EREDiTH Herald
Volume XVI, Issue 10
Educating Women to Excel
November 3,1999
On the
inside:
n Sophomores
hunt for career
clues.
Page 2
□ Madness
comes to
Meredith.
Page 3
Juniors celebrate unbroken circle
□ The class of
2001 receives their
Meredith rings.
Lesue Maxwell
Editor In cN«(
After two years of wailing,
juniors received a syml>ol that
they are upfwrclassmen: the
Meredith ring. Last week. Oct.
25-29, was Junior Ring Week,
and Friday. Oct. 29. was Ring
Dinner.
Ring Dinner co-chairs
Hilary Allen, Wallis Kirby and
Lesley Parr planned the
evening.
The dinner began at 6 p.m.
as juniors walked into a bal-
loon-filled Belk Dining Hall.
After an introduction by the co
chairs and a prayer, juniors had
dinner.
Speakers for the evening
were Ginger Hudson, '99,
senior class president for 1998-
99; Shannon McFartane, ’99,
SGA president for 1998-99;
and Dr. Jean Jackson. ’75, vice
president for student develop
ment.
Each speaker talked about
what their Meredith ring meant
upon first receiving it and what
if means now.
Jackson spoke of the history
of Meredith's ring. She noted
that the current design of onyx,
the off-center seal and the oak
leaves has been the official ring
of Meredith since 1954.
Jackson then invited the
class of 2001 to don their class
rings, with the seal towards the
wearer.
Ring Dinner co-chairs then
made several presentations to
the class of 2001, including a
slide show and a letter.
The class of 2003 serenaded
their big sisters in the lumi-
nary-filled courtyard.
Allen, Kirby and Part
agreed. “We thought Ring Din
Ring Dinner co-chairs (l-r) Lesley Parr, Hilary Allen and
Wallis Kirby prepare to receive their rings.
Photo submitted ky Wallis Kirby
ner was a huge success and we
were happy to be able to do it
for the class of 2001.”
Ring Week co-chairs Christ
ian Melvin, Julie Clayton and
Jessica Carton planned activi
ties throughout the week.
Monday, they sponsored a
big sis / li’l sis look-alike con
test. Big sis / li’l sis teams Kate
Breen & Jenny Altier and
Hilary Allen & Erin Taylor
won.
Tuesday, the class saw the
Adam Sandler movie Big
Daddy at Blue Ridge Cinemas.
Members of the class partic
ipated in Wednesday’s 10 a.m.
worship service.
Ring Jam was Thursday
night. In Belk Dining Hall,
juniors played games and won
prizes. At that time, juniors
also received their Ring Dinner
T-shirts and Ring Pops.
Juniors awoke to congratula
tory messages from the class of
2003 on Friday morning. All
that day, juniors wore their
Ring Dinner T-shirts and Ring
Pops in anticipation of the din
ner.
□ Storytellers
entertain,
amuse crowd.
Page 4 Initiative 2000 results announced
O Try exotic
pasta dishes,
says reviewer.
Page 8
Meredith Herald
at
Meredith College
3800 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919)760-2824
FAX (919) 760-2869
Email;
maxwel]l@mCTeiitii.edu
Office of Marketing and
Communications
Press Release
The Meredith College Board
of Trustees and the College’s
administration have announced
the results of a three-year state-
gic planning process.
The strategic planning
process began in 1996 when
the Meredith trustees autho
rized INITIATIVE 2000. a
comprehensive and inclusive
effort which engaged all cam
pus divisions and departments,
as well as alumnae, students
and trustees. A detailed report
was compliled and presented to
the full Board. Subsequently,
the Board appointed six of its
members to a Long-Range
Planning Committee to study
and prioritize the plans.
The final major recommen
dations aim al directing Mered
ith College into the 21st centu
ry. The committee approved a
stategy for Meredith that rec
ognizes and balances three foci
for the College: traditional
undergraduate programs, non-
traditional undergraduate edu
cation and graduate education;
endorsed a continued emphasis
on excellence in the College’s
entire offering; and renewed
the Board’s commitment to
sustain Meredith as an under
graduate college for women.
Dr. Maureen Harford, presi
dent of the College said, “This
strategic planning process will
ensure that Meredith remains a
leader in education. We want
to reaffirm our historic mission
and purpose while committing
the College to the pursuit of
excellence in the new millenni
um.”
The Board of Trustees
instructed the administration of
the College to develop action
plans for specific initiatives.
One such plan is reinvigorating
tradional undergraduate educa
tion at Meredith by developing
new programs and facilities
that build on the strengths of
the College and the region. The
plan may include the follow
ing: new science programming
to include construction of a
new science facility; a Mered
ith Scholars program lo recruit
young women of outstanding
academic potential; and an
undergraduate research pro
gram that could partner stu
dents and faculty with Triagnle
corporations, research labs and
other experience-gathering
opportunites.
The intiative also aims to
strengthen the general educa
tion curriculum that integrates
cirtical thinking and communi
cation skills into specific
majors, to provide professor
ships in key academic disci
plines to promote innovative
academic leadership, to
enhance co-curricular pro
grams for spiritual and leader
ship development and to
expand the availiability and
use of technology on campus.
Specific intiatives for the
graduate school were also tar
geted. The Board of Trustees
approved the Long Range
Committee’s recommendation
to expand the Graduate School
and to admit men. The
recommedation said that a new
graduate facility should be con
structed to provide a physical
separation from the undergrad
uate program and should be
self-sustaining, creating no
financial drain on the under
graduate program. Current
graduate school offerings
should be enhanced and
expanded by working with
community leaders and busi
nesses in the Triangle.
“Meredith is aggressively
pursuing excellence, and we’re
now poised to greet the new
millennium with renewed ener
gy and focus," said Hartford.