Fall 2015 - Gravity

AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY

FALL 2015 VOL. 3 NO. 3

PRESIDENTIAL WELCOME Brooks Keel Comes Home

Freshman Convocation On August 14, nearly 800 freshmen were welcomed by faculty, administrators — and a bagpiper — in the Maxwell Theatre to begin their college journey.

FALL 2015 VOL. 3 NO. 3 6

College of Nursing—A Rich History of Service and Innovation

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Secret Lives of Faculty and Staff

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Meet Our New President: Dr. Brooks Keel

EVERY EDITION

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3 Campus Happenings 5 Calendar of Events 36 Alumni Advocacy 38 Donors Make a Difference 42 College Catch-Up 44 Class Notes 47 In Memoriam 48 Jaguar Pride

Campus Master Plan to Make Our Vision a Reality

‘I’m Giving Are You?’ Campaign a Spectacular Success

Augusta University’s Alumni and Friends magazine is published three times a year by the Office of Advancement and the Division of Communications and Marketing to connect the university with alumni, friends, the state and the world.

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AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY GRAVITY MAGAZINE Senior Vice President, Office of Advancement Susan Barcus

Brooks A. Keel, PhD President, Augusta University

Vice President, Division of Communications and Marketing Jack Evans Executive Editor Kristina Baggott Senior Editor Karen Gutmann

Greetings to my fellow alumni.

Assistant Editor John Jenkins Alumni Affairs Liaison Susan Everitt Art Director Tricia Perea

In July, I was honored and privileged to

be named the new president of Georgia

Regents University. Arriving in Augusta

Senior Photographer Phil Jones

was a true homecoming for me. I was

Additional Photography Credits Kim Ratliff, Matt Lindler, David Russell

wife, Tammie, and I are thrilled at the

Advertising 706-737-1759 alumni@gru.edu

born, raised and educated here, and my opportunity to call Augusta home again.

I had the great

good fortune to ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Physical Address: 1061 Katherine Street Augusta, GA 30904 Mailing Address: Augusta University Alumni Affairs 1120 15th Street, FI-1000 Augusta, GA 30912 706-737-1759 Associate Vice President, Alumni and Donor Engagement Kristina Baggott kbaggott@gru.edu Senior Director, Alumni Affairs Scott Henson shenson@gru.edu Director, Alumni Affairs Susan Everitt slandretheverit@gru.edu MCG Alumni Affairs Coordinator Kim Koss kkoss@gru.edu Alumni Affairs Coordinator Callie Cosper ccosper@gru.edu Administrative Assistant Jackie Thomas jacthomas@gru.edu

Augusta University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other application statutes and university policies.

gru.edu/gravity © 2015 AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY

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earn both my

undergraduate and graduate degrees

here — a Bachelor of Science in Biology

and Chemistry from Augusta College and a doctorate in reproductive endocrinology

from MCG — so I know firsthand

friends. Please be assured we are engaged in thoughtful planning and measured implementation to ensure a smooth

transition. I have no doubt we will ultimately emerge stronger and well positioned to

continue to build our reputation as a national leader in teaching, research, health care and service.

I have no doubt we will ultimately emerge stronger and well positioned to continue to build our reputation as a national leader in teaching, research, health care and service.

the fantastic

opportunities in

What will

not change is our steadfast

commitment to

forward-thinking educational

programs, highimpact research

and cutting-edge

and patient-focused clinical expertise.

Our university and health system is

a powerful center of innovation

research, scholarship and leadership

in Georgia, and I am both humbled

of passing those opportunities on to a new

leadership of this great institution.

available to all who come here. To be part generation of scholars and discoverers —

and excited to be entrusted with the I have thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting

well, it’s a dream come true.

with many old friends and colleagues and

the University System of Georgia Board of

With great respect and gratitude for the

You may have heard that on Sept. 15,

Regents voted to change the name of our university to Augusta University. We are

excited about the opportunities that might bring for enhanced engagement with our home city of Augusta, but we know this

raises questions for our family of alumni and

look forward to making many new ones.

leaders who have come before me, I look forward to an even greater future — one that we will envision and bring to life

together. As always, our appreciation for the steadfast support of our alumni and friends is immeasurable.

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CAMPUS HAPPENINGS AUG. 11-12 Freshmen Move-In Lots of smiles and a few tears accompanied incoming freshmen as they settled into their new homes.

AUG. 17-21 Week of Welcome Students enjoyed many back-toschool festivities on their return to campus.

SEPT. 9 2015 Diversity and Inclusion Summit The keynote speaker, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, discussed building community in times of chaos.

AUG

11-12

SEPT. 12 Day of Service More than 1,000 alumni, faculty, staff and students gave back to our community by volunteering at local charities and nonprofits.

OCT. 9 IGRU Alumni Barbeque and Campaign Kickoff Fabulous food, fun, live music and IGRU final campaign results highlighted this annual event.

SEPT

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NOV

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NOV. 14 Dance Dash 5K Runners and walkers boogied through this 5K race while helping raise money for Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

DEC. 3-5 15th Annual Care for Kids Radiothon Patients and families shared inspirational stories during this annual fundraiser for the region’s only children’s hospital.

DEC. 3 Holiday Tree Lighting Carolers enjoyed hot cocoa around the holiday tree on the Summerville Campus.

DEC

3-5 4

DEC

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

For more information: 706-737-1759 or alumni@gru.edu

grualumni.com

FEB

13 DEC. 12 Fall Commencement Check gru.edu/students/graduation for details.

FEB. 7-13 Homecoming Week Get together with fellow alumni and current students for a fun-filled week. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Christenberry Fieldhouse. #CFHouse25

DEC

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FEB

13

FEB. 13 Alumni Homecoming Tailgate and Men’s/Women’s Basketball games

NOV

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CARRYING THE TORCH The rich history of the College of Nursing has seen change and rapid growth with an unbroken tradition of excellence, innovation and service.

Written by Danielle Wong Moores

IT WAS THE LATE ’60s, and on the surface at least, the

E. Louise Grant

MCG School of Nursing was little changed since its relocation from the University of Georgia to Augusta in 1956. The program was still relatively small, and female nursing students even remained garbed in prim and proper white nursing uniforms and traditional peaked cap, complete with a black stripe to mourn nursing icon Florence Nightingale.

But it wasn’t called the “Turbulent Sixties” for nothing. There was an undercurrent of change that would explode as the decade turned. In fact, throughout the rich history of today’s Augusta University College of Nursing, change — marked by rapid growth — has been its most consistent story.

‘A VERY DIFFERENT WORLD’ Alumni will well remember Dorothy “Dottie” White, who became dean of the MCG School of Nursing following E. Louise Grant’s 20-year tenure (1951 to 1971). Lenette Burrell, a former professor at the satellite branch in Athens, recalls White as a presence with a capital P: “She was six feet tall and about 250 to 275

pounds, and she had an expressive voice. … When she came in, people looked up to her.”

White was tasked with growth, and grow the school she did. Gerald Bennett and his future wife, Sharon, were both students at the SON at that time and taking prerequisites at Augusta College.

“It was a really interesting time,” said Bennett. “It had recently been a very small program, but when we came, Dottie White was the dean, and she had transformed the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program to be remarkably larger when over 300 new BSN students were added in 1973.”

For Sharon Bennett, the season of change was perhaps most visibly marked by updating the image of nursing and expanding the roles of nurses in health care. “We as a class were very opposed to having to wear those nursing caps,” she recalled with a laugh. “Nursing students had been required to wear dresses or skirts. We considered that to be very Continued on next page

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uncomfortable to have to work in — and sexist. We had men in our class, and we needed a unisex uniform. I remember writing articles for The Cadaver [MCG’s unofficial school newspaper] expressing what my peers were saying about how ridiculous it was to hold onto outdated views of nursing. Thankfully, our School of Nursing faculty and Dean Dottie White listened to us, agreed and were strong advocates for the modernization of nursing.”

As enrollment grew, the SON and MCG became home to a group of students with far more diverse backgrounds, nationalities and geographic locations, reflecting what was going on in society as the Vietnam War was ending, the Civil Rights movement was in full force and migration to the Sunbelt was taking place nationwide. “There were increasing expectations for MCG to be changing and becoming more of a national university,” recalled Gerald Bennett.

NEW PROGRAMS But increased enrollment wasn’t the only change that occurred.

Part of the change strategy included adding and adapting new programs; for example, a master’s in nursing (MSN) program joined the Baccalaureate in Nursing Program in 1968.

Burrell remembers it well. At that time, most nurses graduated from diploma programs and earned baccalaureates in other fields.

Yet a BSN was required for admittance into an MSN program. It was a classic catch-22.

So Burrell pushed for change. She had already earned a bachelor of social science from Georgia State College for Women while teaching a practical nursing program in Milledgeville and raising four children with her physician husband. But what she really wanted was a master’s in nursing.

With permission from Dean E. Louise Grant (and after passing an exam in medical-surgical nursing with a grade of B), she was able to enroll as an affiliate in the MSN program. And when

Dottie White took up the deanship, Burrell went to the dean’s office once again to explain her situation and to lobby for many other nurses who were in her position.

White was intrigued. “Dean White said she would send [my] information to the Georgia Board of Regents to show the need to change the admission requirements for the MCG School of Nursing master’s degree. This was done,” said Burrell. “So the master’s program became open to a nurse who had a diploma and a bachelor’s degree and was working in nursing. … They really increased their growth then.”

In May 1972, Burrell became the first nurse without a BSN to graduate from the MCG School of Nursing with an MSN, with her family present and applauding as she walked across the stage.

