Fall 2015 Owl & Spade

OWL&SPADE GIANTS OF THE MIND

FALL 2015

A MAGAZINE FOR THE ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF WARREN WILSON COLLEGE

CONTENTS A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT 2 PROFILES 3 RELEVANT ROLE MODEL 4 PRACTICAL IDEALIST 6 INTENTIONAL ADVENTURER 8 CREATIVE CRITICAL THINKER 10

NEWS 12 LIBERATING DISCOURSE 12 EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN 13 MENTORS & MENTEES 14 POWER OF PLACE 16

THE MIND’S EYE 19 “LOS ANGELES LOGARITHM” & “REMODELATION” 19 WORK DAY MURAL 24 “ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE” 26

GIANTS OF THE MIND 28 SOCIAL JUSTICE 28 HEALTH 32 ENVIRONMENT 36

MEMORANDA 40 INITIATIVES 40 ALUMNI NEWS 42 FACULTY & STAFF NEWS 44 MFA BOOKSHELF 46 IN MEMORIAM 47 GLOBAL IMPACT FORUM 48

OWL &SPADE MAGAZINE • VOLUME 91 NUMBER I • FALL 2015

GIANTS OF THE MIND SOCIAL JUSTICE • HEALTH • ENVIRONMENT

OWL&SPADE MAGAZINE • ESTABLISHED 1924 MAGAZINE STAFF

TRUSTEES 2015-16

ALUMNI BOARD

COLLEGE LEADERSHIP

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Alice C. Buhl

Mike Nix '70

PRESIDENT

K. Johnson Bowles

Chair

President

Steven L. Solnick, Ph.D.

Jonathan L. Elion, M.D.

Dennis Thompson ’77

Vice Chair

President Elect

William H. Christy

Melanie Kemp ’12

Vice President for Advancement

Secretary

Secretary

Alison H. Climo, Ph.D.

Stephen L. Ummel

Tucker Branham ’02 Mark Demma ’99 Clay Gibson ’08 Mike Gonzales ’94 Mimi Herman ’91 Ona Sunshine Hogarty ’13 Elizabeth Koenig ’08 De’Andrea Lottier ’15 Mica Mead ’07 Three Merians ’94 Jeannie Pfautz ’04 Erica E. Rawls ’03 Adam Stegall ’07 Jimmy Stultz ’05 Mark Tucker ’89 Keri Willever ’95

MANAGING EDITORS

John Bowers Kyle McCurry CREATIVE DIRECTOR

David Whaley PHOTOGRAPHERS

Peter Cochrane Susannah Kay Kyle McCurry Chris Polydoroff Rachel Sexton ’17 CONTRIBUTORS

Debra Allbery Ben Anderson Kelly Ball Anthony Doerr Alessandro Gottardo Gary Hawkins, Ph.D. Lara Nguyen Rowena Pomeroy Diana Sanderson Jennie Vaughn

Treasurer

H. Ross Arnold III Carmen Castaldi ’80 Chiung-Sally Chou ’75 R. Michael Condrey Donald R. Cooper John W. Cruikshank III Jessica L. Culpepper ’04 George W. Hatch Thomas K. Johnson Steven M. Kane, M.D. ’83 William A. Laramee, Ed.D. Anne Graham Masters, M.D. ’73 Susan E. Pauly, Ph.D. Anthony S. Rust George Andrew Scott, Ed.D. ’75 Terry V. Swicegood, D. Min. Frances M. Whitfield ’55 F. Lachicotte Zemp, Jr. Ex-Officio Joel B. Adams, Jr., Former Board Chair Amy Boyd, Ph.D., Faculty Stan J. Cross, Staff Howell L. Ferguson, Former Board Chair Khaetlyn L. Grindell ’16, Student Ronald F. Hunt, Former Board Chair C. Michael Nix ’70, Alumni Board President

CABINET

K. Johnson Bowles

Director of Institutional Effectiveness

Paula K. Garrett, Ph.D. Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College

Janelle Holmboe Vice President for Enrollment

Cathy Kramer Dean of Service

Stephanie Owens Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer

Paul C. Perrine Dean of Students

Ian Robertson Dean of Work

WARREN WILSON COLLEGE MISSION The mission of Warren Wilson College is to provide a distinctive undergraduate and graduate liberal arts education. Our undergraduate education combines academics, work and service in a learning community committed to environmental responsibility, crosscultural understanding and the common good.

VOLUME 91 NUMBER I • FALL 2015

OWL&SPADE

SUSTAINABILITY

(ISSN 202-707-4111) is published by Warren Wilson College for alumni and friends. Editorial offices are maintained at the Warren Wilson College Office of Advancement, CPO 6376, P.O. Box 9000, Asheville, NC 28815.

To report address changes or distribution issues, please call 828.771.2052.

Comments, letters and contributions are encouraged.

This publication is printed on recycled stocks containing 100% post-consumer waste.

This issue of Owl & Spade, titled “Giants of the Mind,” inaugurates a new look and approach for Warren Wilson College’s alumni and friends’ magazine. Each issue will delve into a particular theme in a manner that is in-depth, inspirational and visually engaging.

T

he purpose of the redesign is to weave common threads across time and campus to illustrate the power of the Warren Wilson College educational difference. Like our College community, the magazine is intelligent, conversational, relevant, creative, bold and fearless. The design is inspired by 1930s and 1940s style and illustration and then coupled with a contemporary twist.

We hope you will want to keep the magazine close at hand to read and proudly share with others. The more others know about this inspirational, exceptional institution, the more resources we can garner for scholarships, faculty and staff support, as well as more outstanding programs and initiatives ahead.

Cover and Homecoming (back inside cover) illustrations are by Alessandro Gottardo. Gottardo studied art in Venice and illustration at the Istituto Europeo del Design in Milan. His clients include The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, Mother Jones, National Geographic, Nature, Smithsonian magazine and The New York Times, among many others. He has won numerous gold medals from the Society of Illustrators in New York.

The magazine is designed by David Whaley, who won many national and global awards for his work, including an international gold award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.

K. Johnson Bowles Executive Editor and Vice President for Advancement

A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Alumni and Friends, Throughout its history, Warren Wilson College has been recognized as an institution for deep and innovative thinkers whose ideas and actions are ahead of their times. This redesigned issue of Owl & Spade pays tribute to them, with stories about people, programs and their impact. Its theme, “Giants of the Mind,” illustrates how the legacy of “big ideas” still propels the College via its students, faculty, staff and alumni.

The power of people through their ideas and actions is central to the DNA of the College— we think in terms of “what if ...,” and we achieve great outcomes. Many initiatives come to mind—from our beginnings as a work college, to our intentional welcoming of diversity, to our early leadership of the campus environmental movement. None of this would have been possible for the College without individuals who achieve their visions thanks to their presence of mind, persistence, resourcefulness and a conscience that reminds them we all owe a debt to those around us.

For any institution, and particularly our constantly evolving College, changing times create opportunities to re-craft our vision for the next era of innovation. This academic year, the College is poised to seize that opportunity. We have spent the last academic year gathering data about our position in the higher education landscape, cataloguing our strengths and assessing our challenges. In addition, we have been listening to students, faculty, staff, trustees and alumni in a series of meetings on campus and around the country .

This information will serve as a basis of a new strategic plan we will refine and unveil next semester. I look forward to sharing its outline with you in a future edition of this magazine.

Until then, I hope this issue of Owl & Spade will give you an opportunity to revel our impressive past, laud accomplishments of the present, and proudly contemplate our potential for future success. We are a community of big thinkers invested in an exceptional institution with a capacity to change the world. Our history will ground us, our values will be our beacon, and intelligence and hard work will continue to drive us forward .

Sincerely,

Steven L. Solnick President

RELEVANT ROLE MODEL • PRACTICAL IDEALIST • INTENTIONAL ADVENTURER • CREATIVE CRITICAL THINKER • ALL ARE WARREN WILSON PROFILES BY JOHN BOWERS AND KYLE McCURRY PORTRAITS BY PETER COCHRANE AND CHRIS POLYDOROFF

PROFILE

RELEVANT ROLE MODEL

VISIBLE. VOCAL. ORGANIZED. Following the shooting death of Michael Brown, the country’s attention turned to Ferguson, Missouri. Rima Vesely-Flad, Ph.D., professor of religious studies and director of peace and justice studies, immediately focused on the injustice she felt Brown suffered at the hands of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who was not indicted for shooting the unarmed teenager. The issue rocked the campus community, and a group quickly formed with the intent of showing solidarity with Ferguson protestors.

By late November 2014, the director of peace and justice studies was leading a group of students to participate in the racially charged demonstrations. It was the first of three trips Warren Wilson College students would take to the St. Louis suburb. While there, students were entrenched with the “Black Lives Matter ” movement, and they were able to volunteer and offer support for fellow protestors .

The passion felt in Ferguson translated to campus. Students and staff held rallies and participated in Asheville area protests. Upon returning from Ferguson , Vesely-Flad reflected on the trip and her students’ desire to be part of this poignant moment in the nation’s history.

Vesely-Flad explains, “I have been committed to ending disproportionate policing and mass incarceration of impoverished communities of color for almost two decades. When the decision to not indict officer Darren Wilson was announced , I knew from discussions in my Race, Morality, and Politics of Crime class that my students would also be infuriated. We jumped in the car two days later to lend our energy to the movement.”

PROFILE BY KYLE McCURRY

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PORTRAIT BY CHRIS POLYDOROFF

RIMA VESELY- FLAD Rima Vesely-Flad, Ph.D., professor of religious studies and director of peace and justice studies, led a group of students to participate in protests following the death of Michael Brown.

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BEN LINTHICUM ’16 Ben Linthicum ’16, Environmental Justice crewmember, is one of 51 students nationwide to receive the coveted Udall Undergraduate Scholarship.

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PROFILE

PRACTICAL IDEALIST

STANDING TALL. Ben Linthicum ’16, an environmental studies major, is one of 51 students nationally selected from 464 candidates to receive the coveted Udall Undergraduate Scholarship. Awarded by the Udall Foundation, the scholarship recognizes college sophomores and juniors for leadership, public service and commitment to issues related to the environment.

A passion for economic environmental policy and ecological sustainability lays the foundation for Linthicum’s continued scholarship through the Udall Foundation .

In addition to community activism related to fracking and mountaintop removal mining, he accepted prestigious internships as a field researcher in Wyoming , looking at horned lizards and ecological factors affecting their preferred habitat , and with a nonprofit law firm helping provide legal services to poverty-stricken people in Western North Carolina. During the 2015 summer, he became one of 60 undergraduates nationwide to participate in the Florida State University College of Law Summer for Undergraduates, where he spent a month in model first-year law courses. He is now interning with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Wetlands Enforcement Program, which is responsible for enforcing environmental wetland laws and regulations.

Linthicum, who is an Environmental Justice crewmember, says his successes may not have happened without the support he receives from the Warren Wilson community. “My professors and crew supervisors were crucial to this achievement , which I’m quite excited about,” said Linthicum. “These internship experiences , coupled with the diversity of experience provided by the Triad, have undoubtedly paved the way for achieving the Udall Scholarship.”

PROFILE BY KYLE McCURRY

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PORTRAIT BY CHRIS POLYDOROFF

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INTENTIONAL ADVENTURER

TAKE MY LEAD. Four years before enrolling at Warren Wilson College, Kelsey Juliana ’18, an environmental studies major from the Eugene, Oregon, was an activist. As a co-plaintiff with the nonprofit group Our Children’s Trust, she sued the State of Oregon contending it is not doing enough to protect its citizens from the effects of climate change. As her lawsuit moves through the appeals process , the Warren Wilson College Leadership Scholarship winner’s fight for climate change continues.

En route to starting her freshman year at the College, Juliana walked more than 1,500 miles from Grand Island, Nebraska, to Washington, D.C., as part of the 2014 Great March for Climate Action. She also hit the streets of New York City during the People’s Climate March. The 19-year-old is a noted public speaker as well as one of 13 leaders on the Youth Council for Rising Youth for a Sustainable Earth, which commits to “protecting the Earth, water, air and atmosphere” for future generations. “ You don’t have to call yourself an activist to act,” she told legendary journalist Bill Moyers of “Moyers & Company” in September 2014. “I think that’s so important that people my age really get [that] into their heads. As a younger person, I have everything to gain from taking action and everything to lose from not.”

PROFILE BY KYLE McCURRY

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PORTRAIT BY CHRIS POLYDOROFF

KELSEY JULIANA ’18 Kelsey Juliana ’18 walked 1,600 miles to encourage worldwide action in response to climate change.

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MORGAN WILLIAMS ’08 Morgan Williams ’08 founded the nonprofit Flux Farm to assist farmers in the Rocky Mountain region.

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PROFILE

CREATIVE CRITICAL THINKER

THINK BIG. LIVE BALANCED. WORK HARD. “It was at Warren Wilson that I tapped into a passion that continues to sustain me ,” Morgan Williams ’08 said at his acceptance speech for the 2014 Young Alumni Award. “In spending my formative years in an environment that fused work , academics and service to the community, I was given more than an education of mere facts and figures. I was given the gift of a functional lifestyle. I don’t see my work as a job, but as a way of life—a natural extension of myself.”

He has been actively working to develop solutions to inefficiencies in energy , forestry, mining and agricultural sectors through research and business development from the time he was at the College majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry.

Since he graduated, Williams founded Flux Farm, a nonprofit foundation that assists farmers in the Rocky Mountain region. He co-founded and serves as president of Biochar Solutions, a company that manufactures industrial equipment for the production of soil amendments that also store the greenhouse gas carbon .

He is the vice president of research and development of Edyn, which produces a device and an app to monitor environmental conditions in order to help plants thrive in a particular place. In addition, he’s getting a Ph.D. in geography at the University of California, Berkeley, and is a recipient of a Chancellors Fellowship to support his studies in the social construction of soils.

Williams says he’s indebted to Warren Wilson College for empowering him to think big, live balanced and work hard.

PROFILE BY JOHN BOWERS

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PORTRAIT BY PETER COCHRANE

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LIBERATING DISCOURSE

Spotlight Series: Social and intellectual movements Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Paula Garrett, Ph.D.

A SOUGHT-AFTER VOICE As the U.S. Supreme Court delivered its decision that same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Paula Garrett, Ph.D., was preparing to share her insight with the regional media and the nation. In the months leading up to the verdict, Garrett had already authored numerous articles for the Huffington Post on the topic of gay rights, including two open letters to the justices of the nation’s highest court. “ I’m writing both to thank you for taking up a case that might finally grant security to millions of families like mine and to beg you to think about the chaos you are rendering if you fail to do so,” she wrote in April 2015. “Here you are up to bat again. Please make this one count.”

Garrett’s national platform and her perspective as an academic, a student of American history, and a self-described “lesbian and person of faith,” made her insight all the more important once gay marriage’s legality was determined in late June 2015. She appeared on television and was interviewed by multiple newspapers, including a front-page feature in the Asheville Citizen-Times. “ I think it's a very powerful message to several different audiences,” she told Mark Barrett of the Asheville Citizen-Times. “First, to samesex couples, it is an immediate release valve ...

