FVSU Magazine: Empowered Student Leaders and Researchers by FVSU PR

WINTER 2019

EMPOWERED

STUDENT LEADERS AND RESEARCHERS Miss FVSU Tanzania Walker, Student Government President Idalis Forté, National Council of Negro Women President Taylor Lee, Football Captain Devonté West, and Student Researchers and Interns

LEAPING FORWARD

President Paul Jones shares his vision for FVSU’s future

NEW BEAT

Director Jonathan Thompson and a revitalized Blue Machine Marching Band

INVESTING IN FVSU

Alumni philanthropists lead by example

SMALL BUSINESS

Alumni entrepreneurs offer a variety of services

FEATURED

Dr. Paul Jones is Preparing Wildcats to LEAP

Director Jonathan Thompson has FVSU Blue Machine Band Marching to New Beat

iHelp: Developing Community Leaders and Polishing Emerging Professionals

Royal Expectation Miss FVSU Tanzania Walker

Pictured Above: President Paul Jones and First Lady Sylvia Jones (third and fourth from the left) with SGA President Idalis Forté (second from left) and members of the Royal Court (l to r) Mr. Royal Blue Ashton Roper, Miss FVSU Tanzania Walker, Miss Royal Blue Eraneshia Johnson, and Miss Old Gold Keila Outen.

Pictured on the Cover: (l to r) National Council of Negro Women FVSU Chapter President Taylor Lee, Football Team Captain DeVonté West, Miss FVSU Tanzania Walker, and SGA President Idalis Forté.

Building Name Cements Legacy of Dr. Anne Richardson Gayles-Felton

Alumna Anastasia Talton is Helping to Change the Digital World

Contents

ENGAGEMENT 12 14 16 18

Ira Foster, Esq. Enlivening the Historic Quadrangle Jeffrey Wilson is Planting New Seeds FVSU is Second National Academic Partner for Center for Financial Advancement 20 Groundbreaking Counseling and Outreach

LEADERSHIP 22 SGA President Idalis Forté and Vice President Donneea Campbell 27 Alexander Lowe is Putting Others on the STEM Career Path 30 Yannic Frances Maximizes Robins Air Force Base Internship 31 Football Captain Devonté West is Taking Lessons from the Field to Corporate America

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 32 Dr. Xiangyan Zeng Aids Military with Artificial Intelligence 33 Taylor Lee is Using Polymers to Revolutionize Manufacturing 34 Dr. Celia Dodd Exposes Students to the Toxicology Field 35 Kimberly Nelson Tackles Restorative Justice 36 Reducing Poisonings Jesus Cedillo 37 Dr. Dwayne Daniels Helps Fuel the STEM Pipeline

ALUMNI 40 Alumni Spur $2 Million Fundraising Record 41 Wendi Copeland Gives Back at Goodwill 42 SPOTLIGHT: ALUMNI ENTREPRENEURS

Milton Miller, Courtney Montford, Terry Seltzer, Larry Harris, Kimaya Gallimore, Tommy and Gwendolyn McMullins, Alumni Business Listing

50 William Cofield, the Future’s Watchkeeper

ATHLETICS 52 Mark Sherrill’s Calling is Coaching 53 Le‘Coe Willingham Helps Players Achieve Dreams Have a story idea? Email fvsu_pr@fvsu.edu.

FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SENIOR LEADERSHIP Dr. Paul Jones President Dr. T. Ramon Stuart Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Anthony L. Holloman Vice President for Advancement and Interim Athletics Director Jesse F. Kane Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Dexter I. Odom Vice President for Business and Finance Cedric Demond Mobley Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Marketing and Communications

FVSU MAGAZINE Editor Cedric Demond Mobley Principal Writers Pamela Berry Johnson, Cedric Demond Mobley Contributing Writers Latasha Ford, Teresa D. Southern Principal Designer Shonda J. Lewis ’00 Designers Iannah James-Smith ’18, Danyelle Mathis, Cedric Demond Mobley Photography Emily Carson ’14, Christopher Fuller ’19, Taheerah Hansen ’18, Shonda J. Lewis ’00, Nick Nelson/Brandpreneur, Cedric Demond Mobley, Teresa D. Southern, Terrence Wolfork ’88

FVSU FOUNDATION Executive Director Anthony L. Holloman Founded in 1895, Fort Valley State University, a University System of Georgia institution, is one of the nation’s most innovative and affordable academic institutions. Leveraging its unique role as Georgia’s only 1890 land-grant institution, the college conducts more science, technology, engineering and math federal research than any other public teaching college in the state, making curriculum-enhancing research opportunities available to students learning to be leaders in innovation. The university’s undergraduate and graduate traditional and online degree programs enroll almost 3,000 students from all over the world. Named the most affordable online school in the nation for student economic mobility, the university has produced more African Americans with mathematics degrees than any other college in the nation in two of the past four years. FVSU students participate in more than 80 academic and civic organizations, honor societies and study abroad programs. The university is a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and NCAA Division II League.

FVSU Magazine

Preparing Wildcats to LEAP President Paul Jones wants FVSU graduates to have every advantage in the workplace

ENGAGEMENT FVSU Magazine

The foundation for this programming is called LEAP, which stands for leadership, engagement, achievement, and professionalism. Jones tasked University College Dean Stevie Lawrence, Ph.D, and Undergraduate Research Director Andrew Lee, Ph.D., to bring together a cross section of faculty and staff to devise a system which fits the FVSU environment. He wanted the program to develop from the bottom up, not the top down, but there are certain parameters upon which success must be built.

hen Dr. Paul Jones walked onto the Fort Valley State University (FVSU) campus for the first time as president in 2015, he knew he had arrived at a special place. Though the institution had challenges and opportunities like every other college, he was excited to meet so many talented professionals who were committed to the development of students. FVSU, he believed, was like a gold mine, with layers upon layers of untapped potential for greatness. He had the same feeling about the student body, particularly the young students who had arrived from seemingly every small town and major city in Georgia, not to mention students from other U.S. cities and faraway countries. These students, he thought, are here to become amazing. Many, however, needed some fine tuning. “When we say that we take students from where they are to where they want to go, we have to mean it,” said President Jones. “We already know that our students will have to be the best prepared, the most competent, and the most professional in order to succeed amongst the competition coming from all over the world. Thankfully, we are fully capable of getting them there, because helping students become ‘twice as good’ is FVSU’s legacy.” FVSU is U.S. News & World Report's 2018 number one public HBCU in the state of Georgia, partly because of the academic excellence it demands of its students. In the super-competitive global workplace, however, academic competence isn’t enough. In many cases, softer skills give workers and businesses an advantage, and Dr. Paul Jones wants his Wildcats to have every advantage possible. “We want each student to follow a career path which provides fulfillment based on their interests and sense of purpose,” said Jones. “Our goal is for every student to develop professional skills and accumulate leadership experiences which, when paired with academic proficiency, make them highly competitive for internships and then permanent placement, graduate school, or profitable entrepreneurship.”

“Each and every FVSU student must graduate with a common set of leadership, service, and professional skills and perspectives,” explained Jones. “The programming must be systematic, so that the quality of its administration is high across the institution and from year to year, not great in some areas and challenged in others. A student’s proficiency in the areas we want them to excel in must be measurable, and though we want consistency in skills developed, we fully intend for the programming to be customized from major to major so that the skills are relevant for those fields.”

The ACT Center for Equity and Inclusion and the Joyce Foundation recently published a report which identified the “future skills” workers must have in order to succeed. Chief among them were people skills—emotional, cognitive, and social intelligence—which will allow them to work with people from different cultures who may be located across the planet. The best way for these skills to be developed in FVSU students, Jones reasoned, is by blending experiential learning with academics in a way that creates habits. Programming which will create that experience, however, will require an institutional culture shift, and he has tasked the entire university with creating a model of leadership development unique in the country.

The resulting LEAP Task Force is composed of faculty, staff, and students from across the university, including each academic college and advancement, admissions, student affairs and student life, research, and communications and marketing divisions. The Task Force spent a year working together and created the framework for an approach designed to ensure that each student receives a comprehensive, structured immersion into a discipline-focused and credentialed exposure to experiential learning via major areas including leadership training and development; volunteerism and civic responsibility; academics; and professionalism, with emphasis on evincing the proficient soft skills required in the workforce and beyond.

FVSU Magazine ENGAGEMENT

LEAP continued “Initiatives like LEAP are important because they allow FVSU to focus on the holistic development of students,” said Dr. Lawrence. “It takes us back to the original tenants and foundational principles upon which HBCUs were founded.”

To ensure they seize on the opportunities, students are now required to perform 120 hours of community service in order to graduate, beginning with the fall 2018 freshman class. “Performing community service ingrains a number of basic skills in students, including teamwork, planning, on-time arrival, and follow-through, as they learn what it truly means to be dependable and responsible,” Jones said. “As they begin to plan and lead projects, they will also learn project management, negotiation, goal-setting, and resource development as they begin to understand the true impact they can have in society.”

The Task Force’s vision is to see the framework implemented through faculty incorporation into academic work, foundational instruction delivered through the University College, integration into student life through leadership training and campus activities, mentorship and exposure through undergraduate research, and engagement with the Career Center and the newly created iHelp program.

LEAP is a framework which will guide freshmen and sophomores through experiences which help them ensure that their majors match their true career interests. As they mature as students, they will engage in activities like presentation skills development, resume creation and maintenance, interviewing skills, networking, and internships. Along the way, they can seize leadership opportunities presented through student organizations, as well as participate in academic and research conferences and competitions which challenge them to raise their standards of excellence. When reinforced through

The iHelp program, located in the Evans Building in downtown Fort Valley, coordinates projects for FVSU students to perform service in the community. iHelp develops partnerships with non-profit organizations, governmental entities, and corporations to identify service needs, and then recruits, trains, and transports students to meet those needs. The goal is to provide opportunities for students to perform service based on their interests and opportunities which reinforce what a student is learning through his or her major.

ENGAGEMENT FVSU Magazine

repetition, professional values developed through those efforts should become ingrained in each student. “LEAP is an innovative and disruptive process designed to help the university prepare workforce-ready and highly competitive graduates,” said Dr. Lee. “Research indicates that many students graduate from their colleges and universities with the practical and technical skill sets needed to operate within the workplace, but they come to that environment ill- prepared in interpersonal and critical human communication skills. They are often not prone to exhibit the mind sets of highly successful employees: being consummate team players, demonstrating personable and ethical behaviors, showcasing independent, creative, and critical thinking, along with many other marketable skills. That will not be the case for the FVSU graduate. The FVSU LEAP program is intentional in its design: it prepares students to be highly competitive and it equips students to excel in the areas of leadership, social and civic engagement, academic achievement and self-confidence, and professionalism, the coveted skills major corporate players and employers seek in their most talented employees.” Lee adds that the LEAP experience will grow a student’s selfconfidence and awareness of their personal brand. “It will make them say to themselves, ‘I am someone important,’” she said. “They will find meaning in their FVSU LEAP experience because they will wear it like a badge of honor and it will instill in them a real sense of Wildcat pride.” LEAP is in motion. The fall 2018 freshman class is the first to participate in elements of the program, such as community service, career exploration, and beginning to catalog their experiences and achievements through electronic portfolios. The Task Force envisions a rollout over several years as faculty take the lead in mapping soft skill development to curricula, identifying internships, creating capstone projects, and developing key performance indicators and success measures. “FVSU is the only school in the nation with the combined traditions of a historically black college, a land-grant institution, and a Georgia college,” said Jones. “We have a unique platform, and a unique responsibility, to give students honest direction about the skills they will need to jumpstart their careers. Whether you call it tough love, frank talk, or clear guidance, we know this is what the Fort Valley State University tradition is all about— broadening students’ understanding of what excellence truly is. We are committed to preparing the most competent and confident professionals in the state of Georgia. Period.”

Top: Dr. Jones (second from left) meets with LEAP Task Force leaders LuWanna Williams (far left), Dr. Stevie Lawrence (middle right), and Dr. Andrew Lee (far right). Above: Dr. Jones speaks at the Fall 2018 New Student Orientation. Opposite Page: Dr. Jones talks with a student outside of the computer lab in Hunt Memorial Library.

FVSU's Blue Machine Marching Band Marches to a New Beat

onathan Thompson knew he had something to prove when he accepted a position as Fort Valley State University’s band director nearly four years ago.

