Fall 2013 / Winter 2014
From the PRESIDENT CCU Pride and Commitment We at Coastal Carolina University can take genuine and justifiable pride in the strides this institution has made in the past few years. On every front—academics, athletics, community engagement, buildings and grounds, financial stewardship—it is evident that we are moving in the right direction. The fact that we have moved so far at such a solid pace is largely because of your support. Support from individuals and organizations who believe in our mission has been the strength of Coastal Carolina from the beginning. Our founders pledged their private funds to keep the school going in its first rocky years. In 1958, the people of Horry County voted to levy on themselves a 3-mill tax to fund their growing college. Exactly 50 years later, Horry County voters approved a penny sales tax for education building projects. CCU’s portion of this tax has funded the construction of the majority of the most recent buildings on campus. In these pages you will read about the largest single gift that CCU has yet received, a $5 million donation from TD Bank Group to the Coastal Athletic Foundation. During the past three years, several donors have made large gifts adding up to more than $13 million to support CCU.You see their names displayed proudly on University buildings. These gifts reflect the present stature and influence Coastal Carolina has achieved, and which are now being recognized and respected beyond the boundaries of our local region. In addition to these gifts, our Office for Philanthropy has received hundreds of smaller donations from our alumni and friends that, though they don’t make the news, I can assure you are extremely valuable and deeply appreciated. Collectively, these gifts, large and small, represent the faith you have in this institution and its future. As president, I see firsthand the power of your gift, no matter the amount. As a result of your commitment, CCU students receive a quality education and are guided by an exceptional faculty. Thanks to you, CCU graduates compete successfully as they enter the workforce and take on new challenges and responsibilities.Your gifts enable Coastal Carolina to make an increasingly significant positive impact on the economy of our community, region and state. Thank you for recognizing the value of supporting Coastal Carolina University. With you, I take pride in the tremendous forward momentum of this great institution.
COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Gov. Nikki Haley, Ex Officio member D. Wyatt Henderson ’98, Chairman Gary W. Brown, Vice Chairman Larry L. Biddle, Sec./Treas. William S. Biggs Samuel H. Frink Natasha M. Hanna ’94 Carlos C. Johnson William L. Lyles Jr. Marion B. Lee Charles E. Lewis Daniel W. R. Moore Sr. George E. Mullen Oran P. Smith Eugene C. Spivey ’91 Samuel J. Swad ’87 Robert G. Templeton William E. Turner III ’96 PRESIDENT
David A. DeCenzo EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT/ CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Edgar L. Dyer INTERIM PROVOST and SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT for ACADEMIC and STUDENT AFFAIRS
J. Ralph Byington ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT for UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATION
William M. Plate
EDITOR
Doug Bell ART DIRECTOR
Rob Wyeth DESIGNERS
Jonathan Ady Regis Minerd PHOTOGRAPHY
William Edmonds CONTRIBUTORS
Russell Alston Derrick Bracey Matt Hogue
David A. DeCenzo, President
Change of address notices should be sent with the mailing panel on this magazine to: Office of University Communication Coastal Carolina University P.O. Box 261954 Conway, SC 29528-6054 Copyright 2013 Coastal Carolina University
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FEATURES
12 Eye of the Storm
CCU scientists develop a better method for tracking storms and analyzing their potential impact.
18 True Colors
A CCU professor created the color design for a giant public artwork that channels the emotions of the world’s most populous nation.
22 How We Roll
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DEPARTMENTS 2 10 30 32 34
Of Note Published Of Interest Teal & Bronze Alumni
Don’t mess with these professors, librarians and other CCU employees when they hit the rink as the Palmetto State Roller Girls. Experience Augmented Reality: 1: Download the free Aurasma application on your smart device 2: Press the Aurasma logo at the bottom of the view screen to trigger the Explore menu 3: Press the search icon to find the Coastal Carolina University channel 4: Select Coastal Carolina University channel and follow 5: Scan images marked with the CCU augmented icon to reveal video augmentations
Introducing the Hurricane Genesis and Outlook (HUGO) Project
On the cover:
Coastal Carolina University Magazine is produced twice a year through the office of University Communication.
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Of NOTE CCU’s largest gift will support sustainability, athletics and scholarships
In September 2013, Coastal Carolina University received its largest gift to date, a $5 million donation from TD Bank Group (TD), a North American financial institution with operations in South Carolina. TD will donate the gift over a five-year period to CCU’s Chanticleer Athletic Foundation, the 501(c) (3) charitable nonprofit organization that raises funds for CCU athletics. In keeping with TD’s commitment to the environment as a core corporate responsibility, CCU’s sustainability program is an important focus of the gift agreement. Gift funds will also provide support for athletic programs and fund scholarships. According to CCU President David DeCenzo, the donation will be used to strengthen CCU’s sustainability initiatives, support athletic programs, and provide endowed scholarships and summer school academic support. “TD is an active supporter of several institutions in the Carolinas, and we became better acquainted with CCU when former TD Ameritrade CEO and current Chairman Joe Moglia joined the CCU athletic staff,” said Rob Hoak, regional president in the Carolinas for TD Bank. “A real interest in a partnership with CCU began when we learned about the University’s sustainability programs. TD has made a major commitment to protect and conserve natural resources not only through more efficient business operations, but through community involvement and sponsorships. Working with CCU to grow its green initiatives is a natural fit for TD.” CCU will officially name its sustainability program the TD Campus and Community Sustainability Initiative, and all “green” programs on campus will bear the TD logo, including water-refilling stations, recycling bins and Bicycle FixIt Stations. Campus sustainability events and student groups will be identified by the TD brand, including the TD Sustainability
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Fair, the TD Recycled Boat Race, the TD Eco-Reps student organization and the TD Student Green Team. In addition to the support of campus green programs, the TD gift will support the University’s combined athletic facilities, to be named the TD Sports Complex. The complex will encompass the University’s football, baseball, softball, soccer and women’s lacrosse venues. “This is an incredible moment in Coastal Carolina history,” said DeCenzo. “This generous gift from TD will have a transformative effect on our campus and the community as we grow our environmental sustainability efforts. Furthermore, the lives of countless students will be impacted for many years to come through TD’s endowed scholarship. We are deeply grateful for this tremendous gift.” Initial funds from the gift will help CCU athletics go green through the installation of an artificial playing surface at Brooks Stadium/Benton Field, a move that is expected to conserve between 500,000 and 1 million gallons of water annually. This conversion will also allow for expanded use of the stadium field, specifically in practice sessions for football and women’s lacrosse. “TD is recognized as a global leader in sustainability, committed to strengthening communities,” said Jennifer Sellers, sustainability coordinator for CCU. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to become of a part of the momentum the company is generating. Teal Goes Green is our slogan, so this partnership is a perfect fit and is sure to elevate our program to an even higher level.”
CCU makes Princeton Review’s green college list
CCU holds first summer commencement ceremony
A total of 166 students marched across the stage at the HTC Center Aug. 10 in Coastal Carolina University’s first-ever summer commencement ceremony. Previously, both spring and summer graduate candidates were recognized in the May ceremony. Commencement speaker Holley Tankersley, chair of CCU’s Department of Politics and Geography, spoke on the topic “Tomorrow is the Best Day of Your Life.” “So many people tell students that college is the ‘best time of your life.’ This is false,” said Tankersley, who was CCU’s 2012-2013 Professor of the Year. “If college is the best time you’ll ever have, what do you have to look forward to?” She advised students to follow three daily rules: (1) use your imagination; (2) practice understanding; and (3) learn something new. “If you follow these three rules, you’ll always have your best days in front of you.” Graduating student Evan Rodrigues of Southington, Conn., a cadet in CCU’s Reserve Officers’ Training Cadet (ROTC) program, received his commission at the ceremony from CCU alumnus 2nd Lt. Anson Cavanagh. The U.S. Army ROTC program at CCU was established in 2008 and has an enrollment of 52 cadets.
Concert honors Professor Rice
A memorial birthday concert honoring the late poet, songwriter and CCU English professor Paul Rice was held Sept. 26 in the Edwards Recital Hall.The memorable and emotional event featured performances by Rice’s family, friends and colleagues. Performers included American Idol star and Paul Rice protegé Elise Testone (above left) and son Jesse Rice (pictured here with his mother CCU dean Nelljean Rice), coauthor of the hit country song “Cruise.” The fundraiser concert raised money for the Paul Rice Broadside Poetry Series, a competition sponsored by CCU’s Department of English and open to CCU students. Rice would have turned 70 on Sept. 26.
Coastal Carolina University is one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada, according to The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges, released in the spring of 2013. The Princeton Review chose the schools for this guide based on a 50-question survey it conducted in 2012 of administrators at hundreds of fouryear colleges. The company analyzed data from the survey about the schools’ course offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation to measure their commitment to the environment and to sustainability. The profile reports on a wide range of topics, from the school’s use of renewable energy sources, recycling and conservation programs to the availability of environmental studies and career guidance for green jobs. CCU received a Green Rating of 88 under Campus Life & Facilities, which compares to College of Charleston’s rating of 88, Clemson’s rating of 85 and University of South Carolina’s rating of 99. Sustainability is a team effort, especially between students, staff and faculty, said Jennifer Sellers, CCU’s sustainability coordinator. Our office helps to establish opportunities to recycle more and make greener choices, while also evolving a culture of sustainability at Coastal. Our continuous efforts to conserve resources and reduce waste will have a significant impact and help Coastal become a model of sustainability for the community.”
