The School of Nursing at Emory & Henry

Hundreds of E&H students and employees from both the Emory and Marion campuses came out to say “Thank you” to the healthcare workers at Johnston Memorial Hospital (top) and Smyth County Community Hospital in October.

The 39th Annual Literary Festival was held in October in the Black Box Theatre of the McGlothlin Center for the Arts. Appalachian Literature and Music was the theme and Rita Sims Quillen was the featured author. Quillen’s new novel Wayland, a depression-era novel, was published in 2019 by Iris Press. Her latest poetry collection, Some Notes You Hold, was released in 2020 from Madville Press.

Emory & Henry Art Department and William King Museum of Art entered into a formal partnership in October. “This unique partnership will connect our students with a professional and nationally accredited museum,” said Charles Goolsby, chair of Visual & Performing Arts Division and professor of Art. “The students, museum professionals and professional artists in the Artlab have opportunities to directly interact with each other, giving the E&H students at the very earliest points in their creative development, tangible ways to prepare for a variety of careers including digital design, museum education, curation, and exhibition design.”

The College has received a $2.3 million gift from the estate of Agnes T. Rowlett to create an endowed scholarship for students who have financial need. Mrs. Rowlett’s husband, the late Col. Allen B. Rowlett, was a member of the Emory & Henry College Class of 1935.

The Powell Family Foundation and Paul A. “Buzzy” Powell, Jr. ’68 are providing $400,000 in support of the College’s new Student Success Center. The Center will be located in the former Wiley Hall auditorium, which is currently undergoing a complete renovation. The Center will be named in memory of Paul A. Powell, III.

Emory & Henry College recently welcomed its largest incoming class in its 185-year history, with a total of 436 students incoming for the fall semester in addition to more than 650 returning students. With hundreds of students coming from Virginia and the region,and more than 47% of students joining the campus from out of state and nine different countries, the College worked throughout the summer to staff a more robust Student Success Center.

The following E&H faculty and staff made presentations at the Appalachian College Association Annual Summit, “A Community of Innovation,” September 24-25 at the DreamMore Resort and Conference Center.

The E&H Black Student Union participated in the October block party sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. A canine friend also came out to the festivities, exploring the LGBTQ+ Student Union table.

The Department of World Languages and students created an altar on display in Wiley Hall to recognize Dia de los Muertos—the Day of the Dead—a holiday celebrated on Nov. 1. Dia de los Muertos honors the dead with festivals and lively celebrations, a typically Latin American custom that combines indigenous Aztec ritual with Catholicism. Students participated by leaving their paintings in honor of loved ones on the altar.