2017 Fall Anderson University Magazine

2 0 1 7 FA L L M AGA Z I N E

cross country, field track & fi eld break pace AU prepares for another record year with a new academic focus for students

Anderson University 2017 Fall Magazine May Graduation ...................................................................4 Elevation Church Worship Leader Learned His Craft at AU.......................................................................6 Political Science Major and Other Programs Launch in College of Arts and Science............................... 10 Board of Trust Member, Author, Releases New Book with Hopes to Inspire Faith and Values........... 12 New Core Curriculum Helps Students Become More Competitive in the Job Market............................................ 14 International Author Shares His Personal Insight to Demystify Successful Writing............................. 16 AU’s Legendary Leonard Johnson Retires as Ensemble Director and International Recruitment Coordinator......20 AU Diary................................................................................24 College of Education Appoints New Dean.........................26 Small is the New Big in AU’s Musical Theatre Program......28 Alumni News.........................................................................30 Contributors Renewal of “A DAY” was Biggest Day of Fundraising in AU History....................................................32 Jason’s Column.....................................................................34 Athletic News........................................................................36

Anderson University Magazine is a publication of the Marketing and Communication Department of Anderson University for alumni and friends.

President: Dr. Evans P. Whitaker Editor In Chief: Jonathan Todd Contributing Writers: Liz Carey, Evelyn Beck, Richard Breen, Barry Ray, Jason Rutland Creative Direction & Design: 229design.com Contributing Photographers: Christian Crocker, Cindy Hosea, Jason Jones Photography, Reel Video and Stills, Eric B. Whitlock

university

happenings...

Campus News

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greetings from Anderson University We hope that your summer has been a good one.

while the middle floor has been transformed

Here on our campus, you might think it gets kind

into a collaborative learning space that is more

of quiet once the students are gone, but you would

appropriate for our constantly evolving, digitally

be mistaken. We hosted around 6,000 young

driven learning model.

people between Palmetto Boys State, a leadership development event for the state’s most

Speaking of digital learning, did we mention that

promising high school seniors, and Crossroads

Apple, Inc. named AU an Apple Distinguished

Summer Camps with Clayton King, a host of

School for the second straight time? That’s

special guests and young people from all over

virtually unheard of and we are extremely proud

the Southeast.

of our faculty and the Center of Excellence for Digital Learning for attracting such recognition

You might also think that once we dedicated

to our campus.

the 90,000 square foot G. Ross Anderson, Jr. Student Center that construction would cease

We’ve been so busy this summer that we’ve barely

for a while. Again, you’d be mistaken. While

had time to celebrate the fact that we conferred

it’s true we didn’t erect any new buildings this

diplomas to nearly 500 graduates in May, an

summer, we are in the final stages of a major

all-time record. Now we’re getting ready for

re-working of the Thrift Library. Even though

what we believe will be a record freshman class

it’s only ten years old, those ten years have seen

in mid-August.

massive changes in the way our students learn and what they require to be academically successful.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Anderson

The days of sitting in a study carrel surrounded

University Magazine as we share a host of other

by stacks of books are gone at cutting-edge

accomplishments, intriguing stories about the

universities. While we still have plenty of books in

people who make up our increasingly diverse

our library, we’ve dramatically changed the first

campus, and maybe even a few updates on your

two floors of the three-story building. The lower

former classmates and professors. Don’t look

level brings together all of the various resources

now, but fall is right around the corner!

to help our students be academically successful,

- Anderson University Journey

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Graduation speaker: “Choose what’s right over what you have a right to do.”

By Barry Ray

Dr. Frank Page, graduation commencement address

Rainy weather on May 13 may have forced Anderson University to move graduation indoors rather than hold it on the iconic front lawn under giant oak trees, but the mood was sunny at NewSpring Church as nearly 500 diplomas were awarded to eager students.

The commencement address was given by Dr. Frank Page, president and CEO of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. Before assuming his role in Nashville, Dr. Page was pastor of Taylors First Baptist Church near Greenville, South Carolina.

Dr. Page, who is the father and father-in-law of AU alumni, urged the students present to follow the Biblical example of King David, who overcame his flaws to earn the description, “a man after God’s own heart.” Dr. Page told students that in life “there would be 4 | CAMPUS NEWS

many times they had the right to do something, but that the focus should be on doing what’s right to do.”

Eighty-nine of the participating students at graduation received graduate degrees, while 44 of the graduates were from the university’s adult studies program.

Bradley Brazell, an education major, received the President’s Award as the top undergraduate student, while Dr. Candace Weddle Livingston received the Michael Boles Excellence in Teaching Award as voted on by her peers in the AU faculty.

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Elevation Church worship leader Chris Brown learned his craft as a worship leader at AU

By Evelyn Beck

Chris Brown knew that his future lay in playing and writing music and that the church would be an important part of that. He had grown up in Hampton, South Carolina, with a dad who was a music pastor and a mom who played piano and organ and led the church choir—and he even played guitar in his own band for a while.

age 17, I felt ministry and music “Bymerge.

