SPARTANBURG, S.C. (courtesy converse.edu) — Converse College is proud of the success and exciting changes we have experienced over the last five years. The Board of Trustees expresses its appreciation and thanks to Krista L. Newkirk as she announces her plans to step down as President of Converse College, effective July 5, 2021. She has served as the 10th President of Converse since July 1, 2016. Newkirk is leaving Converse to become the 12th President of the University of Redlands in Redlands, California. Her duties at Redlands will begin on July 19, 2021.

Newkirk originally requested that her tenure at Converse end on June 30, at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year. In their April 2021 board meeting, the Converse Board of Trustees unanimously requested and voted to accept her resignation effective July 5 to honor President Newkirk as the first President of Converse University. This vote by the Board of Trustees was in gratitude of President Newkirk’s dynamic and visionary leadership during a period of transformational change for the institution, and in support of her career decision. Converse College will become Converse University effective July 1, 2021.

Converse Provost Dr. Jeff Barker will delay his previously announced retirement in order to serve as President of Converse during the 2021-2022 academic year while a nationwide search for the next President of Converse University is conducted.

“As I reflect on the past five years at Converse, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished through our collective efforts,” said Newkirk. “I was drawn to Converse by the community, the focus on enhancing equity and women’s leadership, and its ideal to educate students ‘to see clearly, decide wisely and act justly.’ I leave with the knowledge that our efforts have expanded our influence and mission and will provide greater opportunities for the future generations of Converse students and alumni. My family and I will miss Converse and the Spartanburg community.”

A dynamic and visionary leader, Newkirk and her executive team built upon Converse’s history, mission, and reputation for academic excellence to enhance its financial, academic, and cultural strength. She expanded the vision of Converse to advance a culture of belonging and collaboration that ignites creativity, innovation, and transformation. Under Newkirk’s leadership, Converse:

• Developed an innovative strategic plan;
• Became an accredited doctorate-granting institution;
• Launched its first doctoral degree program, surpassing expectations with an initial cohort 100% larger than projected;
• Expanded its master’s degree offerings, building on 55 years of graduate programs;
• Added data analytics to its business, finance, and healthcare administration degree programs;
• Opened an extension campus at the University Center in Greenville, South Carolina;
• Developed degree completion programs in business and child and family studies;
• Added an autism certificate program for teachers, the first in South Carolina;
• Became just the 6th private institution of higher learning to add virtual reality tools to the classroom;
• Successfully completed Converse’s ten-year reaffirmation of accreditation;
• Launched a Data Science program and developed a Data Analytics Laboratory through funding by Bank of America;
• Started the Converse Presidential Leadership Forum to celebrate International Women’s Day;
• Welcomed its largest freshman class (2017) in more than three decades;
• Celebrated the 50th anniversary of Converse’s enrollment of African-American students in a year-long celebration;
• Led the development of a campus Unity in Diversity Committee which conducted surveys and focus groups and developed a Strategic Plan to enhance diversity and inclusion;
• Launched Converse’s Quality Enhancement Plan entitled, Converse Across Boundaries: Learning Through Diverse Experiences, and devoted the Creative, Community, and Cultural Enrichment (C3) grants to support the plan;
• Expanded athletics to include teams for Field Hockey and Acrobatics and Tumbling, which competed at Nationals both of its first two seasons, won an individual National Title in 2019 and the Conference Carolinas Championship in 2021;
• Reached record levels of Annual Fund giving and other fundraising;
• Started the Valkyrie Middle College to provide a pipeline for high school students to begin coursework toward an education degree and a teaching position in Spartanburg County District 7 schools;
• Started the Office of Sponsored Programs;
• Added five new men’s athletic teams: basketball, track, cross country, soccer, and tennis;
• Started Converse’s first Esports program;
• Led a rebranding and marketing study for Converse and launched a new marketing campaign;
• Responded to a pandemic with an inclusive response team (faculty, staff, students, DEI Officer) to develop a high-flex model of operation and communication plan that minimized lost revenue and resulted in an infection rate of only two percent each semester;
• Replaced critical campus infrastructure systems to become safer and more energy-efficient; and
• Extensively renovated Twichell Auditorium in the newly-named Zimmerli Performance Center, one of the most iconic performance venues in the South.

