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Campus News
Campus NEWs CAMPUS NEWS
EAST CAMPUS CONFERENCE CENTER AND CRALLE STUDENT CENTER UNDERGOING RENOVATIONS
Two major construction projects are happening on campus.
Construction began in May on a $525,000 renovation of the East Campus Conference Center, part of Georgetown College’s athletic facilities. The project is being funded by the James A. & Martha R. Brown Charitable Foundation, Sodexo, and donors. Construction is estimated to be completed in June.
Once completed, the conference center will officially be named James A. & Martha R. Brown Conference Center in honor of the foundation’s gift.
In late May, the College began work on a $2.4 million renovation of the Cralle Student Center. The project, funded entirely by Sodexo, will be completed by the time students return to campus in August for the Fall 2021 semester.
The renovation, which has been in the planning stages for three years, will be a complete overhaul of Montgomery Dining Hall located in Cralle Student Center. In addition to an aesthetic rehaul with new mixed seating options and decor, Sodexo will also enhance its dining selections with new stations where food is prepared in front of students as they wait.
The other major renovation taking place during this phase of the Cralle Student Center project is the addition of an elevator to the outside of the building, which will greatly improve accessibility to the entire building.
This set of renovations is part of a multi-year project for the student center. The College will work alongside Sodexo, which it has been partners with for 20 years, for all phases of the project. Future phases include bringing a national brand restaurant on the ground floor of Cralle Student Center and renovations of the Mulberry Café located in the Ensor Learning Resource Center.
HOMECOMING SET FOR OCTOBER 23
Georgetown College is proud to announce that Homecoming 2021 is scheduled for October 23. In 2020, the College canceled Homecoming festivities in order to help keep the campus community as safe and healthy as possible.
“We look forward to seeing alumni and friends of Georgetown College at Homecoming this fall,” said Director of Alumni Relations Olivia Coleman-Dunn ‘15.
As part of a recommendation stemming from its first-ever inclusion and kindness report, Georgetown College announces the adoption of Juneteenth as an official College holiday beginning this year.
Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day, is celebrated on June 19 each year and commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
President Will Jones initiated the ‘Task Force for Increasing Inclusion and Kindness’ in August 2020. The ultimate purpose of the task force was to provide recommendations for increasing and fostering a campus-wide culture supportive of diversity, equity, inclusion, and kindness. After six months, the task force presented its report and recommendations to the College’s Board of Trustees at its quarterly meeting in February 2021.
Top among the task force’s recommendations was to adopt Juneteenth as an official College holiday. This goes into effect immediately, with the College observing the 2021 holiday on Friday, June 18. “It was difficult to not celebrate together in 2020, but I know that Homecoming 2021 will be an amazing celebration.”
More details will be available leading up to Homecoming 2021. Alumni can stay up to date on the latest developments by visiting georgetowncollege.edu/alumni.
OCTOBER OCTOBER 30
GC ADOPTS JUNETEENTH AS OFFICIAL HOLIDAY TIGER NATION WELCOMES NEW WOMEN’S BASkETBALL HEAD COACH
In March, Georgetown College named Jeff Nickel of Shawnee State University the new women’s basketball head coach.
“It’s a great day in Tiger athletics as we welcome Coach Jeff Nickel to the athletic staff and hand him the reins of our women’s basketball program,” said Vice President of Athletics Brian Evans at a press conference held on campus. “We have someone who can lead this program, not just so we can be competitive, but so we can win championships.”
For the past eight years, Nickel served as head coach of the women’s basketball team at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio. Under Nickel’s leadership, the SSU women’s basketball program has achieved the highest winning percentage in Ohio.
During Nickel’s tenure at SSU, his alma mater, he had a 78-percent winning percentage with an overall record of 21460. In the Mid-South Conference, SSU was 95-32, a 75-percent winning percentage. The Bears won five conference tournament crowns and one regular-season title.
“The foundation is here, and the talent is here,” Nickel said. “I look forward to hitting the ground running and getting Georgetown back to national tournaments on a regular basis. That’s our goal, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Watch the full press conference announcing Coach Nickel at facebook.com/georgetowncollege/live.
PHI kAPPA TAU RETURNS TO GC
In a ceremony held on April 25, Greek fraternity Phi Kappa Tau began the process of returning to campus. Originally chartered at the College on April 25, 1970, the ceremony marked 51 years to the day of the original campus charter.
Phi Kappa Tau was established internationally in 1906 with the goal of being recognized as a leadership organization that binds men together and challenges them to improve their campuses around the world.