As a 2004 graduate of the well-respected “super band” program at Tennessee State University, Thompson knew he had the skills, training and confidence to elevate FVSU’s Blue Machine Marching Band to new heights. But there were challenges to overcome. Prior to his arrival, the FVSU band program had been without a permanent director for five years. The program needed better funding and a recruitment strategy. The band had only 48 members marching on the field and of those, several were

playing on instruments that were nearly three decades old. Through all the challenges, however, Thompson saw potential. “I was 33 years old and I wanted to prove to both the administration and the students that I could do the job,” said Thompson, who was previously the band director at Druid Hills High School in Decatur, Georgia. “I wanted to meet all the deadlines and communications that were asked of me. I wanted to prove that we could put the best product out there as a band collectively.” Since then, Thompson has been credited with spearheading a turnaround in the band program that has reignited alumni and fan support while also creating a buzz within the Middle

ENGAGEMENT FVSU Magazine

Georgia community and beyond. This fall, the website HBCUSports named the Blue Machine Marching Band’s halftime show one of the best in the nation midway through the football season.

80 members this fall. He said he envisions one day having a 200-member band, but points out that he is proud of his current membership as well because they are committed and “like a family.”

“The support from the alumni, both on and off social media, has been off the chain,” Thompson said. “On platforms like YouTube, we’ve seen an increase in the number of people following us as we go live. Every time we go out, it’s been really positive and the energy is great because the sound of the band is great. Our fans are more vested, request certain songs and more of them are pulling out their camera phones to record us. We’ve given them something more to cheer for and get behind.”

“Part of it has been working with the students and not ‘majoring in the minors,’” he said. “We are a student-centered band and we listen to them. We understand that we can’t have a band that continues to grow without retention.” This year, FVSU band recruiters visited 30-35 schools across Georgia and several in South Carolina.

“We’ve started recruiting in our backyards and we’ve beaten out several other universities, like FAMU (Florida A&M University) and Benedict College, for high-performing students,” he said. Thompson credits the band’s improvement to old-fashioned “These students chose Fort Valley State because they believed hard work, discipline, and training as well as the commitment in our vision.” of band members and the strong support of FVSU’s administration and alums. “We had a lot of pride and enthusiasm, but we also had a lot of band members who were nontraditional,” he said. “Some of the students had been marching for five or six years, so we needed to get a younger band and focus on operating in excellence. We definitely had to put some rules into place and focus on simple things like having regular and mandatory band practice.” Shortly after taking over the band, Thompson said Dr. Paul Jones was appointed as FVSU’s 10th president and he made the band program one of his funding priorities. Along with scholarships, President Jones also had the band hall renovated with new flooring, lighting, and decor and purchased top-ofthe-line band instruments and equipment. “He prioritized the band program and made funding available for scholarships, and in year two, the money for scholarships increased,” Thompson said. The university also invested in the music program in general, including procuring all new instruments. Membership in the Blue Machine Marching Band increased from a low of 28 members during Thompson’s second year in 2016 to 11

FVSU Magazine

IRA FOSTER, ESQ. Alumnus makes the law work for everyone as interim head of Georgia Legal Services Program

Photo: Ira Foster at Georgia Legal Services Program Headquarters in Atlanta.

ENGAGEMENT FVSU Magazine

“Of all the awards and honors I have received, the gateway to all of my success was Fort Valley State University.” -Ira Foster any student loans. To be honest, I’m supposed to be working in a factory somewhere or selling drugs or in prison. I’m not supposed to be a high-ranking executive. Statistics say when you grow up poor in the projects, in Section-8 housing, that life goes in a different direction. But Fort Valley State says differently. Of all the awards and honors I have received, the gateway to all of my success was Fort Valley State University."

ra Foster’s life-defining moment came when he was a Fort Valley State University junior talking with a professor about his plans following graduation. The Perry, Georgia native was planning a career counseling juvenile delinquents. Criminal justice instructor Greg Homer had another idea.

At FVSU, Foster said he found a sense of belonging and an extended family. The university faculty and staffers helped transform him from a self-described studious but bashful “diamond in the rough,” who preferred sitting in the back of the room, to an outspoken student organization leader. That transformation was in part due to some tough love.

Homer asked Foster if he had ever thought about law school. “He lit that fire in me,” said Foster.

When Foster’s student advisor at FVSU, Laverne Ford, got a chance to read his first law school admissions essay, she ripped it to shreds, he said.

That fire turned into a resolve that would lead the 1984 FVSU graduate into an esteemed legal career spanning nearly three decades, including his current role as interim executive director and general counsel of the Georgia Legal Services Program, a nonprofit law firm offering free legal services to people with low incomes. With a mission to create equal access to justice, the firm often helps people with issues like domestic violence, employment, eviction, and denial of basic needs. As leader of one of Georgia’s largest nonprofits, Foster oversees an annual budget of between $15-26 million and 150 employees in nine statewide offices.

“She told me that it was not law school material,” he said. “She said, ‘You can do better than that. When you bring me back something that is law-school caliber, I will read it.’” Foster was crushed, but the experience taught him not to cut corners. “She told me to always be prepared and to do my best because law school would be ten times tougher than undergraduate school. I’m so thankful to her for that because she was right,” he said. Foster went on to graduate school at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. He attended law school at North Carolina Central University School of Law before returning home and taking a job with Georgia Legal Services in an office in Dublin.

Over the years, Foster has received a series of honors. He previously served as president of the Macon Bar Association, one of only three African Americans to serve in that role since its founding in 1871, and was its Lawyer of the Year in 2007. This past September, Foster was selected to be included in the HBCU Pre-Law Lawyers Hall of Fame, due to his long career in public service law and involvement in a school dropout prevention project. It has been an extraordinary journey for a man raised in poverty by a single mother, who Foster said he will never forget watching her work two jobs as a domestic to support him, two brothers, and two sisters.

“I’ve always believed in what the Bible says about when much is given, much is required,” Foster said. “Because I grew up in poverty, I was inspired to want to give back and make a difference. I love community service and working with youth. I love working with children and encouraging them to stay out of trouble.” Foster said he hopes to inspire FVSU students to be unafraid to reach for their dreams.

“I learned to work hard from her,” he said. “I worked my way through college and paid my way all the way through. I worked as a porter and busboy at the Holiday Inn in Perry. When I finished Fort Valley State University, I didn’t have

“There are more Ira Fosters out there,” he said. “There are many more people who got their start and ascended in their careers because of Fort Valley State University. If we can do it, they can too.”

FVSU Magazine ENGAGEMENT

Enlivening the Historic Quadrangle

VSU students see the university’s quadrangle as a source of pride and a symbol of tradition even as it also represents growth and resilience. Like layers of earth which help archeologists and geologists piece together the history of the planet, the structures which form the quadrangle tell much of the story of the university.

Hall in the 1970s). Those students needed someplace to eat, and philanthropist Samuel Bishop donated funds for a dining hall. When completed in 1932, Bishop Hall began to give form to the quadrangle on its east side. The college’s need for home economics facilities led to the construction of Robert W. Patton Hall in 1937, named after the chairman of the Episcopal Church-affiliated American Church Institute, which donated critical funds to Fort Valley High and Industrial School. In 1947, as more women enrolled, John Wesley Davison Hall was constructed, a women’s dormitory and the first brick building on campus to be built with state funds. In 1952, the west front was expanded with the construction of the original Hunt Memorial Library, built next to Founders Hall during the tenure of President Cornelius V. Troup. In 1975, a new library was built next to the older Hunt Library and now stands as the most modern building in the historic quadrangle.

As the educational experiment called Fort Valley High and Industrial School began finding a sustainable footing, it’s early focus on vocational agriculture and industrial arts led to the erection of the Royal C. Peabody Building in 1926, which anchors the quadrangle in the north. The Peabody Building, named after a railroad magnate whose widow donated the funds for its construction, provided facilities for students to learn trades such as carpentry and brick masonry. The growth in students and programs resulted in the need for academic buildings, the first of which was completed in 1929 at the southwest corner of the quadrangle (renamed Founders

“We see today as an opportunity to shape tomorrow,”

are the words of former FVSU President Luther Burse now engraved on the “FVSU of the Future” fountain at the center of the quadrangle. Top: The Hunt-Bond-Troup Memorial. Left: The Wildcat mascot poses next to the fountain at its official dedication during Blue and Gold Day in May 2018.

FVSU Magazine

Left: Students, community members, faculty, and staff have fun on the quadrangle during Blue and Gold Day. Right: The quadrangle on a beautiful fall day.

The changing function of the buildings bordering the quadrangle shows the evolution of the college. Patton Hall, for example, now provides space for music program instruction. Since the construction of the newer facility, the old library has been repurposed to house business and economics programs and was renamed the LeRoy Bywaters Building in the 1970s to honor the former FVSU controller, who served the college for 46 years. Peabody Building is now the base for career services and academic advising. Bishop Hall, first a dining hall, then an infirmary, eventually became space for visual and performing arts programs.

alma mater. The bells were painted gold to reflect the timeless quality of an FVSU education and the pivotal dates in FVSU’s history were painted on each bell in blue letters—“1895” to represent the school’s founding, “1939,” the year the school became a state college, and “1996,” the year the college became a state university. The bells represent the manner in which knowledge acquired at FVSU rings loudly as our graduates take their place as leaders in society. The original bell towers were surrounded by stone markers, each inscribed with the name of one FVSU’s sister historically black colleges and universities and the year the college was founded. Over time, the markers became displaced and sullied. New landscaping was created, and the markers were carefully placed to border each landscaped area, creating the HBCU Gardens. The gardens symbolically represents the flowering of potential which occurs at HBCUs.

A Much-Needed Refresh In 1977, Principal Henry Hunt, President Horace Mann Bond, and President C.V. Troup were honored through the erection of the Hunt-Bond-Troup Memorial. The monument of three brick “towers” is accented by three bells. It forms the quadrangle’s southernmost border and pays tribute to the collective impact the men had on the long-term reputation and sustainability of the university. However, years of neglect and delayed maintenance caused significant deterioration of the memorial. Plaster-based headings topping the towers were caved in and falling apart. The bricks were stained, and the bells were tarnished.

Finally, a small fountain was replaced with a larger centerpiece water feature in the middle of the quadrangle. The new fountain uses the arc of jetting water to symbolize the trajectories of graduates, shooting forth from FVSU to positions of prominence and consequence. A quote from former president Dr. Luther Burse is inscribed around the brick and stone fountain. It reads, “We see today as an opportunity to shape tomorrow.”

“What should have been a symbol of pride was now an eyesore,” said FVSU President Paul Jones.

In addition to upgrades of the structures on the quadrangle, Patton Hall and Bishop Hall have both undergone massive renovations. After a summer of painting, new floor installation, and structural enhancements, Patton Hall reopened the fall as a facility which the Blue Machine Marching Band and other music students can take pride in as they study and rehearse there. Bishop Hall has undergone a multi-million-dollar upgrade, and will reopen this spring as a state-of-the-art facility for media studies students.

Dr. Jones set about rejuvenating the quadrangle so that it would once again be a celebrated and frequented element of FVSU’s campus. He enlisted the support of the FVSU Foundation to support a renovation and refresh, executed primarily by Pride Construction. A facelift replaced the plaster headings with stone, featuring engravings of the FVSU seal as well as the words “loyalty” and “thoroughness,” values enshrined in the

FVSU Magazine

ENGAGEMENT FVSU Magazine

Planting New Seeds Alumnus Jeffrey Wilson ’12, finds his true passion in agricultural education

“I got into agricultural education by mistake in high school. A weight training class that I wanted to sign up for was full my ninth grade year, so I ended up in an agriculture class and stayed,” he said, noting he became state vice president for the Georgia FFA Association during his senior year in high school.

ome professions are determined early in life, while other choices can ultimately lead to the right calling. For Perry, Georgia native Jeffrey Wilson, working eight years for his family’s local cabinet business was only the beginning.

Wilson's FFA adviser role is distinct from his teacher's role. “They are two different jobs,” he said. “From 7:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., I’m an agricultural teacher. When my workday is over at 2:45 p.m., my other job begins.”

Earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Georgia College and State University in 2003, Wilson assumed that his family expected him to work for the family business. Although he found success in the cabinet industry as vice president of sales, it wasn’t his passion.

To prepare his students for the next step after high school, Wilson sets high standards, including an expectation of standout performance in state FFA competitions in agriculture-related areas. “When they start from day one, the state championship should be their end goal. Since I’ve been here, five teams won state and three of those teams went on to compete nationally to represent Georgia,” he said.

