May 8, 2008 issue
Author Robert Morgan, Coach Jerry Moore Among ASU Grad Speakers
Story by Anna Oakes
Appalachian State University will hold spring commencement ceremonies Saturday and Sunday, May 10 and 11, and several renowned speakers will address the graduates. Each of ASU’s six colleges will hold its own ceremony.
The commencement ceremonies are free and open to the public. For information about parking for the handicapped, call the university’s traffic office at 828-262-2878.
ASU 2008 Spring and Summer Graduation Numbers
College of Arts and Sciences: 766
Walker College of Business: 361
Reich College of Education: 186
College of Fine and Applied Arts: 591
Hayes School of Music: 51
Cratis D. Williams Graduate School: 420
Total: 2,375
College of Arts and Sciences: Saturday, 9:00 a.m.
The graduation ceremony for ASU’s largest college begins at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, in Holmes Convocation Center, featuring award-winning author Robert Morgan. Morgan is the author of Boone, A Biography, the novels Gap Creek, Brave Enemies and The Truest Pleasure and 11 books of poetry. He has been the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Guggenheim fellowship and a Rockefeller Foundation fellowship.
He also has received the James G. Hanes Poetry Prize from the Fellowship of Southern Writers and the North Carolina Literature Award. In May 2007, he received the Academy Award in Literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Morgan continues to serve as Kappa Alpha Professor of English at Cornell University.
Hayes School of Music: Saturday, 1:00 p.m.
The Hayes School of Music will hold its ceremony in the Broyhill Music Center at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 10. William Henry Curry, resident conductor of the N.C. Symphony, will deliver the address.
Curry is in his 12th season with the N.C. Symphony. He also is the artistic director for Summerfest and all N.C. Symphony summer programs. A native of Pittsburgh, Curry started conducting and composing music at age 14. At age 21, he was named assistant conductor of the Richmond Chamber Orchestra.
Curry has conducted more than 40 orchestras, including appearances with the Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, National, Detroit, Denver, American and San Diego symphonies and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In November 1997, he made his debut in Israel with the Israel Camerata Jerusalem Orchestra. He has also conducted orchestras in Bangkok and Taiwan.
College of Fine and Applied Arts: Saturday, 4:00 p.m.
ASU head football coach Jerry Moore will speak to graduates of the College of Fine and Applied Arts at a ceremony scheduled for Saturday, May 10, at 4:00 p.m. in Holmes Convocation Center.
Moore recently concluded his 26th year as a head football coach, with the past 19 at Appalachian. He continues to raise the standard for coaching excellence at the national level. In 2007, Moore was once again named the American Football Coaches Association NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Coach of the Year, becoming the first Division I coach in the 73-year history of the AFCA Coach of the Year awards to receive the prestigious honor three years in a row.
Moore led the Mountaineers to a 13-2 record in 2007, including a monumental win over No. 5 Michigan in the season opener, and the Mountaineers’ third straight NCAA Division I football national championship. He has compiled a 167-70 overall record at Appalachian.
Reich College of Education: Sunday, 9:00 a.m.
The Reich College of Education holds its graduation ceremony at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 11, featuring a multimedia presentation at Holmes Convocation Center.
Cratis D. Williams Graduate School: Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The Cratis D. Williams Graduate School commencement ceremony is scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Holmes Convocation Center. It features a media presentation highlighting student research.
Walker College of Business: Sunday, 4:00 p.m.
The Walker College of Business graduation is at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday at Holmes Convocation Center, featuring speaker Austin Adams.
Adams is an Appalachian alumnus and former executive vice president and corporate CIO of JPMorgan Chase.
The 35-year banking veteran and Boone native spent most of his career overseeing technology and operations during dramatic consolidation in the industry. At JPMorgan Chase, Adams was responsible for technology and operations, managing almost 28,000 employees and a multi-billion dollar budget. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase, he was executive vice president and CIO of Bank One.
Prior to joining Bank One in 2001, he was CIO at First Union Corporation, now Wachovia Corporation. Adams became the head of technology and operations at First Union in 1985, following the merger with Northwestern Financial Corporation, which he joined in 1973.
