Peace College - Archived News

RALEIGH, N.C. (Nov. 9, 2007) – Peace College will host our fall Open House for prospective students and parents on Friday, November 16, 2007.

The day will begin with check-in at 10am and end at 3pm. During the open house prospective students will be welcomed by the Dean of Enrollment, Matt Green, Provost, Debbie Cottrell, and Student Body President, Hayden Miller.

After the welcoming, guests can enjoy a complete tour of campus given by Admissions Ambasodors. They will also receive an overview of Admissions and Financial Aid process, participate in student and parent panels, eat lunch in Belk Dining Hall and get to choose between classroom experience sessions. Guests will end their day with hot cider in cookies in Main Parlor before departing.

For more information about the open house, to R.S.V.P. or to schedule an individual appointment, please contact Jennifer Mitchell by phone at 919-508-2214 or by email admissions@peace.edu.

Entrepreneur, Former Astronaut to Speak at Peace Nov. 5

RALEIGH, N.C. (Oct. 10, 2007) – Entrepreneur, educator and former astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison will speak at Peace on Nov. 5.

The first African-American woman to fly into space, Jemison's talk will conclude the college’s yearlong celebration of the 150th anniversary of its founding. Dr. Jemison plans to address several topics, including motivation, science literacy and technological and medical innovations.

The lecture will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Kenan Recital Hall. It is free and open to the public.

Dr. Jemison was accepted into the first class of new astronauts after the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986. She flew aboard the space shuttle Endeavour in 1992 -- an eight-day mission during which she managed experiments designed to study bone cell function in space.

The product of a middle American upbringing, Dr. Jemison, a precocious student who found her role models in teachers, parents and mentors who guided her along life’s path, traces her education from her mother's school teacher encouragement, through her undergraduate years as a science major at Stanford, into Cornell and her “humbling” as a medical student.

Dr. Jemison will take the Peace College audience on an exciting and diverse voyage which mirrors her life, encompassing a journey from Africa to space -- focusing on exploration of the frontiers of science and human potential.

For more information, call (919) 508-2000.

Peace College Hosts Sesquicentennial Gala

RALEIGH, N.C. (Oct. 4, 2007) – Peace College will host a 500-person black-tie gala on Friday evening in one of the culminating events in the college’s yearlong celebration of the 150th anniversary of its founding.

The event, which will be held under a large tent on the north side of the college’s campus, will include dinner, a silent auction and dancing to live music. The event begins at 6 p.m.

“We’ve held numerous academic events and had special occasions to mark the historic significance of Peace College throughout the year,” said President Laura Bingham, “but the gala will be our most celebratory event with many individuals who have contributed to the success and longevity of Peace College in attendance.”

Peace College was founded as Peace Institute in 1857. During the past year, the college has marked the anniversary by celebrating Founder’s Day with the unveiling of a statue of William Peace, the college’s founding benefactor; hosted special lectures; opened a display about the college in the Raleigh City Museum; hosted an expanded alumnae weekend, among other events. In November in the final sesquicentennial year event, the college will host a presentation by Mae Jemison, America’s first female African-American astronaut.

Peace College is a four-year baccalaureate college that offers women a unique academic environment in which they collaborate with their professors in learning. In the most recent National Survey of Student Engagement, evaluations by Peace’s students placed the school in the top 10 percent among the 610 colleges and universities taking part in the survey in all five of the survey’s categories. More information about the college is available on the Peace website, www.peace.edu.

N.C. Symphony's Joan Landry to Give 'Symphony Essentials' Lecture Oct. 9

RALEIGH, N.C. (Oct. 4, 2007) – Joan Landry, assistant conductor of the North Carolina Symphony, will give a talk entitled "How to Listen to Music" on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at Peace College.

Her talk is part of the “Symphony Essentials” lecture series co-sponsored by the N.C. Symphony and Peace College. The talks will be held on the second Tuesday of each month through May.

The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in Peace College’s Kenan Recital Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Other lectures in the “Symphony Essentials” series:

Nov. 6, William Henry Curry on “The Life and Times of Gustav Mahler.”
Dec. 11, a panel facilitated by Michael Guillot will discuss “Lessons on Leadership from a Symphony Orchestra: A Masterpiece in the Making.”
Jan. 8, Katie Wyatt interviews guest conductor Emmanuel Villaume.

Other lectures are planned for Feb. 5, March 11, April 8 and May 13.

For more information, call (919) 508-2290.

Peace College Theatre Presents 'A Doll House'

RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 18, 2007) – Peace College Theatre presents an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll House." The show opens Wednesday, Sept. 19, with performances through Tuesday, Sept. 25, excluding Sunday.

PCT Director Kenny Gannon's adaptation of Ibsen's classic places the play in 1950s Manhattan, with central character Nora modeled as a Marilyn Monroe-like figure. Nora is played by Peace student and PCT veteran Sarah Thomas.

The play was considered scandalous when it premiered in the 1880s because it called into question the roles women and men are expected to play within the bounds of marriage.

Performances will be held in Peace's Leggett Theatre, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The Thursday, Friday and Monday performances will be followed by "talk-back" sessions in which audience members may discuss the play with the cast.

Peace College students will be admittted free; other students for $5. Tickets for the general public are $15. Seating is limited. Call (919) 508-2051 to reserve tickets.

Buckner To Give Poetry Reading on Monday

RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 14, 2007) – Peace College professor emeritus Sally Buckner will read from her book of poems, “Collateral Damage,” on Monday evening (Sept. 17) at the college.

The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Building’s parlor. The event is free and open to the public. Buckner will be available to sign copies of her book.

Buckner is the winner of the R. Hunt Parker Award for contributions to North Carolina literature and has divided her life between teaching and writing. She joined Peace College in 1970, teaching English until 1998.

Her poetry and fiction have appeared in journals and anthologies as varied as Southern Poetry Review, Main Street Rag, “Peace is Our Profession” and “Voices From Home.” She has also published a poetry collection, “Strawberry Harvest,” and edited two anthologies of North Carolina writing, “Our Words, Our Ways,” designed to accompany eighth-grade studies of state history, and “Word and Witness: 100 Years of North Carolina Poetry.”

She and her husband live in Cary.

Family Weekend Events Planned for Sept. 21-23

RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 7, 2007) – Peace College will celebrate Family Weekend Sept. 21-23. Families of Peace students are invited to join us for the fun.

Events include Peace College Theatre's adaptaion of Henrrik Ibsen's "A Doll House," Peace volleyball games, presentations by Peace faculty members and more.

The cost of Family Weekend is $15 per guest. Registration for Family Weekend is available by clicking here.

Here is a schedule of Family Weekend events:

Friday, September 21

4:45 p.m. -6:00 p.m.
Optional Dinner on Campus
Belk Dining Hall
The Dining Hall will be open if you choose to stay on campus. Additional cost for this meal is $6.50.

7:30 p.m.- 10:00 p.m.
Performance: Ibsen’s “A Doll House”
Leggett Theater

10:00 p.m.
“A Doll House” Talk Back Session
Take the opportunity to meet with faculty and staff at Peace College as well as cast members to discuss issues spotlighted in the performance.

Saturday, September 22

9:30-10:15 a.m.
Registration and Breakfast
Main Building
Family members can pick up registration packets which include nametags, a detailed schedule of events, and information about campus events.

10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Check out the Peace Bookstore
Belk Hall
See coupon included in your welcome packet.

ALL DAY
Self-Guided Tour of Campus
Familiarize yourself with Peace College on a self-guided tour through campus. Learn fun facts and the history of the College all at once.

10:15 a.m.
Welcome
Dinwiddie Chapel
Join President Laura Carpenter Bingham as she welcomes you to Peace College Family Weekend.
2nd Floor Main

10:30 a.m.
Worship Service
Dinwiddie Chapel
Dr. Kyle Allen guides families in an inspiring Saturday chapel program
2nd Floor Main

11:20 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
Family members are invited to listen to a presentation on one of the following two topics:

International Travel Opportunities
Flowe 116
Ms. Adair Robertson, International Studies Coordinator

Faculty Panel: Tips for Success in the Classroom for Your Daughter
Flowe 110
Take this opportunity to hear from several faculty suggestions about how your daughter can be most successful in her academic journey.

12:00 p.m.
Peace College v. Mary Baldwin College (volleyball)
Hermann Student Center

12:00 p.m. -2:00 p.m.
Picnic on the Lawn
Front Lawn
Enjoy a delicious lunch while relaxing to a great band!

2:30 p.m.
Mary Baldwin College v. Methodist College (volleyball)
Hermann Student Center

5:00 p.m.
Peace College v. Methodist College (volleyball)
Hermann Student Center

7:30 p.m.- 10:00 p.m.
Performance: Ibsen’s “A Doll House”
Leggett Theater
Peace College presents our fall theatrical performance.
Please see brochure included with this packet for ticket information.

10:00 p.m.
“A Doll House” Talk Back Session
Take the opportunity to meet with faculty and staff at Peace College as well as cast members to discuss issues spotlighted in the performance.

Sunday, September 23

ALL DAY
Enjoy the day with your student as you explore Raleigh and/or visit a local church service of your choice.

Grant Llewellyn Helps Kick Off 'Symphony Essentials' Lecture Series Sept. 11

RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 4, 2007) – Grant Llewellyn, music director of the North Carolina Symphony, and Scott Freck, the symphony’s general manager and vice president for artistic operations, will preview the symphony’s 2007-08 season on Tuesday, Sept. 11.

Their talk is part of the “Symphony Essentials” lecture series co-sponsored by the N.C. Symphony and Peace College. The talks will be held on the second Tuesday of each month through May.

The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in Peace College’s Kenan Recital Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Other lectures in the “Symphony Essentials” series:

Oct. 9, Joan Landry on “How to listen to music.”
Nov. 6, William Henry Curry on “The Life and Times of Gustav Mahler.”

Dec. 11, a panel facilitated by Michael Guillot will discuss “Lessons on Leadership from a Symphony Orchestra: A Masterpiece in the Making.”

Jan. 8, Katie Wyatt interviews guest conductor Emmanuel Villaume.

Other lectures are planned for Feb. 5, March 11, April 8 and May 13.

For more information, call (919) 508-2290.

News & Observer column: 'A Better College Indicator'

The following opinion page column by Peace College President Laura Carpenter Bingham appeared in the News & Observer on Aug. 22.

RALEIGH - Lost in all the media attention, analysis and recent boycotting of U.S. News & World Report's college rankings is a story of greater significance. It's the annual results of a far-greater barometer of the education of college students. This is the National Survey of Student Engagement.

