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VOL. 10, NO. 1
North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, N.C.
FRTOAY, SEPTEMBER 9,1994
Collier replaces Garner on interim basis
DR. LES GARNER
.Leaves for Cornell College
By KIMBERLY CORSEEN
After seven ye^s as president
of North Carolina Wesleyan Col
lege, Dr. Leslie H. Garner Jr.
stepped down from his post at the
end of the spring semester in or
der to become the president of
Cornell College in Iowa.
The Board of Trustees named
Dr. Herman Collier Jr., as interim
president on June 9. Collier as
sumed his duties as president of
Wesleyan College on July 15 and
is expected to serve no more than
12 months as the Board of Trust
ees conducts a search for a per
manent president.
“I am grateful for the opportu
nity at Wesleyan and for the sup
port I have received frorti the staff
and the community,” Gamer said
in his letter of resignation. He
continued by saying, “While there
are challenges yet to be mastered
at Wesleyan, I believe that the
College is ready to face these
challenges.”
Gamer also said he would miss
Rocky Mount but was “excited
and honored” concerning his new
position. Gamer will be the 14th
president of Cornell College,
ranked by U.S. News and World
Report as one of the top 100 lib
eral arts colleges in the country.
mi
C
DIGNITARIES PARTICIPATE IN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER GROUNDBREAKING.
NCWC starts construction
on Performing Arts Center
By MICHELE A. CRUZ
On June 23, a 30-year dream
for North Carolina College came
true. Wesleyan staff, faculty, stu
dents, and fnends broke ground
for the new 48,000 square-foot
Performing Arts Center, expected
to be complete by the spring of
1996.
Major fmancial support for the
building came from the Nash/
Edgecombe community. As the
focal point of the “Vision For the
Future” capital campaign, the
Center is expected to draw major
performers to Eastern North Caro
lina.
The first of many exciting
events for the Center will be the
1997 North Carolina Annual Con
ference of The United Methodist
Church, involving 1,500 delegates
firom the region. According to
North Carolina State University
travel and tourism experts, an av
erage convention at the Center
will bring $ 100 daily per delegate
to the community. Business lead
ers in Eastem North Carolina see
the Center as an added incentive
to recruit management to the area.
(Continued on Back Page)
Collier, a resident of Point
Harbour, served as president of
Moravian College in Pennsylva
nia for 17 years. In 1991, Collier
assumed the duties of interim
president of Salem College in
Winston-Salem.
Collier said the opportunity to
serve at North Carolina Wesleyan
College appealed to him for a
number of reasons. He said the
size of the college and its Meth
odist Church affiliation were im
portant factors in his decision to
serve.
Also, Collier referred to the
staff and faculty as a major rea-
(Continued on Back Page)
DR. HERMAN COLLIER JR.
...Named Interim President
Student Life
appoints new
RDs for halls
By SCOTT ROLFE
The Student Life Department
chose three new Resident Direc
tors and Student Life Associates
for North Carolina Wesleyan Col
lege during the summer.
According to Dr. Nancy
Vankuren, Vice President and
Dean of Student Life, from 150
to 160 applicants applied for the
nationwide job offer. The Student
Life staff, the President of the
College, RA’s, and students were
involved in on-site interviews,
and helped in the screening pro
cess.
The major qualities the col
lege was looking for were: gradu
ate degrees in Student Affairs,
prior experience in Resident Life,
and experience in the three major
Student Life positions: Lead^-
ship, Campus Activities, and Atfi-
letics.
According to the 93-94 stu
dent handbook Resident Direc
tors, (RDs) are full time profes
sional staff members, employed
to live in the Residence Hdls,
and are responsible for the edu
cational and operational functions
of the living area. RDs also man
age the operation of their build
ings, including direct supervision
and evaluation of Resident As
sistants (RAs). The RD gets to
know the students within his or
her dorm and offers help and
guidance, as well as discipline.
The new RD for Edgecombe
Hall is Sigrid Bonner. Bonner,
23, is a native of Brooklyn, N. Y.
She is a graduate of Cornell, with
a undergraduate degree in Indus
trial Labor Relations.
Bonner is woridng on her Mas
ters in Education at N.C. State,
where she was also an RD. While
working as the Student Life rep
resentative, Bonner will be in
charge of the Johnston Fellows
program.
Bonner describes herself as
fnendly and enthusiastic, and in
vites anyone to come meet her.
She said she wants to give h» all
to NCWC and put her experience
to work. Her goal for the year is
“to create a good environment in
(Continued on Bade Page)