People of Chowan

People of Chowan

Featuring students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the University.

Student Features

Featuring the 2024 graduating class speakers.

Malachi Cobb

Malachi cobb

Malachi is a music major and a member of the Chowan Winds and Chowan Jazz Band. He holds membership in three honor societies: Alpha Lambda Delta, Alpha Chi, and Pi Kappa Lambda. He has served as Ministry Chaplain, Commencement Marshal, and Presidential Ambassador.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do my first sermon at Wednesday Night Worship, which is a student-led ministry that Brayden Conboy and I created in spring 2022. During this service, I talked about “knowing your why.” Here are a few questions I asked.

  1. What is your why?
  2. What’s your why for doing something you love? ( Sports, Music, Career)
  3. What is your why in being a Christian and what is your why in life?

I demonstrated on the piano what knowing your why can prove. With my musical knowledge, I used my left hand as my “what” and my right hand as my “why.” In piano music the left hand is known as the foundation or the block chord. It’s not musical until you add the melody with your right hand which is your why. After putting both hands together, you begin to make music, “when you know your why your what becomes more impactful.” So, when you put the melody with the block chords you get this wonderful sound of music unless you’re playing Franz Liztz atonal music.

Chowan has its cons, but the pros outdo the cons. Chowan University has developed every one of us into the “adult” we are today, an adult who is attending graduate school or beginning a career. Chowan has been a steppingstone for many students. I recently noticed how much I’ve grown as a musician and person because of Chowan University. Chowan is the land of opportunity where your professors and staff become more than educators; they become your mentors and biggest supporters in your field of choice. They celebrate you even when you feel like you didn’t earn it or when you think the award you received is “mid.” They allow you to flourish in your studies.

Even though coming to college was my “what” but my “why” for staying is more impactful. My “why” for  staying involves these three things

  1. Friendships that turned into family. High school friendships are great but college friendships are more “impactful” simply because you’re with these people daily and you connect with them like they are your siblings.
  2. The open opportunities to be a student leader, which have prepared me for my future in the classroom and in administration.
  3. I am a person at Chowan. I have a name, not a number.

Chowan University has given me many titles and names, but my favorite title/name is Dr. Cobb. Even a few professors call me Dr. Cobb. Wherever I go, that title follows me whether that be my friends at East Carolina University School of Music or my peers at the North Carolina Governor’s School East. Being called Dr. Cobb has given me confidence with my musicianship and pedagogy and has encouraged me to actually get the degree to be called Dr. Cobb.

Chowan University is a place where each student can flourish, providing you connections and opportunities for your career. Thank you Chowan University for believing in me even when I had doubts. Thank you Chowan for allowing me to flourish into the person I am today. Thank you Dr. Mary Hellman, Dr. Christopher Cook, and Professor Suzanne Daniel for believing in my musicianship when I didn’t. Thank you Chowan University for giving me friendships that turned into a lifelong family. Thank you to the class of 2024. Remember  “Know your Why to make your WHAT more impactful” Thank you for listening.

Erica Mock

Erica mock

Erica is a history major and a member of the swimming team. A
Presidential Ambassador, she is a member of the AlphaChi Honor Society,
theAlpha LambdaDelta Honor Society, the Pi Gamma Mu Honor Society.
She has served as the President of the HonorsCollegeStudent Association, the
History Club, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was named a
Chowan University Outstanding Student two times. She is the recipient of
the Charles L. Paul History Award, theVeraParker Womble Christian
Service Award and the Best All Around Student Award.

As I reflect on my time here at Chowan, I found myself being asked a question that stood out more than others. A question that some of you may have been asked today.

The simple question of, “where are you from?”

 

At first I would try to explain my whole life story of how I don’t have a specific place I call “home” since we have moved so many times. How we started in Ohio- then to the Cayman Islands- to Georgia- to New Mexico- to Missouri – all the way to California- and back to Ohio. I quickly realized I would need to find a quicker way to answer that question since I was asked it so frequently. I then got the catchy phrase of, “well I like to say I am from a little bit of everywhere and nowhere since my family and I have moved around a good bit.”