Where the U.S. News rankings are based on data collected about students as they enter an institution, NSSE collects data from the front-line beneficiaries of college experience -- enrolled first-year and senior students.

NSSE, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts and the National Center for Higher Education Management and the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University, obtains information about student participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development. It surveys undergraduate quality, providing far more valuable information about institutional quality than measures of reputation.

The survey consists principally of items that are known to be related to the most important college outcomes: student-faculty interaction, supportive campus environment, active and collaborative learning, level of academic challenge and enriching educational experiences.

The results indicate what current students think of the quality of the teaching and learning environment. In 2006, the survey asked 316,000 students at 610 colleges and universities how the institutions are doing on the things that really matter -- those that affect success outcomes.

The insights gleaned from this survey are meaningful, equitable to all and probably for most enlightening, maybe even downright unexpected. Better yet, it's safe to say there can be little, if any, monkey business or gamesmanship played with these rankings, since a third party is asking 18- and 22-year-olds their opinions of the value of their college experiences. As parents, professors and peers know, the opinions of college students generally flow freely and are unencumbered by expectations and external influences.

Take, for example, one of my alma maters, Peace College, where I serve as president. We're small, but our results are mighty from our students' perspectives. This year, Peace seniors scored the college in the top 10 percent in all five NSSE categories. This is the sixth consecutive year that Peace has ranked in the top 10 percent of the nation's colleges and universities.

Contrast those salutary results with U.S. News rankings, where Peace traditionally landed in the second tier of regional colleges, but this year dropped to the fourth tier after being moved to a much broader classification -- the national liberal arts category for undergraduate colleges (the change was precipitated by a five-year assessment by the Carnegie Foundation).

Because of our expanded curriculum and graduates' disciplines, Peace arrived in an overall better neighborhood but is now being evaluated by college officials across the country who likely have never heard of us. This peer assessment counts for 25 percent of the U.S. News ranking; it is among the most controversial indicators used by the magazine.

So, while we have been bouncing around in U.S. News rankings, our students have been consistently ranking small Peace College in the top 10 percent of positive student outcomes.

As college students return to campuses this week and next all across the United States, and their parents reflect on real value as they pay tuition bills, and as a new crop of prospective students and parents start "shopping" for colleges, they would do well to listen to the voices of those enrolled rather to those of far-away colleagues, financial analysts and ranksters engaged in an expensive contest of statistical gamesmanship.

Finding the right college fit is about what's real -- not perception and finances. Loren Pope, a former education editor for The New York Times, wrote in his book "Looking Beyond the Ivy League," "Assuming that the purpose of college is to educate, the good college is the one that has an effect on the students. It should be judged by the kind of people it turns out rather than by the kind it takes in. Judging colleges by the academic records of its acceptees is like judging hospitals by the condition of their admittees."

Peace College will continue reporting data to a variety of research forums, with a commitment to be transparent and broadly accountable, but we are convinced that the value of data is much greater when it points to outcomes -- real ones.

(Laura Carpenter Bingham is president of Peace College.)

Peace College Earns Top Ranking in Survey of Students' Experiences

RALEIGH, N.C. (Aug. 17, 2007) – For the sixth year in a row, Peace College has earned top-ranking evaluations in the National Survey of Student Engagement.

Ratings by Peace College seniors placed the college in the top 10 percent in all five categories of the National Survey of Student Engagement, which surveyed 316,000 students at 610 four-year colleges and universities around the country. Survey results were released to participating schools this month.

“The results from the NSSE survey demonstrate once again that the Peace College experience is one that strongly engages students,” said Peace College President Laura Bingham. “The data show that our students and faculty create substantive learning collaborations that help our students prepare for their careers and for meaningful lives.”

The NSSE results are intended to give participating schools feedback from students concerning their learning environments, how well they are learning and what they are getting out of their undergraduate experiences.

The 2007 NSSE results were consistent with results from the previous five years that put Peace College at the top ranks among all participating schools in several survey categories. In this year’s survey, seniors’ evaluations placed Peace College in the top 10 percent in all five NSSE categories: student-faculty interaction, supportive campus environment, active and collaborative learning, level of academic challenge and enriching educational experiences. First-year students’ evaluations placed Peace in the top 10 percent in three categories: student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment.

NSSE provided Peace College with data that allows comparisons to students’ responses at other women’s colleges, liberal arts colleges and all other colleges and universities that took part in the survey. Those data demonstrated that Peace seniors rated their experiences at Peace in all five categories higher than did students at the other women’s colleges, liberal arts colleges and the co-educational colleges that took part in the survey.

NSSE's 2007 annual report is sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. More information about the NSSE report is available at the organization's web site: http://nsse.iub.edu. Detailed information about Peace’s results is available from the college’s Web site, http://www.peace.edu/nsse/nsse.htm.

Located in the heart of downtown Raleigh, Peace is a four-year liberal arts and sciences college for women. For more information about the educational opportunities available to women at Peace College, visit the Peace web site – www.peace.edu.

Peace Announces Dean's List

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 29, 2007) – Peace College has released its Dean’s List for the spring 2007 semester.

“Peace College salutes these young women for their outstanding academic achievements,” said President Laura Bingham. “These women exemplify the Peace spirit of adventures in learning and life.”

To be included on the Dean’s List, students must earn a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.30 on a 4.0 scale. Students earning a GPA of 3.7 and above receive the designation of Dean’s List with Distinction, and students earning a semester GPA of 4.00 receive the designation of Dean’s Scholars.

Peace College is a four-year baccalaureate arts and sciences college that offers a challenging program of study that provides women strong intellectual and personal foundations upon which to build successful and meaningful professional and academic careers. Peace’s educational program consistently earns the college rankings in the top 10 percent in several categories of the National Survey of Student Engagement.

For more information about Peace College, visit www.peace.edu.

The Dean’s List honorees are listed here by hometown:

Dean’s Scholars

Apex, N.C. Elizabeth Hayden Miller
Cary, N.C. Holly Dowling, Sarah Jane Ittoop
Chapel Hill, N.C. Laura Ann Azzu
Chapin, N.C. Jennifer Teresa Lambeth
Chocowinity, N.C. Sara Marie Cooksey
Clemmons, N.C. Amanda Nichole Cross
Edenton, N.C. Emily Bond Layton
Fuquay-Varina, N.C. Courtney Alexander Burns
Garner, N.C. Candice Elizabeth Owen
Greensboro, N.C. Megan Nichole Langlois
Greenville, N.C. Kimberly Ann Zullo
Hillsborough, N.C. Emily Brooke West
Kill Devil Hills, N.C. Leah Brooke Jones
Knightdale, N.C. Stephani Lynn Paschall
Lumberton, N.C. Randal Nichole McLean
Nags Head, N.C. Carly Michelle Morrison
Raleigh, N.C. Stacy Renee Blankenship, Sheri Jacobs Keasler, Bevonnie Monisha Louden, Lauren Marie Massey, Jordan Leigh Mrozek, Crystal Dawn Satterwhite, Joanne Christine Schlueter, Fanny Elizabeth Slater
Roanoke Rapids, N.C. Jessica Michelle Clay
Thurmond, N.C. Joanie Blevins
Wake Forest, N.C. Michelle Ann Rapp
Wendell, N.C. Jennifer Michelle Robinson-Hartle
Whitakers, N.C. Kristin Marie Kirkland
Wilmington, N.C. Carrie Bryan Egerton
Zebulon, N.C. Jade McKenzie Estes
From outside North Carolina:

Tamarac, Fla. Caroline Elizabeth Allman, Kathryn Marie Allman
Baltimore, Md. Jamie Lee Washington
Lancaster, Penn. Rebecca Kathleen Mimnall

Dean’s List with Distinction

Angier, N.C. Roxanne Faye Smith
Durham, N.C. Yazmin Maya-Perez, Jessica Michelle New
Fayetteville, N.C. Caroline Miller Richardson
Goldsboro, N.C. Shannon Renee Davis
Greensboro, N.C. Olivia Rae Simpson
Holly Springs, N.C. Sarah Nicole Marcom
Henderson, N.C. Jessica Mae Stevenson
Kill Devil Hills, N.C. Kathryn Marie Kennis
Knightdale, N.C. Paulette Christina Culp
Lexington, N.C. Ellen Elizabeth Smith
Lumberton, N.C. Michelle Lindsey Atkinson
Macon, N.C. Amber Taylor Harris
New Bern, N.C. Cheryl Ann Notter
New Hill, N.C. Jenna Elizabeth Barker
Oxford, N.C. Catherine G. Currin
Raleigh, N.C. Jennifer Lynne Benedetto, Candice J. Cottle, Kimberly Yvonne Grimes, Maria Leonor Lopez, Laura Rebecca Lutz, Sarah Jensen Mabe, Laura Ann Navarre, Michelle Ann Psalidas, Luanne Michelle Tart, Heather Leigh Underwood, Mary Elizabeth Woodard
Robersonville, N.C. Kimberly Renee Johnson
Scotland Neck, N.C. Jessica LeAnn Harrell
Semora, N.C. Bonnie Gail Cook
Wake Forest, N.C. Sarah Melissa Bass
Robersonville, N.C. Kimberly Renee Johnson
Scotland Neck, N.C. Jessica LeAnn Harrell
Wilmington, N.C. Sarah Geraldine Heenan
Winston Salem, N.C. Elizabeth Ashford Prince

From outside North Carolina:
Panama City, Fla. Megan N. Davenport
Baltimore, Md. Abry Felice Freeman
Buffalo, N.Y. Brittany Dominique Price
Colonial Heights, Va. Sara Raiford Williams
Winchester, Va. Michelle L. Mohr

