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NC State University News Clips for April 30 - May 2, 2005

Compiled by North Carolina State University’s News Services, a part of the Public Affairs Office. Listed below are the current news clips. Click on the headline of interest to be taken to the full text. Click on “Return to Headline List” at the bottom of each clip or use the scrollbar to be taken back to this location.

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ChannelAdvisor raises $18 million to expand, acquire

April 28, 2005
News & Observer
By Jonathan B. Cox
 © Copyright 2005

ChannelAdvisor, a Morrisville software company, today will announce that it has raised $18 million to fund acquisitions and expand worldwide.

It is one of the biggest sums raised by a Triangle technology company in recent years and highlights ChannelAdvisor's growth.

Last month the company, which develops software and services to help businesses sell products online, bought two German rivals to build a stronger presence in Europe. Its payroll has grown to 130 from about 85 at the start of the year.

"This is another step in the process," said Scot Wingo, ChannelAdvisors' chief executive. "When you get an external partner, it's a vote of confidence that we're on the right track."

It also marks a personal milestone for Wingo and his partners. The entrepreneur, who has grown and sold other software companies, had not reached the same size with the other startups. He said his goal ultimately is to sell ChannelAdvisor stock to the public.

ChannelAdvisor is benefiting from strong consumer interest in online shopping and companies' desire to reach them. With ChannelAdvisor's offerings, businesses can sell to customers on auction sites such as eBay and retail sites such as Amazon. Or they can get their products into Web portals such as AOL Shopping.

Wingo said the company will use the new funding to improve its infrastructure, adding, for example, more computer servers to handle the growth. It will add sales and marketing staff to build its brand around the globe.

And it will buy other companies. Wingo expects at least one more acquisition this year.

"We are investing in ChannelAdvisor because we believe in the growth potential of the company," Bob Hower, partner with Advanced Technology Ventures, said in a statement. The Waltham, Mass., firm has $1.4 billion under management and led the venture financing round.

With the latest infusion of money, ChannelAdvisor has taken about $25 million in outside capital from investors including eBay, Kodiak Venture Partners and Southern Capitol Ventures.

The company's ability to raise $18 million illustrates a growing optimism in the venture capital community. Many investors tightened the purse strings after the dot-com bust. Slowly, they are returning with cash.

During the first three months of the year, 10 Triangle companies raised $89.4 million in venture funding. It was the highest level since 2003, but below the five-year average. Art.com, the online art retailer that recently merged with a California rival, accounted for $30 million of the total.

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Forest Service to tighten rules on ramp harvesting

May 2, 2005
News & Observer
By CATHERINE CLABBY
 © Copyright 2005

NANTAHALA NATIONAL FOREST -- As they have for decades, members of a Ruritan Club from eastern Tennessee dragged crates and pickaxes into the woods last week to harvest wild ramps for a spring festival back home.

But the National Forest Service worries that such big digs of the wild leek -- a tradition among civic groups in and near the North Carolina mountains -- are straining populations of the plant.

So beginning next year, the Forest Service will tell Ruritans and other groups where and how to pick plants on its land for their annual ramp festivals. The groups will be expected to pay some for what they take.

A Forest Service researcher eager to help preserve the festivals is accompanying the civic groups on this year's digs to get a better handle on the true toll from their hauls.

"If we don't figure out a way to manage them, they'll be gone," said Jim Chamberlain, the researcher. "If there are no more ramps, there will be no more ramp festivals."

Ramps, which taste like a mix of garlic and scallions, are the first edible green to poke from mountain forest floors all over the East Coast each spring. Native Americans hungry for anything fresh used to dig them, as did European settlers.

Mountain people in North Carolina still hike miles to pick enough for special suppers during the four weeks or so that the plants show themselves each spring.

Volunteer firehouses, rescue squads and civic groups have long staged annual ramp festivals to raise money for community causes. Along with crowning an occasional ramp princess, about a dozen groups in the mountains peddle egg-and-potato dishes flavored by spicy ramps.

Organizers of the biggest festivals collectively pick more than 3,000 pounds of ramps each year, Chamberlain estimates. It takes 40 to 80 plants to make a pound.

But demand for ramps is expanding far from the mountains, propelled by a craze for regional and seasonal food. Martha Stewart gushes over ramps. Urban dwellers look for them in upscale produce markets and in chic restaurants.

Most ramps entering the marketplace in North Carolina probably get dug in the wild, said Jeanine Davis, an N.C. State University faculty member and coordinator of the state's speciality crops program.

"It's going to be hard to find out by who. This is a private kind of thing, a little side income," Davis said.

That doesn't help the civic groups, who don't hide what they do.

Digging for treasure

On Thursday, the Ruritans from Cosby, Tenn., walked down a Forest Service trail about 40 minutes before they could find ramps to dig. On a slope near Kimsey Creek, the short, long-leafed plants carpeted the ground.

"That's ramps," said Carl J. Carver, dressed to work in a bright red cap and denim overalls. In minutes, he had grabbed a pick and an orange milk crate and was carefully pulling whole plants from the ground.

The job took time. First, diggers loosened the rich earth holding the ramps with a pick, shovel or trowel. Then they carefully yanked, making sure the white-as-porcelain bulbs near the roots made it out of the ground.

Five Ruritans and three younger helpers worked Thursday for nearly three hours, silent except for the occasional "wheeee" when the effort of crouching low and moving through a patch wore on backs and legs.

The diggers found the patch a bit thin. "They're not as big as I thought they'd be this time of the year," said Carroll Williamson, 68, who tasted his first ramp 50 years ago.

The men loaded 17 wooden vegetable crates on carts, tied them down with red-and-white cord and started the slow walk back to their trucks near a Forest Service gate.

Chamberlain, the researcher, used a hand-held fish scale to weigh each crate. "Ten pounds, 10 ounces," he recited after lifting one crate or "16 pounds, four ounces."

He also packed up samples from the patch where the Ruritans picked. Back in a laboratory at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, he will measure the length and width of each plant, down to the diameter of each stem.

Preliminary results tell him that the size of the plants the Ruritans and other, larger groups are picking could be falling year after year. Another Forest Service scientist is trying to sort out how ramps undisturbed by digging have fared of late, too.

Still, the Ruritans had about 265 pounds of ramps to haul home, less than the 300 or more pounds they collected last year but enough to supply their festival, only three days away.

Federal support

As the diggers loaded their crates and tools, Chamberlain passed out the Forest Service policy expected to go into effect next year: Pickers must forage where the Forest Service permits and pay 50 cents a pound for the ramps. Groups digging for festivals will not be allowed to take more than half of the plants they find in every square foot of a ramp patch.

People picking ramps for personal profit, if they identify themselves, will be charged, too.

The Ruritans, who were not consulted while the changes were in the works, were skeptical.

"It looks like it will affect us," Ruritan Orlie Wood said of the new rules.

Gary Kauffman, forest botanical specialist for the national forests in North Carolina, said federal officials will do their best to help groups such as the Ruritans by rotating pickers to patches known to have good supplies of plants.

Still, he understands this change may be hard.

"I can see why they feel singled out," Kaufman said.

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Vet school's size, scope grow

May 2, 2005
News & Observer
By TIM SIMMONS
 © Copyright 2005

Fifteen years ago, William Atkinson sent his pets to the vet school at N.C. State University.

Today, as president and CEO of WakeMed, Atkinson plans to send staff members there to work on research and teaching projects.

Atkinson's story helps illustrate not only how veterinary medicine has changed in the past decade, but also how the worlds of animal and human medicine have become powerful partners.

If leaders at the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine have their way, the campus in Raleigh will be among the nation's best at exploiting that partnership -- and the events of this past week will be seen as the formal kickoff.

"The traditional role of a veterinarian is still important, but it is only a part of what we do today," said college dean Warwick Arden. "In many ways, the practice today is about research involving fundamental mechanisms of disease -- much like the study of human medicine."

Much of what's important about this partnership is taking place beyond public view, often in labs where researchers study life at cellular and molecular levels. But it probably won't be long before that research transforms the vet school campus in very noticeable ways.

