Meredith Magazine Summer 2015

A Publication for Alumnae and Friends of Meredith College

Summer 2015, Volume 40, Number 2

M A G A Z I N E

STOP THE FOOD FIGHT Meredith Faculty Weigh In On GE Foods

Meredith Magazine Volume 40, Number 2 Summer 2015 Executive Editor Kristi Eaves-McLennan, ’14, MBA Managing Editors Melyssa Allen Karen T. Dunton Assistant Editor Gaye Hill Writer Meaghan Bixby Art Director Vanessa Harris Designer Lauren Sumner Alumnae Connection Editors Hilary Allen, ’01 Sarah R. Terrell, ’12 Contributing Writers Wendy Jones Leslie Maxwell, ’01 Suzanne Stanard Editorial Assistant Kaye Rains Photographers Charlotte Claypoole Katie Dow Peter Finger Gary Knight Brian Lynn Lauren Sumner Michael Zirkle

CONTENTS FEATURES 18 WHEN WOMEN RUN, WOMEN WIN

The status of women in North Carolina politics 20 STORIES OF STRONG WOMEN

Meredith faculty offer summer reading suggestions 26 STOP THE FOOD FIGHT

The surprising compatibility of genetic engineering and sustainable farming

NEWS 2

Meredith Holds Commencement for Class of 2015

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Meredith Poll Examines North Carolinians’ Views of Women as Political Leaders

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Faculty Lecture Explores Movement in Teaching

16 Alumna Awarded NSF Research Fellowship

IN EVERY ISSUE 1

Meredith Campus News

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Letter from the President

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Meredith Experts in the News

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Newsmakers

13 Strong Stories Meredith Magazine exists to serve the Meredith community by providing readers with insight and information about the news, activities, events, programs, plans, and people of the College. Meredith Magazine is published three times a year by the Meredith College Department of Marketing. Questions or comments may be submitted to marketing@meredith.edu. © 2015 Meredith College. The Meredith name and word mark are registered trademarks of Meredith College and may not be used without permission. All rights reserved. 15-022

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NEWS Meredith’s nearly 2,000 students benefit from the College’s ideal location in Raleigh – and just minutes from Research Triangle Park – which provides numerous opportunities for research, internships, and jobs. As this spring 2015 aerial photo shows, our students also have a beautiful campus to call home.

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New graduates turn their class rings, a special Meredith tradition.

Meredith Holds Commencement for Class of 2015

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eredith College held commencement exercises for the Class of 2015 on Saturday, May 9, in Dorton Arena.

The evening was filled with remembrances of successful years at Meredith College. This year’s commencement speaker was Meredith President Jo Allen, the first alumna to serve as Meredith’s president.

Allen began her tenure as president in July 2011, just before the undergraduate Class of 2015 moved in as freshmen. This special relationship with the class prompted their officers to invite Allen to serve as their commencement speaker.

The title of Allen’s speech, How Did It Get So Late So Soon?, was inspired by how quickly the years had passed. Allen recalled important events that took place during those four years, both at Meredith and in the world. She also emphasized the kinship she feels with the Class of 2015 and all who attended Meredith.

“For the undergraduates here tonight, you welcomed me as only ‘sisters’ could do, and our stories and early days are probably rather similar,” Allen said. “I don’t know about you, but I was a little nervous, and excited, and

thrilled. I saw opportunities and challenges — for you, for me, and for this College.”

To those completing graduate degrees, Allen said while their experiences may have been different from those of undergraduates, all Meredith graduates have things in common.

“You may not have participated in all our traditions, but you honor the greatest tradition of all: the excellence that is Meredith College,” Allen said.

Allen also reminded the graduates of Meredith’s focus on strengths.

“There is so much I’d like to say—one last time about the importance of knowing and building on your strengths especially in service to your passions … Strength plus passion has all the makings for a life well lived,” Allen said. “I hope you have learned the value of planning, the need for resilience when plans go awry, and the importance of supporting others on their journey.”

About the Graduates Approximately 440 degrees were conferred by Meredith College during the ceremony. Meredith conferred Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Social Work degrees upon graduates of the undergraduate program, as well as master’s degrees in business, education, and nutrition. These include degrees completed in August 2014, December 2014, and May 2015. Undergradu-

ate programs at Meredith are for women only, while graduate programs are coeducational.

Graduates were represented by two student speakers.

Kathleen Maloney, who received her Master of Science in nutrition, spoke on behalf of graduate students. Maloney recognized the “small but strong” community of graduate students who had “guided, inspired, supported, and pushed” her while she earned her degree Senior Class President Alexis Trell spoke on behalf of the undergraduates.

“With the support of our families, Meredith’s faculty and staff, and our 2015 sisters, we have been able to overcome our obstacles and not only grow – but thrive,” Trell said.

“The time has come for us to take what we have learned at Meredith College out into the world.”

Success After Meredith Meredith 2015 graduates have been hired by companies including Credit Suisse, Biogen, Nordstrom, Merck, IBM, Capitol City Homes, BDO USA, Carolina Retina Clinic, Wake County Public Schools, Walt Disney World, and King’s College London. Others will pursue graduate degrees at universities including UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State University, Duke, Emory, George Mason, University of California at Berkeley, East Carolina University, and Campbell Law School.

Watch a video of Commencement and see Strong Story videos featuring members of the Class of 2015 on youtube.com/meredithcollege.

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Meredith College Surpasses Previous Campaign Fundraising in Two Years

By Melyssa Allen

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hanks to the generosity of Meredith donors, the College’s current fundraising campaign has raised more than $41 million to date, surpassing in just two years the final tally of the College’s last sevenyear campaign.

Meredith College is in the early phase of its Beyond Strong fundraising campaign, which is already its largest campaign in history.

According to President Jo Allen, it is important for alumnae and friends to continue supporting Meredith, especially in a time when many private colleges are struggling.

“Our ‘Going Strong’ brand is more than a catchy slogan. It is a reality based on extensive research and reflects the strength of our educational programs, enrollment, financial position, and reputation in the community and among top employers and graduate programs,” said Allen. “Much of that support comes from alumnae, and I could not be more grateful or proud that Meredith’s alum-

BEYOND STRONG The Campaign for Meredith nae and the larger community have taken such extensive measures to preserve this beloved institution.”

A recent $3 million gift by alumna Katherine Furches Rumley, ’43, helped push Meredith over this fundraising milestone.

Rumley’s gift will enhance the Ellen Amanda Rumley Memorial Scholarship, in memory of her daughter, a member of Meredith’s Class of 1977. This is one of the largest individual gifts in Meredith College’s history.

“Alumnae, families, and community partners see so much to admire and value in what Meredith College has done for individuals, businesses, non-profits, families, and communities,” said Allen. “Their investment in the future means the College can

continue its mission to help strong women (and men in our graduate programs) become even stronger.”

Meredith also set a fundraising record in the 2013-14 fiscal year, during which donors gave more than $18 million. Meredith’s previous fundraising record for a single year was $7.2 million.

The Beyond Strong campaign is building momentum toward Meredith’s 125th anniversary in 2016. The campaign has been supported by the Meredith College Campaign Planning Committee, led by honorary co-chairs Judy Woodruff, ’68, and O. Temple Sloan, Jr. The campaign supports six priorities identified through the College’s strategic plan: educational excellence, optimal enrollment, enhanced financial strength, cutting edge facilities and technology, greater visibility, and enhanced quality of life. Learn more about each priority and how you can contribute by visiting meredith.edu/beyondstrong.

The Meredith Minute

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new series of videos, titled The Meredith Minute, features Meredith College faculty members sharing expertise on a topic from their academic areas. The series, produced by the Department of Marketing, launched in spring 2015.

The ongoing series includes the following faculty members and topics: • Professor of Business Mary Jane Lenard explains the principle of compounding interest; • Associate Professor of Psychology Gwynn Morris discusses childhood memory; • Associate Professor of Theatre Steven Roten, coordinator of the theatre program, takes viewers behind the scenes of a play produced at Meredith; and • Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Carolina Perez-Heydrich, coordinator of the public health program, explores why some diseases, like polio and smallpox, can be eradicated, but others like Ebola and influenza cannot.

Watch the series at youtube.com/meredithcollege. Subscribe to Meredith’s YouTube channel to make sure you won’t miss any new episodes of The Meredith Minute series.

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Meredith Poll Examines North Carolinians’ Views of Women as Political Leaders

By Melyssa Allen

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he inaugural Meredith College Poll, which examined North Carolina voters’ views of women in politics, found the majority of North Carolinians believe men and women make equally good political leaders.

“The general picture for women seeking office is good,” said Visiting Professor of Political Science David McLennan, one of the directors of The Meredith College Poll.

“The voters generally have no bias against women as political leaders and believe that women possess many attributes, such as the ability to compromise, that make them better as leaders.”

As shown in Meredith College’s recently released report, The Status of Women in North Carolina Politics, the issue is that men are four times more likely to declare themselves to be candidates. While women make up 54% of registered voters in North Carolina, they hold less than 24% of elected and appointed offices in the state. (See feature on pg. 18 for more on Meredith’s report on women in politics.)

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Other questions explored by the poll include the leadership attributes of women and men, the political strengths of men and women leaders, and reasons why there are so few women in North Carolina political office.

Hillary Clinton and the 2016 Presidential Election The Meredith College Poll, which was conducted in February 2015, also examined the prospects of Hillary Clinton as a potential presidential candidate. The poll found that Hillary Clinton may face difficulties winning over voters in North Carolina.

Given that North Carolina will continue to be a key state in presidential elections and that the margin of victory for the winning presidential candidate will be slim in the state, Clinton, should she be the Democratic nominee, has a difficult road ahead of her with voting groups that will be key to her victory.

Clinton’s electoral victory will be heavily dependent on the women’s vote, but her support among large blocs of women voters is soft.

Of all voters surveyed, fully half (51%) said that they were either somewhat unlikely or very unlikely to vote for her, compared to only 41% who stated that they were somewhat likely to very likely to vote for her. Democrats had the greatest support for Clinton with 78% of respondents saying they were somewhat likely or very likely to vote for Clinton, as compared to 10% of Republicans and 38% of those registered as unaffiliated.

Clinton’s potential candidacy garners support from about one-third of unaffiliated voters in the state, a real problem for a Democrat hoping to repeat Barack Obama’s 2008 victory in North Carolina.

The Meredith Poll and The Status of Women in North Carolina Politics report are part of Meredith College’s effort to be recognized as a leading source for research and information on women and girls in the state.

Learn more about The Meredith Poll and other research at meredith.edu/college-research.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

StrongPoints for Students and Community

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e are excited that we have just completed our first year of offering incoming freshmen Meredith’s signature program, StrongPoints®. This new multi-dimensional advising and coaching program begins with students identifying their top strengths. Expert faculty and staff then guide the students as they explore how they can use their strengths to build their best college experience – and life.

StrongPoints is powerful because it encourages students to focus on their innate talents and gifts – not always the first instinct among women. They build on their strengths through four processes: (1) academic planning, through which they develop their intellectual interests and passions, (2) experiential planning, which enhances their college experience and preparation for life beyond, (3) financial planning, which ensures students are able to advocate and care for themselves financially, and (4) career planning, which helps them identify career pathways that draw on their strengths and interests.

The first Stronger U workshop on Currently, we are collecting and assess- strengths-based leadership will be held in ing results from students, faculty, and staff October. Future programming includes on the value and impact of StrongPoints, strengths-based budgeting, team building, and I will have more to share with you as we health planning, and numerous other options move forward. that should appeal Meanwhile, we know “All this is just more to a broad audience that a focus on strengths who may not know so evidence of the power can help people outside much about Meredith of our current student of Meredith’s boldly College (yet!). claiming her status as a population. That’s why Of course, we also we are creating and premier institution that want to extend these launching a new comkinds of programs educates and prepares munity outreach proto our alumnae and – Jo Allen women for life.” gram, Stronger U, which friends, many of whom focuses on the identifiare far outside the Racation and use of strengths beyond the acad- leigh/RTP area. Be on the lookout for some ofemy. Our intention is to offer programs that ferings during Alumnae Reunion Weekends in help weekend participants understand their the near future – and perhaps eventually some strengths and use them in a variety of settings online “courses” that could offer some of the – from home to the community to the work- programming in self-paced modules. If you place. have thoughts about topics you’d like to see ad-

dressed, we welcome your input. You can send an email to StrongerU@meredith.edu.

All this is just more evidence of the power of Meredith’s boldly claiming her status as a premier institution that educates and prepares women for life. It is exciting to see the new Going Strong brand of Meredith College evolve with unique programming that highlights the College’s strengths, while serving her students, alumnae, and friends in powerful (and empowering!) ways.

All the best,

Jo Allen, President

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Faculty Lecture Explores Movement in Teaching

By Melyssa Allen

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rofessor of Education Mary Kay Delaney focused on “Why Fidgeting and Doodling Matter: Reflecting on Movement in Learning and Teaching,” during Meredith’s 2015 Faculty Distinguished Lecture.