It doesn’t mean the battle is over. Questions over religious freedom will continue to be significant.”

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Students, staff, faculty and the broader community filled Kittredge Theatre for three speakers in the 2014-15 Spotlight Series, which focused on social and intellectual movements.

With personal reflections and candid audience engagement, an innovative attorney, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and a prominent poet inspired and enlightened the campus community.

The Spotlight Series began in the fall with attorney Roberta Kaplan delivering the Constitution Day lecture. Kaplan was the powerhouse behind the overturning of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of her client, Edith Windsor, in United States v. Windsor. In this landmark case, the Supreme Court struck down DOMA, ruling that it violated the U.S. Constitution by denying legally married, same-sex couples from having the benefits of marriage under federal law.

The series continued with Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist and filmmaker Jose Antonio Vargas. In his lecture, “Define American: My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant,” Vargas shared his own story as an undocumented American and the need to reform U.S. immigration laws. Born in the Philippines, Vargas revealed himself as an undocumented immigrant in 2011 in a stunning The New York Times Magazine essay.

In 2012, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine with fellow undocumented immigrants as part of the cover story he wrote.

The Spotlight Series concluded in May with “Diversity as Art: Art is Diversity,” a presentation by Nikki Giovanni. In addition to her fame as a poet, Giovanni is a recognized

educator, orator and civil rights advocate.

A Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech, she has written three The New York Times and Los Angeles Times best sellers. She has been awarded, among many distinctions, an unprecedented seven NAACP Image Awards.

In her talk, Giovanni seamlessly fused personal stories with autobiographical poems.

The Spotlight Series for the 2015-16 academic year is titled “My America, Whose America.”

On Sept. 16, activists Bree Newsome and James Tyson ’07 shared their story of civil disobedience in the wake of the shooting deaths of nine black churchgoers in Charleston.

The duo united to remove the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina State House grounds in June. For the first time, the annual Harwood-Cole Memorial Lecture joins the Spotlight Series to present Pulitzer Prizewinning author Richard Russo Nov. 14.

Rounding out the series on Feb. 20, the College will host “The Soul of the Activist” symposium featuring Mandy Carter, the 2016 activist-in-residence, alongside religion and culture intellectuals. These three events present an opportunity for the Warren Wilson community to connect with award-winning thought leaders and social justice activists.

Pictured above, left to right: Roberta Kaplan, the attorney who successfully argued before the Supreme Court to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act, delivered the Warren Wilson College Constitution Day lecture.

Nikki Giovanni, poet and civil rights activist, presented “ Diversity as Art: Art is Diversity” to the campus and wider community in May. Photo courtesy of HarperCollins.

Jose Antonio Vargas, immigration reform activist, filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, spoke in March about his life as an undocumented immigrant.

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program for high school students. She completed more than 500 service hours in just her first two years at the College.

Woo’s outstanding leadership and service has garnered attention even beyond Asheville.

She has joined a select group of students by winning the Community Impact Student Award from North Carolina Campus Compact, a statewide network of colleges and universities committed to community engagement. At the end of the 2014-15 academic year, she was awarded the Grace Lee Peace Award, which recognizes a Warren Wilson College student who has demonstrated an extraordinary dedication to peace and social justice. This award marked the pinnacle of her academic career to date at the College.

Woo and the hundreds of students who came before her are why Warren Wilson has joined a selective 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities in receiving the Classification for Community Engagement from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Warren Wilson is among just 17 colleges nationwide to receive the classification in 2015 for the first time.

Jasmine Woo ’16 is one of many students jumping in with both feet to help the College earn the Classification for Community Engagement from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN

Jumping in with both feet “At Warren Wilson, my ideas and experiences have expanded as I have explored aspects of the Asheville community,” Jasmine Woo ’16 says. “As a freshman, it was important to me to be engaged and involved in the issues that the community faces.” Woo is a senior sociology major with an Algie and Elizabeth Sutton Honor Scholarship.

“Community engagement permeates the culture of this place,” Dean of Service Cathy Kramer says in noting the Carnegie classification’s significance. “Service is fully integrated into the Warren Wilson College education, and we continue to increase that depth of engagement.”

Tuesdays are especially gratifying to Jasmine Woo. That’s the day each week she volunteers at Homeward Bound, which works to end homelessness in Western North Carolina.

In addition to the Carnegie Foundation classification, the College was named to the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, which annually highlights colleges and universities that achieve meaningful, measureable outcomes in the communities they serve.

Deeply engaged in the greater community, Woo also co-led a workshop on the issue of water quality and designed an environmental

Like Jasmine Woo, more than 800 students jumped in with both feet and gave 58,000 hours of service in the 2014-15 academic year.

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MENTORS AND MENTEES

Sweet Sorghum, Southern Flying Squirrels and Superb Teaching which is about a Karen refugee from Myanmar, The Pew Learning Center and Ellison Library formerly known as Burma, who tends crops and is more than a repository of books; it’s also a finds community with another Karen expat. documentary film studio thanks to the visionary brilliance and innovative teaching methodHarvey was struck by how intently her CDS ology of Heather Stewart Harvey, instruction and resource-sharing librarian. Harvey’s collab- classmates researched their assigned topics, just as she had seen in Warren Wilson students. orations with faculty and students have produced mesmerizing short films documenting “ I began to see that these types of projects are the captivating nuance of subjects such as rural incredibly motivating for students—explicitly in the realm of research,” she said. “As a librarsweet sorghum and the elusive habits of the ian, I am always seeking to make the research southern flying squirrel. process more authentic.”

Harvey’s passion for teaching documentary film started a couple of years ago when she followed Harvey returned to campus and began building senior students through their capstone research a collection of video equipment and software for teaching a documentary film lab. She and processes by conducting video interviews.

Brian Conlan, acquisitions and emerging technologies librarian, wrote and received a Library “ I was interested in understanding how Services and Technology Act Grant from students manage researching and producing the North Carolina State Library for editing large academic projects,” Harvey said. “ Doing the video interviews was so fulfilling, stations and software. A grant from the Arthur and through that I became very interested Vining Davis Foundation also supported her work team-teaching with JJ Apodaca, Ph.D., in documentary work.” environmental studies and conservation Harvey immersed herself in documentary film- biology professor, as well as Jeff Keith, Ph.D., global studies professor. making by enrolling at the Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) at Duke University.

Her first class was an eight-day, intensive course Harvey’s lab is now being used as a corequisite to other courses. “This class is ‘zero to 60,’” where she made the short film “Taking Root,”

Harvey said. “Most of the students come in with no experience with cameras or microphones, and yet by the end of the course, they produce a documentary film.”

Harvey’s documentary lab has paired with Keith’s Filming Appalachia class, where students created a series of documentaries about a local fiddle player, rural life in Western North Carolina and making sweet sorghum (also known as molasses). In the spring semester, students in Harvey’s documentary lab and Apodaca’s Conservation and Wildlife Biology class produced a series of conservation-based documentaries focused on the unique biodiversity of Western North Carolina. Film topics included the creation of a new National Wildlife Refuge to save mountain bogs, the monitoring of the federally listed southern flying squirrel, the plight of ginseng, and the preservation efforts in Hickory Nut Gorge. “ I feel incredibly happy to be doing this work with students and other faculty members,” Harvey said. “I'm interested in this new way of connecting with students' interests by making something visual that is just as well researched as a term paper but in a medium that can be shared easily with others.”

Left: Heather Stewart Harvey, instruction and resource sharing librarian, stands in front of the film “Grapevine,” created by Katrina Hoven ’16 and Alison Tippins ’16, who were co-enrolled in Harvey’s documentary lab and global studies professor Jeff Keith’s Filming Appalachia class.

View the student documentary films at http://youtube.com/WarrenWilsonCollege.

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POWER OF PLACE

Study, reflect and learn: Broyles Ridge legacy From the ridgeline, the land slopes down through the woods where gobblers scratch in the leaf litter under the oaks. At the fence line the field opens wide, with the Swannanoa tumbling along past the rhododendrons and hemlocks. For more than a century, it has been a place where students study, reflect and learn.

The Zebra Swallowtail (Protographium marcellus) is a swallowtail butterfly native to the eastern United States and southeast Canada. Pawpaws have been planted in the College’s native plant landscape as they are the only host for Zebra Swallowtails.

CERTIFIED WILDLIFE HABITAT The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has named central campus a Certified Wildlife Habitat thanks to the work of an ecology class and the Landscaping Crew. “ I chose to come to Warren Wilson because of how it views the environment,” says Monroe, North Carolina, native Adaline Pann ’17, who took photos as part of the NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat application. “Our Landscaping Crew takes special care to incorporate native plants and places for wildlife, as well as keeping it safe for people.”

Landscaping services supervisor Tom LaMuraglia and the Landscaping Crew are currently adding a bee habitat and a butterfly habitat to the College’s native plant landscape. “ We’re planting pawpaws, for example, because it’s the only host for Zebra Swallowtail butterflies,” LaMuraglia said. “Our goal is to create habitats for birds, insects and small mammals because every day, these animals are being displaced. The habitats also give our students sites for studying botany, entomology, ornithology and other subjects.”

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Irene Pennington Broyles experienced the power of this place in the 1930s when she and her brothers came to the Asheville Farm School.

As a 13-year-old she wandered through the forest, worked the land and studied it. And its grandeur stayed with her for the rest of her life.

“Her real love was the forest, and that’s why she wanted it preserved for future Warren Wilson students,” former Director of Alumni Relations Pat Laursen said. “She came to the Farm School from rural Kentucky and had an unending appreciation for the land.”

Broyles knew the intrinsic value of the forest as a resource for the College and its students and made a commitment to protect it.

By establishing the Irene Pennington Broyles and Glenn Boone Broyles Fellowship,

Broyles supports teaching, research and scholarship related to preservation and management of the College forest.

David Ellum, Ph.D., environmental studies professor and forest director, explains: “This gift not only helps us to use the best science to protect the ecological integrity of the forest, it also provides unique opportunities for our education of academics, work and service that involves students in all aspects of the forest’s stewardship.”

With the help of the Forest Manager Shawn Swartz and the Forestry Crew, Ellum and his students have established research sites on the newly named Broyles Ridge. The 127-acre tract contains intact forest communities not found anywhere else in the College Forest.

“Right now, my students are investigating how the forest stores carbon dioxide, cultivating black cohosh and shiitake mushrooms, and researching how salamander species have emerged,” Ellum said. “Research to this extent would not be possible without Irene Broyles’ generosity. We are grateful for the legacy she has left for future generations of students.”

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Above: David Ellum, Ph.D., environmental studies professor and forest director, at a Broyles Ridge research site.

Left: Shawn Swartz, forest manager, in the Forestry Crew workshop.

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POWER OF PLACE

Top college farm in the country The College Farm was recently named the No. 1 college farm in the nation by Best College Reviews, outranking Yale, Clemson, Duke and other public and private colleges and universities. “ Spanning 365 days each year — in all weather and all times of day and night — Warren Wilson students are doing the things that make our

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farm a leader in higher education,” former Farm Manager Chase Hubbard ’85 said.

On the College’s 275-acre mixed crop and livestock farm, the working knowledge that students gain is far-reaching and diverse. Along with the business perspective of meat sales to the public and the college cafeteria, students learn how to take care of multiple species of

animals—cattle, sheep, poultry and swine.

They also learn how to grow corn, barley and alfalfa-based hay in a five-year crop rotation. “ The level of complexity of our farming operations goes well beyond that of a typical college farm, and the commitment our students show in mastering this complexity is inspiring,” Hubbard added.

THE MIND’S EYE

LOS ANGELES LOGARITHM & REMODELATION “ For over a year I kept a daily writing-and drawing practice, from which these pieces emerge. To me, line drawing and poetry are architectures, and my task is to try to fit t h e w o r l d t o g e t h e r . A t t h e s a m e t i m e, incorporating drawing, a discipline in which I am an amateur, allows me to reintroduce play into my work.”

– Gary Hawkins

Gary Hawkins, Ph.D., is a poet, essayist and connoisseur of manifestoes. His work collects around his concerns of beauty, identity and democracy. Hawkins serves as associate dean for faculty and undergraduate writing faculty member at Warren Wilson College. He is the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Prize.

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THE MIND’S EYE

LOS ANGELES LOGARITHM The formula A = 10.1e 0.005t models the population of Los Angeles, California, A, in millions, t years after 1992. If the same growth rate continues into the future, when will the population reach 13 million?

13 = 10.1e0.005 ln(13) = 0.005t t = ln(13)/0.005 Let’s start counting heads even this far out. The exits sing neighborhoods of bedrooms and oranges: Redlands, Loma Linda, San Bernardino, Colton, Rialto, Fontana, Didion .

Confetti or debris logging another drive in. HOV, Exit Only , Thru Traffic OK. The sequined notes of Caltrans who loves you. Sweetlight catches across the concrete drainage .

Eucalyptus silver above dirt yards. And while we won’t mention it, a taco stand shimmers in the distance. Through the chainlink men ring the glitter dust in lawn chairs, lifted to miracle. All of it. Shifting in the wind and on the traffic radio : Ontario, Cucamonga, Upland, Montclair, Claremont , Pomona, and. There but by the grace, you say. The men sing it back to you.

Gary Hawkins

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THE MIND’S EYE

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THE MIND’S EYE

Remodelation Great Reading Room, University of Oklahoma Here I take a seat again at the head of an empty table as another student gathers her books on a Friday afternoon while I lay out my papers across the wide, polished tabletop , mimic of the plains, steady breeze of acknowledgement and citation blowing off the dissertations all around me. Their plumb camaraderie. Up high, windows skim a milk sky and hum along with the siren in its weekly drill. Across town in our bungalow you raise your head to check the wind. By the time we left, I’d touched every beam of that house, every eave and tile and molding, mistaking craftsmanship as sufficient for love. Remember that week before we started packing, the renovations finally complete, and we sat for tea in the living room (as I probably still built walls with the Chessmen). Then the siren. The sky felted green. And though Rose across the street stood out on her porch, we knew what to do: we huddled in the hall with the dogs, my arms beams tight around you.

Gary Hawkins

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Work Day mural honors social justice champions For more than 30 years, Warren Wilson College the mission of the plan by speaking out and has celebrated Work Day each April as a tradition leading dialogues about diversity, while having steeped in the “value of celebrating community ties with Warren Wilson College.” with sweat equity,” as Dean of Work Ian Robertson says. Among the wide range of projects was the Nguyen, along with Melanie Kemp, work crew coSwannanoa River Trail cleanup, tennis court landordinator in the Work Program Office, and anthroscaping, and garden work at the Verner Center for pology professor Christey Carwile, Ph.D., took Early Learning on the western part of campus. ideas generated by students and chose Henry Perhaps one of the most beautiful and inspirational “ Doc” Jensen, Ph.D., (professor, dean 1933-1975), is a mural created at the top of the main staircase who championed integration of students from all in the Jensen Humanities and Social Science races and ethnicities, and Alma Shippy, the ColCenter. The student and faculty artists’ intent lege’s first African-American student, to be part of was to bring more attention to diversity the mural. In addition, bell hooks, the noted author and inclusiveness. and speaker on the topics of race and gender who visited campus in 2009, and 2014 Warren Wilson The mural took its cues from the College’s new College Constitution Day keynote speaker Roberta plan to have more intentional conversations Kaplan, the attorney who successfully argued about diversity throughout campus (see more against the Defense of Marriage Act in front of the about the College’s plan in the feature Supreme Court, are featured as reminders of their story “Social justice: lessons learned on activism and connection to the College. campus and beyond” on page 28).