I felt God was calling me into some type of ministry. The next several years were a journey of figuring that out.

“The music publishing arm of Elevation is producing original music and making materials available to churches all over the world,” said Wehunt. “The creation of new, original worship songs has inspired churches across America. Gat3, the recording branch of the organization, has built state-of-theart recording facilities to record Elevation projects as well as to be a resource for other churches as they record their own worship projects. Brown is an example of exactly what we are trying to accomplish here at AU with the Worship Leadership department, sending out leaders to reach people for the Lord in new and innovative ways through the vehicle of worship music.”

”

— Chris Brown Worship Leader at Elevation Church

The Making of a Worship Leader Brown chose AU for its music program.

“I wanted a great, professional music program that I wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else,” he said.

“I felt Anderson was the best fit for me.”

Today, Brown serves as the worship leader at Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In that position, he oversees worship teams on several campuses and spearheads the songwriting for services and for the new album that his team records each year. Their latest release is called There Is a Cloud. (See www.elevationworship.com for more information.) He also spends five to ten days per month on tour performing with Christian recording artists, such as Lauren Daigle and Jesus Culture.

What Brown has built in Charlotte is guiding the style and look of worship music globally, says Joe Wehunt, assistant professor of Music-Worship Leadership at AU.

Left to Right: Beth, Adelaide, Chris, & Joah Brown

After high school, Brown enrolled at AU, where he majored in voice and led music worship for the Baptist Student Union. He also got involved with NewSpring Church, which has roots at AU, and found an important mentor in fellow AU alumnus, Lee McDerment, NewSpring’s music worship director.

“Lee was learning how to lead a worship team and build a church while I was learning how to lead a team on campus,” said Brown. “I watched him grow and figure things out, and I would emulate it.”

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Brown also traveled across the state with a few campus ministry teams, taking charge of the music for neighborhood block parties after a day of rebuilding houses. He also met his future wife Beth at AU; the two, who became friends while leading worship together in the Baptist Student Union, married in 2005.

After graduating in 2004, Chris Brown took a job as the student worship leader at NewSpring, followed by two years leading worship as a church planter in Columbia, South Carolina. Then came the role that he was born for at Elevation.

Beth (Whitlock) Brown, who is from Lake City, S.C., and also graduated from AU in 2004, majored in Christian ministries and earned a master’s degree in social work at another school.

Before becoming a stay-at-home mom with the couple’s two children—Joah, 6, and Adelaide, 4—Beth Brown worked in the counseling field.

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Writing worship songs In regards to writing worship songs, Chris Brown says his process is “messy,” but he has learned to enjoy it.

“ It’s my way to help spread the message of what God is doing. ”

— Chris Brown

“I need a first draft to get to the second draft and a second draft to get to the third draft and a third draft to get to the fourth draft, and on and on,” he said. “It’s not glamorous, and it’s not fun to think that it will take nine months to write a song and that you’ll throw drafts away 20 times. But that’s creativity.”

Elevation Elevation Church, Church, Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C. N.C.

Chris Brown works with a team in a collaborative process that includes both the lyrics and the music.

They might work together on one person’s idea or try to mesh separate contributions. It’s an organic process that can look different from one project and one team to another.

Writing songs for worship, Chris Brown has found, is different than writing other kinds of music.

“If I just write a song for people to listen to, the aim is for them to listen and enjoy,” he said. In worship music, he tries to engage the listeners on a deeper level. “There’s a higher level of accountability,” he said. “It’s so important to have that level of vulnerability or honesty in the lyrics but also to be able to lift someone’s perspective about whatever circumstance they’re going through that week.” The hope, he said, is that the song “can point them to Jesus and to know there’s still a better hope, there’s still a purpose, there’s still a God who’s walking with you.”

Chris Brown’s experience at AU helped deepen the musical expression of his spirituality through voice lessons with Associate Professor of Music-Voice, Deirdre Francis. “I owe so much of my development to her,” he said. Another formative experience was participating in the choir under the leadership of Professor of Music-Theory and Composition and Director of Choral Activities Dr. Richard Williamson.

Chris Brown’s former mentor, Lee McDerment, is today a great admirer.

“Chris definitely has a prophetic voice,” says McDerment. “He is able in his songwriting and as a worship leader to be a conduit for the voice of Almighty God to people who are listening. You don’t find many worship leaders who can do that who also possess Chris’ purity of heart.”

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AU launches political science major; other programs expected to roll out soon

By Liz Carey

This fall, AU will add political science to its mix of degree programs.

The political science major allows students to study systems of government, public policy, and political processes, behaviors and activities. Poli-sci majors also will study history, human behavior, philosophy and political theory.

College of Arts and Sciences Dean Wayne Cox says students will explore these topics with a Christian focus.

distinguishing feature of AU’s “ One political science degree is that it seeks to prepare students to thrive as principledriven leaders in a global society where Christian thinking and values are less valued than in the twentieth century.

