Today’s Email Announcements

Watauga Soil and Water Board to Meet Oct. 26

The Watauga Soil and Water Conservation District Board will hold its regular Board meeting Wednesday October 26, 2016 at 8:00 am at the Soil & Water Office located at 971 West King Street, Boone NC 28607.The public is invited to attend.

Special Evening Program at MP 296 on Oct. 15: Music of the Native American Flute

Julian Price Campground Amphitheater – Milepost 296

7:00 p.m. – Heart and Soul: Music of the Native American Flute

“The flute is the essence of the wind and gives voice to the beauty of the mountains as it rustles the leaves and grasses.” — Native American Proverb

 Join us around the campfire for an enthralling evening of flute playing and storytelling by special guest Lee Entrekin.

Program will last approx. 1 hour.

Blue Ridge Parkway Ranger Programs Oct. 12-16

Blue Ridge Parkway

Ranger Programs

 

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

 

Cone Manor – Milepost 294

10:30 am-12:00 – Informal Upstairs Tour at Cone Manor

The second floor of Cone Manor will be open for a do-it-yourself tour. Rangers will be on hand to answer questions.

 

Friday, October 14 , 2015

 

Cone Manor – Milepost 294

10:30 am -12:00– Informal Upstairs Tour at Cone Manor

The second floor of Cone Manor will be open for a do-it-yourself tour. Rangers will be on hand to answer questions.

 

Saturday, October 15, 2016

 

Cone Manor – Milepost 294

11:00 am – Upstairs Guided Tour at Cone Manor

Ranger led tour of the second floor of the former home of Moses and Bertha Cone. See Sunday below for details.

 

Price Picnic Ground / Boone Fork Trailhead – Milepost 296

1:00-3:00 – Walk On The Wild Side Join Ranger Chuck with a group of animals –bear, bobcat, turkey and ???-that you can see here on the Blue Ridge Parkway

 

Cone Manor – Milepost 294

1:30 pm-3:00 – Informal Upstairs Tour at Cone Manor

The second floor of Cone Manor will be open for a do-it-yourself tour. Rangers will be on hand to answer questions.

 

Julian Price Campground Amphitheater – Milepost 296

7:00 p.m. – Heart and Soul: Music of the Native American Flute

“The flute is the essence of the wind and gives voice to the beauty of the mountains as it rustles the leaves and grasses.” — Native American Proverb

Join us around the campfire for an enthralling evening of flute playing and storytelling by special guest Lee Entrekin. Program will last approx. 1 hour.

 

 

Sunday, October 16, 2016

 

Cone Manor – Milepost 294

10:00, 11:00, 2:00, 3:00 -Upstairs Tours at Cone Manor

Ranger led tours of the second floor of the former home of Moses and Bertha Cone. Tour is approximately 45 minutes long and reservations are required. To reserve a tour: call 828-295-3782 or sign up at the NPS information desk at the Manor House. Reservations are accepted beginning at 10:00am Friday for the upcoming weekend only. No advance reservations, please.

Educators Inducted Into Reich College of Ed Rhododendron Society

By Elisabeth Wall

BOONE—The Reich College of Education (RCOE) hosted its 17th Rhododendron Society induction in late July, honoring three Appalachian State University graduates for their service to education. The inductees were Dr. Kim Blackburn-Morrison ’93 ’10, Bob M. Mauldin ’61 and Dawn B. Wooten ’89.

View larger imagePictured from left are Rhododendron Society inductees Dr. Kim Morrison ’93 ’10, Dawn Wooten ’89 and Donna Mauldin, representing her husband Bob Mauldin ’61. Photo by Kenneth Kirksey

Provost Darrell Kruger welcomed the guests, including honorees and their families, previous recipients and members of the RCOE Advisory Board. RCOE Dean Melba Spooner and Chancellor Sheri N. Everts presided over the induction.

The RCOE established the Rhododendron Society in 1999, Appalachian’s centennial year. The society recognizes graduates of Appalachian whose service as teachers, librarians, human service professionals or administrators has reflected great credit on themselves, the field of education and the university.

Rhododendron Society inductees

Blackburn-Morrison, a North Carolina Teaching Fellow, received her undergraduate and master’s degrees from Appalachian in music education. In 2005, she went on to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro to earn her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with an add-on administrative licensure from Appalachian in 2010.

She recently has been named superintendent of Mount Airy City Schools.

During her career, Blackburn-Morrison was elected to the national board of directors for Magnet Schools of America, has been awarded grants exceeding $30 million, conducted numerous trainings and webinars for the U.S. Department of Education, and was named a finalist for the American Association of School Administrators National Women in School Leadership Award.

