The grill and snack bar located in the Cannon Student Center was renovated this summer and renamed McCorkle's in a nod to one of Catawba's founding fathers. It will also be the place this fall where members of the campus community can pick up their Starbucks® espressos, frappuccinos, lattes, teas and coffees.
The area, formerly home to the Smokehouse Grill and Mondo's Subs, was renamed in honor of Judge M.L. McCorkle who figured prominently in the history of Catawba when the college was located in Newton. Judge McCorkle, one of the original trustees of the college, was reported to have built a bridge across the Catawba River where farmers were charged a toll to cross as they drove their hogs to market. He gave a portion of the collected tolls to Catawba which provided a major source of funding for the college in the early years.
Students can still order short order items from McCorkle's and also purchase Starbucks products available thanks to a new program, Starbucks We Proudly Serve, offered by the college's food service provider, Chartwells. This program was approved by trustees at their February meeting after positive student responses to a survey which gauged interest in and support for the initiative.
"We are very excited about what this program will provide for students and others in our campus community," explained Ben Smith, Dean of Students. "An overwhelming majority of the students who participated in the surveys supported bringing this program to campus."
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