”

— Wayne Cox Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

“Many of our students come to AU with interest in applying to law schools or entering some area of public service,” said Dr. Danny Parker, Executive Vice President, Provost, and Chief Academic Officer of Anderson University.

“The new degree program in political science is designed to attract students with those interests and ambitions. The program may also appeal to students who are seeking an understanding of how governance and the political process function in our era.”

program is also a natural extension of “ The AU’s hosting of Palmetto Boys State, an annual program for rising seniors in high school intended to “spark interest and pride in government” in a “learn-by-doing” model.

”

Palmetto Boys State is sponsored by the American Legion and attracts young men across the state, many of whom wish to enter public service.

“We believe that many of the crucial questions we face—questions concerning world peace, government policies aimed at achieving economic stability and growth, the management of environmental quality, control over political competition, how law affects and effects social and political change, and the gap between the rich and poor in the U.S. and abroad—can be addressed best when informed and enriched by Christian values and ethics.”

“AU political science majors will be prepared for graduate study in law and other related fields and equipped for careers in local, state and federal government, politics, business, the media and education, to name a few,” Cox said.

As part of AU’s mission to not only provide students with courses of study that’ll help them achieve their academic goals but also to prepare them to be active and informed citizens, AU began offering political science. The major is a key stepping stone for students interested in career fields in leadership roles or in the law.

While the DPT program is in its development stages and likely to begin in two years, the Human Development program, which involves the study of people and families, is under review with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Dr. Parker said that upon approval of the program, Human Development and Family Studies will be offered this academic year.

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AU is also poised to launch other new programs.

It is developing a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS).

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Board of Trust member, author,

hopes the story of his parents’ faith and values will inspire others

By Evelyn Beck

In his roles as a business executive and Sunday school teacher, Donald Harper often talked about his mom and dad. And people kept telling him, “You should write a book.” Finally, after retiring to South Carolina, he did, and the result is Blessed Is the Man: A Legacy of Faith and Family Values.

Especially gratifying are reviews on Amazon that mention his parents by name. “These are two people insignificant in the eyes of many,” says Harper.

“They had third and sixth grade educations. No one is going to talk about their status and what they attained in life. But on Amazon they’re talking about my parents’ integrity, work ethic and values.

I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to if the story of my mom and dad doesn’t die with my siblings.”

Harper, a member of Anderson University’s Board of Trust, grew up in Marion, Alabama, the youngest of 13 children of Lloyd and Walter Mae Harper. Despite the odds against this African-American couple in the Jim Crow South of 1942, they were able to secure a bank loan to purchase eighty acres of farmland to build a better future for their family. They persevered through many challenges, such as being turned away when they tried to vote because they couldn’t pass literacy tests designed to disenfranchise blacks. They’d study up on the answers before the next election but would find the questions had changed—until such tests were finally outlawed. Though they only voted for the first time in 1960, they never complained.

time before being drafted and served two years in the army during the Vietnam War. After an honorable discharge, he got a job at Goodyear, starting as a production worker, then moving up as a supervisor in manufacturing. He then went into human resources, ultimately becoming the vice president of human resources for global planning. During that time, he completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Jacksonville State University.

He also married Gerri, with whom he has two children, Kevin and Keisha (an Anderson University graduate), and two grandchildren.

welcome the opportunity to influence the “ Iminds of young people and the talent of those going into the workforce. Anderson is a great university. It provides a safe environment for kids to go to school, it’s built on Christian principles, and students can learn without fear of being intimidated by things going on in the world today.

”

— Donald Darnell Harper Author of Blessed Is The Man

“They never talked about how badly they were treated,” says Harper. “I’m sure they felt something, but they didn’t feel they’d help anything by complaining about it. I believe we can tell God’s story from the blessing side. No matter what is happening to us—if God has allowed it or sent it—we might as well tell the story from God’s side, that the glass is half full.

My parents gave God honor and praise every day for life.”

His book, too, is intended as a teaching tool, with questions following each chapter. For instance, after the story of how Marion Bank and Trust Company’s teller (and future president) Jeff Blackburn approved the loan that allowed Lloyd Harper to purchase his farm comes a question about how readers—like Blackburn—have been challenged to extend grace in a difficult situation.

Harper’s own story is one of blessings, too. Though he had been offered a college scholarship, he had to reject it when his dad became ill and someone had to be home to harvest the crops. He later moved to Chicago, where he worked and attended school part

“I don’t want people to just say that’s a nice story,” he says. “We need to be confronted that Jeff made himself vulnerable, risked his job, took a lot of criticism. That’s the teacher and trainer in me.

Learning without application means nothing.”

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new core curriculum

designed to help AU students compete

By Richard Breen

History 101. English 101. Economics, psychology, chemistry. For decades, college students across the country have dealt with general education requirements as hurdles that must be cleared on the way to pursuing a major.

Starting this fall, Anderson University hopes to transform these wide-ranging courses into something not to deal with, but to build on.

