Fall/Winter Highlander 2017

The official magazine of Georgia Highlands College

Fall/Winter 2017

TAKING CHARGE In This Issue “Be a Take Charger� campaign launches Celebrating 20 years of academic travel to Wyoming Student graduates college and high school at the same time

Serving Northwest Georgia Since 1970

Table of Contents

...in this issue 3 5

Message from the President

The Highlander is published twice a year by the Office of Advancement at Georgia Highlands College 3175 Cedartown Highway Rome, GA 30161 • 706.802.5473 highlands.edu Editor and Designer Sheila Jones

Campus News

19

Quick Facts Guide to GHC

Photography Jeff Brown Nick Godfrey

23

Campus News

Writer Nick Godfrey

25

Retiree Update / In Memoriam

26

Academic Spotlight

28

Faculty Spotlight Donald J. Green, Ed.D., President

29

Staff Spotlight

30

Student Spotlight

32

Alumni Spotlight

34

Alumni & Friends Update

The Advancement Division encompasses the GHC Foundation, development, communications, marketing, digital media, print services, and alumni relations.

35

Foundation Spotlight

36

Charger News

/gahighlands

@GaHighlands @GHC_Athletics @ChargerInCharge

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Georgia Highlands College is a multi-campus, state college of the University System of Georgia. Founded in 1970 as Floyd Junior College, it now serves more than 6,000 students in Northwest Georgia across five locations in Rome, Cartersville, Marietta, Dallas, and Douglasville. GHC currently offers an associate degree in over 30 areas of study, as well as a Bachelor of Science in nursing for registered nurses, a Bachelor of Science in dental hygiene, and a new Bachelor of Business Administration in healthcare management and in logistics and supply chain management. Ten areas of study are offered fully online.

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Senior Administrative Assistant to the Vice President Cindy Gomez Foundation Accountant Liz Jones

KEEP UP WITH GEORGIA HIGHLANDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA /GeorgiaHighlandsCollege /GHCAthletics /GHCAlumni

Vice President of Advancement & Executive Director of the GHC Foundation Mary Transue

Senior Director of Marketing & Communications Sheila Jones Director of Digital Media Services Jeff Brown Print Services Manager Ken Davis Communications Manager Nick Godfrey Digital Media Specialist Justin Sucre Alumni Development Specialist Alison Lampkin

When I was 17, I left high school a year early and headed off to Michigan State University to start my college education. I left one year early because I was supposed to be “gifted.” What I was not gifted with was maturity, an understanding of how to study, nor a clearly defined career path.

College was a new endeavor for me and my family. My parents had not completed high school, but they had worked hard to be successful. They wanted more for me. They emphasized college, but none of us had any idea how college really worked. My impression was college was something that happened to you, not something you controlled.

So, what did I miss from my senior year of high school? Basketball. To this day I still like to play. (My wife uses the word “obsession.”) I played A LOT as a college freshman. Why not? There were lots of guys around to play sports and I didn’t need to study. I had always gotten good grades. I didn’t have the wisdom to attend all my courses or read all my books.

Suffice to say, this plan was not a successful one. The university began to send me notes about my future.They suggested a future somewhere other than Michigan State University. I was on academic probation…and that’s when it hit me. I was not at MSU to improve my jump shot. I was there to make a future for myself, and I was not going to fail! I needed to take charge of my future.

From the President

Taking Charge

TAKING CHARGE – continued on page 4

Green receives two distinct honors LIFE CHAMPIONSHIP RING RECIPIENT President Green was recently honored by L.E.A.D with a Life Champion Ring.

L.E.A.D. (Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct) is an Atlanta-based 501c3 non-profit organization that partners with Atlanta public schools to empower youth to lead and transform the city of Atlanta. It uses baseball as its vehicle of developing Atlanta’s future leaders and serves up to 300 young African American males grades 6 through 12 on an annual basis. The ring represents accomplishment and serves as a reminder to inspire the wearer and others. Green is pictured left with L.E.A.D. founder and former Chicago Cubs outfielder C.J. Stewart.

2017 ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE’S WHO’S WHO IN EDUCATION President Green was selected for the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2017 Who’s Who in Education. The special section honors men and women who are leading the way in K-12 and postsecondary education in metro Atlanta. As William Butler Yeats said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” The section included top education leaders from their Book of Lists research: 20 of metro Atlanta’s largest colleges and universities, 20 independent schools and up to 10 of the largest business schools, as well as top government officials, leaders of engineering schools, top MBA program chiefs, metro area public school superintendents, and heads of professional associations.

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TAKING CHARGE – continued from page 3

I showed up for class and began to take careful notes. I actually read the textbooks. I didn’t just do the assigned math problems; I did ALL the problems. Then I learned the tutoring lab was not just for those who were not doing well. The tutoring lab was for those smart enough to take advantage of the service! I took charge of my education and control of my destiny.

The truth is my story is not unusual. Every year, approximately half of all college freshmen across America run into these challenges (and partying, and debt, and relationships). Some succeed. Many go back home and never return to college. Some return in later decades; older, wiser, more committed. Those who are older struggle to complete that long sought degree while juggling college, family, and career. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

My mistakes may seem obvious; my solutions even more so. But every day we see students at GHC, like every other college, who are learning the same lessons.

Unlike “every other college,” we care about student success. We understand our mission of access and success.

We help students take charge. And we continue to pursue new strategies to enhance that mission.

This year, GHC created our new Quality Enhancement Plan, a strategic academic plan intended to increase student success. What are we pursuing with this plan? More interaction between students, advisors, and faculty to increase retention.

During the last two years, our faculty have redesigned several introductory courses to increase student success. They have also selected Open Educational Resource course materials that have saved our students over $4 million. (Less textbook costs mean more students staying in school.)

During the summer, we launched a completely reconstructed new student orientation based on the latest student success research.

This semester, two academic deans, Michelle Boyce and Greg Ford, partnered with me to pilot success workshops at two of our locations. We wanted to help students navigate these potential hazards. We wanted students to know how to be in charge of their grades, their career, and their future. We wanted to equip students with the talent AND mindset to overcome any impediment to their future success. We also wanted to learn how our students think and what we can do to create greater resiliency and resolve.

Georgia Highlands College is the home of the Chargers. We are very proud of our mascot and our athletic success, and we are equally proud of our students. They are here to learn. They are here to succeed. They are here to be Chargers, but more importantly, they are here to take charge!

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GHC enhances brand with new strategic enrollment campaign

#takingcharge A lot goes into creating a new look and feel for a long existing brand. Georgia Highlands College has been around for nearly 50 years and has experienced a few name changes and brand identity changes along the way. But the heart of what GHC stands for over the years has never changed: this is a place where people can take charge of their lives and accomplish great things.

GHC partnered with World Design Marketing and spent several months speaking with students, employees, and the community about what GHC means to them. Many fundamental pillars formed, noting value, quality, student support, engaged faculty, pride, and location. It soon became increasingly apparent what the overwhelming perception was: GHC is intentionally leading the charge for change because it cares about its students, college, and community.

Being the home of the Chargers, the idea of #TakingCharge soon evolved into a sense of identity. Students at GHC are taking charge of their future. Employees at GHC are taking charge of their duty to help these students every step of the way. The communities surrounding GHC are taking charge of aiding the college and its students in transforming lives. It just made sense. GHC is a place where you can Be a Take Charger.

The “Be a Take Charger” campaign is well underway, and there is a lot more to come. To learn more about what it means to Be a Take Charger, visit highlands.edu.

“We were so impressed by everyone we met during our listening tour at Georgia Highlands College. President Green has cast a clear vision for the future, and it appears that everyone involved with the college is aligned with that vision.

The students are engaged and excited about their future and the future of the college. The community feedback was stunning. We were so pleased that we found such a great story to tell. When it’s all said and done we are story tellers and GHC has a great story.”

Wayne Johnson President World Design Marketing

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR FUTURE.

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Campus News

SpringValue enrollment Great Collegessees lists GHC as one of the increase over lastforyear ‘Top 10 Colleges an Associate Degree in Business Administration Online’ Georgia Highlands College was recognized by Great Value Colleges as one of the “Top 10 Colleges for an Associate Degree in Business Administration Online.”

“Georgia Highlands College offers great tuition value and a gateway to an online bachelor’s from the University of Georgia,” said Jennifer Eisenberg, Editor of Great Value Colleges. “They go the extra mile in student services for online learners.”

Great Value Colleges looked at a pool of approximately 35 colleges across the country and selected the “Top Ten” with an “excellent value in the field of online associate degrees in business administration that can be earned 100 percent remotely.”

Colleges were ranked using a point system on the basis of tuition value (ten points possible), student-to-faculty ratio (ten points possible), flexibility in online degree track (six points possible), online student advisement (four points possible), job placement (three points possible), and curriculum relevancy (eight points possible) in the current job market.

Additional points were awarded for schools receiving recognition in the field of online education, being exceptionally military friendly, and the opportunity to receive course credit for life experience.

GHC received 26 points in Great Value College’s review, just under the highest score of

32 that was given to Thomas Edison State University.

In its description of GHC, Great Value Colleges said: GHC’s online associate in business administration has a track tailored specifically to feed into the online bachelor’s of business administration from the University of Georgia; this 60-62 credit hour program includes coursework in high demand skills… GHC offers personalized advising through email, phone or web-meeting, to accommodate the distance learner. Georgia Highlands also offers a broad spectrum of departmental exams to allow students to test their skill set and make certain they are on the right track toward their career goals.

In 2015, Great Value Colleges also ranked GHC second on a list of the 30 most affordable online RN-BSN degree programs in the nation.

GHC launched two new Bachelor of Business Administration degrees in healthcare management and in logistics and supply chain management in fall 2017.

To see Great Value Colleges’ full report, please visit: www.greatvaluecolleges.net/rankings/onlineassociates-business-administration-degree/ To learn more about degree options at GHC, please visit: highlands.edu/areas-of-study/

First bachelor’s in business administration students start their first semester GHC’s new bachelor’s in logistic and supply chain management and bachelor’s in healthcare management started fall 2017. Students came together for the first time during a special BBA Orientation.

