Philip Freelon ‘75 recently took time to talk with a group of students in Houston about what it takes to be a successful architect.
He should know. Freelon, whose firm is based in Durham, has enjoyed tremendous success as an architect. With several high-profile projects under his belt, Freelon is currently working on the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. It is to be located on the National Mall, next to the Washington Monument. Freelon also is working on the transformation of a public park in Houston.
Present yourself well. “Notice,” he said, “I have on a tie, and I’m neatly dressed. If your jeans are sagging, if you have tattoos all over your body, you’re not going to get the job.”
Communicate well. “You can’t say ‘um’ and ‘er.’ You can’t pick your nose. You have to look people in the eye when you’re talking to them.”
Build a reputation for integrity. “Do what you say. Be honest. Treat people the way you want to be treated.”
When one of the students asked if it was hard to be an architect, Freelon let the class in on a secret.
“I went to a public school,” he said. “I’m not a super-smart person. But I work hard, and I love what I do. That’s all. That’s the secret.”
Members of our Student Ambassadors Program (AASAP) hosted this year’s event. The three-day conference drew 450 attendees from 35 different schools.
We want to thank everyone who made the conference a success, including conference co-chairs Chandler Thompson and Megan Vice.
“The best part of the conference was seeing 400 students from schools all over the Southeast make the Wuffie hand sign at the ending banquet. I also enjoyed hosting the schools and enabling them to share their ideas with other organizations,” Thompson said.
To learn more about the NC State Student Ambassadors Program, visit our website.
Artist Joyce Lambert recently gave the Alumni Association a painting of Holladay Hall. It will hang in the Dorothy and Roy Park Alumni Center room named for Lambert’s brother, Lynn W. Eury ‘59. Eury sponsors multiple NC State endowments and served as co-chair of the fundraising campaign to build the alumni center. Hole No. 5 at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course is also named for him.
Brad Crone ‘85 has been involved in North Carolina politics for roughly three decades, so he has seen his share of politicians at work. When it comes to political communications, a subject Crone will speak about at NC State next week, Crone says two figures stand above the rest.
“Jesse Helms and Jim Hunt,” he says. “Both of them were absolute experts at political communications.”
Crone, a political consultant who founded Campaign Connections in 1991, is scheduled to speak at 1:30 p.m. Monday at Caldwell Lounge as part of Communications Week.
Crone says failing to communicate is one of the most common mistakes made by political figures. Good issues research and voter research, he says, are crucial to effective political communication.
“Anybody who’s in the political arena, in either party, has to have a set of core values,” he says. “Then you have to test your core values against the perceptions and expectations and values of the voters … Voter research is validating whether you can accomplish your core values. Will voters accept or reject your leadership?”
With the General Assembly in session to wrestle with a massive shortfall in the state budget, Republicans and Democrats have just begun to debate what the state’s priorities should be as they make spending cuts. Crone says it is important for members of both parties to be open about their deliberations.
“I think the people of North Carolina want their government to be open,” he says. “North Carolina has been relatively progressive when it comes to open government, and we need to continue that.”
NC State alumnus Darryl Willie and his wife, Erica Westbrook (Photo courtesy of the CBS Early Show)
How does an all-expense-paid honeymoon to a tropical paradise sound? NC State alumnus Darryl Willie could win just that as part of a CBS Early Show competition.
Willie ‘02 was student body president during his senior year at NC State. After graduating from the College of Textiles, he went into the Teach for America program. He now works in student affairs at the University of California, Berkeley.
Willie has been married for five years. But due to hectic work schedules, Willie says he and his wife have not taken much of a honeymoon.
The couples are competing all week, and judges will help determine the winner. At the end of each day, viewers get a chance to vote on the Early Show website. So vote early and often for a fellow Wolfpacker!
If you’re looking for a better way to access your Facebook account from your iPhone or iPad, you can turn to the creation of an NC State alumnus for help. A lot of people already have.
Facely was created by G-Whizz! Apps, LLC., a company formed by Ricky Bloomfield ‘04 that has quickly established a strong track record for creating successful apps.
Facely, at a cost of 99 cents, allows people to use their iPhone or iPad to customize how they access their Facebook accounts.
Students could soon be paying more to attend NC State. The UNC Board of Governors voted Friday in favor of tuition hikes, ranging from 5 to 6.5 percent across all 17 public institutions.
The board also agreed to eliminate 60 degree programs statewide with low enrollment, including four from the College of Education. To find out which underperforming programs are on the chopping block, check out this story from TheNews & Observer.
The board’s recommendations come as campuses brace for a potential 15 percent cut in the funding they receive from the state. North Carolina is facing a state budget shortfall of almost $3 billion.
The General Assembly will consider the proposed tuition increases and program cuts as it works to develop a budget before the next fiscal year begins July 1.
If approved, tuition at NC State would go up 6.2 percent. Even with the increase, tuition would still be lower than at the majority of the university’s peer institutions, according to a cost comparison provided by news services.
Kiplinger recently ranked NC State 15th on its list of best valuesamong public colleges.
Lonnie Poole ‘59 has joined an elite group with his gift of $40 million to NC State. Poole and his wife, Carol, have been named to the Slate 60, a list of the largest American charitable contributions in 2010.
The Pooles gave $37 million to fund an endowment to support what is now known as the Lonnie C. Poole Jr. College of Management. They gave $2.5 million to fund the Carol Johnson Poole Club House at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course on Centennial Campus, and $500,000 for the Carol Johnson Poole Endowment for Humanities and Social Sciences.
Topping the list was George Soros, a New York hedge fund manager who gave $332 million to the Open Society Foundation and other groups. Other notables on the list include New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, oilman T. Boone Pickens and Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.
The Slate 60 made a total of $3.36 billion in charitable contributions last year.
If you sign up before March 1, you’ll receive free driving credits to use during your first month of service. The code for the promotion discount is backtoschool2011.
The Bulletin also reported this week on the Zipcar service and other ride-sharing options available on campus.
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