In total, 15 students, staff and faculty members “ We wanted a mural that would embody the combined to bring this shining example of the ideals of the plan,” said art professor Lara College’s diversity-centered history into reality.

Nguyen, who designed the mural. “It includes The project was supported, in-part, by funds from some of the influential people who embodied the Missoura Andrews Hogwood Endowment.

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“All the Light We Cannot See” The following is excerpted from the 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “All the Light We Cannot See”

by Warren Wilson College MFA Program for Writers faculty member Anthony Doerr. The College is very proud to have a Pulitzer Prize-winner in its midst. Doerr’s novel tells the story of a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. The following is excerpted with permission by Scribner, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Copyright © 2014 by Anthony Doerr.

Number 4 rue Vauborel

down. In this window, right here, in the real city, a woman beats her rugs every Sunday. From this

Marie-Laure LeBlanc stands alone in her bedroom

window here, a boy once yelled, Watch where

smelling a leaflet she cannot read. Sirens wail.

you’re going, are you blind?

She closes the shutters and relatches the window.

Every second the airplanes draw closer; every second

The windowpanes rattle in their housings. The anti-

is a second lost. She should be rushing downstairs.

air guns unleash another volley. The earth rotates

She should be making for the corner of the kitchen

just a bit farther.

where a little trapdoor opens into a cellar full of dust and mouse-chewed rugs and ancient trunks

Beneath her fingertips, the miniature rue d’Estrées

long unopened.

intersects the miniature rue Vauborel. Her fingers turn right; they skim doorways. One two three.

Instead she returns to the table at the foot of the

Four. How many times has she done this?

bed and kneels beside the model of the city.

Number 4: the tall, derelict bird’s nest of a house

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Again her fingers find the outer ramparts, the

owned by her great-uncle Etienne. Where she has

Bastion de la Hollande, the little staircase leading

lived for four years. Where she kneels on the sixth

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floor alone, as a dozen American bombers roar toward her.

She presses inward on the tiny front door, and a hidden catch releases, and the little house lifts up and out of the model. In her hands, it’s about the size of one of her father’s cigarette boxes.

Now the bombers are so close that the floor starts to throb under her knees. Out in the hall, the crystal pendants of the chandelier suspended above the stairwell chime. Marie-Laure twists the chimney of the miniature house ninety degrees. Then she slides off three wooden panels that make up its roof, and turns it over.

A stone drops into her palm.

It’s cold. The size of a pigeon’s egg. The shape of a teardrop.

Marie-Laure clutches the tiny house in one hand and the stone in the other. The room feels flimsy, tenuous. Giant fingertips seem about to punch through its walls.

“All the Light We Cannot See” by MFA Program for Writers faculty member Anthony Doerr won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the 2015 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.

By permission. Courtesy of Scribner, a Division

“ Papa?” she whispers.

of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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Social justice: lessons learned on campus and beyond

BY KYLE McCUR RY

Social justice has always been the heart and soul of Warren Wilson College.

As times change, the sphere of social justice alters, and the College expands and evolves its consciousness to champion the rights and voices of all human beings.

As a part of the 2014 reaccreditation process by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC), the College embarked on a mission to take diversity and inclusiveness to the next level. It developed a plan (officially called a Quality Enhancement Plan or QEP) that addresses the issue of social justice in new ways for the campus. The resulting initiative, directed by Christey Carwile, Ph.D., whose research includes Pan-African identity in Ghana, focuses on “improving student learning through curriculum and campus climate” leading “to a more diverse curriculum and a more welcoming campus from the ground up.” This is a complex conversation, both past and present, and one that requires reflection, critical assessment and action.

As the College rededicates itself to the dialogue and to its long-held belief of respecting and valuing the great panoply of human experience, there are individuals whose efforts have become emblematic and whose voices are visionary.

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Twenty years of work On Oct. 1, 1952, Katherine Gladfelter, secretary of the department of educational and medical work for the Board of National Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., wrote to Henry Jensen, Ph.D., (professor, dean 1933-1975), “We are especially pleased, as you knew we would be, over the enrollment of Alma Lee Shippy, our first [AfricanAmerican] student.”

Writing to Gladfelter a little more than a week earlier, Jensen called Shippy’s enrollment “a very small beginning, but it represents 20 years of work on the part of Dr. Randolph (superintendent, pastor 1927-38) and Dr. Bannerman (professor, superintendent, president 1928-71) ... in making [AfricanAmericans] welcome on this campus.” Being nearly two years before Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that led to the desegregation of public schools, Shippy’s admission did not come without its struggles.

Jimmy Ning ’54, a Warren Wilson College graduate who went on to become an actor with appearances in TV shows including “Breaking Bad,” recalled a vote about Shippy.

“I’m sitting there with my mouth open wondering what the heck this meeting was about,” said Ning, who had just immigrated to the United States to enroll at Warren Wilson College from China by way of Thailand. The students voted 54 to 1 to welcome Shippy “to live in Sunderland and participate in all activities on equal terms,” which Jensen recounted in his letter to Gladfelter.

However, still perplexed by the need for a vote in the first place, Ning said he took his question to a fellow student.

“My classmate said, ‘Jimmy, this kid is coming to school here … we don’t mix with these types of people around here,” Ning remembered.

He became friends with Shippy, and the pair would spend a lot of time together, including Ning’s first Thanksgiving.

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Champions for Social Justice 1. Rev. Oscar McCloud ’56, one of the first African-American Warren Wilson College graduates. 2. Warren Wilson College students hit the Asheville streets in 2015 to honor Martin Luther King Jr. 3. Warren Wilson College’s first African-American student, Alma Shippy, center, pictured with legendary singer-songwriter Billy Edd Wheeler ’53, left, and Director of Alumni Relations Rodney Lytle ’73, right. 4. Julie Wilson, Ph.D., director of the writing center, is one of the scholars who helped start Auspex. 5. Rebecca Johnson ’15, campus leader and one of the founders of Engage.

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Another student voting for Alma Shippy in 1952 was award-winning songwriter Billy Edd Wheeler ’53. “I could sense that there was a change in the atmosphere at Warren Wilson,” Wheeler reflected. “I started writing a diary centered around our responses to Alma and how we had to check ourselves from saying things that would embarrass or insult him.”

Wheeler believes Shippy helped students confront societal norms they may not have otherwise considered. “All kinds of minutiae became more

African-American students.”

McCloud, who would finish his bachelor’s degree at Berea College and earned a master’s of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary, answered Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to march in Selma, Alabama, in 1965. He would go on to participate in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa with the World Council of Churches and meet with Nelson Mandela on multiple occasions. In 2015, he returned to Warren Wilson College as the keynote speaker for a weeklong celebration of the life and

“We know this space has such great potential to nurture every student.”

D E’AN D RE A L O T T I E R ’ 1 5 and more pertinent, at least in my mind, and I feel certainly in a lot of other minds, too,” he said.

In his “Dean’s Report” dated Sept. 22, 1952, Jensen wrote, “Because of the vote, certainly students from this Valley with the possible exception of one, and I have no way of knowing even if that is the case ... voted to take in [an African-American] from their own community.”

Immediately following Shippy’s December 2006 death, his classmates created the Alma Shippy Scholarship. In recognition of the 10-year anniversary of the scholarship, which also coincides with the 62nd anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the Warren Wilson College Alumni Board is honoring Shippy with a 2016 plaque dedication to commemorate his pioneering role. James Darr, sculpture and 3D design professor, and his students are creating a medallion honoring Shippy that all future Alma Shippy Scholarship winners will receive.

Change-makers: then and now Less than two years after Shippy arrived on the Warren Wilson Junior College campus, Rev. Oscar McCloud ’56 — one of four enrolled AfricanAmerican students — forged his civil rights path. “ In the early 1950s, it took courage for [President] Arthur Bannerman and [Dean] Henry Jensen to lead Warren Wilson to enroll African-American students,” McCloud said. “They had no idea; however, how much more courage it took for an African-American boy from a plantation in Georgia to come to this institution, where everyone could pass for white, except for four

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work of Dr. King. The Wilson Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (WIDE) Office, led by Obie Ford III, Ph.D., director, organized the event.

“I have faith that you students can create a better world,” McCloud, the pastor emeritus at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York, told the crowd assembled in Canon Lounge. “The challenge today is not what Dr. King would do, but what WE will do to change the conditions of poverty, hatred and injustice.”

Oscar McCloud’s experience as an African-American at Warren Wilson College shares interesting similarities to the campus Rebecca Johnson ’15 found 60 years later. “I was always one of the only students of color in my classroom, if not the only,” said Johnson, who is black. “I had never been in a predominantly white space before.”

As she developed a stronger social network of students like her, Johnson realized her experience of being one of the few students of color on campus mirrored her friends’ experiences. She used the opportunity to create Engage, a student-led mentor/mentee program that aims to create a space for students of color to feel supported and empowered on campus. Engage is a way to begin addressing many of the issues students of color face at Warren Wilson College, and Johnson credits it with helping her “feel empowered” to confront racist situations.

The group began in 2011 and plays an active role in campus race-related issues. Many members participated in the “Black Lives Matter” movement, which included protests relating to the death of Michael Brown in 2014. Following a campus trip to Ferguson, Missouri, Engage members along with other students and Rima Vesely-Flad, Ph.D.,

professor of religious studies and director of peace and justice studies, held daily protests in downtown Asheville in response to the decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in Brown’s death.

Engage’s participation in those protests echoed back to the leadership role its members exhibited when the letters “KKK” were carved into a campus tree in 2013. With the group’s help, the campus united to remove the letters and engage in dialogue and healing measures.

The involvement of Warren Wilson College community members in race-related issues goes beyond Engage members and even current students.

On June 27, 2015, James “Jimmy” Tyson ’07 was arrested at the South Carolina State House for participating in one of the most visible acts of civil disobedience in recent memory.

Just days after nine black Charleston churchgoers were murdered at the hands of a 21-year-old selfproclaimed racist, Tyson kept Bree Newsome safe as she ascended the flagpole in front of the State House to remove the Confederate battle flag. The flag’s presence at the center of the state’s government had long been divisive but became even more symbolic following the recent murders. Upon retrieving the flag, both Tyson and Newsome were arrested and charged with defacing a monument. They rose to national prominence for their symbolic gesture.

Tyson’s involvement is a recent example of the commitment to social justice Warren Wilson College instills. While McCloud, who called the College the first place he “experienced white people who treated me like a human being,” would prefer a more racially diverse campus, it’s a different place from the school he encountered in 1954. “We know this space has such great potential to nurture every student,” said Engage member De’Andrea Lottier ’15, an Arthur and Lucile Bannerman Scholarship winner and the 2015 student representative to the Warren Wilson College Board of Trustees. “And we think that Engage is one of the ways that Wilson can hone in on that nurturing and convey to every student this message: you are appreciated and welcomed, and we want to figure out how to you as comfortable as possible.”

What it means to be revolutionary Similar to the formation of Engage, the Warren Wilson College Auspex Interdisciplinary Journal of Undergraduate Research was created in 2012 to fill a need. In this case, the need revolved around

SOCIAL JUSTICE

the search for an outlet to showcase and publish the College’s best undergraduate research projects each year. The 4-year-old publication annually highlights the finest student research as determined by a faculty committee representing several academic disciplines.

As the 2014 journal was being compiled, “what it means to be revolutionary” emerged as the common theme. Even though the pieces were written before the events in Ferguson, Missouri, Auspex Editor Emmy Wade ’15 saw the research connecting to the campus mindset of the time.

“The Warren Wilson student body was particularly affected by the events in Ferguson,” she later wrote. “The statement was made: we are here to challenge power structures that oppress us and others. That is part of the college experience — learning enough about the world to challenge it.”

The journal, which is made possible in part by the Christopher Alan Beck Fund for Undergraduate Research in the Social Sciences, touched on many social justice issues. Highlights include research on Black Mountain College’s revolutionary “process of racial integration,” “power discourses in consumer culture,” and “experiences of transgender men in the workplace.” Selected works from the 2014 edition were presented during a panel discussion at the Capstone Carnival, an end-of-year event that gives seniors an opportunity to present results from research, internships and creative projects.

Writing Center Director Julie Wilson, Ph.D., who worked with anthropology professor Ben Feinberg, Ph.D., to start Auspex, said the panel presentation for the latest issue garnered a large attendance during Capstone Carnival. “I think people were curious to hear about the intersection of activism and academics,” said Wilson. “Students were able to draw comparisons between research work and the skills they use within social justice activism. It shows that there are layers of knowledge behind any issue, and the research presents an opportunity to help students connect work in activism with academic scholarship and identify the overlapping scenarios.”

Wade concluded the journal’s introduction with the hope that it would inspire future innovators. “It is our hope that the reader comes away from these pieces,” she wrote, “with the drive to start a revolution of their own.”

Ninety-eight headstones: restoration and respect As global studies professor Jeff Keith, Ph.D., wandered around his neighborhood of

Henry “Doc” Jensen, Ph.D., who retired as dean after 42 years at the College, pushed for racial integration prior to the Brown v. Board of Education ruling.

Kenilworth one afternoon six years ago, he stumbled upon a forgotten time capsule — or so he thought. Keith stared at what looked like an overgrown pasture adjacent to St. John “A” Baptist Church. It was, in fact, the South Asheville Cemetery, which held the bodies of nearly 2,000 AfricanAmericans, including slaves, buried from the 1830s through the 1940s.

“It doesn’t look like a typical cemetery because, after the final burial in 1944, it fell into disrepair,” Keith said. “But before it fell into disrepair, it didn’t look like a cemetery because most people could not afford headstones. There are only 98 named headstones throughout the 2-acre property.”

Keith, determined to help bring this place of spiritual, educational and cultural value to the public’s attention, saw the cemetery as an opportunity to include Warren Wilson College students.

Little did he know, archaeology professor David Moore, Ph.D., and his students were already working to help bring the cemetery back to a level of dutiful respect.

“We all felt that this was something that was an important part of the community,” said Moore.Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the Warren Wilson College Archaeology Crew, led by Moore, along with volunteers and AmeriCorps teams, began delving into the past and mapping the location of each grave.

More than 1,960 plots were discovered, with many people claiming more were buried beyond the boundaries of the modern-day property lines.

Years later, the Warren Wilson Geographic Information System (GIS) Crew took the map, digitized it and plotted the grave locations on Google Earth.