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Construction has started on Georgia Highlands College’s new academic building in Cartersville.

GHC has installed progress cameras giving viewers a chance to watch the construction live. The link to those channels can be found at: www2.highlands.edu/site/misc/steambuilding/ The new academic building will be focused on STEAM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) areas of study. GHC pursued funding for the building and was approved under the fiscal year 2017 state budget which was approved by Legislature and signed by Governor Deal.

GHC received a total $22.5 million in state funding to advance the project: $2.2 for design, $17.7 for construction, and $2.6 for equipment.

A groundbreaking event in April recognized the start of the 52,000-square foot building. GHC is planning to get a certificate of occupancy in Fall 2018 to be able to teach a full slate of classes in Spring 2019.

It has been designed by the Stanley Beaman & Sears architecture firm and is being constructed by Juneau.

“The addition of this new academic building will include spaces for laboratories, classrooms, a lecture hall, study rooms, and more,” President Don Green said. “This increases GHC’s ability to directly impact and support the community workforce through STEAM-based degrees, and it allows GHC to better serve as the University System of Georgia’s primary access institution in the region.”

To ensure safety during construction, GHC has asked students, employees, and visitors to use caution and avoid the construction zone. Currently, the Cline Smith Road entrance to the Cartersville location is closed until construction is completed. Drivers should use the Highway 20 entrance instead.

Economic impact approaches $150 million The University System of Georgia (USG) recently released the USG’s total economic impact on the state of Georgia. Of the more than $16 billion reported by the USG as a whole, Georgia Highlands College’s contribution was over $149 million.

The USG report is for Fiscal Year 2016 and is conducted by the Selig Center for Economic Growth in the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.

GHC’s economic impact was exactly: $149,423,968.

This represents an increase of nearly $17 million from the Fiscal Year 2015 report.

The University System’s economic impact grew $1.3 billion, an increase of 8 percent, from fiscal year 2015 to 2016. The increase is attributed to “spending by the institution and spending by the students who attend that particular college or university.”

On average, for every dollar spent by the university, an additional 52 cents is generated for that institution’s region.

“The University System is committed to its role in supporting and advancing the economic growth of the State of Georgia,” said Chancellor Steve Wrigley. “These numbers reflect the hard work and support of Georgians across the state, and we hope to continue to drive innovation, workforce development and job IMPACT – continued on page 9

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Campus News

Construction begins on new academic building in Cartersville, progress video live

Campus News Areh

Hambrick

New site directors take lead in Paulding and Douglasville The Georgia Highlands College Paulding and Douglasville locations have welcomed two new site directors. Julia Areh was selected to be the new site director for the Douglasville site, and Joy Hambrick was selected to be the new site director for the Paulding site.

Areh has been working at GHC since 2010, serving in recruitment and academic advising. She was born in Jamaica and raised in Chicago. Her family moved to Georgia in 2000. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Sociology from the University of West Georgia in 2006, and her Master of Public Administration from Troy University in 2008.

Areh stated that one of her main focuses as new site director will be on increasing GHC’s visibility in Douglas and Carroll County.

“I want these communities to know that GHC is a part of their community and we are here to provide students with access to an excellent and affordable education,” she said.

Hambrick has been teaching economics at GHC for the last four years. She has a background in teaching and has also worked as a financial analyst for CocaCola. She is originally from Paulding and has continued to live there because she says, “it’s home.” She earned her bachelor’s in economics and finance from Kennesaw State University and her Master of Science in Economics from Georgia State.

“As site director, I would like to see the Paulding site grow to provide even more educational opportunities for both traditional and non-traditional students,” Hambrick said. “I would like to see us become a vibrant part of the Paulding community for not only our students but all residents and businesses. I would like to see us become a developer for leadership and innovation in Paulding.”

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Watterson chosen to participate in nationwide Digital Fellows Program Georgia Highlands College Vice President for Academic Affairs Renva Watterson has been selected to take part in a nationwide program. She will join a total of 32 provosts and chief academic officers (CAOs) to participate in the Association of Chief Academic Officers (ACAO) Digital Fellows Program.

The goal of this project is to explore ways to use digital technology to increase the retention and persistence to graduation among undergraduates, especially those who are first generation, low income, or minority students.

Additionally, the ACAO Fellowship Program will curate a rich, public archive of resources on digital learning and related issues to serve the community of CAOs who want to leverage digital curricular materials to foster student engagement and enhance student learning at their institutions.

Watterson explained she applied to the program by submitting responses about GHC, the academic philosophy regarding teaching and learning, professional development, distance learning, and digital resources for instruction.

The year-long fellowship opportunity includes four meetings of the Fellowship recipients for workshops on digital learning at different locations across the U.S. The Gates Foundation grant also includes support for individual campus projects focused on digital learning.

Supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the ACAO Digital Fellows Program is designed to provide provosts and chief academic officers (CAOs) with critical information, effective resources, and tested strategies to help CAOs and their faculty understand and adopt high quality digital courseware.

Georgia Highlands College was named among the top in the nation in the 2016 Collegiate Advertising Awards program. The Collegiate Advertising Awards (CAA) is an elite program recognizing higher education organizations for excellence in communications, marketing, advertising, and promotions of their schools.

The 2016 CAA program had more than 900 entries from the United States and Canada representing small community colleges to very large schools and universities.

Submissions were reviewed by a national panel of industry experts, with a possibility of 100 total points. Participants’ entries competed against similarsized organizations in their specific groups and categories.

Awards were issued for entries that received top marks from judges placing them in the top 16 percent of the nation for advertising excellence. Judging criteria included creativity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality, and overall appeal.

IMPACT – continued from page 7

creation for years to come.”

The economic impact of the USG is a measure of direct and indirect spending that contributes to the regions served by the System’s colleges and universities.

To calculate the economic impact for FY16, the Selig Center for Economic Growth in the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business analyzed data collected between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016. The annual study is conducted on behalf of the Board of Regents by Jeffrey M. Humphreys, Ph.D., director of the Selig Center.

The full study with data for all USG institutions can be found at: usg.edu

Representing all areas of communications, medias, marketing, advertising and promotions, the 2016 Collegiate Advertising Awards program contained some of the best advertising projects arguably in the world.

GHC took home the Gold Award (the top 5 percent in the nation) for College Website Design, a combined effort between GHC’s Advancement division and GHC’s IT department, Folder Design, and Promotional Items, which were foam cell phones to promote GHC’s new website’s mobile friendly features.

GHC also took home the Silver Award (the top 12 percent in the nation) for Magazine Advertisement and Billboard Design.

Additionally, GHC saw success at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District Three Awards with a Special Merit for Photography Series for the GHC “Share Your Story” Diversity Series, which captures students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds.

NATIONAL LIBRARY LEGISLATIVE DAY

GHC librarians went to Washington, DC to participate in the National Library Legislative Day to talk about the importance of libraries and library funding.

Pictured left to right: Ryan Diffley, Legislative Correspondent for Tom Graves; Jeannie Blakely, GHC Assistant Librarian for Tech Services; Wendy Cornelisen, Assistant State Librarian for Library Innovation and Collaboration; Congressman Tom Graves; Darla Chambliss, Library Director for the Northwest Georgia Regional Library System; and Richard Groves, Library Director of the Catoosa County Library.

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Campus News

Advancement team brings home several national Collegiate Advertising Awards

Campus News Nursing program cited as ‘most affordable’ by two national sources Georgia Highlands College’s nursing program was ranked as the “#1 Most Affordable Nursing Degree in Georgia” by College Choice, a leading authority in college and university rankings and resources.

According to College Choice, the ranking was created based on the 30 nursing schools listed in the National Center for Education Statistics database. The schools that still have active programs were then ranked based on in-state tuition.

In its description of Georgia Highlands College, College Choice noted GHC’s special accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), its low cost and value, and the opportunity for students to earn both an Associate of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

GHC was also touted by GeriatricNursing.org for being one of the top three most affordable nursing schools in the country in an article called “30 Most Affordable Nursing Degree Programs.”

According to GeriatricNursing.org: The healthcare system in the U.S. is going through a rapid change. As more and more people require short and long-term care, the demand for nurses as well as nursing degrees grows… [but] the options for afford-

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able nursing degrees are still somewhat limited.

In its research, GeriatricNursing.org found that GHC was one of the three most affordable nursing school options available, including State College of Florida and Broward College.

Currently, students can earn an associate degree at GHC for less than $8,000 and a bachelor’s for less than $16,000.

In its description of GHC, GeriatricNursing.org said: The Nursing Department of Georgia Highlands College offers an Associate of Science in Nursing degree as well as the RN to BSN degree program. The ASN or Associate of Science in Nursing opened in 1971 and graduates have consistently performed above the state and national average in the licensure examination for registered nurses.

Changes in the curriculum are ongoing in order to cope with the current changes in the healthcare field.

In 2015, GHC also ranked second on a list of the 30 most affordable online RN-BSN degree programs in the nation released by Great Value Colleges.

The nursing program at GHC has full approval by the Georgia Board of Nursing, Agency member of the NLN Council of Associate Degree Programs, and is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.

Georgia Highlands College’s Dean of Health Sciences Michelle Boyce was featured in two editions of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association magazine titled Access.

In the July 2017 issue, Boyce explained the dental hygienist’s role in an article called “Interprofessional Collaboration: Dental Hygienists Taking an Active Role.”

In it, she explains how interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is an increasingly important component of evidence-based, patient-centered health care, and that dental hygienists are primary advocates for patients’ optimal overall health. She cites how the oral system is connected to heart disease, diabetes, respiratory infections, pregnancy, and more.

“As the primary oral health prevention specialists, dental hygienists are equipped to move forward into an active role in IPC,” she says in the article.

“Dental hygienists understand the importance of the oral-systematic health link at a time when many other health care providers have yet to be educated on the importance of maintaining good oral health.”

In a second article from the August 2017 issue called “IPE-Just Do It,” Boyce stresses the importance of including IPC into existing college dental hygiene and nursing curriculum, and shares how GHC has done so for its students (IPE stands for interprofessional education).

“Students were placed into 13 groups of one dental hygiene student and six or seven nursing students.