To quote from the mission statement accompanying the new curriculum: “It is the aim of Anderson University to develop and nurture responsible, confident, independent servant-leaders with a foundational love for life-long learning and a commitment to Christian virtues and the betterment of society.”

the new general education program “ Iasseemaking a difference for our students.

It will help them become more competitive in the job market, but a strong liberal arts background speaks to deeper societal

”

needs as well.

— Nathan Cox AU Assistant Provost

Most colleges and universities have some type of general education requirement. They provide a common base of knowledge and are considered crucial to producing an intellectually wellrounded graduate.

Schools periodically revise their requirements.

AU’s had been in place for more than a decade, but is now taking on a new name, the University Core Curriculum.

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“In order to make a clear distinction between the old and the new, we started using some new terminology,” says Cox, who served as chairman of the General Education Revision Task Force.

This update, which greets incoming freshmen and transfer students for AU’s Fall 2017 semester, represents an important shift in perspective.

new program focuses more on modes “ The of inquiry and ways of thinking, rather than a series of introductions to various disciplines. The disciplines are important, but what’s most critical are the broader skills that students learn from them, like critical thinking and creative problem-solving.

”

— Nathan Cox

Referred to collectively as Common Learning Outcomes, the 18 CLOs range from “knowledge and integration of historical and contemporary Christian perspectives” to “written communication,” to “collaboration and teamwork dynamics.”

Technology is addressed through the CLO “technological and digital literacy,” as well as another that includes social media as part of interpersonal and professional communication. Technology is further reinforced within major courses beyond the core.

“It doesn’t make sense for all students to take a generic, ‘Introduction to Technology’ course and then consider that need met,” Cox says. “Students in biochemistry use very different technology than those studying graphic design, for example.”

Nathan Cox, AU Assistant Provost

lot of our existing courses are being “Aredesigned.

Others will be brand new, such as a philosophy course that addresses the CLO ‘moral and ethical reasoning and action.’

”

— Nathan Cox

The new core will require 41 hours, compared to 42-44 hours previously. CLOs will also carry into upper level core studies, including new, 300-level Interdisciplinary Connections and 400-level Contemporary Issues courses.

The core is intended to integrate with life outside the classroom. Academic Affairs is partnering with Student Life, Career Planning and Professional Development and others to support the CLOs through extracurricular activities.

It has been a campus-wide achievement, according to Cox, as his committee collaborated with a revolving group of faculty and staff.

“At some points as many as 35-40 individuals at a time were working together, with many more involved later,” he says. The result should be an even more competitive university, producing students ready to succeed in the workplace and in their communities.

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Irish author

demystifies writing for students

By Liz Carey

Ed O’Loughlin, “The Minds of Winter”

On the day Ed O’Loughlin’s latest book, The Minds of Winter, was released in the United States, the author was at Anderson University, sharing writing tips with students.

O’Loughlin, a former international journalist, spoke to a crowd in the Chapman Multi-Media Room of the Thrift Library last semester about his books, his work and his experiences as a writer. Part of the Mims Lecture Series, named after beloved AU writing teacher Francis Mims, university officials said they hoped O’Loughlin’s visit and talk helped to demystify the writing process for students.

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Set in Canada, Minds of Winter is about two people who individually travel to the Arctic in search of clues about loved ones. Along the way, the two encounter each other and links between their searches and a navigational device long thought lost with the ships and 129 men of Sir John Franklin’s Northwest Passage expedition in 1845.

O’Loughlin said the book, his third, took years to write. Researching the book took many years as well, he said, and included a trip to Edmonton during the winter to experience what life was like in the Arctic.

At one point, O’Loughlin said, he had written

more than 300,000 words and threw it all away because it lacked quality.

It’s advice like this that Anderson University hopes students will take from exposure to published authors visiting the campus, said Wayne Cox, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Other authors, including Sue Monk-Kidd, Robert Penn Warren, Ron Rash and Ernest Gaines, have visited the campus to teach and inspire students, Cox said. Some of those students, like Mitchell Herring, an English major who graduated in 2015, have gone on to enroll in master’s degree programs. Herring, who won the English department’s Creative Writing Award, is now enrolled in the Gender and Literature program at The University of Maine.

writers talk about their writing lives, “ When they help dispel the myth that great writing is the result of some mystical process that only the lucky few get to experience. Instead, our students learn that good writing is as much the product of consistent hard work as it is the by-product of a rich imagination.

These writers’ stories remind our students that writing isn’t so much the expression of truth; it is the making of truth.

”

— Wayne Cox

writers to campus to share their “ Bringing work and writing experiences with our students expands the classroom, exposing them to practitioners of their craft who can share valuable insights about where inspiration comes from and reminding them of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s dictum that ‘Easy reading is…hard writing.’

”

— Wayne Cox Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

O’Loughlin’s other books – Not Untrue and Not Unkind and Toploader – have won him critical acclaim. Minds of Winter, which was released in 2016 in Ireland, is in consideration for the Sir Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, one of England’s most prestigious literary awards.