 

To follow along with that question, we get an answer that allows us to get to know where the other person is from. Those answers have varied to Ireland, California, India, Northampton County, Norway, Elizabeth City, Wilmington, Norway, the Netherlands, England, Argentina.

 

Some people may think it is just an odd coincidence that all of us just happened to continue our education at Chowan University at this specific time. A strange coincidence that a small Division II Christian university, tucked away right on the North Carolina/Virginia border in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, is capable of recruiting students from all over the world.

 

But I don’t think it’s a coincidence. It’s a blessing from God, and ultimately the perfect plan that He has crafted for each and everyone in this center.

 

Whether you came to Chowan University simply to gain your college education, to continue your athletic career, to come to the States for the first time, to join academic clubs like the Criminal Justice Club, for a second chance, or to get away from home and become more independent, it was part of His plan. Whether you were here for four years, a semester, online, or somewhere in between it was part of His plan.

 

God intentionally placed us all here at Chowan and in the graduating class of 2024.God is very intentional in everything He does. We can see this by how the Bible was laid out.

The Bible was not just slapped together, but rather planned out precisely for its readers. One thing that stands out the most from the writing of the Bible is Psalm 118. Here is some background on it:

 

  • Psalm 118 is the middle chapter of the entire Bible.
  • The Bible has 594 chapter before Psalm 118 and has 594 chapters after Psalm 118
  • Psalm 117 before Psalm 118 is the shortest chapter in the whole Bible.
  • Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible.
  • If you add up all the chapters expect Psalm 118, you get a total of 1,188 chapters or Psalm 118 verse 8, which is the middle verse of the entire Bible.
  • And that central verse has an important message: “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man”

 

Trust in the Lord, Trust in the Lord with all your heart rather than putting your confidence in man.

 

As we leave Chowan with our degrees, allow us to remember to not limit God’s plan, but to give it all to Him. No matter where you have been or where you will go after Chowan, God is with you and God has a perfect plan for your life. A plan that is perfect in His own timing. You just have to be patient for it to unfold in front of you.

 

Thank you to the class of 2024 and a bigger thank you to Chowan University!

Colin Riddick

Colin Riccick

Colin, an exercise science major, is the Captain of the Baseball Team.
A Presidential Ambassador and Chowan Christian ServiceAssociation
Scholar, he has been an active participant in Wednesday Night Worship and
Team 4:13. He is the recipient of the 2023-2024 Chowan University
Outstanding Student Award, the Honors College Outstanding Senior Award,
and the Presidential Ambassador Award. He is a member of the Chi Alpha
Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society and was selected Homecoming
King in Fall 2023.

First, I want to thank our Lord and Savior for presenting me with this opportunity, because without Him, I am nothing. Second, I want to thank my amazing friends in the front row and personally give thanks to my mother for being there for me at any given moment. Without my mom, I don’t think I’d be here. She has sacrificed so much for me, and I will forever love her endlessly.

When I was asked to give this speech in the fall by Dr. Moore, I was completely shocked. It was truly a humbling moment and I instantly thought, “Why me?” What have I done to earn such an honor? When I first got here in the COVID year of 2020, I was a nobody. I was searching for friends. I came in on scholarship with a shoulder injury. Things to do on campus were limited. I was lost.

Baseball was my identity. I consider myself a hard worker as an athlete. on and off the field, but continuous injuries unfortunately limited my time on that baseball field. It was hard not being able to compete at the level I knew I could compete. So, I lost my identity. I felt lost in the only thing I knew.

2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, he still remains faithful—for he cannot disown himself. On both good days and bad, we are called to increase our faith.” But I didn’t have much faith back then.

