Presbyterian College Magazine | Winter 2018

ON, ON PC

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CUE THE BAGPIPES

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C R E AT E A S A F E P L A C E

PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE

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ALUMNI HAPPENINGS

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Dear Alumni and Friends, What’s in a name? As we gain more national exposure, those unfamiliar with PC often ask, “What is a Blue Hose?” Many like to define the term themselves.

I imagine someone has asked you that question. If you responded with blue socks or even a Scottish warrior, then you’re right, but it’s so much more. In this issue of the Presbyterian College Magazine, we delve into what it means to be a Blue Hose, showcasing the characteristics that help to define us.

We’ve noticed that regardless of graduation year, PC alumni have certain traits that define us all. We’re cut from the same cloth. Blue Hose are passionate, inspired by their professors.

Blue Hose are service-oriented, a result of being part of a culture where the motto is “While We Live, We Serve.” And Blue Hose are adaptable: The liberal arts education that PC students receive prepares them for whatever they choose to pursue when they graduate or in later years. You’ll find examples of students, professors and alumni who exemplify these traits. I’m sure you’ll see that you possess these same traits, too.

We hope you enjoy this issue of the magazine and invite you to visit campus soon to see how The Promise of PC is shaping the next generation of Blue Hose.

Bob Staton ’68

President, Presbyterian College

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Cue the Bagpipes 3

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PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE | magazine

WHAT IS A BLUE HOSE? 10-27 CREATE A SAFE PLACE 29-30

To Rachel, with Love 33-34

PRESIDENT Bob Staton ’68 VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING AND ENROLLMENT Suzanne Petrusch A L U M N I R E L AT I O N S Leni Patterson ’83 Margaret Brown M A G A Z I N E S TA F F Kendall Givens-Little Jonathan Hooks Stacy Dyer ’96 Christina Cleveland Will Gribble ’13 GUEST WRITERS Dr. Dean Thompson Hal Milam C O N TA C T ALUMNI MAGAZINE CLASSNOTES SUPPORT PC

864.938.3757 864.833.8281 864.938.3757 864.833.8007

P R E S B Y. E D U

On, On PC 5

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Athletics 31

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Alumni 36

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Classnotes 38

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Memorials

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CUE THE BAGPIPES Class of 2018 Takes the Stage at 135th Commencement

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y hope for you, graduating Class of 2018, is that you will find a special place like I have found,” said Dr. Mike Rischbieter, PC’s Professor of the Year, “whether it be on a lake or river, your backyard or maybe a hiking trail: Any place that you can disconnect for a little while from all of the technology and pressure that you will have to deal with on a regular basis, and let your mind relax a bit.

“It is an amazing feeling, one I hope you guys will have the chance to experience once in a while as you make your way through graduate schools and professional schools and new jobs and new places.”

Rischbieter spoke these words to the graduating seniors from the College of Arts and Sciences. They were gathered, along with proud guests, faculty, and staff members, for the College’s 135th Commencement

Miles, also the 2018 Outstanding Senior, delivered this year’s Outstanding Senior address. She asked her classmates to think about how far they’ve come since arriving at PC. “These four years have given us an education, lifelong friends and memories, and an alma mater we can be proud of,” Miles said. “People say all the time that what makes PC is the people. We may be moving on from a building, a campus, an institution. But we are not moving on from PC because the people are PC.” Miles spoke about memorable moments that she and many of her classmates share, like playing in or watching Blue Hose athletic events, studying in the library and residence halls, and even jumping in the fountain. She talked about how others warned her how fast the time would go.

“You start high school, and everyone tells you how

“These four years have given us an education, lifelong friends and memories, and an alma mater we can be proud of. People say all the time that what makes PC is the people. We may be moving on from a building, a campus, an institution. But we are not moving on from PC because the people are PC.”­– Janie Miles ’18 on the West Plaza this past May. President Bob Staton ’68 also addressed graduates on the special day.

“Today brings to a close one chapter in our graduates’ lives and begins a new chapter, a chapter full of great opportunities and responsibilities,” President Staton said. “It is a day filled with joy, anticipation, promise, and maybe a little sadness.”

He said this year’s commencement is especially meaningful for him because he graduated 50 years ago.

“Life has taught me a great deal since 1968,” he said.

“One thing I have learned is that life won’t always go according to your plan and how you respond will define you as a person.”

Janie Engelmann Miles, from Clemson, S.C., and Jonathan Turnley, from Manhattan, Kan., were recognized as the valedictorians for the Class of 2018.

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fast it will go, and you believe them, but you don’t really understand,” she said. “Before you know it, you’re freaking out about where to go to college, and it feels like the biggest decision of your life. Then the decision is made, and everyone tells you again how it’ll fly by, how it’ll be the best four years of your life. And this time you’re sure you understand, but all of a sudden you’re in your cap and gown, and it is time to make actual grown-up decisions.”

The graduates were able to enjoy one last event on Commencement Day before they set off into their new lives beyond college. President and Mrs. Staton, along with Elwood G. Lassiter III ’69, chairman of PC’s board of trustees, held a reception for them and their families on the Alumni Green.

PRESCRIPTION

FILLED Celebrating Pharmacy’s Fifth Class

Sixty-nine joined the ranks of pharmacy alumni during the school’s hooding ceremony in Belk Auditorium this past May. “My sincere wish for each of you is that your investment in us will pay dividends for you, as you embark on the next step in your career and achieve the lifetime of personal and vocational fulfillment and responsible contribution to democratic society and the world community Presbyterian College seeks for each graduate,” said Provost Dr. Don Raber II. After donning their pharmacy hoods and receiving their diplomas, the graduates officially entered the profession by reciting the “Oath of a Pharmacist.”

“You took advantage of your opportunities to assist those in need while here at PC,” Dr. Cliff Fuhrman, dean of the PC School of Pharmacy, said in his address to the graduates. “There will be many more opportunities over the course of your career to provide the quality health care so many people need each day. Also, remember to provide service to others in your communities.”

This year’s class is the PC School of Pharmacy’s fifth graduating class. The school has graduated 365 doctors of pharmacy since 2014.

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PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDIES 2019 FORECAST:

1,000

ANTICIPATED APPLICATIONS 5

ON, ON PC! The Promise of PC Moves Forward

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ou may remember architectural renderings of a new residence hall in the last issue of the PC Magazine. Like all renderings, they looked perfect and clean: more like a video game and less like what 144 actual students will live in one day. Since then, considerable progress has been made on the new residence hall as well as on The Promise of PC overall.

In late August, President Bob Staton ’68, students, faculty and staff, along with others in the community, gathered in the Georgia Hall parking lot for a groundbreaking ceremony.

After speaking about the new residence hall, President Staton and a selected few used blue-plated shovels with blue bows to dig into the ground behind Springs Student Center.

The area where the new residence hall is being built served as the backdrop. It was a great photo op, but the message was clear: Work on the new residence hall was ready to begin.

“Last fall we rolled out a new strategic plan, The Promise of PC, which is focused on our students,” President Staton assured the crowd. “A key component of that plan was creating a strong and active core campus. Neville Hall was a step, and today we take another very important step to strengthen the core and meet the needs and expectations of students.”

That was four months ago. Today, Johnson Field is a construction zone. The expanse of green that the Blue Hose football team and lacrosse teams played on is gone. Red dirt surrounds the foundation where silver beams for the new facility are being erected every day. A crane looms as high as the smokestack beside Springs. Bulldozers and utility trucks come and go in the same place where touchdowns and goals were scored. Now, workers wearing hard hats use high-grade shovels instead of ones with blue bows.

And those renderings from the last magazine? You can find those on a 6x4 metal sign beside the greenhouse. The construction zone isn’t pretty. But the sign, which says MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME at the top, and the work being done, show that progress is being made with The Promise of PC.

GROWING STRATEGICALLY The new residence hall isn’t the only sign of how PC is growing strategically, one of the core goals of The Promise of PC. Take the computational biology major, for instance.

Biology, chemistry, math and physics professors teach courses in the computational biology curriculum, although computational biology calls the biology department home.

New PC faculty member Dr. Margot Petukh teaches all of the core courses. Petukh joined the PC faculty this fall after serving at the Joint Institute for Computational Sciences at the University of Tennessee. Already, one computational biology minor will graduate next May, and the first-ever major will earn a degree in 2020.

“We’re very excited to see how this progressive program will grow at PC in its goal of training the next generation of biologists in the tools of computational biology,” said Dr. Austin Shull ’11, assistant professor of biology.

Data analytics is the second new major, which will train the next generation of data analysts. Dr. Tobin Turner ’96, associate professor of economics and business administration, and Dr. James Wanliss, professor of physics, serve as advisers.

“The data analytics degree at PC is designed to teach quantitative skills in a liberal arts environment, where context of a problem is as important as the ability to solve it,” said Chad Prashad ’02, president of the data analytics advisory council. “Our aim is to produce well-rounded analysts who can provide real value through understanding the business and its products, services, customers and challenges before using data to drive smarter decisions.” The major is generating lots of interest from students, alumni and members of the business community. Twenty students have formed the Data Analytics Club, and representatives from Upstate South Carolina businesses provide guidance on a newly formed advisory council.

The two new graduate programs are gaining traction, too.

The PA Studies program is currently working on fulfilling the stringent requirements needed for accreditation.

More than 400 applicants are interested in the program.

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PC IS THE FIRST DIVISION I PROGRAM TO SUPPORT WOMEN’S WRESTLING The Blue Hose join 38 other programs that compete under the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association.

Dr. Nathan Herz

If the trend continues, PA Studies will have nearly 1,000 total applicants.

In addition, Dr. Greg Mappin, the PA Studies medical director, began full time on Sept. 1. Mappin was the former chief medical officer and thoracic surgeon at Self Regional Hospital and now serves on the hospital’s board. The PA Studies faculty has also continued to stay involved in clinical practice.

The PA Studies program continues to garner strong support from the medical community. The program has signed affiliation agreements with many of the regional medical facilities looking to both train and eventually hire PC students.

The Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program is progressing with the hiring of Dr. Nathan “Ben” Herz as the director in early September. Herz comes to PC with more than 30 years of experience in the field and almost 20 years in academics.

OTD is working through the accreditation process set up by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. Herz and other administrators involved with the program are finalizing space and equipment needs. Next steps include conducting workshops on accreditation and development of both curriculum and clinical experience sites for potential students.

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VALUING OUR PEOPLE Herz and Petukh are two of six new faculty members to arrive on the PC campus this fall. These new additions to campus, along with seven new coaches, have joined the College to make The Promise of PC a reality for students.

New Faculty Members New political science professor Dr. Daniel Benjamin Bailey instructed courses on environmental politics, public policy and American government at Texas Tech University before arriving at PC. Bailey also has interests in state and local politics and political behavior. His professional affiliations include the American, Midwest and Southern Political Science Associations and the American Society of Public Administration.

Dr. Kurt Gleichauf brings nearly 30 years of industry experience in marketing, finance and management to his new role as assistant professor of economics and business administration. Gleichauf has worked with companies in Germany, England and South Carolina and has taught business courses at the University of South Carolina and UNC-Charlotte.

Dr. Annette Hunter, visiting assistant professor of education, has worked in education for more than 30 years, including higher education, elementary and secondary

instruction, and private tutoring and instruction across South Carolina and Pennsylvania. Hunter’s many awards include the 2015 Professional College Teaching Award, Future Careers for Students Award, Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers and Who’s Who in American Education.

Dr. Patricia L. Jones joins the PC faculty as associate professor of education and executive director of teacher education. Jones comes to PC from Myrtle Beach, S.C. She has taught at Coastal Carolina University and developed multiple education programs at Tennessee Wesleyan University. Her areas of expertise include strategic planning, program evaluation and accreditation. She also has received multiple awards for individual teaching and advising.