Dean’s List
Apex, N.C. Ashley Patricia Howell, Samantha Sue Lane, Stephanie Joan Mayer, Lindsey Katherine Potts
Asheville, N.C. Janelle Arline Wienke
Bahama, N.C. Emma Hightower King
Boone, N.C. Susanna Scott Kivette
Camden, N.C. Johanna Lynn Coats
Cary, N.C. Patricia Rozanne Farrell, Dena Marie Kline, Lauren Nicole Steele, Julia Elizabeth Thomas, Nina Marie Torano, Kristen Sonoma Warmack, Amy Michelle Yeager
Chapel Hill, N.C. Jessica Glee Walborn
Clarendon, N.C. Jenny Louise McPherson
Clayton, N.C. Candra Nikita Hill
Clemmons, N.C. Jennifer Nichole McDonald
Colerain, N.C. Kari Dawn Perry
Creswell, N.C. Chrissy Anne Spruill
Edenton, N.C. Nichole Kimble Nixon
Fayetteville, N.C. Krishawna Delois Brown
Franklin, N.C. Carly Ann Donovan
Garner, N.C. Jessica Danielle Allen, Meredith Bohannon
Gibsonville, N.C. Erika Nicole McBride
Greensboro, N.C. Katherine Blair Hopkins
Henderson, N.C. Laura Elizabeth Boyd
Kenly, N.C. Sarah Ashlyn Wise
Kill Devil Hills, N.C. Victoria Marie D’Angelo
Kinston, N.C. Courtney Brown Cherry
Knightdale, N.C. Mary Alice Prescott
Lumberton, N.C. Christy Ann Freeman, Abby Brynn Hamilton
Manns Harbor, N.C. Kelsey Lynn Midgett
Marion, N.C. Samantha Rhae Donnelly
Mebane, N.C. Emily Jordan Morris
Millers Creek, N.C. Emily Jordan Deal
Moyock, N.C. Bridget Corrine Corbitt
New Bern, N.C. Amy Leigh Deidrick
Oxford, N.C. Candice Michelle Clayton
Pikeville, N.C. Emily Jaye Stewart
Raleigh, N.C. Avera Elizabeth Acai, Jennifer Ann Aleksa, Aimee Lee Austin, Lucille Marie Auteri, Nadia Sade Brown, Melissa Dawn Cahoon, Rola Riad Creswell, Jana Franklin Daves, Maria Annette Geddis, Mary Elizabeth Goodwin, Anh Hai Ha, Anna Jane Hesmer, Christina Ashley Hoft, JoAnn Rae Lampley, Maria del Rosario Morales, Princess Dianna Robinson, Olivia T. Ruizamora, Elizabeth Ann Shoonmaker, Sara Ashley Simms, Natalia Lannette Smith, Mary Kaitland Stuart, Tracey LaJean Wright
Roanoke Rapids, N.C. Elizabeth Brinn Timberlake
Roaring River, N.C. Kendra Faye Carter
Robersonville, N.C. Bonnie Bunting Roberson
Rose Hill, N.C. Megan Hampton Ward
Siler City, N.C. Marianne Elizabeth Dotson
Snow Hill, N.C. Haley Danielle Bright
Wake Forest, N.C. Tara Lynn Beddingfield, Stephanie Ann Lilley, Mary Kathryn Willis
Wendell, N.C. Anna Elizabeth Jeffreys, Jessi Macon Thornton
Whiteville, N.C. Melissa Dale Jones
Wilmington, N.C. Drew Elizabeth Barnes, Mary Adelaide Bell
Youngsville, N.C. Ayla Megan King

From outside North Carolina:

Washington, D.C. Hilary Mackay Weidig
Kensington, Md. Sheranae Avril Myers-Russell
Port Republic, Md. Sophia Katarina Maydia Brauns
Marlton, N.J. Mellicent A. Lopresti
Chesapeake, Va. Danielle Kristin Cooper

Peace Awards 115 Degrees at Commencement

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 12, 2007) – Peace College celebrated Commencement on Saturday, with 115 students receiving bachelor’s degrees. Peace College President Laura Bingham gave the commencement address, telling graduates that they should be prepared for twists and turns in life.

“If I dare a bit of advice this morning, here it is: Forget the plan and focus instead on leading a purposeful and joyful journey, to being in constant preparation for what life intends for you and for what you make of it,” said Bingham, the college’s first alumna president. “Now I’m not saying don’t plan. I’m simply saying be prepared for wherever life’s options may lead you.”

The ceremony was delayed by 10 minutes due to rain, and sprinkles fell a couple times during the exercises. But the sun came out near the end of the ceremony on a day that saw thunderstorms roll through Raleigh in the early morning and later in the afternoon.

Elizabeth Ann “E.B.” Watson of Bedford, Va., delivered the student address. Yazmin Maya Perez of Durham, N.C., received the Outstanding Graduate Award. Natalie Schlotman Cole of San Diego, Calif., won the Catharine Bryan Sloan '44 Academic Achievement Award, which recognizes the graduate who acheived the highest grade point average. Jodi Lampley of Raleigh, N.C., was chosen by her peers for the honor of Miss Peace.

The McCormick Teaching Award was presented to Associate Professors of Psychology Betty Witcher and Kayce Meginnis-Payne. It was the first time that the college’s highest teaching honor was awarded to co-recipients.

Peace College, a four-year arts and sciences college for women, was chartered in 1857 and opened its doors in 1872. Peace students have rated the school highly in the National Survey of Student Engagement, in 2006 placing the school in the top 10 percent of schools nationwide in four of the five categories of the survey.

Peace to Offer Evening Teacher Education Program

(More information about Peace's Teacher Education program is available on the program's web pages here.)

RALEIGH, N.C. (April 25, 2007) – Peace College this fall will open a new program designed to help working adults obtain the education and licensure they need to become teachers.

The new evening program builds on the college’s innovative teacher education program, which prepares students for licensure in both elementary education and special education.

“Peace College is committed to helping people who want to begin new careers as teachers,” said Laura Bingham, president of Peace College. “We have a great need for good teachers in North Carolina, and we’re confident that our new program will prepare people for successful careers in classrooms.”

The new evening program represents the college’s first offering in post-baccalaureate education. The program is designed to meet the needs of working professionals who already have a bachelor’s degree but want to obtain teacher licensure.

“We are responding to the large pool of adults with college degrees who are seeking licensure through either lateral entry or licensure-only programs,” Bingham said. “Peace is centrally located and offers an outstanding teacher education curriculum. An evening curriculum is ideal for adults who need to maintain their employment while completing licensure requirements.”

Peace’s evening teacher education program builds on the innovations included in its new undergraduate-level teacher education program. Both programs are designed to give students extensive in-classroom experience, in addition to the education needed to meet the needs of today’s schools. The programs offer preparation for dual licensure in Elementary Education (K-6) and Special Education: General Curriculum (K-12).

The evening program will be open to both women and men, representing the first time that Peace will enroll males. Men will not be admitted to any of the college’s bachelor’s degree programs.

“This new evening program – which leads to licensure, not to a Peace degree – in no way compromises our traditional day program,” Bingham said. “Our status as a women’s institution remains unchanged, with all the advantages at the undergraduate level our students know well. At graduate and professional licensure levels, most women’s colleges – 85 percent of them – enroll male students, so we are designing the program within that framework.”

The college expects that many of the people who will be interested in becoming licensed to teach through Peace’s evening program already work in school systems in Wake and surrounding counties, said Korrel Kanoy, Peace’s dean of academic affairs.

“They work as teacher assistants or in clerical positions and wish to become fully licensed classroom teachers,” Kanoy said. “The dual licensure program at Peace answers the market demand for more teachers and gives adult students flexibility in choosing the program that best suits their needs.”

Peace College began its undergraduate teacher education program in 2006, admitting its first cohort of students in the fall.

The director of Peace’s teacher education program is Jean Murphy, who previously served as executive director of the North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium. At the consortium, Murphy developed and sustained partnerships among 41 school systems, ten colleges and universities, 28 community colleges and the State Department of Public Instruction to make teacher education programs accessible and affordable for employees of the participating school systems.

Carolann Wade also works in Peace’s teacher education program, in addition to her duties as coordinator of the National Board Certification program for the Wake County Public School System. Wake County leads the nation in the number of teachers certified through the program.

For more information about teacher education at Peace College or to apply for the program, visit www.peace.edu, send an email to teacherinfo@peace.edu or call (919) 508-2396.

Peace Wins Southeast Title in 'HR Games'

RALEIGH, N.C. (April 16, 2007) – A team of Peace College students has won the Southeastern title in the HR Games, a competition among collegiate human resources students.

The competition, which concluded Sunday, included 24 teams from a dozen universities and colleges from across the Southeast.

“This is a thrilling achievement,” said college President Laura Bingham. “It’s a significant accomplishment that serves as yet another reflection of the outstanding work being accomplished every day at Peace College – by our students and by our faculty.”

Peace’s winning “Green Team” is comprised of Stephanie Kokoszka of Raleigh, Nikki Marcom of Apex and Angel Canada of Richmond, Va. In the final match, they defeated a team from perennial HR Games powerhouse N.C. State University. By winning the title, the team members earned an expenses-paid trip to the national convention of the Society for Human Resource Management in Las Vegas in June.

The Peace team had also won the state championship on March 17. A team from Peace has finished second in regional competition in each of the past two years.

The HR Games, an annual event sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management, features competition in a format modeled after the television game show “Jeopardy!” In the contest, questions are taken from the national certification exam taken by human resources professionals.

“This victory displays the strength of our human resources major program,” said Kathy Corley, an instructor of human resources at Peace and the coach of the school’s HR Games contestants. “It’s also a collective effort of many disciplines, including business, psychology and leadership, which combines to make students who are well prepared for these competitions and also for their careers.”

With less than 700 students, Peace likely is the smallest college in the nation with a SHRM chapter and the smallest to have won a regional HR Games competition, said Heather Lee, associate professor of human resources at Peace.

For more information about Peace College, visit www.peace.edu.

Anthropology to Hold Field School This Summer

RALEIGH (April 16, 2007) – Peace anthropology professors will help lead an archaeological field school this summer. It’s the first field school sponsored by anthropology, one of Peace’s newest majors.

The work at Rose Hill Plantation in Louisburg will provide students from Peace the opportunity to participate in an archaeological dig, learning basic methods of field research. The objective of the dig is to learn more about the history and culture of the American South in the years before the Civil War.

Peace anthropology professors Laura Vick and Vinnie Melomo will be working with students at the site daily, and professional archaeologist Thomas Beaman will oversee the excavation. Billy Oliver, director of the Office of State Archaeology Research Center and an adjunct professor in anthropology at N.C. State, was instrumental in organizing the school and will also participate.

June 9 will be a visitation day, during which anyone may visit the site. Instructors and field school participants will be on hand to describe what they have learned and answer questions about their work.

For more information, you may download a program flier here or call Melomo at (919) 508-2277.

Peace College hosts all-day “Student Showcase”

RALEIGH (April 10, 2007) – Peace College students will take a day off from classes on Thursday to participate in a daylong, campuswide “Student Showcase: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creativity” in which students will share with each other their academic and artistic accomplishments.

“Student Showcase” is an annual event at Peace which allows students and other members of the Peace community to experience the richness of students’ endeavors. This is the third year of the event.

The “Student Showcase” will include research presentations, performances of music and dance, poetry readings and debates. Other highlights include student presentations of papers; cross-disciplinary creative projects; an Ethics Bowl debate on capital punishment; and, a gallery-style exhibit of visual art and design.

A lunch on the Peace Green in front of Main Building will be accompanied by henna tattooing, Frisbee golf and other activities.

