CSU magazine v25 no1

VOL. 2 5 •

NO. 1

page 22 BCBS FOUNDATION GRANT AWARDED page 26 BOSTON MARATHON: MURPHY LEARNS TO LIVE IN THE PRESENT page 31 BUSINESS STUDENTS IN BRAZIL

page 4

SHAWN JENKINS: FROM MBA TO CEO

LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

The Charleston Southern Wind Ensemble performed February 6 at the 2015 South Carolina Music Educators Conference in Columbia. Recent conferences have featured performances by top ensembles from Furman University, Winthrop University and the University of South Carolina. “The invitation to perform, extended by a panel of South Carolina College Band Directors, is a distinct honor for our students,” said CSU Director of Bands Dr. Marshall Forrester. Membership in the 2014-2015 Wind Ensemble includes 62 students from all regions of South Carolina, as well as five states from Michigan to Florida to Texas. Photo by Emily Reeves ’15

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

features

4 19 26 31 34

MBA Alum Shawn Jenkins is changing the way companies manage benefits Nursing & Health Sciences programs continue to grow Boston Marathon helped Dr. Joe Murphy learn to live in the present Business students travel to Brazil on fact-finding and spiritual mission 50th Anniversary coverage continues

On the Cover: Shawn Jenkins ‘95, CEO of Benefitfocus. photo by Rick Esposito

LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

from the president

Dear Friends, We have had a wonderful time celebrating Charleston Southern University’s 50th anniversary, and hopefully you have had time to check out some of our additional coverage at charlestonsouthern50.com.

On pages 34-37 of this issue, we have included pictures highlighting a few of our events this year and some of the special times we have had as a university family.

In recent years our region has become one of the fastest growing technology centers in the country. The aerospace industry and computer start-ups are driving this technology wave, and our alumni and students are increasingly right in the middle of it.

Several local companies were started by Charleston Southern alums, and our alumni and students are working at such businesses as Benefitfocus, SPARC, Boeing, SPAWAR, Santee Cooper, AAI and more.

The magazine showcases just a few of the areas where our students and alums are involved in this technology boom. You will want to read the profile on Shawn Jenkins, a 1995 CSU MBA graduate who is one of the founders of Benefitfocus and currently is the CEO. When Benefitfocus opened its new Customer Success Center on February 17, Mayor Joe Riley said, “Now, Benefitfocus has the largest corporate presence, the most square feet, than any company in the city of Charleston, and they have led the tech boom for Charleston that is now nationally recognized.”

There are so many exciting things happening at Charleston Southern. You will read about just a few of them in this issue. Our College of Nursing and newly created College of Health Sciences continue to grow and excel in the healthcare market. Our online programs are attracting national attention. Our students are serving locally and around the world with clubs and organizations and with campus ministries.

Our future is bright, and I hope you join me in giving thanks for all the Lord has done in and through Charleston Southern. We are always appreciative of your prayers and support, and we hope to see you on campus soon.

Sincerely,

Jairy C. Hunter, Jr.

President

2 CSU magazine

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

CSU

magazine

A PUBLICATION OF CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

volume 25 number 1 Spring 2015

EDITORIAL STAFF: Jan Joslin ’82, Editor, Director of Publications John Strubel ’11, ’14, Director of Integrated Marketing Jon Merkling, Graphic Designer Rick Esposito, Multimedia Coordinator INTERNS: La’Princia Cromer ’15 Danielle Hensley ’18 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Martha F. Barkley Doug Hunter La’Princia Cromer ’15 CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Rhett Marley ’10

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

Address changes should be sent to advancement@csuniv.edu

charlestonsouthern.edu CSU Magazine on the web: csumagazine.com email: magazine@csuniv.edu

Design and layout by:

843.324.2004 • www.facebook.com/bobduranddesign

Printed by:

contents 9 5 Questions with Sean Hayes 10 Seniors Compete at Cyberseed 13 Winning Mobile App 14 Computer Science Accredited 14 U.S. News Ranks Online Bachelor’s Program 15 Computer Science Alums Share Experiences 16 Karges-Bone’s Newest Brain Book 16 CSU Hits Record Enrollment 17 Management Certificate Programs Added 17 Sterbank Releases CD 20 College of Nursing Updates 22 BCBS Scholarship for Home Health Nurses 23 MSN Graduates Address Nursing Shortage 25 College of Health Sciences Growing 28 John Wilson New Director of Security 29 WCCL Impacting Locally and Beyond 33 Skip Owens Retires 34 50 Ways of Caring 35 Digitized Publications 35 CSU Neighbor Responds to 50th 36 Sandwich It In Celebrating 25th Year 36 Women’s Council Raises $50,000 37 Blue & Gold Gala 37 BCC/CSU Memories 38 Class Notes 42 Baby Bucs 44 Annual Luncheon Honors Alums, Grads 44 Fun Shoot Raises Scholarship Funds 45 Alums Working in Advancement 45 2014-2015 Alumni Board 45 Lift the Lowcountry 46 Palmetto Warrior Grant for Veterans 46 Bucs vs. Bulldogs 47 Memorials 48 Transform Campaign

© 2015 Charleston Southern University

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CSU magazine 3

LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

A

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

GREAT IDEAS ARE

ABLE

by John Strubel

T

hey show up at the most peculiar times and places. Apple was born in a garage.

Facebook hatched in a Harvard college dormitory. In 1995 Shawn Jenkins sat on his bed and composed an eight-page business manifesto in his journal. Five years later the idea came to life in the form of Benefitfocus.

“In my MBA Capstone course, taught by Dr. Jairy C. Hunter, I wrote a strategic plan on this idea,” said Jenkins. “A lot of people made up a business. For me, this idea was alive. How could we take technology and use it to make benefits better? The original business plan was written in my Capstone course.”

Jenkins earned a master of business administration degree from Charleston Southern University in May 1995. He was living in Summerville and working for a nonprofit organization when he began to consider pursuing an advanced degree.

“When I looked at what Charleston Southern was doing it really appealed to me,” he said. “I had a lot of business ideas, a lot of aspirations, but I never tested them. Going into the MBA program, meeting the professors and being around other people who were self-motivated and pushing themselves to do better, gave me an incredible sense of confidence, and the ideas I was developing and the way I saw business really validated a lot of things. Clearly, I learned a lot and enjoyed the experience.”

In June 2000, three months after the NASDAQ crashed, Jenkins, now president and chief executive officer, and Mason Holland, now chairman of the board, founded Benefitfocus. com, Inc. “He and I set out to create this vision of a better way to manage benefits,” said Jenkins.

“There weren’t a lot of people that came out of the woodwork to encourage us. We were met with mostly resistance by the investment community.”

The business community considered the idea radical; the decision to launch a new software company – in light of the dot-com bust and the NASDAQ crash – was doomed to fail. During the early stages of the company, Jenkins and his team presented the concept to a group of potential investors, hoping to rally community support and funding.

“We were asked to stand outside while they discussed our presentation,” he said. “They brought us back in, and in front of all these people, told us all the reasons why we were going to fail. No one is ever going to pay you to do this in Charleston.”

Jenkins called the experience “humiliating,” – and motivational. “I’ve always used that as fuel to be successful,” he said. “I don’t ever allow those meetings to fuel self-doubt.”

photo provided

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CSU magazine 5

LEADING

SERVING

photo provided

2005: Innovator of the Year (Charleston Regional Business Journal) 2005: Fastest Growing Tech Company in South Carolina (The South Carolina Technology Alliance) 2012: Best Places to Work in South Carolina (SC Chamber of Commerce) 2013: Best Places to Work in South Carolina (SC Chamber of Commerce) 2013: Benefitfocus became a publicly traded company on September 18, 2013,

trading on the NASDAQ Stock Market.

2015: Benefitfocus opens 148,000-square-foot Customer Care Center Shawn Jenkins’ Three Keys to Entrepreneurial Success: 1. Focus on what’s possible: When you hear criticism of your idea, listen and take it in.

2. Don’t ignore advice just because you don’t like the way it sounds. When people told us we couldn’t do something, we didn’t blatantly ignore them and say we will prove them wrong. We listened.

He took mental snapshots of all the faces he saw that day. Fifteen years, 1,500 associates and 25 million consumers served later, Jenkins said he thought about those investors the day he stood on the platform and rang the opening bell at the NASDAQ. On that day, Benefitfocus released more than three million shares of stock to the public.

“I had a quiet moment for those people,” he said. “Every entrepreneur has stories like that, where someone comes along and says not only do I not believe you – but piles on and tells you why you are not going to make it.”

Not everyone ignored Benefitfocus though.

In 2001, Piggly Wiggly Carolinas was the first client. Soon after, Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina came onboard. “They were very encouraging, and they saw the vision of what we could do,” said Jenkins.

Those baby steps led to giant leaps. They are the moments that Jenkins remembers clearly today: The first employee; the first customer; the first profit (2003); the first stock sold (2013).

“Developing a product that someone will pay you for takes a lot of work,” said Jenkins. “You have to have the talent and recruit a team that believes in you. Getting that first customer, getting someone to step out in faith and buy a product from a new company was a challenge.

“Every time you clear a hurdle, you immediately create the next set of hurdles. We had no customers, so we needed a customer. When we got a customer, we needed another customer – but we had to satisfy the first one. When we had five customers we had to learn how to keep five customers happy, which is much different from serving 100 customers. As you develop solutions to challenges, you are creating the next challenge, which is the beauty of it – and a great mystery. You don’t know exactly what’s coming.”

By 2004, Benefitfocus had established itself, turning a profit for the first time and expanding the company by opening a second location in Greenville, South Carolina. The Charleston Digital Corridor and Charleston Regional Business Journal named Benefitfocus “Innovator of the Year,” and The South Carolina Technology Alliance tabbed the company the “Fastest Growing Tech Company in South Carolina.”

3. Be disciplined

6 CSU magazine

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

photo by Rick Esposito

LEARNING

THE PASSION THAT OUR PEOPLE, OUR ENGINEERS AND DESIGNERS, BRING TO OUR PRODUCTS, COMBINED WITH WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH THE TECHNOLOGY GETS ME EXCITED. THE SOCIAL MISSION, TO HELP PEOPLE PROVIDE FOR THEIR FAMILIES, AND THE ORIGINAL VALUES – PROVIDE ANTICIPATORY SERVICE. RESPECT THE INDIVIDUAL. CELEBRATE. TOGETHER. – ARE FUNDAMENTALLY STILL INTACT AND ACTUALLY STRONGER.”

LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

In 2006, Benefitfocus moved into its new 65,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art headquarters on Daniel Island in Charleston. Just three years later, in 2009, the company celebrated the opening of a second building – Design +Engineering – on its main campus.

The facility is not your typical large corporate environment. For proof, look no further than the main floor where a classic 1959 red-andwhite Corvette sits on display. When a guest steps off the elevator to the third floor, they are greeted by a Ducati motorcycle. They are eyecatching, even breathtaking. Both make a nice conversation piece. They are also expensive.

And, more importantly, priceless.

The purpose is to serve and inspire the associates with their design and precision. Jenkins said people – human capital as economist Adam Smith defined it – are Benefitfocus’ greatest asset. In the second edition of the company’s book, Winning with Culture, Jenkins emphasizes “… each new associate adds something special to the overall culture and enhances it.” Jenkins said company culture is part of the framework for decision-making.

“The passion that our people, our engineers and designers, bring to our products, combined with what you can do with the technology gets me excited,” said Jenkins. “The social mission, to help people provide for their families, and the original values – Provide Anticipatory Service. Respect The Individual. Celebrate.

Together. – are fundamentally still intact and actually stronger.”

Two decades have passed since Shawn Jenkins was in a Charleston Southern University classroom, but he is still a student. The stack of books on leadership and culture on the conference table suggests he’s back in the MBA program. He loves to learn and reads voraciously.

Jenkins said his experience at CSU is part of the foundation for his success.

“In my experience, what the degree did for me is build confidence in myself,” he said. “It enabled me to think bolder and take bigger action as a result of having gone through the formal education process.”

Jenkins also noted, in his experience as a CEO for a large technology firm, higher education is a valuable asset.