The topic has been an interest of Delaney’s since early in her career as an educator. The lecture covered the importance of movement by both the teacher and students, how doodling can be beneficial, and more. Delaney put the topic in action by moving around the auditorium as the lecture progressed, and encouraging the audience to doodle and fidget.

“We have inherited an education system that separates the mind and the body,” Delaney said, before showing evidence that areas of the brain related to motor activity are needed for concrete and abstract thinking.

Doodling can help improve recall, Delaney said. “People who doodle are able to re-

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call information better later, because doodling A member of the faculty since 2007, Delengages the visual part of the brain as the au- aney serves as head of Meredith’s Department of Education. Her areas of special interest inditory part of the brain is working.”

Delaney said educators can also learn clude learning in sociocultural contexts, teacher from watching their students’ movements. education, equity and education, special education, and qualitative “The student’s hands are talking to us, “Movement has the power research methods. Prior showing what the stu- to release the imagination, to joining Meredith’s faculty, she taught dent knows and unwhich is necessary for in public and private derstands,” she said. schools and has served Keeping students everything we do. One of in the classroom from the purposes of education as principal of a PK-8 parochial school. moving keeps them should be to release the The Faculty Distinfrom learning, accord- imagination.” guished Lecture was ing to Delaney.

– Mary Kay Delaney designed to represent “Movement has a significant achievethe power to release the imagination, which is necessary for ev- ment of research by a faculty member. The first erything we do,” she said. “One of the pur- lecture was presented in 1964 by Professor of poses of education should be to release the English Norma Rose. This event is sponsored

by Meredith’s convocation committee. imagination.”

By the Numbers: Career Planning

1,851 individual appointments were conducted on career and academic planning topics in the last year.

1,434

77%

18%

of undergraduates take advantage of career and/or advising assistance annually through Meredith’s Academic Advising & Career Planning offices.

of career planning appointments were with Meredith alumnae

175 students participated in mock interviews conducted by 25 employers in 2014-15

postings for full-time jobs, internships, and co-ops on CareerLink

Meredith Experts in the News Meredith faculty and staff served as experts in a wide variety of news outlets, including The Christian Science Monitor, TheConversation.com, Quartz.com, and Investor’s Business Daily.

“With the fear mongering now associated with the terms ‘GMO’ and ‘genetic engineering,’ it’s time to switch to the more informative ‘genetic enhancement,’ because we are truly enhancing all that science and agriculture have to offer for the plates here and around the world.”

“This generation appears to be struggling a bit with face-to-face interactions as they spend so much time online. A coffee shop is a public, inviting, and comfortable place ... But remember, this is just the fitness center, roller rink, college library, or town square of the past.”

— Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Karthik Aghoram, in an opinion piece on Quartz.com about genetically modified foods. (Read more about this issue in the feature on pg. 27)

— Professor of Sociology Lori Brown, in a Christian Science Monitor story about Starbucks’ popularity as a first date location.

— Associate Professor of English Laura Fine, in a TheConversation.com opinion piece about Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman.

“[To Kill a Mockingbird] calls into question racial and gender norms while legitimizing the violation of social boundaries … Go Set a Watchman will answer the incipient questions about Scout’s identity that To Kill a Mockingbird subtly poses.”

“Gregory Peck had a difficult early life, but he didn’t use that as an excuse to fail. His positive attitude served him well on his way to stardom in motion pictures like To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he received the Academy Award, and his character, civil rights attorney Atticus Finch, earned the American Film Institute’s designation as the greatest screen hero of all time.”

— Professor of Theatre Catherine Rodgers in an Investor’s Business Daily leadership profile of actor Gregory Peck.

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Celebrating Student Achievement Day More than 100 student researchers were in the spotlight when Meredith College held its 13th annual Celebrating Student Achievement Day on April 14.

Undergraduate research is a strength of the Meredith academic experience, with 32% of students participating while at Meredith. CSA Day offers a full slate of research presentations, performances, and award ceremonies that showcase the work of students. Other highlights include an interior design showcase and the reveal of this year’s Colton Review.

Watch a video that captures the CSA Day experience on youtube.com/meredithcollege.

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Newsmakers Professor of Education Marge TerhaarYonkers is the recipient of a 2016 Fulbright Scholar Award. She will be teaching and completing research at the University of West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad, in spring 2016.

Associate Professor of Strategic and International Management Stephanie Hurt was accepted to two of the world’s most prestigious conferences in her discipline with two different papers: the Academy of Management Conference (AOM), which will be held in August in Vancouver, Canada and The European Group of Organizational Studies Conference (EGOS), which will be held in July in Athens, Greece.

Meredith in Top 5 on 2015 Women’s Colleges Ranking Meredith College is rated number five on the College Choice 2015 rankings of U.S. women’s colleges.

All regionally accredited women’s colleges were considered for this ranking, which is based on the factors actual college freshmen said were most important to their college decision: academic reputation, financial aid offerings, overall cost, and success of graduates in the post-college job market.

Meredith College scored a 91 in academic reputation, which was the second highest on the list. The ranking calls Meredith “one of the best women’s colleges in the South” and touts the College’s “strong emphasis on study abroad, leadership development, and handson learning.” The profile also notes that nearly 99% of Meredith graduates are employed or attending graduate school within nine months of graduation.

Human Environmental Sciences faculty members Nina Bostic, Eunyoung Yang, and Deborah Tippett attended the state conference of the North Carolina Association of Family and Consumer Sciences in Hickory, N.C., from March 20-22. Bostic serves as secretary of the Association and was re-elected to serve a second term.

Professor of Psychology Cindy Edwards, Associate Professor of Psychology Gwynn Morris, and Instructor of Psychology Tiffany Grovenstein presented at the Society for Research and Child Development Teaching Institute. Their roundtable presentation was on “Incorporating general education writing goals into developmental psychology courses without spending your whole life grading.”

The conference was held March 19-21 in Philadelphia.

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Carolina Perez-Heydrich was invited to participate as a statistical consultant at a workshop in Zimbabwe focused on a research project addressing the role of biomass reliance on indoor air pollution. The workshop took place February 16-20, and involved an interdisciplinary group of participants from Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the United States. Each participant brought different backgrounds in energy and natural resource management, environmental health, exposure science, and public policy.

The goal of the workshop was to initiate dialogue with key stakeholders and develop a coupled human-environment systems framework with which to address issues of environmental sustainability and indoor air pollution in Zimbabwe.

Meredith College Mourns Loss of Trustee Emeritus Fred Williams Meredith College mourns the loss of Trustee Emeritus Fred Williams, of Greensboro, N.C., who died on March 16, 2015, just short of his 100th birthday.

Committed to women’s education, Fred Williams served on the Meredith College Board of Trustees from 1960–2004. His service to and support of Meredith College spanned the administrations of four presidents – Bruce Heilman, John Weems, Maureen Hartford, and Jo Allen.

As a trustee, Williams served on the business and finance, development, and executive committees. To honor his wife, a 1937 alumna, he established the Vida Thompson Williams Scholarship.

Williams is the father of current Trustee Nancy Williams Cheek, ’63. He is also survived by son Walter Frederick Williams, Jr., daughter Susan Monroe Williams, his children’s spouses, six grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Report Shows Meredith’s Economic Value A comprehensive analysis of the economic impact of higher education in North Carolina has found that Meredith College created $141.4 million added economic value during the 2012-13 fiscal year. This is equivalent to creating 2,101 new jobs.

Overall, the public and private colleges and universities had an impact of $63.5 billion in state, including payroll, operations, the purchase of goods and services, start-up companies, and spending generated by students and alumni.

According to the study, around 57% of Meredith students come from outside the region, adding approximately $4.6 million in regional income, equivalent to creating 78 new jobs.

The accumulated contribution of alumnae employed in the area amounted to $93.5 million in income for the area, equivalent to 1,307 new jobs.

The full report and NCICU sector report are available at ncicu.org/economic-impact-2015.

The study was funded by the North Carolina Business Higher Ed Foundation, the NC Community Colleges Foundation, the University of North Carolina system, and NCICU campuses, including Meredith.

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STUNT 2015 Catie Jones, ’15, competes in the limbo during Stunt, a Meredith tradition that promotes class unity through competition, creativity, and fun. Points are awarded for each challenge and are used in determining the event’s overall winner.

Meredith Announces 2015 Summer Reading Selection

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eredith College’s 2015 Summer Reading Program selection is A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School, by Carlotta Walls Lanier and Lisa Frazier Page.

This memoir recounts Lanier’s experience as one of the nine students who first integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., in 1957.

The publisher describes the book as “an inspiring, thoroughly engrossing memoir

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that is not only a testament to the power of one to make a difference but also of the sacrifices made by families and communities that found themselves a part of history.”

After reviewing books on topics ranging from sustainability to women’s empowerment, the Summer Read-

ing Program committee concluded that issues covered by this book about race and American society merit continued attention by the Meredith community.

The Summer Reading Program enhances the academic climate on campus by engaging incoming first-year students in a shared intellectual endeavor with the entire campus community, including students, faculty, staff, and alumnae.

Notables on Campus Nathan Wolfe Pandemic expert and “Virus Hunter” Nathan Wolfe presented Meredith’s 2015 Founders’ Day Lecture on February 26.

Called the Indiana Jones of virus hunting, Wolfe travels the world to track, study, and eradicate the next pandemic before it strikes.

When Wolfe was on campus, the Ebola pandemic was making headlines around the world. He said experts have to be prepared for more incidents in the future because of increased globalization.

“The level of integration … we’ve created as a human population has put us at a high risk for infection,” Wolfe said. “The risks we have are crazy, but the technology we have is going to help us understand [more than before].”

Wolfe said Ebola is not the greatest threat.

“The scariest disease will be something you’ve never heard of, not Ebola. Ebola continues to burn on, but there are a couple of features that make it less of a global threat than other viruses. Ebola doesn’t evolve rapidly – it is one of the more slowly evolving viruses. Its symptoms are also really distinct, which make it harder to miss. A really frightening epidemic doesn’t have any symptoms during transmission.”

Wolfe’s visit was presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina as part of the Presidential Lecture Series at Meredith College.

Sarah Parker Meredith College’s 2015 Woman of Achievement is Sarah Parker, who has 30 years of experience on the bench and was only the second woman to serve as chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

President Jo Allen presented the award to Parker, who attended Meredith from 1960-62, and has remained an active supporter of the College. She has been selected to serve on Meredith’s Board of Trustees, beginning in July 2015.

As part of the award presentation, Parker discussed her legal career, her experience on

the Court and in political campaigns, and more, in a conversation moderated

by Assistant Professor of Political Science Whitney Ross Manzo.

Manzo asked Parker if she believed the glass ceiling still existed for women in the legal profession.

Parker believes the glass ceiling has been broken, noting how much had changed since she began in law, when “you could count the number of women in the Mecklenburg County Bar on your fingers and have fingers left over.”

There are now three women on the United States Supreme Court, there have been women presidents of the N.C. and American Bar Associations, and at one time the chief justice of state supreme courts in North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee were all women.

“There are still disparities. Many women find difficulties in becoming partners and having equal pay,” Parker said. “Progress has been made, but we must be vigilant so that we do not go backwards.”

The Meredith College Woman of Achievement Award recognizes women who are inspirational role models. This was the ninth presentation of the award.

Cokie Roberts Political commentator Cokie Roberts was at Meredith on May 8 to promote her newest book, Capital Dames: The Civil War and the Women of Washington. The event was co-sponsored by Meredith College and Quail Ridge Books and Music.

Roberts has more than 40 years of experience as a political reporter and commentator for ABC News and NPR. She has been inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame, and was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the 50 greatest women in the history of broadcasting. In the new book, Roberts explores the experiences, influence, and contributions of its women during the Civil War. S ummer 2015 | M E R E D IT H M A G A Z I N E

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Meredith Autism Program Turns 20

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he Meredith Autism Program (MAP) has been making a difference in the lives of children with autism and their families for two decades.

MAP is an early intervention program serving children who are diagnosed on the autism spectrum. The program provides an intensive behavioral intervention where children with autism can acquire developmentally appropriate skills in daily living, communication, social interaction, pre-academics, and more.

“Within our 20 years of operation, we have served over 40 children and families,” said MAP Behavioral Consultant Crystal Lester. “We have increased from serving just six children annually to 10-11 annually.”

MAP also benefits Meredith College stu-

dents, who gain valuable experience in the MAP practicum course.

“We have expanded our course to better serve Meredith students,” Lester said. “Upon completion of the third course, students are eligible to submit paperwork to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board to receive a national credential of Registered Behavior Technician (RBT).”

Statistics indicate that a Meredith student who takes the Autism Practicum within her freshman or sophomore year is more likely to stay and graduate from Meredith. Eighty-five percent of the students who take the Autism Practicum continue at Meredith.

MAP celebrated its anniversary with a family fun festival in April, which is Autism Awareness Month.

MAP staff in sensory room.

Learn more about MAP by watching a video on youtube.com/meredithcollege.

School Of Business Maintains AACSB Accreditation

By Melyssa Allen

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he School of Business at Meredith College has maintained its business accreditation by AACSB International— The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting. AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education, and has been earned by less than 5% of the world’s business programs.

