News

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. - Roger Benjamin, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of the New York based Council for Aid to Education (CAE), will be the featured speaker at the 108th annual commencement exercises of Barton College, scheduled for Sunday, May 23.  He will be awarded the Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, during the ceremony.

Dr. Benjamin is currently leading CAE's Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) Project, a national initiative to measure student learning outcomes in undergraduate education. He also examines issues of higher education policy, public policy, and comparative political policy.

Barton's relationship with Dr. Benjamin began with the College's participation in the CLA project, and his research has had a significant impact on this North Carolina college campus.

Barton College is currently ranked in the top quartile nationally in value-added education as measured by the CLA. "The College began using the CLA about five years ago in order to more intentionally provide evidence of student learning in its 'engaged learning' program," said Dr. Norval C. Kneten, president of Barton College.  "For some years now, Barton has engaged its students by requiring them to apply knowledge and understanding rather than relying upon rote memory."

The CLA goes beyond the usual multiple-choice format and requires real-world performance tasks of students.  It challenges students by requiring them to select and justify a position on an issue, to evaluate the logic of an argument, and to complete a real-world task such as preparing a briefing report or a well documented recommendation.

"Our era has been called the "information age," but the flood of information overwhelms even those with a photographic memory," shared Dr. Terry Grimes, vice president for academic affairs.  "There is a growing consensus among educational leaders and business leaders that what really counts is the ability to process the vast amount of available information, to think clearly, and to write effectively in interpreting the data."

The CLA yields two types of scores.  First, the performance of freshmen and seniors is measured and compared to expected performance levels.  Then, institutions are rated on student gains in performance.

Implementing these new intensive curriculum-based learning experiences has allowed Barton College to take the next step in insuring that its future graduates will be uniquely prepared for the jobs of the future and will successfully meet the competitive challenges of the 21^st century.

Prior to his assuming his leadership role with the Council for Aid to Education, Dr. Benjamin served as director of RAND Education from 1994 to 1999 and senior research scientist at RAND from 1990 to 2005.

Previous to his appointment to RAND, Dr. Benjamin was a member of the Political Science Department of the University of Minnesota from 1966 to 1983 and associate dean and executive officer, College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota, from 1980 to 1983; senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost at the University of Pittsburgh from 1983 to 1986; vice president for academic affairs and provost, University of Minnesota, from 1986 to 1988, and professor of political science, University of Minnesota, from 1988 to 1990.  At both universities, he led institution-wide strategic planning efforts.

Dr. Benjamin is the author or co-author of 18 books and monographs and numerous articles on institutional design related questions in political change and public policy including: "The Limits of Politics: Collective Goods and Political Change in Postindustrial Societies" (1980), "The Democratic State" (1986), and "Balancing State Intervention: The Limits of Transatlantic Markets" (1995).

In education policy, his work includes articles and monographs on the following topics: From Growth to Change: The Role of the University in Postindustrial Society (1983), The Redesign of Governance in Higher Education (1994), Impediments and Imperative in Redesigning Higher Education (1996), Breaking the Social Contract: The Fiscal Crisis in Higher Education (1997), The Implications of the Changed Environment for Governance (1998), Looming Deficits Causes, Consequences, and Cures (1998), Value Added Assessment of Liberal Education (2002), The Environment of American Higher Education: A Constellation of Changes (2004), Recreating the Faculty Role in University Governance (2006), Assessment Versus Accountability in Higher Education (2006), and The Case for Comparative Institutional Assessment of Higher-Order Thinking Skills (2008).

Dr. Benjamin has led research teams in five recent strategic planning engagements to redesign universities in California (1995-96), the City University of New York (CUNY) (1999), Texas (2000), Nevada (2001), and Qatar (2004-07).

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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. -  Theatre at Barton will present Jean Paul Sartre's "No Exit", a mainstage production directed by first-time director and senior theatre major Christopher Wallen. Four performances, to be held in Barton's new Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theatre, will run Thursday through Saturday, April 22-24, at 8 p.m. and on Sunday afternoon, April 25, at 3 p.m.

"No Exit" is an iconic, 1944 existentialist play by Jean-Paul Sartre, originally published in French as "Huis Clos." The play features only four characters, a single set and is the source of Sartre's most famous quotation, "Hell is other people."  (In French, "l'enfer, c'est les autres"). It has been adapted in cinema many times, notably in 1954 by Jacqueline Audry.

