Lori Duke, ’96, Is A Familiar Face
By Erin Hege ’04

Lori Duke is in her fifth year working in the accounting office but her life at Meredith started long ago. Duke is a member of the class of 1996, earning a Bachelor of Science in accounting. She is currently enrolled in the Meredith MBA program.

Duke’s career began in public accounting. Her second account in her new job was the Meredith audit. After working on the Meredith audit for four years she came back to her alma mater to work as the accounting supervisor. Now she is the Meredith College controller supervising the accounting office, postal office, copy center and switchboard.

The visibility of the Senior Management Team is one thing Duke likes about Meredith.

“The Senior Management is very active with the students and their activities and it is great to see how comfortable students are with Dr. Hartford and the vice presidents of the College,” Duke said.

Duke feels right at home in the accounting office because of the friendly interaction with her co-workers and students. Last year the accounting office won the customer service award on campus.

“Customer service is highly valued here and we want students to feel relaxed when they come in our office. We enjoy working with the students, and whether explaining account charges or working out payment plans, we hope their experience will be beneficial to them in the future,” Duke said.

Working at Meredith is an easy fit for Duke. “The accounting office staff is more than just co-workers, it is a family atmosphere and I treasure the friendship we have developed,” she said.

Duke also enjoys watching the current students create their own memories by participating in the traditions she always enjoyed.
“Cornhuskin’ was always my favorite tradition and every time I see the parade I remember those incredible memories the Class of ’96 made not so long ago,” she said.

Jane Mitchell Making Her Mark in Institutional Advancement
By Erin Hege, ’04

Jane Mitchell is beginning her second year as the assistant director of the Meredith Fund. This year her main projects are working with alumnae on increasing giving to the Meredith Fund, updating and maintaining the Institutional Advancement web site, and advising the Student Ambassadors. This new student group serves as liaisons between the students and the Meredith community.

Mitchell is no stranger to student involvement on college campuses. As an undergraduate at the University of Richmond she received her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and minored in studio art. She studied abroad in Guadalajara, Mexico, and is now using her Spanish skills at Meredith by being a mentor to a student from Mexico.

Increasing the Meredith Fund can be a non-stop adventure. Mitchell said, “It is a very exciting and challenging time to be working for the Meredith Fund. The fast paced work environment is both exciting and rewarding.”

Mitchell is taking full advantage of the Meredith experience. Along with her role in Institutional Advancement, she has become a mentor, an adviser and a student. During the fall semester, she took International Politics with Jim Piazza.

A native of High Point, NC, she is enjoying being back in her home state after working in Washington, D.C., at the Council of American Overseas Research Centers.

New Art Exhibitions to Open in January

Two exhibitions of work by women artists will open in January at Meredith College.

“Marginalia: A Map of the Mind,” featuring paintings, installations and illuminated manuscripts by Raleigh artist Nancy Baker opens Sunday, Jan. 11, 2004, in Meredith’s Frankie G. Weems Art Gallery. “Ways of Seeing: Susan Harbage Page,” a photography exhibition, also opens Sunday, Jan. 11, 2004, in Meredith’s Johnson Hall Rotunda Gallery. This exhibition of Susan Page’s photographs reveals her lifelong exploration of women and women’s issues.

“Marginalia: A Map of the Mind” continues through Sunday, Feb. 15 in the Frankie G. Weems Art Gallery. The exhibition of paintings, installations and illuminated manuscripts by Raleigh artist Nancy Baker is sponsored by the College’s art department and the religion department’s Mercer-Kesler Fund.

Baker’s “Map of the Mind” was produced in collaboration with Meredith College students and faculty during a fall 2003 semester artist residency. Art history students researched types of images and their associations, digital imaging students isolated the images from their original settings, placed them on black backgrounds and printed them; Art Alliance members and other volunteers mounted the images on pentagrams, a painting class sealed the surfaces, and graphic design students created a gallery guide, wall labels and CD packaging. In working with the students, Baker talked about her creative and technical processes, fascination with the Medieval period, curiosity about the religious iconography of the time, interest in appropriation and post modernism, career, and the business of being an artist among other topics.