“AACSB accreditation is one of the most rigorous assurances of quality for any academic program. Meredith is proud that our School of Business’s curricular strength and faculty accomplishments in teaching and research have generated positive reviews and reaccreditation,” said President Jo Allen. “As one of only two women’s colleges with AACSB accreditation in the world, our quality and small student/faculty ratio mean Meredith offers a superb education and experience at an outstanding value.”

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Meredith’s School of Business offers a highly personalized learning environment, where students learn leadership through direct experience and develop the skills to solve problems through teamwork. The School of Busi-

ness offers undergraduate degree programs in accounting, business administration and economics. Meredith also offers a Master of Business Administration, with options in human resource management and health informatics.

STRONG STORIES

Legacy Scholar to Legal Scholar

By Meaghan Bixby

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onique Kreisman, ’15, is the quintessential well-rounded student.

As a Meredith Legacy Scholar, she has taken advantage of the College’s academic and experiential opportunities – and set herself up for success along the way.

Kreisman will begin law school in the fall with plans to ultimately become a prosecutor.

It’s a path that suits her. During her time at Meredith, Kreisman has taken on a number of academic challenges. A double major in political science and English and an Honors student, she tackled two Honors theses – one for each discipline – and explored her interest in the court system.

“I studied public opinion of the death penalty and its current standing regarding the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment,” she said of her political science thesis. “In English, I wrote an allegorical short story in which each of the characters represented a literary critical theory.”

Through her coursework, Kreisman built strong relationships with faculty, which played a role in her acceptance to multiple law schools. “When [I was] applying to law school, several professors helped me in multiple ways,” she said. “From writing letters of recommendation to helping me edit my personal statement, the faculty at Meredith showed me that they care about my success.”

That support has been influential for Kreisman – and she sees the benefit in paying it forward. She shared her strength as a writer with others as a tutor in the Learning Center.

MONIQUE KREISMAN, ’15 “It is rewarding to help people improve their writing skills, and it is particularly fun to help students who have never enjoyed English classes see that writing is not so bad, after all,” she said.

She has demonstrated her own writing skills as a staff member of The Meredith Herald. She served most recently as the news editor and attributed this experience with enhancing her leadership and teamwork skills.

She took a break from her English studies when she embarked on a semester abroad in Siena, Italy. “I was able to take all classes in Italian and live with Italian students, so it was an authentic experience,” she said. “The

challenge of being so immersed in another culture was difficult, but it was also extremely rewarding.”

Kreisman clearly appreciates all of the options she has had during her time as a student at Meredith.

“If I were to describe Meredith in one word, it would be opportunity,” she said. “I don’t think I would have had so many chances to be involved in extracurricular activities, including the Herald, the Learning Center, study abroad, jobs, and internships, if I had gone to a larger school.”

Meredith College is Going Strong. And the best evidence of that strength lies in the success of our community – our students, alumnae, and our faculty and staff. We’ll be sharing strong stories in each issue of Meredith Magazine. You can find more strong stories, including videos, at meredith.edu/goingstrong.

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CAMPUS

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Going Strong Week: Celebrating Meredith on Social Media

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oing Strong Week was held February 23-27, 2015, in honor of Meredith’s Founders’ Day. Alumnae, students, and other Meredith community members were challenged to share photos and thoughts about Meredith during this week.

Going Strong Week featured a theme for each day: Meredith College Spirit Day, Meredith Going Strong at Work, Worldwide Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, and Celebrate Meredith.

Here are highlights from the week. Keep the conversation going by tagging your posts on social media with #mcgoingstrong.

Sherri Jernigan @sherrijernigan Going Strong at Work! Meredith made me a strong teacher! #mcgoingstrong

@mcangel08corn Meredith is sporting her Meredith shirt! Yes she was named after MC...and she has the Meredith dog leash ;)

Collette Kinane @crkinane Every day I champion historic preservation and smart cities.

It all started at @MeredithCollege! #mcgoingstrong

@mcbeths92 #mcgoingstrong #meredithcollege #classof89 Luau Karla, Jan, and me!

1986

@brittanysherrae I work at the eyecarecenter’s corporate office in Rocky Mount, N.C. in their HR/payroll department...Each job, no matter how small or unrelated, will give you valuable skills that you can market to your advantage.

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@baybenge Happy Birthweek Meredith College!!

@caitlinmcnabb My freshman year at Meredith, I had no clue what I wanted to be “when I grew up.”

It was during my sophomore year that I took my first art class and discovered my passion for design...I owe so much of my career path to my college education and my Meredith connections.

Mary Rawls Meredith College encourages students to study abroad which is one of the many things I love about it! I had the opportunity to go to Prague, Czech Republic, for 5 weeks plus do some traveling beforehand...

Meredith teaches students to appreciate differences and embrace new places.

Softball’s Scavone an Ambassador for Meredith

By Wendy Jones, Sports Information Director

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eredith’s softball players are coached by a Hall of Fame caliber player. Coach Kim Scavone was honored in October as a member of the 2014 class in the Boston College Varsity Hall of Fame.

“It was a tremendous honor,” said Scavone of her hall of fame status. “I know the caliber of athletes that have come out of Boston College.”

Scavone began her illustrious career as a four-year starting pitcher with the Eagles earning the 2000 Big East Rookie of the Year award, while earning First Team All-Rookie and First Team All-Big East honors. She maintained her early momentum and was named the 2003 Big East Pitcher of the Year as a senior. BC’s 16-6 overall finish led the Eagles to its first regular season title since 1998 and an NCAA Tournament berth. Scavone completed her collegiate career as the Big East career and single season strikeout holder and was named a First Team Regional All-American in 2003.

“It was nice to relive and reflect on a career that ended a while ago,” Scavone said of the Hall of Fame induction. She was able to

damentals, while understanding the importance of peer support, quality leadership, and service to the community.

Scavone found her coaching balance in Division III. While her current softball program reflects the structure, discipline, and work ethic evident in Division I Boston College softball, “Division III allows more room for that feeling that softball enriched their experience but did not take away from other things they want to accomplish,” said Scavone.

The 2012 USA South Softball Coach of the Year, Scavone is in her fifth season at Meredith.

She appreciates the balance and puts systems in place to help the Avenging Angels reach success both on the field, in the classroom, and in life.

“When Kim took over the program in 2010, we needed someone to focus on building player-coach relationships that would lead to mutual respect for one another,” said Athletics Director Jackie Myers. “She has done an amazing job recruiting talented softball players and developing the kind of team unity that will lead to continued program success.”

share the weekend experience with her husband, Vinny, who played baseball at Boston College. “He was really proud of the occasion,” she said.

Scavone attended Bay Shore High School in Long Island, New York, famous for developing Division I softball players. Her head coach, Jim McGowan, compiled a record of 661-89 during his 30-year tenure. At Bay Shore, Scavone developed as a pitcher while gathering the foundations for her coaching philosophy. She learned basic coaching fun-

Meredith Athletics Launches Avenging Angels Club

By Wendy Jones, Sports Information Director student-athletes and staff comparing stories about Meredith experiences.

During her update highlighting the College’s strong athletics program, Myers celebrated the beginning of the longawaited Avenging Angels Club.

“Finally launching the Avenging • Angels Club has helped me accomplish a longtime goal, and the response has been overwhelming,” said Myers. “With help from the Office of Institutional Advancement and their fundraising expertise, we successfully completed this project and announced the new initiative with a wonderful event.”

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While the club is expected to generate additional funds to support the growing athletics program, Myers also hopes to reconnect more than 800 alumnae athletes to Meredith and keep them informed about the program’s success, needs, and expecta• tions. Myers announced last August the addition of track and field as the College’s eighth varsity sport set to begin competition in spring 2016.

Learn more about Meredith athletics and the Avenging Angels Club at goavengingangels.com.

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fter several years of planning and months of identifying hundreds of Meredith College alumnae athletes, the Meredith athletics department launched the Avenging Angels Club in March. Funds generated from this membership organization will support special projects to enhance the Meredith student-athlete experience.

In collaboration with the Office of Alumnae Relations, Athletic Director Jackie Myers and her team welcomed more than 30 alumnae-athletes and several former coaches back to campus for a brunch and afternoon of spring sports action. Former athletes and coaches sat side-by-side with current

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Alumna Awarded NSF Research Fellowship

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ichelle Maiden, ’14, was recently awarded a 2015 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. Maiden, a Meredith Legacy Scholar, earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry at Meredith and is now pursuing her Ph.D. in applied mathematics at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

NSF received over 16,000 applications for the 2015 competition and made 2,000 fellowship award offers. Maiden was one of 10 graduate students selected to conduct research on applied mathematics. Reviewers of her NSF Fellowship application specifically cited her “multidisciplinary background and participation in outreach” as strengths.

Maiden got her first taste of research at Meredith when she took charge as a student lead on a chemistry research project. She went on to conduct other research projects and shared her passion for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education as a volunteer for TechnoQuest for the Girl Scouts of America and with Meredith students through Science Fest, an event coordinated by the College’s chapter of the American Chemical Society.

Maiden feels strongly that experts in STEM fields have a responsibility to effec-

tively communicate complex information.

“My belief that there are important benefits to all parties when scientific understandings and advancements are broadly understood has motivated me to work in science outreach,” said Maiden.

She is looking forward to continued growth as a researcher as she completes her fellowship.

“What excites me most about the NSF program is that it will allow me to realize the goals I have for myself now, but will also propel me to new goals as I gain more knowledge

of my discipline and more experience as a researcher,” she said.

Maiden is the third Meredith alumna in four years to receive an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Kaley Hake, ’12, received a fellowship in 2012, and Zeenat Razvi, ’13, a Meredith Legacy Scholar like Maiden, was awarded a fellowship in 2014. These women are in impressive company. Past fellows include numerous Nobel Prize winners, Google founder Sergey Brin, and Freakonomics coauthor Steven Levitt.

HES Centennial Celebration Held

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eredith’s Human Environmental Sciences faculty, staff, students, and alumnae gathered to celebrate the program’s centennial during a daylong celebration on April 18.

Highlights of the day included an open house for each academic program that has been part of the HES history. Current students shared their work while alumnae reminisced about their experiences at Meredith and their careers since graduating.

Many of the open house sessions focused

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of all declared majors at Mereon how alumnae have used dith are from the Department their majors.

COMING HOME of Human Environmental The day also included a Sciences in the majors of child panel discussion with HES development, family and conalumnae and a fashion show. sumer sciences, fashion mer The first classes in what is Meredith College Department of chandising and design, and now known as the HES proHuman Environmental Sciences interior design. gram were held on September The celebration was 12, 1914. The April 18 event was a culmination of a yearlong celebration of planned by the Centennial Celebration Comthe centennial of the program, which is now mittee, which included HES faculty, students, one of the largest at Meredith. Currently, 22% and alumnae.

1Years

Meredith Celebrates 30 Years of Dance In 1985, dance was designated as a distinct academic program at Meredith and Meredith Dance Theatre gave its first concert. In April 2015, the dance program celebrated 30 years as part of the performing arts at Meredith.

During the College’s annual Danceworks weekend of concerts, a 30th anniversary gala performance was held on April 25, featuring choreography by Professor of Dance Alyson Colwell-Waber, who was Meredith’s first director of dance, and by 18 alumnae of the program.

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WHEN WOMEN RUN,

WOMEN WIN The status of women in North Carolina politics

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By Suzanne Stanard

omen represent 54% of North Carolina’s registered voters, but they hold less than 25% of all appointed

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and elected offices in the state.

In fact, women hold less than 20% of the elected positions that have taxing and spending authority and only 10% of leadership positions such as mayor or board chair.

These statistics, along with myriad others

that illustrate the severe underrepresentation of women in political office statewide, were recently published in a report from Meredith College: The Status of Women in North Carolina Politics.

But, said report author David McLennan,

the outlook is not entirely bleak.

“When women run, women win,” he said.

In the 2014 elections, for example, only 25% of candidates statewide were women, but 63% of those candidates won their races.

McLennan, visiting professor of political science at Meredith, brought 15 years of research, teaching, and nonprofit experience on the topic to this project. He developed the report with assistance from senior Emily Hawkins and sophomore Sidney Shank.

Why release this report now?

“I think this is a great opportunity for Meredith to get out in front of the issue of women’s political leadership and raise awareness of the problem as we enter another election cycle,” he said.

Valuing the Voices of Women Meredith President Jo Allen agreed that Meredith is the right place to fuel change.

“Meredith prides itself on valuing the voices of women,” Allen said. “That’s why it’s important that Meredith sponsor this research, that Meredith tell this story. We’re not in enough elected offices right now, but there are women out there, leading and giving a voice to others, and they’re making a difference.”

McLennan said he is hopeful the timing is right.

“2016 presumably will be a year in which we have a major party candidate running for president who happens to be a woman,” McLennan said. “But, really, it’s not just about having a highly visible and viable woman run for president, or a woman as governor or senator,” he said. “One of the biggest findings of the report is that it’s at the local level where we really have problems.”