Initially, students

were skeptical of the process,” she says in the article. “As they began to learn about, from, and with each other, they soon realized the benefit of leaving their professional silos.”

Boyce is a Registered Dental Hygienist with an Associate of Science Applied Technology in Dental Hygiene, Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene, a Graduate Certificate in Public Health, a Master of Health Science and a Doctor of Health. She is currently enrolled in the PhD in Health Science program at Nova Southeastern University and her research interests include “Interprofessional Education and Collaboration.”

Boyce is also an active member of the Georgia Dental Hygienists’ Association and the Vice-Chair for the Georgia Oral Health Coalition.

Prior to becoming an educator, she practiced clinically full-time at both general and periodontal practices. She has a passion for community health promotion and disease prevention and has volunteered her time to help organize and attend many health fairs and screening events. She has also traveled abroad on numerous occasions for dental mission trips.

Other GHC faculty also contributed to the articles: dental hygiene faculty members Regina Gupta and Donna CatapanoMartinez, and nursing faculty member Paula Stover.

GHC NURSING STUDENT’S SON WINS NEWBORN SWEEPSTAKES, GIFTED A COLLEGE FUND (as seen in the Cartersville Daily Tribune) – The Georgia Highlands College nursing major didn’t know her dad had entered the sweepstakes and wasn’t convinced they had won when he told her. Sarah Kraft’s son Luca Alonzo was randomly selected to receive the college fund from more than 2,800 babies born in Georgia last year who were entered by their parents or grandparents in the seventh annual statewide sweepstakes. He was the winner of the 2016 Path2College 529 Plan Newborn Sweepstakes and now has $5,529 stashed away in a college savings account.

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Campus News

Dean of Health Sciences featured in American Dental Hygienists’ magazine

Campus News

Nearly 700 diplomas conferred at commencement

Dr. Joseph Johnson

Professor Laura Ralston

Georgia Highlands College had 689 students receiving 691 diplomas (with two receiving two degrees) during the May commencement held at The Forum River Center in downtown Rome.

The nursing pinning ceremony was held at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cartersville the evening prior to commencement.

The faculty chose Professor of Mathematics Laura C. Ralston as the 2017 Mace Bearer and

Eclipse Viewing Students and employees at Georgia Highlands College gathered outside to view the 2017 Great American Eclipse during the afternoon on August 21, which was also the first day of class.

Although GHC did not experience totality, the hot summer day was dramatically cooled, and at the point the moon was covering nearly all of the sun, cicadas could be heard chirping from the trees mistaking the eclipse for twilight.

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Professor Brent Griffin

Professor of Mathematics Richard Brent Griffin as the recipient of the Wesley C. Walraven Faculty Award.

GHC alumnus Dr. Joseph Johnson gave the commencement address, and Student Government Association President Lucas Lester spoke on behalf of the student body.

Regent Neil L. Pruitt, Jr. brought greetings from the USG Board of Regents.

Georgia Highlands College kicked off another academic year by welcoming 16 new full-time faculty from varying educational experiences and backgrounds.

They include: Floyd Campus Thomas Earp earned a master’s in communication from the University of South Florida. Earp is an instructor of communication.

Erica Simpson is an assistant professor of communication. Simpson holds a master’s in communication from Ball State University.

Jocelyn Steward is an assistant professor of healthcare management. Steward earned a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Alabama.

joins GHC as an instructor of math.

Tracy Kight is an associate professor of math and a GHC alumna. Kight earned a master’s in mathematics from Nova Southeastern University Banhi Nandi is an instructor of biology. Nandi holds a master’s in teaching secondary biology from Mercer Univeristy and a master’s in zoology from Kalyani University in India.

Brandy Rogers earned a master’s in integrative biology from Kennesaw State University. She is an instructor of biology and a GHC alumna.

Julia Reidy earned a master’s in professional writing from Kennesaw State University. Reidy is an instructor of English.

Cartersville Site James Cady is an instructor of history. He received his master’s for teachers in history from Indiana University.

Ki Song holds a master’s in secondary mathematics education and a specialist degree in secondary mathematics education from Kennesaw State University. Song

Marietta Site Zarle Williams is a graduate of Georgia State University and Vermont College, where he earned his master’s in English and master’s in writing respectively.

He joins GHC as an instructor of English.

Venkata Chaganti joins

GHC as an instructor of physics. Chaganti earned a doctorate in physics from Georgia State University.

Paulding Site Zachary Johnston earned his master’s in mathematics from the University of West Georgia.

He joins GHC as an instructor of math.

Danny Bellinger is an instructor of English. Bellinger earned a master’s in writing from Goddard College.

Douglasville Site Kamisha DeCoudreaux holds a master’s in mathematics from the University of Texas, and joins GHC as an instructor of math.

Heritage Hall Amanda McFarland joins GHC as an instructor of dental hygiene. McFarland holds a master’s of health science from Nova Southeastern University.

Kristin Baumann is an instructor of dental hygiene at Heritage Hall. Baumann earned a master’s in public health from Augusta University.

STEM Day at ARC GHC presented a STEM Day for kids at the Allatoona Resource Center in Acworth.

Activities included drones, sphero robots, and more.

Pictured left: Cartersville Campus Dean Leslie Johnson and Biology Instructor Jason Christian prepare a demonstration for those in attendance.

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Campus News

New semester begins by welcoming 16 new full-time faculty members

Campus News

Charging Across China

A Cultural Celebration

SUMMER 2017 STUDY ABROAD TRIP TO CHINA GHC students had a blast in China this summer during the 2017 study abroad trip! Activities included museum visits, practicing calligraphy, and tasting local cuisine.

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What started as just another study abroad trip to China for May 2018 soon became an exciting year celebrating Chinese culture at GHC. “We decided to have a whole host of China-related events at GHC locations during the 2017-2018 academic year. In essence, this made China our ‘theme country’ for this academic year,” said Associate Professor of History Bronson Long, who is also the director of global initiatives and study abroad.

Long worked with a committee at GHC to put together a trip to China with a focus on business and culture happening in May 2018. The nineday trip will visit Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai.

Student Life Director John Spranza and his team came up with the name “Charging Across China: A Cultural Celebration” and several student life events to compliment the trip.

“When it seemed likely that we would have an overarching theme of China for this year, we brainstormed a bit about activities and events that could tie into that theme,” Spranza said. “We created an activity schedule that includes at least one Chinesethemed event each month at all locations.”

Activities include creating a bamboo garden, watching the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company perform, learning how to cook Chinese cuisine with Chef Egg, and more.

In addition to these events, Long stated that GHC also hosted a major academic conference in October, which featured guests/attendees from across the University System of Georgia and the northwest Georgia business community, as well as speakers on China from several prestigious institutions.

More information on the May 2018 study abroad trip to China is located on the facing page.

Campus News highlands.edu | 15

Campus News

Greenhouse grows 327 pounds of produce for Food Pantry A humble 160-square-foot plot of grow space split between a greenhouse and raised beds at Georgia Highlands College’s Cartersville location is responsible for 327 pounds of produce being donated to GHC’s Charger Food Pantry.

The Charger Food Pantry was started in 2016 to meet the needs of food insecurity among college students.

“The problem of food insecurity is increasingly on the radar of many college administrators,” GHC Director of Student Support Services Angela Wheelus said. “Students are sometimes finding it difficult to focus or even stay in class, so if we can remove one of those barriers by providing access to food, then that’s what we need to do here at GHC. Many of our students are non-traditional, supporting families, and working full-time, while attending college. Food insecurity cuts across all demographics.

That’s where GHC’s Charger Food Pantry comes in.”

Although the pantry is stocked with staple items like peanut butter, tuna, spaghetti sauce, and other non-perishable food items, as well as personal items, students in need were unable to get fresh produce.

And that’s when the faculty and staff of GHC’s Natural Science and Physical Education division stepped up.

“Once we determined the ideal location, we started the design and construction process,” Dean of Natural Science and Physical Education Greg Ford said. “The goals of the project were always to support academic research opportunities for faculty and students as well as to address food insecurities and the needs of the Charger Food Pantry.”

Ford plans to expand the produce program from the Cartersville location to each of GHC’s locations.

They are currently working with students in GHC’s student group Green Highlands to determine the best locations for additional gardens. The next one is planned for the Floyd campus.

The effort to grow produce for the pantry has been a labor of love for those at GHC. “The greenhouse is managed by Joseph Collins, our laboratory coordinator in Cartersville, and several members of the faculty and staff work with Joseph

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to plan the planting season, maintain the greenhouse, and harvest the produce,” Ford said. “We have also had student volunteers from Green Highlands working alongside us throughout the entire process, as well.”

Collins stated he hopes the produce inside the greenhouse will eventually be year-round, giving the pantry a steady supply at all times.

“We have donated over 300 pounds of produce to the food pantry,” he said. “We try to grow produce that we think people will enjoy and will also provide a good value. The first season we grew potatoes, tomatoes, snap peas, summer squash, green beans, okra, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, and watermelon.”

Collins explained now that they are able to provide the fresh produce, they are looking for ways to provide students with simple recipes for easy-toprepare meals using these fresh ingredients.

The GHC greenhouse is supported by a number of other individuals, as well, including Instructor of Biology Jason Christian, who managed the engineering and construction of the greenhouse and raised beds; Associate Professor of Biology Jackie Belwood and Laboratory Coordinator Devan Rediger, who were involved in the early planning stages, helped maintain the facility, and worked to get the produce in the food pantry; and Professor of Biology Sharryse Henderson, who provided additional resources for the project.

GHC’s Charger Food Pantry currently spans across all five of GHC’s locations across Northwest Georgia. Should you wish to donate to GHC’s Charger Food Pantry, please make monetary donations at any GHC business office in Rome, Cartersville, Marietta, Paulding, or Douglasville. To make non-perishable food donations, please contact Student Support Services at: sss@highlands.edu

Georgia Highlands College faculty, staff, students, and alumni came together to display and define what diversity means to them on a new webpage devoted to “Diversity and Inclusion at GHC.” The site was recently published and is in its first phase of many.

