CSU magazine Spring 2022

- PAGE 8 In The Olympics - PAGE 20 On “The Voice” - PAGE 22 As a Lifestyle - PAGE 30 On Mt. Everest

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magazine

volume 32

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number 1

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Spring 2022

On the cover: Dr. Don Lauer ‘21, on right, conquered the Himalayas with his son, Matt, center, and his uncle, Dr. Ralph C. Jones Jr., retired U.S. Navy Captain and surgeon/oncologist, on left.

Photo provided © 2022 Charleston Southern University

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EDITORIAL STAFF:

CONTRIBUTORS:

Ty Cornett Multimedia Producer

Aneris Photography

Richard Esposito ’21, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication

Monifa Badseo, Picture Perfect Photography

Jenna Johnson ’21 MBA, Associate Director of Marketing and Communication

Charleston Regional Business Journal

Jan Joslin ’82, Editor, CSU Magazine; Editorial Director

Tyler Golden NBC

Zachary Pace ’21 Web Content Strategist

Makena Griffis ’25

Tyler Stokes Creative Director, Brand Manager

Chris Haston NBC

CSU Magazine is published three times a year by the office of marketing and communication for alumni and friends of Charleston Southern University.

Mackenzie Lappin ’19

Dr. Arnold Hite

Contact us: magazine@csuniv.edu Address changes: csudevelopment@csuniv.edu

Dr. Anthony J. Mack Peggy Pinnell ’70 Tumbleston Photography Damara Williams, Mara’s Eye Photography

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contents LEARNING

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How To: Add Physical Fitness

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Nielsen Family Gift Benefits College of Business

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SEVP-certified IEP Course

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Online Programs Nationally Recognized

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New Trustees

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Don Lauer Humbled by the Himalayas

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EdD Grad’s Prestigious Awards

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CSU’s First Doctoral Graduates

LEADING

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Antoniette Beeks Inspiring Cooks

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Irick’s Advancing Career

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Mulern Jean in the Olympics

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Aaron Hines’ 4-Chair Turn on “The Voice”

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Peggy Pinnell Breaks Barriers

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CSU in Charleston’s Most Influential

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Paglia Living Life to Fullest

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CSU’s Health Care Heroes

SERVING

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Nursing Alum Ministers in Bolivia

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CSU View: Hite Reflects on Gift of Adventure

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CSU Beats 10K Shoebox Goal

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Library’s Labor of Love

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They Call Him Mr. OCC

SCHOOL TIES

Sunset over Buccaneer Field on a warm fall evening.

Design and layout by: Bob Durand Design facebook.com/bobduranddesign

Photo by Ty Cornett

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Class Notes

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Baby Bucs

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In Memory

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Giving Day – April 13

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Former Coach Writes Book

Printed by: Knight Printing and Graphics knightpandg.com

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PRESIDENT’s message This is our Golden Hour. Ticktock.

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lmost everyone who has seen combat up close would affirm General William T. Sherman’s observation that “war is hell.” But in case my childhood Sunday School teacher is inclined to wash out my mouth with soap for using the “H” word in polite company, I want her to know that I am among those who agree that, at the very least, war is not heaven.

Despite the unheavenly realities of war in a fallen world, God’s sovereignty is on full display as we see the many ways good can result from the dreadful conflicts we wish would never take place. In a sense, many who bear the scars of battle echo Charles

Dickens by observing that the circumstances leading to their scars were “the best of times” and “the worst of times.”

National restorations, political realignments, humanitarian successes, technological advances, religious revivals, inspirational examples of courage under fire, comradery forged among warfighters in the trenches, and a litany of lessons learned in every skirmish routinely outlast the ceasefire. Others can decide if these benefits are worth their costs, but the benefits nonetheless persist as evidence that all things work together for good in God’s good time.

One substantial benefit from the first two

President Dr. Dondi Costin welcomes Chapel speaker Major General Rodney Lewis to a fall Chapel program. Photo by Ty Cornett

Fazal, Tanisha M., Todd Rasmussen, Paul Nelson, and P.K. Carlton, “How long can the U.S. military’s golden hour last?”, 8 October 2018, https://warontherocks.com/2018/10/how-long-can-the-u-s-militarys-golden-hour-last/. Accessed 27 February 2022.

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By Dr. Dondi E. Costin

decades of 21st-century warfare is the lingering significance of what combat medics call the “golden hour.” Every second counts when your life is on the line, none more critical for a wounded warrior than each tick of the clock in those first 60 minutes following a traumatic battlefield injury. Our medics have learned that the odds of survival increase dramatically when the right people provide the right treatments in the right way at the right time, so our military medical evacuation system exists to seize that golden hour with gusto[1]. Without question, saving a hero’s life is a benefit that is always worth the cost.

Survival in these situations requires decisive, coordinated action as the bullets fly and the battle rages. Since there is no way to pause the clock counting down the golden hour, action is the only avenue through adversity. Because evil triumphs when good people do nothing, doing good in the face of adversity is the best kind of adventure this side of heaven.

The biblical heroine Esther learned this lesson the hard way from her older, wiser cousin Mordechai. Standing at the crossroads of faith and fear, wondering if putting her life on the line to save others was worth the cost, Esther hesitated until Mordechai convinced her that the clock was already ticking on her golden hour. In Mordechai’s words, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).

Although every generation of Christians has at some point considered their culture to be on the eve of destruction, something about this cultural moment seems closer to that particular 11th hour than many Christians can remember. Not coincidentally, significant current declines in church attendance mirror appreciable rises in anxiety, depression, and a host of other maladies that put our friends and family at risk. Unlike any previous generation in modern memory, the generation now coming of age lacks a healthy sense of meaning and purpose found

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LEARNING

How to: only in genuine Christian community.

We seem increasingly on the losing side of cultural battles that pit societal and scriptural understandings of human flourishing against one another. Every generation has managed to rage against the machine in one way or another, but our generation has also managed to rage from the machine—that handheld device that emboldens us to say the vilest things about our neighbor in cyberspace that we would never say to their face.

In times like these, it is tempting to respond in kind by being similarly unkind. Commanding our neighbors to “get off our lawn” might delude us into thinking we have won the battle against those whose perspectives are so radically different from our own. As good as that might feel in the heat of battle, we have been called to so much more than that.

Scripture reminds us that our “enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). As a result, too many of our neighbors lie bloodied, beaten, and bruised on the battlefield. Now is the time for coordinated, decisive action to rescue them, escort them to safety, and invite them into the abundant life Jesus has in mind: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

I recently heard Jim Denison distinguish between God’s geographical call and His chronological call. With the former, the Lord calls you to serve in a particular place. With the latter, He calls you to serve during a particular time period, even if you wish He had called you to serve in another. Who knows that we have been called to our respective positions for such a time as this? This is our golden hour. Ticktock.

The Rolling Stones were not right about everything, but they were right about this: time waits for no one. Your neighbors need you to rush to their aid, so get on with it. Seize their golden hour. What are you waiting for?

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Add physical fitness to your life to improve your health

By Anthony J. Mack

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id you, like many of us, set new goals with the new year revolving around physical fitness and improving your health – whether by diet, shedding a few pounds, or even exercising more?

Momentum is strong at first and may dwindle over time, and that sense of new that so sparked one’s excitement gets lost in the wilderness of life. Perhaps that loss of momentum brings up shortcomings in your past physical fitness ventures and discourages you from trying again, and the next thing you know you are part of the 76.8% of U.S. adults over the age of 18 that do not meet the physical activity guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity [1].

But be encouraged; you don’t need to succumb to that statistic, past failures, or even a new year to help tackle your physical fitness goals. Every day is a new opportunity. Be reminded of what Isaiah 43:18-19 declares:

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

Jesus is doing a new thing daily in your life, and that doesn’t exclude your health and physical fitness. Paul declares to the church of Corinth, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor. 6:19-20 ESV). This begs the question: how do we take care of the bodies God gave us while navigating the rivers of life? How do I add physical fitness to my life? continued on page 40 >>

https://www.acsm.org/education-resources/trending-topics-resources/physical-activity-guidelines

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, June 11).

FASTSTATS - exercise or physical activity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 20, 2022, from https:// www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/exercise.htm

[1]

Wilder RP, Greene JA, Winters KL, Long WB 3rd, Gubler K, Edlich RF. Physical fitness assessment: an update. J Long Term Eff Med Implants. 2006;16(2):193-204. doi: 10.1615/ jlongtermeffmedimplants.v16.i2.90. PMID: 16700660.

[2]

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“He was known for doing anything for his friends and family.”

– Roger Nielsen

Hans A. Nielsen with his granddaughter, Kristen Nielsen Donnelly, shortly before his death.

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MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR GIFT ESTABLISHES HANS A. NIELSEN COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

By Jenna Johnson / Photos provided

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harleston Southern’s business school now has a new name after receiving a $2 million dollar commitment from an alumnus and his family.

Roger Nielsen ’74, his wife, Joyce, and their children, Brian and Kristen, made one of CSU’s largest gifts yet in honor of Roger’s father, Hans A. Nielsen.

“Roger and his family have extended their legacy as difference makers by investing their resources to support generations of CSU students following in Roger’s footsteps,” President Dondi Costin said. “The Nielsens’ pacesetting gift will reap eternal dividends as it enables the Hans A. Nielsen College of Business to recruit, develop, and graduate savvy servant leaders who live significant lives—exactly like the family for which the business college is named.”

The Nielsen family are long-time supporters of the university, including CSU Athletics and the College of Business. In 2018, Roger Nielsen, a Baptist College at Charleston grad and former Buccaneer catcher, committed $500,000 to CSU’s baseball program. The ballpark was named Nielsen Field to honor the family’s altruism.

Dr. David Palmer, dean of the Hans A. Nielsen College of Business, said this gift will allow the business school to greatly improve its external relevance and internal excellence.

“The generosity and vision of the Nielsens will aid us in building upon our brand in the global education community,” Palmer said.

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“Improved presence and visibility require more faculty research, conference presentations, publications, and service in the business learning community. The gift will also improve excellence through better teaching, online learning, and physical assets. Ultimately, it provides a differentiated brand for our business alumni in the years to come.”

The Nielsens never sought recognition for previous support of CSU. The building of the Singleton Baseball Complex changed that. The baseball alum felt inspired by Buccaneer baseball player Chris Singleton’s “Love is stronger than hate” message delivered worldwide only one day following the Emanuel 9 tragedy. Roger watched Singleton, then a rising sophomore, with amazement. It was that moment that led him to contribute to the athletic program and CSU on a grander scale.

Roger, who earned an accounting degree within the business school, credits his time at CSU for the life he has now. He built a successful business career as the owner of Philadelphia-based Abbey Color Incorporated, and he recently passed the torch to his children, Brian Nielsen, CEO, and Dr. Kristen Nielsen Donnelly, COO. “Through trials and tribulations, we’ve always come out on top,” Roger said of he and his family’s success in business. “We were taught to create wealth, not accumulate it.

It is our family’s prayer that this naming of the College of Business will assist in bring-

ing opportunities to the university that will provide a revenue stream for not only the university, but for staff, faculty, and students as well. Our family is committed to not only provide money to this effort but to also provide sweat equity to make the Nielsen College of Business at CSU known locally, within the state, nationally, and eventually worldwide as an excellent place to experience the tangible efforts and subsequent rewards of participating in God’s Kingdom.”