Indeed, in many rural areas of North Carolina women are not only greatly underrepresented in county and municipal offices, but there is no history of women ever serving in office. There are 44 rural counties, according to the report, that have no women serving on their board of county commissions.

Politics as the Last Glass Ceiling Describing politics as “the last glass ceiling” for women, McLennan said that North Carolina has one of the largest gender gaps in the country.

“Despite the fact that Elizabeth Dole was elected to the United States Senate and Beverly Perdue was governor, little progress has been made in the last 23 years,” he said. “One of our most surprising discoveries is the fact that, since 2010, there has been a decline in the number of women running and serving.”

There are many reasons why so few women hold office, McLennan said, including redistricting of legislative seats and the hostile nature of today’s political climate.

But the biggest reason is that so few women actually pursue office.

“[Women are] not in enough elected offices right now, but there are women out there, leading and giving a voice to others, and they’re making a difference.” – Jo Allen

Women can win, McLennan said, but they’ve got to step up to run.

As founder of the North Carolina Center for Women in Public Service – which now has merged with the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership – McLennan recruits and trains women to run for political office.

“I tell women that if you never run for office, you can’t win,” McLennan said. “And women don’t tend to run again after they lose.

If you were to ask me who the next women to run for senate or governor will be, I’d have to say there are some women in the pipeline, but not as many as there should be.

“I’m a professional nag,” McLennan said.

“I call certain women each year and ask them if they’re going to run for office.”

Inviting More Voices to the Table It’s critical that women hold office because they bring a different perspective to serving and a collaborative approach that invites more voices to the table, McLennan said.

“Women also look at constituent relations differently and spend extra time hear-

ing the concerns of citizens,” he said. “This is not to say that men don’t do these things, but I believe in having equal representation so that all perspectives are taken into consideration and the breadth of leadership styles is appreciated.”

Allen agreed.

“Having women in any leadership role is important,” she said. “The reason I think it’s especially important in politics is that if you look at the kinds of decisions women make about their families, health care, education, the well-being of their parents and the elderly, these are critical social issues, and they have the biggest impact on long-term social and economic viability. For women to have such a limited role in shaping legislation and interpreting policy is problematic.”

Seventy-five percent of the graduates of McLennan’s program for potential candidates who have sought office have won, but only 40% have actually taken the first step.

“I really worry that there’s not enough attention being placed on the issue by women’s organizations, by the parties, or by the colleges and universities throughout North Carolina,” McLennan said. “We need new solutions to the problem, and they need to be more comprehensive and sustainable.”

In addition to increased awareness and funding, one of the report’s recommendations is to reverse the trend of young women losing interest in politics during their college years.

Research shows that if a woman in college takes just one political science course, she will be 40% more likely to be involved in politics later on, McLennan said.

As graduates of a women’s college, Meredith alumnae have the qualities to be strong leaders in the political world.

Sara Beth Rhodes, ’88, Clerk of Superior Court of Pitt County, has held office for nearly eight years.

“In my position, I impact lives each and every day,” Rhodes said. “That is why I love my job. Being a candidate and actually running for office is challenging, but on those days of great challenges I have learned what being ‘Meredith Strong’ truly means.”

To read the full report, visit meredith. edu/college-research.

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STORIES OF

STRONG WOMEN Meredith faculty summer reading suggestions

By Leslie Maxwell, ’01 20

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n an age of short attention spans

another study suggested that reading,

Kelly Morris Roberts, ’91, associate

and 140-character Twitter updates,

among other intellectual pursuits in mid-life,

professor of English, said that she particu-

does anyone read books anymore?

can help prevent Alzheimer’s later in life.

larly enjoys books with “unlikely heroines.”

Of course they do. Seventy-six per-

cent of Americans report reading at

nificant for another reason. Women read

“superwomen,” Roberts said. “A lot of

least one book in a year, according to a

more than men do: six books per year on

them are in everyday situations, not trying

2014 Pew survey.

average compared to men’s average of

to look for the spotlight but trying to do

There are compelling reasons for

four, according to the Pew study. Some

the best by their families so their families

reading books. Reading narrative litera-

people also suggest that there is a gen-

can survive or thrive.”

ture, according to one study, helps us be

der bias present when it comes to read-

more empathetic and more accurate in

ing and praising literature by women. Au-

Ready to give female writers and female

predicting what others are experiencing.

thor Meg Wolitzer wrote in an essay for

protagonists your attention? Meredith

A study showed that readers of nar-

The New York Times that “women writers

English and education department fac-

rative literature had improved social abili-

are still fighting to have their work taken

ulty members recommend these classic

ties, suggesting that the stereotype of the

seriously and accorded as much cover-

and contemporary books for your beach

awkward “bookworm” wasn’t true, while

age as men’s.”

trip, your bedtime ritual, or anytime.

For Meredith alumnae, reading is sig-

Female characters don’t have to be

Convinced of reading’s importance?

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CLASSIC BOOK SELECTIONS Pride and Prejudice (1813), Jane Austen Recommended by Laura Fine, chair, English Department

Middlemarch (1871-2), George Eliot Recommended by Robin Colby, ’81, professor of English Dorothea, the main character of Middlemarch, wants “more and aspires for more than a woman is supposed to have,” Colby said. Dorothea “wants to leave a mark on the world, has this sort of aspiration” for something greater. She meets a scholar, Casaubon, and “her notion is that her life will be larger if she is able to help him. She wants to marry him. She sees him as doing important work. As it turns out, the guy is a loser, and he is working on a never-to-be-finished product.” Despite that, Dorothea “does not become bitter, and there’s a kind of depth that comes from that suffering.”

Colby believes Meredith alumnae will be drawn to Dorothea and “her intelligence, her curiosity, her wish to contribute,” and the way she “takes charge of her own life.”

The Street (1946), Ann Petry Recommended by Alisa Johnson, associate professor of English and Mary Lynch Johnson Chair The Street is “a very compelling novel about a single mother who is attempting to support her son. She starts off believing in the American Dream and, slowly but surely, all of that faith is washed away. Once she becomes the object of desire, once the male gaze falls on her, it becomes a question of whether she can avoid the clutches of men who want to use her sexually. Some of these men have power, and they are able to manipulate her so that her choices become fewer and fewer.

“Though she begins in a naïve place, she has a lot of tenacity,” Johnson said. “She is very focused. She is devoted to her son.

She’s a really good mother. She’s smart, and she’s talented.”

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“I can’t think of a stronger or more likeable character than Elizabeth Bennet,” said Fine. She is intelligent and witty, demonstrates “courage of her convictions, isn’t afraid to step out of traditional gender roles,” and “isn’t afraid to analyze herself.

She handles herself well in all kinds of environments.”

Island of the Blue Dolphins (1960), Scott O’Dell Recommended by Jennifer Olson, associate professor of education “Island of the Blue Dolphins is a survival story,” Olson said. “Karana is a strong young woman who learns to survive on her own stranded on an island. What I think is the most interesting aspect of this story is that even being on her own, with no humans anywhere around for miles and even for years, she is plagued by the idea of what is ‘right’ for a woman to do.”

The Garden Party & Other Stories (1922), Katherine Mansfield Recommended by Rebecca Duncan, professor of English Duncan recommends this collection of Mansfield’s short stories, and the title story in particular, for its lively and readable nature. Duncan points out that the main character in the title story, Laura, demonstrates an “emerging awareness of her strength.”

“That’s why I think it’s so valuable for readers,” Duncan said. “She doesn’t save the world, but she gains a lot of awareness about some important issues.”

Little Women (1868-9), Louisa May Alcott Recommended by Kelly Morris Roberts, ’91, associate professor of English Roberts’ young adult literature course this spring read Little Women, and Roberts incorporated StrongPoints®, the program that Meredith students use to discover their strengths.

“We talked about Little Women in terms of what Alcott’s definition of ‘strengths’ seemed to be and in terms of our 21st-century definition of ‘strengths,’” Roberts said. “Each character had very different strengths, and because of those, they had very different goals.

“Because of the strengths [Alcott’s characters] possessed, they were all able to fulfill those goals,” Roberts said. Her class discussed that “not every woman has to have the same type of strength and develop it in the same way. That opened up space to talk about how today we can work on different strengths.

That is not something afforded to Alcott’s characters.”

Antony and Cleopatra (1607), William Shakespeare Recommended by Garry Walton, professor of English and Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities “Enobarbus delivers the most famous line about Cleopatra: ‘Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety.’ There’s no other female character in Shakespeare who has the infinite variety that Cleopatra does,” Walton said. “She can be infuriating, she can be manipulative, she can be totally persuasive, but she seems to have a hypnotic effect on virtually everyone in the play, sometimes for good, sometimes for ill. I don’t think many women would want to emulate Cleopatra, but there’s much to admire in her.”

The Scarlet Letter (1850), Nathaniel Hawthorne Recommended by Tisha Duncan, assistant professor of education “This book has been one of my favorites since reading it during my adolescent years. The main character, Hester Prynne, displays such strength and independence as she raises her child alone,” said Duncan. “She goes to great lengths to both honor her word and keep her feelings and secrets in confidence. I have re-read the book several times, and each time, I’m left reflecting on her actions and whether or not I would have done the same in her situation.”

More Recommended Classics Interested in more classics? Here are some other books recommended by Meredith faculty. Many of these are books for children and young adults, but they’d be great for readers of all ages.

• A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains (1879), Isabella Bird • Jane Eyre (1847), Charlotte Brontë • Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), Lewis Carroll • The Diary of a Young Girl (1947), Anne Frank • The Secret Garden (1910-11), Frances Hodgson • To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), Harper Lee • A Wrinkle in Time (1962), Madeline L’Engle • Pippi Longstocking (1945), Astrid Lindgren

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Viola in Reel Life (2009), Adriana Trigiani Recommended by Tisha Duncan

CONTEMPORARY BOOK SELECTIONS Lila (2014) and Gilead (2006), Marilynne Robinson Recommended by Louise Taylor, professor emeritus of English The main character in these two novels is, Taylor said, “someone who grew up on the frightening fringes of society during the Dust Bowl days of the Great Depression, traveling with a little troop of migrant workers, folks who sleep where they can, work when they can, and eat whatever they can. It’s a side of life with which I’ve had no experience and no detailed picture. But the novelist Robinson caused me to see it, to think about it, and to wonder at the strength of those put to such a test.”

“Robinson writes beautiful, evocative prose. She has created characters that you come to care about deeply. She has done the historical research to take you back to the first half of the 20th century and give you a sense of what life was like then for people in different social classes. And as a bonus, she tells a story that keeps you reading late to find out how it ends.”

“Viola is an only child of filmmakers who resides in New York City. However, her parents have decided to send her to The Prefect Academy for Young Women, a boarding school in Indiana,” said Duncan. “This book is written from Viola’s perspective as she herself explores filmmaking and both examines and critiques the world from behind the camera lens.

The author paints such vivid pictures through her work and really allows the reader to experience the mind of an adolescent girl wading through relationships, moral decisions, and knowing when to stand up for what is right.”

Brown Girl Dreaming (2014), Jacqueline Woodson Recommended by Kelly Roberts Roberts recommends this book for kids and adults. “For alumnae it’s a short read” but a good one. The book is a “memoir of Woodson’s time in the 1960s and 70s during and after the Civil Rights Movement,” and it provides a powerful reminder – or first-time lesson – of what life was like for AfricanAmericans during that time.

Americanah (2013), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Recommended by Laura Fine “This is an interesting book about race and about how race relations [in the United States] look to a black person who isn’t African-American,” Fine said. “The central character is from Nigeria, as is the author herself. She looks at race through a black African perspective. The central character is intelligent, analytical, and has the courage of her convictions.” For instance, Fine said, “In one scene, it becomes clear that other transplanted Africans in America want to lose their accents. The central character for a while wants to lose her accent but then decides she doesn’t want to.” The other characters “look down on her.

Meanwhile, she’s trying to discover herself and follow her heart.”

“The book makes political commentary but doesn’t read like a political tract,” Fine said.

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Dessa Rose (1986), Sherley Anne Williams Recommended by Alisa Johnson Set during the Civil War, the novel’s main characters are a “black woman, Dessa Rose, who is an escaped slave, and Mrs. Rufel, who is the mistress of a failed slave plantation,” Johnson said. “It’s an amazing novel about the relationship between these two women who endure a lot and come to love each other as friends.”

Dessa “really pushes against stereotypes and creates an awful lot of fear. From the reader’s point of view, we can see that she is a woman who is suffering but who has made the decision to stand up for herself.” As for Mrs. Rufel something happens to enable her to find in herself “qualities she never thought she possessed.”

And We Stay (2014), Jenny Hubbard Recommended by Kelly Roberts

My Life in Middlemarch (2014), Rebecca Mead Recommended by Robin Colby Mead “blends memoir and literary criticism just beautifully throughout to convey what happens when you return to a book that you have loved for a long time,” Colby said. “She clearly identified with Dorothea, the main character of Middlemarch, but as she goes through her experiences, she begins to relate to other characters, too.”

“She’s passionate and I think she’s ambitious in the best sense,” Colby said of Mead. “She’s curious, she believes that literature has an important relevance for us, and she very sensitively tracks it in her life and invites us to track it in our own lives.”

