News

WILSON, N.C. - Barton College is pleased to announce Phyllis R. Parish Howard, as the featured speaker for the 109^th Opening Convocation.  The annual campus event is scheduled for Tuesday, August 31, at 11 a.m. in Howard Chapel.

Parish Howard is Director of Local Production for WRAL-TV, a CBS affiliate and division of Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. in Raleigh. Chosen as Employee of the Year by her colleagues, she was honored with WRAL's prestigious 5-Star Award in 1987.  Recognized for her outstanding broadcasting achievements with six Mid-South Regional Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Parish Howard's award-winning programs include her environmental documentary, "Troubled Rivers," WRAL's 'For the Children' campaign, WRAL's teen pregnancy prevention campaign "Sex, Lies & Education," two Emmy awards for "Smart Start Kids" and an Advanced Media/Community Affairs Emmy for WRAL's Komen for the Cure project.  In 2003, Parish Howard was presented the NC Prevention Performance Award for Excellence in Media by the NC Prevention Partners for her documentary, "Super-sizing Our Kids: NC's Epidemic of Overweight Children." She also is the recipient of a 2005 Gracie Allen Award for the same locally produced documentary.

A native of Wendell, Parish Howard graduated magna cum laude from Barton College (then Atlantic Christian College) in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.  She served on the Barton College Board of Trustees as an alumni representative from 1999 until 2003, and later returned to the Board as a trustee in 2004.  She currently serves as chair of the Board of Trustees' Enrollment Committee.  Parish Howard is a past member of the Barton College Alumni Board and was honored in 2004 with the Barton College Alumni Achievement Award.

In 2008, the Phyllis Parish Howard Television Control Room in the Department of Communications and Performing Arts at Barton College was dedicated in Parish Howard's honor.  This addition to the television studio on campus was made possible by a gift from the WRAL/Capitol Broadcasting Company Fund, and presented by Jim Goodmon, president and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Company in honor of Phyllis Parish Howard.

Parish Howard also serves as an active member of Hillyer Memorial Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Raleigh, where she has served as a deacon, an elder, and chair of the board. She also volunteers with Wake County's Meals on Wheels and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

The daughter of Aileen and Bill Parish of Wendell, Parish Howard is married to Seab Howard III, and they have one daughter, Gabrielle.  The Howard family makes their home in Raleigh.

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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. - Barton College was well represented at the 56th Annual North Carolina Phi Beta Lambda State Leadership Conference held April 8-10 in Charlotte.  Fourteen Barton chapter members participated in a variety of competitive events and attended general sessions, regional meetings, and leadership seminars.  Approximately 300 delegates, representing 25 chapters, attended the annual conference.  First-place, second-place, and third-place winners at the state conference earned the right to compete at the National Leadership Conference to be held in Nashville, Tenn., in July.

Andrea Alston, a junior from Rocky Mount and the 2009-2010 state Secretary/Treasurer for Phi Beta Lambda, participated in all aspects of the annual state conference and was elected the 2010-2011 eastern region vice president.  Dawn Montoya, a 2009 Barton College graduate and national southern region vice president, also participated on the conference program.  Jeff Daniel, a 2003 Barton College graduate, who has served as president of the North Carolina Phi Beta Lambda Foundation during the 2009-2010 year, received the Professional Division Distinguished Service Award.

The team of Amanda Moore, a December graduate from Kinston, Jaren Palmer, a senior from Corpus Christi, Texas, and Joann Bishop, a senior from Jacksonville, earned first place honors in Business Decision Making.  Jeffrey Massey, a freshman from Goldsboro, earned first place in Computer Applications.  George Black, a junior from Winterville, placed first in Sports Management & Marketing.  The chapter's Annual Business Report, authored by Jonathan Strother, a junior from Henderson and the chapter president, also garnered first place.  The chapter also received first-place honors in Recruitment of Chapters for reactivating the Phi Beta Lambda chapter at Pitt Community College.

Strother placed second in Marketing Concepts.  Lovey Thompson, a junior from Wilson, placed second in Financial Services and her Free Enterprise project "Bankruptcy in America."  Thompson also placed third in Financial Concepts.  Brittany Keith, a junior from Creedmoor, placed third in Word Processing.

Michole Brown, a junior from Wilson, placed fourth in Statistical Analysis.  Amanda Wethington, a senior from Winterville, and Amanda Atkinson, a senior from Kenly, teamed to place fourth in Human Resource Management.  Strother and Keith placed fourth for their Community Service Project "The Chamber."  Lindsey Harper, a sophomore from Stantonsburg,  placed fifth in Telecommunications.  Bishop placed fifth for her Community Service project "For the Children."