Chowan changed this for me. I was blessed with godly friends that I will forever love and have a relationship with. Chowan brought us together. I was also blessed with campus ministry opportunities to grow myself and my faith, and I opened that door of opportunities and ran. I joined the worship and praise team. I started to teach myself guitar for fun my freshman year in Parker Hall, but to play in front of people that was something I never thought I could do. But it was something I thought I could grow my faith in. Soon I was standing up on a stage in the chapel leading songs and praising God.

Chowan helped me grow that faith and I will be forever grateful to the University for those things, things that helped me grow my relationship with God. So, I want to challenge you guys in your faith. wherever you may go after today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. God will give you different doors to go through and it will be on you which one it will be. How will you grow your faith in your life?

Our day has arrived. Maybe you have been waiting for this day, or maybe you are not ready to leave Chowan. The real world sounds scary. But God has a plan for all of us. Put your faith in Him in both the good and bad situations and you won’t have to be scared.

Psalm 30:5 says, “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

Thank you, and Congratulations Class of 2024.

Dauquann Capers

Dauqann Capers

Dauquann Capersisa business major. A member of the Honors College, he
served as a 2023 Commencement Marshal. He holds membership in the Alpha
Chi Honor Society, the theAlpha LambdaDelta Honor Society, the Pi Gamma
Mu Honor Society, and the SigmaBetaDelta Honor Society. Named a
Chowan University M. Elizabeth HarrisInternational Travel Study Scholar,
he traveled to Portugal and Spain in May 2023. He is the recipient of the
Honors College Outstanding Junior Award and the Drs. Vaughn and Miles
Outstanding BusinessStudent Award.

I want to thank my family and friends for supporting me throughout the last four years.

 

I also want to thank my professors who had a big impact on me: Dr. Hunter Taylor, Professor Patsy Taylor, Dr. Gregory Taylor, Professor Shannon Williams, Dr. Moore, Professor Eisenmenger, Dr. Hayes. Dr. Griffin, and Mrs. Vickers. I appreciate your guidance as well as your passion for what you do.

 

When I started at Chowan, everything was online and I was still adjusting to being by myself. I didn’t know what I was going to do for a major yet. All I did know was I had to focus and work hard to achieve academically. I started off with ambitious goals of maintaining high grades and I was able to achieve this thanks to the value of discipline my granddad has always drilled into me since I was young. It is just a shame it took 17 years before I started applying it in my life. I was also motivated by wanting to be a good role model for all my younger siblings and cousins.

 

My hard work paid off during my junior year when I was accepted to participate in a study abroad trip. This trip is the most memorable experience I had at Chowan. In May 2023, a group of Chowan professors and students traveled to Spain and Portugal. It was my first time on a  plane. Over the course of the trip, I got to meet some amazing people and see sites I never would have dreamed of otherwise. I felt different. It changed the way I view the world. Now, I want to see other countries and cultures. The memories of that trip will remain with me for the rest of life. I will always be appreciative of Chowan for the opportunity.

 

To my fellow graduates, I hope you depart Chowan with memorable experiences. As you depart campus today, remember that it is the beginning. Now, go forward and do better.

Chowan Student Spotlight, Kashara Simpson

Kashara Simpson

Kashara, an exercise science major, is a member of the lacrosse team.
She has served as President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and
the Student Government Association. A Presidential Ambassador and member
of the HonorsCollege, she holds membership in the Alpha Chi Honor
Society, and theAlpha LambdaDelta HonorsSociety. She is the recipient of
the HonorsCollege Outstanding Senior Award, the Honors College Student
Service Award, and the Presidential Ambassador Award. During AwardsDay
Convocation in April, she was inducted into the Order of the Silver Feather.

I want to give thanks to my Lord and Savior for allowing me to make it to see this day. I also  want to  thank  President Thomas and Dr. Moore for giving me this opportunity to be one of your commencement speakers. It’s an honor.

Graduating seniors, I want you to turn and look at your neighbor and say, “It’s almost that time.”