“We believe students, faculty, and staff will agree that the content captured in this first phase of website development has an energy and vitality to it that represents well the dynamic nature of our college community’s culture,” Vice President for Human Resources Virginia Siler said. “This is just the start of creating a place that will draw us, future students and our communities in, and keep everyone informed of this important aspect of GHC and what is happening in this area of focus.”

Siler stated that in the near future the website will be expanded to include “centers.”

Siler says, “these centers will house resources

and education more focused toward particular groups,” such as centers devoted to LGBT+, Women, Multicultural, Interfaith, and more.

GHC Math Instructor Chris Hart is leading that effort.

“GHC’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) represents our commitment to creating and maintaining resources and education for our community and involvement,” Hart said. “The CDI will be instituted as an online resource center to be able to maximize accessibility to the GHC student, staff, faculty, and our greater community. Maintained by faculty, staff, and students, the CDI will strive to be current, relevant, and evolving for our community housing such things as an event list, policy information, and general resources.”

The new website can be found at: highlands. edu/diversity-and-inclusion/

GHC hosts 12th annual summer Foundation Camp The 12-year-running Foundation Camp at GHC has been around long enough to prove it is changing lives. It returned last summer.

The camp, which is one of several partnerships between the 100 Black Men of Rome-Northwest Georgia and Georgia Highlands College, is funded by generous donors and the GHC Foundation, giving students the opportunity to attend the camp free of charge, including transportation and breakfast and lunch.

The camp focuses on academics, athletics and enrichment courses intended to build self-respect and confidence, and to allow the young men to experience college. These two weeks each year are making a positive impact for its attendees.

Well over 100 kids attend Foundation Camp each year and enjoy numerous activities, including canoeing, tennis, basketball, soccer, STEAM-related

projects, biology and chemistry projects utilizing liquid nitrogen and a hovercraft, derby car racing, storytelling with live animals like an alligator, and more.

highlands.edu | 17

Campus News

New webpage celebrates diversity

Campus News

Six Mile Post Year in Review Student newspaper celebrates a winning year Georgia Highlands College’s studentrun newspaper, the Six Mile Post, has been quite comfortable competing headto-head against larger schools in the state, bringing home several awards this past year, including first place in General Excellence and first place for Online Newspaper.

The student paper started competing against four-year colleges for the first time in 2015. But despite moving from competing in the two-year division to the four-year division, the Six Mile Post (SMP) hasn’t lost momentum.

The paper had a huge outing at the annual Georgia College Press Association (GCPA) award ceremony held in Macon at Mercer University, bringing home 17 awards.

The SMP took first place in General Excellence.

This was the second consecutive year the paper found success in this category.

The SMP also took first place for Best Campus Community Service in the area of Sports.

The staff swept the Best Editorial or Feature Photograph category this year, taking the first, second, and third place slots.

Overall, the SMP won 17 awards, with three first place awards and 14 second or third place awards.

The GCPA also held elections for student office. Outgoing GCPA President Holley Chaney (Douglasville) was presented a plaque for her service, and Stephanie Corona (Cartersville) was elected as the new GCPA vice president.

The student paper also made a splash at the annual Southern Regional Press Institute held in Savannah at Savannah State University. There, the team picked up first place in Online Newspaper, second place in General Newspaper Competition, second place in feature writing, and second place in photography.

On the national level, Josh Jones (Douglasville) received an Honorable Mention from the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) in Cartooning and was one of ten finalists nationwide. The award was presented in Washington D.C. during the ACP National College Media Convention.

And on top of an already busy year, the SMP also sponsored First Amendment Awareness Week and Ping Pong tournaments at Floyd and Cartersville.

Copies of the award-winning publication can be found at each GHC location, or you may visit the SMP site at: sixmilepost.com

Seventh annual Public Speaking Competition brings out hundreds to compete and watch Over 120 people showed up from all five of Georgia Highlands College’s locations for the seventh annual GHC Public Speaking Competition in Cartersville.

The event invites GHC students to prepare and deliver a persuasive speech to an audience of fellow students, faculty, family, and friends. Many students learn basic public address theory and practice in

18 | Fall/Winter 2017

GHC’s Human Communication courses or Public Speaking courses. It is an opportunity for students to demonstrate speech preparation, verbal style, physical delivery, and to build experience in front of unfamiliar audiences.

The event has three rounds, and student competitors give the same speech for different sets of judges to progress to the final round.”

COMPETITION – continued on page 24

Founded

1970 152

FULL-TIME FACULTY

150

Enrollment over

6,000

20.5 Average Class

PART-TIME FACULTY

4 MILLION in textbooks costs

TEXTBOOKS & MATERIALS

highlands.edu

OF

Y STUD

Teacher Ratio

LESS THAN

8,000

$

FOR AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE

NEARLY $150

MILLION

DEGREE IN

GEORGIA

100% GRADUATION & JOB PLACEMENT RATE FOR DENTAL HYGIENE PROGRAM

LESS THAN

16,000

$

ECONOMIC IMPACT

10 AREAS OF STUDY

100% AVAILABLE

ONLINE

USING FREE ONLINE

AFFORDABLE

REGIONAL

ACROSS NORTHWEST GEORGIA

FIVE Over 30 LOCATIONS AREAS

SAVED STUDENTS OVER

MOST 21:1 Student to 4-YEAR

SIZE

quick facts guide

Georgia Highlands College

FOR A BACHELOR’S DEGREE

SECOND MOST MILITARY AFFORDABLE FRIENDLY

+ ONLINE YELLOW RN-BSN RIBBON PROGRAM STATUS

IN THE NATION

highlands.edu University System of Georgia

#takingcharge

Career Options Dental Hygiene (RDH) Human Services Nursing (ASN) Bachelor of Science Dental Hygiene* (RDH to BSDH Completion) Nursing* (RN to BSN Completion) “Georgia Highlands is more than a college. It’s a community. My experience at GHC has been both the most difficult and rewarding experience of my life. You never know what you’re capable of until you’re pushed to your full potential. GHC has helped me reach the highest degree of personal success.”

Jenny Quan

GIVE TODAY Give today to the Georgia Highlands College Foundation, and your tax deductible gift, no matter the size, will change lives.

highlands.edu/givetoday

Administrative Leadership President Dr. Donald J. Green Special Assistant to the President Dr. Cathy Ledbetter Vice President Finance & Administration Jeff Davis Vice President Academic Affairs Dr. Renva Watterson

Vice President Student Affairs Dr. Todd Jones Vice President Information Technology Jeff Patty Vice President Human Resources Virginia Siler Vice President Advancement/ Executive Director GHC Foundation, Inc. Mary Transue

GO CHARGERS

Mascot = BOLT

Bachelor of Business Administration Healthcare Management

Associate of Arts Pathways Art Communication Criminal Justice* English* Foreign Language* History* Journalism Music Music Business Philosophy Political Science* Psychology Sociology

Associate of Science Pathways Agriculture Biology Business Administration* Chemistry Computer Information Systems Computer Science Engineering General Studies* Geology Health Information Management Health Professions Mathematics Physics Teacher Education Teacher Ed. - Middle Grades*

Logistics and Supply Chain Management *indicates areas also offered 100% online

ADMISSION DEADLINES*

Fall Semester Enrollment July 15

Spring Semester Enrollment December 15

Summer Semester Enrollment May 15

*Steps to apply must be completed by these dates.

CHARGERS =CHAMPIONS GHC is a Division I member of Region 17 of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), and the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA).

A tradition of success has been established as evidenced by our national rankings, national academic awards, and our winning records.

MEN’S BASKETBALL WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SOFTBALL BASEBALL

STUDENT LIFE

quick facts guide to GHC

Areas of Study

Creating opportunities for student engagement outside the classroom aids in retention and creates memorable connections. GHC’s student organizations develop leadership, philanthropy, and decision-making skills as students are exposed to diverse experiences and issues.

In addition to over 45 student organizations and numerous weekly activities, GHC offers intramural sports at the Floyd and Cartersville locations that promote health, sportsmanship, teambuilding skills, and memories that last a lifetime.

Did You Know?

over 45

• GHC was named “best return on investment” for a two-year college in the state of Georgia by a 2015 federal reports.

ORGANIZATIONS

• Value of a GHC degree - less than $8,000 for a two-year degree and less than $16,000 for a four-year degree.

STUDENT

STUDENT BODY

38% MALE 62% FEMALE

• Named “Most affordable four-year degree in Georgia” by Scholarship Owl.

• Students take the same classes their first two years at GHC as they would at other four-year institutions for half the cost.

• Students who complete their associate degree are 72 percent more successful in completing their bachelor’s degree.

• GHC has one of the highest retention rates in the state for colleges in our sector.

• Our graduates have gone on to be successful at UGA, Georgia Tech, Medical College of Georgia, KSU, Columbia, Loyola, and others.

• Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society earned several

FULL-TIME STUDENTS

top honors and had the largest All-Georgia Academic Team in the state for 2017.

47.3%

• Six Mile Post received several first place awards from the Georgia College Press Assc. in 2017.

PART-TIME STUDENTS

52.7%

• Strong Dual Enrollment Program with local high schools • Exceptional summer camps, including Camp Invention, STEM Academy, and Foundation Camp

Helping Students Succeed In addition to caring faculty and staff, GHC strives to help students every step of the way by offering numerous free resources.

• Student Success Coaches • Personalized Advisement • Computer Labs • Counseling Support • Disability Assistance • Career Counseling

• Tutoring • Libraries • Private Study Areas • Public Study Areas • Charger Food Pantry • Career Clothes Closet

STUDY ABROAD & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING The Georgia Highlands College and USG study abroad programs give students the opportunity to travel to another country and take courses linked to the trip.

Experiential learning trips within the United States are also offered in courses like

geology and physical education. These

programs offer a unique learning experience

that brings students into contact with

different places and cultures. Students who

participate in these programs frequently

report that it was the most valuable thing

they did as a college student.

“Being a transfer student-athlete, I was skeptical about coming into a new school. At my orientation, I knew right away that I was not just a number at GHC. The orientation leaders were awesome! I decided that I wanted to be one for the upcoming semester. I could not be more pleased with the time I spent working with GHC Student Life. Showing new students how easy it is to get acclimated at GHC brought a smile to my face.

quick facts guide to GHC

GET INVOLVED!