The play begins with the Valet leading a man named Joseph Garcin into a room that the audience soon realizes is somewhere in the afterlife; the play mentions many "rooms and passages." The room has no windows, no mirrors, and only one door. Eventually, Garcin is joined by Inès Serrano, and then another woman, Estelle Rigault. After their entry, the Valet leaves, and the door is closed and locked.  The three expect to be tortured, but no torturer arrives. Eventually, they realize they are there to torture each other.

Theatre director Adam Twiss noted, "This piece is a remarkable undertaking for a student director, but long before our  colleges and universities trained students in the dramatic arts, apprenticeship had been the standard. Looking across the stage and meeting the steady gaze of an experienced actor, or sitting at the right hand of a director as they collaborate with the actors and designers to uncover and communicate the truth of a production is the single best way for our students to develop these same skills.

"Here at Barton, we are committed to providing these opportunities to each and every student and, with this production of Jean Paul Sartre's iconic, existential drama "No Exit," we have a chance to see this experience pay off for senior Chris Wallen, an outstanding theatre student and first-time director," continued Twiss.  "Chris has been onstage, backstage, above the stage and, at times, below the stage, doing everything asked of him, and absorbing even the minutest details.  I am delighted to have his inspired work premiere here at Barton and expect tremendous things from him in the years to come!"

The "No Exit" company, directed by Wallen, includes: Victoria Gonzalez, Jess Jones, Jorge Santos, and Wesley Pridgen.  Chris Bernier, technical director of theatre, will oversee the scenic design. Wesley Pridgen will supervise lighting design, and James Duncan will be responsible for sound design. Sharon Montano is in charge of costume design, and wardrobe will be handled by Lizzie Stafford.  Fletcher Duke is the stage manager.

Tickets will be on sale at the door.  General admission is $8 for adults and $5 for students. Barton College students, faculty and staff are admitted free with proper ID. Group rates are also available for parties of six or more; contact Adam Twiss at ajtwiss@barton.edu or 252-399-6484 to make arrangements.

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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. - "Seven," the 2010 Barton College Senior Art Exhibition, opens on Saturday evening, April 17, with a reception from 6 p.m. - 8 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 Monday, May 10.

On view will be the work of seven talented seniors: Christopher Allen, Kristin Flowers, Pamela Hickson, Stacy McGinty, Natalie Phipps, David Pineiro, and Ben Yansom. With a focus on photography, graphic design, and painting, the exhibition will showcase  the burgeoning talent of these young artists as they are ushered into the professional art arena.

Christopher Allen

A native of Rocky Mount, Allen plans to graduate in May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art and Design with an emphasis on Graphic Design. His focus for the exhibition has been to create the company "Black Sheep Design" complete with branding and identity, as well as marketing samples.  As a result, Allen has incorporated both traditional and digital media utilizing mixed media on paper, acrylic on board, and Adobe Design software (including Adobe Flash) to produce work for the exhibition.

"Graphic design is my way of communicating to the world; I use typography and design principles to evoke responses from the audience," shared Allen. "I use high contrast and high drama in my work to add energy, so that viewers are automatically involved with the visuals.  I've always found graphic design to be an interesting art form, along with the medium's ability to grab people's attention from the street or office, using the power of persuasion to sell a product or idea."

Susan Fecho, professor and chair of the Department of Art, said, "Chris Allen's senior exhibition work revolves around the need to develop a professional design identity for his own company - Black Sheep Design. Allen's work demonstrates a passion for design, solid research, and the ability to work in various mediums and formats to best convey an idea."

Following graduation, Allen hopes to secure a position with a large graphic design firm, creating professional level work for both large and small businesses.

Kristin Flowers

Flowers, a native of Wilson, plans to graduate in May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art and Design with a emphasis on Painting. Her works in the exhibition will include paintings in oil and acrylics as well as graphite drawings.

"My mixed media paintings and drawings emphasize a sensitivity to color and an approach to composition that poses psychological questions to the viewer," said Flowers.  "The experimentation with simultaneous imagery, coupled with a feminine point of view, has led to a body of work that has a narrative communication within each painting." In her work, Flowers includes images relating to the female form such as dresses and pears, along with images of herself. "I pose these portraits with the feminine forms in a compositional structure that often provokes a psychological reaction from the viewer," continued Flowers. "I am trying to create a relationship between the images that are presented, which becomes the goal."

