CHOWAN
Summer, 1992 Volume 37 Number 2
A Newsmagazine fa
^ODAY
Newsmagazine for Alumni, Parents and Friends
Chowan graduation marks
a new beginning
Associate degrees were conferred on 105
graduates of Chowan College May 9, but this year,
something was different.
Tammy Marie Joyner, of Ahoskie, received the
associate of science degree and she plans to continue her
education at Chowan to pursue the four-year degree in
teacher education.
Natalie Candice Taylor, of Eure, walked away
with an associate degree in music, but she has plans to
receive the equivalent four-year degree from Chowan in
1994.
Rumonda Tyre Smith graduated with the associ
ate degree in printing production technology and plans
to return for the four-year degree in the fall.
That is the story repeated many times at this
year's Chowan graduation, the college's 144th in a long
history of graduations. What is different about this
year's graduation is that many of those graduates are
electing to stay on at Chowan to pursue the four-year
degree.
Graduation exercises, which were held in Turner
Auditorium inside the Columns building due to the
recent weather, included the presentation by Dr. B.
Franklin Lowe, vice president for academics, of the
Excellence in Teaching Award to Dr. G. Kenneth
Wolfskill, chairman of the department of language and
literature and a favorite English teacher among students
at Chowan. This award is presented each year to the
faculty member elected by other members of the faculty.
Dr. Carl Garrott, professor of languages, and
recipient of last year’s Excellence in Teaching Award,
delivered the invocation and devotion during graduation
exercises. He urged graduates to have "burning hearts",
which are "necessary to the highest success in Christian
service".
Dr. T. Robert Mullinax, executive director of the
Council on Christian Higher Education at the Baptist
State Convention of North Carolina, delivered the
commencement address, announcing he was the "final
barrier between you and the awarding of your final
degrees."
He declared, "What Chowan hopes for you and
what will be expected of you, as college graduates, is to
think, to dream and to act."
"Thinking is perhaps the most valuable aspect of
the college education," said Mullinax. "Dreams
transcend the problems of today. But, it is not enough
to think and dream, you must acL I assure you that it is
going to be all right for you out there if you can think,
dream and act."
President Jerry F. Jackson, assisted by Darrell
Nicholson, registrar, presented associate degree diplo
mas to students as they marched across the stage in
Turner. A capacity crown of over 500 attended gradua
tion exercises, which were preceded by a continental
breakfast in Thomas Cafeteria honoring graduation
candidates and parents. Many graduates and their
families stayed for a luncheon in Thomas following
graduation.
Teaching Excellence Award Winner Dr.
Wolfskill said he was very surprised with the award. He
has taught English at Chowan since 1973; received the
doctoral degree from the University of N.C. at Chapel
Hill; the master's degree from the University of Ken
tucky; and the bachelor’s degree from Samford Univer
sity. He was also nominated for the Academic
Advisor’s Award last year by Chowan students and was
one of the winners in the nation of an academic advisor
award.
According to Dr. B. Franklin Lowe, Chowan will
continue to award a number of associate degrees for
years in the transition to four-year institutional status.
He predicts the number of associate degree graduates
who elect to stay on at Chowan for four years will
continue to rise.
Melissa Lewellen (above) cel
ebrated with Bruce Moore, vice
president for student development
Dr. Ken Wolfskill, (right) received
excellence in teaching award.
Dr. T. Robert Mullinax
addressed graduates.
Joyners make Chowan
a family tradition
by Jessica Kiser ’95
At a time when undergraduates at college are
becoming increasingly dissatisfied
with large universities, Susan
Harmon and Tammy Joyner are
two sisters who are attending a
smaller college and loving it!
These two sisters from
Ahoskie represent two major
categories of the peculation on
college campuses today: the recent
high school graduate and the
student who is coming back to
school in later life.
Susan, the oldest of the six
children in the Joyner family,
(daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Julian
Joyner) is married and has two
daughters of her own, ages 8 and 11
years. She has gone back to school
to get her elementary education
degree and has found that going
back to school later in life is challenging and rewarding
"It is totally different I had to relearn how to study,
to budget our time, and to make everything fit together,
but I knew I wanted to go back to school and get my
degree. I quit my job and that is what I did- -what I
wanted to do. I went back to school", says Susan.
"My girls think it's great and they look up to me,"
Tammy Joyner, '92
she continued. "My husband is proud and encourages me
to stick with it. My entire family
supports me." Tammy, the youngest
of the Joyner children, graduated
from Hertford County High School
in 1990. She enrolled at Chowan
and plans to get her degree in
elementary education.
"When I graduated from high
school, I had made plans to attend
Chowan. That was where I wanted
to go. It has worked out for the
best all the way around," she
relates. "The first thing that
attracted me to Chowan was the
quality of the professors, but after I
began attending here, I really
began to appreciate the fact that I
could talk to them. I am not just a
number like I would be at a larger
school."
Including Susan and Tammy, four of the Joyner
children have attended Chowan College. As a matter of
fact, there will be four of the Joyner siblings at Chowan
this fall when brother David returns to Chowan and
younger brother Steven enrolls.
Peggy Joyner, who teaches at Hertford County
Middle School, remarks that if Chowan had been a
(Continued on page 3)