“We hire creative people,” said Jenkins. “Benefitfocus is looking for people that are extremely bright, creative, energetic, passionate and positive. Those things don’t always come across on the resume, so we do a lot in our interview process. For some of our product development and software engineering roles, we’re looking for folks that have graduate level degrees, PhDs in some cases. So if your career lines up that way, degrees are supremely important.”

Benefitfocus’ internship program has opened its doors to college students. Jenkins said the company wants to help students (and prospective future associates) begin to understand technology.

“Software is such an experiential thing,” he said. “The user experience, the interaction;

To learn more about Benefitfocus, visit www.Benefitfocus.com.

You can also read Shawn Jenkins’ blog at

technology is innovative, disruptive. You really have to immerse yourself in it. What we love about our internship is it allows you to dive deep into an area, something you have an interest in, and very quickly get a lot of experience.

You can be around the people, the environment and culture of a software company, which is different than most traditional companies.”

Since 2012, Benefitfocus has continued to grow, opening a new office in San Francisco (2012), becoming a publicly traded company, trading on the NASDAQ Stock Market (2013) and adding a new Customer Success Center on its Charleston campus (2015).

“What we can do with technology has flourished,” he said. “The idea that you can put all your benefits in your pocket on a mobile device, that you can deliver data instantaneously to someone as they’re making decisions … that kind of stuff is radically different than in 2000, but it only serves to fan the flame of our passion for doing the work that we’re doing.”

“Our footprint in the market and financial resources are a lot bigger,” said Jenkins. “The impact you can have for good is significant.

We’ve been at this idea for 15 years, and we’re just getting started. I mean, we’re a large company now; we’ve gone public, but the amount of runway ahead of us is much longer than the runway behind us.”

Today, Benefitfocus has locations in Charleston and Greenville, South Carolina; Tulsa, Oklahoma, and San Francisco, California, and is a leading provider of cloud-based healthcare benefits software. Jenkins said the company is experiencing “hypergrowth,” expanding to 1,500 associates and increasing its year over year revenue growth to 31 percent in 2014. Benefitfocus is bigger, both physically and financially.

“We are 15 years into growing a big company,” said Jenkins. “The ideas are still coming, but they are attached to the original vision.”

The original vision is never far from Jenkins’ hands – or eyes. He has been carrying his eight-page manifesto around with him for two decades, a constant reminder of where he came from, what he believes and why he’s so successful.

http://shawnjenkins.Benefitfocus.com.

8 CSU magazine

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

5

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

Questions with:

Sean Hayes

by Jan Joslin

I

n his wildest dreams, Dr. Sean Hayes ’08 never thought he would be back at Charleston Southern University.

When he was in graduate school, his advisor asked him what his dream job would be. He replied, be prepared to teach at a school like Charleston Southern. He just didn’t think it would be CSU. Hayes’ first stop at CSU was as an undergraduate double majoring in computer science/mathematics and music performance in the saxophone. After CSU, he pursued a doctorate in computer science at Vanderbilt and ended up right back where he started.

Now that he is a colleague of some of his former professors, Hayes is pleased to discover the computer science department is a tight-knit family. As an undergrad, his interaction with professors was in a classroom setting or one-onone instruction. “Seeing their excitement for the future, I can’t think of a better team to be a part of,” said Hayes.

We talked with Hayes about his love of computers, his interests and the direction of computer science at CSU.

When did you become interested in computers?

When we got our first home computer, I was interested in what I could make the computer do. I saw it could potentially do some really cool things. Once we had the Internet, I could look up anything. I wanted to take a programming class but didn’t have that opportunity, so I figured out how to write my own programs. They weren’t very good.

What are you currently working on/teaching?

I’m teaching Introduction to Computer Science. I’m also working on planning for the new master’s program in computer science.

We are planning classes, discussing curriculum and developing syllabi. Employers in the Charleston area are looking for students with a strong background in security, and they are asking for students who have earned a master’s degree and could step into a management role.

We are investigating a program which would allow students already at CSU in the undergrad program to get a master’s degree with one additional year of study.

What do you consider your expertise in the field of computer science?

My focus has been on human and computer interaction. What is useful and practical for a person? My primary area has been smart phone development, interaction techniques, using phones to be more accurate while still being intuitive and easy to use. In the future I hope to teach how to design an application and teach ways to evaluate how good a system is, to bring people in and have them try it and then quantitatively determine if one area is better than another. I’m also interested in software engineering, designing and developing larger, more complicated programs to solve real world problems.

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

What does the future hold for the CSU computer science program?

I’m excited to have the opportunity to pursue ideas and to develop connections in the community. A lot of people think this is a really hard major, but it comes down to what you’re good at and what you are able to pursue with interest. One thing I would like to pursue is allowing high schoolers and middle schoolers to come on campus and see what we do and to go into local schools and show students how you can do more with a computer science degree. The computer science department is a small, connected community which allows our students to progress in unique ways.

You are a computer scientist and a musician, how do those two fields relate?

They take similar mental processes. A lot of people don’t think there is a lot of creativity in computer science because you have to follow the process, but there is an option to be creative. Music is mathematically and technically driven. You have to quickly analyze something and then move to complete it in a way that is moving and meaningful. I still play the saxophone, and my former professor, Mark Sterbank, and I are looking for opportunities to get together and play, and eventually I would love to work with the CSU ensembles.

CSU magazine 9

LEARNING

photos by Rick Esposito

LEADING

SERVING

COMPUTER SCIENCE SENIORS COMPETE AT CYBERSEED

I AM INTERESTED IN CYBER SECURITY, BUT I LIKE THE DEFENSE SIDE MORE THAN THE ATTACKING SIDE. I WOULD RATHER MAKE THE LIVES OF HACKERS HARDER THAN BEING ONE.” — TREVOR YAGER

10 CSU magazine

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I BECAME AWARE OF AT THIS COMPETITION IS THAT CYBER SECURITY IN PRESENT DAY IS TREATED AS A WALL: A PERIMETER BASED DEFENSE. ONCE INSIDE THIS WALL, ATTACKERS COMMONLY HAVE FREE REIGN IN THE SYSTEM AND CAN FREELY ACCESS HUGE AMOUNTS OF SENSITIVE DATA WITH LITTLE TO NO RESISTANCE. — TYLER HALL

M

embers of the computer science depart- Yager said competitors at CyberSEED were ment recently competed in the Univer- meant to attack a system, which is known as sity of Connecticut’s CSI CyberSEED being on the red team. He has competed in contest. a local competition, Palmetto Cyber Defense The series of challenges, based on computing Competition, where he was on the blue team, infrastructure, were a part of U Conn’s Cyberse- which is a team defending against infiltration by curity, Education & Diversity Challenge Week. the red team.

Dr. Joseph Lin, associate professor of computer Bryan has become interested in cyber security science, and senior computer science majors as a result of participating in competitions. “We Josiah Bryan, Tyler Hall and Trevor Yager were have participated in events similar to this one, among the 200 students at the event represent- but contrary to others where we were protecting 40 universities. ing and defending cyber information, we had Lin described the competition scenario as a the ability to play the role of malicious hackers chance for government officials to see how well attempting to retrieve information,” said Bryan.

U.S. computer students were able to perform in “One of the most important things I became determining how hackers were able to attack an aware of at this competition is that cyber oil plant in Alaska.

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

security in present day is treated as a wall: a perimeter based defense.” said Hall. “Once inside this wall, attackers commonly have free reign in the system and can freely access huge amounts of sensitive data with little to no resistance. It’s not a matter of if a firm is compromised, it’s a matter of whether or not a firm is aware of the fact that they already are; everyone is compromised. Cyber security must exist not only as a perimeter, but at all levels of a system to be effective.”

Looking to life after graduation, Yager said, “I am interested in cyber security, but I like the defense side more than the attacking side. I would rather make the lives of hackers harder than being one.”

Many of the other university teams at CyberSEED had master’s and PhD level students on their teams. Competitions included a Software Challenge to identify flaws in the system (won

by University of Illinois @ Urbana Champaign), a Capture the Flag Challenge, featuring a virtual corporate network (won by Brown University), and a Hardware Challenge, where teams designed an unclonable function (won by Iowa State).

CSU magazine 11

LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

Martin Hutchens and Matt Timmons photo by Rick Esposito

12 CSU magazine

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

SENIORS DESIGN WINNING MOBILE APP M

artin Hutchens and Matt Timmons, senior computer science majors, received an early Christmas present when the Charleston Defense Contractors Association notified them of their 2nd place prize in the CDCA Mobile App competition.

Hutchens and Timmons split a $1,000 check, and Charleston Southern received a $500 check toward a scholarship. Dr. Valerie Sessions said, “Competitions keep our students motivated and interested in programming in their free time.

You can’t beat a $1000 cash award as a college student!”

Hutchens said he was sharing ideas back and forth with his mom, who is a nurse, when they first started talking about designing an app and came up with the smartbaby idea. Timmons said they stayed with the idea because it was something that was practical and useful. Sessions also helped them with their ideas.

The smartbaby app would give parents a way to monitor some of the vitals of their child by using an Android Smartphone. An Arduino Uno microprocessor, a pulse sensor and a thermistor would monitor a baby’s vitals and feed the pulse and temperature to the Android Smartphone app that Hutchens and Timmons designed.

Timmons said he is even more interested in app design after entering the competition, and Hutchens found that creating something from scratch was even better than he thought it would be.

The pair is still perfecting their app as part of their senior project, but their design and concept were complete enough to catch the attention of the judges. Jim Medeiros of the CDCA said Hutchens and Timmons won 2nd place in the competition, but they were 1st in the voting at the C51SR Summit.

photo provided

COMPETITIONS KEEP OUR STUDENTS MOTIVATED AND INTERESTED IN PROGRAMMING IN THEIR FREE TIME. YOU CAN’T BEAT A $1000 CASH AWARD AS A COLLEGE STUDENT!

— DR. VALERIE SESSIONS

Find out what our CSU computer science professors and students are saying about our program at

charlestonsouthern.edu/computerscience

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CSU magazine 13

LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

COMPUTER SCIENCE ACCREDITED BY CAC OF ABET

T

he CSU bachelor of science in computer science degree program has recently been accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of ABET. This makes Charleston Southern the only private university in South Carolina with an accredited computer science degree and one of only nine accredited programs in the state.

“This accreditation confirms the excellence of CSU’s Dr. Valerie Sessions Associate Professor of bachelor of science

in computer science program and assures that our graduates will remain highly competitive in the job market,” said Dr. Jeryl Johnson, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics.

Chris Knox, COIN Industry Advisory Board Chairman and ScrumMaster at Life Cycle Engineering, said, “Computer science talent is foundational to the growth and lasting success of Charleston’s Silicon Harbor. This accreditation confirms CSU as a vital contributor to the Lowcountry’s technology growth.”

Computer science professor Dr. Valerie Sessions said an advantage of the Charleston Southern bachelor’s degree in computer science is the small class sizes combined with a lab component for all computer science classes.

“The lab component gives students a lot of time programming and a lot of time with classmates and professors,” said Sessions. This adds to student success in the rigorous program and makes CSU students highly employable.

Sessions said computer science students are creative, detail-oriented individuals.

“The students get excited about taking an idea from the start all the way to the finish,” she said. This creativity is expressed through programming, mobile apps creation, web design and networking. Most companies in today’s market need tech savvy employees, making computer science graduates highly sought after.

ABET is the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc.

Computer Science

U.S. News Ranks CSU Best

Online Bachelor’s Program in the Carolinas

C

harleston Southern University’s online bachelor’s degree program has received the highest ranking of any online bachelor’s program in the Carolinas, according to U.S. News and World Report.

The 2015 U.S. News Best Online Programs ranks the Charleston Southern program at number 34, a significant jump over CSU’s 2014 ranking of 56.

Dean of the CSU College of Adult and Professional Studies, Gary Vance, said, “Our rating improved, which indicates that the enhancements we implemented in the last year resonated well with our students.” In addition to improving in the ratings, Vance is impressed with the rigorous process of the U.S. News and World Report ratings which supplies each program with feedback on strengths and weaknesses.

Charleston Southern’s bachelor of science in organizational management is an accelerated online degree program providing a wide range of working professionals the ability to fit a degree program into their schedule and budget.

The undergraduate degree provides a compre-

14 CSU magazine

hensive, well-rounded organizational management curriculum. Concentrations are also available in Healthcare Management, Hospitality and Tourism, Human Resources Management and Project Management.

