ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – North Carolina Wesleyan College has launched a new, yearly tradition that allows graduating seniors to leave a mark on campus that will continue to grow for years to come. The tradition involves the planting of tulip and daffodil bulbs on an area of campus chosen by the seniors.
This past Monday, NC Wesleyan seniors who will be graduating in December 2019 or May 2020 gathered on campus in front of Pearsall Library to kick off the new tradition. The graduates had the opportunity to plant these bulbs as a symbol of their legacy at NC Wesleyan University. This annual event provides a burst of color, revitalizing natural spaces and offering years of beauty throughout campus for students, faculty, staff and visitors.
Dr. Duff surveyed the senior class in order to gauge location interest and confirm best available times to plant. In the future, the College plans to allow each senior class an opportunity to choose a different location unique to their gift.
“This is a creative and lasting way for our seniors to leave their mark on campus. As tours are conducted on campus, we can show visitors one way seniors are making their impact on the beautification of Wesleyan,” stated Interim President Dr. Evan D. Duff.
This new tradition nicely coordinates with Wesleyan’s continued efforts to expand its beautification of campus and positively impact the environment. Since 2017, Wesleyan has received Tree Campus USA® recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management. This program honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals.
Wesleyan Senior Receives Rocky Mount Kiwanis Club Scholarship
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – A North Carolina Wesleyan College senior, Jessica Wall, was recently awarded a scholarship from the Rocky Mount Kiwanis Club in memory of Mrs. Betsy Strandberg.
Wall, a native of Whitakers, North Carolina, attended high school at Northern Nash. She is currently majoring in Psychology with plans to graduate this spring. After graduation, she intends on pursuing her masters and doctorate. In her free time, Wall enjoys attending Covenant Campus Ministry on Wednesday nights, an outreach of Christ Covenant Church. During the summer, she works as a counselor with Lifeway FUGE Camps.
This scholarship was given in memory of Mrs. Betsy Strandberg, the first woman president of the Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce and the first female member of the Rocky Mount Kiwanis Club. Strandberg was active with North Carolina Wesleyan University as President of the Board of Visitors, Chair of “A Day for Wesleyan,” as well as numerous fund drives for the College, including The Dunn Center. She was inducted into the Twin Counties Hall of Fame in 2018.
Kiwanis International is a global community of clubs, members and partners dedicated to improving the lives of children one community at a time. Each community has different needs, and Kiwanis empowers members to pursue creative ways to serve the needs of children, such as fighting hunger, improving literacy and offering guidance. Kiwanis clubs host nearly 150,000 service projects each year.
Rotary Club Scholarships Awarded to NC Wesleyan Students
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – Twelve North Carolina Wesleyan College students recently became recipients of scholarships from The Rotary Club of Rocky Mount. These scholarships were made possible by proceeds raised during the Tackle the Tar 5K Obstacle Course Race, held back in May.
This September, The Rotary Club of Rocky Mount presented North Carolina Wesleyan College, with a check for $27,000 from this year’s Tackle the Tar. In just four short years, Tackle the Tar has given $234,000 to Nash Community College, Edgecombe Community College and NC Wesleyan University to help fund scholarships.
Scholarships provide significant support for many of NC Wesleyan’s students seeking to further their education. Wesleyan students are encouraged to apply by writing an essay highlighting their leadership, good citizenship, community spirit and academic progress. Applicants must also be a US Citizen, a resident of Nash or Edgecombe County, maintain a GPA of 2.75 or higher and considered a sophomore, junior or senior. Once applications have been received and reviewed by the Scholarship Committee, students who meet all requirements and exemplify the character of the Rotarian Scholar are awarded a generous scholarship.
This year’s North Carolina Wesleyan University Rotary Scholars are: Michael Parker, Brianna Skipwith, Miranda Massey, Kenya Dickens, Jessica Wall, Kevin Teague, Nya House, Kiara Spooner, Madison Gill, Latarsha Powell, Jy’maca Revis and Joynese Speller.
Rotary International is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves. Rotary members provide service to others, promote integrity and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through their fellowship of business, professional and community leaders.
