HARSTVILLE, SC (courtesy coker.edu) — Coker College was recently granted additional funding (approximately $682,000) from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (NSF S-STEM) program to add a second cohort to the college’s STEM Scholars in Biology (SSB) program for high-achieving students interested in pursuing careers in STEM fields and who are in need of financial assistance to attend college.

Coker is currently serving as the lead institution on a research project involving three additional colleges, using a five-year $4.4 million dollar grant from the NSF S-STEM program. The grant provides scholarship aid averaging $6,000 per year for each of the recipient’s four years in college. Coker currently has 18 SSB scholars participating in its 2018 (class of 2022) cohort and now with the additional funding, the college will be able to add as many as 18 SSB scholars to a 2019 (class of 2023) cohort.

The project will generate new information about factors contributing to the persistence and success of biology students who need financial assistance. It will contribute new information to the literature specific to low-income students and will ultimately help increase graduation rates of STEM scholars, while increasing their participation in a STEM-related graduate program or field of employment.

Joseph Flaherty, Ph.D., professor of biology and director of undergraduate research at Coker College, is the principal investigator for the project, with Tracy Parkinson, Ph.D., vice president for strategic partnerships at Coker, serving as co-principal investigator. The program is also supported by a number of key faculty personnel and offices across all of the participating institutions. “The enhanced financial aid for students, while important, is not the only feature of the project,” says Flaherty. “The enhanced programmatic elements combined with a robust student-centered focus will certainly strengthen all partnering institutions as we better prepare our students for entry into scientific careers.”

In addition to the four-year scholarships, SSB participants will receive an integrated first-year experience, including a STEM-based first-year seminar, new laptop computers, mentoring by external scientists, intrusive advising from faculty and support from peer mentors, and research or project-based learning experiences. The impact of these activities on enrollment and retention, graduation, and post-graduate placement rates will be examined.

Flaherty says, “Just the idea that we’re carrying out a scientific study to try to figure out the key factors that influence a student’s decision to not only succeed in college, but to persist in their chosen major and use that degree to become a professional in the biological sciences is very exciting and will enhance our understanding of these important contributors to student success.”

All four colleges participating in the 2018 program belong to the Yes We Must Coalition, which strives to increase low-income and underrepresented students’ college-degree attainment at small, independent, nonprofit colleges and universities: Coker College (Hartsville, SC), College of Saint Elizabeth (Morristown, NJ), Ferrum College (Ferrum, VA), and Mercy College (Dobbs Ferry, NY).

For more information about Coker’s SSB program, please contact Dr. Joseph Flaherty at jflaherty@coker.edu or 843-383-8079. Students interested in applying for Coker’s SSB 2019 cohort (entering Coker in the fall of 2019 and graduating in 2023) can apply here.

###

ANDERSON, SC (courtesy andersonuniversity.edu) — Anderson University has formalized a partnership with Greenville Technical College that will allow GTC students to more easily transfer and complete their studies at AU.

Officials from both schools signed an agreement that puts in place the Anderson University Bridge Program, which is intended for Greenville Technical College students who complete an associate degree and who wish to transfer to Anderson to complete a bachelor’s program.

“This agreement represents an incredible opportunity for college students in our region,” said Dr. Evans P. Whitaker, President of Anderson University. “We are so appreciative of our friends at Greenville Technical College, and we look forward to welcoming their students into the AU family.”

Under the agreement, Bridge students enrolled in Greenville Technical College’s Associate of Art, Associate of Science and designated Applied Science degrees will sign an intent to transfer to AU. If they meet the minimum GPA requirement of 2.50 and earn an associate degree, they will be accepted for transfer to AU and will receive advising and academic support that will ensure a successful transition from the two-year college to the four-year university. Merit and transfer scholarships will be available for those who qualify.

Articulation agreements have also been signed for the Supply Chain Management, Marketing and Management programs. The agreements allow graduates of these Greenville Technical College programs earning a 2.50 GPA to transfer 60 -62 credit hours, depending upon the program, of GTC credit to Anderson University in order to complete a Bachelor of Business Administration.

“We are pleased to work more closely with Anderson University in order to improve academic opportunities in the Upstate,” said Dr. Jermaine Whirl, vice president for learning and workforce development at Greenville Technical College. “Together we can provide strong paths to bachelor’s degrees and give students the support they need at both levels to succeed and graduate.”