"Kristin Flowers' paintings and drawings are energized with line and form in a way that is visually exciting," shared J. Chris Wilson, professor of art.  "Flowers uses strokes to define form and tone to define shape in a way that creates a dialogue between the media and the ground that compels the viewer to engage with the work of art. The overall high value contrast that she typically uses balanced by a controlled color range brings to the work a hierarchy that invites the viewer to reverie."

After graduating in May, Flowers plans to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting/Drawing.

Pamela Hickson

Hickson also hails from Wilson, and she plans to graduate in May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis on Photography.  Her work, titled "Past h Present," will represent a collection of photographs of utilitarian objects such as old locks, hinges, wooden doors, and barns to show that the past is still part of the present through the continued use of these items.

"My goal is to bring awareness that, when something is old, it does not mean it has to be replaced," said Hickson. "Locks, hinges, and wooden doors are still being used and will be used for many years to come…The texture and shape of the metal and wood shows how time has worn into, but not given up on them.  These things are not objects or old buildings left to stand alone, they are possessions needing to be used and are calling out, 'I'm still here.'"

Gerard Lange, assistant professor of art at Barton, shared, "Pamela's work invokes a sense of preservation and perseverance in the timeless quality of the utilitarian objects depicted in her photographs. She is immortalizing the commonly overlooked items people engage themselves with on a daily basis."

Following graduation, Hickson plans to continue her education, and to begin exploring the incorporating of a variety of other mediums into her artwork.

Stacy McGinty

McGinty, a native of Greenville, plans to graduate in May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art and Design with an emphasis on Visual Design.

Using the computer design programs Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, along with hand applied silk-screening techniques, McGinty has created minimalist, abstract designs depicting animals and other subjects simplified for an adolescent audience. Through creative use of typography and flat shapes, she offers a unique approach to design and marketing for children. Her levels of exploration differ with the variety of prototypes that she creates.

"As an artist, I have always been interested in abstract and non-representational design," said McGinty.  "While exploring possibilities for my senior show theme, I began experimenting with designs based on elements of typography.  Using letters of the alphabet, I created animals that are the central theme for the children's design company I developed.  'Imagine That,' the title for the company, will offer a variety of products for youth, including room décor items, school accessories, and apparel.  The elements I prefer utilizing for my designs include line, shape, and pattern.  The repetition of particular aspects of my theme allows me to create a unified body of work, which is significant considering it is designed for a single company."

"Stacy's whimsical artistic voice as seen in her children's décor series has been strongly influenced by literature and popular culture," said Fecho. "'Children should be entertained and inspired by their surroundings,' and McGinty's typography-based animals developed for wallpaper, pillows, and book covers aim to encourage and spark the imagination."

After graduation, McGinty plans to pursue a graduate degree in library science or elementary education.

Natalie Phipps

A native of Durham, Phipps plans to graduate in May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art and Design with an emphasis on Photography. Her black and white photographic works focus on the shapes and lines formed by the human body.  Cropped views, isolated figures, and delicate folds of the body all provide points of visual interest for the viewer.

"From the time I learned how to use a camera, I knew I wanted to be a photographer," shared Phipps. "I've always loved taking pictures of people, landscapes, flowers, and nature in general. My works express creativity and individuality. The use of the human body is often used in my works. The human body is a very interesting subject with its delicate curves and angles. For the senior show, I chose to use photographs to express the human body in its most natural state, nude."

"Natalie's work explores the human body and the emotions of frailty and empowerment through imagery that can be considered serenely nude or in-your-face naked," said Lange. "As one views the collection of images, they are met with a variety of emotions from quiet empathy to rigid solidarity. The handful of images used in this exhibition are from over 1,000 photographs Natalie took."

Following graduation, Phipps hopes to pursue a career in commercial photography.

David Pineiro

Hailing from Charleston, S.C., Pineiro plans to graduate in May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art and Design with an emphasis on Graphic Design and a minor in pre-engineering.

Pineiro will showcase soccer-related graphic design created for the commercial industry. In an effort to mirror a company trade show display, his works will incorporate printed posters, banners, and billboard designs as well as athletic apparel for a company named "Cheeky."  Using a combination of media to create crisp geometric designs, Pineiro has manipulated the high technology of computer graphics to co-exist comfortably alongside the more traditional tools of graphite and paint.

"The main goal of this artwork is to create a design that is unique and clearly communicates its message to the audience," said Pineiro.  "These designs are the combination of geometric and mathematical as well as psychological thought processes mixed with various subject matter."