“Our degree program is 100 percent online,” said Vance. “There are no borders, no boundaries – you just need Internet access.” Online students appreciate the flexible and relevant programs. “Our students are looking to learn skills and facts they can apply to the workplace,” he said. What students learn online one day can be applied the next in the workplace.

Vance said, “We are positioned well to meet the needs of current and future higher education students.”

In addition to the online bachelor’s degree, the College of Adult and Professional Studies offers an online master of science in organizational management. Recently, the program expanded to offer new certifications in Supply Chain Management and Operations Management. The additional graduate certifications are designed to prepare students for leadership in

the manufacturing and industrial sectors.

“These certifications are intended to address specific needs right here in the Charleston area in manufacturing and industry,” said Vance.

Charleston Southern University offers online degree programs in business, nursing, technology and criminal justice. For more information about online undergraduate and graduate offerings, visit CharlestonSouthern.edu/online or call 843-863-7525.

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

COMPUTER SCIENCE ALUMS SHARE EXPERIENCES

G

raduates of the computer science program are working in technology companies throughout the region. Deanna Simons ’82, Santee Cooper; Brian Cowan ’13, South Carolina Research Authority; Michelle Duffy ’14, South Carolina Research Authority, and Mike Havens ’13, SPARC, took some time to answer our questions recently.

What is the most helpful thing you learned in the CSU computer science program?

with the business community to understand where their curriculum needs enhancing. Focus on getting the best professors possible. Set up internships with local businesses. Look at how Cowan: How to handle writing code in differthe college can partner with local schools from ent languages at the same time. Often I would be in multiple classes using different languages, offering technology fairs to aligning curriculum and now I am on a project with a wide variety of requirements. languages. This can get confusing for some.

Cowan: With more and more companies moving to Charleston, the demand for programmers Duffy: There’s always something new to learn, so understanding the foundations of computer with a high degree of knowledge is growing.

With the addition of a master’s program at science and then knowing how to learn a new Charleston Southern, companies will be able to programming language has probably been the most helpful to me. Aside from learning a new send their employees to a local college instead of upstate to get the level of education they language, this also really helps when trying to want. find and solve a problem.

Duffy: I think a big contribution from CSU is connecting students with local companies through internships. It’s a great opportunity for students to gain experience while constantly learning; not just about computer science but also how to work with a development team and work in a company environment. This is a benefit to the company as well, because the student can bring in new ideas and also tell Charleston has been nicknamed Silicon Harbor. How do you think Charleston Southern other students about their internship which then gets those students interested in the comcontributes to the growth of the technology pany. When it comes time for the company to field in Charleston? hire new graduates, they will have already had a chance to work with those graduates.

Simons: Charleston Southern can contribute to the growth of the technology field in Havens: Charleston Southern can keep proCharleston by emphasizing their technology ducing new talent to feed our growing technoldegrees. Students should be able to specialize in an area of interest such as Infrastructure, ogy community. Additionally, partnerships with local tech companies can provide internships Security, Networking, Application Developfor students. ment, etc. CSU can continue to expand and promote their academic programs and work Havens: Small class size gave me the opportunity to consult with my professors and get a solid understanding of the material. Additionally, Dr. Sessions passed around a list of internship opportunities each spring. The internship I worked over my senior year turned into my current full-time job.

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing employees in the computer science field today?

Simons: The biggest challenge facing employers in the computer science field today is finding resources that have the education in computer basics providing them the aptitude to be developed in the workforce along with critical people skills.

The biggest challenge facing employees is the lack of practical exposure to the different areas of Information Technology and the lack of truly technical training. Programs cater so much to the generalist that their exposure to computer basics is sorely lacking. They do not have a practical understanding of what they can or want to do with their degree.

Cowan: The ever changing field. Every day something new comes out, and if you do not stay up-to-date you will fall behind very quickly.

Duffy: The biggest challenge is getting that initial experience to put on a resume. There are a lot of opportunities out there but there are also a lot of people in the computer science field, so there definitely isn’t a lack of competition.

Also, there’s the issue of “you need experience to gain experience” so you have to be resourceful in how you gain that.

Havens: Keeping up with new technologies.

CSU magazine 15

LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

New book uses children’s

literature for standards-based instruction and therapy

D

r. Linda Karges-Bone’s newest book, “Bibliotherapy: Children’s Books that Train the Brain and Jumpstart the Heart” is a resource book for elementary teachers. It is a targeted use of children’s literature to improve cognitive, social and emotional outcomes.

The book includes 48 award-winning children’s books across six areas of

bibliotherapy and connects them with appropriate and powerful activities that increase listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

Bibliotherapy is available for sale online at www.LorenzEducationalPress.com or by calling 1-800-444-1144. Karges-Bone is professor of education at CSU and the author of more than 30 books.

CSU SETS

RECORD ENROLLMENT ON

50TH ANNIVERSARY

CSU opened the 2014-2015 academic year with a record high enrollment to kick off the university’s 50th anniversary.

3,417

The students (3,013 undergraduates and 404 graduates) represent the university’s largest enrollment in its history and a 3.9 percent increase over last year.

16 CSU magazine

photo by Rhett Marley

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

Three Management Certificate Programs Added to Curriculum

S

upply chain management, operations management and human resource management certificate programs began in January.

Supply chain management and operations management certificates are offered exclusively online through the College of Adult and Professional Studies. Human resource management is available entirely online, in evening classes or in a blended format through the School of Business.

Supply Chain Management The supply chain management certificate program gives professionals the skills and abilities to think in concert about the people, processes and technologies required for integrated supply chain management. The curriculum includes courses in Strategic Procurement, Transportation and Distribution, Product and Service Delivery, Supply Chain

Human Resource Management The human resource management certificate program is open to anyone with an undergraduate degree and can be completed in two semesters. The human resource management certificate is designed for Operations Management professionals interested in how organizations The operations management certificate acquire, develop, motivate and retain human program helps students develop specialized talent. Human resource management expertise and leadership skills in the production includes staffing, training and development, of goods and services while providing the compensation and benefits, employee relations training needed to manage personnel and and employee safety and health. inventory efficiently. The operations curriculum includes courses in EHS Management, Product Students completing this certificate program and Service Quality, Product and Service will be prepared to take: Delivery, Cost Management as well as an Operations Management Capstone course.

• The HR Certification Institute’s These courses provide preparation for the Professional in HR, Senior Professional in APICS Certified in Production and Inventory HR and Global Professional in HR exams Management exam.

• The Society for Human Resource Management’s Certified Professional and Senior Certified Professional exams Information Technology as well as a Supply Chain Capstone course. These courses provide preparation for the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) Certified Supply Chain Professional exam.

STERBANK RELEASES CD OF ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS

S

axophonist Mark Sterbank, associate professor of music, has released his first CD of original compositions titled Dayspring.

Dayspring features Charleston musicians Charlton Singleton, trumpet; Richard White Jr., piano; Kevin Hamilton, bass, and Quentin Baxter, drums. The music is evocative and

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

thematic, containing compositions representing the last 27 years of Sterbank’s musical journey.

Sterbank performs regularly with the Quentin Baxter Quintet at the Mezz and with the Charleston Jazz Orchestra. He has released two prior CDs, Hymns & Spirituals and Hymns & Spirituals 2.

CSU magazine 17

Photo by Rhett Marley

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

CONTINUED GROWTH IN NURSING AND HEALTH SCIENCES The health-related degree programs offered by the university continue to grow. This growth is reflected in the creation and expansion of the College of Nursing and the College of Health Sciences, which were formerly housed in one school.

Market demand for additional health-care workers is driving the growth.

President Jairy Hunter said, “The future growth of the university will be driven by workforce demand. Research and community partners have provided critical input as we develop curriculum and program expansion.”

The next few pages highlight some of the exciting things happening in the College of Nursing and the College of Health Sciences.

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CSU magazine 19

LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

COLLEGE OF NURSING D

r. Andreea Meier has been named dean of the College of Nursing. She has served as interim dean since June 2014. “As our college continues to grow, we will continue to seek additional opportunities for new graduate programs and student learning experiences,” said Meier. “I look forward to growing existing community partnerships and establishing new relationships in our community and using that synergy to meet the needs and demands of health care on a statewide and national level.”

The College of Nursing is on track to reach its goal of tripling bachelor of science in nursing

enrollment later this year and is currently in the process of developing a family nurse practitioner program slated to begin sometime next year.

This past year, the BSN program was ranked number one in the Charleston metro area and second in the state for its pass rate on the NCLEX national licensure exam, with an 8-year 95 percent average pass rate.

The College of Nursing offers a bachelor of science in nursing, online RN-BSN, RN-MSN options, a master of science in nursing, nursing education emphasis, and a master of science in nursing, nursing leadership and healthcare

administration emphasis. The program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing and is a member of the National League for Nursing and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Meier earned her BSN, MSN and doctor of nursing practice degrees from the University of Michigan School of Nursing, with an emphasis on advanced nursing management and nursing research. She has been actively engaged in a number of national and regional professional service organizations and is committed to employing best practices for nursing education.

“I LOOK FORWARD TO GROWING EXISTING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND ESTABLISHING NEW RELATIONSHIPS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND USING THAT SYNERGY TO MEET THE NEEDS AND DEMANDS OF HEALTH CARE ON A STATEWIDE AND NATIONAL LEVEL.” — ANDREEA MEIER

20 CSU magazine

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

photo by Rick Esposito

THE COLLEGE OF NURSING WAS RECENTLY RANKED NUMBER ONE IN THE CHARLESTON METRO AREA FOR FIRST-TIME PASS RATES ON THE NCLEX NATIONAL EXAM.

LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

New Scholarship Will Provide Community and Home Health Nurses for South Carolina

By Jan Joslin

T

he BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation has awarded a $1,005,902 grant to the CSU College of Nursing to be awarded over three years to fund scholarships for nursing students who commit to work in community or home-based settings upon graduation.

The grant will fund up to 18 Community and Home Health Nursing Scholarships for CSU junior and senior nursing students per year for three years beginning in fall 2015. In addition, several of those students will be eligible for a full room and board scholarship at CSU. Dr. Andreea Meier, dean of the College of Nursing, said the scholarships will help to address the shortage of nurses in community and home health care organizations in South Carolina.

Nursing students receiving the scholarship will be required to remain in South Carolina after graduation and work in this setting for a specified amount of time.

22 CSU magazine

Meier said, “The benefits of working in community and home health include flexible working hours, establishing long-term relationships with patients and family members, providing patients with health education and the promotion of preventive health care.”

Meier said the CSU College of Nursing will work with already established community partners to set up clinicals and job placements for students in these settings while they are completing their BSN program and after graduation when they begin seeking employment.

The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Its mission is to promote the health of South Carolinians and to expand access to health care in South Carolina for the economically disadvantaged by supporting integrated research, education and community service.

“THE BENEFITS OF WORKING IN COMMUNITY AND HOME HEALTH INCLUDE FLEXIBLE WORKING HOURS, ESTABLISHING LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS WITH PATIENTS AND FAMILY MEMBERS, PROVIDING PATIENTS WITH HEALTH EDUCATION AND THE PROMOTION OF PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE.” – Dr. Andreea Meier

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

MSN Grads Help Nurse Shortage

By Jan Joslin

R

ecent graduates of the Master of Science in Nursing, with a nurse educator emphasis, degree are helping to address a national shortage of nurse educators.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s 2013-2014 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing reports: U.S. nursing schools turned away 78,089 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2013 due to an insufficient number of faculty.

“As future nurse educators, you will play a role in shaping the future of nursing, continuing a legacy of caring nurses,” said Dr. Andreea Meier, dean of the CSU College of Nursing.

Elizabeth Baker Tumaliuan said it has always been her dream to graduate from Charleston Southern. She began her undergraduate career at Charleston Southern and transferred when her scholarship money ran out. Tumaliuan works in cardiac step down at Palmetto Health in Columbia and hopes to one day pursue a doctorate.

Amy Brumback, one of the speakers at the fall graduation ceremony, said she is the mother of four children and held down a full-time job while completing her MSN. She has accepted a job as an adjunct instructor with the CSU College of Nursing. She told her fellow graduates, “Be a guiding light and a beacon of change.

Now you are able to share your valuable knowledge with others.”