Born in Canada and raised in Ireland, O’Loughlin worked as a foreign correspondent covering some of the most volatile areas of the world, including Israel, the Middle East and South Africa. For years, he wrote for the Irish Times and the Sydney Morning Herald, helping others to understand what was going on in war-torn locales.

Now, he writes from his home in Dublin, where he lives with his wife and two children. His advice to anyone on writing a book is simple.

“The simplest thing to do is just to sit down and do it for four or five hours a day,” he said.

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our faculty

and students...

Faces of AU

AU Ensemble director and international

Leonard Johnson impacted legions of students, From AU President Dr. Evans Whitaker to national, recording gospel artists, dozens of AU grads and community members cite retired recruitment coordinator and AU Ensemble choir director Leonard Johnson as a servant leader.

Over a 32-year career, Johnson touched the lives of many students in his multiple roles as Coordinator of International Recruitment, Admission Counselor, and Director of the AU Ensemble. Johnson retired in June, but his influence will continue.

“It would be difficult to describe the impact Leonard Johnson has had on our campus,” Dr. Whitaker said.

“Not only has he worked tirelessly in Admission, helping countless students find the life-changing experience of an Anderson education, but he has 2 0 | FAC E S O F AU

used his God-given musical gift to bless our campus family for many years. His leadership in our AU Ensemble has been vital in helping develop so many impactful worship leaders, all of whom cite Leonard as a major influence in their lives. He’s done all of this with a humility and grace that is rare indeed. He has been a true servant leader at this university.”

Michael Young, a professional musician who has toured and recorded as part of the group Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers, was part of the AU Ensemble as a student at Anderson in the 1990s. All these years later, he still feels Johnson’s influence.

Johnson views his role in the AU Ensemble as that of a teacher and mentor. One of his most enduring lessons involves the role of the lyrics.

recruitment coordinator

gospel musicians

By Evelyn Beck

a great mentor for all of us who “ Hehavewaspursued music. He was one of the first to instill patience in me when it came to music. He would spend weeks on one section of a song before we moved to the next section. That template stuck with me even in my teaching today. You keep working until you get it right.

”

— Michael Young Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers

“When singing gospel music, a lot of times people don’t listen to the words because they’re looking at the rhythm and the melody,” he said. “Being able to enunciate to get the message through to the audience—that’s what a lot of students miss in other places,” he said.

Music was an important part of life in Hopewell, Virginia, where Johnson grew up as one of 12 kids in blended families. He remembers banging on the piano of the church next door, while he was supposed to be helping his family clean, and soon learned to play by ear.

At Clark College in Atlanta, Johnson majored in music while working for the Atlanta Police Department as a fingerprint technician.

(Continued)

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He came to Anderson as the music director for Project MAD, a federally funded music, art and drama program sponsored by the NA ACP and launched the Project MAD Community Choir (later known as the Mansfield Ensemble). He also worked in Greenville, South Carolina, at The Phillis Wheatley Dwight Woods Repertory Theatre as an assistant to the director.

In 1985 Johnson accepted a part-time post at then-Anderson College to direct the gospel choir, now called the AU Ensemble. He became a full-time employee in 1990 with additional responsibilities as an admission counselor and later as the coordinator of international recruitment. He has also served as the music director at several churches in Anderson and has been the minister of music at Maple Creek Missionary Baptist Church in Greer for 37 years.

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Shawn Bigby, a recording artist and minister of music at Right Direction Church International in Columbia, South Carolina, values the personal example Johnson set.

influence plays a huge role in how “ His I operate, even in how to treat people.

That’s one of his greatest strengths. He’s a nice guy with great character and integrity.

— Shawn Bigby Minister of Music at Right Direction Church International in Columbia, SC

”

AU Ensemble performing at The South Carolina School of the Arts

is so selfless and giving. We wanted “ Leonard to do something that would honor him. I’ve never seen so many students in someone’s office, even after they graduated. We would have people take 100 miles out of their family trip to see if he’d be in the office.

”

— Jason Rutland Associate Vice President for Alumni & Parent Engagement

Bigby cites several examples of Johnson’s generosity, including one semester when Bigby had no money for books, and Johnson took care of it.

That dedication to students is being celebrated in a scholarship campaign in Johnson’s honor that will kick off in September. The goal is to create an endowed scholarship for students in the AU Ensemble.

If you would like to contribute to this scholarship effort, please return your gift in the enclosed envelope and note it for the Leonard Johnson Scholarship.

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Dr. Mark Butler

named dean of College of Education

By Barry Ray

AU named Dr. Mark Butler as the new dean of the

Dr. Butler completed his PhD at the University of

College of Education. Dr. Butler began his duties

Kentucky in the Department of Early Childhood,

on June 1.

Rehabilitation Counseling, and Special Education.

