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BANNER ELK, N.C. – This summer, the Lees-McRae New Opportunity School for Women (NOSW) will present three guest lectures or events in collaboration with the John B. Stephenson Center for Appalachia. NOSW will fund the lectures, which are open to the Lees-McRae and local communities as well as the participants in this year’s NOSW cohort. Each of the three lectures will be held in Evans Auditorium in Cannon Student Center.
The first lecture of the summer, “Appalachian Women: Your Living Heritage,” will be delivered by Faculty Emeritus Michael Joslin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7. Joslin, a long-time Lees-McRae faculty member and former director of the Stephenson Center, is an expert on Appalachian culture and heritage.
Rather than a traditional lecture, the second NOSW presented event of the summer will be a panel of former NOSW graduates. Three graduates, led by NOSW Foundation member Leslie Carter, will present, “Success Beyond NOSW.” Graduates will share about their journeys in the program, and the personal and professional success they have achieved since graduating. This event will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14.
The third and final event of the series will be a musical performance, “Rhonda Gouge and Friends,” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21. Gouge is a Western North Carolina native who plays guitar, banjo, string bass, and mandolin. She performs bluegrass music in solos, duets, and groups, and was named a North Carolina Heritage Award recipient for 2023.
Each of this year’s NOSW Summer Stephenson Lectures is free and open to the public. Lees-McRae students, faculty, and staff as well as local community members are invited and encouraged to join NOSW for evenings of culture, fun, and fellowship on the college’s campus.