"Within his creative process, David Pineiro approaches the design aesthetics with laboratory style, seeking to forge design, light, color, and technology together into mathematical attractiveness," said Fecho.  "Pineiro's new work designed for the lifestyle and adrenaline of soccer involved researching the mainstream trends of the international sporting industry."

Following graduation, Pineiro plans to begin a Master of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design while also pursuing a professional career in graphic design.

Ben Yansom

Yansom, a native of Smithfield, plans to graduate in May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art and Design with an emphasis on Graphic Design.

Using a variety of media, Yansom's work focuses on a variety of themes as he showcases 10 company logo designs and associated marketing pieces for the companies. In this work, Yansom portrays his versatility as a designer, as the pieces range in size, concept, and scale. He has even created a nearly life-sized billboard that appears to be freestanding in the gallery. Yansom's reason for exploring a variety of companies and products is because his family owns and operates a successful sign company in Smithfield.

"Graphic design has been a family affair for years and has been part of my life since I was a small child," shared Yansom. "Since 2000, I have worked part time in my family's sign shop and, in that time, I've seen graphic design change and evolve. Now, as I complete my college degree, I look forward to being a part of that evolution."

"Ben Yansom's visual communication skills represent up-to-date market trends for designing unique identities," shared Fecho. "The essence of his art is about translating a business's expertise and product into imagery that comes together as a whole and portrays an added value for the product."

After graduation, Yansom plans to work full time for his family's company, Smithfield Sign Design in Smithfield.

For additional information about the 2010 Senior Art Exhibition, please contact Gerard Lange, senior advisor, at 252-399-6475 or glange@barton.edu.

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

Barton College students and employees sporting white and red t-shirts and tightly laced running shoes gathered at the Alumni Bell Tower on April 8 for the second annual Barton College / Dick's Hot Dog Dash to benefit the April 29 meal packaging event for STOP HUNGER NOW.  Newly added to the event this year was the Weenie Walk, allowing walkers to participate with the runners.

Runners and walkers assembled at the Alumni Bell Tower and, at the word "Go!", raced to Wilson landmark Dick's Hot Dog Stand to eat three hot dog halves with all the fixings.  Once they had devoured their meals, the racers headed back to the bell tower to cross the finish line.

Although prizes were awarded to the first-place male and female runners and the first-place walker, the real purpose of the race was to raise funds to support Barton's STOP HUNGER NOW meal packaging event.  Each STOP HUNGER NOW meals costs only 25 cents to make, and the $500 raised by the Hot Dog Dash and Weenie Walk will become 2,000 meals for the hungry.

To learn more about STOP HUNGER NOW, visit their web site at http://www.stophungernow.org.  If you would like to donate to Barton's STOP HUNGER NOW meal packaging event scheduled for April 29, please click the "Donate Now" button at http://www.barton.edu/stophungernow.  To learn more about STOP HUNGER NOW at Barton College, contact Lynne Medlin at 252-399-6544 or email lmedlin@barton.edu.

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

Could you spare a quarter? One quarter equals one nourishing meal for a hungry child. Last year, Barton College, the Wilson area Rotary Clubs, and the Wilson community raised enough funds to support the packaging of 25,000 meals for children through the STOP HUNGER NOW project. For the third consecutive year, Barton College is teaming with the Wilson Rotary Club, churches, and other organizations to raise $12,500 to double last year's goal and produce 50,000 meals during the on-campus packaging event scheduled for April 29.

The honorable C. Bruce Rose, mayor of the city of Wilson, has proclaimed the month of April as STOP HUNGER NOW MONTH, and he has urged "all citizens in the City of Wilson, all civic and fraternal organizations, all educational associations, all news media, and other community organizations to join in this project by encouraging and promoting fundraising efforts as the Wilson community raises funds needed to help feed 50,000 people in impoverished areas of the world."

Established in 1998 and headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., STOP HUNGER NOW is a non-profit, international relief organization committed to ending hunger worldwide. STOP HUNGER NOW leads ongoing efforts to feed the hungry in more than 71 countries around the world by providing direct emergency food and other life-saving aid to crisis areas.

Creating its meal-packaging program in 2005, the program has perfected the assembly process that combines rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables and a flavoring mix including 21 essential vitamins and minerals into small meal packages. Each meal costs only 25 cents. The food stores easily, has a shelf life of five years, and transports quickly.

