Catawba College plans free college credit course for Rowan Latina High School juniors

SALISBURY – Catawba College has scheduled its second year of the Unanue Scholars Program, named to honor the memory of distinguished alumna Mary Ann Unanue, Class of ’81. Unanue rose through the ranks of Goya Foods, Inc. to the position of Vice President, before her death in 2009 at the age of 49.

In the fall of 2020, Catawba will welcome its second cohort of 16 Latina juniors from the Rowan Salisbury School System, in part due to a grant received from the Salisbury Community Foundation. Students will be enrolled in a course focused on exploring their own culture, while receiving instruction in academic skills crucial for success at the college-level.

The course will be free for students, count for college credit, and show students that college is attainable and doable, according to Dr. Forrest Anderson, associate provost. It will meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-5:15 p.m., Aug. 19-Dec. 2. The priority application deadline is April 20. The application will remain available until May 15, on a space available basis.

Dr. Sonia Alvarez-Wilson of the Catawba faculty said the course material, “Hispanics in the U.S.,” will allow students to read a variety of genres, such as memoir, poetry, and essays with the objective of not only honing skills necessary for college success, but also gaining a better understanding and awareness of the complex aspects of the Latino immigrant experience.

Students will be paired with well-trained mentors chosen from Catawba’s Latina population, who make up 56% of the college’s Hispanic population. Through group meals and field trips designed to advance social capital, the mentors will serve as role models and offer advice on the realities of campus life.

“Students will be able to see that, while their own lives are unique, they are also participating in a broader national Latino experience,” Alvarez-Wilson said. “It is exciting to be a part of an effort to ensure that young Latina women have access to higher education and prospects for a promising future!”

Small Businesses can get COVID-19 advice through RCCC Small Business Center webinar

SALISBURY – To assist small businesses suffering due to COVID-19 coronavirus restrictions, the Rowan-Cabarrus Small Business Center is joining other centers across the state to offer a special webinar providing helpful strategies and ideas. The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, March 25, from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

A panel of experts in business continuity, supply chain and healthcare will offer businesses advice for responding to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The group will provide strategies for minimizing susceptibility for future disruptions beyond illness spread.

“We know that small businesses are in crisis, locally, statewide and nationally,” said Dr. Carol S. Spalding, president of Rowan-Cabarrus. “The Small Business Center Network of the North Carolina Community College System is a trusted and vital resource for small businesses. Our centers are available to help in any way we can during this unprecedented crisis.”

The Small Business Network comprises 58 Small Business Centers that support the development of new businesses and growth of existing businesses by being a community-based provider of training, counseling, information and resources.