Kayla Coker spoke about her first clinical working as a nurse educator alongside Professor Amy Collins. Despite her nervousness, she realized she enjoyed teaching.

“The CSU faculty truly wants nursing excellence,” said Coker.

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

Photo by Rick Esposito

The nursing faculty presented the MSN Excellence Award to Brad Holmes for overall outstanding performance throughout the program.

“No matter how many initials we get behind our names, we will always be nurses first,” said Holmes.

The master of science in nursing, nurse educator emphasis, is an online faith-based graduate nursing program that prepares nurses to serve in the faculty/nurse educator roles within the health care setting.

The program prepares graduates to develop and evaluate curriculum and to effectively implement innovative teaching strategies using multiple learning formats while emphasizing the spiritual, ethical and moral dimensions of the art of nursing. The MSN degree in nursing education prepares nurses to teach at a faculty level in nursing programs as well as to accept educator positions within hospital and clinic settings.

CSU magazine 23

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES D

r. Joseph Murphy has been named acting dean of the College of Health Sciences.

Created to house the athletic training, health promotion and kinesiology programs, the College of Health Sciences prepares quality healthcare professionals to lead and serve in improving the health and well-being of the community.

Dr. Jackie Fish, vice president for academic affairs, said, “Dr. Murphy is a capable and enthusiastic leader.”

Plans are under way for the addition of new programs. The Board of Trustees recently approved the establishment of a Physician Assistant program through the College of Health Sciences. The program is slated to begin in January 2018, pending approval from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant.

The College of Health Sciences also plans to begin offering a master of science in athletic training program in June 2017.

Murphy has been an assistant professor of kinesiology/athletic training at Charleston Southern since 2013. Before coming to CSU he was an assistant professor and clinical education coordinator in the athletic training education program at Salem State University in Salem, Mass. He has also served as an athletic trainer and educator in schools and health organizations in Pennsylvania.

Murphy holds a PhD in physical education with an emphasis in developmental foundation with cognate in athletic training from the University of South Carolina. His dissertation was on the Comparison of Instruments to Assess Clinical Behavior in Athletic Training Education.

He has published articles, made multiple presentations and written and won numerous grants all pertaining to the field of kinesiology and athletic training. He is a licensed and certified athletic trainer, a professional rescuer instructor and a first responder instructor.

In addition to volunteering at the Boston Marathon, Murphy has volunteered at numerous running events and with Special Olympics in several states.

He holds a master of science in special education with an emphasis in rehabilitation science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor of science in kinesiology with an option in athletic training from Pennsylvania State University.

The athletic training program now falls under the College of Health Sciences and will begin a master’s degree program in 2017.

Dr. Joe Murphy works with athletic training students.

Photo by Rick Esposito

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CSU magazine 25

LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

YOU. GET. A. DAY. The Day Joe Murphy Learned to Live in the Present

By John Strubel

On April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded on Boylston Street just feet from the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The explosion took the lives of three people and injured an estimated 264 others. Charleston Southern University athletic training professor Dr. Joseph Murphy was serving as a medical volunteer that day. What he saw changed his life – permanently.

D

r. Joseph Murphy has seen many injuries during his athletic training career, but nothing like this. The woman standing in front of him had just come off the course at the Boston Marathon and entered the tent. She was missing a portion of her leg. Murphy looked her up and down. How did this happen? What is going on? Why doesn’t this woman have part of her leg anymore?

26 CSU magazine

“It took me a second to realize what I was looking at,” he remembers.

And so the nightmare began.

The Boston Marathon is part of the annual daylong Patriots Day festival held in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. In preparation for the race, Murphy and his colleagues arrived at 7 a.m. The race began at 10 a.m. By noon the elite runners began crossing the finish line.

Murphy said by 2 p.m. the charity runners start coming in, and “we are seeing three or four patients; it’s hydration issues, blisters, it’s ‘I just need a few minutes’ – things like that.”

At 2:49 p.m. Joe Murphy helped a patient to his feet; that’s when he heard what he described as a “really loud firework.”

According to the official investigation report, 12 seconds later, a second explosion goes off.

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY “What was that?” his patient asked.

“It’s not even in your comprehension that it’s a bomb,” remembers Murphy. “So I went up to the front of the tent to see what was going on – I could start smelling gun powder – and at that point I realize this is really bad.”

Within minutes the medical tent transformed into a triage unit. Murphy, who has worked as a medical volunteer at the Boston Marathon since 2011, is one of the dozens of medical doctors, nurses, emergency dispatch, podiatrists and physical and massage therapists who are staffing the facility. The massive tent is located just past the finish line on Boylston Street in downtown Boston. It’s a city block long, as wide as a city street and can hold an estimated 500-600 people at a single time, according to Murphy.

“It’s not a first-aid tent, it’s a hospital,” said Murphy.

The day that started with such hope had spiraled into disaster. The two bombs that exploded turned the medical tent into an emergency room. Instead of twisted ankles and blisters, Murphy witnessed death, missing limbs and wounds that would change people’s lives permanently.

“Then they just keep coming and keep coming and keep coming,” remembers Murphy.

The scene was surreal. Downtown Boston had transformed into a scene straight out of Afghanistan or Iraq. In the back of the tent emergency dispatch to all eight hospitals in Boston are on alert. It didn’t take long for the tent to overflow.

“These people were all, from the knee down or from the waist down, suffering from catastrophic injuries,” said Murphy. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. There was blood everywhere.”

A police officer entered the tent on a stretcher, followed by a young boy getting CPR. Murphy could hear medics working on another patient within earshot.

“You could hear the frustration – expletives – from physicians who couldn’t save her,” he said.

2 Corinthians 4:8 says: We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

So, where was the love of Jesus in the horror?

“We’re working and working and at some point it just gets quiet,” he said. Everyone is working together, and it is just quiet. You are doing your thing, helping these people, and in the chaos there’s this little bit of peace for a few minutes. In that quiet moment, in the chaos, you see and experience His love.”

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

There is no good place to put a bomb, but in a twisted way, if it had to happen, the terrorists picked the worst place possible; being close to the finish line and the medical tent allowed volunteers to respond quickly and save lives.

“There’s no way that many people should have got out of there alive,” he said. “They put it (bomb) where they knew they were going to hit a lot of people, but they had no idea what was inside that tent. That was a hospital.”

After the critical patients were taken to local hospitals, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) took over. “They came in and just start kicking stuff over,” said Murphy. “They said, ‘if there’s not an MD after your name, get out.’”

Murphy showed his volunteer ID to authorities and left.

Then, it clicked.

Earlier in the day Murphy’s wife mentioned she might pack up the family and bring them down to the Patriots Day celebration. The daylong event is a family tradition for many Boston natives.

“I’m freaking out,” said Murphy. “I pick up my phone, and it’s dead.”

As he walked through the quiet streets that earlier had been filled with cheering supporters and vendors, Murphy came upon an abandoned mobile phone vendors tent. “There were phones sitting there,” he said. “So I pick up one of the phones … and it works.”

Murphy reached his wife. She was safe at home. His concern now shifted to his four college interns who were working the race. The students were responsible for assisting runners from the finish line into the medical tent. In the chaos immediately after the bombing Murphy was dedicated to helping injured people. He simply lost track of them. Later that evening Murphy was able to reach all of his student interns who were safe and at home.

As he continued his long walk back to his car, Murphy stopped at the only place open: a cigar shop. His shirt and jacket were smeared with blood. Murphy entered the store and told the employee behind the counter, “I need to use your phone.”

The man stood and stared, looking at the bloody jacket not knowing who or what the man in front of him had just been involved in.

He reached out his arm and quietly handed the phone over. Murphy described the moment as a scene you’d probably see in a Hollywood movie.

Two years have passed since the Boston bombings, and Murphy has done interviews before, but he still gets emotional. Talking about the loss, the pain, the horror of the day is still raw.

The experience has changed Murphy.

Prior to April 15, 2013, Murphy was driven by success. He said he worked 90 hours a week, pouring his whole life into research and classes.

“That day made me stop and think: You. Get. A. Day,” he said. “You owe those people in your classes everything you have that day. You need to be present – present at work, present at home. That was difficult for me before.”

The events of that day also come with a silver lining. Murphy said in the aftermath he had an opportunity to share his faith. “In the days after, people were thinking about it and open to a conversation. I had that opportunity with my students and people I worked with.”

Murphy went back and served as a volunteer in 2014.

“I walked into the tent to set up, and it hits you for a minute,” he said.

Murphy and four student interns from Charleston Southern University will be back in Boston this month for the annual Boston Marathon. The student interns, junior and senior athletic training majors, are: Skylar Aaron of Pelion, S.C., Taylor Stevens of Boiling Springs, S.C., Larkin Chapman of Lexington, S.C., and Lydia Smith of Lexington, S.C. “I tell students you will learn more in that day – about triage and emergent care – than I can ever teach you,” he said. “Nothing’s going to bother you after that day. There are people who … are going to stop breathing. It’s hard.”

In preparation for working the Boston race, CSU athletic training students have worked marathons at Kiawah Island and the annual Charleston Bridge Run. The opportunity is valuable firsthand experience in emergent care.

The 2015 Boston Marathon is scheduled for Monday, April 20. Race officials received more than 25,000 applications for this year’s event with more than 23,000 qualifying to run or walk. For more information on the Boston Marathon and its history, visit baa.org.

CSU magazine 27

LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

John Wilson, a 1990 graduate, is new director of security

J

ohn Wilson retired from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office after serving more than 22 years. He also has worked at the state level for more than three years at the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.

Dr. Rick Brewer, vice president for student affairs and athletics, said, “John’s experience and training will be an asset to the university as we continue to focus on providing our campus community with a safe, learning environment.”

Recently, we asked Wilson about his experience thus far on campus:

How did your work with the Sheriff’s Office prepare you for the job at CSU?

people fairly while still upholding the goals and objectives of my employer. I tried to treat the employees assigned to me as I would want to be treated. In my new position at CSU I hope to continue to develop more effective means of creating a safer and more secure campus for everyone and to continue to hone my management skills to become a more effective leader.

When I was hired as a deputy sheriff at the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, I started in the Patrol Division. I progressed through several different assignments and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. It was during my time as a sergeant that I gained the skills and leadership abilities to prepare me for my current position. What is it like working at your alma mater?

I always tried to lead by example. I enhanced my communication skills. I learned to deal with When I was a student at CSU I never enviconflict, and I learned how to supervise people. sioned working here, I just wanted to get my I always strived to be consistent and to treat all bachelor’s degree. Now, after retiring from law enforcement, I feel that God has placed me here in this position. I prayed to Him to lead me in the direction He wanted for me and I ended up here through His will. On my second day here at CSU, I arrived about 7:30 a.m., and as I was walking around the campus I happened to notice a beautiful bald eagle perched on the cross at the top of the Lightsey Chapel steeple.

I took this as a sign from God that I was where He wanted me to be. You see, on my uniform shirt collar I wear a bald eagle insignia. I often look for that eagle now, but I have not seen it since that day. So working here is special to me because not only did I graduate from here but I feel this is where God led me to be at this point in my life. It’s like I completed the circle.

What do you consider the biggest challenges facing university security offices?

One of the biggest challenges that I foresee is campus violence, whether it be between couples, student on student or an active shooter situation. All of these events threaten the safety of the campus community. All anyone needs to do to confirm this is to look in the various news sources and almost any day you can find some type of violence that has occurred in a school, workplace or some other public place. So not only do I see this as a campus issue but one for society to deal with as well.

Photo by Rick Esposito

28 CSU magazine

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

Impacting the University, City and World

By Doug Hunter Executive Director of the Whitfield Center for Christian Leadership

I

f you are looking for God’s fingerprints on CSU, one place you’ll find them is all over the Whitfield Center for Christian Leadership. Opened in 2013 with a charge “to equip individuals for leadership and service through the development of a biblical worldview,” the WCCL has already become a resource not only for CSU but also for the city of Charleston and even for the Marketplace Movement both nationally and globally.