New Coaches First-year competitive cheer coach Shanna Belden served as an assistant competitive cheer coach at Shorter University in Atlanta, Ga., before arriving at PC. Belden won three national competitive cheer championships as a student: two at Shorter and a third after transferring to the University of West Georgia.

Steve Brooks’ 20 years of collegiate coaching experience includes 14 years at the Division I level. While at East Tennessee State University, he guided the women’s tennis

team to its first-ever NCAA Tournament. Brooks’ teams also boasted high academics with 60 academic all-conference selections, 27 ITA Scholar-Athlete selections, six ITA All-Academic teams, a Fulbright Scholar and an NCAA Sportsmanship Award winner.

Mark Cody has been directing the College’s inaugural men’s and women’s wrestling programs since December 2017. Cody is used to building programs: He developed American University’s wrestling program after coaching at the University of Oklahoma for four years.

First-year men’s and women’s cross country coach GJ Hudgens was trained by former Olympic decathlete Gary Kinder. Hudgens ran cross country at the University of Alabama. Before PC, he was an assistant track coach at Holy Innocents Episcopal School in Atlanta, Ga., while also serving as a US Track and Field-certified head coach.

Amber King is the first head coach of the acrobatics and tumbling team, a new program established in The Promise of PC. The Blue Hose acrobatics and tumbling team is one of only 25 in the country. Before coming to PC, King was the head coach at Glenville State College in Glenville, West Va., where the acrobatics and tumbling team qualified for event finals at nationals in their inaugural year.

Alaura Sharp served as the assistant coach and recruiting

Compass is a new program that provides students with opportunities to develop problem-solving skills. In first-year and second-year exploration courses, students consider their future plans and explore the importance of their vocation and career choices.

Students will gain valuable insight throughout their PC careers in identifying, analyzing and managing complex problems.

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New student housing, coming in fall 2019.

coordinator of the women’s basketball program at Louisiana Tech University before arriving at PC to become head coach of the Blue Hose women’s basketball team. Last year Sharp helped Louisiana Tech improve over the previous year: They won 19 games and tied for third in Conference USA. Before arriving at PC, Blue Hose Softball Coach David Williams coached Morehead State University to Ohio Valley Conference tournament appearances in five of the last six seasons. Williams’ teams excelled in the classroom as well, carrying a GPA of at least 3.4 in the last four seasons.

ENSURING STUDENT SUCCESS Every day, faculty and staff ensure our students succeed, a foundational pillar of The Promise of PC. Compass, a program intended to help students discern which vocation they want to pursue after they graduate, is well underway.

Freshmen are enrolled in 13 Compass courses this year. In philosophy professor Dr. Jim Thompson’s “Why College?” course, students tackle the big questions about college: What is it for? Should college prepare you for a career? Is the purpose to make you a better citizen? Should it enrich your soul and help you discover the meaning of life? First-year students learn about PC’s mission and purpose and are introduced to academic resources, strategies and skills necessary to produce college-level work.

The First Scholars Initiative is a new program for

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first-generation college students. More than one-third of the incoming class are the first in their families to go to college.

A First Scholars Committee comprised of faculty, staff and students has been working since Spring 2017 to guide the program. A pilot program for First Scholars and their families was implemented at New Student Orientation to provide resources and an easy-access guide to the college transition process. This semester, efforts have been dedicated to research, grant writing and data collection.

All in all, the newest Blue Hose include 310 freshmen and 28 transfer students. Among them are the first female wrestler to sign with a Division I institution, another who began a special needs cheer camp and yet another who stood up for human rights as part of the Egyptian Revolution.

This incoming class is the most diverse in the history of the College.

The Promise of PC emphasizes adding new facilities and programs to help increase enrollment.

“The world of higher education is as competitive now as it’s ever been,” said Mark Fox ’08, director of admission.

“We’re using technology that is the market standard to meet the needs of students and to show them what it means to be a Blue Hose.”

The Promise of PC is moving the College and its mission forward.

Whether you graduated last year or last century, there is a question every Presbyterian College graduate must face in his or her lifetime. It is a question that has confounded many and inspired generations more:

WHAT IS A BLUE HOSE?

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We are Bl FROM BLUE STOCKING TO BLUE HOSE “What is a Blue Hose?”

Here is what we know for sure. In a letter written in 1935, the late Walter Johnson, PC’s longtime football coach and director of athletics, made a unilateral decision to adopt a certain colored article of clothing that not only was part of his teams’ uniforms but later served the greater purpose of defining the school’s identity on and off the field.

“It was about the second or third year, 1915,” he wrote. “… I changed uniform colors to blue, wearing blue stockings and jerseys, and some sports writer started calling … the Presbyterian College teams the ‘Blue Stockings’ …

In later years, ‘stocking’ became abbreviated to ‘the Hose,’ particularly in newspaper headlines, and was more or less officially adopted by the student body in the late ’50s.”

As odd as that origin sounds in the modern age of marketing, focus groups and polling data, the adoption of monikers coined by early 20th-century sports scribes was not at all unusual in its time. Writers often gave teams nicknames that described styles of play — tenacious bulldogs and fierce tigers — or articles of clothing (Hose!) that added “color” to their prose.

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In addition to adopting a mascot straight from a newspaper headline, PC also has latched onto a somewhat coincidental piece of history and woven it into its “tartan,” if you will. A former alumni and public relations director, the late Ben Hay Hammet, wrote of finding a reference to “blue stocking Presbyterians,” perhaps a nod to the style of hosiery worn by poor 17th-century Scottish churchman who could not afford the dyed-black or bleached-white stockings that were the custom for their more affluent contemporaries. It is said that the unbleached and undyed wool had a blue tint — making these men’s socks the very first Presbyterian blue hose.

And of course, we must not forget the more recent references — very likely apocryphal — of Blue Hose as a band of Scottish warriors who painted themselves blue before going into battle.

Nonetheless, whether highly coincidental or straight-on fabricated, there is no doubt whatsoever that being a Blue Hose is a source of pride for alumni even when it raises eyebrows everywhere else. In 2012, PC proudly embraced its top five ranking in Chester Cheetah’s Official Top 25

ue Hose Cheesiest College Mascots. And during the spring of 2017, amidst the fever of March Madness, College alumni tallied enough votes to become the national champion in the Fox Sports College Basketball Team Nickname Bracket.

Still, the etymology of the term grows even richer when you consider that PC students, alumni and professors seem to possess common characteristics. Blue Hose are all adaptable, for example, clearly owing to the liberal arts that has been a foundation of PC since 1880. No matter their major, students learn how to reason, how to solve problems and how to communicate. As a result, they can succeed in any field they pursue. Blue Hose are passionate. Over the years, PC professors have taught, and continue to teach, with

an enthusiasm for their subject matter that is so contagious that students pursue life with that same passion when they leave 503 South Broad Street. And Blue Hose are service-oriented, influenced by the culture created by a founder who built the College for the purpose of educating orphans of the Civil War. So when you are asked that inevitable question, consider well the possible answers — from the humble origins rooted in footwear to the more storied pieces of church history and even further to the characteristics that Blue Hose share — and know that no matter how you resolve it, there is no reply like the simplest truth.

What is a Blue Hose? You are.

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SERVICEORIENTED “While We Live, We Serve” first appeared in the PaC SaC 100 years ago and still is a rallying cry for Blue Hose today. Even after graduation, they continue to impact the lives of others.

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SCOUT. PHILANTHROPIST. BLUE HOSE.

A LABOR OF LOVE, A LABOR OF SERVICE

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ot many can say they’re on the same list as Hank Aaron, Walt Disney, and 15 United States presidents. But Bill Loeble Jr. ’65 can.

Earlier this year the Boy Scouts of America awarded Loeble its highest honor, the Silver Buffalo Award. The award is presented to those who are doing good for the youth of America.

Loeble is proud to share the same award with other household names like Bill Gates and Norman Rockwell, but he appreciates sharing the award with his peers in Scouting, like Terry Bramlett of Suches, Ga., and Larry Coppock of Joelton, Tenn., even more.

“There are two different ways to receive the award,” Loeble said, “Being a celebrity and doing good like the presidents on the list and Walt Disney.

“The other is for long-time national service to Scouting.

Being in that company is pretty special. I’m more honored to get it among my peers in Scouting.”

A LABOR OF LOVE Scouting has been a labor of love for most of Loeble’s life.

He joined the Boy Scouts when he was 11 years old and, from the beginning, enjoyed the fun and adventure that Scouting is known for: learning outdoor skills, hiking and participating in high-adventure activities, according to Loeble.

He also enjoyed the challenge of working to become an Eagle Scout, but he wasn’t finished with Scouting when he achieved what only 4 percent of Boy Scouts achieve. Loeble began to serve as an adult leader after he became an Eagle Scout and continued getting more involved when his son joined the Boy Scouts. Altogether, Loeble has served as an adult leader for the past 55 years.

“As an adult, I saw how it developed character in youth,” Loeble said. “It was a program that I set aside from other youth programs. I don’t think there’s a more effective character-building program in the country today.”

HELPING OUT AT HOME Loeble continues to volunteer at the Boy Scouts national level and serves his community in Covington, Ga., too. He has been active in his church, First Presbyterian in Covington, Ga., including serving as an elder and as clerk of session.

Loeble also has served in a number of roles with the Greater Atlanta Presbytery.

He further helps the Newton County, Ga., community by serving as president of the Arts Association of Newton County, president and member of Covington Kiwanis Club, and chairman of the board of the Covington-Newton Chamber of Commerce.

The Boy Scouts was not the only organization to bestow their highest award onto Loeble. In 2013, he received the R. O. Arnold Award, the most prestigious award in Newton County for business leadership and community service. Covington-Newton Chamber of Commerce named Loeble an honorary life member last year.

GIVING BACK Loeble finds the time to support his alma mater too. He has served on PC’s board of trustees since 2010 and has given to library renovations, the Neville Hall renovation and other campus projects. The history wing in Neville Hall is named in honor of Loeble and his wife, Diane. Next April, the Loebles will be inducted into the Society of 1880 in the William Plumer Jacobs Society.

At Homecoming, Loeble was named the 2018 Dum Vivimus Servimus Award recipient. The honor recognizes an alumna or alumnus who exemplifies the meaning of the College motto, “While We Live, We Serve.”

Loeble says he gives back to PC for the same reason he gives back to the Boy Scouts.

“I got so much out of it, with not only my career but life experiences, I decided I needed to give back,” he said.

WHY PC? Loeble, who grew up 30 minutes from the University of Virginia campus, was planning to attend UVA before he visited PC with a church youth group one weekend.

“I didn’t even think about PC,” Loeble said, “and then I got down there and fell in love with the campus.”

Loeble knew about the College’s strong academic reputation and did a little research to see what PC had to offer him academically.

“In those days PC had a legend named Dr. Carter, Dr. Nolan Carter,” Loeble said. “PC was also known for pre-med.”

He committed to PC soon after the trip and knew from the beginning he would major in chemistry. After earning a bachelor’s in chemistry, Loeble went on to the University of South Carolina to earn a master’s in chemistry. He said he was

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prepared for graduate school.

“When I got there, every incoming graduate student had to be at a certain level of proficiency in chemistry,” Loeble said. “I remember in my class about half of them had to take remedial courses to get caught up to be on the same level. And I didn’t.

“I don’t attribute that to my intelligence. I believe it was due to the fact that I was prepared by Dr. Carter and Dr. Huff and by Dr. Whitelaw in physics.”