The 20-year master plan for the area just east of the State Fairgrounds calls for 25 new buildings. The construction will add 1.6 million square feet of research facilities -- roughly four times the existing space. Tenants will be a mix of private companies, government agencies and university researchers, including a new hospital for companion animals and an equine medical center.

If this sounds a bit familiar, it's because the same template is being used to develop the 1,000-acre Centennial Campus south of Western Boulevard. It also helps explain why the area around the vet school is now called the Centennial Biomedical Campus.

"People are going to know about the changes just because of the location of the biomedical campus," said Centennial Campus director David Winwood. "It has plenty of visibility."

The project -- a $500 million expansion paid for mostly with private and federal money -- was introduced to the university's board of trustees almost four years ago. But selling the plan is easier today, thanks in part to a new 100,000-square-foot research building that was dedicated Friday.

The four-story building -- impossible to miss among the rolling green pastures and numerous animal barns -- offered university officials a handy example of the future during a meeting last week with roughly 60 scientists, doctors, technology experts and other invited guests at the N.C. Biotechnology Center.

"It might strike some people as odd, but this is a very natural partnership," said Sanders Williams, dean of the Duke University School of Medicine and one of the speakers at the event. "The practice of medicine for animals and humans is connected in many more ways today than most people realize."

At times, it is difficult to see much difference between the care given to animals at the vet school and the procedures used on humans.

A machine that generates high-energy radiation is used to treat solid tumors in dogs and cats. A magnetic resonance imaging center allows veterinarians to see detailed images of animal organs without exploratory surgery. Prosthetic feet have been developed for a cat.

In the labs, researchers have created a molecule that prevents the buildup of mucus in asthmatic mice -- a development that could one day help treat humans who suffer from chronic bronchitis, asthma or cystic fibrosis.

The advances are partly a natural extension of veterinary care, but the focus on issues that cross over into human care is not an accident. Exploring issues related to human health allows the college to tap into millions of dollars in research money available through the National Institutes of Health and other federal sources.

In 2004, the college was awarded $11.4 million in federal money, of which NIH funds made up $5.6 million.

That's almost twice the amount of federal money the college was awarded five years ago, when it received $5.9 million in federal money, including $3.2 million from the NIH.

The college's focus on research -- an area that accounts for about a third of its total expenditures -- is one reason school officials feel good about their ability to lease space to private companies and government agencies.

For companies involved in health care, the ability to conduct research in the give-and-take of a university setting then apply those research findings to animal models without ever leaving campus is something few places can offer, said Neil Olson, associate dean for research and graduate studies.

"I've probably talked with 40 or 50 companies in the past five years about coming here," Olson said. "Some are mom-and-pop businesses, and some are the size of Glaxo. So the NIH money is important, but it's just a piece of the pie. The bigger piece is the partnerships we will build in the future."

There are 28 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States, and others also are headed down this path.

NCSU's efforts are being watched closely by the others, partly because the university has no medical school on campus to work with. That's a distinct advantage that other vet schools enjoy in places such as Minnesota, Wisconsin and California.

NCSU has responded by talking with the university hospitals at Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill, in addition to WakeMed and biomedical companies that are attracted by Research Triangle Park.

"It is impossible for any single institution to do everything," said Williams, the Duke School of Medicine dean. "We should look at our neighbors as our allies in this endeavor, not our competition. Our competition can be found among other partnerships in other parts of the country."

An evolving field

Given the expanding reach of NCSU's vet program, the dean of the college sometimes has to remind people that producing top-notch vets is still the central mission. "We are not de-emphasizing that," Arden said.

Moreover, students who are headed into traditional practice say they expect to put new technology and research findings into use from the day they begin working.

"Some people still see the cat as something to feed, but others will put a pacemaker in their dog if that's what it takes to extend the dog's life," said Sharon Clare, a fourth-year graduate student who will complete her degree in May. "I'm expected to be able to discuss all of those options in detail and with confidence."

The loss of family farms has eliminated many veterinary jobs, but that need was more than replaced by an increased interest in preserving ecosystems, tracking the transmission of diseases from animals to humans and protecting the food supply from bioterrorism.

"Scientifically, the whole life-sciences field was moving forward anyway because of advances in areas such as biotechnology and nanotechnology," said Charles Hamner, former president of the N.C. Biotechnology Center. "But politically speaking, the discussion of bioterrorism after Sept. 11, 2001, pushed food safety to another level."

Shannon Kozlowicz understands what Hamner means. She is a 2003 graduate of the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine who is working on a doctorate in biomedical science and biotechnology.

"You can't help but notice that veterinary medicine is entering a phase that is much closer to the study of human medicine than we've ever seen before," she said.

So it doesn't seem odd to her that as a veterinarian, she is interested in pursuing a career in either food safety or the investigation of disease outbreaks, where she might work with physicians at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

She's a vet of the 21st century.

Vetting a college's future

What's that building?

That imposing four-story building between Hillsborough Street and Blue Ridge Road is the new research building. Here are a few numbers to break it down:

COST: $35 million

SIZE: 100,000 square feet

LABS: 33, plus two high-security labs for infectious-disease research

PEOPLE: About 180 faculty researchers, research technicians and graduate students will occupy the building.

What's that pile of dirt?

A curiosity for thousands of motorists who spend time waiting at the intersection near the fairgrounds, the big pile of dirt didn't come from the research building. It's from a 1,400-foot-long tunnel built to handle systems such as heating, cooling and electricity for the planned expansion.

What's the big picture?

The master plan for the area, which is known as the Centennial Biomedical Campus, covers 250 acres of land. It calls for at least 25 new buildings in the next 20 years at a cost of about $500 million. That's why they needed to dig such a big tunnel.

The College of Veterinary Medicine, which anchors the biomedical campus, is also expected to keep growing. It is projected to have 165 faculty members, 304 veterinary students and more than 150 graduate students by 2008.

What about the cows?

Those cows that graze just off Hillsborough Street stay. So do the other animals; most are part of small, working farms that make the veterinary college unique nationally. Their presence explains why most of the land east of the current buildings will not change.

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Coming Up in Business

April 29, 2005
Triangle Business Journal
By staff report
© Copyright 2005

Wednesday, May 4

NCSU EEI EVENT – 6 p.m. at the Capital City Club in downtown Raleigh. The Entrepreneurship Education Initiative at N.C. State University’s College of Management is presenting its Leaders Building Leaders’ semi-annual networking event. $75. For more information, contact Stefanie Ratledge at 513-1726.

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Farmers pin hopes on shrimp as tobacco crops decline

May 1, 2005
Associated Press; Charlotte Observer; Lexington Dispatch; News & Observer; WCNC; Winston-Salem Journal; Dateline Alabama, AL; Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC; WVEC, VA
By PEGGY LIM
 © Copyright 2005

KENLY, N.C. -- About five years ago, Gene Wiseman, a local businessman, was watching a TV special about a shrimp farm in Illinois. The size of the crustaceous critters - up to 9 inches long - and the location of the farm caught his attention. Illinois has no oceans. Why couldn't he start up something similar in landlocked Johnston County?

That's how North Carolina got its - for now - only large-scale freshwater shrimp farm.

Wiseman enlisted Doug Barbee and his son Johnny, longtime tobacco farmers in Kenly. The Barbees, who also own a construction company, were looking for ways to use their 100-acre farm as they phased out of tobacco.

With the help of Mike Frinsko, an aquaculture specialist with the N.C. State Cooperative Extension Service, Wiseman and the Barbees launched DJ&W Shrimp Farm in 2002 on the Barbee family farm.

The venture has yet to turn a profit. But the partners aren't discouraged. Success, they figure, is just a matter of spreading the word. After all, many people have never heard of freshwater shrimp.

The shrimp, actually giant Malaysian prawns, are native to the streams of Southeast Asia. Steamed or fried, about four or five make a heaping helping. They taste cleaner, sweeter and more lobster-like than their ocean-bred brethren, Wiseman said. Freshwater species native to the United States aren't as good for cultivation because they're punier, Frinsko said.

This year, DJ&W Shrimp Farm is adding nursery tanks and a pond where the partners plan to use only organic feed. Eventually, Wiseman and the Barbees hope to branch into agricultural tourism and supply farmers across the state with young freshwater shrimp.

