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‘Books, BBQ & Bluegrass:’ Library’s annual fundraiser is April 23

“We’re putting together a down home North Carolina get together to raise money for student scholarships,” said University Librarian Dr. Elinor Foster.

“Books, Barbecue and Bluegrass” will be held at 6 p.m., Friday, April 23 in the Main Reading Room of the Sampson-Livermore Library.

Entertainment for the event features Shelby Stephenson and his Family Band, Bluegrass legend Les Sandy and fiddler Michael Munford. The featured speaker is D.G. Martin, host of UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Bookwatch.”

The annual fundraiser, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, will benefit three projects - an endowed scholarship for the University Honors College, an unrestricted scholarship and a textbook scholarship.

There will be a buffet dinner and silent auction. The cost is $50 per person and attendance is limited to 100. For ticket information, please call extension 6655 or email lillian.brewington@uncp.edu.

“What better way to enjoy a fun-filled evening than attending ‘Books, BBQ and Bluegrass!’” said Friends of the Library President Bruce Ezell. “Not only shall you have a good time, you will be helping a worthy cause. This year’s benefit is a real bargain.”

“ If you really enjoy country and bluegrass music, come and hear our own Shelby Stephenson and his associates,” Dr. Ezell said.

This event has become an annual tradition for the Friends of the Sampson-Livermore Library, said Dr. Foster. The friends raised $10,000 last year at the event.

“This is the third year for this event, so we are building on a tradition of fun and fundraising,” Dr. Foster said.

D.G. Martin is a former Vice Chancellor for UNCP’s Office for Advancement and served 10 years as UNC’s chief lobbyist. He is in his fifth season hosting “North Carolina Bookwatch.” His series on home-cooking restaurants in North Carolina for Our State magazine will be published as a guidebook late this year.

At “Books, Barbecue and Bluegrass,” Martin will talk about books that explore and encourage a sense of community.

Shelby Stephenson and his Family Band have been entertaining North Carolinians for many years. Dr. Stephenson is joined in the band by his wife Linda, brothers Paul and Marshall and cousin Mike Langdon.

Dr. Stephenson is a professor of English and creative writing at UNCP and was a recipient of the UNC Board of Governors Award for Teaching Excellence. He is editor of the literary journal Pembroke Magazine and author of numerous collections of poetry, including the forthcoming work, “Possum.”

Les Sandy, a Hoke County resident, played guitar and performed comic sketches as “Uncle Puny” with Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys and other bands. Sandy played guitar on Monroe’s first recording in 1954. He played with many of the legends of Bluegrass, including Slim Mims and Jimmy Martin. He performed on the “Louisiana Hayride” and in many venues.

In 1973, Sandy came home to live and work near Raeford. He will bring his fiddle and his comic wit with him on April 23.

Michael Munford (pictured at right) who grew up in nearby Elizabethtown, picked up a fiddle about nine years ago as an undergraduate at UNC Wilmington. It was love at first sound, he said.

“I didn’t know I had any musical ability until then,” Munford said. “I am trained as a dancer.”

Munford, a technical assistant at the library, has a diverse background in folk dancing, including clogging, flatfoot, Irish stepdance, Scottish hardshoe, Highland and rhythm-tap. He will perform at UNCP’s Taste of Culture at 10 a.m., Wednesday, April 7 in the University Center Lounge.

UNCP launches a Spanish major

Beginning this spring, students can major or minor in the Spanish language. A teacher certification program in Spanish education is also available.

Last year, North Carolina was second only to Georgia in the growth rate of its Spanish-speaking population, and the time is right to offer a major in Spanish, said Coordinator of Spanish languages Dr. Liliana Wendorff.

“The Spanish-speaking population in the U.S. is growing,” Dr. Wendorff said. “And, we need to be able to communicate with them.”

The University is offering 15 Spanish classes, ranging from heritage, language, literature and linguistics. Spanish is the University’s only language major, and it is part of the Department of English, Languages and Theatre Arts.

Because U.S. trade and business with Mexico, Central America and South America is growing and because of the growing demand for Spanish teachers and translators, there are good job prospects for new Spanish majors and minors.

“Spanish is becoming an important tool, and there are many jobs that favor those with degrees in Spanish,” said Professor Enrique Porrua. “A degree in Spanish is academic proof that you can speak Spanish and proof that you can communicate.”

Freshmen Paul Leone of Connecticut and Somia Beckford of Durham, N.C., are two of the 10 students who have declared Spanish as a major or minor this semester.

“ I want to join the Peace Corps after I graduate and go to a country in South America, and this will help,” Leone said.

“I’m not sure what I’ll do with the degree yet, but I love the language,” Beckford said. “Maybe I could translate for the government.”

The Office of International Programs is offering several travel and study abroad programs in Spain and Mexico over the summer and next semester.

“We’re hoping that international exposure will help other language programs on campus grow because business is becoming more international, and it becomes increasingly important to communicate with diverse people,” Dr. Wendorff said.

For more information about Spanish at UNCP, please contact Dr. Wendorff at (910) 521-6434 or liliana.wendorff@uncp.edu. For information on travel or student abroad programs, please contact the Office of International Programs at (910) 521-6506 or email beth.carmical@uncp.edu.

UNCP offers lectures on terrorism and war in Iraq

The University will offer two lectures in April on global terrorism and the war in Iraq.

The lectures are funded by two endowments and are part of a campus wide and national project called the American Democracy Project. University Honors College Director Dr. Carolyn Thompson is coordinating the project on campus.