“THERE’S JUST SOMETHING THERE” Loeble says he always used his chemistry degree in his career, even as he rose to become CEO of Beaver Manufacturing in Mansfield, Ga. He enjoyed more than his chemistry courses, though.

Loeble remembers taking the required four semesters of Old and New Testament when he was a student. He admits he wasn’t a Bible scholar by any means, but he thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Lewis Hay’s challenging Bible courses.

“I got so much into his courses I ended up getting the Hay Bible Award for the highest GPA,” Loeble said. “That was purely and simply because I loved those courses.

“There’s something (at PC) that’s unique,” Loeble added. “There are good schools all over, big and small, but there’s just something there at PC.”

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MENTORS. ROLE MODELS. BLUE HOSE. TRUE CHAMPS AT GIVING BACK

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arius Harvey ’20 has formed valuable relationships in the three years he’s been on campus. But some of the first bonds he formed at PC happened years ago in the Communities Helping, Assisting, and Motivating Promising Students (CHAMPS) program.

Harvey was a middle school student then with dreams of playing football. His CHAMPS mentors helped to guide and prepare him as a student, and more importantly, taught him the value of service.

Atlanta Falcons defensive back and former PC standout Justin Bethel ’12 was one of Harvey’s CHAMPS mentors.

“Knowing he was a football player hit home for me because I played football all my life, and I wanted to play in college,” Harvey said. “Justin was really involved. He used to race us and play football with us every day. He gave advice to us and told us it’s not all about football. It’s also academics that you have to worry about.”

READY FOR COLLEGE

SERVICEORIENTED Once students arrive on campus, they often extend goodwill by making a difference in the lives of others.

The desire to do good becomes a part of who they are.

In the CHAMPS program, Harvey experienced a community that helped motivate and develop his own promise.

CHAMPS includes a summer program on campus and monthly academic follow-ups from September to April for 7th through 12th graders in Laurens County. Along with academics, students learn interpersonal communication, networking and problem-solving skills.

Harvey recalls waking up early for classes, team-building exercises and the bonds he created with students, mentors and coordinators — all of which he says prepared him for college.

When it was time for college, Harvey earned the CHAMPS Scholarship, a PC scholarship given to an outstanding CHAMPS student.

He also fulfilled his dream of playing college football.

He was the slot receiver for the Blue Hose in his freshman and sophomore years.

Now he’s a CHAMPS mentor and motivates students who once were like he was. In between his classes, he checks in with them regularly, attending his mentees’ games and encouraging them to make good grades.

Mentors like Bethel still inspire him.

“What inspires me about Justin Bethel is that he came from PC,” Harvey said. “For him to make it out of such a small school, it gives

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everybody in this community hope. Laurens and Clinton are small towns.

A lot of kids say they want to make it to the NFL, but they might not believe. Justin gives that motivation that it can happen.”

A ‘HUGE’ GIFT Like Harvey, Bethel has given back to CHAMPS. Bethel has made donations to the program in the past, and this year donated $50,000. The contribution brought program coordinator Susanne McCarley to tears.

“Susanne cried when we got the donation because we’ve been trying to figure out how to make the CHAMPS program sustainable,” said the Rev. Rachel Parsons-Wells ’02, director of religious life and service, who oversees the program.

When the program began around 20 years ago, CHAMPS had a full-time director and was receiving more in local funding, Parsons-Wells said.

“Really, as some of the local funding started to get tighter and tighter the question became: How are we going to keep funding CHAMPS? And then we got this donation from Justin, and it was huge,” she said.

The $50,000 donation will help with the resources needed for its summer enrichment weeks and support model.

Bethel’s contribution is just one example of the lasting impact of CHAMPS, which was formed and is facilitated by PC, Laurens County teachers and community partners.

“I believe in what the CHAMPS program is doing. There were two things that I really wanted to do for PC: support the development of a physical therapy program and make sure I give back to CHAMPS. I’ve been blessed to be in a position where I’m able to do that, and I’m thankful that I’m able to support my alma mater,” Bethel said.

A FOCUS ON STUDENT SUCCESS Many PC students participate in CHAMPS by serving as mentors.

A large number of these students have come through the program themselves and are a vital part of its success.

“The CHAMPS kids are really good kids, kids with abilities and kids who care, and they just need some level of support and encouragement,” Parsons-Wells said. “That’s why the mentoring relationships are so central.

“The academic piece is important, but there’s exceptional value in teachers and mentors saying, ‘I see you. I care about you. You’ve got this.

Keep going.’ And that’s what is so important because sometimes it’s not coming from anywhere else.”

Parsons-Wells is excited about the future of CHAMPS. She says the program will continue its focus of making sure that students, like Harvey, are successful.

CHAMPS continues to evolve as it uses current practices to prepare students, including first-generation college students, for success.

“For me, that’s really what’s fueling our fire in terms of the program’s priorities now,” she said.

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MOVER. SHAKER. BLUE HOSE.

DRIVING SOUTH CAROLINA’S ECONOMY

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ara Hazzard ’01 knew she wanted to major in business administration as soon as she arrived at PC. Ever since she was a child, she liked watching her entrepreneurial father.

“I wanted to learn as much as I could about business and economics in case I wanted to own a business one day,” she remembers.

When she took her first political science course, she found another passion.

“I remember the professor’s enthusiasm for teaching and learning about how government and politics impact people’s everyday lives. He made it real and relevant and made me eager to learn more,” she said.

Hazzard declared political science her major and kept business administration and history as minors. She also became involved in student government and found time for other organizations, too, like Zeta Tau Alpha, intramural sports and Student Volunteer Services.

PREPARING FOR A REWARDING CAREER Her classes at PC, however, continued to shape the vision she had for her future.

“I took a class my senior year called Lobbying and Special Interest Groups, and I knew right away that was the career path I wanted to pursue,” Hazzard said.

“I was fascinated to learn about lobbying and special interest groups and how they interact with and influence the legislative process. Having something you’re passionate

about and being able to advocate for it and to communicate it to policymakers is a rewarding, challenging and fun job to have.”

After PC, her first position was as the grassroots coordinator at the South Carolina Medical Association.

While there, the association expanded her role by adding her to the lobbying team.

She was a junior lobbyist for several years, learning the fundamentals of the lobbying and government relations world, before joining the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance (SCMA). She served as the vice president of government relations for the organization since 2004.

DRIVING THE ECONOMY Today, Hazzard leads the SC Manufacturers Alliance as its president and CEO. She was named to the post in January 2018.

Hazzard manages the statewide organization, which represents more than 200 manufacturing companies. She works with members and lawmakers while overseeing all aspects of the organization’s operations.

She says her job essentially is to ensure South Carolina’s manufacturing industry remains a driving force of the state’s economy.

That means recruiting industry and working closely with existing companies like BMW, Boeing and Caterpillar.

“Our organization serves as the voice of South Carolina’s manufacturing community,” she said. “Ensuring

PASSIONATE PC professors are passionate about the subjects they teach, and this enthusiasm is contagious. Students become inspired by their professors and are more enthusiastic about learning, knowing that their work is recognized and valued.

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that our state is a competitive place to do business is critical for industry retention and growth.”

In the position, she interacts with SCMA members and engages state policy leaders and decision-makers. PC helped to make her an effective communicator.

“At PC, you are encouraged to share ideas, defend a position and collaborate with students and professors,” Hazzard said.

LASTING IMPACT Hazzard has maintained relationships with professors, including the one who taught her first-ever political science class that led to her career.

“One of the great things about PC is that it provides a classroom setting that enables you to form meaningful relationships,” she said.

When she thinks of herself and her fellow Blue Hose, she thinks of the College’s motto: Dum Vivimus Servimus or “While We Live, We Serve.”

As president and CEO of the SC Manufacturers Alliance, her service “is creating a business environment in our state that allows our manufacturing industry to continue to thrive,” she says.

“To me, a Blue Hose is someone who strives to make the world around them a better place.

Manufacturing facilities are the backbone of many communities across our state. They provide well-paying jobs and benefits that allow South Carolinians to support their families, and they are also exemplary corporate citizens and are integral to our state’s economy.”

PASSIONATE The PC campus has always been a place where students can find and pursue their passions.

Blue Hose surround themselves with like-minded individuals with interests ranging from literature and athletics to government and religion.

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RESEARCHER. GUIDE. BLUE HOSE. A DESIRE TO FIND SOLUTIONS

Y

ou can tell how much Dr. Eli Owens loves research as soon as you step into his office in Richardson Hall. Against one wall is a contraption that includes a funnel that looks like an orange street cone and a cylinder that looks like heating ductwork, all connected to a handheld electronic device with a screen and rows of buttons. Beside it, wires connect a wooden box the size of a mini-fridge to two small, black boxes. And, in an adjoining room, a prosthetic hand lies beside a 3D printer.

Owens doesn’t keep all of these treasures to himself. The physics professor loves sharing his passion for research with students.

“Its important for our physics students to conduct research as part of their preparation for graduate school,” Owens said.

LIFE-CHANGING RESEARCH One of the research projects Owens is working on is a NASA-funded project involving that prosthetic hand and 3D printer. Owens, along with senior Anna Crosby and sophomore Preston Robinette, is developing an affordable 3D-printed myoelectric prosthetic hand that will respond to the voltage difference across the muscles of the arm.

For those of us who didn’t spend much time in Richardson Hall, “myoelectric” refers to the electric properties of muscles.

“As people flex their muscles, they create a voltage difference that can be measured and used to distinguish specific hand gestures,” Robinette said.

In order to read the signal, Owens, Robinette and Crosby attached electrodes on different parts of the forearm. They created wearable accessories like a wristlet for this process.

“We use electronics to read the differential voltage and to activate servos, which pull strings attached to the prosthetic hand-like tendons, matching the specific hand gesture,” Robinette added.

That could mean the difference in a closed fist, a pinch or a single-finger movement. The research includes low-cost materials, making the prosthetic an affordable option for amputees.

The cost of producing the prototype was approximately $300, far less expensive than most commercial prosthetics that can cost thousands, Owens noted.

REAL-WORLD APPLICATION “My granular physics research involves pushing the bounds of what people know, while the prosthetic hand project is more application-oriented,” Owens said. “With the prosthetic hand project, we’re conducting research to look for those more immediate benefits that are needed.”

Crosby chose to come to PC and major in physics for research opportunities like this one.

“I wanted to design and produce well-made and low-cost prosthetics for amputees or anyone with a disability,” she said. “Seeing that my own physics department was doing just that made me rush to Andrew Rhodes, the student who was conducting the research at the time, and ask him how he got involved.”

Crosby and Robinette both have their sights set on graduate engineering programs after PC. Owens enjoys seeing how research helps students in their educational journey.

“Having that professional preparation is especially important in physics,” he said, “and it really gets students excited about physics when they can apply what they are learning to a real-world problem.”

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CAREGIVER. COLLABORATOR. BLUE HOSE. MORE THAN JUST A PHARMACIST

J

ay Patel ’14, alumnus of the School of Pharmacy, enjoys the work he’s done since being part of the school’s inaugural class. But his work might not be what you think.

Patel serves as a formulary management pharmacist at Palmetto Health in Columbia, S.C. He is the only such pharmacist at Palmetto Health.

“When people think about what a pharmacist does, they typically think mostly about community retail settings,” Patel said. “However, my position is considered to be more of a non-traditional role in pharmacy.”

THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE OF PHARMACY As a formulary management pharmacist, Patel collaborates with specialty groups throughout the hospital, including administrators, physicians, nurses and other pharmacists. He spends most of his time at a computer or in meetings instead of with patients. He’s more involved with the global view of caring for patients, constantly assessing opportunities to reduce pharmaceutical costs and improve the quality of patient care.

Patel plays an integral role in the continual assessment and evaluation of the medications available to take care of the patients seen throughout the hospital system.

