The PRESIDENT's porch
Thoughts from the Porch
As the year draws to a close, it provides a much-needed pause amid life’s busyness—a time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished and to dream of what’s ahead. With immense gratitude, we look back on this year’s many milestones and gifts. With confidence and hope, we look forward to a new year filled with opportunities to build on our successes and create an even brighter future together.
2024 Milestones
This year has been a particularly meaningful one for the Meredith community. We joyfully celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Alice in Wonderland tradition, a whimsical and beloved piece of campus history. We also marked another centennial: the groundbreaking for our cherished campus here on Hillsborough Street. These anniversaries reminded us of the rich traditions and enduring spirit that make Meredith so special.
A highlight of the year was the unveiling of the stunning onyx statue honoring Dr. Jo Allen’s leadership. This iconic symbol reflects the deep connections and meaningful experiences that form the heart of the Meredith journey.
This year was also marked by transitions that reflect the rhythm of college life. In May, we celebrated the achievements of a remarkable group of graduating Angels, and in the fall, we welcomed a new class of students eager to embark on their Meredith experience. These moments of farewell and welcome underscore the vibrant, ever-renewing life of our college community.
For me, this year has been one of personal new beginnings. Since joining the Meredith family this summer, Travis and I have been deeply touched by the warmth and generosity of this community. Each day, I am reminded the heart of Meredith College is its people—you—who care so passionately about this institution and make it a true home. Thank you for embracing us with such kindness and for sharing the magic of this place.
Fall Semester Celebrations
This semester has been filled with incredible accomplishments. Our students have achieved academic excellence, and our faculty and staff have fostered a strong sense of community through meaningful programming and events. A restructured approach to enrollment is already yielding positive results, and we’re excited to welcome even more future Angels into the Meredith family. Meanwhile, our advancement team has set new fundraising records, and taken the time to introduce me to so many inspiring members of our alumnae network.
As we reflect on the successes of this semester, I am energized by the possibilities ahead. Together, we will continue to honor Meredith’s proud traditions while charting a bold, exciting course for the future.
Wishing you a season filled with peace, joy, and time to cherish the blessings of the past year.
Warmly,
Aimee
Academic Celebrations
Meredith students and faculty are proud of numerous academic achievements, a few of which are highlighted here. Computer Science major Deborah Mong’are attended the JMP Discovery Summit at SAS in Cary as one of the selected inaugural Summit Scholars and the only student presenter. Dr. Emily Lada shared the opportunity with her and encouraged her to apply.
The new collaboration room in the Harris building where students can work together using technology to solve problems has been completed.
The Library sponsored its second plant giveaway this fall, distributing 151 plants. Students received a small pot to decorate, soil, and a choice of small succulent plants to care for.
Hospitality and Tourism students Abby Wilson, Emma Hodges, Gracie Dunn, Jill Jackson, Kennady Clark, Sara Dees, and Taylor Chase all earned the Emerging Meeting Professional designation, a certification offered by Meeting Planners International. This certification differentiates and elevates emerging professionals who want to set themselves apart when seeking employment. Individuals with the EMP designation signify that they possess mindsets indicative of the realities and competencies that make a meeting professional successful.
Dr. Nancy Johnson, Instructor of Accounting, published two articles in the area of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). The first, titled “Study Habits Shift to Adaptive Interactive e-books: Rethinking Instructional Design,” was published in Teaching Business and Economics, a C-level journal on the Australian Business Dean’s Council List. The second article, titled “Online Versus Face-to-Face Instruction: Entry Level Accounting Students are Performing About the Same,” was co-authored by Dr. Candalyn Rade, Assistant Professor of Psychology, and was accepted for publication in North American Accounting Studies, a Cabell’s list journal.
Jake Vaccaro, reference librarian and adjunct Italian instructor, provided Italian language lessons for faculty and staff participating in the Sansepolcro trips in December and May. It has been a popular class!
New Director of Undergraduate Research, Whitney Manzo, hosted a Taste of Research event in the Library on November 4. Ten students who received undergraduate research grants presented information about their summer research work. In addition to seeing the specific presentations (like “Using Magic to Create Flashbulb Memories”), students who attended the event learned more about the Meredith Undergraduate Research program and ways they could get involved. More than 50 students, faculty, and staff attended the event.
