October 2011

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News & Events

Homecoming and Family Weekend: Sept. 30 — Oct. 2
Newsweek names WWC as No. 3 “Most Service-oriented” college
Janis Ian to speak at 2012 Commencement
AlumniLink
Food, Biofuels and the Environment
Fall Owl & Spade
Around the table with pastors and interns
Join us Nov. 5 for Fall Open House
In the media
Links

Homecoming and Family Weekend: Sept. 30 — Oct. 2

Homecoming and Family Weekend are this weekend! Join us for a chance to visit with friends and family, eat tasty barbecue on the Farm and cheer on the Owls in soccer. Online registration closes on Tuesday, September 27, but barbecue tickets will be sold at the Farm on Friday evening ($12 adults, $5 children). For more information, contact Ally Donlan.

Newsweek names WWC as No. 3 “Most Service-oriented" college

The College’s pioneering service program has received another national recognition for its work in preparing students for effective community engagement. Newsweek selected Warren Wilson as No. 3 on its nationwide list of “Most Service-Oriented” colleges and universities. In the feature, “The Best Colleges for You,” the magazine calls the institutions “the top schools in the nation for encouraging students to give back to the community and spend time in selfless service.”

WWC Dean of Service Cathy Kramer said, “We are very pleased with our third-place ranking in Newsweek. With service as part of our educational Triad of academics, work and service, we firmly believe that experience in the community not only prepares students for a life of civic engagement, but also enhances their academic learning.”

Janis Ian to speak at 2012 Commencement

President Pfeiffer announced recently that Grammy Award winner Janis Ian has accepted an invitation to deliver the main address at 2012 Commencement on May 12. Ian and the College have forged strong ties over the past few years. In 2010 the Pearl Foundation, founded by Ian and named in honor of her late mother, established the Pearl Foundation Scholarship at the College. This summer, Ian was one of several Grammy Award winners who taught and performed at The Swannanoa Gathering during its 20th anniversary meetings on campus. Although well known as a singer-songwriter, Ian also is a magazine columnist and science fiction author. Her autobiography, Society’s Child, received much acclaim upon its publication in 2008. She has received several Grammy nominations and in 1975 won “Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female” for her huge hit record “At Seventeen.” On Oct. 11, 1975, she and Billy Preston were the first musical guests on the debut of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”

AlumniLink

Connect and stay in touch with your fellow alumni through AlumniLink, our online alumni directory. AlumniLink allows you to search for alumni living in your area or working in your field, update your personal information, register for Warren Wilson events and more. If you’ve already registered for AlumniLink, thank you! We hope you are enjoying its features. If you have not yet registered, please visit AlumniLink to log in today.

Food, Biofuels and the Environment

Next up at the Environmental Leadership Center’s Sustainability Speaker Series is David Pimentel, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University. He joins us on October 5 at 7 p.m. in the College Chapel to present “Food, Biofuels and the Environment.” Dr. Pimentel’s research spans the field of sustainable agriculture to include ecological and economic aspects of pest control, biotechnology, conservation, natural resource management, environmental policy and population ecology. Read an interview with Dr. Pimentel. The Sustainability Speaker Series is free and open to the public. For more information call 828.771.3006.

Fall Owl & Spade

If you haven’t already, you’ll soon receive the fall issue of Owl & Spade. Along with news and other features, you’ll find stories on water bears in the Smokies, anthropology professor Ben Feinberg’s sabbatical research in Mexico and the MFA Program for Writers 35th anniversary. You can always find Owl & Spade online.

Around the table with pastors and interns

On the porch of the garden cabin, 15 local Presbyterian pastors recently gathered over lunch to welcome three new seminary interns from the new For Such a Time as This pastoral residency program. This innovative program pairs small, under-served congregations with recent seminary graduates willing to commit two years of service. “This is the largest gathering of local Presbyterian pastors outside of a Presbytery meeting in my nine years in ministry here,” one pastor said. Around the table, colleagues shared advice and inspiring stories from their ministries in the region and learned about the College’s Presbyterian roots, covenant relations and spiritual life.

Read more

Join us Nov. 5 for Fall Open House

Fall Open House for prospective students and their families will be held Saturday, Nov. 5. Open House begins with registration and an early-bird concert at 9:30 a.m. at Kittredge Theatre and end by mid-afternoon. Prospective students will be able to meet faculty, staff and current students; tour the campus; learn more about the Triad academic program and financial aid; and have an admission interview. Call the admission office at 828.771.2021 or 800.934.3536, or send an email. You also can register online.