He assists in formulary reviews for existing and newly approved medications on the market. He collaborates with other healthcare professionals to help promote the most cost-effective medications so that patients can get better while also providing the best patient care.

Patel facilitates the process of evaluating the quality and financial aspects of medications in the inpatient and outpatient areas of the hospital system.

“We also negotiate contracts with drug manufacturers as a strategy to reduce pharmaceutical expenses which, in turn, offers patients medications at a more affordable price,” Patel said.

SETTING HIMSELF APART If you’ve never heard of a formulary management pharmacist before, you’re not alone: Patel hadn’t either until he went to PC School of Pharmacy.

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“I wasn’t aware of all the different routes and career paths that pharmacists can take,” he said. “But the School of Pharmacy and its curriculum exposed me to the different opportunities.

“PC allowed me to align my interests, discovering I was more interested in the business aspect of pharmacy.”

Patel learned how to be adaptable at PC, one trait that goes into defining a Blue Hose. His professors served as mentors and helped put Patel in a career that suited him.

They were instrumental in Patel’s decision to pursue a one-year residency during a period when one-year residencies were hard to secure: There were 1,145 residency programs in the U.S. and more than 4,000 applicants for them.

Patel landed one of only 39 managed care residencies in the country when he went to Providence Health Plan in Portland, Ore. There, Patel learned the basics of what he does at Palmetto Health today. From the beginning, Patel relished the idea of being a part of the pharmacy school’s inaugural class.

“I felt like it was a great opportunity for me to set the foundation for the school,” he said. “We had the ability to help contribute to what we wanted to leave for future years to come.”

STRIVING TO BE THE BEST Patel is proud to be part of the inaugural class at the PC School of Pharmacy. He liked the idea of not relying on others to let him know what to expect. He wanted the responsibility of providing feedback to improve the program as he went through the school.

He likes where the school is headed.

“We’re not staying status quo,” Patel said.

“We’re not settling just for being the same as others. We’re always striving to be the best in the state, and I think that says a lot for who comes out of PC School of Pharmacy.”

ADAPTABLE Inside the classroom, Blue Hose can earn degrees in the fields they choose to prepare them for the paths they want to take. Long after they leave campus, they continue to learn.

Being lifelong learners gives them the confidence to adapt to life’s changing demands.

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ADAPTABLE Some PC graduates enter the workforce right after college. Others move on to earn degrees at professional or graduate schools. All are ready because they learn valuable skills like communication, problem-solving and critical thinking.

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EDUCATOR. TRAILBLAZER. BLUE HOSE. ATHLETIC DIRECTOR DEFIES ODDS AND INSPIRES OTHERS

N

ickie Templeton ’04 grew up only two miles away from PC, but the campus seemed much farther away than that.

“Presbyterian College was like a distant place,” Templeton said. “I often felt uncomfortable even attending basketball games because I felt as if I didn’t belong there considering where I grew up.”

Where she grew up was “on the wrong side of the tracks,” according to Templeton. Her mother struggled with addiction while her father worked three jobs to provide for his family.

“When you grow up like I did in the part of town that I grew up in, college wasn’t a part of your everyday conversation,” Templeton said. “It was a dream that you really didn’t think you could attain because there was a lot of money involved with going to school.”

A WAY OUT Templeton had to grow up faster than most kids her age. She often looked after her two younger siblings and even worried about how the bills would be paid.

Sports provided an outlet for her when she did have time to be a kid. She learned to play softball and football by playing with the older kids in the streets of Clinton’s Lydia Mill neighborhood.

“As I got older and started to involve myself with sports and then having been semi-good at a few of them, my perspective with college changed, and I became very driven to go no matter the cost,” Templeton said.

Sports opened her eyes to the possibility of a life beyond Lydia Mill and the four walls of her childhood home. She knew college was her way out, but she struggled with how “wanting more” in life could separate her from her loved ones.

“I had a lot of internal wars going on at an early age, as a middle-schooler, as a high-schooler: Do I fit in with my family? And if I pursue these dreams, does that separate me from my family?” she said.

“I have a loyalty to my family, and I am very open and honest about where I grew up because I am proud of that.

I had to learn that it’s okay to want more and to want to be successful and to understand that you’re not better than your family because you want those things.”

FINDING HER PLACE AT PC Despite the challenges of her childhood, Templeton says she grew up with love.

Her grandmother saw her potential. Her grandfather was a constant cheerleader and sat behind the outfield fence at every softball game.

When it was time for college, her grandfather’s health declined, and she wanted to be close to home. She accepted an athletic scholarship to play softball at PC. Templeton wasn’t the typical student in high school, and she wasn’t the typical student at PC either. Instead of driving a car, she rode a bike. And she helped to take care of her sister between playing softball and working a part-time job.

Templeton worked in direct-care with the Laurens County Disabilities and Special Needs Board. She took the job because it paid more than what a fast-food restaurant could offer, but it ended up opening doors for her and changing her vision for her life.

“I was able to develop relationships with the clients,” she remembers. “They were just amazing human beings trapped in bodies that don’t work. And I thought, ‘Wow, this is something I really want to know and learn.’”

Templeton began to stand out for different reasons.

She majored in special education, and her PC professors energized her career path. The challenging classes made her a better student, she says.

Her softball teammates also became family – on and off the field – even during hard times like when her grandfather passed away.

CHANGING LIVES After graduating, she accepted a position teaching special education and coaching at York Comprehensive High School in Rock Hill, S.C. She later worked in a similar job at Byrnes High School in Duncan, S.C. She wasn’t far from home, but she had to move closer

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still: Her grandmother’s health was failing, and Templeton decided she had to take care of one of her cousins.

She came back to Clinton to teach at Bell Street Middle School and Clinton High School. Templeton is currently in her seventh year at Clinton High School and in her third year as athletic director. She is the first woman athletic director in the school’s history, making a difference every day in her community.

“It’s kind of cool, and there’s a lot of stress and responsibility involved with that because you don’t want to disappoint people and you want to be a picture to other women of, ‘Hey, this is what leadership looks like: It’s not gender-based,’” she said. “I’m excited and nervous about the opportunity to be able to show that to other people.”

Templeton also has another mission: to help others who grew up just like her and change misconceptions about those living in poverty.

“I have very good relationships with people who are unappreciated, who have value in this world, and just because their bank account is zero dollars, the world thinks that they don’t matter,” she said. “I know people who are drug addicts who have value. They’re just wonderful people who have been exposed to unfortunate circumstances that we can’t place judgment on.”

THE EDUCATOR’S JOB When she started her doctoral process for her degree in educational administration, she decided to write her dissertation on children in poverty. As part of the dissertation, she studied intervention programs and developed training called Education Is The Exit Plan.

“It’s what the name implies: The only way out of poverty is through education, and within the walls of the education is the intervention programs such as what I studied,” Templeton said.

Part of that includes making content relevant for children in survival mode and creating relationships with them. Today she speaks about the topic: survive, learn, live. It’s what she lives by today.

“We did our jobs as impoverished kids, and we survived,” she said. “It’s the educator’s job to figure out how to help us learn, and then after that, we are responsible for living and for living well.”

PC gave her the confidence to do her work today, and Templeton says her upbringing gave her a drive never to give up.

“I feel blessed to be in that position and feel like I’m supposed to tell that story,” she said. “I’m supposed to represent the people in the place that I’m so proud of, and I’d like to do that in a way that helps kids get to high school, get to college and understand that they are deserving.”

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ADAPTABLE PC’s liberal arts curriculum equips students with the skills they need to succeed. No matter what students major in, they’re ready for success when they leave campus. The mission of the College is to prepare each student for a lifetime of personal and vocational fulfillment and responsible contribution to our democratic society and the world community.

WITNESS. ADVOCATE. BLUE HOSE. A LOVE FOR PEOPLE AND POLICY

E

mily Green ’20 remembers her mother making her go to Montreat the summer before high school.

Attending a church conference wasn’t the way the teenager thought she’d want to spend her break.

Looking back, she’s happy she did.

For Green, her time at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) conference center in North Carolina allowed her to connect with her faith and open her eyes to its influence beyond church walls.

“It was amazing to see 1,000-plus teenagers worshipping together in community, but also talking about real issues facing the world,” Green said. “I think I was also drawn to the Presbyterian Church because it spoke truth to power and wasn’t afraid to get political when issues outside the church were missing a sense of morality.”

Later in high school, she also found a passion for government.

When she was 16, she spent her spring break as a messenger for the Florida House of Representatives.

When she started college at PC, she got involved in the Student Government Association within the first three weeks.

She interned for U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in the Tallahassee office the summer after her freshman year.

A DEEPER PURPOSE PC is a place where Green’s interests collide.

After taking a Christian education class, she says she found a deeper purpose in the political science major. She decided to study both subjects.

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“I grew up with such an idea that church and state should be separated,” she said. “Then, I got to PC and thought, ‘Wow. I can incorporate my faith with my passion for political science.’ PC makes it so easy to double major and pursue what you love, and I am incredibly thankful for that.”

Green is now gaining valuable experience on Capitol Hill.

This summer, she earned a fellowship with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C. She was chosen from among applicants across the nation for the prestigious opportunity.

The application process included submitting her resume, transcript and letters of recommendation from faculty and her pastor. Once past that hurdle, she was one of three applicants chosen for an interview.

Green, SGA president at PC, believes her involvement in college helped her stand out.

MEANINGFUL SUMMER WORK The fellowship was a chance for her to apply her love for people and policy in a real-world experience.

“Everything we learned from our Christian doctrine and everything we were talking about in devotion every morning was being transferred onto Capitol Hill into public policy,” she said.

“It was really awesome to hear those devotions about

creating love and a compassionate environment and then also translating that love and compassion into public policy.”

On her first day, she was able to experience a community of faith gathering to pray for legislators. And her summer work also included several bill briefings and Advocacy Day visits to congressional members and their staffs.

FUTURE PLANS Green is currently working on her Christian education capstone, “Necessary Trouble: The Need for Faith-Based Advocacy in Local Congregations.” It stems from her work at the Office of Public Witness this summer.

“I will be looking at the theology behind advocacy and what it means to respond to God’s work in the world,” she said.

After PC, she wants to pursue a master’s degree in international affairs or international law. She is also interested in faith-based advocacy after learning about Israel-Palestine issues with her supervisor this summer.

“I want my future career to benefit not only myself, but others,” she said. “I am passionate about diplomacy and about loving our brothers and sisters overseas just as much as our ones in the United States, so I hope to find a career that achieves that goal.”

Blue Hose. The name itself is as memorable as those who claim the label. Long before the student body adopted the name Blue Hose, PC graduates possessed common characteristics that defined them. All Blue Hose find a passion that drives them. Blue Hose are able to adapt within their chosen careers due to PC’s liberal arts education. And Blue Hose have a heart for living out the College motto, “While We Live, We Serve.”

YOU ARE 27

SERVICE-ORIENTED PASSIONATE ADAPTABLE BLUE HOSE

LEGACY OF LOYAL BLUE HOSE Mica ’79 and Joe ’62 Nixon

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Interested in learning more about ways you can make your mark on the future?

With a legacy gift to Presbyterian College, you can help us do what we do today, even better, for generations to come. These kinds of planned gifts are simple to arrange and often return benefits back to you.

Contact us or visit our website for more information.

How can you leave a lasting legacy?

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CREATE A SAFE SPACE CRACKING THE CODE TO SUCCESS

D

avid Amsler ’97 has enjoyed spending more time with his family over the last couple of years.

Before that, he was working nearly 100 hours a week for years building his cybersecurity business.

In some ways, his story begins right after he graduated from PC. But you could say his story begins when he was 7 years old.