The Namesake Roger’s father Hans—a Danish pronunciation, like hand or handsome—hailed from Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Hans was born in 1921 to a carpenter, Niels Jorgen Nielsen, and live-in domestic, Leonora Jensen Nielsen.

The Nielsens were immigrants from Denmark, making their life in America around the time of a world war and a pandemic.

Hans was the eldest of two sons and was responsible for much of his younger brother’s care as well as household chores while his mother worked 6.5 days each week.

After convincing his father to let him finish high school—because Jorgen was of the mind that a carpenter only needed an eighth-grade education—Hans graduated with his diploma.

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LEARNING

The Vision

Dr. Dondi Costin, center, and the Nielsen family, Brian Nielsen, Kristen Nielsen Donnelly, Joyce Nielsen, and Roger Nielsen, pose in front of Roger’s Buccaneer baseball jersey.

Hans served in World War II on the USS Aguila, a supply ship involved in the invasion of North Africa. He was mustered in 1942 and received an honorable discharge in 1945. He spent most of his life as a master carpenter in New Jersey.

“He was known for doing anything for his friends and family,” Roger said of his dad.

“Most of the time it involved his carpentry skills in some fashion—upgrading a friend’s kitchen, adding an addition to a home, and fine carpentry like making cabinets, even delicate China cabinets, were some of his many projects for others.” Hans also built his family’s home.

One of Hans’ final projects using his talents was of a grandfather clock for his daughter-in-law, Joyce. It was a barter agreement with Roger since Joyce had not received a diamond ring for their engagement due to finances. This was a travesty to Hans, Roger explained. “The clock was completed in early April 1983 with the help of his daughter, Lynn, just before he lost his leg to infection.

He had dragged himself down a spiral staircase to finish the clock in his workshop. One piece of front molding he finished five times before he was satisfied with its outcome.”

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Joyce shared a moment just recently when she entered her home office. “My eyes fell upon the little blackboard that Dad used to have sitting on his workbench in the basement. ‘Hans’ Workshop’ it reads. As I looked at the set of carpenter’s tools painted on it and thought of how ably he made use of them, I was reminded not just of his skill but of Dad’s work ethic, of how he always brought his best efforts to whatever he was building, of how Hans’ Workshop was a place of commitment to quality, to loving and painstakingly creating something that, when finished, he could always be proud of,” she said.

The family equates that same thought to the College of Business at CSU. “It is our prayer that it will be a workshop that will help build, in the students who pass through here, lives based on integrity and commitment to excellence, lives dedicated to producing something of great and lasting value, and to shaping ones the Master Carpenter will look at and say, ‘well done,’” Joyce added.

One of Hans’ final acts of perseverance was evident when he was on his deathbed.

He waited until he could see and hold his first grandchild, Kristen. He passed away 2.5 weeks after that.

Past anonymous gifts and contributions from the Nielsens have allowed the business school to grow its Center for Personal Financial Management and offer new opportunities for students. Donnelly, through the company’s newest division, Abbey Research, partnered with the business school in 2020 to create the Community Research Institute.

Its purpose is to provide evidence-based solutions to the community through projects spearheaded by Abbey Research and executed

by Charleston Southern students and faculty.

Donnelly’s involvement in the education sector and with CSU students and faculty has allowed her an inside look on the significance of philanthropy at this level. “There is something special happening in North Charleston, South Carolina, and really what it comes down to is that we like to be a part of good things happening. [The College of Business] is something special, and we are proud to put our name on it.”

Palmer added, “We are extremely excited about the Nielsens’ confidence in and support of the mission of CSU and the College of Business. Because of the Nielsen family, we can better accomplish our mission to prepare our Buccaneer business grads for purpose-filled lives.”

The Hans A. Nielsen College of Business will host a celebration later this spring in honor of the Nielsen family and naming of the college. The Nielsens’ commitment supports CSU’s Limitless Campaign. For more information about Limitless, or to learn how you may support the Nielsen College of Business and CSU, please contact the Office of Development at csudevelopment@csuniv.edu.

Dr. David Palmer, dean of the Nielsen College of Business; David Baggs, vice president for development, and President Dondi Costin accept the donation from Roger, Joyce, and Brian Nielsen, and Kristen Nielsen Donnelly.

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CSU offers area’s only SEVP-certified IEP course

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on-English speakers in the Lowcountry may better prepare for higher education in the United States through the Intensive English Program at Charleston Southern. Participants in the program take 18 hours of instruction per week with additional optional courses to gain better English-speaking skills.

Students may attend for as many as three semesters depending on their level. Upon program completion, students can matriculate into CSU’s academic programs or elsewhere, or enter a career of their choice in an English-speaking country.

As director of the CSU Center for Global Education, Stephanie LeVan said that the IEP is exactly what the local community needs. “The Charleston region has a diverse population with international residents from every inhabited continent. International students or international residents already here in Charleston can attend the IEP to strengthen their English language fluency before they advance into degree programs at higher education institutions,” she said.

CSU’s IEP is the only university-based SEVP-certified English language program in the Lowcountry that can issue an I-20 for a

student visa in the United States. The Student and Exchange Visitor Program is a program within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

LeVan shared examples of students currently in the IEP: a licensed dentist in her country of origin who would like to take exams in the U.S. for licensure; a prospective student who needs to improve his English scores to be accepted into a university; and a permanent U.S. resident who recently moved into the Charleston region and wants to improve his English.

For more info, charlestonsouthern.edu/IEP.

CSU Nationally Recognized for Online Programs

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.S. News and World Report lists Charleston Southern University on its Best Online Programs for 2022 rankings.

Charleston Southern’s Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans is ranked No. 21 nationally, and is the top-ranked program in South Carolina. Additionally, CSU is ranked No. 29 nationally for Best Online Bachelor’s Programs.

Dr. Dondi E. Costin, president, said, “These national rankings showcase the impressive value students receive through their Charleston Southern education. CSU graduates are equipped with a biblical worldview, competencies to perform at the highest levels, and experiences to grow their grit as they go on to make a world-changing difference in their own spheres of influence.”

Other CSU programs named to the 2022 Best Online Programs rankings are the Online Bachelor’s Programs in Business and the Online Master’s Business Degree Programs (non-MBA).

U.S. News and World Report evaluates 1,600 online degree programs in compiling the list.

CSU Welcomes New Trustees

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ive new members have been appointed to the Board of Trustees and will serve through 2026.

Robbie Baxley is senior pastor of Mullins First Baptist Church in Mullins. He is a former director of radiology and is currently a Master of Divinity student at Anderson University.

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Ron Brantley is owner of Brantley Construction. He lives in Summerville and is a former member of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Visitors Scholarship Program.

Bill Carpenter ’84 is a certified public accountant and resides in Goose Creek. He is a former member of the Board of Trustees and is a member of the BOV Visitors Scholarship Program.

Dean Murphy is a practicing attorney in Charleston and previously served on the BOT. Jeff Wildes is a financial planner with Wildes Financial Planning in Georgetown. He is a member of the BOV Scholarship Program and a former BOT.

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BY THE Dr. Don Lauer ’21 Climbs Everest with Son

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Three-time alumnus and adventurer Don Lauer has tackled what most would only dream of doing.

By Jenna Johnson / Photos provided

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hen his son Matthew was only 8 years old, Lauer made a promise he intended to keep. “We free climbed a mountain peak about 1,000-feet high, and I was explaining to him some of the mountain structures. I told him, ‘Look, as long as you want to keep climbing mountains with me, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.’” Last April, he lived up to that pact—making the trek up Mt. Everest with Matt.

At times, their journey to Everest seemed a far-fetched, unattainable idea—especially during a global pandemic. The 45-year-old network engineer was, after all, in his final year of the Doctor of Education in leadership program at Charleston Southern. His then 16-year-old son, Matt, was also in school.

But nothing would keep Lauer from this grand adventure—not even a health scare.

WITH Lauer and his son planned their trip for April 2021. It took more than a year to prepare. There was a lot to do beyond just travel arrangements—things like hiring excellent guides, securing the right equipment, and preparing their bodies for intense conditions with physical training.

“The only hill we have in Charleston is the Cooper River Bridge—I would windedly hike it,” Lauer said. His supportive wife set up a workout routine for him to build up his endurance. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, Lauer, who works in network engineering for Naval Information Warfare Center (previously SPAWAR), transitioned to a work-from-home environment.

He would work out during lunch and immediately after work. Training happened nearly every day.

Exactly four weeks out from their trip across the world, Lauer hit a roadblock that threatened to destroy their big plans. His heart went into atrial fibrillation, also known as Afib. Lauer had a team of cardiologists run tests and extend guidance. His biggest question: “Could I physically survive and go?”

Due to his physical training leading up to that point, and the fact that Lauer would be joining a medical missionary team on the trip, the doctors cleared him for travel with the caveat that he would need a heart ablation after his return.

BUILT WITH Some may wonder how Lauer could entertain a potentially dangerous trek up one of the highest elevations on the planet, but a look into Lauer’s life illustrates this Buccaneer’s grit. A Navy veteran, Lauer was medically released from the military in a full body cast. After an early retirement, he began working in civil service and sought to advance his education. He completed his

bachelor’s in 2007 and master’s in 2009 from CSU. Ironically, Lauer’s capstone project in his final semester of the Master of Business Administration program was a case study that CSU would have the market for a doctoral program.

In addition to working and going to school, Lauer was also raising a family with his wife, Danylle. They have five children.

Though life as a working professional and

“Look, as long as you want to keep climbing mountains with me, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”

– Don Lauer to his son, Matt

Dr. Don Lauer ’07, ’09, ’21

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father kept him busy, his bucket list included going back to school yet again for his doctorate—that and traveling the world.

Growing up on the West Coast, mountaineering was no new concept for Lauer. He had been on plenty of treks before. His spirit of adventure also recharged with mission work in Honduras and Africa. Having traveled with Lauer on mission trips, his equally adventurous kids have also joined him on adventure trips in the U.S. and Canada. “It really started with mission work around the world,” he said. “If you’re unafraid to jump on a donkey and ride to a remote village in the middle of nowhere, then climbing a mountain [can be done]. The mission field is good training.”

Matt said he is grateful for the many trips with his dad. “He has only fueled my ambition to go on more crazy adventures,” he added.

Trips with his sons have meant something special to Lauer. “It welcomes them to manhood,” he said. “It’s that time individually where we have that goal together and that struggle together. It’s a bond between father and son that you can’t replace.”

One fateful day, Lauer made a different kind of trek—this time joining one of his sons on a campus tour at CSU. While walking by a table in the Dining Hall, Lauer stumbled upon a sign announcing CSU’s first doctoral program. He was immediately hooked and began another academic journey with his alma mater to fulfill another bucket list item.

TRIP OF A When Lauer began planning a monthlong trip clear across the globe to hike a famous mountain, he knew he’d have to take some time off work as well as school. The EdD team and Dorchester County School District 2 made it work for Lauer and his son. Amazed with how supportive his work, CSU, and Matt’s school were before and during the trip, Lauer commented, “I thoroughly believe God ordained this for us to go.”

The Lauer duo left with their team on April 13. With COVID still at its height, Matt and Don were the only humans in the international terminal at one point. Once in Nepal, it took them 12 days to get to base camp, but only three days to make their way back. “On the way up, you have to worry about altitude and acclimation,” Lauer said.

“You’d take one step and it felt like you’d

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run 50. I’d take a few steps and breathe.”

