Two Meredith arts faculty members have recently earned accolades. Professor of Theatre Catherine Rodgers has received an award for distinguished service from the North Carolina Theatre Conference (NCTC), and Meredith Professor Emeritus David Lynch, a longtime member of Meredith’s music faculty, was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

 

Professor of Theatre Catherine Rodgers Receives NCTC Award
Catherine Rodgers is the 2011 recipient of the NCTC Herman Middleton Distinguished Service Award. The award is one of the highest honors given by the NCTC. Each year, the organization’s Board of Directors presents the NCTC Excellence Awards to companies, schools, and individuals that have exhibited leadership roles in their community, as well as artistic, professional, or educational excellence. The award will be presented during the spring semester.

 

Rodgers is a past president of the North Carolina Theatre Conference Board of Directors, having served on that committee since 2002.

 

The mission of the North Carolina Theatre Conference is to improve and enhance the environment for quality theatre in North Carolina through service, leadership and advocacy.

 

Rodgers serves as director of theatre at Meredith College. She has acted professionally and directed regionally for the past 30 years. Recent stage roles include portraying Gloria Winwood in Right Place, Right Time for Stillwater Theatre, Joyce in Body Awareness for Deep Dish Theater Company, Mama Rose in Gypsy for Meredith Ensemble Theatre, and Mrs. Banks in Barefoot in the Park for NC State's University Theatre.

 

Recent directing credits for Meredith Ensemble Theatre include Intimate Apparel, Playhouse Creatures, Kabuki Lady Macbeth, Ruthless the Musical, Schoolgirl Figure, No No Nanette, and After the Fall, for which she received the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Meritorious Directing Award.

 

An alumna of Meredith, Rodgers also holds an M.A. in speech communication and theatre arts from Wake Forest University and an MFA in acting and directing from UNC-Greensboro.

Professor Emeritus David Lynch Awarded Order of Long Leaf Pine
Meredith Professor Emeritus David Lynch was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine during a service at Christ Episcopal Church on January 8, 2012. The event honored Lynch on the occasion of his retirement after more than 40 years of service to the church as choirmaster and organist.

 

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is among the most prestigious awards presented by the Governor of North Carolina. The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is presented to individuals who have a proven record of extraordinary service to the state. Contributions to their communities, extra effort in their careers, and many years of service to their organizations are some of the guidelines by which recipients are selected for this award.

 

Lynch retired from Meredith College in 2010 after serving on the music faculty since 1969. The award was not only for Lynch’s work at Christ Church, but also for “his incalculable influence of the musical development of so many North Carolinians.”

 

In this Issue:

New Agreement Simplifies Transferring for Community College Students
Recent Efforts Raise Meredith's Profile in Triangle-Area
Sustainability Spotlight: December Break Energy Savings Report
Arts Faculty Members Earn Accolades
Former Facebook Executive Randi Zuckerberg to Visit Meredith
Faculty/Staff Accomplishments
Upcoming Events
News Briefs

 

Have you presented research or attended a professional meeting recently? Has your department earned an award? Share news of these accomplishments and more with the Meredith community. Faculty and staff are invited to email items to Melyssa Allen, “Campus Connections” editor, at allenme@meredith.edu.