Coming into college as a freshman in 2021 I didn’t know that this time would fly by so fast. I was this eager 18-year-old young woman ready to take on the big town of Murfreesboro. And it only took three visits to convince me. What brought me to Chowan was the opportunity to further my basketball career, but little did I know that my time here would be so much bigger than just ball. From the day I committed, God was calling me to this university because he had a plan for me that I hadn’t yet discovered. I am a firm believer that there was a purpose for everyone who was brought to this university. It was no mistake. God had a plan. Now, three years later, as I reflect on my first day at Chowan, I stand  in awe. Who would’ve known these college years would come with so much growth, so many different opportunities, and so many lifelong connections.

I want you to take a moment and think about how far you’ve come at this point in your life. We are all blessed and have so much to be grateful for and if no one has told you thus far, you are an overcomer.

I am going to share with you a reflection of my college journey. My orientation or what we call “SOAR” a few months before school started, I had the chance to meet the SGA president at the time. He had the biggest smile on his face and greeted everyone with the warmest welcome. People always wonder why I smile and start a conversation with every person I run into but that experience gave me the mindset, I have to reciprocate the same energy to my peers around me. From my sophomore year leading to my junior year, I found myself being a part of so many different clubs and organizations because I wanted to make a difference on this campus. To name a few: Campus Ministry, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the Honors College Student Association Executive Committee, Presidential Ambassadors, Chowan Women’s Basketball, the Chowan Christian Service Association, and the Student Government Association.

At the conclusion of my junior year, I had faced so many different obstacles in the classroom, on the court, and in my extracurriculars that I was burnt out. No one knew, but my mental health plummeted rapidly and I found myself in a place of feeling like I didn’t belong at Chowan anymore. At the end of my basketball season that year, I decided to enter the transfer portal in hopes of finding a new school home. Word quickly spread and the pressure of wanting to stay or go became overwhelming. I loved the home that I built here and I didn’t want to leave it. I am a firm believer that with God on your side you cannot fail so I put the decision in his hands. By the end of the summer, I had changed my mind about where I wanted to go three times.

I decided to go to a school in West Virginia in hopes of chasing my basketball dreams. I was a student there for all of a week until things began to unfold. This was God’s biggest sign telling me that I needed to go back to Chowan. It helped me understand how much the school meant to me and played a role in my life. The transition back led me to reach out to my current coach and see if I could run cross country for my senior year. God closed one door but opened up two others. I was asked by my coach and a few other players to join the lacrosse team as well. My initial answer was no because all I’ve ever known since I was four was a basketball and a hoop. I stepped out on faith and decided to join the team. God has brought me far.

I also had the opportunity to work under Chowan Athletics and Admissions. This experience brought me wise words of wisdom, constant moments of laughter, and a Chowan family away from home. This for me was a symbol of new beginnings in a familiar environment that I will forever be grateful for.

At the conclusion of this year, I am thankful to have made it through all of the adversity I faced.

I want to say thank you, Chowan, for not giving me a normal experience, but one that made me a better and stronger person.

 

I share all of this with you to say that all of the experiences we’ve had at Chowan were by no mistake and are a part of our story. The Chowan experience is something I’m proud of and you should be too. It is up to us to embrace it and know that today marks a milestone for us.

 

Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

 

This is what I want to leave with you no matter what life brings be proud of how far you have come. If you are doing what God is calling you to do, just know you will see the product and reap the rewards of your hard work. Today is an example of that. Whatever life after graduation might look like, sit back and remember that God will never fail you. He’s always had a plan for your life. Just stay the course and know greater is he that is in you.

Manuea Jimenez

Manuela Jimenez

Manuela is a mathematics major and a member of the tennis team, where she serves as captain. She is a member of the Alpha Chi Honor Society, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and International Students Club. In April, she was inducted into the Order of the Silver Feather.

