Honors Competition Offers Students $10,000

(WILSON, N.C.) Barton College’s two-day Honors Competition kicks off on February 8, 2008, offering prospective students the chance to win a $10,000 scholarship and the opportunity to join Barton’s Honors Program.

The Honors Competition, the first step into the exclusive Honors Program, awards five $10,000 Trustee Scholarships and four $1000 Travel Scholarships. In addition, participating students receive a $500 tuition credit simply for taking part in the event.

To qualify to participate, a student must have a minimum GPA of 3.25, have a SAT score of 1100 or higher, and be admitted to Barton by February 1, 2008.

The weekend competition begins with a reception for all invited students on the evening of February 8. The following day, all competing students and their families are invited for a unique opportunity to have breakfast with President and Mrs. Kneten at the Barton-Graves House.

After breakfast, students will participate in an essay-writing exercise and small group discussions to introduce the participants to Barton’s Engaged Learning concept. Faculty will use these exercises to help them choose the winners of the scholarships. The competition concludes with lunch and a brief program for all participants and their families.

During planned events, participants will get to meet current Honors students, like Kay Vines, who will share their personal experiences in the Honors Program and explain what makes Barton unique.

Vines, a 2007 Travel Scholarship recipient and a Nursing and Spanish double major, found the recognition afforded by the program to be a rewarding part of her experience. “You are called upon because of your effort,” she said.

Vines “enjoyed the one-on-one with the upper classmen… as well as the professors,” but she most enjoyed “the opportunity to do more.”

Her Honors English class, for example, “used the whole class to cover the Whirligig Festival.” Rather than simply studying English in the classroom, the students engaged themselves with the community, applying their English skills to document Wilson’s annual art celebration.

Students who excel in academics, enjoy challenges, and value the chance to grow beyond their expectations are perfect candidates for Barton College’s Honors Program. With the privilege of participating in the Honors Program and the opportunity to win a $10,000 scholarship, Barton’s Honors Competition is not to be missed. To learn more, contact the Office of Admissions at 1-800-345-4973 or email: enroll@barton.edu.

J-Term Students to Visit Egypt and England

(WILSON, N.C.) The first of the year will find many Barton students anticipating a trip to Egypt or England, an international travel opportunity afforded by Barton’s January Term, or J-Term.

Reinforcing global awareness in Barton’s core curriculum, international travel courses deepen students’ understanding of the world around them.

Dr. Joe Jones, chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy, is leading the group destined for Egypt. There, students will visit important sites such as the Great Pyramids and the Valley of the Kings in addition to historic religious sites marking the influence of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam on Egypt.

“The students requested a trip to Egypt,” said Jones. “It also expanded our college travel portfolio to a new place. Some scholars consider Egypt the first civilization, discounting Sumeria-Mesopotamia because it did not exhibit the cultural coherence Egypt did.”

A second travel group led by Bob Wagner, director of theatre in the Department of Communication and Performing Arts, and Dr. Kathy James, chair of the Department of English and Modern Languages, will head for England.

“My trip will highlight the culture and history of England, Wales, and Ireland,” said Wagner. “We will study some sites concerning theatre and literature. We also have several students that will take the optional side trip to Paris.”

The value of travel abroad must not be understated. Travel grants cultural perspectives and insights that lectures and assignments cannot.

“International travel benefits our students enormously. There is an emotional adjustment that occurs the first time you are in a situation in which you are the minority culture,” said Jones.

“You become wiser and better adjusted as a citizen of the world, better able to offer suggestions and participate in discussions involving world events.  What nations don’t know can hurt them. The stakes involved in study abroad are that simple, that straightforward, and that important. For their own future and that of the nation, college graduates today must be internationally competent.”

Sneed – Baseball Diamond to News Desk

The signs were there early for Brandon Sneed, maybe just not in bold print.

When he was a youngster, the Barton College junior used to create a family “newspaper” chronicling some of the happenings among his parents, Will and Karen, and his younger siblings: Kramer (an 18-year-old freshman on the Barton baseball team), Kara (16), Logan (15) and Heidi (13). He had a good time doing it, and the family enjoyed his shenanigans as well.

Years later, Sneed has returned to his earlier yearnings. He came to Barton because he was offered a non-scholarship spot on the baseball team from head coach Todd Wilkinson. His passion was baseball, and he knew the school had a solid mass communications program, so becoming a Bulldog was an easy choice. He was a catcher when he arrived in Wilson. Now, he is a catcher and pitcher.

After two years of baseball, Sneed has not attained his diamond goals, but he has found another niche: sports writing. He has been working for “The Collegiate,” the Barton College student newspaper, since last year and currently serves as the managing editor. His affinity for journalism has also led him to a job as sports editor for the weekly “Kenly News”, which is owned by Rick Stewart, a Barton professor in the Department of Communication and Performing Arts.

Sneed is currently juggling his studies, playing baseball and working for the “Kenly News”…and loves it.

“I have realized that God has plans for me – no matter what,” said Sneed, who attended Greenville Christian Academy (less than 40 minutes from Wilson) and played for his father. “Baseball hasn’t gone like I thought it would. Basically, I realized I was a nerd; I like to write. When I would create our family newspaper, I would just type stuff up. It was goofy, but it was fun, and we got a kick out of it. “

Sneed, a Dean’s List student with a 3.7 GPA, says he knows sports “the best,” but also has aspirations of covering other events. He could see himself writing about religion since he attended a Christian school — and since his parents operate a non-profit organization called the All Jesus Ministries. Just last week, he had a free-lance job that took him to Dunn, where he did an article on the Christian Action League.

“I am just continuing to learn (the journalism business) and not worrying about the future too much,” Sneed said. “That has made my life more relaxing and peaceful.”

As fate would have it, Sneed was taking batting practice at the Triple Crown Training Center in Greenville a few years ago when a friend of Coach Wilkinson’s spotted him and put the two in touch with each other. After enrolling at Barton, Sneed, whose mass communications concentration is print and electronic journalism, was all about baseball in the beginning, which left him little time for any journalism activities outside regular classes.

“I wanted to ease into [journalism],” he said. “The second year, I jumped right into it as ‘The Collegiate’ sports editor. By my senior year, I should be editor-in-chief of the paper.”

“The Collegiate” is published about every two weeks, or six times a semester. The staff includes three to four in management positions and a writing staff of some 12 students.

“Working for ‘The Collegiate’ has been a good way for me to learn without too much pressure,” he said. “Working in Kenly has helped me learn about my style of interviewing people. It’s just an incredible opportunity. God has really blessed me, and Mr. Stewart has helped me out a lot by giving me all these opportunities.”

Sneed writes articles, takes pictures and does some layout in Kenly, where he is responsible for producing two sports pages per week. Ironically, years later, he may again be writing more stories about family since he and Kramer both play for the Bulldogs.

“Barton is a good school,” the oldest of five Sneed children said. “I couldn’t see myself anywhere else. This is the right place for me. At a Division II school, you play sports because you love to play… You work hard in practice, conditioning, and games. You get four years to play and then you are moving on with the rest of your life. With the right breaks, you can make it to the pros, like Dennis Blackmon,” said Sneed, referring to the former Barton catcher/infielder whose contract was just bought by the Boston Red Sox.

“I would like to do the same thing, but…the first two years I was here, I think I overworked [in baseball] and put too much pressure on myself. Then, this job came along and put everything in perspective.”

Sneed’s hope is that his newfound contentment will lead to success both on the baseball diamond and as a news man. Then, he can be a “headliner” as a player and a writer/editor.