Sony Music Entertainment Executive, December 2019 Commencement Speaker
Senior Vice President and Head of Human Resources, Americas, Sony Music Entertainment
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – North Carolina Wesleyan College is proud to announce Ms. Constance D. Williams as their December 2019 commencement speaker. A seasoned executive with over 26 years of human resource and business experience as well as previous adjunct professor at the College, Ms. Williams brings a wealth of knowledge to impart upon the upcoming graduating class. Her legacy of delivering trusted, forward thinking, creative and impactful insight within her field will inspire graduates as they transition into the next chapter of their lives, promotion opportunities and future careers.
“Constance is a positive force of nature in the world of human resources and organizational development. During her time as an adjunct professor, she instilled the highest level of knowledge, character and personal development with our students. I am so excited for our December class of 2019 to hear the wisdom she has to offer,” stated Wesleyan’s Interim President, Dr. Evan D. Duff.
Ms. Williams currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Head of Human Resources, Americas, Sony Music Entertainment located in New York, NY. She leads Sony Music’s talent acquisition and talent management functions.
Prior to her employment at Sony Music Entertainment, Ms. Williams was an adjunct professor at North Carolina Wesleyan College, credentialed to teach courses in Psychology, Business and Organizational Administration at all levels. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and her master’s degree from Columbia University. She also earned distinction having received Billboard Magazine’s 2018 Women in Music Award.
“Professor Williams was very attentive and you can tell that she genuinely cared about the success of her students. What I enjoyed most about this class was the authenticity in our class discussions and being able to apply real life situations to the information we were learning. She created unity in the class that allowed us all to participate and learn,” stated one of her former NCWC students.
In support of Wesleyan students’ future career exploration, Ms. Williams has created a Sony Music Entertainment job shadowing opportunity for students in Wesleyan’s Music Production and Human Resources programs. This year’s selected students, Will Plyler and Joshua Strausser, had the opportunity to visit the Sony Music Entertainment Headquarters in New York City over fall break. As part of their experiential learning, the students visited The Orchard, the renowned Sony recording studio, and shadowed some of Sony Music Entertainment’s top music production engineers. Wesleyan is grateful for this partnership with Sony Music Entertainment and hopes to continue building this relationship for future opportunities.
Wesleyan’s Youth Theology Institute Receives Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – North Carolina Wesleyan University was recently awarded with a $300,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. This grant will help to further the College’s efforts with its Youth Theology Institute (YTI), known as “Connect- YTI” on campus.
Connect, a summer camp and year-long mentorship program, exists to connect high school and college students to Christ, community and the church. During the past four years, more than 100 students have attended the program with the help of some 35 local churches that refer students. Connect has hosted several community-wide youth events and explored different theological topics – from Justice to Jesus in the Gospels – with the belief that theology (the study of God) is a life-long journey, not merely a religious study from a book.
Connect was launched in 2016 with a grant from Lilly Endowment as part of its nationwide initiative, High School Youth Theology Institutes at Colleges and Universities.
This new grant will help North Carolina Wesleyan University continue to support Connect during the next four years. Wesleyan hopes to continue strengthening the summer institute; training and equipping college students as mentors; hosting more guest speakers and artists; helping high school and college students with their discernment process of life; and providing mini conferences on campus to empower and equip lay leaders with issues they face in ministry.
“This is such exciting news for our program! Lilly Endowment has been so generous to us. I have told many people, it’s really cool to see how the generosity of one person, family or organization can impact the lives of so many people. I think this grant is a testament to that,” stated Mikah Brondyke, Director of Connect- YTI. “The past four years have laid a great foundation for our program. It will be really neat to watch our program build upon this and continue the work of encouraging and empowering the next generation of youth.”Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family – J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli – through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly & Company. The Endowment exists to support the causes of religion, education and community development. Lilly Endowment’s religion grant-making is designed to deepen and enrich the religious lives of American Christians. It does this largely through initiatives to enhance and sustain the quality of ministry in American congregations and parishes.
Community Partners Work to Strengthen Local Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Wells Fargo has awarded a $15,000 grant to support a new Launch Rocky Mount Biz program to spur local business creation.