Adams earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an M.B.A. from Appalachian.
Lavender Graduation Reception at ASU May 9
Reservation Deadline Friday
A lavender graduation reception will be held Friday, May 9, at 3:00 p.m. in Plemmons Student Union’s Blue Ridge Ballroom at Appalachian State University. The event is sponsored by the university’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Taskforce, TransACTION and SAGA (Sexuality and Gender Alliance).
The reception will honor gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersexed and ally (GLBTQIA) undergraduate and graduate students who received a degree from the university in December 2007 or will receive a degree from the university in May.
Attire is business formal. Reservations are required by Friday, May 2. To respond, e-mail asulavendergraduation@gmail.com or call 828-262-6724. Indicate if you are a graduating student, guest or faculty or staff member and how many individuals will accompany you to the reception.
For additional information, or to nominate a graduate, faculty member or staff person for a special award of recognition, email asulavendergraduation@gmail.com. Include the nominee’s name and why he or she should be honored.
The reception will celebrate the achievements made by these students, faculty and staff and their contributions to the university.
Despite Economic Uncertainty, Job Market Looks Good for 2008 Class
Story by Anna Oakes
More than 2,000 students will graduate from Appalachian State University this spring and summer, and many of them will be looking for employment.
ASU will graduate 2,375 students this May and August, according to the most recent numbers calculated by the ASU Registrar’s Office. A few more graduation applications are continuing to trickle in.
By college, the numbers are College of Arts and Sciences, 766; Walker College of Business, 361; Reich College of Education, 186; College of Fine and Applied Arts, 591; Hayes School of Music, 51; and the Cratis D. Williams Graduate School, 420.
Although news headlines have warned of a weakening economy for well over a year now, recent reports by the National Association of Colleges and Employers remains optimistic about the job market for the Class of 2008.
In March, the association released a report indicating employers expect to hire 8 percent more new college graduates from the Class of 2008 than were hired from the 2007 class. Those numbers are down, however, from fall 2007 estimates, when employers projected a 16 percent increase in hiring of 2008 graduates.
And in April, the NACE released its spring Salary Survey report that also yielded positive news for soon-to-be graduates. It indicates that average starting salary offers for 2008 graduates are up 5.3 percent compared to 2007 graduates.
“Things look like they’re good,” said Sharon Jensen, assistant director of the Career Development Center at ASU. “What we’re noticing is employers are still looking for the basics. Even though industries and organizations feel pinched, they are looking to attract talent for when things get better and to get the jobs done.”
Dr. Walter Fluker to Deliver Commencement Address
at Lees-McRae College
Dr. Walter Earl Fluker, executive director of the Leadership Center at Morehouse College in Atlanta, will deliver the commencement address at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk on Saturday, May 10, at 10:00 a.m. at the Williams Physical Education Center.
At Morehouse College, Fluker also serves as Coca-Cola Professor of Leadership Studies and is currently serving as interim director of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection. Since 1992, he has served as editor of the Howard Thurman Papers Project. Under his direction, the center has developed into a preeminent academic center for the study and practice of ethical leadership in national and global venues.
He is currently engaged in expanding a multifaceted international leadership project in South Africa in partnership with The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, the United States Department of State and the African Presidential Archives and Research Center at Boston University.
Known as an expert in the theory and practice of ethical leadership, Fluker is a featured speaker, lecturer and workshop leader at foundations, businesses, corporations, religious institutions, colleges and universities as well as consultant to both national and international organizations. In his consulting practice, he works with professionals and emerging leaders in both the public and private domains.
“I met Dr. Fluker in Salzburg, Austria, at the 22nd International Studies Program,” said Dr. Fiona Chrystall, assistant dean of Assessment and Effectiveness and associate professor of Environmental Science. “He stood out in a crowd of 45 very capable faculty and administrators as someone with a very thoughtful and informed approach to life and learning. His considerable experience in working with many different organizations on ethical leadership issues means that he will provide our graduates with a wonderful message that clearly relates to Lees-McRae College’s mission of ‘inspiring and enabling individuals to contribute to a changing society with integrity and civic responsibility’ as they move to the next stage of their lives.”
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