With a focus driven by its three institutes – 1) Worldview; 2) Faith Integration and 3) Marketplace – the WCCL has already hosted amazing resources and events, including Ravi Zacharias International Ministries; The Leader in Me Symposium (presented by Franklin-Covey); Dr. Robert Brabenec from Wheaton College speaking on “God in the World of Mathematics;” the Regional Conference of the Fellowship of Companies for Christ International; Alan Sears, president of the Alliance Defending Freedom; Regi Campbell, author of Mentor Like Jesus and What Radical Husbands Do; the Q Commons national event that combines a simulcast of speakers like Tim Keller, Ann Voskamp and Malcolm Gladwell with local speakers; Jimmy Collins, former president and COO of Chickfil-A and author of Creative Followership; the Center for Faith, Work & Economics; and the recent 1Charleston Conference developed by a “collaborative partnership of churches and organizations that love the gospel of Jesus Christ and believe that the gospel is the only power that can reconcile years of racial tension in Charleston.”

The three areas of focus are also the foundation for developing several WCCL Signature Events. The annual events are designed to become dependable opportunities for the WCCL to bring depth and value to the CSU community, to metropolitan Charleston and to the global Body of Christ. These events include:

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

• Student Leadership Summit (September) – At the beginning of each school year, CSU will host the only leadership event in this part of the country undergirded by a distinctly biblical worldview, targeting Christian student leaders from Christian and secular universities, and utilizing the best equipped of those student leaders to plan and execute the Summit.

• Values & Ethics Series (October) – Not a new event, but with a new approach. Each year we will focus on different disciplines or areas of culture, bringing in resources to explore the challenges to biblical values and ethics that are currently being faced in those areas. Think sports, medicine, science, music, business and more.

• The Lens (Spring Semester) – Formerly the Staley Lecture Series, this is our premier worldview development event designed for bringing clarity and focus to your life and the world in which we live.

• Kingdom Business Conference (March) The global business ministry organization, Call2Business, has committed to partner with the WCCL for 10 years to develop a world-class resource for students, young entrepreneurs, business leaders and the global marketplace movement. The partnership will be built around the understanding that

business done for the glory of God has incredible value for the Kingdom of God. It can, in fact, be a far more effective instrument for impacting the world with the gospel of Christ than any other method.

• SYNC (April) – SYNC has been a staple at CSU for several years. It is a conference for pastors, pastoral staff and marketplace leaders interested in producing strategic change through missional means and ideas.

Future events are the Southeast Conference on Christianity & Literature, the Consortium on Global Education, the first meeting of the National Faith & Work Association, and a special event related to the Global Think Tank on Business As Mission (now becoming BAM Global) that will involve business faculty and students (graduate and undergraduate) from around the country.

Do you see the fingerprints? God is clearly blessing CSU’s commitment to developing leaders with a biblical worldview who know how to integrate that worldview into whatever calling God may have for their lives. Follow the Whitfield Center for Christian Leadership and watch for more fingerprints at www. charlestonsouthern.edu/christianleadership.

Local leaders Brian Lewis, Bill Stanfield and Jess Connolly made presentations at the fall 2014 Q Commons. Photo by Marcus Bryant

CSU magazine 29

ENACTUS

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

S IN ACTION: BUSINESS IN BRAZIL B Y L A’ P R I N C I A C R O M E R

N

ick Webb, a senior business major from Summerville, S.C., was a part of the Enactus team who traveled to Balem, Brazil, last summer to work on a Business as Mission project. Along with three fellow students, Dr. Scott Pearson, chair of the department of business, Cathy Johnson, wife of business professor Dr. Sharon Johnson, and Logan Bennett, a 2010 alumnus, the team ventured across northeast Brazil.

On the first trip in a planned series of three, the Enactus team gathered necessary information to develop a business plan for an entrepreneurial venture in the villages of Brazil that will ultimately fund a nonprofit ministry. The vision of the trip was brought to life through a partnership with Bennett, a vocational missionary in Brazil who has begun his own company, Global English, teaching English to the people of Brazil.

“I am a Christian, and I care very deeply about economic development which is essentially what this project is about; it’s about raising people up to a higher standard of living,” said Amanda Mulholland, a senior majoring in economics.

During the 10 days in Balem, Brazil, the team met with executives to discuss business. Dr. Paulo, an attorney, explained the difference between Brazilian government regulations and tax rules from those of the United States. The group joined the CFO of a multimillion dollar company, EX-MAM, for another informational sitting. Edwin, a financial manager, further clari-

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

fied some of the information Paulo had given to the team. Edwin also explained the intricacies of the tax system and other essentials for building and operating a business within Brazil.

Johnson coordinated the Vacation Bible School portion of the trip: discovering who Jesus is, making a decision to follow Jesus, and then defending what one knows about Jesus.

The third day of the Vacation Bible School represented defending what one knows. With the help of the CSU students, attendees created a gospel bracelet that held a blue bead in the middle representing baptism. “Baptism does not save you but it is a way of making that public declaration that you know Jesus,” said Johnson to the missionary of the church who became very excited when hearing this. In previous times, there were many children who had come to church declaring that they believed in Jesus but as they grew older left the church.

Over the course of the three days of teachings, devotions and testimonies, 15 children made the decision to accept Christ while 18 more children came forward for baptism, rededicating their lives to Christ.

“We were extremely excited to see God working in their hearts,” said Webb.

On the eighth day of the trip, the Enactus team headed to Reverend Wilson Grieve’s boat for a trip down the Amazon River. After two hours the team reached their destination at Caicaua village -- the Ribeirinhos, a family community, where the first stop was the grandmother’s home, the head of the village.

While talking to the grandmother topics were discussed including their way of life, faith and view of Christianity.

Shocking to Webb was the fact that the Ribeirinhos thought Christians were healers. “And we had to explain to them that it was not like that.

You had to pray to God for all your help that you needed which was something they did not expect,” he said.

Upon leaving the grandmother’s home, the team made a stop at the village school where gift bags were disbursed. Due to a low tide, the trip was lengthened a couple of hours. During this time the Enactus team continued to bond with the children and their families, sharing many stories and countless laughs.

“EVEN THOUGH MOST THINGS ARE DIFFERENT TO THE AMERICAN LIFESTYLE, WE DO SHARE SOMETHING IN COMMON, THE LOVE OF GOD.” – NICK WEBB

CSU magazine 31

LEARNING

LEADING

SERVING

Spending only 10 days in Brazil became a constricting factor as the CSU team sought to accomplish all of the goals which had been set.

Though initially nervous about the trip and the impact that she would make, Mulholland said, “When I got there I realized that it wasn’t about what I contributed. God was loving on me, through the experience, through these people, and that’s what it’s all really about, our opportunities for Christ.”

Mulholland, as well as the rest of the team, was very hands-on with the children. She said, “I definitely bonded with a handful of kids.

It was just so incredible to me that we didn’t speak the same language, but we still bonded.

And the fact that love was essentially the communication that was going on in the church was something that was really incredible for me.”

The president of Enactus, Keith Millender, a junior business administration major, said that his strong suit is not really with kids. Millender’s primary focus on the trip was the task at

“THE EXPERIENCES I HAVE BEEN THROUGH ON THIS TRIP HAVE DEFINITELY REFRESHED MY SPIRITUALITY. SOMETIMES I GET CAUGHT UP IN THE FAST-PACED, AMERICAN DOG-EAT-DOG MENTALITY AND LOSE SIGHT OF WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT. THE KIDS IN THE VILLAGES WE VISITED OBVIOUSLY DO NOT HAVE THE MATERIAL THINGS THAT WE DO, BUT I NOTICED THAT THEY ARE WAY HAPPIER THAN KIDS THEIR AGE IN AMERICA.” – NICK WEBB

32 CSU magazine

hand, to develop a business plan. However, it was impossible to deny God’s presence through the children of Brazil.

“But it was really cool to see how devoted they were to getting to church and spending time with people who believe in Jesus,” said Millender. “So I kind of learned that there are so many distractions here in America that it’s hard to get the faith of a child because Jesus said,‘… Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God’ (Luke 18:16). These little kids have a lot more faith than I do sometimes.”

The children of Brazil left a huge impression on Webb. “The experiences I have been through on this trip have definitely refreshed my spirituality. Sometimes I get caught up in the fast-paced, American dog-eat-dog mentality and lose sight of what is really important. The kids in the villages we visited obviously do not have the material things that we do, but I noticed that they are way happier than kids their age in America.”

Emmanuel Amon, a junior business administration major, would like to return and also use the experience as motivation to Nigeria, the native land of his father, and aid efforts to develop the economy.

“Overall this trip has been a life-changing event for all of us. It has really opened our eyes to the needs, perspective and lifestyles of the world,” said Webb. “We developed a bond so strong in a week, and we didn’t speak the same language. I can only imagine how close we could have been if only we spoke the same language.”

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

Denominational Relations Director

Retires

When the Rev. James W. “Skip” Owens retired, his legacy of representing the university to South Carolina Baptists will be what many remember.

O

wens, a 1976 graduate of Charleston Southern, has served as the director of denominational relations since 2001.

Prior to joining the staff at CSU, Owens pastored numerous churches in South Carolina, served a term as president of the S.C. Baptist Convention and served on the CSU Board of Trustees. Most recently, he served a term on the Board of Trustees of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is currently the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Meggett.

He was instrumental in helping organize the CSU Minister’s Support Network and has helped raise more than $20,000 for The Minister’s Support Network Endowed Scholarship.

President Jairy C. Hunter Jr., said, “Skip Owens is a man of impeccable integrity, genuine humility and Christian faith. Several years ago Skip served on our Board of Trustees. During this time the university was reviewing its vision, mission and core values. Skip led us to restate the university’s core values based on biblical principles. We owe Skip a debt of gratitude for this significant accomplishment.”

“I met Skip Owens as a fellow student when we were both young, inexperienced and we had far more passion than we had knowledge. Everyone who was earning a religion major knew that Skip Owens was going to be a catalyst and a Additional comments on Skip Owens’ legacy: powerful influence for a long time. It has been my privilege to be very involved in the life of the “Skip Owens’ impact on CSU has been effective Southern Baptist Convention around the world. and will continue to be felt in the years to — Bobby Bailey, director of missions, Screven I can honestly say there are few men who are come. Scores of students, staff, coaches and Baptist Association more Kingdom-minded and effective than Skip faculty learned about effective leadership from Owens in defending the Faith, being willing observing Skip’s life and work. A consistent “A man full of the love of God. A friend of many to be on the front lines, and sharing the Good pattern of integrity, faithfulness and grace was in the work for MSN and CSU. A servant who News of Jesus. After his faith and his family, evidenced in his daily encounters with the CSU will be missed.”

Skip’s energy and passion are often directed family. And, as he always signed off, the ‘best is toward making sure churches across America yet to come with Jesus,’ I’m convinced the Lord — Dr. Richard Porter, director of missions, know that CSU can be trusted with their most is going to use Skip Owens in new, meaningful Orangeburg-Calhoun Baptist Association cherished possessions: their children and their ways as the best the Lord has for his future future. John Maxwell has a great saying that, unfolds.”

‘True success is when those who know you best love you the most.’ That is a perfect description — Dr. Rick Brewer, vice president for student of my friend and brother Skip Owens.” affairs and athletics Photo: Dr. Rick Brewer, left, and President — Jay Strack, President & Founder, Student Jairy Hunter, right, present Skip Owens with Leadership University. a retirement gift. Photo by Rick Esposito

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

“Skip is a friend of Directors of Missions. He has worked tirelessly in developing a strong partnership between Charleston Baptist Association, Screven Baptist Association and Charleston Southern University. We value his wisdom in working with us and our churches to impact our communities for Christ.”

CSU magazine 33

5OT H A N NI V E R SA R Y

Serving Others + CSU’s 50th Anniversary Adds Up to More Than 50 Ways of Caring

By La’Princia Cromer

Serving others is woven into the fabric of life at CSU and is a solid component of living a life of faith.

Each year, students, faculty and staff provide more than 70,000 documented hours of community service. Clubs, organizations, campus ministries and others combine forces to make a difference in our community.

Kevin Coriolan, volunteer coordinator, shared results from a couple of recent projects. He said, “In November, CSU students packed 1,625 Operation Christmas Child boxes to be sent to children all over the world, and during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, 100 cans of food were donated and taken by students to Helping Hands of Goose Creek food pantry. And over 70 students attended a student-led Homelessness Awareness Forum to learn how to get involved with solving homelessness.”