But it wasn’t to be her last “first.” White offered her a position teaching BSN classes for MCG in Milledgeville. But before classes could even start, Burrell’s husband, Zeb, was offered a position as medical director at Athens General Hospital.

Burrell contacted White immediately, who suggested she talk to someone in Athens about a possible collaboration with the MCG School of Nursing in Augusta.

A satellite in Athens wasn’t such a stretch. After all, the nursing program at MCG had its roots there. Meanwhile, according to Burrell, the only nursing education in Athens at the time was a practical nursing (LPN) program.

Response to Burrell’s inquiries was enthusiastic and immediate. The University of Georgia, Athens General Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital all came on board, along with other health-related organizations — and registered nurses throughout the area clamored for the ability to earn a BSN in nursing right in their own hometown.

Burrell’s first office was a made-over patient room at Athens General Hospital, and the first classroom was just a meeting room with plenty of chairs for the 25 to 30 students who

Marion Broome, BSN ’73 Nursing leader began at MCG School of Nursing

PHOTO BY DUKE UNIVERSITY

If it weren’t for her high school counselor, Dean Marion Broome, PhD, RN, FAAN, might not be where she is today.

That counselor insisted the young graduate — who was ranked in her class’s top 10 percent — enroll in a baccalaureate nursing program. “It started my career,” said Broome, the first in her family to attend college.

But it is MCG that Broome credits for shaping her career, which has taken her from pediatric nursing to clinical education to research and 8

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enrolled. As the satellite grew, the site moved up and down Milledge Avenue, recalled Burrell, until it moved into a shopping center. “It was a Piggly Wiggly,” said Burrell with a laugh, “and my office was in the produce section where they used to have fruits and vegetables. … The college is still there — and now offers doctoral-level courses in nursing.”

GROWING SIDE BY SIDE Meanwhile, up the hill, Augusta College was feeling its own growing pains.

Coinciding with the discontinuation of local diploma programs in nursing — the Barrett School of Nursing and the Lamar School of Nursing, both supported by University Hospital — the Board of Regents approved an associate degree program in nursing to launch at Augusta College.

For nursing educator Connie Skalak, who was chairman of adult nursing, had taught medical-surgical nursing at the MCG SON for six years and had helped launch the master’s program,

finally to dean of the nursing programs at Indiana University and now Duke University. “That message was what was so clear to me — ‘You’re a leader’ — and I took it all to heart,” said Broome. “It truly changed my life. Of that, there is no question. I learned more in those four years about everything, including life. I grew more during that time than any other four years of my entire life, other than becoming a parent for the first time.”

Today, the nationally ranked nursing leader has come a long way from the third-grader G ravity Fall 2015

the associate program was an opportunity for shorter days and summers off so she could spend time with her two young children. So when AC Nursing Chairman Louise Bryant invited her to help start it, she embraced the opportunity.

Her first office was just a basement room (“with pipes above my head”). But there, she wrote the program’s conceptual framework and philosophy, and she typed the first National League of Nursing accreditation study. “I never will forget it,” said Skalak. “Linda Dunaway and I both could type really well. And, of course, we had old typewriters back then — we didn’t have any autocorrect. So we would be at the hospital from seven to

LEFT: Dottie White ABOVE: During the 1970s, nurses had the option of wearing pants uniforms.

Continued on next page

who read the Sue Barton RN book series and decided to become a nurse. But she always looks back at her years at MCG as being a pivotal moment. “With all of these different positions, I have maintained my nursing perspective, my commitment to the profession,” said Broome.

“I am proud to be a nurse, and I’ve always been proud to be a nurse. … There would have been none of that without the faculty who shaped me at the then-MCG School of Nursing.” n

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LEFT TO RIGHT: Connie Skalak, Sharon and Gerald Bennett, Lenette Burrell

noon in the morning, and we were at the Department of Nursing until 6 o’clock at night still typing.”

The accreditation study was submitted, followed by an on-unit site visit with the first class of nursing students. Skalak remembers priming her 10 students to “act intelligent” and ask questions. But when she went to look for them, “They went and hid!” said Skalak with a laugh.

“They got scared, and I found them in the staff bathroom. So I said, ‘Y’all get out there and talk with Jerry; he’s a nice guy.’ And then they did and they really liked him and he liked them and it all worked out great. We went through all the accreditation with flying colors.”

Skalak said that from the beginning, the AC associate program and MCG baccalaureate program never felt like

competitors. “I advised a fair number of students to go to MCG rather than coming to us, because I felt like that was where they needed to go.”

‘A TIME OF STABILITY’ Back at the MCG SON, the cycle of rapid growth in the 1970s was followed in the 1980s by an emphasis on achieving higher levels of academic excellence. Gerald Bennett, who returned to MCG in 1983 as a faculty member, recalled, “It was a time of stability. Mary Conway was the dean … and she had a very clear focus, which was to include more scholarship and research in the school for students and faculty and to overall enhance the educational environment — as should be the case in a school of nursing that’s in an academic health center like MCG.” The National Institutes of Health had at that time started a National Center for Nursing Research (today known as the National Institute of Nursing Research), and Conway was determined that her nurses would be prepared to meet the demands of this new generation of nursing research. Dr. Marion

Col. Gwendolyn Fryer, BSN ’74 and MSN ’79 MCG School of Nursing launched 28-year military career Col. Gwendolyn Fryer, RN, BSN, MSN, LNC, remembers her maternal grandmother’s words to this day: “If you don’t do it right, don’t do it at all.”

So when her dreams of becoming a journalist ran into a roadblock, she took the door that was open, enrolling in the baccalaureate nursing program at MCG in 1971.

It wasn’t as great a change as you might imagine for the Augusta native. Many of Fryer’s family members were and are health care providers, including a paternal great-grandmother who was 10

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Broome was then a faculty member at the SON, and Conway tapped her to build a new program, provide faculty with the resources and critiques they needed to write strong research grants and, most of all, to provide encouragement.

“If you asked me who the most important mentor in my entire career was, it was Mary Conway,” said Broome, who today serves as dean of the College of Nursing at Duke University. The year and a half she spent building the Center for Nursing Research at MCG challenged Broome and taught her valuable lessons she takes with her to this day. “That was my first evidence of ‘systems thinking’ actually, now that I look back, [and today] it’s my real go-to strategy.”

The strong sense of collaboration supported by a collegial and encouraging family atmosphere is what Sandy Turner remembers, too. Like Broome, Turner was tapped to help start a new program thanks to changes on a national level. A growing physician shortage was leading to a call for nurse practitioners, so MCG decided to revisit the program (a nurse practitioner (NP) program had briefly been available in the ’70s).

Program leads worked closely with Emory University, which had a program already in place, to develop the curriculum, but with one important change: MCG’s model would offer modules in adult, pediatric and geriatric care. This was a unique concept and an improvement on current practice, which was typically disease- or lifespan-based.

“It was interesting,” said Turner. “It was a fun time trying to come up with some creative things.” With few NPs available to teach the program, Turner relied on physicians as well as NPs from other schools to serve as guest lecturers. To learn about lab

a midwife in Waynesboro, Georgia. So following her grandmother’s advice, she threw herself wholeheartedly into her newly chosen career.

After graduating, Fryer worked in civilian nursing for several years, but thought the military might offer greater opportunities for career advancement. To get a taste of military life, she was commissioned as an Army Nurse Corps officer in the United States Army Reserves (1978-81), while completing her master’s degree at MCG (1978-79). She transitioned to active duty status in 1981, serving her country for more than 28 years before retiring in 2007. Her career took her to key assignments across the South — including Augusta’s own Fort Gordon — as well as Texas, Kentucky, Alabama and Florida.

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Sandy Turner outside the Dearing Clinic Continued on next page

As an undergraduate, Fryer attended the School of Nursing during the early years of integration.

Although she recalls some of the difficulties and challenges, she doesn’t focus on them. Instead, she credits the MCG SON for instilling a confidence in her that she’s taken with her throughout her career.

“When I left MCG SON, I felt like I was ready for nursing,” said Fryer. “[In fact], I felt like we were heads and tails above other nurses out there.”

Her experience inspired her to embark on a lifelong commitment to the CON and the future of nursing graduates. She volunteers with the CON’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is spearheading the development of an endowment for the CON. n 11

NURSING PROGRAM MILESTONES

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YEARS AS OF 2015

DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE

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YEARS AS OF 2016

CLINICAL NURSE LEADER

values, the program collaborated with the College of Allied Health Sciences so students could peer into microscopes to examine red blood cells or work with radiology to learn how to read simple X-rays. “We spent a lot of time working with students so they could learn how to become experts on their own.”

The challenge looming over all this was that Georgia remained the only state in the nation where NPs weren’t able to prescribe medication. Although NPs might graduate from MCG, many were then going outside the state to practice.

So in between teaching classes,

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YEARS AS OF 2015

NURSING ANESTHESIA

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YEARS AS OF 2016

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Turner and other local nurses wrote letters, lobbied for support and reached out to legislators to educate them on why it was important for NPs in Georgia to have the right to prescribe. It took the support of physicians — and the Medical Association of Georgia — along with nurses being elected at the state level, but 10 years after MCG’s NP program was launched, NPs were finally given the right to prescribe. After all her hard work, “I was able to be there when they signed the bill into law, so that was very exciting,” said Turner.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program soon followed, thanks to new Dean Lucy Marion, who stepped into the role in 2004. Turner assisted on that project, too, and taught the first class, all faculty members. “I had to drag some of them kicking and screaming through the program,” Turner remembered with a smile. “It was intense at first. I had one

Beverly Adams Ward

A nursing alum’s lifetime of service Written by Christine Hurley Deriso While very little remained the same over the more than 30 years that nursing alumna Beverly Adams Ward learned, taught and served in our institution, her warmth, self-discipline and strong work ethic were constants. Her life of service exemplifies the very best that Augusta University’s nursing program has to offer.

