Muggles and Wizards Converge on Lenoir-Rhyne University

Lenoir-Rhyne University is pleased to announce the second annual Harry Potter Fest on Friday, Oct. 28 on campus. A variety of activities are scheduled throughout the day and are open to the community.

Harry Potter Fest will kick off at 10:00 a.m. with a presentation by Travis Prinzi, Harry Potter scholar and researcher. Prinzi runs a popular website and podcast called, “The Hog’s Head,” named after a pub in the Harry Potter series. The event will take place in the Belk Centrum on campus. Tickets are not required but seating is limited. A Q&A with Prinzi will follow later in the day at 12:00 p.m. in the Bear’s Lair on campus.

All Harry Potter fans are invited to participate in the “Insufferable Know-It-Alls” Harry Potter trivia contest beginning at 1:00 p.m. Assemble a team of up to three people and prepare to earn your O.W.L.s. Enjoy some butterbeer and cauldron cakes while you play the game. Preregistration is required at library.lr.edu/hptrivia.

Today’s students don’t have to bring their pet owl to school with them but in the spirit of Harry Potter, the Carolina Raptor Center will have live owls on hand. Learn about these beautiful creatures from 2-5 p.m. on Shaw Plaza.

LRU students and the public alike are invited to attend the quidditch match to be held 3:30-5:30 p.m. on the Russell House lawn. Quidditch is a sport that was developed by Rowling for the Harry Potter book series. Whether you are a Seeker, Snitch, or just an observer, you are sure to have a great time watching and participating in this fun sport.

At 6:30 p.m. a community costume contest for school age children K-12 will be held. Students can come dressed in their best Hermione, Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore or Hagrid costumes, just to name a few, to wow and impress the judges. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes.

The evening will wrap up with a Wizard Rock concert with “Hawthorn & Holly” from 7-8:30 p.m. at Shaw Plaza. Hawthorn & Holly are the wands of Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter in the books, but in this band they stand for the joining of light and dark to create music that appeals to the Slytherin in us all, but also shows that nothing is greater than the power of friendship!

"American Brass Quintet" Comes to Lenoir-Rhyne University

The Concert Series at Lenoir-Rhyne University will kick off the 2011-12 season with a free performance by the American Brass Quintet on Friday, October 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the P.E. Monroe Auditorium on campus. Tickets are not required and the L-R Friends of Music invite the entire community to experience this group.

Founded in 1960, the American Brass Quintet seeks to promote brass chamber music as a serious chamber music medium. Now in its 51st season, the American Brass Quintet has been internationally recognized as one of the premier chamber music ensembles of our time and an icon in the brass world. The ABQ's rich history includes performances in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and all fifty of the United States; a discography of over fifty recordings; the premieres of over one-hundred contemporary brass works, and in the last decade, mini-residencies that have brought the ABQ's chamber music expertise to countless young musicians and institutions worldwide. ABQ commissions by Samuel Adler, Bruce Adolphe, Daniel Asia, Jan Bach, Robert Beaser, William Bolcom, Elliott Carter, Jacob Druckman, Eric Ewazen, Anthony Plog, Huang Ruo, Steven Sacco, David Sampson, Gunther Schuller, William Schuman, Joan Tower, Melinda Wagner, and Charles Whittenberg, are considered among the most significant contributions to the modern brass quintet repertoire.

Premieres in the last three seasons include works by Gordon Beeferman, Nolan Gasser, Trevor Gureckis, Justin Dello Joio, Shafer Mahoney, Anthony Plog and David Sampson. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary last year, the ABQ released its ninth recording on the Summit label-a double CD of new works written for the ABQ in the last decade called State of the Art: The ABQ at 50.

Through its acclaimed performances, diverse programming, commissioning, extensive discography, and educational mission, the ABQ has created a legacy unparalleled in the brass field. Hailed as "the high priests of brass" by Newsweek, "positively breathtaking" by the New York Times, and "of all the brass quintets, the most distinguished" by the American Record Guide, the American Brass Quintet has clearly defined itself among the elite chamber music ensembles of our time.

For additional information on the Concert Series, please visit [mus.lr.edu] or check the Lenoir-Rhyne University Concert Series Facebook page.

Family Weekend Scheduled for September 16-17

On September 16 and 17 we will welcome parents of families of LRU students to campus for the Annual Family Weekend-Best of LRU. Many events are planned throughout the weekend and all are welcome and encouraged to come take part. Detailed event information and registration can be found online.