To commemorate the university’s 50th anniversary, we worked with campus organizations to identify 50 Ways of Caring. Check out the list for some of the service CSU clubs have performed:

Photos: President Hunter participated in the ALS Bucket Challenge.

Photo by Rhett Marley

50 Ways of Caring 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

180 House, Summerville: Premed/ACS Clubs 9/11 memorial: Music Therapy Club A21 Campaign: Alpha Kappa Alpha American Lung Association: Health Promotions Club Animal Shelter: Campus Activities Board Breast Cancer Awareness: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sociology Club Camp Adam Fisher: Premed/ACS Clubs Canned Goods Drive at Easter: Health Promotions Club Care Station for Finals: Health Promotions Club Career Expo: Zeta Phi Beta

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

47.

48.

49.

50.

Carolina Hospice: Campus Activities Board Charleston STEM Fest: Premed/ACS Clubs Chemical demo for elementary students: Premed/ACS Clubs Childhood Hunger Awareness: Alpha Kappa Alpha Church Food Banks: Premed/ACS Clubs Cleaning Churches in Orangeburg: Alpha Phi Alpha Doors to Freedom: Campus Activities Board Eagle Harbor Ranch: Alpha Phi Alpha, Psi Chi/Psychology Club, Criminal Justice Association Elder Care Initiative: Zeta Phi Beta Epilepsy Awareness: Sociology Club Freshman Move-in: Alpha Phi Alpha, Zeta Phi Beta Habitat for Humanity: Alpha Phi Alpha, Communications Association, Enactus HIV/AIDS Seminar Awareness: Zeta Phi Beta Host weekly study night: Zeta Phi Beta Chemical demo for high school students: Premed/ACS Clubs Letters to Soldiers Overseas: Music Therapy Club Lowcountry Food Bank: Psi Chi/Psychology Club Lowcountry Pregnancy Center: Premed/ACS Clubs Lowcountry Walk for Life: Psi Chi/Psychology Club March for Babies: Zeta Phi Beta MUSC Children’s Hospital: Criminal Justice Association My Sister’s House: Psi Chi/Psychology Club, Campus Activities Board National Z-Hope Projects: Zeta Phi Beta Operation Baby Rescue: Alpha Phi Alpha Operation Christmas Child: Alpha Phi Alpha, Psi Chi/Psychology Club, Premed/ACS, Health Promotions Club, Music Therapy Club, Criminal Justice Association, Campus Activities Board Peer Assistance Leadership, Charleston Police: Criminal Justice Association Project Unity: Criminal Justice Association Ronald McDonald House: Alpha Phi Alpha Self-Awareness Month: Psi Chi/Psychology Club Sickle Cell Awareness: Zeta Phi Beta Stall High School: Alpha Phi Alpha Step into Spring Health & Wellness Fair: Health Promotions Club Suicide Prevention Week: Psi Chi/Psychology Club Summerville Miracle League: Alpha Phi Alpha, Music Therapy Club, Communications Association Threads of Hope Bracelets: Music Therapy Trash pick-up on campus: Communications Association Trunk or Treat: Psi Chi/Psychology, Zeta Phi Beta Walk for Economic Empowerment: Enactus White Oak Manor nursing home: Alpha Phi Alpha, Health Promotions Club, Music Therapy Club Winter Apparel Drive for homeless: Health Promotions Club

Students packed 1,625 shoeboxes in one night for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse.

Photo by Danielle Hensley

34 CSU magazine

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CSU neighbor responds to 50th anniversary coverage

The following is a copy of a letter published in the Jan. 29, 2015, Post and Courier. Reprinted with permission

CSU history What grand two-page coverage on Sunday by journalist Jennifer Hawes, telling the story of Baptist College growing into Charleston Southern University.

Just last week three of us walked over to this lovely campus for our monthly Sandwich-it-in program sponsored by the English Department. Others made the short drive.

Starting after Hurricane Hugo, Dr. Carol Drowota began this book review program for our retirement community. Now Dr. Nancy Berendse and Dr. Scott Yarbrough organize these monthly book reviews with Dr. Drowota attending since her retirement.

The CSU library director, Sandra Hughes, has provided privileges to The Elms so that we may check out books.

It is a beautiful library to visit and enjoy magazines and the Java Coffeehouse next door.

Sometimes we also eat with the students in their huge cafeteria, enjoying a full fresh salad bar, hot meal selections and too many dessert options. Yes, senior discounts are offered.

I also understand that many service groups use the campus dorms during the summer and go out into the community helping the elderly and others in need.

CSU is a wonderful neighbor for our retirement community. It is a joy to attend concerts and plays there and witness the talent of many fine students.

The Post and Courier’s coverage told a lot of CSU’s history, and these are just a few of the 2015 offerings for senior citizens.

Martha F. Barkley

CSU Publications Digitized All of the university’s past publications have been digitized and are now available at archive.org/details/charlestonsouthernuniversity.

What will you find when you go to archive.org?

• Yearbooks: Cutlass volumes 1-45 • Literary Magazines: Sefers • Alumni Magazines: CSU Magazine, Reflections, Ebenezer

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CSU magazine 35

5OT H A N NI V E R SA R Y

For more, check out CharlestonSouthern50.com for events, stories and photos

SANDWICH IT IN Celebrates 25 Years

Sandwich It In began its 25th year with the review of “Empire of the Summer Moon” by S.C. Gwynne Sept. 17 at the Elms Clubhouse.

For half the life of Charleston Southern, Sandwich It In has contributed to the lives of the Elms, a retirement community adjacent to campus, and of CSU, at first bringing the communities together to find relief from the stress of Hugo and then bringing them together to celebrate the pleasure of reading.

In the summer of 1989, Josephine Palaccio, a resident of the Elms retirement community, wanted something new. She met with Dr. Carol Drowota of Charleston Southern and Mary Monyhan, another Elms resident, to discuss a type of book club she’d heard about.

Their discussion created Sandwich It In. Interested readers from the Elms and from CSU would meet at the Elms over a brown bag lunch to talk about a good book they had read. To start the conversation, one volunteer, usually from the CSU English department, would present a review. The first Sandwich It In would occur in September.

Another significant event occurred in September 1989 – Hurricane Hugo. As the CSU campus and the Elms struggled to recover, the organizers of Sandwich It In considered postponing the first meeting until spring semester. However, they decided not to wait: both communities needed some kind of return to normality.

So the inaugural Sandwich It In took place on the first Wednesday in October 1989.

Over time, Sandwich It In has become a joint venture between the Elms and Charleston Southern. In the fall, it meets at the Elms clubhouse, and in the spring it meets on campus.

In addition to book reviews, programs have included slideshows on famous authors, talks and readings by local authors, talks by independent bookstore owners and an annual celebration of new members of the South Carolina Academy of Authors.

Today, interested readers come to learn about good books to read as much as to discuss books they have read.

Books for 25th anniversary year Sept. 17 “Empire of the Summer Moon” by S.C. Gwynne, reviewed by Dr. Scott Yarbrough Oct. 22 “Invention of Wings” by Sue Monk Kidd, reviewed by students of Dr. Carissa Smith Nov. 19 “The Lowland” by Jhumpa Lahiri, reviewed by Dr. Jonathan Sircy Jan. 21 “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,”

by Ransom Riggs, reviewed by Dr. Celeste McMaster Feb. 18 “Saving Grace” by Lee Smith, reviewed by Dr. Britt Terry March 18 “Dubliners” by James Joyce, reviewed by Dr. Kimberly Sims April 15 new members, South Carolina Academy of Authors, presented by Prof. Ellen Hyatt et al.

$50,000 for 50th Anniversary At their 2014 Shopping for Scholars auction, the Women’s Council reached their goal of $50,000 to honor CSU’s 50th Anniversary. All funds raised during the annual auction go directly to student scholarship support. Women’s Council members work all year to prepare for the live and silent auctions on a Saturday each November.

36 CSU magazine

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

Blue & Gold Gala

photos by Rhett Marley

The annual President’s Club dinner highlighting donors was expanded to the Blue & Gold Gala in 2014 to honor donors and highlight the university’s 50th anniversary.

The dining hall was transformed for the evening of the Blue & Gold Gala.

President Jairy Hunter and his wife, Sissy, welcomed some of the Gala guests, Betty Lou and Danny Blackwell and Earlene and Jackie Horton. The Blackwells are from Kershaw and have both served on the CSU Board of Trustees. The Hortons, of Lancaster, are members of the Legacy Society and the Board of Visitors.

BCC/CSU 50th memories shared on facebook Jennifer Whatley Govea ’97 “I was so pleased to receive such a beautiful commemorative magazine in the mail yesterday. It was like a Christmas present from my college! I sat in the car turning the pages for a long time reading about all of the wonderful things that have happened in the past 50 years at CSU.” Harriett Parsons Edwards ’72 On Billy Graham’s 1970 visit to campus: “Dr. Hamrick asked me to thank him for coming at the luncheon. He gave me a copy of Good News that he had autographed. I still have it after all of these years.”

Harriett and college friends, Cheryl Coker Etheridge, Betsy McAmis and Ouidasue Walters Nash, all Class of 1972, recently meet on campus. It was Ouidasue’s first trip back to campus since graduating.

Harriett was editor of the Cutlass in 1971 and 1972, and Ouidasue was editor of the Buc in Print in 1971 and 1972.

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

Neyda A. Mora ’83 “College days are special for everyone...they’ve gifted most of us with some unforgettable carefree memories to cherish forever, treasures that will last a lifetime. Happy 50th Anniversary Baptist College @ Charleston!!!”

Jack Hagin ’69 “I was in the Founding Class at First Baptist Church of North Charleston - Graduated May 1969. Great education and good friends. Dr. Carpenter and Dr. Haight were some of the best.”

Cheryl Etheridge, Harriett Edwards, Betsy McAmis and Ouidasue Nash

CSU magazine 37

SCHOOL TIES

Class notes 1969

Hal Adams carried CSU Blue and Gold to the Arctic Circle in August 2014. He is chairman of Custom Assurance Placements, Ltd. in Columbia.

1971 O.L. Thompson III was named 2014 Miner of the Year by the Mining Association of South Carolina. He is the CEO of numerous companies: O.L. Thompson Construction Company, Inc., Thompson Trucking, Inc. and Wando RediMix, LLC.

1979 A.D. Jordan is a regional director for U.S. Senator Tim Scott ’88.

Jordan serves seven counties located in the Pee Dee region of the state.

38 CSU magazine

1982

Mahaliah Bowman-Campbell earned a PhD in general psychology from Capella University May 24, 2013. Her hooding ceremony was held at CSU in the Gold Room with Dr. Scott Wowra, associate professor at Capella, officiating. Her interest in psychology focuses on the areas of cognitive behavior, human development and educational psychology. She has been a field placement supervisor for social worker and human service candidates from Limestone College, Trident Tech and Southern Wesleyan University.

1985 June D. Kemp is the Child Development Center director for Orangeburg Preparatory Schools.

Previously, she was owner/ operator of Doodle Bugs Child Development Center, located in Bamberg.

1986

1991

Janice Leigh Valentine McCarter is the assistant principal of Pioneer Elementary School in Suffolk, Va. She was the history instructional specialist for Suffolk Public Schools prior to being named assistant principal. Janice has taught in the Suffolk, Va., public schools since 2009 and earned a master’s in education administration from Regent University in Virginia Beach in 2013. She and her husband, the Rev. Stewart McCarter, have two daughters and a son.

Carey Dukes ’92 MBA owns Bubba D’s Dawgs in Marietta, Ga.

1994 Kimberly Flowers Britt was selected to write the technology modules for McGraw Hill’s new college skills textbook.

1987 Joe Still is the new lead pastor at Riverbluff Baptist Church in North Charleston. He was executive pastor at Riverbluff for 26 years.

Georgia Haug, writing as He is married to the former Kathy Georgianna Jeans, has published Nettles ’82. her first novel, Wafford Springs.

Press information about the book says, “Wafford Springs is a story of betrayal and redemption, of small-town politics and Bill W. Sanderson was recently community spirit, all surrounded named assistant superintendent by life on the farm, including the of high schools in San Francisco personalities of the animals, who Unified School District. He moved are as much a part of Wafford to San Francisco in 2003 and has Springs as the people are.” Haug served as a high school teacher, is a retired horse trainer and is assistant principal, principal an animal lover. She and her and executive director of college husband live in North Charleston. and career readiness. He has The book is available from worked in public education for Amazon, Barnes and Noble and two decades and was selected by the Outskirts Press Bookstore in the South Carolina Department paperback, hardback and ebook. of Education for their principal apprentice program.