So much of the experience left Lauer captivated. First, with the people. Lauer encountered a very resilient and gracious people on his trip, specifically the mountain guides who led him and his fellow teammates up Everest. “It’s mind-boggling the resilience of the Himalayan Sherpas,” Lauer said of the elite mountaineering people of that region. “I think the Sherpas are the only ones who can say they walked up and down both ways in the snow. They have an amazing work ethic.”

In Kathmandu—the capital of Nepal—the majority of its residents are Hindu. Further up the mountain are Buddhists. “It’s incredibly humbling to be around them,” said Lauer. “They were so incredibly nice and just so happy to see us. If you think of how our world was shut down by COVID, they have two 60-day tourist seasons and most of their money comes from us.”

Lauer also took in the vastness of God’s creation. “The Himalayas are incredibly humbling—they’re gorgeous,” he said, describing the mesmerizing views he encountered as he climbed. “There’s nothing like them in the world.”

As Lauer, Matt, and the rest of the team climbed, it was not lost on them how dangerous it could be. They walked through a memorial of hundreds of hikers who died making the same climb. Lauer said it was humbling to know that others died trying.

They hiked up over 20,000 feet and slept in -20 degree sleeping bags. Lauer experienced what felt like four seasons in a day.

He’d slather on sunscreen in the morning to avoid getting sunburn and would strip down to a T-shirt by midday. The highs would reach in the 30s and lows in the -20s. Sometimes they’d walk through blizzards, though it was the region’s summer season. To stay hydrated, they’d boil water at night to purify it and add it to Nalgene bottles to sustain them for their hike the next day.

Their goal was to make it to Everest Base Camp. A trip to the very top of Mt. Everest costs $40,000 for an American—that did not fit into their mission or budget. The four medical professionals on his team—including a surgeon, nurse practitioner, and EMT— did training at the villages and tent hospitals along the journey up the mountain to base camp. In addition to bringing resources, they did lectures each day after hiking.

“The only hill we have in Charleston is the Cooper River Bridge—I would windedly hike it.”

– Don Lauer

“The villages were dealing with COVID in real time. Each village needed different resources,” he explained. “One of the problems at Everest Base Camp—a literal tent— was Khumbu cough, which is basically a cold. But Khumbu cough and COVID have similar symptoms, so many would have to be evacuated to eliminate the spread.”

One teammate broke her foot and was medically evacuated. The rest of the team continued on.

Lauer said his hardest day was when they reached between 12,000 and 14,000-foot altitude. “Everyone hits a wall, and that was the wall that hit me the hardest. It’s hard to prepare because you don’t know how your body is going to react,” he said of the physical toll of the hike. “I just got really tired. My son got a little headache.”

Though physical fitness is vital, preparation and endurance are equal parts mental and emotional. The team received support along the way. Churches and hundreds of people, including CSU professors and students in Lauer’s cohort, sent text messages and emails to the Lauers and other teammates with prayers and words of encouragement. “You don’t think about that as part of the preparation—it opened up quite a bit of blessings for us. Messages always came at the right time when we’re cold and wet and exhausted,” he said.

Lauer was grateful for their guide and assistant guide from the Sherpa villages. “Our assistant guide was 21 and had been doing this for five or six years. The guide has done this 100 times,” he said. “They’re used to doing eight to 10 treks a year to make salary for the year.” Lauer added their team was the only group for the guide at that point in the year—the economic effects of COVID felt even in the smallest remote villages of India and Nepal.

The Delta variant of the virus was closing in on them at the end of their journey—they made it out of Nepal just in time. Lauer said, “God lined it up to get us in and out of the country safely.”

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SPIRIT OF Lauer had just one more mountain to climb upon his return to the states—his dissertation.

“A small amount of people pursue and finish a doctoral degree. Equally, a small amount of people pursue and climb Mt. Everest. Who does both at the same time?

Only Don Lauer,” said Dr. Robert Doan, assistant dean of the College of Education.

“Through faith in God and support of his family, Don was successful at both of these unique experiences. He demonstrates a lot of grit—which was also his main framework for his dissertation.”

He graduated in December with his doctoral degree—one of 23 trailblazers to walk across the stage as CSU’s first doctoral graduates. His dissertation is entitled GRIT: A Comparison of Military Versus Non-Military Students at a Private Christian University.

“I tell my kids to not quit. Don’t quit when it gets hard,” said Lauer. “If you won’t go a little bit beyond your comfort zone, you’re never going to grow and you’re never going to learn and you’re always going to be afraid. We’re not built to live in fear, we’re supposed to have a spirit of adventure.”

Matt checked a big box on his bucket list by climbing Mt. Everest. “My biggest takeaway from this is to be grateful for what I have,” he said. “We have been up and down the Himalayas and in every town with freezing temperatures there would be nothing but a furnace in a single big room for everyone to be in.”

This fall Matt will become a Buccaneer following in his father’s footsteps as well as the path of his older brother, Donnie, and mother. You will likely find him in the new Science and Engineering building on campus as he begins his studies in engineering.

What’s next for the Lauers? According to the newly titled Dr. Don Lauer: teaching, research, and Kilimanjaro.

One piece of advice from Don Lauer: “Avoid the yaks.” These are typically friendly creatures to people they know, but can become aggressive. They do have horns, after all.

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EdD Graduate Receives Prestigious Awards

By Jan Joslin

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ecent Doctor of Education graduate Tammy Thompson is one of three 2021 Institute Patient Experience Scholars for the Beryl Institute, and the only American to receive the award. According to their website, the Beryl Institute is a global community of healthcare professionals committed to transforming the human experience in healthcare.

Thompson also started a three-year fellowship with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2020. “The Culture of Health Leaders fellowship provides training and support for my strategic initiative to improve the culture of health in my community,” said Thompson. “I will focus my work over the next two years on a patient education/ health literacy program in North Carolina.”

To understand her impressive accomplishments, consider that Thompson also holds a full-time position with Vidant Health in North Carolina.

When Thompson joined the doctoral program, she was living in Charleston and working at the Medical University of South Carolina. “I transitioned to my current role in the fall of 2020, and I was so far along in the program, there was no turning back,” she said.

“The Christian support and encouragement I received from the program’s leadership, particularly Assistant Dean Dr. Robert Doan, confirmed for me that I could continue and successfully complete this program

by God’s grace,” said Thompson. “The leadership and research coursework aligned very well with my professional growth, providing the tools I needed to start a new role in a different state, in the midst of a pandemic, and successfully lead my team.”

An architect and an educator, Thompson joined Vidant Health as corporate director of experience design. “With a strong foundation in statistics from CSU, I earned my certified patient experience professional (CPXP) credential from the Beryl Institute while completing my doctoral studies,” she said.

Since completing her doctorate, Thompson is advancing her responsibilities in a new role as Administrator of Patient Education and Design while her team assumes

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Dr. Tammy Thompson accepts her diploma from President Dr. Dondi Costin. Photo by Ty Cornett

responsibility for patient education for the eight-hospital health system. She said, “As a healthcare designer and leader, I am using my doctoral education and research training to foster a culture of creativity and innovation to empower nurses and other healthcare professionals in healthcare delivery. This enables me to create and sustain supportive patient experiences. ” Thompson chose to concentrate her award-winning doctoral dissertation study on nurses because they spend more time with patients than other healthcare workers. “My study was focused on uncovering the innovation potential in nurses when they receive design training to solve their own problems in patient care delivery,” said Thompson. The study was inspired by Daniel Pink’s writings on the value of balancing right- and left-brain thinking – the textbook for Dr. Robin Franklin’s Creativity & Innovation course. With what she calls the dream team of a dissertation committee (including Doan, Franklin, and Dr. William

Ross, chair). Thompson’s study explored the challenges nurses face and how they can find solutions to their problems. She said, “Nurses need tools that will empower them as they solve problems for patients and families, and for themselves.”

Thompson is also president and founder of the nonprofit Institute for Patient-Centered Design, Inc., and is a member of the Consensus Committee on Newborn ICU Design.

While she has published multiple peer reviewed articles in her career, she credits CSU’s Doctor of Education program for teaching her how to conduct research. According to Thompson, her dissertation has received national attention and paved the way for the introduction of new knowledge in healthcare design and innovation. “I know this was God’s will, giving me the opportunity to disseminate the findings of my study as a Beryl Patient Experience Scholar during a time that it would be most useful to help nurses and patients,” Thompson said.

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First doctoral graduates from CSU turn tassels, make history

By Jenna Johnson

T

wenty-three professionals walked the stage of Lightsey Chapel in December to be hooded and become the first doctoral graduates of Charleston Southern. The Doctor of Education in leadership launched in January 2019 and is designed to provide current and aspiring leaders from a variety of disciplines the opportunity to attain a doctoral degree while also balancing a career.

Though credentials and leadership experience were a large part of their qualification for the program, Dr. Robert Doan said one trait stood out. “Over the three years of the program, we quickly learned being amazing leaders are their second-best quality,” Doan, assistant dean for the College of Education and interim chair of the EdD program, ex-

plained. “All of them have incredibly large hearts who love and care for each other.”

Grit was another trait Doan said shined through with this cohort, especially completing most of their work during a global pandemic. “Getting a doctoral degree is extremely difficult. When CSU closed and we needed to conduct classes online, this cohort was halfway through their Quantitative Statistics course…now they had to learn the material through Zoom. They persisted by forming study groups.”

He added that each student had every reason to take a break or stop the program, but they persisted. “The cohort pulled together and pushed forward. My favorite cohort memory is watching the cohort support each

other through comprehensive exams and the dissertation process. I cannot recall one dissertation defense that did not include a cohort member in the audience. I am so proud the students relied on their relationship with God and cohort members to finish.”

The first graduation of its kind at Charleston Southern, the new alumni represent a diverse group in every sense of the word.

The first cohort of students has careers in fields such as education, healthcare, and business. Ten of the 23 are Black women.

According to the National Science Foundation (2019), only 4.4% of doctoral degrees are earned by Black women.

Now a two-time alumnus of CSU, Priscilla Johnson ’06, ’21 EdD said this statistic blows

The first CSU doctoral students graduated in December. Photo by Ty Cornett

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• Danielle Moreau ’16 MEd – Effective Strategies for Teaching Intercultural Communicative Competence • April C. Sanders ’12, ’16 MEd – Academic Performance of Local vs. State Identified Female Gifted Students in South Carolina • Gary M. Seaboldt ’14 MEd – Elementary Music Teachers’ Perspectives of Culturally Responsive Teaching Photo by Aneris Photography

her away. “I think there was a mutual understanding amongst us without having to articulate it,” Johnson said. “Representation matters, and I’m glad to be part of history here at Charleston Southern University.”

Johnson currently serves as assistant principal of Joseph R. Pye Elementary School in Dorchester District Two. In the field of education, she has always considered herself a lifelong learner and knew a terminal degree would lead to a myriad of opportunities. All signs pointed to CSU. Being a part of the first doctoral cohort is not lost on Johnson. “Oh my goodness! Each time I think about it, I’m moved to tears. We were trusted to be pioneers for a program that will exist for years to come. It’s groundbreaking, and I’m humbled.”

Like many doctoral-level students, Johnson’s passion was demonstrated in her research. For her, it’s minority students having a voice in majority-centered systems.

For others, topics ranged from education to healthcare.

“To see a group of resilient students meet their lifelong goal of achieving a doctorate was inspiring,” said Dr. Julie Fernandez, dean of the College of Education. “I am proud of this diverse group of leaders who will change the world with their faith and knowledge of their field.”

Fernandez added that she is excited for what the future will bring to this program.