Institute for Faith and Learning to Host Speaker

The LRU Institute for Faith and Learning will host speaker Mark Yaconelli who will present "Wonder, Fear, and Longing: The Life of the Soul." Using story and humor, and drawing on his work in Christian spiritual formation, Yaconelli will discuss how our everyday experience invites us into greater freedom and transparency with God, others, and ourselves.

The event will be held on Thursday, September 15th at 7:00 p.m. in the Belk Centrum. No tickets are needed.

Commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks

The Lenoir-Rhyne University Sacred Music Program will sponsor a Service of Commemoration on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. The service will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 11, at First Baptist Church in Hickory. Participants will include the L-R Youth Chorus, the LRU Brass Ensemble and the LRU A Cappella Choir. This event is free and open to the public.

Aspects of Leadership

The LRU Business Council and the Alex Lee Foundation will sponsor a series of discussions on leadership throughout the next few weeks. This on-going event began last week with LRU President Wayne Powell and will continue this week on Wednesday, September 7 with Boyd George, President of Alex Lee Inc.

Next week's discussion will be lead by Tony Rose, Catawba Valley Medical Center President and will be on Wednesday, September 14. This program will continue until October 26th and is meant to help participants reach a better understanding of leadership so that we may practice it more effectively.

Each event will begin at 6:15 p.m. in the McCrorie Center, Fintel classroom. The series is free and open to the community.

LRU Partners with High School to Develop Outstanding Programs & Students

UCHS students Troy Barker, Lisa Emerson, and Alec Hass look on as UCHS board
chairman David Reitzel and L-R provost Larry Hall sign the partnership agreement

Lenoir-Rhyne University has entered into a formal partnership with University Christian High School in order to further develop a high quality faith-based high school curriculum for students in the greater Hickory area.

Established in 2009, University Christian High School’s (UCHS) mission is to provide a Christ-centered education that inspires students to excellence in academics, moral character, and servant leadership.

UCHS offers an advanced and highly academic curriculum in partnership with L-R. Students at UCHS have the opportunity to take a greater variety of advanced classes than any high school, public or private, in the area. Through dual enrollment opportunities, UCHS students have the opportunity to graduate with up to 30 college credit hours, which is included in the tuition cost of the school.

This partnership allows Lenoir-Rhyne to provide greater opportunities to high school students and to better prepare them to succeed at a four-year institution after graduation. L-R has dedicated a classroom/lab area for UCHS science classes to ensure update-to-date resources are available to the students in their education.

Beginning with this school year, UCHS will be located at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, across the street from L-R. The proximity of the high school to Lenoir-Rhyne allows for easy access to the college classes that juniors and seniors take.

More information about University Christian High School can be found on their website at www.uchigh.com. The high school is still accepting applications for the 2011-12 academic year.

Xi House Demo

Xi House in the process of being torn down to make room for the
new residence hall. Construction on the new hall will begin later
this summer (Photo credits: Rich Duncan).

LRU, We Have An App For That!

The free app is designed to provide an abundance of information to prospective students, current students, alumni, and the Hickory community. Photo credit: LRU Marketing

Available this week in the Apple App Store is the official Lenoir-Rhyne University app. The free app is designed to provide an abundance of information to prospective students, current students, alumni, and the Hickory community. The app can be downloaded on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.

The app is well timed as summer finds new students preparing to come to campus in August and they want to explore their new university.

“Though the official campus visit is an important tool, it was a logical step to create an on-line self guided tour and offer other information geared toward a generation that thrives on technology,” said Mike Langford, director of marketing and communications at L-R. The app was developed by the L-R marketing office in collaboration with Slicker Interactive, a Charleston, SC based company that specializes in innovations for Apple products.

The L-R app puts everything you need to know on the go right into your hands. Whether it’s a prospective student wanting to take the self-guided tour or learn more about academic majors, a current student wanting to check out the discounts available from local businesses or the dining hall menu, or a member of the Hickory community wanting to see when the next concert, theater production or sporting event is, it can be found on the app. Text, photos, and videos give the user the sense of being right in the heart of campus.

“With one swipe or a tap, prospective students can explore each residence hall, learn more about a degree program, read the campus newspaper, and so much more,” explained Langford. “There’s also the added feature of calendars of community, cultural, and sporting events for everyone to stay up to date on programs.”

The app uses GPS navigation to mark buildings on the Google map to help users find specific places on campus, to locate athletic complexes on campus, and to show the location of businesses offering discounts to current students.

LRU will release a similar app for Droid devices in the fall that will include the same interactive features as the Apple version.

LRU Holds Graduation Ceremony

Kelly Medley, Senior Class President addresses fellow students
during the graduation ceremony on Friday, May 13. Photo credit: L. Harris