At that age, Amsler would buy a bag full of penny candy at the concession stand at Little League baseball games. The next day at school, he’d sell the candy to friends and classmates for a nickel each.

Amsler knew back then that he would start his own business.

Even when he was at PC, he DJ’d at sorority events and wedding rehearsal parties to help pay his way through school.

After graduating in 1997 with a business administration degree, Amsler discovered a passion that complemented his business acumen. Fresh out of college, he discovered cybersecurity when he enrolled in an information leadership program at General Electric.

A LEADER IN CYBERSECURITY Amsler learned about information management and worked on big IT projects. In one of the projects, Amsler helped build one of the first-ever virtual private networks, or VPN’s for short. They’re much more common today, but the one Amsler worked on was the first to allow GE employees to connect remotely and securely into GE’s information network while they were traveling.

“As part of that project, I started learning about security and how people can break into things, and I fell in love with it,” Amsler said. “I knew right then and there that cybersecurity was my passion.”

Amsler didn’t just find something he loved. When he discovered cybersecurity, he also found a need and a huge opportunity because “no one else was paying any attention to security in those days,” he said.

Instead, corporations were focusing on putting all kinds of data on computers.

“Everyone was saying, ‘We’re going to put everything about

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everybody and our corporate secrets and health records and everything else online.

“I just thought about what that meant and thought, ‘Holy cow!

This is completely changing our culture and the way we go about our lives going forward,’” Amsler said.

Only a year or two after graduating from PC, Amsler learned that it’s not difficult to break into computer networks. He and others practiced hacking into networks while in the GE leadership program.

“Then I thought, ‘If you can hack into it and break into it, what can you do to stop it?’” Amsler said. “I loved the work.”

GROWING A BUSINESS Amsler left the GE program to begin his own cybersecurity business, Foreground Security, in 2000. He dove into the industry and learned all he could about the world of cybersecurity. He went to conferences to get to know those in the industry.

“It was a slow beginning,” Amsler said. “But in the process, I was building a lot of relationships with different people. I was meeting a lot of experts who could help me.”

Soon, his business began to accelerate. Amsler’s company took on small projects at first: Companies paid him to hack into their networks, find holes and teach them how to patch the holes.

Bigger projects came next: Amsler and his associates built security programs for companies and made their security capabilities even more secure. After that, Foreground began to win contracts to build security operations centers for big government agencies.

THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS Amsler was traveling 47 weeks out of the year and working 100 hours a week, but he was seeing results of his hard work and dedication. Inc. magazine named Foreground Security the fastest-growing security company in America in 2011. From 2008 to 2011, Amsler’s company grew 3,544 percent.

“We were starting to be known in the industry for how you build best-of-breed security operations centers,” Amsler said.

“I started learning about security ... I fell in love with it.” — David Amsler ’97 Amsler, curious to know why his company’s product was the best, studied how the rest of the industry approached security monitoring. He was surprised to find flaws across the entire industry.

Amsler built the capability and the technology to help a person look for what is an actual threat to a computer’s network. He developed three patents in the process.

“We provided this service to customers to monitor them remotely and find the bad guy,” Amsler said. “That’s really where we exploded.”

Foreground Security became the seventh largest cybersecurity firm in North America. In 2015, Amsler sold the company to Raytheon, a technology company that specializes in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions, according to their website.

FOLLOW YOUR PASSION Amsler has focused on spending time with his family since selling his company three years ago. And he still joins his Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brothers for weekend retreats at least once a year.

His cybersecurity days are not over, though: Amsler is planning to begin another company soon “because I love it,” he says.

Entrepreneurs eager to start successful businesses often ask Amsler for advice. He tells them that it starts with finding something they love doing.

“I think everyone in life needs to follow their passion,” Amsler said. “I guarantee it will make you successful in life. It will make you happy.”

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BE A PART OF EVERY 368

VICTORY

STUDENT ATHLETES

3.3

AVERAGE TEAM GPA

85%

GRADUATION SUCCESS RATE

SCOTSMAN CLUB

It’s your choice! With the addition of the student-athlete experience (SAE) fund, you can choose the impact of your gift. Gifts to the Scotsman Club provide much-needed grant-in-aid to student athletes or offset operational costs like team travel, training equipment, facility maintenance, coaching programs and academic support programs.

GOAL

RAISED TO-DATE

$500,000

$132,897 $17,460 SCHOLARSHIP FUND

SAE FUND

PACE

20% OVER LAST YEAR

With your support, we can reach our goal. ONE CLUB, TWO FUNDS, YOUR CHOICE! Support your Blue Hose today! Visit www.presby.edu/scotsmanclub.

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BLUE HOSE DOMINATE Men’s Soccer Proves PC Can Compete in Division I

T

he men’s soccer team proved their ability to compete in back-to-back Big South Conference Championships.

“To succeed at any level, all players need to have specific jobs and have the environment to allow themselves to prepare well for matchday,” Coach Jonathan Potter said. “If you have people willing to work hard and sacrifice for the greater good of the team, then anything is possible.

“The character of people is the biggest separator between teams at this level, and we are lucky enough to attract some outstanding people to PC.” Although the Blue Hose won the tournament last year, they lost a heartbreaker 1-0 to Campbell University in the championship game this year. Still, advancing to the championship games two years in a row is a big improvement, considering they didn’t win any games and were the lowest-ranked team in Division I only four years ago.

The men’s soccer team proved throughout the tournament this year that they could do more than compete. The one goal the men’s soccer team surrendered to Campbell in overtime of the championship game was the only goal they gave up the entire tournament. The Blue Hose shut out sixth-seed Longwood University 3-0 in their first tournament game before defeating second-seed Radford University 2-0.

“I credit the togetherness and belief of the young men in our locker room,” Potter said. “No matter the situation, they believe they can overcome any obstacle and win.

“We stress as a staff that ‘the minimum requirement is maximum effort,’ and our players have bought into this idea that hard work and sacrifice for the team can allow us to be successful.”

Potter says support from alumni has helped the team achieve success that many never thought was possible. Alumni have sent well wishes, visited the team and attended games, and provided financial contributions to show their support for the team.

2017 CHAMPIONSHIP

“The connection between alumni and current players is vital in letting our athletes know there is a history and culture behind the jersey and that they are representing a family much larger than themselves when they compete. We hope to continue that great connection within our program.” — Coach Jonathan Potter 32

R To Rachel, with Love

Dr. Dean Thompson Remembers an Extraordinary Colleague and Mentor

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achel Stewart was not in residence when I interviewed at Presbyterian College in the spring of 1988: she was away on the first of what eventually would be several Fulbright Professorships in Finland and later Norway. I knew her only from a grainy black-and-white picture in the PC catalogue: a middle-aged orator with abundant hair, crouched over a battered podium, caught in mid-sentence and in full, blazing energy. Here, I thought, was a teacher.

Once I moved into my Neville office that fall, she whisked me off to the Springs canteen for one of Helen Huff ’s egg salad sandwiches to go with conversation, and I happily capitulated to Essence of Rachel: the eyes alight with curiosity, the radiant smile, and that plummy voice, equal parts Tennessee and Lady Bracknell.

Word of mouth enlivened campus in those days (it still does), and Rachel’s teaching was spoken of in GDH and Springs with awe, reverence, and a smidge of fear. I betook myself to her door and asked if she would mind my occasionally sitting in on her classes, which request she immediately granted. She seemed pleased.

I came to love the Stewart warmup: she would fortify herself with two Parliaments in her office (faculty could puff away in those days), gather her notes, march into Neville 201 and hoist windows to let in the arctic January air (“So brisk and invigorating!”) and, stationing herself behind the podium, gather breath and prepare to launch forth.

Understand that among the great educators who filled Neville, Rachel was the Olympian. Ann Stidham, wise and warm, evoked the spirit of Oprah Winfrey. Neal Prater, who spoke ex cathedra and brooked no nonsense, recalled the Archbishop of Canterbury. Rachel, however, reminded me of a javelin thrower: she hurled. Hurled: ideas, contexts, moisture (she tended to expectorate sibilants when in full flight), backgrounds, connections, antecedents, corollaries, insights, wisdom, celebration, visions, exultation—all couched in perfectly formed arabesques of sentences that danced in the air like (to quote her beloved Edward Taylor) twinkling lanthorns in the sky.

One never knew whose words would be brought forth to season the day’s lessons. I once heard her in a single class period quote Immanuel Kant, Eleanor Roosevelt, Thomas à Kempis, and—I am not making this up—Popeye the Sailor Man. Some students did not know what to make of her and fled after the first day. Others, exhilarated by this force of nature, hung on for dear life and read and highlighted at Waffle House until wee hours, took class notes until their hands cramped, and charged through blue books on test days like NASCAR drivers, all the while feeling lifted onto a higher plane.

William Blake reminds us that “Energy is eternal delight,” and Rachel’s energy had a way of making the realm of learning seem a delightful Empyrean.

She turned that energy to the art of gentle (read: hypnotic) persuasion as well, and both students and colleagues through the years found themselves searching for passports and

packing clothes for long flights, all on the strength of Rachel’s conviction that time abroad was the greatest, most enlightening experience imaginable. She thrilled to the words of one English major who wrote from Edinburgh, summing up Rachel’s raison d’etre for sending forth to the four corners: I cannot tell you that I am as happy here in Scotland as I am there, for that would not be true. I miss my friends in Neville and the bright, crisp South Carolina fall mornings. But what I have here is a chance to find out who I am when stripped of familiar institutions, as well as the chance to discover what it is I want to become.

Great depth and soul lay behind the whirlwind, however: her reading of Anne Bradstreet’s “As Weary Pilgrim” was a haunting moan of pain, and as she wound down T. S. Eliot’s “Journey of the Magi” and whispered the final line—“I should be glad of another death”—she bespoke the faith and strength she carried always and which irradiated the end of a gentle note she sent after I lost a beloved grandfather: You and I both believe our faith assures us we never have to say good-bye.

We built up our repertoire of funny stories as well. One December we attended Dr. and Mrs. Orr’s annual Christmas drop-in, featuring Vernon Powell’s legendary whipped eggnog.

Someone quietly warned me that it had been spiked rather generously, and I—untenured and cautious—had two ascetic spoonfuls before I reached for coffee. No one warned Rachel, who thought the concoction both mysterious and delightful, downing two cups before she suddenly sat on the Orrs’ couch and went right off to sleep. When she awakened a half hour later, she blinked and smiled, patted her hair, and said “My!”, as if she had just come in from the most wonderful adventure.

Even as she neared seventy, her fund of energy continued unabated, and she walked on air when Abo Akademi in Finland awarded her an honorary doctorate for her teaching, the likes of which they had never seen. And then she was gone from us, ensconced in retirement in her Watergate apartment overlooking the Potomac in DC. When I last saw her there, she was attending concerts at the Kennedy Center and glorying in the company of her adored daughters and grandchildren.

Christmas remained her favorite season always, to be commemorated with joy; and when word of her passing came last spring, there was comfort and even Grace in the news that as she slipped away, her daughters were at her side, singing the seasonal carols she loved.

Hers was an educator’s life, one gilded by awards and recognition, all of which gave her pleasure; but for Rachel they finally were not the point. Father Greg Tallant ’91 eloquently found the right perspective in a sermon soon after Rachel’s passing: “Here we were in a tiny mill town in upper South Carolina, a town that didn’t even get a McDonald’s until my junior year, and yet she made us all believe: believe in the adventure of life, believe in the world of the mind, believe in the possibilities that were buried somewhere within us underneath all those madras shorts and floppy hair.”