His areas of research focus on serving individuals

Before joining the College of Education, Dr. Butler

diagnosed with high incidence disabilities in

was a faculty member at Indiana University-

inclusive settings, including curriculum

Bloomington in the School of Education’s

development in mathematics and examining

Department of Curriculum Studies. He assumed

high-leverage practices to support all students.

that position in January 2016 after spending five years on the faculty at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. At Asbury University, Dr. Butler served as associate dean of the School of Education, as well as the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education/Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation coordinator.

drew me to Anderson University’s “ What College of Education is the strong history of teacher preparation and the incredible reputation of the program and students.

Those pieces, combined with the mission of the University, made AU a great fit for my passion to invest in education through

”

teacher preparation.

— Dr. Mark Butler Dean of the College of Education

goal is that each candidate leaves “ Our this program fully prepared to have a positive impact on students. That happens best when our curriculum, our clinical experiences, and our faculty are aligned and working alongside the community and the P-12 schools.

”

— Dr. Mark Butler

In addition to being involved with the state and national level of the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC), he is currently a board member elect for the American Council for Rural Special Education (ACRES) and with the Higher Education Consortium for Special Education (HECSE).

Dr. Butler is married to Dr. Krissie Butler and together they have one daughter, Avery Elizabeth.

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FAC E S O F AU

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Bethany Mansfield

she knows how to make people laugh

By Evelyn Beck

At 4 feet, 10 inches tall, Bethany Mansfield is probably the smallest student in Anderson University’s musical theatre program. But she’s making a big impact.

In February, Mansfield won the Region IV musical theatre competition as part of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Region IV includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Southern Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. That victory earned her a free trip to Washington, D.C., and a spot at the national festival.

marker. When she talked to the judges after being named the winner, they complimented her showmanship and character.

Mansfield also feels that the song she chose showcased well what she has to offer. “I have a very big voice, a very high belt, and that’s a lot of what ‘Screw Loose’ is,” she said. Plus, she knows how to make people laugh.

set me apart, I think, is my voice “ What versus my body. Because I am so small and my voice is big, that’s a shock factor on first impression, and it’s also comedic.

I was one of only two participants who chose something funny, and everyone wants to laugh.

”

— Bethany Mansfield

Bethany Mansfield

Nominated by a professor, Mansfield first competed in the regional acting round but didn’t advance.

However, a new musical theatre initiative allows students to sign up and audition on site, and that’s the one where she shone. Each competitor had to present two contrasting songs to the judges.

Mansfield performed “The Boy Next Door,” a love ballad from Meet Me in St. Louis, and “Screw Loose,” a wild piece about a crazy girl stalking a boy from Cry-Baby: The Musical. She made it to the final, where she performed “Screw Loose.” To emphasize the lyrics about carving her beloved’s name on her arm, Mansfield wrote on her arms with a magic

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At the national festival, Mansfield got to take part in workshops with Tony Award-nominated Broadway actors, to attend several performances, and to perform herself on the Kennedy Center stage. “It was surreal,” she said. “A lot of people work their whole lives to get to that place.” And once again, she impressed the judges, winning a partial scholarship to a three-week intensive summer program at the Open Jar Institute, an actor training program in New York City.

Mansfield credits the AU faculty with preparing her well for the competitions. “The way I approach singing entirely changed after taking vocal lessons from Deirdre Francis,” she said, adding that yoga and different mouth techniques have helped relieve tension that affected her performance. From Deborah McEniry, she has learned how to make her acting more honest and more natural. Perhaps even

Bethany Mansfield performing in White Christmas at The South Carolina School of the Arts

more important is the encouragement that keeps her striving to improve. “I’ve always been selfdisciplined and motivated,” she said. “But AU has pushed me over the edge as far as motivation. It’s great knowing I can offer so much if I just try.”

Mansfield grew up in a musical family in Gastonia, North Carolina. Her dad is a sergeant in the Army, and her mom homeschooled all four children. After high school, Anderson University was the clear choice for Mansfield’s next step. “The talent level at AU impressed me so much, also the kindness of the faculty and students, which I hadn’t experienced at other universities I toured,” she said. “None of them had the heart and passion and love for Christ that Anderson did.”

Her goal is to work professionally in children’s theater, and she gained some great experience this summer in a job with a children’s theater company in Missoula, Montana. As a touring actor and director, she traveled the U.S. taking theater to children who don’t get a lot of arts opportunities in their communities.

She has returned for her junior year at AU, where she has plenty of fans. That includes Dr. David Larson, dean of The South Carolina School of the Arts and professor of theatre, who says of Mansfield, “She’s an exceptional talent.”

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united with a passion...

Alumni News

Contributors raise more than $92,000 for AU projects during university renewal of “A DAY”

By Evelyn Beck

Some alumni may recall that Anderson University used to hold an annual “A Day” to celebrate all things Anderson and foster pride in the institution.

This year the tradition was renewed as the Office of Development spearheaded the 2017 version of “A Day” with a definite modern touch: the day’s activities were splashed across a host of social media platforms with pictures of students and alumni celebrating in their black and gold. Photos and comments were posted in real time on andersonuniversity.edu.