“I didn’t like getting up and going to work every day,” he said. When the economy declined, Wilson used his free time to think more about his career goals. “When things got slow, I figured that I would go do something that I enjoy doing rather than something that I felt like I had to do,” he said. “I have always wanted to be an agricultural teacher. Even though I didn’t pursue it initially, it was always in the back of my mind.”

Wilson said he appreciates teaching his students how to compete. They also operate the agricultural mechanics shop, greenhouse and two livestock barns on campus. “I want to show them that they can be great outside the walls of Veterans High School,” Wilson said. “Being involved in a program gives them that sense of empowerment in their own education, which is going to lead them to better things in the future.”

When Wilson had the opportunity to go back to school in 2010, he decided to study agricultural education at Fort Valley State University because of its proximity. He worked during the day and took afternoon and evening classes with instructors like agricultural education professor Dr. Curtis Borne. “Dr. Borne was so helpful in working with me and giving me a plan from the very beginning to help me understand what I needed to get done,” he said.

The FVSU alumnus is proud to see seven of his former students currently pursuing agricultural degrees in education, engineering, communications, and forestry at FVSU, the University of Georgia, and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. “In an industry where we need the best and brightest, I’m proud that I get to send some that way,” he said.

While attending classes, Wilson said he became more knowledgeable of the teaching profession. “I knew the content of agriculture pretty well, but I didn’t know what it took to be a teacher,” he said.

Married to Jennifer Wilson and the father of two daughters, Laney Grace and Libby, Wilson said to finally be doing what he loves has made him a happier person. “I’m proud to tell my daughters what I do for a living,” he said. “When they see me interacting with students, they are proud, too.”

In 2012, Wilson earned a post-baccalaureate certificate and began teaching at Mitchell County Middle School. He taught at Rutland High School in Bibb County for two years before joining the faculty at Veterans High School in Houston County.

Although it took him pursuing a different career to realize his true passion, Wilson learned through his experience that it’s more important to enjoy a job instead of just working at it.

This is Wilson’s fifth year at Veterans High. Through the Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) pathway, he directs the plant science and agricultural mechanics programs for grades 9-12. In addition to teaching, he serves as a Future Farmers of America (FFA) adviser, with more than 200 student members at the school.

“Agriculture made a big difference in my life,” he said. “I wake up and want to go to work every morning. Being able to do that in lieu of just money, I feel like I’m doing something that really makes a difference.”

Wilson, a Perry High School graduate, said FFA set a strong foundation for him at that age.

FVSU Magazine ENGAGEMENT

FVSU is Second National Academic Partner for Center for Financial Advancement Financial Competence and Career Opportunities Expand Holistic Education at FVSU

cademic excellence is widely known as the central goal of a college education, but a complete Fort Valley State University education also provides students with the knowledge they need to succeed in all areas of life. For most Americans, financial literacy is just as important to lifelong economic security as is professional competence, but many colleges don’t make it a priority. This isn’t the case at FVSU, however. FVSU has begun creating a web of programming designed to help students understand more about credit management, budgeting, banking, home ownership, expense planning, and a range of additional financial areas, including the “First Things First” initiative, led by First Lady Sylvia Jones, who is an assistant vice president at Wells Fargo. Perhaps the most widespread effort was launched earlier this year in partnership with HomeFree USA’s Center for Financial Advancement (CFA), which is working with the university to provide training in financial matters and expose students to careers in the banking and mortgage industries. “It is increasingly important for institutions to help students manage the debt that they incur while obtaining their degrees,” said Jesse Kane, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management at FVSU. “Recognizing this, Fort Valley State has implemented ways of not only providing a quality academic experience for students, but also teaching them about financial literacy as part of that experience. Topics such as responsible borrowing, building and maintaining wealth, avoiding the pitfalls of credit card debt, and home ownership all help us educate students on things that will directly impact their success while in college and beyond. With the help of partners like HomeFree USA’s Center for Financial Advancement, we are able to expose our students to industry leaders who are at the forefront of equipping individuals with skills to help them manage their finances in an effective manner.” CFA helps the mortgage finance industry attract and retain young, skilled, and diverse talent by partnering with historically black colleges and universities to train, recruit and place students in internships and new full-time positions at sponsoring mortgage industry organizations. CFA Scholars are taught credit and money management skills. They also learn the value of home ownership and are exposed to the mortgage

HomeFree USA founder Marcia Griffin speaks to FVSU students.

industry as a lucrative career choice. CFA considers itself less of a program and more of a movement designed to create “money for life.” Fort Valley State University was the second school selected to partner with CFA, which also works with Fisk University, Bowie State University, and North Carolina Central University. HomeFree USA founder Marcia Griffin has made it her life’s work to ensure that people of all races have the knowledge needed to be financially competent. Being financially incompetent, she said, has consequences, especially for African Americans. “Being financially incompetent leads to poverty, poor health, and no legacy,” Griffin said. “Lack of information and inspiration have placed many African Americans in an environment where we have not had access to information to take us to the next financial level. The reality is that money is made off the backs of people who don’t know. The less you know, the more money someone is going to make off of you.” FVSU has already partnered with CFA to produce a “Day of Empowerment” workshop featuring words of wisdom about finance from Griffin and an uplifting motivational speech by Dr. Randall Pinkett, CEO of BCT Partners, a multimillion dollar management, technology, and policy consulting firm

Dr. Randall Pinkett shares wisdom with Day of Empowerment attendees in the Thomas and Barbara Palmer Ballroom.

and spokesperson for the Minority Information Technology Consortium. Dr. Pinkett also won Season Four of NBC’s reality television show The Apprentice. Other workshops, activities, and training sessions will follow. Last month, FVSU CFA Scholars were chosen for intensive training to prepare them for possible internships and permanent placement in the banking and mortgage industries. In addition, scholars receive payment, engage in a leadership development program, and engage with high level executives from industry leaders such as Wells Fargo and Bank of America. Former FVSU SGA President Niae Tibbs secured one of FVSU’s first internships through the program, spending the summer following her graduation helping to ensure the completion of mortgage applications through Renasant Bank. The experience, she said, helped her grow personally and professionally teaching her the importance of financial literacy and credit management in addition to providing her with invaluable work experience. Her colleagues took the time to share wisdom and help smooth her transition from school to work. “It was my first time working in a corporate setting,” she said. “My company was really helpful in teaching me the ropes. I feel like I was kind of coached through the experience by my coworkers.”

FVSU Magazine ENGAGEMENT

Alvin Lindsey

More Than $2 Million in Grants Power Groundbreaking Student Counseling and Outreach Services

and spearheads public health efforts for the Middle Georgia community, including prevention efforts related to HIV/AIDS prevention, substance abuse, suicide, and sexual violence.

ith the assistance of over $2 million in public health-related grants, Alvin Lindsey plays a crucial role in assessing and protecting the physical, emotional, and mental health of Fort Valley State University and the surrounding communities.

Lindsey believes FVSU is well equipped to provide strong leadership which produces a lasting positive impact on the health of students and community residents.

“I have the best job in the world because it allows me to do what I love, which is help people,” said Lindsey, director of outreach in the FVSU Office of Student Counseling and Outreach Services. “We provide primary, secondary, and tertiary care to students who are, in most cases, experiencing some manageable life crisis or health issues.”

“We deal with all those things that may prevent someone from having well being,” Lindsey said. “We help them so they can do things like get a job, get back in school, or even deal with legal issues. We kind of created a continuum of care where we are able to lead clients through a network in which they can receive help.”

While FVSU has partnered with Macon Occupational Medicine for students’ on-campus physical health needs, the institution provides critical mental health services to students

Many of the most effective prevention programs involve the engagement of students as peer mentors and peer educators, Lindsey said.

ENGAGEMENT FVSU Magazine The institution has also recently created a new committee called the Sexual Assault and Misconduct Task Force, which is being cochaired by Lindsey and Dr. Tamara Payne ’94 ’96, an FVSU associate professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences who is also a licensed therapist and certified counselor. A key focus of the new task force is assessing all facets of the institution’s operations and policies to ensure everyone— especially students—are fully protected, Lindsey said. “The president has charged us with creating a culture of resiliency for faculty, staff, and students and looking at our programming, policies, and procedures as well as the organizational culture of our institution,” Lindsey said. “We’re looking at challenging behaviors and challenging practices and making sure we have the programming in place so that we are not episodic in our responses to issues and that we are strategically aligning our efforts. It is bigger than just one department. It is the role of athletics, the role of housing, student affairs, greek life— all have to show a commitment to say ‘not here’ on our campus.’” The office's key outreach initiatives include the Teaching Everyone about the Risks Community Coalition (TEARs2C Plus), which focuses on 18-24-year-old minorities, college students, and residents of Peach County and Bibb County, has resulted in HIV testing for over 400 students and residents, and has increased awareness for more than 4,000 persons. The Protective Resources for Inclusion, Dignity & Equity (PRIDE Navigator) Program, the recipient of a $1,000,000, five-year award from the Department of Health and Human Services/SAMHSA Division, is a five-year program directed at 13-24 year olds and minority males, inclusive of the MSM community. The effort has resulted in the establishment of Just Open Yourself (J.O.Y.), FVSU’s first gay-straight alliance, and engagement with local high schools, area Boys and Girls Clubs, health centers, and transitional homes through an established FVSU off-site location in Bibb County. The office’s Shepherds in the Valley program helps male students, especially athletes and fraternity members, build awareness of what constitutes sexual harassment and violence.

Lindsey (right) talks with Shepherds in the Valley leader Joseph Cornick (left).

It has helped more than 300 males better understand the continuum of sexual violence, including victim blaming, consent, and objectification of women and other minority populations. The Mary Magdalene Initiative helps women build awareness of what constitutes sexual harassment and violence and supports the emergence of solidarity amongst women. More than 200 women have celebrated the contributions of women, sisterhood, and bystander intervention through the program. Other programs address the reluctance to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases and suicide prevention. Still more initiatives include Be the Sober One, which has used a $24,000 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to educate over 2,000 students and Peach County residents about the risks of driving while impaired and seat belt utilization, and Vault in the Valley, a food and clothing bank for students in need of business and leisure attire, non-perishable foods, and sanitary products.

Unifying the Student Body SGA President Idalis Forté and Vice President Donneea Campbell are at war with the status quo.

s student body president, Idalis Forté ’19, is living up to her billing. Her last name, Forté, means “something at which someone excels.” The media studies major from Atlanta, Georgia has been excelling as a student leader since she stepped on campus, learning how to move the levers of power by serving as freshman and sophomore class president and student body vice president before being elected to be the official voice of her peers. Now, she’s leading the Student Government Association (SGA) on a mission to enhance school pride, upgrade facilities, and increase student involvement. She has tasked her administration with rethinking the way student events are managed, and empowered members of her cabinet to more directly take responsibility for catalyzing positive change in the areas under their jurisdiction.

SGA President Idalis Forté (left) and Vice President Donneea Campbell (right).

Donneea Campbell ’20, is Forté’s partner in the trenches of student representation. As student body vice president, the Decatur, Georgia native presides over the Student Senate and operates behind the scenes to bring SGA projects to fruition. Forté and Campbell have already taken a hard look at the SGA Constitution and are working to move elections earlier to give new administrations more time to plan. In addition, they have recommended changes to mandate the direct election of student senators for the first time in FVSU history, so that more SGA

LEADERSHIP FVSU Magazine

members are accountable to their constituencies. Currently, student senators are appointed by the SGA president. They also reengineered student activities for Homecoming Week, eschewing the production of a major concert so more smallerscale events could be held, such as a large “house party” featuring hip-hop artists. They’ve worked with Fort Valley Mayor Barbara B. Williams and other city leaders to create a cross walk across State University Drive so students can more safely walk across traffic. Already, they’ve seen more consistent involvement from student leaders. “I think SGA as a whole has been a lot more in the public eye and active this year versus previous years,” said Campbell. Making historic changes doesn’t intimidate this team, however. Although they weren’t elected as part of the same ticket, they have found that they work well together. While Forté is naturally a vocal leader, Campbell is comfortable focusing on the details, planning meticulously and making sure everyone understands what they need to do to accomplish the administration’s goals. It’s a skill she is consistently working to refine. This past summer, for example, Campbell interned with Land O’ Lakes in Minnesota, managing an interdepartmental team on a project to save $80,000 by redesigning how commodities are processed and distributed in Canada. The experience, she said, helped her understand better how to communicate with people and manage teams.

