Brent Beason first traveled to Slater Mill on a sales call with his father in 2000. In 2016, with the mill facing closure, Beason returned to purchase it, saving 57 jobs and creating new ones. His company is one of many breathing new life into the textile industry by sharpening its focus on advanced materials.

For the fourth year in a row, a herd of hungry goats has arrived on campus to devour dense tangles of invasive plants that have plagued portions of campus for decades.