My Father Had a Daughter (2004) and The Turquoise Ring (2005), Grace Tiffany Recommended by Garry Walton “I’ve really gotten excited about reading historical fiction based on characters or plays that I teach,” Walton said. “My Father Had a Daughter is a story about Judith Shakespeare, one of Shakespeare’s twins. The novel describes what it was like to be a woman in the early 17th century, what opportunities were available or not, even for the female child of someone as literate and famous as Shakespeare.

The Turquoise Ring is based on The Merchant of Venice, on Shylock’s daughter, Jessica.”

“I think part of what’s fascinating to me is taking someone who only shows up for a few moments in history and in fiction and creating a life for that character,” Walton said. Tiffany “has remained true to what we know of the historical record of Judith and certainly for what we know of Jessica and has developed a compelling life and story for those two young women.”

This book by Meredith alumna Jenny Hubbard, ’87, was recognized earlier this year as a Printz Honor Book. The Printz awards are given by the American Library Association to recognize the best in young adult literature. Emily Beam, the protagonist of the story, is a girl with a secret who begins boarding school in New England.

She discovers that Emily Dickinson lived in the Massachusetts town where Emily Beam attends school, and she begins reading Dickinson’s poetry, an allusion that Roberts said alumnae will enjoy. Through her fascination with Dickinson, Emily Beam begins to find strength in herself, her voice, and her words by writing poetry.

Out of My Mind (2010), Sharon Draper Recommended by Jennifer Olson “Out of My Mind is a story you may never hear any other way,” Olson said. “Through a first-person narrative, the reader begins to understand what life it is like for an intelligent, wheelchair bound, non-verbal young girl. It may even help the reader know what to do the next time she sees someone in a wheelchair.”

Additional Contemporary Novels to Consider Meredith faculty members also recommended the following contemporary works. Many of these are appropriate for readers of any age.

• Speak (1999), Laurie Halse Anderson • The One and Only Ivan (2012), K.A. Applegate • The Hunger Games (2008), Suzanne Collins • Walk Two Moons (1994), Sharon Creech • Elizabeth I (2011), Margaret George • The Fault in Our Stars (2012), John Green • No One Belongs Here More than You: Stories (2008), Miranda July • Ecology of a Cracker Childhood (2000), Janisse Ray • Becoming Naomi Leon (2004), Pam Munoz Ryan • When You Reach Me (2010), Rebecca Stead • Moon Over Manifest (2010), Claire Vanderpool • The Life of Elizabeth I (1999) and The Lady Elizabeth (2008), Allison Weir • Uglies (2005), Scott Westerfield • The Book Thief (2005), Markus Zuzak

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STOP THE FOOD

FIGHT

The surprising compatibility of genetic engineering and sustainable farming

By Gaye Hill

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t first glance their partnership might seem a bit perplexing, at least in the context of discussions about food: Karthik Aghoram, associate professor of biological sci-

ences, whose passionate interest in the technology of engineered foods has led him to develop a summer course for high school teachers on the subject; and Bill Landis, professor of food and nutrition, who used a sabbatical to create an organic garden on Meredith’s campus.

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But at a time when Genetically Engineered (GE) crops, frequently called GMOs, have come under fire by citizens’ advocacy groups and the media, Landis and Aghoram advocate a different approach. They argue that we no longer have the luxury of fighting over GE foods, that such an attitude has become a dangerous distraction at a time when we need all of the tools at our disposal if we are to address the worldwide need for nutritious, safe food.

It’s a view that is gaining momentum as awareness grows that our world is facing a very real food crisis in the coming years.

Aghoram and Landis are ahead of the curve, having taught an undergraduate seminar called “The Great Food Debate” at Meredith several years ago. And while Aghoram is a stronger proponent of GE technology than Landis, they both see value in the technology and call for a reasoned and informed discussion of the topic.

What is genetic engineering?

Some of the confusion and bad press may stem from inaccurate language that is used

in discussions of genetically engineered crops.

The term most frequently found in popular media is GMO, which stands for “genetically modified organism.” A GMO is a plant, animal, or microorganism produced through genetic modification. GE is an acronym for “genetically engineered.” Though GMO and GE are often used interchangeably, there are subtle differences in their meaning.

Both involve an alteration of an organism’s genes through human intervention. However, genetic modification includes conventional plant breeding techniques, such as pollen transfer and chemical mutagenesis, and is usually limited to changes to genes within a species. In contrast, genetic engineering refers to the introduction, modification, or elimination of specific genes using transformation, which means that a gene from any species can be inserted into an organism.

In Aghoram’s view, modern agricultural biotechnology represents a natural progression from its simpler roots of natural selection and artificial selection that have evolved through the history of agriculture.

“The fact is that humans have been ge-

CROPS CURRENTLY PRODUCED USING GE TECHNOLOGY:

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• apple

• cow pea

• rapeseed

• banana

• eggplant

• rice

• cassava

• grapes

• soybeans

• corn

• papaya

• sweet potatoes

• cotton

• potatoes

• wheat

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netically modifying plants for more than 10,000 years. If growers happened upon a particularly beneficial crop, they would try to replicate that plant. From these humble beginnings came the ability to study, select, experiment, identify, and create beneficial crops,” said Aghoram. “Today we can generate them by placing a single desired trait and can replicate that many times over.”

“The fact is that humans have been genetically modifying plants for more than 10,000 years. ” – Karthik Aghoram

Two traits are found in the majority of genetically engineered crops produced today.

The first is herbicide-tolerance, widely known as “Roundup Ready®” for its ability to withstand treatment by glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide sold as Round-Up. Such plants allow farmers to treat their fields to kill weeds while leaving the crop-plant unharmed, and to use less toxic herbicides.

Glyphosate will not persist in the environment for more than a few days, so it has less effect on water and soil.

The second trait is called Bt, for a bacterium. Plants that are transformed by inserting a gene from this bacterium produce a protein that is harmless to humans but lethal to certain insects. So, for instance, planting Bt corn allows farmers to significantly reduce the amount of insecticides sprayed on corn. (Interestingly, organic farmers use Bt sprays.)

Other traits include pathogen resistance, found in Hawaiian papaya, which rescued Hawaii’s papaya industry; drought and floodtolerance, found in rice and maize; and enhanced nutrition, found in “Golden Rice,” which was developed to help prevent vitamin A deficiency among children in the developing world.

A growing need for sustainable solutions Our world population will grow to 9.6 billion by the year 2050. That means we’ll need to feed two billion additional people in the next 35 years.

This increased demand comes at a time when climate change is expected to create greater challenges for the farmers tasked with meeting this need, particularly in developing countries where the margin for error is so much smaller. Widespread drought, heat waves, and more extreme weather will continue to become the norm, which will make current farming techniques less effective.

Proponents of GE crops argue that they offer precisely the kinds of solutions that will be needed to help farmers adapt to changes in growing conditions. For example, where flood tolerant rice varieties have been used, farmers are seeing their crop yield increase by 300% when compared with conventional varieties.

Those who favor GE technology argue that such techniques are compatible with sustainable agriculture. For instance, Bt corn is found to have significantly reduced the amount of chemical insecticides applied to crops, while the use of herbicide tolerant crops has allowed farmers to substitute less toxic herbicides.

Why are GE crops viewed so negatively?

Landis thinks the technology got off on the wrong foot initially because of a lack of science education and knowledge among the

general public – the technology was new and people didn’t understand it.

“It just takes a slight twist to make it sound scary and unnatural, particularly with the genetic piece. The term ‘frankenfoods’ paints a picture of a mad scientist putting together food from different parts,” said Landis.

In addition, much of the difficulty with GE foods to this point has been their association with industrial farming, which is where their implementation has primarily taken place. Aghoram agrees that early association with “Big-Ag” companies helped shape public perception of GE technology.

“I think that when a much-vilified agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation became the face of this technology, it carried a lot of weight and set a negative tone – in some cases, justifiably. GE crops were just starting to enter conversations in India in early to mid-90s, and even back then I used to get a sense that a ‘big bad multinational’ was coming to India,” said Aghoram.

In Landis’s opinion, the problem goes beyond mere association, as most current GE crops are designed to support industrial farming systems. Such systems have significant problems in terms of things like ground water pollution and soil erosion. Further, industrial farming is ultimately not sustainable in terms of fossil fuel use, accounting for 18% of all fossil fuel use in the U.S. Finally, Landis notes that the very nature of food makes its production a deeply personal issue.

“Food is such an integral part of our everyday lives. We ingest it and chew it and swallow it, as do our kids. And you have to eat to survive,” said Landis.

Are GE crops safe?

Plant diseases destroy 15% of the world’s agriculture harvest

Google GMOs and you’ll find a slew of articles about genetic engineering – little of it coming from valid scientific sources. If GE’s association with big agriculture was the origin of its troubles, “science doubt” ensures that even the

GE crops are sold in 40 countries and grown in 27 countries by 18 million farmers latest studies on the subject make little difference when it comes to public opinion.

According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, Americans recognize the value of research conducted by scientists. In fact, 79% of adults said that science has made life easier for most people and a majority is positive about its impact on the quality of health care, food, and the environment.

In contrast, when it comes to genetically modified or engineered foods, 88% of scientists connected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) said it was safe to eat genetically modified foods, while just 37% of U.S. adults agreed. This gap represents the largest opinion difference between the public and scientists in the survey.

At this point, the opinion of the scientific community seems clear on the subject. All of the major scientific bodies including the AAAS, the World Health Organization, and the American Medical Association have concluded that GE crops are safe to eat.

What is less clear is the impact of GE crops on the environment. Because they have been so widely adopted on such a large scale, their potential impact is significant. Critics argue that GE crops initially held great promise with regard to environmental benefits, but that 30 years later, the technology hasn’t delivered. To the contrary, they contend that early benefits are now being reversed as farmers must use even greater amounts of herbicide S ummer 2015 | M E R E D IT H M A G A Z I N E

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to combat resistant weeds (a problem that’s not unique to GE crops, but occurs any time herbicides are used).

GE supporters point to environmental benefits such as an increase in no- and lowtill farming, which reduces erosion and protects fertile topsoil, a direct result of using herbicide-tolerant crops. Another environmental benefit frequently cited by the pro-GE camp is a reduction of chemical pesticide use worldwide.

“It shouldn’t be one or the other – either organic/ sustainable or just industrial with genetically engineered seeds. If we take that perspective, we’re going to lose. ” – Bill Landis Taking a worldwide view in the discussion of GE crops is particularly important to Aghoram, who was born in India.

“The use of really harmful pesticides in India is down by 40% since they started planting Bt cotton.”

93% of soy and cotton and 86% of corn grown in the U.S. is genetically engineered

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“I always speak from the perspective of the developing world,” he said. “Seventy percent of India is stuck in farming because they don’t have the yield. I don’t feel it’s morally right for me to restrict their choices because there may be something in this technology that we don’t know about.”

How GE crops can be used with sustainable farming Landis argues that genetic engineering must be used in conjunction with additional sustainable agricultural techniques.

“It’s one tool in our tool bag for food production, but it shouldn’t necessarily be the main tool. When it comes to sustainable farming practices, we’re still figuring out how to do that really well. It shouldn’t be one or the other – either organic/sustainable or just industrial with genetically engineered seeds.

If we take that perspective, we’re going to lose. We’re doing ourselves a disservice by not merging the two.”

Landis confirms that the way genetic engineering has been implemented is contributing to the resulting problems. When, for instance, Roundup Ready crops are used on millions of acres year after year, the result is pest or weed resistance. If its use was more carefully integrated, he argues, we could stave off some of that resistance.

“It’s best not to build the entire food system around it, but use biotechnology to augment a sustainable approach to farming,” said Landis. “It’s all about our food system. If we did eat more locally, we wouldn’t have to rely on technologies the way we are.”

Aghoram would like to see GE technology made available to more people, such as smaller companies and university breeders who currently can’t participate because of the costs associated with regulation. He observes that under the current system, the regulatory burden is so onerous that it’s virtually impossible for

70% of the world’s poor are farmers small genetic engineers to bring a trait to market because they can’t afford to take it through the five to ten-year regulatory process.

“I have a friend who is a rice farmer in India. He would love to collaborate with an academic researcher and develop rice that meets his needs,” said Aghoram. “The large corporations probably love the regulatory hassle because they can afford it. So the public pushes for more regulation, but more regulation keeps the big corporations in business.

It’s a vicious cycle.”

Local efforts to communicate How are Landis and Aghoram addressing this issue? Because they are faculty first and foremost, their primary focus is on education.

Aghoram recently had an Op-Ed about GE crops published in an online journal. For the past several years, he has taught a summer biotechnology workshop to high school science and agriculture teachers in North Carolina schools. The week-long workshop is designed to demystify the technology and make it more accessible.

“The environmental science teachers in particular come in with a huge dose of skepticism about the technology,” said Aghoram.

“We present all sides and have a good debate – I bring organic and conventional farmers into my class. Once people have seen, touched, and felt DNA, they approach the technology with a different perspective.”

