Catawba College recognized three retiring faculty members at its May 11 Commencement Exercises. Drs. James "Jim" Beard, John B. "Jack" Green and Cynthia B. Osterhus '73 were cited for their contributions to the institution at the 10 a.m. ceremony held in Keppel Auditorium.

Catawba College's End-of-the-Year Luncheon for Faculty and Staff was a time to recognize 10 individuals who are retiring from the college this year.

Catawba College alumnus Tomas Smogner '12, is one of only two students chosen to represent Ernst and Young - Sweden in the International Intern Leadership Conference this summer in Florida. Only twelve students were selected from the Nordic countries. Tomas majored in Accounting at Catawba and was a member of the Men's Basketball team. He is currently working toward a Master's degree in Accounting, Auditing, and Analysis at Stockholm University.

Entrepreneur Brandi Tysinger-Temple, founder of the Lexington, N.C. kids clothing company Lolly Wolly Doodle that conducts business on Facebook, admits she did not even have a business plan when she launched her business. But today, Facebook recognizes her business as one of its largest retailers with a page touting almost 550,000 likes and 68,500 who are talking about it.

Members of the Catawba College community gathered in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on April 23 to celebrate achievement. The occasion was the annual Awards Convocation.Scheduled the day after Earth Day, the awards distributed were eco-friendly, made of Catawba blue, 100% recycled glass. They symbolized the college's commitment to environmental responsibility and are a reminder to the recipients to promote a greener, more sustainable lifestyle.

As the 2012-2013 academic year comes to a close, Catawba College students are thinking about their futures. For some graduating in May, a next step — graduate school — is on their minds. For those with a year or so to go before they earn their undergraduate degree, thoughts are on how to enhance their future opportunities and make themselves ready for the next steps after Catawba.

Amy Hrinsin, an instructor of Accounting in Catawba College’s Ralph W. Ketner School of Business, recently completed a Teaching Effectiveness Seminar offered by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Hrinsin was evaluated on her teaching effectiveness by five faculty members with considerable experience in the classroom and she received critical constructive feedback.

Entrepreneur Brandi Tysinger-Temple has been called an internet pioneer by CBS, HLN and Businessweek. The founder of the Lexington, N.C. kids clothing company will speak at Catawba College's 10th annual CEO Lecture at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 25 in Peeler Crystal Lounge of the Robertson College-Community Center. Tysinger-Temple will offer remarks entitled "Fearless Entrepreneurship in a Socially-Connected World: Community Building. Always Improving."

Dr. John "Jack" Green, an associate professor of marketing in Catawba College's Ketner School of Business, chaired a session and made a presentation at an international conference held in Valencia, Spain, during the college's spring break.

The folks at Morgan Ridge Vineyards in Gold Hill wanted a website that was warm and welcoming, one that was user-friendly and easy to update. That's exactly what they got after Catawba College students enrolled in Dr. Pamela Thompson's fall semester e-commerce class finished their work. The students in Thompson's class tackled the project as a group assignment while they were learning about the latest web technologies. Their work, www.morganridgevineyards.com, launched in February to rave visito