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Of NOTE CCU opens state-of-the-art Swain Science Hall The long awaited addition of a much-needed campus building was finally realized Aug. 23 with the ribbon-cutting dedication of the Kenneth E. Swain Science Hall. The $15 million, 40,000-square-foot building has state-of-the-art research space and equipment for labs and classrooms. Containing 30 faculty offices and 20 science laboratories, Swain Hall will house the College of Science’s biology, chemistry, environmental science and health promotion programs. Keycard access will be necessary to enter most of the labs, including the herbarium. The second floor features a reptile room and a walk-in cold storage facility for experiments that require controlled temperatures. Lab spaces are designed for multiple disciplines, such as genetics, cellular/microbiology and organic/biochemistry. The new building is named for Kenneth E. Swain, a retired Myrtle Beach pharmacist, realtor and environmentalist, who made a substantial gift to CCU in 2008. Before pledging to provide CCU with a new science building, he set up the Swain Scholars program, which awards four juniors and four seniors with an annual $5,000 scholarship for research and outreach projects related to health sciences, an area of particular interest to Swain. “This building is a testament to your compassion for the community,” CCU President David DeCenzo told Swain in his remarks at the opening ceremony. Swain was presented with a marble mortar and pestle to commemorate the occasion.
The 40,000-square-foot Kenneth E. Swain Hall opened Aug. 23. The stateof-the-art facility is the first of two planned buildings to accommodate the College of Science’s expanding programs. Construction on the Science Annex II building is slated to begin in 2014.
Ground broken for Student Center Annex On Sept. 20, CCU officials broke ground to build a 39,000-square-foot, $12 million addition to the Lib Jackson Student Center. Two annexes are planned for the Student Center. Annex I will include a movie theater/auditorium, conference rooms, retail services and lounge space, as well as areas for student organizations to assemble. A courtyard area between the existing center and Annex I will include an area for entertainment venues. The front facade of the current Student Center will be remodeled to include a rotunda lobby and lounge. University departments that will move into the new annex include Student Activities, Multicultural Student Services, International Student Services and Career Services. Estimated completion date of the project is November 2014.
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The proposed Annex II will contain a large event space and conference areas as well as additional lounge space for students.
CCU students and University officials dig their teal-tipped shovels into the ground at the site of the new Student Center Annex, projected to be completed in 2014.
CCU ranks high in affordability, return on investment
Horry County Sheriff Phillip Thompson (second from right) and Horry County Sheriff’s Foundation president Tom Fox (second from left) recently presented a $15,000 check to CCU’s Director for Philanthropy Bryan Steros (left) and Vice President for Philanthropy Lawson Holland (right).
Sheriff’s Foundation creates scholarship
The Sheriff’s Foundation of Horry County recently donated $15,000 to create an endowed CCU scholarship that will benefit deserving local students majoring in political science, social science, criminal justice or interdisciplinary studies. The first $1,000 scholarship will be awarded in the 2014-2015 academic year. During the past two and a half years, the Sheriff’s Foundation of Horry County has raised funds from the local community and exceeded the minimum requirement to endow the scholarship. The Foundation relies heavily on donations from its annual golf tournament to support these scholarships. To be eligible for the scholarship, students may be new, continuing or transfer students attending on a full- or part-time basis. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and be an Horry County resident for at least one year prior to applying. The number of awards in any given year will be determined by the available earnings from the corpus of the endowment with the Coastal Educational Foundation. “We are grateful to the Sheriff’s Foundation of Horry County for its generosity and devotion to our University and making a significant impact in the lives of our students,” says Bryan Steros, director for philanthropy at CCU.
CCU receives final approval for Ph.D. program
Coastal Carolina University will begin offering a Ph.D. program in coastal and marine systems science in 2014. The move became official in June with official notification from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) approving changes allowing CCU to establish its first doctoral program. SACS approved the University’s request to be reclassified from a Level 3 (master’s granting) institution to a Level 5 (three or fewer doctoral programs) institution. “This is a very proud moment for Coastal Carolina University,” said DeCenzo. “Adding a Ph.D. program in marine science is a sensible move for our institution that will
deliver significant dividends for our region and our state for years to come.” CCU established a master’s degree program in 2003 in coastal marine and wetland studies, which attracts students nationally and internationally. University officials view the Ph.D. program as a logical progression in CCU’s leadership in the field of marine science. The new degree will focus on the complex interactions between atmosphere, ocean and land, with special attention on shoreline change, weather impact and environmental policy, according to Michael Roberts, dean of CCU’s College of Science.
A new study ranks Coastal Carolina University in the top tier of South Carolina colleges that offer a high return on investment (ROI). Affordable Colleges Online analyzed data from 111 higher education institutions in South Carolina and ranked the top 16 according to the highest ROI over a 30-year period. Criteria for the ranking included net tuition prices and the average starting salaries of graduates of fully accredited, four-year nonprofit institutions. The study is based on PayScale, the National Center for Educational Statistics, the Integrated Post Secondary Data System and the Carnegie Foundation. CCU President David A. DeCenzo said, “This new ranking affirms the high quality of our program. Families should know that students receive excellent value for every tuition dollar spent here, and this study confirms that.” The study determined that the 30-year return on investment in a Coastal Carolina University degree is $261,100. “These are important lists for prospective students to consider,” says ACO founder Dan Schuessler. “We’ve sifted through comprehensive data sources to find colleges and universities in South Carolina that offer a high quality education with consistent, long-term payoffs in the workplace.” Affordable Colleges Online provides students and parents with information about affordable higher education options.
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Of NOTE Recycled oyster shells revive coastal reefs Coastal Carolina University scientists and students are spearheading a unique effort to improve our coastal ecosystem by rebuilding the oyster reefs of the Grand Strand. Since the Coastal Oyster COASTAL OYSTER RECYCLING Recycling and Restoration Initiative AND R ESTORATION I NITIATIVE (CORRI) got under way this past spring, marine science professor Keith Walters and his corps of students and volunteers have planted more than 15 tons of oyster shells at six Grand Strand recycled reef locations from Cherry Grove to North Inlet. Reversing the usual order, wherein the oysters make their way from the bed to the table, these shells are gathered as waste from area seafood restaurants for planting in new oyster beds. A true community project, participation by five area restaurants (Graham’s Landing, Gulfstream Café, Mr. Fish Seafood, Noizy Oyster and Flying Fish Public Market & Grill) is an essential part of the endeavor, according to Walters, a marine ecologist whose specialty is invertebrate populations and community ecology within estuarine systems. The ecological benefits of the project are as endless as the circle of life itself. By filtering the water they live in, oysters improve coastal water quality. Reefs additionally provide structure and food, increasing all kinds of aquatic life includ-
ing many valued fishery species. The beds also control erosion by acting as natural breakwaters along the shoreline. Natural oyster reefs have been lost over the years due to overharvesting and other reasons, but Walters hopes this project will help rebuild these essential habitats and serve as living laboratories for ongoing marine research by CCU students. Currently, reefs built this past spring are being sampled by students to assess settlement of new oysters and use by coastal fish. The oyster shells are collected at area restaurants by Fisher Recycling-Grand Strand, a company based in Pawleys Island, and brought to a drop-off point on campus. The shells are quarantined for a month to make sure they’re free of disease. Then, they’re bagged for hauling to the various locations where reefs are constructed. Everyone is invited to get into the act. Students, both undergrads and grads, and community volunteers are taking part. The initiative is funded and supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and FishAmerica and involves researchers from Florida and Louisiana, coastal planners from New York, local businesses and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. For more information or to contribute to the project, contact Walters at 843-3492477 or kwalt@coastal.edu.
Students lay bundles of recycled oyster shells along the edge of the marsh to build new oyster reefs. More than 15 tons of oyster shells have been collected from area seafood restaurants to build six recycled reefs between Cherry Grove and North Inlet.
CCU students prepare a gill net to collect fish that visit the newly constructed oyster reefs.This will help assess how successful the reefs are in attracting marine life.
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Zipcar offers new way to travel A new first for CCU, the Zipcar program offers alternative means of transportation for students, faculty and staff ages 18 and older, as well as for members of the local community ages 21 and over. The two vehicles, a Chevy Volt PHEV and a Ford Focus Hatchback model, are available on demand and can be reserved and accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. CCU members can join the program for $25, with rates starting at $7.50 per hour and $69 a day. After the first year, members pay an annual membership fee of $35. Gas, insurace, reserved parking spots and up to 180 miles of driving a day are included in Zipcar rates, and cars can be reserved for as little as an hour or for multiple days. “The Zipcar program is part of our continuing effort to provide the University community with the latest in services and technology,” said Stacie Bowie, CCU chief financial officer. “While this program benefits all eligible members of the campus and surrounding community, it should prove particularly useful to our international students who generally have no means of transportation. The Zipcar is cost-effective, and the electric
car option complements our sustainability program.” Participating members with smartphones, including iPhones and Android devices, may download the Zipcar mobile application to make reservations, lock and unlock the vehicles and honk the horn to help locate the vehicle. CCU student organizations can participate in the “Students with Drive” grant program sponsored by Zipcar and Ford Motor Company, which provides students with Zipcar membership and driving credit to support student organizations on campus. The Students with Drive grant program will provide $300,000 in grants to be awarded to student organizations at eligible Zipcar colleges and universities.
