124 th Year Begun
On Firm Footing
Chowan College, Mur
freesboro, N. C., has opened a
new academic year —its 124th
— on firm footing as an out
standing two-year college yet
in quest of another facility
that will add to the quality
education it offers.
The past decade and a half
have seen a dynamic tran
sformation of the once sleepy
campus into a bustling,
modern institution of
Christian higher education.
Under the administration of
Dr. Bruce E. Whitaker, in his
15th year as president,
Chowan has constructed a new
building at a pace of ap
proximately one a year. The
student body has increased
from under 300 to close to
1,550. And the faculty has
grown in prestige and num
bers to assure individual
attention to each student.
Services Multiplied
Student services have
consistently multiplied.
Numerous opportunities
abound in student govern
ment, clubs, intercollegiate
athletics and intramurals,
drama, music and service
organizations. At the same
time, talk-ins and other
discussion opportunities and
lectures from national and
international figures have
provided intellectual
stimulation for the students.
BEAUTY QUEEN—Miss Sandy Rice, the current
reignitig “Miss .^Virginia Beach,” is a popular
on thie"’Chowan campus. Sandy is a
sophomore and quite active in college clubs and
organizations.
Chowan’s student body
during the fifteen years has
grown increasingly
cosmopolitan. Students come
from some 25 states and a
number of foreign countries as
well.
Spurring the growth has
been the development of the
campus facilities. McDowell
Columns remains the center of
attraction and remodeling has
continued. But a host of other
attractive and functional
buildings have been added.
Tlie most recent was nine-
story South Hall, dormitory
for men, opened last fall.
Chowan has also added
since 1957 a modem library,
fine arts building, two other
men’s dormitories, two
women’s dormitories, in
firmary and additions to
cafeteria and graphic arts
structure.
Gearing for Drive
The college is now gearing
for a drive that will bring it a
badly-needed addition, a new
science-engineering facility. It
will be modern in every detail
and feature classrooms,
lecture rooms, amphitheater,
study areas, storage areas,
animal rooms and faculty
offices, all of which are
considered essentials. But
many are not found in the
present undersized, under
equipped Green Hall.
The momentum to obtain
funds through a campaign to
finance the $1.3 million facility
is already mounting. En
thusiasm is reported by
President Whitaker and
Bobby Cross, director of
development, toward the
campaign on the part of many
friends and supporters of the
college.
Quality Institution
Chowan officials believe
that Chowan has already
achieved a status as a quality
institution. But they also
believe that the new science-
engineery facility will help
Chowan increase the quality
of the educational op
portunities it offers.
The acquisition of a new
science building is in keeping
with the master plan of the
college.
Careful planning for a
purpose has been at the heart
of Chowan’s growth
throughout Dr. Whitaker’s
administration.
4
STUDENT OUTING—Chowan Student Union, open to all students,
students enjoy a “sing-a-long” They’re not singing on an empty
program held at the home of stomach as a cookout preceded the
Chaplain Hargus Taylor, who entertainment,
directs the activities of the Baptist
Our Purposes
The purposes of Chowan College have
been outlined in each issue of the catalog,
and are listed as;
1. To provide quality higher education-
influenced by Christian pre-suppositions
relative to the educational task—and to help
the individual student to gain a philosophy
of life which will lead to the development of
responsible citizens and Christian leaders—
both lay and professional.
2. To give thorough training in the stan
dard disciplines to those students who wish
to pursue the baccalaureate in other higher
educational institutions, and to afford those
whose formal education will not extend
beyond an associate degree program an
excellent vocational instruction on the
backdrop of a liberal arts education.
3. To meet the personal needs of the in
dividual student and to make his stay at
Chowan College as meaningful as possible
by providing him with effective academic
and social counseling.
mat
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A New World
Has Opened . .
Joyce Dodson is a 19-year- ipathway of self-discovery,
old sophomore at Chowan Among them are Miss
College. She has the knack of Rebecca Kinnarno^ professor
reducing the complex to the of English, and Dr. Morris
germane. Asked why she
selected Chowan, she replies
simply “to find myself.”
Chowan is the kind of school
that specializes in helping
students like Joyce to find
themselves. Its president. Dr.
Bruce E. Whitaker, reports
that the college is large
enough to provide a sound
academic program, and yet answer one big question about
small enough to treat Joyce myself,” Joyce states.
Carson, of the Spanish
Department.
“Miss Kinnamon knows how
to put her material across.
She’s an excellent teacher.
But she has also been a friend
as well. She is always willing
to talk with me about personal
matters,” Joyce explains.
Dr. Carson has helped me
iff
INFORMAL RECEPTION—A faculty of Chowan enjoy a friendly
group of students enjoy a reception relationship, whereby they have a
in the home of their advisor at the sense of “belonging” to the college
beginning of school. Students and family.
-••iiio-- U».'i ,llblilC>CDU
Students Say Chowan
Is Very Friendly Place
DORMITORY FOR WOMEN—One
of the modern, air-conditioned
residence halls for women is Belk
Hall, which was named in honor of
Mrs. Carol Belk, wife of Senator
Irwin Belk of Charlotte.
A Word About Chowan . . .
Chowan College is a two
year, co-educational college,
supported by the Batpist State
Convention of North Carolina
and is located in Mur
freesboro.
Chowan follows in the time-
honored tradition of smaller,
church-related colleges where
one finds such advantages as a
real sense of “belonging” to
the college family, instruction
based on Christian presup
positions, economy in tuition
and boarding expenses and
definite interest in the in
dividual on the part of the
faculty.
Chowan is the second
largest two-year college
related to the Southern Baptist
Convention and the second
oldest (1848) of North
Carolina’s seven Baptist
colleges.
