ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Commencement

On May 6, 2023, CSU celebrated 711 graduates with bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Dr. Jacqueline Fish, vice president for academic affairs, was the 2023 commencement speaker and received the title of professor emeritus of criminal justice and provost emeritus. Rev. Clark Carter, former vice president for student life and dean of students, received the title of vice president emeritus, and Dr. Mela Wyeth, professor of business, received the title professor emeritus of business.

College Of Christian Studies

The College of Christian Studies continued building on its mission to serve the university and South Carolina Baptist Convention in order to extend the impact and reach of the gospel. In collaboration with Dr. Tony Turner, VP of enrollment and marketing, the CCS has awarded 12 of 25 available Call to Ministry scholarships, which grants incoming freshmen pursuing a Christian Studies major with nearly $70,000 in scholarships over four years. This scholarship demonstrates the depth and focus of CSU’s commitment to preparing the next generation of missionaries and ministers to South Carolina Baptist churches, and to growing the number of young men and women prepared to serve Christ’s Kingdom.

The Dewey Center For Chaplaincy

The Dewey Center for Chaplaincy hosted its second annual Chaplaincy Conference, providing chaplaincy training for over 50 participants across three days. The Dewey Center represented CSU at the 2023 World Congress of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation in Baltimore, where Dr. Ron Harvell led a breakout session on the value of faith for “Finding Purpose in a Sea of Despair.” CSU was the only university represented at a conference of hundreds of first-responder trainers from more than 10 countries with the Dewey Center booth. Dr. Ryan Gimple took a small group of students and faculty on a mission trip to Honduras in May to involve the participants in missions and also make connections and develop relationships for future mission trips.

College Of Nursing

The first-time pass rate for the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses for students graduating during 2021-2022 was 85% (an increase of 2% from 2020-2021). The ultimate pass rate for the NCLEX-RN (includes repeat exam attempts) for 2021-2022 was 99%.

College Of Humanities And Social Sciences

English

Professor Dan Leach published two original works: a lyric essay “Like Trees, Walking,” in The Windhover, a journal of Christian literature published by the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, and a poem “An Empty Tomb Is Its Own Kind of Architecture” in the North Dakota Quarterly.

History And Political Science

The department hosted its first Lowcountry Social Studies Workshop for area secondary school teachers, attracting two dozen participants representing all three local school districts. It included sessions led by Dr. Brian Miller, Professor Christi Gramling, and Dr. Charles Smedley, as well as a guest lecture by Dr. Benjamin Severance, professor of history at Auburn University, Montgomery.

History and Political Science, the Graphic Design program, and the CSU Center for Global Education co-sponsored the first campus commemoration of Yom Ha-Shoah (Israel’s national Holocaust Memorial Day) in mid-April. The event included a photograph gallery, a memorial ceremony, and a talk by Mrs. Anita Zucker about her extended family’s experience of the Nazi genocide directed at European Jews.

Psychology

Dr. Christina Sinisi submitted “The effect of spirituality on bullying behavior and correlations of forgiveness to victimization outcomes” for publication by the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research.

85% FIRST-TIME PASS RATE FOR THE NATIONAL COUNCIL LICENSURE EXAM FOR REGISTERED NURSES

HANS A. NIELSEN COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Faculty completing doctorates:

•Kimberly Champagne, EdD in leadership from Charleston Southern University

•Sally “Emory” Hiott, DBA in marketing from Gardner-Webb University

Faculty recognized:

•Dr Maxwell Rollins, awarded tenure as a full professor

•Dr Mela Wyeth, 22 years of service, awarded professor emeritus status

•Dr Mark Rieman, 10 years of service, recognized as retiring faculty

College Of Education

The COE was evaluated this year by the Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation for our education preparation programs and our principal preparation program. The report was written by Dr. Kari Siko-Walters with the support of the faculty, staff, and leadership in the college. The evaluation group interviewed CSU leadership, faculty, students, and stakeholders virtually in April. Preliminary results indicated two areas for improvement which are being addressed. Overall, the COE scored very high, and we are anticipating that the college will be reaffirmed by CAEP in December 2023.

College Of Health Sciences

Dr. Gabrielle Poole was named dean of the College of Health Sciences in May. The College of Health Sciences now houses four graduate programs (Physician Assistant, Athletic Training, Clinical Counseling, and Doctor of Physical Therapy) and two undergraduate programs (Kinesiology and Public Health).

Physician Assistant Program

Dr. Ami Steele was named program director for the Department of Physician Assistant Studies and began her role in April. Dr. Steele brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the program, most recently serving five years as the Program Director at Gardner-Webb University.