A native of Elberton, Georgia, Bev enrolled in what was then MCG’s School of Nursing in the early 1970s, and she went on to earn both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees here. She chose to practice her healing skills at the MCG hospital, where she was 12

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faculty [member] … I went in her office and she took her books and she threw them in the trashcan and she said, ‘That’s it! I’m not doing this anymore.’ I pulled the books out of the trashcan, and I said, ‘Now listen, you’ve gone this far, you need to finish.’”

THE CONTINUING STORY This year, the DNP Program celebrated its 10th anniversary.

And in 2015-16, there are three major milestones: the 10th anniversary of the master’s-entry Clinical Nurse Leader Program (unique to the CON); the 20th anniversary of the Nursing Anesthesia Program, which remains the only such program in the state; and the 30th anniversary of the PhD Program, which was launched by Dean Mary Conway.

Today, Marion likes to walk on the fifth floor of the Health Sciences Building at Augusta University, where a timeline of the College of Nursing winds its way down a long hallway. Above and below a painted black line are photographs, mementos, newspaper clippings and placards delineating the CON’s rich and diverse history. Since the first class graduated in 1958 — many of whom remain active alumni — the CON has undergone multiple transformations, faced numerous challenges and upheld its mission to meet the ever-changing needs of patients and health care as a whole.

Not the least of which was the consolidation of the MCG/ GHSU and ASU nursing programs in 2012 — whose motto was “We believe … we all belong.” And today, after the two halves have found synergies to form a greater whole, the story is still being written. “If you’re going to stay out there in front, you have to be willing to make change and hold onto the valued part of

the tradition — excellence, innovation and service,” said Marion. “It’s not a rollercoaster; it’s progress. Progress is not even. It’s start and stop and sweat and then cooling off. … It’s really hard to go through change without some pain, but we’ve worked very hard [to be where we are now]. We are proud to have legacy institutions that fed into us; some are still our partners, and we do believe that we’re carrying the torch for all of us.” n

quickly promoted to head nurse and oversaw several different units until her retirement in 2001.

Leslie Edney, whom Bev hired in 1988, remembers Bev as “awesome … exactly what I needed at the time. She nurtured me and wanted me to do well. She was absolutely the best.”

Edney, now a charge nurse at the medical center, recalls that even after Bev retired in 2001, they stayed close. “We talked, we had lunch, we’d meet for dinner. … When my mom passed away, she was one of the first people I called.”

Bev was named the hospital’s Nurse of the Year in 2000, and one of her proudest moments was when Edney received the award 12 years later. She inspired countless other nurses along the way and mentored many nurses-in-the-making, including her own niece

and nephew, both of whom chose Bev to pin them during their graduations.

Bev was only 60 years old when she died of cancer two years ago, and her widower’s voice still catches when he talks about her. Mike Ward, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Augusta College in 1976, feels compelled to keep Bev’s memory alive not only as a testament of his and their two children’s love and devotion, but as a cautionary tale. Take nothing for granted, he counsels. Create as many memories as possible. “Bev was one of the bravest people I have ever known; she fought until she could not fight anymore,” Mike says. “She was not concerned about herself but the others around her.”

A nurse who truly was, as the saying goes, “the heart of health care” at MCG. n

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Dr. Lucy Marion speaks at the Nursing Convocation.

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E H T

SECRET LIVES OF FACULTY AND STAFF Written by Kelly Jasper

Mallory Lanier and Rosie Williams

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FIND THREE HOBBIES you love: One to make you money, one to keep you in shape and one to be creative.

It’s a popular life hack, a quick tip for a better, more balanced life.

For the multifaceted employees of Augusta University, some hobbies transcend categorization. They’re on stage, performing, competing and volunteering as worship leaders, ballet teachers, black belts and equestrians.

Their secret talents might seem at odds with their university day jobs, but each, they say, injects a creative energy into their work. They aren’t just hobbies, but opportunities: to give back, exercise a creative muscle, and become better people, not just employees.

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Mallory Lanier

DAY JOB: Director of the Augusta University Low Vision Rehabilitation Clinic SECRET LIFE: Ballet teacher to special needs children

MALLORY LANIER started dancing at the age of five, the same age Rosemary Williams is today.

In pink tights and a blonde ballerina bun, Rosemary, called Rosie by family and friends, is one of Lanier’s returning ballet students.

She attentively mimics Lanier’s every move, even if she occasionally struggles to hold a stretch or position.

Before she became a licensed and registered occupational therapist, Lanier was a dancer. Today, she uses both skills as director of Steps of Grace, the adaptive dance program she founded five years ago for special needs children. Her students have autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing disorder, Down syndrome, DiGeorge syndrome, cerebral palsy or developmental delays. Most have never taken a dance class.

“There are so many different ability levels, but they all come to learn ballet,” Lanier says.

“My background in both dance and therapy is an asset. Sometimes I’ll have kids who start out watching. They won’t engage. Now they’ll follow along. Sooner or later, they’re running and jumping. They don’t realize its therapy because it’s fun.”

Many of the girls have difficulty with balance, coordination, integration, strength, problem-solving skills or social skills.

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Because of her Down syndrome, Rosie has low muscle tone. The ballet is strengthening, but that’s not why she does it.

“She just has so much fun,” her mother, Erin Williams, says. “Rosie loves it for the socializing as well as the dancing. It is also very good for her concentration and memory skills. I was surprised how quickly and well Rosie could learn the routines.”

Nearly 30 girls show up for one of four weekly classes. Five years ago, the program started with just five girls.

“My mom and I saw a segment on the ‘Today Show.’ A physical therapy program in New York was doing a special needs dance program,” says Lanier, who started teaching ballet and tap in high school and college.

“That idea always stuck with me.”

Lanier went on to become an occupational therapist with a degree from the Medical College of Georgia. She was hired to direct the Augusta University Low Vision Rehabilitation Clinic, where she helps people with low vision increase their safety and independence. She also works with children of all ages and diagnoses at an Augusta occupational therapy practice.

“My boss said, ‘Mallory, you keep talking

about it. Just do it.’ So I called a ballet school where I taught classes and asked to rent studio space,” she says. “By the end of the first year, we had 12 girls. It was just so fun.

It was this thing I always wanted to do, and now I was doing it.”

The classes continue to grow, and along with them, the need for volunteers. “So many of our kids need one-on-one attention. A lot of the parents stay in the class to assist. I always say I’m going to limit my classes, but I can never say no.”

It’s a joy to watch Lanier work, Williams says. “She manages a roomful of three- to five-year-olds, plus multiple volunteers, and remains perfectly calm the whole time. I love Mallory’s vision that having a disability does not mean that dancing is out of reach. It is amazing to see how a roomful of little girls with widely varying disabilities can work toward a common goal and have so much success — and fun.”

The classes build toward a spring recital, when the young ballerinas take the stage in full costume.

“They’re on stage. They’ve got their hair and makeup done. The crowd loves them.

They just clap and cheer,” Lanier says. “It’s a thrill. A lot of the parents never thought they would see their kids up on stage. It’s something typically developing kids do. Why not these kids? They’re doing things every little girl wants to do.”

Year after year, girls return a little bit stronger and excited to learn a new routine.

“The focus is always on what’s ‘wrong’ with them, whether it’s at a doctor’s appointment, a physical therapy appointment or school,” Lanier says. “At dance class, they just dance.”

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Mitchell Watsky DAY JOB: Dean of The Graduate School, Professor of Cellular Biology & Anatomy SECRET LIFE: 7th-degree black belt

FOR THE ENTIRETY of his academic career, Mitchell Watsky has taught a different sort of class. In classrooms, gyms and student centers, his work as a teacher goes above and beyond his work as a professor of cellular biology and anatomy.

“I’ve been a karate instructor for over 30 years,” says Watsky, dean of The Graduate School. “Karate is intertwined in my academic career. Everywhere I’ve moved for my education, I’ve found students interested in learning martial arts.”

The same holds true at Augusta University, where Watsky helped formally charter the Augusta University Karate Club. They meet in the Health Sciences Campus Wellness Center for training and classes once a week.

“I’m passionate about introducing people to martial arts,” says Watsky, who took his first karate class to fulfill a physical education requirement at Emory University in the 1970s. By the time he was a senior, he was co-teaching the class.

Today, Watsky is a 7th-degree black belt with more than 30 years of experience in Ryu-Te, a martial arts form that emphasizes self-defense. Watsky trained with the late Seiyu Oyata, the renowned world-class martial arts practitioner who created the style and founded the International RyuTe Karate Association.

Their form of martial arts is best known as a style originating from Okinawa that incorporates traditional weapons, like the “bo,” a 6-foot wooden staff; “kama,” a pair of sickles; and “manji sai,” handheld steel spears.

“It’s a traditional art, so we stay with the teachings of hundreds of years ago. It’s 16

rooted in Okinawa’s history. The bo, for example, was traditionally used to guard palace gates,” Watsky says. “Each element is rooted in practical history.”

After 30 years, Watsky has been doing karate for so long that his “secret life” isn’t so secret.