Since 1970, the fraternity has welcomed 619 Georgetown College men into its ranks. After the chapter took leave in 2018 due to low membership, conversations about bringing Phi Kappa Tau back to campus began in November 2020.
Professor of Biology Dr. Tracy Livingston and Associate Professor of Chemistry Dr. Meghan Knapp have been named Lilly Faculty Fellows for 2021-2023.
Dr. Livingston and Dr. Knapp will receive $8,000 in funding to establish a Lilly Faculty Fellows Program on campus and to further explore and engage with Christian thought and practice.
The program, based at Valparaiso University, is the newest initiative from the Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities and recognizes faculty who focus on Christian thought and practice within their academic vocation. Dr. Livingston and Dr. Knapp are one of only seven teams of faculty members selected nationwide to represent this inaugural class.
Georgetown College students Isaac Sullivan ’24 and Keagan Morrin ’24, both of Georgetown, spearheaded the effort to bring the fraternity back to campus, and 10 new members joined during the April ceremony.
“A big group of us came from Great Crossing High School and thought it would be fun to start something new on campus,” said Morrin. “We saw this as a way to learn about ethical leadership and also be involved in campus activities.”
The chapter aims to participate in IFC recruitment beginning next spring and officially charter during that time. “We hope to create a community on campus where people can have fun and meet lifelong friends,” Morrin added.
In addition to the grant, Dr. Livingston and Dr. Knapp will attend four conferences across two years in Chicago and Indianapolis focused on helping the fellows continue their exploration of issues involving faith and academics.
“GC is a place that helps students find their passion by exploring various avenues of study,” said Dr. Livingston. “This grant will help the faculty not only explore their thoughts on science and religion but also help us facilitate our students’ understanding of the role of science and religion in our world. GC is a great place to explore this issue.”
UPDATED GEORGETOWN COLLEGE LICENSE PLATE FUNDS SCHOLARSHIPS
Alumni and friends can represent their Tiger Pride with a newly designed Georgetown College specialty license plate.
For each plate sold, $10 goes to GC’s annual fund to support scholarships, student programming, and faculty and staff development.
“Showing your GC pride on your license plate is a great way to get our name out in the community,” said Director of Alumni Relations Olivia ColemanDunn ‘15. “They’re a great conversation starter when you’re traveling, too, and a fun way to connect with other Georgetown alumni and friends.” CLICk HERE TO SEE MORE
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ACADEMIC HONORS DAY 2021 CELEBRATES STUDENT SUCCESS
Outstanding student achievements were rewarded this spring at Academic Honors Day, which was celebrated on May 5 in Davis-Reid Alumni Gym.
Along with the presentation of departmental awards, the Dean’s Honor Award, the top academic recognition for seniors, highlighted the day. This year’s recipients were Stanford Broadwater ’21 of Louisville and Josiah Haller ’21 of Delaware, Ohio.
Provost and Dean of the College Dr. Rosemary Allen said of Broadwater: “He is a true Renaissance man, a top student in math and physics but also gifted in music, fascinated with philosophy, and immersed in the world of literature.”
Broadwater, who plans to attend graduate school in physics at the University of Louisville, said, “It feels amazing to receive the award. I feel like it’s the culmination of my work at GC.”
Haller was described by Dr. Allen as “combining extraordinary capacity for analytical research, academic research, and effective writing, with a joyous love for discussion in an academic environment. He’s the sort of student faculty members fight for, as they want him in their class discussions.”
“Receiving the Dean’s Honor Award feels surreal,” said Haller. “As I have attended Honors Days over my four years, I have developed the impression that whoever wins the Dean’s Award each year are the students who go above and beyond in every way, doing so much more than what is expected of them in every situation. While I always admired those students, I never had the thought that it could be me some day.”
Academic Honors Day also featured the inaugural presentation of the Stephon D. Burton Courage, Character, and Leadership Scholarship (read more about the scholarship beginning on page 5).
Presented by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the scholarship was awarded to a full-time sophomore, junior, or senior who is a STEM major and who displays courage, character, and leadership. This year’s honoree was Micah Cummings ’22 of Cincinnati.
Cummings is a member of Phi Mu sorority and serves as its diversity and inclusion chair. She is a peer educator, student ambassador, president of the chemistry honor society Gamma Sigma Epsilon, a member of the student mental health advisory council, and a member of the Black Student Union. Cummings also participates in Science Honors, Health Scholars, and Christian Scholars Program.
