SUMMER 2019
FOUNDATION OF
FAITH
Four youth-group friends start — and finish — college together p. 10
DUAL-CREDIT ENROLLMENT Is it right for your student? p. 14
SUMMER READING
with Point’s six new deans p. 18
TOGETHER WE PRAY.
Point University is a community of faith, which means we worship together, sing together, study Scripture together and pray together. Will you join us? Email alumni@point.edu to receive a monthly email that provides specific areas of focus in your prayers for the University and its students.
CONTENTS 4 From the President 5 University News ON THIS PAG E Ruan Pretorius ’21, of Bloemfontein, South Africa, finished in a 10-way tie for 16th place at the NAIA National Men’s Golf Championships in Mesa, Arizona, this spring. ON THE COV ER Four women who met in their church youth group graduated from Point together this spring. For more, turn to page 10.
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FOUNDATION OF FAITH Learn how these four Point graduates navigated college life together — from start to finish.
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COLLEGE BEFORE COLLEGE Learn from Point’s experts about the phenomenon of dual-credit enrollment for high schoolers.
alan wilson
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SUMMER READING The deans of Point’s six new colleges make their summer book recommendations. SU MMER 201 9 | 3
FROM THE PRESIDENT
POIN T M AG AZI NE Volume 58, Number 1 Summer 2019 EDITOR/DESIGNER Sarah G. Huxford CONTRIBUTORS Megan Brooks ’18 Carson Gregors Simpson Kara Johnson Steve Schwepker
I was thinking about this as I read our new deans’ recommendations of good books to read this summer. My own recommendation is to crack open your Bible . . . you will be amazed at the drama, the plot twists, the tension of good and evil, and the ultimate renewal and restoration that is promised and already underway!
When I was a college student decades ago, a professor encouraged me to read Scripture daily. Over the years, I did that, but honestly, it wasn’t until about 20 years ago that I put a discipline in my life to read the entire Bible each year. I have used many techniques, but my present plan is reading an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, a gospel section, and a poetry section each day. As I read Scripture, it always changes me. Paul told a younger mentee that “all scripture is inspired by God and useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives” (2 Timothy 3:16). Paul continues, “It corrects us when are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” I am constantly corrected, encouraged, reminded, prodded, molded and changed by this living word. At Point University, we introduce hundreds, even thousands, of students to God’s word. Some students become followers of Christ through this introduction to Scripture. Others correct behaviors that have become bad habits years ago. For some students, we are simply planting the seeds that will one day transform their lives, shaping their character and influence in the world. I encourage you to read one or more of our deans’ recommendations; just don’t forget to grab a cup of coffee or a glass of lemonade and catch up on your Bible reading, too. But be warned, it will change your life forever! In Christ,
Dean C. Collins ’79 President 4 | POINT MAGAZINE
CONTACT US: Point University Attn: Point Magazine 507 West 10th Street West Point, GA 31833 706-385-1000 editor@point.edu © 2019 Point University Point University’s mission is to educate students for Christ-centered service and leadership throughout the world. Point University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, at http://www.sacscoc.org, or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Point University.
carson gregors simpson
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am no longer shocked by how few students have ever read a whole book of the Bible. Most have read only a few verses when they arrive at Point — both the students who come from church backgrounds and those who don’t.
Point Magazine exists to tell Point University’s stories. It is intended to serve as a vehicle for connecting the University’s alumni and friends. For the first 49 volumes of its existence, Point Magazine was known as The Gold & Blue. The magazine is published by the Communications Office, which retains the right to determine the editorial content and presentation of information contained herein. Articles or opinion pieces contributed by guest writers do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of Point University and its board of trustees. Point Magazine welcomes reader responses to its content.