This co-educational in
stitution has celebrated an
unprecedented period of
progress in growth and ser
vice as an institution of
Christian higher education.
The total enrollment is over
1,500 students. The plant
evaluation is over $8,500,000.
However, the truestees and
administration are deter
mined that quality rather than
quantity shall ever be the
primary consideration. They
realize that the smaller, well-
equipped and accredited
junior college is able to offer a
quality and type of education
which the larger institution
can never provide for youth
who are standing at the
doorway of their higher
educational experience.
This Christian Junior
College exists for the student,
propagates with unyielding
tenacity its avowed purposes,
and operates within a
framework of responsibility of
maintaining Christian com
mitment through its entire
program.
By action of the Board of
Trustees of Chowan College,
the college is operated on a
non-discriminatory basis as
regards race, creed or color.
This includes employment,
admissions, housing,
scholarships and grants-in-
aid, and public functions.
North Carolina is a state of
friendly people.
That’s the reaction of in
ternational students attending
Chowan College. Nine, in
cluding six men, recently
gave their impressions of
life in North Carolina as
Chowan students.
Typical was comment of
Anthony (Tony) Ehidiame
Odion-Esene of Lagos, Nigeria
who first told of his ap
prehension of coming to
America. He reported some of
his friends had warned him
that his reception would be
less than warm.
He arrived in New York City
at JFK Airport. He told of
feeling “stranded” until he
was befriended by a white
taxicab driver. From then on
he said he met friendly people,
especially in North Carolina.
He said he found Mur
freesboro a marked contrast
from the industrial cities he
had seen on the way from New
York. “My first reaction was,
‘There are no skyscrapers in
Murfreesboro,’ ” he reported.
“At first, I thought I should
leave,” he said displaying a
broad smile. “But then I found
that it is very quiet and
peaceful here and the people
are friendly. You do not have a
lot of industry but you have
the forests, and it is very
pretty.”
Tony also had high praise
for the faculty and students at
Chowan, a theme repeated by
each student. Echoing his
sentiments was Monica
Machien Yin, whose father is
ambassador to Costa Rica
from Taiwan. Monica was
born in Chile but is now a
citizen of Costa Rica.
She said the Murfreesboro
people are “overwhelmingly
warm” and also spoke of the
“beautiful campus and
friendly people” at Chowan.
She is a Rotary Exchange
student.
In contrast to Tony and
Monica, who have just arrived
in the United States, Monica
Rivas Alvarado of Santiago,
Chile has lived two years in
New Jersey. While the people
there were friendly, she was
not prepared for the greeting
she received in Murfreesboro,
she noted.
“After I had just arrived, I
was walking down the street
when someone said ‘hi’. I did
not think they were speaking
to me. Then it happened again
and someone said they were
saying hi to me. I just couldn’t
believe they were speaking to
me,” she exclaimed.
One student, Arcadio Lara
Gil, reported he had ridden
three days and three nights on
a bus to arrive in Mur
freesboro from Mexico City.
“I am very happy for the
opportunity to live here,” the
Mexican said.
Carlos Roberto Sultan is
from Caracas, Venezuela.
Carlos studied three years at
Hargrave Military Academy
in Chatham, Va. prior to
coming to Chowan. Carlos is
planning to run for president
of the freshman class and
reports he is impressed with
both the college and town.
“Chowan is a very good
school. I am impressed with
both the teachers and the
students. I like the at
mosphere on campus and in
the town,” he added.
Chowan has a total of 13
international students among
its student body of 1533
students.
and her fellow students as
individuals.
“I wanted a small college,
far enough away from home
so that I could get away and be
on my own,” Joyce says. “I
want^ to attend a church-
related (Baptist) junior
college because I felt it would
provide the atmosphere that
would help me to establish
myself. Chowan fitted all my
requirements,” she adds.
Had Joyce come to Chowan
13 years ago when Dr.
Whitaker began his service as
president, she would have
found only 300 students on
campus. Now she is part of a
student body consisting of
over 1,500.
The college began as the
Chowan Baptist Female In
stitute in 1848. Yet, most of
Joyce’s time is spent in
modern facilities built since
1957. Evenings she studies in
Whitaker Library, which is
named for the president, who
recently announced a cam
paign to finance a new $1.5
million science-engineering
facility.
Joyce says she was sur
prised to find the diversity
offered by the liberal arts
program at Chowan. She
attends a different exhibit
each month in the new art
gallery. As a freshman last
year, and again this year she
joined 26 of her classmates in
the touring choir.
The attractive sophomore
has found many guides on the
As a freshman, I had not
selected a major. But he
opened up a new world to me—
the Spanish language and
customs. I have given it a
great deal of thought, and I
have decided to major in
Spanish.”
Joyce also serves as Dr.
Carson’s student secretary.
“As a sophomore, I am
finding a larger set of friends
and activities and I have
grown,” Joyce comments.
“The first year I was asking.
Now I am doing. Serving as an
officer in my residence hall
has given me responsibility. I
have many friends—they’re
easy to make at Chowan^iH
more things to do than there is
time.”
As a junior, Joyce will make
the transistion from a junior
college to the international
community at the St. Louis
University in Madrid. It is
part of a program offered by
Stratford College, located in
her hometown of Danville,
Va., where she will complete
her senior year.
Joyce does not minimize the
challenge she will face but
believes Chowan has helped
her. “It has given me the
opportunity to discover who I
am, to really find myself. This
is the start I needed.”
Eighty-five per cent of all
Chowan students are enrolled
in transfer programs.
I
STUDENT CENTER—Signs of the
■m Zodiac add color to the windows of
the student center at Chowan
College.
/ 11#