamlico Community College Foundation Board of Directors and the North Carolina School of the Arts Board of Trustees.

A true humanitarian, Goodmon's service to community has been recognized with numerous awards including, but not limited to, the William Booth Award, the "Others" Award, and the Life Membership Award by the Salvation Army. She was inducted into the Academy of Women of the Raleigh YWCA and listed among the Top 100 Distinguished Graduates of Meredith College. Goodmon also has received the Leadership By Example Award from the Rotary Club of Raleigh, the Women's Center of Wake County Star Award, the Sisters Delany Honor Society Achievement Award/N.C. Women of Distinction from Saint Augustine's College, the North Carolina State University 2005 Distinguished Alumni Award, and the 2008 Sertoma Club Regional Service to Mankind Award.

Goodmon and her husband were honored with the Methodist Children's Home 2001 Guardian Angel Award, the Outstanding Volunteer Fundraisers of 2001 Award presented on National Philanthropy Day by the Triangle Chapter of the Association of Professional Fundraisers, the United Arts 2000 Paladin Achievement Award for business support, the Marty Prairie Award at the 2005 North Carolina World AIDS Day Awards, and the 2008 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Award. The Goodmons were also inducted into the Raleigh Hall of Fame in 2008.

In 2002, Goodmon was featured in Metro Magazine Who's Who and, in December 2003, she was listed in Business Leader Magazine as one of the 10 effective women of the Triangle. Goodmon and her husband were featured in the 2006 Edition of Business Leader as distinguished business leaders of 2005.

Goodmon will receive the Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, from Barton College during this year's commencement.

Participating in this year's commencement ceremony will be students who completed their baccalaureate degree requirements in December 2008 and May 2009, as well as candidates who expect to fulfill requirements over the summer. The three highest honors presented to Barton students: the Coggins Cup, the Hilley Cup, and the Hemby Leadership Cup, will be awarded. The Coggins Cup is presented annually to the student voted best all-around by the Barton faculty and staff. The Hilley Cup is presented annually to the graduating senior with the highest cumulative grade point average. The Hemby Leadership Cup is presented to the graduating senior, who in the estimation of the college community (including students, faculty and staff) has demonstrated outstanding leadership throughout a career at Barton College.

The Jefferson-Pilot Faculty Member of the Year awards will also be presented. The awards, given annually to two faculty members, include a cash stipend for international study.

Dr. Phillip H. Warren, class of 1971, president of the Barton College Alumni Association and its Alumni Board, will bring greetings to graduating seniors on behalf of the Alumni Association.

Barton's Commencement Day program will begin with the baccalaureate sermon Sunday morning at 11 a.m. in Howard Chapel. The Reverend Hollie E. Woodruff, chaplain of the college, will deliver the address. Lunch will be served in the Hamlin Student Center Dining Hall from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. at no charge for seniors and $5.00 each for family members and guests.

The Commencement festivities will include a luncheon for seniors and their parents on Saturday afternoon, May 23 from noon to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Norval C. Kneten at the Barton-Graves House. The pinning ceremony for the graduates of the School of Nursing will follow at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening at First United Methodist Church.

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Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

WILSON, N.C. - The Barton College/Wilson Symphony Orchestra will present its Spring Concert on Sunday May 3, at 3 p.m., in Howard Chapel on the Barton College campus.  The orchestra, under the direction of Mark N. Peterson, will feature Barton College professor Phillip J. Valera performing George Frederic Handel's sprightly Concerto in F Major for Organ and Orchestra, Op.4 No.5.

Valera is the assistant professor of audio recording technology in the Department of Communication and Performing Arts at Barton College and the music director of St. Timothy's Church in Wilson.  Prior to moving to Wilson, he worked as an instructor of recording technology at the University of Arkansas in Pine Bluff.  He also held the positions of organist at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Lakeland, Fla., and music director for St. David's Episcopal Church in Lakeland.

Valera has performed numerous organ recitals in Florida, Arkansas, and in his native Massachusetts.  In 2006, he performed a concert at St. Timothy's Church entirely comprised of his own arrangements and compositions for electronic music and organ.

He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in organ performance from Boston University where he studied organ under Jack Fisher and Max Miller.  In 1998, Valera was an award-winning graduate from the Audio Recording Technology program at Full Sail Real World Education in Winter Park, Fla., from which he embarked on a second career that combines his love of music and music technology.