“At meetings, though, they’ll joke with new faculty, ‘Watch out for Dr. Watsky. He’s a black belt,’” he says. “I tell students, ‘This is probably your only time in your academic career that one of your professors will invite you to punch him in the face.’”

Some of his students take him up on the offer. Membership in the Augusta University Karate Club is open to all students, regardless of level. Some come out of curiosity. Others enjoy having an experienced teacher on campus.

“It’s great to be able to teach what I have learned and for them to have the skills to defend themselves,” he says.

“You see students who were once meek leave with a whole new confidence. One student, a young mother I remember, she was distressed to punch a punching bag.

She wasn’t comfortable with the motion, the physicality and the aggression of it.

She grew confident and more comfortable with practice. She changed. She started carrying herself differently, because she had confidence. That’s what martial arts does for you.”

Mitchell Watsky demonstrates how to use a pair of sai.

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Jeff Mastromonico

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Jeff Mastromonico DAY JOB: Director of Instructional Design and Development SECRET LIFE: Rock star worship leader

JEFF MASTROMONICO wears his secret on his sleeves. A bass guitar tattooed on his forearm is bookended by his favorite Bible verses, including the oft-quoted 1 John 4:8: “God is love.” The music staff just above the guitar incorporates notes to the Beatles’ “All You Need is Love.”

Beatles tour posters and Mastromonico’s own CDs hang opposite his desk in Payne Hall on the historic Summerville Campus. One of the oldest buildings in the arsenal quad is home to one of Augusta University’s newest, most innovative offices: Instructional Design and Development. Mastromonico came to Augusta University five years ago to manage the collective of designers and developers creating high-end mobile, desktop and multimedia applications. It was at about the same time he took his first job leading worship at Cedar Creek West, a growing satellite campus of the Aiken megachurch, Cedar Creek.

“A neighbor literally walked across the street with an apple pie and invited us to Cedar Creek,” Mastromonico says. “It was new and exciting. At the time, I was still playing with my band in clubs. I’d get home at 2 a.m. It was too much for my family. We were just having our second son, so we took a leap of faith.”

His youngest son, 6-year-old Alex, was given the middle name “West” to honor their new commitment to the church.

“Coming here was an opportunity to do something different as well,” he says. “Think about technology over the past five years and how much it has changed. Nobody knew what an iPhone was. Nobody had tablets. Now, it’s the majority of what we do.

There’s been a lot of changes here.”

Members of a rotating band of 10 or 12 G ravity Fall 2015

take the stage, including Ryan Buffett, a research assistant in Augusta University’s Vascular Biology Lab who plays keyboard with Mastromonico at the church.

“Playing with Jeff is awesome,” he says.

“We have played so much together that there is a communication without even speaking sometimes. We can just look at each other and know what the other is going to do next. We are able to feel the music and enjoy ourselves.”

The church is a far cry from their old haunts, says Buffett, who used to fill in at gigs with Mastromonico’s band, Dispatch.

“It’s now been six years that I’ve been playing at Cedar Creek West, and I absolutely love it. I’ve found a church home and a church family,” he says.

“Playing has truly become a sacrifice of worship every Sunday. It’s rewarding to look back and see that Jeff and I started playing totally different music on Saturday nights and now we work together to facilitate worship for people.”

Mastromonico still on occasion jams with his old bandmates, but prefers this new way of life.

“It’s the love of being able to serve,” he says. “This is a talent I’ve been given, and this is the way I want to use it. It helps me creatively. Managing folks here at Augusta University makes me a better worship leader. Being a worship leader has made me a better manager. They’re both eclectic and creative teams.”

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Martha Jennings DAY JOB: Assistant Professor of Physiological and Technological Nursing SECRET LIFE: Competitive horse rider

THERE’S A TEMPTATION as you get older to keep all four feet on the ground, says Martha Jennings, who, at 68, deftly swings a leg over her towering horse, Nixon, for a riding lesson.

Martha Jennings

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He’s a big boy – more horse than she thought she could handle – but when Jennings went searching for a perfect dressage horse to bring to her home in Williston, South Carolina, she “just couldn’t say no to this big, gentle sweetheart.”

Nine years ago, Jennings began teaching online courses to nurses pursuing their Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees. Augusta University’s program was one of the first of its kind offered in the nation and an early adopter of online classes.

“It’s the best of both worlds,” says Jennings, a nurse practitioner who teaches advanced courses in health care policy, management and information systems.

“I come to town for faculty meetings, but the majority of the interaction is online. I have more time to ride. Even at horse shows, I’m working.”

Several times a week, she saddles up Nixon for dressage practice. He’s been competing for years, but Jennings only started dressage last year.

“He still knows more than I do,” Jennings says with a laugh. She’s been a foxhunter for more than 30 years and is a member of the Why Worry Hounds Club in Aiken, but dressage is an entirely new challenge.

“Dressage is based originally on how war horses were trained,” says Laura Klecker, Jennings’ trainer and an awardwinning rider in Aiken. “This sport is a really difficult discipline. The riding is very technical. If you commit to it, it can make you a better rider.”

Dressage has earned a new audience with the addition of music in recent years. Freestyle dressage routines are now frequently set to hip-hop and Top 40 songs and recorded for YouTube.

“It used to be very formal. There’s music and there’s attitude,” Jennings says. “That’s the audience draw. They call them the dancing horses.”

On a recent weekend, Jennings and Nixon qualified for the 2015 United States Equestrian Federation Regional Championships. She lost points on her walk.

The littlest of things – from the cadence of a walk to the roundness of the topline of a horse’s neck – matter in dressage.

“I still have a lot to learn, but we started in earnest this year. Last year, we were training-level. This year, we’re first-level. You work your way up through the ranks,” says Jennings, who has shown in nearly a dozen competitions this year. “I look at all my scores as a learning experience. It’s an opportunity to get better, but it takes time and practice to move up.”

She’s patient. Jennings has waited a long time for this. She only took her first riding lesson at 30 or 31 years old.

Starting late had its problems, but learning to ride has given back so much more.

“There’s a lot of crossover between teaching and learning. Both take a lot of practice and forgiveness. I can’t get upset when he does something wrong. Everybody has bad days.

So do horses. I’ve learned that horses respond to kindness best, just like people do.” n 21

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The Sky’s the Limit New president Brooks Keel is bullish on the university he leads

Written by Eric Johnson

It’s 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, and President Brooks Keel is in his office in the Kelly Administration Building on the Health Sciences Campus getting ready to be interviewed about the Board of Regents’ decision on Tuesday to rename the school that hired him Augusta University.

Keel recognizes the significance of the moment and is upbeat and unphased.

Nevermind that all this comes less than two months after the same Board of Regents unanimously voted to make him Georgia Regents University’s second president – Keel is ready to make this work.

“There are some huge advantages to being Augusta University,” he says. “This university is a statewide, region wide, nationwide, worldwide university, and that’s going to take place regardless of what the name is. But to have the word Augusta in the name really helps build the partnership of where we live, where we spend most of our time, which is right here in Augusta.”

There was certainly excitement. Before he’d even left the Board of Regents meeting in Atlanta, parts of Jaguar Nation were already making changes to their social media accounts and inquiring about new letterhead.

However, the university is committed to a planned and orderly transition, which means full implementation is months down the road. “This will be a process,” Keel says. “There are a tremendous number of moving parts.”

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Keel returned to the city where he was born and the two institutions where he received his degrees with the reputation of being a straight shooter, and in his short time on campus, he’s lived up to it. Known for his love of students and his ability to get things done, the private man is just as compelling — an avid scuba diver with a love of science fiction and sports.

In short, he was the perfect choice to lead his hometown university.

Keel surveys the Augusta University campuses by helicopter.

THE PAST IS PROLOGUE It was 1978 when Keel received his diploma from then-Augusta College, and 1982 when he earned his PhD in reproductive endocrinology from the Medical College of Georgia. There’s been a lot of water under the institution’s bridge since then — no one would argue with that — but Keel says he’s surprised at the impact of all that water. Instead of the erosion he expected to find, he found the continuity and power that comes with flow.

“When you take two institutions and put them together like that, there’s a real tendency from both sides to dig their heels in and say, ‘Hey — I’m not going to accept this,’ and then find reasons for it not to work,” he says. “But I’ve not found that here, and that’s probably been the biggest, most pleasant surprise I’ve had. The faculty here appreciate each other.”

What he’s found are two distinct campuses that are finding ways Continued on next page

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Congressman Rick Allen and Keel

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of working together; two campuses eager to find more common ground. One, a leading health sciences campus, is similar to the one where he cut his professorial teeth, and the other, an established undergraduate campus, shares much with Georgia Southern University, the school he just left.

“I really do believe that the 30 years or so of my career has set me up for this particular position,” he says, and a quick glance at his CV confirms it.

Sixteen years at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, an academic medical center, gave him an appreciation for what he’s taken on as CEO of the health system. There, he had his own lab, so he’s no stranger to the ins and outs of biomedical research as well, such as what it’s like to have to apply for, receive and renew an NIH grant. In fact, expanding the institution’s research profile is one of his top priorities.

Going to Florida State as associate vice president for research and then to Louisiana State University as vice chancellor for research and economic development got him to the comprehensive university campus — the kind of place that has everything from 18-year-old freshmen to medical, dentistry and law students — and his subsequent Georgia Southern presidency gave him a crash course in just how an undergraduate campus really works.

“It’s a totally different beast,” he says. “Being at Georgia Southern really gave me the chance to interact with the quintessential college student, and if you can’t get excited about that, you really are in the wrong business.”