“It’s about creating a place where we cannot only remember the diversity of Buncombe County, but also the terrible legacy of slavery that we’re surrounded by,” said Keith. “It illustrates how those legacies can be covered over. If you don’t have headstones, if you don’t have the cemetery, then you don’t have a place that’s going to force those discussions.”

Enhancing the quality of education through diversity Whether it is the revival of an AfricanAmerican cemetery, growing pains for students of a mountain farm school navigating early desegregation, the push to create a welcoming environment on campus, or raising the level of academic discourse regarding diversity, the path to achieve social justice requires commitment, conscious action, and a critical look at the past and present. For Warren Wilson, the intentional effort to address diversity and be a change agent on- and off-campus in the immediate community and the nation is essential.

“Warren Wilson has long been recognized as a beacon of diversity,” said Paula Garrett, Ph.D., vice president of academic affairs and dean of the College. “The QEP realigns our focus as an institution and helps us continue to enhance our reputation throughout the world.

We celebrate individualism at Warren Wilson, and we will use the QEP to address diversityrelated issues and ensure all students continue to feel welcomed and included.”

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Left: Brooke Bissinger ’00 led research and development to create a brand of plant-based, nontoxic alternatives to insect repellents containing DEET. Right: Jamie DeMarco ’16 wants clean air for everyone and helped change the Warren Wilson College smoking policy.

BY KYLE McCURRY ealth care remains at the forefront of the global mindset, and Warren Wilson College students, alumni and faculty members are taking the lead as change agents in the world and within their lives. From a recent alumnus focused on public policy in India to a faculty member studying the link between hospital visits and climate change, the health and well-being of others make the College the epicenter of thought and a change agent instilling greater consciousness at home and abroad.

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Significantly improving well-being through research Brooke Bissinger ’00 enrolled at Warren Wilson College determined to study environmental science, a field she felt connected to since the seventh grade. Work, service and learning were a compelling combination for her, and she looks back at her time as a student in the Natural Science Seminar, now known as the Natural Science Undergraduate Research Sequence (NSURS), as transformative.

NSURS is a three-semester capstone program that places juniors and seniors in a collaborative research environment and offers firsthand experience in scientific investigation and communication. Each student pairs with a faculty mentor for support during the research process, which includes three specific courses designed to develop, implement and present an undergraduate research project.

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“It was my first taste of research,” said Bissinger. “I learned about experimental design and about giving presentations. ...

It was really similar to grad school, even though I didn’t know it at the time.”

Bissinger says the program helped her discover a passion for “communicating science in a way that’s engaging and understandable for nonscientists.” En route to a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, she developed an affinity for insects and gained firsthand knowledge about agricultural insect control.

In time, she earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in entomology from North Carolina State and rose to director of research and development for an insecticide and parasiticide company by 2013.

Product development, she thought, was where she could make her greatest impact. She was right, and her research and development leadership helped launch Guardian, a brand of plant-based, nontoxic alternatives to insect repellents containing DEET, the most commonly used active ingredient.

Guardian claims to work better, out-performing and lasting longer than DEET products in multiple field and lab tests.

“I had the leadership capabilities to assemble a team to develop a product for the market,” Bissinger said. “Something that really started at Warren Wilson was the ability to communicate, and I think it’s an area that scientists can really struggle in. ...

That’s something that I’ve held really important from my time at Warren Wilson.”

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The right to breathe clean air Changing and creating effective policy became a goal for Jamie DeMarco ’16, Upper French Broad River Defender Scholarship winner. The chemistry major from Baltimore, Maryland, remembers his first day on campus vividly, mainly because so many people were gathered together smoking under a wooden gazebo, known campuswide as “the smoking hut.”

“As soon as I came to Warren Wilson, I said to myself, ‘Those are really poorly placed smoking huts,’” said DeMarco, a former team captain of the Warren Wilson Men’s Cross Country team.

“One of my friends has asthma, and I felt that she had the right to breathe clean air. The system we had in place was also encouraging smoking habits. You couldn’t walk by without seeing your friends talking and socializing, and a campus survey showed that it tempted former smokers and encouraged new ones.”

Working along with Warren Wilson’s community governance system, DeMarco presented a proposal to ban smoking from two areas: near the pedestrian bridge on central campus and on Sunderland Lawn. Student Caucus, the Faculty and Staff Forum

As DeMarco prepares for his final semester at Warren Wilson, there is no doubt he will continue to lead the way for a healthier environment. His efforts on campus, much like his successes with the men’s cross country team, exemplify his desire to make Warren Wilson College the best it can be.

Hot issues What happens to people’s health when the climate changes?

That was the question facing Warren Wilson College chemistry professor John Brock, Ph.D., who was awarded a grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fund a sabbatical leave to study the human health impacts of climate change throughout the United States. Brock’s ground-breaking research, conducted with partners from the CDC and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, zeros in on the best way to measure heat, determines the range to be considered for a heat alert, and identifies which groups of people are most at risk for heat-related injuries and death.

For the last two years, Brock and his research partners have looked at hospital emergency-room admissions for cases of

Changing minds and, ultimately, the president, approved the proposal. Now, only three areas within central campus remain designated smoking areas: the Lower Carson parking lot next to the HVAC unit, the lawn near the entrance to Kittredge Theater, and near the Village Residences. “ This was a decision made based on recommendations from students, faculty and staff members,” said Paul Perrine, dean of students. “Every vote matters, and this change is a direct result of the community governance system we have in place at Warren Wilson College.”

The Student Caucus also voted to approve another proposal creating a “tobacco working group” designed to study smoking on campus. The group, made up of smoking and nonsmoking students, staff and faculty, is expected to make recommendations for changes to the smoking policy. While the campus isn’t smokefree, current policy allows smoking only in the designated areas on central campus and not within 25 feet of buildings in other areas.

patients being treated for hyperthermia (greatly elevated body temperature) and compared the data with weather information from the same period. The temperature at which patients were treated for hyperthermia varied based on the region they were living in. For example, a person in the Northwest could develop hyperthermia when the temperature outside maxed out at a relatively cool 81.9 Fahrenheit, while someone in the Southeast would develop the condition only when the thermometer reached 93.4. “ Cities are different and the susceptibility of cities are different,” said Brock. “I think this study calls into question the heat index, which is a measurement combining air temperature and humidity. We should set heat alerts based on the public health data for different cities in different ways and not just based on some number.”

The research study, which was recently published in Environmental Health, also suggests that high school-aged boys and girls are more vulnerable to hyperthermia-related emergency-room

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visits. Out of the 11,031 visits Brock and his team studied, 1,918 were children between the ages of 11 and 18 years old, and 52 percent of those cases happened in August and September. With that many children diagnosed with hyperthermia, the researchers believe intervention with outdoor athletics could also be on the horizon.

The research team concludes with a call to public health officials everywhere to focus on area-specific information to lower the risk for local heat-related injuries. “Increase in heatrelated illness associated with rising temperatures in the future remains a public health concern,” Brock and his team wrote.

“Since we find that hyperthermia [emergency-room] visits were sensitive to extreme heat, and the associated temperature profiles were different across regions of the United States, public health agencies need to assess these risks analyzing locally available data and use those findings in the design of comprehensive heat response plans.”

Published, award-winning and needed It took nearly a year studying, working and serving as a Warren Wilson College student for Deanna Dragan ’15, a Randall S. Overrocker Scholarship winner, to discover her true calling in life. As a Service Program work crewmember, Dragan’s insight to some service-related opportunities ignited her passion. A particular revelation emerged during a trip to a local treatment center when she was working with older adults. The words “I missed you,” uttered at just the right moment, grew to symbolize a fundamental change in her understanding of service learning and, ultimately, her lifelong career goals. “ It showed me a way that service could be more than just labor,” Dragan said of her time serving at and eventually leading trips to Black Mountain Neuro-Medical Treatment Center (BMNTC), which provides services and support to individuals and families affected by lifelong disabilities and Alzheimer’s disease. “It means building a network of community members that you are really connected with. You’re filling an important need and role, and the people you’re working with notice when you’re not there.”

When it came time to begin work on her capstone research project, Dragan was immersed in service learning and an unwavering volunteer at the treatment center, among other organizations catering to older adults. Compelled to help area nonprofits and in conjunction with the Buncombe County Aging Coordinating Consortium, she studied family caregivers. The result was a profound understanding of the need for improved methods of communication between the Consortium and those who provide care. Her research and analysis are featured in the 2014 Undergraduate Journal of Service Learning and Community-Based Research, published by the Center for Service Learning and Community-Based Research at Pennsylvania State University, Berks.

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As a result of her extraordinary dedication to service learning, she was presented with the Service Program’s 2014 Service and Peace Award, established by the late Jean Bennett, a longtime friend of the College, to honor students who are preparing for careers in service-related areas. “She steps up when you need her,” said Cathy Kramer, dean of service. “Some leaders are flashy and loud, or may be variable in their spirit, but Deanna is just really solid. She seeks to get the work done in a quality way that honors our students and our community partners.”

Dragan begins her work toward a graduate degree this fall at the University of Alabama with a concentration in clinical geropsychology. But no matter how much she learned in the classroom, Dragan says it’s the experiences that tend to stick with you.

Hearing the words “I missed you last week,” uttered by a resident at BMNTC, was one of those moments. “ It hits you that you’re not just doing a meaningless task,” Dragan said. “You mean so much to someone, and they notice when you’re not there. I left that night feeling reenergized.

That real connection with someone made it all worth it.”

Delivering practical, local solutions Tucker Johnson ’15, an EMT from Maine who double majored in both political science and global studies, has recently moved to Uttarakhand, India, where 39.5 percent of the population lives in multidimensional poverty, according to the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. As one of 33 people selected out of nearly 1,000 applicants, Johnson was awarded the prestigious William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India with the American India Foundation (AIF). AIF expects him to use his “firsthand experience and real-world skills to deliver practical, local solutions” to better the health and livelihood of the resident population.

During his freshman year, the eventual Woodbury Foundation Scholarship winner had an overriding need to experience in person what he was learning in the classroom. His desire led to a six-week internship in the southeastern African country of Malawi with an Asheville-based organization focused on HIV education and outreach. Upon his return, he immediately signed up for another three-month residency with a group in Panama to build a sustainable ecovillage.

Thanks, in part, to his academic advisor, he eventually found his calling in public policy. With interest piqued, he accepted an internship with Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), where Johnson began to view policy in a way he hadn’t before. “ I saw a big difference in Tucker before and after his internship with Rep. Pingree,” said Chris Kypriotis, Ph.D., a professor in the political science department and Johnson’s academic advisor.

“He went from not always seeing the full complexity of an issue

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Tucker Johnson ’15 was awarded the prestigious William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India by the American India Foundation.

“I know that I’ll be able to live my life a little bit happier if I do this committed service work.

Policy is my focus, and to work in that world, I need to acknowledge my privilege and work with it.” TU C KER JOH NS ON ’1 5 to learning how to navigate politics to see the policy outcome he wanted.”

With Kypriotis and Warren Wilson College President Steve Solnick, Ph.D., encouraging him, Johnson went through the rigorous application process to become one of only 395 Clinton Fellows since AIF began in 2001. Now, Johnson begins his 10month journey in Kumaon, Uttarakhand, where his work will directly influence a largely rural population, adding to the 2.5 million lives already impacted by AIF. “ I know that I’ll be able to live my life a little bit happier if I do this committed service work,” he said. “Policy is my focus, and to work in that world, I need to acknowledge my privilege and work with it.”

Urgency for change and the greater good These individual stories of students, faculty and alumni are emblematic of not only the urgency of the Warren Wilson College community’s passion to enable a healthier world for others, but the pursuit of meaningful change via disciplined intellectual prowess. Leaving the world a better place is an undeniable and strong thread throughout the history of the College. Brooke Bissinger, Jamie DeMarco, John Brock, Deanna Dragan and Tucker Johnson continue that legacy. As President Steve Solnick said in a 2012 interview on WCQS-FM, “We want students who really feel that they want to go to college as the start of their path that’s going to lead them to change the world. We like idealists; we like dreamers. If you’re not idealistic when you start college, when else can you be?”

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The Warren Wilson College Farm is ranked No. 1 college farm by Best College Review.

On the wave of an environmental movement

BY KYLE McCUR RY

Since 25 students descended upon the Asheville Farm School in 1894 on what is now the Warren Wilson campus, the value of and the reliance on the environment for sustained living has been a common thread.

Under the agricultural tutelage of people like Samuel Jeffrey (superintendent, principal 18941900), students learned the value of crop rotation and other modern farming techniques of the day to grow and can food that would feed the campus.

Years later, Kathrine Laursen (dietician 1932-33, 1936-62) continued the tradition with a student crew cooking meals primarily using food grown and raised on the school farm. The Laursen family, through Kathrine’s husband, Bernhard (farm manager 1931-57), along with her son, Ernst ’49 (farm manager 1957-96), helped create a foundation in sustainability that was, according to Alan Haney, Ph.D., (biology professor 1977-88), “well established as part of the vision and history of the institution.”

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Haney arrived at Warren Wilson “on the wave of an environmental movement,” he recalled during his Homecoming 2008 speech. “Across the country, campuses were scrambling to stay ahead of the growing ... dislike of gross neglect and abuse of the environment. ... This was a campus rich in history and land resources with a dedicated and talented staff with a shared vision. All that was missing was bringing a portion of the academic program more in line with the values and resources that were here.”

Over the next 10 years, Haney was instrumental in creating the environmental studies major and instituting the Natural Science Seminar, now called the Natural Science Undergraduate Research Sequence, as a primary component of science study.

At the end of the 1980s, the College had a forest management plan and a recycling program.

The environmental studies major also had become the largest academic major.

When President Emeritus Doug Orr arrived in 1991, a commitment to protecting the 1,100-acre campus and expanding the school’s dedication to the environment was developing. In 1996, Orr

helped create the Environmental Leadership Center, which “initiated programs that inspire caring citizens, especially young people, to become responsible caretakers of the earth,” Elizabeth Lutyens ’06 wrote in the 2004-05 President’s Report.

“One of the best examples of that are the many good works of our alumni,” said Orr, in a recent interview. “They are making a difference in their own lives and the lives of others to make it a more sustainable planet.”

Environmental responsibility is not just a goal; it is a commitment stitched into the foundational fabric of the College. Graduates such as Isaiah Thalmayer ’11, who works with schoolchildren to restore habitats in the Bay Area, are found throughout the country illustrating the environmental citizenship the College champions.

Environmental Leadership Center programs are woven into the campus culture, and the message of sustainability is spread through the community with initiatives like EcoTeam, which brings Warren Wilson students to 3rd grade classes in Buncombe County to teach environmental lessons. In addition, the College’s new composting operation turns

ENVIRONMENT

campus food and farm waste into an additive that improves the nutritional capabilities of the soil.