Earning sixth-place honors were Massey in Computer Concepts, Strother in Financial Concepts, Moore in Macroeconomics, Wethington in Management Concepts, and Brown in Microeconomics.  Placing seventh was Palmer in Business Law.  Garnering eighth place was Krysten Lowery, a junior from Winston-Salem, in Computer Concepts and Word Processing, Black in Impromptu Speaking, and Keith in Management Concepts.

Alston, Moore, and Palmer also received "Who's Who in North Carolina Phi Beta Lambda" recognition for their outstanding contributions to North Carolina Phi Beta Lambda.

In addition to receiving the Gold Seal Award, Gold Star Chapter, Membership Madness recognition, and the Terry Lowrance Leadership Award, the Gamma Gamma Chapter of Barton College received recognition for its monetary contributions to state- and nationally-recommended projects.

Teresa Parker of Wilson, and Ronald Eggers of Rocky Mount, associate professors in the College's School of Business, accompanied the student delegation to the state conference.

For additional information about the Gamma Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Lambda, visit the web site: http://www.barton.edu/SchoolofBusiness/PBL/bartonpbl.htm

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

WILSON, N.C. - Barton College will welcome students from across the state to celebrate their creativity at the annual Scholastic Art Awards ceremony scheduled for Sunday, January 24.  This marks the 32nd year that Barton College as served as host and regional sponsor for the National Scholastic Art Awards for the Eastern/Central North Carolina Region. The featured speaker for the awards ceremony is Kat Hendrix, senior manager of the Affiliate Network of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the national not-for-profit organization that presents The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Following an ice cream social for awardees and their families in Wilson Gymnasium on the Barton campus at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, there will be an awards presentation for the Gold Key recipients beginning at 2:00 p.m. The ceremony is open to student Gold Key Award recipients, their families, and N.C. arts teachers and principals.  The Scholastic Art Awards Exhibition will be available for public viewing in the Barton Museum beginning Jan. 25.

The program's guest speaker, Kat Hendrix works with a national network of organizations, including museums, school systems, universities, nonprofit organizations, and teacher associations across the country that run the local awards programs.  This includes collaborating with dozens of organizations, both local and national, to expand opportunities for students in grades 7 - 12 to participate in The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.  In addition to earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and German, she also completed a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the Indiana University School of Law.  During her studies, Hendrix spent several years abroad, including a one-year intensive German language course at the University of Trier and several internships related to human rights activism in Eastern and Western Europe, including the United Nations in Geneva.  She was employed within the legal profession prior to her transition to nonprofit arts management.  Now, she implements her passion for supporting young people in finding, expressing, and being rewarded for their creative vision and voice.

Entries from all 50 states are submitted for competition in the nationally renowned Scholastic Art Awards program. The program, created for middle and high school students, is designed to encourage student achievement, to recognize and applaud our fine art teachers and to emphasize the importance of the visual arts in the school curriculum.  Barton College is proud to host the Eastern/Central Regional District in North Carolina, representing 62 counties from the piedmont to the coast.

Contributors to the program include the Visual Arts Department of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, the Wilson Chamber of Commerce, Stan Corbett of Corbett Reproductions, Framer's Alley of Elm City, and the Office of Enrollment Management at Barton College.

Dr. Norval C. Kneten, president of Barton College, and Mark F. Gordon, director of The Eastern/Central North Carolina Region of The Scholastic Art Awards Program, will bring brief remarks during the program. Amy Boyd, chair of The Eastern/Central North Carolina Region of The Scholastic Art Awards Advisory Committee, will present the awards to the student recipients.

The Scholastic Art Awards entries for the Eastern/Central North Carolina Region are received at Barton College during the first week of January.  This year, approximately 1,875 artwork entries and an additional 90 portfolios were presented for judging. Students, through their teachers, submitted artwork in a variety of categories, including: architecture, comic art, ceramic & glass, digital art, product design, drawing, fashion, film & animation, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, video games, art portfolio, and photography portfolio.  Jurors are charged to select entries that they deem especially worthy of recognition.

The Eastern/Central North Carolina Region has an advisory committee composed of eleven art teachers.  This year the exhibition selection jury was composed of teachers, gallery directors and professional artists.