In addition, Newkirk led Converse through the thoughtful, research-driven, and collaborative process that resulted in one of its most transformative decisions: to add a coeducational residential college in fall 2020, to change its name to Converse University on July 1, 2021 and establish the Converse College for Women in fall 2021.

“Krista Newkirk has led Converse through tough, but necessary decisions that have set Converse on a trajectory of success,” said Sandra Shearouse Morelli ’78, Converse Board Chair. “Her leadership and innovation built a strong foundation for the academic advancement and organizational strength of Converse for both today and for future generations.”

Regionally, Newkirk served as Chair of the South Carolina Tuition and Grants Commission, as a representative of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Board, as a member of the South Carolina Research Alliance Board, as a Member of the South Carolina Independent College and University Board, where she is Chair of the President’s Council, an Executive Committee Member, and a Public Policy Committee Member. Locally, she is a member of the Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce’s One Spartanburg Talent Action Team, a Member of the Chamber’s Advisory Board; Co-chair of the Education to Employment Committee; a Spartanburg Rotarian; a member of the Spartanburg Academic Movement Board; a member of the College Town Board; and a member of the globalbike Board.

Newkirk was honored as one of the 50 Most Influential and one of 25 Women of Influence in the Upstate of South Carolina in 2020 and 2021 and was named a Woman of Achievement by the Spartanburg Herald-Journal in 2018. In 2020 she was honored with the ‘Courage’ Mary L. Thomas Award for her exemplary civic participation and contribution to positive change in the Spartanburg community.

TIGERVILLE, S.C. (courtesy ngu.edu) — The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability announced the accreditation of North Greenville University (NGU) on April 16, affirming the university’s commitment to the ECFA’s “Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship.”

With a stated mission of “enhancing trust in Christ-centered churches and ministries,” ECFA bases its accreditation on compliance with financial accountability, transparency, sound board governance and ethical fundraising.

“This is a significant recognition of our university’s commitment to demonstrate that Christ makes the difference in how we operate with financial integrity,” said NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr. “ECFA is the recognized leader in accrediting evangelical enterprises which reflect financial accountability. This accreditation affirms the work of NGU personnel and the steadfast leadership of our board of trustees.

According to the ECFA, the university has joined other Christ-centered churches and ministries across America which are collectively supported by more than 14.6 million donors. The council’s announcement stated that NGU has “earned the right to display the ECFA seal. When an organization is accredited by ECFA, it demonstrates its willingness to follow the model of biblical accountability.”

“We are pleased to accredit a ministry committed to provide every student with not only a quality educational experience, but also hands-on opportunities for spiritual growth and service on campus, in the local community, and around the world,” said Michael Martin, president of ECFA.

Founded in 1892, North Greenville University operates campuses in Tigerville and Greer, South Carolina. An entity of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, NGU’s mission is “to equip transformational leaders for church and society.”

With the ECFA accreditation, NGU is included in the council’s ServantMatch® online resource, designed to match “God’s servants with the stewardship options of ECFA members based on ministry sectors and categories.” The new resource can be found at www.ecfa.org/ServantMatch.

ECFA’s accreditation is based on the organization’s “Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship,” which are available online at www.ecfa.org/Standards.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (courtesy wofford.edu) — Wofford College officially dedicated the Chandler Center for Environmental Studies and celebrated the servant leaders who made it possible—Harold and Delores Chandler.

The 17,525-square-foot center opened at the start of the 2020-21 academic year.

“This has been a remarkable year at Wofford College. During a pandemic, we managed to complete a $300 million comprehensive campaign, including the construction of the Chandler Center for Environmental Studies,” said Wofford President Dr. Nayef Samhat. “Delores and Harold Chandler, who made the lead gift for the new building are the ideal examples of the type of generous servant leaders who have made the campaign’s success possible.”