Landis is the director of the Master of Science in nutrition program at Meredith, where students can choose to focus their research on

sustainable food and agriculture. In 2005, he started The Meredith Community Garden, which demonstrates how to produce plants and food in a sustainable manner. It’s used for student teaching, and also supports Campus Kitchens, a service initiative at Meredith that helps address food insecurity. Landis also produced an original short film, “Seed,” which follows the development of a single organicallygrown tomato plant from seed to market.

Both agree that clear communication about GE crops is essential – and that fearmongering is getting us nowhere.

“As a global society, when we look for ways towards sustainable agricultural technology that will feed 9 billion people by 2050, we must not eliminate any technology for reasons other than good science,” said Aghoram.

And, if you’re looking for things to worry about regarding the food we eat, Landis observed that there are plenty of other aspects of food that can make you sick.

“Fifty million people are food poisoned each year, and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases. From a food safety perspective, GE foods are last on my list.”

Biographies Karthik Aghoram has a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology with a specialization in plant molecular biology. His research as a graduate student, postdoctoral scholar, and faculty member has focused on gene discovery for agronomic traits, especially drought stress. He teaches cell biology, biochemistry, and a GMO-foods class to undergraduate students. In his free time he enjoys gardening and cooking.

Bill Landis has a Ph.D. in foods and nutrition. His interests and research background include local and organic foods, sustainable diets and methods of food production, vegetarianism, and sports nutrition. He is the program coordinator for the food and nutrition program, and is the director of the M.S. program in nutrition.

Genetic Engineering Glossary Bt crop: A crop plant genetically engineered to produce insecticidal toxins derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Current commercial Bt crops include Bt cotton, Bt corn, and Bt soybeans.

Conventional farming or agriculture: A catch-all term used to describe diverse farming methods. At one end of the continuum are farmers who use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers to maximize short-term yields.

At the other end are growers who use chemicals sparingly and embrace the goals of ecological farming. Increasingly, many conventional farmers, particularly in the United States, are growing GE crops.

Genetic engineering: The alteration of an organism’s genome by inserting, modifying, or eliminating specific genes rather than untargeted conventional breeding methods. Differs from older methods of genetic modification in that a gene from any species can be inserted into an organism.

Genetic modification: The alteration of an organism’s genome by human intervention, by introducing, modifying, or eliminating genes. Methods include conventional plant breeding, such as hybrids, pollen transfer, embryo rescue, grafting, and mutagenesis. Genetic modification usually is restricted to gene transfer within a species but interspecies mixing can also be achieved.

Glyphosate: an herbicide that targets a plant metabolic process and is therefore not toxic to animals. Does not persist in ground water.

Herbicide-tolerant crop: A crop able to survive the application of one or more herbicides, many of which are toxic to both crops and weeds. Includes those conventionally bred and those genetically engineered to contain genes (or mutated genes) that make them insensitive to or able to detoxify herbicides.

Organic farming: An ecologically-based farming method that avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. As much as possible, organic farmers rely on crop rotation, cover crops, compost, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and fertility, to supply plant nutrients, and to control weeds, insects, and other pests.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program standards established in 2000 prohibit the use of GE seed or other GE inputs.

Pesticide: Any substance or agent employed to destroy a pest organism. Common pesticides include insecticides (to kill insects), herbicides (to kill weeds), fungicides (to kill fungi), and nematicides (to kill nematodes). Pesticides may be synthetic or natural, but the source does not reflect their toxicity.

Definitions are adapted from Tomorrow’s Table, by Pamela Ronald and Raoul Adamchak, the text used in Aghoram’s and Landis’s course.

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ALUMNAE

CONNECTION Class notes and news for Meredith Alumnae 1958 Vivian Morris Deal traveled to The Netherlands in April for a 10-day trip during tulip season. Susan Moss Grigg and her husband went to Portland, Or., for the American Iris Society in May. She is a director on the Society’s board. Dale Caspari Swisher retired from pharmaceutical marketing, and lives in Mahwah, N.J., near her three sons. Besides reading, knitting, and Googling, she is active in the County Animal Response Team and Community Emergency Response Team in Bergen County, N.J. She also leads a weekly Current Events group at the Senior Center, and has become active in politics in N.J. She is 12-years cancer free, and is looking for another adventure. Gerry Parham Ritter and her husband are doing well and enjoy their house at Emerald Isle in the spring and fall. Her husband enjoys fishing seasons all year. Their son and his wife live in Cary with two daughters who attend Cary High School and play varsity sports. This summer, Gerry will take her granddaughter to Rome, Venice, and the Amalfi coast.

1962 Billie Jones Stallings was recently awarded with the William Richardson Davie Award given by the Board of Trustees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Davie Award, which is the highest honor given by the UNC Board of Trustees, recognizes extraordinary service to the university or society.

Stallings is the chair of UNC’s Cardiovascular Medicine Advisory Board and is a member of its Medical Foundation Board.

1963 Frances Gorham Stewart enjoys smooth, calm living. She loves taking art classes, especially oil painting and watercolors. She is amazed and pleased that she has had the opportunity to try this new venture, and excited to find that she has a little talent. Her advice is to “never say you can’t do something different and to have fun in your older years.” Peggy Smith Tyson’s grandson is a freshman at UNC-Chapel Hill. She reports that her other grandchildren are excelling in their academics and respective sports. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing bridge, Bible study, and socials at 800 Cherokee. She will again spend the month of June at her home in Sunset Beach, enjoying working in the yard and time with friends there.

1964 Jo Crowder Dermid’s company, Graceful Tables, has just celebrated the beginning of its fifth year in business. Graceful Tables was started in 2010 by Amanda Dermid Robinson, ’91, Elizabeth Dermid Harmo, ’88, and Jo Crowder Dermid, ’64.

Graceful Tables has provided specialty linens for individuals as well as for groups of 15,000, celebrities such as Lady Antebellum, The Black Keys, and Bon Jovi, and their linens are seen regularly on the hit show, Nashville. Mary Meade Owens Hollifield left Meredith in 1962 to be married. She completed her degree at UNC-Asheville. She enjoyed a long, successful career that allowed her to use her major in business administration. She has recently moved

from Marion, N.C., to New Smyrna Beach, Fla., where she continues to be an avid golfer.

1968 Elaine Johnson Harvell has returned from nearly 15 years of inactivity due to serious back and spinal problems after an operation last summer which has given her a new and more active life.

Judy Ratley May and her husband attended his 50th year celebration and induction into the Forever Club at NC State this year. Their daughter, Laura, Class of 2000, celebrated her 15th reunion with classmates. She has plans for a river cruise in August from Basel to Amsterdam and a fall trip to New England. Her other daughter, son-in-law, and three granddaughters live close by so she enjoys seeing them often and celebrating their milestones. She stays busy with family, church, the DAR, and Farm Bureau Women’s Committee.

Millicent Wood Nash, her husband, and their youngest daughter visited Jackson Hole, Wyo., and surrounding area in May. Their 4-year-old twin granddaughters and family moved from San Francisco to Austin last year. She spent Christmas there and has made several trips to see their girls. She is loving retirement, doing lots of yoga, reading, bridge, and more. Her husband still works full time and plans to continue doing what he enjoys. Jane Waller Smith was elected last year to the North Carolina Senate and is now serving there representing District 13, Robeson, and Columbus counties.

She is trying to learn her way and establish relationships with other senators in order to represent her district well in the Senate. She has already had one

Compiled by the Office of Alumnae & Parent Relations from November 2014-March 2015. Information may be edited for space limitations and content restrictions. Submit class notes to your class agent, online at meredith.edu/alumnae, by email at alumnae@ meredith.edu, by fax (919) 760-2818, or by phone to the Office of Alumnae and Parent Relations at (919) 760-8548. Deadline for the Fall 2015 issue is July 31, 2015. Submissions received after this date will appear in the Spring 2016 issue.

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bill passed and several others now in committee.

Clara Safrit Wade enjoys visiting her son in Charlotte and doing volunteer work. This is her sixth year volunteering to do taxes for AARP. She has a passion for philanthropic work and has volunteered with the United Methodist Foundation of the North Carolina conference. She and her husband spend the summer months in Beaufort and look forward to having their oldest grandson with them there this summer. They also make several trips to her husband’s hometown area of Hagerstown each year.

1969 Kelly Knott Cobb’s husband and friends funded a scholarship in her honor for the Meredith Business department and the first recipient will be selected for fall semester 2015.

1973 Julia Bryan is with Julia Bryan Consulting, a business coaching firm. Michelle Rich Goode is president and founder of Rich Commercial Realty. She was recently featured in Triangle Business Journal on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of her company.

Susan Herring retired from teaching math in the Wake County Public School System. She is a volunteer at the Rex Wellness Center. Carol Maddox retired from her work with Child Development in the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

She volunteers with the Raleigh Flower Shuttle, the Raleigh Women’s Club, and the Raleigh Garden Club. Beverly Fowler Mitchell is a school counselor with the Wake County Public School System. She has renewed her National Board Certified Teacher designation. Paula Gupton Page retired after working 31 years as the State Legislative Director with the N.C. Farm Bureau. She is on the Board of Directors of the L. L Polk House Foundation. Pat Schott Finn is manager/editor of the Renal Failure Medical Journal. Claudia Hayes Stowers is now the vice president for advancement at the Museum of the American Revolution. She is responsible for working with the Board and senior staff to complete the $150 million Campaign for the Museum of the American Revolution.

1974 Cathy Chambers Bailey retired and moved to Raleigh in the spring of 2013 after 35 years of teaching high school math. Her husband will retire in the spring after 32 years as a dentist in the Army. Their first grandchild was born to their daughter and her husband in September. Their other daughter got married in March. Louise McCaskill Baker and her

SEE THE WORLD

WITH MEREDITH COLLEGE Meredith Alumnae Travel Program Meredith’s Alumnae Travel Program has visited Italy, Great Britain, and other dazzling places around the world in recent months. The next travel season promises to be just as exciting.

Plans are being finalized now for 2016-17. Options include a European river cruise that begins in Paris and concludes on the famed Cote d’Azur; an Italian adventure in Rome, Sorrento, Capri, and other stops along Italy’s Amalfi coast; and an autumn tour of historic New England.

The Alumnae Travel Program is open to Meredith alumnae and friends of the College. These tours work well for singles, couples, mothers, daughters, and granddaughters, Meredith classmates, friends of Meredith graduates, and friends of their friends.

Coming Soon: program details, including travel dates, pricing information, and deadlines. Space is limited, so reserve your space early. Look for more information at meredith.edu/alumnae/travel.

Questions? Contact Denise Parker at dpparker@meredith.edu or (919) 7608051.

meredith.edu/alumnae S ummer 2015 | M E R E D IT H M A G A Z I N E

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[ALUMNAE GOING STRONG]

BETH KASAI, ’84 Award-winning CFO

By Meaghan Bixby Beth Kasai, ’84, is challenged every day in her role with UnitedHealthcare (UHC). And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

As the chief financial officer for the Carolinas and Georgia markets, she is responsible for the financial management of field offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. On any given day, she works with sales leaders, underwriting staff, and actuarial teams from across the market to develop strategies for balancing the company’s growth and profitability.

Kasai shines when it comes to digesting information from financial reports and using that data to make strategic decisions for the company. In fact, in 2014, the Triad Business Journal recognized her as a Top Financial Executive and also presented her with the Women in Business Award.

With a career spanning more than two decades with UHC, the accolades embody Kasai’s many accomplishments. She began her career by putting her mathematics degree to use as an actuary (she uses her other degree in music to unwind after work by playing piano). She rose through the ranks at UHC, learning the ins and outs of the business from bottom to top.

“I am fortunate to work with very intelligent and forward-thinking people who challenge and motivate me,” said Kasai. “It is rewarding to collaborate with visionary and strategic leaders and contribute to the success of our company.”

She credits her Meredith education for preparing her for success in her field. “While at Meredith, I learned problem solving skills as well as tenacity,” she said.

These strengths, along with her attention to detail, have proven to be an asset to her work. “I depend on my attentiveness to details in order to analyze the vast amount of data and reporting available in the health care industry, as well as my strategic thinking to understand the changing health care marketplace,” she said.

Although she’s achieved much in her career, Kasai continues to develop professionally and to serve as an example as a strong leader. “My goal is to continue learning and growing within UnitedHealthcare and to be a key contributor as we move forward through regulatory challenges.”

