connection magazine fall 2010

CONNECTIONFALL 2010, Vol. XX, No. 1

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

Published by University Communications A Division of University Advancement

231 West Hancock StreetMilledgeville, GA 31061

PresidentDorothy Leland

Vice President for External Relations andUniversity Advancement

Amy Amason

Associate Vice Presidentfor Strategic Communications

Harry Battson

Director of Alumni RelationsHerbert Agnew, ’04

EditorKyle Brogdon, ’96

WritersJudy Bailey Emily Hansen

Candace Morrow Jen PirkleAl Weston

DesignJon Scott, ’83

PhotographyTim Vacula, ’86

Cover Joshua Grant, ‘10 Billy Grace, ‘10

Amr Mohamed, ‘10 Erin Conboy, ’10Eli Miranda, ‘09

What is Georgia’s Public Liberal Arts University?Alumni and Friends,

Many people ask me what is special about GeorgiaCollege; what does it really mean to be a liberal arts uni-versity?

I’m happy to tell you that you’ll find answers to thosequestions sprinkled throughout this issue of yourConnection magazine, and certainly the cover storyabout our students’ efforts to help the Warner RobinsChamber of Commerce rebrand its image provides anexcellent illustration. One major focus of our efforts as apublic liberal arts university is to provide our studentswith learning activities that go beyond the classroom,not just learning by doing, but learning well by doingprofessional activities under the guidance of faculty

teachers. In this case, two of our marketing professors in the J. Whitney BuntingCollege of Business led students into a real-life branding project for a major com-munity enterprise. This project also falls under service learning because the stu-dents’ work provided a service to the community that would otherwise cost thou-sands of dollars to obtain. It’s a great success story of our mission, a story that com-bines the achievements of our students under faculty direction with our service tothe Warner Robins community.

Another feature profiles a sociology class that traveled to Jekyll Island this past Mayto learn first-hand about the cross-currents of opinion whether to increase develop-ment on the island or to allow the land to remain in a more natural state. This toorepresents what we value in a liberal arts education – providing experiences thatdevelop critical thinking skills and analytical abilities that better enable students toexamine issues from multiple perspectives.

Although students choose Georgia College for many reasons, opportunities to con-nect classroom learning with real-life situations is near the top of many lists. In thisissue, you will find a brief overview of our entering freshman and graduating seniorclasses. In terms of preparation for college and scores on achievement tests, this isthe most qualified incoming group of students to enter Georgia College. We rankalongside the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech in the caliber of students thatwe recruit, and they continue to excel while they are on campus and after theygraduate.

This magazine is full of great tales of our alumni, our faculty, our students and ourfriends, including generous donors such as Stan and Debi Wilson and the IMERYSgroup, who are full partners in making our university shine. I hope you enjoy thesestories and add them to your examples of what makes Georgia College a very dis-tinctive university in the state of Georgia and beyond.

Sincerely,

Dorothy LelandPresident

letterLetter from the President

Please send change of address andclass notes to:

University AdvancementCampus Box 113

Milledgeville, GA [email protected]

www.gcsu.edu

President Dorothy Leland

8 Into The Marshes

contentsTable of Contents

4 Up Front

7 Alumni Profile

8 Feature

10 Alumni Weekend

12 Cover Story

14 People

16 Sports

18 Making A Difference

21 Class Notes

G E O R G I A C O L L E G E C O N N E C T I O N M A G A Z I N E | F A L L 2 0 1 0

facebook.com/gacollegefacebook.com/gacollege giacollege.com/geortwitter giacollege

4

upfrontUpFront

Georgia College Connection • Fall 2010

Teaching excellence recognized in latest national rankings

Georgia College’s commitment to providing studentstop-notch teachers who care about student achievementhas been recognized by U.S. News & World Report.

The university ranks sixth in the “A Strong Commitmentto Teaching” category among the South’s universities,according to the latest edition of America's Best Collegesreleased in August by U.S. News & World Report, and tiedfor second among public universities in the South.

Georgia College tied for sixth with The Citadel in SouthCarolina, Lee University in Tennessee, and James MadisonUniversity in Virginia. Georgia College is the only universityin the state of Georgia to be ranked in this category.

“Our faculty is committed to challenging and inspiringstudents and care deeply about student learning and suc-cess,” said President Dorothy Leland. “We strive to hire fac-ulty who love to teach, and our students reap the benefits.”

The university also ranks 32nd among the "BestRegional Universities" in the South — the highest ranking ofany Georgia public university and 12th among all public uni-versities in this category in the South.

In addition, Georgia College was named “A Best in theSoutheast” college by The Princeton Review in its 2011 sur-vey of colleges and universities. Inclusion on this list placesGeorgia College in an elite group of the top 25 percent ofthe nation’s 2,500 four-year colleges. Only three UniversitySystem of Georgia colleges made the list: Georgia College,Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia.

Georgia College had a more than $200 millionimpact on the local economy during the 2009 fiscal year,an increase of more than $10 million from the previousfiscal year.

Despite the downturn in the economy, the report bythe Selig Center for Economic Growth in the Universityof Georgia’s Terry College of Business also showed thatGeorgia College’s presence in the community providedan increase of 100 jobs compared to the previous year.

“Georgia College is a significant asset to the localeconomy,” said President Dorothy Leland. “During thistime of economic stress, the revenue that GeorgiaCollege brings into this region plays an important role inthe financial health of many businesses and in the livesof many of our citizens.”

The annual Selig survey revealed the economies inBaldwin, Hancock, Putnam, Wilkinson, Jones andWashington counties realized $200,068,929 fromGeorgia College. Additionally, in 2009, 2,065 jobs in theregion were related to Georgia College’s presence, com-pared to 1,960 the previous fiscal year. Of the 2009 jobstotal, 793 were on campus and 1,272 were elsewhere inthe region.

Super computer research yields truly unique experience for students

Dr. Ben Scafidi, associate professor of economics and finance, is currently workingwith four Georgia College students on what he calls a “flux capacitor,” a super com-puter that is 100 times faster than an average desktop computer. Scafidi and his stu-dents are using the computer to deal with sets of 2 to 3 million pieces of data on edu-cational issues such as teacher mobility, high school graduation rates and the effects ofcutting class size in elementary schools.

“Part of a liberal arts experience is to be able to do quality research as an under-graduate. You don't get that at a big school,” said Scafidi. “Brad Cone, for example, isdoing Ph.D. economist-quality research in his senior year.”

“You can learn all the concepts, and we have classes for that,” said Cone. “But thesmall things here and there that you pick up doing research are really important.”

Making a financial impact on our community

Scafidi

Architects’ rendering of a new $28 million Wellness and RecreationCenter on West Campus, scheduled to open in late 2011.

Sixteen middle Georgia teachersheaded back to school this summerto learn about writing’s essential rolein good teaching by participating inthe fourth annual Central GeorgiaWriting Project at Georgia College.

The CGWP is part of theNational Writing Project, a profes-sional development network in morethan 200 college and university sitesacross the United States that serveteachers at all grade levels and sub-ject areas.

“Many teachers teach writingbecause they have to; however, weaim to make writing and thinkingsomething they embrace,” saidGeorgia College’s Dr. Dan Bauer,one of the leaders of the project.

5Georgia College Connection • Fall 2010

www.gcsu.edu/alumni

Fighting childhood obesity in Baldwin County

Georgia College faculty member Dr. Jim Lidstoneis directing the Live Healthy Baldwin initiative to trans-form the health of children in the Milledgeville com-munity. Launched in January 2010 with a $360,000grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, theplan has taken root and is sprouting.

The program also received a $100,000 grant fromthe Georgia Department of Natural Resources to buildthe beginning of the Fishing Creek Community Trail, atrail that will eventually connect the Oconee RiverGreenway to Walter B. Williams Park.

Live Healthy Baldwin will establish communityvegetable gardens where neighborhood residents canplant, grow, harvest and share healthy foods and workto transform Milledgeville into a community wherewalking and biking is possible for daily living needs, aswell as for exercise and recreation.

To see the full story, visit gcsu.edu/connection

A free resource to local teachers

Program strengthens local teachers’ leadershipthrough literacy

Callie Boteler, ’09, volunteers at a Live Healthy Baldwin event byserving healthy snacks to local students. Boteler is studying for

her master’s of education in Health Promotions at Georgia College.

Georgia College was awarded a $149,296grant by the Institute of Museum and LibraryServices for monthly training in biology, pale-ontology, astronomy and earth science.Initiated in August 2009, the two-year projectalso provides free field trips and teacher-train-ing sessions.