The program earned Accreditation-Continuation status from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant in March 2022 and will have its next review in 2032. The program held its fourth commencement ceremony in December 2022, with 34 students graduating from the program and earning their master’s degrees. The program had a 97% first-time pass rate on the national board exam for the Class of 2023, and all students have now successfully passed the exam. The program has a Five Year First Time Taker Average Pass Rate of 96% which is higher than the Five Year National First Time Taker Average of 94%. Thirty-three students in the Class of 2023 earned their White Coats. These students began their clinical rotations in January, and completed their fourth clinical rotation at the end of May.

Physical Therapy

The program enrolled 48 students in the inaugural cohort of students; 45 students completed the first year of the program successfully. Four of these students are enrolled in the PT/MBA co-enrollment degree program. The program enrolled its second cohort of 48 students in May. The program’s next CAPTE site visit is August 2024.

Athletic Training

Dr. Renae Bomar is the new program director, and Dr. Haleigh Gray is the new clinical education coordinator. Steele Morris, instructor of public health, will begin teaching as a core faculty member for the Master’s in Athletic Training this summer, in addition to his responsibilities with the Department of Public Health. The program is undergoing an extensive review process to ensure high quality recruitment and retention efforts and the delivery of an outstanding curriculum that prepares students to pass their national board certification exam.

Clinical Counseling

The Department of Clinical Counseling has a full cohort for fall, with 31 students who have paid seat deposits. The program launched a synchronous online cohort last fall that enrolled three students; the program will have 20 students enrolled in the online cohort this fall. Program leadership is working on the CACREP accreditation application, with an anticipated site visit date in spring of 2024.

College Of Science And Mathematics Biology

Dr. Lauren Wills was appointed to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Grant Review Committee, a high honor in biology, chosen from candidates throughout the nation. All environmental NIH grants must pass through Dr. Wills for funding.

Engineering

Dr Joel Chapman received his PhD in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech in May 2022. CSU has awarded degrees to the first BS engineering class. One graduate has a job with Boeing, one with Booz Allen Hamilton, and one is heading to graduate school for a PhD in applied mathematics. The Senior Project team successfully built a t-shirt launching robot that will be used at university and outreach events. Our engineering seniors had a 100% pass rate on the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, required for pursuing professional engineering licensure.

Computer Science

Our cybersecurity team grew and had notable achievements this spring after participating in several competitions.

Graduate Research Internships With Musc

Two graduate students from Computer Science, Armando Diaz and Zach Moolman, and Professor Julie Henderson worked with the MUSC Cancer Genetics Research Group. The collaboration is using artificial intelligence to help organize a cancer genetics knowledge base and build clinical decision support tools.

Math Department

Madelyn Parsons ’23 presented the results of her S.C. Independent Colleges and Universities grant project at the SCICU research symposium and at the MAA-SE sectional meeting. Her research was supervised by Dr. Ryan Thomas and Dr. Emily Thomas.

Aeronautics Department

Aeronautics celebrated its first graduate from the Professional Pilot program with the coveted Restricted-Airline Transport License certification. Granted in December of 2022, this authority has been years in the making with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Aeronautics leadership team. This final milestone has clinched CSU, in partnership with CRAFT Flight Training, as the only institution of higher education with this authority in South Carolina. Aeronautics has partnered with the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff’s AFJROTC Flight Academy program, bringing 10 fully funded cadets to campus over the summer to earn a Private Pilot Certification in just eight weeks. This program is a critical part of keeping the training aircraft utilization rate up during the summer break. These efforts will pave the way for a recurring program in subsequent years.

AEROSPACE DEPARTMENT/AFROTC DETACHMENT

In March, eight cadets were awarded Air Force Enrollment Allocations and are attending Field Training (Basic Training equivalent) this summer. Upon successful completion of Field Training, they will be contracted in August into the Air Force and commissioned as Second Lieutenants in 2025. In May, we successfully commissioned 10 2nd Lieutenants into the United States Air Force.

Summer duties: Capt. Faulk is a Field Training Officer for 40 cadets from schools all over the country, training, mentoring, and evaluating potential future Air and Space Force Officers. SSgt. Moore is the Vehicle Control NCOIC for Field Training, where he oversees operations of 30 government vehicles. Lt. Col. Rothwell is the Vigilant Warrior Field Training Operations Commander, leading a team of over 40 individuals to plan, organize, execute operations to train and evaluate leadership and critical thinking skills for nearly 2,200 cadets in a simulated deployed environment in Alabama.

College Of Adult And Professional Studies

The College of Adult and Professional Studies serves more than 235 undergraduate students, 148 of whom are exclusively enrolled in CAPS programs. The college also provides oversight and quality matters approval for online classes taught in the traditional programs.

L. MENDEL RIVERS LIBRARY

Librarian Karen Meharg presented “Tools and Tips for a Successful Breakout/Escape Room” at the Annual Conference of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians in March. She has earned a statewide reputation for her expertise in utilizing breakout/escape room kits that create experiential learning environments through games designed to encourage collaboration and critical thinking.