GREENVILLE, SC (courtesy furman.edu) — If you’re looking for tips on how to write winning grant proposals, just ask Karen Buchmueller. In the space of a year, the Furman University associate professor of chemistry has served as principal or co-principal investigator for three successful proposals to the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The latest NSF award of $253,411 will be housed at Georgia Institute of Technology and will support the national endeavors of the Chemistry Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Leadership Group (LG).

This award is preceded by two other NSF grants: 1) a $340,000 grant to Furman to support faculty and students in the REU program, and 2) a $156,858 grant to Furman for the purchase of a bioimaging system. All told, Buchmueller’s name is associated with about $750,000 from NSF in the last 12 months.

Buchmueller, who is one of three investigators on the most recent grant, has been part of the LG for five years, serving as chair in 2016. Advocating for the greater Chemistry NSF REU community, the LG is comprised of 9 faculty members, most of those hailing from comprehensive, doctoral-granting research institutions.

The group uses platforms like websites, symposia and workshops, which are focused on sharing best practices for REU principle investigators and Site Directors, so that undergraduates—including those at Furman—can have meaningful and productive research experiences.

Part of the LG’s work is also aimed at broadening participation and inclusivity in chemistry as a discipline. To that end, the group is heavily involved in efforts to attract to the field underrepresented minorities (Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Pacific Islanders), veterans, community college students, first-generation college students and persons with disabilities.

Said Furman Associate Provost for Integrative Science John Wheeler, “This achievement once again represents Furman’s long-standing national recognition and contributions as a leader in undergraduate research, including service to those schools in receipt of NSF undergraduate research funding in chemistry spanning two decades.”

About her latest success, Buchmueller won’t take all the credit. “Furman has had a strong presence in the Leadership Group for many years, as Drs. Moses Lee and Tim Hanks both preceded me as members of the LG. I am very proud of the work that I have done as part of this group and what this group has done for the Chemistry REU community. We ultimately are focused on the undergraduate student,” she said.

For more information, contact Karen Buchmueller, Furman University Department of Chemistry, at 864-294-2683, and karen.buchmueller@furman.edu.

CENTRAL, SC (courtesy swu.edu) – Southern Wesleyan University welcomes K. Scott Drury as its new vice president for advancement more than three decades after his father served in the same role.

Drury, a SWU graduate, brings a range of professional success encompassing law, fundraising and Christian service. He has robust experience in all aspects of fund development, including planned and major gifts, campaign planning, donor relations and building support within churches and faith-based networks.

Drury spent nearly a decade practicing law in Los Angeles serving litigation and estate planning clients, before becoming director of resource development at World Hope International, a Christian relief and development organization based in Washington, D.C. In recent years he has grown a diverse portfolio of fundraising and legal clients, serving as development advisor to the president of World Hope International, legal and technical advisor to the Last Well (a Liberia-focused non-governmental organization), managing director for Educational Services International (a missional teaching and outreach organization), stewardship professional and consultant for several church planned-giving programs, and private legal counsel for litigation, contract, non-profit, and estate planning clients.

Drury graduated from D. W. Daniel High School and went on to complete his BA in English at Southern Wesleyan University. He received a JD at the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he was inducted into its chapter of the Order of the Coif. He furthered his studies in the Philosophy of Christianity and Ethics at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.
Drury began his career with teaching appointments at the Budapest College of Foreign Trade in Hungary and at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China.

Drury has strong ties to the SWU community. His father, Elmer, moved his family to serve as Director of Development at SWU in 1985. His mother, JoAn, later served in public relations at SWU. While he was a student at the university, Drury met his wife of 25 years, Elizabeth (Childs), whose family also has a long history of service and scholarship at SWU.

“It is such a delight to welcome a professional with this level of rich experience and deep historical connection to SWU as our next Vice President for Advancement,” said Dr. Todd Voss, Southern Wesleyan University president. “Scott’s impact on our mission and future will be significant and long lasting. We are so blessed and thankful to have him join our team for such a time as this!”

In 2007 Drury was honored by the Southern Wesleyan University Alumni Association with the Young Leader Award.

In addition to his professional endeavors, Drury has served with joy in churches wherever he has lived: teaching classes, serving on local administrative boards, and representing the church in regional and national governing bodies.

Drury and his family, including four teenaged sons (Ben, Joseph, Peter, and Jay), will be relocating from the D.C. metro area of Northern Virginia in August.