“We look forward to teaching more future leaders who want to learn best leadership practices and create research that will impact the future of South Carolina and beyond.”

First CSU doctoral graduates, along with their dissertation titles. Twelve are previous alumni, having attained a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree from CSU as well.

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• Amanda Snipe – Factors Influencing Minority Teacher Retention Decisions in Two South Carolina Lowcountry School Districts • Donna Timko – The Impact of Secondary Coursework on the Post-Secondary Academic Performance of First-Year Nursing Students • Shene White ’10 MEd – Impact of Selected Reading Intervention Strategies on State-Required Reading Assessments • Micah Behrens – Factors Associated with Teachers’ Decision Making and Response to Intervention Tier 1 Implementation • Courtney Creech – The Effects of the 4K Child Development Program on School Readiness • Quencenia Dantzler – Systems Thinking for Online Education • Priscilla Johnson ’06 – Intervention Before Identification: An Analysis of Culturally Response Teacher Self-Efficacy and Teacher Preparedness to Reduce Disproportion of Black Males in Special Education • Erica Taylor – A Study to Understand the Barriers Encountered by African American Women Education Superintendents in South Carolina • Angel Tucker ’01 – Digesting Diversity: Integrating Foodways to Create a Culturally Relevant Education in Secondary Schools

• Sherry Dial ’15 MSN – Is Web-Based Learning Effective in Preparing the Nursing Graduate to Meet Competency Objectives in The Nursing Profession: Faculties’ Perception • Donald Lauer ’07, ’09 MBA – GRIT: A Comparison of Military Versus Non-Military Students at A Private Christian University • Delane Neuroth – Tomorrow’s National Security: A Study on The Relationship Between Screen Time and The Health Motivation of College-Aged Youth at A Military Institution • Jeffrey Payne ’08 – Crisis in the Hallways: A Qualitative Study of Mental Health Crisis Intervention Training for School Resource Officers • Ashleigh Wojslawowicz ’10, ’13 MS – Recruiting Amidst Crisis: Exploring Police Recruit Motivations in A Post-Ferguson Era • Keeley Jarrett ’07, ’11 MEd – Preferred Principal Leadership Styles Conducive to Teacher Retention • Paula M. Browne – A Study of Soft Skills Acquisition of High School Students as Perceived by School Counselors • Arthea Simmons – The Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Student Learning in South Carolina Rural Schools: An Examination of Inequalities • Tammy Smith-Thompson – Caring for the Care Teams: Nurses Thriving and Innovating

by Design • Jerome Davis – The Impact of Employee Wellness Programs on Student Achievement in Title 1 Middle Schools in the Southeast Region of the United States • Mervin Jenkins ’01 MEd – The Effect of Hip-Hop Pedagogy on the Teacher-Student Relationship, Particularly of Black Boys.

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Antoinette Beeks ’97 Inspiring Cooks Young and Old

By Jan Joslin / Photo by Damara Williams, Mara’s Eye Photography

A Book for Everyone Even though After the Nest: The Culinary Edition was developed with the 20-something demographic in mind, it can be applied to all age groups. Whether you’re 22 and trying to find your cooking path or 55 and in a position where a dietary change is imperative, this book provides a map for both.

Why Focus on Nutrition?

I’ve been passionate for great food as long as I can remember. I was blessed to come from a background where food was both wholesome and nurturing. As I grew older, I came to appreciate food for its healing powers and how it can improve the trajectory of someone’s life.

Health as a Career Listening to your body is key. As a Health Coach (or Wellness Coach), I help my clients be more in tune to what their body is communicating. I listen to evaluate where they stand in their current dietary lifestyle. They hold space to envision what great health looks and feels like to them. Together, we develop a plan of action to achieve this vision.

A

fter graduating from CSU in 1997, Antoinette Beeks found she had three choices: starve, always order take out, or learn to cook.

Not only did she learn to cook, she is now a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and volunteers with Meals on Wheels senior resources division. She recently published After the Nest: The Culinary Edition to assist others. The book is available for purchase at afterthenestbook.com and in the CSU campus store.

Becoming an Author Writing a book came as a surprise to me.

Sometimes I still can’t believe it. I knew there was something the world needed, so I kept being obedient to God’s promptings and guidance.

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CSU’s Influence The New Testament course piqued my interest in becoming a Bible intellect coupled with the faith-based environment that strengthened my prayer life. The Student Activities work-study program helped mold my people skills. My greatest accomplishment was my Biology courses. They challenged me and fueled my interest in the dynamics of nature and the human body. All of these things contributed to my success.

What I do for fun I am blessed to be surrounded by supportive friends and family. I think my peers would describe me as a health enthusiast who enjoys fitness and home-cooked meals.

I also enjoy a brick oven pizza and a great burger on occasion. Drumming is my secret love, and any beach is my favorite place.

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Irick’s Education Advances Her Career

By Jan Joslin

D

r. Albany Cromer Irick’s career path is the perfect example of how a liberal arts major can transition to a high level job with a major impact.

Irick, who earned an English degree at the University of South Carolina, is inspired by a love of technology and teaching. Her liberal arts degree gave her a solid foundation to continue pursuing advances in her career and her education.

Her healthcare IT journey began in 2012 when the Medical University of South Carolina changed to an electronic health record system. She trained clinical staff in how to use the system. Irick said, “That position along with my hard work and dedication paved the way for me to gain more experience in other areas, which led to other promotions and opportunities within the organization. My career path was also inspired by servant leaders I had along the way, such as Nick Whichard, Angela Egner, Darrick Paul, and Anton Gunn.”

It was her Master of Science in organizational management degree in 2015 from Charleston Southern that prepared her in areas of negotiation, strategy, servant leadership, and critical thinking. After graduating from CSU, she earned a Doctor of Health Administration degree.

Currently, Irick is the Human Capital Management Functional Team Lead at MUSC and is spending 100% of her time on the implementation of the Enterprise Resource Planning for MUSC. She has stepped away temporarily from her role as Human Capital Director of Technology and HR Operations.

She said, “I lead a team of six workstream leads in the areas of core HR, compensation, learning, talent, recruitment, performance, benefits, payroll, time tracking, and absence.

I am responsible for reviewing and completing key deliverables on time, assessing, and reporting risk, presenting to executive leadership, engaging subject matter experts, and removing barriers for my team.”

Her career isn’t the only place Irick makes a difference. She is in her second year as an Honorary Commander for Joint Base Charleston, partnering with Lt. Col. Saheba

DeHenre of the 628th Communications Squadron. Irick meets with DeHenre’s team and assists them with career coaching, resume reviews, and more.

As a member of the Gamma Xi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., she works with her sorority sisters with donation drives, virtual symposiums on health and wellness, college exploration, and caregiver wellness. She is looking forward to serving on the advisory board for the Lt. Col. James B. Near Jr., USAF, ’77 Center for Climate Stud-

ies. NCCS promotes climate science through education, research, transition to operations, community engagement, and the development of public-private partnerships.

Irick and her husband, Quinton, were married in November 2021. Quinton is the quality and safety manager for pharmacy services at MUSC and has more than 15 years of experience in healthcare. She said, “We have two amazing teenagers, Kylie and Gorden, who are art students at Rollings Middle School of the Arts.”

FUN FACT: One of Irick’s favorite professors was Professor David Britt in the College of Adult and Professional Studies.

Dr. Albany Cromer Irick / Photo by Monifa Badseo, Picture Perfect Photography

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JEAN HER OWN RACE

By Makena Griffis ’25

nly 0.0013% of individuals make an individual spot on an Olympic Team, but Mulern Jean ’15 beat the odds and found herself a part of the statistic in 2016 and 2020, competing for Team Haiti because her parents are Haitian.

Today, the spotlight continues to vibrantly shine on former Charleston Southern University student-athlete, Jean. She was destined to adhere to Albert Einstein’s heroic quotation, “There comes a point in your life when you need to stop reading other

Mulern Jean competes during her undergraduate years.

Photo by CSU Sports

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people’s books and write your own.”

From postgraduation, to an Olympic athlete, and an advocate for public safety, Jean continues to articulate her story. Jean said, “Charleston Southern University became my new home when I was offered an NCAA D1 track scholarship by the Women’s Track and Field Program.

I remember touring the university and instantly falling in love with the atmosphere, Southern hospitality, and faith integration.”

Through grit and perseverance, Jean advises fellow student-athletes to prioritize

one’s goals and to not let anything or anyone stop you from accomplishing your goals.

After graduating from CSU in 2015, Jean participated in the 2016 Olympics, competing in the 100 meter hurdles, representing Team Haiti. Jean would accomplish this same goal four years later at the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

As far as Jean’s Olympic experience goes, 2016 was her first Olympics and the largest stage/championship she had ever competed in. Unfortunately, her anxious nerves kept

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Mulern Jean, in lane 7, at the 2020 Olympic games. Photo provided

her from competing her best. Jean would later compete in the 2020 Olympics and integrate her past experiences to focus on her race, personal identity, and her track lane. As a result, she ran a season’s best time to qualify her for the semifinals.

After competing in the Olympics in 2020, Jean acknowledges that her current everyday functionalities are quite challenging. However, this challenge is only the next chapter in her unfinished story. Jean said, “It is like you get this taste of what you can accomplish or how close you have gotten. But at this point, the season is over and you have to pick back up where you left off or try to get back to as close to where you were when you left off. However, there is so much more that you have to focus on. Time is a variable that slowly creeps up on you.” Jean said, “I say this because the off-season goes by so quickly, then it is fall conditioning, and then you are simply competing indoors. However, it almost feels like an athlete never stops once fully committed to track and field.”

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After retiring as an Olympic athlete, Jean plans to coach fellow students or individuals who feel her same urge to take running to the next level. Jean competes locally and hopes to compete in the 2024 Olympics held in State de France.

As Jean has been able to mark several outrageous items off of her bucket list, her career has led her to public safety. Jean holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in criminal justice. Following her Bachelor’s, Jean began her career in law enforcement and finished her Master’s in 2017.

Currently, Jean works as a full-time Student Resource Officer in Mount Pleasant.

Daily, she goes to the track and trains typically two hours followed by a one-hour workout at her local workout center. Jean’s day is not complete without spending time with her daughter and aiding in her educational process through learning videos and homework guidance. With a hectic schedule throughout the school week, Jean typically competes on the weekend.

In her free time, she enjoys relaxing her muscles, watching a movie, or participating in activities that calm her nerves in order to remain peaceful while competing in a constantly moving sport. Jeans believes that her free time is valuable, because she is moving from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Respecting her body and listening to it is the key to this Olympic athlete’s success.

Jean credits her success to having a powerful support system. From her family that has been there since her adolescent years, advice and intelligent wisdom from coaches, her school, and Tim Langford (former coach at Charleston Southern), all have paved the way for her. Most importantly, Jean’s daughter is the sole reminder that keeps her going when her body and muscle fatigue say otherwise.

Jean continues to practice optimism as she embraces three words that describe her best: determined, motivated, and passionate.

At the end of the day, Jean’s story is just the steppingstone into opened doors.

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ALUMNUS GETS ON

“THE VOICE”

By Jenna Johnson

rom an 8th grade talent show to large music venues, Aaron Hines ’16 has performed on stages of all sizes—but none bigger than the one he walked on recently at Universal Studios in Hollywood.

Hines competed on Season 21 of “The Voice,” an NBC Emmy-Award winning musical competition series that showcases vocalists from across the United States. Superstar coaches included Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Ariana Grande, and Blake Shelton. The show features four stages of competition: Blind Auditions, Battle Rounds, Knockouts, and Live Performance Shows.