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husband, Fred, celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary on April 1. They have retired to the small town of West Jefferson, which is 30 minutes from Boone. Their son is a certified carpenter and continues his job hunt. He rehabs wounded animals. Her daughter Esther graduated from Meredith in Maywith a double major in history and sociology. Baker and her husband are tutoring in reading. They are members of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Jefferson, N.C., and participate in their Bible Studies. Theresa Herrin Bowles and Susan Jenning French visited Beth Judd Wiggins in Bozeman, Mont., for a week in September. Beth and her husband were wonderful hosts. They visited Yellowstone National Park and Jackson Hole, Wyo., as well as all of the sites in Bozeman. Hope Faircloth Coffey, Kathy Harrison, Kathy Fleetwood McNeil, Lissy Wall, Christy Farrior, Cindy Godwin, Paige Foster Lamberson, Woody Dicus, and Peggy Walser Howard enjoyed a wonderful beach trip at Kure Beach in October. Peggy Walser Howard is excited about her son’s engagement, and looking forward to a wedding in the future. Lynn Smith Irish writes that she and Jane Baker attended a wedding in Bozeman and they were able to catch up and have brunch together. Mary Alice Johnson Kimmel and Kay Carlisle Grady visited for a week and toured Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons together. Irish said she loved catching up with lifelong Meredith friends. Cookie Guthrie Newton has been busy since Meredith’s 2014 reunion. Her two sons have married, and she is enjoying having daughters in the family. Karen Youngblood Padgett retired at the end of the 2013 school year, having taught many years at the high school and community college levels. She enjoys being able to travel with her husband, substitute teaching in a local elementary school, and visiting her daughter who lives in Tampa. Meredith Marr Watson has celebrated four years with a mechanical aortic valve, which she had replaced October 2010 because of a birth defect.

She is thankful every day for life with her husband, playtime with her six grandchildren and the ability to still work.

1976 Kathy Midyette Anderson is enjoying living in the Triangle again, working part-time as a transcriptionist, and having a beautiful grandson.

1978 Carla Ashley reports that after taking early retirement from BB&T, she is pursuing an encore career in environmental education. She is in the process

of completing the N.C. Environmental Educators Certification and hopes to soon find employment in this field. Georganne Branham Griffin recently renewed her National Board certification. She continues to work with Wake County schools as a high school counselor and is now in her 23rd year.

She and her husband enjoy movies, trips to the beach, and visits with their adult children. She also likes to attend Meredith events whenever possible.

Cindy Allen Brewer and her husband moved in August 2014 from Charlotte to the Holly Springs area of Wake County. This has allowed them to be closer to both of their daughters and their two granddaughters who live in Sanford. She is still commuting back to Charlotte with her job as the children’s book buyer for Cardinal Lane Book Fairs.

Their son lives and works in Charlotte. They love being closer to aging parents and being closer to Meredith and NC State.

1980 Kathy Terrill Hewitt has worked as Realtor assistant to an agent at The Litchfield Company for eight years.

She recently changed jobs and is now the assistant to the broker/owner of Lachicotte Company, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate.

1981 Donna Moore Bondurant was promoted to project manager at TSYS, in Columbus, Ga. She has achieved her certification as a Certified Scrum Master and recently became a grandmother.

1982 Patricia Gaye Tapp published a book, How They Decorated. She also writes for Walter magazine.

1983 Katy Johnson Lewis’ daughter, and Meredith graduate, Ashley, was married in November 2014.

1984 Mary Weathers works with Durham Public Schools as a health and safety technical trainer in the risk management department. She has completed 30 years of service with the State of North Carolina. She also enjoys playing in her church’s handbell choir.

1986 Laura Bynum Beasley just finished her 29th year of teaching and is teaching kindergarten at Murrayville Elementary in Wilmington, N.C.

1987 Julie Harris Bledsoe received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Boston University’s Sargent College in August 2014. She has been a practicing physical therapist since graduating from UNC Chapel Hill in 1990. For the past 19 years, Bledsoe has provided home health physical therapy to the residents of Johnston County, N.C. She works for Quality Therapy Services out of Smithfield, N.C. She decided to pursue her doctorate in response to the evolving field of physical therapy and because of her desire to remain a current and viable practitioner.

1989 Katie Jo Icenhower is completing her graduate studies in theatre through Regent University with her master’s thesis: directing and choreographing Jesus Christ Superstar for Gallery Players of Burlington. It was performed during February and March at The Paramount Theater in Burlington.

1990 Tammy Holder was recently named the artist-inresidence for the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She will still do projects in New York City, but her primary work is in Florida.

1991 Bentley Bland Shuller reports that she stays at home, but also works as a nanny. She enjoys singing in the choir and being with her family. She has two daughters who love God, church, piano, and dance. She and her husband have been married for 17 years.

1993 Katharine Vail LeHew resides in Richmond, Va., with her husband. She is the director of hospital sales at MedQuest Associates.

1994 Alicia Morris joined the advancement team at UNC Charlotte as development director for the College of Health and Human Services during the summer of 2014.

1995 Meredith Rochelle Roberts is pleased to announce her new position as an attorney with Gott Johnson Law Firm, PLLC., in Wilmington, N.C. Amy Whitt Phillips was selected as a member of Learnzillion’s DreamTeam of Teachers for 2014 and 2015. This team of 140 teachers chosen from across the na-

tion creates high quality, rigorous resources for K-12 educators all over the world.

1999 Liz Dobbins-Smith is now working with the N.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association as the director of events and sponsorship development.

2000 Nicola Vera Singletary opened Harmony Lactation, LLC and is working on her Ph.D. in nutrition at NC State.

2001 Carrie Swart Tulbert was named the Wells Fargo N.C. Principal of the Year for the 2014-15 school year in May 2014.

2003 Beth Jarvis is now a National Board Certified Teacher in adolescent mathematics. Crystal Whitley Lester received a national certification of Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® (BCaBA®).

Lester is a behavior consultant in the Meredith Autism Program.

2004 Denise Garcia Barnett received her master’s degree in elementary education. She also joined the Wake County Public School System and is a special education teacher at Reedy Creek Elementary in Cary.

Shannon Massey Lowry was nominated as Rolesville Middle School’s Teacher of the Year.

2005 Jessica Jones Eldridge moved with her husband from New York City to Seattle, Wash., to work for Nordstrom as a direct buy planner in bridge jewelry.

2006 Amy Smith Gentry moved to Augusta, Ga., in May 2014. She has worked for Bank of America for more than eight years and has recently earned the title of vice president. Cassie Christine Mentha now works as an assignment editor for ABC-11 in Durham.

2008 Heather Allen began teaching a business course for the College of Design at NC State. Stephanie Fuchs and her husband bought a house in Knightdale in April 2014 and both work in sales. Ashley Vaughan graduated with her Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law in May 2008. She passed the Missouri Bar in July 2014.

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2009

2012

Brittany Bell Hurley was named Teacher of the Week by WRAL in February 2015. She is a math teacher at Bunn High School. Maggie Bizzell graduated in May from East Carolina University with her Master of Public Administration and she is working on a certificate in sustainable community development: economic development. Miranda Evans Boling now works at Red Hat, Inc. in Raleigh, N.C. She is a furniture and ergonomics specialist and will be working on Red Hat’s Global furniture and ergonomics programs. Megan Rice and her husband live in Lumberton, N.C., where she works as director of children and music ministries at Oak Grove Baptist Church.

Ashley King Evrard is now living in Columbus, Miss., at the Air Force Base where her husband is on active duty. He started pilot training in March 2015.

2010 Taryn Oesch is now the editor of email marketing for Training Industry, Inc.

2011 Julia Houtchings is pursuing a M.Ed. in higher education administration at Georgia Southern University.

Beth Howard is now a financial aid counselor at Meredith College.

MARRIAGES 1980

Mimi Bridgers to Samuel Steed, 03/21/15. Megan Rice to Chad Hammonds, 01/03/15. Ashley Lewis to Devin Sivels, 11/08/14.

2010

1993

Emily McKenzie to Matthew Gregg, 12/13/14.

Kimberly Rickman to Everett Hockenberry IV, 11/01/14. Jessica Prescott to Erik Johnson, 03/20/15.

Katharine Vail to Charles LeHew, 08/28/13.

1994 Alicia Morris to Scott Rudd, 10/11/14.

1998 Amy Flaherty to Jeffrey Sheppard, Jr., 01/17/15.

2004 Elenor Ladd-Cawthorne to Dane Smith, 09/27/14.

Dianna Culbreth to Daniel Wagoner, 11/05/14.

Carrie Maher to Steffen Jaugstetter, 01/03/15.

2005 Jessica Jones to Alessandro Eldridge, 09/13/14.

2008

Make plans to join us for the annual alumnae trip to the Big Apple!

Enjoy the sights and sounds of the city that never sleeps with fellow alumnae and friends! The annual alumnae trip to New York City is scheduled for Friday, November 13 – Sunday, November 15.

This fun-filled weekend getaway includes airfare from RDU, transfer service, accommodations at The Muse Hotel, a reception for travelers and area alumnae, tickets to the 9/11 Memorial, and a Broadway show. Travelers have the option to add on a Food on Foot Tour and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Accommodations are available for those wishing to make separate flight arrangements.

For additional information, please contact Hilary Allen, ’01, at allenh@meredith.edu or (919)760-8751.

me re d i th.e d u

2009

Kathy Terrill to Jeff Hewitt, 02/14/15.

Heather Allen to Phillip Zucchino, 04/25/15.

Stephanie Massey to Matt Fuchs, 11/09/13.

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Lindsay Fisher to Joe Martini, 11/08/14. Meredith Roberson to Chris Nusbaum, 09/27/14. Emily Hedrick to Adam Towery, 09/20/14.

2011 Jordan Jaked to Trevor Carrier, 03/11/15.

Cassandra Johnson to Richard Marshall, 12/28/14.

2012 Libby Brown to Chris Corder, 10/05/14. Ashley King and Hamilton Evrard, July 2014. Brittany Moore to Bryan MacLaren, 04/18/15. Alison Marchi to Shane Riter, 10/18/14. Sarah Terrell to Aaron Royster, 05/24/15.

BIRTHS

[ALUMNAE GOING STRONG]

1999 Katherine Miller Coley, a son, Jacob Bennett, 04/14/14. Mamie McKinney Sutphin, a son, Charles McKinney “Mac”, 02/21/15. Amanda McCullen Warren, a daughter, Caroline Estelle, 01/29/15.

AMANDA HILLIARD SMITH, ’06 Preserving History

2000 Kristy Pierce Morrison, a daughter, Madelyn Grace, 12/24/14.

2001 Melissa Favreau Mathe, a son, Henry Eugene, 04/28/14. Carrie Swart Tulbert, a son, Luke Windsor, 12/18/13.

2003 Carolina Mercer Sweezy, a son, Caden Mitchell, 06/24/14. Gwyneth Rawls Vermeulen, a daughter, Adelia Allison, 01/18/15.

2004 Jamie Morris Firebaugh, a son, Caleb Reynolds, 01/01/15. Sandee Bizzell Hales, a daughter, Hannah Karaline, 11/07/14. Brooke Kelley Magee, a daughter, Holland Elizabeth, 11/09/14. Whitney Pence Rodgers, a daughter, Catherine Rae “Cate”, 11/11/14.

2005 Jennifer Harrower Vaughan, a son, John Liam, 07/29/14.

2006 Amanda Lancaster, a daughter, Amelia Kate, 11/23/14. Kellie Stephenson Smith, a daughter, Kinslie Faye, 09/23/14.

2007 Catherine Belton Hogan, a son, Edward “Ward” Locke, 08/25/14. Rachel Lawver, a daughter, Ruby Grace, 02/25/15.

2008 Cynthia Abell Brown, a daughter, Jocelyn Eleanor, 05/02/14. Nichole Ecklund Miller, a son, Logan Beau, 12/19/14. Anna Edwards Potter, a daughter, Clara Rose, 06/25/14.

2009 Erin Dahlen, a daughter, Mckenzie Grace, 02/19/15.

Rachael Hall Harvey, a daughter, Ruth Helena, 10/23/14. Lauren Haithcock Ross, a daughter, Lucy Shaw, 12/08/14.

2010 Hailey Michelle Carpenter, a daughter, Cali Michelle, 01/14/15. Sarah Goforth Edwards, twin daughters, Emma Grace and Ava Corinne, 01/12/15.

By Meaghan Bixby A reading for her Foundations of Education class – Along Freedom Road by David Cecelski – sparked an interest in Amanda Hilliard Smith, ’06, that lasted well beyond graduation. The history major with secondary licensure was surprised to find in the book a reference to a civil rights movement in her hometown, Williamston, N.C. Smith’s curiosity was piqued. She began her quest for more information about her hometown’s history, which started as her Honors thesis and continued with the recent publication of her book, The Williamston Freedom Movement: A North Carolina Town’s Struggle for Civil Rights, 1957-1970.

The book chronicles the little known history of the civil rights movement in the small northeastern North Carolina town. As the movement in Williamston was beginning to gain attention from Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference – as well as in the national media – John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the nation’s focus shifted.

The decrease in attention relegated the events in Williamston to little more than a footnote in history. Smith was determined to change that. After she graduated from Meredith, she continued her research while teaching high school in Martin County – the county in which Williamston is located. She saw an opportunity to share the historical findings with her students.

“I invited people I had interviewed for my Honors thesis to talk to my classes about their experiences in the civil rights movement,” she said. “I wanted my students to know that people just like themselves had brought about change to our community.”

She delved deeper into her research while she was earning a master’s degree in public history. “It wasn’t until after I finished graduate school that I finally turned all of my research into a book,” she said.

Over the course of eight years, she amassed a wealth of information. She had conducted 30 oral interviews and organized a series of community discussions on civil rights. Distilling the information wasn’t the most challenging part of the project.