It was precisely that experience, he says, that sold him on the opportunity presented by being back in Augusta.

A COMMUNITY LEADER Keel, who has been active in economic development throughout most of his career, is a firm believer in the idea that the trajectories of Augusta and the university are inextricably linked. You see him everywhere — Rotary meetings, Arts in the Heart, eating on Broad Street — and he’s meeting with community leaders to determine the areas of common ground.

Cyber, of course, is one. With Fort Gordon now home to the U.S. Army Cyber Command and the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence, the creation of the university’s Cyber Institute makes a lot of sense, but there are plenty of other places the school intersects the community, especially when it comes to the health sciences.

Being home to the state’s only public medical school and only dental school and being so strong in allied health and nursing helps Augusta become a natural magnet for business and industry.

When interviewing for the president’s job, Keel was able to clarify this philosophy by making an example out of Regent Don Waters, president of Brasseler USA®, a Savannah company that makes medical and dental surgical instruments.

“If he’s not thinking about expanding his business or relocating his business here, especially if he’s thinking about moving into an R&D function, then we’re not doing our job,” Keel told them.

“Anybody who’s making anything that’s going to be used in medical, dental, allied health or nursing needs to be thinking, ‘Wow — wouldn’t it be cool to come to Augusta and be right next door?’”

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And while economic development discussions frequently focus on the health sciences and cyber, which Keel calls one of the school’s marquee programs the way football was at Georgia Southern, he continues to bring the conversation back to Summerville, especially to the arts opportunities that flourish there.

At the Faculty Kickoff in August, Keel spoke forcefully about looking forward to personally experiencing the university’s arts in all its forms, and a few weeks later was enjoying himself at the annual Art Faculty Exhibition, rubbing elbows with members of the Art Department and moving through the Mary S. Byrd Gallery with obvious interest.

“Art does bring a quality of life that you can’t find in any other major area,” he says. “But even more than providing that culture, it provides a different way of looking at things. Creativity fuels innovation, and innovation is what drives commercialization.”

At LSU, where the director of the high performance computing center was a music professor who was using the Wii to design a different type of music, Keel was instrumental in bringing video game giant EA Sports to campus in a unique public/private partnership that actually put EA Sports in the same building as many of the campus computer programs.

“EA Sports came to LSU not just because of high performance computing and electrical engineering, it came because of the incredibly strong music and arts program,” he says. “Because if you’re going to be developing video games, it all works together.”

And that’s not just lip service. Keel’s appreciation for art itself goes beyond his daughter’s “My Dad the Scientist” drawing that’s now up in his office, something he uncovered during the move.

Art, specifically photography, plays a central role in his personal life as well. His wife, Dr. Tammie Schalue, an off-site lab director and an administrator for an association management firm, is an accomplished, though Keel says modest, underwater photographer.

G ravity Fall 2015

In fact, the screensaver on his office computer monitor flashes distracting evidence of her skill.

The two are both certified scuba instructors, which appeals to his love of the outdoors, though he says Tammie is much more of a thrill seeker than he is. Actually, had the couple stayed in Statesboro, she would have had the opportunity to do a tandem jump with the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team.

“She almost said we had to postpone the job so she could do it,” Keel laughs.

Outside of diving, most of Keel’s thrill seeking comes vicariously through the books he reads. A science fiction fan, he also has an interest in the early space program, particularly the Mercury through Apollo years, where the astronauts were either “completely insane or incredibly courageous, and probably a little bit of both.”

When it comes to diving, though, he’s all about participation. Though his return to Augusta kept the couple from going to the ocean this summer, they continue to plan most of their trips around diving.

Favorite dives — they’re asked that a lot — include Cozumel for its drift diving and the surrounding Mayan culture, Bonaire for its shore diving and Grand Cayman for Continued on next page

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Students and staff frequently stop Keel for a selfie with the president.

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a funky little diver’s hotel they discovered that’s right on the ocean.

They like diving so much, in fact, that they made a dive trip out of their Hawaiian honeymoon. It was also in Hawaii that they participated in one of their most impressive adventures — a night dive with manta rays.

“It was one of the most otherworldly things you can do and not leave this earth,” he says. “To be on the ocean floor and have these manta rays with their 15-foot wingspan dive down toward you and to see their mouths open up as they pass by is quite an experience. You hold up your light, which attracts the krill, and then they just swoop down and actually scrape your head when they go over.”

Though he suspects they won’t be able to find the time to get away again until after the first of the year, he says he’s really okay with that. Exploring Twin Gables, the historic house in Summerville where presidents have traditionally lived, has been its own kind of adventure.

AT HOME “We had a condo for a year in Statesboro that was upstairs/ downstairs, but other than that, we’ve always been on a single floor, so dealing with four floors has been a challenge,” he says. “But Tammie keeps telling me — and I keep reminding myself — that it’s healthy to go up and down steps.”

Here, he stops and shakes his head.

“We go up and down those steps a heck of a lot,” he sighs, smiling.

Steps or no steps, he’s anxious to show off the 100-year-old house to his daughter, a fashion designer for Anthropologie, who recently told him she was looking at an older house of her own in Philadelphia.

Not long before the name change was announced, he was still unpacking. Moving is never easy, even for a president and his wife, but at least the Keels had a little muscle waiting for them in the form of their son, Preston, who along with two of Keel’s nieces, was already on campus. A pharmacy tech, Preston helped empty boxes and acted as a tour guide, showing off an Augusta that has changed a lot since the days when Keel and his father, a mechanic with the railroad who ended up as a maintenance supervisor at Columbia Nitrogen, were squaring off over his long hair.

If you haven’t seen the photo of Keel as an incoming Augusta College freshman, it’s worth a trip to the Internet. The year was 1974, AU G U STA U NI VERSI T Y

and fathers everywhere were at odds with their long-haired sons.

“I actually learned a lot from how he dealt with me as an 18-year-old,” Keel says. “He made it plain that he did not like my hair, but he was never embarrassed to introduce me, and that really impressed me.”

Whatever his father’s misgivings, the long hair certainly didn’t impede Keel’s progress. While at Augusta College, he rose to become president of Pi Kappa Phi, the fraternity that was central to forming the man and leader he would become.

“When you get to be president — the term is archon in Pi Kappa Phi — you learn a lot about managing people and managing business,” he says. “It was a great learning experience, and I made a lot of great friendships there, too.”

What leisure time he has might be spent watching “House of Cards” or exploring the grounds at Twin Gables, but possibly his favorite way to unwind is attending collegiate athletic events.

While the school he’s taken over does not have the sport he is most closely associated with, he nevertheless plans to make athletics a cornerstone of his administration.

It’s not just fun, he says, it’s important. Especially here.

“I think we need to find ways to engage a lot of the folks who work here, because even though Augusta College and Augusta State always had these programs, the Health Sciences Campus hasn’t really felt like it was theirs,” he says. “I think you’re going to see more and more people get behind our athletics program.” the city where he was born And just to be clear, by athletics and the two institutions program, he does where he received his not mean football. degrees with the reputation “We’re not going of being a straight shooter, to have football and in his short time on here,” he says. “Put that on the table campus, he’s lived up to it. right now. We’re not going to start a football team.”

What are options, however, are existing programs like golf, a back-to-back Division I national champion and perennial contender; men’s basketball, which has established itself as a preeminent Division II powerhouse; and women’s volleyball, which is coming off the best season in the program’s history. And there are new programs currently being discussed that could further raise the stature of the school and the strength of the fan base.

Keel returned to

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Keel believes the more opportunities people both inside and outside the institution have to experience student athletics, the more the university will become a recognized and respected brand, and having Augusta in the name certainly grounds it in a location.

“We are still one university, and the name is not going to change that,” he says.

“People come to this university not because of what it’s called, but because of the great programs we have to offer and the great faculty and staff we have that provides that education and that health care and that service.”

There will be many more interviews about the name change, of course. It’s a process, as he’s said, and for the time being, one with more questions than answers.

But he’s comfortable with answering the big question, the one that really matters.

“Knowing this community, having been born and raised here and having watched the growth of the community for 59 years of my life now, I just see it as a great opportunity to take all the wonderful things that the merger has brought to the table and now really get the community behind it in a very meaningful way,” he says. “It truly does indicate that the sky’s the limit.” n

Keel, here meeting students on the Summerville Campus, values direct interaction with students and faculty.

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Augusta University thanks the following sponsors for their generous support.

Gold Meybohm LLC University Health Care System

Silver MAU Inc. State Bank and Trust Company

Bronze Augusta Economic Development Authority Augusta First Bank & Trust Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce Blanchard & Calhoun Family of Businesses ECP Benefits George Bush Law Firm George N. Snelling III Georgia Power Horizon Motor Coach Johnson Motor Company Michael J. Taylor Phoenix Printing Queensborough National Bank & Trust Company R.W. Allen Stifel SunTrust

In-kind iHeartMedia

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Released this fall, our

CAMPUS MASTER PLAN reveals a bold, exciting vision for Augusta University’s physical future.

SIX PLANNING PRIORITIES • Provide state-of-the-art academic and research space • Advance the research mission • Create a vibrant student life experience • Effect smart, sustainable facilities growth • Create a safe, seamless and pleasing pedestrian experience • Ensure quality, functionality and cutting-edge technology

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Strategic expansion and renovation will create a state-of-the-art research and 1

1. Summerville Campus Create a 21st-century educational experience, while maintaining the beauty and character of its 19th-century roots.

2. Health Sciences Campus State-of-the-art research, lab and classroom space on a seamless, student-centric, pedestrian-friendly residential campus.