Followers of Hines had to wait until nearly the end of the Blinds to finally watch Hines perform. During a Blind, each coach is turned facing the audience as to only judge the voice of the performer. When they hear a voice that tickles their ears, they press a button during the performance to turn the chair around in hopes of selecting the artist for their team. If more than one coach pushes the button, the artist may choose which coach they want to work with throughout

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the competition. Hines received an astounding four-chair turn during his stunning performance.

He showed no hint of nerves on the stage, and Hines credited that to the show’s positive environment and his reliance on God. “They did a great job at making sure that we had what we needed to do what we love to do and feel prepared and equipped to do a good job. It’s Universal Studios, so everything is amazing.

All I have to do is just sing,” he said.

“There was definitely some nerves. I remember saying my quick prayer and reading my Scripture, and my Scripture of the day was ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind.’ I remember quoting that over and over and over: ‘Power, love, and a sound mind.’ I had so much peace and feeling of ‘I belong here.’ I didn’t want my nerves or fear to make me miss the moment. I didn’t want that to happen. So, I fought to stay contained and relaxed. The anxious part isn’t them turning around. Them turning around is a sigh of relief. When they turned around, I was like ‘Whew, thank the Lord.’”

Aaron Hines, Photo by Chris Haston NBC

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His journey to the national stage is a testament to his faith and family, one that began early in life. Inspired by music at a young age, Hines thrived on his natural musical abilities. He graduated from drumming on pots and pans at age 3 to real drums as a kid. He started playing piano by ear at age 13, and even tackled guitar while in college at Charleston Southern University. His voice, though, was his constant instrument. And a talent competition in middle school was where Hines first graced a stage and performed in front of an audience.

Hines was a military kid, and with a mom and a dad who served in the Air Force and divorced when he was young, he moved around a bit. He still considers Charleston home.

Playing into what inspires Hines today, he thinks back to his roots—a mix of both church and secular music. “When I was living with my dad, he’d wake us up early on a Saturday morning blasting R&B and soul, Maxwell, Musiq Soulchild, Jill Scott. And the opposite when I was at my Mom’s—Mississippi Mass Choir, spiritual. I was really inspired by both.”

When Hines approached high school graduation, college was not a top priority.

“At first I didn’t plan on going to school. I knew I wanted to do music, but I couldn’t see where college fit into that,” he said, explaining different dynamics at the time.

“I felt some pressure. But then, none of the men in my family went to college.”

Something changed for him when his mom encouraged him to check out CSU. With grants, scholarships, and GI bill (thanks to his veteran parents), he felt the favor of God in his last-minute decision to attend Charleston Southern—one that paid off in eternal dividends. “I was able to navigate my faith and work it out at CSU. It was a part of the environment. It helped me in so many different capacities…developing and growing as a believer and as a man.”

As a defense mechanism, he set his expectations low for college. CSU took him by surprise. As a music and worship leadership major, Hines named several faculty and staff who impacted who he is today. The energy of Professor Thomas Keating (theatre), the coaching of Dr. Jennifer Luiken (voice), the inclusivity of Dr. Allen Hendricks (former chair of church music), the high expectations and respect of the craft by Dr. Valerie Bullock (former chair of the Horton School of Music) to name a few. Each spoke into his life in different ways for different reasons.

In fact, in preparation for a musical theatre production “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught,” Keating and Luiken used an

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original song by Hines called “One Day.” It is one of Luiken’s favorite memories of her past student.

“This was an important show for our students and for our CSU community in the wake of the Emanuel 9 tragedy, and Aaron’s part in that production was another opportunity for him to demonstrate his leadership and charisma on stage,” she said.

Mark Sterbank, associate professor of jazz studies, introduced Hines to a whole new world of music. “I went from being in his class to him being the ticket to me selling out a Charleston Music Hall show,” Hines said.

Reflecting on his time on the Elevate Worship praise team, Hines commented that Rev. Jon Davis convinced him to be a part of that ministry and use his gifts for the glory

Aaron Hines performs in a November 2015 Chapel service in Lightsey Chapel. Photo by Richard Esposito

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LEADING

of God. The two stay in touch to this day.

“He messaged me a couple weeks ago and said he was proud of me. I was like, ‘Bro, I’m proud of you. I’m in a singing competition, and you’re fighting for your life.” Davis is currently undergoing treatment for stage 4 brain cancer. Hines understands the anxiety and pressure that comes with that having just gone through a similar experience with his mother.

That part of his story—the hard part—is woven into the tapestry of his testimony of faith.

For Hines, his career seemed to naturally just happen. He had a full-time stint at a local church when he graduated from CSU, contracted at large churches in the Charleston area like Newspring and Seacoast, then got calls to lead worship in other cities and states. It wasn’t long before he got calls to record in studios. Hines played shows downtown, sang at weddings, and performed at larger venues like Charleston Music Hall.

After two years of serving as a worship pastor in Saint Louis, he felt drawn to a warmer climate once again. Hence his current home in Texas, serving as a worship pastor in San Antonio and producing and recording music for other artists in the Christian and secular music industry.

Aaron Hines had 4 chairs turn during his Voice appearance.

Photo by Tyler Golden NBC

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While the young artist had the makings of a blessed career, the news he received in 2019 about his mom’s diagnosis of cancer tested his faith.

“I remember her calling me, and I remember not having any words. I was in shock.

In church, you see people deal with their infirmities, but when it gets that close, it becomes very real. This is my mom. She’s an angel. I never heard her say a curse word, pick up a bottle, or smoke a cigarette. She’s everybody’s mama. She’s mama Jackie. That’s who she is.” Hines went through a rollercoaster of emotions and it shook him to his core. “The only thing that kept me clinging to my faith was my mom. My mom’s temperament, my mom’s strength, her just being so calm and cool and collected.”

His mom is now cancer free. “She was a foundational piece of showing me that unconditional love that God has for His kids.

The way she handled that whole situation, God is the only answer that makes sense.

She’s amazing and incredible.”

During this time of watching his mom fight cancer, God sparked a new fire in his heart. A friend encouraged Hines to audition for “The Voice.” At first, Hines pushed back, but he finally decided to go for it last fall and submitted his audition. Hines got the call back in March 2021.

“This is definitely a dream come true,” said Hines. “John Legend has been a huge inspiration to who I am as an artist and songwriter. And Kelly Clarkson is Kelly Clarkson! And Ariana Grande, Blake Shelton… they are all phenomenal artists and musicians and they’ve accomplished so much. It is an honor to be on that stage and sing in front of them.”

Hines’ hope is to inspire others through his music and testimony. “My hope and dream for this experience is that I not only continue to inspire people to follow their dreams and their passion and do what it is that God put on their heart, but also I want to utilize this as a tool to create platforms and opportunities for people to let them know that every hardship and circumstance plays a part in your story. Embrace it. Somehow God always makes it very evident the role and part that it plays in your purpose and your destiny.”

His journey on “The Voice” introduced him to new relationships and gave him a

Hines wrote a letter to his 2-year-old self: “Everything you experience will strengthen you more than you could ever imagine. There will be times where your biggest enemy is yourself, but God’s purpose and plan for your life is far greater and stronger than any self-sabotaging you try to do in your adolescence and college years. One thing that will keep you sane in this thing we call life is that God loves you so much.”

Photo provided

new platform. “Since ‘The Voice,’ all of us who are a part of the last season have developed this little family, and we keep up with each other’s careers and personal life,” he said.You can check out Hines’ recently released single, MAZE, on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music.

Hines, who wrote and co-produced it, drew inspiration from one of his favorite movies, “Maze Runner.” “The whole premise of the movie is these kids who have been removed from society and placed in a maze, and every time that they get closer to figuring it out it basically changes,” he explained.

“I happened to be sitting down with my guitar while watching the movie and looking through some of my notes. I was trying to convey a story of the back and forth that people deal with in relationships. The confusing moments, the uncertainties, the highs, the lows, and ultimately making a decision to do what’s best and healthiest for you in the end.

Stay tuned in to Hines’ latest music at officialaaronhines.com and subscribe to his social media pages.

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Pinnell Breaks Barriers in Insurance Field

By Peggy Pinnell ’70

N

ational events changed the trajectory of my life. The shocking assassination of President Kennedy paved the way for Lyndon Johnson to assume the office, and in a very short time the campus of the University of Tennessee was consumed with the Vietnam War. Deferments for male students being drafted into the military ended upon graduation, and only married men had their draft dates pushed further into the future, and so – I married the very nice man I was dating.

Two children later, we moved to South Carolina, and I enrolled in Baptist College.

Life off campus was very different from dorm life, but professors were welcoming, and I graduated with honors. Returning a borrowed typewriter from a friend who was a State Farm Agent, I saw that his secretary was out sick, and so I volunteered to help out. I had found the career choice I craved.

I could use my education degree to listen to concerns and help find solutions.

There was one outstanding roadblock— the company wasn’t ready to hire women as agents. As I continued my quest to find the

perfect career, I earned two more degrees and became certified to teach elementary and secondary education and also to become a school superintendent. While I loved interacting with students, schools are not capable of curing all of society’s issues and that was very unsatisfactory. After 12 years of staying in touch with State Farm, I was finally appointed and opened my office, the first woman in the district to become an agent. I felt compelled to do an outstanding job so that other women would be more readily embraced.

Almost 40 years later, I still go to work every day!

Peggy Pinnell ’70, one of the first women to own a State Farm Agency, is serving her 12th year on the South Carolina Public Service Authority (Santee Cooper) board. She is the third woman to serve on the board and the longest serving.

Peggy Pinnell / Photo by Tumbleston Photography

CSU Represented on 50 Most Influential List The 2021 50 Most Influential and the Hall of Fame produced by Charleston Business Magazine lists several people with CSU ties.

• Dot Scott ’84, president of the Charleston branch of the NAACP, was inducted into the 2021 Hall of Fame class.

• Frank Bullard, CSU Board of Trustees member, is Charleston market president for First Reliance Bank.

• Dr. Dondi E. Costin, CSU’s third president, is a retired U.S. Air Force major general and was most recently Chief of Chaplains.

• Bernett Mazyck ’81 is the president and CEO of the South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development.

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In Business and Recreation, Paglia Living Life to the Fullest

By Jan Joslin / Photos provided

P

lace kicker and kickoff specialist for the CSU Bucs from 2007-2011 John Paglia III ’11 uses something he learned from Coach Chuck Kelly on a hot summer day in his day-to-day business dealings.

Kelly got in Paglia’s face in the 100+ degree heat and yelled “one for one” when Paglia was stuck in a rut with field goal kicks. Paglia said, “I had no idea what he meant. Later that day he explained. If I fail once, it doesn’t automatically mean I’ll fail again. Just as important, if I was successful, I shouldn’t ride that success. I needed to focus on every opportunity and let it stand on its own. I still go one for one in life today.”

Paglia, who is president of IMG, the parent company of Florida Express Environmental, says it’s probably no surprise to anyone who knew him that he joined the family business after graduation. “The sole reason of inspira-

John and Kimberly Paglia on a recent vacation.

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John Paglia and his sons.

tion was the ability to return the dedication and loyalty my parents provided for me in my first 21 years of life,” he said. “They taught me if I wanted something, to go work for it. My dad always told me I was destined for greatness, and it still rings in my head today to motivate myself to continue to push through any challenging situation.”