The Chandler Center for Environmental Studies received three Green Globes through the Green Globes Certification program, which recognizes buildings for sustainable design and operations. The building includes laboratories, classrooms and office space. Some of the building’s sustainable design elements include a rooftop garden with non-invasive plants, borrowed light in the building’s labs and classrooms, an exposed mass timber structural system, strategically placed windows for natural ventilation, heat island mitigation and controlled admission of natural light to reduce electric lighting to save energy.

The Chandlers have high hopes for students studying in the space.

“Students who will study here will lead companies or cities and states or other entities into a more environmentally sensitive era, or may become innovators or inventors, or who knows, even win a Nobel Prize for their stewardship and commitment,” Harold Chandler said during the dedication. “We expect to witness meaningful contributions from those who study, teach and are otherwise influenced by this award-winning facility and faculty.”

Environmental studies is one of the newest majors on Wofford’s campus, and the Chandler Center for Environmental Studies was designed to meet the department’s distinctive needs, including storage for kayaks and on-campus gardens.

“Twelve years ago, environmental studies at Wofford College was established, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by moving into a new building,” said Dr. Kaye Savage, professor and director of the Goodall Environmental Studies Center. “Every nook and cranny in the Chandler Center for Environmental Studies offers opportunities to teach and learn lessons in sustainability, green building, food systems, energy efficiency and more.”

Harold Chandler, a trustee emeritus at the college, is a 1971 Wofford graduate. Over the years, he has felt it was his responsibility to support future Terriers. The Chandler family has supported 14 endowed scholarships at Wofford.

“I attended Wofford on a scholarship,” Harold Chandler said. “Simply put, that has always meant to me and Delores that someone other than me or my family paid for me to attend Wofford. What an eternal gift it has been. Over the past 40 years or so, it has seemed only natural that doing the same for other Wofford students was the most appropriate and tangible way for us to give back, to say thank-you, genuinely and in perpetuity.”

Chandler served on the Wofford College Board of Trustees from 1988 to 2000 and again from 2004 until his retirement from the board in 2016; he served as vice chair from 2009 to 2011 and as chair from 2011 until his retirement. In 1993, he led the task force that helped move Wofford to Division I athletics and in 2005 he led a second task force on enrollment growth, both of which produced recommendations that have had a profound and positive impact on the college. In recognition of his retirement from the board, the board room in the DuPré Administration Building was named in his honor.

During his tenure on the board, Chandler oversaw significant reform of the college’s governance structure and served as an example and mentor to presidents emeriti Dr. Joab M. (Joe) Lesesne and Dr. Benjamin (Bernie) Dunlap. He also oversaw the hiring and first three years of the administration of President Nayef Samhat.

Chandler was the featured speaker at the 2017 Wofford Commencement, where he also received an honorary degree.

A native of Belton, South Carolina, and a graduate of Belton-Honea Path High School, Chandler was an outstanding student-athlete at Wofford, leading the Terrier football team as quarterback and captain, and he was named most valuable player on the team and was the runner-up for the South Carolina College Football Player of the Year in his senior year. The 1970 team played for the NAIA National Championship. He is a member of the Wofford Athletic Hall of Fame.

Chandler graduated summa cum laude from Wofford in 1971 with a degree in economics and was the class valedictorian. He was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa while at Wofford. He earned his MBA from the University of South Carolina and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s advanced management program.

He was selected as Wofford’s Young Alumnus of the Year in 1983 and has led the Terrier Club and endowed athletics scholarship efforts for many years, helping to achieve more than $47 million in endowed athletics funds. The Chandlers have supported Wofford generously through scholarships and renovation and building projects over more than 45 years of involvement with the college, including being major contributors to the construction of Lesesne Residence Hall and the Stewart H. Johnson Greek Village.

Chandler retired in 2019 as chairman of the board of Spartanburg-based Milliken & Co.; his 18-year involvement with the company substantially influenced the Chandlers’ decision to be the lead contributors of the Chandler Center for Environmental Studies. Over a 48-year business career in financial services and industrial manufacturing, he served in numerous roles from intern to chairman, president and chief executive officer, and he was a member of nine corporate boards.

