BUSINESS FOCUS Briefs Wake's Carson goes to Furman Connie Carson, a longtime administrator at Wake Forest University who currently serves as assistant vice president of Campus Services and Planning, has been named vice president for Student Services at Furman University. Carson will assume her new duties at Furman Feb. 1 . She replaces Dr. Harry Shucker, who is retir ing after serving nearly 40 years at the university. "We are very excited about having Connie Carson join Furman's senior administration," said Furman president David E. Shi. "She was the over whelming choice of the faculty, staff, students and trustees involved in the search process. Her col leagues at Wake Forest hold her in the highest regard We look forward to her sharing her creativity, expe rience and expertise with Furman." The vice president for Student Services at Furman is responsible for creating, maintaining and evaluating services and programs for the university community, including career services, health servic es, housing, leadership programs, multicultural affairs, psychological counseling, recreational sports and student activities. "Connie Carson impressed the committee with her diverse experience, unwavering commitment to students and thorough understanding of the mission of student services within the small liberal aits envi ronment," said associate academic dean Linda Bartlett, who chaired the search committee. "We are confident that she will provide exciting leadership in this essential area of the university." Wal-Mart, Sam's Club scholarships available The Wal-Mart Foundation announced that the application period for the Sam Walton Community Scholarships has begun in all U.S -based Wal-Mart stores, Sam's Clubs and Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets. More than 5,000 scholarships are available to graduating high school seniors, who will receive a one-time scholarship of 51,000 to help pay for expenses at the accredited college or university of their choice. Winners will be rec ognized in April. The Wal Mart Foundation awards nearly $6 million annually to graduating high school sen iors throughout the country. Qualified students can obtain applications for the Sam Walton Community Walton Scholarships at local Wal Mart stores and Sam's Clubs. Applications and additional information are also available online at www.walmaitfoundation.org. The deadline for sub mitting applications is Jan. 14. For 27 years, the Sam Walton Community Scholarship program has provided assistance to stu dents trying to find a way to pay for college. Since its inception, the program has awarded more than $64 million to approximately 64,000 students. To be eligible for consideration, a student must be a grad uating high school senior, a permanent legal resident of the U.S. and have a minimum grade point average of 25. The Scholarship Program Administrators (SPA) will select winners based on financial need, academic record, and school and community involvement. WSSU's Monique Taylor off to UNC-Asheville . Monique Taylor, internal auditor at Winston Salem State University, has been named director of internal audit at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, effective Dec. 1 , 2007. Taylor joined WSSU in January 1992 and has been instrumental in developing the internal audit department. During her tenure she has had the oppor tunity to work collaboratively with members of the university community on numerous projects. In addition to her work as an internal auditor, Taylor has served as an adjunct member of the facul ty in WSSU's School of Business and Economics in the Department of Accounting. She has also been active in the Winston-Salem community, participating annually in the IRS-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) housed at the Malloy Jordan East Winston Cultural Heritage Center. While a search is being conducted to fill the posi tion, university officials have announced that the position >vill be filled temporarily with an experi enced auditor provided with the assistance of the UNC General Administration. Mayors: end housing crisis DETROIT (AP) - A mortgage industry group agreed Tuesday to help the nation's mayors raise public awareness about ways to avoid falling into foreclosure as part of an effort to address the nation's housing crisis. The agreement was announced following a meeting in Detroit organized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and attended by mayors from across the country. The Mortgage Bankers Association also plans to help cities get access to information on homes in foreclosure to ensure those properties don't blight neighborhoods. The daylong National Forum on Homeownership Preservation and Foreclosures was closed to the media, but mayors said progress was made. The mayors plan to discuss the housing crisis again at a Conference of Mayors meeting in January. Black Chamber will hear from Freeman CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT Local actor and playwright Nathan Ross Freeman will pres ent a workshop Saturday, Dec. 1 to members of the Winston Salem Black Chamber of Commerce. "Get Heard Above the Clamor" will be from 10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at the Southside Branch Library, 3185 