Two days after graduation, Paglia was back in his native Florida immersed in the day-today operations of the family business. Up at 2 a.m., he drove an 11-hour route on a portable toilet, roll off, front load, or residential waste collection truck. This was followed by managerial duties and planning for the next day. He kept this schedule Monday through Friday and a half day every Saturday.

Recently, Paglia was named to Florida Trend’s Florida 500, which recognizes Florida’s most influential business leaders.

Florida Express Environmental is one of the largest private waste and recycling haulers in the state of Florida. When he was growing up, his father and uncle built and sold waste hauling companies. Paglia is looking to do something different.

He said, “I want people to be proud to suit up for our team. I want it to be a career option, where they can earn an excellent living, work with men and women that respect each other, have opportunities for growth, and retire from.” Some of his innovations are exploring the transition of their fleet to alternative fuel sources such as electric, biodiesel, or hydrogen. They are also in the process of adding cameras with artificial intelligence that will continue to evolve their safety program and provide metrics that can be used to drive profits.

Building culture is important at Florida Express Environmental. “We do not refer to employees working for us,” said Paglia. “It’s working with us.” This is especially important to Paglia because the waste industry is in the top five deadliest occupations in all industries. “Unfocused poor performance here is life and death,” he said. “We push very hard to keep safety our number one priority.”

Paglia works hard to offer excellent benefits to his employees that include the chance to earn additional bonuses. “Most of our em-

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LEADING

ployees are the men and women physically performing the collection of waste and recycling,” he said. “We motivate these men and women by providing them the newest, cleanest, and optioned out collection trucks the industry can provide. In doing so, the men and women take pride in the fleet knowing we set out every day to perform professionally by professionals. We do not just hire anyone; they must earn the opportunity to be on our team and that pairs with our culture of a family, once you’re in, you’re in.”

The Paglia team also plays hard. Paglia is a triplet and also has two younger brothers.

“There was friendly competition from an early age,” he said. One of Paglia’s favorite hobbies blossomed into the family entering fishing tournaments. As the wins piled up, his parents founded Executive Decision Sportfishing.

“We have grown in and out of boats as the tournament victories keep accumulating,” said Paglia. “We find ourselves continuing to enter larger, higher stake tournaments. Just like the garbage business, being on a professional team has more work than you would imagine. There is constant maintenance on the boat, gear, evolving technology, fishing tactics, safety equipment, and constant

CSU’s Health Care Heroes Recognized

monitoring of where the bite is best.”

Paglia credits his family upbringing and his four years of development at CSU with making him the man he is today. He and his wife, Kimberly, have been married eight years and have three sons, John IV, 6, Rocco, 5, and Roman, 2. He said, “Raising my family with set principles, guided by faith, we do our best to live every day to the fullest.”

He motivates himself daily with the thought – when God’s plan for me ends on earth, how will I be remembered? He tells others, if you aren’t proud of the answer, it’s never too late to implement change.

The Charleston Southern University Pandemic Task Force was named to the 2021 Health Care Heroes list for their COVID-19 Response in navigating the pandemic for the campus. Dr. Jackie Fish, Jenna Johnson, Dr. Michael Shipe, and Dr. Laurel Glover accepted the award on behalf of the entire task force team. Photo courtesy of the Charleston Regional Business Journal

Representatives of the University Pandemic Task Force. Photo by Richard Esposito

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Nursing Alum Ministers in Bolivia

M

ackenzie Lappin has been working as a neuro/surgical trauma ICU nurse since graduating in 2019. She recently returned from an extended mission trip in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Her trip was delayed because of a COVID surge in Bolivia, which caused her to question if she was on the right path. She said her big question was, is this an obstacle I’m supposed

Compiled by Jan Joslin / Photos provided

to overcome, or is it the Lord closing a door?

Her missions coach with Pioneers, the group sponsoring the trip, helped her think through the process. “We agreed that these unexpected changes seemed to be obstacles to overcome rather than closing doors,” said Lappin.

Lappin spent August through December 2021 in Cochabamba, living with a host

family, and working in several different areas. The early weeks were spent polishing her Spanish speaking skills.

Back home in Greenville, Lappin has started a new job as a recovery room nurse, is newly engaged, and is finding ministry opportunities where she can use what she learned about language and culture in Bolivia.

Miriam, Kathy, Tom, Mackenzie, Lukas, and Jhasel at a canyon in Toro Toro.

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Travel along as Lappin experiences Bolivia: August: “I’m loving the experience of being immersed in a totally different culture. Sometimes it makes me feel really uncomfortable and vulnerable, but this is where the Lord wants me to rely on Him. As I trust in Him, I’m able to enjoy the sights of colorful buildings and flowers and markets, the sounds of dogs barking and street vendors calling out to attract customers, the smells of food cooking and dust in the atmosphere, the feel of the cool, dry air and warm sunshine coming through the open windows, and the taste of many strange and delicious meals in my new Bolivian home.”

Taking a walk with her Bolivian host family

September: “I was able to start volunteering at the Christian daycare with kids between the ages of 2 and 8. The daycare is part of a ministry here that also includes a Christian school and a church. Evangelical churches and education are not especially common here. My prayer is that I continue to build relationships with the kids and find ways to clearly communicate grace and truth to them. I genuinely love just playing and hanging out with them, but I want to be sure that I use this time to the fullest, making an eternal impact and spreading God’s glory. I visited another ministry that helps women out of prostitution and helps their children with their education. The whole way of life here is a lot more spontaneous and flexible than what I’m used to back home. Every day has been an exercise in surrender, trust, vulnerability, and relying on the Lord to lead me and sustain me.”

Daycare children

October: “I really wanted to utilize my nursing background in some way here, and God has opened a door for that in an unexpected but really cool way. I noticed the kids at the daycare generally don’t have healthy habits.

I found myself doing research and creating lesson plans and presenting my health education initiative to the directors of the school. The month of November will be dedicated to teaching different topics such as hand washing, good bathroom practices, healthy diet, and teeth brushing. If it goes well, the teachers plan to implement health education in their curriculum. Along with my work at the daycare, I’ve continued making visits to the other ministry, Fundación Emanuel, which helps women out of prostitution and assists their children with education. I got to help create health cards for each kid in the program. Interestingly, I had the chance to witness to someone there, but not in a way I expected! There’s another volunteer named Louis, and he’s from Germany. I assumed he was there for mission

work, but after talking to him more, I found out he’s not a believer. So a door opened for me to talk to him about my testimony and about the Good News of Jesus!

“The kindergarten teacher from the school/daycare invited me to come with her and a group of ladies from her church to a women’s meeting in Punata. Such a cool experience to gather with these sisters in Christ and worship together in their native languages. The school director’s wife took me and another volunteer to visit the home of some kids in our program. It was eyeopening to see how they live and hear about the hardships they face with an alcoholic and abusive father. Still, the family was very welcoming to us, and proud to show us their farm animals.”

Singing hymns in Spanish and Quechua at a women’s meeting in Punata

November: “November started with Día de Todos Los Santos (All Saints Day), which is a really big deal here. We baked a ton of bread, cakes, and cupcakes, and filled baskets with the food, which we would give away as gifts.

The family gathered around the table and recited prayers for loved ones who have died. In addition to this, they had many other rituals. My heart felt heavy seeing their practices and beliefs that don’t come from the Bible.

“The following weekend was the highlight of the whole month, an adventurous getaway to Toro Toro with Tom and Kathy (missionaries), my host mom, Miriam; my host sister, Jhasel, and my friend Lukas (a volunteer from Germany). I have to say, it really might be the coolest place I’ve ever been. The mountains and rock formations were incredible. We got to do some real spelunking, and there were dinosaur footprints and fossils.

The whole weekend was such a gift of fellowship, getting away from city life for a bit, and being in awe of God’s creation.”

Karen from Colombia, Lukas from Germany, and Mackenzie after the Christmas party at the daycare.

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CSU view: A

dventures are great, especially when looking back. Nothing is more fun than re-telling stories of past adventures.

The more they are repeated, the better the stories become. But, at the time of the adventure, things can seem very different. I’ve been lost a few times, disoriented, and uncertain which way to go. I’ve been freezing cold and long-term wet. I’ve been bitten. I’ve fallen a few times. Occasionally panic wells up. It becomes difficult to make careful reasoned decisions. Mercifully, the feeling never lasts more than a few hours. Still, that’s long enough to bond with others who suddenly find themselves lost.

Years ago, I directed an environmental management major at CSU. It included long weekends backpacking, canoeing, and biking.

Some students had never camped. We had great adventures. But not every moment was great. Once it was so cold our water bottles froze. We woke up with ice raining down on us from inside our tents. Another time we got

separated on a poorly marked trail. I’ll never forget the excitement and joy when we found each other hours later, just before dark.

Once, on a 4-day hiking trip, it began raining on the first day. It rained so hard we stopped and set up our tents on the edge of the trail. I have a photo from that day of a student sheltering in his sleeping bag under a plastic tarp. He’s got a big smile on his face as he looks through the water droplets on his fogged glasses. The next morning, I asked everyone if they wanted to turn back.

We were facing at least two more days of rain with no exit points. They all wanted to continue. I was amazed.

I remember a simple daytime sailing trip in the Charleston Harbor. It was cold. Students are never really prepared for cold. As the sun was setting, I could see lips were turning blue, and hands were shaking. Nothing has ever tasted as good as the pizza and hot tea we had later that evening. Those students, alumni now, still talk about that day.

Dr. Arnold Hite, professor of economics

Dr. and Mrs. Hite frequently join the CSU Outdoor Adventure Club on excursions.

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In the last few years students have set up the Outdoor Adventure Club. It’s completely student run. My wife and I get invited to every adventure. Again, students have been freezing. Canoes have rolled in the river. In spite of all the missteps, everyone comes away smiling.

You never know when a new adventure will take hold. Once, on a dare in class, I suggested we jump off a dock, into the Stono River. It was January. About 10 went in on that first swim. A tradition was born that continued with a jump in the river every month for the next four years. Those students, long graduated, are spread across the county now. They still call me occasionally.

You might be surprised to know that 200 years ago, rice was grown on what is now the CSU campus. This came up in an economic history class a few years ago. The rice was barged from loading docks behind what is now the baseball field. The barges floated down Goose Creek and into Charleston where it was milled and shipped all over the world. Students suggested we go and see.

That idea developed into a canoeing trip.

Goose Creek has long been dammed up. But it is still possible, with great effort, to canoe from behind the CSU campus all the way to the Goose Creek dam just past Trident Tech.

It took four attempts, over eight years, to figure out how to weave through the flooded forest and old rice impoundments found behind the campus. I remember it was a cold and rainy day when the fourth group finally pushed through to the open water in the Goose Creek Reservoir. Over those years maybe 30 students attempted it. Like those students, I will remember those trips forever.

Adventures don’t always happen in the woods or on the river. Sometimes they happen in the classroom. A few years ago, I attempted to make my economic lectures seem more interesting by using honeybuns as illustrations. Honeybuns are that fabulous food made from fried extruded bread covered with a sugary glaze. After a few honeybun examples, a student brought me one from her hometown in Ohio. That simple gesture began a collection. Whenever students traveled, they would bring me honeybuns. At its peak there were 32 different honeybuns displayed in my office from all over the country, including Hawaii. Students would ask, do they ever get moldy? Well, a few did. I had to replace the Krispy Kreme

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versions every year or so. But the Mrs. Freshley’s Grande looked as fresh the day I threw it out as it did four years earlier when it was given to me.