Robots rule at CCU summer camp
When he was a kid, Louis Rubbo’s two favorite toys were G.I. Joe and LEGO bricks. Now Rubbo, associate professor of physics at CCU, is using LEGOs to teach a new generation of kids to build robots. For the second consecutive summer, Rubbo and a group of his colleagues from CCU and Horry County Schools led a two-week RoboCamp on the CCU campus for rising sixth- to eighth-graders. The summer 2013 class of 36 budding scientists and engineers set to work on a science fiction scenario involving the transformation of a previously uninhabited planet into a functioning city of the future. Using LEGO Mindstorm robotics, the students (32 boys and four girls) designed and built a series of small-scale vehicles and
programmed them to move across a map and perform a set of precise tasks, such as delivering equipment or building a pipeline. The designs require ingenuity, and the calculations have to be meticulous in order for the tasks to get done. It’s often a tedious process, but when it works—when a robot successfully clasps a piece of equipment and delivers it to the right spot, for example—a loud cheer goes up in the room. According to Rubbo, the exercise simulates the disciplined working methods of grown-up scientists. “We want to inspire these kids to think like scientists by documenting problems and creating solutions,” he says. “The learning-while-playing model is the perfect method to teach scientific reasoning and engineering skills.” The curriculum, called “Deep Space Terraforming,” was created by the Robotics Academy at Carnegie Mellon University. The camp helps fulfill a broad mission in higher education to encourage programs that are STEM-themed (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). CCU students majoring in middle level education also took part in leading the camp this past summer, giving them good experience as future science teachers. Coastal Carolina University magazine
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2013 CHANTICLEER ATHLETIC FOUNDATION GALA Hunter Yurachek
Eddie Dyer, Brooke Weisbrod
Breanna Lynn, Jerrett Oates, Boni Belle Brooks, Tami Brooks Mike Pruitt, Jen Wilson
Benji and Lynda Hardee, Courtney and Steve Leopard
Deborah and John Vrooman
Elise Testone, Diane Fabiano
2013 CHANTICLEER ATHLETIC FOUNDATION GALA Approximately 500 people turned out for the Chanticleer Athletic Foundation Gala on Aug. 16 at the Marriott Grande Dunes. CCU alumna Brooke Weisbrod was named Chanticleer of the Year. Marian and Larry Lyles
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Rob Shelton, Rani
Rick and Christy Adams
Mark DeCenzo, Jen Halas
Chip and Tracy Russell
Lara and Phill McNelis
Steve and Chrissy Mays
Tyler Thigpen
Laura Hogue, Brooke Weisbrod, Matt Hogue
Wayne and Linda Vereen
Sam Frink, Marion Lee
William, Francie and Brittany Biggs
Ralph and Ami Byington President David A. DeCenzo, Brooke Weisbrod, Jaida Williams
CCU alumna Elise Testone performed at the event
Alan LeForce, Amanda Weisbrod, Jonathan Weisbrod, Nick Weisbrod, Kathy Kelly, Brooke Weisbrod, Shirley LeForce, Deb Kelley
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PUBLISHED The Illustrated Gettysburg Reader By Rod Gragg Regnery History
Subtitled “An Eyewitness History of the Civil War’s Greatest Battle,” this new book by military historian Rod Gragg tells the story of Gettysburg primarily through the writings—letters, memoirs and journalism—of the men who fought in the battle on the first three days of July 1863. “Nothing written about the battle of Gettysburg is more powerful or evocative than the words of its eyewitnesses,” writes Gragg, author of numerous books on American history and director of CCU’s Center for Military and Veterans Studies. Gettysburg was the largest battle ever fought in North America, engaging 160,000 soldiers and inflicting nearly 50,000 casualties. The book conveys both the immense scale of the event and an intimate feeling for the lives of the participants, from the famous generals to the brave young troopers. Gragg has organized the material chronologically, providing introductions to each of the eyewitness accounts. The book also features hundreds of photographs and contemporary illustrations.
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Youth and the Socio-Cultural Environment: Russia and the USA – A Cross-Cultural Analysis Edited by Dennis Wiseman, Billy Hills, V.I. Zhukov and L.V. Mardakhaev The Russian-American Project
This is the third book published through a collaborative exchange program between CCU and the Russian State Social University. The primary focus of this work is on characteristics of youth, including factors related to the daily lives of young people in both Russia and the U.S., social and government policy affecting youth, and problems of socio-pedagogical work with various categories of youth. The book includes 19 chapters—10 by Russian authors and nine by CCU professors. CCU faculty members who contributed articles are Craig Boystein, Jason Eastman, Gregory Geer, Billy Hills, Edward Jadallah, Robert Jenkot, Nils Rauhut, Matthew Wilkinson and Dennis Wiseman. Since the collaborative relationship between the two universities was established in 2003, Wiseman, a former dean of the Spadoni College of Education, has been a primary editor of all three books, which are published in both English and Russian languages.
Living in Peace: Insights from the World Religions By Chanju Mun and Ronald S. Green Blue Pine Books
This book co-written by Ronald S. Green, assistant professor of religion at CCU, focuses on the philosophies of peace associated with major world religions. According to Green and co-author Chanju Mun of the University of Hawaii, religious communities are among the largest social networks in the world. With billions of people across the globe aligning themselves with these communities, the world’s religions have tremendous potential for spreading peace and justice throughout the planet. Unfortunately, religions have too often pitted their affiliates in wars against those of other world religions. In contrast, most major religions propagate messages of peace, loving kindness, and an end to afflictions around the world. In the modern era of easy global travel and communication, it is clear that such goals can only be realized when people come to respect religious differences and celebrate common human values. The purpose of the book is to help readers gain an understanding of the potentials religions hold for uniting large numbers of people in order to curtail violence and suffering.
Richard Brinsley Sheridan: The Impresario in Political and Cultural Context Edited by Jack E. DeRochi and Daniel J. Ennis
Chiefly remembered as the author of a handful of imperishable periwigged stage comedies including The School for Scandal and The Critic, Richard Sheridan (1751-1816) was also a poet, a member of Parliament, a successful London theater owner/manager and a bon vivant of Georgian London. This collection of scholarly essays, co-edited by Dan Ennis, dean of CCU’s Edwards College
The Use of the World By Dan Albergotti Unicorn Press
CCU English professor Dan Albergotti’s collection of poems, The Use of the World, was published in June 2013 by Unicorn Press. The volume contains 22 new poems in which the author employs his unique voice—sharp, rich, wryly inquisitive—to probe subjects both universal and intensely personal. Some of them take on, from unexpected angles, perennial questions about God and belief. Albergotti experiments with formal rhyme schemes throughout the book, as in the set of ghazals that examine the experience and meaning of 9/11. Many of the poems are wittily allusive, confronting themes, characters and lines from poetry’s rich past from the Greeks and Shakespeare to Philip Larkin. The distinguished poet Alan Shapiro describes the poems in this volume as “formally poised, intellectually challenging, and poignant—suffused with the literary, religious, and linguistic past, and utterly attentive to contemporary life.” Albergotti’s latest collection, Millennial Teeth, won the Crab Orchard Series in Poetry’s 2013 Open Competition. Millennial Teeth will be published by Southern Illinois University Press in August 2014.
of Humanities and Fine Arts, offers new insights on Sheridan’s literary work in light of these other aspects of his life and achievement that have been eclipsed over the centuries by his fame as a playwright. The book’s first essay, “The Many Lives of Richard Brinsley Sheridan,” by Ennis’ co-editor Jack E. DeRochi of Winthrop University, speaks to the protean character of Sheridan’s activities. Other articles discuss his early, little-known verse and its relation to his plays; his long (32-years) and sometimes contentious Parliamentary career and how it was entwined with his profession in the performing arts; and his relationships (personal and professional) with women.
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By Doug Bell
Coastal Carolina University made headlines across the nation with the unveiling of a new hurricane landfall prediction model. The brains behind the Hurricane Genesis and Outlook (HUGO) Project are on the faculty of CCU’s new School of Coastal and Marine Systems Science.