During the Chandlers’ marriage and 11 corporate-related family moves, they raised two daughters, and Delores Chandler managed a real estate development business spanning 38 years.

DENMARK, S.C. (courtesy voorhees.edu) — Voorhees College recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the University of South Carolina to provide community members in rural South Carolina additional avenues to careers in the healthcare field while simultaneously providing enhanced opportunities for recruitment, employment, and certification for some of the state’s most underserved communities.

The University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health’s Center for Community Alignment (CCA) and the Voorhees College Liberal Arts Innovation Center (LAIC) have partnered to address a community health worker shortage in rural regions of South Carolina through funding provided by the United Negro College Fund.

LAIC offers training at no cost to individuals and provides the participants with a certificate of training to be used for obtaining employment upon completion of the program. The LAIC, along with support from the CCA, will work to establish hands-on practicum experience to be applied to future employment opportunities for each certificate holder.

Dr. Kendall M. Williams, LAIC co-executive director, professor of public health, and program coordinator for public health, said the partnership with the Center for Community Alignment was a natural fit given the projects original goal of producing a comprehensive training and development program for students, faculty, staff, and community advocates.

In addition, the proposed LAIC initiative will be able to impact the rural and minority health disparities using a liberal arts and multidisciplinary perspective. The vision for the center is to create an all-inclusive and directed facility that will offer leadership globally by addressing rural and minority healthcare utilizing virtual and direct services. The center as envisioned will strengthen the curriculum and assist in developing community members’ sense of social responsibility and demonstrated abilities to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world settings.

Calvin T. Williams, Jr., LAIC co-executive director and professor of sports management, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates nearly 50 million Americans live in rural areas and face a greater risk of health disparities that cause them to be sicker and older than their urban counterparts.

“There is a direct correlation between the lack of programs that promote healthier lifestyles and provide better access to healthcare services for such disparities. The vision for our center is to provide resources that address health disparities through virtual and in person services along with caregiving challenges,” Williams said. “Improving caregiving and health outcomes in underserved communities is a preventive measure that the Biden administration supports and has pledged to add more than 100,000 new community health workers in the coming months nationwide.”

Tiffany L. Grayson, LAIC program specialist and office manager, said community health workers are vital peer assets, especially in underserved and underrepresented communities. “Community health workers provide culturally competent and appropriate health education and information to their own communities. Their efforts promote community empowerment and social justice by advocating for increased health knowledge and self-sufficiency,” Grayson said.

Grayson added, “Navigating the health care system can be difficult and overwhelming, but community health workers ease the process by serving as a bridge that links people to needed health care information and services.”

About the Voorhees College Liberal Arts Innovation Center

The purpose of the Liberal Arts Innovation Center at Voorhees College is to increase the healthcare access and equity of underserved, high need areas, and underrepresented minority populations by creating innovative pathways and models for increasing community opportunities to acquiring much needed resources, care, and diversifying avenues of access to healthcare in South Carolina and the nation.

For more information, please contact Tiffany Grayson, LAIC program specialist, at 803-780-1238 or at communityhealthworkers@voorhees.edu.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (courtesy smcsc.edu) — SMC’s Camak Core is an innovative career preparation program at the heart of SMC’s new Bachelor’s Degree. We asked Courtney Shelton, Vice President for Professional Development and Design and Coordinator of the Camak Core, to answer five burning questions about the new program.

Q1: Let’s start with the basics. What is the Camak Core?

Courtney: “The Camak Core is a group of six classes that give students skills they need to succeed in the workplace. It’s named in honor of SMC’s founder, Dr. David English Camak. SMC’s bachelor’s degree requires students to choose two concentrations instead of majors. They can choose two from business, English, history, or religion. The Camak core is their third required concentration, and all B.A. degree students will take Camak Core courses, which start in their junior year.”

Q2: What kind of skills will they learn?

