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Meredith to Offer Joint Engineering Degree with N.C. State University
She explained the importance of this program to Meredith: “I think one of Meredith’s roles is supporting women in careers not traditionally for women, and engineering is one of those.” Knight added that on a national level, the engineering field is seeking more women, and she believes that Meredith should support women pursuing this career. Students would earn the two degrees in five years if they began the program upon entering Meredith, explained Knight. If students pursued the joint-degree program later in their studies, she clarified, they could possibly complete the program in five years if they took some summer courses. Prior to this new program, Meredith had a “very informal agreement that N.C. State would accept our qualified students,” explained Knight, and she added that the program previously had to be individually negotiated between the student and NCSU. The beauty of the five-year program, according to Knight, is that the “student will know what she needs to do,” and Meredith’s general education courses will be pre-approved to satisfy NCSU’s requirements. She added that students should be able to take most of their general education courses at Meredith. Tuition costs are still being negotiated, Knight said, but she does not expect the cost of the dual degree program to be more expensive than a regular four-year Meredith degree. Students who complete the dual degree program will have an edge in the career market, Knight believes. She explained that in technical fields, it is important to also have a liberal arts foundation, and the dual degree through Meredith and NCSU would provide such a background. “I see this as a way to enhance the NCSU degree,” stated Knight. She supported her assertion by saying that “companies tell us that they like hiring our science and math graduates because in addition to their technical expertise, our graduates communicate well and work well with other people.” Orientation 2004 Orientation will begin on Saturday, August 14 and extend through Wednesday, August 18 for the upcoming school term. During that time, new students will have the chance to meet fellow students and advisors, learn about campus life and go over their class schedules. Orientation takes between six to seven months to prepare and requires the help of residence life, academic advisors, student advisors, registrar’s office, housekeeping, facility services and campus police. Carolyn Koning, co-director of First Year Experience said, “And this list hardly even scratches the surface of all the time and hard work many people across campus put in preparing for the arrival of new students.” Forty-five student advisors work on the art committee, picnic committee, activities fair committee, out-of-state students social committee and skit committee. Cheryl Jenkins, director of student activities and leadership development said, “ The skit is ranked one of the top favorites of new students on their evaluations every year.” All of the student leaders will arrive on August 10 start brainstorming and planning activities. Early registration takes place during the summer and was started three years ago. Now approximately 75-80% of rising freshman register during the summer. Koning comments, “Students who register during Early Registration have more free time during the week of orientation in August. They don’t have to take assessment tests, and their appointments with their advisers can go beyond “What classes do I have to take?” and focus on career and major decisions and understanding the general education requirements.” Koning comments, “We have excellent attendance at all our orientation programs.” Student leaders encourage and attend many of the orientation sessions with their advises. Koning says, “Again, we have an unusual community in that everyone, faculty, staff and administration, pitches in to create a remarkably successful, collaborative endeavor.”
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Move-In Day for First Time Residents
“For the past three years the same schedule has been implemented for Move-In Day because it works so well,” said Heidi LeCount, director of residence life. LeCount, Cheryl Jenkins, director of student activities and leadership development; Ann Gleason, dean of students; Frank Strickland, chief of police and members of the grounds crew work closely to ensure that the Move-In Day is a success. LeCount said, “I am always most excited about seeing the residents and their parents on Move-In Day, especially the ones I have met over the year through open days, Experience Meredith! and early registration.” LeCount also had a few suggestions for first time residents on how to make Move-In Day go even more smoothly. She encouraged all incoming residents to contact their new roommate and suitemate to decide what items each would bring. Also she said, “Don’t bring everything from your room at home the first day. The room will evolve over the first few weeks.” Next, LeCount explained that reading all of the information included with the room assignment letter will also help the day run more smoothly. In the room assignment packet there is information regarding permitted and not permitted items, bed sizes, allowed refrigerator size and room dimensions. LeCount hopes her suggestions will help make Move-In Day a more enjoyable time for residents to spend with their families and other new residents. “I am always amazed at the number of boxes and stacks of things in the hallways during the first few hours of move in and then magically, everything makes it into the rooms and the year is officially underway,” said LeCount. Internships Provide Professional Experience for Meredith Students Nearly 80 percent of Meredith students complete internships, or a similar experience prior to graduation. Summer break allows students to explore their career interests through full-time internships. To explain the value of internships, Meredith Career Center Director Marie Sumerel cites a study by Kysor and Pierce (2000) which says, “Internships enhance a student’s career progress and satisfaction with their career. In addition students who had more career related experiences found employment more quickly after graduation and were more likely to be employed in a field related to their major course study.” Three rising seniors, Mary Beth Knox, of Cleveland, N.C.; Renee Zelenka, of Cary, N.C.; and Qin Li of Nanchong, China, are examples of Meredith students who completed internships this summer. “The best part of my internship is just getting a glimpse at the corporate world,” Knox said. Knox applied for an internship at GlaxoSmithKline to see how the pharmaceutical industry worked and to see if pharmaceutical sales might be a job she would like to pursue. She added, “I hope that by interning at GlaxoSmithKline that I will have a better chance with getting a future full-time job. Hopefully through my work experience and the individuals I meet, I will increase my chances of getting a job with GSK.” Zelenka is majoring in business administration with a concentration in marketing and a minor in communication. She interned with Ford Motors, a Fortune 500 company. “The best part about my internship are the opportunities available, being able to see everything involved in operating such a large company: visiting the production plant, the design studio, test driving the new vehicles, attending dealer shows and being involved in the process,” Zelenka said. Zelenka hopes to receive “a job offer from Ford or have the experience that I need to help me obtain a position with another reputable company.” Qin Li is an accounting major who interned with TECAN US, a leading pharmaceutical company. She worked in the accounting department where she is responsible for analyzing a number of administrative expense accounts as well as spending fluctuations. Qin Li explains that because English is not her native language it was sometimes hard to communicate; however, she loved learning new things from her colleagues every day. She comments, “This experience definitely will contribute to my future career. Understanding day-to-day accounting and applying accounting principles are pertinent to my future job as an accountant.” “Internships help a student confirm her interest in a particular career field and can provide hands-on experience in a professional setting,” says Sumerel. “Students develop strong work ethics, learn professional behavior, and develop contacts and references while interning.”
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According to Virginia Knight, dean of the School of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, students completing the five-year program of study would earn a Bachelor of Arts from Meredith in either mathematics or chemistry and a Bachelor of Science from NCSU in either chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental or industrial engineering.
Meredith College Move-In Day has always been one of the most important days for first time residents. This year first time residents will move in on Saturday, August 14 between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. 