Two hundred and two pieces were selected as Gold Key Awards for the exhibition as well as 15 portfolios. Digital images of these finalist art works will be sent to New York City for judging against other regional winners for the national exhibition held in June at the Corcoran Gallery, Washington, D.C.  Also sent to New York will be the works of five American Vision Award (Best of Show) nominees, including: Katie Tolley, grade 12, Durham School of the Arts, Anna Lynch, grade 12, Whiteville High School, Matthew Schmitz, grade 12, Durham School of the Arts, William Brooks Anderson, grade 12, West Forsyth High School, and Ola Wienclawska, grade 10, R.J. Reynolds High School.

There also were 190 Silver Key Awards chosen from the individual entries submitted as well as 25 portfolios.  A list of award recipients is available on the Barton Art Galleries' web site at http://www.barton.edu/galleries/scholastics.htm.

From the Gold Key artworks, the jury also selected works for additional regional awards to be presented at the ceremony including the Barton College Award to Layden Gellatly, grade 11, North Lenoir High School; "The Wilson Times" Award to William Brooks Anderson, grade 12, West Forsyth High School; the North Carolina Art Education Association Award to Anahi Gomez, grade 8, Zebulon GT Magnet Middle School; the Governor's Student Achievement Award to Elizabeth Spaulding, grade 12, Whiteville High School; the Emerging Vision Award to Celesta Hauser, grade 8, Clemmons Middle School; and the Edward C. Brown Award, which honors the long-time director of the Barton Scholastics Program, to Simone Simpson, grade 10, Durham School of the Arts.

The exhibition will run from Jan. 25 - Feb. 19 in the Barton Art Galleries located in Case Art Building.  Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.  For additional information, please contact Mark Gordon, at 252-399-6474 or the Barton Art Galleries at 252-399-6477.

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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. - Barton College Phi Beta Lambda students were recognized with top honors at the recent 2009 Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference, and Dawn Lewin-Montoya, a recent Barton graduate from Rocky Mount, was elected Southern Region Vice President.

Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL), the largest and oldest student business organization, held its National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, Calif., earlier this summer. Nine Barton students and approximately 1,775 college business students from across the United States and around the world attended this conference and the FBLA-PBL Institute for Leaders. Barton's chapter advisers Teresa Parker and Ron Eggers accompanied the members.

Lewin-Montoya, who served as the 2008-2009 North Carolina Phi Beta Lambda State President, will represent the interests of Phi Beta Lambda members in 12 states as she serves on the National Board as an officer during the 2009-2010 year. Lewin-Montoya was North Carolina's Who's Who representative and also was recognized for achieving both the Executive and Presidential levels of the national Career Management and Achievement Program. Lewin-Montoya was one of only six individuals in the nation to attain the Presidential Award.

Lewin-Montoya and Andrea Alston, a junior from Rocky Mount, attended the FBLA-PBL Institute for Leaders. Alston is currently serving as the 2009-2010 North Carolina Phi Beta Lambda State Secretary/Treasurer.

Paola Marte, a recent Barton College graduate from the Dominican Republic, received a $400 National Leadership Conference Scholarship. Elaine Guthrie, a senior from Bailey, placed sixth in Client Services. The team of Montoya, Marte, and Jaren Palmer, a senior from Corpus Christi, Texas, ranked ninth in Business Decision Making. Amanda Tyndall, a recent Barton College graduate from Goldsboro, and Lisa Payne, a recent Barton graduate from Elm City, garnered tenth place in Emerging Business Issues.

In addition to receiving the Gold Seal Chapter Award of Merit, the Barton College chapter was commended as an Outstanding Chapter and a contributor to the March of Dimes national philanthropy. And, Alston, Palmer, and Amanda Moore, a senior from Kinston, were acknowledged for their efforts in increasing local chapter membership.

The awards are part of a comprehensive competitive events program sponsored by FBLA-PBL. Individuals, state teams, and local chapters were encouraged to compete in any of the over 50 different events representing a wide range of activities and the business and leadership development focus of FBLA-PBL. The winners of these highly competitive and prestigious awards were selected from among FBLA-PBL's membership of approximately 11,000 students and represent the best and brightest of today's college scholars.

Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) education association with a quarter million members and advisors in 12,000 chartered middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Its mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs. The association is headquartered in Reston, Va., just outside Washington, D.C. For more information, visit http://www.fbla-pbl.org.

For additional information about Barton College's chapter of Phi Beta Lambda, contact Teresa Parker, associate professor of business, at 252-399-6421 or email: tparker@barton.edu or contact Ron Eggers, associate professor of business, at 252-399-6417 or email: reggers@barton.edu.

