April 2011
04.29.2011 | by Bill Krueger | Filed under Alumni Association News, Campus Landmarks, Student Life | Comments: No responses |
The Se
ni
or Class rings are in the Bell Tower.
Dr. Thomas Stafford ‘66 MS and Cody Williams ‘07, assistant director of marketing for the Alumni Association, put almost 300 rings for the Class of 2011 in the Shrine Room of the Bell Tower this afternoon.
They will stay there overnight in preparation for a reception at the Park Alumni Center on Sunday, when the rings will be presented to members of the Senior Class.
“This is a really big deal for students,” Stafford said. “When you think about it, the symbolism of it is really cool.”
The tradition of storing the class rings overnight in the Bell Tower is still fairly new, but it has clearly taken hold with students. Stafford recalled overhearing a student talking about getting his ring repaired. He wanted to make sure, though, that he got his ring back and not a replacement.
“Because my ring was in the Bell Tower,” Stafford recalled the student staying.
Williams 
said the Alumni Association started putting rings in the Bell Tower in 2006 as a way to add a bit more tradition to the occasion.
“It’s a way to connect all the rings, those that came through before and those that are coming through now,” he said. “It creates a bond.”
So Stafford and Williams carried three large boxes of rings into the Bell Tower this afternoon. They placed them in the Shrine Room and then left them to spend the night.
“They’re locked in,” Stafford said as he exited the Bell Tower. “Job well done, gentlemen.”
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04.29.2011 | by Bill Krueger | Filed under Academics, Alumni Association News, CHASS, Faculty News | Comments: No responses |
The Alumni Association will honor 18 NC State professors on May 5 for their outstanding work in the classroom, in the laboratory and in the field. We talked (via email) with some of the recipients about their work and the keys to being a successful professor.
Today we’re visiting with John Begeny, an assistant professor of psychology. Begeny is one of three recipients of the Alumni Association Outstanding Extension and Outreach Award.
What is the key to being a successful teacher? As someone who studies teacher effectiveness in K-12 classrooms, I feel it’s important to highlight that there is no single characteristic or “formula” for being a successful teacher; and becoming a successful teacher (at all grade levels) takes decades of committing one’s self to the complicated art and science of teaching. I personally feel that I have learned a lot about what it means to be a successful teacher, but I have so much yet to learn. Overall, I feel that one important element of being a successful teacher is being continuously responsive to students’ lives and interests, as well as to their success in learning. For example, one’s teaching should inspire students, offer them opportunities to connect what they learn to real-life experiences and issues, and adapt in ways that will push students to excel while supporting them to succeed.
What gives you the greatest satisfaction as a professor? I truly love my my as a professor and feel incredibly fortunate to work with so many exceptional students at NC State. In this way, there are so many elements of my work that are highly rewarding. Two examples related to teaching that come to mind at the moment are: (a) listening to my students articulate with maturity, passion and realistic ideas how they plan to improve the lives of those in their community during their professional career; and (b) watching and reflecting upon how students building their professional skills and critical thinking over time–for both my undergraduate and graduate students, I feel very fortunate that I work with many of these students for several consecutive years.
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04.29.2011 | by Bill Krueger | Filed under Campus Events, College of Natural Resources, Sports | Comments: No responses |
The Wolfpack is going green in their baseball game this evening with the Maryland Terrapins.
Recycling bins will be placed throughout Doak Field and volunteers will do a sweep of the stadium after the game to sort any waste left behind. Coca-Cola is giving out koozies made of recycled materials for the first two hundred people through the gates for the 6:30 p.m. game.
The green game is a joint effort of NC State Athletics, the Office of Sustainability, the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling, and the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management program at the College of Natural Resources.
They are still looking for volunteers, who will receive NC State t-shirts, gift cards from Zoe’s Kitchen and/or Harris-Teeter and items from University Dining. Email wrrstudent@ncsu.edu to volunteer.
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04.28.2011 | by Bill Krueger | Filed under Campus Landmarks | Comments: No responses |
The Memorial Bell Tower is undergoing some badly needed repair work.
The NC State Bulletin noted this week that the Bell Tower was suffering as the result of a slow seepage of water into the joints.
“Water has gotten in, especially in the shrine room, causing the place to kind of fall apart,” Andy Snead, the university’s director of design and construction services, told the Bulletin.
Work crews have been busy this week resealing the masonry joints throughout the lower 18 feet of the tower. The repair job has a budget of $13,000.
But don’t worry - the Bulletin says any scaffolding will be gone before graduation so students and their families can pose for pictures in front of the Bell Tower.