Offered by the Small Business Center at Nash Community College, Eastern NC Center for Business and Entrepreneurship at North Carolina Wesleyan University, Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce and Station Square, the program will prepare local entrepreneurs to launch new businesses. READ MORE
Author: NCC Public Relations Department
Wesleyan Celebrates 63rd Anniversary
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – North Carolina Wesleyan University celebrated its 63rd year with its annual Founders’ Day ceremony Thursday in Minges Auditorium of The Dunn Center for the Performing Arts.
The opening processional included an invocation by Dr. Barry Drum, presentation of the colors by NC Wesleyan’s Army ROTC and the playing of the Star Spangled Banner. North Carolina Wesleyan Interim President, Dr. Evan D. Duff, welcomed the crowd of students, faculty, staff and friends of the College.
“Today we celebrate our 63rd birthday,” noted Duff and “63 years of academic excellence.” He then followed by reading a letter dated back to 1955 from Archie W. Mclean, Co-Chairman at the time, addressed to Mrs. R.D. Gorham, Miss Vivian Braswell and Mr. Thomas J. Pearsall. The letter acknowledged the College’s deep appreciation of the four sites on the Belmont Farm gifted to develop what we now know as North Carolina Wesleyan College.
Guest speaker for the event was the honorable Judge Phil Carlton, Trustee Emeritus. Carlton has a long and generous history with NC Wesleyan, serving almost 20 years as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He has been an instrumental financial supporter and advocate of the College since the 1970’s. Carlton has a wealth of historical knowledge of the founding and growth of the College.
Judge Phil Carlton kicked off his speech acknowledging, “One fact you may not know is that Methodist College in Fayetteville and Wesleyan opened on the same day and they are today still the youngest four-year liberal arts colleges in North Carolina.” Carlton asked, “So, what’s our future here today on our birthday?” He then noted, “We need to decide what it is that is driving higher education today and what is going to drive it in the future… If I had to pick two key words it would be collaboration and partnering… It’s called thinking out of the box, and that’s what we got to do.”
Eddie Coats, VP of Advancement, presented members of the Nash County Tourism Development Authority and the Foundation for the Carolinas with tokens of appreciation for their generosity and support of Wesleyan. In 2018, the 2.18-mile Wesleyan trail that circles campus was constructed thanks to the contributions from the Nash County Tourism Development Authority and the Longleaf Fund, managed by the Foundation for the Carolinas.
During the ceremony, two North Carolina Wesleyan residence halls were formally renamed. Nash Hall was renamed Pash Hall in honor of Mrs. Jessie “Jackie” H. Pash in recognition of her service as an elementary school teacher in the Nash-Rocky Mount School System. Edgecombe Hall was renamed after Carrol and Judy Roberson in recognition of their service to others and the values they placed upon education. These tributes were both made possible due to a generous gift to the College by the Roberson’s son, C. Saunders “Sandy” Roberson, who was also a former student in Mrs. Pash’s first-grade class at Englewood Elementary School here in Rocky Mount.
“North Carolina Wesleyan University is fortunate and blessed to have a long history of dedicated members of the Rocky Mount community who have supported the mission of the College with their time, talents and donations. We appreciate the generous gift that Sandy Roberson has made to rename these residence halls,” commented Duff.
The day concluded with an Open House hosted by NCWC Residence Life staff at the newly renamed Roberson Hall.
Battling Bishop Women’s Soccer Receives Endowment Fund
Thomas and Cynthia Dyer Endowment Fund Established to Support Program
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – The Battling Bishops Women’s Soccer program recently received a $10,000 endowment. This gift was made possible due to the generous support of two previous North Carolina Wesleyan University students— Thomas and Cynthia Dyer.
Women’s Soccer at NC Wesleyan started in 1983 and has grown immensely over the years. With the broadening of the program and its success comes increased costs including uniforms, travel for away games and lighting for the complex. To assist with these needs, The Thomas and Cynthia Dyer Endowment Fund was established by Cynthia Dansie Dyer of Maryland and Thomas G. Dyer ’70 of Virginia. Long supporters of North Carolina Wesleyan University, the Dyer’s remain involved with the Nu Gamma Phi Fraternity, giving to the efforts of establishing scholarships and support for the Hartness Center, among other endeavors.