Smaller classes and teachers who genuinely care about you are what put students like me in the position to be successful. All of my teachers went out of their way to help me keep up with material I missed while away at athletic commitments. GHC has helped me be successful and achieve by goals.”

Tony Flores For more testimonials visit highlands.edu/testimonials

3D Printing & Drones GHC libraries in Rome, Cartersville, Dallas, and Douglasville are open to the public and offer several great amenities including free use of the 3D printer/scanner and remote control drones. To learn more or to reserve a time to use the 3D printer/scanner, visit getlibraryhelp.highlands.edu/home.

G

H

Georgia Highlands Cighlands ollege eorgia

quick facts guide

College

About GHC Wondering why over 6,000 students across Northwest Georgia are calling Georgia Highlands College home? Compared to other colleges, you won’t find a better education with a better value anywhere. GHC is one of only two colleges in Georgia listed in a 2015 national database as the “best value” and “best return on investment” in the state. Students at GHC can complete an associate degree for less than $8,000 and a bachelor’s degree for less than $16,000. That’s half the cost for the same courses students take at other colleges and universities across the country. From registration to degree completion, it is GHC’s goal to help students every step of the way. Even at half the cost of most colleges and universities nationwide, GHC offers several areas of study, including associate, bachelor’s, and online degree options.

Founded in 1970 as Floyd Junior College, Georgia Highlands College is a multi-campus, state college of the University System of Georgia and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

TWO YEAR. FOUR YEAR. RIGHT HERE. FLOYD CAMPUS 3175 Cedartown Hwy. Rome, GA 706.802.5000 HERITAGE HALL SITE 415 E. Third Ave. at Glenn Milner Blvd.

Rome, GA 706.295.6321

CARTERSVILLE SITE 5441 Highway 20, NE Cartersville, GA 678.872.8000 PAULDING SITE 25 Courthouse Square Dallas, GA 678.946.1100

DOUGLASVILLE SITE 5901 Stewart Parkway Douglasville, GA 678.872.4200 MARIETTA SITE 1100 S. Marietta Pkwy.

Marietta, GA 678.872.8562

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

#takingcharge

Affirmative Action / Equal Employment and Educational Opportunity Institutio

The annual Veterans Family and Military Family Fun Day at Georgia Highlands College made its return for the fourth consecutive year last April. The event was free and open to the public and hosted over 30 vendors and a 20-piece military band.

New this time around was the Mobile Vet Center, which provides readjustment counseling and information resources to Veterans across the country. Like community-based Vet Centers, Mobile Vet Centers focus on services that help Veterans make the difficult transition between military and civilian life.

“GHC wants to show appreciation to military families at the college as well our military families in the community,” said Veterans Affairs Coordinator Amy Wise. “We want to connect military families with community resources and also provide a fun, free event for kids and adults.”

Each year, dating back to 1986, April is recognized as the Month of the Military Child.

In honor of this time of year, GHC hosts its military event.

The event is a partnership between GHC, Student Veterans of America, the GA Army National Guard Family Assistance Specialist, and Month of the Military Child celebration.

Wise stated that military service, especially deployments, affects the whole family. Events like this are a perfect opportunity to show veterans and military students and their families as much support as possible.

The event included free food, door prizes, a petting zoo, Bingo, a bounce house, canoeing on GHC Paris Lake, and much more, Wise said.

“This is a fun, free opportunity for our military students to bring their families on campus. It is also an opportunity for GHC faculty, staff, and students to bring their families out and show support to our military students,” she said.

GHAME/B2B starts new semester strong Pictured left: The GHAME/Brother 2 Brother student organization started the new semester off with a Leadership Training Workshop presented by the 100 Black Men of Rome-Northwest Georgia.

Pictured left: Earlier this year, GHAME Coordinator Evan Snelling went to the Men of Color National Summit at Clemson University. He even got the chance to spend time with TV reporter John Quiñones.

highlands.edu | 23

Campus News

Veterans and Military Family Fun Day hosted for the community

Campus News

Students get a lesson in ‘Adulting’ Georgia Highlands College has launched a new workshop series for students called #Adulting that focuses on practical skills students can use in their everyday life.

“Adult” as a verb or “Adulting” as a gerund may seem a little off, but it is becoming more commonly used to explain the action of doing things an adult is expected to do or knowing how to do those things.

Over the fall and spring semesters, students who participate can learn basic skills in sewing, car care basics, etiquette, banking, business, and resume writing.

The fall lineup is all about personal improvement, while the spring lineup is focused more on job and career development skills.

GHC has partnered with several local businesses and other agencies to assist with the workshops so students can get advice and lessons from experts in those fields.

Some of the local businesses or agencies that are assisting with these sessions include: The Stitchery in Rome, Pat’s Apparel in Dallas, Cornerstone Sew & Vac in Douglasville, Jim’s Tire Service in Rome, Express Oil in Dallas and Douglasville, Charm Etiquette in Atlanta, Wells Fargo Bank, Regions Bank, Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, Elwood Staffing in Douglasville, and the Georgia Small Business Development Authority.

COMPETITION – continued from page 18

“This competition provides students with invaluable experience. The ability to write, practice, and deliver a strong public speech for an unfamiliar audience is crucial to succeeding in most career paths,” said Steve Stuglin, competition director and assistant professor of communication.

“Additionally, this process helps students learn the value of research to a wellinformed argument, and the importance of meeting an audience on common ground as a prerequisite of persuasion. These skills will serve the students in personal and civic life as well as in the workplace.”

The top five finalists were: 1st – Amanda Lewis (Cartersville) pictured above – Take the Road Less Traveled 2nd – Jenee Smith (Marietta) – Puppy Mills: The

Best Money Maker

24 | Fall/Winter 2017

3rd – Tadd Steffner (Cartersville) – Eat Healthy and

Exercise Regularly 4th – Luke Keeney (Cartersville) – Maintain

Censorship on Television 5th – Makenzie Allen (Cartersville) – Dog Breeders

and Puppy Mills Semifinalist - Special Recognition Shanna Salcedo (Douglasville) Discrimination in the Media Andrew Beard (Marietta) – End to Addiction Aarod Dodd (Floyd) – Is Drug Testing for Welfare Beneficial?

April Hughes (Douglasville) – Free College Tuition Gage Walker (Cartersville) – Perils and Positives of Multitasking “Our top winner this year was Amanda Lewis, a Cartersville sophomore and Nursing major, with a speech about traveling to atypical destinations,” Stuglin noted.

The event was sponsored by the Rome Area Council for the Arts, Follett Bookstore Management, GHC Student Life, GHC Student Clubs, and the GHC Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

Georgia Highlands College had two of its members in the Cobb Education Consortium (CEC) graduate the Leadership Academy: Professor of Communication Travice Baldwin Obas and Advisor Jillian Petro.

Obas served as project director for the inaugural Obas community service committee. They partnered with MUST Ministries to provide financial literacy resources for the organization’s annual “Step Up Your Game” event geared to provide resources to job seekers in Cobb County.

Petro served on the K-12 team. They partnered with Lockheed Martin to provide a full STEM day at a middle school in Cobb County.

Obas was additionally recognized as the CEC “leader of the year.” She will continue to serve on the CEC Steering Committee and be responsible for planning and implementing leadership activities for Leadership Academy participants.

Two more GHC employees will be joining the CEC Leadership Academy this year: Accounting Technician Tyler Wilson and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Tesar.

Wilson and Tesar will join last year’s GHC additions to the CEC Leadership Academy: Veterans Affairs Coordinator Amy Wise and Enrollment

Retiree Update GHC congratulates the following employees who retired during 2017. Thank you for your years of service and dedication to our students, our college, and our mission.

2017 Faculty/Staff Retirees Eileen Walker Senior Academic Advisor 20 years 7 months

Barbara Cozby Administrative Assistant 12 years

Faith Miller Human Resources Director 19 years 8 months

Carol Souders Administrative Assistant 10 years 9 months

Patricia Vincent BSN Program Director 10 years

Management Specialist Lynzee Patrick.

The leadership academy prepares employees at member institutions for greater leadership roles in the community and the institution. The CEC consortium is composed of public educational entities in Cobb County, Georgia: Chattahoochee Petro Technical College, Cobb County School District, Georgia Highlands College, Kennesaw State University, and Marietta City Schools.

In Memoriam

ALUMNI BRUCE MORGAN ODOM APRIL 24, 2017

RETIREES ADRIAN S. BOWERS APRIL 5, 2017

JOHN EDWARD WARE MAY 6, 2017

BOARD OF TRUSTEES LIFETIME MEMBER SAM W. DOSS, JR SEPTEMBER 15, 2017

PAUL MORGAN LOWE MAY 27, 2017 LARRY LAMAR WILKINS, SR. JUNE 14, 2017 JEANETTE HARRIS MIZE JULY 6, 2017 MARC DAMIEN CHAPMAN JULY 16, 2017 JASON THOMAS BAITY JULY 17, 2017 KAREN ADINDA ZOE VAN NEST SINNOCK JULY 18, 2017 MICHAEL LUTHER “MICKEY” HAND JULY 27, 2017 LYNDA LANE TILLERY REYNOLDS OCTOBER 9, 2017

highlands.edu highlands.edu || 25 25

Campus News

Two graduate from Cobb Consortium, two more join

Academic Spotlight

More than just a class Celebrating 20 years in Wyoming

Independence Rock Natrona County, Wyoming

The classroom is a mountain. The whiteboard is miles of short-grass prairie land. The bookcases are snow-capped. And the textbooks are fossils.

The Georgia Highlands College summer field course trip to Wyoming in many ways is about moments that last forever in memory, in stone.

Associate Professor of Geology Billy Morris has been trekking across Wyoming with students for 20 years. The first trip was in 1997. He went to a conference in Seattle and met a geologist who helped him form the trip and serve as their guide.

“She was our guide for the first two years,” Morris said. “She was instrumental in setting us up.

She was local. A lot of the places we go aren’t published anywhere, word of mouth kind of places, and they are these pristine, somewhat secret spots.”