Some scientists, meanwhile, are touting DJ&W as an example of how farmers can cultivate alternative crops. The decline of tobacco is a concern in Johnston County, which ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 2 in the country for tobacco sales in 2002, according to the U.S. Census.

"We've seen a lot of interest now that the Barbees have been successful," Frinsko said. "There's a number of other farmers who have called me about getting into this industry. I think it holds some real opportunities for some farmers."

Last week, Wiseman, the Barbees and Frinsko dumped shrimp the size of grape seeds into 3,000-gallon nursery tanks. The shrimp arrived in water-filled bags shipped for overnight UPS delivery from Mississippi. Eventually, 150,000 shrimp will constitute their 2005 crop.

It's the first year they have raised shrimp from such a young age. The Barbees, who stopped tobacco farming this year, built the nursery in an empty greenhouse. The baby shrimp, like young tobacco plants, die if they get too cold.

For a month, the shrimp will stay in the greenhouse, where the temperature stays at 81 degrees. Doug Barbee, 62, sprinkles the tanks with a high-protein, grain-based fish food three times daily. Johnny, 36, monitors the water's acidity or alkalinity and ammonia and oxygen levels twice a day.

"It's more high-tech than regular farming," said Johnny Barbee, wearing a gold necklace with a tobacco-leaf pendant.

The baby shrimp are cheaper than juvenile shrimp but harder to raise. Wiseman expects only about 65 percent to survive a month.

One of the biggest threats to their survival: cannibalism. When the shrimp lose their outer shells as they grow, they become vulnerable, said Wiseman, who has learned a lot since starting the business. "They've been eating grain, and then they see a buddy over there with fleshy meat."

It's hard to resist, he said.

The Barbees have hung strips of plastic mesh in the tanks to give the softies a place to hide while their shells harden.

When the shrimp grow into inch-long juveniles, they'll be transferred to three 2-acre outdoor ponds filled with well water. The shrimp will be harvested in October, when they are about 6 months old.

This fall, the shrimp farmers hope to go one step further with a hatchery. They plan to experiment with mating adults - one male for every five females - so eventually they will no longer have to rely on their Mississippi source for stock. Each female can produce up to 20,000 eggs at a time, Frinsko said.

Shrimp farmers also hope to step up their sales efforts. In previous years, they served free samples at Rotary club lunches and food festivals and sold shrimp to visitors to the farm. This year, they're hoping to make a profit, selling about 75,000 shrimp, or about 14,000 servings.

"It looks promising," said Frinsko, noting studies that have shown the crop can potentially be more lucrative than the state's biggest freshwater crop, catfish.

After the last harvest, he said, "people kept calling the farmers, wanting to know when they could get more shrimp."

Frinsko warns, however, that freshwater shrimp farming might not be for everyone.

The cold-sensitive shrimp are a seasonal crop, with only one production cycle per year in North Carolina's climate. Shrimp also require active marketing locally. And there's potential competition from countries such as China and Honduras, which have driven down the price of all shrimp, including saltwater varieties.

But Wiseman's optimism hasn't dampened. "We can't compete with their labor market, but we can be more creative with the marketing," he said.

Plenty of customers place a premium on freshness, such as Asian restaurant owners who like to buy live shrimp, he said.

Someday, he hopes, local tourists will be drawn to the old tobacco farm for corn mazes, hayrides, pumpkins - and a plate of shrimp.

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Scholars have plans outside of class

May 1, 2005
Charlotte Observer
By GAIL SMITH-ARRANTS
 © Copyright 2005

Tyler Barry and Graham Boone have something in common besides being the only two from Cabarrus County to snare the UNC system's most prestigious scholarships.

Both excel in their coursework, of course, but, outside the classroom, they both are leaders in areas they are passionate about.

For Barry, 18, it's a desire to help animals. He hopes to become a zoological veterinarian.

For Boone, 17, it's a passion for running and inspiring others to run faster.

Barry, a Robinson High senior and son of Kenneth and Cathi Barry, won a Park Scholarship to N.C. State University, which means a full ride for four years, valued at $55,000.

Four Charlotte-area seniors, including Barry, are among 46 national winners of the scholarship. He also was a finalist for the Morehead Scholarship but took himself out of the running after winning the Park.

Boone, a senior at Concord High and son of Dan and Teena Boone, won a Morehead Scholarship to UNC Chapel Hill, a four-year award valued at $80,000 that includes full tuition and expenses, a laptop computer and summer enrichment programs.

He was one of nine Charlotte-region students to win a Morehead, and one of 43 from across the United States and Great Britain.

Will pass on trip abroad

Although he can travel abroad with the Morehead summer program, Boone said he also wants to work on an AAU track program for inner-city youth in an urban area such as New York City or Philadelphia.Running has helped develop his leadership as well as his athletic skills, and he'd like others to experience, too. Boone said he's been pushing sophomore runner Vincent Arey to reach his potential.

"I kept telling him, `You can do this. If you can do it at practice, you can do it at the meet,' " he said.

Last week at the county track championships, Arey cut 12 seconds off his best time. He was clocked at four minutes, 44 seconds and took second place in the mile event. Boone came in first.

"Now, after I leave, he won't need a training partner," he said of Arey.

Boone, president of the N.C. Association of Student Councils, said meeting students from all over the state and the country also boosted his leadership skills. He intends to major in business.

Wants to be zoological vet

At Robinson, Barry is student body president. He participated in the local teen court during high school, but found his passion when working with animals.

He's president of the Youth Humane Society of Concord and Greater Cabarrus County. Members walk shelter dogs, educate schoolchildren about being responsible pet owners and raise money for animal protection efforts.

Barry locked into the idea of being a zoology major after going to a camp last summer at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla. He had always loved animals, but the camp "piqued my interest," he said.

Now, he'd like to become a zoological vet, with an emphasis on large animals.

At the camp, "I was working with the trainers in the carnivore area, with the tigers, lions, hyenas and servals (African cats resembling cheetahs). We fed the tigers once and the servals once," Barry said. "Then we cleaned up a lot."

"The big animals are what really intrigue me," he said.

Barry found the hyenas fascinating because many people have an image of them as bad creatures and mere scavengers. He watched how they interacted.

"They're actually hunters, in a matriarchal society," he said.

Family traditions

When Barry and Boone step onto their college campuses, they will be continuing family traditions.

Barry's brother, Nick, 20, also at N.C. State, is majoring in communications. Boone's father graduated from Chapel Hill, and his brother, Josh, 21, is now at Chapel Hill double-majoring in psychology and peace, war and defense.

When they found out about their scholarships, family reactions were, well, understandable.

Barry was home when he got the phone call from N.C. State.

"My parents were standing right next to me. We were expecting an e-mail, then we saw who it was on caller ID," he said. "They were just excited, yelling, you know. (For me), it was more of a shock."

Boone said he found out the day after returning from the Morehead interviews. He was sitting at the computer and saw a new e-mail with the subject line reading, "congratulations."

His grandfather had just come by for a visit. His mother, a retired teacher, was opening the door for him.

"I said, `Mom, I got it!' She started screaming bloody murder. She started jumping up and down.' "

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Suits continuing in student file-sharing

April 30, 2005
Winston-Salem Journal
By Lisa Hoppenjans
 © Copyright 2005

A federal judge's ruling last month that two North Carolina schools do not have to give a recording-industry group the names of students involved in illegal file-sharing may sound like music to the ears of song-swapping Internet users, but the ruling may have little effect on the thousands of other lawsuits filed against those who have downloaded music.

Earlier this month, U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell A. Eliason found that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and N.C. State University were not required to give the Recording Industry Association of America personal information about two students who the group claimed used the schools' networks for peer-to-peer file swapping.

The association had issued subpoenas to the schools in 2003 using a special process created by a federal act aimed at online copyright violations, but Eliason ruled that the act did not apply to the type of Internet service the universities had provided in this case.

But in January 2004, the association began using a different tactic to subpoena information about file sharers, filing "John Doe" lawsuits using the IP address - a unique numeric code that identifies a computer connected to the Internet - to target individuals it says are illegally sharing music.

"We've been using this process since January 2004 and have been working very closely and successfully with universities in this process," said Jenni Engebretsen, a spokeswoman for the RIAA. "(Eliason's ruling) has absolutely no impact on our efforts."