A highlight of their tenure, the two said, has been a greater spirit of unity among the student body. Elevating the sense of historically black college love was a key part of Forté’s platform as she ran for office. She feels that her passion for change is helping her be effective and is excited to work with a president she believes cares about student growth as much as she does.

Forté and Campbell have worked to make sure SGA is more accessible to students, beginning with a town hall meeting at the start of fall semester to connect students with key administrators. They have worked especially hard to be highly engaged in social media. That has allowed them, she says, to shut down rumors and negativity, especially the kind that occurs on Twitter.

“I just observed a lot that I wanted to see different at my university, and I felt that I could assist in that change,” said Forté. "Luckily for me, there are a lot of people at the university with the same goals. I know Dr. Jones is amazing with the campus and wants to see so much from the students. Everything is excelling right now. I feel like both of us are in the perfect place.”

Left: Campbell speaks at New Student Orientation. Right: Forté embraces a fellow student during an SGA-sponsored Homecoming social event.

FVSU Magazine

iHelp

New program is developing community leaders and polishing emerging professionals

dentsFVSU volunteer students to help getraise readyfunds to “Feed for Macon’s the Community” Harriet Tubman in Fort Valley. Museum.

At Fort Valley State University, the iHelp Program is helping students develop some of the most critical skills they’ll need for future employment even as they serve the community.

LEADERSHIP FVSU Magazine

FVSU has placed emphasis on providing students with opportunities to improve their soft skills at the same time. “We are responding to a need in the community where leaders have shared that they need students to have better soft skills,” Williams said, alluding to proficiencies like having a strong work ethic, positive attitude, good time management, being a team player, and being able to receive feedback and criticism.

A student volunteers to build homes with Habitat for Humanity.

hrough the newly formed Office of Civic Engagement, Leadership, and Professional Development, students are not only connected to volunteer opportunities in the surrounding communities, but they are also provided with mentoring and professional development training as well.

to us an offer of internships,” she said. “For example, we are able to offer student internships at the Hospice Care of Warner Robins to our social work majors. That is the type of relationship we are trying to build with all our partners.” The iHelp Program provides students with opportunities to give back through community cleanup efforts, food drives, and serving meals at homeless shelters, and

“All of this is creating holistic students, because we are not just concerned about academic degrees,” said LuWanna Williams, who oversees the new office. “It is worthless if you don’t know how to go into a job and keep it, and if you don’t know how to be pleasant and work as a team.”

“I was in a chamber of commerce meeting where one of the speakers asked everybody in the room who had positions they couldn’t fill to raise their hands, and at least 20 hands went up,” Williams said. “They are having problems with potential employees who don’t understand the workplace dynamics. We’ve missed a whole generation of cultivating students for the workforce.” The problem is so severe, Williams said, that business leaders have resorted to creating their own programs to teach new hires skills like professionalism, proper business attire, common courtesy, and sending business emails. Shifting the focus of campus volunteerism efforts to better support the surrounding communities with consistently well-trained students has also meant changing practices and attitudes both on and off campus,” Williams said. iHelp is now the hub for all campus volunteering efforts, for example.

Through the iHelp Program, Williams and her office are strategically working to identify local opportunities for students to receive critical hands-on training and internships in places that need reliable and trained volunteers, like schools and hospice centers. “We are building partnerships, where on the one hand, we let a business know that we will give them student volunteers, but on the other, we also ask them to extend Students volunteer to help raise funds for Macon’s Tubman Museum. 25

Director LuWanna Williams (center)works with students to prepare holiday cards and canned foods to deliver to the military, nursing home residents, and local community members.

“That means changing mindsets so organizations don't just go out and build a Habitat for Humanity house without training, for example,” Williams said. “We've created a training program for our students because one of the complaints was that students would show up for one day, not show up for the next, and notreally understand the scope of service. Many only wanted the volunteer hours. Now, all students have to come through us.” All incoming freshmen are now required to have 120 hours of service, internships, or job shadowing to graduate. Williams said because of the new requirement, she has already witnessed a change in how involved the freshman class has been on campus. “The 500 students who started this fall have been trained and are actively involved in volunteerism,” Williams said. “And statistics show that students who are more engaged are less likely to leave your institution. The freshman class members are active and involved in everything on campus. They are excited and hyped about Fort Valley State, and there is nothing you can ask that they won’t participate in.”

not shared and the students are forced to figure things out on their own,” Williams said. “Now students can create an online profile and automatically apply for internships on the computer.” Williams said that despite the hurdles, she is seeing the needle move forward. Her next goal, she said, is to marshal additional resources, add more staffers as the program grows, and provide transportation to help students attend off-campus opportunities. “We’ve been able to take some students to events like the Read for the Record at an elementary school in vans and busses,” she said. “But we now have new relationships in areas like Macon.” Some of the partners, however, are so invested in the program’s success that they pick up volunteering students twice a week. “We’re getting calls for meetings and businesses requesting volunteers every day,” said Williams.

The community has responded positively to the changes as well, she said. “The people in the community have been absolutely wonderful about embracing the changes,” Williams said. “They wholeheartedly agree that this has been a need. One of the other challenges in shifting the campus culture, Williams said, has been in securing buy-in on the onestop-shop concept for student internships and mentoring opportunities. One of the most significant improvements has been in adding all the training opportunities into a searchable computer database for the students. “Often the professors have the relationships that lead to internship opportunities, but too often, information is

Students prepare food for needy families during the Feed the Community event conducted in partnership with Fort Valley’s Feed Center. 26

LEADERSHIP FVSU Magazine

Putting Others on the STEM Career Path Mathematics major Alexander Lowe is helping to expose overlooked communities to future-focused careers

faith. I believe research is what leads the process of moving society forward.”

mployment in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)-related fields is growing at twice the rate of growth in other areas, with millions of jobs predicted to open over the next decade. Perhaps more important, these fields will fuel the innovation which will be the hallmark of the near future, and those who can navigate these areas will chart the course for the rest of humanity. FVSU student Alexander Lowe wants to ensure that everyone has access to those opportunities.

He has been able to maintain a 4.0 grade point average while participating fully in a range of leadership and co-curricular activities. He is a Student Government Association student senator, and a member of the pep squad and Gospel Choir. At FVSU, he’s learned time management and how to believe in himself. Since he arrived, he considers himself stronger, both mentally and spiritually. “I’m still growing, but FVSU has prepared me to network, and more importantly, to be confident and forthcoming with my goals,” he said. “I know when I leave this university I can present myself to any individual and express my ambitions and hold a conversation.”

Lowe may be a first-year Cooperative Developmental Energy Program scholar at FVSU, but he’s making a difference already. The Covington, Georgia native has already received two $5,000 grants through the Ford Next Generation Learning National STEAM Competition to help expand education and career opportunities to the Newton County community. Lowe and his team also received a school bus from the Newton County School System, and are outfitting it with computers, printers, and other technology. When completed, the bus will be taken on the road to help expose the county’s residents to STEM careers by providing information on career paths and counselors who can help with resume development. He hopes to venture into neighborhoods, plants, and other areas where people aren’t usually recruited for STEM jobs and make them aware of their options in the fields. Lowe believes that using research to create projects like his can help change the world.

His ambitions are none too small. He wants to become an engineer first, but then ultimately become president of the United States. Along the way, he wants to change education as we know it. He plans to graduate with a degree in mathematics and then pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. FVSU, he said, is empowering him to reach his goals. “Life is exactly what you make it out to be,” he said. “You are now responsible for the person you want to be and what you want to accomplish. Through my time here, I’ve been given several opportunities to take advantage of so I believe there is something here for almost everyone. Either way, take ownership of your life and shift to where you feel called to be. Don’t give up and don’t step back. Give to others and step into your path!”

“The opportunities presented to individuals can decrease the poverty rate, increase literacy, and build a deeply connected community,” said Lowe. “I am a man of science as well as

LEADERSHIP

ROYAL EXPECTATIONS Miss FVSU Tanzania Walker wants everyone to get to know the FVSU she loves

iss Fort Valley State University is charged with being the walking embodiment of the values and traditions of the institution. As the 81st Miss FVSU, Tanzania Walker ’19, knows she has big shoes to fill, representing not only the students but also the faculty, staff, and alumni as well. She sees herself as the university’s global ambassador, and wants everyone to know why she loves the university where she’s chosen to bring her dreams for the future.

LEADERSHIP FVSU Magazine

Top: Walker at her 2018 Coronation (left). Dr. Jones looks on as Walker speaks to faculty, staff, and the community during Blue and Gold Day (right). Above: Walker reads to elementary school students at Fort Valley, GA's Hunt Elementary School (left). Walker isn't afraid to do the “ dirty work,” shown helping a new freshman unload a car during Move-In Day (middle). It is important to Walker that her peers know that she is a student first (right).

Walker said that she believes students are nurtured at FVSU, but are taught not to take anything for granted. They learn to work together. As queen, she wants to inform more people about the university's initiatives, such as the research and outreach which support the institution’s land-grant mission. FVSU is a family, she said, with a warm and welcoming environment. Being a Wildcat has shown her that she can accomplish much more with the support of others.

It’s a role she takes seriously, but she doesn’t take herself so seriously. Being a “down to earth” queen is very important to her. She’s known for shying away from being doted upon as if she were royalty. She wants people to know that she’s a regular person, and if she can do it, they can do it too. “I always let anyone I know or come in contact with that Miss Fort Valley State University is my position, but I am still as student first,” she said.

“I want to show people what it means to be a Fort Valley State University student, which is excellence and integrity,” said Walker. “It really doesn’t matter what your background is. You can go anywhere from FVSU. I’ve never had a class where I had to call on a student or faculty member and they weren’t there for me.”

Ironically, Walker is not a natural extrovert, but said that FVSU pulled her out of her shell. She started as a Golden Ambassador, and then got involved in campus activities and organizations like SGA and the NAACP. She feels that she has been able to accomplish the things she has because, at FVSU, she can count on others to push her past her comfort zone, and that’s what she would tell prospective students thinking about enrolling.

Walker, a biology major, plans to pursue a career in dentistry and ultimately wants to open a non-profit dental office. She is working to “show herself approved,” she said, which means that she wants to be known as someone who does what she says she will do. She knows that she is highly visible, and is committed to showcasing the power of a strong black woman. She’s worked hard to bring more students out to events on campus, and off campus, she’s traveled all over the country to help recruit students and represent the university well through her presence and the way she carries herself.

“At Fort Valley State University, I broke out of my shell a lot,” she said. “I feel like if I had went to another university, I would have been looked over because they wouldn’t have pushed me to my maximum. I would have a couple of friends, but at FVSU, I have an entire family with people who have become my aunties, uncles, grandmas, and grandpas.”

FVSU Magazine LEADERSHIP

Senior Yannic Frances, ‘19, Puts the Pieces Together Student maximizes internship at Robins Air Force Base to earn supply chain management experience

Yannic Frances (right) talks to Bill Sirmon, squadron flight chief for the 431st Supply Chain Management unit, at the signing of a memorandum of understanding event with FVSU and the 638th Supply Chain Management Group at Robins Air Force Base.

enior Yannic Frances is putting the pieces of his career together. Set to graduate in May 2019, he is developing his career plan in much the same way as he tackled his summer internship in supply chain management, by careful coordinating the small details to ensure the desired outcome. Working with the 638th Supply Chain Management Group at Robins Air Force, he trained with civilian staff in the area of asset management, handling inventory for aircraft components and managing their movement. Base employees shared knowledge from their experience in the field as they worked together with Frances on projects and giving presentations. He was also able to participate in a business trip to Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Frances’s internship is part of a partnership between Robins and FVSU aimed at providing students with real-world career experience through internships in the field. The effort is an example of FVSU’s intensified push to provide real-world learning opportunities for each student which can make their academic coursework more relevant to their future careers as leaders. The program Frances participated in requires three years of training. He was recruited by FVSU professor Dr. Samuel Gyapong, whom Frances respects greatly.

“I have so much respect for Dr. Gyapong because he’s analytical,” Frances said. “If you just listen to him, he wants the best for you'” Frances said that he feels his internship has prepared him to better function in a professional environment and helped him learn the importance of consistency. More than anything, Frances thinks his experience at RAFB builds awareness amongst employers about the quality of students at FVSU. He thinks there are more “jewels” at FVSU deserving of a chance to shine. Frances’s collegiate experience was not without some early stumbles, and he admits that he attended and transferred to multiple schools before coming to FVSU. At FVSU, however, professors helped him develop a greater sense of focus, integrity, and accountability. “Tough times really help build character and professors here expect the best out of you and to see you do well,” he said. Frances said growing up, he felt like his future was football or nothing else. Toward the end of his senior year, he decided to part ways with football because of his ineligibility to play, and wanting to turn his focus to healing his body, on maturing and his classes.