Morris on average has taken 12 to 24 students each year since the program started. The trip starts at GHC two weeks before they head out, so students can learn what to expect, how to take notes in the field, and the basics of geology.

Then the real trip begins.

The group flies into Denver and then drives directly to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains to visit Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the nearby Dinosaur Trail in the famous Morrison Formation.

Then, they head north to Casper, followed by a day’s drive through Wind River Canyon and Thermopolis to Cody. After a night in Cody, they drive into Yellowstone and stay in cabins in a place called Canyon Village within walking distance of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. They then work their way to Colter Bay Village before heading back to Denver.

“It’s a geologist’s wonderland,” Morris said.

26 | Fall/Winter 2017

He explained that Wyoming has good examples of all rock types, fossils, important surface processes and landforms, as well as every time period being represented.

“The whole textbook is out there in the field where you can feel it and touch it… where you can experience it.”

And Morris said no two trips are the same.

“We’ve had three marriages that I know of that have come out of this trip,” he said. “Once, before we left, a young man asked me, ‘Are we going to go to any place that’s really pretty while we’re out there?’ and I said, ‘Well, as a matter of fact, a few.’”

The student went on to tell Morris that the reason he was asking was because he wanted to propose to his girlfriend, another student on the trip that year. So Morris helped the young man pick the best spot he could think of.

The group took a 7-mile hike to the top of Mount Washburn, which flanks an extinct volcano and is one of the higher elevations in Yellowstone.

“There is nothing higher than you as far as you can see. You have a 360-panaromic view,” Morris said. “He carried the ring in his hat band and when we got to the summit he proposed. She said yes.”

“Yellowstone is always fantastic. You never know what you’ll see there.” Morris added, recalling another trip when the group came across a standoff between wolves and a bear over a carcass. “The bear ended up back on his hind feet. We always see some incredible wildlife.”

But the moments captured in Wyoming aren’t always from this century…

“There is an outcrop that always gives me chill bumps every time I see it. It’s a piece of sandstone

Academic Spotlight

from the Jurassic period. It was formed on a beach. The sandstone that was deposited on that beach has ripple marks left behind, like a washboard. Clearly, it’s a wave zone, 30 feet high, 40 feet wide, but across the ripple marks are three-toed footprints, like a turkey 2017 Wyoming Trip footprint, but they’re from a pterodactyl. No doubt he was scavenging along the beach looking for squid or horseshoe crabs who had washed up in that spot…”

Morris stops there each year to show his students.

“To have a 1997 Wyoming Trip moment like that, an instant in time preserved, and to be able to show that and look at it and let your mind wander back that far and think about the changes that have gone on in that place, it’s one of those moments you lay awake at night and think about…”

Morris says he plans on continuing the trip for as long as he can. He credits the students as the ones who motivate him to go year after year.

“What really makes the trip for me is to watch the students and see how they react to what they are seeing and doing. It’s very satisfying to watch them learn and grow,” he said. “I love lectures and I love teaching in the laboratory, but where real earth science happens is outside. We can look at books. We can pull rocks off the shelf for an entire semester. But in a fraction of that time, you can do so much more when you’re in the right place. Bringing students to the right place and helping them understand how to read the rocks like a book is very satisfying.”

Sign up now for the 2018 GHC Summer Geology Field Class in Wyoming. Complete details can be found at: highlands.edu/wyoming

Moulton Barn, Mormon Row Grand Teton National Park

Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

highlands.edu | 27

Faculty Spotlight

Hensley chosen by European Council to teach in Berlin

Georgia Highlands College Assistant Professor Germany,” a class focusing on the history of Nazi of History David Hensley has been selected to Germany in Berlin, which had been the capital of the join the University System of Georgia’s European Nazi state, as well as the lasting marks that the expeCouncil Summer Study Abroad Program in Berlin rience of Nazism has left on German society. for 2018.

“I really look forward to showing students the Hensley will be teaching a Western Civilization actual spaces and places where a lot of the key course called “History in the Heart of Europe.” events in European and German history took place This class will be an overview of the history of – the good, the bad, and the ugly,” Hensley said. “I Europe from the 1500s to the present, expanding on think that even the best book or documentary film many developments, including cannot replace the feeling and the Protestant Reformation, the personal connection of actually Enlightenment, the Revolutionary inhabiting and moving around the “I really look forward Era, the World Wars, and the same places – the Brandenburg to showing students the Cold War. Gate, the Reichstag building, actual spaces and places Frederick the Great’s Palace at Although the class can be where a lot of the key taken in a traditional setting, Sans Souci – where major figures events in European and Hensley says bringing students of history once moved around.” to Berlin is a “natural choice Hensley said he is particuGerman history took for looking at the developments larly interested in helping firstplace.” in early modern and modern generation college students (like European history.” himself) experience the “transfor“Germany has served as a crossroads for mative effect” a study abroad trip like this can have European History from the Reformation, through the on their lives.

Napoleonic Wars, the wars of national unification, But he also cannot wait to experience Berlin and the tumultuous twentieth century. Berlin itself firsthand and bring that experience back to the classwas a microcosm of the Cold War, as a city divided room with him at GHC. between the Eastern and Western blocs,” Hensley “I hope that a lot of the personal touches and said. “Berlin’s current status as an international, subtle things about the way that people live in differmulticultural city with a large immigrant population ent parts of the world – and thus have an impact on will also expose students to the realities of today’s the course of history – will become a bit more apparrapidly globalizing world.” ent to me when I am over there. I’d like to think that Hensley stated he will also lead several possible it would inform my teaching and help me to help field trips to locations in and around the city, includ- students relate to how people in a different place and ing the German Historical Museum, Stasi Museum time lived.” (or Allied Museum), Sans Souci Palace, Jewish Hensley teaches classes at GHC’s Floyd and Museum, Berlin Luther House Museum, and more.

Paulding locations. He is originally from Detroit and In addition, Hensley may also be teaching went to graduate school at Penn State University. He an upper-level course called “History of Nazi has been working at GHC since August 2016.

28 | Fall/Winter 2017

Xinia Smith-Camacho was born in Costa Rica. Her first language is Spanish. In 2009, her family moved to America. The only way she could communicate was through her art.

“When I first got here to America, I was 17 years old, and I couldn’t speak any English. We never had the opportunity when I was in Costa Rica for me to do art, so when we came here, that was one of the first classes I took,” Xinia said. “My first assignment in the art class I was taking in high school was to complete this special project.”

The art teacher explained to the class that they should take several weeks to finish their piece. Xinia had a hard time understanding when the project was supposed to be complete.

“I went home and spent all night finishing it,” she said. “I came back the next day and gave it to her completed, and she was surprised.”

Xinia titled that project “Donkey” (pictured above). The black and white piece of artwork depicts a donkey eating grass next to some birds. Its head is low and its back is heavy with a saddle and covers. “‘Donkey’ to me represents the struggle I have with the English language, and how much I’ve overcome,” she said. “To me, that’s a big thing, because when I was in Costa Rica, I never even thought I would ever speak another language, and the fact that I came here and was able to do those things shows me how much I’ve grown. It was my first expression in another language. It is the best picture I have.”

“Donkey” has won numerous awards, as well as a special recognition in the Old Red Kimino, GHC’s student-run literary magazine.

Xinia said she considers art as her true second language, noting how it helped her express herself in a predominantly Englishspeaking culture. She was eventually able to master English, as well, but said if she had to choose a language to express herself to the fullest, it would be art.

“Art is a great representation of what my family means to me.

I’m a twin sister, and there’s my

big brother, and then my mother.

Momma has been the biggest influence in my life. Momma does that very well. I’ll show her something and she’ll be like, ‘No, that’s not the right colors…’ She gets the best out of me.”

Xinia explained that one of her more recent pieces depicts her family dynamics. Three cheetahs are resting in a prairie. She said the smallest two are depictions of her and her twin sister. The next biggest is a depiction of her brother. And then towering in front of the rest of them, overwatching, is a depiction of her mother.

“It shows what my family means to me, but especially what my mother means to me, what she means to our family,” she said.

Xinia’s mother is also a big influence on the current piece she is working on now: an owl. Her mother raises chickens for eggs and has been collecting feathers for her daughter to use. She has two bags ready to go.

“She’s always bringing me stuff to use for my art as I’m working on it,” Xinia said. “Momma is very proud of my work.”

Xinia is a financial services accountant at Georgia Highlands College. She has worked at GHC for three years. She said she is happy to work at a place where “people admire what she does.”

highlands.edu | 29

Staff Spotlight

Breaking the language barrier with art

Student Spotlight

Mary-Kate Billings graduates high school and college at nearly the same time Mary-Kate Billings joined 689 other college graduates at Georgia Highlands College’s Commencement in May. The only difference was Mary-Kate was a high school student walking in a college graduation several weeks before she walked for her high school graduation.

She joined five others who also threw two caps in the air during the graduation season: Macie Campbell, Judy Standeford, Lillian Bell, Shayna Ingram, all from Rockmart High School, and Sydney Greenway from Cedartown High School.

Each of these students are part

30 | Fall/Winter 2017

of the Dual Enrollment program at GHC. The program allows high school students (9th – 12th grade) to earn tuition-free college credit while working on their high school diploma.

Mary-Kate knew as soon as she started the program she wanted to finish college the same time she graduated high school at Georgia Cyber Academy. Her high school graduation was in June at the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth.

“When I first started attending GHC, my advisor informed me that obtaining an associate degree could be done through the Dual Enrollment program. They said, however, that it would take large amounts of work and determination. Right at that moment, I made it my goal to graduate from GHC,” MaryKate said.

Mary-Kate admits handling two course loads, both high school and college, has been difficult, but she says the key to success lies in staying involved.

In high school, Mary-Kate was active with the National Honor Society, Beta Club, and Meliora Honor Society. In college, she spent her time with Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK), the Six Mile Post student newspaper, and Emerging Leaders. In her time with PTK, Mary-Kate was selected as a Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar and selected as one of GHC’s All-Georgia Academic Team members.

Billings also received the first-ever Janet Walker Award, which was given by the Georgia Region of Phi Theta Kappa and is given to an individual who exemplifies devotion to academics, service, and advocating the

benefits of academic excellence.