Fifteen elementary and middle schoolteachers from nearby counties participated inthe resulting science program at GeorgiaCollege, From Fossils to Space.

“It’s good to know now I can incorporateGeorgia College’s resources into my class-room, using methods like inquiry-based sci-ence,” said Pamela Longino, ‘96, ‘09, ‘10, ateacher at Blandy Hills Elementary School,“and it’s free.”

Natural HistoryMuseum


Dinner seminars on global issues, book discussions at faculty mem-bers’ homes, guest speakers at small, intimate classes, a residen-tial learning community—just a few of the hallmarks of Georgia

College’s Honors Program as it celebrates its 40th anniversary on cam-pus.

Founded in 1970 by Dr. John Sallstrom, then-professor of philoso-phy and religion, the honors program started with only 25 students butquickly became an integral part of Georgia College academics and life.

“We started with a three-part program modeled after UGA's: honorssections of courses, interdisciplinary courses and independent study,”said Sallstrom. “We've refined the program over the years, but that wasbasically the structure we started and have kept.”

The program has expanded to more than 200 current honors stu-dents, with approximately 50 graduating each year.

Since its inception, the goal of the Honors Program has remainedmore or less the same: to offer academically talented students nontradi-tional learning opportunities; small, enriched classes; and strong relation-ships with faculty.

“We’re building on a history here,” said Dr. Steven Elliott-Gower,current director of the Honors Program and associate professor of politi-cal science. “The focus on faculty-student interaction has always been avital part of the program. In that respect, the Honors Program is in thevanguard of what the university at large wants to do.”

Elliott-Gower continues to build a sense of community among hon-ors students with dinner seminars on topics such as natural resource man-agement and population demographics, small group book discussionsheld at faculty members’ homes, and the Honors Residential LearningCommunity (RLC), exclusively for honors students in Bell Hall.

“The focus of the Honors RLC is on global learning and global citi-zenship,” said Elliott-Gower. “We want to help students along a continu-um of global citizenship to become informed, engaged and compassion-ate world citizens who are comfortable and competent in different cul-tures.”

Meredith Carpenter, a senior honors student majoring in Spanish,has participated in the RLC, started an initiative to raise money for HeiferInternational and taken classes that helped relate academic issues to theworld around her.

“In my favorite honors class, Identity and Ethics, we read novels andessays and all sorts of other books,” said Carpenter. “Through discussionwe gain knowledge on everything from the hardships of being in a differ-ent culture to the impact China has on economics and the cotton trade.”

Carpenter counts being a part of the Honors Program as a privilegeduring her college experience. When Carpenter graduates in May, shewill become one of the more than 1,000 alumni from the HonorsProgram.

Sallstrom says the program remains one of his best experiences.“I think sometimes I learned more than the students,” he said.With the guidance of his “wise council” (former directors Sallstrom,

Dr. Doris Moody and Dr. Ken Saladin), Elliott-Gower hopes to continueto develop the program.

“What I'd really like to do, resources permitting, is to double the sizeof the program during the next five to 10 years without sacrificing acade-mic quality,” said Elliott-Gower. “We would then have an even greaterimpact on the classroom, the campus and the community.” �

Georgia College Honors Program celebrates 40th anniversaryBy Emily Hansen

Honors Program students engage in a book discussion with Dr. Bruce Gentry,editor of the Flannery O'Connor Review.

Georgia College Connection • Fall 2010 7

www.gcsu.edu/alumnialumniProfile

Sam Rauschenberg, '07, Georgia College honors graduateand economics major, wants to change education policy.

After three years of teaching math at Clark High School inLouisiana's Recovery School District, Rauschenberg gained asolid foundation in teaching through the teachNOLA FellowsProgram and a real understanding of the shortcomings of publiceducation policies.

"My time in New Orleans opened my eyes to the chal-lenges facing education reform," said Rauschenberg. “Withoutcompromising standards, I had to figure out a way to teach 11thgrade math to students who entered my class somewherebetween fourth and 10th grade reading and math levels.”

This experience was exactly what he needed before start-ing his graduate work in education policy this fall at DukeUniversity.

“I chose Duke because it has the strongest faculty withresearch that focuses on education policy,” said Rauschenberg.“I'm pursuing a two-year master's in public policy with a con-centration in social policy. My primary focus within the area,though, will be education policy. I hope to write my thesis onthe post-Katrina public education system in New Orleans.”

The national organization of Phi Kappa Phi awardedRauschenberg with a graduate fellowship to study at Duke.

While attending Georgia College, Rauschenberg main-tained a 4.0 GPA. He was also a member of the GC Golf team,earned recognition as a Phi Kappa Phi honor graduate, aDepartment of Economics and Finance honors graduate, andthe J. Whitney Bunting College of Business Student of the Year.

Dr. Ben Scafidi, Rauschenberg’s former economics profes-sor and mentor at Georgia College, has full confidence thatRauschenberg will be a success in his chosen field.

“In his bones, Sam believes education is the key to eradi-cating poverty and improving lives,” said Scafidi. “Havingserved the last two Georgia governors in the area of educationpolicy, I can state with some authority that Sam will becomevery influential in the policy arena. He has the intellect, thedrive and the passion to do so.”

Rauschenberg hopes to become an education policy advis-er to an elected official or serve as a policy analyst for a non-profit organization.

“A policymaking career will give me the opportunity to usemy experiences at Clark and my firsthand observations of thepost-Katrina education reforms to find ways that will improvepublic education as a whole.” �

Georgia College honors graduate pursues career in education reform

By Jen Pirkle

“My time in New Orleans

opened my eyes to the

challenges facing

education reform.”

William Bridges’ quest for knowledgelaunched a journey from a Georgia College soci-ology classroom to coastal Georgia.

Bridges and five classmates pounded pave-ment, hiked through marshes and visited barrierislands. They interviewed strangers on thebeach and island residents.

The students questioned two passionategroups — one, proponents of proposed com-mercial development on Jekyll Island, the other,staunch opponents of the plan.

“Gathering our own information from bothsides, hearing the pros and cons — rather thanjust reading or hearing about their opposingviews — made a tremendous difference in help-ing us draw our own opinions,” Bridges said.“And seeing the beauty of Jekyll Island and itsimpact on its residents and visitors made theissue personal.”

Georgia College Sociology Professor Dr.Stephanie McClure designed the upper levelenvironmental sociology course to arm her stu-dents with needed tools to become active,informed citizens.

“I definitely thought about the course as cit-izenship education,” McClure said. “I do thinkthat citizenship education is part of my jobresponsibilities. Inevitably through the course oftheir lifetimes, as citizens of Georgia or wherev-er they live, they will encounter these questionsand issues.”

The Island

Jekyll Island is one of the Golden Isles ofGeorgia, stretching along the state’s Atlantic coast.

Jekyll is rich in history. Spanish explorersfirst claimed the island in 1510. English Gen.James Oglethorpe established Georgia as acolony in 1733 and named the island in honor ofhis friend Sir Joseph Jekyll.

The ruins of a two-story structure built in1742 was the home to British generals duringthe colonial period and later served as Georgia’sfirst brewery. The islands saw battles during theRevolutionary War.

Vacation homes built during the 19th century for the rich and famous — theRockefellers, Morgans, Pulitzers and Goulds —comprise the Jekyll Island Club Historic District.

The island is abundant with wildlife, includ-ing many species of mammals, reptiles andbirds living and breeding in the island’s inland marshes.

Georgia established the Jekyll IslandAuthority in 1950 to make the island self-suffi-cient. During the next decade, motels, houses, a convention center and shopping center were built.

Plans to revitalize the island were put intoplace in 2007 after years of a declining numbersof visitors. By legislative mandate, 65 percent ofthe island is and will remain in a mostly natural state.

Inside the Classroom

Students spent the first week of the 2010Maymester course inside the classroom learningabout the Jekyll Island development issues.

Using the textbook Volatile Places, the stu-dents learned the basic framework to investi-gate communities and environmental controver-sies and applied it to the development issue atJekyll Island.

They listened to guest speakers from theuniversity’s biology and environmental sciencesdepartments who spoke about the science ofcoastal Georgia and its water systems.

The students sharpened their interviewingskills and garnered more preparatory informa-tion for the Jekyll Island trip by quizzing a pro-fessor whose family has lived along the coast for generations.

“We didn’t go to Jekyll Island in a vacuum,”Bridges said. “We did our own research, readour assignments and heard from knowledgeablepeople on the issues. We were prepared.”

Sociology major Katie Hoehn of Alpharettaleft for the coast with a pre-conceived opinionon the development issue.

