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Graduation Opens Sesquicentennial Year
Commencement exercises for the class of 2006 will mark the beginning of the 150th year for Mars Hill College. About 130 students are expected to graduate on Saturday, May 6. The ceremony will start at 9:30 a.m. in Meares Stadium. In case of rain, it will be held in Moore Auditorium. Doris Bentley, a representative of the class of 1956, the 50th year class, is expected to give a speech recognizing the college's sesquicentennial. Bentley is the widow of the late President Fred Bentley who led the college from 1966-1996.
Story by Rachel Dudley
Click for list Prospective Graduates
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Brian Danforth | | Danforth and Carpenter to Speak at Graduation | | The Student Government Association Student of the Year Brian Danforth and scholar, clogger and organizer Caty Carpenter have been chosen to speak at this year's graduation. Both are Bonner scholars. They have also received Hester Center Internship Awards and will be travelling to Guatemala this summer to do hurricane and flood releif work. |
| Story by Chris Hewitt - - Click for Reader Comment | Story by Deidre Abouahmed |
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Caty Carpenter |
View East from above Hwy 213 and Athletic Street
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College Commits to New Science Building
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held for the new Ferguson Math and Science Center on Saturday, May 6. It will be located behind Wall, the current math and science building, which was built in 1940. The building is being named after Carolyn and Jack Ferguson of Candler, North Carolina, who have made a significant donation to the building fund. The building, which will be about 38,000 square feet, will provide modern labs with more space and storage for scientific equipment.
Story by Kristalyn Bunyan
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Ziffer now and at 14, just before going to the camps
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Holocaust Survivor Shares First-Hand Description of Hell
Adjunct Professor Walter Ziffer is one of the lucky Jewish people who were able to survive the persecution and mass genocide that Hitler and non-Jewish Germans committed against the Jewish people in Europe during World War II. He told about his experiences during the Holocaust on April 20 in Broyhill Chapel. Ziffer teaches "Prodigal Sisters: Early Christianity" at Mars Hill College.
Story by Ryan Wright
Click for a Complete Transcript
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Mars Hill Circa 1910
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Celebrations Soon for College Sesquicentennial
Mars Hill College will celebrate its 150th Anniversary with a year-long series of events beginning in May. The theme for the sesquicentennial is "Preserving the Past; Assuring the Future." Several works have been commissioned to celebrate 150 years of history, and best-selling poet and author Maya Angelou will come to the campus November 16.
Story by Nicole Robinson & Mee Vang
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The past is present
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Local Craftsman Re-creates 1910 Campus
In a small workshop in a renovated building in downtown Marshall, Doug Mackenzie works to make Mars Hill College history come alive. Here Mackenzie and his assistant Liam Andrews, a 2005 Mars Hill College graduate, are building a three-dimensional scale model of Mars Hill College as it was during the year 1910. The model, commissioned for Mars Hill's sesquicentennial celebration, is scheduled to be unveiled on June 2.
Story by Nicole Robinson & Mee Vang
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Mee Vang | | Good Friends Discover Each Other | | Mee Vang and Nicole Robinson collaborated on a number of Hilltop stories spring semester. In the process their own friendship grew, and they discovered that they share a common culture - strong familes and Mountain Heritage - no matter that Mee's people's mountains were in Laos and Nicole's in Yancey County. Here they profile each other. |
| Story by Nicole Robinson | Story by Mee Vang |
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Nicole Robinson |
(L-R) Jenn Wright, Daniel Amick, Laura Crigger, Jennifer Rogers, Rachel Retallick, Corey Simons, James Thompson (Chris Rischke not pictured)
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Graduation Leaves Harriers Running to Catch Up
Mars Hill's Men's and Women's Cross Country teams have piled up such outstanding records across the region that both fans and rivals have come to take dominance for granted, but both teams will hit the trail in the fall without four members who have helped bring home the glory. Their's was a recruiting class to remember as the focus now turns to next year's freshmen.
Men's Team and Women's Team reported by Elizabeth Head
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Nick Landers at full speed | | Brother and Sister a Double Track Threat | | Nick and Tandra Landers make up a track team all on their own. As a Sophomore Nick currently holds five Mars Hill Records. He is also a Grayson Scholar. Tandra, a freshman, was regional champion in the 100 and 200 meter dashes at their Monroe, Geogia, high school and is already a sprinter to watch among the Lions. |
| Story by Chris Hewitt | Story by Elizabeth Head |
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Tandra Landers - Freshman phenom |
The higher the gas, the better it looks
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College Looks at Buses to Town
Instructor of Business, J. Ryan Pickens is pushing for bus service to Mars Hill to transport students and community people to and from Asheville. He hopes that this service could provide a better means of transportation so that students spend less money on gas and can get downtown and back on the weekends without having to get behind the wheel.
Story by Katie Powell
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Rapp & Gowan - Photo collage by Hilltop
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Recent Grad Challenges State Rep. Rapp
State Representative Ray Rapp, dean of the Mars Hill College Adult ACCESS program, and Chris Gowan, a recent Mars Hill College graduate, are running against each other for the seat now held by Rapp in the North Carolina House of Representatives. The election will be held on Tuesday, November 7.
Story by Katie Powell
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The City of Asheville rang the chimes on the City Building ten times on Wilson's birthday.