LEADERSHIP FVSU Magazine

Football Captain Devonté West ’18, is Taking Lessons from the Field to Corporate America in 2017. Though he was excited about the big game, he was just as focused on his life after college. His interviews landed him a summer 2018 internship. One way or another, West plans to make it into “the one percent,” but not just in the socio-economic way the phrase is commonly used. He said that he remembers the words from his freshman year accounting professor, Dr. Regina Ivory Butts. “One percent of all certified public accountants (CPAs) are African American,” she said. (Ironically, head football coach Kevin Porter gave him similar guidance, advising that, “one percent of all college athletes make it to the NFL.”) West’s work with RSM is his first step towards becoming a CPA.

ort Valley State University senior Devonté West had no idea his summer internship would turn out to be a lucrative and a deciding factor in where his career would lead. The captain of the Wildcat football team and an accounting major, West will graduate in December 2018. His career has already received a jumpstart.

“You let your personality shine,” is something he was often told by associates at the firm. He shares this mantra with fellow students as one of the things to take with them on the job and on internships. “I walked around and checked on everyone when I arrived to work each day and I used my humor to lighten the mood on stressful days,” he said. During his internship, he studied on the weekends to sharpen his skills. The company’s clients were often surprised that he was only an intern, he recalled. At the end of the internship, out of a team of interns, only he was offered a full-time position and signing bonus.

Upon graduation, West will begin working with RSM Global, a world-leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services for middle market companies, based in Tampa, Florida. He connected with the company at a National Association of Black Accountants conference he attended with FVSU students. Though he was a bit intimidated at first, he soon found no need. His FVSU education had more than prepared him to land a prestigious internship.

West said that his mother, Lou, constantly inspires him with her will to fight through health issues associated with diabetes. He has also battled homelessness but has endured thanks in part to the generosity of others. Coach Porter, he said, taught him and other football players lessons beyond athletics. “Control what you can control,” Porter admonished the players, according to West. “You can’t control what’s happening, but you can control how you react,” Porter said.

Pointing to West’s Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship ring, a RSM Global representative encouraged West to tell his FVSU story as a way to stand out from the crowd of student attendees, which included students from the University of Central Florida the University of Georgia, the University of South Florida, the University of Florida, and Florida State University. That’s exactly what he did. Soon, associates at RSM were asking where they could find more students like him.

That’s precisely how West impressed his interviewers, explaining how he could control the things needed for the job, such as preparing financial statements and operating expense reports. “I can control my attitude and my ability,” he said.

He landed an on-the-spot interview at the job fair which led to an in-person interview days before the Fountain City Classic

FVSU Magazine

Dr. Xiangyan Zeng and FVSU Students Use Artificial Intelligence to Improve Military Satellites

Dr. Xiangyan Zeng (left) pictured with computer science students Nhat Phan (center) and Ali Khan.

or nearly three years, the U.S. Department of Defense has supported the research of FVSU professor of computer science Dr. Xiangyan Zeng to improve military targeting systems with artificial intelligence through a $538,148 grant which will continue through August 2019. In particular, Dr. Xiangyan Zeng’s research focuses on improving technology called hyperspectral imaging, which is a type of enhanced visualization that looks beyond ordinary colors to see the special electromagnetic energy emitted by various solids, liquids, or gases.

“We had about 10 undergraduate students who worked on the project over the past two years,” she said. “They presented 11 abstracts at six conferences and one student published his first full paper.” Zeng said the project also supported students getting the opportunity to intern at Robins Air Force Base, located in Houston County, Georgia.

“At Fort Valley State University, we have the capacity to train our students in cutting-edge technology. They are doing a lot of things that they would not get the opportunity to do as undergraduate students at larger universities.”

For the U.S. military, improving the accuracy of targeting systems which can better detect specific objects such as tanks or a hidden cache of bombs can help reduce the need to risk human lives. Zeng said the hyperspectral imaging sensors can either be airborne or installed on remote satellites. Her research focuses on making hyperspectral imaging “much more accurate to identify the location of objects” by developing new algorithms and software so the computer systems become smarter over time. Zeng’s research interests are generally in machine learning, the field of artificial intelligence that uses statistical techniques to give computer systems the ability to “learn” from data. She is already exploring opportunities to expand her research into associated applications such as using the technology to identify people through multi-modal face recognition. In addition to supporting Zeng’s research, the grant also was used to enhance the research capabilities overall within the computer science department by supporting the addition of a postdoctoral associate and mentoring and training opportunities for undergraduate students. Students engaged in the research project also receive $4,000 stipends each semester or up to $8,000 a year to mitigate the need for work instead of study.

-Dr. Xiangyan Zeng For Zeng, the biggest gratification has come from seeing her students become skilled not only in the methodology of research but also in being able to skillfully present their findings at scientific conferences. “They learn to read and summarize literature,” she said. “We train them at Fort Valley State. We show them how to promote themselves and be organized and logical.”

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION FVSU Magazine

Senior Taylor Lee is Achieving Success Molecule by Molecule

Student’s research with polymers and carbon may help revolutionize manufacturing

he possible impact of the research Taylor Lee ’19 is conducting is hard to overstate. If she is successful, manufacturing and construction around the world may be changed forever. The senior chemistry major is helping to develop a new utility for polymers, large molecules made by bonding atoms and other chemical units together. Polymers are the basis for many materials, such as concrete, glass, paper, plastics, and rubber. Lee’s work could help spark the next industrial revolution. Lee spent the summer conducting research at the Center for Functional Nanoscale Materials at Clark Atlanta University, working with Dr. Ishrat Khan, a polymer chemist. She wanted to find out if polymers could be used to create a new kind of very strong material when they react with multiwall carbon nanotubes (long, intertwined columns of carbon atoms), which are composed of lightweight molecules stronger than steel.

Lee admits that she liked to make things explode while she was growing up in Warner Robins, Georgia, particularly the volcanoes she made out of baking soda and Sprite. She participated in FVSU’s Cooperative Developmental Energy Program’s Math, Science, and Engineering Academy while in high school, so enrolling in the university was natural for her. At FVSU, she said, she has made lifelong friends who helped her understand herself and her abilities better. She’s had to overcome anxiety and learn to deal with stress in the face of family issues, but her faith in God has helped her succeed. Staff influences, like Dean of Students Wallace Keese and First-year Experience Coordinator Ala-Torya Cranford, also inspired her. She has also been very active as a scholar and student leader, maintaining a grade point average which has her on track to graduate with honors even as she serves as Region III vice chair for the National Society of Black Engineers and president of the FVSU Chapter of the National Council of Negro Women.

“I forced the different components to interact in the lab and ‘baked’ them in an oven,” said Lee. “I studied the interactions using infrared spectroscopy, which helps indicate functional groups or groups that indicate specific bonds. I also used nuclear magnetic resonance, which serves the same purpose, and a scanning electron microscope which gives you a better look at bonds. A scanning electron microscope also helps you find different fibers based on hyperpigmentation.” Lee worked with a research group to discover that poly 4-vinylpyridine, a polymer used in water filtration systems, had a very strong interaction with the carbon. This could form the basis of breakthroughs in materials development. “The commercialization of these products could make various projects more inexpensive, especially construction projects, because of the light weight and strength of the multiwall carbon nanotube,” she said.

“Unifying black women to have a voice on campus and in the community is very important,” she said.

FVSU Magazine RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

EXPANDING HORIZONS

Dr. Celia Dodd’s National Science Foundation toxicology grant enhances FVSU’s student research “Targeted Infusion Project: Infusion of Toxicology into Biology and Chemistry Programs at Fort Valley State University.” As part of the program, FVSU partnered with the University of Georgia and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide students with internships and to support additional faculty training for the enhancement of FVSU’s undergraduate curriculum, according to Dodd. Other members of the FVSU faculty serving as student mentors include Department of Chemistry professors Dr. Robin Bright and Dr. Tiffani Holmes as well as Seema Dhir, Dr. Felicia Jefferson, and Dr. Frederick McLaughlin from the Department of Biology.

Dr. Celia Dodd and student researcher Kristopher Weekes

ristopher Weekes said that until he became involved in a Fort Valley State University program that focused on toxicology-based research this year, he’d fully planned to pursue a career in animal science. Now the FVSU senior from Snellville, Georgia plans to pursue his secondary education in the field of ecology when he graduates in December 2018. “Specifically, I want to study about ecology and focus on amphibians and reptiles, and explore how toxins are impacting their environments,” Weekes said. “I think toxicology is so important and so underrepresented. You don’t hear about it too much, but it affects the vast majority of us.” Over the past three years, Weekes and other FVSU students have been the benefactors of a $399,049 National Science Foundation grant which allows students and faculty researchers to examine the effect of toxins or toxic chemicals on the environment and living organisms. The funding has been used to purchase equipment for a toxicology lab, support undergraduate research, and to develop materials for toxicology lectures. Dr. Celia Dodd, an associate professor of biology and the principal investigator, sought out the grant in February 2015 by submitting a proposal entitled

Dodd said she is pleased with their success in exposing students to the field of toxicology and to the associated research and internship opportunities. “Before we received this grant, I don’t believe our students even knew what the word toxicology really meant, and now a lot of them know the field and much, much more,” she said. “Through the implementation of this grant, we’ve been able to put toxicology into their vernacular and to have it as a discipline that they may consider pursuing as a career.” The grant, she said, has introduced more than 60 FVSU students over three years to the field through new courses introduced into the biology curriculum, attendance at conferences, and speakers from the Environmental Protection Agency, industry, and toxicology graduate programs. Three of her students are now pursuing a master’s degree in public health because of the program. In addition, multiple students have won awards for their conference presentations related to the project. “We also have quite a few who are pursuing medical degrees, becoming physician’s assistants, and going to veterinary school,” Dodd said. “I think our job as undergraduate educators is to make sure our students are aptly trained and have some technical expertise so when they go off to an internship or graduate school, they have some sense of what it means to complete research,” she said. “Our collaborators have been impressed.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION FVSU Magazine

Beyond Social Justice FVSU professor Dr. Kimberly Nelson chosen to write book chapter on teaching cultural competency through the lens of restorative justice

r. Kimberly Nelson, an associate professor of school counseling at FVSU, hopes the contribution she’s making to the body of knowledge on cultural competence will result in enhanced training for the next generation of counselors. Cultural competence, she said, is the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients by understanding the underlying issues.

offending again,” Nelson said. “Cultural competence is working with people, regardless of whatever background they come from, and understanding that we need to respect their culture. Students need to understand this so they can be effective professionals in their fields.” Historically, social justice as it relates to addressing the animosity circulating between young black men and police officers has had high visibility, Nelson said. While the national conversation about restorative justice began several years ago, she noted, the chatter resurfaced within the past few years when racial tensions began to be politically refueled in the United States.

Nelson, an assistant professor in the school counseling education program in FVSU’s College of Education, has been selected to contribute a chapter in a publication which will help higher education professors teach cultural competence to college students. The book will address how to talk about cultural competence within a multicultural class.

“I kind of feel like restorative justice is a push past social justice,” she said. “What I mean is that we should not stop at social justice. Restorative justice is the necessary next step to healing after a racial offense, where both sides are heard and differences can be reconciled. It is used as a tool for healing between the victim (often of a minority race) and the offender. We have to bring it back to life because families are being hurt. If we introduce restorative justice, we can bring healing to communities.”

Nelson will address culture competence in concert with the idea of “restorative justice.” Restorative justice focuses on reinstatement, reconciliation, and restoration, particularly by repairing the harm done to victims and allowing the victims to participate actively in the resolution. Using this model, victims often communicate directly with the offender to explain a crime’s personal impact, and offenders take responsibility and work to make amends. It seeks to support victims of crime—and their associated emotional scars—by facilitating the healing process.

Nelson said she gained the opportunity to be included in the book after receiving encouragement to submit a proposal from a colleague in a women’s writing group. The group’s members support each other in pursuing academic writing, a field largely dominated by white men.

