Inside MHC

Alex Miller

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Inside MHC. This e-newsletter is designed to inform, update and entertain alumni, donors and friends of Mars Hill College.

Our purpose is to share with you “insider” information of regular happenings on campus. There are stories, activities and information generated daily that we look forward to sharing. Many may not be “news worthy” to the greater public. That doesn’t mean they aren’t of interest to those closest to us. And so with this in mind we offer you Inside MHC.

Stories will generally be brief with links to pages offering greater detail should you desire to learn more about a particular subject. We’ll even offer you the chance to give feedback directly or ask questions of the writer if you are so inclined.

We would value and encourage your feedback and input. Our production schedule will be roughly every six weeks or so. More often, if we can get our volunteer writers to put down their coffee cups. Enjoy.

Alex Miller
Vice President for Advancement

Ferguson Math and Science Center underway
Future Mars Hill students will soon benefit by a new state –of –the- art learning space. Construction began in December on the Ferguson Math and Science Center. Located at the corner of N.C. Highway 213 and Athletic Street, on property given to the college by J.C. and Elizabeth Ponder of Greer, South Carolina, the 38,000 square foot structure will more than double Mars Hill’s science facilities. The Center is the largest project within the Values & Vision Capital Campaign.

College stadium to receive much needed facelift
Two longstanding Trustee families have made lead gifts to the athletic portion of our capital campaign that will enable us to open the fall 2007 season in a stadium with an entirely new look, according to college athletic director David Riggins. Jud and Jo Ellen Ammons of Raleigh and Bob and Lois Merrill of Brevard have made two of the largest gifts to athletics in the school's history.

300 MHC alumni to be recognized
To celebrate our 150 years as a college, we have lifted up 150 distinguished alumni from the 20th century to highlight as examples of great work across various career paths. We have also lifted up 150 recent “alumni of promise” to highlight and keep an eye on over the next 50 years, to see what kind of impact they make on the world. They'll be honored at an event on campus this April.

Recognizing student achievement
As Mars Hill College celebrates its sesquicentennial during this 2006–07 school year, we are proud to inaugurate a new academic tradition. On April 18, the college will celebrate its first-ever Spring SLAM, an entire day dedicated to events that feature student research, performance, and creativity (SLAM = Student Liberal Arts Mosaic). The overarching goal of the Spring SLAM is to foster and encourage a campus culture that honors and rewards the hard work, dedication, and discipline that lead to success and achievement in liberal arts education, in professional life, and in the world. Classes will be suspended and replaced with a schedule of opening and closing ceremonies, concurrent sessions, panel discussions, poster sessions, performances, and exhibitions. Throughout the day, students will present the best of their work in a wide variety of subject areas, sharing it in a spirit of intellectual competition and cooperation. The Spring SLAM will provide an opportunity for students to exhibit their passion, creativity, and achievement across a range of academic pursuits. It also will provide an opportunity for all members of the MHC family to recognize, honor, and promote the accomplishments of our students. We invite you to join us.

Alumni caravan hits the road
MHC President Dan Lunsford and members of the Alumni Relations and Advancement staffs invite you to join them at some upcoming events. During the week of March 19, they'll be holding gatherings for alumni and other friends of the college in three cities. First up is a barbecue dinner at the Village Chapel in Pinehurst, NC, at 6:30pm on Tuesday, March 20. The next day, Wednesday, March 21, they'll be in Wilmington, NC, for a noon luncheon at Wilson's Restaurant. And on Thursday, March 22, join them at noon at Highland Country Club in Fayetteville, NC. For more information or to make reservations for any of these events, contact Barbara Hassen at (828) 689-1102 or bhassen@mhc.edu.

Knowledge Bowl moves to MHC
The 39th annual Knowledge Bowl will be held at Mars Hill College over two weekends in March, with preliminary rounds taking place on Saturday, March 24, and the championship rounds on Saturday, March 31. Teams of students from high schools across western North Carolina will compete for the top prize of $400, the right to display the traveling Knowledge Bowl trophy, and the opportunity to move on to a national competition.

Professor wins novel contest
MHC English professor Dr. Hal McDonald has been called the "next great crime writer" by Court TV. Dr. McDonald won the cable network's Search for the Next Great Crime Writer Contest with his story "A Simple Case of Revenge."