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Levie Wilson Celebrates a Century
A mile south of Mars Hill College, Mt. Olive Baptist Church celebrated a century on March 25, 2006 - not for the church, which won't reach a hundred for several years, but for its oldest parishioner, Levie Wilson. Wilson's niece, Jessie Coleman, brought him out to his 100th birthday party from Asheville, where he now lives with her.
Story by Loretta Akins
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Mary Lela Weathers, Jocelyn Young, and Katie Holsclaw en route to Thomas Jefferson's University
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Mars Hill Trio Inspired by Mock U.N.
Inspired by attending a Model United Nations International Conference at the University of Virginia, three Mars Hill students have come back to campus with a vision for raising consciousness of world affairs among students. Sophomores Mary Lela Weathers and Katie Holsclaw and senior Jocelyn Young joined 300 other students April 6-9, including delegations from big-name schools like Princeton, Georgetown, Wake Forest, and Rutgers.
Story by Matt Welch
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Dancing until the DJ gave up
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Spring Formal Jives on Retro Theme
The Student Government Association brought out Mars Hill students to the Holiday Inn's Crowne Plaza on April 22 for the annual Spring Formal. The theme for the event was the Roaring Twenties, with many women arriving in "flapper" attire. The tables were covered with long white table cloths and held martini glasses filled with confetti, rose petals, long white plastic pearls for the women to pick up, and hats for anyone. "We did a lot with the decorations on a relatively small budget," said René Carr, a member of the Formal Committee.
Story and photos by Rachel Dudley - - Click for Reader Comment
Click for photo gallery
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The situation in numbers
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Mars Hill and UNC-A Students Stage Forum on Minority Issues
Black student groups from Mars Hill College and The University of North Carolina at Asheville met together recently to discuss the challenge of encouraging and keeping racial diversity on the two campuses. The first annual forum, Bridging the Gap: a Race Dialogue on Isolation or Unity, took place at UNC-A on April 11, moderated jointly by UNC-A's Black Student Association and MHC's Ladies of Distinction. An audience of about 50 students and staff from the two schools attended.
Story by Rebecca Roa
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Janet Bowman (right) - counselor without parallel
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Dr. Bowman Brings Unique Experience to Teaching Teachers
Janet Bowman, associate professor of education and the only full-time black faculty member at Mars Hill College, is used to being "the first" or "the only." She was the first black woman to be a vice president at Compton College in Southern California. She was the first black woman dean at Diablo Valley College in the San Francisco Bay Area and was vice president at Compton College for eight years before coming to Mars Hill College.
Story by Deidre Abouahmed
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Strickler with her accompanist Andrew Shelton after her degree recital
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Voice Major Looks Ahead
If you pass by the Moore Fine Arts building at the right time on a Monday afternoon, you may be fortunate enough to hear Kathryn Strickler's voice float through an open window. Strickler, a junior music major, will be graduating in December. Finishing a semester early is a rare accomplishment for students in the music department, and it is a testament of her enthusiasm and passion for her field.
Story by Elizabeth Head
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Candles and a message
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Marchers and Speakers Take Back the Night
The night for some is a time of terror. It can be a scary time - especially for women, and especially given the high rate of sexual assault on college campuses. To make the night a less fearful time, Mars Hill College on April 18 hosted Madison County's second Take Back the Night event, which included a rally, march, and chants.
Story by ShaTara Drummond & Chris Hewitt
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Hoop dreams
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A Basketball Player Pursues Grail Beyond Degree
From the streets of New York City, the sports management major is wrapping up his final stint here at Mars Hill College, after transferring here two years ago. James Hippolyte explored three different colleges before finally making his way to Mars Hill, all in the chase for an American Dream, professional basketball.
Story by Joseph Ayers
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Top Scorer for the All Star Team East
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Baxley Slam Dunks Another Honor
Mars Hill's top-scoring basketball player has done it again. His average 28.1 points and 4.3 rebounds a game made him the leading scorer in the South Atlantic Conference and number two in the nation in Division II basketball.
Baxley was named South Atlantic player of the year, selected as a First Team Daktronics All-American, All-North Carolina First Team, and he had the opportunity to play in the first NCAA Division II / National Association of Basketball Coaches Men's All-Star Game.
Story by Xavier Jordan
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What? Me worry about papers?...exams?...graduating?
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Semester Enters End Sprint with Spring Fling
After weeks and weeks of on-again-off-again, hot days and cold, spring has settled in, and before term papers come due and exams loom, the college kicks back and enjoys the moment...until it rained.
Photo Gallery by Kristalyn Bunyan
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The view from the loft
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Mikeschair Brings Songs of Assurance and Hope
As the sun shed it's last rays into the loft on Wednesday evening, Mikeschair, a band out of Nashville, began their show with a bang, literally. With loud guitar chords, heavy drum beats and even a violin, they kicked off with an unreleased song called "Awaken." Lead singer Mike Grayson said, "This song is about acting stupid together and dancing because it's wonderful!"
Story by Michael Costello - - Click for Reader Comment
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Nick's daughter Deborah - keeper of the recipes
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Papa Nick - A Legacy Served Hot Every Day
The original Papa Nick had advice for his daughter, Deborah Turner: "Give them a good meal. Give them a good product, always. Never compromise the ingredients." Papa Nick, Jerry Nikla, of the pizzeria on College Street, died on March 15. Turner, one of his three daughters, took over the family business when her father's health started to decline.
Story by Rachel Dudley - - Click for Reader Comment
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