Southern Wesleyan University is a Christ-centered, student-focused, faith-filled community that offers inventive learning experiences. The university endeavors to prepare its students to be dedicated scholars and servant-leaders who impact the world for Christ. At the same time, it’s Southern Wesleyan’s desire to practice contagious generosity within the surrounding community. For details about degree programs, go online to swu.edu.

 
GREER, SC (courtesy ngu.edu) — North Greenville University held a ceremonial unveiling of the new street name leading from Poinsett Street to the school’s Tim Brashier Campus at Greer on Friday, July 20. The street, formerly Ryans Corp Drive, is now named Walter Brashier Drive in honor of Dr. T. Walter Brashier, the graduate school’s namesake.

Brashier and his wife, Christine, have been two of the most generous and faithful supporters of NGU. Their generosity to the university has spanned over four decades.

Impact of Brashiers’ Support on NGU

Their first commitment was a downtown Greenville office building in the 1970s. Since that time, they have started an undergraduate scholarship fund, supported several capital projects, given the lead gift to launch the T. Walter Brashier Graduate School in 2005, and served on several university committees, boards, and councils.

Classes began at its first site, the former Fairview Baptist Church building in Greer, on February 6, 2006, offering two graduate degree programs in business and Christian studies. The graduate school now offers eight graduate and two doctoral programs, and is home to 450 graduate, online students, and the PA Medicine program at its Tim Brashier Campus at Greer.

“Dr. Brashier’s vision for supporting North Greenville University is unparalleled; his wisdom in recommending new programs, a new location like this one, and in his powerful prayers on our behalf have made a difference at this university where Christ Makes the Difference,” said NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr. at the unveiling. “We are on the edge of a campus that was birthed from a vision Dr. Brashier had.”

New Academic Initiatives and Scholarship Expansion

In addition to the unveiling, President Fant announced that the university will be launching new academic initiatives such as certificate and professional training programs and new degree programs that will launch this fall and in January of 2019. Also, Brashier has allowed the university to expand the Martin Timothy Brashier Scholars Program, announced last year, to include all of the programs offered in Greer.

“This program substantially subsidizes qualified and approved applicants as they start their degrees with NGU and have already been a great boon to these programs,” Fant said.

To be considered for the scholarship, a student must be a resident of any Upstate county or graduate of NGU, a first-time undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral student, must have applied and been accepted to attend a qualifying program at the Tim Brashier Campus, and must earn and maintain a 3.0 GPA.

Fant believes that both of these important announcements will help to “boost the turbos on Greer, on the Tim Brashier campus at Greer, and will help even more students to see how the Brashier’s vision has helped it to be clear that NGU is really a place where Christ, and Christ’s servants such as Walt and Christine Brashier, make a difference.”

The Tim Brashier Campus at Greer honors the memory of the Brashier’s beloved son, Tim, who passed away in 2012. A businessman and a 1976 North Greenville alumnus, Tim Brashier left many memories and significant impact in the lives of those who knew and loved him.

“We are grateful for the generosity of Walt and Christine in this legacy, which is now a landmark location here in Greer,” said Fant.

City of Greer Mayor Rick Danner says, “The City of Greer celebrates this well-deserved honor along with the North Greenville University community. The Brashier family has demonstrated a true passion for higher education. Its continued support of North Greenville University has helped make possible the university’s T. Walter Brashier Graduate School in Greer.”

Danner said, “Just as higher education transforms lives, North Greenville University is having a transformative impact on the City of Greer. The Brashiers’ commitment and service coupled with North Greenville University’s mission will serve students for generations to come.”

Scholarship application deadlines for Fall 1 Term is July 31, and September 30 for Fall 2 Term.

For more information about eligibility requirements for the Martin Timothy Brashier Scholars program, visit www.ngu.edu/martin-timothy-brashier-scholars-application. For NGU’s graduate and online degree opportunities, visit www.ngu.edu/academics.

NEWBERRY, SC (courtesy newberry.edu) – Christopher M. Harris will join Newberry College as its new Dean of Enrollment Management effective Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018.

Harris will provide strategic leadership and planning for the recruitment and enrollment of both traditional undergraduate and online undergraduate degree-completion programs and financial aid. As a member of the College’s senior leadership team, Harris will advise the president and others on recruitment strategies and tactics for current enrollment and future growth.

“Chris brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in enrollment management to this position,” said Newberry College president Dr. Maurice Scherrens. “He offers an infusion of energy, enthusiasm and fresh ideas that will transform our enrollment efforts. I am pleased to welcome Chris as the newest member of our leadership team.”

