Mars Hill University celebrates commencement, greenway opening in May

From Mars Hill University:

Coming Up At Mars Hill University

May 1-14, 2017

All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. For more information, contact Mike Thornhill, Director of Communications, (828) 689-1298, mthornhill@mhu.edu

• Tuesday, May 2
  Crossroads Chapel Service
  Time: 11:00 a.m.
  Location: Broyhill ChapelSenior Convocation, recognizing and awarding students from the spring 2017 graduating class in both the traditional undergraduate and the Adult and Graduate Studies programs.

• Thursday, May 4
  Puppy Day & Kitten Korner
  Time: 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
  Location: Bentley Fellowship HallRescued puppies will be available for “puppy time” for students to cuddle to relieve stress on the day before final exams begin, and to help socialize the puppies for easier adoption to loving homes. 15 minutes of puppy time is $3 and 30 minutes is $5. All proceeds go to help these rescued animals receive medical care and food/supplies so they can get adopted into “forever” homes.

• Grand Opening of the Dr. Otis Duck Greenway
  Time: 2:00 p.m.
  Location: Greenway Trailhead, on Bailey Street at the parking lot for Ponder Field (softball field, across the street from and just past Chambers Gym)Dedication of the town of Mars Hill’s first greenway. A joint project of Mars Hill University, the town of Mars Hill, and the NC Dept. of Transportation. Named in memory of Dr. Otis Duck, who served the community for more than 40 years. Dr. Duck’s children and other family members are scheduled to attend.

**May 5-10
**Final Examinations

• Saturday, May 13
  Spring Commencement
  Time: 9:30 a.m.
  Location: Moore AuditoriumGraduation speaker: Walter Ziffer, Holocaust survivor and retired Mars Hill University religion professor. Limited public access due to seating availability, but the commencement ceremony will be streamed live on the MHU website.

Ongoing:

• Senior Student Art Exhibition
  Exhibit runs through May 13
  Weizenblatt Gallery (inside Moore Fine Arts Building)Artwork from graduating seniors Thomas Propest, Hannah Stapleton, and Christina Williamson. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Admission is free.

• Shelter on the Mountain: Barns and Building Traditions of the Southern Highlands
  Exhibit runs through May 28
  Rural Heritage MuseumThis exhibition presents an overview of the unique built environment created by the peoples who have, over many thousands of years, inhabited the mountains, valleys, buffalo trails, and river basins of the Southern Appalachians. The exhibition features an introductory film, a large log-pulling sled, broad axes and other log-shaping tools, tobacco planters, 27 large informational panels, and over 70 photographs, many never seen before.

  Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment.

• The Fight for Bluff: A Community’s Effort to Preserve Its Mountain
  Exhibit runs through July 28
  Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies (inside Renfro Library)The exhibit looks at the history behind the proposed cut of Bluff Mountain in the late 1990s and the public response to the National Forest Service’s proposal. It examines how the two sides were able to come to an agreement that drastically reduced the size of the proposed timber harvest. The exhibit was researched, written, and designed by history students who are a part of the Public History Concentration and were enrolled in the HIS 255: Archival Management/Museum Studies course in the Fall of 2016. Hours are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m.; and by appointment.

Upcoming

• Lion Pride Day
  May 15, 8:30am-TBDFaculty, staff, trustees, and alumni will hold a work day, helping clean residence halls and campus grounds following the completion of the spring semester, and leading into the summer school and summer conferences and camps season.

• Zena Howard Lecture
  September 21, 7:00 p.m. 

  Zena Howard was the senior architect for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and is an architect and principal at Perkins+Will architectural firm. Her lecture is part of the Presidential Lecture and Performance Series.