The College Farm continues to play a vital role in the sustainability conversation. A recent Natural Resource Conservation Service grant allowed for the digging of two wells, near the farm office and next to the white barn, to increase water availability for 20 additional acres on campus. The decreased reliance on municipal water is also a cost-saving mechanism for the campus, according to former Farm Manager Chase Hubbard ’85. Hearkening back to that first year students came to learn in this valley, the College dining hall serves locally grown and raised food, including meat and produce from the farm and garden.

Now, nearly 36 years since the creation of the environmental studies major, Warren Wilson College, one of the Princeton Review’s 2015 “Top 50 Green Colleges” with the Best College Review’s No. 1 college farm, continues to be a nationwide leader in environmental sustainability. “While student body compositions and programs may change over time,” Orr said, “the basic value system of Warren Wilson College has gone unchanged, and the community has stayed true to those values since 1894.”

A “classic kind of botanical research” A part of the environmental foundation Alan Haney referred to in his Homecoming 2008 speech is the College’s Penfound Herbarium, created in the late 1960s by former biology professor William Penfound, Ph.D., (faculty 1967-77). With more than 6,000 plant samples, the collection continues to grow, thanks to faculty and student research.

One recent exemplary researcher is Amy Boyd, Ph.D., who focused her sabbatical research on a floristic study.

“It’s a very classic kind of botanical research,” said Boyd. “I focused on a piece of wetland property near the North Carolina Arboretum. University of North Carolina at Asheville manages the property for some threatened animal species there, but they did not know much about the plant life.

I love floristic studies, generally, but I wanted to do a study that would impact conservation efforts.”

Boyd has meticulously collected and catalogued 200 species from 78 different plant families on the property in the last year. After recording details about the habitat and GPS information, she saves a sample for future research and as an identification tool for the Farm, Garden, Forestry and Landscaping crews. The fieldwork will not be completed

Siti Kusujiarti, Ph.D., focused her sabbatical research on deforestation, gender justice and climate change in her native Indonesia.

until October 2015, but she says the research will help managers better understand the property and what plants are there.

“The hope is that it informs decisions about management of that property. It may inform management of invasive species, which they want to remove or control. It may inform conservation of plants that are relatively unusual or rare,” Boyd added.

Boyd says the research also opened the door to team with a student, Adele Preusser ’15. Preusser used her capstone science research project as an opportunity to work with her professor on the floristic study. Preusser’s work focused on plants that were the most diverse and difficult to identify in wetland areas.

“She really took on a challenge,” said Boyd.

“She presented her project and did a great job.

Her research will now go into my paper, and she will be a co-writer.”

Climate change and deforestation impacting women in Indonesia Siti Kusujiarti, Ph.D., focused her sabbatical research a bit farther afield. Her research, funded in part by a faculty development grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, took her back to her native Indonesia to study how defor-

estation intersects with gender justice and climate change. The sociology professor looked specifically at the United Nations Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) program, which is dedicated to lessening the removal of forests within partner countries. REDD+ works with developing countries to provide financial and nonmonetary incentives that curb deforestation. While the programs have focused on bringing indigenous, forest-dependent communities to the table, Kusujiarti found the resulting impacts of deforestation on women have not always been considered.

“Women don’t usually have a voice in politics [in Indonesia],” she said. “Most of the forests in the country are owned by the government, but many indigenous people have lived near a particular forest for generations, and they feel like it’s their forest.

There is a conflict of interests, and women have even less power to influence the process.”

Kusujiarti spent many months in East Kalimantan, conducting more than 75 interviews with policy makers, academics and community members, among others. While data from the sabbatical project are still being analyzed, she zeroed in on a few preliminary conclusions.

“We’ve learned there is a clear gender division of labor in this region of Indonesia,” said Kusujiarti. “ When it comes to forest management, women are usually responsible for collecting wood for cooking

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Left: Alisa Hove, Ph.D., pictured here on the College Farm with a flock of sheep, is working with Landon Edwards ’16 on her Montana research project.

Right: Landon Edwards ’16 (at right) herds cattle with fellow students.

or making medicines, and the women also grow plants in the forest. If the forest is removed, the source to create a certain kind of medicine could be lost. The problem is that companies aren’t taking into account the roles of women when deciding whether or not they should clear-cut a forest.”

Along with her two research partners, Ann R. Tickamyer, Ph.D., and Emily Wornell from The Pennsylvania State University, Kusujiarti also received a seed grant from the International Social Science Council for preliminary studies on this topic in other parts of Indonesia and in the Philippines. She sees her research as an addendum to the numerous courses she has taught over the years relating to the topics of deforestation, gender and sociology in the developing world.

“I am able to introduce this to my students from a personal level,” said Kusujiarti. “This research gives me the opportunity to reconnect with the country from where I come from.”

Donation leads to new biochemistry research component When Dana Emmert arrived on campus to teach chemistry in 2013, she set her sights on a research component within the biochemistry concentration.

Having earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry at Purdue University, she knew what a difference it makes for student researchers when they have the right equipment.

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“There has been a growing undergraduate interest in biochemistry,” said Emmert. “We’ve found a really good niche here in biochemistry, and the research component allows students to move forward in a biochemistry-related career.”

Recognizing a chance for future collaboration, Dr. Steven Kane ’83, a member of the Warren Wilson College Board of Trustees, connected the chemistry and physics department with his Atlanta Medical Center colleague Dr. Timothy Ganey, director of orthopedic research. Thanks to Kane and Ganey, the Research and Education Foundation at the Atlanta Medical Center made the significant donation of equipment, valued at approximately $21,000, which included a biosafety hood cabinet, a specialized incubator and an ultra-low temperature freezer, in hopes of partnering in the future on bacterial resistance research.

Emmert’s classes now have the ability to culture cells using the incubator and keep specimens for a longer period thanks to the freezer. Armed with the equipment, the biochemistry lab will present new research opportunities to students through courses and expanded capstone science research projects.

Professor-student partnership helps Montana ranchers Landon Edwards ’16, a biology and sustainable agriculture major, knew she wanted to complete her capstone science research project in Missoula,

Montana. Her positive experience on the College Cattle Crew sparked her interest in raising sheep, and the city’s parks and recreation department presented a serendipitous opportunity. Spotted knapweed and the use of sheep to eradicate this invasive plant species soon became her focus.

“I’m looking at 10 plots of land. Half of the plots have been grazed by sheep for six years, while the other half have not. Some of the plots have also been sprayed with herbicide,” said Edwards.

The research centers on the results of areas that have been grazed, not grazed, grazed and sprayed with herbicide, or not grazed but sprayed with herbicide. Edwards, a Sutton Honor Scholarship winner, is tasked with determining which of the four experimental treatments are most successful at destroying the invasive knapweed species, which can adversely influence the growth of native plant species as well as those used as forage crops for livestock.

Biology professor Alisa Hove, Ph.D., whose research focuses on plants and their responses to environmental stress, is assisting Landon on this project through email and regular Skype consultations.

I “ think the big picture to keep in mind is that throughout the American West, ranchers are really struggling to deal with a number of invasive plant species,” said Hove.

According to the professor, the “nutrient quality of what [livestock] are eating” drops when invasive species outcompete native species and forage crops cultivated by ranchers. “What Landon

ENVIRONMENT

is pursuing,” she said, “is identifying the mechanisms that can be used to eradicate the invasive species.”

Edwards received a grant from the College’s Julie Johnson Fund for Undergraduate Studies in the Environmental Sciences and combined it with a Garden Club of America Scholarship to complete her research. She is now preparing a report for Missoula-area ranchers.

“I hope that my results are used by ranchers in Montana where the conclusions we draw are applicable,” said Edwards. “I had financial support from Warren Wilson to make the project happen and develop my ideas and methods to do something I was interested in.”

Environmental leadership: from my mountaintop In his 1974 “History of Warren Wilson College,” Henry Jensen, Ph.D., (professor, dean 1933-75) wrote, “When [Bernhard Laursen] took over the farm ... [h]e started a milk-testing program, improved the Holstein dairy herd, even bred horses for a while, and most of all increased the productiveness of the fields.

“No prettier sight,” he continued, “has been seen in the whole valley than the Farm School corn fields all shocked up in neat rows by late fall.”

His words echo across time, as Warren Wilson’s culture and commitment to the land became part of the ethos of people of all ages, races, occupations and creeds.

From the successes found in the classroom to the research at home and abroad, students, alumni and faculty are committed to using their shared values to help a vast diversity of people live better, more sustainable lives. “From my mountaintop,” Alan Haney said as he concluded his Homecoming 2008 speech, “I see clearly why Warren Wilson is recognized as having one of the top environmental programs in the country, and why it has become one of the greenest campuses.

The reason is you, and those who came before you. It is serendipity that you were here when you were to have a role in developing and strengthening the program and creating the synergy that makes it work. It was my good fortune to have been a part of it.”

As the College crafts its next strategic plan, looking out over the mountaintop and imagining the great possibilities that lie ahead, environmental sustainability will continue to be at the forefront.

Jessica Culpepper ’04, member of the Warren Wilson College Board of Trustees, is the Food Safety and Health Attorney with Public Justice of Washington, D.C.

Jessica Culpepper: bringing justice to a community B Y BEN AND ERSON hen a U.S. District Court judge ruled that manure from livestock facilities can be regulated as solid waste, Warren Wilson College alumna and Board of Trustees member Jessica Culpepper ’04 achieved a long-sought outcome for her clients against a large industrial dairy in Washington State’s Yakima Valley.

“We have brought justice to a community that has struggled for clean water and to have their day in court for more than two decades,” wrote Culpepper, the Food Safety and Health Attorney with Public Justice of Washington, D.C. Culpepper was the lead attorney in the case.

The ruling, in a summary judgment on all counts, marked the first time the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) has been applied to a farm’s animal waste. As a result, Culpepper said, the new RCRA standards can be applied to industrial farms nationwide.

“Having this precedent will give citizens across

W

the country a new legal tool,” Culpepper said. “ The case is against one bad actor, but it’s no different from thousands across the country.

The industry is very powerful — good at keeping harms hidden.”

For years, she said, the Yakima River Valley residents have been ignored, which makes this landmark decision all the more important.

“This victory really gives them something fundamental: the right to clean water. Having their needs and their community validated is very powerful.”

The dairy farm decision is obviously a career highlight for Culpepper, who was awarded Warren Wilson’s 2004 Pfaff Cup Award, presented annually to the graduating senior who most clearly exemplifies qualities of the ideal student. A history and political science major, Culpepper edited the College’s literary magazine and served on the judicial board and publications/communications committee.

She also was an international students coordinator.

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INITIATIVES

Scholarships: A strong foundation for success Scholarships are the lifeblood of the College and its students, ensuring accessibility and affordability. Approximately 90 percent of Warren Wilson students received some form of financial aid in the 2014-15 academic year.

That means scholarships of all types are essential in attracting and retaining students of high academic caliber and personal merit, regardless of their monetary situation. The following are scholarships that were established or fully funded between April 2014 and June 2015 by generous donors to support students with financial need.

Baxley Foundation Environmental Studies Scholarship The Baxley Foundation established a scholarship for undergraduate students who are majoring in environmental studies. Danna Baxley graduated in 2002 from Warren Wilson with a degree in environmental studies and conservation and earned her doctorate at the University of Southern Mississippi. Since receiving her Ph.D., Baxley has worked in natural resource management with state, federal and nonprofit agencies in the South.

“My time at the College, especially my internship through the Environmental Leadership Center, was instrumental in helping to shape my career goals, my perspective of the world and my realization that conservation is truly about human relationships,” Baxley said. “ We wanted to give back as a family and thought an investment in human capital by supporting students in financial need, particularly women and minorities, would be an excellent use of nonprofit dollars.”

Richard Blomgren Scholarship Friends and former colleagues created the Richard Blomgren Scholarship to honor Blomgren’s 18 years of service to the College.

Jim and Kay Layman, longtime volunteers in the admission office, conceived the scholar-

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Richard Blomgren with Marilyn Hubbard, former Board of Visitors Chair and ex-officio Board of Trustees member, and Bill Hubbard, former director of Pew Learning Center and Ellison Library, at the Richard Blomgren Scholarship reception.

ship. “We witnessed Richard’s enthusiastic support for all things Warren Wilson College — for us, for his admission staff, for prospective and enrolled students, as well as for the office of advancement,” Jim Layman said. “He truly gave so much of himself to the College in so many ways.” As they travel throughout the country recruiting students, the Laymans clearly recognize the need for more scholarships.

“We meet many outstanding, well-qualified students who cannot afford to attend Warren Wilson without significant financial assistance, which in many cases is forthcoming from our competitors,” Kay Layman said.

Franklin Foundation Scholarship Cognizant of the power of personal relationships in fundraising, Andy Scott, Warren Wilson College Board of Trustees member and 1975 graduate, began asking his longtime friend, Steve Franklin, about creating a scholarship from his family’s foundation.

“Steve and his family are generous people who realize the value of a college education,” Scott said.

“Aware of the College’s exceptional educational program and my pivotal experiences there, they wanted to create an opportunity

Former choral director and music department chair Robert P. Keener and his late wife, Jo Anne Keener.

for students with financial need from their home state to attend Warren Wilson.”

As a result, the College offers the Franklin Foundation Scholarship to support students from Georgia.

Robert P. and Jo Anne Keener Scholarship To pay tribute to the song and service Robert P. and Jo Anne Keener provided Warren Wilson College and the larger community, alumni and friends created a scholarship in their names.

Robert Keener, Ph.D., became the choral direc-

MEMORANDA

tor of Warren Wilson College in 1964 and served as the chair of the music department.

He and Jo Anne took on parental roles with the young minds on campus and touched the lives of many students. In 1976, Dr. Keener established the Asheville Choral Society, which continues to thrive.

“A choral conductor,” Keener once described, “must inspire, must pull out of people what they don’t realize they can do so the music can reach heights of beauty that inspire performers and listeners alike.”

The Keeners certainly inspired students, and their scholarship continues that legacy.

R. Ann (Ani) Lele’a Scholarship Established by the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. Synod of the Pacific and friends, the R. Ann (Ani) Lele’a Scholarship honors R. Ann (Ani) Lele’a ’61 and her 50 years of service with the synod. As a child, Lele’a spent 12 years in Cameron House, a Presbyterian ministry that has been reaching out to Asian immigrants since 1874. With the encouragement of her church, Lele'a attended Warren Wilson and then was recruited to work for the Synod of the Pacific.

“Her ministry and commitment have significantly contributed to the spirit of generosity and grace that mark the Synod of the Pacific,” Pastor Marilyn Creel wrote.

Osborne / Poplett Family Scholarship Warren Wilson College and its earlier incarnations played a pivotal role in the Osborne family’s life and development.

Of the 10 Osborne siblings, seven attended either Asheville Farm School, Dorland Bell School for Girls, Warren Wilson Junior College or Warren Wilson College. Aware of the powerful and lasting influence that the College had on her family story, and as the last living Osborne sibling, Carolyn Osborne Poplett, a 1947 alumna of Warren Wilson High School and 1949 alumna of Warren Wilson Jr. College, honored the College and memorialized her family through an endowed scholarship fund.