In March, recording companies filed lawsuits against "John Does" at Winston-Salem State University, Duke University, N.C. A&T State University and N.C. Central University. In each case, the recording companies have received a judge's order allowing them to serve the schools with subpoenas requesting the name, address, telephone number and e-mail address of the person assigned to the IP address.

The RIAA has also settled lawsuits with two Internet users at Appalachian State University.

The lawsuit against the Winston-Salem State students lists two IP addresses, and some of the songs that have been made available for download from those addresses. The lists include songs performed by Shaggy, The Fugees, Dru Hill and Avril Lavigne.

Aaron Singleton, a spokesman for Winston-Salem State, said that the school had received a subpoena April 19 and was planning to comply by May 10. The two students affected have been notified, he said.

Michael Kornbluth, one of the Durham attorneys who represented the N.C. State and UNC students, said that the full implications of Eliason's ruling aren't clear.

Kornbluth said that the importance of the case isn't about whether or not individuals can download copyrighted material for free, but about the privacy of Internet users.

"This does not give students a license to steal music," Kornbluth said. "What we're dealing with is the methods by which RIAA is trying to find out about people. There has to be a balance by which people's privacy and the rights of companies like RIAA are measured."

The RIAA has filed about 11,000 lawsuits against individuals nationwide, including 44 lawsuits against individuals in North Carolina. A few more than 2,300 lawsuits have been settled, 13 of those in North Carolina. About 800 university students have been sued, Engebretsen said.

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3-day horse cruelty workshop scheduled this week at NCSU

April 30, 2005
Durham Herald Sun
By Dean Edwards
© Copyright 2005

CHAPEL HILL -- N.C. General Statute (14-360) states: If any person shall willfully overdrive, overload, wound, injure, torture, torment, deprive of necessary sustenance, cruelly beat, needlessly mutilate or kill, or cause or procure as aforesaid, any useful beast, fowl or animal, every such offender shall for every such offense be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,500 and imprisonment for up to 1 year.

Serious consequences for a serious offense. Many shelter and animal control agencies are familiar with dogs and cats, but the thought of investigating a large animal situation can be intimidating.

The Horse Cruelty Investigation Workshop scheduled for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Raleigh is designed to equip both the novice and expert in horses with the skills they need to recognize and investigate potential cruelty cases.

For many, the knowledge gleaned in basic animal cruelty investigation techniques is worth the price of admission. For others, the hands-on training in the anatomy of horses is priceless. For all, this course offers an in-depth look at the best ways to deal with minor and major instances of horse neglect and shows the students the options available to them when dealing with these difficult situations.

For more than a dozen years, the Animal Protection Society of Orange County, The Humane Society of the United States and N.C. State University have joined forces to present one of the finest investigative workshops in the nation.

Animal Control officers, Humane Society investigators, Horse Rescue organization representatives and associated professionals such as veterinarians attend this annual workshop. Past attendance has been from as far away as Colorado, and this year representatives from Florida, Tennessee, Virginia and, of course, North Carolina are scheduled to be in attendance.

The three-day workshop provides attendees with training in basic animal cruelty investigation. For those that are county-appointed cruelty investigators, the course offers the required six-hours annual training needed to meet the 19-A requirements and provides two college credit hours.

Students learn step-by-step procedures to investigate potential cruelty cases.

Recording the complaint, making initial and follow-up visits to the site, working with the veterinarian, assessing the status of the horse and finally, protocol for court preparation.

Search and seizure will be taught by Joan Cunningham of the State Attorney General's office. Bringing students up to date on the dos and don'ts regarding seizing an animal is critical, since laws are constantly changing or are being interpreted differently in the courts. Joan is one of the leading experts on animal law in the State of North Carolina.

Classroom and hands-on lessons from N.C. State's Horse Husbandry unit instructors provide valuable skills in equine evaluation techniques, stable management and equine psychology or restraint. Attendees learn how to use a proven body condition scoring system to analyze the state the horse is in and provide specific remedies.

This year's workshop will take place at the facilities of NCSU in Raleigh and will include a four-hour seminar by a local veterinarian specializing in horses. During the seminar, students will learn how to measure the pulse and respiration of the animal, and how to properly apply leg wraps. In addition to meeting requirements for training of cruelty investigators, the course qualifies for two continuing education credits from NCSU.

A course fee of $200 includes the CEU fee, refreshments and a dinner provided for all attending.

For more information, or to register for this workshop, visit the Animal Protection Society of Orange County's Web site at www.animalprotectionsociety. org or call Dean Edwards at 270-9202.

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N.C. State Student Says He Was Robbed At Knifepoint

April 30, 3005
WRAL
By staff report
© Copyright 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. -- An N.C. State student said he got robbed at knifepoint early Saturday morning.

The student said a male about 22 to 26 years old approached him around 1:30 a.m. on Varsity Drive, near Western Boulevard.

The suspect pulled out a knife and demanded the victim's wallet, the student said.

The student gave the man the wallet, and the suspect took off behind the McKimmon Center.

The victim did not get hurt.

If you have any information about this incident, please call the N.C. State police at (919) 515-2498.

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Big Expansion Plans at Carter-Finley

April 29, 2005
WTVD
By Ed Crump
 © Copyright 2005

(04/29/05 -- RALEIGH) — N.C. State Univeristy has signed a deal to add more seats to Carter-Finley Stadium

Some time next year, the old fieldhouse in the north end zone will be replaced with 6,000 to 10,000 seats. New locker room facilities will be built underneath, and a plaza will connect the area with the RBC Center.

"If we can get a good start right after this season, this upcoming season, we'll have it ready for the opening game of 2006," said the Wolfpack Club's Bobby Purcell.

It's a new phase in the renovation of Carter-Finley. A makeover of the west side of the stadium will be ready for this football season. When Vaughn Towers is finished, it will add 1,000 club-level seats, state-of-the-art media facilities and 51 luxury suites.

Two years ago, a new football center and stands filled in the south end of the stadium. It's part of N.C. State's effort to keep up with the times.

"We had done a good job in the past of building nice facilities," Purcell said. "But we had done a poor job of keeping them up to date."

The big plans to make N.C. State's football program one of the elite does not end with a 60,000-seat stadium.

"Most of the top programs in the country now have indoor practice areas, and we need one," Purcell said. "We're still working on the idea, but at some point in the future, we think that will be come a reality, as well."

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Triangle Student Faces Music Downloading Lawsuit

April 29, 2005
WTVD
By Erin O'Hearn
 © Copyright 2005

(04/29/05 - DURHAM) — The recording industry say illegal file swamping over the Internet is a big problem.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is making its point by filing big lawsuits against college students.

Three local students found themselves in hot water with the RIAA. It looks like two of them may be off the hook at least for now, but the third student faces a $3 million lawsuit.

Jordan Greene has downloaded hundreds of songs off the Internet and now he's one of hundreds of students the RIAA is suing for illegal file-sharing.

"It's like winning a really bad lottery," he told Eyewitness News.

And the RIAA says that's a gamble you take when you break the law. Right now, the RIAA only has Greene's IP address, but on May 9, Duke University will have to comply with a court-ordered subpoena and hand over his name.

Greene's friends say he's being bullied by a big company.

"He downloads music and I do as well," one friend said. "They're kind of ruining the life of a young Duke student and that's disappointing."

The RIAA is disappointed as well. In a different case, a federal magistrate recently ruled that UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State could not release the names of two of their students threatened with a similar lawsuit two years ago. The judge said that in their case, privacy prevailed over piracy.

One of the student's attorneys won't say if his client illegally downloaded music, but says the RIAA illegally tried to get the student's name.

"The issue is one of how the record industry can try to prosecute their cases and what they can and can't do," Michael Kornbluth said.

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Intersouth steps up to back firm birthed at NCSU

April 29, 2005
Triangle Business Journal; MSNBC
By Leo John
© Copyright 2005

PINEHURST - A technology spinoff from North Carolina State University is closing in on $8 million in first round funding, money that would allow the company to lease office space and take its chips to the early manufacturing stage.

HexaTech, a startup developing computer chips built on aluminum nitride substrates, has received a commitment from venture capital firm Intersouth Partners and one other undisclosed investor.

