LRU Nursing Program to Benefit From Grant

The Foundation for Nursing Excellence (FFNE) has received a $1,370,000 grant from The Duke Endowment (TDE) to increase the number of Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates in North Carolina by expanding the RIBN (Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses) project. The Hickory RIBN program is a four-year nursing option that will dually admit and enroll students to both Lenoir-Rhyne University and one of five area community colleges.

A higher educated nursing workforce is needed to address the increasingly complex healthcare needs of citizens, and expand the pool for future faculty and advanced practice nurses. North Carolina must create new partnerships between community colleges and universities to support seamless progression toward a baccalaureate degree. The Duke Endowment is further investing in the expansion of the RIBN project to ensure an adequately prepared nursing workforce to support the health and well being of the citizens of our state.

This program will provide a seamless associate to baccalaureate nursing education for students. The first three years of study will be at the community college campus along with one course per semester at L-R. Upon successful completion of the first three years, students will take their fourth year at Lenoir-Rhyne.

“We are so excited to be a part of the Hickory RIBN Collaborative,” said Kerry Thompson, chair of the School of Nursing at LR. “This opportunity allows us to be innovative and provide our local health care facilities the advantage to offer more baccalaureate prepared nurses to the work force.”

One of the priority recommendations from the 2004 NC IOM Nursing Workforce Report and from the 2011 IOM Future of Nursing report is to significantly increase the proportion of BSN prepared nurses by 2020. Currently over 66% of newly licensed nurses enter the workforce with associate degrees in nursing and less than 15% of these nurses achieve a BSN or higher degree in nursing during their careers.

Based on the success of the initial stage of this project in western NC and the broad interest in expanding this educational model statewide, The Duke Endowment is investing in the expansion of the RIBN model in five regions across the state, including 14 associate degree and five university nursing education programs.

RIBN students will have the opportunity to begin working as an RN at the end of their third year, unlike a traditional BSN program, once they have passed the NCLEX. This L-R program is in conjunction with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, Catawba Valley Community College, Mitchell Community College, Western Piedmont Community College, and Wilkes Community College.

“The School of Nursing at Lenoir-Rhyne is firmly committed to maintain high educational standards and this program is another way that we can work with leaders all across the state to provide quality nursing graduates with the potential to advance our nursing profession,” Thompson explained.

For more information on the RIBN program at L-R, contact Mae Mills at 828-328-7730 or Emily Edwards at 828-328-7731.

Community Invited to Learn More About Suzuki Method

Program director Jane Perry working with several students
during a recent group lesson. Photo credit: LRU

On Saturday, November 5, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., the Suzuki Kids in Koncert program at Lenoir-Rhyne University will host an open house in the Mauney Music Building on the L-R campus. The Kids in Koncert program enrolls students as young as four years old up to adults.

The Suzuki method was developed by Japanese musician Shinichi Suzuki as a way of teaching music to young children. The method is based on the concept that children learn music in the same way they would learn a language – by listening, modeling what they hear, and repetition. Through the Suzuki method, students learn to play before they learn to read. Parents are actively involved in the learning process by attending sessions with their child. Students will participate in a combination of private and group lessons, as well as opportunities to perform in recitals each semester.

The Suzuki Kids in Koncert program offers instruction in violin, viola, cello, flute, piano, and harp. Faculty includes April Dean, violin and viola; Jean Hatmaker, cello; Helen Rifas, harp; Cheryl Weldon, flute and piano; Irene Craig, piano; and Jane Perry, piano and Director of Kids in Koncert.

Perry says the open house “will provide an opportunity for interested people to come and learn about the Suzuki method of music instruction, meet the faculty of the program, visit the studios, hear students perform, have opportunity to ask questions, visit a petting zoo of the instruments, and enjoy refreshments.”

For more information about the open house or about the Suzuki Kids in Koncert program, please call Jane Perry at (828) 267-3476.

Eugene O’Niell Play to be Presented at Lenoir-Rhyne University

The Lenoir-Rhyne University Playmakers will perform Moon for the Misbegotten by Eugene O’Niell November 2 through November 5 in P.E. Monroe Auditorium on campus.

O’Neill, often called America’s greatest playwright, first produced the play in 1947. It’s real fame, however, came after 1957, and it has since been produced on Broadway five times with actors such as Jason Robards, Colleen Dewhurst, and Kevin Spacey. The language and relationships in the play are typical of O’Neill’s “unblinking look at raw, and sometimes ugly truths” and yet the bittersweet acceptance of the pain in life is what makes his work so captivatingly beautiful.

Moon for the Misbegotten is set in 1923 on a farm in New England of Irish immigrant Phil Hogan and his daughter Josie. Her quick wit and sharp tongue are matched against the charming but cynical Jim Tyrone for an evening full of manipulation and romance.

“The play blends humor and tragedy together in a rather brilliant way,” says cast member Cody Watson. “I think the audiences that are coming to see it won't be able to help loving the characters they are seeing onstage.”

The show is directed by L-R alumni Joshua Yoder ‘03, who also holds a MFA in Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The cast includes Amber Ellis, senior Theatre major; Patrick Woodward, freshman Theatre major; Cody Watson, Senior Theatre major; Anthony Chambers, freshman Theatre major; and Terry Evans, Hickory community member.

The show will run Wednesday, November 2 – Saturday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens, children and non-LR students, and free for L-R students with ID. The production will be performed with both actors and audience seated on the P.E. Monroe Auditorium stage, so seating is limited.

For additional information and to make reservations, call 828-328-PLAY or go to theatre.lr.edu. This play contains strong language and sexual innuendo that may not be suitable for children.