The same thing happened when I began to use obscure old cars as examples and illustrations in class. Once I used an amphibious car, produced in the 60s as an example.

A student shared that example with her grandfather who was a collector. He passed her the for sale ads he would find in his magazines. She gave them to me. By the end of that semester, I had found and bought an Amphicar. It is hard to count how many students have ridden in and out of the water in that car, all the while screaming. That Amphicar has been in many CSU Homecoming parades adorned with unofficial beauty queens with titles like Miss ECON 212 Section 01.

Finally, adventures are not always tied to a place or to an event. They can happen in the struggle to learn. I’ve seen many students lost in the classroom. The look is the same as that of those lost in the woods. With just a little bit of direction, something that once seemed hopeless is suddenly comprehensible. That look of excitement and relief found in the woods, is the same in the classroom.

To me, whether it happens in the classroom or in the deep woods, that moment of common understanding is a miracle.

Students are amazing. They are both fragile and resilient. I feel honored that they let me share in their adventures and experiences. It’s been a great ride. I will miss them all.

Dr. Arnold Hite dons stilts and a costume to throw candy to the crowd at a Homecoming parade.

Homecoming 2003, Dr. Arnold Hite dyed his hair orange to match his students from Austria.

For years, Dr. Arnold Hite organized the Homecoming Fun Run, lighted by luminaries. He and former president, Dr. Jairy Hunter, maintained a friendly rivalry over who was faster.

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CSU BEATS 10K SHOEBOX GOAL, SETS NEW NATIONAL RECORD

By Jenna Johnson / Photos by Ty Cornett

Boxes packed by Athletics

harleston Southern students, faculty and staff set a 10,000-gift goal for its Operation Christmas Child initiative this year. And, in their 10th year of packing boxes, the campus exceeded that goal with an astounding 10,924.

“It’s a pretty incredible feeling that our students will understand what it’s like to not always receive, but to serve and give.”

– Laurie Diel

Laurie Diel, executive assistant for the VP of Student Life, is the coordinator for the OCC project at CSU. “I think it’s awesome that we exceeded our goal, but what the Lord has shown me is that it’s not so much the number. The Lord is obviously using CSU for this moment in time,” she said. “I think when students choose CSU as their home for four years, He’s giving them a front row seat on the journey. It’s a time where they can choose to participate and impact the Kingdom of God.” This is the third year in a row of beating its own national record for the most shoeboxes packed by any college or university. In 2019, CSU packed 5,248 boxes. Last year, even in the height of the pandemic, the campus family packed 7,100.

The red and green shoebox-sized gifts— packed with items such as stuffed animals, dolls, toy cars, soap, toothbrushes, clothing, play doh, and school supplies—are deliv-

Students delivering boxes on Collection Day

ered to children ages 2 to 14 in countries on nearly every continent. In addition to bringing a bit of Christmas spirit and pure joy to the lives of children clear across the globe, each shoebox introduces the Gospel.

“It’s a pretty incredible feeling that our students will understand what it’s like to not always receive, but to serve and give,” said Diel. “We see our whole campus come together in one main cause—in spreading the Gospel through a shoebox.”

Packing Party

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Supplies are donated year-round by students, employees, alumni, supporters, and organizations. Thousands of stuffed animals piled high throughout campus thanks to a PetSmart grant were nearly matched by the Tshirts provided by the Charleston Bridge Run. Students and departments held competitions for the most packed boxes. The library staff packed a shocking 116 boxes per person. Several students individually packed into the hundreds.

Freshman DJ Brummett, a criminal justice major, packed 402 boxes.

“My initial drive was whenever I learned about the opportunity to go overseas and deliver the boxes and help out the kids,” said Brummett. He enlisted the help of family and church friends from his hometown of Myrtle Beach. “We brought back the supplies from Myrtle Beach to Littlejohn Parlor.

I had about a dozen friends, and we had an assembly line in there just packing and stacking boxes.”

Prior to his time at CSU, Brummett packed a couple boxes here and there in school and church events, but never anything at this level. Growing up in a selfdescribed typical middle-class family, he said that the mission of blessing children with a gift inspired him to do more.

Annual Packing Party

Top Student Packers DJ Brummett, freshman, won the individual student contest, packing 402 boxes.

2nd place Olivia Robertson, junior, 210 boxes 3rd place Zoreim Lara, junior, 200 boxes DJ Brummett packed the most boxes out of all students at CSU.

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OCC: Library’s Labor of Love

By Jenna Johnson / Photo by Ty Cornett

Library employees and their incredible 1,045 boxes

F

or two consecutive years, the Rivers Library team has shown up and out in a friendly Operation Christmas Child competition among faculty and staff departments on campus. Team members credit library ladies Christine Petty and Marla Bunn for leading the way to reaching 34 boxes per person in 2020 and a grand total of 1,045 shoeboxes in 2021 (that’s 116 boxes per person).

How did this small team pack so many boxes? “Each month we try to focus on getting certain items,” Petty said. For example, the team buys school supplies in July and August when they are on sale.

Some items are not the typical wow toy, but rather something more unique and useful like sewing kits from a dollar store or homemade fishing kits (old prescription bottles with no labels, fishing line, weights, cork, and nail clippers to snip the line).

Older children can use items like the kits, a hammer, a screwdriver, or a laundry line and

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pins to do jobs and make money.

Bunn and Petty have a combined 28 years of box packing experience under their belts. Bunn shared the memory of her very first shoebox. “We watched an OCC video where the children received their boxes. The excitement was contagious, plus the opportunity for the children to learn about Jesus Christ was a game changer for me.”

Her most recent shoebox packed was “just as special” as the first—filled with items for an older boy thousands of miles away.

Both credit the ministry as life-changing, for the recipients and the givers.

“I think I have become a more giving person,” Petty said. “It’s so exciting seeing videos of children from all over the world opening their boxes with smiles on their faces. It feels good to be a small part of that.”

When Bunn goes shopping and fills her cart with school supplies or large amounts of toys and hygiene items, she uses it as a

ministry opportunity. “In the checkout lines, I tell people about Operation Christmas Child. Some have never heard about it,” she shared. Many times, she is thanked and inspires others to do the same. “I think that we are ambassadors for HIM! My small part of OCC helps to accomplish the goal—to help spread the word of Jesus.”

Petty agreed that shoebox prep is contagious. “When family members and friends see how excited I am about packing the boxes each year, they want to help. They are often encouraged to do their own boxes or donate in some way to help the children as well.”

The legacy continues on. Petty’s son, Noah, started out packing two boxes with his mom at age two. It became a family tradition. Noah is now a student at CSU and started doing his own shoeboxes toward CSU’s big goal.

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They Call Him Mr. OCC

By Jan Joslin / Photo by Ty Cornett

W

hen David Greenwood was sentenced to 46 hours of community service helping with Operation Christmas Child his sophomore year, he thought, it won’t be as bad as picking up trash.

At the time, he didn’t know much about OCC. Laurie Diel, CSU’s OCC coordinator, assigned him to the Charleston Room assembling the boxes that arrive flat, working with volunteers from off campus. By the end of his service, he was calling the volunteers “my ladies” and coming around to volunteer not because he had to, but because he wanted to.

He began checking in with Diel every day, asking what’s my assignment? At the packing party, Greenwood got a sense of what a great

thing was happening. People were praying for the children who would receive a box. “I realized a kid somewhere across the world was going to get a box that I helped with,” he said.

At the beginning of this year, he wanted to do something big. “OCC has turned into a passion, something I want to do,” said Greenwood. He served as a coordinator, had more jobs, and recruited a lot of his friends to help. With the campus goal set at 10,000 boxes, Greenwood knew it was going to take a big team effort. He recruited his girlfriend, SarahEmily Durham, to help. Now, Durham wants to take over Greenwood’s role when he graduates next year.

Greenwood loves helping people and working behind the scenes. He plans to be a

firefighter and then put his psychology degree to work helping First Responders with PTSD. His girlfriend had a t-shirt made this fall that says Mr. OCC. Greenwood was uncomfortable with the recognition, but Diel said, “You are Mr. OCC. No one does more than you.”

Greenwood is thankful for all the people who have helped him get to where he is. He said, “I’m thankful to my old high school coaches, my family, people at CSU, and especially God. There’s not anything quite like OCC. You know it’s going to be good, and you reach a kid’s heart for the gospel.”

Greenwood said, “It’s a good feeling to help out. You might be a sweaty, ugly mess at the end of the day, but you know a kid’s going to have his day made.”

David Greenwood, on left, helps pack the truck with filled boxes after Collection Day.

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SCHOOL TIES

Class notes 1969

fond memories of Mom preparing breakfast for Dad and me, and of my Dad warming up my car for Reginald Wayne Miller serves as me every morning. I left for school founder and president of All Nashortly before Dad left for his daily tions Bible College & Seminary commute to work in Charleston. based in Myrtle Beach. He spends I moved onto campus second several months a year on the missemester, and I had the full experision field in Pakistan and is comence of college life. My nursing capleting his third year of giving three reer spanned 48 years of full-time to eight months a year. He writes work in hospitals in Charleston, that he has helped to establish a Georgia, and Cleveland, Ohio. On church, ordained 30 pastors for Feb. 28, 2020, I retired from the home churches in Pakistan, has Department of Veterans Affairs in helped develop a Bible college with Cleveland after 29 years of service.

400 graduates last year and a ChrisI am thankful.” tian academy with 300 students.

To learn more about his work, visit 1989 allnationsbiblecollege.info.

1971

Brad Dobbels is the men’s basketball coach for Ashley Ridge High School in Summerville. He served as the men’s basketball coach for ARHS from 2015-2018. He currently teaches at Ashley Ridge and serves as a golf coach. He was head basketball coach at Goose Creek High School from 19972011 and has been an assistant coach at CSU and Francis Marion University.

1996 Trudi Ross Lang Killings is a graduate of the nursing program.

She writes: “I was 17 years old when I began my nursing education. I thank God, my parents, Rev. Thomas Henry Ross and Mrs. Bertha Thomas Ross, and my Aunt Gert for guiding me to my experience at Baptist College. I commuted to college from Dorchester during my first semester. I drove a blue Chevy Chevelle that was given to me by my parents after my high school graduation. I have

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Patricia W. Brown MEd retired in June from Holly Hill Elementary School. She said, “I thank God for 37 years as an educator. I may be retiring, but I will always be a teacher/librarian. Retirement is the end of one phase of life and the beginning of a new exciting chapter.”

COMPILED BY JAN JOSLIN

1997

2006

James Michael Causey is a District Court Judge for the Sixth Judicial District serving Campbell, Crook, and Weston counties in Wyoming. He was appointed by Governor Mark Gordon. Prior to his appointment, he was executive director of the Wyoming Board of Parole. He has also worked with the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office and the Wyoming Public Defender’s Office. He holds master and juris doctorate degrees from the University of Wyoming.