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04.28.2011 | by Bill Krueger | Filed under Alumni Association News, Campus News, NC State People, Student News | Comments: No responses |
Chandler Thompson, a Student Ambassador for the Alumni Association, was recently elected the new Student Body President at NC State.
Thompson, a junior in economics from High Point, talked with us about her experience as a Student Ambassador and her plans as Student Body President:
What she’s enjoyed about being a Student Ambassador: Working at homecoming events, giving out free food in the Brickyard, and all the craziness that is the Homecoming Parade. And all the good friends I’ve made in the program.
Why she wanted to be student body president: It was an opportunity to step up as a leader. I love NC State. I grew up with a passion for the university, and I want to improve the student experience here.
On her goals as student body president: My number one priority is creating a central calendar connecting all the events on campus. I’ll also be watching the budget cuts, and looking out for student concerns.
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04.28.2011 | by Bill Krueger | Filed under Academics, Alumni Association News, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Faculty News | Comments: No responses |
The Alumni Association will honor 18 NC State professors on May 5 for their outstanding work in the classroom, in the laboratory and in the field. We talked (via email) with some of the recipients about their work and the keys to being a successful professor.
Today we’re visiting with James Knopp, an associate professor and the undergraduate coordinator for the Molecular and Structural Biochemistry Department. Knopp is one of six faculty members recognized this year as Alumni Association Distinguished Undergraduate Professors.
What is the key to being a successful teacher? Some of the keys to being a successful teacher involve a deep understanding of the material that you wish to convey and an accurate appreciation of the capabilities and background of your students. Of course, the starting point is to be a scholar of the information. But a successful teacher should understand why that information is important for students to learn as well and be able to convey that to the students. It involves introspection in thinking back on how you as the previous student learned the material or in some cases really struggled with it. Then you construct the entire semester so that all of the parts, which may seem fragmented in isolation, will fit together at the end to finish with an integrated body of knowledge. But the most well-prepared course will be ineffective if it does not match the students. A successful teacher is aware of the level of preparation that the students have and the culture in which they inhabit. Being able to bridge the gap between the life experiences of a 40-year-old and students in their twenties is the challenge. You must speak their language.
What gives you the greatest satisfaction as a professor? There are two things which bring me great satisfaction as a teacher. The first is the “ah, ha” moment when a student finally grasps the difficult concept or solves that tough problem. You know you have been able to raise that student to a higher level of understanding. The second comes much later when a former student returns to my office or writes an email. It is a source of great satisfaction to hear how I have influenced that student’s life, be it as simple as their appreciation for the increase in study skills or as complex as being the best student in their graduate or professional schools and how they uses the techniques that I have taught them to teach their peers. That is the true legacy of teaching.
Are there any particular professors or teachers who inspired you to become a teacher? Teaching is in my genes. Both sets of grandparents were teachers. It seems that I have always been teaching. As a high school student, I was tutoring and giving short talks in classes for my peers. In college and graduate school, I earned my way as a teaching assistant. One of my treasured gifts from my college professors was a simple old-fashioned beaker with the words “mother hen” written upon it.
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04.28.2011 | by Bill Krueger | Filed under Academics, Alumni News, Sports | Comments: No responses |
Russell Wilson ‘10 has been named the Arthur Ashe Jr. Male Sports Scholar of the Year.
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine recognized Wilson for high achievement in scholarship, athleticism and community service. Wilson plays second base for the Asheville Tourists, a Class A minor league team in the Colorado Rockies system.
Wilson was a second-team All-ACC quarterback last fall when he led the Wolfpack to a 9-4 record and a win over West Virginia in the Champs Sports Bowl.
To be nominated for the Arthur Ashe award, students have to compete in intercollegiate sports, maintain a grade point average of at least 3.2, and be active on their campuses or in their communities.
Another NC State athlete, basketball player Brittany Strachan, was a runner-up for the Arthur Ashe award for female student-athletes.
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04.27.2011 | by Bill Krueger | Filed under Alumni Association News, Extension and Outreach | Comments: One response |
Ellen Richardson ‘01, ‘10 MR has always felt a connection to NC State. She grew up in Raleigh going to Wolfpack football games and immediately thought of NC State when it was time to go to college.
After getting undergraduate and graduate degrees from NC State, Richardson is now trying to help other alumni strengthen their connection with the university and each other.
As the director of outreach and engagement for the Alumni Association, Richardson and her staff help put together a wide variety of events that connect alumni to NC State. Those range from alumni receptions with Chancellor Randy Woodson (Richardson recently returned from a couple of such receptions in California) to working with alumni networks across the country when they get together to watch Wolfpack football games or perform community service.
