Newspapers / Chowan University Student Newspaper / Dec. 1, 1995, edition 1 / Page 5
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On the C€imt9us Trustees, facility, staff, friends always met challenge for educational needs Continued from Preceding Page All existing facilities, except historic McDowell Columns, have been constructed since World War II. In the fall of 1971, Chowan enrolled 1,533 students. The first African-American was enrolled at Chowan College in 1964. Since that time, the Chowan student body has been one of inclusion. Men and women, regardless or race, creed or national origin, are now studying at Chowan. Looking retrospectively at my experiences as an educator, I see integration as the most signifi cant change being made during my 43-year career. For much too long, life in the United States was totally divided into racial streams which mingled only superficially. Americans, regardless of national origin, still have lessons to learn about equal rights for men and women of all races, but progress has been made. I am proud of the diversity within Chowan’s student body and I view this diversity as one of the college’s strengths. People attend a residential college to expand their horizons, experiences, interests and knowledge. Chowan College returned to four-year status in August 1992. Baccalaureate degrees were once again awarded by Chowan in 1994 fore the first time in 57 years. I hope you will remain at Chowan until you complete requirements for the baccalaureate degree. I like the practice of having in the Alumni Green an alumni walk, a walk of brick showing the names of four-year graduates since Chowan returned to senior college status. Showing the brick bearing your name to your children and grandchildren when you return for homecoming will be a pleasure and a source of pride. While talking about the alumni walk, I want to tell you about the time capsule which was buried near the front entrance of the Alumni Green on November 16, 1989, by the Student Government Association. Citizens of the college community and the town of Murfreesboro gathered to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the ratification of the United States Constitu tion by North Carolina. The time capsule is to be unearthed on November 21, 2089. Tell your children about this capsule. Each residence hall council selected an item to be placed in the capsule. Chowan is different things to different people. Some see Chowan as a business. Others view Chowan only as an academic community. As for me, I have long seen Chowan College as a laboratory for the social sciences. Chowan, as a teaching college, is not involved primarily in research. We are not trying to find cures for AIDS or cancer. Chowan’s primary concern is improving the quality of life through teaching. Chowan is a liberal arts college. In a residential college where members of the faculty and staff work to make it an academic community, a fellowship where all segments of the population live and learn together, one has opportunities to observe first hand that people, regardless of their academic and socio-eco- nomic differences, are pretty much alike and that people want to build on experiences and contributions of their ancestors. Most people want a world which offers them and their children opportunities to grow academically, socially, culturally and spiritually. This, I believe is what Chowan, the small, residential liberal arts college, is all about in 1995. The Chowan mace may be seen as a symbol of the college’s philosophy. The Chowan College mace, crafted in three sections—the staff, sphere and finial—is made of walnut and decorated with gold and silver. The staff is a fluted column representing historic McDowell Columns and the several pillars of Chowan College support. Among the pillars of support are: Baptists of North Carolina, students, parents, faculty, staff. The center walkway, lined with ancient oaks and cedars and leading to historic McDowell Columns, looks similar today as it did during the middle and late 1800s. II I The Susan Kerr Alumni Gazebo provides a peaceful, picturesque setting near McDowell Columns. Alumni Walk, which leads to the gazebo, carries the names of all graduates since the college returned to four-year status. alumni, friends, trustees, visitors, foundations and corporations. On the front side of the capital of the column is the Chowan College seal. On the opposite side of the capital are the Greek symbols for Christian and alpha and omega, all of which indicate the Christian heritage of Chowan College. On the remaining sides of the capital appear the Latin words Trivium and Guadrivium. The terms suggest the seven liberal arts as well as the two divisions of education in the schools and ancient Rome. The sphere symbolizes Chowan’s universal concerns, its international student body, and its holistic approach to education. A band and flame comprise the finial. The flame poru-ays the Chowan experience as a source of intellectual and spiritual illumination. Within the next thirty years, the social order, as we now know it, will be turned upside down. If current trends in immigration and birth rates continues, Americans of color—Hispanics, African-Americans, and Asian-Americans—will outnumber American whites midway the twenty-first century. By 2020, when most of you will be in your forties, Hispanics will be the largest ethnic group in the United States; African-Americans will be the second largest racial group. In 1848 when Chowan was founded, the college was challenged to elevate the status of women. In 1995, Chowan’s trustees, faculty and administrators are challenged to prepare us for the new America of the twenty-first century. In my judgment, few institutions of higher learning can excel Chowan’s opportunities to offer better experiences in living and learning within a heterogeneous population. The history of Chowan has been one of challenges, transitions and adjustments. The Chowan College mission statement has been written and rewritten many times, but Chowan’s basic philosophy from 1848 until the present has been resolute. Dr. Godwin Cotton Moore, the founder of Chowan College, was determined that the school would be one of “high order.” Such an ideal is still relevant, Chowan remains dedicated to Christian values and endeavors to provide quality higher education on a liberal arts foundation in a personal and nurturing environ ment. We want Chowan College graduates to know how to make a living and how to live. The Chowan College faculty and staff can help you to see the connection between what you are taught in the classroom—concepts, moral reasoning, subject matter—and what you do, say and think, the way you live your life. Continued on Next Page “Chowan remains dedicated to Christian values and endeavors to provide quality higher education on a liberal arts foundation in a personal and nurturing environment. ” CHOWAN TODAY, December 1995 — PAGE 5
Chowan University Student Newspaper
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Dec. 1, 1995, edition 1
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