1988

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

COMPILED BY JAN JOSLIN ’82

1997

2000

2001

2004

Rev. Timothy Nicholson received a master of arts in pastoral counseling in May 2013 from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He was accepted and endorsed as a hospice chaplain by the North American Mission Board in October 2013. He has been a hospice chaplain for 12 years and currently works at Sanctuary Hospice based out of Ridgeland. Timothy and his wife, Debi, celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary Sept. 3, 2014, and live in Adams Run.

John L. Breeden III is the senior vice president/North Strand regional executive for South Atlantic Bank in North Myrtle Beach.

Nathan Mills Henderson has joined Carolina One Real Estate’s Goose Creek office. He and his wife have three children and live in Moncks Corner.

Derek Brown recently received his doctor of philosophy degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Misty Walker Feher and her husband, Jeremy Feher, announce the birth of twins, Ellisyn Everri and John “Asher” born June 1, 2014. The Fehers live in Hanahan, and Misty is the compensation and benefits manager at the South Carolina Ports Authority.

2002

Michelle Smith was named Teacher of the Year at Great Falls Elementary School in Great Falls for the 2014-2015 year. She is a Andy Green has joined Century 21 second grade teacher.

Properties Plus as a sales associate in Charleston. He and his wife, Angie, have two children.

1998

1999

Tiffany Langston Midkiff and her husband, Matt Midkiff, announce the birth of their first child, Mae Elizabeth, born April Jennifer Sloan Beeman received 21, 2014, weighing 6 lbs., 15 oz. a PhD in statistics in December and 20.5 inches long. Tiffany is a 2013 from North Carolina State Montessori teacher for Charleston University. She also proudly County School District, and Matt announces the birth of a daughter, is the owner/real estate appraiser Piper Claire Beeman, born May for the Midkiff Appraisal Group.

3, 2014. Jennifer works for SAS The Midkiffs live in Mount Institute, Inc., in Cary, N.C., in Pleasant. research and development.

Andre M. Dukes ’06 MEd, is the new principal of St. John’s High School. He is currently working on his doctorate at the University of South Carolina. In 2014 he was named S.C. Assistant Principal of the Year, CSU Outstanding Alumnus of the Year and was a Westie Award winner.

2003 Lindsey and Eugene “Gene” Granger announce the birth of a son, Carter Eugene, born May 21, 2014. Gene was a member of the men’s basketball team while at CSU. Penny Smith Hahn recently completed Leadership Dutchess, a program of the Poughkeepsie N.Y., Chamber Foundation, Inc., dedicated to motivating professionals to become involved as community leaders. She said, “The experience made me more aware of complex issues facing our region and the importance of volunteer stewardship.” Penny is an associate in the Iseman, Cunningham, Riester & Hyde LLP law firm in the Poughkeepsie office. (Penny is fourth from the left in the photo.)

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

Chelsea Renae Stone and Cambridge Trott Stone III were married Oct. 3, 2014, in Charleston. He works for South Carolina Federal Credit Union as a mortgage loan officer, and they live in Charleston.

Libby Bailey Wright is the marketing and communications manager for Ten Thousand Villages in Greenville.

2005 Tatum Rebecca Clowney MBA and James Boukedes Hodge were married Dec. 13, 2014, in Amelia Island, Fla. She works for Daiichi Sankyo Pharmaceutical Company.

They live in Norman, Okla.

CSU magazine 39

SCHOOL TIES

2006

Rebecca Eifert and her husband, Christopher, announce the birth of their second child, Amelia Joy. She was born Aug. 21, 2013, weighing 8 lbs. 8 oz. and was 20.75 inches long. Big sister, Kinsley, welcomed Amelia home.

Rebecca is a registered nurse at Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill, and they live in Chester.

Trey Ingram was selected to join the Leadership Greenville Class 41, a program of the Greenville Chamber to help develop informed, committed and qualified leaders for Greenville County. Trey is an attorney with Smith Moore Leatherwood in Greenville and focuses on commercial real estate. He further devotes a portion of his practice to South Carolina adoption law.

40 CSU magazine

Lauren Mantho Abel and Garrett Abel ’09 are proud to announce the birth of their second son, Aidan Henry. Aidan was born March 28, 2014, at 10:02 p.m. He weighed 7 lb. 14 oz. and was 20.5 inches long.

Jonathan Small is the football operations coordinator for the Sam Houston State University Bearkats. Small was previously head of football operations at Elon University and The College of William and Mary. He coordinates team travel, logistics for player welfare, pro scout liaison, assists with the team budget and is involved in player academic success.

2007 Mike McCann ’11 MBA has released an ebook, Giving to Gain, How I Landed Two Jobs without a Resume. He works with SOUTH, a full service web design and app development firm and blogs at pickadirection.com. Mike also serves as vice president of the CSU Buc Club Board of Directors.

2009

Kayla Victoria Parris and Adam Vinson Gamble were married Dec. 7, 2013, in Greenville. He works Brittany Bolick is an assistant for The Citizens Bank, and they women’s soccer coach at live in Florence.

Appalachian State University. She formerly was head girls’ soccer coach at Watauga High School.

Edwin Squirewell completed a PhD in medicinal chemistry from the University of Iowa and is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Brianne Peters was named Teacher of the Year at Pinewood Prep in Summerville in May 2014.

She is Pinewood’s global studies specialist.

2008 Melissa Query Pearson MBA and Jonathan Pearson announce the birth of a son, Riley, born April 8, 2014, weighing 5 lbs. 5 oz., and 18 inches long.

2010 Chiquetta President MBA was honored at The BethuneLeonard Section of the National Council of Negro Women at their annual Innovators under 35 banquet. Chiquetta is an author, motivational speaker and founder of Pump Power.

2011

Brittany Williams Carter is a music teacher at Rosemary Middle School in Georgetown where Jonathan Rushin teaches she teaches drama, show choir economics and entrepreneurship and chorus. She also sponsors at Summerville High School in Summerville. He also serves as the the Junior Beta Club. She is the School to Work coordinator and is children’s and youth director at the school volunteer coordinator. her church as well.

He is married to Jessica Rushin Meredith Bradley Mills is teaching ’06, ’11 MEd, and they have one at Dutch Fork High School in son.

Irmo. Previously, she taught at Stratford High School, where she was named Rookie Teacher of the Year in 2011-2012.

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

2012

2014

Nic Spalviero is a sales associate with Century Properties Plus in Charleston, specializing in residential property sales. He previously worked for Charleston Bike Taxi.

Naomi Cills works for The Ark, Alzheimer’s Family Support Services, in the respite program and as a trainer for caregivers.

2013 Hannah Lauren Davis and John Blake Eidson ’10 were married July 20, 2014, in Awendaw.

She is a teacher at Summerville Elementary School, and he is a coach at Ashley Ridge High School. They live in Summerville.

Keri Elizabeth Huff and Corey Scott Smith were married May 17, 2014, in Dorchester.

She is a marketing director at Longwood Plantation. They live in Orangeburg.

Carra Courtney Coy and Jesse Adam Beam were married May 17, 2014, in Lake Murray. They live in Charleston.

Bridget Hearn-Simmons is sales director for South Carolina Financial Solutions.

Caroline Nicole Sealey and Benjamin Lee Qualkinbush ’13 were married June 14, 2014, in Georgetown. She is employed at West End Elementary School, and he is employed at Top Notch Training. They live in Anderson.

KEEP IN TOUCH! Send us your news about family additions, job changes and memories of your time at CSU. Send your photos too! Photos should be at least 1 MB in size in jpg format. (If you send a professional photograph, please include permission to print from the photographer.)

Send Class Notes to: magazine@csuniv.edu or mail to: Class Notes I CSU University Relations PO Box 118087 I Charleston, SC 29423-8087 Send address changes to: advancement@csuniv.edu For name changes on your permanent record: contact register@csuniv.edu

Follow the Alumni Association on Social Media: alumni_csu alumni_csu

Kelvin Waites has published a book, Hit’em Before They Hit You. He is Deputy Chief of Police for the Horry County Police Department. The book is available from Amazon.

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

To stay up-to-date on alumni news and happenings, send your email address to alumni@csuniv.edu

CSU magazine 41

SCHOOL TIES

CALLING ALL BABY BUCS!

Baby Bucs 1

Submitting a Photo Email a picture of your Baby Buc wearing the shirt to alumni@csuniv. edu. Pictures should be 1 MB in size or larger, in jpg format.

2

5

3

6

4

7

8

1. Adeline Faith Ayer, daughter of Stephen “Bryan” Ayer ’11 and Susan “Miranda” Ayer, current CSU student 2. Aidan Henry Abel, son of Lauren Mantho Abel ’06 and Garrett Abel ’09 3. Micah Byrd, son of Eli Byrd ’10 and Julie Kellenbenz Byrd ’11 4. Judah Easley, son of Joe Easley ’05 and Stacy Hatton Easley ’05 5. Twins, Ellisyn Everri Feher and John “Asher” Feher, daughter and son of Misty Walker Feher ’00 and Jeremy Feher 6. Carter Eugene Granger, son of Lindsey Granger ’03 and Eugene “Gene” Granger ’03 7. Camryn Pearle McBride, daughter of Virginia Williamson McBride ’99, ’06 MBA and Sean McBride 8. Keegan Joel Hiser, son of Lili Gresham Hiser ’02 and Greg Hiser ’00 and first grandchild of Faye Breland Gresham ’73

42 CSU magazine

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

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

9

10

12

11

13

14

15

16

9. Mae Elizabeth Midkiff, daughter of Tiffany Langston Midkiff ’04 and Matt Midkiff 10. Riley Pearson, son of Melissa Query Pearson ’08 MBA and Jonathan Pearson ’08 11. William “Will” Albert Rhoden, son of Kathy Rhoden ’92 12. Anna Grace Tyree, daughter of Laura Porter Tyree ’02 and Robert Tyree ’02 13. Titus Warrior, son of Josh Warrior ’08 14. Isaac Watson and Mary Katherine Watson, son and daughter of Amy L. Watson ’04 and Thom Watson ’03 15. Sawyer Troy Wilson, son of Ashley Arnette Wilson ’06 and Phillip Wilson 16. Savannah Caroline Wood, daughter of JoBeth Banas Wood ’05 and David Wood III and granddaughter of Pamela Banas, CSU staff

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CSU magazine 43

SCHOOL TIES

ALUMNI AND GRADUATES HONORED AT ANNUAL LUNCHEON

T

he Alumni Association’s annual luncheon to honor graduates featured the 2014 Alumni Association Award recipients and a keynote speech by alumnus Tessa Spencer ’90.

Spencer, a news anchor for ABC News, congratulated the Class of 2014 on beginning the first of many journeys in their lives.

Her broadcast journey has included stints in the U.S. Army Reserves, in radio, as a voice over artist and as a cheerleader for the Tennessee Titans.

Spencer reminded the graduates that their plans may not be the journey the Lord has for them. She originally thought she would attend the College of Charleston and become a Spanish teacher. Instead, her journey brought her to CSU and a degree in communication.

“I am grateful I was able to start in a place that gave me a stable foundation, hope and a future,” she said.

2014 Alumni Association Awards: • Outstanding Young Alumnus of the Year: Andy Yoho ’09 • Alumnus Community Service Award: Chad Burn ’02 • University Mission Award: Tanya Lott ’99 • Outstanding Alumnus of the Year: Andre Dukes ’02, ’06

Tessa Spencer

Burn, Yoho, Lott, Dukes

2014 Sporting Clays Fun Shoot for Scholarships

By Bill Ward, Advancement

F

orty-six shooters from across the Midlands and Lowcountry broke clay targets, ate championship BBQ and thoroughly enjoyed the day at Partridge Creek Gun Club in Ridgeville April 5, 2014, at the 5th Annual Sporting Clays Fun Shoot for Scholarships.

The shooters and over a dozen sponsors raised nearly $6,000 for student scholarships.

Harold Boatwright of Florence took home the Championship trophy shooting a 94X100. His

44 CSU magazine

brother Harrison, a CSU student, took second place shooting 92X100.