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HUGO Outlook Team: (Left to right) Tingzhuang Yan, Paul Gayes, Shaowu Bao and Len Pietrafesa
en Pietrafesa didn’t know if he was going to make it. He and his three colleagues had thrown everything overboard that wasn’t bolted down—furniture, supplies, even the refrigerator—trying to keep the 48-foot launch afloat. Here he was, a 22-year-old physicist barely out of college, on his first job with a solid future ahead of him… preparing to go down with the ship in a savage typhoon off the coast of Australia. The Boston engineering firm he worked for had sent him down under to Port Hedland on the west Australian coast to conduct a study for a dredging project. The report was nearly finished when Pietrafesa decided he needed more data sets, so he arranged a oneday trip offshore. He and his team set out at 4 a.m. and expected to be back by midnight. “There were no satellites then,” recalls Pietrafesa. “When we got a message from the Air Force about a monster storm heading toward the northwest coast, we were too far out to get back to port in time.” After tossing the cargo over the side as gale winds pitched the vessel into the crashing waves, they strapped themselves down in the boat. And prayed. Fortunately, they survived the storm, but it blew them hundreds of miles out to sea. It took them four days to get back to port. All they had was drinking water and some sandwiches. When they finally limped back to land, Pietrafesa was sunburned, hungry and humble. 14 •
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The incident might well have ended his life, but in fact it was the real beginning of his career. It was the catalyst for a newfound interest in the physics of weather that led him to pursue a Ph.D. in fluid physics and geophysical fluid dynamics. Pietrafesa has spent most of his career as a professor and scholar at N.C. State University, where over the years he has built a worldwide reputation for his authoritative research on climate, weather and the ocean, and their impacts on society. His expertise has brought him honors and invitations to serve on every important committee and board in the world of weather, including the chairmanship of the NOAA Science Advisory Board. He has also appeared before committees of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives as an expert witness on climate and weather issues. Today Pietrafesa is on the faculty of CCU’s School of Coastal and Marine Systems Science (CMSS). Now retired from N.C. State, he joined CMSS last year after a decade-long professional association with Paul Gayes, longtime director of CCU’s Center for Marine and Wetland Studies and now director of CMSS, on a study of offshore wind power potential along the Carolina coast. The two scientists share a common approach to coastal research. They have devoted their respective careers to the intensive study of the complex physical interrelations of multiple systems—ocean, land and atmosphere. The hurricane model that Pietrafesa has spent a career perfecting is a natural fit for CCU,
WINDPOWER
The Hurricane Genesis and Outlook (HUGO) project grew out of an ongoing study of wind power potential along the Carolina coastline on which CCU’s Paul Gayes has been working with several scientific partners since 2008. The need for precise and reliable weather data for this study brought Gayes into contact with Len Pietrafesa and his network of climate scientists, who were then at N.C. State. Their collaboration has contributed a wealth of useful science for the wind study that will help determine a range of important details, from the type of wind machine that is best for the Carolina coast to the response of wind machines to extreme weather.
where for the past 25 years Gayes has built an internationally respected program known for its research on coastal erosion, sediment patterns, seafloor mapping, wind power and other studies relating to geophysical processes. The other members of the team are Tingzhuang Yan, a meteorological oceanographer who was a key player in developing the hurricane forecasting system for NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), and Shaowu Bao, a computational expert specializing in atmospheric and oceanic climate systems. Both men have worked closely with Pietrafesa through their careers, beginning as students and rising to prominence in the field of hurricane climatology. Their new model for hurricane prediction was unveiled Aug. 1 at perhaps the most significant media conference in CCU history. The reason the announcement was so newsworthy—grabbing headlines from here to Zimbabwe (200 media hits in all, according to CCU’s media service)—is because the new model is the only one that promises to deliver accurate data on that most vital piece of the puzzle: landfall.
(Right) A
wind turbine under construction off the coast of Denmark
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When we tested our method against history, hindcasting the data for each year since 1950, we found it to be remarkably accurate…
Some of the other hurricane predictive instruments do include landfall in their matrix, but by and large they base their landfall prognostics on a regression model that assumes a percentage of the total activity. The one that Pietrafesa and his team created is different. They call it HUGO, an acronym for the Hurricane Genesis and Outlook Project and a nod to the memory of the last big storm to hit South Carolina. Pietrafesa describes it as an “end-to-end” model. The front end is the part that predicts the large seasonal picture: the number of tropical storms, the number and likely intensity of hurricanes, how many will affect the Eastern seaboard versus the Gulf coast. The back end is the micro-picture. The track of the approaching hurricane is defined with greater precision than other models, and with better lead time: five days from landfall. How is the HUGO team able to make such bold claims for its model? One reason is the breadth of empirical data that is fed into its algorithms. HUGO’s methodology employs a uniquely robust array of statistical analysis involving 22 separate climate factors. The HUGO deterministic model interactively couples other existing models,
HUGOMETHOD
What makes CCU’s model stand out in comparison with other methods of hurricane prediction?
The Surge: Often the most significant damage caused by hurricanes is due more to storm surge than wind levels, as in 2012’s Sandy (pictured below). The HUGO Outlook method offers detailed data on storm surge.
• Breadth of data — The HUGO model analyzes a robust array of 22 climate factors. • Historical hindcasting — Tested against historical data for each year since 1950, the HUGO model performed with high accuracy. • The Surge — The HUGO model is the only one that provides specific data on probable storm surge and inundation as a hurricane approaches, including time, location and statistical representations of expected water depth along the coastline.
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Coastal Carolina University magazine
The HUGO team updates its predictions periodically during the season as new data becomes available (see chart below). When a storm develops, in addition to detailed outlooks of its track and its characteristics and its ability to reduce the cone-of-uncertainty, the HUGO model system will predict the depth, time and location of storm surge and water inundation, information that emergency management officials say could mean the difference between life and death in evacuation planning. The model provides statistical representations (in quality state-of-the-science GIS visualization) of water depths indicating the likelihood of flooding in the range from 0 to 100 percent probability. This will provide specific information to emergency management personnel, hospitals, local municipalities, the highway patrol, evacuation planners and other decision-makers on whether or not to evacuate, when to evacuate, where to evacuate to, which routes to take, etc. “All the existing models offer linear data on storm surge,” says Randy Webster, director of emergency management for Horry County. “But CCU’s model system is vertical, with more information about depth and locations of surge. This is a tool we can use. For every mile of coastline you evacuate, it’s a million dollar impact.”
HUGOPROJECTIONS Category TS
April
June
July
August
Historical Average
Outlook
Outlook
Outlook
Outlook
(1950-2012)
15 (14-17)
16 (15-18)
11.0
14 (13-15) 16 (14-18)
NH
7 (6-8)
8 (6-9)
8 (6-9)
8 (7-9)
6.2
MH
3 (3-4)
3 (3-4)
3 (3-4)
3 (2-4)
2.7
ECLF
1,2,0
1,0,2
1,2,0
1,2,0
0.65
GMLF
1,2,0
1,2,0
1,2,0
0,1,2
0.95
TS = named storms per season; NH = number of hurricanes; MH = major hurricanes (category 3 or higher); ECLF = number of landfall hurricanes on the Atlantic seaboard; GMLF = number of landfall hurricanes along the U.S. Gulf Coast. The number of landfalls is given as a probability in order of decreasing likelihood in three stages: most likely, second most likely and third most likely.
Note: All the major hurricanes models, including HUGO, predicted a more active season for 2013 than has in fact been the case. The anomaly stems largely from unexpectedly low numbers measuring this year’s “Accumulated Cyclone Energy” (ACE), which calculates the kinetic energy of storms based on peak wind values. The ACE for 2013 was less than half that of an average season.
Saffir-Simpson
CATEGORY
including NOAA’s Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) and Wave Watch III models, the Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS) and Office of Naval Research’s Shallow Water Ocean Wave Model (SWAN) via the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s Earth System Modeling Framework. One of HUGO’s most interesting and conclusive features is its intensive use of historical data from recorded storm systems. HUGO scientists have coded the characteristics of Atlantic hurricane activity since 1950 as a key methodology for predicting the likely track of future developing storms. “When we tested our method against history, hindcasting the data for each year since 1950, we found it to be remarkably accurate,” says Pietrafesa. “It was either spot on or deviated from the historical record only by about one hurricane per year.”
HURRICANEWINDSCALE
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based on a hurricane’s sustained wind speed. The scale estimates potential property damage. Hurricanes reaching Category 3 and higher are considered major hurricanes because of their potential for significant loss of life and damage.
1 2 3 4 5
74-95mph
Very dangerous winds producing some damage with power outages that could last a few to several days.
96-110mph
Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage producing possible neartotal power loss lasting from several days to weeks.
111-129mph
Devastation damage will occur with power and water possibly unavailable for several days to weeks after the storm passes.
130-156mph
Catastrophic damage will occur possibly leaving power outages that could last for weeks or months.
157+mph
Catastrophic damage will occur possibly leaving most of the area uninhabitable for weeks or months.
Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center
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Coastal Carolina University magazine
A CCU professor is co-creator of one of the world’s most dynamic interactive public artworks. by Doug Bell
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T
A view from inside of the Water Cube showing the cellular configuration of the walls and roof of the building. 20 •
Coastal Carolina University magazine
here has been public art before. There has been interactive art before. But there has never been anything quite like “Nature and Man in Rhapsody of Light at the Water Cube.” This is the title of a permanent public artwork that covers more than a city block, rises five stories in the sky and channels the daily emotions of the people of the world’s most populous country. Steven Bleicher, associate dean of CCU’s Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts and professor of visual art, traveled to Beijing, China, this past summer to help run the final tests in preparation for its public debut and grand opening on June 23. “It was frankly overwhelming to see the piece for the first time,” says Bleicher, color specialist for the project. “Up until then I had seen it through still pictures and videos online. Seeing it with my own eyes I was finally able to experience the tremendous scale of it.” The Beijing National Aquatics Center was built to host aquatic events for the 2008 Olympics. The massive building has a unique exterior skin resembling a collection of giant water bubbles, each individually outfitted with LED lights. Also known as the Water Cube, it’s one of the most distinctive structures in Beijing, as well as one of the most popular attractions. The “Nature and Man in Rhapsody of Light” project was conceived by the distinguished Chinese artist Jennifer Wen Ma to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the building. Ma approached Bleicher, the only Westerner to serve on the core creative team, as the color specialist because of his background and reputation. She was acquainted with his textbook, Contemporary Color:Theory and Use, which addresses digital color, new technologies and global color issues. Bleicher spent more than a year developing a color design for
(Preceding pages:)
The Water Cube with its “iconic” blue as it wakes up each evening. (Inset:) The gua of fire transitioning into the trending emotional state Love.
