Dr. Anne Ponder will be installed as UNC Asheville's sixth Chancellor on September 15

Asheville native Anne Ponder will be installed as the University of North Carolina Asheville’s sixth Chancellor on Friday, Sept. 15, capping a week of special events across the campus.

The public is invited to join students, faculty, staff and friends of UNC Asheville in the festivities, which include a film and discussion by journalist Drew Levinson, tours highlighting “green” campus buildings and sustainable design, a theatre production, art and historical exhibits, and a number of other campus-based events.

The formal Installation Ceremony, which signifies the official taking of office by a chancellor, will begin at 4 p.m. September 15 on the University Quadrangle.  University of North Carolina President Erskine Bowles will preside over the ceremony, which will include a keynote address by Philip H. Jordan Jr., president emeritus of Kenyon College, and an installation address by Dr. Ponder. The ceremony will be followed by a mountain picnic on the campus grounds.

Dr. Ponder was elected Chancellor by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors in May 2005 and took office in October 2005. Previously, she served for 10 years as president of Colby-Sawyer College, an independent liberal arts college in New Hampshire. Dr. Ponder began her academic career at Elon College (now Elon University) in 1977 as an instructor of English and communications, and subsequently held academic and administrative positions at Guilford College in Greensboro and Kenyon College in Ohio. A graduate of T. C. Roberson High School, she earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in English from UNC Chapel Hill.

Special events highlighting UNC Asheville’s liberal arts tradition during Installation Week include:  

* The 10th annual Campus Community Service Day, September 12 -- Some 600 freshmen will join forces with the City of Asheville for UNC Asheville’s 10th annual community service day to tackle a number of local beautification and revitalization projects.

Drew Levinson

* An Evening with Drew Levinson, September 13 -- CBS Newspath Correspondent Drew Levinson will screen and discuss his film “Lasting Impressions” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, in UNC Asheville’s Humanities Lecture Hall. The film chronicles Levinson’s story of growing up Jewish in Robeson County, N.C., and the surprising way differences were set aside in this small community to build a better life for everyone. Levinson will also share his story of working as a journalist covering wars in the Middle East. The event is free and open to the public.

* Performance of “Gilgamesh,” September 14 -- The premier performance of “Gilgamesh” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, in UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium. This production brings together the Asheville Ballet, Black Swan Theatre and UNC Asheville faculty and students in a modern interpretation of the world’s oldest surviving epic poem about the ancient Sumerian hero-king. General admission tickets are $15.

* Installation Day Events, September 15 -- A host of free special events are planned for Installation Day.

-- A tour of UNC Asheville’s green buildings and sustainable design efforts begins at 12:15 p.m. in New Hall lobby. A tour of the Botanical Gardens of Asheville, immediately adjacent to campus, also begins at 12:15 p.m., at the Botanical Gardens office on W.T. Weaver Blvd. Both tours will last just over an hour and are free and open to the public.

-- An art reception for the Selected Student Artwork exhibition and for a peek at the soon-to-be-unveiled School of Athens wall mural will be held from 12:45 to 2:30 p.m. on the lower level of Highsmith University Union.

The Reuter Center

-- The North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement, located in Reuter Center on campus, will host a building tour from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and a Symphony Talk from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Asheville Symphony Director Daniel Meyer will discuss the upcoming concert, “Opening Night! James Dick Plays Beethoven,” and piano soloist James Dick will play. The open house and Symphony Talk are free and open to the public.

For more information about installation or the week of special events, call 828/251-6526 or click on www.unca.edu/installation/.
 

Installation Week Art Exhibitions

A number of art and historical exhibitions are on view on campus during Installation Week. All are free and open to the public.

-- “In Celebration: A History of the University,” featuring historic UNC Asheville photos and documents, will be on view on the main floor of Ramsey Library.

-- The 2006 Selected Student Artwork exhibition will be on view in the Highsmith University Union Gallery, located on the lower level of the building.

-- Students in UNC Asheville’s Multimedia Arts & Sciences program will display their work in the Laurel Forum, 139 Karpen Hall.

-- The Annual Art Faculty Exhibition features the work of 11 faculty members in the University Gallery, located on the first floor of Owen Hall.

-- “Local Treasures: Geocaching Across America,” featuring some 20 color photos by Margot Kelley of the Art Institute of Boston, will be on view at Blowers Gallery, located on the main floor of Ramsey Library.

-- “Pack: A Name That Will Endure,” an exhibition featuring historic documents and photographs of Asheville’s Pack Square, will be on view in the Special Collections Gallery, located on the top floor of Ramsey Library.