Summary schedule:

Kickoff
8:45 a.m., Room 110, Flowe Building

Greetings from President Laura Bingham; student presentation.

Morning Presentations
9:30 a.m. – Noon, various locations
Students present results of research; “Ethics Bowl” debate on capital punishment; singing recitals; and more.

Lunch session
12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m., Peace College Green
Polka lessons; medicine ball training session; henna tattooing; Frisbee golf.

Afternoon Presentations
1:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m., various locations
Research presentations; poetry readings in a “coffee house” setting; “HR Games” competition; graphic design portfolio presentations; dance performances; and more.

Peace Team Wins Statewide HR Competition

RALEIGH (March 20, 2007) – A team from Peace College has won first place in a North Carolina statewide human resources competition.

The three-member team will go on to Southeast regional competition in the HR Games, a competition among college human resources students that is sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management.

The Peace College “Green Team” is comprised of Angel Canada of Richmond, Va., Nikki Marcom of Apex and Stephanie Kokoszka of Raleigh.

The HR Games feature questions selected from the national human resources certification examination and posed in “Jeopardy!”-style matches.

North Carolina’s state HR Games, held March 17, featured teams of students from UNC-Wilmington, Meredith College, N.C. State University, UNC-Charlotte and N.C. A&T University, in addition to Peace. A second Peace team finished ninth among the 12 teams. The Peace teams are coached by Kathy Corley, adjunct instructor in human resources and business.

The Southeast regional competition will be held in Charlotte April 14-15 and include teams from Tennessee, Virginia, Florida and Alabama. Winners of that contest will earn an all-expense paid trip to the SHRM national convention in Las Vegas in June.

For more information about Peace College, visit www.peace.edu.

Gibbons Ruark To Give Reading April 2

RALEIGH (March 20, 2007) – Gibbons Ruark, an award-winning poet whose 40-plus-year career has seen his work published in books and magazines such as the New Yorker and Ploughshares, will give a reading at Peace College on April 2.

Ruark, a North Carolina native who now lives in Raleigh after four decades on the English faculty at the University of Delaware, will appear at Peace as part of the college’s observance of National Poetry Month. His reading will be held in Leggett Theatre in the college’s Main Building. The event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7 p.m.

Ruark has published six volumes of poems. His most recent book is Passing Through Customs: New and Selected Poems.

Among Ruark’s frequent awards are three poetry fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts and a Pushcart Prize.

For more information about Peace College, visit www.peace.edu.

Peace Celebrates Founder's Day

RALEIGH (March 14, 2007) – Peace College celebrated its inaugural Founder’s Day on Wednesday with the unveiling of a new statue of the college’s founding benefactor, William Peace. The unveiling was part of a yearlong series of events marking the 150th anniversary of Peace College’s founding in 1857.

“We’re delighted to recognize William Peace, who had the vision 150 years ago to help establish a school that would prepare women for taking roles of leadership,” said Peace College President Laura Bingham.

The statue features a sitting William Peace, situated on a bench just outside the entrance to the college’s Main Building. The statue was created by nationally renowned portrait artist and sculptor Chas Fagan, who was on hand for the unveiling. Fagan’s sculpture work includes an eight-foot bronze of former President George H.W. Bush for a park in Houston, Texas. Fagan, of Charlotte, also has designed sculptures that are on display in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

The City of Raleigh has proclaimed Wednesday as “William Peace Day” and the General Assembly was scheduled in the afternoon to take up resolutions honoring Peace.

Several hundred Peace students, alumnae, supporters and faculty and staff attended the events. Among the attendees were descendants of the brother of William Peace, who did not have children of his own. Also attending were two of the college’s past presidents, David Frazier and Garrett Briggs.

During a special chapel service, the college bestowed its William Peace Medallion, one of the college’s highest honors, to First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh. The church supported the founding of the college and also fought to keep it open during a struggle over the ownership of the college in the 1950s and early ’60s. Members of the church’s congregation are among the most ardent supporters of the college.

The day’s festivities ended with a birthday celebration, featuring a large cake replica of the college’s Main Building.

Peace College, a four-year arts and sciences college for women, was chartered in 1857 and opened its doors in 1872.

Peace students have rated the college highly in the National Survey of Student Engagement, in 2006 placing the school in the top 10 percent of schools nationwide in the categories of “student-faculty interaction,” “supportive campus environment,” “active and collaborative learning” and “enriching educational experiences.”

More information about Peace's anniversary year is available on our special Sesquicentennial website.

Peace College to Host 'HR Games' March 17

RALEIGH (March 5, 2007) – Peace College will host the 2007 HR Games, a statewide competition between teams of college students. The winner of the March 17 games will go on to regional competition in Charlotte in April.

Students from six North Carolina colleges and universities are expected to compete in the games, which are modeled after the television game show “Jeopardy!” In the contest, questions are taken from the national certification exam taken by human resources professionals. The competition is open to the public. Admission is free.

“This is the first year that Peace College has been invited to host the HR Games, so we are very excited about the opportunity to not only showcase the talents of our students, but also to provide the facilities for this event,” said Kathy Corley, an instructor of human resources at Peace and the coach of the school’s HR Games contestants. “Every year, the games offer keen and intense competition against many outstanding schools across the state, and I am certain this year will be no exception.”

A team from Peace placed second in regional competition in each of the last two years. In 2005, a Peace team won the statewide HR Games, breaking a string of state championships by N.C. State that extended more than ten years.

The HR Games are sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management. In addition to Peace, the March competition will feature teams of students from UNC-Wilmington, Meredith College, N.C. State, UNC-Charlotte and N.C. A&T University.

For more information about Peace College, visit www.peace.edu.

Peace Hosts March 30 Nonprofit Career Fair

RALEIGH (Feb. 21, 2007) – Peace College will host the annual Nonprofit Career Fair on March 30.

The fair, which begins at 11 a.m and runs until 1 p.m., is being held in conjunction with the N.C. State University Institute for Nonprofits and the following schools: Peace, Barton College, Campbell University, Methodist University, Meredith College, Mount Olive College, and N.C. Wesleyan.

The career fair will have approximately 40 nonprofit organizations that will be recruiting for full-time, internships and summer positions.

The event will be held in Peace College’s Hermann Student Center gymnasium.

For further information, send email to Barbara Efird, Director of Career Services at Peace College at befird@peace.edu.

The following organizations are scheduled to participate in the fair, with asterisks indicating what types of positions each organization offers:

Peace Announces Dean's List for Fall 2006

RALEIGH, N.C. (Feb. 13, 2007) – Peace College has released its Dean’s List for the fall 2006 semester.

The Dean’s List honorees are listed here by hometown:

Dean’s Scholars

Bahama, N.C., Emma Hightower King
Cary, N.C., Sarah Jane Ittoop, Jesica Anne Swanstrom
Chapel Hill, N.C., Laura Ann Azzu
Clayton, N.C., Eugenia Marx Angle
Clemmons, N.C., Amanda Nichole Cross
Edenton, N.C., Emily Bond Layton, Kathryn Day Parrish
Elizabethtown, N.C., Amber Denise Perry
Gibsonville, N.C., Erika Nicole McBride
Greensboro, N.C., Megan Nicole Langlois
Holly Springs, N.C., Sarah Nicole Marcom
Knightdale, N.C., Stephani Lynn Paschall
Lumberton, N.C., Michelle Lindsey Atkinson
Nags Head, N.C., Carly Michelle Morrison
New Bern, N.C., Cheryl Ann Notter
Oxford, N.C., Leah Catherine Daniel, Crystal Dawn Satterwhite
Raleigh, N.C., Jennifer Lynne Benedetto, Stacy Renee Blankenship, Mohamed El-Sakhawy, Maria Leonor Lopez, Laura Rebecca Lutz, Lauren Marie Massey, Jordan Leigh Mrozek, Rubicelia Salgado, Luanne Michelle Tart, Heather Leigh Underwood, Tracey LaJean Wright
Scotland Neck, N.C., Jessica LeAnn Harrell
Wake Forest, N.C., Michele Ann Rapp
Whitakers, N.C., Kristin Marie Kirkland

From outside North Carolina:
Chapin, S.C., Jennifer Teresa Lambeth
Houston, Texas, Lindsay Elaine Duntsch
Lancaster, Penn., Rebecca Kathleen Mimnall
Tamarac, Fla., Caroline Elizabeth Allman

Dean’s List with Distinction

Apex, N.C., Elizabeth Hayden Miller
Cary, N.C., Lauren Nicole Steele, Jennifer Noelle Stewart
Colerain, N.C., Kari Dawn Perry
Durham, N.C., Jessica Michelle New
Elizabethtown, N.C., Kelly Brook Owen
Garner, N.C., Amanda Lee Collins
Greensboro, N.C., Katherine Blair Hopkins, Olivia Rae Simpson
Kill Devil Hills, N.C., Victoria Marie D'Angelo
Laurinburg, N.C., Rhiannon Nichole Pittman
New Bern, N.C., Amy Leigh Deidrick
Raleigh, N.C., Avera Elizabeth Acai, Candice J. Cottle, Jana Franklin Daves, Emily Louise Johnson, Sheri Jacobs Keasler, Catrina Willow Louise Mineo, Ashley Davis Prevo, Fanny Elizabeth Slater, Natalia Lannette Smith, Valerie D. White, Hannah Elizabeth Whitley, Julie Kathleen Williamson, Mary Elizabeth Woodard
Roanoke Rapids, N.C., Jessica Michelle Clay
Robersonville, N.C., Bonnie Bunting Roberson
Rose Hill, N.C., Megan Hampton Ward
Semora, N.C., Bonnie Gail Cook
Teachey, N.C., Kristin Laishley Robison
Thurmond, N.C., Joanie Blevins
Wake Forest, N.C., Stephanie Elizabeth Kokoszka
Wilmington, N.C., Samantha Russell Bens, Carrie Bryant Egerton

From outside North Carolina:

Baltimore, Md., Abry Felice Freeman
Panama City, Fla, Megan N. Davenport
Port Republic, Md., Sophia Katarina Maydia Brauns
Tamarac, Fla., Kathryn Marie Allman

