College of Fine and Applied Arts

Appalachian State University students in the Departments of Technology and Art will compete in the Fourth Annual Berkline BenchCraft LLC Chair Design Competition Thursday, April 26, at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center in Boone.

The competition, coordinated by the Department of Technology, is the culmination of student work throughout the academic year.  The competition evaluates students’ design concepts, construction techniques, finishing techniques and feasibility of production. The designs of the chairs must be original and unique.

“The department is pleased with the growing population of talented designers at Appalachian State and is excited to showcase student’s work at this fourth annual competition,” said Dr. Sid Connor, chair of the Department of Technology. “Past winners of our competition have gone on to win first place honors at national competitions; we plan to continue that tradition.”

The chairs at Appalachian will be judged in two categories: Traditional and Creative. The first place winner will receive $1,000, second place $750 and third place $500.

Judging of the chairs will take place from 8 a.m. to noon. The winners will be announced at 1 p.m. Chairs will be kept on display for viewing until 5 p.m. The public is invited view the entries anytime between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Judges are John Vasquez of Berkline-BenchCraft LLC, Todd Campbell of Bernhardt Furniture, Andrew Glasgow of The Furniture Society and Charlie Sutton from Furniture Review.

The Department of Technology at Appalachian State University has shifted its emphasis from Furniture Studies to Furniture Design in response to the needs expressed by area furniture companies. This program change and the Chair Design Competition prepare students to work in the ever-changing industry and remain competitive with the trend towards off shoring of furniture production.

Brittany Hensley, a freshman technology education major, has been elected President-Elect of the Technology Education Collegiate Association (TECA). She will serve as President-Elect during the 2007-2008 school year and President during the 2008-2009 school year.

This is the first national officer for the technology education program.

TECA is a sponsored program of the International Technology Education Association, Inc. The purpose of TECA is to promote leadership, fellowship, scholarship and a philosopical foundation for future technology teachers, through college chapter coordinated activities at the campus, state, regional, and international level.

Amber Clawson, a public relations and journalism major, is a North Carolina finalist for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship.

Juniors headed for careers in public service are encouraged to apply for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship. Truman Scholars are “future ‘change agents’ who have the desire, intellect, and leadership potential that in time will likely enable them to improve the way that public entities-be they government agencies or non-profit organizations-serve the public.

Scholars selected as juniors are eligible to receive a total of $30,000 for graduate studies. Applicants must have a strong academic and service record and plan to pursue a graduate program geared toward public service. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, with a GPA of 3.60 or higher.

Scholars are required to work in public service for three of the seven years following completion of a Foundation funded graduate degree program as a condition of receiving Truman funds.

Winners of the scholarship will be announced March 27. Detailed information can be found at www.truman.gov/.

Organizational/Public Communication faculty member Kelli Fellows recently had a chapter published titled “Negotiating White Racial Identity in Multicultural Courses: A Model.”  She co-authored the chapter with Ann Neville Miller.  It is published in a book titled “Whiteness, Pedagogy, Performance: Dis/Placing Race.”  The book can be found at http://www.lexingtonbooks.com/Catalog/.

Justin McKinnon, a senior Electronic Media/Broadcasting major, received three awards at the National Broadcasting Society’s (NBS) Region 2 Conference in Mt. Pleasant, MI. 

He was recognized for his documentary program - audio “Poverty Among Appalachia: Then and Now,” his commercial audio “A Higher Calling - Waldensian Wines” and his PSA audio “The Music Library.”

The productions were all projects McKinnon produced in the Audio Production 2 class under the direction of faculty member Steve Smith. 

The NBS goes beyond the classroom to prepare college students and entry-level professionals for careers in the electronic media. Region 2 covers the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.