“I thought I knew how I felt about the con-troversy before we started on our trip,” Hoehnsaid. “But I flip-flopped several times. You haveto research and study both sides of an issuebefore forming an opinion.”

Outside the classroom

The trip to the Georgia coast brought theJekyll Island development controversy to the forefront.

Developers met with the students to discusstheir desires to bring about change andimprovements to the island. The students alsodiscussed the development proposals withmembers of the local chamber of commerceand government officials who hope upgradeswill bring more tourism dollars to the area.

“We all understood the need to upgradethe island’s infrastructure and make neededrepairs and upgrades to the existing structures,”Bridges said. “Really, the island could look muchbetter than the current rundown hotels and the‘60s ranch houses.”

On the flipside, students met with islandresidents who oppose the plans and want toprotect the island environment.


featureFeature

Into the MarshesA Georgia College sociology class explores the real-world debate on Jekyll Island By Judy Bailey


www.gcsu.edu/alumni

They walked the beaches, collecting visi-tors’ opinions on the development proposals.

“What I discovered is that most of the res-idents and visitors really were not againstdevelopment,” said Hoehn. “They just wantto make sure Jekyll Island’s uniquenessremains intact.”

The students also visited nearby islands,including the more developed St. SimonsIsland and more natural Sapelo Island for comparison.

“Jekyll Island doesn’t have the touristyattractions like shopping and lots of restau-rants,” Hoehn said. “Instead, it has naturaltrails and the historic district. It’s really quiet.And I think that’s good to relax.”

The students’ hike through a forest in thecenter of Jekyll Island helped drive home thebeauty and uniqueness of the barrier island.

“We climbed a hill, and when we lookeddown, all we could see was a sea of beautifulpalm fronds,” Bridges said. “I had never seenanything like it. That solidified my under-standing of the island’s beauty. That forestshould never be touched by man.”

The Results

Hoehn left for the coast with her ownopinion about the development proposals forthe island based on her classroom experienceand research. But her firsthand experiencecaught her questioning herself.

“What I did learn was you can do all theresearch and read all the articles,” Hoehnsaid, “but when you go and actually get tointerview the people involved, you get a bet-ter sense of what’s going on — you pick upon more things. I felt much more informedabout making a decision.”

Hoehn plans to continue researching andwatching the development at Jekyll Island asa personal project.

It’s that type of life skill and communityinvolvement that helps define a liberal artseducation at Georgia College, Hoehn’s professor said.

“In our liberal arts environment, we edu-cate the whole student,” McClure said. “It’shard to quantify, measure and justify, but it’sour purpose. This course, I believe, leaves thestudents better positioned as citizens to par-ticipate in subsequent discussions of this typethat they may encounter throughout their lives.”

Bridges knows he’s learned lessons he willtake with him into communities throughouthis life.

“I don’t quite know how to be yet, but Idon’t want to just sit back and watch thingshappen,” said Bridges, who plans to pursue agraduate degree in sociology. “I want to beable to say I’ve educated myself, I am a smartperson and I know about things that matter inmy community.” �

Sociology students at Jekyll Island: (l to r, front): David Egan,Mindy Egan, Cayla McMichael, Katie Hoehn, AbigailWigington, Julia Oliver. (l to r, back): Stephanie McClure,Will Bridges, Jeff Turner, Andrew McCrary.

10

alumniHomecoming and Alumni Weekend


Bobcat Nation:The Hunt for

Memories and Spirit

Whether you graduated in 1951, 1961, 1971 or 2001,

you’re an essential part of thehistory of Georgia College.Through our heritage and

changes, we are stronger. Wehave evolved into Georgia’sPublic Liberal Arts University.We have a breadth of alumnithroughout the United Statesand beyond who call Georgia

College their alma mater.

We invite you to celebrate ourhistory, our present and ourfuture — to come together as

Bobcat Nation, and join us in thehunt for memories and spirit!

MONDAY:Office decoration contest Faculty and staff at Georgia College go all out torepresent school spirit by decorating their offices.

WEDNESDAY: Bobcat Trivia College Bowl

THURSDAY: Homecoming ConcertAll alumni are invited to attend the Homecoming concert on Thursday night.Registered alumni get in free!

Stay tuned to homecoming.gcsu.edu fordetails on the featured acts.

Homecoming and Alumni Weekend 2011February 14-19

Reserve Your Spot! Alumni who register in advance receive:

• Free entrance to Homecoming basketball games• Free entrance to the Homecoming concert• Free entrance to the Old Governor’s Mansion• Free gift from the Alumni Association• Automatic entry into a drawing for an iPad at the Alumni

Association tent on Saturday

To register, visit homecoming.gcsu.edu, or contact AlumniRelations at (478) 445-5771 or [email protected].

To sign up for specific events, see the mail-in form on the back cover.

MUTEMATH rocks the Centennial Center at 2010 Homecoming


www.gcsu.edu/alumni

FRIDAY: 11:30 a.m. Peabody Luncheon

7 p.m. Alumni Welcome Reception with CocktailsA time to mingle and network with other GC alumni.Enjoy the live jazz band, meeting old friends andmaking new ones.

7:30 p.m. Kappa Sigma alumni reunion

8 p.m. The Golden Slipper Murder Mystery

SATURDAY: Blue & Green DayWear blue and green to represent your Bobcat pride!

8:30 a.m. Bobcat Ramble 5K and Fun Run –sign up at homecoming.gcsu.edu

11 a.m. Homecoming Parade

Noon: Alumni Honor Roll LuncheonReunion groups, Greeks, past alumniassociation presidents and more will berecognized as we welcome the 50th class reunion into the half-century club.

Noon: Tailgating begins!

Noon-2 p.m.Campus Tours and Open House

2 p.m. Class of 1961 wine and cheese reception

3 p.m. Women’s basketball vs. Columbus State

5 p.m. Men’s basketball vs. Columbus StateAfter Basketball Games:Crowning of Mr. and Ms. Georgia College

6 p.m. Class of 1961 dinner

7:30 p.m. Athletic Hall of Fame


coverCover Story

The process of rebranding an entire regionalchamber of commerce is usually an undertakingof a professional public relations or advertisingagency. It involves hundreds of thousands of

dollars of research, testing and development. When the 1,400-member Warner Robins Area

Chamber of Commerce wanted to renew its image andpotentially its entire chamber region, the organizationconsidered a few six-figure professional firms.

But word-of-mouth about Georgia College’sexceptional service-learning projects made chamberPresident Ed Rodriguez reconsider.

“This was a mammoth task that required an experi-enced marketing firm,” said Rodriguez. “However, wewere looking for a great partner and some of our cham-ber members are Georgia College alumni, so wethought it would be a neat partnership with the univer-sity.”

A year and a half later, Rodriguez is now presidentof the newly branded Robins Regional Chamber ofCommerce, thanks to collaborative efforts of GeorgiaCollege students and faculty.

Making education applicable in the real world“We wanted to rebrand ourselves in a way that

reflected who the organization is and what we hadbecome over the years,” he said. “Georgia Collegemade that happen.”

Under the supervision of Dr. Doreen Sams and Dr.Cynthia Rodriguez Cano, both Georgia College market-ing professors, approximately 130 students researched,planned and developed a comprehensive brandingplan and then helped to implement it for the chamber.

BUILDING ‘THE BASE OF SUCCESS’Georgia College students, professors transform image of Warner Robins chamber

–Ed Rodriguez

Chamber President Ed Rodriguez

“The slogan was the perfectplay on words since we’rehome to Robins Air ForceBase and the Little LeagueWorld Series Champions.”

Georgia College alumni on the Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors:

Dr. Ivan Allen, ‘96President, Middle Georgia

Technical College

Dee Dee Côté, ‘00Chamber Vice Chairman,

Robins Federal Credit Union Executive

Rick Drury, ’79, ’87Past Chamber Chairman, Aerospace Executive

Steve Holcomb Jr., ‘92 Chamber Board Member,

Banker, Attorney

Beth McLaughlin, ‘96Chamber Board Member,Communications Director for Houston County Schools

April Mouton, ‘07Event & Media Coordinator, Robins Regional Chamber

Justin Ritchie, ‘06Chamber Vice Chairman,Marketing Executive with Cox Communications

Jeff Scruggs, ’87, ‘96Vice President,

Middle Georgia Technical College

Megan H. Smith, IOM, ’11 (expected)President/CEO, Perry Area Chamber of Commerce

By Candace Morrow

“We work hard to network with our communitiesabout projects like this in order to benefit our clientsand give students the opportunity to learn outside theclassroom,” said Sams. “After talking with Mr.Rodriguez and understanding this was the culminationof nearly two years worth of extensive research, Dr.Cano and I knew the project would take our students’course material to a higher level.”