Buchanan St. "My goal is simple ... to help you deliver your unique message with prowess from your signature voice to net you the desired opti mum results," said Freeman. Freeman - who has had a 30 year career as a prolific scriptwriter, filmmaker, perform ance arts educator and director of stage and film - is one of the Nathan Ross Freeman speaks at a recent conference. forces behind the Winston-Salem Youth Arts Institute. The institute gives local young people an out let to express their creative tal ents through song, dance and spoken word. Freeman is also an expert cre ative writing and spoken word performing arts educator. He says that communication skills used by artists can greatly benefit everyone, especially those in the business world. Ross is 2007 B. E. S. T. Outstanding Faculty Member Award recipient at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The workshop is open to the public. Pre-registration is required by calling Randon Pender at 336-575-2006 or emailing her - rpen derl@triad.rr.com. NEPAP AJslD THt HJTUftf Of* ECONOMIC POLICY IN AFRICA Economics in Africa subject of Boko book SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE ? Sylvain Boko, the Zachary T. Smith Associate Professor of Economics at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, is co editor of a new book, "NEPAD and the Future of Economic Policy in Africa," published by Africa World Press. Diery Seek, director of the United Nations African Institute for Economic DeveloDment and . Planning (IDEP), based in Dakar, Senegal, co-edited the volume. The African Union -established the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) in October 2001 , at a summit in Boko Abuja, Nigeria. The NEPAD program is a framework for socio-economic develop ment in Africa through poverty reduction, immersion in the global system and increased investment. In 2005, the African Finance and Economic Association and the IDEP organized an international conference on the NEPAD, in Dakar. Senegal. Boko and Seek co-chaired the conference, which was attended by researchers, academics | and representatives of governmental and nongovernmental organizations from . Africa, the United States and Europe. The new book contains selected research papers presented at the conference that ( were chosen for their rigorous analysis of i such subjects as agriculture, market access, institutional reform and finance. "The book is intended to serve as a handbook for African policy-makers," Boko says. "In it, they will find practical recommendations for improving the implementation of the NEPAD framework, from increasing foreign investments to setting up mechanisms that ensure partici pation by the institutions of civil society. The book may also be useful for researchers, students and professors inter ested in African economic policy." Boko is the author of "Decentralization and Reform in Africa" and other books and articles on economic development in AMca. He serves as a consultant on regional development projects in Africa and is also the former president and cur rent board chairman of the African Finance and Economic Association. The book is available for purchase directly from the publisher at its Web site. www.africaworldpressbooks .com . Hot as Fire ! Race For The White House 4 ,J | i i'iuil Powerful Mayers Ltt 40 B. ? Zyjtt ? syJjliB PRNewj Image 3 The new issue of Black Enterprise magazine contains the list of the nation's "Most Powerful Players Under 40." Although NBA star LeBron James graces the cover (one of five different covers available), the list includes more than movers and shakers from the world of sports. Among those also named are Chris Brown, Kirk Franklin, Queen Latifah, Wyclef Jean, John Legend and Venus Williams. Check makers fork over grant to Symphony SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE One of the nation's top :heck producers produced a big :heck recently for the jreensboro Symphony 3rchestra The Deluxe Corporation Foundation handed over a 510,000 grant to the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra to help fund the symphony's education outreach programs. The Deluxe grant will assist in funding the 2008 Elementary Students Concerts and In-School Ensembles program, which illows the symphony to provide music programs to third- and Fourth-grade students in juilford, Rockingham, Randolph and Alamance County schools. "We are overwhelmed at the generosity of Deluxe Corporation Foundation and the grant," said Lisa Crawford, president & CEO of the jreensboro Symphony Drchestra. "It's this kind of :ffort ? community groups Submitted Photo Deluxe's Cheryl Anthony, from left, with the symphony's Sheila Cauthen and Lisa Crawford and Deluxe's Lin Snowa. working together to make a dif ference - that allows us to con tinue to provide even more opportunities for our young peo ple." The Greensboro Symphony Orchestra was formally organ ized in 1959 and provides resi dents of Greensboro and sur rounding communities with quality musical entertainment and unique educational opportu n i t i e s The Orchestra, in cooperation with area school systems, has established an extensive music education program for students, preschool through high school, reaching more than 50,000 stu dents.