President Solnick with Dr. Ann Rice at her home in Nevada.

She gave the fourth largest gift in the College’s history.

Transformative gift ushers in new era In the fourth largest gift in the College’s history, Ann S. Rice, Ph.D., of Mesquite, Nevada, has given over $1.1 million toward the College’s new academic building, which will usher in a new era of scholarship at the College. The building’s design provides flexible spaces and technological advances that will allow for faculty members and students to work and communicate more collaboratively.

“I feel very satisfied in doing the right thing with this gift to Warren Wilson College,” Rice said. “I really believe in the type of education the College provides, and I am happy to be able to help out at this important time.” In addition to the gift for the new academic building, Rice established the

Myron and Ann Rice Scholarship for students with financial need.

With her gift, $4.2 million of the $6 million academic building goal has been raised.

The College hopes to secure the last $1.8 million this year to allow construction to begin by the 2016-17 academic year. “ The Rice gift brings the College closer to our dream of having a physical setting perfectly aligned with our focus on a truly integrated educational experience,” Paula Garrett, Ph.D., vice president of academic affairs and dean of the College, said. “This is a concrete manifestation of our commitment to a vibrant, learning community.”

JOIN US IN CHANGING LIVES Join us in making an investment in Warren Wilson College and our students.

When you support our students through new or existing scholarships, you contribute to life-changing experiences that allow students to find their passions and carry them forward in their personal and professional lives. To find out more about creating or contributing to scholarships, contact Janet Doyle at 828.771.3756 or jdoyle@warren-wilson.edu.

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Alumni News 1950s After he and Dixie celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with their four children in Korea in 2013, Matthew MK Whong ’56 was invited to preach at Qumran Methodist Church in Seoul, the largest Methodist Church in the world with a membership of 100,000.

Recently, Matthew’s book “Power of Dream, Love, Mission,” was selected as one of only two Christian books of the many from Korea to be translated into Chinese and published worldwide.

Matthew believes that “when Almighty God is with you, anything can happen.”

Marvin Detwiler ’59 retired from coaching high school soccer in the fall of 2014 with a record of 265 wins and 95 defeats.

He loved every game!

1960s Norio Ohta ’60 invites friends to visit him in Osaka, Japan. He lives near the ancient Japanese cities of Kyoto and Nara.

Daisy (Davis) Richardson ’63 was honored with a Walter Zeller Fellowship in May 2014 from Kiwanis International Foundation for helping The Eliminate Project rid the world of maternal and neonatal tetanus. She was credited with saving or protecting more than 690 mothers and all their future babies.

She helped raise the funds for the award.

Betty (Robinson) Gaidry ’64 survived breast cancer treatment last year. The previous year, her husband, Jim, had surgery and grafting on the lower part of his nose from basal cell cancer. While they both have to limit their time in the Florida sun, they are still active with church, the Red Cross and family. “God is good!”

in the Guernsey County Veterans Honor Guard. Kelly Lynch ’74 also is retired from serving as the executive director of Children’s Services. She is an adjunct professor at Zane State College, executive coach and trainer for the Institute of Human Services, and volunteers for many social service entities.

Terry (Heckathorn) Shimkus ’78’s husband, Steve, “passed on to be with the Lord in April 2013” after a 19-month battle with cancer.

Terry now has three grandchildren, two great-nieces and one great-nephew.

Mary C. (Walther) Campbell ’79 was ordained as an inter-spiritual minister in 2013.

1980s Thom Proctor ’82 will retire this fall after a 25-year career in the Foreign Service of the Department of State as an IT manager.

Thom and his wife, Pamela, are now planning on spending more time in the mountains of North Carolina and hope to reconnect with fellow alumni.

Tony Earley ’83 released a new book in 2014 titled “Mr. Tall: A Novella and Stories.”

Elizabeth (Libertini) Grove ’87 now works for the Pro Bono Resource Center, a statewide nonprofit organization that provides support, training and advocacy for volunteer attorneys and legal services organizations, and incubates pro bono projects that give free civil legal help to low-income Marylanders. Elizabeth says, “It’s so great to spend my workdays not just being productive, but also knowing my efforts support an organization committed to helping the community .”

Lin Orndorf ’87 was a Reese Institute Fellow at Lenoir Rhyne University for a second semester last fall. She will be starting her master’s capstone project this summer and completing her degree in sustainability studies in December.

provides needed financial services to over 500,000 low-income households and small businesses each year across Central and South Asia, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. Please stay in touch via jcfripp72@gmail.com or jesse.fripp@akdn.org.

Morgan Christopher Geer ’94 recently released his third album under the moniker Drunken Prayer on Fluff and Gravy Records of Portland, Oregon. Morgan recently joined the Louisville, Kentucky, band Freakwater, and their new record on Bloodshot Records will be coming out soon. He and his wife, Christa Joy, welcomed their son, Leonard Kern Geer, to the world on Sept. 21, 2013, in Asheville.

Roger Hutchison ’94 released his first book, “The Painting Table: A Journey of Loss and Joy,” Jan. 1, 2014. Last summer, he received The Order of the Silver Crescent, an award given to residents of South Carolina for outstanding performance, contribution and achievement within the community.

Joshua Prentice ’94 and Ketaki Bhattacharyya ’93 moved to Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India, in May 2012. Josh writes poetry under the pen name Joshua Gray (http://joshuagraypoetry.com).

His two recent books are “Principles of Belonging,” a book-length poem based on true stories of his parents and parents-in-law, and “Mera Bharat,” a collection of poems about his experiences in India. Ketaki is the human resources officer at Kodaikanal International School.

Alli Marshall ’95’s novel, “How to Talk to Rockstars,” was published

by Logosophia Books. It was inspired in part by her 12 years as an arts and music writer and editor at the Mountain Xpress in Asheville.

Learn more and keep in touch at http://alli-marshall.com.

Ben ’95 and Wanda (Anderson) Robins ’95 left Texas and are now living in London, England. Ben is working at the BBC World Service, measuring the BBC’s global audience, and Wanda is navigating London’s buses and trains each day, ensuring their girls, Sophia and Serena, make it to school and daycare. “It’s been a big change, but all are well and would love to hear from WWC friends via wandarobins@gmail.com or blrobins@gmail.com.”

Hidemi Ichihara ’65 retired eight years ago from teaching high school seniors and has since enjoyed volunteer work.

Her daughter and grandson live in Denmark. They meet mutually, to and from. She misses everyone at Warren Wilson— her best old days!

Patricia “Pixie” Ward ’66 really enjoyed the 2013 Homecoming. “ The weather was great, and it was a joy talking to the students.

Keep up the wonderful work!”

For the past four years, Jeanne (Heath) Mofield Webb ’66 has been working as a psychologist with active-duty U.S. Army soldiers at Behavioral Health Services at Fort Sill. Her primary focus is soldiers who were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and have post-traumatic stress disorder.

Holly (Randolph) Gage ’89 served for three months on Mercy Ships in the information services (computer technology) department. Mercy Ships is a hospital ship that provides free surgeries to the poor of Africa. She highly recommends this experience for current students. It has been a very rewarding experience for her, and she hopes that someday she will meet other Warren Wilson students or alumni on board the African Mercy.

In 2013, Andrew Shaffer ’89 started HummingByrd Inc., a global business consulting, coaching and training firm in Tokyo, Japan.

He has been living and working in Japan for 18 years and can be contacted at inner_culture@yahoo.com.

Last summer Betty Reitz ’69 and Ann Scruggs ’69 traveled together in Alaska. Ann lived there for 14 years and enjoyed showing Betty special places. During their tour in Denali National Park, they learned that their bus driver/tour guide, John Miller ’87, also is a Warren Wilson alumnus. That discovery made a wonderful tour even more fun. Ann is retired and invites alumni to visit her in Gainesville, Florida. She can be reached at 352.359.8020.

1970s Angela Allberry ’70 is retired but works part-time as an eldercare ombudsman with Legal Services of Northern California. She is involved in numerous charitable and religious activities.

Enrique Alonso ’71 states he needs your prayers, as his health is poor. “God willing, I will try to see you all in October 2015.”

Romaine Holman’73 recently retired after teaching 28 years at Valle Catholic High School in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri.

Dave Lynch ’73 is retired from working in human resources in Ohio. He is a mediator for Guernsey County Courts and is active

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1990s Gregory T. Wilkins ’90 received the 2015 Association of College Unions International (ACUI) 100th Anniversary Service Award reflecting over 800 hours of annual service. Greg will direct his gift from the ACUI to the Oz Radical Faeries in Nimbin, Australia, where he completed service in reforestation as well as working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ally communities on social justice issues.

Thel Sar ’91 is doing well. He has one son at Kenyon College and the second is working hard to get into a good school. Thel is still at the same job and hopes to travel more after both sons are in college. He spends lots of time watching soccer and wishes the best to all his classmates.

Sharon (Wimmer) Flowe ’94 was the 2014 recipient of the Conservation Teacher of the Year Award through the Haywood Soil and Water Conservation District.

Jesse Fripp ’94, his wife, Marga, and son, Arthur, moved to Geneva, Switzerland. As the new general manager for the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance, Jesse leads a network that

Sunshine Brosi ’99, an associate professor at Frostburg State, received the Society for Economic Botany’s Charles B. Heiser Jr. Mentor Award for her substantial impact on the training and professional development of ethno-botany students. Sunshine received this award in Cherokee, North Carolina, where she has researched the preservation of socio-ecological keystone species.

William Hamilton ’99 joined Conservation Advisors of North Carolina, a real estate and conservation easement consulting firm serving Western North Carolina. Let him know if he can help you by emailing william@conservationadvisorsnc.com.

2000s Longtime friends Rachel Reeser ’01 and Steven Slack ’02 finally noticed each other in a more romantic way. They celebrated 15 years of friendship and several years of love with a marriage celebration in May 2013.

Drew Walton ’02 and Amelia (Uffelman) Walton ’04 live with their sons Asher (5) and Lucas (1) in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Drew completed an acute care nurse practitioner program and joined University of Virginia’s Heart Failure Clinic as a nurse practitioner. Amelia is leaving her work in development and alumni engagement and will start a master’s program in clinical mental health at James Madison University.

Kelly Lindsay ’03 was named one of Fayetteville, North Carolina’s “ 40 Under 40” for 2015. It’s an award given to emerging leaders for their success in business or their community impact. Kelly states, “ A big part of the reason I do so much service in my community is because I developed a love for it at WWC.” After five years of work in the nonprofit sector, Erin Krauss ’04 received a master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2013, she completed a Fulbright project in southern Mexico focused on cross-cultural social work practice.

Afterwards, she and her husband stayed in Mexico to work on several local projects in Chiapas, including one that supports youth leadership development and leading international learning trips.

Follow her blog at http://erinkraussinmexico.blogspot.mx.

Leta Marino is thankful for the education of her son, Matthew Lucas ’08, as well as his experience at WWC and the people.

Matthew is still living in North Carolina and contributing to the earth.

Sarah Keith Valentine ’04 is in her fourth year of running a small organic farm-to-table restaurant, the Miccosukee Root Cellar, with her husband, Ruben Fields, in Tallahassee, Florida. Their delightful daughter turns three this year, and they are dreaming up a small farm to complement the restaurant.

Ryan Morra ’08 is loving life in Burlington, Vermont, where he is frequently bumping into other WWC grads. He’s excited to begin his new position as education for sustainability partnerships coordinator and educator at Shelburne Farms.

In 2014 Sara Benincasa ’05 published a young adult novel titled “ Great.” Her novel “DC Trip” will be published in November 2015, and her self-help book, “Let’s Grow Up Together,” will be published in spring 2016. Sara’s TV pilot version of her memoir is in development at ABC Family as a half-hour comedy with executive producers Diablo Cody and Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Films.

Natascia Boeri ’05, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, was recently awarded a Dissertation Writing Fellowship from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) to assist her in completing the final year of dissertation work. She spent 12 months conducting research on home-based workers in the informal economy in Ahmedabad, India, for which she was awarded a doctoral dissertation research grant in 2013 by the National Science Foundation.

Heather Houskeeper ’05 published her book, “A Guide to the Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail” (Hither Page Press). Last July, she completed her second thru-hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail totaling 1,200 miles. This summer, she will be thru-hiking and crafting a plant guide about the Finger Lakes Trail in New York. Visit her blog, http://TheBotanicalHiker.blogspot.com.

Roxy Todd ’05 wrote a two-part piece titled “Bloody Butcher Corn: From Field to Fork,” which was named Best Feature or Human Interest radio story by the Virginia Associated Press. Last December, she got her first job in journalism at West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she reports on culture, the environment and food. She also helps produce a weekly cultural and public affairs program called “Inside Appalachia.”

Maryka Lier ’06 recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with master’s degrees in public health and city and regional planning. She plans to use her dual degrees to pursue her passion for health equity and addressing the social determinants of health.

Ellenor Moore ’06 and Sam Catlett-Sirchio ’06 were wed in Asheville Aug. 31, 2013. They live in Fort Collins, Colorado, with their children, Maggie and Jack, and a brood of chickens.

Brianna Quick ’07 and Joel Bassett Quick ’05 completed graduate programs in Boston, Massachusetts. Brianna attended the master of divinity program at Harvard Divinity School with a focus in Buddhist ministry. Joel was at Northeastern University School of Law and recently won an environmental law essay competition with the State Bar of Michigan.

Shannon (Saville) Krenek ’07 was awarded the 2014 President’s Award by the National Association of Social Workers’ North Carolina chapter. This award recognizes master’s-level social work students with exceptional leadership skills and potential.

In May 2014, Nathan Ballentine ’08, aka Man in Overalls, was honored as the Tallahassee Democrat Volunteer of the Year and received the Jefferson Award for Public Service for his work to advance community-based good food systems. Nathan is serving as a Tallahassee Food Network Ambassador while traveling the world with his wife, Mary Elizabeth, to learn about languages, culture, dance and community-based good food systems.

Nathan maintains a blog, http://ManInOveralls.blogspot.com.

Candice Caldwell Day ’08 received a master of fine arts in theater and emphasis on costume design and technology from West Virginia University in May 2014.

ALUMNI NEWS

Juliana Ratner ’08 has just finished her first year at Harvard Law School. She plans to use her law degree to continue to address issues of racial justice and mass incarceration. She can be reached at julianacicada@gmail.com.

Meredith Talbert ’08 is working seasonally as a fire effects monitor for Zion National Park. She enjoys exploring technical slot canyons and hiking in her spare time.

Jenna Cruite ’09 graduated last May with a master’s degree in social work. Her education focused on program development and policy/systems change in order to better society. This led Jenna to a new endeavor of developing the Maine chapter of the New Leaders Council.

Nora Purcell ’09 is studying medicine at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

2010s Carroll (Anderson) Candler ’10 was married to Richard Candler last August.

Lindsy Robertson ’10 and Ryan Cowen ’08 were married in spring 2014. Lindsy completed a master’s degree in social work at the University of Texas in Austin.