Dr. Sabrina Prioleau is the new program director at RCI, a nonprofit working to end generational poverty by providing full-time 2000 mentoring for underserved stuRob Nickels MBA won the 2022 dents in Charleston. Previously, USTA Florida National Tennis Rat- she was the student success maning Program 40-and-over Sectional ager for the tri-county students Championship. He will compete participating in the Reverend in the National Championship Pinckney College Readiness Prorepresenting Florida in San Diego. gram. She holds a Master of Arts He serves as Parkland Tennis Diin management and leadership rector. He is owner of Rob Nickels from Webster University and a Tennis, Inc., and he and his wife Doctor of Education from Gwynhave two sons. edd Mercy University. She has held multiple positions in education, was an Upward Bound Math and 2005 Science Counselor, and an English Ashely Teasdel is deputy secretary Language Assistant in Catalonia. for Harry Lightsey in the South Carolina Department of Com2008 merce. As deputy secretary she helps implement agency-wide Joshua Anderson and his wife, initiatives and programs. In her Tyara Anderson, announce the six years with the Department birth of a son, Raymond Anderof Commerce she has worked son, born Nov. 14, 2021. The with small business development Andersons live in Colfax, North and emergency management and Carolina. oversaw the agency’s COVID-19 response efforts. She has a background in banking and earned an MBA at Southern Wesleyan University. She lives in Irmo.

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2010 K. Alan Mullinax has been named an accredited land consultant by the Realtors Land Institute. He is a realtor with the new homes division of Carolina One Real Estate. He has been president of the Charleston Home Builders Association and has served with the Charleston Trident Realtors Association. With more than 30 years of experience with General Dev-Con Corporation, he helped develop several communities in Summerville and Mount Pleasant.

He and his wife have four children and eight grandchildren.

2011 Brooke Pletcher McCaffrey announces the birth of a daughter, Marley Mae McCaffrey, born Jan. 22.

2011 Michael Smith MBA is president and CEO of Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County, North Carolina. Previously, he was the chief financial officer for Hospice of the Piedmont in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is certified as a healthcare financial professional and a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

2012 Todd Mason is a realtor with the Agent Owned Realty office in West Ashley in Charleston. Previously, he was a police officer and criminal investigator. He was a member of the CSU baseball team during his undergrad days and has three children.

2013 Stephanie Addison and her husband, Ken Addison, announce the birth of a daughter, Anna Michelle Addison, born June 20, 2021.

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STAY CONNECTED!

Kelvin Waites is the new director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the City of Myrtle Beach.

He was formerly chief of the Georgetown Police Department and has 24 years of experience in law enforcement. He is a U.S Army veteran. He received certification with the University of South Florida’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Program and graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy and the Drug Enforcement Administration Drug Unit Commander Academy.

Send us news about family additions, job changes, community involvement, etc. To include a photo, email a high resolution jpg - 800kb or larger. (If you send a professional photograph, please include permission to print from the photographer.)

2015

Address change:

Christina Foster Prater and Nathan Prater announce the birth of their daughter, Madison Bea Prater, born June 2, 2021. They report Madi already loves watching the Bucs play.

2016 Carmen Almos MBA, emphasis in international finance, is the senior vice president of asset management for Mission Hill Hospitality.

She has extensive hotel operations and financial management experience. She helped grow the selectservice hotel portfolio for Investra Capital, a Dubai-based private equity firm, has served in an asset management capacity for IFA Hotels and Resorts, and has been a bankruptcy analyst.

2017 Meg Thompson was recently featured in the Summerville Journal Scene for her pottery business IAmPickledTink. She is co-owner of Creative Consulting in Summervillle with her partner, fellow CSU alum, Stephen Slappey ’15.

She also offers pottery classes in her studio in her North Charleston home.

Class Notes: magazine@csuniv.edu

csudevelopment@csuniv.edu Name change: register@csuniv.edu Follow the Alumni Association on Social Media: alumni_csu

alumni_csu

2018

2020

John Wittchow has retired from Joint Base Charleston after almost 41.5 years combined active duty and reserve service as a C-17 maintenance technician/trainer. He said, “I also survived in the past year chemotherapy treatments for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, going into a stable-remission state for Follicular Lymphoma.”

Ethan Hooper is a staff accountant with Jarrard, Nowell & Russell LLC in Charleston. He is working toward his MBA at CSU and also working toward his CPA. He is a member of SCCPA and lives in Ladson.

2019 Katherine Stall teaches 9th and 10th grade at Gilbert High School.

She recently partnered with the S.C. Education Lottery to film a Life Scholarship commercial.

She said, “I’m overjoyed that the university will be represented through my story.” She also holds a Master of Education. View the commercial at youtube.com/ watch?v=mgM5ko53Eqc.

2021 Austin Castro-Perry is a staff accountant with Jarrard, Nowell & Russell LLC in Charleston.

Savannah Hinzman has received two scholarships from Southern College of Optometry: the SCO Honors Endowed Scholarship and the Oliver Family Endowed Scholarship. Hinzman is from Greenwood and is pursuing a Doctor of Optometry at Southern College of Optometry.

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SCHOOL TIES

TO SUBMIT YOUR BABY BUCS PHOTO: Email a picture of your Baby Buc wearing the shirt to alumni@csuniv.edu. Pictures should be 800 kb or larger in size, jpg format.

Baby Bucs 1

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TO ORDER A SHIRT CSU graduates, if you have a child under the age of 2, let us know at alumni@csuniv.edu, and we will send a CSU onesie for your Baby Buc. The shirt is free; all we ask in return is a photo of your Baby Buc for the magazine.

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1. Marlee Mae McCaffrey, daughter of Brooke Pletcher McCaffrey ’11 2. Ethan Matthew Pineda, son of Franny Garrett Pineda ’10 and Kevin Pineda 3. Anna Michelle Addison, daughter of Stephanie Addison ’13 and Ken Addison

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4. Terrance “TJ” Kennedy Jr., son of Jermika Kennedy ’15 MSN and Terrance Kennedy Sr. 5. Madison Bea Prater, daughter of Christina Foster Prater ’15 and Nathan Prater ’15 6. Raymond Anderson, son of Tyara Anderson and Joshua Anderson ’08

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SCHOOL TIES

in memory Beaty Erwyn Ammons ’70, age 82, died Jan. 2 in Mount Pleasant. He was a nuclear engineer with the Charleston Naval Shipyard. He was also an ordained minister of the South Carolina Pentecostal Holiness Church.

Barbara Portia Sarratt Anderson, age 88, died Oct. 31, 2021, on James Island. She had been a reference librarian at CSU and was a researcher with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council.

Nancy Thompson Barnwell, age 73, died Oct. 11, 2021. She was a former member of the CSU mathematics faculty before earning a library science degree and becoming a school librarian.

Lawrence Emerson Byrne ’89, age 82, died April 12, 2020, in Summerville. He was a U.S. Navy veteran and earned a doctorate at Rockville University.

Gary M. Coward ’72, age 80, died Nov. 21, 2021, in Charleston. He was one of the founders of Coward-Hund Construction Company, serving as secretary-treasurer.

He had worked for Westvaco and Ruscon Construction Company also and was active in the community.

Amber Elise Dessaure ’13, age 31, died Oct. 23, 2021, in Summerville.

William Roy Gelwicks ’79, age 71, died Oct. 21, 2021. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, had a career in law enforcement and was retired from U.S. Customs.

Clyde Joseph Goode ’71, age 72, died Nov. 13, 2021, in Moseley, Virginia. He owned Swift Creek Berry Farm and was a track coach. He was a member of the CSU track and cross country teams and was inducted into the CSU Athletic Hall of Fame.

Ronald Elias Hickman ’72, age 73, died Dec. 30, 2021, in Marietta, Georgia. He was a businessman and the founder of Hickman Expeditions, where he led travel and fishing ventures.

Patricia Louise Karges Mallard ’06, ’11 MBA, age 60, died Jan. 6 in Summerville. She previously managed Parks Funeral Home and worked in several business enterprises.

ay Mills, former CSU head football coach, has written Game On! A Coach’s Game Plan for Discipleship.

Discipleship He combines spiritual truths and recommendations for becoming a team leader. Currently, Mills is a writer, speaker, and pastor. Visit coachjaymills. com to learn more about his current ministry. The book is available for purchase at amazon.com.

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Cynthia White Rauton ’87, age 56, died Jan. 10 in Mount Pleasant. She was a board member of the Charleston Ballet Theater and was Miss North Charleston in 1986.

Laurin Hugh Smith ’69, age 83, died Jan. 22.

He worked in city government for Hanahan, Hartsville, and Orangeburg and was an Army National Guard veteran.

James J. Strauss ’73, age 72, died Oct. 8, 2021 in Hanahan.

Linda Stutts, age 76, died Oct. 25, 2021, in Springfield. She was previously a librarian at CSU and was retired from the South Carolina public school system.

Louise O’Neal, age 77, died Dec. 12, 2021, in Summerville. She retired from CSU in May 2021 after working for 34 years in the business and development offices. She received the CSU Women in History award in 2019.

Former Football Coach Writes Book

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Joseph M. Opatsky, age 79, died Jan. 7 in Summerville. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran and previously served, with his wife, Ginger, as co-chairs of the CSU Parents of Buccaneers.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR CSU Giving Day April 13

Every Buc Counts

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LEARNING

How to: << Continued from page 3.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), “Physical fitness is defined as a set of attributes that people have or achieve that relates to the ability to perform physical activity. It is also characterized by (1) an ability to perform daily activities with vigor, and (2) a demonstration of traits and capacities that are associated with a low risk of premature development of hypokinetic diseases (e.g., those associated with physical inactivity).” [2]

Physical fitness is actually comprised of two subcategories: health-related physical fitness and skill-related physical fitness, or physical fitness that helps your performance in sports or activities that require elevated motor skills. Health-related physical fitness can reduce your risk of chronic disease (i.e., heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers), promote good health and wellness, and is comprised of body composition, cardiorespiratory endurance, flexibility, muscular endurance, power, and strength. That’s an exhausting list, and you may be asking, “how do I know what to do?”

The ACSM recommends the following guidelines for adults to improve cardiovascular health and muscular endurance and strength: • For substantial health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate intensity (i.e., brisk walking or slow bike riding) • or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., jogging, running, fast bike riding or swimming).

• Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on two or more days a week.

Anthony Mack is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and is an assistant professor of kinesiology.

Now that you have a better understanding of what physical fitness actually is and what the ACSM recommends, here are six tips that will help add physical fitness to your life to improve your health.

Did you know?

1) Select an activity that you enjoy.

Fitness does not have to be a burden.

It will relieve stress and release neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin and improve mood.

2) Put blinders on and stay in your lane.

Meaning, don’t worry about what anyone else thinks or compare yourself to others’ fitness journey. Remember, everyone started somewhere.

3) Consistency. If you miss a day of exercise, don’t fret. Physical fitness is a journey of 1,000 miles and achieved one day at a time. Even if you stumble, stumbling is still moving forward.

4) Break up the 30-minute ACSM recommendation. You don’t have to perform 30 minutes of moderate activity in one session. You can break that 30 minutes up throughout the day.

A good starting point would be a 1012- minute walk after every meal. Not only will this help achieve the 30-minute goal but will naturally lower blood sugars that were elevated from your meal.

5) Community. Exercise with a friend, your co-workers, find a gym, or fitness class. Being active with a friend or a community will keep you on track both for the short-term and long-term.

You weren’t designed to do life alone, so why should your physical fitness be any different?

6) Keep track of your goals and activity.

Whether it’s a journal, smart watch, or app; keep track of your plan and progress. This will keep you accountable and keep you heading in the right direction.

You can view digital issues of CSU Magazine at charlestonsouthern.edu/magazine.

Current and past issues are available from issuu.com.

Faith and Learning Institute Impacting Campus - PAGE 4 Faculty How-To Series Debuts - PAGES 6, 15 Meet Bucky! - PAGE 24 Aeronautics Program Flying High - PAGE 21

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INTEGRATING FAITH IN LEARNING, LEADING, AND SERVING

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