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

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. - "Reaffirmed!" That announcement was music to the ears of all involved in Barton College's recent application for reaffirmation of accreditation by the Commission on Colleges of Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

On Friday, July 17, the president's office received SACS' official notification of reaffirmation, including a substantive change for Barton's membership to be raised to Level III to include the offering of graduate programs. Following the 10-year cycle for SACS, Barton was last affirmed in December 1998.

"We at Barton have known for some time that we provide a quality academic environment that supports and inspires our students to achieve their goals," said Dr. Norval C. Kneten, president of Barton College. "It is gratifying to have the recent Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' reaffirmation of our accreditation reiterate Barton's recognition unconditionally.

"I am extremely grateful to all who worked tirelessly on the campus-wide self-study and on the development of Barton's Quality Enhancement Plan," he continued. "Dr. Claudia Duncan, chair of Barton College's SACS Reaffirmation Steering Committee, and Patricia Burrus, chair of the QEP Leadership Team, provided extraordinary leadership during this lengthy and arduous project. Dr. Terry Grimes, vice president for academic affairs and the Barton College SACS liaison, and Richard Marshall, vice president for administration and finance, were particularly instrumental in moving this process to a successful conclusion. The quality of Barton College is a direct result of the quality of our faculty and staff."

SACS describes accreditation as "both a process and a product that relies on integrity, thoughtful and principled judgment, rigorous application of requirements, and a context of trust. It provides an assessment of an institution's effectiveness in the fulfillment of its mission, its compliance with the requirements of its accrediting association, and its continuing efforts to enhance the quality of student learning and its programs and services. Based upon reasoned judgment, the process stimulates evaluation and improvement, while providing a means of continuing accountability to constituents and the public."

Barton's reaffirmation process began with a self-study in 2005 to evaluate its compliance with the standards for accreditation established by SACS and culminated with the College's submission of its Compliance Certification Report in March 2008, which was reviewed by an off-site committee in Atlanta in May of the same year. In September 2008, Barton hosted the SACS on-site committee, led by Dr. Rudolph Jackson, for the final phase of the evaluation process.

"Though it was an enormous amount of work, preparing for reaccreditation by SACS was a positive experience because it helped us reaffirm our mission and clarify our goals for Barton," shared Dr. Terry Grimes, vice president for academic affairs. "We were very pleased that we received a rare commendation for our strategic planning from the SACS committee that made the on-site visit and feel that we are well prepared to meet the increasing challenges that higher education faces in the twenty-first century."

The centerpiece for the institution's recent evaluation was the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), which was introduced by SACS as an integral part of the reaffirmation process. SACS leaders emphasize "the concept of quality enhancement is at the heart of the Commission on Colleges' philosophy of accreditation - a philosophy that presumes each member institution to be engaged in an ongoing program of improvement and able to demonstrate how well it fulfills its mission."

The Barton College community has embraced "Pathways To Writing Success" as its focus for quality enhancement on the Wilson campus. "Pathways" is a comprehensive program designed to intentionally and purposefully address and improve student writing across the disciplines over the next five years. The program will include the implementation of a series of writing-intensive courses throughout the academic experience.

This new initiative continues to support Barton College's vision of "taking advantage of its smaller size and its historic commitment to students to create a unique undergraduate experience centered on a passionate belief in a community of active learners. Barton graduates will be well prepared for life and for success in their chosen careers because they will possess a lifelong commitment to learning, service, and achievement. We will gain national recognition for the value of the Barton experience."

In May 1922, Barton College (then Atlantic Christian College) was recognized as a standard A-grade institution by the North Carolina Board of Education, and the College received initial accreditation by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1955.

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

WILSON, N.C. - Despite a brief rain shower near the beginning of the program, the Barton College community celebrated commencement on center campus in grand fashion on Sunday, May 24.

Some 228 seniors participated in the 107th annual commencement exercises.  Dr. Norval C. Kneten presided over his sixth commencement program as president of Barton College. Dr. Terrence L. Grimes, vice president for academic affairs, presented the graduating class.

Barbara Lyons Goodmon of Raleigh, president and executive director of the A.J. Fletcher Foundation, delivered the commencement address.  Dr. Goodmon was presented with the Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, by Barton College during the commencement exercises.