Color Scheme:
The Water Cube displaying the guas (left to right) Mountain, Heaven and Lightning
a sophisticated aesthetic concept that encompasses both traditional and contemporary aspects of Chinese life, from the ancient I Ching to the latest social media tweet. Every evening from dusk until 10 p.m., the surface of the massive building radiates a brilliant light show in which every color and every movement has a meaning. In preparation for the work, Bleicher immersed himself in the I Ching and its elaborate system of hexagrams, or “gua,” that represent elemental states of nature, such as water, earth, mountain, etc. He studied the ancient ideographs and the traditional colors associated with them. He assigned them specific colors and movement patterns: water is represented in waves of light; mountains are basically static; fire has a lively, flickering movement. In addition, Bleicher selected colors to represent a range of eight emotions that correspond to the national temperament indicated by millions of emoticons gathered and sorted daily from social media services such as Weibo, China’s version of Twitter. “There is nothing quite like this project in the world,” says Bleicher. “As you tweet, you become part of the project. It gives a new definition to the term ‘public art.’ It allows the emotional feelings of the individual Chinese netizen to become a part of the artwork.” The social media data are fed into a computer program each day at 2 p.m., and the information is translated into the appropriate color values and animated patterns for that night’s exhibition. At dusk, the building turns blue, its iconic “water” designation. The color rises slowly from bottom to top, taking around 10 minutes to cycle. After the cube “wakes up,” the next cycle begins as blended colors representing the ancient “gua” and the contemporary emoticons flood the giant exterior walls and rooftop, capturing the collective autobiographical pulse of a nation of 1.3 billion people.
For Bleicher, part of the excitement of the project was engaging with artists from a different cultural background. In addition to Bleicher and Ma, the core team included lighting designer Zheng Jianwei and I Ching master Ren Zhong. “As an artist I usually work alone, so it was an incredible experience collaborating with artists of this caliber,” says Bleicher. “Ma would send me emails of drawings and videos, and I would send back color concepts and swatches. We did a lot of Skyping,” he says, which was sometimes a challenge due to the 12-hour time difference. Not surprisingly, the project has attracted a lot of attention the world over. The opening, which Bleicher attended with his wife, Helaine Cohn, was widely covered in the media, with stories by CNN, the Wall Street Journal and numerous art publications.
Steven Bleicher (third from left), with lighting designer Zheng Jianwei and lead artist Jennifer Wen Ma, talks about the project as part of a panel discussion at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. Coastal Carolina University magazine
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by Derrick Bracey
Palmetto state Roller girls 00 •
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“ ROLLER DERBY IS A SPORT, NOT A SPECTACLE LIKE PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING. IT’S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THESE LADIES ARE 100 PERCENT ATHLETES, NOT ACTRESSES.” —Brady Cross
DeLeetra Staley (middle), aka “Weapon of A** Dee-struct-ion” clears a path for her jammer.
t work they seem pretty ordinary. They have names like Teresa and Michelle and Shannon and Rebecca and Lesley. They are University professors and library employees and students. Some are parents and PTO members. But at least three nights a week and one Saturday every month, they are anything but ordinary. They assume different identities and names. They wear helmets, kneepads, fishnet stockings and ripped tank tops. They strap wheels to their feet and strike fear into the weak-hearted. They are the Palmetto State Rollergirls (PSRG), and they are serious about roller derby. They are quick to champion its legitimacy as a serious sport and its power to build relationships, relieve stress and benefit charity.
And they have the scars to prove it. Shannon Stewart, aka “Tart of Darkness,” has practically given her right arm for the sport, breaking it in eight places during a bout in 2008. “I hip-checked the opposing team’s jammer and when she hit the floor, she didn’t fall small and inadvertently tripped me,” says Stewart, a lecturer in CCU’s Department of English and spokeswoman for the league. “She went to the penalty box. I went to the emergency room.” After more than three months of rehab, she was back on her skates the day after her doctor cleared her, although she decided to become a referee. Michelle Lewis, aka “Piranha Mama,” broke her foot this past summer while doing a routine exercise during practice. Soon after the accident, she was trackside
again, coaching and cheering for her team while rolling around on a scooter crutch that the team chipped in to buy her. Lewis is the coordinator of access services in Kimbel Library. Teresa Burns, aka “Rockaway Beatch,” covers up her bruises at work, “but I’ll show off a particularly good bruise at practice. I actually hurt less after some games than after a good practice,” says Burns, who is associate professor of physics and director of CCU’s core curriculum. “After a particularly scrappy game, it’ll take a day or two of ibuprofen and ice packs to get back in shape.” The gain, however, far outweighs the pain. “As a physics professor, I spend a lot of time in my head. Derby gets me out of it,” says Burns, who is one of the three original Coastal Carolina University magazine
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Above: The Palmetto State Roller Girls talk strategy. Right: CCU Alum Robin Skordensky ’10 (#21, right) muscles for position.
founding members of the team, along with Lewis and Stewart.
and be welcomed by new friends who are as passionate about it as I am.”
“For me, it’s kind of like a social club,” says DeLeetra Staley, aka “Weapon of A** Deestruct-ion” and access services specialist in Kimbel Library. “It gives me a reason to get out and meet some interesting people, and it’s an amazing exercise routine. Everyone looks mean and intimidating, but we’re all one big dysfunctional family.”
Stewart and Burns have traveled to academic conferences to give presentations about the science of roller derby and the personal identity behind the names chosen for the derby alter-ego. Stewart even uses PSRG as a model of a nonprofit when teaching business writing at CCU.
“This is a great culture, and when you’re in it you’re surrounded by people as crazy about it as you are,” says Rebecca Grouchy, aka “Namaste Down,” lecturer of astronomy and former yoga instructor. (“Namaste” is a traditional greeting in India.) “I feel like I could go anywhere this sport is being played 26 •
Coastal Carolina University magazine
“We play hard to attract audiences because every bout has a charity associated with it, and we want to raise as much money as we can for each one,” says Staley. The last three PSRG bouts raised money for the Playcard Environmental Education Center, the American Cancer Society and the Surfrider Foundation.
Essentially, it’s a race with a lot of interference. Following the guidelines set down by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, each team is divided into four blockers and one jammer. The blockers try to keep the opposing team’s jammer behind them, while making room for their own jammer to pass. Every member of the opposing team passed by a jammer earns the team a point. Jammers wear helmets with two stars. There are dozens of additional rules, but those are the basics: A jammer skates fast and tries to avoid getting smashed, and a blocker is out to smash everyone not on her team. “When you watch it, it feels intimidating and brutal,” says Grouchy. “But when you’re in it, it’s a blast.” PSRG has about 20 members altogether. In addition to the five skating players from the faculty and staff, other CCU folks involved with the team are team photographer/promoter Louis Keiner, aka “A Boy Named Tsunami,” associate professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Physics; his wife Lesley Etherson, aka “Punk Blocker,” a graduate student at CCU; and team statistician Brady Cross, aka “Bare Naked Brady,” also on the Kimbel Library staff. Lewis’ 16-year-old daughter Lainey Lewis, aka “Ming Chung Chow,” a student at the campus Scholars Academy, is a bench coach for the team. Roller Derby started in the 1930s, but the recent surge in popularity can be traced to the 1999 reality show Rollerjam. The PSRG was formed in 2006. In 2007, the team hosted the state’s first ever flat-track bout, Cinco de Die-O, against Greenville’s Reedy River Rollergirls. The PRSG organized South Carolina’s first roller-derby tournament, Labor Pains, held on Labor Day 2013 and featuring teams from Myrtle Beach, Charlotte, Greenville and Columbia. There are now eight teams in South Carolina.
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Clockwise from right: (1) The Palmetto State Roller Girls, (2) CCU Alum Erin Mathe ’10, (3) (left to right) Teresa Burns, Lesley Etherson & DeLeetra Staley, (4) Rebecca Grouchy, (5) Michelle Lewis, (6) Lesley Etherson.
“Roller derby is a sport, not a spectacle like professional wrestling,” says Cross. “It’s important to understand that these ladies are 100 percent athletes, not actresses.” “Roller derby is a full-contact legitimate sport,” says Burns. “Most people remember shows from the ’80s that were more entertainment than sport. We have to fight those preconceived notions about modern roller derby to be taken seriously as athletes. The current game is an athletic endeavor as legitimate as football, baseball or hockey.” Roller Derby is being considered for inclusion in the 2020 Olympics.
“The cool thing is that our sport has this DIY [Do-It-Yourself] ethos,” says Stewart. “We buy our own equipment, pay monthly dues and travel expenses, rent the space to play, do the publicity, contact the charities, train by derby rules, lay out the track, and sometimes we even lay down the floor we skate on. “PSRG’s growth as an organization is undeniable,” says Stewart. “We’ve put a clearer focus on training as athletes, and it’s grown beyond what any of us would have imagined possible in the early days.”