Dear Rachel: she could move mountains. She remains in Neville yet, for I keep two portraits of her on my top bookshelf, both the original black-and-white catalogue photo and another in glorious Technicolor. I want her there over my shoulder always, if only as a reminder that giants have walked these venerable halls. That teaching, infused with energy’s eternal delight, is a calling from the heavens. And that one educator, armed only with brilliance and love, could take aim at her students’ hearts, hurl forth, and strike true.

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“The Presbyterian College education and experience is unlike any other, and it is our responsibility as Blue Hose to further the mission of the College and to ensure that generations to come are able to join our Blue Hose family.” — Joel A.Tillirson ’18

YOUR GIFT MATTERS. www.presby.edu/giving

PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE 35

ALUMNI AWARDS Congratulations to the 2018 Alumni Award Recipients

O

n Saturday, Oct. 27, these nine members of the PC community were recognized for their exceptional professional accomplishments and service to the College.

Pat Phillips ’71, of Charlotte, N.C., received the 2018 Gold P Award. The award recognizes an alumnus or alumna for outstanding accomplishments in his or her chosen profession, which reflect honor upon the College.

William D. Loeble, Jr. ’65, of Covington, Ga., is the 2018 Dum Vivimus Servimus Award recipient. The award recognizes an alumna or alumnus who exemplifies the meaning of the College motto, “While We Live, We Serve.”

Josh Hinson ’11, of Columbia, S.C., is the 2018 Mary F. Lehman Alumni Service Award recipient. The award recognizes an alumna or alumnus for outstanding meritorious service rendered to Presbyterian College and the PC Alumni Association.

Lathem Jenkins Gordon ’04, of Decatur, Ga., is the 2018 Young Alumna Award recipient. The honor recognizes an alumnus under 40 years of age, as the award year begins, for early competence within the chosen field of endeavor and exceptional promise of future achievement.

Dr. Harold Dean Thompson, Jr., the Mary Henry and de Saussure Davis Edmunds Professor of English, and Phyllis Staton, both of Clinton, S.C., received the 2018 Honorary Alumni Award. The honor recognizes individuals who did not attend PC, but who have regarded PC as their alma mater, and by doing so, have brought honor to the College.

Frank C. King ’64, of Thomaston, Ga., is the recipient of the 2018 Thomas Aurelius Stallworth ’55 Alumni Award. The award is given to someone who embodies the best characteristics of Thomas Aurelius Stallworth’s Christian Leadership: strong, bold character, integrity, moral courage, and values. It also recognizes someone who knows and demonstrates the true meaning of neighbor and friend.

Steve Churm ’78, of North Augusta, S.C., is the 2018 Mike Turner Scotsman Club Service Award recipient.

The award recognizes an alumna or alumnus for sustained efforts and devoted leadership as a Scotsman Club member and scholarship patron.

Visit presby.edu/alumni/awards to read more about this year’s alumni award recipients.

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Alumni Association Board President BoBo Beasley ’78

Your Alumni Board

Jon Baggett ’99 Stephanie Barksdale '13 Brian Barnwell '06 BoBo Beasley '78, President Lindsay Bickerstaff '90 Heather Boger '01 Karlie Cain '14 Danny Charles '65 Rob Coleman '11 Adam Cresswell '00 Harry Croxton '89 Ruddy Deas '66 Vaughan Dozier '03 Rad Free '69 Emily Grigg '03, Secretary Dan Hartley '69 Mary Frances Hartman '99 Shannon Herman '02 Kathryn Hix '00, President-Elect Sarah Hughes ’99 Jessica Jetton '99 Ashby Jones '95 Butch Kirven '69 Isaiah Lynn '15 Lewis Masters '84 Cody Mitchell '08 Jim Morton '76 Floyd Michael Nicholson '14 Weston Nunn ’07 Randy Randall '75 Jeremy Ransom '98 Brittany Reese '07 Emily Skinner '07 Brad Spearman '85, BOT Representative Felicia Stovall ’06 Amy Tinsley '08 Jim Todd ’09 Chuck Toney '85 Amy Warner '86 Joe Wideman ’13 Ashley Williams '95 Stephen Woods '90 Anne Worrell ’01 Jack Zeigler '79, Chair ROTC Alumni Council

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Greetings, fellow alumni! Here are a few updates from Alumni Relations: • Alumni Chapters: We have established alumni chapters in Greenville, the Midlands, Charleston, Charlotte, and Atlanta. Each has had or has planned their first events.

The chapter presidents are: Diana Tiller ’97, Greenville Josh Hinson ’11, Midlands Haley Harper Kelly ’12, Charleston Joni Bratton Holmes ’08, Charlotte Jessica Jetton ’99, Atlanta • We are open to establishing three other chapters this fiscal year. Alumni Chapter presidents will serve on the Alumni Board in ex-officio roles. If there is a group of at least 12 alumni who are interested in working together to establish a chapter, please contact Leni Patterson ’83 (lpatters@presby.edu) in Alumni Relations.

• The Alumni Board had a productive meeting in September. We voted to appoint an ad hoc committee to establish the process and purpose of re-establishing the Young Alumni Council and the African-American Alumni Council. Both will fall under the Alumni Board. The recommendations from the ad hoc committee will be discussed at our March board meeting.

• The Alumni Board also decided to begin a quarterly recognition of alumni accomplishments in addition to our yearly alumni awards. Look for details soon.

• The Board voted to appoint Cody Mitchell ’08 as one of its two Alumni Board representatives to the Board of Trustees to replace Brittany Reese ’07, who rotates off at the end of the year. Brad Spearman ’85 is our other representative.

• For your reference, the sidebar provides a list of our current Alumni Board. Part of our role is to help connect alumni with one other and with PC. Feel free to reach out to any of them.

• Upcoming Alumni Events: Dec. 9 — PC Christmas Party for Charlotte area alumni at the home of Pat ’71 and Debbie Phillips. Spring events are being planned. If you are interested in hosting or assisting to underwrite the costs of our alumni events, please contact Leni Patterson (lpatters@presby.edu).

And, as always, I encourage you to support PC through the PC Fund and/or the Scotsman Club.

In the spirit of PC, BoBo

Classnotes Forever Loyal Blue Hose 1951

1969

The winningest coach in the history of football

Alumnus receives state’s highest award

John McKissick received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Charleys, the Charleston Post and Courier awards ceremony on May 11. The event was held at the Gaillard Center in Charleston.

“It’s certainly an honor,” John said about receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. “I’d like to share it with all the guys who have coached and played with me.”

John played fullback for Coach Lonnie McMillian while at PC. He earned a degree in economics at PC in 1951 before moving on to becoming the head football coach at Summerville High School. There, John won 612 games, more than any coach at any level.

He also won 10 state championships during a 63-year career that spanned from 1952 to 2014. John was named South Carolina High School Coach of the Year in 1980, 1994 and 2003. He was elected to the National High School Hall of Fame in 1990.

“I give PC all the credit for any achievement I’ve made over the years,” John said. “It all started at PC with Lonnie McMillian.”

Mike LeFever was presented with the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest award, in September.

The Order of the Palmetto recognizes a person’s lifetime achievements and contributions to the State of South Carolina. Mike received the award for his years of public service to the state, including serving as president of South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (SCICU) for the last 10 years.

“I’ve received awards that I really don’t think I deserved.

Everything that I was doing was because of my love for public service,” Mike said. “And I hope in doing that we were able to help some folks along the way.”

The Order of the Palmetto is one of several awards that Mike has received for his work. The South Carolina Senate recognized Mike’s years of public service earlier this year, and Wofford College awarded him an honorary doctorate during the school’s 2018 Commencement.

Further, the S.C. Tuition Grants Commission recognized Mike’s efforts supporting tuition grants and other programs that helped students attend independent colleges and universities in South Carolina.

Mike, who graduated cum laude with a degree in English, spent nearly 30 years in state government before serving as president of SCICU. He served as the director of four state agencies, including the Workers’ Compensation Commission for 13 years. Mike also served as deputy chief of staff for executive office programs and cabinet affairs for former Gov. Jim Hodges.

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1990 PC thanks our veterans for their service David Landrum Padgett retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after 30 years of honorable service on the 9th of June 2018. He retired from the United States Army Reserve with his last assigned position as the Deputy Chief Officer for the 518th Sustainment Brigade in Knightdale, N.C. LTC David Padgett has been deployed to Kuwait and Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003-2004 where he was awarded the Bronze Star. He was again deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom in 20102011 where he was awarded the Bronze Star as well. Before taking the position of DCO for the 518th Sustainment Brigade, he served as a Battalion Commander for the 812th Transportation Battalion where he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, and served as the Battalion Commander for the 1188th Deployment and Distribution Support Battalion. He retired from the armed forces with a distinguished record over the last 30 years.

1972

Don McLean is happily married and happily retired from the Army with 35 years of service! He also retired from Merck Pharma. Don is managing his Florida - Tennessee real estate business with his amazing partner and wife! He is very blessed!

1973

Dr. Vernon Chandler recently completed a two-year spiritual direction training program at Sarum College in Salisbury, England. Vernon and his family reside in Ansbach, Germany.

1975

The Rev. Dr. Shane Owens became the pastor of Union Presbyterian Church in Carthage, N.C., on Aug. 1, 2016.

Mike Silver was inducted into the North Carolina Athletic Association Hall of Fame in April 2017. Mike is a former McDowell High School girls’ basketball, softball and volleyball coach. Born in the mountains of McDowell County in 1953, Mike came to love basketball during his time at Old Fort High School.

After graduation he played four years at PC, where he was a senior captain and was ranked among the top 10 in the nation in free throw percentage his senior year. He graduated from PC in 1975 and then moved back to his hometown and McDowell High School. There, he taught biology and driver’s education and served as the head women’s basketball coach. Over the span of his career, Mike’s teams compiled a 650-201 record in 32 seasons. He won a state championship in

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1991, four regional championships, 15 conference championships, 13 Christmas tournament titles and 12 conference tournament championships. Mike sent more than 80 students on to play at the collegiate level. When he retired in 2007, he was first in wins among active women’s basketball coaches in the state of North Carolina. Mike was not only a great basketball coach, but an advocate for women’s sports programs as well. He began the women’s softball program at McDowell in 1976, serving as the program’s head coach from 1976 until 1997. His softball teams won four conference championships and finished second in the state in 1986-87. He also started the women’s volleyball program at McDowell, coaching the program for three years from 1985-1987.

1976

Mike Faya has lived in Roanoke, Va., for more than 30 years. He works for Roanoke City Public Schools, does plenty of hiking with his goldens and plays a lot of tennis.

1986

David Parker recently joined the USC-Business Partnership Foundation in Columbia as vice president. After completing the full-time MBA program at the Darla Moore School of Business, David spent 25 years at Colonial Life in various financial and operational senior leadership roles. While at Colonial Life, he served as the executive liaison to the Moore School fostering partnerships.

More recently, David served as interim vice president of advancement at PC. David currently serves as a board trustee for PC, the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities and the S.C. Educational Television Endowment. He has also served on the boards of EdVenture and the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, as well as the BPF Board of Advisers.

1987

1992

Mason Kerr graduated from the University of Florida on April 15 with an Executive MBA. Balancing a full-time job at Mac Papers in Jacksonville, Fla., he completed 20 months of classes in the MBA program. Mason completed a one-week international immersion trip to Switzerland halfway through the program. Mason has tremendous support from his wife, Erin.

Many nights and weekends were spent reading, studying, writing and conversing on videos with teammates. Mason now has 20 months of “honey dos” to catch up on.

James Childs has recently joined Maynard Cooper & Gale Law Firm in Birmingham, Ala. James is one of the leading business lawyers in the Southeast. He has more than 20 years of corporate experience, representing clients in mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, private equity, debt and other financings. His clients range from high-tech startups to large, mature manufacturing companies. His investor clients range from first-time hedge fund managers to experienced private equity teams.

