L-R Names First Provost for Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary- Columbia, SC

Tue May 15 2012

After a national search for a new leader, Lenoir-Rhyne University has selected the Rev. Dr. Clayton J. Schmit as the founding Provost of the School of Theology that includes the Columbia, SC, based Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary.  He will assume this position as the chief administrative officer of the School of Theology and its seminary before the fall semester 2012. Dr. Schmit becomes the 18th leader of the Seminary and the first under the newly structured LR School of Theology.

This summer Lenoir-Rhyne University (LRU) and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (LTSS) will merge into a single university with a multi-campus School of Theology.  The combination of the seminary with the university becomes the first such arrangement in Lutheran higher education in the United States.  The new School of Theology at Lenoir-Rhyne encompasses the advanced degree programs at LTSS in Columbia, SC, as well as the traditional undergraduate programs in religion and theology at the LRU campus in Hickory.   Plans are for the School of Theology to also offer graduate programs at the new LRU Center for Graduate Studies of Asheville. (more…)

LRU Professor Featured in New Princeton Review Book, “The Best 300 Professors”

Thu May 10 2012

Lenoir-Rhyne University has one of the country’s best undergraduate teachers according to The Princeton Review.  The Massachusetts-based education services company profiles outstanding professors at 122 colleges in its new book, The Best 300 Professors. Among them is LRU Professor of Biology, Dale F. Burnside. Professor Burnside is the only professor teaching in North Carolina included in this publication.

Published last month, The Best 300 Professors is a project that The Princeton Review teamed up with RateMyProfessors.com – the highest-trafficked college professor ratings site in the U.S.—to develop. The book’s impressive roster of top teachers features professors in more than 60 fields ranging from Accounting to Neuroscience to Sport Management. (more…)

University to Hold Graduation Ceremony and Bestow Honorary Degrees

Tue May 8 2012

Lenoir-Rhyne University will hold spring graduation on Friday, May 11th at 8:00 p.m. in Moretz Stadium on campus. The university will present two honorary doctorates and a Trustee Award posthumously at the commencement exercises.

Master’s Degree Hooding and Commencement will take place on Thursday, May 10th at 7:00 p.m. in the P.E. Monroe Auditorium.

Those being honored on Friday are the Rev. Kirk Perry Bridgers, who will receive an honorary Doctor of Divinity; Ronald E. Deal, who will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters; and the late William M. Mauney ‘65, who will be awarded the Trustee Award posthumously.

Rev. Kirk Perry Bridgers has served in ministry positions continually since his college days. Originally from Savannah, Georgia, he graduated Cum Laude from Newberry College in 1974, where he assisted the Chaplain and was Senior Class President. He earned a Master of Divinity from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 1979, meanwhile serving as the Appalachian intern for Southwest Virginia. Upon graduation, Bridgers pastored Solomon Lutheran Church in Greeneville, Tennessee for five years before becoming pastor of Peachtree Road Lutheran Church in Atlanta.

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Kids in College Program To Focus On STEM Fields

Tue May 8 2012

Applications are now being accepted for Kids in College, the Lenoir-Rhyne University summer enrichment program for students who have completed kindergarten through sixth grade this spring. This year, the program will focus on the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

Students will utilize 21st century skills including critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. Kids in College is designed for teacher-recommended students who meet any of the following criteria:

• Identified as academically gifted
• Achieved a Level 4 on reading and/or math EOG
• Maintained an “A” average in math and/or reading
• Recommended by current teacher

This program will run June 25-29 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided. (more…)

Lenoir-Rhyne Alumni Donate Largest Gift Amount

Mon Apr 30 2012

The Lenoir-Rhyne University class of 1962 recently donated the largest class gift in the school’s history during the annual Alumni Weekend. The gift was $126,022.23, in honor of their 50^th anniversary from LRU.