Blackburn-Morrison has introduced programs in language immersion in Chinese and Spanish, International Baccalaureate, Arts, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) and is responsible for innovative partnerships with organizations such as NASCAR.

She has two sons, Kaleb and Eli, and lives with her husband, Tommy, in Mount Airy.

Bob Mauldin (1936 – 2015) was recognized posthumously for his contributions and accomplishments in education and community service. A 1961 graduate of Appalachian State Teachers College, Mauldin earned his bachelor’s degree in history and physical education and later, his master’s degree in educational administration and supervision from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He was later awarded a Certificate of Graduate Study in Education, Sixth Year Program from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mauldin was called up for service during the Berlin Crisis, returning in 1962 to begin a 37-year career as an educator and football, wrestling, track and soccer coach. He was director of the Middle Grade Occupational Program before being named principal at J.F. McKnight Kindergarten in Kannapolis, a position he held for 23 years. For one year, before retiring in 1998, he assisted with the transition of all Kannapolis sixth graders to Kannapolis Middle School.

Mauldin and his wife, Donna, were married for 51 years. They have a son, Alex, a daughter, Jill, and five grandchildren. He enjoyed gardening, rock work, travel and seeing his grandchildren perform.

Wooten has been an educator since her graduation in 1989, working as a teacher, Total Quality Management (TQM) strategist and principal in the Triad. Since 1999 she has been actively involved in the design, creation and delivery of leadership training and development programs and activities, including providing technical assistance and executive coaching in North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Delaware, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio.

Until recently, Wooten served on the board of United Way of Davie County. She is a member of Pearls of Empowerment, a grants organization that seeks to improve the lives of women and children. She is also a member of the Mocksville Women’s Club, Friends of Davie County Library, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Davie County Hospice, Clemmons United Methodist Church and the Davie County Humane Society.

Scholarships awarded

During the event, scholarships also were awarded to senior Thomas A. Young, a sophomore majoring in secondary education English, and Jodi L. Grubb, an August 2016 graduate of the doctoral program in educational leadership. Grubb was awarded the Rhododendron Scholarship for her dissertation research on sustainable change. She also was recently named Ashe County Teacher of the Year. Young, an Arden native, is a member of the Appalachian Community of Educators (ACES) and is in The Honors College.

About the Rhododendron Society

The Rhododendron was selected as a symbol of the society because it is native to North Carolina and blooms profusely on and around Appalachian’s campus. The symbol also is significant because for more than 70 years the university yearbook, a repository of many historical moments, activities and accomplishment of Appalachian students, was called The Rhododendron. Because the RCOE wishes to celebrate alumni accomplishments and contributions, the Rhododendron Society has chosen to carry on the tradition. Two annual scholarships to the RCOE are funded by members of the Rhododendron Society.

About the Reich College of Education

The RCOE at Appalachian State University is widely recognized throughout the Southeast as a strong leader in teacher education and related programs. The college houses graduate degrees at the master’s, specialist and doctoral levels, as well as a number of graduate certificates and teacher licensure-only programs. The RCOE is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of educator Preparation and the North Carolina State Board of Education.

Mikayla Sage and Cameron Small Win App’s 2016 ECRS Computer Science Innovation and Entrepreneurship Scholarships

By University Communications

BOONE—Mikayla Sage of Maiden and Cameron Small of Apex have been awarded the 2016 ECRS Computer Science Innovation and Entrepreneurship scholarships by the Department of Computer Science at Appalachian State University.

View larger imageMikayla Sage and Cameron Small have been awarded the 2016 ECRS Computer Science Innovation and Entrepreneurship scholarships by the Department of Computer Science at Appalachian State University. Photo by Rahman Tashakkori

Both Sage and Small are first-year computer science majors. Each receives a $4,000 per year scholarship in addition to $500 each year for materials such as software or a computer application for research, which the ECRS scholarship promotes. The scholarship renews during each of the recipients’ four years of undergraduate study if they shoulder a course load averaging 15 hours per semester, demonstrate academic progress in recommended course work and maintain a minimum 3.0 overall GPA.

The ECRS scholarship program is underwritten entirely by ECRS, a software corporation in Boone that began providing funding for two students each year in 2015. It “presents a great educational and experiential learning opportunity for our students and an opportunity for the Department of Computer Science and ECRS to partner in a tangible way to address the high demand for skilled computing professionals,” said Dr. James Wilkes, who chairs Appalachian’s Department of Computer Science.

“These recipients benefit not only from the financial assistance of the scholarship, but, even more importantly, from the experiences and skills and maturity gained through the activities of the program, including innovative research projects with students and faculty and internships at ECRS.”