HEADLINES
carson gregors simpson; infographic by kara johnson
UNIVERSITY HOSTS CONFERENCE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATORS T he University welcomed public administrators from across the state to its Peachtree City campus in late March for a conference on leadership strategies and methods for addressing a variety of public sector issues. The event — the first two-day conference in the chapter’s history —centered around the theme Re-imagining Public Service Leadership in an Era of Challenge, Change, and Crisis Management. Speakers at the conference included leaders from Point University, the City of South Fulton, the Georgia House of Representatives, the District of Columbia Office of the City Administrator, and Peachtree City. “This year’s conference theme represents a call to action for public service leaders to embody and exemplify the core values of the profession: accountability and performance, professionalism, ethics and social equity,” said Dr. Kristie Roberts-Lewis, professor of public administration and coordinator of the master of public administration program at Point. “This is an exciting era in which to develop as a student and to grow as a practitioner and scholar in the field of public administration.” Conference attendees were invited to explore new trends in the field and
discuss best practices for a variety of social, economic and political issues. “Point University is proud to serve our community in a variety of ways, including hosting conferences like this one,” said Dean C. Collins, president of Point. “As we prepare to enroll students in our M.P.A. program, we’re grateful for the opportunity to welcome these public servants to our Peachtree City location to share ideas and discuss how best to lead in challenging times.” The University plans to launch its online M.P.A. program, with a concentration in crisis management, in January 2020. To learn more about Point’s fully online degree programs, visit online.point.edu
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HEADLINES
CARTWRIGHT HONORED AT SPRING CONCERT The crowd was a little larger than usual at the University’s spring concert this year — on stage and off. But this wasn’t just any spring concert; it was the retirement celebration for Dr. Byron Cartwright. Point alumni, along with friends of the Cartwrights from throughout their careers and ministries, joined in lifting their voices and playing their instruments in a nearly two-hour musical extravaganza. The entire Cartwright family performed, including Michael ’92 and Emily Cartwright Plank ’00, Shawn ’05 and Melissa Vazquez Cartwright ’03, and all five grandchildren. Drs. Byron and Katie Cartwright have served at Point for more than 25 years, building the Department of Fine Arts into what it is today. “Dr. Cartwright’s career impacted hundreds of students with a passion for music and for kingdom service,” said Dr. Darryl Harrison, chief academic officer. “It is a privilege to know him as a colleague and a friend. There is no question he will be missed.” Dr. Katie Cartwright plans to teach another year before retiring, and both hope to continue teaching classes and lessons here and there — but also hope to spend a lot more time with family. “Contemporary American culture seems to translate music as celebrity fame and wealth, and there is so much more to it than that,” says Dr. Byron Cartwright. “It’s part of the basic fabric of who God made us to be. I want to leave that legacy.” To see more from the spring concert, visit our online photo albums at flickr.com/pointskyhawks
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Foundation of Faith Four recent Point graduates reflect on their journey from first-year students to seniors — together
BY SARAH HUXFORD PHOTO BY CARSON GREGORS SIMPSON
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Lizzeth Lugo ’19, Teresa Muñoz Lopez ’19, Cristy Artica ’19 and Kierra Adams ’19 in the garden of the William H. Parr House on Point’s main campus in West Point.
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During every fall semester on Point’s campus, first-year students are busily trying to find their classes, set up their residence hall rooms, figure out a major, and get to know their classmates. But in fall 2015, one group of students didn’t have to get to know each other — because they’d been friends for years, some going all the way back to middle school. The group included six students who’d been part of the youth group at First Christian Church of Mableton (FCCM) together: Kierra Adams ’19, Cristy Artica ’19, Carlos Guzman ’21, Lizzeth Lugo ’19, Teresa Muñoz Lopez ’19 and Francisco Nava Sanchez ’20. It’s unusual for any members of a church youth group to end up at the same small, private Christian college together, much less six. But these six students have supported and encouraged each other from the beginning of their college journeys. That journey ended for some of them in May, when all four of the women crossed the stage to receive their diplomas. So, how did this happen? It all started in that youth group at FCCM. Lugo and Muñoz Lopez already attended FCCM’s Hispanic service with their families, and most of the students knew each other — some from middle school, some not until they attended the same high school. “However, we didn’t become close friends until we started attending FCCM,” says Artica, a counseling and human services major. 12 | POINT MAGAZINE
The church, located northwest of Atlanta in Cobb County, makes a concerted effort to reach out to its surrounding community, and it is located within walking distance of Pebblebrook High School. On Wednesday nights, they offered a special service for teenagers, accompanied by the number-one recruitment tool for high school students: food. At that service, the group of future Point students began to get to know one another. “The Wednesday night service is how Kierra and Francisco got more engaged. As they kept coming, I began talking to them more,” says Muñoz Lopez, an English major. “Cristy and I had some classes together, and she would also come Sundays. Also, Lizzeth and Francisco were in orchestra class with me. After school, we would all walk to church together on those Wednesdays.” As the time came for the students to make college visits, the church introduced them to Point. The group had spent summers attending CIY together, where they encountered Point’s summer public relations teams. FCCM’s student ministry director, Tina Daniell, and her husband, Andy — the church’s pastor — knew Pam Hopson Ward ’78. Bob Lamb ’71 also serves as one of FCCM’s elders. Encouraged by these alumni, the Daniells and church member Chris Thomas brought the students on a visit to Point. “Going to CIY and meeting some of their summer PR teams and seeing what they did intrigued me — they were a cool bunch,” says Muñoz Lopez. “I heard a little at a time a lot of times, which made me gain interest and it ultimately got our whole youth group to come and tour the school.” “At first I wasn’t sure about going to Point,” says Adams, a counseling and human services major. “But I went to a youth conference, CIY, and got the chance to hear Ashton [Bettis ’16] and Kati [Williams Moss ’17] talk about Point! They talked about Point the way that people talk about their families. They felt loved and supported there and felt they could develop personal relationships that could last and build others up. I was sold when I heard that!” Lugo, a music major, wasn’t even sure originally that she wanted to go to college, but the visit to Point and encouragement from Tina Daniell changed that. “All it took was one tour,” she says. “I decided in that moment I wanted to go to college. I felt very motivated and I didn’t look at others after that. It helped even more knowing there were some alumni at our church.” “We fell in love with the small size of the school, as it meant closer relationships with professors, as well as more attention
photos courtesy of lizzeth lugo ’19
Back in high school, the four students and the rest of their youth group came on a visit to Point, accompanied by leaders Chris Thomas and Tina and Andy Daniell. Little did they know that six of them would enter Point together, and four would graduate at the same time.