"We expect to close the round in four to six weeks," Ghias Massarani, an NCSU professor and chief executive of the company, said during a break at the Council for Entrepreneurial Development's Venture 2005 Conference in Pinehurst.

The company is in discussions with other investors as well, says Massarani.

Zlatko Sitar, HexaTech's chief technology officer, was pitching to investors April 26 at the conference. Intersouth confirms it has committed to the startup's $8 million round. "We could co-lead the round," says Suzanne Cantando, a spokeswoman for Intersouth.

The technology on which HexaTech is based was developed at NCSU labs funded mostly by U.S. Department of Defense grants. About $10 million in grants went into developing the company's early technology.

Founded in 2001, HexaTech aims to produce aluminum nitride crystals, which could then be laid out into substrates and used to light up signboards and television displays.

The chips also could fuel devices in the data storage space, high-resolution printers, sterilization products and biotechnology and pharmaceutical devices.

Sitar says aluminum nitride chips are better than existing chips because they consume less power and are more powerful. The company is seeking to partner with other players in the business, including Greensboro-based RF Micro Devices and Durham-based Cree.

Massarani projects the $8 million would fund the company all the way to early manufacturing. The company has begun searching for about 10,000 square feet of manufacturing space, says Sitar. HexaTech, which employs five people, expects to increase its payroll to 40 in the next three years, says Sitar.

Cree, whose technology emerged from NCSU, makes chips used to light up car dashboards and electronic signboards - a rapidly expanding business. Nitronex, also an NCSU spinoff, is aiming to develop chips based on gallium nitride substrates.

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Polluted runoff creates problems for beach community

May 2, 2005
Associated Press; Charlotte Observer; Lexington Dispatch; News 14 Charlotte; News & Observer; WCNC; Wilmington Morning Star; Winston-Salem Journal; Dateline Alabama, AL; Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC; WVEC, VA
By staff report
© Copyright 2005

The signs warn about swimming near oceanfront storm drains - and they've become as much a sign of the impending arrival of summer as warm temperatures and new swimsuits.

They warn beach-goers that untreated runoff water sometimes pools on the beach or slowly flows toward the ocean. The signs that went up in New Hanover, Carteret and Dare counties last week aren't the kind of welcoming message local officials like, but state health officials say they need to inform the public while a solution is found.

"We don't do this to scare people," state environmental technician Jeremy Humphrey said. "It's just to warn them that swimming around these pipes isn't the best thing to do when they're discharging."

Pleasure Island's nearly 20 open outfalls were installed nearly a century ago, when little thought was given to potential dangers from the polluted water. Developing a plan to deal with them has gone slowly.

A proposal to send the runoff onto undeveloped land owned by the Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point for treatment has run into funding problems as its estimated cost skyrocketed from less than $2 million to nearly $10 million.

Researchers with North Carolina State University's Department of Biological Engineering hope they've developed a more economical way to treat the runoff. Sunken infiltration boxes will handle the first half-inch of runoff, with additional water either overflowing into other boxes or discharging - as it does now - directly onto the beach.

The boxes will treat the runoff by passing it through crushed rock and porous fiber before allowing it into the sand.

"It's like having the drain run into something like a septic tank," said Chris May, director of the Cape Fear Council of Governments, which has been spearheading the project for Kure Beach.

Officials will begin testing the runoff, largely from U.S. 421, to get a baseline of pollutants this summer. Two boxes will then be installed behind the dune line to test how well they cleanse the water.

If all goes well, a full-scale installation project could start next year. Officials are hoping the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund could pick up most of the project's cost.

The state Department of Transportation, which is responsible for most of the runoff the pipes discharge, is funding the roughly $190,000 cost of this year's demonstration project.

May said it could be an efficient, inexpensive way to deal with the problem, and could be a model for other areas.

"Honestly, we're real excited about this," said Jim Dugan, Kure Beach's mayor pro tem. "To me, it's the answer instead of simply throwing money at the problem."

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Do-It-Yourself Pet Vaccinations Growing

April 29, 2005
NBC 17
By Sarah Nakasone
© Copyright 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Prescription drugs are no longer the only medications that can be purchased over the Internet.

More people nationwide are ordering pet vaccines online and playing the role of veterinarian by administering shots to their pets themselves. But animal health experts say the trend is leading to more animal emergency room visits and deaths.

"It's a subcutaneous shot, so it's just under the skin. It doesn't really hurt them, so it's pretty easy to do," said Bill Hornsby, who gives shots to his 2-year-old dog, Gella. "We give her distemper and Parvo. You give them at nine weeks, 12 weeks and 16 to 20 weeks."

Buying vaccines in a catalog or online has become easier in recent years. Entering the phrase "pet vaccine" into any Internet search engine gives instant access to vaccines, syringes, needles and directions on how to vaccinate a pet.

"You receive it in the mail. It's all cooled down and all in special packaging and all that kind of stuff, so it's safe," Hornsby said.

But Dr. Richard Ford, a vaccination expert at North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, said do-it-yourself pet vaccination is a risky practice.

"When you purchase a vaccine through a catalog, you don't know who's made it, you don't know how it's been handled," Ford said.

One man, for example, injected Bordetella vaccines into each puppy in his litter instead of letting the dogs inhale it. The mistake cost one dog its life, and the other pups were badly hurt when the vaccine ruptured their skin.

North Carolina law allows anyone to give his or her pet every type of vaccine, except for a rabies shot. But Ford said just because it's legal doesn't make it a good idea.

"We are the only country that allows mail-order catalog and Internet purchase of vaccines for dogs and cats, and while it saves money, we know there are consequences that can ultimately cost money," he said.

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Expert: Some Pet Vaccines Unnecessary

April 29, 2005
NBC 17
By staff report
© Copyright 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Pet owners usually turn a blind eye to how much their beloved companions cost them, but veterinarians say some vaccinations people are getting for their pets are unnecessary.

"I consider her vaccinations to be a preventative," local dog owner Rodney Cook said. "They're a small cost so that I won't have a serious medical problem to deal with later."

But Dr. Richard Ford said administering too many vaccines could create -- rather than prevent -- health problems for pets. Ford, of North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, recently helped set new pet vaccination guidelines for the American Animal Hospital Association.

"Are we vaccinating dogs and cats too often? Current technology and new science about these current vaccines says the answer to that question is yes," Ford said.

Core vaccines, such as those that guard against rabies and distemper, last longer than previously thought. The updated AAHA guidelines say these shots should be given to dogs and cats once every three years, instead of every year.

Ford recommended that people be choosy when it comes to what the guidelines call "optional" vaccines. The bordetella vaccine, for example, should be given only to animals that stay in kennels or daycare and only once a year, he said.

A vaccination against Lyme disease is considered optional under the guidelines, but Ford said most pets can get by without it because the prevalence of the disease is so low and topical tick prevention medicines usually work well to ward off the insects.

Other vaccines are totally unnecessary, according to the guidelines. The corona vaccine for dogs and the FIP vaccine for cats, for example, don’t fight either disease effectively, the guidelines state.

Not all veterinarians agree with the guidelines. The PetsMart chain, for one, calls for two corona vaccinations each year, as well as two annual distemper shots instead of one every three years.

PetsMart officials didn't respond to NBC-17's requests for an interview regarding their vaccination procedures.

Not only do excess vaccinations waste money, Ford said they also could put pets at risk of other health problems.

"In the case of the cat, giving a vaccine has been associated with a malignant cancer," he said.

Pet owners should ask their veterinarians about vaccines before taking their animals in for the next round of shots, he said.

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NCSU Student ‘Gamers’ To Showcase Their Creations

May 2, 2005
Local Tech Wire
By staff report
© Copyright 2005

RALEIGH – Students involved in 3-D video game development at North Carolina State University will showcase their creations on May 4.

Games include Dodgeball, Awakening, WindowShopping, Karate Explostion, Death/Afterlife, Bored With Paradise and Wide Asleep.

The Computer Game Development Showcase begins at 8:30 PM at Kamphoefner Hall Auditorium.