Hola todos, I want to start by thanking Dr. Danny Moore for the opportunity to deliver a speech in front of you all this evening. I also want to thank Dr. Rosemary Thomas for allowing the International Students Club to help begin her journey at Chowan University.  When I first arrived at Chowan, I never imagined it was going to have such an impact on my life. Not only did I meet people that are like siblings, but I also found mentors and people to look up to. Change is always scary, but now I realize that coming here was the perfect opportunity for me to grow. I got to know so many different people. We had conversations about their dreams, their aspirations, and their ambitions. Those helped me to dream big and helped me realize that it does not matter the situation you are in; what matters is how you react to it.

I treasure every single interaction I have had here, including the International Students Club and the tennis team. While it was sometimes overwhelming, it allowed me to realize my abilities and help me develop diverse skills, such as leadership and working under pressure. I value these skills as they will help me in the future.

I thank Chowan for the multiple opportunities to work on myself; being here helped me strive for more. Being an international student with a home far away, I can say that I made this place my second home, and hopefully, you too, got to enjoy what the campus had to offer. The bench under the tree in front of Columns Building, playing soccer on the weekend with the tennis and swimming teams, organizing international-themed events that helped us learn more about other cultures, doing the puzzles at the library, and cheering for Chowan at athletic events were the best.

I thank my parents for supporting my every single decision, and I thank Ms. Jill Awuni for being an inspiration to me. I also thank Dr. Whitaker and Mr. Truesdell for encouraging me to be curious about numbers. Do not ever stop learning and being curious. I will miss my friends, my professors, and even the late-night walks around Murfreesboro.

Do not forget to thank those who were on this journey with you: your friends, your teammates, your professors, your coaches, your mentors, your family, and, more importantly, God.

I thank God every night and morning for the opportunity of waking up and being able to work toward my dreams and aspirations. Remember that being grateful helps you stay humble. We sometimes forget how blessed we are to get access to higher education. We forget how blessed we are for being able to graduate, for many did not make it today. I commend those who faced hardships and tough times, but still are making it to the finish line.

I hope all of you do great things with your life. Embrace change and do not be afraid of getting out of your comfort zone; you have the tools to succeed. And, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., said “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”  God bless you.

Olivia Wheeler

Olivia wheeler

Olivia, an elementary education major, is the recipient of the Chowan University Merit Award. She has served as President of the Honors College Student Association, as a member of The Brown Lady editorial Board, and is the recipient of the Honors College Scholar Award.

Good evening. I would like to take a brief moment to thank Chowan for giving me the opportunity to speak with you tonight. It means a lot to me.

Through my years here, at Chowan University, I have always been asked a specific question: “Why did you choose Chowan?” While I provided a simple response, it wasn’t the real answer, in part because it took me four years to realize the real reason I chose Chowan. To understand, I need to share with you my pre-Chowan background.

I am a local. I grew up in a small town not far from Murfreesboro. It has a post office, but not a single stoplight. I attended a small private school that, when I graduated, had a total of 130 students from Pre-K through 12th grade. I was in a graduating class of 12 students. During my sophomore year of high school, I found out my mama had Stage 4 Adenocarcinoma. Flash forward to my senior year. I buried my mama before Thanksgiving. My world changed forever.

Skyler Davies

Skyler Davies

Skyler, an integrative studies major and member of the basektball team. A member of the Order of the Silver Feather, Honors College, Team 4:13, and the Alpha Chi Honor Society, he has served as a Presidential Ambassador, a Leadership Scholar, and the Homecoming King.

Hello everyone. Most of you know  me  as the camera guy, the photographer, Sky Viz, or “the guy who is always taking the pictures.” Those titles  are  all very true and I actually really  enjoy  being behind the camera and being known as a photographer. I have found a special fascination with capturing moments and freezing them in time. I have enjoyed going  to every game possible to catch “the moment.” Like the moment when someone scores a goal, hits  a clutch three, or intercepts a pass. All those moments are  snip-its of pure success that I hope to be lucky enough to get. While I wish I could photograph all of those moments, I can’t. So, I find  other ways such as finding a new  perspective in a very normal situation or capturing a sad emotion, moment of frustration, or a loss.  While those things are  not  especially good they are  part of the journey.