Courtney: “The Camak Core teaches soft skills, which aren’t specific to any particular major, field, or career. These are the skills employers have noted in both national surveys and in conversations with us that most college students don’t have but need in order to be job ready. ”

Q3: Won’t students learn the soft skills they need on the job?

Courtney: “Sure, they can learn soft skills on the job, but it can take much longer and be much harder. The reason is because soft skills are often attitude- and behavior-based. If a soft skill doesn’t come naturally to a student, it can take a lot of practice and reinforcement to master it. But if SMC students can show an employer they’ve already mastered those skills, employers know they’ll contribute to the organization faster and at a higher level than most recent college grads — and that makes our students much more competitive for the best careers at the best starting pay.

We’re trying to help our students understand that just getting the degree doesn’t guarantee success, even though it was probably enough for their parents or grandparents. Workplace expectations are incredibly different these days, and we want them to learn the difference between college skills and workplace skills before they graduate and start their first jobs.”

Q4: So, what’s the difference between college skills and workplace skills?

Courtney: “I’m glad you asked! Surveys tell us that employers want to hire graduates with the soft skills we’re teaching in the Camak Core, but most colleges still focus on teaching academic skills only. And that was fine for the last 500 years, but we know that most students go to college today because they need a degree to pursue a career. For most of their lives, students are taught that good grades equal success. And of course, earning great grades is an accomplishment that should be valued and celebrated. What’s not working so well anymore is that after college, plenty of successful students struggle to find a great job or don’t earn promotions because maybe they can’t work well in a team. Or maybe they can’t accept criticism, or they can’t solve a problem without their supervisor telling them every step to take. Suddenly, these successful students aren’t successful employees and so, understandably, they feel like their college took their money without preparing them.

Q5: Why is the Camak Core a requirement of SMC’s bachelor’s degrees?

Courtney: “As a college, SMC decided soft skills were so valuable for our students that it would be irresponsible of us, as educators, not to teach them. Most schools offer some form of career preparation, but it’s nearly always optional. We’re requiring it, and no other liberal arts college is requiring it at the level we are, because we believe teaching soft skills along with academic skills will guarantee our students are as prepared as possible to be successful in their first job and in every other job after graduation. Also, college is, in many ways, the best place to practice these skills. If you’re going to make mistakes that could keep you from getting a great job or that will set you back in your career, we want our students to make those mistakes on a Camak Core project so they can learn from them before it has real-world consequences.”

CENTRAL, S.C. (courtesy swu.edu) — Celebrating the largest group of commissioned students since 2005, Southern Wesleyan University commissioned 20 religion students on Friday, April 23rd.

Professor Dave Tolan explains the history of SWU’s commissioning services, “We’ve been doing commissioning services since 2005. It started in Historic Freedom’s Hill church. Students were commissioned to Ministry of Christ and His Church in the same setting as were the earliest ministers in the Wesleyan Church in the South. We soon outgrew Freedom’s Hill and began having the commissioning service in the ALIVE chapel. However, to preserve the heritage of Freedom’s Hill Church we brought over the original kneeling bench from the Church so that students still knelt at the same bench that the first ministers from the South knelt at to be commissioned and ordained.”

May Graduates:
Lydia Andrew, Alex Birch, Katharine Bowen, Colby Callaway, Rachel Hester, Kyra Hood, Megan New, Isaac Radonavitch, Hannah Selden, Graham Simmons, Todd Sims, Wesley Tolleson, Hannah Wiggins, and Ben Wyant.

December Graduates:
Teia Carter, Gwendolyn Enszv, Emily Hoyt, Madison Janke, Kristen Potter, and Rebekah Sullivan.

In addition, several awards were presented to exemplary students.

• Achievement in Theological Studies – Lydia Andrew
• Excellence in Biblical Studies – Hannah Selden
• Excellence in Youth and Children’s Ministry – Katharine Bowen
• Bob Black Blue Blazer Award – Hannah Selden

CLINTON, S.C. (courtesy presby.edu) — Presbyterian College recently announced that Dr. Kerry Pannell will join the college’s administration as its new provost and vice president for academic affairs.