This is not the first time that these individuals have made substantial contributions to their alma mater. When they first reunited for their 25th class reunion, they presented LRU with the largest class gift at that time, $25,000. During Alumni Weekend 2012, they set the bar even higher and surpassed their previous gift. (more…)

LRU Graduate Students Participate in Global Video Challenge

Thu Apr 26 2012

Can an MBA change the world? The Global Business School Network (GBSN) thinks it can, and so do MBA students at Lenoir-Rhyne University. MBA students enrolled in the Global Sustainability and Social Responsibility Series with the Charles M. Snipes School of Business at Lenoir-Rhyne recently completed a unique project that culminated in a submission to the GBSN Video Challenge. This challenge is related to an initiative to apply MBA principles to assist the citizens of Haiti to develop business-skills. The LRU students titled the project Helping Better in Haiti.

GBSN established the Video Challenge in 2011 to demonstrate that “Emerging markets need business leadership to bring innovative ideas, strategic visions and specialized skills to market their resources, improve living standards and achieve sustainable growth. Business schools and their students play a key role in realizing development goals – from creating social innovation to improving health care to achieving shared economic growth – and we’re looking for MBAs who are making a difference.” (more…)

Musician Tells Whimsical Stories Through Her Music

Fri Apr 20 2012

The Lenoir-Rhyne Youth Chorus will perform its annual Spring Concert on Sunday, May 6, at 7:00 pm.  The concert will be held at First Baptist Church, Hickory, and is free and open to the public.

The chorus represents auditioned singers from age 8 to 18 from over 30 schools and five counties.  This season the choir performed in the Lincoln County Concert Series and will perform with the Western Piedmont Symphony on April 28th, singing “The Planets” by Gustav Holst. The choir is conducted by Florence Jowers, associate professor of music at Lenoir-Rhyne, and accompanied by Freda Herrell, a church musician at New Life Baptist Church and music teacher at Hickory Family Academy. (more…)

View Stars and Planets at LRU

Mon Apr 16 2012

Lenoir-Rhyne University in conjunction with the Catawba Valley Astronomy Club is sponsoring a “Public Observing Night.” This event will be held on Friday, April 27, weather permitting, at the Minges Science Building Observatory on the L-R campus. Observing will begin at 8:00 pm and conclude at approximately 10:30 pm.

The public is invited to come to the top of the Minges Science Building where several telescopes will be set up in addition to the12.5 inch telescope in the observatory dome. To access the rooftop observatory, enter the building then take the elevator to the 4th floor and come up the steps.

This viewing will feature four planets: Jupiter, Venus, Mars, and Saturn, plus a beautiful near-quarter moon.  This is a rare opportunity to view four planets at the same time.

International Best-Selling Author to Appear at LRU Program

Fri Apr 13 2012

The Visiting Writers Series at Lenoir-Rhyne University concludes the 2011-12 season on Thursday, April 19, with “An Evening with Alexander McCall Smith.” Lenoir-Rhyne is pleased to partner with the Hickory Public Library and Catawba Valley Medical Center on this program. The event will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the P.E. Monroe Auditorium on the L-R campus. The event is free and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are not needed.

A book signing is scheduled with McCall Smith on Thursday, April 19 from 4:00-5:00pm at the Patrick Beaver Memorial Library in Hickory. This is the only time that he will be available to sign books. (more…)

Lenoir-Rhyne University Presents Fourth Annual SOURCE Event

Wed Apr 11 2012

Lenoir-Rhyne University will hold the fourth annual Symposium on University Research and Creative Expression on April 24, 2012. The Symposium on University Research and Creative Expression, better known as SOURCE, is an event that celebrates the academic achievements of both undergraduate and graduate students. A keynote speech will kick off the event at 12 p.m. in the Belk Centrum. This event is open to the community.

The speaker, Dr. Jasmine Goodnow is an Assistant Professor of Recreational Leadership at Ferrum College. Mallory Taylor, a recent Ferrum College alumna, will join Goodnow. They will illustrate how undergraduate research is a journey of discovery as they shares their adventures in undergraduate research conducted on the Appalachian Trail.  During this time, Taylor sought to identify and understand the motives and insights of Appalachian Trail hikers. (more…)