Several weeks ago in June I spent a week traveling the Western part of North Carolina. Starting in Charlotte and working our way out west to Asheville and beyond to God's country, I toured eleven private colleges and universities. I saw some beautiful scenery, some unusual creatures, and ate many a heavenly meal. Most days, even in the mountains were in the 90's.
Southern hospitality abounded at all of the educational institutions. My biggest challenge was reliving the days of dorm life. Only one night, the first one was spent in a hotel. After that it was a challenge to my creative and mental abilities to find creature comfort in spending the night in a dorm room. Needless to say, I now truly appreciate my two puffy pillows, my nice soft set of sheets, and my memory-foam mattress.
One soon forgets how much these simple things mean. Bare cinder block walls, hard plastic mattresses (to eliminate bedbugs!), one pillow, many times only one sheet, and one towel. Try making one little pillow feel like two big fluffy ones. Try taking a shower and washing your hair with one towel. The first night I needed to add about 12" to my legs. In order to get into the bed, I had to climb up on furniture. It was a long way down. Trying to keep middle-of-the-night trips to the potty to a minimum was important for my safety! The rocky desk chair that kept biting me every time I got near is not to be forgotten. I still have the bruises from it. Yes, I am a girly girl who needs my creature comforts.
The pool party that was going full throttle, in more ways than one, at the Charlotte hotel was also an eye opener. Having just been in Las Vegas, I thought that I had seen just about everything. People watching in the hotel lobby after the pool party made Las Vegas look modest--if you can believe that!
Now on to the schools. What did I see? We began in Charlotte at Queens University. This is my second visit to Queens. They are building a state-of-the-art science building (LEEDS Platinum Certified) and new student fitness center. The same dynamic president is running the show.There are wonderful study abroad opportunities through the John Belk Program. Queens is a school that is embracing its city environment.
Johnson C. Smith was our luncheon host. This is a HBCU located in Charlotte dating to 1867. This is best described as an ambitious work in progress. They are working to improve their retention rate, develop new majors, eliminate the Education major, strengthen freshmen academic skills, improve the safety of their campus and the surrounding neighborhoods. Blue Ocean Strategy was discussed relating to the competition among institutions of higher learning. This was an eye-opening presentation. New construction is designed to take advantage of commercial as well as residential useage of new buildings. Johnson C. Smith is trying to survive in the city.
We then moved on to Davidson College in Davidson. This is my second visit to this campus. Even with throngs of campers, it is still a lovely campus. Davidson offers a first-rate Southern education. They have some unique merit-based financial aid opportunities via The Davidson Trust. The atmosphere on this campus is governed by their strict Honor Code. Their motto is Explore. Connect. Engage.
A short drive from Davidson we arrived at Gardner-Webb University. Located in Boiling Springs, G-W is a Baptist institution. They stress their Christian environment with Christian faculty. Nursing, preaching, and teaching are their strong points .Home schooled students do well at this university. There is also a strong program to support students who are deaf, blind. or have learning differences.They offer an American Sign Language major. After enjoying a Greek-themed dinner and breakfast with faculty and staff the next morning, we traveled to Belmont Abbey.
Belmont Abbey College is located a short distance from Charlotte. They have a lovely, historic campus which shares its space with a monastery of Benedictine priests. Their acceptance rate for vet, pharmacy and graduate school is 100%. BA is the only Catholic college between Florida and Virginia on the East Coast. Their unique major is motorsports management. Their location is ideal to apply what is taught in this major. They are SAT/ACT test optional. Belmont Abbey has one of those dynamic presidents that you will not forget once you meet him! After lunch we were sent off with bags of gourmet flavored popcorn colored red and white just for our group.
We then traveled to Asheville and spent several hours touring the Biltmore Estate. Repeat visits always mean discovering something new about the house or the grounds. Then we went on to Brevard College, a Methodist institution, which is set in a quaint mountain town with lots of antique shops and restaurants. It is adjacent to Mt. Pisgah National Forest. We missed the Tuesday night square dancing on the town square. The town of Brevard is home to a passel of white squirrels. The live ones abound on the colleges campus. The town merchants display every other form of a white squirrel.
The campus has a lovely setting with mountains in the background and a babbling brook running through it.The architecture of The Village buildings, upperclassmen housing, have an Adirondack feel to them with their combination of wood and stone.