Several alumni participated: Johney Haralson ’69, Henry Eldridge ’72, Wilson Inabinet ’72 and Daniel Inabinet ’84.

Alumni sponsors included Butch Byron ’73, Ted Ford ’75 and Dave Smith ’96.

The 6th Annual CSU Sporting Clays Fun Shoot for Scholarships was scheduled for March 28, 2015.

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

2014-2015 Alumni Board

Alumni Filling Roles in Advancement

B

Rex Divine ’85, President Lecius Moorer ’00, Vice President David Weiss ’03, Secretary Ron Jaicks ’93, Treasurer Anne Turner ’86, ’89, Past President

eth Myers ’08, former alumni director, is now the director of development. Myers will primarily focus on fundraising with alumni and matching resources with scholarship funds to aid students in financial need.

“CSU was so transformational for me,” said Myers. She attended CSU after receiving a scholarship. “I heard the gospel here and became a Christian, and I want other students to have the chance to receive an education and hear the gospel.”

In her new position, Myers works collaboratively with the president’s office, deans and the development staff to meet the fundraising needs of the university. She designs and executes planned giving programs which include annual giving, corporate giving, major gifts and deferred giving.

Myers views her role as the middle man between resources and a student in financial need. “I feel helping a student come to CSU has an impact on the Kingdom.”

Rebecca Poisson ’09 has joined the advancement staff as director of alumni affairs and annual giving.

She primarily plans events for the university’s alumni, maintains communication with alumni and coordinates multiple annual fundraising programs.

“I am thrilled to be back at my alma mater!

My goal is to connect with, encourage and foster relationships with our alumni and inspire their involvement with the exciting work that is taking place at CSU,” Poisson said.

“I also hope to encourage others to partner with CSU through giving to our annual fund so that Charleston Southern can continue to change the lives of its students and those around them,” she said.

Previously, she was the development database coordinator at Trident Technical College.

Myers is married to J.W. Myers ’09. Poisson is married to J.P. Poisson ’10, and they have one daughter, Colette.

Myers

Poisson

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

Andre Dukes ’01, ’06 Cynthia Tillman ’89 Carl Beckmann ’71 Kris Head ’05 Mahaliah Campbell ’82 Daniel Cross ’90 Amanda Davis ’97 Gary Swanger ’70

Lift the Lowcountry: $25,000 for CSU

I

f you want the chance to double your donation to Charleston Southern, you need to make a donation May 5, 2015, on Lift the Lowcountry day.

Lift the Lowcountry, administered locally through the Coastal Community Foundation, is a part of Give Local America, a day for people to donate to nonprofits. Generous donors add to the amount to make your gift count even more.

Last year, CSU raised $25,000 from our supportive donors and incentivized money through the Coastal Community Foundation in just ONE day.

To learn more about how to participate in this year’s event, contact the advancement office at 843-863-7517.

CSU magazine 45

SCHOOL TIES

Grant Will Help Veterans

P

almetto Warrior Connection has awarded a $16,250 grant to Charleston Southern’s Veterans Services.

Funds will be used to create a Veterans’ Study Lounge on campus and for recruitment of prospective students. Approximately 300 veterans are enrolled currently.

“The Palmetto Warrior Connection Grant will allow CSU to not only assist our veterans with their educational needs but also will allow CSU to show appreciation for their service,” said Teri Karges, director of financial aid.

Jermaine Husser, executive director of Palmetto Warrior Connection, said Palmetto Warrior is a first stop for our warriors returning from duty and seeks to meet their diverse needs. “We hope to do three things: build a relationship with the warrior, build hope and build a plan,” Husser said.

Pictured: Teri Karges, Dr. Jairy Hunter, Jermaine Husser, Jennifer Morse, Devon Kemble

Bucs vs. Bulldogs CSU alums backed the Bucs against the University of Georgia Nov. 22. The Bulldogs won the game 55-9.

46 CSU magazine

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

Arthur Gerald “Jerry” Norris ’98 MBA, age 68, died Dec. 23, 2014, in Summerville. He was a marketing manager and corporate vice president for Westvaco Development Corporation’s Summerville Lumber Mill.

Memorials Mary Elizabeth Antley, age 65, died Aug. 23, 2014, in Johnson City, Tenn. She was a retired administrative assistant for the CSU School of Education.

Durwood Barton, age 72, died Aug. 2, 2014, in Murrells Inlet. He was a retired law enforcement officer and was a member of the CSU Board of Visitors.

Rev. Dr. William “Bill” Fletcher Bishop Jr., age 77, died April 31, 2014, in Fairview. He was a former executive director of missions for the Charleston Metro Baptist Association. He received an honorary doctorate from CSU in 1980.

Dr. James Anthony Blanton ’69, age 67, died Aug. 9, 2014, in Fairhope, Ala. He was a retired teacher, coach and school administrator and was retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve. A member of the founding class, Tony served as the university’s first student body president.

Karen Diane Collins, age 59, died Oct. 6, 2014, in Charleston after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was retired from CSU, where she had worked in the admissions, athletics and advancement offices. She received the Distinguished Service Award from CSU in 2010. Memorials may be made to The Jesse Joe and Mia Jordan Funded Nursing Scholarship, (CSU Advancement Office, PO Box 118087, Charleston, SC 29423) a scholarship Karen started in her grandchildren’s names.

Virginia Adams Hamilton-Hartzog, age 99, died Nov. 24, 2014, in Charleston. She was active in the community and owned Hamilton Jewelers.

She was a member of the CSU Women’s Council and Board of Visitors. Memorials may be made to the CSU Football Program, Athletics, PO Box 118087, Charleston, SC 29423.

Dr. Fitzhugh Nicholson Hamrick, age 88, died May 23, 2014, in Charleston. He was a retired dentist and MUSC faculty member. He was a member of the CSU Board of Visitors and was the brother of CSU’s first president, Dr. John A. Hamrick.

Erma Agnes Mole Hiers ’73, age 78, died July 29, 2014, in Fairfax. She was a licensed social worker and was recognized for her work as an advocate for Navy and Marine Corps wives.

Diane Hosey Howell ’92, age 65, died Dec. 2, 2014, after a battle with cancer. She was retired and had been a victim’s advocate, a children’s case worker and worked with senior citizens during her career.

Kermit Trevor Hudson, age 20, died Aug. 2, 2014, in Colleton County from injuries in a car accident. He was a rising CSU junior and was a member of the Concert Singers and the Singing Buccaneers. He also was a member of the Charleston Men’s Chorus and was a recipient of the Charleston Men’s Chorus Scholarship.

Danny L. Jones ’78, age 63, died Dec. 27, 2014, in Sumter.

William Taylor Edgerton ’72, age 65, died Oct. 2, 2014, in Charleston. He had been a medic in the Army Reserves. He was a member of the golf team while at CSU.

Lydia Benton Lankford ’13, age 54, died April 29, 2014, in Pinopolis. She was a church musician and was furthering her studies at Columbia International University.

Juliette Anne Gum ’89, age 47, died Jan. 25, in Little River after a battle with cancer.

She was a traveling physical therapist with CompHealth.

Dorothy Hay Miley ’79, age 85, died Sept.

9, 2014, in Goose Creek. She was a church musician.

Robert “Bobby” Ashley Hall ’04, age 37, died Sept. 2, 2014, in Cayce.

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

Rev. Gary Gordon Mullinax ’68, age 68, died Sept. 28, 2014, in Waynesville, N.C. He was formerly the pastor of Ehrhardt Baptist Church.

Clifford Russell Passailaigue, age 89, died Feb. 8, 2013. She was a life member of CSU’s President’s Club and funded an endowed scholarship.

Dr. James Clark Seabrook Rivers, age 84, died Sept. 22, 2014. He was retired from the CSU English department, where he taught for 29 years. Memorials may be made to the CSU Foundation, Advancement, PO Box 118087, Charleston, SC 29423.

Harry Lowell Schickling ’75, age 76, died June 15, 2014, in Virginia after a battle with cancer.

His career spanned electrical engineering, computers and entrepreneurial endeavors. Most recently he was general manager at Fostek in Bedford. He was a member of the CSU Board of Visitors.

Barry Keith Shropshier ’79, age 58, died Nov. 7, 2014, in Vance.

Donna Corbett Sloan ’83, age 53, died Nov. 11, 2014, in Society Hill. She was in ministry with her husband, Rev. Walter Eric Sloan.

Pamela Corley Stonier ’98, age 63, died April 29, 2014, in Summerville. She was a Guardian Ad Litem and had worked as a victim’s advocate and drug and alcohol counselor.

Rev. Bernett M. Waitt, age 85, died March 31, 2014, in Summerville. He was a former staff member at CSU and had pastored numerous churches during his 58 years in the ministry.

John G. “Jack” Wellman, age 88, died Sept.

26, 2013, in Pawleys Island. He retired as the chairman and CEO of Wellman Inc. He received an honorary doctorate from CSU in 1978.

Cara Danette Williams ’88, age 49, died Oct. 9, 2014, in Golden, Colo., from leukemia.

Marilyn Kay Whitehead, age 72, died Oct. 18, 2014, in Kennebunk, Maine. She was a former professor in the CSU Horton School of Music and had taught piano and voice students in South Carolina and Maine.

CSU magazine 47

Transform Campaign The $40 million Transform Campaign is designed to provide for new facilities, scholarships and resources devoted to academic program expansion, improvement and enrichment. Thus far, $30 million has been commited. The campaign focuses on several critical strategic priorities:

Academic Enhancement: $4,000,000

Unrestricted & Named Scholarships: $13,000,000

College of Nursing: $5,000,000

Fund academic enhancement to include Whitfield Center for Christian Leadership Centers for Excellence, endowed chairs, health sciences, computer science, global education and faculty research and development

Increase scholarship support through the annual scholarship campaign, the Board of Visitors Scholarship Program, endowed scholarship program and South Carolina Baptist Convention

Provide funding to expand the nursing program, including scholarships, equipment and 100 percent of the naming opportunities in the new expansion to the building

Christian Leadership Building: $7,000,000

Athletics: $11,000,000

Fund 100 percent of the naming opportunities in the Whitfield Center for Christian Leadership, which opened in fall 2013

Continue to meet needs in athletics, including new facilities, scholarships and other program enhancements

For more information, contact the advancement office at 843-863-7513

48 CSU magazine

Spring 2015, vol.25 no.1

SCHOOL TIES

Alumni Profile

Vickie and Troy Hall

ALUM SUPPORTS CSU THROUGH PERSONAL AND CORPORATE GIVING

T

roy Hall is Chief Operations Officer for South Carolina Federal Credit Union and an alumnus of Charleston Southern University. With an array of professional and personal achievements, Troy refers to himself as a simple man of faith who married his high school sweetheart in 1977.

He received his MBA in 2011 from CSU and also received the Outstanding MBA Student of the Year Award. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Global Leadership and Entrepreneurship at Regent University.

Troy has been a great advocate for the University, and South Carolina Federal Credit Union has been a longstanding and generous partner with CSU. The Credit Union supports our student scholarship fund as a member of the President’s Council of the Board of Visitors and has contributed to the recent expansion of our nursing building along with many other special projects.

The Credit Union also provides tuition reimbursement for their employees to attend CSU. The special partnership with the South Carolina Federal Credit Union is a great example of the many ways that a company can partner with the university.

Along with his advocacy for our partnership between CSU and the Credit Union, Troy also wants to inspire and encourage other alumni to support CSU through his example. This desire and his wish to honor the memory of his parents, Troy and Frances Hall, also known as Slim and Fanny, inspired Troy and his wife, Vickie, to recently sponsor THE HALLWAY in the Whitfield Center for Christian Leadership.

Troy Hall, CSU President Jairy Hunter and Scott Woods, president and CEO of South Carolina Federal Credit Union

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

Charleston SC Permit #1202

Charleston Southern University 9200 University Blvd.

P.O. Box 118087 Charleston, SC 29423-8087

INTEGRATING FAITH IN LEARNING, LEADING AND SERVING Commemorate your experience at CSU by purchasing an engraved brick in the Reflection Pond walkway.

The cost of $100 per brick includes engraving, as well as a donation to our Charleston Southern University Fund to provide scholarships for students.

charlestonsouthern.edu/buyabrick