“But there’s still plenty of room for growth,” says Burns. “In the last seven years, the sport has developed and become a serious athletic endeavor. I hope in the future you will see us nucleate a men’s team and start a junior team.” “The quality of sportsmanship among the skaters is striking,” says Cross. “Most of the time, people who play sports are out for blood and not nice to one another. This is the only sport I’ve ever seen where two teams get together, beat the living daylights out of one another and go to a party right after the event and laugh about their injuries.”
Lineup TaRt oF DaRkNeSs
PiRaNhA MaMa
RoCkAwAy BeAtCh
WeApOn oF A** DeE-sTrUcT-iOn
NaMaStE DoWn
PuNk BlOcKeR
MiNg ChUnG ChOw
A BoY NaMeD TSUNAMI *Special thanks to Louis Keiner for providing photography.
of interest campus living The First 54 is a new series of events designed to engage all CCU
students in campus activities and programs to ensure a great start to the new academic year. The First 54 provides at least one program every day for the first 54 days of school, with the first event on Aug. 19. The following events are a small sampling from the 2013 fall semester. 1954. 54 was chosen to symbolize CCU’s founding year, 1954
Directions & Donuts
Chauncey’s Night 5K Race
Students grab coffee and donuts while getting directions to their first classes.
CCU mascot Chauncey leads his inaugural 5K race under the stars and around the campus.
HAPPY TEAL TUESDAY TUESDAY!
Every Tuesday, the first 25 students spotted wearing TEAL are given a free T-shirt!
First 54/CHANT 411 Kickoff
The school year starts with free food, games, inflatables, prizes and tours.
The University Place block party: free food, music, games, basketball, sand volleyball and swimming.
Grand Strand Luau!
Recycled Boat Race
Transports students to a tropical paradise for a pool party, hula dancing and Hawaiian food!
Battle of the Bands/Bonfire
Bands fight for the opening spot at the Homecoming Concert! Bonfire under the stars at the Woods Pavilion. 30 •
Coastal Carolina University magazine
Rock the Block
Healthy snacks, entertainment, educational displays, health screenings and more!
Love Your Body Day
Teams of students, staff and faculty build boats from recycled materials, and then race them in the CCU Pool.
campus living of interest Tie Dye Day
Hot Dog-Eating Contest
BINGO Blowout
Beach Sweep/Bash
Cultural Celebration!
Miss CCU Pageant
Transforms boring white T-shirts into explosions of color.
ANGER Screening Day
FED UP? Counseling Services provides free anger screenings.
This contest raises money for the ChantaTHON and Children’s Miracle Network. Let the real Hunger Games begin!
A day for those willing to test fate by breaking a mirror or walking under a ladder for big prizes.
HOMECOMING!
Students, alumni, family, concerts, football and more!
This CCU tradition is held at the Hicks Dining Hall. It’s fun, free, and there are tons of awesome prizes up for grabs.
Open Mic Nights
A Chanticleer Star is Born!
This CCU tradition celebrates the history, music, dance, art and food of numerous countries.
Volunteers with S.T.A.R. clean up the beach, then head over to Chapin Park for free food, games and prizes.
Contestants compete for the title of Miss CCU. The winner moves on to the Miss South Carolina Pageant.
Tired? Fatigued? Zombied? CCU Counseling Services provides groggy students with free sleep screenings.
Shawn R. Ponton Memorial Car Show
CCU student Shawn Ponton passed away in 2012. This car show was created to raise money toward his Relay for Life fundraising goal and to celebrate his love for cars.
DODGE BALL!
Teams of friends compete for prizes and the CCU Dodge Ball Championship Title!
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Coach LeForce reflects on his career Alan LeForce retired in March 2013 after 16 years as Coastal Carolina’s women’s basketball coach.The winningest coach in the history of the schools’ women’s basketball program, he ended his 30-year collegiate head coaching career with a 467-406 overall record, including a 228-227 record on the Chanticleer sideline. LeForce made college basketball history when he won his 200th game at Coastal Carolina Nov. 5, 2011, against Presbyterian, becoming the only head coach to accumulate 200 wins as a Division I men’s and women’s head coach. LeForce has more than 100 wins at the public high school level, the private high school level and at the men’s NAIA level during his more than 50 years of coaching.The coach recently sat down with Matt Hogue, CCU’s associate vice president for marketing and the Voice of the Chanticleers, for a conversation about his life and career. Matt Hogue: How did you get interested in basketball and coaching? Dedication: The LeForce Hospitality Suite in the HTC Center was dedicated in December 2012. (Left to right) CCU President David A. DeCenzo, Alan LeForce, son Jeff LeForce, wife Shirley LeForce, daughter Michelle Farmer and CCU Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek
Alan LeForce: When I was 6 years old, I went to visit a cousin in Corbin, Ky., about 15 miles from my hometown of Wofford. He said, ‘Tomorrow we’re going to the YMCA.’ I said, ‘What’s that?’ He told me we were going to play basketball, and I said OK. I’d never seen a basketball court.
(We had a goal on a tree at home—no net, no backboard.) He said, ‘Did you bring your tennis shoes?’ I said, ‘What’s tennis shoes?’ So we were there with about 25 other boys between 5 and 8 years old, and I’ll never forget it. The YMCA instructors were Cam Jones and Gene Cash, and they sent us to the baseline and I was barefoot. One of them went and got me a pair of tennis shoes. They were a little bit big for me, but it made me feel good that he took the trouble to get me the shoes. They put us in groups, and we dribbled the ball full court right handed and then left handed. Then we shot; they called them crib shots back in those days, which is layups. After we did the fundamentals, they let us scrimmage. I remember one of them said to me, ‘Hey, you’re gonna be a good little basketball player cause you’re quick and you’re good.’ Well, I don’t think up until that time anybody ever said anything that positive about me. So that was my first taste of basketball, and from that day until this day, I’ve always wanted to be a coach, to make people feel good. I left that YMCA with a different perspective on life. I felt like I was somebody. M.H.: When you look back on your career, what are some of the highlights? A.L.: Starting out, I wanted to be a head coach. So I went back to my high school for my first coaching job. I would advise that for anybody thinking of coaching: go back to your high school. I had a nickname, ‘Flea,’ that everyone called me. The kids and players had a hard time calling me ‘coach.’ Taking that job and being called ‘coach’ for the first time was one of the great thrills. Being around people, particularly young people, is probably the greatest thing I have enjoyed about coaching. Then I went to College of Charleston. That was my first college head coaching job, and I remember winning the first game there, I couldn’t tell you who we beat, but that was a great thrill for me. And then when I took the East Tennessee job we went to BYU and played in the preseason NIT, and we won that game, which was a big highlight for me. And of course, the NCAA team at East Tennessee that upset number 3 seed Arizona. I also remember my first win with the women’s team here at CCU.You want to win—you better win if you want to keep your job, I understand that. But being around young people and trying to help them to be not only good basketball players but good people, because we need good people in this world. If I failed to do that, then I think I failed them as a basketball coach. M.H.: In all the decades you’ve been coaching student-athletes, from the 1950s through today, how has coaching changed? A.L.: Well, in the beginning, at my first job in ’58 coaching high school, most students came from two-parent families and were pretty much disciplined. And then as time went on, we began to see a lot more one-parent families, broken homes, and
in many cases the kids were more on their own and seemingly raising themselves. So when they became players and you would get after them, they didn’t know how to handle it. They didn’t understand discipline from a coach as well. So the fundamentals in those days were better than they are today. And another aspect that’s both good and bad are our AAUs [amateur athletic unions]. They’re good for letting a youngster showcase his talents; the bad thing is they don’t really work on the fundamentals in the summer as much because they’re playing all the time. But kids today are stronger, they jump higher, they’re quicker, but they’re just not as sound fundamentally in my opinion. M.H.: Talk about the growth at Coastal Carolina and your impressions of watching this institution change. A.L.: My first encounter with Coastal was when I was coaching at College of Charleston, and we were getting ready to come up and play here. It was in the early ’70s and Walt Hambrick was the athletic director. I knew Walt and I called him up. ‘Walt, we’re coming to play you guys tonight, and I’m driving the school bus. Tell me where the gym is because I don’t want to get lost on the campus.’ He said not to worry, ‘It’s only three buildings, and we’re the last one on the right.’ The growth of this university has been unreal. It was probably 3,000 students when I came here 17 years ago, and today we’re over 9,000. The buildings on our campus are gorgeous, like the facilities for football, track, the new basketball arena, our tennis courts. The growth here is just amazing. Kids who played for me the first year come back and walk around and can’t believe what they see. If you haven’t been on our campus the last six or eight years, you wouldn’t recognize it. M.H.: Now as you have moved into retirement, give us an idea of what you’re trying to do as far as staying involved in the game of basketball and at Coastal. A.L.: Well, I spend about two hours every day in basketball. I look at film, I make notes, and I read everything I can find. Thanks to the computer, you can get more information on basketball in one hour than we could get back in the old days in a year. I’m lined up to go to three universities and four high schools for some informal, volunteer consulting, but I love Coastal first and foremost. It’s a great place, and I think we are close to being the best. The coaches are just really, really good, and I’m ready to do whatever I can to help out. Most of the good things in my life happened because of the game of basketball. My wife was a cheerleader, and both my children were involved in sports. I’ve been blessed. I’ve had good health. I’ve had a great run, a great life. If I had it to do over, I’d do the same thing.