1988

1993

The Rev. Brian E. Preveaux became a full elder in connection with the United Methodist Church on June 4 at the Ordination of Elders during the annual South Carolina United Methodist Conference, held in Greenville, S.C. Rev. Preveaux received his Master of Divinity in 2015 at Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, N.C. He previously served at Bellinger Chapel UMC in Fairfax, Brunson UMC in Brunson, St. Paul UMC in Clover, and Kings Mountain Chapel UMC in York. He is now in his second year ministering at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Bluffton, S.C.

1990

Sara Adams Harris graduated in May 2017 from the University of Tennessee - Knoxville’s Center for Educational Leadership with an EdS in administration. She is now enjoying the role of assistant principal at Norwood Elementary School in Knoxville.

1995

Jason Humphries has been named executive director of insurance solutions for South Carolina Federal Credit Union.

1996

Duane Hagstrom broke three world records in the Southern Powerlifting Federation for the Masters age group of 35 and up with a 510-pound bench press, 550-pound deadlift and a 1060-pound total.

Keith and Madeline Bardolf were married November 2016. In the picture are Keith’s daughters, Rainey, 15, a sophomore at Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Ala., and Michaela, 18, a freshman at Auburn University. Keith retired at the rank of lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Army in 2012 and is currently a semi-professional bass fisherman. He and Madeline also own an insurance compliance consulting firm.

1991

William Woodall, a member of Taylor English Decisions, was ranked among the top 25 on James Magazine’s Top 50 Lobbyists list. For the last 20 years, William has developed expertise in tax policy, agriculture, transportation, natural resources and economic development. Taylor English Decisions LLC is the business consulting and government strategies affiliate of Cumberland-based Taylor English Duma LLP. William joined Taylor English Decisions from Third Street Strategies LLC, a lobbying firm with more than 30 years of experience representing Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and associations.

He has years of experience as a political consultant and public affairs professional. William served as county chair for Gov. Sonny Perdue’s New Georgia campaign and district chair for Perdue’s re-election campaign as well as congressional district chair for former President George W. Bush.

Several soccer players from the class of 1996 recently got together: Carly Peterson Tebbetts, Carey Bailey Yarem, Alyssa Pinkerton, Jennifer Andress, Cobi Shafe and Allison Steen Napior

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2000

Dr. Kathryn Hix, an assistant professor of English at Greenville Technical College (GTC), was selected as the recipient of the 2018 Cowan Award. The award, presented by the Two-Year College English Association Southeast, recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional skills in instruction, develop creative approaches to curriculum and instruction, and exhibit a leadership role within the academic department. A member of the faculty at GTC since 2007, Kathryn earned an undergraduate degree in English and political science from PC, a master’s degree in English from Converse College and a Ph.D. in education from Lesley University.

2001 These women from the Class of 2000 had a 40th birthday celebration trip to the Dominican Republic in July. Left to right: Beth Huggins McMahan, Alison Bragan Edwards, Alicia Weeber, Kathryn Owen Hix, Lane Jeselnik Goodwin Todd Latiff was presented the Order of the Silver Crescent by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster. The Order of the Silver Crescent is the state’s highest civilian award for significant contributions, leadership, volunteerism and lifelong influence within the state.

Todd and his wife, Catherine Martin Latiff, reside in Clemson, S.C., with their children, Ashley and Andrew.

1997

Lisa Becker Boyd was named Teacher of the Year at Malcom Bridge Middle School in Bogart, Ga. The honor is the second of Lisa’s teaching career: She was named Rockdale County High School Teacher of the Year in 1999. Lisa earned a bachelor’s degree in English from PC before earning a master’s in educational administration and policy from the University of Georgia.

1999

Charles Aaron has joined Brown Rountree PC in Statesboro, Ga., as an attorney. He graduated magna cum laude from PC with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2002. Charles has 16 years of experience in civil litigation and trial practice, real estate, foreclosures, eminent domain and banking law. He also has experience in estate planning, probate and education law. Charles serves on the finance committee of Statesboro First United Methodist Church, where he and his family are active members. He is past president of the Bulloch County Bar Association, a member of the Leadership Bulloch Class of 2008, and was named a Georgia Legal Rising Star. Charles and his wife, Leigh, reside in Statesboro with their two daughters, Madeline and Sydney Kate.

The Rev. Greg Bolt and his wife, the Rev. Heidi Bolt, have been called as the designated co-pastors of First Presbyterian Church in Red Wing, Minn. Their date of installation was May 7, 2017.

Dr. Ronald E. Miller is the director of career development in the Center for Academic Success and Advisement at Francis Marion University in Florence, S.C. Recently, an article he wrote about professional networking appeared in a local business publication, VIP Magazine. Ronald also does volunteer career development work for Kappa Alpha Order and welcomes opportunities to network with and meet other brothers.

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Travis Smith has been named the new athletic director at Douglas County High School in Douglasville, Ga. He was previously an assistant football coach.

2007 PC alumna is first African-American woman oral surgeon to graduate from program Dr. Danielle Gill graduated on June 22 from the Medical College of Wisconsin’s School of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. She became one of three women to graduate from the program and the first African-American woman surgeon. She is a 2003 graduate of Kings Mountain High School in Kings Mountain, N.C., and was a Beta Club and National Honor Society member. She was also an all-conference basketball and volleyball player. At PC, Danielle was a dean’s list student and an all-district volleyball player her senior year. She earned her doctor of dental medicine from the Medical College of South Carolina in Charleston in 2012. She went on to complete a residency at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in 2013 and completed an oral and maxillofacial surgical internship at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2014.

She completed her fourth-year residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

2002

Katie Fowler Monoc and Ellis Roberts are pleased to announce the opening of Monoc Roberts LLC, located at 51 Oswego St. on the upper peninsula in Charleston, S.C. Monoc Roberts represents clients through civil litigation for personal injury and other civil matters and serves as general counsel for businesses and political campaigns.

R. Chad Prashad has been promoted to president and chief executive officer of World Acceptance Corporation, one of the largest small-dollar installment loan companies in North America. In addition to the promotion, the company’s board of directors appointed Chad as a member of the board. Chad served as senior vice president and chief strategy and analytics officer since February 2018 and as vice president of analytics from June 2014 to February 2018. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and Bachelor of Science in business administration and economics from PC and a Master of Arts in economics from Clemson University. He has served on the board of directors of Fostering Great Ideas, a nonprofit organization, since 2013, serving as chairman in 2015 and 2016.

2011 Constitutional law professor Josh Hinson has joined Rogers Townsend & Thomas, PC, in the firm’s Columbia, S.C., office. Josh was previously with the South Carolina Court of Appeals, where he was law clerk to Chief Judge James E. Lockemy. Josh is a 2015 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he was articles editor for the ABA Real Property, Trust & Estate Journal. Josh earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from PC, where he has served as an adjunct professor in constitutional law. He handles insurance defense litigation with a focus on construction defect and products liability claims for national carriers.

2003

The Rev. Dr. Brandon Frick has accepted a call as the site pastor for Village on Antioch Presbyterian Church in Overland Park, Kan. He and his wife, Aaryn Jones Frick, and their two sons moved to Kansas in January. Aaryn is a clinical social worker.

2004

Philip Hauserman now leads The Castle Group’s Atlanta, Ga., office since the Boston-based public relations and events management agency expanded its footprint to Atlanta. Philip is an Atlanta native and veteran public relations professional. As vice president, he is responsible for establishing the firm’s presence in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast, as well as continuing to deepen Castle’s growing education and crisis communications practices.

With more than 13 years of experience, Philip works closely with educational institutions, nonprofits, major corporations and professional service firms to deliver timely, consistent and concise messages to the audiences that matter most, in preparation for and in response to high visibility issues. Examples of sensitive and highly charged situations he has managed include discrimination, litigation, wrongful termination, workplace violence, sexual assault, data breaches and executive misconduct. Philip is also known throughout Atlanta for helping companies increase awareness, visibility and acceptance through media, thought leadership and speaking opportunities.

2006

Sarah Andrews and Jake Sintich were married March 24 in Hartsville, S.C.

2007

Jack Jenkins joined Religion News Service as a national reporter. He covers the Catholic beat and the major religion stories of the day. Jack is religion reporter known for his hard work, creativity and balanced reporting. Most recently Jack was the senior religion reporter at Washington-based ThinkProgress. Prior to that, Jack was a senior writer for the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative at the Center for American Progress. Jack is no stranger to RNS, where he conducted a reporting internship in 2011 and later blogged for the news service. His work has appeared or been referenced in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, MSNBC and elsewhere. He has been a guest expert on religion and politics for the BBC, The Bill Press Show,

HuffPost Live, Georgia Public Broadcasting and others. He tweets at @jackmjenkins. After graduating from PC with a Bachelor of Arts in history, religion and philosophy, Jack received his Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on Christianity, Islam and the media. In addition, he participated in the East-West Center’s Senior Journalists Seminar, an immersive, multi-nation, 21-day study and writing program. Jack is based in Washington, D.C. Chris Jones opened his law firm, Christopher L. Jones, Attorney at Law LLC in Greenville, S.C., in May. Chris worked as a prosecutor for nearly seven years and is excited for his next venture. He focuses on criminal defense, personal injury and family law in his new practice.

Weston Nunn and Celeste Kahn were married Oct. 12. Celeste is a graduate of Converse College and is the director of development for Florence-Darlington Technical College Foundation. Weston earned his master’s degree in history from Florida State University and is employed by Trinity-Byrnes Collegiate School in Darlington.

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Mary Cate Rankin’12 and Ben Singleton’12 were married June 2.

2008

Sherman Burnett is a real estate agent in Augusta, Ga., and is working with Keller Williams Realty.

Hollis Chappell Infanzon, who earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from PC, has joined Speak Strategic Public Affairs LLC as chief operating officer. She was owner of J&H Events LLC in Washington, D.C., and she also worked for the Obama administration.

2009

Sarah Cairatti and Brian Carreira welcomed their first child, Simone Ann Carreira, on May 10. They live in Whippany, N.J., where Sarah is the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Whippany. Brian is a staff chaplain at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital.

Sarah and Brian met at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and have been married for four wonderful years.

Tripp Rush taught English to kindergarteners in Hong Kong for a year after he graduated from PC. Upon returning home to Columbia, S.C., in 2010, he decided to enter the University of South Carolina School of Law and pursue a career as an attorney, like his father. In 2014, Tripp joined The Rush Law Firm LLC, where he practices family law.

Tripp has focused hours volunteering for Prosperity Project at Gonzales Gardens, S.C. Young Lawyers Division-Lawyers 4 Vets pro bono clinic, and S.C. Commission for the Blind. He also has been active for years as a volunteer for the sports ministries at First Presbyterian Church.

Besides loving law, Tripp also enjoys basketball. His high school basketball coach says Tripp exemplifies a “selfless attitude.” He exhibits this character trait not only by tutoring and mentoring children living in Gonzales Gardens through the Prosperity Project, but also by connecting through Sports Ministries on the basketball court.

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2010

Collin Atkins, a business attorney in private practice, has joined the business, renewable energy and corporate law practice of Greene Hurlocker PLC in Richmond, Va. Collin earned his law degree from the William & Mary Law School, where he was a graduate research fellow and a member of the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal.

Brittni Lynne Dulaney and Blakely Aaron Hall were married July 28 at Berry College Chapel in Mount Berry, Ga. Brittni graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics. She is the head women’s lacrosse coach at Berry College. Blakely graduated cum laude in 2015 from Berry College with a Bachelor of Science in finance and marketing. He is an agent aspirant for the Matt Medley State Farm Insurance Company.