Harris comes to Newberry College from Ohio-based University of Findlay, where he served as Director of Admission (2014-2018). He helped that university achieve record-breaking enrollment and supported year-to-year retention gains.

Previously, he served as Dean of Admission and Financial Aid (2010-2014) at Lake Erie College, where he provided strategic direction for the institution’s new student recruitment efforts, including undergraduate, graduate, transfer, dual enrollment and international student constituencies.

Prior to that, Harris served as Director of Financial Aid (2009-2010) at Hondros College of Nursing, where he developed and monitored financial aid processes across multiple departments. He served as Dean of Enrollment and Student Services (2003-2009) at MedCentral College of Nursing, where he led significant enrollment growth and increased student retention by 20 percent in four years. At Paul Smith’s College, where he served as Director of Admissions (2001-2003), he partnered with academic deans and program chairs to identify, develop and market new degree programs.

“I am excited and honored to be joining the Newberry College family,” Harris said. “From the moment I stepped onto the Newberry campus, it was obvious this is a truly special and unique institution deeply rooted in its mission of preparing students in the Lutheran liberal arts tradition. Newberry has great momentum and I look forward to partnering with our talented faculty and staff and dedicated alumni to attract and retain future graduates of our College.”

Harris completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Communication from West Liberty University. He earned his Master of Arts in Education degree from Heidelberg University and is completing his doctorate in Higher Education Leadership at Concordia University-Portland.

Harris has a long-held tradition of volunteer and community service and said he looks forward to getting involved in the local community once he is relocated in the area. Most recently, Harris served as a volunteer with the Miracle League of Hancock County Buddy for Baseball program, The Make It Fit Foundation and the Heart of Ohio Girls Softball Association.

GREENVILLE, SC (courtesy furman.edu) — Three Furman University Department of Biology faculty members have each received research grants of $72,000 from the South Carolina IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (SC INBRE) program for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

Biology professors Adi Dubash (“Desmoplakin Harnesses Rho GTPase and p38 MAPK Signaling to Coordinate Cell Migration”), Linnea Freeman (“Sex Differences in Microgliosis: The Role of Gut Microbes”) and Alison Roark (“Interspecific communication between anemones and their algal symbionts”) each received competitive funding from the SC INBRE Developmental Research Program (DRP). Effective July 1, 2018, the awards will be applied to biomedical investigations conducted with undergraduate researchers on the Furman campus.

Connection With SCICU Undergraduate Student/Faculty Research Program

Dr. Dubash’s 2018-19 SC INBRE-supported research is related to Furman student Jacqueline Bendrick’s work on “Desmoplakin Promotes Cell Migration via Coordinated Control of p38 MAPK and RhoGTPase Signaling“, which received 2017 funding in the SCICU Undergraduate Student/Faculty Research Program. Bendrick presented the results of her 2017 research at the 2018 SCICU Research Symposium at Milliken & Company headquarters in Spartanburg on February 22, 2018. Highlights from the 2018 SCICU Research Symposium may be read here.

Among 14 South Carolina primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) eligible to submit applications, Freeman and Roark successfully competed for the two awards made during the 2018-19 award cycle. In addition, Dubash was renewed for a second year of funding following an initial award in July 2017.

Said John Wheeler, Associate Provost for Integrative Science and Principal Investigator of Furman’s INBRE program, “The SC INBRE DRP program has committed more than $730,000 in competitive research funding to Furman faculty since 2015. This is in addition to $1.3 million Furman will receive via the INBRE mechanism supporting undergraduate research access across all departments engaged in biomedical research between 2015 and 2020. The awards are a testament to the quality of professional scholarship conducted by Furman faculty and students contributing to the mission of the National Institutes of Health.”

SC INBRE is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with the goal of increasing the biomedical research capacity of the state. The program office directly supports 13 network and four outreach institutions, and provides educational, workplace and career development, and hands-on research training.

For more information regarding Furman University research programs, please contact Furman’s News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107 and vince.moore@furman.edu.

For more information on SCICU funding support for student research at its twenty member colleges and universities, please see scicu.org. The 2019 SCICU Research Symposium is scheduled for February 21, 2019 at the Milliken & Company RMC Campus Customer Center.

Funding opportunities are available for supporting SCICU student research. If you would like to support student and faculty research at SCICU’s twenty member colleges and universities, please contact Eddie Shannon, SCICU Executive Vice President, at 830-799-7122 or eddie@scicu.org.