The School of Business added eight new members to its Advisory Board:
- Trinita Carlton, Director Agile Coach, Fidelity Investments & Owner, Invision Realities
- Andrea Conner, Ecosystem Development Director (contract), First Flight Venture Center
- Olivia Ecker, Chief People Person, Vital Edge Technologies
- Erica Madden, Owner, Bloom and Change
- A.L. Nesbitt, Project Management Group Lead, CRB
- Ashley Simpson, Annual Campaign Manager, WakeMed Foundation
- Dr. Tiamesha Walker-Smith, Tiamesha, Executive Director, ATHENA of the Triangle
- Nikki Yarborough, Retired Tax Partner, Dixon Hughes Goodman
Business and Finance Celebrations
In collaboration with Jayme Aimalefoa and our Aramark partners, the BeeHive Cafe underwent major renovations, including new food options such as Mediterranean cuisine, a local barista, and a smoothie bar. Over the winter break, renovations will also be made at the main Belk Dining Hall.
In continuing to bring the community together, Pamela Davis Galloway and the HR team have hosted numerous events on campus, including the Chili Cook-Off, Halloween Costume, and Hurricanes hockey game, with future events consisting of a Campus Talent Show. In addition, Cherry Bekaert also completed the annual HR audit and reported no findings or substantive issues (clean audit).
In collaboration with the Accounting team, Technology Services has launched the Purchase Order Module to over 20 departments and units on campus. This module has replaced the need for paper documents, creating efficiencies and cost savings. In addition, Tech Services overhauled the CamCard system – upgrading the software and hardware devices around campus. With the hiring of a Senior Network Engineer, a Network Engineer, and a Director of User Services, the department can provide even higher customer service and support to the campus. The entire Technology Services department, including our student STAT team, did a phenomenal job serving the campus during this transition.
With donor funds, the College is preparing to renovate the Studio Theater and construct the Sports Complex, Dickson Community Garden, and Nursing Building. In addition, our Facilities Team has been diligently working on addressing the deferred maintenance issues on campus.
The business and finance division offices have completed several efforts and initiated others to make Meredith a better place to study, live, and work. Led by Lori Duke and the Accounting team, Cherry Bekaert completed the FY’24 financial and single audits. The final audit reports no findings or internal control issues (clean audit) for both.
College Programs Celebrations
College Program offices have provided critical co-curricular support and opportunities for students. All fall sports eligible for post-season play celebrate qualifying for Conference tournaments. Field hockey, soccer, and volleyball athletes earned Athlete of the Week honors in the USA South Athletic Conference.
In addition to regular policing duties by officers, Campus Police Chief Al White completed a course sponsored by the NC Criminal Justice and Standards Training Division that certifies him to teach criminal justice courses nationwide.
Career Planning hosted three signature events during the fall: Employer Resume Blitz, Student Organization Spotlight & Networking Night, and Career Fest/Meet the Firms/Dress for Success Mobile Boutique. These events broke attendance records and connected students with industry professionals.
The Chaplain’s Office selected 12 students to serve as Mentoring Angels, trained by Dr. CeCe Toole and Dr. Cindy Morton-Rose to teach math and literacy to elementary-aged children.
The Dean of Students helped lead discussions and a lecture related to the Summer Reading Program selection, The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizen, by Richard N. Haass. Student health services held a flu and COVID clinic attended by more than 200 community members. Counseling and Disability Services hosted pop-up events for students that aimed to reduce anxiety, build healthy relationships, promote gratitude, and encourage self-care.
StrongPoints enhanced employee engagement by working to build a campus-wide strengths community and ensuring that new hires took the strengths assessment and attended a Strengths 101 workshop. The office initiated a Strengths Spotlight Series, allowing employees to focus on four strengths each month. The impact of StrongPoints is growing significantly. By September 17, StrongPoints had reached 971 students (571 last year on the same date) and 136 employees (65 on the same date last year)
Student Leadership and Service helped the Meredith Activities Board host Sizzlin’ September, featuring bands, food trucks, and student organization booths, and assisted them with sponsoring Fall Fest and The White Iris Ball. SLS also assisted the Meredith Recreation Association in its annual Corn celebration and encouraged more participation through flexible participation and more emphasis on accessibility and sensory-friendly options. In addition, the Corn Unity Service Project partnered with Rise Against Hunger, encouraging classes to work together amid class competition.