For details, see: mimesis.csc.ncsu.edu/classes/csc481/showcase.html

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What's the buzz? Free hives

May 1, 2005
News & Observer
By CHERYL JOHNSTON
 © Copyright 2005

RALEIGH -- A crowd gathered in a circle around Will Hicks Saturday morning as he knelt on the lawn of N.C. State University's honeybee lab and lit a handful of pine straw in a tall metal can.

Once the straw was burning, Hicks flipped the lid shut and squeezed the compressor, sending a thick cloud of sweet-smelling ivory smoke toward the people looking over his shoulder.

Starting with the essential smoker, Hicks, a state beehive inspector, walked the future beekeepers through some basics before they took home free hives.

Hicks and other bee experts in the state are hoping that the 500 free hives may be a shot in the arm to North Carolina's bee population.

Since the mid-1980s, parasitic mites have been devastating the honeybee population across the country, including North Carolina.

The number of kept beehives in the state has dropped by 44 percent, and about 95 percent of wild bees have been wiped out, said David Tarpy, apiculturist for the state's cooperative extension and an assistant professor at NCSU.

The loss of honeybees is posing a threat to farmers, who rely on them for pollination of everything from cucumbers to cantaloupe.

Bee experts, including Tarpy, have been experimenting with Russian bees, which seem to be more pest-resistant.

With his results, Tarpy decided giving beehives away, including some Russian bees, would be a good way to boost interest in honeybees, the number of beekeepers and the population of Russian bees throughout the state.

He applied for a grant to pay for the distribution of two hives each to 250 people across the state. The two beehives and bee colonies that each new beekeeper received were worth about $300, Tarpy said.

The Golden LEAF Foundation supported the project, with the idea that even beekeeping as a hobby increases the natural pollination of crops. The foundation funds agricultural projects in counties economically distressed by a longtime dependence on tobacco farming.

And some beekeeping hobbyists may eventually decide to become full-time pollinators, Tarpy said.

When word of the program spread, more than 2,800 people applied for the beehives.

Applicants were selected from 86 counties. Half of the hives were distributed Saturday in Raleigh. The hives for the western half of the state will be distributed in the Wilkesboro area later this month.

Beekeeper associations in the Triangle area think the initial results look promising.

Enrollment in spring beekeeping classes and the number of new members joining the associations are way up.

A recent Chatham County class had more than 60 students. About 80 came out for classes in Wake County. The state association's roll has jumped from 1,200 in December to more than 1,600.

The emergence of so many new beekeepers all at once has been a little overwhelming for beekeeping association chapters, said Bill Herndon, who is active in the Wake County group. His association's membership rose from roughly 40 to 100.

"I'm personally responsible for four people, but I get phone calls from about 20 more," Herndon said.

"The people I talked to said it was something they had always wanted to do, and the free bees and setup was a good chance to get started.

"By the third or fourth bee class, they realized they wouldn't get any [free] but decided to get bees anyway."

On Saturday, Hicks stepped inside a six-sided screened platform, set a wide-brimmed hat covered in netting on his head and tied the strings across his chest.

Using a metal tool like a paint scraper, Hicks pried open the top of a hive in the enclosure and pulled out slender wax-combed trays that were spotted with stored honey and bee larvae underneath a clinging group of bees.

"Will the bees always stay on the frame like that?" someone asked Hicks.

Others, excited and nervous about getting started, wanted to know how to get their pre-packaged queen bees into the hive for the first time and whether they could set up a hive of Russian bees next to a hive of Italian bees.

"As far as I know," Hicks joked, "there's no international conflict."

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Threat of cuts puts UNC in battle mode

April 30, 2005
News & Observer
By JANE STANCILL
 © Copyright 2005

Crowded classes. Fewer available courses. A longer path to graduation for many students.

These are the unpleasant possibilities that University of North Carolina leaders are outlining as they fight budget cuts in the state legislature.

In the past several years, the 16 campuses in the UNC system have suffered less severe cuts than some other state agencies. But this year, university leaders fear a sharper budget knife.

Last week a committee of House and Senate members who examine education spending suggested that the UNC system could be cut by nearly $95 million -- more than 4 percent of its current budget. That could mean 750 jobs lost systemwide, UNC leaders say, with 350 of those coming from layoffs.

This week, chancellors, alumni, trustees and students were frequent visitors to the General Assembly, carrying a two-page list of "talking points" issued by UNC President Molly Broad's office. University leaders say the proposed cuts would be especially harmful as campuses grow rapidly to accommodate more North Carolinians.

Chancellor James Oblinger of N.C. State University said that, for years, campus leaders have tried to protect classrooms from cuts. But cumulative reductions chip away at the quality of the academic experience, Oblinger said Tuesday, just hours after a stop at the General Assembly.

"You start talking about time to graduation. You start talking about numbers of sections and seats that are going to be available. You start talking about, here's this influx of freshmen, are they going to get their full schedule?" Oblinger said. "Are we going to slow down current undergraduates in the process toward their degree? I'm very concerned about those elements."

Students fear costs

Students are worried about the consequences. Sabrina Carter, a Fayetteville freshman at N.C. Central University in Durham, is relying on loans to make it through college. She doesn't want to think about waiting lists for classes or library cuts.

"It kind of discourages you from being in school, because you know you're going to be in debt for the next 20 years," Carter said.

During the past four years, the system has seen $170 million in permanent reductions and the elimination of 1,360 positions.

This year's proposed cut would be bigger than in previous years. And this time, campus leaders may not be able to wield the ax themselves. Last week's report suggested specific line items, programs and numbers of jobs to be trimmed. In previous years, chancellors have been given the freedom to make reductions as they saw fit.

State Sen. A.B. Swindell, a Nashville Democrat who is co-chairman of the Senate education appropriations committee, said he thinks some of the concerns from UNC leaders may be overstated.

He described the budget as a work in progress. The Senate may roll out its version next week.

"I think we'll come out with something manageable, maybe not as bleak as what a lot of people think," Swindell said.

Last week's report did offer some good news to universities, too. The UNC system could get $73 million in new money to handle an expected increase of nearly 7,000 students to the system, which now has about 190,000.

Growth eases cuts

Tuition increases and enrollment growth have softened the impact of budget reductions in recent years. During the past five years, the system has added 29,000 students. And since 1999-2000, according to the General Assembly's fiscal researchers, UNC has received an additional $246 million from the legislature to accommodate student growth.

But campuses that aren't growing won't get new money next year. That's a concern at UNC-Chapel Hill, which has adopted a modest-growth posture.

"We do not want to have 30,000 students here," Provost Robert Shelton said. "If you're only funding universities based on growth, Carolina has problems."

If the proposed 4 percent cut goes through, Shelton said, UNC-CH could lose 90 faculty members, as well as money that typically pays for many graduate student teaching assistants.

"We would lose hundreds of TA positions," Shelton said. "The impact on instruction is enormous."

He worries that students may, in the long run, have to go to college longer to get the courses they need to graduate. "That's an effective tuition hike," he said.

Swindell, the state senator, said he has talked with at least four system chancellors in recent days. "They come by and tell me their songs," he said. "They're real fighters for their universities."

Legislators have put a lot of focus this year on so-called "zero-based budgeting," which means everything is on the chopping block, Swindell said.

At one point during budget talks, universities were asked about specific expenses such as their cell phone plans. That came as a bit of a shock to campus leaders.

More than anything, they argue, they need the flexibility to make cuts as painless as possible.

"The more extreme it becomes, the more important I think it is for us to have the final say," Oblinger said. "Give us the number and let us locally determine where that cut ought to be taken."

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Ann Goodnight emerges as force in education, art

May 1, 2005
News & Observer
By CRAIG JARVIS
 © Copyright 2005

She chooses her words carefully, and when she has something to say she says it deliberately and quietly. At board meetings -- and she is on about a dozen boards now -- the people sitting around the table lean in closer to hear her.

That's because what Ann Goodnight has to say is shaping the Triangle's future. Already she has created a model private school to improve public education, collected art masterpieces for a museum, begun building the area's first five-star hotel and made an entire prison disappear to make way for a park, as if by snapping her fingers.

Over the past few years she has gone from being Mrs. Jim Goodnight -- in the shadow of her multibillionaire husband, the founder of the software giant SAS Institute -- to becoming one of the region's most important philanthropists in her own right: spending and raising tens of millions of dollars to improve education and promote art.

