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Biology professor wins major grant

Magazines recognize Warren Wilson’s impact

Warren Wilson a ‘Best Buy’ in 2009 Fiske Guide

Advancement welcomes new staff

Swannanoa School of Culinary Arts

Waterwise–a whitewater history by Will Leverette ‘78

Featured Events

Weekend@WWC

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Inside Warren Wilson College

Events Calendar

Owl & Spade

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The Story Behind

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(828) 258-4521

Biology professor wins major National Science Foundation grant

WWC biology professor Amy Boyd and two ecologists have been awarded a grant of $500,000 from the National Science Foundation for research over the next three years. Boyd, Michelle Zjhra of Georgia Southern University and Robert Raguso of Cornell University will focus their research on foul-smelling red flowers that bloom in early spring in the southeastern United States. Despite being quite dissimilar and from different taxonomic groups, the flowers attract similar insects that feed on decaying organic matter. Research will seek to elucidate the relationships between these pollinators and flowers. Look for a story on this project in the winter 2009 issue of Owl & Spade.

Advancement welcomes new staff

Three advancement professionals have assumed new positions in the Advancement office at Warren Wilson. Ann Bass, former director of College for Seniors at UNC Asheville’s NC Center for Creative Retirement, is the new director of external relations at Warren Wilson. Previously she was director of marketing for Givens Estates United Methodist Retirement Community, and assistant dean of adult education at the University of Scranton. ‘Warren Wilson’s tradition of community and service was most attractive to me,” Bass said, “and these values are key to our success in working to support our mission and future.”

Asheville native Don Harris is the new director of development at the College. He is a graduate of Western Carolina University and has held development and marketing positions at Christ School, UNC Asheville, Montreat College, and most recently, MANNA FoodBank. ‘I have always thought very highly of Warren Wilson’s mission, especially the triad and environmental programs,” Harris said. “I am looking forward to meeting the faculty, staff, alumni and friends.”

Phil Leonard is Warren Wilson’s first director of advancement services, coordinating various functions that support the work of the Advancement office. He was previously the administrative and financial manager of The Open Door Community, an intentional Christian community in Atlanta that provides hospitality to homeless people and to prisoners and their families. Earlier in his career he held positions in the banking, computer software, and computer services industries.

“The College is very fortunate to have these three talented professionals joining our advancement team,” Vice President for Advancement Sallie-Grace Tate said. “Their experience and belief in the Warren Wilson College mission will further strengthen our staff as we make plans and prepare for the College’s next comprehensive campaign.”

Featured Events

2008 Weekend@WWC

Thanks to all who participated in the 5th annual Weekend@WWC. A great time was had by all as we experienced how fun the campus can be during the summer. From blacksmithing to belly dancing, “Beginnings and Endings,” to raku pottery, this year’s workshops became funshops. Check out the photos of friends and family who participated this year.

Mark your calendars for June 26-28, 2009. If you’re interested in teaching a class, contact alumni@warren-wilson.edu to learn more.

Weekend@WWC: Learn here, Play here, Relax here, Stay here.

For more events, see the Warren Wilson College Events Calendar.

Great voices converge at Warren Wilson

Two of the great voices in traditional and Celtic-roots music, each named Ritchie, came together July 8 during The Swannanoa Gathering for a spellbinding interview sprinkled with traditional songs.

Jean Ritchie, the legendary dulcimer player from the Kentucky Cumberlands, sat down for an interview at Warren Wilson with Fiona Ritchie, the Scottish host of NPR’s “The Thistle & Shamrock.” A rapt audience in Canon Lounge listened and even joined in on “Amazing Grace,” sung as Jean Ritchie said it was in ‘Mom’s old church.”

Jean Ritchie has won countless honors including the Master Music Maker Award, presented by The Swannanoa Gathering for lifetime achievement. She came to Warren Wilson this July for Traditional Song Week, the Gathering’s newest program.

Asked by Fiona Ritchie why traditional and Celtic-roots songs have endured over the centuries and continents, Jean Ritchie had a ready answer. ‘They’re good songs,” she said. ‘They wouldn’t have lasted all these years if they weren’t. They’re still meaningful, still beautiful.”

Although no date has been set, the Ritchie-Ritchie interview likely will air on “The Thistle & Shamrock” late this fall.

Magazines recognize Warren Wilson’s impact

For the second consecutive year, Blue Ridge Outdoors (BRO) has selected Warren Wilson as the Southeast’s “Greenest College.” BRO’s annual awards “honor the organizations, movements, trends, products, and individuals in the Southeast making a positive impact on the health of the planet and its people.”

The 20th anniversary issue of Blue Ridge Country names Warren Wilson College as one of 14 places and people who are shaping the region. In a feature titled “The Future of Appalachia: 14 People and Places Making a Difference in the Region,” Warren Wilson is the only college to be selected for its environmental leadership.

Warren Wilson a ‘Best Buy’ in 2009 Fiske Guide

The Fiske Guide to Colleges has named WWC as one of its 26 “Best Buys of 2009” among private colleges and universities nationwide. According to the guide, schools “qualify as Best Buys based on the quality of the academic offerings in relation to the cost of attendance.” The Fiske guide says Warren Wilson “is flush with engaging little quirks. It promotes global perspectives, puts students to work on the campus farm, and makes service-learning a central part of the educational experience.” The guide also notes, “Success at Warren Wilson is measured not only by grades, but by community service and a sense of stewardship.” In addition to giving the College high marks for its academics and social life, the Fiske guide awards Warren Wilson the highest possible rating for its overall quality of life: five stars, as opposed to the guide’s norm of three.

Swannanoa School of Culinary Arts

Diana, an avid herbalist, skilled pastry chef and former director of WWC’s Dorland Residence Hall, is one of many chefs at this year’s Swannanoa School of Culinary Arts, which is in its fourth year as a summer program at the College. If you’re interested in participating in a week (or a day) of culinary adventure, call (828) 301-2792.

Waterwise–a whitewater history by Will Leverette ‘78

A book by WWC alumnus and former paddling coach Will Leverette ’78 has been published by the History Press. A History of Whitewater Paddling in Western North Carolina: Water Wise is part history, part memoir as Leverette recounts the exhilarating adventures of paddling’s pioneers from 1923 to 1980.