Here is a glimpse at what’s happening at various colleges and universities throughout the Tar Heel state, which chartered the United States’ first public university in 1789.
Campbell University, Buies Creek: This Baptist church-affiliated university has enrolled the largest number of undergraduates — 3,000 — in the history of the school for fall 2008. The university has announced a partnership with Wake Technical Community College based in Raleigh, N.C., that will allow associate degree graduates to transfer seamlessly into bachelor’s degree programs at Campbell. The university has also launched a new emergencymass notification system at no additional cost to subscribers. The e2Campus system is used at more than 500 schools across the nation to convey time-sensitive messages to the campus community via cell phone, Internet, BlackBerry, pagers and other electronicmeans.
Davidson College, Davidson: This year, Davidson became the first college in the country to eliminate student loans, instead relying on grants and work-study programs so that students can graduate debt free. The college recently received a $1.5 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to attract more students toward the study of science and improve their chances for success in the field. The grant facilitates a half-dozen initiatives toward that goal, including a “Math and Science Center,”mentoring programs for underrepresentedminority students and research fellowships. This liberal arts college calls itself a “Community of Honor,” using a long-standing honor code in examinations that allows students to take tests anywhere on campus without a proctor.
Duke University, Durham: The university announced the establishment of the Institute for Homeland Security Solutions at the region’s Research Triangle Park. The institute will conduct research in social science and policy-related issues intended to strengthen homeland security. A federally funded research collaboration, the institute will conduct research aimed to improve the detection and understanding of security risks. RTI International, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the North Carolina Military Foundation will be collaborating with Duke on this $7.5 million effort fromtheDepartment of Homeland Security.
