Randolph Community College Establishes Minority Male Mentoring Program

Randolph Community College has received a five-year grant from the North Carolina Community College System to implement a Minority Male Mentoring Program at the College. The goal of the program is to increase graduation and retention rates among minority males.

To read more about this program, go to http://www.randolph.edu/newevents/2010/2010-09-30.php.

Randolph Entrepreneurial Summit Oct. 16 at Randolph Community College

Randolph Community College will host the Randolph Entrepreneurial Summit on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Asheboro Campus.

"Interested individuals should attend and discover the programs and opportunities available at Randolph Community College to unleash the entrepreneur that lives inside of you," said Lonnie Hamm, director of RCC's Small Business Center, which is sponsoring this unique networking opportunity.

The event will feature a ribbon cutting for GATE entrepreneurs. Growing America Through Entrepreneurship (GATE) is a demonstration program funded by the U.S. Department of Labor that helps rural dislocated (laid-off) workers approach self-employment as an alternative career path to finding a job.

The Summit will also include a small business panel for questions and advice, a NCLeap presentation on legal services, and opportunities to meet bankers and to network with other business owners. Attendees will be able to meet with representatives from the North Carolina REAL (North Carolina Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning) Institute, the North Carolina Rural Center, and SCORE. SCORE, Counselors to America’s Small Business, is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small business start, grow and succeed nationwide.

Any small business owner can register to set up a table at this free event. For more information, contact Lonnie Hamm at 336-633-0240 or Marty Brown, RCC GATE counselor, 336-633-0306.

Laurelyn Dossett in Concert at Randolph Community College Oct. 13

The Randolph Community College Cultural Arts Committee will present Laurelyn Dossett in Concert on Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. in the R. Alton Cox Learning Resources Center auditorium on the Asheboro Campus. Admission is free, but seating is limited.

Composer/songwriter Laurelyn Dossett (www.laurelyndossett.com) lives and writes in the Piedmont of North Carolina, and her songs tend to reflect the stories of the region, both traditional and contemporary. One of the most sought‑after voices in creative collaborations, she cofounded Polecat Creek with singing partner Kari Sickenberger and has partnered with Triad Stage's Preston Lane on four plays featuring regional folklore and original music: Brother Wolf, Beautiful Star: An Appalachian Nativity, Bloody Blackbeard, and Providence Gap. A song from Brother Wolf, "Anna Lee," was featured on Levon Helm's Grammy‑winning record, Dirt Farmer.

Laurelyn is also a regular performer at regional music festivals such as Merlefest, a guest on the radio show Prairie Home Companion, and most recently, a writer and performer with the North Carolina Symphony. She is currently performing with songwriters Alice Gerrard and Diana Jones, "Redbird Round," and premiered composer Kenneth Frazelle's song cycle, "Songs in the Rear View Mirror," at Reynolda House in Winston‑Salem.

She is currently commissioned to write a song cycle for the North Carolina Symphony for 2011 and will be in residence at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. She is the 2009‑10 recipient of the North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship for songwriting.

Go to www.randolph.edu/newevents/culturalarts.php to download a free ticket. For more information on the Cultural Arts Series at Randolph Community College, call 336-633-0244. RCC's Asheboro Campus is located at 629 Industrial Park Avenue. Take the McDowell Road exit off of U.S. 220 Bypass/I73-74 and follow the signs.