ANDERSON, SC (courtesy andersonuniversity.edu) — The nation’s largest and oldest international film festival gave top marks to a team of five student filmmakers from Anderson University.

Garrett Black, Ashlyn Boudfolf, Parker Roberts, Ashley Smith and Mary Hunter Smittkamp won a Bronze Remi Award in the Student Film and Video Production category at the WorldFest Houston International Film Festival.

The students’ award came at the same festival that has awarded prizes to filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ang Lee and the Coen Brothers, among others.

Their short film, produced in Professor Gorman Woodfin’s corporate video production course, is a piece about Golden Harvest Food Bank (https://goldenharvest.org/), a poverty-alleviation program that serves disadvantaged people in north Georgia and Upstate South Carolina.

Woodfin said the film placed in the top 15 among 4,500 entries across 74 countries.

Woodfin hopes the AU filmmakers–Garrett Black, Ashlyn Boudolf, Parker Roberts, Ashley Smith, and Mary Hunter Smittkamp–become as well-known as Spielberg and Lucas in future years.

Black, Boudfolf, Roberts, Smith and Smittkamp are all AU students in Woodfin’s video production program who are making a name for themselves in the very place that helped launch A-list Hollywood directors.

Woodfin, a Hollywood-veteran-turned-professor who has won awards of his own at major film festivals, said the students’ Bronze Remi Award in the Student Film and Video Production category, is a big deal.

(Read more about Woodfin’s journey to AU here.)

“I am thrilled to see our students achieve recognition at an international film festival with more than 4,500 entries and 74 countries involved,” said Woodfin. who served as the supervising producer on the AU students’ entry. “For one of our pieces to place in the top 15 percent is incredible.”

“What really impressed me about the video project was that the people at Golden Harvest liked it so much, they immediately put it on their website,” Woodfin said. “Our students’ work was professional and emotionally moving. I am so proud of them.”

Woodfin said the student success can be attributed to the program at the AU College of Arts and Sciences. He said the support of Dr. Wayne Cox, dean of the college, and the Communications Department Chair Robert Reeves was instrumental in helping AU students compete at film festivals like WorldFest Houston.

“A clear departmental vision, combined with the talented young men and women here at Anderson University, is putting our digital media and video production program on the map,” Woodfin said. “To see our students win at a film festival that gave top honors to Spielberg, Lucas, Ang Lee and the Coen Brothers when they were beginning their career tells me we may very well have a future Lucas or Spielberg studying right here at AU.”

CENTRAL, SC (courtesy swu.edu) – Southern Wesleyan University has named Dan Moore as its new chief technology officer (CTO).

“Dan brings a wealth of specific experience to SWU that will serve our campus and online students so wonderfully”, said Dr. Todd Voss, Southern Wesleyan University President. “He is a collaborator, an innovator, and is excited about SWU’s mission and impact. An amazing combination!”

Moore brings to Southern Wesleyan more than 20 years of experience in higher education information technology, grant acquisitions, personnel management and vendor negotiations. He has also served as an affiliate computer science faculty member and is active in the Army Reserve.

“With the emphasis on technology in our future, Moore will be joining the SWU Cabinet to increase connectivity and strategic planning opportunities,” Voss said.

Moore has a bachelor of science degree in computer science and an MBA, both from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He has years of experience with Jenzabar, understands Canvas, and has earned multiple certifications and commendations in information technology, including the Computer Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). Moore has a heart for Christian service, using his percussion talent in worship and in the 395th Army Band, as well as providing foster care within the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Moore will begin his new CTO duties at Southern Wesleyan Aug. 6.

ORANGEBURG, SC (courtesy claflin.edu) — U.S. News and World Report Short List ranked Claflin University fifth on its list of the nation’s top 10 colleges and universities in alumni giving percentage during the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 academic years. In that period, the 10 institutions with the highest percentages of undergraduate alumni donors boasted an average giving rate of 51.5 percent.

Claflin, the only historically black college/university (HBCU) that appears in the Top 10, saw its average percentage of alumni who donated increase from 47.7 percent in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 to 50.4 percent in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.

Princeton University is ranked first with 60.8 percent alumni giving. Only Princeton, Thomas Aquinas College, Bowdoin College, and Williams College rank higher than Claflin on percentage of alumni giving.

In comparison, among all the institutions that reported alumni giving data to US News, the average was only 11.6%.

Below is a list of the 10 schools – nine of which are National Liberal Arts Colleges – with the highest two-year average percentage of undergraduate alumni donors in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.