The history of the environmental movement
MHC history professor Dr. Kathy Newfont is hard at work on a new book examining the history of American environmentalism. Commons Environmentalism: Forest Politics in Western North Carolina is a history of postwar environmental battles fought over the nearly one million acres of National Forest land in western North Carolina. Dr. Newfont hopes the book "will deepen our understanding of American environmentalism, shed light on the history of our own Blue Ridge mountain woods, and help us to see not only trees but also forests with newly appreciative eyes."

Study abroad
MHC Spanish professor Dr. Greg Clemons has been awarded the Summer 2007 SCOLT Scholarship for study in Spain or Ecuador in the summer of 2007. The award is sponsored by Estudio Sampere and awarded by the Board of Directors of the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT).

Civil rights march reenactment
Anyone who would like to participate is invited to join students, faculty and staff in a reenactment of the civil rights marches of the 1960s. March will begin at 7pm on February 15 at the arch on College Street and then to the Loft for readings and poetry inspired by Black History.

The sounds of Madison County
The Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies presents- The Madison County Project: Documenting the Sound. This documentary is about ballad singing and filmmaking in Madison County, NC, and will be screened on Mars Hill College's campus on February 16. Get all the details at this link.

Spring theatre performances
MHC Theatre Arts presents the musical comedy Company as its first performance of the spring. Show dates are February 22-25, with performances in Owen Theatre. Check out the complete spring theatre schedule at http://www.mhc.edu/theatre/schedule.asp

Art show
The Sesquicentennial MHC Student and Faculty Art Show opens February 27 and will be on display through March 30, and will inaugurate a permanent campus exhibit.

Free concert
The U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus will present a concert on Saturday, March 3, in Moore Auditorium; admission is free, but tickets are required. Complete information, including how to order tickets by mail, is available by clicking this link.

Music recitals
MHC music student recitals begin in early March. Get the complete schedule at http://www.mhc.edu/music/performance.asp

Cloggers' spring concert
The Bailey Mountain Cloggers, fresh off their 13th national championship title, will present their Spring Concert March 30 - April 1 in Moore Auditorium; more information at www.baileymountain.org

Spring sports
Want to catch the Mars Hill Lion athletic teams in action? Check out the complete spring schedules at http://sports.mhc.edu/additionalinfo/compsch.htm

For more events, go to http://thewell.mhc.edu/calendar

A man is having serious problems sleeping. He falls asleep fine every night, but tosses and turns and eventually is woken up halfway through the night by disturbing dreams. The insomnia is taking a toll on his health and driving his wife crazy too. She persuades him to go see his GP.

The doctor asks him the problem, what is it specifically about these dreams that is so disturbing? The fellow says, "Well, the dreams are just so surreal - I dream I'm an inanimate object; it's so weird that I'm up worried about it all night. One night I dream I'm a wigwam, the next night a teepee - wigwam, teepee, wigwam, and teepee."

Doctor mulls it over, then says, "You know, I've read an article in a recent APA journal about this and I think I know what's wrong with you - you're just two tents!"

February 15, 2007
Vol. 1, No. 1

Welcome and Latest News

Faculty Focus

Mark Your Calendar

World's Worst Jokes

Join us for the 2007 MHC
Alumni & Friends Trip

This year's trip is a 10-day tour of the southwestern United States from June 22 through July 1. Among the stops on this year's itinerary are the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, Sonora Desert, Verde Canyon Train, and Las Vegas.

Prices range from $1,755 to $2,255 per person, plus airfare, and the reservation deadline is March 15. For more information, including “early bird” discounts, contact Ophelia Degroot in the Mars Hill College Alumni Office at (828) 689-1438 or fdegroot@mhc.edu.

Special visitation days for Buncombe and Madison high school students

The Buncombe County Visitation Day will be held on Monday, February 19, and the Madison County Visitation Day will be held on Wednesday, February 21. Both events will be held in the afternoon beginning at 1:00 p.m., and are scheduled to coincide with the President's Day holiday for Buncombe students and an early dismissal day for Madison students, so students will not have to miss school for their college visits. For more information, contact the Admissions Office at (828) 689-1201 or admissions@mhc.edu.

Let your pastor know about our upcoming conference for ministers

"Navigating Through The Storms: Facing the Difficulties of Ministry with Faith and Purpose," Saturday, March 3, led by Dr. Charles H. Chandler Ministers of all denominations are invited to attend. Registration fee is $95; lunch is included. For information contact Dr. Gordon Benton, Director of Church and Community Relations, at (828) 689-1276 or gbenton@mhc.edu.