 

Now, I want to relate that to us as graduates. All of us have come from different paths of life, some full of those victorious moments of winning games and scoring and others have seen those times of loss  or struggle. Those times molded us into the people we are. Chowan has played a role  in those pictures of our  lives. But guess what the best part of a photo is? The moment in it doesn’t last  forever. It freezes what was, but life keeps going.

 

God’s beautiful design of time is that it stops for no one.

 

We can  look back  on it and see where we’ve come from and how  much we have grown, but  we are  not  stuck there. That is why I love being a photographer and getting to save those moments. I’ve gotten to see so many amazing things through my lens  and it has truly been a blessing to get to save many of your  moments. Now I want you to realize something. You all have your  own  cameras and your  own moments saved on your  phones. They probably aren’t anywhere as good as my pictures, but I challenge you to look back  through those photos and videos and see how  far you’ve come.

 

How many of those good and bad times have you gotten through?

 

How have you grown?

 

What  have you learned?

 

To answer these questions for myself, I can  look back  and see how  much I’ve grown just  in these past two years. From  winning Homecoming King within two months of arriving at Chowan and knowing no one to getting to know  my best friends that I know I will have for life. I have photos and videos that are priceless because of the people that are in them. That is what is most important in the midst of our years at  Chowan! So, as we graduate I want to say it has been an honor to be “the guy who is always taking the pictures” and I can’t wait to see the pictures you’ll take in this  next part of our  lives.

 

Patrick Krack

Patrick Krack

Patrick is a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership major and
a member of the baseball team. He is a 2022 graduate of Chowan, where he
received in undergraduate degree in sport management. During his tenure at
Chowan, he hasserved asa Leadership Scholar, aChowan Christian Service
Association Scholar, and a Ministry Chaplain. He wastwice named aChowan
University Outstanding Student and is the recipient of the VeraParker
W omble Christian Service Award. In April 2022, he was inducted into the
Order of the Silver Feather.

One question we’re asked throughout our childhood is “What do you want to be when you grow up?” We might have answered that question with “I want to be a teacher,” “an actor,” “a doctor,” or “a professional athlete.” This question gave us as young children the chance to create a life pursuing a goal and chasing a dream. We thought that if we pursued the right things and worked hard enough, we would put ourselves in a good position to make our dreams a reality.

From the moment I first picked up a baseball bat, I knew I wanted to be a professional baseball player when I grew up. I wanted to play in front of tens of thousands of fans at Yankee Stadium, and for so many years I envisioned the indescribable joy I would have when I achieved that dream. That sounded like a dream to many, but to me, it wasn’t. That was my passion, and I really believed playing baseball would be my lifelong identity and purpose in life.

 

Well, that dream didn’t exactly pan out the way I wanted it to. I’m 24 years old. My teammates call me “Old man,” “Gramps,” “Father Time,” and, yes, my teammates voted me as the “Team Dad.” Thank you guys, it’s an honor. My body also feels like it’s starting to fall apart more and more each year.

 

So, considering just those things, it’s safe to say that my long-time dream of becoming a professional baseball player will always be just a dream.

As much as the younger “me” would hate that, I have been at peace with that for some time now. Even though I am still trying to figure out what exactly I’m going to do after graduation, I’m at a place in my life where I’m at peace, even in my uncertainty.

Whether you’re graduating from Chowan University today or you’re here in support of a graduate, we all have and will face times of uncertainty.

 

Graduates, you may be unsure about the next step in life, like what your first job out of college may be. Or you may have a blueprint for the next few years of your life. But it is inevitable that there will be a time in your life where there is a cloud of uncertainty about the next step you should take.