Meredith Corey-Disch ’11 is a partner at Community Loaves in Jacksonville, Florida. Meredith and co-founder, Sarah, bake all organic, sourdough bread and whole-grain pastries, which they serve at their bread shop alongside organic coffee and tea.

The duo also holds regular pizza nights, skill days and farm-totable dinners in their garden.

Kathryn (Kat) Evans ’10 published her first novella, “A Waking Dream,” in April 2015. She continues to pursue her love of writing and storytelling, as well as learning the world of the self-published, while living on the outskirts of Charlotte, North Carolina. She still believes that a good story can change the world, even if just for one person.

Clara Osborne ’11, along with two teammates, is starting a summer camp and community education program in southeastern Pennsylvania. It features a working farm, and the program provides education in sustainable agriculture, ecology and traditional craft.

Clara and crew will be hosting kids and adults from the local area and urban centers and lead collaborative workshops for adults, as well as artist residencies. For more information, see http://oakhillnaturecenter.org.

Rachel Rasmussen ’11 has taken her academic focus in global studies and environmental studies abroad with an immersion experience in Palestine through a peacemaking organization called Christian Peacemaker Teams. After spending time on the West Bank with Christian Peacemaker Teams, she took Arabic classes for three months at a local university.

For more stories and pictures of Rachel’s experience in Palestine, visit her blog, http://lizardlibelula.wordpress.com.

Gabriel Sistare ’11 and Erin Pesut ’11 celebrated their marriage July 5, 2014, in New York City’s Central Park. Erin is finishing her MFA in fiction at Columbia University, and Gabriel is a candidate in U.S. Army special operations.

Patrick Sweatt ’11 and Rosie (Barger) Sweatt ’12 were married last year on a historic rice plantation in Charleston, South Carolina.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

Amelia Dulee-Kinsolving ’06 is working on her doctorate in sociology and law in Ireland.

International scholar Amelia Dulee-Kinsolving ’06 credits Warren Wilson with her current research interests and scholarship in Ireland. She is working on her doctorate in sociology and law at Maynooth University, National University of Ireland, with full funding from the Irish Research Council (IRC) Postgraduate Scholarship.

“It was through the global studies and Spanish academic programs that I first cultivated a passion for academic research and Spanish and developed a strong interest in the socio-economic status of vulnerable populations,” she said.

She integrated her experiences through English language and cultural learning activities for migrants and tutoring and mentoring programs for youth. These experiences culminated in a senior thesis project on the socioeconomic situation of Mexican women whose husbands immigrated to the United States.

As part of her research, she conducted interviews abroad that were a significant influence in her decisions after graduation to join the Peace Corps and pursue her master’s degree and doctorate abroad.

“Crucial to all of these decisions,” she said, “was funding from the European Commission and the IRC — opportunities I feel resulted from the rich experiences I gained at the College. Ultimately, my life trajectory has been deeply influenced by the Triad, and I imagine it will continue to play an important role.

My hope is that, someday, I will be able to integrate this teaching philosophy into my own classroom.”

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MEMORANDA

Alumni News CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43

Patrick is employed as a Cooperative Extension agent in Bradley County, Tennessee, and has a weekly garden column in the paper.

Rosie is in the process of starting a food truck. They both work directly in the fields that reflect their WWC work crews.

Pat Rulong ’12 is enrolled at Waterloo University in Waterloo, Ontario, pursuing a master’s degree in development practice.

Last fall, he was published in The Guardian on climate change.

Alumni Awards and Athletics Hall of Fame

Faculty & Staff News

Each year during Homecoming Weekend, the Warren Wilson College Alumni Association celebrates the accomplishments of graduates and community members with awards for professional achievement and service to the College and society. Outstanding athletes, coaches, teams and contributors are also inducted into the Warren Wilson College Athletics Hall of Fame. Alumni, friends and families are invited to the alumni awards and induction ceremonies to honor these community members who have made a difference at the College and beyond. If you would like to nominate someone for the Athletics Hall of Fame or for an alumni award, email alumni@warren-wilson.edu.

2014 Alumni Awards Distinguished Alumni Award: Tim Deuitch ’83 Distinguished Community Service Award: Darrel Beck ’59 Alice Eva Sloan ’12 and Matthew Hannafin were married last summer at Craggy Gardens along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Alice is studying veterinary medicine at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Matt and their pets joined her in December in Glasgow, where he is working as a luthier.

Emily Wilmers ’12 hiked the Te Araroa Trail—1,800 miles that includes the entire length of New Zealand. She also completed the Long Trail, which is the entire length of Vermont. Emily is headed back to Vermont to work for the Conservation Corps and to North Carolina to work with a Corps partnership.

Ashlyn Neas ’13 and John McCaul are now engaged. The two are grateful to Warren Wilson for giving them the chance to meet.

After Jacob McKee ’14 graduated, he started his own technology company called N0W Computer Help. In April, he began his current job with Dalton Public Schools in Georgia as a technology support technician. Jacob credits this position to the experience he gained from being on the Computing Services Crew. His degree has prepared him to bring sustainability concerns to the new job.

Allison Mercurio ’14 went on a cycling trip across the United States after graduation. She traveled with Bike and Build, a nonprofit that leads cross-country cycling trips for young adults to raise awareness on affordable housing. During their trips, the group stops and helps with building projects, many with Habitat for Humanity.

Distinguished Service Award: The Congregation of the Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church and College Chapel Young Alumni Award: Morgan Williams ’08

2014 ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES Bart Bellairs ’79 (basketball) Herb Davis ’69 (basketball) Talma Lou Farris ’57 (basketball) Aydin Gonulsen ’65 (soccer) Dave Vozka ’59 (soccer) 1959 Baseball Team

2015 Alumni Awards Distinguished Alumni Award: Christine Walshe ’01 Distinguished Community Service Award: Sherle Stevenson Edwards '65 Distinguished Service Award: Jim and Kay Layman Young Alumni Award: Katie Falkenberg ’03

What’s going on with you?

Do you have a new job?

Did you get married?

Did you welcome a new child?

Did you do something amazing?

Share it with your fellow alumni. Be sure to include dates and places, and send along a related photo (identifying everyone in the picture) if you have one. We’re looking for significant life events and updates.

Please email all the details to alumni@warren-wilson.edu.

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2015 ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES Harry Mills ’83 (basketball) Audrey (Lowney) Sloan ’78 (cheerleading coach) Ron Wilson (tennis coach) Loci Zsuppan ’02 (swimming) 1975 Men’s Soccer Team

Appalachian music professor Phil Jamison’s “Hoedowns, Reels and Frolics” uncovers multicultural influences on southern Appalachian dance. By permission.

Courtesy of University of Illinois Press

A poem by MFA Program for Writers Director Deb Allbery is published in “Writing Monticello,” an anthology of poetry about Thomas Jefferson and Monticello published by the University of Virginia Press.

Biology/environmental studies professor JJ Apodaca, Ph.D., is serving as the national co-chair for Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC), which is the largest amphibian and reptile conservation group in the world. He also published a paper with two WWC students, Jane Margaret Bell ’15 and Melanie Grover ’15, and colleagues from 10 other universities and colleges.

The paper, “Citizen Science Reveals Widespread Negative Effects of Roads on Amphibian Distributions,” is published in Biological Conservation and is the result of collaborative work with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS).

Vice President for Advancement K. Johnson Bowles was the featured speaker at the HIGHER Ground Women’s Leadership Development Program graduation for The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government & Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.

She also was appointed by Asheville City Council to serve a 3-year term as a member of the Public Art & Cultural Commission, which is responsible for promoting and maintaining art in public buildings and spaces throughout the city. In addition, her artwork was exhibited in the Faculty Invites art exhibition at Cloyde Snook Gallery, Adams State University. She also serves on the Western North Carolina Public Radio Board of Directors for WCQS. See a story on page 37 about biology professor Amy Boyd’s, Ph.D., sabbatical project at the Sandy Bottom Wetland Preserve near the North Carolina Arboretum.

See a story on page 33 about chemistry, physics and environmental studies professor John Brock’s, Ph.D., sabbatical project, “Spatial Variation in Hyperthermia Emergency Department Visits Among Those with Employer-Based Insurance in the United States: A Case-Crossover Analysis.”

Anthropology/global studies professor and Director of Africana Studies Christey Carwile, Ph.D., facilitated the workshop “Art in Action!: Creative Pedagogies for Teaching Social Change” at the Appalachian College Association Summit and presented her research on salsa dance and Pan-African identity in Ghana at the African Studies Association meetings. She facilitated several movementbased workshops; most notably, she brought the Maryland-based dance company Dance Exchange to campus to facilitate a racial equity workshop and to provide students the opportunity to participate in the company’s Moving Field Guide project.

Environmental Leadership Center Interim Director Stan Cross received a master’s degree in liberal arts and sciences from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. In his thesis, he focused on sustainability and climate change in the context of creative writing in a novel set in the mountains of northern New Mexico.

Philosophy professor Sally Fischer, Ph.D., was an invited speaker at the philosophy conference and workshop “Taking Pregnancy Seriously: Epistemology and Ethics” in Southampton, England.

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Paula Garrett, Ph.D., provided her insight on the Supreme Court samesex marriage ruling to multiple regional press outlets, including the Asheville Citizen-Times, WHNS-TV and Mountain Xpress. She also contributed several op-eds on the topic of gay rights, marriage and religion to Huffington Post.

History and political science professor Dongping Han, Ph.D., presented a talk at an international conference at Wenzhou University in China. He delivered lectures and served as Chairman for six master’s degree students’ thesis defense sessions at Wenzhou. Han also spoke on “Prospects of U.S. China Relations from an Historical Perspective” at Hebei University.

See a story on page 15 about library faculty Heather Stewart Harvey’s documentary video techniques lab.

Associate Dean for Faculty and writing professor Gary Hawkins, Ph.D., attended fellowships at artist residencies at Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Vermont Studio Center and Jentel Foundation Artist Residency Program during his recent sabbatical. He published “Oklahoma (After Langston Hughes)” in “Oklahoma Poems and Their Poets”; “Vanishing Point,” “Front of the House,” “Parenthetical for Our Tenth Year” and “The Late Radical Reckons Mr. Baldwin” in “Waxwing”; “Five (Occupational) Love Poems” in “The Collagist”; and “Vice” in “Forklift: Ohio.” See his work on page 19.

Director of Institutional Research Allyson Hettrick earned a graduate certificate in institutional research from The Pennsylvania State University.

Biology professor Alisa Hove, Ph.D., coauthored the paper “ Seasonal Changes in Physiological Performance in Wild Clarkia Xantiana Populations: Implications for the Evolution of a Compressed Life Cycle and Self-Fertilization,” which is published in the American Journal of Botany. See page 38 for a story about the research she and Landon Edwards ’16 are conducting.

Education professor Annie Jonas, Ed.D., was invited to present “ High Impact Practices, Far Reaching Ripples for First Year Students” at the South Carolina Campus Compact Summit.

She also presented “Mindfulness in the Classroom for Teachers and Students” to K-12 teachers enrolled in Outward Bound’s Educators’ Initiative.

Outdoor leadership/environmental studies professor Mallory McDuff, Ph.D., spoke about faith and climate change to local congregations. She also had essays published in national outlets, including “Blood Lines” in BuzzFeed, “Praying Like Wild: An A-Z Trail Guide” in The Rumpus, “A Climate Morality Tale with Momentum” in Patheos, and “Lessons from a Solitary Holiday” in Huffington Post.

Counselor Jil Meadows ’84 was recognized by the Nashville Songwriters Association as a “Writer to Watch.”

Philosophy professor Jay Miller, Ph.D., presented the paper “Art and the Liberal Arts at Black Mountain College” at the annual meeting of Black Mountain College Studies. His review of “The Dialectics of Aesthetic Agency” is published in Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. His article “Recognition or Reflexive Imagination?: The Role of Aesthetics in Hegel’s Social Theory” is published in Constellations, a peer-reviewed journal of political philosophy. Miller also was an invited lecturer for the German department at Gettysburg College, where he discussed how German aesthetic theory can help us understand contemporary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.

Art professor Lara Nguyen presented a performance art piece titled “Grapefruit” at Union Street Gallery in Chicago Heights and was awarded first prize.

Library director Chris Nugent was an invited guest speaker at Ferrum College, Lindsey Wilson College and Bethany College where she presented programs based on her Appalachian College Association-supported sabbatical project. Her presentation was titled “Remembering, Reflecting, Reckoning: German Women and the Long Shadow of National Socialism.”

Outdoor leadership professor Marty O’Keefe, Ed.D., presented “ Taking a Pulse: How Are We Preparing the Next Generation of Socially Just, Outdoor Educators?” at the Annual Association for Experiential Education International Conference.

History and political science professor Philip Otterness, Ph.D., presented the talk “From the Rhineland to the Hudson River Valley: The Palatine Migration of 1709-1710” to a full house at the Elmendorph Inn (c. 1760) in Red Hook, New York. The talk was sponsored by Dutchess County and the local historical society as part of the county’s Heritage Days celebrations.

Outdoor leadership professor Jill Overholt’s, Ph.D., book “ Natural Environments and Human Health” is published by CABI. Her article, “Gender Matters: Exploring the Process of Developing Resilience Through Outdoor Adventure,” is published in the Journal of Experiential Education. In May, she led a study abroad course to Armenia, where she and students examined the culture, natural environment and the current state of adventure education and environmental education.

Music professor Kevin Kehrberg’s, Ph.D., article, “More than Meets the Ear: The Agency of Hindustani Music in the Lives and Careers of John Coltrane and George Harrison,” appears in the book “The Changing World Religion Map: Sacred Places, Identities, Practices and Politics.”

Psychology professor Bob Swoap, Ph.D., presented “Peak Performance: Four Keys” at Mars Hill University; “Three Exercises for the Mindful Student” at the University of North Carolina at Asheville; and “Mindfulness in the Classroom: Merging Science and Practice,” a roundtable at the 37th Annual National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology.

Global studies professor Jeff Keith, Ph.D., presented “Producing Miss Saigon: Colonial Imaginings, Postcolonial Realities and Sensual Geographies in Wartime Journalism, 1954-1975” at the 2014 annual meeting of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. He also attended an advanced oral history institute at the University of California’s Bancroft Library Regional Oral History Office. In the spring, he joined the board of directors for the South Asheville Cemetery Association, an organization dedicated to preserving the oldest public African-American cemetery in Western North Carolina. See page 31 for a story on the South Asheville Cemetery.

Modern languages professor Christine Swoap presented “Successes and Challenges of Integrating Service-Learning in the Beginning and Intermediate Classes” at a meeting of the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina; “DEAL or NO DEAL? Critical Reflection in Service Learning” at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages; and “Serving Our Community: Lessons Learned in Service-Learning in Western North Carolina” at the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina spring conference. She also participated in the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Workshop for Oral Proficiency Interview Assessment.

See a story on page 37 about sociology/anthropology professor Siti Kusujiarti’s, Ph.D., sabbatical research that focuses on gender justice and REDD+ in Indonesia.