“We are beyond thankful for all the support given by our alumni, donors, faculty, staff and friends of AU,” said Associate Vice President for Development and Planned Giving Bert Epting, who led the effort to revive “A Day”.

year marks the first of many A Days “ This to come where all the AU family will come together to celebrate, serve, and support a place that has meant so much to so many…

Anderson pride!

”

— Bert Epting Associate Vice President for Development and Planned Giving

While the day was for showing pride in Anderson University, it also gave friends of the university and students an opportunity to support AU financially, and support it they did. More than $92,000 was raised to support projects identified by athletics and the colleges and schools that make up AU. Organizers found that alumni had affinity for the programs that they participated in as students and that affinity translated into a higher level of giving. Four hundred and sixty-five people made gifts, mostly online, making it the biggest day of fundraising in AU history in terms of individual contributors.

It also translated into the most money raised for AU online in a single day.

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Students even got in on the giving as proceeds from T-shirts sold throughout the day went toward the senior class gift, a place of beauty and quiet reflection constructed between the Vandiver building and the Pratt residence hall. Chick-fil-A, which operates a retail food location in the new G. Ross Anderson, Jr. Student Center, chose “A Day” as the perfect time to debut a new milkshake machine, which proved extremely popular throughout the day and supported the cause as well.

Which of the “A Day” causes drew the most support?

Not surprisingly, it was athletics, which raised enough in contributions to outfit a new, state-ofthe-art weight and fitness room.

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Jason’s COLUMN

By jason rutland, Associate Vice President for Alumni & Parent Engagement

New College of Health Professions programs give me hope for the future of healthcare I will start by saying that I was—and still am— tremendously frightened by doctor’s offices. After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in June 2014, I realized that I had better learn to give that anxiety over to God. If not, I would be unduly affected by how pleasant the doctors, physical therapists and nurses were when tending to me.

I’ve had some great professionals in all three areas, but there were some who’ve come off as rude.

When AU launched the School of Nursing, I was very excited, for it is a field in high demand.

Fast-forward a few years, and I am excited for a different reason: I’ve had the privilege of being the patient of several AU-educated nurses at local medical facilities. Doctor friends of mine have also said they’ve been impressed by AU-educated nurses.

Refreshing. The people are refreshing; the atmosphere is refreshing. There is something really different here.

As we expand our College of Health Professions, I am excited about what this means for people who may have experienced despair and are searching for hope. From our Doctor of Nursing Practice to the hiring of the founding chair of our Doctor of Physical Therapy program, Dr. Martha (Marty) Hinman, I am excited about the future of healthcare!

If you run a Google search for the words “excited for the future of healthcare,” my mention of it in

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this column may be the only time you find it in today’s discourse on the subject. But I digress: I am excited for families that are looking for professional options in the medical field that coincide with their faith and values. They want to send their children to AU so they’ll be equipped for the more secular atmosphere in med school that may not respect their Christian faith.

Some of the latest crop of our Bachelor of Science in Nursing grads are already excited about the possibility of continuing their education under the guidance of Christian professors teaching graduate nursing and physical therapy at AU. I am excited for the lives that our health profession grads will touch in the mission field of healthcare.

Lastly, I am excited that our Board of Trust, AU President Dr. Evans Whitaker, and the rest of our administration continue to look for the ways that this institution can best serve the world for the Kingdom of God.

I would love to hear what you have learned from Anderson. You may email me at jrutland@andersonuniversity.edu or call me at 864.231.2444. I would love to speak with you about your time on campus!

When you “Light the Journey� by making your annual Anderson Fund gift, order this exclusive cooler to demonstrate your Anderson pride. Quantities are limited, so make your gift today!

To make your gift, return the enclosed envelope or go to www.AndersonUniversity.edu/giving/online. Once you have made your gift, please contact Mimsy Barfoot at 864.231.2102 to order your special cooler.

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athletic news...

Trojans in motion!

Love and Burton named

top athletes at Senior Awards Banquet

Christopher Burton & Haylee Love

Women’s cross country and track standout Haylee Love and men’s track standout Christopher Burton were honored as the Female and Male Athletes of the Year, respectively, at the AU Athletics’ Senior Awards Banquet last April.

Love became the first Trojan cross country runner to qualify for the NCA A National Championships since former All-American Whitney Bishoff earned back-to-back appearances in 2008 and 2009 and again during the 2011 campaign. She is also the first Anderson student-athlete to make an appearance at the NCA A Indoor Track and Field Championships 3 8 | AT H L E T I C N E W S

since Bishoff qualified for the 2011 NCA A Championships. Love was one of only two women’s competitors from the South Atlantic Conference to compete in the championships.

She earned Second-Team All-South Atlantic Conference honors last season in both cross country and track, while capturing All-Southeast Region accolades in cross country.