Evening was spent having a Southern Bar-B-Q meal at the President's House. Breakfast the next morning was spent with faculty who discussed their areas of expertise. The unique major that was described in detail is Wilderness Learning and Experiential Education. Through the courses one learns to focus on self and their relation to the environment.
Another unique program is Voices of the River. Students with two collaborative faculty go to the source of a river and follow it to the sea.
The motto at this school is Learn in order to serve--step in and stand out. This is a place for someone who loves the outdoors and wants to conquer the earth.
The midday stop was at Mars Hill College. This is a Baptist institution set in a small mountain town. Mars Hill is the oldest higher education institution on its original site in Western Carolina. Their goal is to grow in size and become the premiere Western Carolina private college institution. Education is their largest major and only masters program. They have the only zoology program in Western Carolina. Art therapy is also offered as an undergraduate major. There is a large staff to support
students with learning disabilities. A $3,000 scholarship is given upon admittance. Ethics are emphasized across all aspects of campus life. Mars Hill is for people who live and maintain life on the mountain.
Traveling a little further west we arrived at Montreat College. This Presbyterian institution was founded in 1916 on top of Black Mountain. It is another lovely campus with beautiful stone buildings set amongst the hillside. The extremely enthusiastic staff emphasized that faith and education are inseparable. Home schooled, Young Life, Fellowship of Christian Athletes all would embrace this campus. The campus is across the lake from the Presbyterian Conference Center. There is also a unique gift shop, Ten Thousand Villages. Always the shopper, I found several lovely handmade items for purchase. The items are created by individuals in developing countries.
The motto of this school is Christ-Centered--Student-Focused--Service-Driven. Montreat is for people who are celebrating the earth.
Our evening was spent at Warren Wilson College. This is truly one of the most unique colleges of the group that we visited. With a working farm (see the picture with this blog article), students are required to spend 15 hours per week working on an assigned work crew. Crew assignments can range from plumbing to farm work and whatever else it takes to keep the campus running in top shape. Warren Wilson is one of seven work colleges in the United States. The emphasis is on service, sustainability and environmental living.
They describe their admissions process as gentle and do not have an application fee. Students here want to change the world. Many students are a bit older than your traditional student. This is a place where some find themselves after other failed attempts. This is where the "flower people" can be happy. Warren Wilson students are people who love the earth.
I will always remember the delicious food that was served at Warren Wilson. It came either from their farm or from farms nearby. Just a few items: bowls of fresh, sliced peaches with homemade whipped cream and shortbread cookies (YUM!), watermelon salad (to die for), the freshest scrambled eggs (I think they just plucked them from the chickens that morning.) that I have ever eaten and scones as good as those in Ireland!!
Their gift to us was a burlap bag with their signature tree on the front. It was filled with homemade items: lip balm, a healing salve, a pack of homemade tea. This is a very unique place and perfect for the right person. It is truly a little piece of heaven.
Our afternoon stop was at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk. This is a Presbyterian institution. It is in a small mountain town surrounded by ski slopes. It is the highest Eastern United States campus. The campus is scattered with stone buildings made from native stone from North Carolina and adjacent states. There is a gorgeous waterfall and river area. This is a pet-friendly campus with housing provided. They house the only wildlife rehab program in the Eastern U.S. With rolling admission, a 2013-14 tuition freeze, and test optional admission, Lees-McRae seems very inviting. Education is their strong major. Outdoor studies is another unique major. Their next new major will be nursing.
Our final stop was at Lenoir-Rhyne, a Lutheran university, in Hickory. We were given an overwhelming welcome by a large number of staff members. A yellow bus with a welcome greeting and everyone's name was chalked on the sidewalk. L-R has a great marketing video that stars the bear mascot and his cheerleader girlfriend. Look it up on YouTube.
Community service is an integral part of this campus life. Their focus is on small class size with intimate faculty relations and to be a faith-based institution that is part of the surrounding community. Their is a book each year that everyone on campus will read. There is also a visiting writers society. Nicholas Sparks is their next writer coming to campus. Strong majors are education, nursing, business and English (writing.)
We were each given a cookbook from the campus chef. He created a lovely dinner for us with a salad that included figs from his mother's tree. Berry cake and dessert coffees were included . Breakfast featured crepes with fresh berries, whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
Does this sound like the gourmet trip through Western North Carolina?
