Kaplan Test Prep

Are you or someone you know continuing your education and confronted with admission based exams? With 70 years of experience in test preparation, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions is the world leader in test preparation, with 160 centers in the nation and branches worldwide.  Kaplan offers premium test preparation for most major entrance exams, including the MCAT, LSAT, GRE, and SAT.  They provide students with expert teachers who have scored at least in the 90t% on their respective test, as well as specially engineered resources to ensure that students get the most efficient and effective preparation for their college, graduate, or professional career.  All of this is backed by Kaplan’s Higher Score Guarantee—Higher Scores, or Your Money Back.   

Kaplan is moving East while leaving behind centers across North Carolina and the Nation.  We are excited to provide our members with another great benefit of membership.  Beginning May 10, 2007 your membership will offer you savings on Kaplan test preparations and seminars.  Education was the foundation of Pirate Nation and the East Carolina Alumni Association continues to serve in its continued execution.  Your membership can save you up to $100 off on MCAT, GRE, LSAT, SAT classroom and online courses & tutoring. Take advantage of your membership benefits today, it is a smart decision!

For more information contact Membership Coordinator Dan Frezza at 800-ECU-GRAD.

Learn more at Kaplan, and join the East Carolina Alumni Association today! Arrrgghhh you a member?



Celebrate East Carolina's Centennial

The centennial of East Carolina celebrates the essence of the university — service, leadership, ambition, and spirit — by reflecting on a proud heritage, embracing an ever-changing present, and proclaiming a bold and innovative future.

Celebrate East Carolina University’s one hundred and first birthday! As part of the continuing celebration of the centennial of ECU, a number of activities will take place on campus to commemorate the occasion.  A student centennial birthday party will be held on Wednesday, March 26, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. on the university mall. The official Centennial Founders Celebration will be held on Thursday, March 27, beginning with a Community Leaders Breakfast. Centennial Celebration Convocation, Lunch on the Mall, Centennial Quilt Unveiling, and a Celebration of the Renovation and Reopening of the Carol G. Belk Building will follow throughout the day. Alumni and friends are welcome to show their Pirate Pride by participating in Thursday’s activities. For more information and to make reservations, visit the University’s Centennial web page.

Alumni Association Takes Home Grand Prize
During the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District III conference held in Atlanta February 17-20, the East Carolina Alumni Association was awarded the prestigious Grand Award in the Overall Alumni Relations Program category. In esteemed company, the Alumni Association was compared against myriad other college and university programs, winning over other finalists University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill General Alumni Association and University of Miami. “This award is proof that East Carolina has the best alumni in the southeast and that our Alumni Association is serving its constituents with appropriate communications, events, and opportunities,” said Paul Clifford, Associate Vice Chancellor of Alumni Relations. “It is thanks to our Board of Directors, volunteers, Alumni Association staff, and dedicated alumni that make possible what we do every day.”

If you’d like to get involved with the East Carolina Alumni Association, visit PirateAlumni.com or call the Alumni Center at 800-ECU-GRAD.
ECU Today - Alumni Recruiting for Tomorrow
ECU Today events are a great way to brag about your alma mater. Take this opportunity to visit with potential ECU students and their families and share your ECU experience. If you haven’t been to campus in a while, you’re in luck! ECU Today events are a great way to catch up on the latest “ECU news” and take a virtual tour of our growing University without leaving your home town. Please call the Alumni Center at 800-ECU-GRAD to register for the ECU Today event in your town.

Virginia Beach, VA
Sunday, March 2
2:30 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn

Wilmington, NC
Monday, March 3
7:30 p.m., Hilton Wilmington Riverside

Charlotte, NC
Sunday, March 9
2:30 p.m., Doubletree Southpark

Research Triangle Park, NC
Monday, March 10
7:30 p.m., Hilton Raleigh-Durham Airport

Greensboro, NC
Tuesday, March 11
7:30 p.m., Greensboro-High Point Marriott Airport
ECU Night at UNC-TV Huge Success
Thirty-five Pirates raised nearly $50,000 during one night of UNC-TV’s Festival on Saturday, February 23. Volunteers traveled from Greenville and the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area to answer phones and take pledges for North Carolina’s statewide public television stations. "The relationship that the Alumni Association and East Carolina University share with UNC-TV is a source of great pride for our institution. To play a small role in the success of our state’s public television station gives East Carolina and her alumni, faculty, staff, and students an opportunity to live our motto—To Serve—and continues to position ECU as the University FOR North Carolina," said Paul Clifford, associate vice chancellor for alumni relations.
Celebrate Greek Life at ECU
Was Greek life an essential part of your ECU experience? Did you learn valuable leadership skills through your Greek organization? Then join fellow Greek Pirates as we celebrate 50 years of Greek life at ECU on Thursday, March 13 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Michael Dean’s Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar. Chancellor Steve Ballard will address fraternities’ and sororities’ legacy of leadership and contributions to the ECU community, and how that commitment can continue to serve East Carolina. Click here for more information and register today!
ECU Gospel Choir Reunion
Raise your voice and your spirit during ECU’s Gospel Choir Reunion weekend, April 4-6. Join fellow Pirates to celebrate 30 years of ECU’s Gospel Choir during a weekend filled with activities, time to reminisce, and the uplifting voices of ECU’s Gospel Choir. Please register by Monday, March 31 or click here for more information.
April is Service Month
The East Carolina Alumni Association has deemed April as “service” month. In support of the University’s motto, servire, to serve, we encourage alumni to participate in a service project in your area. Lend a hand at a soup kitchen. Spruce up a neighborhood park. Volunteer at a local non-profit. Houston area alumni and friends will deliver meals to seniors in their community on Saturday, April 19. Philadelphia area alumni and friends will participate in the United Cerebral Palsy 5K Run/Walk on Thursday, April 24.