Enrollment Celebrations
The newly formed enrollment management division has been rapidly innovating. For the first few months, areas of focus have been better harnessing internal talent, increasing collaboration with departments across campus, reducing barriers for prospective students, and a Spring ’25 push. As part of the efforts to better use internal talent, Jada Douglas, Kat Fourie, Rosemary Vega Escutia, Bailey Thompson, and Grace Christenbury have been promoted to assistant admission directors. The restructuring of the counseling team is allowing for an increased focus on transfer students and cross-functional areas for first-year students. These areas include athletes, Hispanic students, honors eligible students, and an emphasis on alumnae recruitment activities.
Several admissions processes and policies have been reviewed and updated. These include removing several barriers to student application submission. The admissions office also holds twice-weekly stand-up meetings with representatives from financial assistance, the registrar’s office, and housing to better support the needs of applicants and admitted students for Spring ‘25. These changes are already beginning to show promise, with deposits from Spring entry undergraduate students up 53% compared to last year (as of December 11, 2024).
Hannah Geelhart Guemple, ’19, has been promoted to associate director of admissions, where she will manage all campus visits, admissions events, and a welcome center with a student ambassador group.
Gwynese Craighead has been tapped to lead the operations team in a newly created director-level role as director of operations and data management. This role is important as we leverage data to make informed decisions to help better recruit and retain students. One of her priorities is working with Suzanne Sharp, interim vice president of enrollment management, to create a regular reporting regimen for the campus community that illustrates funnel metrics year over year and to goals.
Kevin Michaelsen, who leads the financial assistance team, has worked to increase financial assistance for transfer students. He is also playing a key role in a new admissions referral program. The program names the Academic Merit Awards for the alumnae who refers students who are accepted as a thank you for their qualified referrals.
Institutional Advancement Celebrations
Our Institutional Advancement team has been hard at work generating support from donors, alumnae/i, and friends of the College. Our major gift officers have made 461 personal visits, hosted 34 unique stewardship events, and presented 67 new funding proposals. The fall appeal letter has raised $22,570, a 35% increase from last year.
The Class of 1973 celebrated reaching its 50th Reunion Class project goal of $200,000, establishing the Class of 1973 Campus Garden and Beautification Fund. The fund will support a part-time gardener/project coordinator and the future development of a Meredith Hues Iris garden.
The Office of Alumnae Relations has hosted six welcome events for President Sapp in the following cities: Raleigh, Pinehurst, Charlotte, Wilmington, New York, and Winston-Salem. At those events, President Sapp shared information about the new Alumnae Student Referral program, among other College updates. To date, we have received 65 referrals through this program. We continue to identify other methods to encourage alumnae to support recruitment efforts.
The Office of Institutional Advancement held its annual Retired Faculty and Staff Luncheon on September 27, 2024. For 15 years, this event has reconnected Meredith College retirees. President Sapp gave retirees updates about Meredith’s nursing program plans, graduate programs, enrollment, expanding the College’s footprint, and increasing marketing efforts. More than 50 retirees attended.
Marketing and Communications Celebrations
Meredith Events has supported many projects and events across campus, including several related to the annual Corn campus tradition. Recent external groups on campus include the Carolina Charter Corporation annual meeting, held in collaboration with Meredith College’s history department, the American Guild of Organists, and several weddings. The Girl Scouts returned to campus for Technoquest, bringing over 200 Girl Scouts and families to Meredith’s campus.
The public relations team, led by Melyssa Allen, worked with Meredith’s faculty and staff experts to generate significant local, regional, and national media coverage. During September and October, this media outreach work generated 50 pieces of coverage, reaching an audience of 683 million subscribers and attracting 6.3 million views.
To help generate additional sales, the Campus Store has been open for special hours for several weekend events this fall, including Think Meredith and Corn. Net sales for the November Think Meredith event showed a 74% increase over last year’s event, suggesting a strong affinity for Meredith among attendees. The Campus Store held its annual Holiday Sale from November 20 -24, posting strong online and in-store sales.
Stay up to date on all that’s happening at Meredith by visiting our news site, campus calendar, and following us on social media.