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Class Notes
1978
Robert Smith was promoted to vice president/Conway city executive officer at Horry County State Bank. He lives in Conway with his wife and fellow CCU alum, Susan Smith ’87.
1987
Susan Smith (See Class of 1978)
1989
Gwen Rawl recently opened a business in Columbia called Gwen Rawls Shoes, an upscale boutique featuring high-end shoes, boots and handbags all made in and imported from Italy. She was honored in March 2013 as one of Columbia’s Top Women of Influence by Southeast Small Business Magazine and was featured in Wink Magazine.
1993
Ken Tallmadge is now the sole Kinetico water treatment dealer for Charlotte, N.C. He lives in Iron Station, N.C., with his wife and fellow CCU alum, Charlotte Tallmadge ’02, and their three children.
1995
Katherine Jenerette, a captain and soldier with the U.S. Army Civil
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Coastal Carolina University magazine
Affairs and Psychological Operations Command, was recently awarded a Purple Heart for injuries she received while serving in Afghanistan. She was presented with the award during a ceremony at Fort Bragg, N.C. Melissa McCloud has been named principal at the Academy of Hope charter school in Conway. She has a master’s degree in elementary education from Cambridge College, a master’s degree in leadership and supervision from the University of South Carolina and is completing final requirements for a doctorate in K-12 leadership and supervision from Nova Southeastern University.
1996
Stacey Hollar has been teaching art in private schools for more than 10 years. Her work can be seen locally at Barefoot Church in North Myrtle Beach where each week she paints two large murals on the marquee. She lives in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., with her husband and two sons.
1998
Bryan Fields earned a Ph.D in pastoral ministry in 2012 from Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary. He is the senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Elloree, S.C., in addition to serving on the executive board of the South Carolina Southern Baptist Convention.
1999
Jennifer Clark Hecht recently created an entertainment company, www.sitdownent.com, and has written two screenplays. She lives in Potomac, Md., with her husband Spencer and their sons, Jacob, 4 and Jackson, 1. Adam Paskanik has been promoted to vice president of the mortgage division at CresCom Bank in Myrtle Beach. He joined the bank in 2005. Brandon Snider is the author of The Dark Knight Manual, which won a gold medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards for Pop Culture/Leisure. He lives in New York City where he works as an actor and comic book writer. He recently wrote and appeared on Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer as well as in commercials for DirecTV and AFLAC.
2000
Amanda Whyland graduated in May with a master’s degree in education-curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in reading from Southern New Hampshire University. She and her husband, Michael Whyland ’06, welcomed their second child, Nicole Catherine, on March 6, 2013, joining big sister, Samantha.
2001
Chaun Frink was recently promoted to the rank of sergeant first class (E-7) in the U.S. Army. He is now serving as a network engineer for the 516th Signal Brigade, Pacific Theatre Network Operations and Security Center (PAC-TNOSC) in Hawaii. He was also recently awarded the U.S. Army Signal Corp Regimental Association Bronze Order of Mercury for significant contributions to the Signal Corp. Rhett Graham and his wife recently celebrated the birth of their first child. Nicole Baxley Watts was nominated for 2013 Georgetown County Teacher of the Year. She is a PE teacher at Pleasant Hill Elementary School and has been teaching for 12 years. In addition to her CCU degree, she earned a master’s degree from Columbia College.
2002
Laura Ellison Churchwell is enrolled in the school psychology program at Francis Marion University. Jaimie Hardell was married to Robert Gerzsenyi on April 25 at Mullet Bay in St. Martin. Jaimie is the owner of JLynn’s Boutique in Belmar, N.J., and her husband Robert is the owner of the Seaport Inlet Marina in Belmar.
[ Alumni Profile ] LUKE MASLOW
Crossing the Country
Luke Maslow ’13 pedaled across the U.S. this past summer for a good cause. Soon after graduating in May with a degree in communication, Maslow biked 3,575 miles, from Long Beach, Calif., to Washington, D.C., for his fraternity’s philanthropy, Push America, which benefits people with disabilities. Raising more than $7,000 toward Pi Kappa Phi’s $650,000
overall goal, Maslow displayed his CCU banner in 12 states. Highlights of the journey included braving the 100-degree heat of Death Valley, meeting with a 13-year-old cerebral palsy patient in Las Vegas, and being greeted by friends, family and fraternity brothers on arriving in Washington, D.C.
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Class Notes [ Alumnus of the Year ] Alexander D. Klaus
Charlotte Tallmadge (See Class of 1993)
Stacia White is the senior aquarist at Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach. You will find her there swimming in the shark tanks. Gina DeSantis Whritenour earned a second bachelor’s degree, in nursing, and began pursuing a master’s degree in fall 2013. She currently works as a psychiatric nurse, has been married for 15 years and has a 12-year-old child.
2004 Alexander D. Klaus graduated, cum laude, from CCU in 2005 with a double major in finance and management. A native of Germany, he first came to the United States as an exchange student when he was 16 years old. He transferred to CCU after receiving an intermediate diploma in tourism management from the International University of Applied Sciences Bad Honnef in Bonn, Germany, with which CCU has a longstanding cooperative exchange program. After graduating from CCU, Klaus worked from 2006 to 2007 as an investment analyst with Chanticleer Holdings in Charlotte, a company founded by another distinguished CCU alumnus, Michael Pruitt. In 2007, he started his own company, Addisco Value LLC, a capital management firm based in Huntersville, N.C. The successful company owns several business franchises including two Massage Envy clinics in Columbia and three The Joint chiropractic locations in Charlotte. Public and community service is important to Klaus. As a 20-year-old college student in Germany, he performed a year of civil service duty, escorting a wheelchair-bound student around campus. At Coastal, he was president of the Rotaract Club, and he has continued his involvement in Rotary in the Charlotte and Columbia areas, supporting its World Education Center and Assistance League. In a sense, Klaus has never left Coastal, maintaining a close relationship with the Wall College in several important connections. He is vice president of the Beta Gamma Sigma alumni chapter in Charlotte; serves on the college’s Finance Advisory Board; spoke at a recent Wall College Connections event; and mentored last year’s Business Plan Competition. Klaus has also, through his connections with Berkshire Hathaway, arranged for a group of CCU students to meet the billionaire investor Warren Buffett as part of the legendary philanthropist’s series of Friday meetings with college students. The event, a first for CCU, took place in November.
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Katie Reese Cox and husband David welcomed their second child, Reese Ray Cox, on Jan. 10, 2013. Reese joins his big brother, Alex. Lindsey Horton, LPC, NCC, MA, recently joined the staff of the Center for Counseling and Wellness in North Myrtle Beach where she will practice individual and family counseling. She also earned a degree from Webster University.
2005
Sybil Dukehart Alfano was named the 2012 Grand Strand Artist of the Year by Grand Strand Arts this past January. She is married to Michael Alfano ’05. They married in 2007 and are expecting their first child. They live in Myrtle Beach. View her artwork at sybilalfano.com. Christopher Brown works as an attorney at the Health Law Firm, based in Altamonte Springs, Fla. He shared his expertise in the area of physician contracting in an article in the January 2013 issue of American Medical News. Diane Fabiano is engaged to Aarron Sanders. They are planning a September 2014 wedding in her home state of New Jersey. She is director of annual giving in the Office of Philanthropy at CCU, and he owns a hardwood flooring and tile company. Alexander Klaus and wife Anne welcomed a daughter, Sarah Grace, into the world on Feb. 8, 2013. She was 8 pounds, 2 ounces and 20 inches long.
Suzanne Montalbano has been promoted to senior web designer at Aeropostale in New York City.
2006
Scott Dean (See Class of 2007) Zachary Lawson (See Class of 2007) Jessica McMurrer earned an associate’s degree in veterinary technology in 2012. She is a certified veterinary technician and works as an anesthesia technician at the MSPCA Angel Animal Hospital in Boston. Jason Schipper is in Italy teaching ancient history and working in curriculum development at the American Overseas School of Rome. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Florida. He previously taught in Bangkok, Thailand. Michael Whyland (See Class of 2000)
2007
Krystin Mementowski Dean was promoted to director of communications and marketing at Young Harris College in Georgia. She also was named a 2013-2014 SimpsonScarborough Scholar by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Her husband Scott Dean ’06 was recently named creative director of Fieldstone Resort in Hiawassee, Ga. He is also gallery director and adjunct instructor of art at Young Harris College. They welcomed their first child, Skyla James Dean, born June 1, 2012. Ryan Mitchell and Alexandra Wood ’08 were married in October 2012. They are expecting their first child in November and live in Murrells Inlet. Ryan Mulvey works as the director of golf at Mount Vintage Plantation Golf Club. He is engaged to Beth Lentz, and they have a baby girl named Ryan Elizabeth Mulvey. Sarah Snoots was engaged to Zachary Lawson ’06 on March 14, 2013. The couple is planning an April 5, 2014, wedding in North Palm Beach, Fla., where they live.