Dean’s List

Apex, N.C., Stephanie Joan Mayer, Lindsey Katherine Potts, Courtney Kristina Williams
Boone, N.C., Susanna Scott Kivette
Burlington, N.C., Rebecca Lauren Hauser
Camden, N.C., Johanna Lynn Coats
Cary, N.C., Julia Elizabeth Thomas
Chochowinity, N.C., Sara Marie Cooksey
Clemmons, N.C., Jennifer Nichole McDonald
Creswell, N.C., Chrissy Anne Spruill
Durham, N.C., Elizabeth Ann Wieland
Fayetteville, N.C., Caroline Miller Richardson, Lauren Elizabeth Rouse
Franklinton, N.C., Brandy Nicole Barnett
Garner, N.C., Melyury Aracely Espinoza-Calix, Candice Elizabeth Owen
Goldsboro, N.C., Shannon Renee Davis
Henderson, N.C., Lelia Madison Hancock, Candace Christian Simms, Jessica Mae Stevenson
Kenly, N.C., Sarah Ashlyn Wise
Kill Devil Hills, N.C., Leah Brooke Jones, Kathryn Marie Kennis, Brittany Lauren Ostlund, Katherine Ann Yanacek
Kinston, N.C., Lauren Ashley Harris
Lillington, N.C., Lauren Patricia Knox
Lumberton, N.C., Christy Ann Freeman, Abby Brynn Hamilton, Molly Thomas Inman, Randal Nicole McLean, Jamie Lynn Williams
Manns Harbor, N.C., Kelsey Lynn Midgett
Manteo, N.C., Margaret Mizzell Miles
Mebane, N.C., Emily Jordan Morris
Millers Creek, N.C., Emily Jordan Deal
Mooresville, N.C., Sara Manning Pickard
Newport, N.C., Christina Marie Menninger
North Wilkesboro, N.C., Jillian Leigh Pollock
Oxford, N.C., Candice Michelle Clayton, Catherine G. Currin
Plymouth, N.C., Sarah Elizabeth Sugg
Raleigh, N.C., Sarah Elisabeth Blake, Erin Leigh Cashwell, Rola Riad Creswell, Katherine Walters Douglass, Casey A. Duke, Mary Cathrine Griffin, Kimberly Yvonne Grimes, Anna Jane Hesmer, Christina Ashley Hoft, Bevonnie Monisha Louden, Kirstyn Elaine Mixa, Maria del Rosario Morales, Laura Ann Navarre, Sarah Elizabeth Perrill, Allison DeVega Rownd
Roanoke Rapids, N.C., Elizabeth Brinn Timberlake
Robersonville, N.C., Kimberly Renee Johnson
Wake Forest, N.C., Sarah Melissa Bass, Tara Lynn Beddingfield, Maria Carmela Rispo
Wallace, N.C., Elizabeth Grey Wells
Willow Spring, N.C., Brittany Blake Wood
Winston Salem, N.C., Elizabeth Ashford Prince
Youngsville, N.C., Nicole Anastasia Kastania
Zebulon, N.C., Jade McKenzie Estes

From outside North Carolina:

Baltimore, Md., Jamie Lee Washington
Chesapeake, Va., Danielle Kristin Cooper
Colonial Heights, Va., Sara Raiford Williams
Girard, Penn., Britney Michele Champagne
Okeechobee, Fla., Jennifer Lynn Dunnahoe
Richmond, Va., Angel Lynette Canada, Solana Ramonita Sparks
Suffolk, Va., Leslie Kent Massey
Winchester, Va., Michelle L. Mohr

Alumnae Invited to Spend the Night at Peace During Alumnae Weekend

RALEIGH, N.C. (Feb. 12, 2007) – Alums, spend the weekend on campus with your Peace Sisters during Alumnae Weekend, May 18-20.

Alumnae Weekend '07 will include the option for an overnight stay on campus.

Alumnae may choose from three "resident student" package options or four "day student" package options.

To learn more about Alumnae Weekend '07 and to register, click here.

Wachovia Pledges Support of Scholarship Program

RALEIGH, N.C. (Feb. 8, 2007) – The Wachovia Foundation has pledged funding to establish a $200,000 endowment to fund the Wachovia Advantage Teaching Awards for students enrolled in Peace College’s new teacher education program.

“The Wachovia Foundation’s willingness to join our partnership is particularly meaningful as we launch our new teacher education program,” said Peace College President Laura Bingham. “Wachovia’s support will help extend the benefits of this innovative program to deserving students who want to be career teachers.”

The Wachovia Foundation is a private foundation funded by Wachovia Corp. Its primary areas of philanthropy are education and community development.

“Wachovia has a long tradition of supporting programs designed to help enhance public education, represented by gifts of more than $100 million in foundation, corporate and employee giving since 2000,” said Jane Hinton Mitchell, Wachovia’s Raleigh market president. “We’re excited to be one of the initial supporters of this innovative program at Peace College. We hope that it can become a model for preparing teachers for today’s classrooms.”

The Wachovia Advantage Teaching Awards will be awarded to baccalaureate students entering Peace’s teacher education program who are from eligible families within Wachovia’s service area. Awardees will be selected based on financial need, high school academic record and co-curricular activity, motivation and leadership potential and commitment to community. The awards will seek especially to provide opportunities for under-represented groups to pursue a career in education at Peace. Additionally, preference will be given to students who are members of the first generation of their family to attend college.

“Wachovia and its board members have had a long tradition of supporting Peace College throughout its history,” said Jack Clayton, regional president for Wachovia. “We look forward to seeing the impact this gift will have in helping students attend Peace College.”

The student aid provided by the Wachovia gift represents the first scholarships to be offered in Peace College’s new teacher education program. Launched in fall 2006, the program is the first in North Carolina to provide integrated education and preparation for dual licensure in elementary education and special education.

The program was designed to help address some of the most pressing needs for new teachers in North Carolina, as well as help address the shortage of teachers in our area. Wake County Public School educators played a central role during the two-year development of the program and are deeply involved in preparing the program’s prospective teachers.

The program addresses a need for professional development and leadership opportunities for teachers by creating a teacher liaison position through which a Wake County National Board Certified teacher teaches at Peace College. The program offers teachers from the program’s partner schools other opportunities for mentoring, professional development and collaboration.

“This is an innovative program, one that was designed from the beginning to target Wake County schools’ most pressing needs,” Bingham said. “The program embodies the college’s commitment to active learning and community connections. The Wachovia Advantage Teaching Awards provide significant resources to support the program and our community’s future teachers.”

Through the program, students will obtain a traditional liberal arts education – majoring in disciplines such as child development, Spanish, English, psychology or liberal studies – but also take coursework that prepares them for licensure in both elementary education and special education (general curriculum). It will be the only such “blended” dual licensure teacher education program in the state.

A certificate program for prospective teachers who already have bachelors’ degrees is expected to begin in the fall.

Students participating in the program will gain valuable classroom experience by performing extensive field work in Wake County partner schools. The program was designed based on findings from studies that show that prospective teachers who have had extensive classroom experience as part of their training are more likely to pursue teaching positions upon graduation and to remain in the teaching profession.

Program participants will spend their entire senior year working as student teachers, with the fall semester spent in a special education program, followed by the spring semester in an elementary school classroom.

More details about the program may be found on the Peace College website at www.peace.edu/teacher_education/teacher_education.htm. For additional information, contact the program’s director, Jean Murphy at (919) 508-2292 or by email at jmurphy@peace.edu.

For more information about Peace College, visit www.peace.edu.

Peace Celebrates Father-Daughter Weekend Feb. 9-11

RALEIGH, N.C. (Jan. 30, 2007) – Father-Daughter Weekend is just around the corner. Please join us for this Peace College tradition on Friday, Feb. 9 through Sunday, Feb. 11.

Some of the events include the traditional Father-Daughter Dance and reception, a tailgating lunch before the Peace-Meredith basketball game, the Father-Daughter Look-Alike contest, and a special welcome from President Bingham followed by a unique Reflection service led by Peace chaplain Rev. Tara Woodard-Lehman.

If you have additional questions about the weekend, please call Heather Campbell at (919) 508-2015 or email her at hcampbell@peace.edu.

Evolution, Creationism Subjects of Lecture

RALEIGH, N.C. (Jan. 17, 2007) – Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, will talk Monday (Jan. 22) at Peace College about the controversies around the teaching of evolution. Her talk is part Peace College’s Goodmon Scholar program.

The 7:30 p.m. talk – entitled “Why Colleges Teach Evolution Rather Than Intelligent Design” – will be held in the Browne-McPherson Music Building on the Peace College campus. The public is invited to attend. Admission is free. A reception will follow Scott’s talk.

Scott, the author of “Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction,” has been a researcher and activist in the evolution/creationism controversy for more than 20 years. In her talk, Scott will address many sides of the debate, including educational, legal, scientific, religious and social issues.

As part of her visit to Raleigh, Scott also will speak to a Peace College biology class in the afternoon before her address and to an anthropology class before her departure from campus the following day.

Scott’s work at NCSE advocates public understanding of science and the science of evolution. She earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and her Ph.D. at the University of Missouri.

Peace College’s speaker program for this academic year has been devoted to the theme of “evolution, growth and change.”

The Goodmon Scholar program is supported by Jim Goodmon, president and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Co., and his wife, Barbara Goodmon, president of the A.J. Fletcher Foundation.

Peace College is a four-year baccalaureate arts and sciences college that offers women a challenging program of study that prepares them for adventures in learning and life. For more information about the educational opportunities available to women at Peace College, visit the Peace Web site – www.peace.edu.

Peace College History on Display at Museum

RALEIGH, N.C. (Jan. 11, 2007) – An exhibit examining the 150-year history of Peace College will be on display at the Raleigh City Museum through March 31. The exhibit is part of the commemorations of the Peace College’s sesquicentennial.

“Our 150th anniversary celebrations will be an opportunity to share the rich heritage of Peace College with residents of Raleigh and the surrounding area,” said Peace College President Laura Bingham. “Peace has been an innovator in education for a century and a half, and we look forward to putting some of that history on display during the coming months.”

The Raleigh City Museum, located in the historic Briggs Building at 220 Fayetteville St., is open to the public. The museum is open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. It’s closed on Sundays and Mondays.

The Peace College exhibit was created by Peace graphic design students Amy Yeager of Cary and Michelle Mohr of Winchester, Va., both seniors at Peace. The display features artifacts from the college’s history, including a kindergarten desk from 1879, as well as mementos and photos from its days as a junior college. The two-part display showcases the iconic porches of the College’s historic Main Building and the interior of a dorm room with items from years past.

The museum display is the first of many college-sponsored commemorations of Peace College’s sesquicentennial. A list of Peace College sesquicentennial events and more information about the college’s history are available at www.peace.edu/150/home.html.

Peace Summer School Courses Set

RALEIGH, N.C. (Dec. 11, 2006) – Registration is under way for Peace College Summer School courses.

Summer School will be held during three sessions. The first session opens May 21 and runs through June 15. The second session begins June 18 and ends July 13. The third begins July 16 and ends Aug. 3.