The project began in spring semester 2009 withthe marketing students working on two projects for theorganization: regional branding (place branding) ofnine surrounding counties and the rebranding of theWarner Robins chamber.

The projects spanned many semesters andinvolved several Georgia College courses, includingmarketing research, advanced marketing theory andapplication, services marketing, and advertising andpromotions.

“Students were required to collect data aboutSWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,Threats) analysis of the region and gather perceptions and attitudesfrom local residents, businesses and about the area’s culture,” saidCano, whose advertising class worked mostly on the regionalbranding.

From this research, students defined target markets, devel-oped objectives and created an integrated marketing communica-tions plan, which included the creation of an original visual symbol,tagline and appropriate promotional materials to launch the newlybranded chamber.

When your research changes your business planIn 2008, the chamber had plans to bring together nine diverse

counties to create a new, larger middle Georgia regional chamber.After no consensus emerged from the counties on how to imple-ment the students’ branding strategy, the chamber shelved thatportion.

“Research isn’t designed to tell you what you want; it’s to tellyou what you need to know,” said Rodriguez. “In this case, the stu-dents’ research was just as valuable, which led to the new brandingof our chamber. It told us it was best not to try for a regional brandat this time.”

As the project neared its implementation phase, two ofGeorgia College’s international graduate students, Sergey

Chernokov and Amr Mohamed, collected previous research com-piled from the work of the many previous students and finalized themarketing plan. In addition, Chernokov and Mohamed finalized thechamber’s new name, “Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce,”as well as the new slogan, “The Base of Success.”

“The slogan was the perfect play on words since we’re hometo Robins Air Force Base and the Little League World SeriesChampions,” said Rodriguez.

“The marketing plan contained two distinct parts in it—mar-keting research and a rebranding proposal,” said Chernokov, whograduated with a master’s in business administration. “Dr. Sams wasvery helpful and resourceful during this detailed phase.”

Real world experience makes a differenceGraduates from the College of Business who have worked on

the project felt that it equipped them for the business world.“I was able to work alongside real clients and deliver a real

product,” said Mohamed, who graduates with a master’s inBusiness Administration this fall. “The project widened my networkscope and helped me build contacts in the professional world.”

Sams expounded on the importance of students gaining real-world experience such as this project: “Each participating studentnow has a line on their resume that has value to a future employer.”

Making an impact on students and our communityDuring the last five years, Georgia College professors have led

thousands of students through service learning projects with com-panies in surrounding communities, and will continue to do so inthe future.

“What made the Warner Robins chamber branding unique isthe size and complexity of managing the project,” said Sams. “Itinvolved so many courses over a long period of time.”From beginning to end, Rodriguez witnessed the students’ excel-lent and comprehensive research and planning.

“A professional firm couldn’t have done a more thoroughjob,” he said. “We couldn’t be happier with the results.” �


www.gcsu.edu/alumni

Dr. Cynthia Rodriguez Cano

Dr. Doreen Sams

ON THE COVER:Five GC alumni represent the hundreds of students who worked on the Robins Regional chamber project:(L-R) Joshua Grant, '10, Billy Grace, '10, Amr Mohamed, '10, Erin Conboy, '10, Eli Miranda, '09.


peoplePeople

Georgia College associate professor Laura Newbern’s recently releaseddebut poetry collection, Love and the Eye, has earned the 2010 Kore PressFirst Book Award.

Newbern also received a prestigious Writer’s Award from the Rona JaffeFoundation. She traveled to New York to receive the award, which recog-nizes outstanding emerging women writers and includes a monetary awardof $25,000.

“It’s an honor to be recognized,” said Newbern, who serves on the uni-versity’s MFA program faculty and as the poetry editor of Arts & Letters. “It’sa greater honor to receive awards that support and promote literature bywomen.”

Newbern plans to use her Writer’s Award to take a leave from teachingto work on a new collection, tentatively titled Nightfall, that focuses on hercurrent home of Milledgeville — her neighborhood and a local state hospital(Central State Hospital) that was once the largest asylum in the world.

“I find myself, many evenings, on my porch, watching the movementsof my neighbors. But I also mean ‘nightfall’ in the sense of mental darkness,”Newbern said. “My interest lies in the notion of ‘asylum’ as inviolable refuge,in the salubrious environments created for sometimes terrible isolation.”

Newbern was born in Germany and grew up in Washington, D.C. Sheholds degrees from Barnard College, New York University and the Programfor Writers at Warren Wilson College. She returned to Warren Wilson as itsfirst Joan Beebe Graduate Teaching Fellow. She joined the faculty atGeorgia College in 2005.

Her poems have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Poetry, TriQuarterlyand other national publications.

Love and the Eye is available through Amazon.com, at select book-stores or directly from Kore Press.

Georgia College poet earns national recognition, awards

Poet-in-Residencepublished in The Southern Review

Georgia College's Poet-in-Residence Alice Friman recentlypublished two poems, “The Night I Saw Saturn” and “Swedes,” inthe summer 2010 edition of The Southern Review, a literary journalpublished by Louisiana State University.

Friman’s recent work can also be found in The Georgia Review(“Letter to New Zealand”), Prairie Schooner (“The View From Here,”“Troubled Interiors” and “Kindling”) and Shenandoah (“VisitingFlannery”).

Friman has previously published eight collections of poetry,including Zoo, which won the Ezra Pound Poetry Award fromTruman State University. Her ninth book of poetry, Vinculum, is dueout in 2011 by LSU Press.

To purchase copies of The Southern Review, visitwww.lsu.edu/thesouthernreview.

Laura Newbern

Alice Friman

www.gcsu.edu/alumni


Novels address African experience

Dr. Eustace Palmer, Georgia CollegeEnglish professor and Africana Studies coordi-nator, published two books this year, AHanging is Announced and Canfira’s Travels,which both address African experiences andsocial justice.

The Sierra Leonian-born professor basedA Hanging is Announced loosely on a truestory about a group of men executed in SierraLeone. Canfira’s Travels follows a lone survivorof a plane crash into a world inspired by Planetof the Apes and Gulliver’s Travels.

Palmer also authored An Introduction tothe African Novel and The Growth of theAfrican Novel, basic texts in the English curric-ula of many universities worldwide.

Later this year, he plans to publish a bookabout the plight of women in Sierra Leone, A Tale of Three Women.

To purchase copies of A Hanging isAnnounced and Canfira’s Travels, visitwww.publishamerica.net. A Hanging isAnnounced is also available at GeorgiaCollege’s bookstore, Box Office Books, located at the historic Campus Theatre.

Georgia College appoints associate provost to aid in leading academic areas

Dr. Tom Ormond has been named associate provost for academic affairs at GeorgiaCollege, effective Jan 3, 2011.

The associate provost will assist Provost Dr. Sandra J. Jordan with management andleadership operations of the university’s academic affairs areas.

"Dr. Ormond is a respected educator, prolific researcher, successful grant writer andan accomplished administrator,” Jordan said. “He has enjoyed a successful career in high-er education, serving as a faculty member, department chair and dean.”

Ormond has most recently served as dean of the College of Education and HumanServices at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania and as director of academic planningand resources for the School of Science and Technology there.

He completed his doctoral studies at The Ohio State University where he majored inteacher education in physical education. He earned a master’s of science degree in physi-cal education at Indiana University and a bachelor’s of education degree at MasseyUniversity in New Zealand.

Eustace Palmer

Shortstop Chandler Snell, ’10,attempts a diving catch during theBobcats’ World Series game with theUniversity of Southern Illinois.


Sports

In 2008-09, Georgia College Athletics was awarded the Peach Belt Conference’s(PBC) all-sports trophy, the Commissioner’s Cup, for the first time in school history. Sowhat does Bobcat Athletics do for an encore? Georgia College made it back-to-back,capturing the coveted cup for the second-straight season.

“Bobcat Athletics remains a source of pride for the Georgia College community,”said President Dorothy Leland. “Our student-athletes continue to represent our universi-ty well, with a sense of commitment to character as well as on-the-field success.”

Georgia College blew away the competition, picking up 85 of a possible 113points.

“This is a direct result of our quality, hard-working student-athletes, coaches andsupport staff,” said Wendell Staton, director of Athletics. “I am equally as proud of ourconsistency on the Peach Belt Presidential Scholar List and All-Academic teams. GeorgiaCollege is fortunate enough to follow closely the NCAA Division II model of a well-bal-anced student-athlete both on and off the playing surface.”

