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������Ƶ leaders conferred degrees Saturday morning to students in the Master of Education program during a Commencement ceremony in Whitley Auditorium attended by faculty, staff, family and friends of the graduate students.

Former (Burlington, N.C.) Times-News executive editor Don Bolden, retired physical plant assistant director Stanley Greeson and retired professor Linda Thompson Weavil received ������Ƶ Medallions on Aug. 23, 2010, in an annual ceremony that celebrates the highest honor a person can receive from the university.

What’s an earth-friendly way to cool down a residence hall? Take energy from warm indoor air and drop it hundreds of feet underground. ������Ƶ started work this summer on a geothermal field that will heat and cool the Colonnades residence halls near the Koury Business Center, including three buildings scheduled to open in July 2011.

Paul Parsons, dean of the School of Communications, formally became president of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication (ASJMC) at a national conference in Denver, Colo., on Aug. 6.

Hollywood doesn’t really like government, judging by the movies it produces, but when you look at the way film directors portray individual employees, new research co-authored by an ������Ƶ professor and alumna reveals a lot of on-screen respect for civil servants.

Roger Gant Jr., who served on ������Ƶ's board of trustees for 20 years, died July 26 at the age of 86. Gant was former president of Glen Raven Inc. and a second-generation descendant of the textile company's founder.

The Chronicle of Higher Education has recognized ������Ƶ in its 2010 “Great Colleges to Work For” program, which honors institutions for best practices and policies, such as teaching environment, respect and appreciation, and confidence in senior leadership.

The North Carolina Open Government Coalition, a nonpartisan organization housed at ������Ƶ that educates people about their rights and supports their efforts to gain access to government meetings and records, announced today it has raised an endowment to support its Sunshine Center.

President Barack Obama has nominated Navy Vice Adm. William E. Gortney ‘77 to serve as director of the Joint Staff, a position that will have him answering directly to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon.

The Millennial generation is leading society into a new world of personal disclosure and information-sharing using new media, according to a recent survey of technology experts. They said the communications patterns “digital natives” have already embraced through their use of technology tools will carry forward even as Millennials age, form families, and move up the economic ladder. They added that new social norms and etiquette are being formed as a result.