A complete list of course offerings is available by clicking here. The PDF file also includes a registration form and instructions on where to mail it. The deadline to register for the first session is May 17. The second session registration deadline is June 15, and the third session registration deadline is July 12.

Please contact the Peace College Registrar’s Office at (919) 508-2012 for more information.

Peace Spring Course Schedule Set

RALEIGH, N.C. (Dec. 11, 2006) – The schedule of courses available during Spring semester 2007 has been set.

Anyone wishing to download an Excel spreadsheet containing the schedule may click here. For other questions, contact the registrar's office at 919-508-2012.

Peace Presents Christmas Concerts Dec. 4 & 6

RALEIGH, N.C. (Nov. 21, 2006) – The annual Betty Vaiden Wright Williams Christmas Concerts will take place on Monday, Dec. 4 and Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. in Kenan Recital Hall on the Peace College campus.

The concerts feature the Peace College Chamber Singers and the Peace College Choir accompanied by a 16-piece chamber orchestra, all under the direction of Associate Professor of Music Jim Smith.

The singers will perform a variety of repertoire, including both classical and popular selections. The featured work for the Chamber Singers is a cantata entitled “Salvator Mundi” by the British composer William Mathias. The work is scored for strings, percussion, and two pianists. Peace professors Virginia Vance and John Noel will play piano.

Other works include a setting of “Silent Night” by Jackson Berkey, an American composer who has been commissioned by the Music Department to write a piece for the Chamber Singers in honor of Peace College’s Sesquicentennial celebration in 2007.

A special feature of this year’s concerts will be a reading of Christmas poetry by Dr. Sally Buckner, professor emerita of English.

The concerts are free and open to the public and will be followed each evening by a reception in Main Parlor.

Peace Student Wins Community Service Award

ELON, N.C. (Nov. 6, 2006) – Megan Davenport, of Peace College, will receive the inaugural North Carolina Campus Compact Community Impact Student Award on November 11, 2006, at North Carolina State University during the annual NCCC Student Conference.

This award will be presented each year to students who have made significant, innovative contributions to campus-based efforts to address community needs. Davenport will be one of 21 college students from across North Carolina to be recognized for their outstanding achievements.

North Carolina Senator Janet Cowell and Representative Linda Coleman will present the award to Davenport during the conference’s Awards Ceremony Luncheon before an audience of more than 240 college students representing 26 schools and 3 states.

Davenport is a junior majoring in English. She serves as president of the campus LGBT-SA and vice-president of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English Honors Society. Davenport coordinates the annual production of The Vagina Monologues and is a peer educator to a class of first-year students. Upon graduation, she plans to obtain a Masters Degree in Higher Education.

North Carolina Campus Compact is a growing statewide coalition of college and university presidents and chancellors in North Carolina established to encourage and support campus engagement in the community.

Mother-Daughter Weekend Fun Planned for Nov. 17-18

RALEIGH (Nov. 2, 2006) – Peace College will hold its annual Mother-Daughter Weekend beginning Friday, Nov. 17.

The weekend events will include a Peace Pacers basketball game and a basketball tournament, an excursion to watch the Raleigh Christmas Parade, a jewelry-making event, belly dancing lessons, a formal luncheon and more.

Registration is available online by clicking here.

Events on Saturday, Nov. 18, will include the parade, followed by a luncheon with special guests Provost Debbie Cottrell and treasured alumnae of Peace College.

Saturday afternoon, the Jackie Ammons Memorial Basketball Tournament will be held on campus in the Hermann Center Gym.

Also on Saturday, local bead shop Ornamentea has agreed to come help guests create beautiful rings and a belly dance instructor will have a great lesson on fun and fitness.

After dinner on Saturday, there will be a Vespers Evening Chapel and a special dessert reception.

The last events will be spa time and a movie. We will be pampering each other and watching the great American classic, "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Pack your footie PJs and silly sleep pants because a fun pajama contest will take place!

Again, online registration is available here.

Peace Enters Agreement Easing Community College Transfers

RALEIGH (Nov. 2, 2006) – Peace College has joined an agreement that makes it easier for students at North Carolina community colleges to transfer to Peace.

By joining the “comprehensive articulation agreement” with the community college system, students completing the Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degrees from a North Carolina community college can transfer to Peace with up to 64 hours of college credit.

By doing so, they will have met their first- and second-year liberal education requirements at the community college before transferring to Peace to begin their majors.

Community college students wishing to learn more about the educational opportunities at Peace College are encouraged to contact the Peace Admissions Office at 1-800-PEACE-47. They may also visit http://admissions.peace.edu.

Peace College is a four-year baccalaureate arts and sciences college that offers women a challenging program of study that prepares them for adventures in learning and life. For more information about the educational opportunities available to women at Peace College, visit the Peace website – www.peace.edu.

Peace College Hosts Chamber Music Concert Nov. 6

RALEIGH (Nov. 2, 2006) – Members of the Peace College faculty and the N.C. Symphony will present a concert of chamber music at Peace College on Monday, Nov. 6.

The 7:30 p.m. concert will be held in Kenan Recital Hall on the Peace College campus. The public is invited to the free event.

This concert features Peace College’s John Noel on piano, and N.C. Symphony members Maria Evola and So Yun Kim on violin, David Marschall on viola and Elizabeth Beilman on cello. The concert will include performances of “Sonata for viola da gamba and keyboard No. 2 in D Major, BWV 1028” by J.S. Bach, “Sonatine for violin and cello by Arthur Honegger and “String Quartet No. 4 ‘Poems’” by Karel Husa. Husa, a Pulitzer Prize winning composer, is expected to attend the event.

Peace College Dance Company Performs Nov. 9-11

RALEIGH (Oct. 31, 2006) – The Peace College Dance Company will perform its annual fall concert Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 9 – 11. Company members will perform work from Director Beth Wright as well as student choreographers.

The event, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in Leggett Theatre on the Peace College campus, showcases the college’s semi-professional dance company’s focus on modern dance and exploration of all dance forms. Admission is $2.

Dancers will perform Makin’ Moves, a playful piece with character interactions and high and low levels of movement, mixing fun, fast-paced hip-hop movements and characters with attitude. The dance was choreographed by student Kimmie Grimes. Also on the program is Grimes’s Shattered Heart Strings, an emotion-centered piece reflecting feelings of sorrow, regret and betrayal.

The piece entitiled 2006 invites audience members to experience all the emotions bouncing around in student choreographer Tildsley Clifford’s head. Clifford’s Come Here centers on the emotions when asking someone to “come here” to talk about things and make them better. She dedicates An Elementary Slumber Party for Four to the fond memories of childhood sleepovers.

Student choreographers Heather Finch and Clifford dedicate their piece For Our Families because without their families, they say, they wouldn't be the young ladies they are today.

Student choreographersStephanie Lilley and Susan Puryear choreographed a new piece to swing vocalist Michael Buble. They want to share with the audience how to Feel Good in a lively and upbeat dance featuring smiles, energy and sexy attitudes.

Heart Study emerged from a Peace College Dance Company composition masterclass led by North Carolina dance legend Betsy Ward-Hutchinson.

The PCDC is a semi-professional dance company. Student members perform four to six times per year and have the opportunity to work with guest artists as well as develop their own choreography. Master classes with guest artists have included African dance, capoeira, hip-hop, Ashtanga yoga, gospel-cize, contact improvisation and arts administration.

Environmental Educator Jeanne McCarty to Speak at Peace

RALEIGH (Oct. 31, 2006) – Jeanne McCarty, a nationally recognized advocate for initiatives promoting sustainable consumption and environmental education, will give a talk on Nov. 7 at Peace College. The public is invited to the free event.

McCarty will speak as part of an event that begins at 7:30 p.m. in Kenan Recital Hall on the Peace College campus.

The event is part of the college’s Adventures orientation program for new students, which included required summer reading of “Reason for Hope,” a memoir by primatologist Jane Goodall. McCarty serves as vice president and director of Roots & Shoots, the Jane Goodall Institute’s global service-learning program for youth.

McCarty’s talk will be preceded by a brief performance by the Peace College Dance Company offering its interpretation of Goodall’s book. A reception will follow McCarty’s address.

Peace College’s speaker program for this academic year has been devoted to issues involving the theme “Evolution, Growth and Change.”

McCarty also will spend the day meeting with Peace College students in various classes to discuss the work she and Goodall have done through Roots & Shoots, a program which encourages “knowledge, compassion, action.” Roots & Shoots is a youth-driven network that fosters a fun, flexible and supportive environment where young people and adults alike come together to share ideas and inspiration, implement successful community service projects and participate in special events and global campaigns.

Through Roots & Shoots, McCarty has developed a curriculum that not only motivates young people to learn about pertinent issues facing our local and global communities, but helps them actually design, lead and implement their own projects as a means of solving them.

For more information about Roots & Shoots, please visit www.rootsandshoots.org. For more information about the Jane Goodall Institute, please visit www.janegoodall.org.

Career Panel Highlights Real-World Experiences

RALEIGH (Oct. 12, 2006) – Peace College alumnae and community volunteers will share their career stories with students at the college’s fourth annual Career Connections on Monday, Oct. 16.

The event, which begins at 6 p.m., is sponsored by the college’s Board of Visitors and Peace’s Career Services office.

Students are invited to attend two 40-minute concurrent sessions in various Flowe Building classrooms. The evening concludes with a networking reception in the Flowe second floor breezeway.

“We try to bring a diverse group of women to campus each year for students to expand their knowledge about various career fields,” said Barbara Efird, director of career services at Peace College. “As students enter this time of the semester, advising and registration, they often are exploring and questioning what’s next.”

Highlighted careers include education; business, sales and human resources; communications (graphic design, event planning and public relations); law and public administration; child development, psychology and counseling; science and medicine.

Christy Styles, a 2006 Peace graduate, is excited to share her experience as a graduate student in the rehabilitation counseling program at UNC-CH.

“It was last year at Career Connections that I learned about Rehab Counseling, investigated it further and here I am pursuing it as a career,” said Styles.

She will be joined by other Peace graduates currently employed in the highlighted careers. This panel discussion also offers current students a forum to investigate potential internship opportunities. While an internship in the student’s major is a Peace College graduation requirement, students believe the internship is a valuable, real-world enhancement to their educational experience.

Peace College Family Weekend is Sept. 29-30

RALEIGH (Sept. 13, 2006) – Peace College is planning a weekend of fun for Family Weekend, Sept. 29-30.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for your daughter to share Peace College with you,” said Candice Johnston, dean of students. “In addition, this is a wonderful opportunity for you to get to know some of the outstanding faculty and staff members that are working with your daughter.”

