UNCA Celebrates Founders Day October 3-6

UNC Asheville will celebrate its annual Founders Day and Family Weekend with a range of campus events October 3-6. Highlights this year include cultural events, a Bulldog Athletics cookout, alumni reunions and the presentation of the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award. The events are open to the public.

The celebration kicks off Thursday with Theatre UNCA’s production of "The Rimers Eldritch." The play explores evil and innocence in a small town plagued by both economic depression and death of the young town hero. Curtain is at 8 p.m. in the Carol Belk Theatre. General admission tickets are $9 and can be charged by phone by calling 828/232-2291

On Friday, UNCA’s annual birthday celebration will be held at noon on Reed Plaza in front of the Dining Hall. The Student Life Office will serve birthday cake to honor the university’s founding.

On Saturday, the Bulldog Athletics cookout begins at noon next to Greenwood Field. The $5 lunch is provided by Little Pigs BBQ. The women’s soccer team takes on Elon College at 2 p.m. at Greenwood Field.

The art alumni exhibition opening reception will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the University Gallery, located on the first floor of Owen Hall. More than 20 graduates from 1967-2002 will exhibit work.

At the 6 p.m. Founders Day Dinner, Eugene Presley, a 1981 bachelors of science graduate and a 1996 masters of liberal arts graduate, will be presented the Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2002. Presley has been president of Hayes & Lunsford, an electrical contracting company with offices in Asheville and Greenville, S.C., since 1979. An active member of the community, Presley has served on numerous boards and committees, including the UNCA Board of Trustees, the UNCA Foundation Board of Directors, the Christ School Board of Directors, the Minority Business Commission of Buncombe County and the YMCA. Presley also serves as a trustee for Key Risk Management Services.

The UNCA Alumni Association will also recognize 2002 Distinguished Teacher of the Year Dwight B. Mullen, UNCA political science professor and special assistant to the chancellor for diversity and multicultural affairs. The Founders Day Dinner will be held in Owen Conference Center. Tickets are $20 per person. For reservations, call UNCA’s Alumni Office at 828/251-6512.

The evening wraps up with a concert by the Miguel Romero Ensemble at 8 p.m. in Lipinsky Auditorium. Romero and his ensemble are widely known to dazzle audiences with their blend of Cuban jazz and funk. General admission tickets are $18 and can be charged by phone by calling 828/232-5000.

Reunions for Teaching Fellows and Master of Liberal Arts students are scheduled throughout the day Saturday. UNCA Teaching Fellows Program, formed in 1988, has over 180 alumni. The MLA program first offered classes in spring 1989 and has over 60 graduates. For more information, call UNCA's Alumni Relations Office at 828/251-6512.

Media Contacts:

• Merianne Epstein, UNCA Public Information Director, 828/251-6676
• Jill Yarnall, UNCA Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526