In her address to the Class of 2009, Dr. Goodmon told the graduating seniors that this was "a great time to be a young adult just beginning your journey. You have the opportunity to help determine change. In fact, opportunity is not a strong enough word - you have a responsibility to help bring about change. You have spent four or more years at Barton College developing the tools and competence to help make the world a better place. Your education has given you the skills to be flexible and creative about your future in this fast changing world. You have many challenges ahead of you, but remember sustainable change is driven by young people, not by the people who like it just the way it is.  In fact, the ranks of the satisfied folks are shrinking daily. Things will never be the same again; they will be better."

She also encouraged them to remember the importance of taking chances along their journey in life, to live and work with passion and compassion, to be involved in their neighborhoods, churches, schools, and communities, to reach out to help others, to always vote, to commit to lifelong learning, to take care of their physical, mental, and spiritual health and to never do anything without integrity.

Participating in this year's commencement ceremony were 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, were awarded during the program. The Coggins Cup, presented annually to the student voted best all-around by the Barton faculty and staff, was awarded to Paola Marte from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, who graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management.  The Hilley Cup, presented annually to the graduating senior with the highest cumulative grade point average, was awarded to Chelsea Katherina Hsieh of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science.  The Hemby Leadership Cup, 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, was awarded to Jeremy Joseph Lowe of St. Petersburg, Fla., who graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

The Jefferson-Pilot Faculty Member of the Year awards, presented annually to two faculty members, were awarded to Dr. Alan Lane, associate professor of history in the Department of History and Social Sciences in the School of Arts and Sciences and the director of general education and the quality enhancement plan, and Dr. Bettie J. Willingham, associate professor of education in the School of Education.  The awards include a cash stipend for international study in conjunction with Barton's international emphasis.

Jared Parker Morgan of Winterville, senior class president, addressed the graduating class and also offered appreciation for the support and guidance from professors, staff, families, and friends on behalf of his fellow classmates.  Phillip H. Warren of Dunn, class of 1971, president of the Barton College Alumni Association and its Alumni Board, brought greetings to graduating seniors on behalf of the Alumni Association.

The Reverend Hollie Woodruff, chaplain of the college, delivered the baccalaureate sermon earlier Sunday morning.

Other commencement festivities during the weekend included a luncheon for seniors and their parents on Saturday afternoon, hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Norval C. Kneten, at the Barton-Graves House.  The pinning ceremony for the graduates of the School of Nursing followed 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. - Barton College was well represented at the 55th Annual North Carolina Phi Beta Lambda State Leadership Conference held last weekend in Charlotte.  Members of Barton College's Gamma Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Lambda provided regional leadership while also receiving numerous kudos at the conference.

Barton College student Dawn Montoya, a senior from Rocky Mount and the 2008-2009 state president for Phi Beta Lambda, presided over the annual state conference, and Andrea Alston, a sophomore also from Rocky Mount, was elected the 2009-2010 state secretary/treasurer.

Brittany Keith, a sophomore from Creedmoor, was awarded a North Carolina Phi Beta Lambda Foundation, Inc., Scholarship.

Dominican Republic senior Paola Marte brought home first-place honors in the Future Business Executive category.  And, Elaine Guthrie, a senior from Bailey, earned first place in Client Services.  Amanda Tyndall, a senior from Goldsboro, and Lisa Payne, a senior from Elm City, teamed to receive first-place honors in Emerging Business Issues.

Seventeen Barton chapter members participated in a variety of competitive events and attended general sessions, regional meetings, and leadership seminars.  Approximately 335 delegates, representing 33 chapters, attended the annual conference.

First-place, second-place, and third-place winners at the state conference (14 members from Barton's delegation) also earned the right to compete at the National Leadership Conference to be held in Anaheim, Calif., in June.  Marte and Montoya also received "Who's Who in North Carolina Phi Beta Lambda" recognition for their outstanding contributions to North Carolina Phi Beta Lambda.  And, Barton's Montoya will represent North Carolina at the National Conference as the most outstanding member of North Carolina Phi Beta Lambda.

Additional awards included Marte earning second place in Accounting for Professionals; Montoya, Kellie Peoples, a junior from Macon, and Jaren Palmer, a junior from Corpus Christi, Texas, placing second in Business Decision Making; Montoya earning second place honors in Job Interview; and Brantley House, a sophomore from Wilson, placing second in Statistical Analysis.  The Gamma Gamma Chapter's Local Chapter Annual Business Report also garnered second place at the event.

Third place recognitions were awarded to Montoya and Keith for their Community Service Project, "The Wilson Chamber of Commerce;" Keith, for Computer Applications and Marketing Concepts; Ridge Pruitt, a sophomore from Selma, for Contemporary Sports Issues; Brandi Stevens, a sophomore from Four Oaks, for Financial Concepts; Guthrie and Kathy Tate-Hildreth, a senior from Four Oaks, for Human Resource Management; and Amanda Moore, a junior from Kinston, for Management Concepts.