Events during Family Weekend will include a “Hall Olympics” in which students from various residence halls will compete, a “He Ha Ho-Down,” and two Peace Pacers volleyball games – including a contest with cross-town rival Meredith College. The college also will host sessions on choosing a major and on the college’s honors and study-abroad programs.

A mailing with more details about Family Weekend and other events happening in Raleigh has been sent to students’ families. The brochure includes a registration form, but families may also register online by clicking to go to this form.

People planning to attend are asked to register by Sept. 26.

For more information, call Heather Campbell in the Office of Student Development at (919) 508-2015.

Peace College Again Scores Among Top Colleges in National Survey

RALEIGH (Sept. 11, 2006) – Peace College has scored among the top 10 percent in four of the five categories contained in a national survey of students at 557 colleges and universities.

Evaluations by first-year and senior students in the 2006 National Survey of Student Engagement placed Peace among the top ranks in the categories student-faculty interaction, supportive campus environment, active and collaborative learning, and enriching educational experiences.

“The NSSE data demonstrate once again that Peace College students are benefiting from an academic and co-curricular environment that serves in fundamental ways to prepare them for success in their careers and their lives,” said Peace College President Laura Bingham.

The 2006 NSSE report is based on survey results from about 331,000 first-year and senior students at 557 four-year colleges and universities. The results are intended to give participating schools feedback from students concerning their learning environments, how well they are learning and what they are getting out of their undergraduate experiences.

This year’s NSSE results were consistent with results from the previous four years that put Peace College at the top ranks among all participating schools in providing a supportive learning environment and student-faculty interactions, as evaluated by seniors.

NSSE provided Peace College with data that allows comparisons to students’ responses at other women’s colleges, liberal arts colleges and all other colleges and universities that took part in the survey. Those data demonstrate that Peace students rated their experiences at Peace generally higher than did students at other women’s colleges, and generally higher than did women at co-educational colleges.

NSSE's 2006 annual report is sponsored by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. More information about the NSSE report is available at the organization's web site: http://nsse.iub.edu.

Gershwin Concert Features One-of-a-Kind Piano

RALEIGH, N.C. (Aug. 28, 2006) – A brilliant blue Steinway & Sons piano built to commemorate the 100th birthday of composer George Gershwin will be at the center of a concert of Gershwin music at Peace College on Sept. 8.

The 7:30 p.m. concert will be held in Kenan Recital Hall on the Peace College campus. The public is invited to the free event.

Pianists John Noel and Milton Laufer, Peace College’s Anne Weatherspoon Phoenix Professor of Fine Arts, will perform on the “Rhapsody” piano. They will be joined by soprano Christian Sineath, a 2004 graduate of Peace, and baritone James Smith, associate professor of music at Peace. The concert will include performances of “Rhapsody in Blue,” “Preludes for Piano,” and songs and duets for voice, such as “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.”

The Rhapsody is a nine-foot concert grand Art Deco-styled piano built in 1998. Among its features are more than 400 inlaid mother-of-pearl stars and a piano plate made of silver. Its music desk presents a hand-carved silhouette of the New York City skyline.

The Women’s Advantage: Research Shows Benefits Of Women’s Colleges

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 28, 2006) – The predominance of women in undergraduate education may mistakenly lead people to think that women have “made it” and that there is no longer any need for women’s colleges or concerns regarding equality. However, research shows that women in women’s colleges are better served in their educational pursuits than their peers at coeducational institutions. In fact, educational gains made by women at women’s colleges counter recent claims that women “lack ability” in science and math. What makes women’s colleges special?

The Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research (IUCPR) addressed this concern using data from The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), a college student survey that assesses the extent to which students engage in educational practices associated with high levels of learning and development (see www.nsse.iub.edu). IUCPR researchers found that students at women’s colleges spend more time on productive activities and gain more from their college experience compared with women at coeducational institutions. For example:

• First year students and seniors at women’s colleges report challenging academic experiences, and more integrative learning

• First-year students at women’s colleges perceive greater support for success;

• Women’s colleges are more “transfer-friendly;

• Women’s colleges support high student-faculty interaction leading to positive educational difference for women students;

• Classroom conditions at women’s colleges are created that encourage first years and seniors to collaborate more with peers, actively participate in class, and integrate ideas;

• An environment is fostered in women’s colleges that fuels women’s understanding of self and others, working with others; skills associated with career success and leadership.

“It has long been known that women tend to rise to positions of major leadership responsibility more from the educational experience of women’s colleges than from coeducational institutions,” said president of Chatham College, Esther Barazzone. “Sometimes it has been thought that this was due only to the fact that women in these settings are given greater personal aspirations. The NSSE studies, however, help highlight other reasons for this phenomenon which have more to do with the academic environment of these institutions.”

Especially important is that women’s colleges help their students develop quantitative skills and facilitate opportunities to interact around differences. Also, first-years and seniors at women’s colleges scored higher on the NSSE measures of active and collaborative learning, and interacted more often with faculty and participated in more integrative learning — activities that require integrating acquired knowledge, skills, and competencies into a meaningful whole.

According to Barazzone, “Graduates of women’s colleges have been shown to go on in far greater percentages than their female counterparts who graduate from coeducational institutions to become scientists, or workers in quantitatively based disciplines such as mathematics.”

Furthermore, Barazzone said that this well documented phenomenon is likely due to the “extraordinary learning environment at women’s colleges, in which faculty focus on active and integrative learning.” She explained that “Science at advanced levels requires the ability to assimilate, evaluate, and work creatively with large masses of information, an ability which can only be developed in an environment in which students are encouraged to be integrative and critical learners.”

Mary Meehan, president of Alverno College, provided a specific example of how her institution is making an impact: “Our own internal research division tracks the retention of learning among alumnae for five years post graduation. Our research supports the NSSE findings: our women retain their learning long after graduation and at rates higher than the general population. In other words, women’s colleges make a difference and the research proves it.”

Given these results, the IUCPR committed to conducting additional research on the differences between women’s colleges and co-educational institutions. Beyond the questions on the main NSSE survey instrument, the Women’s College Consortium created an additional set of questions to include that specifically address women’s issues and development. Questions address issues ranging from confidence and interest in graduate study to studying women’s issues and degree of challenge. Findings could be of particular interest to educational policy leaders who have the ability to shape the future of women’s colleges.

“We know that students at women’s colleges are more engaged in their learning than peers at co-educational colleges and universities,” Meehan said. “Now we just need to educate the general public on the reasons why we should take these results seriously and make decisions based upon data.”

Given the advantages conferred on women who attend a women’s college, students should consider pursuing their education at this type of institution. Likewise, guidance counselors should keep women’s colleges in mind when talking to high school students about their post-secondary options. Those students looking to be supported and empowered as women in an intellectually challenging environment should consider attending a women’s college.

For more information contact:
Susan E. Lennon
Women’s College Coalition
(202) 234-0443
lennons@trinitydc.edu

Jillian Kinzie

Center for Postsecondary Research, Indiana University Bloomington

(812) 856-5824

jikinzie@indiana.edu

Peace Unveils Innovative Teacher Education Program

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 5, 2006) – Peace College unveiled a teacher education program on Monday that is designed to better prepare prospective teachers for the challenges of today’s classrooms.

The program is the first in North Carolina to provide integrated education and preparation for licensure in both elementary education and special education. Representatives from the college, the Wake County Public School System, the State Board of Education and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction praised the cooperation between the college and the local school system that led to the development of the program.

“Through this new program, Peace College, in partnership with the Wake County Public School System, will arm prospective teachers with the education, skills and, very importantly, the experience, needed to be successful when they begin their careers,” said Peace College President Laura Carpenter Bingham.

The program was designed to help address some of the most pressing needs for new teachers in Wake County and in North Carolina. Wake County Public School educators played a central role during the two-year development of the program and will be deeply involved in the preparation of the program’s prospective teachers.

Bill McNeal, superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, said the need to train new teachers and to provide them with preparation that will help them be successful in their careers was an important element of the program.

“Our need for great teachers is one of the reasons that this partnership with Peace College is so important to us,” he said. “Peace College students in this program will learn in our classrooms and from our educators the challenges and opportunities of the Wake County Public School System. They will participate in staff development currently offered to our beginning teachers.”

The N.C. State Board of Education authorized the program in May. The program begins this fall, although some students are already taking preparatory courses at Peace.

The program is supported by a lead gift from Peace College Board of Trustees Chairman Peter J. Meehan and his wife, Prudence, that is designed to support the program for five years. In addition, the GlaxoSmithKline Foundation contributed $100,000, and a grant from the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund assisted development of the program.

“This is an innovative program, one that was designed from the beginning to target local schools’ most pressing needs,” Bingham said. “We are grateful for the assistance we received from Wake County educators and administrators in designing this program, and we look forward to working with them as we train new teachers.”

The program is designed to address the growing demand for teachers in elementary education and in special education. Program graduates will be fully licensed and highly qualified to teach elementary school students in kindergarten through sixth grade and K-12 students in special education (general curriculum) throughout North Carolina.

Graduates choosing to teach in elementary classrooms will be armed with knowledge and skills to teach students with disabilities who are served in the regular classroom. With a strong background in curriculum, graduates who choose to become special educators will be well-prepared in adapting the curriculum for students in special education programs.

The program will address a need for professional development and leadership opportunities for teachers by creating a teacher liaison position through which a Wake County National Board Certified teacher will teach at Peace College. The program will offer teachers from the program’s partner schools other opportunities for mentoring, professional development and collaboration.

More details about the program may be found on the Peace College website at www.peace.edu/teacher_education/teacher_education.htm. For additional information, contact Dr. Jean Murphy, director of the Peace College Teacher Education Program, by email at jmurphy@peace.edu or by phone at 919-508-2000.

Peace Confers Degrees to 101 Women

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 13, 2006) – Peace College conferred bachelor’s degrees to 101 women in a ceremony in which Ping Fu, chair, CEO and president of Geomagic Inc., urged graduates to work to make meaningful contributions rather than to simply strive for success.

“I don’t know how to measure success,” said Fu, the leader of an industry-leading firm based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., that makes products that create highly detailed 3-D computer models of objects, allowing advances in medicine and manufacturing, among many other fields. “One can set a lofty goal and be very disappointed for not meeting it. It seems that success is used to measure failure.

“On the other hand, contributions are measurable,” she said during the May 13 ceremony on the front lawn of the college’s historic downtown Raleigh campus. “Every day you can ask yourself, ‘What did I do today that contributed to me, to my family, to the organization that I work for, and to the society in which I live?’”