So, just how are these 50,000 quarters for 50,000 meals being raised this year? The Barton College Student Government Association has spearheaded a number of opportunities including a Wing-eating Contest held at Buffalo Wild Wings on March 4. On March 25, Barton's SGA partnered with Chick-fil-A to raise funds during the dinner hours and, on April 8, the second annual Barton College / Dick's Hot Dog Dash (or Walk) will return by popular demand to raise additional monies through sponsorships. Barton SGA members have also distributed small collection boxes to faculty, staff, and students to keep on their desks for spare change that will be added to the fundraising efforts each week as the STOP HUNGER NOW packaging event approaches.

Area churches are also designating STOP HUNGER NOW Sundays; they are sharing literature about the STOP HUNGER NOW project and including donation envelopes in the Sunday bulletins and distributing small collection boxes to members. Area churches that have already signed up to participate include: First Christian Church, First United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church, Forest Hills Presbyterian Church, Wilson Praise and Worship, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Wilson Rotary Club has made a generous donation of $2,500, and the Martin Luther King, Jr., Commission of Wilson has also made a significant donation. To date, over $4,000 has been raised.

This year, there's another new option for giving to this worthwhile cause. Online giving to the Wilson-sponsored STOP HUNGER NOW project is available by clicking on the STOP HUNGER NOW button on the Barton College web site at http://www.barton.edu. This is an easy way to make a donation of any amount automatically to help feed hungry children across the world.

The mission of the STOP HUNGER NOW organization is to provide the maximum amount of food and life saving aid to the maximum number of the most poor and hungry throughout the world in the most rapid, efficient, and effective manner. STOP HUNGER NOW has become an international leader in humanitarian relief with the distribution of more than $66 million dollars of direct aid and more than 20 million meals.

STOP HUNGER NOW works with international partners that ship and distribute the meals. The majority of STOP HUNGER NOW's meals supply school lunch programs. This process for distribution, through school feeding programs in hunger-stricken regions, is seen as a practical means to end hunger. And, because of the ease of assembly and transport, these meals can be shipped to areas in crisis.

For more information about the STOP HUNGER NOW project or to find out how your local organization and/or church can participate, please contact Lynne Medlin at 399-6544 or email: lmedlin@barton.edu.

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

WILSON, N.C. - Dr. William Leuchtenburg, noted modern American history scholar and the William Rand Kenan Jr. Professor Emeritus of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will be the featured speaker at the Barton College Friends of Hackney Library spring dinner scheduled for Tuesday, April 13.

The evening's festivities, to be held in Hardy Alumni Hall, will begin with a book signing and wine reception at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and the program at 7 p.m.  Dr. Leuchtenburg plans to speak on "The South and the American Presidency."

Tickets for the dinner event are $35 per person, with reservations accepted until April 9.  Members of the Barton College Friends of Hackney Library may reserve tickets for $30 per person.  Table reservations must be for a total of eight persons. Please contact Cynthia Collins at 399-6503 or fohl@barton.edu for reservations or additional information.

Dr. Leuchtenburg is recognized as one of the nation's top experts on the United States presidency in general, and the leading national scholar on Franklin Delano Roosevelt in particular.  A native of Queens, N.Y., Dr. Leuchtenburg received his bachelor's degree from Cornell University, and his master's and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University.  After brief teaching stints at both Smith College and Harvard University, he began his 30-year tenure on the faculty at Columbia University, where he became De Witt Clinton Professor of American History.  In 2008, he received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Columbia.  He also served as Harmsworth Professor at Oxford University.  Lured to the UNC-Chapel Hill campus from Columbia in 1982, Dr. Leuchtenburg served for 20 years at UNC until his retirement in 2002.  He has also served as president of three major historical organizations: the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, and the Society of American Historians.

He is the author of more than a dozen books on twentieth-century American History, including "Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, 1932-1940″ and "The White House Looks South: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson." Although the majority of Dr. Leuchtenburg's books concern FDR and the New Deal, he was asked by his longtime friend, the late Arthur Schlesinger Jr., to write his latest book, "Herbert Hoover," as part of the American Presidents Series of biographies on all the presidents. The book was released in January 2009.

Dr. Leuchtenburg and his wife, Jean Anne, reside in Chapel Hill.

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

Join fellow poetry enthusiasts for the annual Barton College "Walking into April" Poetry Day in the Sam and Marjorie Ragan Writing Center on April 10.  The event features poets Margaret Boothe Baddour, Michael Chitwood and student poets selected by Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet John Hoppenthaler.