All this from a small-town Southern girl turned suburban mom who could have chosen to spend her days walking the asphalt trails around the SAS campus for exercise, planning Sunday brunches with her family and traveling.

She does all that, but after raising three children and playing the supportive spouse while Jim Goodnight became the richest man in North Carolina, Ann Goodnight, at 59, is also learning something new about herself: that she has a voice and she can make a difference.

The impact she wants to make is improving North Carolina, starting in the classroom.

"It just doesn't get more basic and more important than your children's education," she said, "because that's the future. If you don't do right by these kids you've lost it."

Goodnight's appearance is as measured as her speech -- elegant, mannered and somewhat guarded. In a pair of interviews, she answered everything asked of her with conviction and often with humor.

It wasn't her idea of fun: Those who know her well say she has no appetite for attention. In fact, she politely declined to be interviewed for this story at first, saying she preferred to keep a low profile.

Her soft-spoken manner cloaks a sharp intellect, and she seems to weigh her side of the conversation carefully before she speaks.

"She is probably deceptively sweet," said Larry Wheeler, director of the N.C. Museum of Art. "She is a very nice person but she is a thoughtful person. Once she makes up her mind on something she is very clear about it."

Ann Goodnight has honed her personality as a way of dealing with the tremendous wealth that is now a filter between her and the people she meets. This life is something she never saw coming. "We had no idea," she said.

She was raised in Lillington and later in Fayetteville by a mother who stayed home with three children. Her father was a popular real estate agent whom everyone called "governor."

The young Ann Baggett was an attractive and serious-minded woman who wanted to major in international studies at UNC-Chapel Hill. But in 1963 the university accepted female liberal-arts majors only as juniors, so she enrolled at Meredith College in Raleigh.

She dated an N.C. State University student whose fraternity brother seemed to make a point of visiting whenever she was around. One day the frat brother, a senior named Jim Goodnight, called and asked if he could drive her to her parents' home for the Thanksgiving break. By Christmas they had begun to date; before long they married, she transferred to NCSU and Jim Goodnight became an assistant professor there.

In 1976, he grew a beard and left the university to start SAS with his software, which could store and sift mainframe computer data.

"We just hoped that he would be able to maintain the income we were used to as an assistant professor," Ann Goodnight said.

They lived in the Beckanna Apartments in West Raleigh, where they tucked their first child, Leah, into a makeshift nursery in a closet. A couple of years later, they moved to a ranch house on Ridge Road and had a second daughter, Susan. Day-care options were few, and Ann felt guilty working, so she quit her job with the state consumer protection division -- the last full-time job she held -- to be a stay-at-home mom.

Leah Goodnight remembers her father's bringing computer punch cards home from work and instructing the girls not to touch them. Her mother recalls just how obscure that line of work was:

"I was playing bridge one night in 1977 or so and someone asked me, 'What does your husband do?' And I said, 'He's in software.' And she said, 'Oh, does he sell lingerie?' That sounds so archaic, but nobody knew what software was."

She cooked three meals a day, made afternoon snacks and sewed Halloween costumes for her children. Other than the PTA, Goodnight had few outside interests, recalls Leah Goodnight, who now owns three high-end women's clothing stores.

In many ways, her children say, Ann Goodnight remains that suburban mom.

"We're not allowed to be spoiled in our house," said Susan Ellis, the Goodnights' second daughter. "This idea of wealth is something the family, in general, is uncomfortable with." The family "comes from humble roots. Nobody takes any of this for granted."

SAS is now the largest privately held software company in the world. Forbes magazine has estimated the Goodnights' worth to be between $3 billion and nearly $6 billion in recent years.

They live on a 51-acre estate next to the SAS campus in a $2.2 million home with an English garden and a world-class art collection. A second home in Wrightsville Beach is valued at $1.7 million.

Ellis spent 10 years working at SAS, until she and her husband left for humanitarian work in Peru; now they produce videos for nonprofits. She says her mother deserves as much credit as her father for the culture at a company that boasts the lowest turnover rate in the industry. It was her mother's influence, Ellis says, that created a pleasant environment there that included introducing paintings and sculpture throughout the grounds.

Finding a new role

Ann Goodnight's public life took root when their third child, James, who recently went to work at SAS, arrived at Martin Middle School in Raleigh. There were twice as many students as when his sisters had attended 10 years earlier, and the teachers they fondly remembered had retired.

"The environment was very police state," she said. "To keep these middle-school kids on the straight and narrow they really tried to intimidate them.

"Finally we said, 'You know, why don't we just build a school?' "

Unlike other parents who have complained about public schools, they could and they did. In 1996, after the Goodnights did extensive research around the country, they opened Cary Academy. The nonprofit, private sixth-grade through high school has become a nationally regarded model for its emphasis on technology and experiential learning. It trains public schoolteachers and -- sensitive to early criticism that it was too elite -- helps 17 percent of its students meet tuition, which tops out at about $13,000.

After launching Cary Academy, the Goodnights focused on public schools.

"Just building the thing out absolutely consumed my time, and I loved it," Ann Goodnight said. "That's when I got really turned on to being involved more in the community."

In December 1999, the couple established the Goodnight Educational Foundation with $10 million. It is Ann Goodnight's money to spend and so far she has funneled about $2 million into education projects, including arts education. The biggest beneficiaries have been the N.C. Museum of Art, NCSU, Cary Academy and the Wake Education Partnership, according to financial records.

Then she joined the board of the John Rex Endowment, established in 2000 to invest $75 million in improving health care in and around Wake County. The board, which she now heads, is focusing on children, and she says the experience has been "humbling."

She joined the board of trustees of the Wake Education Partnership, a research and advocacy group, and led a $1 million fund-raising campaign.

"Her involvement was more than just symbolic," said the partnership's president, W. Robert Saffold. "Obviously, she made a personal contribution, but she engaged in public advocacy for the partnership and its programs. Her commitment to high-quality public education is stellar and legendary."

Other agencies and institutions were soon glad to have her on their boards, too, including NCSU, which has benefited extensively from its most financially successful alumnus. The Goodnights have endowed professorships there, and SAS has given the university a $1 million software grant. Ann Goodnight, as chairwoman of the development committee, is helping the university raise $1 billion in a capital campaign that so far has brought in about $700,000.

Making a difference

Ellis says her mother's discovery of these new interests has been good for her as well as for the community.

"You don't realize what an enormous impact an individual can have, both politically and for the community overall, philanthropically, until you step out and realize, 'I can really make a difference,' " Ellis said. "She doesn't do it for her own ego, or even for SAS' marketing purposes. ... She thinks it's the right thing to do."

The Goodnights began visiting local studios in the early 1980s to buy artwork for the growing company. Jim Goodnight realized it would be cheaper to have an artist on staff, so he hired Raleigh painter Holly Brewster Jones as SAS' first artist-in-residence.

Within three years, Jones was also buying art for the company's offices. She estimates there are now 5,000 original works of art on SAS property around the world, and the Cary headquarters now has seven artists on staff.

In 1998, state art museum director Wheeler attracted Jim Goodnight to the museum foundation board, and when his term was up, Ann Goodnight replaced him. She has been on the board since 2000, taking over as president as the museum was scrambling to replace lost state funding.

"She was pretty stern in terms of reducing cost, slowing it down," Wheeler said. "I'm tough to wrestle to the mat sometimes, but she had no difficulty in convincing me to listen and respond."

Ann Goodnight made herself an important part of the museum, from cultivating potential donors -- she succeeded in persuading Capitol Broadcasting owner Jim Goodmon, whom Wheeler had been trying to land for 3 1/2 years -- to specifying that quiche be included on a fund-raising breakfast menu.

She and her husband threw an $11,000 garden party at their home in 2001 to raise money for the museum. They shuttled guests from their parking spaces at nearby Cary Academy into their secluded property where a small orchestra provided the music. The couple displayed some of their recent acquisitions, including a Monet painting and the beginnings of a collection of American masterpieces that include Andrew Wyeth. The party netted $75,000.

Now, one of the museum's curators regularly lets Mrs. Goodnight know when an important American painting is up for auction. If she gives the thumbs-up after discussing it with her husband, the museum tries to buy the art for the couple. Last year they were in the running to buy what would become the most expensive American portrait, a $6.2 million painting by Charles Willson Peale.

