Meredith Herald
Volume XVN, issue 2
Educating Women to Excel
August 30, 2000
On the
inside:
□ How can
freshmen get
involved in the
class of 2003?
Page 2
□ Let the
Learning Cen
ter guide you to
good grammar.
Page 3
□ Fall sports
has never been
more exciting
at Meredith.
Page 3
□ Find out
how and where
to vote come
November,
Page 7
Meredith Herald
at
Meredith College
3800 HiHsborough St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 760-2824
FAX (919) 760-2869
maxwelU@meredith.edu
Fifty-one freshmen get connected
□ Students test a
plan for laptop
requirements.
Leslie Maxwell
Editor In chief
Last spring, Meredith Col
lege connected with the twen-
ty-first century as it decided to
implement the laptop initiative.
Fifty-one Honors and Teach
ing Fellows freshmen received
their laptops last Friday, Aug.
25.
This pilot program wil! last
for two years, and the students
involved will attend monthly
workshops, take technology
courses and test a wireless net
working system on the first two
floors of the freshmen dorms.
Dr. Rosalind Reichard, dean
of Academic Affairs noted the
importance of the students’
input during the testing period.
Reichard added that the pilot
program will help Meredith “to
set the type of learning envi
ronment we want."
As sophomores, each stu
dent will assist a faculty mem
ber with a technology project.
On Friday, Reichard and
Ruth Ann Balia, manager of
technology services, discussed
the expectations and the pur
poses of the program.
Because Meredith College,
in its “Initiative 2000” strategic
plan, pledged a focus on tech
nology, a steering committee
was developed to create the
laptop pilot project.
After Reichard and Balia
spoke, the freshmen received
their computers.
Saturday, they gathered
again for a training session and
a question-and-answer session
led by Balia and a session on
the future, led by Reichard.
Each of the 51 freshmen
received an IBM ThinkPad
with an Intel Pentium III
processor, a six-gigabyte hard
drive and an internal modem.
In addition, each student
received an inkjet printer and a
carrying case for her laptop.
Members of the laptop pilot
project steering committee
were Hartford, Baila; Dr. Jo
Guglielmi, professor of mathe
matics; Jean Jackson, vice
president for Student Develop
ment; Reichard; LaRose
Spooner, vice president for
marketing: and Bill Wade,
interim vice president for busi
ness and finance.
At iheir training sessions,
students also met Simone Tiu,
the chair of the laptop assess
ment committee, who was
hired as a support for the laptop
initiative.
Joining schools like Wake
Forest University and UNC-
Chapel Hill that already have
computer requirements for
entering freshmen, Meredith’s
laptop pilot program, accord
ing to Reichard, will “help us
do a better job teaching.
“I’ve been excited about it
from the beginning,” she said.
The Office of Marketing and
Communications contributed
to this article.
These freshmen eagerly examine their new IBM
ThinkPads, which 51 Honors and Teaching Fellow fresh
men recleved as a part of a pilot program.
Photo av Steve Wilson
Meredith makes faculty, staff changes
n New faces and
positions on campus
this fall.
Christina Holder
Associate EOltor
First we got a new president.
Then the Dean relocated to the
religion department, and the
new VP took over his office.
And that was just lastsemester.
Fall 2000 brings such a slew of
new hires and position changes
it will make you wish you had
a Palm Pilot to keep them all
straight-
Garry Walton, professor of
English, stepped into his posi
tion as director of the Honors
Program in August. Formerly
head of ihe English department
and director of the Honors Pro
gram from 1994-95, Walton is
looking forward to working
with the honors students and
with the debut of the Laptop
Pilot Project. This year, enter
ing honors freshmen and teach
ing fellows received IBM
ThinkPad laptops and inkjet
printers as part of a two-year
study to integrate more tech
nology into the curriculum.
"The ongoing benefit is that
those students will serve as a
test population for the campus
as a whole," said Walton. He
hopes that eventually every
Meredith student will receive a
computer when she enters hei
freshmen year.
Dance professor Alyson Col
well-Waber won't stray too far
from her studio. She’s still
teaching a modem dance class
this semester as she assumes
the position of Associate Dean
for Academic Affairs. Colwell-
Waber will be leading the col
lege in a review of general edu
cation requirements by “look
ing at trends across the nation.”
She said that she is looking for
ward to "looking at the vision
for the college for the next few
years.’’
Heidi LeCount is the new
director of Residence Life. The
former Residence Life Coordi
nator at East Carolina Univer
sity, LeCount will be supervis
ing six full-time Residence
Directors and act as a resource
for residents with conflicts and
issues related to campus life.
Nikki Bissell, who previous
ly worked as a career counselor
at UNC-CH, has joined Dena
Price as one of the assistant
directors for Student Activities
and Leadership Development.
As assistant director she will be
coordinating student involve
ment on campus in the forms of
class officer training and the
student activities fair.
But those aren't the only new
faces. Almost 50 new faculty
and staff have joined the
Meredith community for the
fall semester, enough to catch
yourself in a double take every
where from the guard gate to
the biology lab.