Tate-Hildreth and Guthrie earned fourth-place honors with their Free Enterprise Project, "Diversity in the Workplace," while fifth-place honors went to Tyndall in Business Communication, Palmer in Microeconomics, and the team of Tyndall and Payne with their Free Enterprise Project, "Identity Theft."

Stevens earned sixth place in Computer Applications and the team of Marte, Palmer, and Moore earned sixth place with their Community Service Project, "Day of Service."

Seventh place honors went to House in Accounting Principles, Peoples in Business Law, Pruitt in Microeconomics, and Moore in Word Processing.  Eighth place was awarded to Tate-Hildreth in Information Management, and Tiara Ward, a junior from Middlesex, in Sales Presentation.

In addition to receiving the Gold Seal Award, Gold Star Chapter, Membership Madness recognition, and the Terry Lowrance Leadership Award, the Gamma Gamma Chapter received recognition for its monetary contributions to state- and nationally-recommended projects. And, two chapter members received National Recognition Awards through the Career and Membership Achievement Program: Tate-Hildreth, at the Director Level, and Montoya, at the Presidential Level.

Teresa Parker of Wilson and Ronald Eggers of Rocky Mount, associate professors in the College's School of Business, accompanied the student delegation to the state conference.

For additional information about the Gamma Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Lambda, visit the web site: http://www.barton.edu/SchoolofBusiness/PBL/bartonpbl.htm

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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. - "Oculus," the 2009 Barton College Senior Art Exhibition,  opens on Saturday evening, April 4, with a reception from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. in the Barton Art Galleries. This event is open to the public at no charge, and the community is invited to attend.  The exhibition will run until Friday, May 8.

Art works by seniors Sarah Stoia St. Martin and Cameron Basil Gooch will be on view in the Virginia Thompson Graves Gallery. Gallery talks by the artists will be held during the reception with St. Martin and Gooch, at 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. respectively.

St. Martin is the daughter of Navy Chaplain Commander Peter St. Martin and Judy St. Martin, stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. She plans to graduate in May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art with a concentration in Graphic Design.

Ceramics by Sarah St. Martin

She has combined her love of photography with her creativity in graphic design to develop several unique pieces for the senior show.  Influenced by a period of residency in Japan, St. Martin has incorporated Eastern aspects throughout her works in the exhibit, including an Asian-inspired dressing screen that depicts a self-portrait as well as friends' portraits.  Another intriguing piece is a miniature book of poetry she has created to showcase various forms of typography.

St. Martin also has created a proto-type application of a letterform design project that included research in merchandising and product display.  "The letterforms have been hand painted on china as a successful proto-type for china that one might see in a store like Pier 1 or The Pottery Barn," shared J. Chris Wilson, professor of art and senior advisor.  "The design is intended to appeal to a young audience and plays with the number '8′ as a major design motif on the dinning china, making a pun of 'ate' as an implied design motif."  In addition, St. Martin has designed banners with related letterform designs that would function as merchandising elements in the commercial arena for the line and could also function as table runners for a comprehensive design statement in the home.

St. Martin eventually hopes to earn a teaching certificate, but looks forward to working in the field of art and design upon graduation.

Cameron Basil Gooch is the son of Deborah and Basil Gooch of Elon.  He also is scheduled to graduate in May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art with a concentration in Graphic Design and Photography.  His works in the exhibition will feature designs for recreational equipment including skateboards, snowboards, snow skis, and a skim board that are intended to appeal to a young, grunge-style consumer. Gooch's clothing designs also showcase his comprehensive approach to a product design campaign.  His inspiration, fueled by travels to New York City and other metropolitan areas, provides a strong urban theme for his art.

Designs by Cameron Gooch

"Cameron's work has greatly matured, and his urban theme with a young target audience is focused and successful from both a design perspective and an understanding of the need in today's economy to seek a market niche," said Wilson.  "The work is exciting and dynamic and should successfully hit its intended mark."  Photographs and design letter projects by Gooch are also included in the exhibition.

Following graduation, Gooch anticipates a career in commercial design and looks forward to developing his own signature product line.

For additional information about the exhibition, please contact the Barton Art Galleries at 252-39-6477 or J. Chris Wilson at 252-399-6476.  The Barton Art Galleries are located in Case Art Building on the Barton College campus. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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