Georgia College took the Commissioner’s Cup this season with strong perfor-mances across the board, led by conference championships in baseball and men’s golf.GC women’s cross country also took second at the PBC Championships in the fall.Bobcat men’s and women’s basketball each won the PBC West Division, the men finish-ing second overall, and the women third.

Men’s tennis also took third place, with women’s soccer also pulling in a third-placeslot. All told, of the 10 athletic programs at Georgia College, a whopping seven finishedin the top three or better in their respective league standings. Seven of the 10 programsalso advanced to NCAA post-season competition, including the Bobcat baseball team,finishing third in the nation at the 2010 Division II College World Series.

Bobcats head to World Series; Carty named Dugout Club Coach of the Year

On the wings of one of the most exciting seasons in Georgia Collegebaseball history, head coach Tom Carty has been named 2010 GeorgiaDugout Club Division II Coach of the Year, the organization announcedrecently.Carty’s Bobcats went 42-17, adding a 19-5 conference mark, good for

the team’s third Peach Belt Conference (PBC) title. The Bobcats swept the2009 NCAA Southeast Regional Tournament, beating Mount OliveCollege, Columbus State University twice and hosting Francis MarionUniversity for the second regional championship in program history.The Bobcats represented the Southeast Region well in the Division II

College World Series in Cary, NC, when, after dropping their first contestto No. 1 UC-San Diego, they rattled off three big wins to escape the losers’ bracket. TheBobcats ended the run of both the University of Tampa and Central Missouri University beforebeating eventual National Champion, the University of Southern Indiana.

After beating Southern Indiana 3-0, the Bobcats needed one more win to advance to theNational Championship game, but fell short to USI, 3-2.Carty was named the PBC Coach of the Year in 2010, adding a Region Coach of the Year honorfrom the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

Georgia College Wins Second-Straight Peach Belt Commissioner’s Cup

Carty

www.gcsu.edu/alumni


Georgia College recently announced the elevation of senior women’s administrator and head softball coach GingerChaffinch to full-time assistant athletic director for compliance and student-athlete welfare.

A six-year veteran as head coach of the softball program at Georgia College, Chaffinch left that post to focus on hernew expanded role in athletic administration.

“I am very excited to have this opportunity,” said Chaffinch. “Georgia College is an amazing institution and has beena wonderful place to work over the years. I look forward to being able to focus all of my energy helping the student-ath-letes.”

In her new role, she will serve as NCAA compliance officer, provide academic support aid for Bobcat student-athletesand develop the CHAMPS/Life Skills program on campus. She will continue advising the Student-Athlete AdvisoryCommittee (SAAC), as well as serving as the senior woman administrator in the department. Chaffinch will also overseethe Athletic Training and Sports Medicine department.

“Ginger has been an extremely successful coach and will have even greater success as an administrator,” saidAthletic Director Wendell Staton. “She brings a skill set that will benefit our student-athletes and coaches and enhancethe quality of our department. We will benefit for years to come as this is a great move for Bobcat Athletics.”

Originally from Wingate, NC, Chaffinch earned a bachelor's degree in political science. from Francis MarionUniversity in Florence, SC. She added a master’s of Education in Kinesiology from Georgia College in 2010. She and herhusband Chris live in Milledgeville.

Georgia College adds three new head coaches

Maurice Smith Promoted To Women’s Basketball Head Coach

Maurice Smith is the new head coach of GeorgiaCollege women’s basketball. He replaces JohnCarrick, a 27-year veteran of the Bobcat programwho retired earlier this year. “I’m excited for our program and I’m excited forCoach Smith,” said Athletic Director Wendell

Staton. “Mo represents what any employer would want: a high charac-ter person with a great work ethic and value system.”

Smith has spent more than 10 years at Georgia College. He wasan All-Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Second Team selection in 2001,after playing a sixth-man role on the best team in program history, the1999-2000 Elite Eight squad.

He then joined the coaching ranks, first as a student assistant formen’s basketball and continuing as a graduate assistant coach for twoseasons (2004-06). Smith moved to the women’s side in 2006-07 as theassistant coach and has worked with the Bobcat women’s basketballprogram since.

“Georgia College has been a part of my life for the last decade,serving as a training ground for me as a player, person and profession-al,” said Smith. “For me to get this job is the ultimate privilege. Myfamily is rooted here. I played here, got my bachelor’s and master’shere, and to know I’m going to start my head coaching career here isoutstanding.”

Originally from College Park, Ga., Smith graduated high school inAmericus, Ga. He is married to Martine Thomas Smith, also a GeorgiaCollege alumna. The Smiths live in Milledgeville and have two youngdaughters.

Hope Clark is Third Soccer Head Coach in History

New soccer head coach Hope Clark comes toMilledgeville after three seasons as the head coachof the women’s soccer program at Auburn UniversityMontgomery (AUM).“We are thrilled that Hope Clark has decided to

lead our soccer program at Georgia College,” saidAthletic Director Wendell Staton. “She has proven

herself as an outstanding head coach while leading her last program tonational success. The winning on the field was equaled by the successof the team in the classroom and in the community. I am most pleasedfor our student-athletes who will be challenged every day to be theirbest.”

“I am excited for the opportunity to lead the Bobcat’s soccer pro-gram,” said Clark. “I truly believe that Georgia College is the bestplace for me and look forward to a very successful career. The Georgiasoccer community has always supported me and I am thankful for thechance to return.”

A native of Louisiana, Clark played collegiate soccer as a goal-keeper at Virginia Tech. She played semi-professional soccer in 2005and 2006 with the Atlanta Silverbacks in the women’s division of theUnited Soccer Leagues. Clark has been the assistant director of TheLast Defense Goalkeeping Academy and worked with Region 3Olympic Development Program on staff. Clark earned her bachelor’sdegree in exercise science and health promotion from Virginia Tech andher master’s degree in fitness management from American University.

Softball Appoints Madewell-Grodecki As Head Coach

Jamie Madewell-Grodecki was recently named thefourth fastpitch softball coach in school history. Shecomes to Milledgeville after three seasons as headcoach at St. Petersburg College."We are excited that Jamie will be leading our soft-ball program," said Athletic Director WendellStaton. "She brings proven success athletically and

academically as she won nearly 70 percent of her games at her priorinstitution, while her student-athletes received both athletic and acade-mic recognition. She is a great representative of our university and welook forward to her continuing the success of our softball program."

"I am honored to have this opportunity to take over a team associ-ated with a tradition of excellence on and off the field," Madewell-Grodecki said. "I know that the college and the community will beexcited with what this program will bring to the field and the classroomevery day."

Madewell-Grodecki received her B.B.A. from the University ofAlabama-Huntsville, and her M.Ed. in Physical Education from theUniversity of Alabama-Birmingham.

A native of Huntsville, Ala., she is married to Andrew Grodecki.

Ginger Chaffinch Named Assistant Athletic Director


donationsDonations

Taking the confidence instilled throughout their undergraduate coursework atGeorgia College, Stan and Debi Wilson each created an outstanding career— Stan as the managing partner of the Atlanta labor and employment lawfirm, Elarbee, Thompson, Sapp & Wilson, LLP; and Debi as senior vice presi-

dent and chief financial officer for Butler Properties.“We received an excellent education at Georgia College,” noted Debi, “and I

always felt that the faculty supported us and gave us the confidence to succeed inclass, and in life. We had the keys to go forward!”

Now the couple hopes, by establishing the Wilson Presidential Scholarship, toprovide the key for future students interested in developing that same confidenceand success. Their $100,000 donation will create an endowment, which annually willprovide scholarship support for incoming Georgia College students.

As a long-time member of the Georgia College Foundation Board of Trustees,Stan has followed the transition of the university into one of the top public liberalarts colleges in the country. “I love to see the students who present information tothe Board on what they’re doing as part of their educational process at GeorgiaCollege,” said Stan. “Providing assistance for these students — that’s what drivesus.”

“It’s a pay-it-forward approach,” adds Debi. “We hope that by providing stu-dents this additional support, maybe, in the future when they have become suc-cessful in their careers, they will do the same thing.”

Stan and Debi came to Georgia College from Sandersville as high schoolsweethearts and both entered the accounting program. “We were attracted to thesmall campus, the small class sizes and to the faculty who were so willing to helpand available after class, and who shared their business knowledge — the theory —but also told us how it would be in the real business world,” said Debi. “It was agreat experience. “

After graduation in 1977, Debi applied her accounting degree to work atAckerman and Company, an Atlanta real estate firm, and later, Butler Properties,where she had the opportunity to expand her areas of responsibility. With Debi’ssupport, Stan, “a stellar student,” Debi notes, was able to go straight from GeorgiaCollege into law school at Emory University.

