A total of 247 students have been named to the Dean's List for the 2008 fall semester at Catawba College, according to Dr. Edith Bolick, Interim Provost of the College. Students named to the Dean's List have achieved a 3.5 grade point average in 15 or more semester hours.

In May of 2008, Dr. John B. Green, Jr., Associate Professor of Marketing in Catawba College's Ketner School of Business, traveled to China with a group of Catawba students and members of the local community. They visited Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and points in between, exploring the culture and business environment of this emerging Asian giant.

Catawba College alumna Sally Whitney '77 of Mooresville has made a gift to establish the Parham-Whitney Family Endowed Scholarship Fund at her alma mater. The new fund will provide scholarship assistance to deserving females majoring in business.

The shy smile on George McCleave's face spoke volumes about how the Brightmoor Nursing Home resident felt about the Christmas tree he was given by Catawba College students. The tree was a final project for the students' Operations Management class, a product that different teams had assembled using specialized tools and seven different raw materials, including coat hangers.

Catawba College students are saving money by buying and selling used books and the College bookstore is committed to help continue that trend by securing as many used books as possible. Students were able to buy more than 50% of their textbooks used for the Fall 2008 semester and through used books sales and buyback dollars saved more than $244,000 during the 07-08 fiscal year.

A new Business Mentor Program launched by Catawba College's Ketner School of Business will pair junior and senior business majors with successful business leaders who are members of the Business Advisory Board, alumni or friends of the college. The program will provide an essential link between the classroom and business reality, according to Professor Pam Thompson, chair of the Ketner School of Business.

"I'm telling you, I really go deep with Catawba," says Randy Southard of Stokesdale, a 1974 College alumnus, and as he explains, one realizes how truthful his statement is. Southard describes himself as "just a little wet behind the ears kid from Stokesdale" who ended up as a student at Catawba thanks to two people with ties to the institution, both of whom were named Ron.

Through a gift from the estate of the Katharine Weisiger Osborne, a Catawba College Trustee who died on April 3, 2008, a new First Family Scholarship has been established at the College. The Katharine W. Osborne First Family Endowed Scholarship will assist future students of high academic quality in attending Catawba.

Through the Independent College Fund of North Carolina, Charlotte-based Clariant Corporation – the U.S. headquarters of one of the world's leading makers of specialty chemicals – has awarded three $2,000 scholarships for the 2008-2009 academic year to students planning for careers teaching math or science.

The English Department of Catawba College is sponsoring a reading by South Carolina authors Phebe Davidson and Debra Daniel. The event, which is free to the public, will be held on Tuesday, November 11, at 7:30 p.m. in Tom Smith Auditorium, Ketner Hall.