“The goal is to create dialogue and let the victim share their experience and reduce the likelihood of them (the perpetrator)

FVSU Magazine RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

REDUCING POISONING Junior Jesus Cedillo’s research may help early detection of poison in common drinks

ou may think that the last thing you’ll ever ingest, inhale, or absorb is the antifreeze that goes into your car. However, every year, hundreds of people are poisoned through exposure to ethylene glycol, a core ingredient of antifreeze, brake fluid, paint, and the ink used in ballpoint pens. It’s also been found in improperly prepared moonshine. Exposure to the odorless, colorless, sweet-tasting substance sometimes occurs by mistakenly drinking, breathing, or even touching it. It can lead to brain and nerve damage, kidney failure, shock, coma, and lung or liver damage. If not treated quickly, it can lead to death. Junior chemistry student Jesus Cedillo,’20, wants to reduce incidents of accidental ingestion of ethylene glycol in common drinks such as orange juice and milk. He followed the lead of his mentor, FVSU instructor Dr. Robin Bright, and conducted research over the summer to detect concentrations of the substance using liquid chromatography. His paid experience was funded through the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program. Ultimately, he hopes the work being performed by his research team will lead to prevention methods. “Currently there is no quick and easy way to detect ethylene glycol before it enters the human body, so we hope to develop a method to do just that,” said Cedillo. Cedillo was born in Perry, Georgia but grew up in Fort Valley. His FVSU experience has included networking, professional development, and academic opportunities. He’s presented his research finding at conferences in Washington, D.C. and Texas, and participates in the American Chemical Society and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. He’s gained confidence and ultimately plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry. He’s giving back to his peers by tutoring in chemistry and mathematics. He credits the faculty with helping him grow as a scholar. “I was able to work with talented individuals and learn a lot about what it takes to do research in chemistry,” Cedillo said. “It helps you build confidence in yourself and allows you to experience what it is like to work in your chosen field before graduating.” 36

“The professors here helped push me in the right direction and allowed me to experience things that I never would have without their help, such as doing research.” -Jesus Cedillo

FVSU Magazine

FVSU Helps Fuel the STEM Pipeline National Science Foundation Grant Helps Provide Resources for Talented Students

federal program created to boost the number of minorities working in the science, technology, engineering and math disciplines has also enhanced the academic culture at Fort Valley State University, said Dr. Dwayne Daniels, FVSU’s chair of chemistry and director of the Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (PS-LSAMP), a grant program funded by the National Science Foundation. The university is using the grant to move students to the highest levels in their fields, providing funding for students to attend conferences, network with industry professionals, gain access to peer mentors, and study in a dedicated space. Students in the program also receive a stipend of up to $1,000 a semester. The funding is enabling students to excel in very complex majors, and allowing FVSU to compete with larger schools. Through the program, about $14 million has been shared among Georgia institutions, including FVSU, Kennesaw State University, Georgia Tech University, Georgia Perimeter College and Savannah State University, to ensure academic mentoring, training and support for future scientists. Since 2006, between 20 and 30 FVSU students per semester have been involved in the program.

“We’ve been working a long time and working really hard at this,” he said. “It’s good that the National Science Foundation recognized that more diversity and minorities were needed in STEM because for so long we were left out.” Daniels said one of the most fulfilling parts of being in charge of the program has been witnessing the progression of his FVSU students first-hand. “I’ve been at Fort Valley State for 20 years, and I’m starting to see some of the students who have been in the program and gone off to other places come back with their Ph.Ds.,” Daniels said. “Now I want to see some of these students come back and join the faculty and take ownership of what we are doing.”

“This has helped to even the playing field,” said Daniels. “I have money to take students to the big conferences, and at those conferences, our students get the chance to network and meet people who may be interested in partnering with minority students and schools so our students can do research and get their foot in the door.” When the program began, it focused on providing the institutions with the infrastructure needed to provide students with an academic advantage in science, Daniels said. The second phase, he said, focused more on recruitment and retention of qualified students at the undergraduate level. Currently, PS-LSAMP institutions are focused on transitioning the students in those initial cohorts into graduate school so they can continue preparing for their ultimate STEM-based careers. “We’re now paying $32,000 for the first two years of graduate school,” he said. “If they continue on for their Ph.D., the school picks up the rest.”

FVSU Magazine ALUMNI

Destiny and Legacy Dr. Anne Richardson Gayles-Felton’s indelible mark on higher education is recognized with building naming

r. Anne Richardson Gayles-Felton ’43, may be a retired educator, but it’s hard to believe she’s slowed down very much. After spending more than five decades teaching teachers as a college professor of education, the Fort Valley State College alumna is further cementing her legacy through philanthropy, providing gifts to a number of institutions which help make education available for more students. One of those institutions is her alma mater, FVSU, to which she has given $600,000. She is believed to be the first alumnus to make multiple six-figure gifts to the university. Because of her contributions to education, both intellectual and monetary, President Paul Jones presented her with FVSU’s Presidential Award for Excellence in 2017, and the University System of Georgia authorized the naming of

FVSU’s Academic Classroom and Laboratory Building in her honor in Fall 2018. Gayles-Felton graduated from FVSU in 1943 with a degree in secondary education and social sciences. She went on to earn a graduate degree from Columbia University and a doctorate in education from Indiana University. She continued her education with post-doctoral studies at Oregon State University and Harvard University. A teacher of teachers, she recently retired as a professor emeritus at Florida Agricultural

At the official unveiling of the Anne Gayles-Felton Academic Classroom and Laboratory Building are: (l to r) State Representative Calvin Smyre, First Lady Sylvia Jones, President Paul Jones, Dr. Anne Gayles-Felton, Former President Larry Rivers, Former First Lady Bettye Jean Rivers, Professor Emeritus Josephine Davis, and Vice President for Advancement Anthony Holloman.

ALUMNI FVSU Magazine

and Mechanical University (FAMU), where she served as head of the Department of Secondary Education, among other roles. Prior to her work at FAMU, she was an instructor at Fort Valley State College, Arkansas Baptist College, Stillman College, Albany State College, Rust College, and Florida State University. She began her career by teaching elementary and high school in the Georgia cities of Marshallville, Sparta, and Griffin. Her numerous publications include books on instructional methods and research on teacher effectiveness, college staffing, multicultural teaching, teacher pay, and problem solving, he last of which has appeared in numerous journals.

because of the school’s reputation for caring and nurturing. As a colleague of Dr. Larry Rivers ’73, when he was dean of the journalism school at FAMU, she helped mentor him, her fellow FVSU alumnus, as he developed his instructional outlook. Later, she pushed him to return to FVSU as president. She loves FVSU, she said, because it still feels like family to her. “Fort Valley State College is important to me because that’s where I had my beginnings,” she said. “They took this youngster in and guided my every effort.

who founded the Lamar-Richardson School in Marshallville because there was no school for African Americans in her town to attend. But her grandmother’s own education was made possible thanks in part to generous contributions from others who helped finance enrollment in schools in Atlanta and Boston. Establishing her school, Gayles-Felton said, was her grandmother’s way of helping people as others had helped her. “People helped her from all over the country,” Gayles-Felton said. “They didn’t have much at that time, but

“I’ve always been interested in great minds and tried to help them go far,” she said at the ceremony dedicating the building. She believes that she has been destined to be an educator since birth. Her grandmother began a school in Marshallville, Georgia, and many of her family members were reared to be teachers beginning at a very young age. At Fort Valley State College, she came to the realization that she wanted to be a teacher of teachers. Too many teachers were relying on a simple lecture method, she came to believe, in which a student’s success was determined by simply repeating what they had been taught. She’s dedicated her life to showing teachers how to deepen the learning experience. “I’d found out that so many teachers weren’t doing a good job,” she said. “We needed teachers who come in and teach using methods which involve thinking, not just memorization.” She was ready to enroll in college at fifteen, but her family was understandably anxious about her leaving home at such a young age. Her grandparents knew former Principal and Mrs. Henry Hunt, however, and her family allowed her to come to Fort Valley State College

Dr. Gayles-Felton makes her “big check” presentation during Homecoming 2018, pictured (center) with (l to r) Vice President for Advancement and FVSU Foundation Executive Director Anthony Holloman, State Representative Calvin Smyre, Dr. Paul Jones, and Mrs. Sylvia Jones.

They really took an interest in us just as if they were family members. They were not only interested in the academic work, but they were interested in the extracurricular work as well. They were interested in developing character in terms of what America wanted from its citizens.” Gayles-Felton has been inspired to engage in philanthropy in large part through the example of her grandmother, Anna Wade Richardson,

what they had, they shared with other people.” Gayles-Felton is following in her grandmother’s footsteps, both as an educator and by finding ways to help others. The contributions from GaylesFelton will be used for scholarships, but she isn’t naïve. She has no intention of her money going to waste. Her scholarships have standards attached, and the students who receive them must be achievers.

FVSU Magazine ALUMNI

Alumni Help Fundraising Reach $2 Million Kathy Jones ’83 and Alonzo Jones ’83

Unrestricted gifts, or donations which can be used for any purpose, are very valuable, but donors are welcome to choose specific areas in which to donate. This is what inspired Rose Holton ’84, to not only give, but increase her donation.

o say that FVSU has played a significant role in our lives would be a gross misrepresentation,” said Kathy Jones ’83. “It has shaped our lives. When an entity or someone pours into your life and changes your life it should cause you to yearn to do the same for someone else.”

“I saw our marching band (noticeably smaller in number) on television,” Holton said. “Later I learned that our athletics department also needed help. Realizing that these entities’ needs were so great encouraged me to give more sacrificially.”

Kathy and husband Alonzo Earl Jones ’83, are examples of alumni who have pushed fundraising to the $2 million mark for the first time this past year. The couple is heavily vested in the success of the university. In addition to Kathy and Alonzo, a host of nephews, nieces, cousins, and other family members have also attended.

“We need financial support so that we can compete with other universities and attract viable students with strong academic, athletic, and musical talents,” she continued. Increasing the alumni giving rate of thirteen percent is a top priority for the Foundation.

Gifts to the FVSU Foundation allowed the organization to provide over $650,000 in need-based scholarships to FVSU students, according to Anthony Holloman, vice president for university advancement and executive director of the FVSU Foundation, Inc.

“The experiences I gained at FVSU are priceless,” Holton said. “No amount of money compares to the value of the experience that I had at Fort Valley [State University]. Giving back to HBCUs is no longer optional; it is mandatory in order to ensure the perpetuity of our great institutions.”

“We’re developing and cultivating relations and building long-term stability among donors, Holloman said. “We’re also discussing more sophisticated ways of giving with donors, including stocks, property, wills, and bequeaths.”

The FVSU Foundation’s mission is to provide access and opportunity so that no one is denied a quality education because they can’t afford to attend Fort Valley State University. Through the support of donors, the Foundation has provided over $7 million in scholarships to over 4,000 students.

The Foundation has made a priority of cultivating major gifts, including raising the level to be recognized as a major gift from $10,000 to $25,000. It also has worked to enhance the quality of fundraising events, like the annual scholarship luncheon, which raised over $200,000 this past year.

FVSU Magazine

Alumna Wendi Copeland Shows the World How to Give Back Senior Vice President for Goodwill Industries International knows the value of opening doors

to play a role in connecting hard-working people with career navigation and financial wellness opportunities that advance equity.”

hen you look up perseverance in the dictionary, it should include a note for the reader.

Goodwill achieves its mission through the businesses it operates, employing more than 129,000 people at nearly 5,000 locations, including stores, workforce development centers, and donation centers. Last year, more than two million people received in-person help in advancing their careers, building their financial assets, and caring for their families. That’s in addition to the 36 million people who advanced their skills online through services such as mentoring, educational courses, and training. One out of every 200 people who go to work in the U.S. does so with the help of Goodwill, according to U.S. Department of Labor statistics. Like Goodwill, Copeland is on a personal mission to help others live their best lives.

It should say, “See also: Wendi Copeland.” Copeland is a senior official at one of the world’s best-known non-profits, Goodwill Industries International. The Americus, Georgia native overcame serious obstacles to earn a graduate degree from FVSU and work her way through the ranks of her organization. Her outlook on life and willpower helped her triumph over adversity. “Adversity can be an advantage,” she said. “When we opt to learn and grow stronger, challenges become stepping stones to a better future. While I was an FVSU student, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I took my finals, had brain surgery the next week and came back to finish my master’s degree on time.”

“My personal mission is to help individuals and organizations become who God created them to be,” she explained. “As I support my Goodwill Industries International colleagues and leaders at the 161 autonomous, local Goodwill organizations across the United States and Canada, I get to live my mission.”

