Meredith Herald
Volume XV, Issue 20
We attract bright, talented, ambitious students. Naturally, we’re a women’s college. February 24,1999
On the
inside:
□ Students
sharpen leader
ship skills at
conference.
Page 2
□ Campus
diversity cele
brated with
ACAWeek.
Page 3
□ Meet the
president’s sup
port, Sharon
Woodlief.
Page 4
□ Angels end
season with 19-2
winning record.
Page 5
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Candidates share goals with community
□ Each leaves a
distinct and favor
able impression.
Beth Hall; Allison Carter
News EdHon Editor in Chi^
The final three presidential
candidates introduced them
selves to the Meredith commu
nity last week during Iheir indi
vidual receptions. Maureen
Hartford, the vice president of
student affairs at the University
of Michigan spoke Wednesday;
Nancy Huggins, an investment
banker from Dallas spoke
Thursday
and Hope
Williams,
president
of the NC
Associa
tion of
Indepen
dent Col
leges and
Universities spoke Friday.
“Impressive,” was again and
again the response given by
those in attendance when a.sked
their thoughts of the candi
dates.
Retiring president, John
Weems, said, “ I feel confident
that any of the three will be
right for the college."
Hartford, a native of NC and
graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill,
told those at the reception that
she “would be excited to be
president of an all-women’s
Maureen Hartford
institution.” She noted that
women today are asked to be
leaders, and in order to be good
leaders women must be proper
ly educated and nurtured. “I
would be delighted to be a part
of that," said Hartford.
She spoke a little of the dif
ferences between the single-sex
Meredith and the eo-education-
al University of Michigan. Jok
ing about culture shock. Hart
ford said'impulse had led her to
look for the football team when
she first arrived on the Mered
ith campus..
Hanford chose to end on a
more serious note. She told the
audience
of a stu
dent at
Michigan,
whom she
had men
tored, who
had
become a
Rhodes
scholar. She wanted to inspire
Meredith to produce Rhodes
scholars.
During a very brief inter
view, Hartford said, "It’s lime
Meredith had a woman presi
dent.” She continued, “If we
are telling women that they can
be whatever they want to be"
then it is important that Mered
ith, a woman's college, should
have a woman a.*; president.
Hartford also joked that “so
often the joy of my job (as vice
president of student affairs)
Nancy Huggins
comes from working with
women; a lot of the problems
come from working with men.”
LeeAnna Keith, a professor
of history, said Hartford was
“poised and upbeat.” Keith,
like Eloise Grathwohl, a pro
fessor of English and director
of the Honors program, appre
ciated Hartford’s Rhodes schol
ar comment. “I really loved
that,” said Grathwohl, “It’s nice
to think about having a presi
dent who is going to take acad
emics very seriously and help
(the academics) improve even
more.”
Jean Jackson, vice president
of student
develop
ment (the
equivalent
to Hart
ford’s cur
rent job),
said Hart
ford was
“well-spo-
ken,” “attentive
Hope Wilhams
President to be
named Friday
This week, the Board of
I^stees wili make the
Rnal dN;lslMi about
wltom TTtli becoim
Meredith’s
seventh president.
Tbat declsim will be
announced Friday,
Feb. 26 at 3:30 p.m. In
Jfohnson Hati Rotunda.
Hie eatire Mereditih
a^mmumty b invited
toattend.
"brings
and
strong qualifications.”
Huggins, a native of Corinth.
Miss., introduced herself
Thursday. She told the audience
that she received an undergrad
uate degree from Rhodes Col
lege, a liberal arts college in
Memphis, Tenn. and a MBA
from Harvard. She worked on
Wall Street for over 20 years
before becoming an investment
banker in Dallas. Texa.s.
Huggins candidly discussed
the fact that she, unlike the
other two candidates, is not
coming from a career in higher
education. She explained her
interest in becoming a college
president stems from her expe
rience as a trustee of Rhodes,
her Alma Mater. Huggins said
she always appreciated liberal
arts education which “teaches
students how to think and takes
. them through life and different
careers, not just one.” While
serving on the Board of
Trustees, she enjoyed working
with the students, faculty,
alumni and other constituents
of Rhodes. Huggins served on sev-
See PRESIDENT page 4
Convocation celebrates Founder’s Day, seniors
□ Students, faculty
share in the Vision.
LisuB Maxwell
Police Reporter
E^ch Founder’s Day, stu
dents, faculty, and staff take a
journey to Meredith’s past with
a speaker and glimpse the
future as current seniors wear
their academic dress for the
first time. Monday, Feb. 22. the
audience gathered in Jones
Auditorium visited the recent
past with Carolyn Robinson,
author of The Vision Revisited;
A History of Meredith College
1971-1998..
The class of 1999 wore their
caps and gowns, and faculty
and staff wore their own acade>
mic dress. The faculty walk in
the following order; the faculty
marshal, the executive
vice-president, vice pres
idents, deans, faculty
emeriti, professors, asso
ciate professors, assistant
professors, instructors,
administrative faculty,
and adjunct professors.
Their robes signify the
types of degrees they
have achieved.
Before Robinson
spoke. Chuck Taylor,
executive vice president,
and the Board of
Trustees honored retiring
President John Weems as
a contemporary founder
include Carlyle Campbell and
Bruce Heilman. “I am very
of Meredith College. Past
contemporary founders
Interim President Chuck Taylor
and junior Laura May lay the
wreath. photo b« au.i$on caxtek
proud U) be associated with the
very distinguished former
receipients of the award,” said
Weems. ‘This has been a won
derful day to be invited back,”
said Weems who is currently
on sabbatical.
Robinson’s book The Vision
Revisited picks up where Mary
Lynch Johnson's book A Histo
ry of Meredith College left off.
Johnson was the first historian
of Meredith College. She dealt
with Meredith’s history from
1891 to 1971.
Robinson graduated from
Meredith in 1950 as a religion
major. She worked for Mered
ith in various positions from
1958 to 1992 when she retired
as college editor and director of
See CONVOCATION page %