“We are thrilled and fortunate to welcome Dr. Pannell to campus as our chief academic officer,” said Presbyterian President Dr. Matthew vandenBerg. “Dr. Pannell prevailed in a nationwide search that attracted an exceptionally deep pool of qualified and accomplished candidates. During her visit to campus, she impressed stakeholders with her remarkable academic accomplishments, research experience, and extraordinary track record of success in advancing the academic missions of private liberal arts colleges.”

Pannell, presently the vice president for academic programs at the Council of Independent Colleges in Washington, D.C., will assume her new role at PC this summer.

Pannell earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Colorado-Boulder, graduating magna cum laude as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University in 1997, where she also was honored with the Centennial Teaching Assistant Award in 1991. Pannell also taught at Bowdoin College, Kiev Polytechnic Institute (Ukraine), and the University of Colorado-Boulder.

During a long tenure beginning in 1997 at DePauw University, Pannell taught in the department of economics and management and was named the Q.G. Noblitt Professor of Economics in 2008 before serving as dean of the faculty from 2009-12. Pannell also coordinated the Consortium for Faculty Diversity at Liberal Arts Colleges, leading efforts to increase pre- and post-doctoral fellowships for diverse graduate students interested in academic careers at liberal arts colleges. She was the recipient of the DePauw United Methodist Church Exemplary Teaching Award in 2008.

In 2013, Pannell joined the administration at Agnes Scott College (Decatur, Ga.) as the associate vice president for academic affairs and associate dean of the faculty. She received a promotion to vice president for academic affairs in 2015, serving there until 2019, when she joined the Council of Independent Colleges as an administrator.

“I am excited to be joining the Presbyterian College community and President vandenBerg’s dynamic leadership team,” Pannell said. “During my campus visit, I was extremely impressed by the talented faculty and staff who are deeply committed to PC students’ success. Everyone I met is living PC’s mission of faith and service.”

Pannell said she also believes that she and PC are a good match.

“Presbyterian College’s mission of lifelong service aligns with my personal philosophy of leadership,” she said. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to support a growing community of learners, one that innovates and values bold ideas as the bedrock of an excellent college education.”

Throughout her career, Pannell has championed diversity in academia. She continues to teach and conduct research on economic pedagogy. She also writes on issues of higher education, immigration, and the liberal arts.

Pannell currently serves as vice president on the board of directors for Laurel Advocacy and Referral Services (LARS), a nonprofit in Maryland. LARS provides resources and support to vulnerable Laurel residents who need food or have housing insecurity with the goal of helping these community members achieve stability and long-term self-sufficiency. She also is an avid scuba diver and amateur calligrapher.

Pannell and her husband, Dr. David Worthington, DePauw University Emeritus Professor of Communication and Theatre, will move to Clinton in June with their four dogs — Boomer, Cooper, Gus and Max.

“We eagerly anticipate the arrival of our phenomenally talented new colleague, who fully embraces PC’s history and traditions and embodies PC’s values,” said vandenBerg. “She joins a strong and collaborative leadership team and will help us to pursue a bright and distinctive future for PC.”

President vandenBerg also praised the work of the provost search committee.

“The entire PC community is grateful for the dedication and diligence of our search committee members, whose work enabled this tremendously successful outcome.”

The 12-member group, assisted by the executive search firm CarterBaldwin, included:

• Dr. Bob Bryant, committee vice chair and professor of religion
• Dr. Alicia Askew ’92, dean of academic programs and professor of psychology
• Dr. Stuart Gordon, professor of biology
• Dr. Sharon Knight, professor of Spanish and director of the Quality Enhancement Plan
• Dr. Erin McAdams, associate professor of political science
• Elton Pollock ’95, head baseball coach
• Dr. Austin Shull ’11, assistant professor of biology
• Dr. Eileen Ward, professor of pharmacy
• Dr. Joe Weber, director and associate professor of physician assistant studies
• Tommy Lawson ’71, representative of the board of trustees
• Brad Bryant ’75, representative of the board of trustees