East Carolina welcomes students, faculty
GREENVILLE, N.C. (Aug. 18, 2008) — East Carolina University expects another record number of students for the fall semester, which officially began with the annual faculty convocation Aug. 18. Students began moving into campus residence halls last week, and classes will begin Aug. 20.
ECU officials expect a total enrollment of about 27,000, up from last year’s 25,990. Official numbers will be available after the close of the add/drop period, the 10th day of class, Sept. 3.
More than 5,500 students are expected to move into residence halls this semester, bringing on-campus housing beyond capacity. For the first time, university housing officials are assigning 280 first-year students to university-contracted, off-campus housing at North Crossing and Bellamy Suites.
The Brody School of Medicine is expected to have 285 students enrolled in its MD program, with its largest entering class of 76 students. Four of these students are part of ECU’s “MD in 7” program, and are entering Brody after three years of undergraduate study. All medical students are North Carolina residents.
In addition to a record number of students, ECU will welcome more than 130 new faculty members and three new deans to campus. James R. Hupp was named founding dean of the new School of Dentistry; Linda Patriarca was named dean of the College of Education; and Dr. Paul R. G. Cunningham, was named dean of the Brody School of Medicine and senior associate vice chancellor for medical affairs. Judy Siguaw was named dean of the College of Human Ecology, and will begin her post in January.
The East Carolina Heart Institute at ECU is nearing completion near the Brody School of Medicine, and construction on the new dental school will begin this semester. Groundbreaking for the new Family Medicine Center is scheduled for Sept. 26. A newly renovated Todd Dining Hall will reopen on College Hill this fall, and a ribbon-cutting for new fields and a pavilion at the North Recreation Complex is scheduled for Sept. 25.
Other new programs and events at ECU include:
• Two more ECU residence halls – Cotten and Fleming – now have fire protection sprinkler systems, bringing the total to four residence halls with sprinklers. By 2012, all 15 residence halls on campus will have sprinklers. ECU continues to work with Greek organizations to improve safety at off-campus homes. Contact Kemal Atkins, 328-6541, atkinsk@ecu.edu.
• In an effort to keep new students healthy and well informed, ECU required all freshmen under 21 years of age to complete an online alcohol education program, College Alc. This is the first year of the program. For more information, contact Robert Morphet, 328-6661, morphetr@ecu.edu.
• Tuesday, Aug. 19, 5:30 p.m.: New Student Convocation, Minges Coliseum. From 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., Pirate Palooza will welcome back students with food, fun and music at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
• Saturday, Aug. 23, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., ECU’s Volunteer and Service-Learning Center participates in University Million Meals Event, Epps Middle School in Greenville, NC. More than 750 volunteers will pack 250,000 meals. Contact: Shawn Moore, ECU Volunteer and Service-Learning Center, mooresh@ecu.edu or 252-328-2735
• Aug. 24, 2 p.m. ECU launched a new summer reading program this year for incoming students. For the program “ECU Reads,” the students read “My Freshman Year – What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student” by Rebekah Nathan. The book is part of the freshman seminar curriculum. In addition to discussing the book among in groups, students will attend a presentation by the author in Wright Auditorium. For more information, contact Carol Woodruff at 737-2221, woodruffc@ecu.edu.
• Thursday, Sept. 3, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Take Heed: Welcome to the Neighborhood distribution. ECU and the city of Greenville team up to provide off-campus students with information that will enhance the quality of life for them and their neighbors. Contact: Lucia F. Brannon, Off-Campus Student Services, at (252) 328-2847 or brannonl@ecu.edu
Other News Tips:
• ECU’s Class of 2012 can network in a new way, thanks to the popular Web site, Facebook. ECU has set up a special Facebook page for first-year students to link up to campus organizations and activities that match their interests. For more information, contact Karen Smith in the First Year Center, 328-4173, smithka@ecu.edu.
• Seven weeks of things to do, places to go and people to see, all designed to welcome freshmen to the ECU community: that’s what ECU’s WOW! – Weeks of Welcome – promises. Cookouts, pizza parties, concerts, comedians, even a talent show round out the activities. For more information, contact Carol Woodruff at 737-2221, woodruffc@ecu.edu.