in the classroom,” says Artica. And once the four women decided to attend Point, they decided to room together, as well. “I felt at home right away,” says Lugo. “I remember moving in together. We had our families and many from church who helped us move in. Tina got us decorations to put around the apartment, and with these good friends of mine, I can say freshman year was the best year.” In fact, all four women say that their first year holds some of their best memories at Point, though they admit it took them a while to step outside of their comfort zone and meet friends outside of their original group. “It was really great having a group of people I could talk to from the beginning,” says Adams. “It felt like I had my own support system cheering me on, right there in my living room.” “It was nice knowing I wasn’t surrounded by complete strangers, because I had social anxiety,” adds Artica. “I reminded myself that there were five people on campus I knew and had three roommates that I had been friends with for a while.” After enrolling, all of the students got heavily involved on campus, with performing arts groups, student activities, campus ministry and student-worker jobs. “Seeing how much I’ve developed as a person has been the best part about being at Point,” says Muñoz Lopez. “A lot of people have poured into me, whether they know it or not, and have helped me become a better version of myself and who I was four years ago, prior to attending Point. Students
and staff helped me believe in myself and helped me see the strengths I didn’t know I had.” Adams agrees, reflecting that her student job in the Admission Office was an invaluable experience. “Working as a student ambassador has taught me how to have confidence in myself, how to work on my public speaking skills, and to develop people skills,” she says. Now that they’ve graduated, these four new alumni are heading off in a variety of directions. Artica plans to work for a little while before attending graduate school to become a licensed counselor. Adams will be interning at Bread Emory, a Christian campus ministry. Lugo hopes to teach private violin lessons, and Muñoz Lopez is pursuing an internship in the communication field. Given the chance, all four would encourage prospective new students to take the leap and attend their alma mater. “I believe Point is a great start if you are scared at the thought of college,” says Lugo. “I was there and all fears went away when I took a tour.” Artica encourages first-year college students to remember that challenges will arise for any student. “When those setbacks come, seek mentors, counselors, professors, and close friends because they do have love and support to offer, which may get you back up,” she says. “That’s what is special about Point: people genuinely care about your well-being.” Adams adds, “So many beautiful and life-changing things happen when we open our hearts to what God can do!” SU MMER 201 9 | 13
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COLLEGE BEFORE COLLEGE
HOW DUAL-CREDIT ENROLLMENT CAN HELP YOUR STUDENT GET A JUMP START ON A COLLEGE DEGREE BY CARSON GREGORS SIMPSON
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GONE
are the days when students waited until finishing high school, around age 18, before starting college. Thanks to technological and academic advances, today’s students can now participate in a program called dual-credit enrollment (DCE), allowing them to earn high school and college credit for the same courses. “Dual-credit enrollment, in its universal term, is high school students that are taking college-level courses to meet high school requirements as well as getting college credit while still in high school,” said Rusty Hassell ’09, executive director of enrollment at Point University. Point, along with colleges across Georgia, participates in the Georgia Dual Enrollment Program, part of the Georgia Department of Education. This program enables Georgia residents at eligible high schools to earn college credits through the DCE program for free with the help of state aid, and with schools like Point reducing their tuition to match the available state funding. Hassell said Point had more than 1,100 students enrolled in its DCE program last fall. “Participating in DCE helped me
transition into college by becoming familiar to the academic schedule,” said Daelee Parman Tracy ’18. “I think I was better able to time-manage my classes, homework and extracurricular activities since I had already had a start to this through my DCE experience.” Tracy, who went on to attend Point as a full-time student, said she took several DCE classes at Point’s Peachtree City location during her senior year of high school, and was able to graduate from Point a semester early. “My experience at the Peachtree City campus was very enriching to my education and social life,” said Tracy. “The professors were thorough in their teachings and desired to help each student to the best of their abilities.” Through Point’s satellite locations in Peachtree City and Savannah, the University is able to offer in-person DCE opportunities for high school students. Additionally, Point offers several 16-week online DCE courses for high school students.