The recipients of the ECRS scholarship are also mentored by upper-level computer science students in a program called Scholarship in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM), which is funded by the National Science Foundation.

“Starting next year, we expect the first cohort of ECRS scholars to serve as peer-mentors when they are in their junior year,” said Dr. Rahman Tashakkori, the director of the Department of Computer Science’s S-STEM program.

Other highlights of the ECRS program include seminars and workshops on topics such as effective team building, trust building among team members, conflict resolution, time management and the assessment of priorities. There are also workshops on resume writing, job searches and internship opportunities at ECRS.

The ECRS scholarship is becoming increasingly competitive. This year, 11 students vied for the two scholarships. Tashakkori called the ECRS scholarship “an exceptional opportunity” not only for students interested in pursuing degrees in computer science but also for those interested in developing “innovative and/or entrepreneurial ideas.”

“We are very grateful for this support provided by one of the IT leaders in our community,” he said. “These ECRS scholars will be part of mentoring efforts that have provided role models to all students.”

Both Sage and Small echoed this sentiment.

“Being able to join in on seminars, study groups, leadership workshops and internship opportunities (will) broaden my academic studies, better my understanding of the major, and help guide me toward the career path best suited for me,” said Sage, a 2015 graduate of Maiden High School. “This program offers me the opportunity to collaborate with others while strengthening my computer science skills. I will definitely take advantage of these wonderful opportunities.”

Added Small, a 2016 graduate of Apex High School: “I am very excited for four years with the computer science department as well as a chance to have the opportunity provided by this scholarship.”

For more information on the ECRS scholarship, see http://cs.appstate.edu/ecrs.

About the Department of Computer Science

Appalachian’s Department of Computer Science provides a rigorous, high-quality education that prepares students for the computing industry or graduate education. It offers a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science, which is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, and a Master of Science degree in computer science.

Faculty and Alumna of App’s Department of Communication Benefit from Being Named Kopenhaver Fellows

By Ken Keuffel

BOONE—Three faculty members in the Department of Communication at Appalachian State University and one of the department’s alumna are now enjoying the benefits of two organizations advocating for them and other early- and mid-career women working in communication fields.

They were designated Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Fellows for 2016 just after a special pre-convention workshop at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s annual convention, which was held this past August in Minneapolis. As such, they’ll be able to participate in webinars and other activities of both the AEJMC’s Commission on the Status of Women and the Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication at Florida International University.

They will each have a chance to forge a relationship with a mentor drawn from the more senior academics at the conference, and they will continue networking with fellows during reunions for them at future conferences. Additionally, they will receive the two organizations’ publications throughout the year.

The three faculty are Heather Paige Preston, a senior lecturer; Dr. Newly Paul, an assistant professor of communication; and Dr. Mildred “Mimi” Perreault, an instructor of PR principles, crisis communication and social media strategies. The alumna is Dr. Jennifer Brannock Cox, an assistant professor of communication arts at Salisbury University in Maryland.

The pre-convention workshop, titled “Empowering Junior Faculty: Pathways to Success in the Academy,” drew junior faculty from universities across the United States. The workshop’s speakers, all senior female academics, addressed such issues such as negotiating the tenure process, balancing life and work and teaching diversity issues. There were also ample opportunities to network.

“The conference helped me connect with other fellow academics who are either at the same career stage as I am and are navigating the same challenges, or are senior and have already faced those issues,” Paul said. “It helped me get valuable insights from them. I especially enjoyed the small networking groups that helped participants speak openly about the unique challenges women face in academia. We talked about work life balance, battling stereotypes and preparing to get tenure.”

Perreault said that a professor she met at the conference has become her mentor.

“I’m not alone,” Perreault said. “There are lots of people out there who can encourage and support me.”

The Kopenhaver center aims to “empower both women professionals and academics in all the fields of communication, in order to develop visionaries and leaders who can make a difference in their communities and their profession.” It also provides the latest news, research and events about women and mass communication. Seehttp://kopenhavercenter.fiu.edu for more information.

As for the Commission on the Status of Women, its purpose is “to advocate for the improvement of the status of women in journalism and mass communication education as well as in the journalism and mass communication workforce.” The commission also promotes feminist scholarship in journalism and mass communication. Seehttp://aejmc.us/csw for more information.

About the Department of Communication

One of seven departments housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Department of Communication at Appalachian State University focuses on preparing students to succeed in the varied fields within the communication industry. The department offers five majors – advertising, communication studies, electronic media/broadcasting, journalism and public relations – and a minor in communication studies. Graduates work in a wide range of positions in media, corporate, agency, government and nonprofit organizations.