“It’s a privilege to assist the Women’s Soccer program. We feel fortunate to be able to support Wesleyan and the growth that this program has experienced,” stated the Dyer’s.
It’s their desire to leave a legacy with their alma mater in the form of an endowment. When Women’s Soccer Coach, Beverly Biancur, expressed the need for additional support of certain initiatives such as her vision for a Soccer Complex Wall and other enhancements that refine the student athletic experience, the Dyer’s seized the opportunity.
“I am grateful for this extremely generous endowment from the Dyer’s for our program. These young women and those before them have exemplified academic excellence with a 98% graduation rate, acceptance into grad school and professional occupations, a competitive desire for excellence and a willingness to serve their community,” stated Biancur. “This endowment will help to provide these women with support, facilities and equipment to achieve the individual goals and team expectations now and into the future.”
The Thomas and Cynthia Dyer Endowment is one of four endowments created to support Wesleyan’s athletic programs. Wesleyan is excited about its potential growth, which will benefit the Women’s Soccer program for years to come. These benefits will make a massive impact on the quality of the program, and most of all, the life of Wesleyan’s student-athletes.
The Dyer’s met at Wesleyan in 1966. In 1967, Cynthia transferred to nursing school obtaining her degree in 1970. Thomas graduated from Wesleyan in 1970 with a degree in Economics. Shortly after graduation the two married that same year and today reside in North Carolina.
The NC Wesleyan Women’s Soccer program is home to seven All-Americans and a National Player of the Year. The program has won numerous USA South Conference Tournaments and recently received its eighth consecutive National Coaches Association Team Academic Award. The 1994 season saw the Bishops reach the NCAA Division III Final Four.
NCWC football wins first game on campus
Antonio Johnson was prophetic in his words this week leading up to N.C. Wesleyan’s first football game to be played on the college’s campus.
“I think we’re going to do good this year,” Johnson said. “I think this is the year where we will put it together. This is the year where we can get a ring.”
Johnson was talking about NCWC competing for a USA South Conference title. On Saturday, playing in the first true home game on campus in program history, the Bishops moved to 2-0 in conference play with a 44-7 win over Greensboro College. READ MORE
Wesleyan Hires Director for New RN-to-BSN Program
Director of RN-to-BSN Program
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – North Carolina Wesleyan University announced in August their plans to implement a new accelerated RN-to-BSN program, which will now be led by Dr. Brittany Bass. With experience in both the classroom and clinical settings, Dr. Bass brings a fresh perspective to launch the new program.
Dr. Brittney Bass has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Barton College. She obtained a Master of Science in Nursing from Grand Canyon University, as well as a Doctorate in Nursing Practice. She has garnered experience as a Nursing Instructor at Nash Community College and most recently served as a Clinical Resource Educator for UNC Physicians Network.
Wesleyan received a $150,000 grant over a three-year period from Nash UNC Health Care to support the development of this program. Now, with an appointed Director, curriculum can be developed, submission for regional accreditation of the program can take place and additional funding can be acquired from donors and foundations. Wesleyan hopes to start this program in the next year pending application submission and approval from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC).
“We are excited to provide local and regional licensed nurses with the opportunity to attain their bachelor’s degree in nursing. Through our partnerships with Nash UNC Health Care, Edgecombe and Nash Community Colleges, we want to establish a unified and seamless system for individuals to attain their Associate and Bachelor’s degree in nursing from colleges that serve the Nash and Edgecombe communities,” commented Dr. Evan D. Duff, Interim President of North Carolina Wesleyan University.
Some of Dr. Bass’ responsibilities as the new Director of the RN-to-BSN program include curriculum development with faculty and the Board of Trustees, supervising day-to-day functions of the program, overseeing faculty and student affairs and submitting reports for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accreditation.
Wesleyan is proud to become a key player in providing highly-educated and experienced nurses to the Twin Counties healthcare system and beyond.
Dr. Bass and her husband reside in Elm City with their two children, ages five and seven. She enjoys reading, boating and spending time at the beach with her family.