“It is important that the University offers a public forum for discussion of these critical issues to enhance students' understanding of their roles as citizens in influencing the course of both domestic and international affairs,” Dr. Thompson said.

The first lecture, sponsored by the Gibson and Mariana Gray Lecture Series, is Wednesday, April 7, 10 a.m. in Room 129 of the Multicultural Center (Old Main). The speaker is Dr. Christopher Alexander, Director of the Dean Rusk International Studies Center at Davidson College. Dr. Alexander is a Middle East expert, and his topic is “The War in Iraq.”

A specialist on North Africa, Dr. Alexander delivered the Gray Lecture at UNCP in 2003 on the eve of the war in Iraq. He is author of the forthcoming book, “Tunisia: Stability and Reform in the Modern Maghreb.”

The second lecture, sponsored by the Robert F. Gustafson Memorial Scholar Series, is on Wednesday, April 14, 10 a.m. in the Thomas Assembly Room of the Native American Resource Center (Old Main). The speaker is Dr. Cynthia Combs, Professor of political science at UNC Charlotte. She is author of the highly regarded “Terrorism in the 21st Century” (4th printing) and co-author of the “Encyclopedia of Terrorism.”

Dr. Combs is the Director of the Model United Nations program at UNC Charlotte. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Model United Nations U.S.A. and Harvard University’s International Model U.N.

Dr. Combs will speak on “Terrorism in the 21st Century.”

Dr. Gibson Gray retired in 1990 as chair of UNCP’s Political Science Department. He remains involved in the intellectual life of the University, in part, through funding of the lecture series. Dr. Gray and his wife Mariana live in Lumberton.

The Robert F. Gustafson Memorial Scholar Series was created in 2003 by his widow, Helen Sherrill Gustafson. The University Honors College manages the annual event.

Dr. Gustafson, who died in 1995, was an ordained Presbyterian minister and chair of UNCP’s Department of Philosophy and Religion for 24 years. He was a Laurinburg resident.

The 2004 Retirement Luncheon

The Retirement Luncheon was held March 28, honoring faculty and staff retirees. Pictured from left: Dallas Ray Jacobs (Housekeeping), Earl Cummings (Physical Education), Kate Locklear (HR), Helen Alston (Biology), Monnie Sanderson (University and Community Relations), Gene Brayboy (Sponsored Research and Programs) and Paul Van Zandt (Art). Not in picture: Dr. Charles Jenkins (Education) and Dr. George Walter (Music). HR and University and Community Relations coordinated the event.

GPAC adds a marketing director

Elizabeth McLean has joined the staff of the Givens Performing Arts Center (GPAC) as Marketing Director.

It is a newly created position for the performing arts center, said GPAC Director Patricia Fields.

“Liz brings an extensive marketing and advertising background to UNCP,” Fields said. “She has worked with major advertising agencies in both LA and Raleigh with clients to include Sony Entertainment and Audi.”

McLean has worked in a variety of advertising and marketing positions. In Raleigh, she worked in advertising for the McKinney + Silver agency, where she worked with the Audi account, and the Colliers Pinkard commercial real estate company. As an account coordinator at the McCann-Erickson international advertising group in Los Angeles, she worked with the Sony Pictures account.

At GPAC, McLean will build audiences by planning and directing special events, publications, advertising and sponsorships. She will also create special events to attract new audiences to GPAC, and she will develop corporate and other sponsorships.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to give GPAC more exposure in the surrounding community,” McLean said. “I believe that people in this region don’t know enough about the great programming on our stage.”

The University’s recent enrollment growth has built positive momentum for GPAC, she said.

“UNCP’s growth is impressive,” she said. “Just a few years ago, my husband attended the University, but this is not the place he described.”

A San Diego native, McLean is married to Lumberton native Matt McLean, a financial advisor for S. Preston Douglas and Associates. She is a graduate of San Diego State University, where she majored in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

At the March 24 Science Fair

(From left) Judges Dr. Harold Teague, Dr. Siva Mandjiny and Dr. Paul Flowers.

National Library Week is April 18-24

National Library Week is April 18-24, and the library has scheduled several events, including a book sale and a poetry/prose reading. The theme this year is “Something for Everyone @ the Library.”

Library Week is “fine free” week. All fines are forgiven for books returned the week of April 18-24.

The annual Library Book Sale begins Monday, April 19 and ends Wednesday, April 21. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. A half-price sale is Thursday, April 22, 9 a.m. to noon. The sale is upstairs in the lounge area.

Winners of the library’s annual Poetry/Prose Writing Contest will read their works Wednesday, April 21 at 3:30 p.m. in the Main Reading Room of the library. A reception will follow in the second floor lounge.

Library adds N.Y. Times database

The library is announced this week the purchase of the Historical New York Times database. This database covers the Times from its first issue in 1851 to 2001.

The Historical New York Times provides full text and full image articles not just of the news events but also of editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, historical photos, stock photos, and advertisements. The Advanced Search feature allows researchers to search for these specific type articles and others.

The database is now available for access at Library’s Electronic Resources page via the New
Resources page, the Database by Title page, and the Subject pages for History and General Resources.

For questions, contact Robert Arndt, Reference/Instruction Services Librarian at Extension 6529, or email him at robert.arndt@uncp.edu.

WEB SITES OF INTEREST

• Academic Catalog is available online
• GPAC's 2003-04 season is online
• University Calendar
• University Newswire
• Campus construction update