Mary-Kate is proud to have all this success under her belt, but notes the true prize is earning a college degree at 18.

“While I had hoped this moment would come when I first started this journey, it is still surreal to actually be at this point in my academic career. It took a lot of work and late nights spent studying, but I never turn down an academic challenge. This experience has paid off in unprecedented amounts, thanks to the support of GHC professors and administrative staff.”

Mary-Kate received her associate degree in communications.

She says GHC helped her every step of the way.

“My favorite part of GHC is its strong sense of community.

Both inside and outside of the classroom, I have been able to connect with countless individuals, whether they be my peers or professors. It is truly a supportive and inclusive environment, which has allowed me to exponentially flourish as both a student and an individual,” Mary-Kate said.

She went on, “The college didn’t view or label me as a Dual Enrollment student. They simply saw me as an individual with potential, willing to make the most of my time here. Attending GHC has been one of the most enjoyable and beneficial experiences of, not just my academic career, but also my life.”

Mary-Kate transferred to Kennesaw State University and is now pursuing a bachelor’s in public relations with a minor in English. She would like to continue on and eventually earn her doctorate and become an English professor.

Lester takes charge of his life and builds a better tomorrow Lucas Lester’s college journey didn’t start like most. He wasn’t eagerly waiting for an acceptance letter. He wasn’t researching what degree he wanted to get or planning what career he might pursue.

His future began with a decision—a decision to turn his life around…

You see, Lucas found himself at his lowest point. He remembers sitting in an isolated cell with padded walls. He had nothing but a hole in the floor to use as his restroom. He had nothing but a roll of toilet paper to use as his blanket and pillow.

“I found myself contemplating what I was going to do when I got out,” he said.

Lucas’ conviction and incarceration slowed his spiraling life down long enough for him to really think about where his current road was taking him.

And it was a place he did not want to go.

When he was finally free, his grandparents urged him to go to college. And that’s when he sought out Georgia Highlands College. He signed up for classes and plunged headfirst into student life, getting as involved as much as he could.

“I became involved first with Brother 2 Brother,” he said. “This provided me with a support group of like-minded students, and most importantly, it instilled in me the principles of accountability, proactive leadership, self-discipline, and intellectual development.”

For Lucas, this was a great place for him to start, a place he could make himself thrive within.

Students in the group are required to sign a B2B/ GHAME contract that promotes a healthy academic career, including attending all classes, performing community service with the group, and spending time in the tutorial center every week.

And once Lucas hit the ground running, he couldn’t stop.

He joined Green Highlands, a student group that promotes sustainability and environmental awareness. His work with the group has led to the development of a Charger Garden on the Floyd campus that will one day contribute food to GHC’s Charger Food Pantry, which was started in 2016 to meet the needs of food insecurity among college students.

In that same time, Lucas joined the Student Government Association and ran for president. He

was elected by his peers and served in that role for 2016-17.

“All of these activities allowed me to open my mind and think about things in a way that I had previously not considered important,” he said.

But the more Lucas moved forward, the more he thought about where he had come from.

He soon became very passionate about providing encouragement and assistance to individuals who have been incarcerated, been on probation, and/or had a criminal

record.

“This is important to me because I have been in these negative situations and know the difficult challenges associated with re-entering society as a positive and productive citizen,” he said. “I realized while I was incarcerated no one ever came into the jail to talk about the importance of a college education in today’s economy or the positive impact a college education can have on someone’s sense of purpose or direction they go in life.”

Lucas now works to reach out to people who are coming out of prison and trying to make a new start.

“I have first-hand experience and knowledge that college can really help a person succeed,” he said. “I want to help provide this information to inmates, probationers, or anyone with no family or positive influences around them.”

Lucas’ decision to change and make his life better has put him on track to earning his associate degree from GHC in political science. Next, he plans to head to West Georgia to get his bachelor’s in philosophy on a pre-law track in preparation for law school.

He credits GHC in part for helping him achieve things he never thought he ever could.

“It is the internal change that I have experienced and watched others experience while at GHC that makes me forever have a place in my heart for this college,” he said. “In Brother 2 Brother, we would close out a meeting by reciting the words: ‘saving lives, salvaging dreams.’ GHC, the faculty and staff, and organizations like Brother 2 Brother saved my life and salvaged my dreams. Georgia Highlands College has lit a fire in me that otherwise would have remained dormant. I am forever grateful for GHC and what it means to the communities in which it serves.”

highlands.edu | 31

Student Spotlight

Humble beginning, bright future

Alumni Spotlight

Alumnus organizes hurricane relief effort

Floyd County Sheriff Tim Burkhalter brings city together to help those in need

When Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas on August 25, it hit the nation’s fourth-largest city, Houston. Within a week, floodwaters turned streets into rivers and subdivisions into lakes.

It has been estimated that more than 20 trillion gallons of rain fell across Texas and Louisiana, nearly 200,000 homes destroyed, and over 300,000 cars totaled.

As the staggering numbers came in, Floyd County Sheriff Tim Burkhalter, a Georgia Highlands College alumnus, started taking charge in Rome, Georgia.

Burkhalter and his team organized a relief effort called RomeGaCares. He knew immediately that the people affected in Texas would need as much help as they could get.

Burkhalter stated the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office is no stranger to organizing such efforts.

Having over 15 programs devoted to helping those in the community already, his team was quick to heed the call.

And the community responded in full force.

“Our community contributed six tractor trailers full of relief supplies, local trucking companies ponied up six trucks with drivers, and our office committed 18 deputies for two trips to go out to Texas with many taking vacation time to work,” Burkhalter said.

The sheriff and his team took the supplies straight to some of the areas affected.

“It was one of the best trips of my career,” he said. “We worked 12-hour days, and I learned a lot committing our office to RomeGaCares. I knew my deputies would go to work, but the community we

32 | Fall/Winter 2017

live in really showed our neighbors that we have heart.”

Burkhalter attended GHC in 1983. Afterwards, he went on to work at the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office. He later attended Police Mandate classes at GHC. And in 2003, he decided he wanted to run for sheriff.

“After working my way through almost every position at the sheriff’s office and eventually being promoted to captain, I ran for sheriff,” he said.

“I ran because I felt like I could raise the bar at the sheriff’s office and get our office more deeply involved in our community with interactive programs for our youth.”

Burkhalter, whose parents raised him to volunteer where needed, made an effort to have the sheriff’s office contribute more to the community.

“I felt like our sheriff’s office could do more than our constitutional duties,” he said.

Burkhalter has been sheriff of Floyd County since 2005. His office conducts several communitybased programs, including: C.H.A.M.P.S., a partnership between deputies and educators to teach classes to students on bullying, choices and consquences, internet safety, and more; Sheriff’s Santa, which is a program that collects toys for families in need during Christmas; and Turning Point, a program that provides youth with a realistic view of the consequences of their choices and aims to educate youth in a way that will turn them from making decisions that may lead to illegal behavior and to point them in a more positive direction.

To learn more about the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, please visit: floydsheriff.com

Brighten that Smile

Georgia Highlands College Dental Hygiene School - Dental Clinic Adults and Children age 3 and older appointments include:

Blood Pressure Screening

Oral Cancer Screening

Periodontal Evaluation

Cleaning & Polishing of Teeth

X-Rays (if needed)

Cleaning of Dentures & Partials

Brushing & Flossing Instruction

Sealants ($15 extra per tooth) Fees:

Adults

Regular Cleaning & X-rays - $55

Deep Cleaning & X-rays - $95

Children 12 and under: Cleaning & X-rays - $35

Morning & Afternoon Appointments Available 706-295-6760 James D. Maddox Heritage Hall 415 East 3rd Avenue • Rome, GA highlands.edu | 33

Alumni & Friends Updates

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Alumni and friends update

What’s happened in your life since you attended/graduated from GHC? We want to hear about it! Share news of your career, family life, and personal accomplishments with your fellow alumni by sending an update to Alison Lampkin at alampkin@highlands.edu with information listed below, or mail completed form to GHC Office of Advancement, 3175 Cedartown Hwy, Rome GA 30161, and “like” us on Facebook. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Full name_______________________________________Maiden name _____________________ Spouse’s name___________________________________________________________________ Mailing address ____________________________City__________State______Zip code _______ Primary phone (

q

) _______________ Primary email address ____________________________

Yes, I want to receive E-News and updates.

(Please check one)

q

Alumni

GHC/Floyd College graduation year or year(s) attended____________________________________ Major____________________________ Other degrees__________________________________ Current occupation_____________________________Employer __________________________ News/updates (promotions/awards/weddings/arrivals/deaths): _____________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

q

Friend of GHC

Occupation_______________________________Employer________________________________ Signature____________________________________________Date________________________ By signing this form, you have authorized the college to make changes to your biographical data and understand it may appear in both print and online.

Hello Baby!

Alumni welcome new arrivals John Rogers and his wife Melissa, welcome a daughter, Kaitlin Rogers on June 23, 2017.

34 | Fall/Winter 2017

Jeff Watkins, Chairman Jeffrey A. Watkins, P.C. Luke Lester, Chairman-Elect Bond, James Bond Inc. David Caswell, Past Chairman Century Bank Dee Bishop, Treasurer Dellinger Management Services, LLC Mary Transue, Executive Director GHC Vice President - Advancement

taking charge - changing lives Fund an education. Fund a dream. Fund a future.

The GHC Foundation has been committed to supporting the college and the students of Northwest Georgia since 1973. Your gift to the Foundation combines with others to have a powerful impact on the lives and future of our students.

ANNUAL GIFTS OF ALL SIZES HELP SUPPORT:

• Scholarships • Programs like the Academic Success Center or Foundation Camp • The college’s community and civic engagement • Athletics Did you realize a scholarship of $200 can frequently make the difference in whether or not a student is able to complete their degree?

With the low cost of tuition and fees at GHC, not only can a student obtain an associate degree for less than $8,000, your contribution to scholarships goes a long way to meeting the needs of our students.

Give today to the Georgia Highlands College Foundation and your tax deductible gift, no matter the size, will change lives.