“ Women in New Religions,” a book by sociology/anthropology professor Laura Vance, Ph.D., is published by New York University Press. Her research on the 19th-century prophet Ellen White is published as a chapter in “Ellen Harmon White: American Prophet.” The BBC interviewed Vance for a story on Ellen White and female charismatics.

Social Work program director Lucy Lawrence, Ph.D., published the chapter “Building Sustainability from the Start: Developing Local Leadership in Practicing as a Social Work Educator” in “International Collaboration.”

faculty & staff news

Archaeology professor David Moore and outdoor leadership/environmental studies professor Mallory McDuff received Magnarella Family Faculty Scholarship Awards for their record of scholarly publications.

Magnarella Family Faculty Scholarship Award Created and funded by the former Director of Peace and Justice Studies Paul Magnarella and his family, the Magnarella Family Faculty Scholarship Award recognizes Warren Wilson College faculty members for achievement in scholarly empirical and theoretical publications. In 2014, archaeology professor David Moore, Ph.D., was recognized with the award for his research and publications on the Berry archaeology site where Spanish explorer Juan Pardo built Fort San Juan in 1567— the first European settlement in the interior of what is now the United States. Outdoor leadership and environmental studies professor Mallory McDuff, Ph.D., won the 2015 award for her books, articles and op-eds on a range of topics, including conservation education, faith-based environmentalism, social justice and transformative policies and practices.

Recently retired peace and justice studies professor Paul Magnarella, Ph.D., J.D., published the article “The 1994 Rwandan Genocide” in E-International Relations. He also reviewed two books: “Converging Europe for the Journal of American Studies of Turkey” and “The Long Divergence: How Islamic Law Held Back the Middle East” for the International Journal of Turkish Studies.

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MFA BOOKSHELF

Awards and works

by MFA Program for Writers alumni and faculty

AWARDS “ Queen Sugar” (Penguin, 2014) by Natalie Baszile ’07 (fiction) is being made into a television series, directed by Ava DuVernay, for the Oprah Winfrey Network. Pictured above, by permission. Courtesy of Penguin Random House.

Stories by fiction faculty members Charles Baxter, Ph.D., Lauren Groff and Laura van den Berg are included in “Best American Short Stories 2014,” (Mariner, 2014) edited by Jennifer Egan. “ A Several World” by Brian Blanchfield ’99 (poetry) is the winner of the Academy of American Poets James Laughlin Prize and longlisted for the National Book Award.

Fiction faculty member Christopher Castellani, poetry faculty member Mary Szybist and Meghan O’Rourke ’05 (poetry) received Guggenheim Fellowships.

See page 26 for an excerpt from faculty member Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “All the Light We Cannot See” (Scribner, 2014).

“Its Day Being Gone” (Penguin, 2014) by Rose McLarney ’10 (poetry) is a National Poetry Series winner. Pictured above by permission.

Photo: Travis Hall.

Alicia Jo Rabins ’09 (poetry) won the APR/ Honickman First Book Prize. Her poetry collection “ Divinity School” will be published in 2016.

Jenny Johnson ’11 (poetry) is a winner of one of this year’s Whiting Awards.

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Faculty member Alan Shapiro is a runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize in poetry for “Reel to Reel” (University of Chicago Press, 2014).

Andy Young ’11 (poetry) – “All Night It Is Morning” (Dialogos Books, 2014)

Karen Smyte ’15 (fiction) won the 2015 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize.

The winning story, “Anja,” was performed June 10, 2015, at Symphony Space in Manhattan in conjunction with the public radio program “Selected Shorts.”

FACULTY PUBLICATIONS

ALUMNI PUBLICATIONS Kathleen Aponick ’89 (poetry) – “Bright Realm” (Turning Point, 2013) Elizabeth T. Gray Jr. ’09 (poetry) – “Series: India” (Four Way Books, 2015) Kathleen Jesme ’00 (poetry) – “Albedo” (Ahsahta, 2014) Diana Lueptow ’11 (poetry) – “Little Nest” (Kent State University Press, 2015) Jynne Dilling Martin ’06 (poetry) – “We Mammals in Hospitable Times” (Carnegie Mellon, 2015) Barbara Klein Moss ’96 (fiction) – “The Language of Paradise” (W.W. Norton, 2015)

Charles Baxter, Ph.D. – “There’s Something I Want You to Do” (Pantheon, 2015) Marianne Boruch – “Cadaver, Speak” (Copper Canyon, 2014) Karen Brennan, Ph.D. – “Little Dark” (Four Way Books, 2014) Liam Callanan – “Listen” (Four Way Books, 2015) Maud Casey – “The Man Who Walked Away” (Bloomsbury, 2014) Lauren Groff – “Fates and Furies” (Riverhead, 2015) Tony Hoagland, Ph.D. – “Twenty Poems That Could Save America” (Graywolf, 2015) Antonya Nelson – “Funny Once” (Bloomsbury, 2014) Michael Parker – “All I Have in This World” (Algonquin, 2014)

Nathan Poole ’11 (fiction) – “Pathkiller as the Holy Ghost” (Quarterly West, 2015) and “Father Brother Keeper” (Sarabande, 2015)

Peter Turchi – “A Muse and a Maze” (Trinity University Press, 2014)

Laura van Prooyen ’10 (poetry) – “Our House Was on Fire” (Ashland Poetry Press, 2015)

Laura van den Berg – “Find Me” (FSG, 2015)

MEMORANDA

In Memoriam We remember the following for their service and dedication to Warren Wilson College.

David C. Beebe (1922-2015) David Beebe, longtime staff member, volunteer and friend of the College, died Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015. A fixture on campus for nearly half a century, Beebe worked in the Accounting Office from 1963 to 1988, which included the position of the College Controller. Although he retired in 1988, he volunteered another 19 years as recording secretary in the Advancement Office. To honor his work at the College, his cousin Martha Conrad established the David C. Beebe Scholarship for International Students. At Homecoming 1996, he was recognized with the Distinguished Service Award for his dedication to the College. Beyond Warren Wilson he was a lector and Eucharistic Minister at the Cathedral of All Souls, an AIDS Buddy through the Red Cross and served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. He was the widower of Joan Beebe, a former Dean of the College. The Joan Beebe Teaching Fellowship, honoring her memory, annually brings an MFA graduate back to Warren Wilson to teach undergraduate classes.

George E. Stuart III (1935-2014)

ASHEVILLE FARM SCHOOL

WARREN WILSON COLLEGE

George E. Stuart III, a member of the College’s Board of Trustees from 1999 to 2014, died Wednesday, June 11, 2014.

During his tenure on the Board, he served on the Academic Affairs, Student Life and Triad Education committees. He also led a trip for trustees and friends of the College to Mayan sites in the Yucatan.

He attended commencement regularly, presented lectures, taught classes and hosted hundreds of students at his Center for Mayan Research. An internationally known archaeologist, educator and author specializing in the Maya culture, he and his wife Melinda, a museums and cultural history consultant, established the Boundary End Archaeology Research Center. At the National Geographic Society, he served as vice president for research and exploration, staff archaeologist and senior editor of its magazine. Born in Camden, South Carolina, Stuart received a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of South Carolina, a master’s degree in anthropology from George Washington University and a doctorate in anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Thomas O. McCurry ’39 April 2, 2015

Jeanette Shelton Tweed ’46 July 31, 2014

Howard H. Buckner ’41 Jan. 26, 2014

Jack Sawyer ’47 Dec. 11, 2014

Aida Torres White ’41 April 21, 2014

Florence Marie Dalton Keith ’48 April 20, 2014

Walter Hall ’42 April 21, 2014

Roger M. Smith ’51 July 17, 2014

James Luther Robinson ’42 Aug. 17, 2014

Joe Louis Taylor ’53 Oct. 24, 2014

Ray Buckner ’43 Oct. 31, 2014

Omar H. Toyos ’54 Feb. 2, 2014

Cecil Conrad Garland ’43 May 11, 2014

Bruce J. Arrowood ’55 Feb. 15, 2014

William Lloyd Head ’43 Dec. 28, 2014

Adeeb Elias Saikaly ’55 Dec. 25, 2014

John A. Higdon ’43 May 20, 2014

Lloyd G. Bates ’59 May 13, 2014

J. Peter Pons Feb. 4, 2015

Julia Frances Williams ’59 March 8, 2014

Stuart U. Buice (1942-2015)

Hugh D. Verner (1919-2015)

Stuart Buice, a former member of the College’s Board of Trustees, died Sunday, March 29, 2015. While serving on the College’s Board of Trustees from 2010 to 2014, she was a member and Vice Chair of the Education, Triad Education, Student Life and Trusteeship committees.

William T. Buice III, her husband for 50 years, served on the Board of Trustees from 1993 to 2008. Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Buice received her bachelor’s degree from Duke University and her master’s degree from New York University. For its 20-year history, she was the managing trustee of the Acriel Foundation, which supported environmental, public health, cultural and literary projects in North Carolina and along the East Coast. In New York, she was active in educational, social service and civic activities.

A lover of music and dancing, she attended the Swannanoa Gathering where she learned to play the mountain dulcimer and enjoyed clogging.

Everyone who had the privilege of knowing Buice will remember her as a woman of rare grace, wit and intelligence.

Dr. Hugh Verner, former Chair of the College’s Board of Trustees, died Tuesday, March 24, 2015. He joined the Board of Trustees in 1984, served as Chair from 1988 to 1993 and became Board Chair Emeritus in 1994. Dr. Verner and his late wife, Danny, established the Hugh and Margaret Verner Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships for domestic or international students who are the first in their families to enter college.

He was the co-Chair of the College’s Centennial Campaign (1994-1998) that raised more than $25 million. In 2012, he received the College’s Distinguished Service Award. He also was a member of the Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church. Born in Florence, South Carolina, he received his bachelor’s degree from Davidson College and his master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He finished his residency in internal medicine at Case Western Reserve University Hospital. A captain in the United States Army Medical Corps from 1945 to 1947, he completed his clinical training at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

DORLAND-BELL SCHOOL Marietta Davis Blevins ’39 March 13, 2014 Isabel Payne Czuba ’39 Aug. 12, 2014 Dorothy Reid Tessier ’39 April 17, 2014 Mavis Shelton Williams Sept. 18, 2014 ASHEVILLE NORMAL AND TEACHERS COLLEGE Edna Hague Leonard ’36 May 19, 2014 Mae Jones Long ’37 April 24, 2014

Hikmat R. Antonios ’63 May 27, 2014 Mary Martha Carieo Allen ’63 July 31, 2014 Jonathan Emerick ’70 Jan. 6, 2015 Terry Sybrant ’72 Sept. 17, 2014 Melvin A. Foster ’73 Aug. 15, 2014 William J. Aiken ’78 Aug. 25, 2014 Joseph Townsend ’87 April 10, 2015 Danielle Camilla Joyner ’05 May 30, 2014 Nina Anmahian Lantis ’12 Sept. 19, 2014

Karene Hutchison Bishop ’40 Sept. 5, 2014

MFA PROGRAM FOR WRITERS

Ruth Scruggs Porter ’40 April 25, 2014

Judy Gaines Young ’89 Jan. 13, 2015

Margie Ragan Brian ’42 March 15, 2014 Gladys Thomas Marion ’42 March 18, 2014 Meredith Mahaffey McSherry ’42 Jan. 22, 2014 Evangeline Sparks Small ’42 June 11, 2014 Frances Dellinger Spencer ’43 May 27, 2014 Sarah Roberts Brookshire ’44 March 12, 2014 Martha Jolley Kirk ’44 Nov. 12, 2014 WARREN WILSON HIGH SCHOOL Ann Cook Bird ’45 Aug. 15, 2014 William D. McMurray ’45 April 11, 2014 Caroline Blizzard Mitchell ’45 May 8, 2014 Charmaine Crossan Holbert ’46 March 27, 2014

EMPLOYEES, VOLUNTEERS, TRUSTEES, AND FRIENDS David C. Beebe Jan. 4, 2015 Stuart Upchurch Buice March 29, 2015 Ruby Gregg Feb. 12, 2014 Nancy Hofmann April 27, 2014 Adelaide E. Key Aug. 20, 2014 Louis Miles April 26, 2014 Helen Lucille Millar Jan. 25, 2015 Eloise R. Snyder Oct. 13, 2014 George E. Stuart June 11, 2014 Hugh D. Verner March 24, 2015

James M. Martin ’46 Dec. 15, 2014 George Edward Scott ’49 June 27, 2014

OWL&SPADE MAGAZINE I

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MEMORANDA

President Steven Solnick discusses American politics with Peter Baker (left) and Cold War intrigue with Peter Finn (right).

Global Impact Forum features award-winning journalists The College’s new Global Impact Forum brought compelling and in-depth conversation about world politics to standingroom-only crowds gathered in Asheville during the 2014-15 academic year. Hosted by President Solnick, each presentation was a lively tête-à-tête rich with candid insights and pointed humor grounded by an understanding of the issues that change the world we live in.

The first Global Impact Forum featured Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times and best-selling author. He and President Solnick’s lively banter focused on American politics in the wake of midterm elections, international politics (especially the tensions with Russia and the war in Ukraine), the legacy of the Bush-Cheney administration, and the future of journalism in the digital age.

Before joining The Times in 2008, Peter Baker was a reporter for 20 years at The Washington Post, where he covered the White House during the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Between stints at the White House, Baker and his wife, Susan Glasser, spent four years as Moscow Bureau Chiefs, chronicling the rise of Vladimir Putin. Baker is the author of several notable books on U.S. Presidents Bush and Clinton as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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WARREN WILSON COLLEGE

Baker has won the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Coverage of the Presidency, the Aldo Beckman Memorial Award, and the Merriman Smith Memorial Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage.

The second Global Impact Forum featured Peter Finn, national security editor of The Washington Post. He and President Solnick discussed terrorism, counterterrorism and global politics, as well as the story of Cold War intrigue told in Finn’s coauthored book “The Zhivago Affair: The Kremlin, the CIA and the Battle over a Forbidden Book,” a finalist for the 2015 National Book Critics Circle award. Finn has served as national security editor since 2013 and was part of a team of editors that oversaw the Pulitzer Prize-winning stories based on the documents leaked by Edward Snowden.

The first Global Impact Forum was made possible in part by a contribution from Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, the Himan Group, and the second was made possible, in part, by both the Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, the Himan Group, as well as Roberts & Stevens, P.A. Attorneys at Law. The Global Impact Forum continues in the 2015-16 academic year with the slate of speakers announced later this year.

WARREN WILSON COLLEGE

INSPIRING HEARTS AND MINDS SINCE 1894

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ALGERNON SYDNEY SULLIVAN AWARD

Carlos Lara '11 embraces his sister, Ana Lara '15, after she receives the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award at the 2015 Honors and Awards Ceremony. Sponsored by the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation, the award is presented each year to a graduating senior in recognition of personal character, integrity and service to others. In addition to the award, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation established the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Scholarship in 1998 for students of the same merit.