2

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CAMPUS MASTER PLAN

educational experience in a thriving student–centered residential setting.

3

3. Forest Hills Campus Expand indoor and outdoor venues so the Jaguar Nation becomes a magnet for top student athletes across multiple sports.

4. All linked together — and to a vibrant downtown Augusta — via an upgraded, optimized transportation system.

4

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CAMPUS MASTER PLAN

Move One to Grow Four Relocating the College of Science and Mathematics to the Health Sciences Campus will free up space for other Summerville programs and colleges to expand.

ANTICIPATED GROWTH — the engine behind the plan

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PERCENT

STUDENT ENROLLMENT

20

PERCENT

FACULTY AND STAFF

50

PERCENT

RESEARCH PLATFORM

250 PERCENT

STUDENT HOUSING

SUMMERVILLE CAMPUS

HEALTH SCIENCES CAMPUS

• The preservation of historic and archeological treasures on the Summerville Campus will be ensured, without disturbing the beautiful neighborhood that surrounds it.

• Create a vibrant residential experience for undergraduate and graduate students from all colleges and programs.

• Relocating CSM will allow for growth of the other colleges and programs, including East Georgia State College.

• Cement the campus as the university’s destination for health and sciences education and research.

• Renovations of existing structures — like Science, Allgood and Washington halls — will include state-of-the-art technology enhancements in classrooms and labs.

• Establishing academic neighborhoods around pedestrian-friendly quads will create a true campus experience.

• Students will enjoy new and improved dining, studying and life experiences through Jaguar Student Activities Center (JSAC) improvements and other campus renovations.

• An expanded research core along Laney Walker Boulevard will provide facilities and space worthy of a world-class research institution.

Learn more at gru.edu/facilities/cmp 32

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I’M GIVING. ARE YOU? Alumni, community members and Augusta University faculty, staff and students once again demonstrated support for their university and health system by making the fall 2015 IGRU campaign a triumph.

From day one, when faculty and staff pledged $250,000, which was up 20 percent from last year’s first-day total, the IGRU campaign exceeded expectations. Final faculty and staff donations totaled over $337,000 — an impressive show of support for the future of our university and health system.

On Oct. 9, the final tally was announced at the Alumni BBQ on the Summerville Campus. The campaign raised a grand total of $1,077,964, handily surpassing the $1 million goal. This is the highest amount ever raised by the IGRU campaign and the first time the amount has exceeded $1 million.

“Raising over $1 million is a truly remarkable achievement, and we could not have reached this goal without the generosity of Augusta University’s faculty, staff, alumni, donors and community partners,” President Brooks Keel said. “Gifts of all amounts have led to this accomplishment, and these funds will help us continue to provide innovative learning opportunities to our students.”

“The success of this year’s fundraising campaign is a testament of the strong commitment our supporters have to the faculty, students and researchers at the university and health system,” said Rick Toole, chairman of the IGRU Continued on next page

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To make a gift, please visit giving.gru.edu/igru.

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Community Campaign and president of W.R. Toole Engineers Inc. “With the help of this fundraiser, the community can take pride in knowing they played a role in positioning Augusta University to be one of the nation’s leading research institutions.”

Gifts are directed to benefit any of the nine Augusta University colleges, the health system, university athletics, the Children’s Hospital of Georgia or other specific programs.

Thank you to everyone who gave so generously!

To complement the Alumni BBQ celebration, there was live entertainment and a Kid’s Zone with games and inflatables, followed by an evening fireworks display.

For more information about the IGRU campaign, visit giving.gru.edu/IGRU. Enjoy these photos from some of the many campaign events.

To make a gift, please visit giving.gru.edu/igru. n

PHOTO GALLERY View additional pictures at magazines.gru.edu.

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ALUMNI ADVOCACY

Hacking and Healing in Popular Summer Academies Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), one of the most widely used Wi-Fi security algorithms in the world, didn’t stand a chance. After only a few days at the Cyber Sciences Summer Academy (CSSA), participating high school students cracked the code — and successfully hacked into a supposedly secure network.

“I was really surprised at how easy it is to hack,” said Rebecca Helling, a Greenbrier junior who attended the weeklong program. The experience helped clarify her future plans. “I definitely want to go into the cyber realm,” she said. “There are a lot of good career opportunities there.”

Rebecca Helling, center, explores the cyber sciences with fellow attendees.

caption

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Thomas Fu uses a stethoscope in a simulation lab.

Written by

Karen Gutmann

Thomas Fu, a senior at the Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School, attended both academies offered at Augusta University this summer, the CSSA and the Health Sciences Summer Academy (HSSA). He came away especially intrigued by Augusta University’s Medical and Dental Scholars programs, where selected students can earn a Bachelor of Science and either an MD or DMD in only seven years.

“I liked the hands-on experiences,” he said. “At the dental school, we made a model of our own teeth. And they created a scenario for us using dummies … so we got to do procedures on a person in a car crash.”

Designed as a pilot to bring specialized Governor’s Honors Programming to our campus in Augusta, the academies are an opportunity for Augusta University to leverage its expertise and resources in the health and cyber sciences to the benefit of students, the university and the state.

Denise Kornegay, executive director of the Statewide Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) and associate dean of AHEC at MCG, said the academies brought together talented Georgia students and gave them the opportunity to explore majors. “We have unique resources here that allow us to offer more to our students — including the state’s highest level of [health care] simulation tools,” she said. “It really helps solidify their understanding of what it means to be in that career.”

And students attended at no cost, thanks to sponsorships from GRHealth and Georgia Regents Health Professionals Associates; the Medical College of Georgia, The Dental College of Georgia, James M. Hull College of Business and College of Nursing; as well as AHEC, WellCare and a partnership with NSA’s and the National Science Foundation’s GenCyber program.

The weeklong academies, offered in June and repeated in July, were open to 40 rising sophomore, junior and senior high school students per academy or 160 overall. Nearly 500 applications were received from across the nation.

Students from both academies lived in campus residential housing for the week. They completed separate classes AU G U STA U NI VERSI T Y

and labs during the day, but joined together for student enrichment, leadership activities — and supervised fun — in the evening. The homemade water slide greased with baby shampoo was a particularly big hit.

Paula Owens, program coordinator from the Office of Continuing Education, said sponsor generosity meant talented students from throughout the community and beyond were able to attend, without regard for ability to pay. “We really worked to bring in students who probably wouldn’t have been exposed to it,” she said. “Academics was a factor in the selection process, but not the main factor.”

According to Joanne Sexton, director of Augusta University’s Cyber Institute, it took the combined efforts of dozens across the university to make the academies happen: “Not only [in terms of ] the curriculum, but residential, continuing education, the government and community relations office and others,” she said. The project team also worked closely with staff at NSA Georgia, who provided a tour of their facility to those CSSA students who were able to complete a security screening beforehand.

“What I heard most from parents and students was ‘[Augusta University] wasn’t really on my list of possible colleges — but it is now,’” Sexton said. “It’s a win-win-win, for the students, parents, the university and the NSA.” n G ravity Fall 2015

Admiral Michael Rogers, commander at U.S. Cyber Command, director of the National Security Agency and chief at the Central Security Service, answered questions from CSSA students.

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DONORS MAKE A DIFFERENCE For Budding Artists, a Gift of Faith Iconic American writer Kurt Vonnegut once said of artists, “We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.” Creativity has always required the willingness to take risks.

So when young artists — in music or the visual arts — are awarded scholarships to pursue their passion in college, it’s like being given a set of wings that allows them to take flight on a new and exhilarating journey.

“Any time you get a scholarship, it means, ‘I believe in you, you can do this,’” said Jamie Boquist, a freshman recipient of a $1,500 scholarship to pursue an art degree at Augusta University. “To get this scholarship and be so well-received by the community at [Augusta University] is just a huge honor.”

Boquist’s benefactress is Mary S. Byrd, a Columbia County resident passionate about arts and music, who has made it her life’s work to promote art and music in her community and to provide scholarships to talented local students who wish to major in art or music at Augusta University. Almedias Serrano, a flute player at Harlem High School, was also awarded a scholarship this year, to study music. And Heather McEnery’s Study Abroad Art Scholarship enabled her to travel to London

Written by

Karen Gutmann

and Paris with two Art Department faculty members. Over the past 30 years, Byrd has provided close to 60 scholarships to local students.

Boquist describes the process of applying for and receiving the scholarship as both exciting and nerve-wracking, especially when she had to bring in pieces of her art for review and evaluation by Augusta University professors. “You’re supposed to bring in a multitude of things to show how versatile you are,” she said. “I was incredibly nervous. I set up my pieces all around, and then I waited.”

She recalls that Professor of Art Alan MacTaggart spent a long time looking at her Scottish Heritage pieces. “They just go around, and they’re just looking. It’s really quiet, and you’re terrified.”

But it was all worth it when she soon learned the scholarship was hers. Now, she says she feels very much at home in the Art Department and greatly values that college-level critique of her work.

Susanna Bondar received last year’s art scholarship. She too talks about the impact of having someone express faith in your talent with a scholarship.

Continued on next page

Mary S. Byrd, Susanna Bondar and Scott Thorpe (Art Department chair)

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AU G U STA U NI VERSI T Y

Jamie Boquist displays art pieces that helped her earn a scholarship.

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Mary S. Byrd, Almedias Serrano and Melissa Sommers (2014 Study Abroad Scholarship recipient)

“Before I got it, I was scared about college,” she said. “… I didn’t think I would make it. I didn’t think I was good enough to pursue what I like and I’d have to pick something else. I got the scholarship from my portfolio — and I am good enough.”