She went to work at Goodwill 25 years ago because they were looking for someone “with a sense of humor.” She finds fulfillment there because she gets to innovate and learn every day. In her role as senior vice president of strategy and advancement, Copeland leads a team which works in areas including research, analytics, strategy, impact, business development, government relations, resource development, philanthropy, and mission advancement. The work of her group supports local and community-based Goodwill organizations as they help people learn the power of knowledge and of work.

As a working mom, FVSU provided an opportunity for Copeland to earn her master’s degree in counseling psychology, earn a living, and raise a son at the same time. She appreciated her program’s community of working learners, all professionals with diverse perspectives. She and her peers in the program grew together, she said, and FVSU helped prepare her for the future. “There are some opportunities that come only with advanced degrees,” she said. “Having access to a master’s program that was available in my community opened doors for my family and me."

“People get up every day wanting better lives for themselves and their families,” she said. “I am blessed with an opportunity

FVSU Magazine

SPOTLIGHT:

ALUMNI ENTR Entrepreneurship

is the dream of many who arrive at Fort Valley State University, eager to make their mark in the business world as inventors, service providers, product producers, and marketplace masters. As you make your holiday shopping and new year plans, consider supporting FVSU alumni who are blazing trails as small business owners. Please note: FVSU does not endorse specific businesses. Please use your best judgement when patronizing commercial establishments. Milton Miller, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;97

ALUMNI FVSU Magazine

EPRENEURS Milton Miller ’97

Milton Miller Interiors, Atlanta, GA miltonmillerinteriors.com

ilton Miller’s life can best be described as the mastery of the career pivot.

For nearly three years, the 1997 Fort Valley State University graduate has owned and operated an upscale interior design company in Atlanta, Georgia. Miller uses his love of design and high fashion to create unique and beautiful spaces for wealthy clients ranging from physicians to professional athletes. His life is a dramatic shift from the path he walked just a few years earlier as a chiropractor operating his own practice in Macon, Georgia. Creativity, though, is part of his DNA. “Growing up, my parents did weddings, and we did everything from dresses and tuxedos to flowers and invitations,” he said. “I always tell people that when the other kids were playing, I was working. Even in elementary school, I’m there making contracts and meeting with Bridezillas, and I would get out a pen and paper and sketch out those dresses. Some weekends we would have three, four, or even five weddings. If you were getting married in middle Georgia, we were the go-to people back then.” Miller said the wedding planning business provided a perfect outlet for his creativity. Instead of toys, the middle child of four siblings asked for a sewing machine or trips to the fabric store. “I always wanted to make something, so I was always reaching for some fabric and pins and a ruler,” Miller said. Before coming to FVSU, Miller considered attending design school and other schools in Georgia. “I got accepted into

several of them, and I even went to orientation and received a room assignment for the University of Georgia,” Miller said. “But my mother told me that while I could go anywhere I wanted to go, her money was going to Fort Valley.” Miller enrolled in Fort Valley State as a commuter student and majored in biology. He graduated from the program with honors in three years by going to school year-round. He likens his life’s journey to being in the middle of fast-moving traffic. While attending a private chiropractic college located in Marietta, GA, Miller continued to commute home to help his parents operate the family business. He eventually opened a chiropractic practice, but said that the universe gave him a nudge to pursue his dream career full time. He was able to open Milton Miller Interiors because of new opportunities he received through word-of-mouth referrals. He describes his design style as “eclectic to transitional.”

FVSU Magazine ALUMNI

Courtney Montford, ‘16 22 Production, Atlanta, GA www.22production.com

Courtney Montford knew she wanted to be a professional photographer when she started a college side hustle selling hair extensions but spent more time polishing her brand than making actual sales. “I started working at a photo studio part-time, and the owner was letting me shoot my hair photos in her studio,” said Montford, who received her B.A. in media studies in 2016. Montford’s passion for perfecting her photos and becoming an expert in photo editing soon landed her a job as the photographer for Atlanta business mogul Ming Lee, the creator of the online brand Snob Life. Lee used her social media savvy to transform herself from a hair stylist into a million-dollar virgin hair extensions company owner. “Once I started working with her, I ran with it, and my career took off,” said Montford. “I felt like this was God telling me that this is what I’m supposed to do. I’m so glad I went to Fort Valley State because I know I wouldn’t be doing this if I hadn’t gone.” Montford has worked with companies including BET, Sheen Magazine, Spike Communications, and KissWorks Studios. She credited FVSU with teaching her to become more focused and the importance of never quitting. The encouragement of professors and friends helped her through academic challenges. “It is just different at an HBCU,” she said. “They are like a family.”

Terry Seltzer ’88

Click List Deliveries, Macon, GA www.clicklistdeliveries.com After almost thirty years as a corrections administrator, alumnus Terry Seltzer ’88, is contributing to the community in another way. His company, Click List Deliveries, specializes in delivering groceries to senior citizens, especially those living independently. Customers can order groceries from their favorite grocery store, and then call Click List. The company will pick up the groceries from the store and deliver it to the customer’s home for a fee. Seltzer believes customer service makes his business unique. “We aim to please our customers,” he said. “We ensure that seniors receive the grocery items they need, especially those who are not able to drive or have family members to provide for them.”

ALUMNI FVSU Magazine

Larry Harris, ‘87

360 Automotive Group and Overtyme Bar and Grill, Macon, GA www.360ag.net www.overtymebarandgrill.com Larry Harris decided to become a business owner because it was his opportunity to give back. “I always thought creating something of your own was the most lucrative and most helpful thing for me to not only give back to my community, but to show my kids they can create their own as well,” he said. “I’m not saying I’ve never worked for anyone, I did, but I used those skills to apply to myself as an entrepreneur.” On the surface, his 360 Automotive specializes in selling used cars. In addition, however, Harris feels that it gives people a second chance to enhance their quality of life. “We give customers a chance to get back to a basic standard of living as far as transportation and re-establish their credit,” he said. Harris established Overtyme Bar & Grill because he felt there was a need in the community for a true neighborhood grill and bar. “I know Applebee’s has that moniker, but Macon needed a place with a community feel,” he said. “Overtyme provides jobs and opportunities for the Macon community. It’s a place away from the chaos, with quality service and food that’s affordable. And there’s entertainment if you choose to participate in that with us as well.”

Kimaya Gallimore, ‘16

Mai Natural Beauty, Columbus, GA mainaturalbeauty@gmail.com Mai Natural Beauty is a brand of all-natural skin care products to enhance natural beauty for women of color. It is run by alumna Kimaya Gallimore, who majored in mass communications. As she changed the types of beauty products she used, she saw a need to help others access them as well. “On my natural journey I started being more conscious of the products I used daily,” she said. “I wanted to create a good product with ingredients that are good for you and great for people with skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and oily skin.” Gallimore became a business owner to have “total control” of her products, which use natural ingredients such as olive oil, coconut oil, and grape seed oil, which are great moisturizers and also help protect the skin. She only uses essential oils as fragrances and those which have added skin care benefits. “I’m into natural and holistic care and I wanted to create a product for people to enjoy,” she said.

FVSU Magazine

Tommy McMullins, ‘64 and Gwendolyn McMullins ’65

McMullins Travel Consultants/ Fantasy Travel Altadena, CA www.fantasytours.com

ALUMNI FVSU Magazine

The company has sponsored trips to locations ranging from New York, the Grand Canyon, and Mr. Rushmore to Scandinavia, Vietnam, and Dubai. Some of the most noteworthy trips have been regular visits to Thailand, Spain, France, and South America and the company will soon be traveling to South Africa. Although the business has had an online website since last year, McMullins said most of his customers have come from word-of-mouth. “We’ve been in business for 20 years, and nobody has ever lost a nickel, and we’ve never increased the prices that we’ve given people,” he said. McMullins said he also believes their company has enjoyed success because they intentionally cater to the traditionally ignored market of African-American travelers who have expendable cash to spend. “Travel companies typically don’t advertise or market to African Americans, so we try to add things to our trips like visiting museums, because contrary to what many people think, African Americans love history and good food and quality hotels. We don’t care too much for doing stuff like lying around the beach. We stress focal points around history, culture, good food, and meeting people.”

Tommy McMullins at Machu Picchu in Peru.

ommy McMullins said that his travel agency would never have been created if it had not

been for a casual compliment following a church trip 20 years ago.

The McMullins have been so successful in their business venture that they regularly share their good fortune with Fort Valley State University. In 2009, the couple donated $15,000 towards the creation of the Globetrotter Award in honor of Dr. Stanley E. Rutland, a former FVSU political science professor. They also give to the scholarship fund and provide travel opportunities for students to travel abroad.

“One of the ladies who had gone on the church trip I organized commented that it was one of the best trips she’d ever had in her life,” said McMullins, a 1964 Fort Valley State University graduate. “She said that we really ought to do that kind of trip again, and her one statement has led me to travel to 84 countries.” McMullins Travel Consultants, operating as Fantasy Tours in Altadena, California, began as a business offering day trips to nearby places. McMullins, a native of Macon, Georgia, said before long, they took two busses for an overnight trip to visit the Redwood Forest of California. When they began making trips using a different bus company operated by an Asian family, one of the drivers suggested that McMullins consider an overseas group excursion to China.

McMullins said his most popular trips lately have been visits to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. which opened in the fall of 2016. The couple sponsored a group of FVSU students on a trip to the museum in 2017. McMullins said he credits two things with his success—God and Fort Valley State University where “someone is always there for you.”

“We went for seven days, with three meals a day and stayed in nice hotels,” McMullins recalled. “We had 40 people who went on that trip with us and we must have been the first black group to have gone like that because they gave us a police escort through Beijing. Some of the places we traveled through back then were five times worse than the worst ghetto you’ve ever seen in America.” Following those early trips, Tommy McMullins retired from banking and he and his wife, fellow FVSU alumnus Gwendolyn McMullins, devoted more time to their new business. Now the couple takes about 12 group trips a year, including four international trips, six that are stateside, and others that are local getaways.

Gwendolyn McMullins in Patagonia, Chile.

FVSU Magazine ALUMNI

Spotlight: Alumni Businesses ADVERTISEMENT/ GRAPHIC DESIGN

CONSTRUCTION/ INTERIOR DESIGN

Quebec Jacobs, ‘94 Another Que Creation anotherquecreation@gmail.com Facebook: AnotherQueCreation

Detrius McCall, ‘13 Maven Renovations (General Contractor) Atlanta, GA mavenrenovations@gmail.com

APPAREL/ JEWELRY Sharrelle Baker, ‘12 Atlanta Custom T-shirts & Print Stone Mountain, GA Clothing and Apparel Facebook: AtlCustomTshirts IG: atlcustomtshirts Miriam Jané Moses J’ Adore Accessories Hephzibah, GA www.thejadorecollection.com Dorothy Moss, ‘78 Accessories and Funwear Distributors Conyers, GA acctwr@bellsouth.net

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Reginald Harris DLaniger Sounds Records Atlanta, GA www.DLanigerSounds.com Facebook: DLanigerSoundsMusic Twitter: reach_dlaniger IG: dlanigersounds

John McLeroy, ‘14 John McLeroy Concrete and Construction 1113 Briarcliff Road Warner Robins, GA john.mcleroy@att.net Dr. Milton Miller Jr., ‘96 Milton Miller Interiors, LLC Atlanta, GA miltonmillerinteriors@gmail.com www.miltonmillerinteriors.com Facebook: miltonmillerinteriors Twitter: miltondesigns_ IG: miltonmillerdesigns Doug Vason, ‘74 Vason Concrete Construction Inc. Atlanta, GA dougvason@yahoo.com

CONSULTING Leon Maben, ‘76 Golden Blocks Consultants Augusta, GA leonmaben@aol.com Devan Stephenson, ‘05 Envision Me Inc. www.envisionmeinc.org Facebook: EnvisionMeInc Twitter: EnvisionmeInc IG: envm.me/

COSMETICS Kimaya Gallimore, ‘16 Mai Natural Beauty Columbus, GA Facebook: mainaturalbeauty IG: mai_naturalbeauty Janea Horton, ‘15 Makeup By J.E.H Macon, GA makeupbyj.e.h@gmail.com

EMPLOYMENT AND STAFFING Sabrina Cooper, ‘17 Inner Vision Solutions, LLC Austell, GA www.innervisionsolutions.com

EVENT PLANNING/ DESIGN Scoobie West, ‘00 Scoobie West & Company Atlanta, GA www.scoobiewest.com Facebook: scoobiewest Twitter: scoobiewest IG: scoobiewest

FITNESS AND HEALTH Mary Strozier-Kossie, ‘80 Monat Newnan, GA www.monatglobal.com