2012

Lance Poston, Ph.D., earned his doctorate in history from Ohio University in September. Lance and his husband, Seth Hall, both proud PC graduates, live in Lexington, Ky. Since 2015, Lance has served as the University of Kentucky’s director of institutional inclusion and community engagement, leading strategic initiatives that strengthen diversity and belonging at the commonwealth’s flagship institution.

Anne Lamb Crosby and Joe Ben Frye were married Dec. 30, 2017.

The couple lives in Jacksonville, Fla. Will Ruark, North Carolina state park ranger, was recently promoted to advanced ranger at Lake Norman State Park. In addition to his law enforcement, medical response, lost person search and resource management duties, he now oversees operation of the park’s family campground, swimming area, concession stand, cove picnic area and the boat ramps. He is also charged with the maintenance and upkeep of the popular Lake Shore Hiking Trail. Will has a bachelor’s degree in history from PC and has served as a park ranger at Kerr Lake State Recreation Area and Lake Norman State Park since February 2015.

Taylor Spearman and Mitchell Brewer were married on May 12. Taylor is a doctor of physical therapy with Premier Physical Therapy Clinic in North Charleston, S.C..

She is the daughter of Brad ’85 and Mary ’84 Spearman, and they enjoyed many Blue Hose of all ages at the wedding.

2013 and 2014 Blue Hose make the grade in medical school

2013

Drew Brandel graduated from the University of Oregon with a Ph.D. in school psychology on June 18. He is now living in Dallas and is working as a nationally certified school psychologist for the Fort Worth Independent School District during the 2018-2019 academic year while he pursues licensure as a licensed psychologist in Texas.

Grace Aldridge Foster earned her Master of Arts in English from Georgetown University in 2017. This summer she launched her writing training and consulting firm, Bold Type LLC. The company offers team trainings, executive coaching, and writing and editing services. Grace draws on her experiences designing and teaching courses on concise writing to U.S. Special Forces teams, and directing college writing centers (including PC’s!). Bold Type is based in Washington, D.C., where Grace has lived since 2015.

Sarah Morgan Riley, of Aiken, S.C., and Dustin Charles Scott, of Sumter, S.C., were united in marriage on April 21 at Cypress Trees Plantation on Edisto Island, S.C. The bride graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2017 with a Master of Education in language and literacy. She is employed as a teacher by Lexington-Richland School District Five.

The bridegroom graduated from Winthrop University in 2015 with a Master of Business Administration. He is employed as an accountant at McNair Law Firm.

2014

Maddie Taghon became the assistant women’s lacrosse coach at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va., in August.

2015

Ashleigh Morgan Bethea and Joshua Clifford Griffin, both of Greenwood, S.C., were married Oct. 20 at Greenwood First Baptist Church. Ashleigh earned her Bachelor of Science in English, with a minor in both psychology and communications, from PC. She is employed with Park Seed as a copywriter. Joshua attended Lander University and graduated from Piedmont Technical College with an associate degree in computer technology and programming. He is a store manager with Barnes & Noble on the campus of Claflin University.

2016

Sara Walden Hanna earned a master’s degree in speech pathology from the University of South Carolina. She is now a licensed speech-language pathologist at Augusta University Health.

These four are the most recent PC alumni to graduate from USC schools of medicine in Greenville and Columbia, S.C. Left to right: William J. Moore III, MD ’14 (Internal Medicine, Harry E. Hicklin IV, MD ’14 (Internal Medicine), Kalie M. Goodman, MD ’14 (General Surgery) and Christina S. New, MD ’13 (Pediatrics)

2017

Christopher Bishop is the choral director for Pickens High and Pickens Middle School. He just completed his first year of teaching and led the first-ever Pickens Middle School Honor Choir to a CPA performance. Christopher has been accepted and started participating in the Master of Music in Music Education program at the University of West Georgia.

Jessica Goergen, Ph.D., received her Doctor of Philosophy from Auburn University. She is a research assistant of the Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and Counseling within the College of Education at Auburn University.

Joel Roberts, who received many accolades as a tennis player at Pinewood Prep and then PC, is now trying his hand at coaching. After graduating from PC with a Bachelor of Arts in history with minors in secondary education and athletic coaching, he accepted a position this school year as a graduate assistant coach for the Wingate University men’s and women’s tennis teams. Joel helped both Wingate tennis programs have successful seasons, and his contributions to the program didn’t go unnoticed. In his first year with Wingate, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association named Joel the Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year for men’s and women’s tennis. He is pursuing a master’s degree in sport management at Wingate.

2018

Alejandro Bejar is now the assistant tennis coach at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn., after enjoying a brilliant career at PC. His win total is the second-most in program history. The native of Madrid, Spain earned the designation of Team MVP as a freshman and was the Presbyterian College Athletic Department Player of the Year following his sophomore year. He graduated with a 3.6 GPA in business administration and has entered Lee’s Master of Business Administration program.

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In Memory of...

William D. (Bill) Hawkins ’58 of Greenville, N.C., died May 30, 2018, at the age of 81.

Wiley R. Keller ’58 of Greenwood, S.C., died November 8, 2017, at the age of 82.

Thomas Quaite (T.Q.) Jones ’39 of Horseshoe Bay, Texas, died September 20, 2018, at the age of 100.

Earl Howard Stockton, Jr. ’42 of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., died August 28, 2018, at the age of 96.

COL(Ret) Joseph H. Jones ’43 of Smyrna, Ga., died April 26, 2018, at the age of 94.

Mary Loftis McMurray ’44 of Black Mountain, N.C., died May 5, 2018, at the age of 94.

Edward Guice Potter ’58 of Anniston, Ala., died September 27, 2018, at the age of 82.

Robert W. Taylor ’58 of Columbia, S.C., died June 29, 2018, at the age of 82.

F. Keith McGee ’59 of Clinton, S.C., died August 25, 2018, at the age of 87.

Eugene (Gene) L. Ransdale ’59 of Denmark, S.C., died July 16, 2018, at the age of 81.

Margaret Bennett Taylor ’46 of Liberty, S.C., died September 21, 2018, at the age of 93.

Robert (Bob) Lee Bean, Jr. ’60 of Charleston, S.C., died August 13, 2018, at the age of 83.

Marjorie Byrd Todd ’46 of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., died May 4, 2018, at the age of 91.

COL William H. Shivar ’48 of Newport News, Va., died July 6, 2018, at the age of 95.

William (Bill) Mims Harper ’50 of Darlington, S.C., died September 5, 2018, at the age of 92.

William Herbert Weir ’51 of Wilson, N.C., died May 16, 2018, at the age of 91.

William (Bill) Miles O’Dell ’52 of Spartanburg, S.C., died September 9, 2017, at the age of 93.

Rev. Robert (Bob) Allman ’54 of Peachtree City, Ga., died April 16, 2018, at the age of 98.

Lee Melvin Madrazo ’61 of Greenville, S.C., died August 6, 2018, at the age of 84.

James William (Bill) Sease ’61 of Greenwood, S.C., died May 30, 2018, at the age of 79.

Charles David Watts ’62 of McCormick, S.C., died July 5, 2018, at the age of 78.

Jack R. Mahan ’66 of Greer, S.C., died July 7, 2018, at the age of 76.

Shuford M. Wall ’70 of Greensboro, N.C., died September 6, 2018, at the age of 70.

Janet Carson Hortman ’73 of Goose Creek, S.C., died May 7, 2018, at the age of 67.

William Preston Barber ’54 of South Shores, N.C., died August 10, 2018, at the age of 85.

BG(Ret.) Bobby L. Matthews ’54 of Sumter, S.C., died June 11, 2018, at the age of 86.

Harriet Black McKee Hart ’74 of Clinton, S.C., died April 26, 2018, at the age of 66.

Douglas W. Stewart ’76, died February 11, 2017, at the age of 63.

Rev. Dr. Mills J. Peebles ’55 of Salisbury, N.C., died April 4, 2018, at the age of 84.

William Rowland (Chip) Cameron ’81 of Matthews, N.C., died November 27, 2018.

Richard (Dick) G. Fennell ’56 of Greenwood, S.C., died August 22, 2018, at the age of 89.

Sharon F. Rexford ’90 of Westminster, S.C., died August 21, 2017, at the age of 72.

Felder Ray Cook ’57 of Goose Creek, S.C., died June 20, 2018, at the age of 84.

Markie Thomas-Cohen ’92 of Marietta, Ga., died April 20, 2017, at the age of 48.

1932 - 2018 Dr. Charles Gaines Professor and honorary alumnus leaves a lasting legacy

Dr. Charles Gaines, who served on the PC faculty from 1965 to 1998, died on Sunday, Nov. 11. During his tenure, he expanded the fine arts and music programs significantly.

His leadership included directing the choir and developing the Madrigal Dinner concert at Christmas. The event was the first of its kind in South Carolina and was filmed by SC Educational Television. Gaines also took one of the first groups from PC to tour Israel and sing in Bethlehem Square on Christmas Eve.

Gaines was well-respected and well-loved by his students and peers. Two alumni established a scholarship in his name at the time of his retirement. Gaines and his wife, Jean, received the 2013 Honorary Alumni Award, which recognizes people who have treated PC like their alma mater, even though they did not attend the College.

(Due to the closeness to press time, more on Gaines’ legacy will be included in the next PC Magazine.)

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Dr. Dale Rains Professor emeritus of speech and drama

Dr. Dale Rains, professor emeritus of speech and drama, died on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at his home in Lexington, S.C. Professor Rains served on the Presbyterian College faculty from 1967 to 2001.

Rains held degrees from Baylor University and Louisiana State University. As noted in his obituary, “With his input, the College constructed the Caldwell Harper Theater. He produced and directed, and later with the contributions of his valued colleague, Dr. Lesley Preston, over seventy full-length productions and oversaw the production work of dozens of student actors and directors.”

“I came to PC from working in professional theatre, and Dale was an amazing mentor to me in my development as a theatre professor,” Preston said. “From him I learned the balance between caring for your students and holding them to a high standard. His infinite patience was something I could never match, but was a wonderful benchmark.”

In 1985, Pi Kappa Phi National Fraternity named Rains the Chapter Adviser of the Year. He was selected for the honor from more than 100 designated advisers to Pi Kappa Phi fraternity chapters across the country.

Rains served on the board of directors of the South Carolina Theater Association, the state professional organization. He held several state-wide offices with the South Carolina Theater Association, including president, vice president, convention program chair and archivist.

“D.O. was that very special professor who made you feel like you could do anything,” said Larisa Dukes ‘82. “He believed in you. More than that, he trusted you to know what needed to be done.”

An avid storyteller, Rains wrote fiction in addition to plays. His novel “My Father’s Sins” is a mystery that “explores the plight of a Christian priest who finds himself entangled in the case of a homeless man’s homicide,” according to a 2009 newspaper article.

Celebrating 100 years of PC ROTC

1936 - 2018

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Presbyterian College 503 South Broad St. Clinton, SC 29325

OH, THE STORIES YOU CAN TELL Encourage talented students you know to visit and apply. #BeaBlueHose

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Presbyterian College is an equal education opportunity institution. The College’s admission standards and practices are free from discrimination on the basis of age, sex, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, disability, ethnicity or national origin. As required by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Crime Statistics Act, information regarding crime statistics, campus safety, crime prevention and victim’s assistance is available on the PC website at http://www.presby.edu/campus-life/campus-police/crime-prevention/crime-statistics/. A paper copy of the report is available by request. In Compliance with Title IX, Presbyterian College does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education programs or activities it operates. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to the Presbyterian College Title IX Officer or to the Office of Human Resources. More information is available at http://www.presby.edu/title-ix/.