Both students have had the opportunity to meet Byrd several times, and there is palpable affection between the donor and recipients. In fact, Byrd says, “I look at these young students as though they were my grandchildren, and I want the best for them, such as I do for my real grandchildren. … I want these young people to be successful.”

And the motivation is certainly strong.

“It just makes me want to try harder and make sure that their belief is not in vain, that I can do my best and even better — and succeed,” said Bondar. n If you’d like to help students pursue their dreams, please contact Wes Zamzow, director of development, at 706-721-2699 or email wzamzow@gru.edu.

More Dream Makers Albert and Joyce Shaw Retired ExxonMobil executive Albert Shaw and his wife, Joyce, have long provided scholarships to students interested in certain undergraduate majors. ExxonMobil is a generous “triple match” company; in fact, it’s worth checking with employers if they will match rftgvhbjnk employee donations, so that an individual contribution can help even more students achieve their dreams.

The Shaws’ generosity supports two scholarships: • Merrill Thompson Scholarship: Awarded to an undergraduate who plans on majoring in physical science, math, computer science, education, 40

art, music or business and who maintains a 2.5 GPA; • Albert and Joyce Shaw Scholarship: Awarded to a rising sophomore, junior or senior math or science major with a minimum 2.5 GPA. It is based both on academic merit and financial need, and applicants submit an essay that demonstrates their character and leadership potential.

Dr. Martha Smith McCranie Though it angered some when she was accepted into medical school, Dr. Martha Smith McCranie (MD ’45) didn’t hold a grudge. “They thought we were displacing men

who could work their entire careers, you know? But I was not going to let that interfere with my learning,” said McCranie, one of just three women in the Medical College of Georgia Class of 1945. It was this kind of resilience that characterized the late McCranie, who died in January 2014 at age 92.

“Whatever her situation, she made the best of it and tried to find humor in it,” said McCranie’s daughter, Nancy M. Higgins. “My mother was adventurous, fun-loving, positive and unselfish.” It’s that generous spirit and a love for children that led the former pediatric psychiatrist to leave a $278,000 estate gift for the Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

AU G U STA U NI VERSI T Y

NOMINATE

Jag20 recognizes 20 outstanding alumni under the age of 40 who are emerging leaders, making an impact in their field and in their community.

A Young Alum for the

N O M I N AT I O N C R I T E R IA + FO RM grualumni.com/jag20

For questions or additional information, contact the Alumni Office at 706.737.1759 or alumni@gru.edu

DI STINGUIS H HED ED A LUM NI AWARDS Each year distinguished alumni from each college are honored for their dedication to the university and their chosen fields.

E LI G I BI LI T Y 1

2

3

4

5

Made outstanding contributions to their chosen profession

Made an impact in professional organizations or community activities

Demonstrated high professional standards and dedication

Provided consultation to colleagues in area of expertise

Exhibited outstanding dedication to the advancement of Augusta University

NOM I NATI ON FO R M : grualumni.com/alumniawards

COLLEGE CATCH-UP

What’s New at Augusta University?

Innovative and Future-Oriented Programs

Before 1900, human knowledge doubled about every century, according to widely accepted estimates by 20th-century inventor and visionary R. Buckminster Fuller. By the end of World War II, it was every 25 years. Today, human knowledge is estimated to double every 13 months, and before long, it will be every 12 hours.

How does a university keep up?

Augusta University’s colleges and schools have an answer: Create future-oriented programs and learning initiatives that not only meet the economic and societal needs of today, but also create leaders equipped to solve the rapidly evolving challenges of tomorrow. Over the past several years, such programs and course offerings have been multiplying, as we expand our program offerings and create degree paths tailored to student demand and workforce needs of the future.

Cross-Campus Collaborations Divya Chawla is thrilled at her acceptance into Augusta University’s fast-track Dental Scholars Program this year. “It’s

Carrie Dyer is developing a graphic design track.

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Karen Gutmann

fabulous,” said Chawla, a freshman. “It gives me opportunities I couldn’t find elsewhere. The program has the dental school and the medical school right here in one place, so it allows the chance to work closely with those professionals.”

Lakshmi Thulluri considered several similar BS/MD programs around the country, but came here from Michigan because the new J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons “is just gorgeous” and for the chance to earn a medical doctorate more quickly.

This collaboration of the College of Science and Mathematics with the Medical College of Georgia and The Dental College of Georgia allows outstanding students to earn their Bachelor of Science and MD or DMD degrees in only seven years. Three years are spent pursuing a BS in Cell and Molecular Biology through the Department of Biological Sciences in the CSM, after which students switch to medicine or dentistry for a fouryear degree at either MCG or DCG. The James M. Hull College of Business also reaches across disciplines to offer its students a dual degree option: an MD/ MBA. MCG students can be accepted into the program after completing their third year of medical school; they then complete both degrees over the next two years. “In today’s complex and constantly evolving health care environment, understanding the business of delivering health care is becoming more important,” said Hull interim Dean Mark Thompson.

The Department of Political Science in the Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is teaming up with the Hull College of Business to offer a new undergraduate minor in nonprofit management, and the two are working on developing a postbaccalaureate certificate in nonprofit leadership.

New Degrees and Programs The liberal arts disciplines are at the heart of Augusta University’s education mission, and Pamplin is creating new opportunities for student learning and, ultimately, for graduate employment. The Department of Art hired Carrie Dyer as an assistant professor of graphic design and is developing a graphic design track within its Bachelor of Fine Arts degree programs to prepare students for a variety of creative careers.

As demand for health professionals across all sectors AU G U STA U NI VERSI T Y

Divya Chawla and Lakshmi Thulluri

continues to rise, the College of Allied Health Sciences is answering the call. A new doctorate in applied health sciences was implemented this fall in The Graduate School to fill the need for doctorally trained faculty and clinical professionals.

A program in clinical nutrition has been approved for implementation in 2016, and this year, the college launched the Augusta Area Dietetic Internship Program, a 10-month program of postbaccalaureate study accredited by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. As the only health sciences professions program in Georgia affiliated with an academic health center, Augusta University’s CAHS is uniquely positioned to provide students valuable research and clinical opportunities.

The College of Education has several new programs on offer.

The Doctor of Education in Educational Innovation in The Graduate School offers a curriculum designed to keep graduates ahead of the curve in their careers, skilled in offering creative solutions in today’s fast-changing educational environment. This challenging environment calls out for professionals who will be leaders in their field, and COE’s new Masters of Education in Teacher Leadership creates exactly the educators who can help fill that need. And students with a master’s in counseling or a related field can earn the Educational Specialist in Counselor Education degree and take advantage of opportunities to assist practicing counselors to develop greater expertise and leadership skills in their current counseling field and to gain knowledge and practice in the supervision of counselors.

The College of Nursing has reinstated the RN-BSN, offering G ravity Fall 2015

an updated version of the highly popular program that put Augusta University on the map for online nursing education in the ’90s. This fall, the college rolled out a newly redesigned PhD program, optimized for the distance learner. You can read more about the rich history and exciting future of the CON in our feature on page 6.

Cybersecurity Education Pamplin’s Department of Communications has begun a training partnership with the National Security Agency’s civilian cyber command, newly relocated at Fort Gordon. NSA employees receive for-credit continuing education in advanced writing and editing and in visual communication.

This new offering is one of many options related to Augusta University’s emerging leadership in cybersecurity education.

When Fort Gordon was selected headquarters for the U.S. Army Cyber Command, Augusta University accelerated efforts already underway to lead Augusta into the future, preparing students for careers in this high-demand field. The Cyber Institute was launched in June to provide the framework for all things cybersecurity at the university and to develop research, new curriculum and outreach opportunities. Currently offered courses and degrees include cybersecurity programs through the Hull College of Business, a medical informatics program focused on protection of health information through the College of Allied Health Sciences, and courses on cyberterrorism through Pamplin. Stay tuned — much more is coming! n 43

CLASS NOTES >1970s

Daniel Lucas

Janet Hagerman (BS, Dental Hygiene ’71) was a featured guest on The Dentalpreneur Podcast and spoke about how she has used her 30 years of clinical experience to help dentists communicate more effectively with their patients.

She is the author of the books “Selling Dentistry-Ethically, Elegantly, Effectively” and “Meetings Make Money.”

Dr. Marjorie Herring McNeill (BS, Medical Record Administration ’76) received the American Health Information Management Association 2015 Educator Triumph Award and the Florida Health Information Management Association 2015 Educator Award.

Dr. John Turrentine (MD ’79) was awarded a PhD in American History from Trinity University. Turrentine performs first-person historical characters at numerous universities and civic clubs.

He also has written a book exploring the Founding Fathers and their spiritual beliefs that is being published this fall.

>1980s Karin Gillespie (BA, Psychology ’82) published her sixth book, “Girl Meets Class.” She also writes a popular book column for the Augusta Chronicle, is a humor columnist for Augusta Magazine, writes book reviews for the Washington Post, and teaches part time in the Department of English and Foreign Languages.

Daniel Lucas (BA, Psychology ’86) celebrated his 10th anniversary as director of publications for the nonprofit United 44

States Chess Federation. Chess Life, the magazine he edits for US Chess, will celebrate its 70th anniversary as a publication in 2016.

Bill Phillips’ (MBA, Administration ’86) company, Countersync, was voted Best Countertop Company in the CSRA for the fifth year in a row by the readers of Augusta Magazine. Phillips purchased Countersync in 2009.