“That first day at Emory Law School,” Stan recalls, “there were students fromall the top colleges in the country: Harvard, Yale, the University of Chicago. Theyhad what you think of as the best pedigrees, but I’ll tell you that I had a great edu-cation — Georgia College had prepared me just as well and had given me the con-fidence to succeed.”

Debi seconds the notion that the education at Georgia College matches wellwith anyone. “I had a chance later to attend a class in finance at Princeton, andeverything they were discussing in that class was completely familiar to me from myclasses at Georgia College.”

While growing their careers, the two also successfully raised two sons,Matthew and Christopher, who have graduated from college and live in Atlanta.Matthew has succeeded as a real estate developer, even in these difficult economicconditions, and Christopher has started his career in marketing.

Stan’s involvement with the Georgia College Foundation began in 2000 and hehas stayed active, currently serving as chair of the campaign committee after havingpreviously served as chair of the board and chair of the fundraising committee.Stan and Debi previously established the Wilson School of Business AccountingScholarship to support undergraduate accounting students from WashingtonCounty. They also have supported annual scholarships for entering freshmen busi-ness majors, with a preference for students from Sandersville.

“The fun in being on the board has been in watching this transformation into agreat public liberal arts university,” Stan said. “The university has had great leader-ship in this total transformation, and the faculty, staff and students all have con-tributed to its success. I deal with people all over the country and the state, and ourpeople at Georgia College are the real deal. And I will tell you that people all overthe state know that Georgia College is a great educational value.” �

Stan and Debi Wilsongive $100,000 to beginannual scholarship

Couple credits Georgia College for confidence leading to career successes

“The fun in being

on the board

has been in

watching this

transformation into a

great public

liberal arts university.”

www.gcsu.edu/alumni


IMERYS Clays Inc., a world leader in pigments for paper products,has created an endowment to fund undergraduate student research inthe Department of Chemistry and Physics at Georgia College.

The $50,000 endowment will support student research projectssuch as physics software applications; planetarium show development;investigating magnetic propulsion for use in zero emission vehicles;and image acquisition of white dwarf stars with Georgia College’s newtelescope in Herty Hall.

“IMERYS has been a long-time supporter of the university and acompany with a long-term corporate presence in the middle Georgiaarea,” said Dr. Steven Fortier, Vice President and General Manager ofC-E Minerals, and a member of the Georgia College Foundation Boardof Trustees. “The endowment allows IMERYS to contribute in a waythat is self-sustaining and serves as an example to other potential cor-porate donors.”

“Faculty in the chemistry, physics and astronomy departmentbelieve student involvement in an active research program is a pivotalelement of a successful undergraduate degree,” said Dr. Ken McGill,chair of the department and professor of chemistry and physics. “Thisendowment will ensure we continue to provide students with researchopportunities.”

IMERYS is part of the kaolin industry, a traditionally strong sup-porter of Georgia College. In 1991, seven kaolin companies con-tributed approximately $700,000 to establish the Kaolin Chair inScience and the Science Education Outreach Program fund. The Stateof Georgia Eminent Scholars Program matched with a $500,000 contri-bution for the endowed chair.

As IMERYS Vice President, Fortier is responsible for mining, manu-facturing and sales in North America, South America and Asia for C-EMinerals’ global business unit. He previously served as Director ofOperations for IMERYS at locations on the East Coast and in Europe.

“I’m a huge fan of President Dorothy Leland and Vice Presidentfor External Affairs Amy Amason and what their team is doing toenhance the quality, educational experience and national reputation ofGeorgia College,” said Fortier.

“As a member of the IMERYS family of industrial minerals compa-nies, I will continue to support Georgia College,” he added. “IMERYSis truly a global business with a serious commitment to sustainabledevelopment, and helping to maintain education is part of our sustain-able development agenda.” �

$50,000 IMERYS endowmentfuels student research in sciences

IMERYS has been a long-time supporter of the university and a company with a long-term

corporate presence in the middle Georgia area.

Donations to GeorgiaCollege make a difference

Your financial support of theGeorgia College Foundation

creates opportunities for students. Sophomore Ericka

Moss received funds fromGeorgia College’s GuyHerbert Wells Alumni

Scholarship, designed to support students

participating in a studyabroad program.

Moss is now on a yearlongstudy abroad journey toKyoto, Japan. View the

complete story of her studyabroad journey at

gcsu.edu/connection.


donationsDonations

The Foresight of aFounding FatherMaking a Lasting Impact with your Legacy

When Benjamin Franklin died in 1790, he left £2,000 in acodicil to his will with one condition: much of the money could notbe drawn on for 100 years, and the rest could not be distributedfor 200 years. Franklin's small bequest 220 years ago has grown to$6.5 million dollars and is now supporting scholarships, sym-phonies, The Franklin Institute and other projects in Boston andPhiladelphia.

You, too, can make a significant long-term impact with a giftin your will. A charitable bequest works for anyone who would liketo support Georgia College in the future by including a gift to theGeorgia College Foundation in your will or living trust. Becauseyou can change your mind at any time and make your gift in pro-portion to bequests to family and friends, this type of gift has uni-versal appeal.

This type of charitable bequest is:• Simple. A few sentences in your will or living trust are all that isneeded. Already have a will? A simple codicil will be sufficient.

• Flexible. Because you are not actually making a gift until afteryour lifetime, you can change your mind at any time.

• Versatile. You can structure the bequest to leave a specificamount of money or a specific percentage of your estate to sup-port Georgia College.

• A Tax Relief. Your estate is entitled to an estate tax1charitable

deduction for the gift's full value.

Your bequest or other estate gift can make a difference by:• Endowing a scholarship to support outstanding and deservingstudents.

• Helping attract and retain an exceptional and dedicated faculty.• Preserving the magnificence of our historical campus.• Honoring the memory of teachers, mentors and others whohave made a difference in the lives of generations of GeorgiaCollege alumni.

• Promoting the core values of Georgia College.

We invite you to join The Corinthian Society, reserved forindividuals who have arranged a planned gift to Georgia Collegethat will continue helping our students for generations to come.Please contact Elizabeth Hines at (478) 445-1944 [email protected] with any questions about naming theGeorgia College Foundation in your will or living trust.

1Currently federal estate taxes are repealed for any deaths that occur

in the calendar year 2010. In 2011 and beyond, estate taxes are reinstatedin full. Congress, however, may reinstate federal estate taxes sometime in2010. What the final legislation will look like is unknown at this point.

Julie’s StoryWhy Becoming a Planned Gift Donor Matters

Julie Massey Jenkins, ’85, decided to give a charitable estategift to Georgia College because of the well-rounded educationshe received.

“I appreciate the education along with the memories of mytime spent in Milledgeville,” said Jenkins, an Athens, Ga., native.“I wanted to give back to make sure the university continues tothrive for generations to come.”

Jenkins received her bachelor’s degree in marketing andbusiness information systems. She was involved in the MarketingClub, Delta Sigma Pi and was on the yearbook staff.

“My most vivid memories were being an active member inDelta Sigma Pi,” she said, “and one year being in charge of theBusiness and Industry Conference where Truett Cathy, the founderof Chick-fil-A, was the keynote speaker.”

Georgia College has served as a family tradition for Jenkins. Her grandmother, Lydia Nix Massey, and great aunt, Lucile

Nix, graduated from then-Georgia State College for Women.Jenkins’ mother, Juliette Snellings, attended Georgia College butgraduated from the University of Georgia while her brother, SamMassey, graduated from Georgia College in 1974.

“What I know now that I wish I had known then is to treasureevery moment and friendship because Georgia College was agreat part of my life,” said Jenkins. “The university’s small size andlayout allowed me to meet a lot of students and be on a personalbasis with my professors.”

Interested in making a planned gift to Georgia College? Call (478) 445-1944.

Julie and Michael Jenkins

notesClass Notes www.gcsu.edu/alumni


1920sHelen Branan Heath ’28 celebrated her 100thbirthday on Dec. 27, 2009. Helen puts in morethan 50 hours per week at Suncoast SeabirdSanctuary in St. Petersburg, Fla. She serves astreasurer and office manager and has workedfor the sanctuary since 1971, when her only son,Ralph Heath Jr., brought home his first injuredbird. Helen lives on the second floor of themain office, where she has lived since 1959,when she and her husband moved from Tampainto their longtime summer home, which is nowthe sanctuary.

Nancy L. Windler ‘26 of Columbus, Ohio, cele-brated her 104th birthday on Aug. 23.