“Ways of Seeing: Susan Harbage Page,” a photography exhibition, runs through Sunday, Feb. 15 in Meredith College’s Johnson Hall Rotunda Gallery. Page’s photographs reveal her lifelong exploration of women and women’s issues. In this exhibition, she shows work from three different studies. “Woman Waiting” is a group of images of unidentified women from historical found photographs. Page also draws on these digital prints with rust. “Nanyori,” also a series of digital images, examines the transcendence a group of women in East Africa finds in performing daily tasks. Here she combines the images with journal observations and found objects. “Messages,” a group of four powerful sepia-toned silver gelatin prints, is a moving study of women and religious ritual in Jerusalem.

Opening receptions for each exhibition will be held on Sunday, Jan. 11 from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. at the Weems Gallery, preceded by a 2 p.m. talk by artist Nancy Baker, Kristin Siha, a Meredith honors art history student, and Beth Mulvaney, assistant professor of art. They will discuss themes and interpretations of the focus of this exhibition, an installation of some 75 Medieval images isolated from their original contexts and recombined to create a new narrative of Baker’s making.

An exhibition by students in the Art and Anatomy courses taught by John Mecham and Carol Hayes will also be on display Jan 11- April 25. The exhibition, "Art From Head to Toe" will be in the Science & Mathematics Building Gallery.

Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sunday, 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. For more, visit www.meredith.edu/artgallery/exhib.htm.

Melody Lane: A Triple Star
By Crystal McLeod, ’04

Melody Lane is a triple star in the Meredith community. She is a mother of a Meredith student, a staff member and an Honors student. Lane, an assistant to the Offices of Residence Life and Commuter Life and Diversity Programs, joined the Meredith staff in 2000.

In the fall of last year, Lane became a member of the Honors Program. She had the pleasure of sharing this experience with her daughter Sarah Olson, a senior English and history major, as the first mother/daughter honor student combination in Meredith’s history.

Lane, a psychology major, was surprised and proud to be one of the first 23+ students inducted into this program. “I feel privileged to work for a college that understands the importance of an education,” she said.

This fall the mother/daughter combo shared two classes together, “In Search of ‘American’ Literature” and Ceramics I. They never had classes with each other until this semester. Lane says, “It balanced out, she got to be the expert in literature and I got to be the expert in ceramics.” Although they have classes together, they do not study with one another because Sarah lives on campus, but they do discuss lectures. Students, faculty and staff have been very positive towards this duo.

One special experience that mother and daughter have shared in the Honors Program was the retreat to Black Mountain. One of the activities during the retreat was to make a tile to represent a life changing experience and that “was neat to share in an academic setting,” said Lane. All the tiles from this event were made into a mosaic, which is hanging on the wall in the Honors Lounge.

This triple star feels that her experience with her daughter has made them much closer. “It’s just been affirming that we both love to learn about new things. It’s interesting to see each other through the lens of the Honors Program.”
When asked if it was hard to balance going to classes and working full-time, this honor student replied “Definitely, but worth it. I really like having a full life.” She said that she attends Meredith “first and foremost (because) it is a women’s college,” a southern counterpart to her old college, Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. Lane likes the small classes and being able to have a relationship with all of her professors.

Lane said, “It is wonderful to know this community on different levels, as a student, parent and staff.”

Meredith College Welcomes New Softball Coach
By Kristen Scott, ´05

Meredith’s softball team starts off its new season this month, with a new head coach, Todd McEvoy.

McEvoy, originally from Almond, NY, is also Meredith’s new sports information director. His responsibilities include communicating sports statistics and various sports events held at Meredith College to the general public and media.

With 12 years of coaching some form of a team, be it travel, youth, summer or recreation league, under his belt, McEvoy is very excited to join the Meredith community. He has been coaching at the intercollegiate level for four years. He received his degree from the State University of New York at Brockport.

McEvoy has always known that he would be a coach. Both of his parents were teachers and coaches in New York for 38 years each. He says, “I really enjoy working with the student-athlete. I enjoy helping an athlete become a better player and I enjoy being involved with their academic career. It is really gratifying to see all of the hard work that an athlete puts into a season pay off on the field.”

McEvoy enjoys Meredith’s atmosphere as well as working with the students, faculty and staff. He says, “I truly enjoy coming into work every day -- plus you can't beat the weather.”

McEvoy is looking forward to building the team’s work ethic, creating an aggressive style of play, and encouraging the players to work together as a team. He says, “ I think that we have the foundation to be a competitive team this season. We are young with only one senior, but have the experience with five juniors. The players are working hard and are starting to blend and work well together.” The upcoming season looks promising for the team.”

Meredith College is a member of the NCAA and maintains Division III status. The team plays approximately 30-34 games a season with most played as double headers.

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