Wheeler says the Goodnights have bought about a dozen paintings that way, with the understanding that some day the great works will be donated to the state museum.

Ann Goodnight grew increasingly enthusiastic about plans for the 100 acres of park that adjoins the museum and insisted on keeping it free of development. But that goal was held up by the unsightly abandoned youth prison on the property. Figuring it would take the state too long to act, the Goodnights simply had SAS write a $1 million check to tear down the prison buildings and cart them off. The Goodnights, personally and through SAS, have made other substantial financial donations to the museum foundation.

The Goodnights also picked up the tab of about $62,000 for a summit on the future of the parkland. At that event and others, Ann Goodnight has impressed museum officials with how confident she has become speaking in public in the past few years.

The Goodnights have given nearly a quarter-million dollars to state and national political candidates -- about $84,000 of that in her name alone. They are registered Republicans but have supported candidates of both parties locally.

Lately, Ann Goodnight has turned her attention to building the Triangle's only five-star hotel, in Cary. Feeling frustrated as they had about public schools, the Goodnights decided to build their own. This after two leading hotel chains said the market couldn't support it.

"She is a very determined individual," said a good friend, former UNC system President Bill Friday. "She wants her life to be a force for change, for good, and she is completely committed to that course of action."

Ann Goodnight says her midlife surge of activism has helped her grow as a person as well as extend her and her husband's interests outside the SAS boundaries. It's turning out to be an interesting life, she says, but she's not finished.

"We just got back from India in December," she said. "Very impressive people, very impressive country. To realize they are producing more engineers right now than the U.S. is, we've definitely got our work cut out for us to stay on the cutting edge as a state, and as a country."

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N.C. State's new chancellor to visit Charlotte

May 1, 2005
Charlotte Observer
By Heather Howard
 © Copyright 2005

N.C. State University's new chancellor will visit Charlotte Monday and Tuesday as part of a statewide tour to meet residents and community leaders, school officials said.

James Oblinger will start his Charlotte visit with an alumni reception Monday night. He will attend a Tuesday breakfast with members of the Charlotte Chamber at the Hilton Executive Park at Interstate 77 and Tyvola Road. The visit will end with a private reception hosted Tuesday evening by UNC Charlotte Chancellor Jim Woodward, school officials said.

Oblinger became N.C. State's chancellor Jan. 1 after serving in several other posts at the university for nearly 20 years.

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Consent eludes public art

April 30, 2005
News & Observer
By MARGIE FISHMAN
 © Copyright 2005

Andrew Barco and a couple of his arty friends recently dragged a 60-pound Canadian phone booth down Durham's Main Street and dumped their "guerrilla art" in a public park.

Ignoring the city's permitting process, the twentysomethings awaited the befuddled response. Adults fished for change, then uttered expletives when they realized the phone was missing. Children crammed in three at a time, pretending to get electrocuted.

For the artists, the empty phone booth was a vehicle to get people talking about the shortage of daring public art around town, said Barco. Previously, undercover artists erected a giant bird made of welded rebar and a same-sex nuptial of silk flowers and Styrofoam.

"At the core of what we're trying to do is say, 'We're here. We're part of this community and we're making meaning that you must react to,' " said Barco. "It's defiance in the abstract."

It's also what happens when you wrap red tape around free expression.

Since 2001, most Triangle-area governments have promised to spend more money on public art, but the number of commissioned works is small.

Chapel Hill, which has one of the most ambitious programs in the state with a dedicated funding source, has installed four permanent works at a cost of $46,000. That's more than what was spent in Raleigh, Durham and Cary combined.

Cary's first public art project -- a $406,000 forest of mesh towers laced with ribbons -- is in limbo. The town's funding partner backed out last month after a town council member warned of community backlash.

Setting limits

Local officials say it takes time to get projects off the ground, because they're spending public dollars on art for public spaces, and everybody deserves a say. But some arts professionals worry that governments are playing it too safe by allowing average Joes and elected officials to weigh in on the eternal question: "What is art?"

Public art spread across the country in the early 1970s, spurred by federal matching grants for community projects. Among the goals were to reinvigorate community spirit, express neighborhood identity, spruce up the environment or commemorate a historic event, according to Jeffrey York, director of public art and community design for the N.C. Arts Council.

Governments -- including Raleigh -- once expressly prohibited art with a sexual, violent, religious or political message. Now they leave the job of selecting artists to an appointed panel of citizens and city staff, who consider the "appropriateness" of the work and strive for art as varied as the population -- traditional busts, whimsical murals, funky benches and dancing steel beams. Museums, universities and private corporations fill in the rest.

"Public art is about compromise," York said. "It's about using art to tell the community's story."

Public art is also about controversy.

The city of Rocky Mount is looking to unload a $55,800 life-size statue of Martin Luther King Jr., after citizens complained it didn't resemble the slain civil rights leader.

Other projects were never built but left lasting imprints: an abstract statue planned for the Charlotte Coliseum that detractors nicknamed "Gumby"; and a gun sculpture inspired by a UNC-Chapel Hill law student's 1995 shooting rampage.

Raleigh scrapped plans for several projects in the mid-1990s after politicians trotted out the Light +Time Tower on Capital Boulevard as an icon of government waste. The city has since commissioned an outdoor sculpture expo and a series of fiberglass red wolves that some mistook for promoting N.C. State University's Wolfpack. It's also planning a $20,000 public art competition. A $500,000 shimmering wall of metal squares proposed for the new convention center would be funded with private dollars.

'We like beige'

The more the public gets involved, the more skittish local governments are about funding anything adventurous, said Catherine Widgery, a Massachusetts artist.

"Why is art so different from all the other fields where we trust the professionals?" she said.

Widgery, who has spent the past 22 years creating art for public consumption, envisioned the "Gates of Light" to anchor a newly renovated Town Hall campus in Cary. The town and Cary Visual Art Inc. initially agreed to split the $300,000 cost. After Widgery's budget swelled to $406,000, Cary Visual Arts bailed. The town and the nonprofit will partner in a scaled-down version, a $31,500 glass-walled bridge.

Cary Visual Art pulled the funding after Jack Smith, the town's Mayor Pro Tem, wrote a letter to nonprofit officials. The letter reminded the nonprofit -- which already has donated 24 pieces of public art to the town -- not to "ruin" its partnership with the town by "taking something goofy," Smith said this week. "I wrote that in the spirit of friendship and more as a mentor."

Instead of wasting money on 100 steel tubes that one resident derided as glorified fire hydrants, the town should address a $27 million spending gap in the upcoming budget, Smith said.

"It just didn't seem to fit with what Cary was all about," he said. "We like beige."

Cary Visual Art board president Daphne Ashworth said her group didn't cave to political pressure. "We caved to costs that we did not know," she said.

In Durham, city officials are just now forming a committee to study the issue of how to regulate public art, after adopting a cultural master plan last year. At the same time, a network of about 60 artists has proposed creating a "Nudle Bowl," a papier mache bowl filled with live nude models -- some dangling from chopsticks -- located in a public plot at Five Points downtown. A fabric screen could be draped over the bowl to avoid Five Points fenderbenders, yet still allow artists to use the models for inspiration.

"We're people. What are we all so ashamed of?" said Cusita Martinez, one of the organizers.

The bowl would need a city permit as a temporary art project, but Martinez was unenthusiastic about the prospect.

As for the phone booth, vandalized with an "arm your children" sticker, city staff hauled it away last week and put it in storage. The city needs guidelines "to keep anarchy at bay," said Alice Sharpe, the city's downtown economic development coordinator.

Joy Kwarteng, a barista at a coffeehouse overlooking the park, said she never viewed the shopping mall phone booth as art. Real art would enliven a dull downtown, she said. "It'll sharpen the pencil."

"But not something like that," she added. "It's just weird."

WORKSHOP

Want to learn more about how to get involved in public art?

State and local public arts organizations are hosting a workshop for artists May 21 at the Durham Arts Council, 120 Morris St. Experienced artists and public art administrators will discuss how to make the leap from the studio to public art and find solutions to project glitches. To register, call 715-0834 or send e-mail to jeffrey.york@ncmail.net.

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