Western Piedmont Youth Symphony to Perform Fall Concert

The Western Piedmont Youth Symphony will perform on Monday, October 31 at 7 p.m. in the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley Auditorium. General admission with open seating is $5 per person with a family admission of $15 (up to four). Following the concert, the audience is welcome to stay for the showing of Bugs Bunny’s “Howl-o-ween” cartoon. Trick or Treat reception to follow for concert goers.

These young and talented musicians have been hard at work preparing for their first concert of the season. Directed by John Gordon Ross, the Youth Symphony boasts a full complement of strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion. The Youth Symphony is directly sponsored by Frye Regional Medical Center with additional support from the von Drehle Corporation. Come and support our young musicians.

Western Piedmont Symphony is a grant recipient of the North Carolina Arts Council and a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County. Business offices are located on the SALT Block at 243 Third Avenue NE, Hickory. Business hours are 9:00 am until 5:00 pm daily. Contact the Business Office at (828) 324-8603 for concert box office schedule or for more information. Visit the Symphony’s website at www.wpsymphony.org.

Catawba Valley Ski Club Sponsoring Premier of Movie

The Catawba Valley Ski Club is sponsoring the North Carolina Premier of Match Stick Productions newest ski movie for the a second year. "Attack of La Nina" will be shown on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at the Carolina Theater in downtown Hickory at 7:00 PM. The title comes from the "la nina" weather pattern that was responsible for the massive snow storms North America experienced last winter. Tickets are only $5.00 and are available in advance or at the door on the evening of the show. The $5.00 ticket will also be applied to your annual membership to the Catawba Valley Ski Club, if people decide to join. It will also make you eligable for door prizes on the night of the show. Door prizes will include a new pair of skis and a snowboard, along with some other great prizes. You do not have to be a member to attend or win the door prizes. To purchase tickets in advance, email Tom Rigsby at tarigsby@charter.net. We will be projecting in High Definition this year! This should be a great event and a fantastic way to get excited about the upcoming winter sports season.

We look forward to seeing all the Western North Carolina winter sports enthusiasts on Tuesday, November 8th!

The Catawba Valley Ski Club is a non-profit club, affiliated with the Crescent Ski Council. As a member of the club, people are able to access all the trips and local activities, including ski/snowboard racing, that the Crescent Ski Council provides. Crescent is a group of more than 20 clubs from all over the Southeast. For more information contact Tom Rigsby
President, Catawba Valley Ski Club at 828-381-4842 or via Email: tarigsby@charter.net.

Lenoir-Rhyne to Hold High School Scholars Academy Information Session

The 2011-2012 L-R High School Scholars Academy
pose in front of the "charge". Photo credit: LRU

Lenoir-Rhyne University will hold an information session at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, for high school juniors and their parents interested in the university’s High School Scholars Academy. The session will be held in room 213 of the McCrorie Center on the L-R campus.

The High School Scholars Academy, which began in 2007, is designed for high school students who wish to pursue a more advanced academic program for their senior year of high school. Students selected for the program will have the opportunity to enroll in English IV Honors plus three college classes in the fall and AP English (or an approved online class) plus three college classes in the spring.

Applications for the 2012-2013 school year are due Feb. 21, 2012. First preference for admission will be given to students enrolled in the Catawba County, Hickory Public, or Newton-Conover school systems. If space is available, the university will also consider students from private schools, home schools, and other school systems.

Factors considered for admission include high school GPA, courses taken in high school, SAT, ACT, PSAT or PLAN scores, and high school or community involvement.

The information sessions do not require advance registration. If you have questions, please contact Mary Ann Gosnell at maryann.gosnell@lr.edu or 828-328-7300. Additional information about the High School Scholars Academy can be found online at <www.lr.edu/admissions/high-school-scholars-academy>.

Visting Writer Series Continues: Life Experiences Pepper Author’s Stories

The Visiting Writers Series at Lenoir-Rhyne University continues on Thursday, November 3 with “An Evening with Edward P. Jones.” The event will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Belk Centrum on the L-R campus. The event is free and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required.

"There's an old chestnut about how when you ask a Southerner a question, you don't get an answer—you get a story." So the Washington Post describes Pulitzer Prize winning author Edward P. Jones. Jones' stories, prompted by questions from his enigmatic and often tragic life experiences, mold his publications: New York Times bestselling novel The Known World (2003) and his short-story collections Lost in the City (2004) and All Aunt Hagar's Children (2006).

The literary acclamations awarded to Jones mirror the profound nature of his writing. His life, however, reflects the habits of a recluse more so than one of the most celebrated authors of this generation. Nonetheless, Jones' extraordinary writing has the ability, as novelist Dave Eggers writes, to "stun on every page; there are too many breathtaking lines to count" with "its sweep, its humanity, the unvarnished perfection of its prose."

Jones, a MacArthur fellow, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2004, which added to his other distinctions including the Hemingway Foundation's 1993 PEN Award, 2003 National Book Critics Award, the 2005 International Dublin Literary Award, and several National Book Award nominations.

Other authors in the series include Isaac Anderson, Judy Goldman, Sandra Cisneros, Lynne Cherry, and Alexander McCall Smith. The series continues through April 2012.

The Lenoir-Rhyne University Visiting Writers Series is free to the public thanks to the support of sponsors. This year’s sponsors include Our State, WDAV 89.9 FM: Classical Public Radio, Catawba Science Center, North Carolina Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Catawba Valley Community Foundation, Hickory Public Library, United Arts Council of Catawba County, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Crowne Plaza Hotel of Hickory, WFAE 90.7 FM: Your NPR News Source, City of Hickory Community Relations Council, Catawba Valley Medical Center, and Rotary International.

For more information about the Visiting Writers Series at Lenoir-Rhyne University, go to http://visitingwriters.lr.edu or call 828-328-7077.