HOW TO ENROLL YOUR STUDENT IN DCE 1. Talk with your student’s high school counselor.
3. Get course approval.
2. Apply for admission.
4. Apply for state funding.
Not all students are academically ready for college-level work. Online courses also require extra self-discipline. Make sure DCE is right for your student before enrolling. Fill out the admission application for the college or university as a dual-enrollment student.
Not all college courses are eligible to be taken via DCE; in Georgia, the student’s high school must approve the courses to be taken. Procedures may vary for students who are home schooled. In Georgia, this process starts at www.GAfutures.org.
Hassell said Georgia students aren’t the only ones eligible to participate in the DCE program offered at Point. Students in any state, at participating high schools, are also eligible to take DCE classes at Point at a discounted rate. Hassell said that some students who choose to take DCE classes while in high school have completed enough credit hours to enable them to graduate early, potentially saving them up to $21,000 in tuition and fees. Most Point DCE students take an average of six hours per semester, starting in their junior or senior years. According to the GAfutures website, a student must be eligible to participate in the DCE program; funding is restricted to 15 semester or 12 quarter hours for a maximum of three semesters or four quarters per award year while the student is enrolled in a participating high school or a home study program. GAfutures hosts the full list of eligibility requirements on its website at www. GAfutures.org. Savanah Hanna da Costa ’15 serves as the DCE admission counselor at Point, helping both parents and students navigate DCE regulations and opportunities. “Counseling high school students is my future career goal. Working with the DCE population allows me to counsel parents and students who can be unsure of whether or not the student is ready for college courses,” said da Costa. “I love guiding them through what is essentially their first step into the college world. It is a wonderful experience to see counselors and parents support their students to further their education through our program.” She said parents should encourage their students to take advantage of the DCE program because it provides a way to get college credit while avoiding potential debt, which can cause setbacks in career goals. While the opportunity to participate in DCE can be advantageous to some students, Felicia Demps, director of dual-credit enrollment at Point, said parents and students must be aware of the serious nature of this program. “While this is a great opportunity, and we would love for all students to participate, this program is not for all students,” said Demps. “Students will be expected to follow college-level rules and regulations, not high school, while they are in the program, and that would mean that all students need to be prepared to be 100 percent committed.”
Demps said parents and students should work with their high school counselors to seek guidance as to whether the DCE program is a good fit, because if the student does poorly in the program, the student’s high school and college GPAs can be damaged. Because of this, Point has a more rigid enrollment standard and provides additional staff to support these students. For some students, like Masun Womble ’22, a business major at Point, participating in the DCE program provides the opportunity for growth. “I chose to do dual-credit enrollment because it is an amazing opportunity to go to college for free! Also, I felt that high school was not challenging nor a place that I was growing as a person or student, so I hoped that a post-high school experience would help with that,” said Womble. “My DCE experience at Point definitely impacted my decision to go to Point full time. I loved how the staff cared about making sure I was taken care of in every situation and always looked out for me. Each student was treated as an individual and not a number; it was a very personal experience.” One reason Point is able to offer an environment where each student can be known by professors is due to the small class sizes. Charles Powers, an adjunct instructor who primarily teaches inseat DCE courses at Point’s Peachtree City location, said his history classes enroll between eight and 25 students per semester. “I really enjoy the process of engaging students in my in-class lectures,” said Powers. “I usually try to do this by starting each lecture off with a question. If we are covering the Middle Ages in my Western Civilization course, for example, I start off by asking them what comes to mind when they first think of the period. After students bring up things like castles, knights, etc., I can set the context of how all of those things they mentioned fit the subject matter that we will be covering. It is always fascinating to engage students in this manner and build upon what they already may know or not know about a subject.” The DCE program is another way Point University seeks to train students for Christ-centered service and leadership throughout the world.
Interested in DCE for your student at Point University? Find more information and application procedures online at point.edu/dce.
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NOVEMBER 7-9 THURSDAY | HOMECOMING CONCERT + ALUMNI AWARDS RECEPTION FRIDAY | 25/50-YEAR-CLUB LUNCHEON + ALUMNI ATHLETIC GAMES + HOMECOMING BLOCK PARTY SATURDAY | POINT PREVIEW + TAILGATE + POINT SKYHAWKS FOOTBALL GAME
Join us in West Point for a weekend of celebration with your former classmates! REGISTRATION AND HOTEL INFORMATION AVAILABLE NOW AT POINT.EDU/HOMECOMING