Handel was best known in his lifetime as a composer of operas and oratorios.  In order to fill the time between the scenes and acts of these dramatic productions, he would frequently perform movements from his wonderful concertos for organ and orchestra.  Handel was one of the first composers to use the organ in this manner, and these works were often adaptations of concertos and sonatas he wrote for other instruments.  The concerto to be presented at the spring concert will be familiar to many as an often-performed flute sonata.  Because of their lively, tuneful nature, these pieces became quite popular, and served to draw English organ music away from the solemn style of previous generations.  Because of Handel's influence, English composers began writing voluntaries and other organ works that were much livelier, often longer, and increasingly secularized.

The orchestra will also be performing Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance March" No. 4 and Mozart's brilliant Symphony No. 40 in G minor.

Sir Edward Elgar wrote a series of six "Pomp and Circumstance" marches. The first four, composed between 1901 and 1907, helped to firmly establish his reputation as the preeminent English composer of his generation. Marches No.5 and No.6 were created much later with No.6 being assembled from sketches after the composer's death. The title is taken from Shakespeare's "Othello," Act III, Scene iii, which reads, "Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump, The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife, The Royal banner, and all quality, Pride, Pomp, and Circumstance of glorious war!"

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor is undeniably one of the most familiar and beloved works in the entire symphonic repertoire.  This popularity is a result of the immediately captivating nature of the melodies that fill every movement, the restrained romanticism of the first movement, and the astounding chromatic harmonies that foreshadow music of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  All of these elements coalesce within a concise form, which is perfectly in keeping with the symphonic style of the late 18th century.  Mozart wrote his final three symphonies (No.39, No. 40, and No. 41) during an eight-week period in the summer of 1788, and these works stand among the great pillars of western art.

Following the concert, the audience is cordially invited to meet the musicians at a reception in the Barton Art Galleries hosted by ARAMARK Higher Education. Admission for the orchestra performance will be $10 at the door or by season ticket. All students within the community will be admitted free of charge as well as faculty, staff, and students of Barton College.

For additional information about the concert, please contact Lynn Medlin at 252-399-6309 or email: lmedlin@barton.edu.

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Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

WILSON, N.C. - The seventh annual Walking Into April Poetry Day at Barton College is scheduled for Saturday, April 11, at The Sam and Marjorie Ragan Writing Center and is sponsored by the North Carolina Poetry Society (NCPS), the Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series, and Barton College. Registration opens at 9:15 a.m., and the program begins at 9:45 a.m.

Featured poets include Flatlanders Nancy Tripp King and Marty Silverthorne, and Eastern North Carolina's Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Lenard Moore.  Reading with Moore will be three student poets: Morgan Whaley from Mount Olive College and Onslow County adult student poets Donna M. Graham and Patsy Kennedy Lain. The three students were selected for this year's Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series.

Pushcart Award nominee Nancy Tripp King is the author of three chapbooks of poetry - "Tobacco Blossoms and the Pulled-Tight Twine," a finalist for the Roanoke-Chowan Award for Poetry, "Those Days When Love Doesn't Work," and the forthcoming "Between Glass and Cardboard."

Marty Silverthorne has published four books of poetry, including Persephone Press Award winner "Pot Liquor Promises," "No Welfare, No Pension Plan," and, most recently, "Rewinding at 40."  He is a previous winner of the Sam Ragan Fine Arts Award.

Lenard Moore, Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet for Eastern North Carolina, has published five books of poetry, including his latest, "A Temple Looming." Winner of a 2008 Raleigh Medal of Arts Award, he is executive chairman of the North Carolina Haiku Society and president of the Haiku Society of America.

The afternoon will include an open mic, and participants are invited to bring poems to share. Participants also may bring books or CDs to sell.

The event is free, but reservations for lunch, at $9 per person, should be made by April 8. Checks for lunch should be made to Barton College. You may register by calling or emailing Dr. Rebecca Godwin, director of The Sam and Marjorie Ragan Writing Center, at 252-399-6364 or at rlgodwin@barton.edu.

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Questions? Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

WILSON, N.C. - The Barton College Gospel Choir will present its fourth annual concert on Saturday, April 4, in Hardy Alumni Hall at 3 p.m.  This event is open to the public at no charge, and the community is invited to attend.