“It turns out that writing the book was the easy part,” Smith said. “It took two years to edit and get permissions for all the photographs.”

Smith said that sharing the history of her hometown is rewarding. “So much of the local civil rights movement is not discussed in Williamston,” she said. “I feel that it is important to preserve this history for future generations.”

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ALUMNAE

CONNECTION

2015 Alumnae Awards Presented During Reunion Weekend

2015 Alumnae Award recipients Carrie Swart Tulbert, ’01, Linda FitzSimons, ’73, Amanda Hillard Smith, ’06, and President Jo Allen, ’80.

By Melyssa Allen

T

he Meredith Alumnae Association presented the 2015 alumnae awards during the College’s annual reunion weekend. The Alumnae Association presented the Distinguished Alumna award to President Jo Allen, ’80, and Professor Emerita of Art Linda FitzSimons, ’73, the Career Achievement Award to Carrie Swart Tulbert, ’01, and the Recent Graduate Award to Amanda Hillard Smith, ’06.

Jo Allen, ’80 Distinguished Alumna Award Jo Allen, ’80, is the first alumna to lead Meredith College, one of the largest private colleges for women in the United States. She is a strong advocate for women’s education who brings her experience as a faculty member, administrator, and scholar to her current role as president.

Prior to becoming Meredith’s eighth president, Allen served as senior vice president and provost, and professor of English, at Widener University. Other leadership positions held by Allen at universities where she taught include special assistant positions for various projects, as well as vice provost and interim vice provost. Allen has published and presented in more than 200 scholarly venues, focusing on communication, assessment, and leadership in higher education.

Linda FitzSimons, ’73 Distinguished Alumna Award Linda FitzSimons is an artist and educator who spent more than 25 years in Meredith’s Department of Art, retiring in 2010 as professor of art. During her years teaching at Meredith, she was an excellent professor, department head, and public school education advocate. She maintained professional ties to the community, exhibiting her own work and acting as juror for other exhibitions.

After her retirement as a full-time faculty

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member, FitzSimons continued her service to Meredith College. She worked with the Office of International Programs and the Alumnae Office to create an international study program for Meredith alumnae and friends. The Tuscan Intensives programs are housed at the Palazzo Alberti, Meredith’s site in Sansepolcro, Italy. Over a four-year period, FitzSimons has planned and coordinated 14 Tuscan Intensives, generating more than $100,000 to support the Meredith in Italy program.

Carrie Swart Tulbert, ’01 Career Achievement Award Carrie Swart Tulbert, ’01, has been called a role model for all principals. In recognition of her work as principal of Mooresville Middle School, she was named the 2014 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year.

Tulbert led Mooresville Middle through one of the state’s first schoolwide 1:1 Digital Conversions. Today her school is a national model for using technology to support instruction. State Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson called Tulbert a “pioneer who believes in the power of shifting school culture, thoughtful planning, and cultivating meaningful and productive relationships among teachers and student.”

Tulbert earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English (with grades 6-12 licensure), and she holds a master’s degree in school administration from Gardner-Webb University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Wingate University.

Amanda Hillard Smith, ’06 Recent Graduate Award Amanda Hillard Smith, ’06, uses her Meredith degree to educate others about the history of North Carolina and the world. Smith is a social studies teacher at Beaufort County Early College High School, where she teaches civics and economics, and world history.

In 2014, she was selected North Carolina History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

In July 2014, Smith became a published author when her book, The Williamston Freedom Movement: A North Carolina Town’s Struggle for Civil Rights, 1957-1970, was released. The book began as Smith’s Honors thesis at Meredith College. She conducted more than 30 oral history interviews for the project, which details the civil rights movement in her hometown of Williamston, N.C. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in public history from Meredith, and a master’s degree in public history from North Carolina State University.

Philanthropy Awards Meredith College also presented three philanthropy awards during reunion weekend.

Durema Kohl, ’45, received the Reunion Philanthropy Award, Alicia Griffin Baucom, ’05, received the Meredith Philanthropy Award, and the Meredith Memorial Philanthropy Award was presented in memory of Ellen Amanda Rumley, ’77. The philanthropy awards recognize alumnae for their support of Meredith College.

2014

1961

1960

Jennell Little, a daughter, Marley Isadora, 02/12/15.

Beki Scott Comegys, 03/21/15.

Elizabeth Milliken Golding in the death of her husband and brother.

DEATHS 1931 Anne Simms Haskins, 01/08/15.

1963 Jane Link Fleming, 11/26/14.

1966

1963 Susan Leathers Burnette in the death of her husband. Nancy Williams Cheek in the death of her father. Berma Jean Davenport Kincaid in the death of her husband. Peggy Smith Tyson in the death of her husband.

1935

Mary Louise Herring Childs, 03/15/15. Margaret Dennison Kerr, 03/06/15.

Essie Cooper Faircloth, 01/18/15.

1969

1936

Mary Watson Nooe, 12/14/14.

Helen Ruffin, 12/29/14. Virginia Lambert Wood, 12/05/14.

1968

1977

1938

1981

Ginny Sutton Anagnostatos in the death of her husband. Susan Ray Smialowicz in the death of her mother and husband.

Margaret Lanier Blythe, 02/03/15.

1939 Frances Robertson, 01/29/15.

1940 Helen Canaday Simms, 02/13/15.

1942 Gretchen Fanney Wyatt, 01/06/15.

1947 Emily Hine Allen, 01/21/15. Virginia Highfill Clark, 02/08/15. Edith Fleming Franklin, 01/22/15.

1949 Frances Smith Barnes, 01/12/15. Pauline Cone Beers, 01/08/2015. Dorothy Murray Culbreath, 03/15/15. Frankie Ward Thornton, 02/04/15.

1950 Addie Woodroof Wilson, 01/06/15.

1953 Patricia Pendergraft Hicks, 11/15/14.

1954 Betty Lou Olive Dennis, 02/14/15. Doris McMillan Faires, 01/07/15. Lorette Oglesby Hollinshed, 11/14/14.

1955 Raye King Hensdale, 11/26/14.

1956 Adair Whisenhunt Cantwell, 11/25/14.

1960 Laura Jones Bowman, 09/14/14. Alyce Pickelsimer Nadeau, 11/10/14. Bettie Page Herbert Sykes, 01/15/15.

Amelia Bryant, 12/22/14.

Evan Edwards Pecca, 12/06/2014.

1969

1984

Mary Helen Simms Patterson in the death of her mother.

Margaret Hull Thomas, 11/28/14.

1994 Valerie Brown-Shild, M.Ed., 03/23/15.

1995 Dianne Mason Andrews, 01/08/2015.

2004

1970 Terri Hudson Creagh in the death of her father.

1971 Boyd King Dimmock in the death of her husband.

Penelope Flynt King in the death of her brother-inlaw. Reita Rea in the death of her daughter.

Lesley Harley Alizieri, 03/10/15.

1972

2009

Betsy Allen Hood in the death of her mother.

Jeanie Brown McCandless in the death of her mother. Caroline Parham-Ramsey in the death of her father. Betty Anne Haskins Schlegel in the death of her mother.

Rachael Hall Harvey, 02/27/15.

SYMPATHY 1942 Mary Ann Canaday Simms in the death of her sister.

1948 Hilda Highfil in the death of her sister. Dorothy Singleton Perry in the death of her husband.

1949 Idalia Oglesby High in the death of her sister. Lena Thomas in the death of her sister.

1950 June Harmon Trafton in the death of her son.

1953 Ann Baucom Pitts in the death of her husband.

1954 Patsy Bland Rose in the death of her husband.

1955 Lorna Staples Clark in the death of her husband.

1973 Gwen Noble in the death of her father.

1975 Kathleen Haskins Thompson in the death of her mother.

1976 Evelyn Glover Brown in the death of her father.

Frances Charlene High in the death of her mother.

Julia Turner in the death of her father.

1977 Christine Glascock Bodendorf in the death of her daughter. Rhonda Harris Evrard in the death of her father. Kimberly Hicks Laney in the death of her mother.

1979 Julie Boone Brown in the death of her mother.

Lois Hayes Chamblee in the death of her brother.

Cammy Reierson Diehl in the death of her fatherin-law. Claudia Daniel Henneberry in the death

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[ALUMNAE GOING STRONG]

MELANIE BACHELER, ’89 Women’s Health Advocate

By Melyssa Allen A Raleigh, N.C., ovarian cancer walk that raises thousands of dollars each year is the result of the hard work of Melanie Parkins Bacheler, ’89, who started the fundraiser as a way to remember her mother.

The Gail Parkins Memorial Ovarian Cancer Walk and 5K Run began in 2003, attracting 200 participants and $63,000 in donations. Since that time, the annual event has raised more than $3 million to support the Duke Cancer Institute. The 2014 event welcomed 3,200 walkers and runners, raising $335,000.

Bacheler was a pharmaceutical sales representative and part-time college instructor with a six-month-old daughter when her mother was diagnosed. Her mother’s diagnosis led Bacheler to realize “life was fragile and too short.”

She turned her attention to her family, becoming a stay-at-home mother and caregiver for her own mother, who passed away after two years filled with surgeries and chemotherapy treatments.

“It was very hard after my mother died,” Bacheler said. “I suddenly went from busy days as a caregiver, wife, and mother to having a lot of idle time.”

Inspired by previous committee work for other causes, Bacheler decided to organize an event to support ovarian cancer research.

“I [decided] to plan a walk to raise awareness for ovarian cancer and to try to raise a little money for the wonderful doctors at Duke,” she said. “I did it as a way to honor my mother and channel my grief into something positive.”

Raising awareness of the signs of ovarian cancer, which is diagnosed annually in nearly a quarter of a million women around the world, was another goal.

“Ovarian cancer doesn’t have to kill, but it often does because of its silent symptoms,” Bacheler explains.

Bacheler’s friends and family, including her husband and two daughters, have been supportive from the start.

Since that first walk, the event has become a year-round project. She handles all aspects of the walk – securing sponsors, recruiting participants, and managing all the logistics for an event that attracts thousands of people.

“Coordinating the Ovarian Cancer Walk and Run is a labor of love, and one that makes me feel close to my mother and so very proud that her memory lives on,” Bacheler said. “It’s such a special day for all who participate; it’s a healing day.”

The 13th Annual Gail Parkins Memorial Ovarian Cancer Walk and 5K Run will be held on September 12, 2015. Learn more about the event and ovarian cancer at ovarianawareness.org.

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of her brother. Linda Watson Kirby in the death of her mother. Ginger Byrum Vogedes in the death of her father.

1981 Donna Moore Bondurant in the death of her father.

Eleanor Mangano Cioffi in the death of her father.

Laura Burrows Kearney in the death of her father.

Jane Hensdale Raney in the death of her mother.

1982 Marie Hiott McEntire in the death of her father.

Allison Gower Rhodes in the death of her mother.

1984 Maria Izurieta Herring in the death of her mother.

1986 Laura Bynum Beasley in the death of her father.

Lisa Robie Poole in the death of her mother.

1987 Bea Stevens Foster in the death of her mother. Jill Hensdale Shipp in the death of her mother. Harriet Huggins Wilson in the death of her father.

1991 Hope Howell Graney in the death of her mother.

1992 Ann Hiott Barham in the death of her father.

1994 Beth Burnette in the death of her father. Dawn Fleming McDonald in the death of her mother.

1998 Foy Ellen Barksdale in the death of her mother.

1999 Rebecca Barksdale Holt in the death of her mother.

Cicely Penney Shoemaker in the death of her son.

2001 Julie Anna Dimmock Kaufman in the death of her father.

2002 Ashley Wilson in the death of her mother.

2003 Jenni Brady Hight in the death of her grandfather.

2008 Nicole McGuinness in the death of her grandmother.

2009 Charis Hill in the death of her grandfather.

More than half of our faculty and staff give back to Meredith. Do you?

You know the power of the Meredith community. Students feel it the very first time they visit campus. Faculty and staff cite it as one of the top reasons they love working here. And alumnae cherish the lifelong friendships they made at Meredith.

Being an active part of a community means we take care of each other.

One of the most important ways you can do that is through your personal gift to the College.

Your generosity shows your commitment to Meredith and is felt across campus. It’s also the right thing to do.

Give to The Meredith Fund today. Help keep Meredith College Going Strong.

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Raleigh, NC Permit No. 369

Department of Marketing 3800 Hillsborough Street Raleigh, North Carolina 27607-5298 meredith.edu

STRONGER U

A STRONG WOMAN

NEVER STOPS

LEARNING. As a Meredith alumna, you know exactly why Meredith College is Going Strong. You understand the power of the Meredith experience as no one else can.

Now, Meredith is offering a new way for strong women to become even stronger.

We call it Stronger U. Stronger U is a new series of non-credit workshops, seminars, and conferences. It’s designed for successful women who are seeking to develop their strengths, self-confidence, and leadership potential – and who want a program at a place with a proven record of success.

Stronger U at Meredith College – making you even stronger.

Learn more about this new program.

Email us at StrongerU@meredith.edu.