1950sJane Bonner ’58 and her husband JimmyAndrews celebrated their 50th weddinganniversary with family and friends at a hot dogpicnic. Family joke: Newlywed home economicsmajor Jane melted a plastic hot dog whistle inthe boiling water of hotdogs as Jimmy told herit would whistle when the dogs were done. Hereminds her occasionally. The couple currentlyresides in Eastman, Ga.

Susan Sanborn Hammond ’58 retired fromworking with the United States GeologicalSurvey in 1997 and now enjoys traveling, read-ing and church work in her retirement. She nowresides in Tucker, Ga.

1970sClaude Powell ’71 retired as principal ofThomson Middle School after 39 years in theMcDuffie County School System. Claudeattended Georgia College on a baseball schol-arship and played until he graduated. Duringhis 39 years in McDuffie County, Claude workedunder five school superintendents and eightprincipals. He was distinguished as a high per-formance principal in 2007 and 2008 by theGeorgia Department of Education. Claude, whohas never be without a job, does not plan to“laze away his retirement.”

Karen Harrell Jones ’72, ’73, developed a pro-gram that was selected as one of the top fiveprojects in the nation funded by an ImprovingTeacher Quality grant. The program wasdesigned to improve the mathematics andtechnology skills of Georgia educators whoteach students from special populations. Karenis a professor in workforce education, leader-ship and social foundations at the University ofGeorgia.

Lynwood “Lyn” F. Chandler ’76 was promotedto general manager of operations for RandaleJohnson Industries, Inc. (RJI). He joined RIJ inFebruary 2010 and worked to develop media

relations for the company. Lyn retired from theBaldwin County School System where he was aformer principal of Baldwin High School.

Nancy G. Robinson ’77 was appointed theGeorgia Board of Nursing by Gov. SonnyPerdue. Nancy, a Sandersville native, is anadministrator at Chaplinwood Health andRehabilitation. She is an active member of theGeorgia Health Care Association, AmericanCollege of Health Care Administrators, BaldwinCounty Retirement Community Committee,American Society for Quality and the BaldwinCounty Chamber of Commerce. Robinson islicensed as a registered nurse and a nursinghome administrator.

John “Jay” F. Harrington Jr. ’79 was installed asthe 2010-2011 president of the Georgia DentalAssociation during the association’s 143rdannual meeting. Jay graduated from the EmorySchool of Dentistry in 1984.

1980sJeffery “Jeff” D. Scruggs ’88, ’96 has beenappointed interim president of Middle GeorgiaTechnical College in Warner Robins, Ga. Jeffhas served in a variety of positions since he firstjoined MGTC in 1995 as a computer informa-tion sciences instructor. He has been the col-lege's director of information technology, direc-tor of institutional effectiveness, vice presidentof student affairs, and vice president of technol-ogy and institutional support. Jeff has alsorecently helped lead MGTC through a long andrigorous academic reaccreditation process.

1990sBryan Weil ’90 received a master’s of science innursing in 2008 and is presently working asdirector of nursing at The Fountains at theAlbemarle in Tarboro, Ga.

J. Noland White Ph.D., ’90, ’92 received theJoe and Ann Marie Horvat DistinguishedService Award at the International Society forNeurofeedback and Research (ISNR) inIndianapolis, Ind., on Sept. 6, 2009. Noland isan associate professor of the PsychologyDepartment of Psychological Science atGeorgia College.

Pam Johnson Gardner ’91 was recently promot-ed to director of college relations at AthensTechnical College.

Amy Amundson Smith ’92 is the director ofNeuro-Oncology at Shands Children's Hospitaland an assistant professor of pediatrics at theUniversity of Florida. A pediatric oncologist withadvanced training and experience in neuro-oncology, Amy directs the medical care andmanagement of each patient, coordinating withother physicians and healthcare providers in

creating an individual treatment plan forpatients.

Brian Brown ’93 received the Dorothy SargentRosenberg Poetry Prize in 2008, one of thelargest independent literary prizes in the UnitedStates. Presently, he's photographing vernacu-lar architecture and folk culture for his website,vanishingsouthgeorgia.com.

Maria Sheffield ’95, ’97 currently works as aninsurance regulatory and compliance attorney.After graduating from Georgia College, Mariawent on to earn an MBA and a law degree fromGeorgia State University.

Sally L. Burkett ’97, ’08 was named the 2009-2010 Teacher of the Year for Twin Rivers MiddleSchool in Gwinnett County Public Schools.

Lisa Gray ’99 has joined the management teamof Exchange Bank as the assistant vice presi-dent and branch manager of the main office. In2004 she accepted a position with MagnoliaState Bank as vice president of mortgage andconstruction building. Lisa began her careerwith BB&T as a mortgage lender and branchmanager.

Michelle Young ’99 recently accepted a newrole as a commodity analyst/program managerwith ConMed Linvatec in Largo, Fla., afterspending 10 years with GE Energy in a varietyof procurement roles.

2000’sAltovise Curtis ’00 was recently hired as a webarchitect for Jackson Spalding, a communica-tions firm in Atlanta. She worked previously as aweb and graphic designer for Spherian/Technisource and as a GO2IT Group FieldTechnician serving IBM and DELL computerclients, and also operated her own company,Curteous Web Designs. She currently resides inDuluth, Ga.

Leah M. Blasingame ’03 and Alex L. Brown ’04were married on Aug. 7, 2010, at a private cere-mony with close family and friends in Macon atthe Love of God International Cathedral. Leahcurrently serves on the Georgia College AlumniAssociation Board of Directors. The happy cou-ple now resides in Stockbridge, Ga.

Ashley Andes Cooper married M. DevlinCooper ’03 on June 19, 2010. Devlin works asan attorney with Sell & Melton where he prac-tices in the area of general civil litigation. Healso serves on the Georgia College AlumniBoard of Directors. The couple resides inMacon, Ga.


notesClass Notes

Lisa Marie Federico ’03 and Ashley ThomasRickard ’05 were married in September 2010.

James “J.W.” Mozley ’03, ’05 proposed to JenaWeirich. Jena is guidance counselor forGwinnett County Public Schools. J.W. recentlycompleted a specialist degree in educationalleadership from Mercer University and alsoworks for Gwinnett County Public Schools as amiddle school math teacher. J.W. was named a2010 Georgia Master Teacher. The couple is tobe married in December 2010 and will reside inDuluth, Ga.

Whitney E. Crawford ’04 married Gregory FittsVasey at Palmetto Bluff resort in Bluffton, S.C.,in October 2009. Whitney is a program coordi-nator at Harvard Law School, where she planssymposia on international financial regulations.She resigned in June from her role as seniorproject manager for the United States Chamberof Commerce in Washington. Gregory ownstwo Five Guys Burgers and Fries franchises, one in Swampscott, Mass., the other inGloucester, Mass. He graduated from HamiltonCollege and received an MBA from theUniversity of Chicago. The couple met in 2004while working on the re-election campaign ofGeorge W. Bush.

Lee A. Fruitticher ’05 (MBA) has been promot-ed to vice president of Business Affairs atGordon College. Lee previously served as asso-ciate vice president of business affairs and hasbeen with Gordon College for three years. Priorto his position at Gordon, Lee was controller atMacon State College. Lee enjoys working withthe other cabinet members and the presidenton strategic planning for the college and looksforward to adding more programs of study aswell as facilities to accommodate the growth.

Doug Tingle ’05 was named JacksonElementary School Teacher of the Year andnominated for the Butts County Teacher of theYear for the 2009-2010 school year. Tingle hasbeen a special-education teacher at Jackson foreight years. This year he goes into kindergartenand first-grade classes for co-teaching and pullsfifth-graders into a resource class.

William “Will” D. Conoly ’06 (MBA) has joinedthe United Bank as vice-president and commer-cial lender in Newnan. William has more thanfive years of experience in community banking,most previously with the Bank of Coweta wherehe worked as a commercial banker. He servesthe Newnan-Coweta community as an advisoryboard member of the United Way, a member ofthe Coweta Community Foundation Board andas a member of the Friends of Scouting fund-raising committee. A recent graduate ofLeadership Coweta, he lives in Newnan with hiswife, Meredith, and his son, Griffin.

Rachel Bartz ’07 was recently hired as the newprograms and events manager for the GwinnettChamber of Commerce. In her new position,Rachel will be responsible for overseeing theDrugs Don’t Work program, Gwinnett’sLeadership Organization for Woman (GLOW),the Human Resource Management Association(HRMA) and the Metro Atlanta Council forEntrepreneurship (MACE).

Kristen Chapman ’07 graduated fromArmstrong Atlantic State University inSavannah, Ga. with a master’s of public health.She now works as a public health apprenticewith the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention in Albany, Ga.

