East Carolina University has updated the look of its diploma in time for May commencement.

The change in format is the university's response to student suggestions that the diplomas be larger and include the graduate's major in addition to the degree earned, said James LeRoy Smith, ECU provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

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The new diplomas are now 11 inches by 14 inches and reminiscent of the 'Leo Jenkins diploma' historically used at the university.

"We researched diploma formats at other universities within the UNC system and beyond and decided that ours could be improved," Smith said. "Although it's 'new,' the design provides a connection with a past diploma that was quite popular."

The new diplomas are now 11 inches by 14 inches and reminiscent of the "Leo Jenkins diploma" that historically was used at the university. Jenkins joined the faculty of East Carolina Teachers College in 1947 and served as dean of the school until his election to the presidency in 1960. During his presidency and subsequent chancellorship, ending with his retirement in 1978, he evolved as a leader amid the controversy surrounding East Carolina College as enrollments doubled and the school expanded and restructured its programs, achieved university status and established a medical school.

Approximately 3,000 students are expected to graduate Saturday. For more information about graduation, visit www.ecu.edu/commencement.

Weaver to speak
Dr. Donald L. Weaver, the assistant surgeon general for United States Public Health Service, will present the convocation address to the East Carolina University medical school class of 2006 on Friday. The Brody School of Medicine convocation honoring the 67 members of the class will begin at 9 a.m. in Wright Auditorium.

Weaver was appointed deputy associate administrator for primary health care in the Health Resources and Services Administration in February 2005. One of the administration's major responsibilities is its funding and oversight of the Consolidated Health Center Program, part of the nation's health care "safety net." Weaver helps manage the $1.7 billion program, which supports more than 3,600 primary health care delivery sites providing family-oriented primary and preventative care to underserved Americans.

The administration is in its fourth year of implementing President George W. Bush's five-year initiative to create 1,200 new or expanded health center sites and serve more than 16 million people by the end of this year.

Weaver is 1973 graduate of Harvard Medical School. He is a rear admiral and assistant surgeon general in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

Individuals with disabilities requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the Department for Disability Support Services at 328-6799 or 328-0899.

Fellowship granted
Mark Jones, a professor of criminal justice studies, will travel to Israel this summer as a fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

The program, "Defending Democracy, Defeating Terrorism," features an intensive, 10-day course on terrorism and the threat it poses to democratic societies. The program is taught in conjunction with Tel Aviv University and takes place May 27 to June 7. Forty-five fellows were accepted from colleges and universities across the United States. The course of study takes place in the classroom and in the field and features lectures by academics, diplomats, military and intelligence officials, and politicians from Israel, Jordan, India, Turkey and the United States. It also features visits to military bases, border zones and other security installations to learn the practical side of deterring terrorist attacks. The fellowship aims to train participants as resources on the subject of terrorism.

"After Sept. 11, 2001, I, like a lot of academics in criminal justice and other disciplines, felt compelled to develop my knowledge on this topic," said Jones, who teaches a graduate course titled "Criminal Justice and Terrorism."

"I hope that what I learn there can be imparted to the students I teach here at ECU," he said. "I also hope this will enhance my research agenda, both by learning more about the subject and through the contacts I will make."

Joyner gets books
A recent donation to Joyner Library's Special Collections is fantastic in size and subject. English professor Roger Schlobin recently donated 3,000 volumes of science fiction literature in honor of his parents and established the James and Virginia Schlobin Collection of Literature of the Fantastic.

Schlobin, a visiting assistant professor of English and professor emeritus of Purdue University, said that while his father was an avid reader of the genre, it was his mother that was his inspiration for reading. "My mother is the reason I read," he said. "She was always reading, always pulling out a book."

An author of seven books, Schlobin currently teaches science fiction writing and interpretive literature at ECU. The collection was created to serve the needs of students and scholars of the supernatural genre that includes fantasy readings, science fiction, Gothic and horror fiction. Science fiction and horror novels mainly comprise the collection with works by Andre Norton, Michael Moorcock, Roger Zelazny, L. Sprague de Camp, Philip Jose Farmer and Charles de Lint.

The collection also includes literature for juvenile audiences and journals, including the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, Fantasy and Ariel. The original gift was donated from Schlobin's friends and relatives. ECU English professors Chip Sullivan and James Holte supplemented the collection with materials emphasizing vampires and Count Dracula. The collection is still undergoing cataloguing at the library.

The Special Collections Department, located on the fourth floor of Joyner Library, is a historical research facility. It contains a wide variety of archival, manuscript and published materials with a focus on the history of eastern North Carolina, East Carolina University and naval, military and maritime history subjects. The department ranks among the five largest such collections in North Carolina.

'Wife swap' intern
Crystal Vick, a communications major, recently received a summer internship as part of the casting crew for the ABC reality show "Wife Swap." Vick will travel the country for three weeks looking for talent, then will be based at RDF Media Group PLC in New York.