Among the afternoon's musical selections will be "Perfect Peace," "Souled Out," "You are God Alone," "Hear Our Prayer," and "Hallelujah, You're Worthy To Be Praised."

Members of the Barton College Gospel Choir include Thia Bowen, Obhajiajiemen Emiohe, Petra Hall, Ashley Harris, Jaqueline Henry, Precious Johnson, TJ Jones, Ebony McCray, Angelica Moore, Ashley Morris, Jaren Palmer, Sam Pounds, Princena Simpkins, Broderick Simpson, Brindin Taylor, Jasmine Tinsley, Jeremy Upchurch, Lisa Ward, and Shaunte Woodard.  Alumni members of the choir also have been invited to participate with the Gospel Choir in this annual spring performance.

Guest performers for the concert will be the First Emmanuel Sanctuary Singers from Pittsburgh, Pa., who will join the Gospel Choir for several selections.  Members of Barton's Gospel Choir met the First Emmanuel Sanctuary Singers when they traveled to Pittsburgh in October 2007 and again in October 2008, and were invited to sing during First Emmanuel Sanctuary Singers' Sunday morning services.  George Mitchell, director of the First Emmanuel Sanctuary Singers, also conducted Gospel Choir workshops at Barton in August 2007 and 2008.  Barton is pleased to welcome the Pittsburgh singers back to Wilson and the college campus.

For additional information about the concert, please contact Holly Zacharias, Gospel Choir advisor, at 252-399-6366.

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Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.

WILSON, N.C. - In response to President Barack Obama's challenge to all Americans to invest in education, Barton College has initiated a special opportunity for its full-time students' parents, guardians, or grandparents through "Weekend College at Barton."  Two courses will be offered free of charge to a parent, guardian, or grandparent of all full-time Barton students enrolled during fall semester 2009.  These course offerings will be made available during Barton's Weekend College fall and winter trimesters, one each trimester.

In President Obama's Feb. 24 address to the joint session of Congress, he shared, "It is our responsibility as lawmakers and educators to make this system work.  But it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it.  And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training."

This new initiative by Barton, developed in light of our nation's ongoing economic crisis, provides an opportunity for these family members of Barton students to also have a chance to return to college.  They can begin a new degree, work toward completing a degree, or advance their careers with additional study.

"In the midst of the nation's most serious economic downturn in many years, Barton College is aware of the impact this is having on students and their families," said Dr. Norval C. Kneten, president of Barton College.  "We also know that this means sacrifices are being made to continue to invest in quality education.  However, and, especially during a time when many investments are losing their value, investing in oneself remains a wise strategy.  Barton College is committed to providing every possible avenue for our students and their families to make the most of their educational investment."

Barton College, an independent, coeducational, four-year college located in Wilson, N.C., blends academic disciplines in the liberal arts and professional programs with a focus on encouraging lifelong learning.

"Weekend College at Barton," offered through the College's Office of Lifelong Education and Extended Programs, provides an educational alternative to men and women 22 years of age or older who work or have other commitments and who are unable to attend academic courses that are offered at traditional times during the week. This format is a means by which these students may earn a baccalaureate degree, update or gain skills for professional advancement, prepare for career change, or pursue personal interests in one or more of the liberal arts and/or professional programs. Weekend College offers working adults an opportunity to study with other adults who have similar interests and lifestyles and who are equally motivated to pursue their education.

Convenience is an added advantage.  Classes through Barton's Weekend College usually meet on alternating weekends on Friday evening, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, or Sunday afternoon. These courses are taught on campus, predominantly by Barton College faculty.  And, unless otherwise indicated, all classes necessary for graduation are taught on the weekend. (Practicum courses and student teaching for elementary education majors and field placements for social work, criminal justice and criminology, and gerontology majors will eventually require weekday involvement).

Degrees and majors offered through the Weekend College at Barton program include
Bachelor of Science degrees in accounting, business management, management of human resources, birth-kindergarten education, elementary education (K-6), special education: general curriculum (K-12), criminal justice and criminology, and gerontology.  Also offered is a Bachelor of Social Work degree and a special R.N. to B.S.N. degree program for licensed registered nurses.

For additional information about this program or to view a tentative listings of courses for the 2009 fall trimester or the 2010 winter trimester, visit "Weekend College for Parents" online at http://www.barton.edu/weekendparents.

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Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.