Family, friends, and other guests, you may be fearful about the world your graduate is stepping into. There’s a lot of chaos and uncertainty among us in this world, and it only seems to be getting worse.

Despite this, and even among the uncertainty that exists today in our lives, my time at Chowan University has allowed me to realize one thing that I hope sticks with you.

I have realized that in the midst of our uncertainty, there is only one source of certainty. There is also only one source of true peace. There is only one person that remains constant. There is only one name who will always stand beside us and remain faithful to us even when everyone else in the world turns their back on us. That one source of certainty is Jesus Christ.

God showed me through this realization how important it is to create a foundation and identity centered around Him. Jesus lived a perfect life among sinners, died a death that we deserve, and defeated death by rising from the grave. Not only did God send His son to do that for us, but He has provided us certainty in our lives that if we follow Him, we will live with Him forever in Heaven.

I will admit to the day that I die that I am a broken man, but my time at Chowan will forever be a testament to God’s unwavering faithfulness to me. He has entrusted me with helping lead Christian ministry and a baseball team on this campus for four and a half years. He has provided me with memories that make me emotional (in a good way) even just thinking about them, like dumpster diving at the end of the school year, countless hitting sessions in the batting cages, and the Revival nights where several people gave their life to Christ.

I don’t deserve any of these amazing blessings and memories that I’ve experienced at Chowan, but it is because of God’s mercy and grace that my experience at Chowan has been unforgettable. God gave me a second chance to find what my true identity was. My identity is that I’m a follower of Christ and I will serve Him where He leads.

Paul says in Romans 8:31 “…If God is for us, who can be against us.”

No matter the uncertainty or battles we face in our lives, Class of 2024, we have an all-powerful God that is present in every one of our battles and bigger than any struggle and trial we will ever face. Therefore, I challenge you all to find that source of certainty, truth, and hope because it will bring you an unexplainable peace in the chapters of life yet to come and change your place in eternity.

Faculty and Staff Features

McDowell Columns Scholar Prize

Chris Cook

The Chowan University McDowell Columns Scholar Prize, which is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, is presented to a faculty member for his or her scholarly and/or creative activities during the previous academic year. The prize consists of a cash award and a book style clock, showcasing a photo of the historic McDowell Columns Building, and engraved with the recipient’s name. The prize recipient will be announced at the Seventh Annual Celebration of Faculty Scholarship and Creative Achievement, which will showcase the scholarly works and creative activities that have been published, exhibited, or performed during the academic year, and provide the university community the opportunity to congratulate and recognize faculty for their recent accomplishments as authors, artists, leaders, researchers, presenters, and performers.

Faculty Advisor of the Year Award

David Ballew

The Faculty Advisor of the Year Award is given each year to honor excellence in academic advising. Selection is based on availability to advisees, caring attitude toward advisees, monitoring of student progress toward academic goals, and knowledge of the university’s regulations, policies, and procedures.

Woodard

Alpha Chi Teacher of the Year Award

Pam Woodard

The recipient of the Alpha Chi Teacher of the Year Award is  chosen by students of the university. Selection is based on such factors as dedication to the profession and to students, effectiveness as a teacher, continued professional growth, availability to students, participation in the university’s program of extracurricular activities, and relationship with colleagues and students.

Professor Jill Awuni

Faculty Excellence in Community Service Award

Jill Awuni

The Faculty Excellence in Community service award is presented annually to an individual in recognition of his or her involvement with charitable, nonprofit, church, public service, or similar organizations in his or her community; dedication to strengthening the spirit of civic engagement; commitment toward furthering the practice of service learning; participation in the life of the university transcends professional responsibility; and/or contribution of professional expertise in service to the wider community.

History

faculty excellence in teaching award

Gregory Taylor

The recipient of the Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award is chosen by his or her colleagues on the faculty of the University. Selection is based on such factors as dedication to the profession and to students, effectiveness as a teacher, continued professional growth, availability to students, participation in the University’s program of extracurricular activities, and relationship with colleagues and students.