Dr. Martha Smith Tingen (MSN ’83) graduated from the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® Program, the only program in North America

dedicated to preparing women for senior leadership roles in academic health science institutions.

Phil Wahl II (BBA ’87) published “Are Small Businesses Missing a Big Opportunity?” in the summer 2015 issue of the national Phi Kappa Phi FORUM.

>1990s Dr. Nicole Broerman (MD ’96) returned to her home state to care for children at the Reddy Pediatrics Practice in Athens, Georgia. She previously practiced in South Carolina, where she received the AU G U STA U NI VERSI T Y

Award for Outstanding Service, South Carolina Physician of the Year from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control Commissioner in 2009.

Augusta University Division of Communications and Marketing wins Target Awards

Dr. Arthur E. Constantine (MFRI ’93) published “The Importance of Metaphors in Medicine” for the website thedoctorsblog.com and is the author of “It’s Always the Heart.” He is a cardiologist at the Heart Group/St. Thomas Heart at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.

Melita McGahee Lowe (BA, Psychology ’93) received a Master of Social Work degree from Winthrop University.

Dr. Robert “Kelly” Michael (BSN ’93; MN, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program ’97) completed his Doctor of Education degree at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Michael accepted a position as an assistant professor of nursing at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas.

Dr. Scott Miller (MD ’90) was named to Atlanta Magazine’s 2015 list of Top Doctors. This is Miller’s seventh year in a row on the prestigious list.

He also received recognition from Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. as one of America’s Top Doctors.

Dr. Donna Thomas Moses (Certificate in Periodontics ’92) was reappointed by Governor Nathan Deal to Georgia’s Board of Community Health. Moses is the founder of Periodontics, Implant Dentistry and TMJ in Carrollton, Georgia.

Pictured (left to right) Aubrey Hinkson, Clarissa Chavez, Emily Renzi, Brianne Clark, Cathleen Caldwell, Anna Aligood and Denise Parrish.

The Augusta University Division of Communications and Marketing, including Augusta University alumni Cathleen Caldwell (BA, Communications ’00) and Clarissa Chavez (BA, Communications ’14), earned seven Target Awards, including two gold awards, from the Georgia Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations during the 20th Anniversary Target Awards.

Entries in this year’s competition were judged by the New England Society for Healthcare Communications based on creativity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality and overall appeal.

Georgia hospitals submitted more than 185 entries in 26 various public relations, marketing, design and advertising categories.

Gold awards were presented to Augusta University in the following categories: • Direct Mail - Children’s Hospital of Georgia direct mail campaign • Fundraising - Media relations efforts for ALS Walk and ice bucket challenges Silver awards were presented for: • Patient/Customer Relations - GRHealth VIP Patient Portal • Websites - GRHealth Web Redesign • Social Media Marketing - GRHealth Your Health Matters • Digital Advertising - Children’s Hospital of Georgia Digital Campaign • Media Relations - Children’s Hospital of Georgia ER Open House

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Elisabeth Hagler married Benjamin Carroll

>2000s Dr. Charles Todd Bruker (MD ’02) joined Lakeland, Florida-based MicroPath Laboratories. Bruker is a board-certified hematopathologist and anatomic/clinical pathologist.

Mie Lucas (BA, Psychology ’08) was elected president of the Georgia Regents University Alumni Association. Lucas currently serves as deputy director, disaster preparedness coordinator, for the Augusta-Richmond County Emergency Management Division.

Drs. David R. Sprayberry (MD ’01) and Carrie C. Kelly (MD ’05) joined St. Mary’s Medical Group to form Hometown Pediatrics in Athens, Georgia.

Lindsay Thedford (BA, Communications ’08), marketing manager at Doctors Hospital in Augusta, Georgia, will marry Steven Andrew Black on Dec. 31.

Dr. Samir Vira (MD ’08) has joined Milan Eye Center in Marietta, Georgia.

Vira is a board-certified ophthalmologist with fellowship training in corneal disease and LASIK-refractive surgery.

>2010s Mie Lucas

Michael Cosper (BBA, Finance ’14) married Callie Hagler on June 13.

Cosper works as a staff accountant at Serotta Maddocks Evans, CPAs in Augusta, Georgia.

Darlene Dowdy (BSN ’15) is working at Shelby Baptist Medical Center in Alabaster, Alabama.

Dr. John Edry (MD ’11) joined St. Mary’s Neurological Specialists in Athens, Georgia.

Benjamin Hagler Jr. (BBA, Management ’12) is engaged to be married to Eva Watts of North Augusta,

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South Carolina. The couple will wed on Oct. 1, 2016, in Augusta, Georgia.

Elisabeth Hagler (BSN ’15) married Benjamin Carroll of Johns Creek, Georgia, on March 14. Hagler is a registered nurse at Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia.

Dr. Arvind Movva (MFRI ’10), CEO of Gastroenterology Consultants, spoke at the Becker’s ASC 22nd Annual Meeting—The Business and Operations of ASCs, in Chicago.

Have exciting news or photos to share? We would love to add your class note. Email us: alumni@gru.edu.

AU G U STA U NI VERSI T Y

IN MEMORIAM Laura K. Allan (CERT ’84)

Faye S. Henning (BSN ’74)

Brenda J. Prince (AACC, Core Curriculum ’62)

Luke R. Anderson (MSN ’75)

Donald Hooper (MFRI)

Jean W. Smith (BA, Elementary Education ’83)

Daniel D. Bahmiller (MFRI ’04)

Ronald T. Jackson (BBA, Management ’79)

Karen R. Sorrow (BSN ’78)

Mary M. Battey (BA, History ’78)

Judith C. Jeffcoat (BS, Radiological Technology ’78)

Gary J. Stanziano (MD ’88)

Wendy T. Boling (BA, Criminal Justice ’03)

James A. Joyner (MD ’75)

Robert L. Stone (DMD ’95)

Deborah L. Bonarrigo (BS, Occupational Therapy ’92)

Debra E. Katcoff (MEd, Counseling and Guidance ’00)

David R. Thomason (DMD ’80)

Sage Brown (BBA, General Business ’73)

Louise U. Keane (MT ’71)

Frank M. Todd (BA, Communications ’89)

Solomon K. Brown (MD ’52)

Charles N. Kelley (MD ’66)

William P. Wansboro (BBA, Management ’74)

Olin M. Burton (MFRI ’72)

Oscar N. Maxwell (MD ’58)

Jerry B. Wilson (MS, Biochemistry ’67)

John B. Butler (DMD ’81)

William B. Merry (BBA, General Business ’67)

Martin E. Wiltshire (BA, Sociology ’77)

Peggy J. Chandler (MD ’79)

Evans J. Nichols (MD ’57)

Lorenia A. Coleman (BS ’00)

William H. Nichols Jr. (MD ’50)

Sammie D. Dixon (MD ’69)

Richard J. Nijem (MD ’72)

Charles J. Freeman (MD ’49)

James W. Oglesby (MD ’58)

Robert L. Gordon (DMD ’73)

Titus D. Payne (MD ’61)

T. W. Griffin (BBA, General Business ’71)

Joan B. Pope (AACC, Core Curriculum ’49)

G ravity Fall 2015

“You will not see me, so you must have faith.

I wait for the time when we can soar together again, Both aware of each other.

Until then, live your life to its fullest And when you need me, Just whisper my name in your heart ...

I will be there..”

-Emily Dickinson

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AUGU MEET OUR NEW MASCOT

FOUR UNIVERSITIES IN THE NATION ARE KNOWN AS THE JAGUARS, BUT WE WERE THE FIRST! The name “Jaguars” appeared in the Augusta Chronicle way back in 1933, when their sports writer mentioned the coach at the Junior College of Augusta needed a team moniker. The team was already informally nicknamed the Jaguars, and the sports writer suggested adopting the name.

From that time on, they were referred to as the Junior College Jaguars.

But it wasn’t until 1992 that the school had its first mascot. Al E. Cat joined the team and helped keep the spirit and high energy of Jaguar sports alive for 23 years, until he retired in 2015 due to an injury requiring “Tommy Jaguar” surgery.

Hearing of Al E. Cat’s impending retirement, Chief Fun Officer of Children’s Hospital of Georgia Roary recommended Augustus, his big brother, to Athletic Director Clint Bryant as a replacement. And the rest is history in the making.

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Three Qs With Augustus

Q: Augustus, how do you feel about having been appointed the new mascot?

A: It’s a tremendous honor. I mean, really, how

often do you get to be a professional Jaguar and cheer for the Jaguars at the same time? It’s a dream job. It’s like they made it for me. I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity.

Q: How do you see yourself adjusting to the

new role? A lot of people would say you have some pretty big shoes to fill.

A: Al E. Cat was a great cat. He did a lot

of wonderful things for the institution, and I intend to carry on that spirit of Jaguar Pride he instilled in our athletes.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to say to

faculty, staff and students?

A: We have some world-class talent here.

Whether it’s in academics, athletics or both, our students are worthy of being called Jaguars.

Get more than one of them in any place, and great things are bound to happen. I can promise you that!

AU G U STA U NI VERSI T Y

JAGUAR PRIDE

USTUS

2 TEETH

8

FINGERS

By the

NUMBERS Augustus is from

SOUTH AMERICA.

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SPOTS

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April 28 - May 1, 2016 Join us for Alumni Weekend, a fun-filled celebration where alumni and friends

C O M E H O M E + R E C O N N E C T. Look for more information soon.

For questions or additional information, contact the Alumni Office at 706-737-1759 or alumni@gru.edu BRINGING TOGETHER OUR ALUMNI