Burton owned the fourth-fastest time in the 200 meter dash in the NCA A-Division II ranks last season, while earning All-America honors after

finishing fifth in the finals of the 200 meter dash at the 2017 NCA A Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He brought home first place in the 100 meter and 200 meter dash at both the Emory Classic and the Montreat Invitational during the season.

were recognized by the South Atlantic Conference, as Ascarrunz and Dayton were picked to the AllSAC First Team doubles, Bidegain to All-SAC First Team singles, Carracedo and Ascarrunz were placed on the All-SAC Honorable Mention Team for singles play.

A native of Johnston, S.C., Burton earned back-toback AstroTurf SAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week honors and captured First-Team All-Conference honors when he won the 100 meter dash and 200 meter dash at the South Atlantic Conference Championships in record time.

Anderson to Host South Atlantic Conference Men’s Golf and Softball Championships At the conclusion of the conference meetings in June, the South Atlantic Conference announced that Anderson University will host the South Atlantic Conference Men’s Golf Championship and the SAC Softball Championship in April 2018. The two title events will mark the second and third SAC Championships to be held in the Electric City after the Trojans hosted the 2015 SAC Volleyball Championships at the Abney Athletic Center.

The three-day SAC Men’s Golf Championship is slated for April 8-10 at Cobb’s Glen Country Club, with all 11 teams battling for the conference title and each golfer aiming for the individual championship.

The single elimination softball tournament is scheduled for April 27-28 at the AU Softball Complex, with the top eight teams in the league standings vying for the league title and an automatic berth in the NCA A Southeast Regional.

Rebecca Bruning

Tennis

Women’s Basketball

Standouts Juan Carracedo and Rebecca Bruning were selected as the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Tennis Scholar-Athletes of the Year. The award recognizes excellence in athletics, academics, service and leadership. Carracedo’s and Bruning’s selection marks the first time in program history that a member of the Anderson tennis team has earned the accolade and first since former Anderson men’s basketball standouts Chandler Hash and Nick Trull claimed the honor. Trull was a back-to back recipient in both 2011 and 2012 while Hash followed suit for back-to-back honors in 2013 and 2014.

The Trojans posted their third straight 20-win season and advanced to the NCA A Southeast Region Tournament for the sixth time in the last eight years.

Guard Alexy Mollenhauer earned South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year honors and went on to help lead her home country, Azerbaijan, to the gold medal in 3-on-3 competition at the fourth Islamic Solidarity Games.

Bruning also captured CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-America after being named FirstTeam All-South Atlantic Conference at the conclusion of the season. Teammates Ivey Welborn and Laura Dean also garnered all-conference honors. Men’s tennis players Nicolas Ascarrunz, Jeffrey Dayton, Ignacio Bidegain and Carracedo

Men’s Basketball At the conclusion of the 2016-17 season, sophomore guard Randall Shaw was named First-Team AllSouth Atlantic Conference and went on to claim Second-Team All-Southeast Region accolades from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA).

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Baseball The junior duo of William Thomas and Tyler Miller earned All-South Atlantic Conference honors at the conclusion of the 2017 campaign. Thomas, a native of Irmo, S.C. captured Second-Team accolades after leading the team and ranking eighth in the league with a .375 batting average, while starting all 48 games in center field for the Trojans.

Miller was named Honorable Mention All-SAC after starting all 48 games and ranking second on the squad with a .326 batting average.

men’s golf team to a ninth-place finish at the rain-shortened 2017 South Atlantic Conference Championship last April. Hill became the first Anderson University golfer – men’s or women’s—to capture First-Team All-SAC accolades since the Trojans joined the conference for the 2011 campaign and is the first AU women’s golfer to earn SAC Freshman of the Year since Katie Eskew in 2011.

Sophomore Tiffany Elam garnered Second-Team All-SAC honors.

Softball

Track and Field

The Trojan softball team earned its sixth consecutive trip to the South Atlantic Conference Tournament, while junior catcher Cailah Niles was named to the to the 2017 Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Softball All-Southeast Region Second Team. She was named the SAC Statistical Champion in slugging percentage, home runs per game and RBI per game, while also capturing Second-Team All-SAC accolades.

With a dozen Trojan student-athletes earning allconference honors on the final day, both track and field teams finished fifth at the 2017 SAC Track and Field Championships.

Golf Led by freshman All-Tournament selection Kate Hill, the women’s golf team posted its best finish since joining the South Atlantic Conference in 2011 by wrapping up the 2017 SAC Championship in fifth place, while senior Payton Whitlock paced the

Volleyball Todd Hay was announced as the new Trojan volleyball coach in March. Hay is familiar with the South Atlantic Conference, the state of South Carolina and the region after serving the past five seasons at the helm of the Newberry volleyball program. He posted an overall 84-72 mark at Newberry, while leading the Scarlet and Grey to four appearances in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament, including three appearances in the semifinals, and a pair of appearances in the NCA A Southeast Regional Tournament.

Tyler Miller

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Please direct inquiries to Dr. Beverly Rice McAdams, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion/Title IX Administrator, Merritt Administration Building, 3rd floor, 316 Boulevard, Anderson, SC 29621, (864) 231-2126. bmcadams@andersonuniversity.edu or to the Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education at ocr@ed.gov.