Simply go to highlands.edu/givetoday, complete the form or mail your gift directly to: GHC Foundation Office • 3175 Cedartown Highway Rome, GA 30161 Should you wish to speak to someone about funding scholarships or supporting specific programs, please call Mary Transue at 706-802-5457.

If you wish to honor someone you care about by making a donation in their honor or memory, contact Cindy Gomez at cgomez@highlands.edu.

An acknowledgement note of your donation will be sent to the individual you wish to honor, advising them of your gift (without a dollar amount) and explaining that their gift will help change a student’s life at GHC.

Sarah H. Burkhalter Melanie C. Collier James Jarrett Mary Louise Lever Steve Moore Gregory F. Patton Randy Quick John Quinlivan Matt Sirmans Sue Spivey Tommy Strickland Mark Weaver Dr. Donald Green, Ex-Officio GHC President Jeff Davis, Ex-Officio GHC Vice President Finance & Administration Alumni Association Representative, Ex-Officio GHC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD MEMBERS Harold Boyd Retiree Representative Susan Claxton Donnie Denson Scotty Hancock Tim Hensley Dan Knowles Dr. Lynn Plunkett Steve White Alison Lampkin, Ex-Officio Alumni Development Specialist

highlands.edu | 35

Foundation Spotlight

GIVE TODAY

GHC FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES

ChargerNews News Charger

Charger Baseball

2017 Season Recap

Head Coach Dash O’Neill’s inaugural campaign saw the team steamroll their way to 40 wins and their first NJCAA Region XVII Championship. The guys broke several season records, including the number of runs scored, fewest runs allowed, batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs, saves, complete games, shutouts, earned run average, fielding percentage, and runners caught stealing.

The Chargers set 26 new individual program records and collected 11 post-season awards, finishing with a 40-21 overall record and going 14-10 in the GCAA. The team was ranked by the NJCAA as 12th in the nation.

Three GHC players earned All-GCAA honors, as designated hitter Matthew Vaccaro (first team), infielder Jonathan White (second team), and pitcher Matthew Norton (second team) were all recognized for their outstanding performance. Outfielder Devin Bilardello and first baseman Nick Fink were also recognized for their outstanding defensive play and earned Rawlings Gold Glove awards by the GCAA and the NJCAA. Georgia Highlands was the only program in the country to have multiple players earn Gold Glove honors.

To cap off a record-breaking season, the Chargers thrilled Highlands fans by sweeping their way to their first ever GCAA/NJCAA Region XVII Championship. GHC was dominant in the tournament, hosted at Lakepoint, defeating Andrew College in the tournament opener 10-0 by virtue of the NJCAA mercy rule.

Freshman Drew Wilson was electric, allowing just 3 hits in the game while Brandon Bell went 3-3 with a home run and Nick Piccapietra drove in 6 runs on 2 doubles. Game two was full of excitement as Jonathan White, Matthew Vaccaro, and Caleb McElwaney each homered and Matthew Norton and Tyler Sellers were stellar in a 9-3 victory over South Georgia State College.

In the championship game, the Chargers would send sophomore pitcher Colby Taylor to the mound to face off against ABAC. Taylor allowed a pair of home runs in the first inning before settling down and tossing a masterful complete game victory in which he allowed only 5 hits and struck out 10 batters. The Charger offense pounded out 12 hits, and once they took control of the game in the sixth inning, they never looked back, winning the championship game 8-3.

The Chargers not only set records on the field, they performed well off the field, as well. The team earned the program’s first ever team GPA above 3.0 and saw 19 players receive scholarship offers to fouryear institutions. Drew Wilson was exceptional in the classroom and was named GHC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.

The Chargers have high hopes for the 2018 season and will return 10 players from last year, including prime contributors Drew Wilson (pitcher), Matthew Norton (pitcher), Tyler Sellers (pitcher), Nick Piccapietra (outfield), and Grant Bodison (short stop).

Joining the team are a bevy of talented freshman who are sure to thrill Charger fans this spring.

36 36 || Fall/Winter Fall/Winter 2017 2017

Charger Softball The softball team raised the bar yet again this past season, breaking over 20 team records, over 30 single-season records, and over 30 career records.

The ladies ended the season with a 43-14 overall record and a 19-9 run in conference.

Several players made the NJCAA All-Region Team. Andria Booth, Brianna Fickes, Rebecca Meade, and Carlee Thurmond all made the first team, while Madison Gianfala, Shayla Smith, Micayla McCoy, Hannah Wills, and Shay Wooten all landed on the second team.

Natalie Pederson, Carlee Thurmond, and Rebecca Meade were also chosen for the GCAA All-Academic Team, and Brianna Fickes and Carlee Thurmond both made the NJCAA Region XVII AllTournament Team.

Brianna Fickes picked up the first team and Rebecca Meade landed in the second team for the NFCA All-Southeastern Region, as well.

Mackenzy McFarland and Natalie Pederson were additionally named NFCA Academic AllAmericans.

The softball players also brought home some first-time honors for the team. Those include Andria Booth being named the NJCAA Region XVII Player of the Year; Rebecca Meade taking home the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award; Brianna Fickes making the first team for NFCA All-American and being named the Fastpitch News Offensive All-American for the first team, as well; and Fickes and Booth joining the first team NJCAA All-Americans.

Other season milestones included Coach Melissa Wood hitting the 100 win with a career coaching record of 121-87 overall and 52-28 in conference; Micayla McCoy getting the first no-hitter in team history against #13 ranked Shelton State University; and Rebecca Meade breaking the single game strikeout record with 17 in the season opener against Richard Bland College.

But the accomplishments didn’t end on the field. All the graduating sophomore softball student athletes earned their degrees from GHC: Rebecca Meade (Business), Natalie Pederson (Psychology), Carlee Thurmond (Pre-Physical Therapy), Brianna Fickes (General Studies), Madison Gianfala (Criminal Justice), Lauren Womack (General Studies), Kaleigh Mobley (General Studies), Andria Booth (General Studies), and Lacey Mount (General Studies).

highlands.edu highlands.edu||37 37

ChargerNews News Charger

2017 Season Recap

Charger ChargerNews News

Women’s Basketball

Georgia Highlands College women’s basketball is led by Head Coach Brandan Harrell, Assistant Coach Shakierya McClendon, Volunteer Assistant Coach Eric Burkhalter, and Video Coordinator David Smith. The team competes in Region XVII of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association of the National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1. The team is based out of the Floyd Campus and plays all home games at the Floyd Campus Gymnasium in Rome. For a full game schedule, team roster, and season updates, visit ghcchargers.com. Watch for a basketball season recap in the next issue of the Highlander.

Men’s Basketball

Georgia Highlands College men’s basketball is led by Head Coach and GHC Athletic Director Phil Gaffney and Assistant Coaches J.J. Merritt, Greg Schiefen, and John Williams. The team competes in Region XVII of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association of the National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1. The team is based out of the Floyd Campus and plays all home games at the Floyd Campus Gymnasium in Rome. For a full game schedule, team roster, and season updates, visit ghcchargers.com.

Watch for a basketball season recap in the next issue of the Highlander.

38||Fall/Winter Fall/Winter2017 2017 38

Schiefen

McClendon

Worley

Georgia Highlands College welcomed three new coaches over the summer for the men’s basketball team, the women’s basketball team, and the softball team.

Greg Schiefen comes all the way from Corning, New York. He will serve as the assistant men’s and women’s basketball coach.

Schiefen is a graduate of the College at Brockport, State University of New York, where he was a fouryear letterman in basketball and earned his degree in sports management and coaching. He holds an ISSA Strength and Condition Certification, as well.

Before GHC, he coached at Corning Community College, Alfred University, and Misericordia University.

“I always knew I wanted to coach,” he said. “I enjoy being able to relate to the players and help them move on to the next level.”

For Shakierya McClendon and Karlie Worley, being brought on to GHC’s coaching staff is just like coming home. Both of these new coaches are former GHC student athletes.

Shakierya McClendon is originally from Dooling, Georgia. She will serve as the assistant women’s basketball coach.

She graduated from GHC in 2014, and then went on to earn her bach-

elor’s in criminal justice from Shorter University in 2016.

McCelndon currently holds the record at GHC in women’s basketball for most assists in a single game (18), most steals in a single game (10), most points in a season (525), most 2FG made (194), most FT made (113), most steals in a season (151), steals per game (4.58), most assists in a season (232), assists per game (7.03), as well as a career record holder for points.

“I am a witness that GHC helps players become better people, better students, and better athletes. I look forward to being a part of that, and I will forever be grateful for this opportunity,” she said.

Karlie Worley is originally from Summerville, Georgia. She earned her associate in mathematics from GHC in 2015. She then graduated from Berry College in 2017 with a bachelor’s in mathematics.

She will serve as the assistant softball coach.

While at GHC, she was a member of the inaugural softball team, made All-Region First Team, and was named the Offensive Player of the Year.

“It is so exciting to be back at GHC,” she said. “Playing for GHC was an awesome experience, and I am excited to be a part of providing this experience to others.”

Charger ChargerNews News

Three new coaches join athletics staff

FORMER PLAYER TRANSFERS TO ACC POWERHOUSE PROGRAM

The Wake Forest men’s basketball program announced the addition of graduate transfer Terrence Thompson. A 6-7 forward, Thompson transfers to Wake Forest from Marshall, where he averaged 9.1 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Thundering Herd last season.

Thompson began his collegiate career at Charlotte in 2013-14, where he redshirted.

In 2014-15, he played his redshirt freshman season at Georgia Highlands College, where he averaged 9.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game at the team reached the NJCAA D-I Final Four.

ATHLETES DONATE TO STORM VICTIMS

Shoes, clothing, and tons of other gear were put together by student athletes at GHC to donate to those affected by the recent hurricanes.

highlands.edu | 39

Take charge of your future at GHC! Students at Georgia Highlands College are Take Chargers. They know that compared to other colleges, they won’t find a better education with a better value anywhere. They come to GHC to succeed, and you can, too. Choose from two-year and four-year degrees to charge up your future or recharge your career.

Find Your Path - Apply Today!

ur o y Find path 706.802.5000

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