RCC Faculty Selected by National Endowment for Humanities

Although they will be teaching a humanities/western civilization learning community unit together in the fall, Rockingham Community College instructors Pat Harden and Mark Sattler had never met until recently when they learned they were both selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to attend a one-week workshop in July on southern culture at Elon University. Their reaction to being selected, however, was identical - it was an honor to be selected to fill two of only 50 available slots.

Titled, "Building the New South: the Social and Economic Transformation of the Piedmont After the Civil War," the workshop they will attend focuses on a section of the south where the most dramatic change - industrialization - took place.

"Dr. John Beck (project co-director) wrote the textbook I use in my southern culture class," said Harden, professor of art, humanities and music. "Therefore, I'm interested in getting a deeper insight into the course."

She also has a personal interest. "We will be looking at the E.M. Holt family, whom I am related to."

Sattler, an adjunct history instructor, is interested in increasing his knowledge of the period and how the growth of industry affected Rockingham County.

"Many of my students have been interested in local history," said Sattler, "and Rockingham County was on the northern edge of the industrial movement."

Their selection into the program comes with an NEH stipend of $1,200 each which is paid at the end of the program week. This covers the cost of attending which includes lectures and field trips. Harden and Sattler will also have required reading and research and will be asked to make a short presentation at the end of the week - either a research project or a teaching unit related to the theme of the course.