The Appalachian Online | News



Sept 17,2002	Online Since 1996	Vol 77 No. 6

New Millenial Campus combines campus, public outreach services		Carrie Baker Senior Staff Writer Chancellor/ Student Development Beat
Josh Brown \| Chief Photographer University Hall is located on the new Millenial Campus, just off Blowing Rock Road behind Staples. The new campus extension will allow the university to expand its already growing outreach services.	The location known at University Hall will now be recognized as part of the Appalachian Millennial Campus. The University of North Carolina Board of Governors approved the site this past August. University Hall currently houses the Appalachian Regional Development Institute (ARDI) and the Appalachian Cultural Museum. The facilities in the site located behind Staples will remain intact and become part of the new Millennial Campus, said Dr. Richard B. Parrott, director of the Division of Continuing Education.
“The new Millennial Campus is an effort to put under one umbrella the numerous academic research and public service outreach of the university,” said Parrott. Legislation was passed to set up the Millennial Campus at Appalachian State University three years ago, said Dr. J. Paul Combs, director of ARDI. The plan for the Millennial Campus was then modeled after the Centennial Campus set up for the University of North Carolina schools, said Combs. The decision to use the University Hall site for part of the Millennial Campus was made because several components for the Millennial Campus were already in operation at University Hall. One of the projects with which ARDI is working as part of the Millennial Campus is reaching out to support regional economic development, said Combs. ARDI is currently involved in a project helping local governments establish Web sites and use the Internet. ARDI is also working with the North Carolina Internet Access Authority to provide Internet training and promote Internet literacy by setting up wireless labs. The organization is also working with a statewide energy policy plan. ARDI is currently organizing a regional conference on wind energy and will also be conducting a survey of Western North Carolina residents concerning the use of wind energy. This project will not only aid the regional area but Appalachian students as well, said Parrott. ARDI will hire students to help conduct the Western North Carolina survey. “It provides lots of opportunities for student involvement in a learning environment,” said Parrott. ARDI is also working with regional projects developing international trade and a statewide survey on green energy, said Combs. In addition to regional development, the Millennial Campus will also be concerned with the Division of Continuing Education at Appalachian State. Appalachian is working with a partnership between the Appalachian Learning Alliance and 10 community colleges in North Carolina, said Parrott. These community colleges across the region supply classes to fit the schedules of students with family responsibilities. “Most of our students are adult or non-traditional college students,” said Parrott. “We hope that as the Learning Alliance matures, more high school students will see the benefits of a two-year college program at home.” There are currently 1,000 off-campus students, and approximately 90 courses are offered a semester. With the Millennial Campus in its beginning stages, Parrott and Combs said they are looking forward to a bright future. Parrott said he hopes people will soon identify with the concept of the Millennial Campus and the services they can provide.