Adam Elenbaas ’07 (MFA) published his mem-oirs Fishers of Men: The Gospel of anAyahuasca Vision Quest. Adam’s book has beenhailed as a “… gripping, heartbreaking and yetultimately uplifting story of the power to tran-scend one’s past.”

Michelle Smith Klubenspies ’08 married MattKlubenspies on Sept. 26, 2009, in Macon, Ga.Michelle is currently working at metro Atlantainsurance agency and Matt is a police officer forthe city of Snellville. The couple currentlyresides in Grayson, Ga.

Hanna Rauschenberg married SamRauschenberg ’07 in August 2010. The couplenow resides in Durham, NC while Sam com-pletes a master’s of public policy degree atDuke University. Before entering graduateschool, Sam taught with the Teach America pro-gram in New Orleans, La.

Lindsay Saine Smith ’08 and husband Adam C.Smith ’08 recently opened The 42nd Floor, anew custom apparel printing shop in downtownMilledgeville, Ga. The 42nd Floor customerscan print photos or any kind of artwork printedon any textile that is at least 50 percent cotton.The store has experienced excellent sales sincethey opened their doors in July 2010.

Kelly D. Boulineau ’09, ’10 married Jason F.Bryan on June 19, 2010 at Wrens UnitedMethodist Church in Wrens, Ga.

Jessica Fields ’09 recently openedExtraordiNailry Salon & Spa in downtownMilledgeville, Ga. with fellow alumnus, SamKang ‘09.

Send UsYour NewsLet your classmates know what you’ve been doing

Submit your class note on our websiteat www.gcsu.edu/alumni

Reach us by [email protected]


www.gcsu.edu/alumni

In Memoriam

1920sCaroline C. Carlton ’29 died on 7/29/2010

1930sEulalie M. Giffen ’34 died on 5/30/2010Inez L. Jones ’34 died on 6/1/2010Dorothy J. McAulay ’34 died on 4/1/2010Margaret M. Giddens ’37 died on 7/29/2010Myron B. Mitcham ’39 died on 6/9/2010Frances K. Paysinger ’39 died on 5/9/2010

1940sChristine R. Daley ’40 died on 7/18/2010Mary L. Ford ’40 died on 8/2/2010Marjorie D. Johnson ’40 died on 8/4/2010Rosalyn D. Ogletree ’40 died on 7/17/2010Frances H. Johnson ’41 died on 5/29/2010Mary Steele ’41 died on 5/5/2010Lilyan M. Hanberry ’43 died on 5/4/2010Nelle C. Pattillo ’43 died on 4/23/2010Mabel B. Richardson ’43 died on 5/30/2010Marian S. Wilhoit ’44 died on 4/15/2010Nancy M. Cumbie ’45 died on 8/24/2010Evelyn H. Nichols ’45 died on 7/26/2010

Mary E. Benson ’46 died on 6/19/2010Jane L. Dixon ’46 died on 4/30/2010Miriam Collins ’47 died on 5/1/2010

1950s Dorothy B. Sinclair ’50 died on 5/20/2010Harriett W. Hargrove ’51 died on 4/22/2010Louise L. Kranzberg ‘51 died on 6/23/2010Claire V. Quinn ’51 died on 7/26/2010Ila K. Pinyan ’52 died on 7/24/2010Eloise C. Rogers ’53 died on 5/3/2010Julia H. Hughes ’54 died on 6/22/2010Mary L. Jimmerson ’54 died on 4/10/2010Katheryn C. Musselwhite ’58 died on 5/25/2010Geraldine D. Purcell ’58 died on 8/2/2010Sylvia L. Gay ’59 died on 4/11/2010

1960sDelores H. Thompson ’63 died on 4/21/2010Carolyn V. Lindsey ’66 died on 5/4/2010Marjorie L. Lovein ’66 died on 5/24/2010Dawn M. Norris ’66 died on 4/24/2010

1970sAnn F. Black ’70 died on 4/16/2010Diane B. Nisbet ’71 died on 6/25/2010

Catherine C. Tucker ’73 died on 4/16/2010Helen B. Byrne ’74 died on 6/28/2010Nancy T. Douglas ’75 died on 5/13/2010George C. Oetter, Sr. ‘75 died on 8/21/2010Mary W. Leyda ’76 died on 8/27/2010Gerald L. Walker ’76 died on 6/27/2010Andrew E. Smith ’77 died on 6/2/2010Gloria J. Shurling ’78 died on 6/12/2010Nell W. Hicks ’79 died on 5/4/2010

1980sPatricia W. Krick ’82 died on 7/11/2010Pamela J. Glover ’84 died on 5/30/2010Michael B. Higginbotham ’88died on 5/3/2010

1990sRebecca M. Cox ’93 died on 7/10/2010Kelli A. Felton ’95 died on 4/15/2010Debra S. Specht ’97 died on 7/24/2010

2000sRita C. Rose ’06 died on 4/12/2010Candus M. Davis ’09 died on 5/7/2010Rebecca P. McKnight died on 5/4/2010

Former Faculty Member

Former professor Gwendolyn Caldwell Stanforddied on June 4, 2010, in Hampton, Ga. at the age of84. Professor Stanford had a 44-year teaching career.She was an associate professor of English andLiterature at Georgia College for 34 years. She didher undergraduate study in modern languages andEnglish at Winthrop College, in Rock Hill, S.C., andher graduate study in French and comparative litera-ture at the University of North Carolina, in ChapelHill. By the age of 22, she was a college professor.She taught French, Spanish and English at WinthropCollege; Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn.;and West Georgia College in Carrollton, Ga. Shejoined the faculty of Georgia College in 1969, and inaddition to teaching, has served as coordinator offreshman English. Professor Stanford wrote poetry inboth English and French; several of her poems haveappeared in the Georgia College magazine, ThePeacock's Feet.

Former Foundation TrusteeLouise Lester “Les” Clark Kranzberg, ’51, died June23, 2010, at the age of 81 at Northeast GeorgiaMedical Center in Gainesville. She graduated fromGeorgia State College for Women in Milledgevillewith a bachelor’s of business administration. While atGSCW, Les was in the A Cappella Choir and a mem-ber of the SGA. She earned both a master's and aspecialist's degree in education from the Universityof Georgia. She received a prestigious internationalscholarship from the Rotary Club of Cobb County tostudy at the University of Freiberg in Germany.

Les had a lifelong passion for helping others. Sheworked as an educator specializing in teaching read-ing to students from around the world, both youngand adult. She served as principal of Belmont HillsElementary School near Atlanta.

She served as a member of the Foundation Board ofTrustees at Georgia College. In 1995 she establishedKranzberg Phoenix Scholarship that provides finan-cial support to non-traditional female students work-ing to complete an undergraduate degree. She alsoreceived the Georgia College Alumni Service Awardin 2002.

University AdvancementCampus Box 96Milledgeville, GA 31061

Georgia College is Georgia's designated public liberal artsuniversity,combining the educational experience expected atesteemed private liberal arts colleges with the affordability ofpublic higher education.

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

www.gcsu.edu/alumni

Name_________________________________________________________Name while attending _________________________________

Class Year__________Major _______________________________________Greek Affiliation______________________________________

Name of Guest (s) __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone______________________________________E-mail ________________________________________________________________

Special Events I’m attending (optional)Per Person # of Reservations Total� Peabody Luncheon $20 x ______________ = ______________� Any Single Event: __________________________ $25 x ______________ = ______________

(i.e., Honor Roll Luncheon, Welcome Reception, etc.)

� All Event Registration $60 x ______________ = ______________(Admittance to all paid events)

Subtotal = ______________

� I am unable to attend , but would like to contribute to the GC Alumni Scholarship Fund. Enclosed is my tax-deductible donation of $________________.

Method of Payment:� Check or Money Order (Payable to GCSU Foundation) � Visa � MasterCard � American Express � Discover

Card #:___________________________________________________________Expiration Date: __________________________________

Name on Card: _____________________________________________________Signature: _______________________________________

Reserve Your Spot for Alumni-Homecoming Weekend! Alumni who register in advance receive:

• Free entrance to Homecoming basketball games• Free entrance to the Homecoming concert• Free entrance to the Old Governor’s Mansion• Free gift from the Alumni Association• Automatic entry into a drawing for an iPad at the Alumni Association tent on Saturday

To register, visit homecoming.gcsu.edu, or contact Alumni Relations at (478) 445-5771 or [email protected] mail in the following form to Georgia College Alumni Association, Campus Box 96, Milledgeville, GA 31061:

connection magazine fall 2010

Documents

students efforts

university of georgia

service learning

university communications

georgia college

university shine

classroom learning

students toexamine issues