The Alumni Association will have a Relay For Life team during East Carolina University’s first Relay For Life on Friday, April 4 through Saturday, April 5. All alumni and friends of the University are welcome to be a part of our team as we walk for a cure. Register today!

Would you like to coordinate a service project with alumni in your area? The Alumni Association will be glad to help promote your event. Contact Kendra Alexander at 800-ECU-GRAD or e-mail Kendra Alexander to make April a service month in your area.
Pirate Alumni Road Race and Fun Run
On Saturday, April 12 at 9:00 a.m., the Alumni Association proudly presents its inaugural Pirate Alumni Road Race and Fun Run in uptown Greenville. Open to the public, this road race and fun run supports Alumni Association scholarships, which are given annually to deserving ECU undergraduate students.

The 5K race begins at Chico’s Mexican Restaurant, goes north on Reade Circle, east on 5th Street to just before Village Glen Apartments and then back to Chico’s. The 1 mile fun run begins immediately following the start of the road race.

Entry fee for the road race or 1 mile fun run is $15 until March 31 and $25 thereafter. Race day registration will be held from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. All participants will receive a Pirate Alumni Road Race and Fun Run T-shirt. Awards will be presented to the top three male and female overall finishers, and first, second, and third place runners in six age categories.

Register today by completing the registration form or registering online.
Centennial Diversity Panel
On Saturday, April 19 East Carolina will host a Centennial Diversity Panel to take a closer look at ECU’s diversity and how best to implement and improve diversity initiatives at the University and in the surrounding community. Guest panelists Kevin Powell, author, lecturer, and star of MTV’s The Real World: New York, Jamie Flores, poet, and Eileen Olds, the first African-American president of the American Judges Association, will share their experiences and address current challenges facing diversity in higher education. This event is open to the public and will be held in Wright Auditorium on ECU’s campus. Click here for more information.
 
Softball Reunion
Calling all former ECU softball players! Spend Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20 at your alma mater to cheer on the Pirates as they take on the Miners from UTEP. Socialize with fellow former players and meet current ones. Enjoy a fun tailgate, hosted by the Alumni Association, at noon on Saturday. Many area hotels offer discounts to Alumni Association members for this event. Don’t miss the fun! Click here for more information and register to attend today!
Advice for Young Grads
Liberty Mutual, one of the nation’s leading insurance companies and affinity partner of the East Carolina Alumni Association, offers sound advice for new graduates. As many young people are in their first job and post-graduate apartment, renters insurance is a “Top 5 must-have for building a solid financial foundation.” (Liberty Mutual.) Read more.
Pirate Nation News
Honoring the students of NIU... [More]

ECU student seeks 'Idol' fame... [More]

Pirates finish 2008 signing class at 18... [More]
Event Photos
Upcoming Events
March 2
ECU Today
Virginia Beach, VA
[More]

March 3
ECU vs. ODU Game & Post Game Social
Norfolk, VA
[More]

March 3
ECU Today
Wilmington, NC
[More]

March 5
ECU vs. VCU Post Game Social
Richmond, VA
[More]

March 6
Pirate Career Call - Salary Negotiating
Via teleconference
[More]

March 8
 A Pirate's Life for Me!
Featured Guest: Robin Good '80, Owner of Print Marketing Concepts, Inc.
[More]

March 9
ECU Today
Charlotte
[More]

March 10
ECU Today
Research Triangle Park, NC
[More]

March 11
Retired Faculty Association Spring Social
ECU Athletic Campus
[More]

March 11
ECU Today
Greensboro, NC
[More]

March 13
Celebrating 50 Years of Greek Life at East Carolina
Raleigh, NC
[More]

March 22
A Pirate's Life for Me!
Featured Guest: David Fitzgerald '66, retired US Navy captain
[More]

March 25
Retired Faculty Association Board Meeting
ECU Campus
[More]

March 26
Published Pirate: Candace McKenzie '91
Raleigh, NC
[More]

March 27
Published Pirate: Candace McKenzie '91
Greenville, NC
[More]

April 2
SouthEAST Virginia Pirate Club Armada
Portsmouth, VA
[More]

April 3
Pirate Career Call - Time Management
Via teleconference
[More]

April 3
Chancellor's Tour
Wilmington
[More]

April 4-6
ECU Gospel Choir Reunion
Greenville, NC
[More]

April 4-5
Relay for Life
Greenville, NC
[More]

April 5
Black Alumni Chapter Meeting
Greenville, NC
[More]

April 9
Real Life 101: Life After College Seminar
Greenville, NC
[More]

Wayne Murphy '82



Wayne Murphy ’82 was recently promoted to the position of Regional Supervisor of Southern Bank’s central region, which includes Martin, Edgecombe, and Pitt County branch locations. He previously served as a senior vice president. Murphy has more than 24 years of financial industry experience and has worked for Southern Bank since 1995.
    
Murphy received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from East Carolina and is also a graduate of the North Carolina School of Banking at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
    
He is a member of the Nash-Rocky Mount Rotary Club, a board member of the Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce and an Advisory Board member of the Northeastern Entrepreneurial Roundtable.

Murphy and his wife, Laurie, live in Nashville, North Carolina.

Danielle Suarez '08



Danielle Suarez ’08 is current president of the ECU Ambassadors, a student organization that promotes ECU through volunteer service. Suarez has served as an Ambassador since her freshman year and says it is a great way for her to meet people and get involved on campus.
   
Suarez says her role as president takes a lot time, but that getting the chance to gain skills for a career after graduation and to exhibit her leadership capabilities in running an organization make it worth it.
   
“I feel very lucky and privileged to be part of such a great organization,” Suarez said.  “I cannot picture my years at ECU spent any other way.”