We talked with Ellen about her work at the Alumni Association and some of her experiences at NC State:
How she ended up at NC State: I’ve lived in Raleigh all my life, and I thought I wanted to be an engineer. I was really good at math and science in high school, so I thought, “Engineering, of course I’ll go to NC State.” So I came to NC State and I did one semester in engineering and realized really quickly that that was not for me. It was not something that interested me, so I changed my major to communication and figured out that was the right place for me to be.
Favorite NC State memory: One of the most profound experiences I had in my undergraduate days here was through the Circle K organization, which is affiliated with Kiwanis. Just about every weekend we were doing some sort of service project or networking event with the other students in the club. That whole experience really shaped and affected my outlook on my time at school.
Her role at the Alumni Association: I oversee the unit here that is charged with getting alumni engaged and keeping them engaged. There are different kinds of activities that alumni can get involved with, from social outings, baseball games, social networking, happy-hour types of things, professional development workshops, to events where we try to bring in students and get them involved, interacting with alumni.
On her busy season in the spring: May is a time when we go out and recognize all of the high school seniors who have been admitted to NC State and have celebrations with them and their families and their local alumni in their areas to get them energized for the start of the school year in August.
On the value of networking with other NC State alumni: For job purposes and social purposes, who you know is important. And being able to have connections to people who are likeminded and have similar interests as you — a love for NC State — that makes a difference. The Alumni Association offers you the opportunity to be able to connect with your fellow alumni.
On other benefits of belonging to the Alumni Association: I am saving a lot of money every month on my homeowners and car insurance through the discount program that the Alumni Association offers. And that insurance company gives back to the university every year based on the number of policies that they write, so I feel like I’m able to give back to the university without actually having to write a check myself.
Why she’s Red & White for Life: NC State is part of the broader community that I’ve always been a part of and there’s just never been any question for me about where I’m going to go to school and who I’m going to support. After being through many, many, many years of school at NC State, the culture on campus-with the student population, the faculty and staff-and then off campus with the alumni population, is a supportive, engaged culture that resonates with me.
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04.27.2011 | by Bill Krueger | Filed under Academics, Alumni Association News, College of Management, Faculty News | Comments: No responses |
The Alumni Association will honor 18 NC State professors on May 5 for their outstanding work in the classroom, in the laboratory and in the field. We talked (via email) with some of the recipients about their work and the keys to being a successful professor.
Today we’re visiting with John Seater, a professor of economics in the Poole College of Management. Seater is one of two faculty members named this year as Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professors.
What is the key to being a successful teacher? There are two kinds of teaching at the graduate level, and they require different skills from the teacher.
First, there is teaching courses. Even those differ between first-year core courses and second-year field courses. But for both types, the main requirements are a willingness to commit adequate time to course preparation (and that is a lot of time), making an effort to connect the abstract technical material with the intuition of what it all means, and taking the time to point out the exciting possibilities for future research that the course material opens to the student.
Second, there is advising dissertations, which is completely different from teaching courses but is nonetheless a form of teaching. Advising is much more like coaching sports than teaching a classroom course. A student is mostly on his own when doing a dissertation. Indeed, part of what he must learn is how to identify a good topic and how to carry out the project. However, the advisor should be there to help the student over difficulties and to guide the student in developing the parts of his skill set that still are incomplete. In doing that, the advisor must treat the student with a kind of respect that is not so necessary in the classroom, namely, as an emerging colleague capable of thinking on his own and of coming up with ideas and results that the advisor himself might not have seen and might even disagree with. At all times, the advisor should be trying to help the student become an independent contributor to his profession.
What gives you the greatest satisfaction as a professor? Without a doubt, working with my dissertation advisees. A lot of them are interesting people and fun to be with. Several have become colleagues with whom I collaborate on professional work. Even more rewarding, some have become personal friends, in some cases quite close friends, something I did not anticipate when I started teaching in the graduate program.
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04.26.2011 | by Bill Krueger | Filed under Administration, Sports | Comments: No responses |
We recently asked if you had any questions for Chancellor Randy Woodson. If so, we said, we would ask it on your behalf during a recent session with the Chancellor for the next issue of NC State magazine.
Sheila Jarrett Beal ‘89 told us she had a question for Chancellor Woodson: “I would like to know if the tailgating time restrictions can be revisited and extended? I recommend that you at least consider offering Wolfpack Club members, who have paid parking passes, extended tailgating hours.”
Here is what Chancellor Woodson had to say in response: “The tailgating hours have been extended recently and we’ll constantly assess whether that’s the appropriate thing or not. We’re always looking at it.”
We’ll look for other opportunities to ask questions on your behalf when we meet with NC State leaders or interview people for NC State magazine. Stay tuned.
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