Schedule

9:15 a.m. - Registration

9:45 a.m. - Margaret Boothe Baddour and Michael Chitwood

10:45 a.m. - Break

11:00 a.m. - Roundtable Discussion with Baddour and Chitwood

12:00 p.m. - Catered Lunch

1:00 p.m. - Book Signing

1:20 p.m. - Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series Student Poets

2:00 p.m. - Open Microphone

The registration deadline is April 7.  For lunch reservations, send your check for $9.50, made out to "Barton College," to Dr. Rebecca Godwin, Department of English and Modern Languages, Barton College, P.O. Box 5000, Wilson, NC  27893-7000.

Margaret Boothe Baddour has published two books of poetry, Easy Magic (1991) and Scheherazade and Other Poems (2009).  Former president of the North Carolina Poetry Society, she is the winner of the North Carolina Poet Laureate Award and holds the Bell Distinguished Chair in Teaching at Wayne Community College.

Michael Chitwood is the author of eight books, including Gospel Road Going (2002) and Spill (2007), both winners of the Roanoke-Chowan Award for Poetry.  His work has appeared in journals such as The Atlantic Monthly and Virginia Quarterly Review. He is a lecturer at the University of North Carolina.

John Hoppenthaler, Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet for Eastern North Carolina, has published two books of poetry, Lives of Water (2003) and Anticipate the Coming Reservoir (2008).  Advisory Editor for Connotation Press: An Online Artifact, he teaches creative writing and literature at East Carolina University.

Student poets selected for this year's Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series are Arendell Parrott Academy middle school student Hannah Sloan, UNC-Wilmington senior Kevin Dublin, and Jacksonville adult student poet Veronica Williams.

Directions to Barton College and a list of overnight accommodations may be found at http://www.barton.edu/geninfo/map.htm.  For more information, contact Dr. Rebecca Godwin at the Sam and Marjorie Ragan Writing Center, 252-399-6364 or rlgodwin@barton.edu.

WILSON, N.C. - The Barton College Gospel Choir will present its fifth annual concert on Saturday, April 10, in Hardy Alumni Hall at 3 p.m.  This year's theme is " More than Conquerors" inspired by Romans 8:37.  The event is open to the public at no charge, and the community is invited to attend.

The Barton College Gospel Choir will perform a number of selections by artists including Donald Lawrence, Ricky Dillard, Youthful Praise, Twinkie Clark, and John P. Kee.  The program will also include special performances by Barton's Genesis Dance Team, and Barton sophomore Ebony Watkins.

Barton will also welcome to campus the Pitt Community College Gospel Choir "Elements of Praise" who will perform one musical selection, and the Wynn Chapel Praise Dancers who will open the concert for the Barton College Gospel Choir with their ministry in dance.

Also back by popular demand, for the third consecutive year, are guest director George Mitchell of Orlando, Fla., and guest vocalists Tina Todd, Char Biggs, Nerissa Grigsby, and Kim Mena, from Pittsburgh, Pa.  Mena will also serve as mistress of ceremonies for the concert.

The Barton College Gospel Choir has 25 members this year.  The choir's sopranos include Khadijah Lane, Ashley Harris (president), Precious Johnson, Phylicia Evans, Shimicka Wells, Santisha Brown, Jaren Palmer, and Holly Zacharias (advisor).  The alto section is comprised of Jasmine Jones, Jazmine Tinsley, Jaqueline Henry, Tiffany Crudup, Thia Bowen, Kalyah Andrews, Jasmine Graham, and Danielle Watts (alumna).  And, the tenors round out the ensemble with Ashely Morris, LaLonnie Steward, Brandon Redmond, Ebony McCray, Kevin Wright, and Terrence Canady (alumnus and director).

Band members TJ Jones from Barton College (keyboard) and Marquail Harris from Fike High School (drums) will accompany the choir.

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.

Barton College's Alternative Spring Break provides opportunities for service-minded students to use the week-long pause in the spring semester to help others.  This year, working through Barton's Campus Compassion initiative, a group of Barton College students led by the Rev. Hollie Woodruff, chaplain of the College, spent the week of March 14-20 in Lake Charles, La., to aid families still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which struck the region in August 2005.  Victoria Gonzalez, Barton's volunteer service coordinator through AmericaCorps VISTA, accompanied the group and recorded their experiences.  Her videos are below.

For more information on Barton College's Campus Compassion or Alternative Spring Break programs, contact the Rev. Hollie Woodruff at 252-399-6368 or by email at hewoodruff@barton.edu.