Fu, who was named 2005’s Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. magazine, came to the United States in 1981 at the age of 23 with $80 in her pocket after being deported by the government of China. In China she had been imprisoned after she wrote a report describing the widespread practice of the killing of infant girls. Fu said she had expected she was going to be executed.

After leaving China, Fu studied computer science and went to work at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications where she managed the team that developed the software that became Netscape Navigator, one of the first Internet browsers. Fu and her husband, Duke computer science Professor Herbert Edelsbrunner, founded Geomagic in 1996.

During the ceremony, the college also recognized several award recipients. Michelle Simonson of West Palm Beach, Fla., received the Outstanding Graduate Award. Erika Galluppi of Knightdale, N.C., won the Katharine Bryan Sloan Graham Academic Achievement Award, which recognizes the graduate who achieved the highest grade point average. Natalie Leary, of Edenton, N.C., was chosen by her peers for the honor of Miss Peace. Among the faculty, biology Professor Joe Wolf received the McCormick Distinguished Teaching Award.

Peace is a liberal arts and sciences college that concentrates on providing a close and intensive academic environment for women. Peace students have rated the school highly in the National Survey of Student Engagement, in the most recent survey placing the school in the top 10 percent in the categories of “student-faculty interaction,” “supportive campus environment” and “active and collaborative learning” when compared with other colleges and universities across the country participating in the survey.

For more information about the educational opportunities available at Peace College, visit the Peace Web site – www.peace.edu.

Peace Chamber Singers Present Concert April 19

RALEIGH (April 17) – Peace College’s Chamber Singers will perform in a choral music concert at Peace College on April 19, an event also featuring the N.C. State University male ensemble, Grains of Time.

The 7:30 p.m. concert will be held in Kenan Recital Hall on the Peace College campus. The public is invited to the free event.

To mark the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, the first half of the concert will feature an early symphony and three choral works by Mozart, with the two choral groups performing together. These works will be accompanied by a 16-piece orchestra, including strings, trumpets, oboes, flute and tympani. During the second half of the concert, each choral group will perform separately.

The Peace College Chamber Singers is a 17-member student ensemble directed by Peace Associate Professor of Music James Smith.

The event is the Chamber Singers’ final concert of this academic year.

Peace Team Places Second in Region in Human Resource Games

RALEIGH (April 10) – A team of students from Peace College placed second in the Southeast Regional Human Resource Games competition, held in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday (April 7). It was the second year in a row that a team from Peace College has placed second in the regional competition.

Peace’s Green Team – comprised of Angel Canada, Joyce Prevette and Heather Scott – made it to the championship round, losing to N.C. State’s Black Team by only two questions in the competition modeled after the television game show “Jeopardy!” A total of 16 teams from nine schools competed in the regional competition. Peace’s Green Team also recently placed second in state HR Games competition.

Peace also was represented by a White Team, made up of Lauren Liles, Erika Miles and Vicky Lawrence, who were making their first appearance at the regional games.

Peace faculty members Kathy Corley and Heather Lee accompanied the teams to Knoxville.

“Kathy Corley is to be commended for leading these six women to such success,” said Lee, associate professor of human resources. “The Peace students were congratulated by many for their intelligence, good nature and professionalism. Having spent over 50 hours in preparation between January and this weekend, these HR students put our tiny program on the map among much bigger schools.”

Ping Fu, Geomagic CEO, To Give Commencement Address

RALEIGH, N.C. (March 27, 2006) – Ping Fu, chairman, president and CEO of Research Triangle Park-based Geomagic, will deliver Peace College’s Commencement address in May, President Laura Bingham has announced.

Commencement ceremonies will be held Saturday, May 13, on the College Green of the historic Peace College campus in downtown Raleigh.

“I am delighted that Ping Fu has accepted our invitation to give our Commencement address,” Bingham said. “Our seniors indicated that they wanted to hear from a leading businesswoman. They’re going to hear from the 2005 Inc. Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year, and she has a captivating story to tell. She’ll be sharing it in the first commencement address she has given at a U.S. college or university.”

Fu came to the United States in 1981 at the age of 23 with $80 in her pocket after being deported by the government of China. In China she had been imprisoned after she wrote a report describing the widespread practice of the killing of infant girls. After studying computer science, Fu went to work at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications where she managed the team that developed the software that became one of the first Internet browsers. Fu and her husband, Duke computer science Professor Herbert Edelsbrunner, founded Geomagic in 1996.

Geomagic leads the field of digital shape sampling and processing (DSSP). The company’s products enable designers and engineers to transform scan data from physical objects into highly accurate digital models for applications ranging from recreating high-performance engine manifolds for a NASCAR racing team, to reconstruction of historic treasures, to quality inspection that helped ensure safety in the recent NASA Discovery mission.

In the past five years, Geomagic’s revenues have grown 381 percent. In 2005, Geomagic earned the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 award for the third consecutive year and was named mid-size company of the year in 2005 by the North Carolina Technology Association.

“Throughout Ms. Fu’s life, she’s turned overwhelming obstacles into opportunities to better people’s lives,” Bingham said. “She knows how to learn, listen and think and she has used those aptitudes to build a great company. We’re looking forward to hearing from her.”

April 6 'Student Showcase' Celebrates Students' Accomplishments

RALEIGH (March 23, 2006) – The Peace College community will celebrate its students’ accomplishments in a daylong “Student Showcase: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creativity.”

The event will feature academic presentations, readings, exhibits and performances so that students can share with each other their discoveries and accomplishments.

This is the second year Peace College has held the event, which allows other members of the Peace community to experience the richness of Peace students’ endeavors. Students’ parents and other family members will be among those in attendance.

The event will include performances of music, theater and dance, poetry readings and leadership-training activities. Other highlights include student presentations of papers; cross-disciplinary creative projects; an Ethics Bowl; a gallery-style exhibit of visual art and design; and short films.

Concert Features Works by Mozart, Shostakovich

RALEIGH (March 23, 2006) – Milton Laufer, pianist and Peace College's Anne Weatherspoon Phoenix Professor of Fine Arts, will be among the musicians performing in concert March 27 in the Peace College/N.C. Symphony Chamber Music Series.

The event will feature works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Dmitri Shostakovich. The 7:30 p.m. concert will be held in Peace's Kenan Recital Hall, and is free and open to the public.

Joining Laufer will be N.C. Symphony musicians Jimmy Gilmore, clarinet; Rebekah Binford and Maria Evola, violin; David Marschall, viola; and, Elizabeth Beilman, cello. A reception will follow the concert.

Peace Hosts March 31 Nonprofit Career Fair

RALEIGH (March 9, 2006) – The fair, which begins at 11 a.m and runs until 1 p.m., is being held in conjunction with the N.C. State Institute for Nonprofits and the following schools: Peace, Barton, Campbell, Methodist, Meredith, Mount Olive, and N.C. Wesleyan.

The career fair will have approximately 50 nonprofit organizations that will be recruiting for full-time, internships and summer positions.

The event will be held in Peace College’s Hermann Student Center gymnasium.

For further information, send email to Barbara Efird, Director of Career Services at Peace College at befird@peace.edu.

The following organizations are scheduled to participate in the fair, with asterisks indicating what types of positions each organization offers:

Peace Offers Summer School Courses

RALEIGH (Feb. 7, 2006) – Registration is under way for Peace College Summer School courses.

Summer School will be held during two sessions. The first session opens May 22 and runs through June 16. The second session begins June 19 and ends July 14.

A complete list of course offerings is available by clicking here. The PDF file also includes a registration form and instructions on where to mail it. The deadline to register for the first session is May 18. The second session registration deadline is June 16.

Please contact the Peace College Registrar’s Office at (919) 508-2012 for more information.

N.C. Poet Laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer to Give Reading at Peace on Feb. 27

RALEIGH (Jan. 27, 2006) – North Carolina poet laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer will hold a reading and discuss North Carolina poetry on Feb. 27 at Peace College.

Byer, recipient of the 2001 North Carolina Award for Literature, has published five books of poetry. Her sixth book, Coming to Rest, will be published later this year.

Byer will speak at 7:30 p.m. in Kenan Recital Hall on the Peace College campus. The public is invited to the free event. A reception will follow Byer’s talk.

Byer’s work has received numerous honors, including the Lamont Poetry Prize of the Academy of American Poets for her 1992 book, Wildwood Flower. Byer was appointed poet laureate in 2005 by Gov. Michael Easley. She lives in Cullowhee.

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis to Perform at Peace with N.C. Symphony Members, Peace Chamber Singers

RALEIGH (Jan. 26, 2006) – Saxophonist Branford Marsalis will perform in a chamber music concert at Peace College on Feb. 19, an event also featuring members of the North Carolina Symphony, the Peace College Chamber Singers and soprano Judith Bruno.

The 7:30 p.m. concert will be held in Kenan Recital Hall on the Peace College campus. Although this concert is free and open to the public, there is limited seating available. Seating reservations are required and may be made by calling (919) 508-2045 or by emailing rsvp@peace.edu. Each person may reserve a maximum of two seats. Reservations may be made until 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17.

Marsalis will play in a performance of “Quatuor for harp, celeste, flute, alto saxophone, and female voices,” a piece by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Marsalis and symphony members will also perform Villa-Lobos’s “Quintet for alto saxophone, two violins, viola, and cello.” “Four Songs” by Johannes Brahms will be performed by the Peace College Chamber Singers, harpist Anita Burroughs-Price, and Chris Caudill and Rachel Niketopoulas, French horns. Bruno, an adjunct voiceinstructor at Peace, will sing in a performance of Villa-Lobos’s “Poema da Crianca E Sua Mama.”

The Peace College Chamber Singers is a 17-member student ensemble directed by Peace Associate Professor of Music James Smith.

The event is the third concert in this year’s Peace College/North Carolina Chamber Music Series, a series sponsored by Peace College supporter Evelyn Hunter-Longdon.

Former Model To Talk About the Media

RALEIGH (Jan. 12, 2006) – Ann Simonton, a former fashion model who describes herself as a media activist, will discuss the consequences of corporate-owned media and the effects of media images in a Jan. 24 lecture entitled “Sex, Power and the Media.”

Simonton will speak at 7:30 p.m. in Kenan Recital Hall on the Peace College campus. The public is invited to the free event, but seating is limited. A reception will follow in Main Parlor. The event is sponsored by the Peace College Mary Howard Arts and Lectures Program and the Peace College Student Advancement Committee.

Peace College’s speaker program for this academic year has been devoted to women’s rights issues. Simonton also will speak to a Peace College class the day of her address.

Simonton is the founder and director of MediaWatch, an organization which distributes media literacy information to enlighten consumers about the influences of the mass media.