FOOD DELIVERY Terry Seltzer, ‘88 ClicklistDeliveries.com, LLC Macon, GA 31208 Facebook: clicklist.deliveries

ALUMNI FVSU Magazine

INSURANCE Ronald McKenzie, ‘89 RTM Ventures www.rtmventures.com rtmventures.facebook.com rtmventures.twitter.com rtmventures.instagram.com

LANDSCAPING Taylor McGhee, ‘15 WildTiger Lawn Care & Landscaping LLC Marietta, GA prettythewildtiger@gmail.com

LEGAL SERVICES Ayahnia Jackson, ‘05 A.L. Jackson Mobile Paralegal, LLC aljacksonmobileparalegal.com

PHOTOGRAPHY Courtney Montford, ‘16 22Production LLC Marietta, GA info@22production.com www.22production.com Facebook: 22ProductionCo IG: 22productionco/

REAL ESTATE AND LODGING Anton Anthony AA Stem Academy and Double A Reality Waynesboro, GA www.authorantonanthony.com LaVetta Hudson, ‘95 Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta Decatur, GA www.nextmovepropertiesllc.com

Candle Lockett, ‘00 Candle Real Estate Group w/ Keller Williams Realty Smryna, GA www.candlelockett.com

RESTAURANTS/ FOOD SERVICE Muriel Nelson, ‘79 Muriel’s Lithonia, GA (770) 808-5194

RETAIL Rudolph Dawson 5Linx Perry, GA www2.5Linx.net/L1436474

TAX PREPARATION Katrina Rumph, ‘04 Benchmark Tax Services LLC Income Tax Preparation Macon, GA www.benchmarktaxservice.com

TRAVEL AND TOURISM Donnita Bellamy, ‘93 Diamond Travels Travel/ Tourism Warner Robins, GA (478) 951-7376 dbel595730@aol.com Tommy McMullins ‘64 and Gwendolyn McMullins, ‘65 McMullins Travel Consultants, LLC/ Fantasy Tours Altadena, CA fantasytours@earthlink.net fantasytours.com

VENUE RENTAL Teddy Madison, ‘99 LoftE—Photography Studio & Event Space Macon, GA info@loftega.com Facebook: LofteGA IG: loftega Leon Moss, ‘77 Moss Lake Retreat Warrenton, GA leon.moss@yahoo.com

WRITING AND PUBLISHING Brittany Williams, ‘10 Written Works 317 Pleasant Valley Road McDonough, GA www.writtenworks.com Facebook: writtenworkshouse IG: writtenworkshouse Tacardra Rountree, ‘01 Writers and Authors Irmo, SC rountta@gmail.com Jasmine Womack, ‘06 P31 Publishing Lithia Springs, GA www.jasminewomack.com Facebook:authorjasminewomack Twitter: authorjasminew IG: thejasminewomack

FVSU Magazine ALUMNI

William Cofield ’62: Watchkeeper of the Future FVSU alumnus is a Kentucky icon in civil rights and education

illiam Cofield ’62 is a Kentucky legend. The LaGrange, Georgia native has served as the president of the Kentucky NAACP Conference since 1986. He was appointed to the Franklin County, Kentucky Board of Education in 1991, the first African-American to ever serve. Called an “icon” after two and a half decades on the board, the FVSU alumnus was honored as the namesake of the county’s newest high school. The school opened on October 9, 2018. The new William Cofield High School provides an alternative pathway for students to graduate from high school. The school will administer performance-based programming which creates an enhanced learning experience. Students can graduate through an adjustment in the number of credits needed for completion. Many students who will attend the school are those who would have difficulty graduating from a traditional school because of issues such as the need to work full-time, raising children, military service, or mental health issues.

Newnan, Georgia, where he struck up an affiliation with other NAACP members before moving on to further his education. In addition to his role as president of the Kentucky conference, he has served on the national board of directors and headed the Daisy Bates Education Summit. The summit, named after the NAACP leader who shepherded the Little Rock Nine as they integrated Little Rock (Arkansas) Central High School, was a platform to advocate for educational research to inform the development of policies and programs which promote equity, quality curricula, and college access for students of color.

Cofield graduated from Fort Valley State College with a bachelor’s degree in social studies and a minor in French. He went on to earn a master’s degree from Tuskegee University and engage in doctoral work at Ohio State University before becoming a professor at Kentucky State University. In 2004, Cofield was named president of the National Caucus of Black School Board Members.

Cofield hasn’t spent his time looking for accolades. He’s simply wanted to make a difference. “I wasn’t looking for fame or fortune,” he said. “I simply wanted to help bring support to [people] who were underrepresented in this country at whatever level I could assist.” Cofield’s time at Fort Valley State College was transformative. His academic work led him to want to be involved in social change. His professors showed him that he could “contribute something positive to society.” His greatest experience, however, was meeting the mother of his two children, wife Virginia (Clark) Cofield.

“All school boards need diversity,” Cofield said. “It is imperative for different viewpoints and perspectives to be recognized and addressed. A school board is considered to be the watch keeper of the future. There has to be a combined viewpoint on ideas and perspectives to make situations balanced. Without this, the needs of some can be ignored or never addressed.”

“Fort Valley was a golden opportunity to grow into manhood,” he said.

After he graduated, Cofield accepted a teaching position in

FVSU Magazine

Alumna Anastasia Talton ’06, is Helping to Change the Digital World Facebook recruiter helps bring diverse employees and veterans onto the team At Facebook, she supports recruiting efforts for the diversity and inclusion team led by the company’s chief diversity officer. She believes that the first step in creating a diverse workforce is for a company to simply focus on doing what is right, and that will lead to changes in bias and behaviors. Especially in the technology industry, having a variety of viewpoints is crucial as companies search for the best ideas. “Having an array of different perspectives and knowledge bases is important in technology in order to create the right solutions for complex problems in business,” she said. “Innovation is critical. Diversity and collaboration lead to innovation.” Talton’s work has helped companies efficiently manage workforce planning and reduce staffing costs. She loves networking and meeting new people. She believes that her success lies in the way she engages potential recruits, putting them at ease and allowing them to be themselves. Above all, she said, she values relationships. The alumna is also passionate about veterans. Both of her grandfathers served in the military. She works with veterans on career transitions and personal branding, helping them to move into the civilian workforce. She’s reviewed resumes and helped them describe their most valuable skills on paper. In addition, she’s coordinated projects which have provided hundreds of homeless veterans with meals, hygiene kits, clothing, and blankets. She also supports Facebook’s veteran recruiting and engagement teams. For her, career enjoyment is based on finding fulfillment.

f Facebook users were a country, it would easily be the world’s largest. In fact, the social media platform’s 2 billion users is a figure larger than the combined populations of China, Brazil, and the United States. From enabling personal connections to emails to product promotion, many aspects of day-to-day life are in some way influenced by the technology giant. The dynamic nature of the corporation has attracted thousands of the world’s most talented employees, including Fort Valley State University alumna Anastasia Talton.

“I believe that until we find our purpose and passion we are not truly fulfilled,” she said. At FVSU, she learned how to network and practice business acumen. She served as Miss Habitat for Humanity and was part of the marketing club. The school drove her to work hard, do great things, and give back. Faculty and staff helped motivate her. The sense of family at the university would make it worthwhile for her to do it all over again, she said.

“I wanted to work for a company that did amazing things!” Talton explained. Talton grew up in Fort Valley, and was a first-generation college student. There was little doubt where she would attend.

“If you are considering an institution that provides support, nurturing, and love to every student that steps on campus, Fort Valley State University is it!” she said.

“Our grandparents told me if I was going to school I was going to Fort Valley State University,” she said.

FVSU Magazine

For Mark Sherrill, Coaching the Wildcat Men’s Basketball Team is a Calling Seasoned coach is building a program at FVSU designed to produce winners on and off the court

of FVSU staff, board members, and alumni. Sherrill brings experience to FVSU on and off the court.

t’s a slow day at Fort Valley State University’s Health and Physical Education Complex, but head men’s basketball coach Mark Sherrill’s smartphone is busy as he takes phone calls and text messages from local coaches eager to talk to him about players they think should be future Wildcats. He may have only been on the job for a few months, but his reputation as top recruiter for the team has spread around the region. He and his players have their sights set high and are determined to exceed expectations in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) ranks, which include nationally-ranked Morehouse, Miles, and Tuskegee Colleges.

At Johnson C. Smith, Sherrill recruited 43 All-Conference performers, 11 All-American performers, and three players who were named Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Players of the Year. His experience as an elite studentathlete himself gives him unique insight into student academic and athletic success. Sherrill is the JCSU second all-time leading scorer with 2,552 points. For Sherrill, coaching is a calling. “Coaching is what I believe I was born to do,” he said. “God has given me this opportunity. It’s been a blessing to make a difference in young men’s lives and help them decide what direction they want to go as players professionally,”

Sherrill is very optimistic about the 2018-2019 basketball season. “This is my ‘lily in the valley,” he said, referring to a southern gospel song. “I see the possibility of making Fort Valley a household name and to have guys looking at predominantly white institutions also look at this HBCU as they are being recruited. I want to attract not just good ball players, but also students with good grades who will be good alumni who give back.”

Sherrill has fallen in love with FVSU and has felt the love in return, especially during Homecoming. “I love the school spirit,” he said. “I loved seeing the alumni wearing the school colors and standing in the rain waiting for the game to go on that day. It showed a true passion for the school. “This university is set up to have a winning tradition,” Sherrill added. “There are plenty of good young men on this team that represent what the mission is here and they carry themselves well on and off the court as well. They are ambassadors of this university.”

Sherrill came to FVSU after coaching at his alma mater, Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU), for nearly 25 years. From a pool of almost eighty diverse candidates, Sherrill was selected in summer 2018 by a search committee made up

ATHLETICS FVSU Magazine

Le`Coe Willingham is Helping Lady Wildcats Achieve Dreams One Step at a Time

The team doesn’t include any seniors, but Willingham doesn’t dwell on it. She’s committed to developing the talent she does have, who she believes are fearless and excited about the future. She knows the team has incredible potential, and their success will depend on maximizing the players’ youthful energy. “Right now, we are young and very competitive,” she noted.

“I’ve received so much from this game, as a young person, as a young adult, and now later in my career,” Willingham said. “It’s a part of my identity.”

Coaching the Lady Wildcats isn’t just about plays and drills for Willingham. She knows that her players look to her for life advice, which she is more than happy to provide. She’s earned her wisdom. A single mom at 19, she fully understands the challenges that growing into adulthood can bring. The key to overcoming, she said, is perseverance.

or FVSU women's basketball team Head Coach Le`Coe Willingham, coaching means more than just leading the team. Her role is helping her fulfill a lifelong goal to give back to a game which has meant everything to her. Willingham, in her second year as head coach, came to FVSU after serving as the women’s assistant coach, individual post coach, and defensive coordinator at Tennessee State University, where she also helped recruit players.

Willingham knows a thing or two about excellence in the game of basketball. She won a WNBA championship as a member of the Phoenix Mercury (2009) and another as part of the Seattle Storm (2010). She also played forward for the Chicago Sky and then the Atlanta Dream until she retired as a player in 2013. A native of Augusta, Georgia, Willingham was a Hephzibah High School standout, and then went on to become a threetime All-SEC selection while at Auburn University before beginning her WNBA career with the Connecticut Sun. She’s left her mark at Auburn, with records as the seventh-leading all-time scorer and sixth top all-time rebounder.

Coaching can be fulfilling in many ways, “but for me, it was being a mentor to young women, being a voice for them, and letting them know that no matter what life throws at you, you can continue to be successful,” said Willingham. “I made decisions in my youth that weren’t the best decisions, yet I was still able to persevere. It’s about being there for these kids. They trust me and that’s what I want to be with them. I want to prepare them for life through basketball.” Fort Valley State's Lady Wildcats have their share of fans, and Willingham reciprocates the affection. She appreciates the investment of time the fans put into supporting the team. “I think personal relationships with fans are important," she said. "I’m grateful for those that recognize the challenges we face. We need that support and patience. They will see improvement this season.

As Willingham focuses on the 2018-2019 basketball season, she is clear-eyed about the work to be done. “We are in a rebuilding phase,” she explained. “I tell my team, things don’t get rebuilt in one day or one season. It’s one step at a time.”

Fort Valley State University 1005 State University Drive Fort Valley, GA 31030-4313

OPE N H O Satu U S rday , MA E! RCH RSV fvs 2 P u.ed

u/op at en h

ou s