Vadersen
Director of Braves
Club Foundation
and a strong
supporter of the
annual Chowan
Golf Classic
Continued from Page I
professionalism and success” Aycock continued
Harry Webster, fellow Chowan alumnus who
played football with Vadersen at Chowan, nomi
nated his friend for the award Webster reminisced,
“Ernie has continued to succeed in the business
world just as he did on the football field and in the
classroom.”
Over the years, Vadersen remained loyal to
Chowan and continued to support various college
programs He currently serves on the board of
directors of the Braves Club Foundation and for the
past several years has significantly contributed to
the success of the college’s annual Chowan Classic
Golf Tournament.
Jim Garrison, executive director of the Braves
Club Foundation, remembers Vadersen’s participa
tion in football & baseball at Chowan. “The
greatest thing I can say about Ernie is that he's
very persistent. I like to think he got a little of
that by participating in athletics at Chowan,”
laughs his former coach “He loves Chowan
College ”
In town to receive the award, Vadersen
reminisced about lessons learned at Chowan “Jim
Garrison was walking into the locker room one day
just as a hurricane was hitting off the coast of
North Carolina and stated. Boy, this is an
opportunity’ We practiced for two hours during
the hurricane and never let up. There are people
and places who touch your life from day one. The
lessons learned here from faculty and leadership
touching young lives, took me into life.”
Tim Walters, technology support specialist, assembles the
compact file server which will support the CMOS TEAMS ELITE
administrative management software system.
Chowan Today
Volume 42, No. 3, Fall 1997
USPS 715-880 ISSN 1051-9580
Editor, Director of News Services Jan Lefevre
Designer Herman Gatewood
l ice President for Development E. Vincent Tilson
Director of Alumni Services Charles L. Aycock
Sports Information Office! Jack Goldberg
Printing Benson Newspaper Printing
Chowaa Todiy is published four (imes • year in March, Juoe. September and
December for the Chowan College commuoit>'. including alumoi. parents, friends, fac
ulty and staff by the OfHce of News services through the cooperative efforts of the
offkes of Development. Alumni Services and Sports Information.
Send comments, suggestions and informational submissions to the Office of
News Services, PO Box 184S. Muifieesboro, N. C., 27S55. Phone (919) 39S-63I9, e-
mail; news(dmkah.chowan.edu
Postmaster: send 3575 to Chowan Today, Chowan College, PO Box IS48,
Murfreesboro, NC 2785?
SECOND CLASS POSTAGE PAID AT MURFREESBORO.
NORTH CAROLINA (27855)
AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES.
A Letter from the President
Those of us who now serve Chowan College, stand on the shoulders of ever>- alumnus,
alumna and friend of Chowan College who has offered financial support and encourage
ment during our 149-year history. For this I am profoundly grateful. As we approach both
the sesquicentennial anniversary of our institution and the next millennium, it is with great
honor that 1 have established myself among
you. The entire Chowan community, and
especially the students, who are the direct
beneficiaries of your generosity, express deep
appreciation.
1 sincerely believe in the extraordinary
potential of Chowan College and look forward
to the challenges that lie ahead. As you read
the annual reports in this issue of Chowan
Today, I believe that you. too, will quickly grasp
a feeling for the excitement here at Chowan.
However, there is much to be done.
Teachers will often say of a student, “She
has a lot of potential.” Coaches will often say
of a player, “He has a lot of potential.” In both
instances, these statements say more about the
individual in what they do not say.
To say that Chowan has extraordinary'
potential is the same type of statement. It says
little that is concrete about the future of the
institution. The concept of “potential” sug
gests unrealized aspirations and unfulfilled
goals and objectives. I think that we all
understand that “potential” does not assure us
of success, only its possibility. There are long lists of individuals and institutions with
“potential” who failed to realize their capabilities.
As I look across the landscape of higher education, I see many institutions like
Chowan, struggling to realize their potential. If we were to create a continuum of the
weakest to strongest institutions. I do not know exactly where Chowan would fall. I do
know that we are not on either end. There are not many schools like Chowan that can
match our sophisticated technological infrastructure, doubtless there are some that are
superior. There are not many schools like Chowan that can match the physical beauty of
our campus; there are some that surpass us. Our endowment is respectable, but not
sufficient. Our enrollment is stable, but not where it needs to be. I believe that those
schools with fewer than 1.000 students and inadequate endowments will face the most
serious struggles in the future to be successful.
The most important issues facing Chowan today, are recruitment and retention. With
over 50% of our revenues derived from enrollment-related income, recruiting an ade-quate
number of students and creating an environment conducive to continuing an education at
Chowan are extremely critical to the health of the institution. Chowan needs to attract a
full-time enrollment of at least 1,000 students; a 33% increase from the current figure of 750.
Attracting and retaining students at Chowan depends on the excellence and variety of
our curriculum and the quality of life across campus, as equally important parts of the
formula. The faculty has worked hard to strengthen and expand the curriculum and their
work will continue. We must continually insure that we are preparing our students for the
careers they seek with the educational components that employers need.
A great deal of effort has been devoted to improve the quality of student life outside
the classroom. However, much more needs to be done. At the top of the “quality-of-life”
needs list is a new student center. Initial plans have been drawn and a decision has been
made to locate the new student center on the pivotal site currently occupied by the existing
football field. That decision requires that the existing football field be relocated before
construction can begin on the new student center. These are only two of the capital
projects that need to be completed to make our campus and its facilities more appealing to
students and faculty and can> Chowan successfully into the twenty-first century.
My intuition, informed and influenced by thirty years in higher education, gives me a
sense of urgency about the need to get things done as quickly as possible. Population
projections indicate that there will be an increase in the college-attendance pool during the
next six to eight years. Entering this critical period, Chowan needs to be in the strongest
position possible. I believe that we are faced with a limited window of opportunity that we
cannot afford to pass up.
It is impossible to cross a void in two jumps; it must be done in one incredible leap. I
sincerely believe, that we need to front-load our future.
In order to do this, Chowan must develop a strong financial plan and will need to rely
on the generous support of its alumni and friends. Over the next several weeks, we will be
finalizing the plans for a major capital campaign, the first of its kind in more than a decade.
you hear more about the project in the future, I hope you will continue to support us
wit your prayers and begin to give consideration to a new level of personal commitment
to Chowan College.
SixaEiV/
Stan Lott
President
Dr Stanley G. Lott
Page 2 — CHOWAN TODAY, Fa//. 1997