2008
Tiffany Carter is on a medical mission with the International Surgical Foundation team to the Dominican Republic. There, the team of this nonprofit, Christian-based foundation will offer medical services to those in impoverished areas. Mark DeCenzo was married to Jen Halas on Aug. 30 in Frederick, Md. They live in Myrtle Beach where Mark works as a financial adviser at Merrill Lynch and Jen is a special education consultant for Horry County Schools. Christy Lewis Dill works for DMI, a government IT solutions firm in Bethesda, Md., where she received the DMI Digital Alpha (Rookie of the Year) award. Her husband Robert works in the finance department at Atlantic Media in Washington, D.C., where he was recently promoted to staff accountant. Brent Harrison has been an assistant manager at Walgreens for the past five years, a job that he secured at a CCU job fair. He joined the U.S. Air Force this past April as an airman first class and is a reservist stationed at Fort Bragg. He has a son, Jayson Dominic, who was born in Jan. 2012. Victoria Lozano completed her master’s degree in English at Appalachian State University and has obtained a certificate in composition and rhetoric and a certificate in women studies. She has been offered a full-time teaching position at Appalachian State for this academic year. Daniel Carl Skipper is married to Jessica McCracken ’09. Dr. Skipper completed his medical training at Lincoln Memorial UniversityDeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine and began his residency in pathology at MUSC in Charleston. Skipper worked for Horry County Fire and Rescue as a paramedic before deciding to pursue a medical degree. McCracken currently works as a middle school math teacher. Tasha Michelle Sutherland is engaged to Justin Peter Newcomb. They met at church and have been longtime friends. Sutherland works
at CCU as the assistant director of enrollment events. Newcomb is employed at Blue Cross Blue Shield.
[ Young Alumnus of the Year ] Amy McAllister
Alexandra Wood (See Class of 2007)
2009
Shaun Mason moved to Worcester, Mass., after graduation. He married Kelley Vantre in April 2012 and in March 2013 started an accounting position with Cyprian Keyes Golf Club in Boylston, Mass. Jessica McCracken (See Class of 2008) Madeleine Winstead married Ryan Condron on Jan. 26, 2013. She has been nominated for Rookie of the Year at American Hotel Register.
2010
Karsten Krauss recently received his master’s degree in biblical studies from Reformed Theological Seminary. Rachel Swindler started a new job in April as a singer/dancer on Norwegian Cruise Line’s mega ship, EPIC. She is spending six months on the ship traveling around the Mediterranean, including Spain and Italy. Swindler is a Carolina Forest native who earned her bachelor’s degree at CCU in musical theatre.
2011
Sandy Baldridge is engaged to Chris Adrian. Sandy works at CCU as manager of contractual and business services, and Chris is program coordinator for the City of Conway Parks, Recreation and Tourism. James Brown is pursuing a Ph.D. in developmental and biological psychology at Virginia Tech. Barbara Astrini-Currie works as a 2D animator at Centerline Digital in Raleigh, N.C., where she also runs a small design shop with clients throughout the U.S. and Brazil. She is married to fellow alum, Devin Currie. Cameron Freeman was recently promoted from personal banker to commercial loan processor for the Bank of Travelers Rest. He lives in
Amy McAllister recently completed her year in the spotlight as South Carolina Teacher of the Year for 2012-2013. It was an unforgettable 12 months for the 2012 master’s degree alumna. As part of the honor of being selected for this prestigious statewide recognition, McAllister received a sabbatical from regular classroom teaching so that she could spend the academic year visiting schools across the state to network with K-12 students and faculty. During the year, she spoke at many teacher forums and led teacher cadet classes, and she learned a lot about education policy and advocacy. “As teachers, we don’t get enough opportunities for interaction with our peers to observe best practices,” says McAllister. “In the past year, I’ve seen the best in the state, and I am using a lot of what I learned in my classroom this year.” She teaches at J. Paul Truluck Middle School in her hometown, Lake City. For travel purposes, she was provided with a BMW X3 to tool around the state in, and every time she clocked 15,000 miles she got a new one. “I went through three different cars last year, one white and two navy blue,” she says. “I traveled over 47,000 miles altogether.” But the greatest perk of all was a ceremony at the White House where she met President Barack Obama (pictured above). Although she was one of 50 Teachers of the Year present at the event (each state was represented), McAllister was the first one to meet the President. “They lined us up according to height. I was the shortest so I was first in line. I was standing in front of the door waiting for an assistant to open it and usher us in. But, contrary to protocol, the President opened the door himself and there I was, standing face to face with him. As a result of this, he chatted with me longer than the others, asked me what books I taught in my class and told me what books his daughters were reading. He thanked us all for our work and we had our pictures made with him. I was the only one he bumped fists with!”
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Class Notes [ Outstanding Alumni ] Peter and Jaime Green Most of us dread committee meetings, but Peter and Jaime Green have a special understanding of how important they can be. The couple, married now for eight years, first met at a committee meeting in the Lib Jackson Student Center on campus in 2001. Pete and Jaime had been chosen to serve on a search committee to hire a new Student Activities director. Both had been very involved in campus life and student activities. At the time, Pete, who graduated in 2000, was a graduate student at the University of South Carolina. During his undergraduate years at CCU, he had been president of the Student Government Association and had served as a Student Alumni Ambassador, a peer mentor, an Orientation assistant, and was also very active in his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon. At the time of their first meeting, Jaime was a CCU student immersed in university life. She was a Wall Fellow, a Student Alumni Ambassador, an Orientation assistant, a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and the Coastal Productions Board. She graduated in 2003. The couple married on May 21, 2005, and now have two children, Keely,2, and Kaelyn,1. “As students, we spent a lot of time in the Student Center,” say the Greens, who believe their involvement in student activities was an important part of their educational experience and good preparation for their later success. “Being coordinator of the Productions Board”—the committee that plans and books campus events—“taught me a lot about budgeting,” says Jaime, who double majored in marketing and management. “It gave me a chance to apply what I was learning in my classes.” Since January 2006, she has worked as a media consultant for YP Holdings in Charlotte, where the couple and their children live. Throughout her tenure at YP, she has maintained a Tier 1 level ranking.
Greenville and is pursuing an MBA at Anderson University. Sarah Johnston earned an M.Ed. in higher education and student affairs from the University of South Carolina, where she works as an undergraduate academic adviser for the College of Education. Corrie Lacey is enrolled in graduate school at the City University of New York. During the spring 2013 semester, she conducted an internship at NBC in Rockefeller 38 •
Coastal Carolina University magazine
Peter and Jaime Green with daughters Keely and Kaelyn.
“I loved being involved,” says Pete. “It opens up so many service and leadership opportunities that can help you in the future.” After graduating from CCU with a biology degree, he earned a master’s degree in higher education leadership from the University of South Carolina. For two years, he was the director of leadership programs at Arkansas State University. Now he owns four Snap-on Tool franchises in the Charlotte area. Snap-On tools was ranked the number one franchise company in America by Forbes magazine in 2012, and Pete’s corporation, Snapperhead Tools, is currently the number one multiple-owner Snap-On Tools Franchise in the country, based on purchase volume. The Greens recently made a monetary gift to Coastal Carolina University that will be applied to the proposed new addition to the Student Center. To commemorate their first introduction, a meeting room in the new building will be named in their honor.
Lauren Moore is currently attending the Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville.
Caitlin Sweeney spent the last two years living in Jacksonville, Fla., teaching as part of the Teach for America program. That experience has led her to her current position as a first-grade teacher in Brooklyn, N.Y., at Canarsie Ascend Charter School where she has decorated her classroom with a CCU theme.
Brittany Rockwell is pursuing a master’s degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical counseling at Francis Marion University.
Travis Worthy is the director of Prime Advocacy, a logistics firm in Washington, D.C., that specializes in fly-ins, political events and corporate retreats.
Center as part of an integrated media team. During the summer, she worked as a reporter for WCIA News in Springfield, Ill., covering state news and politics.
2012 Samantha A. Chadwick is the food safety and nutrition agent at the Clemson University Extension Office serving the Myrtle Beach area. She organizes classes on food safety for a wide range of audiences including local restaurants, farmers, child care facilities and individual consumers. Brittney Denninger is pursuing a master’s degree at Manhattan College.
Valerie Gilbert is continuing her education at UNC Charlotte.
2013
Philip Kless is co-owner of Lyndon Golf Course in Fayetteville, N.C.
Jennifer Blake is teaching prekindergarten at Maryville Elementary in Georgetown.
Paige Naylor is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Alabama in counseling/clinical studies.
Brittany Grommer is a special education teacher at Morningside Middle School in North Charleston.
Shane Norris was recently promoted to the job of morning live reporter for WBTW News 13.
Amanda Kurtz is working as a mental health technician at Lighthouse Care Center of Conway.
with ADD/ADHD. She is pursuing a IN MEMORIAM master’s degree in social work at
Samantha Mello recently earned an MBA at CCU. She married Max Mello on May 16 in Charleston. They recently moved to Charlotte, N.C. Sara Ouimet is pursuing a master’s degree at Fort Hays State University in Kansas.
Rutgers University.
IN MEMORIAM William Crowgey ’94 Kevin Jenerette ’92
Nicole Spinelli worked this past summer at Florida International University in Miami at its summer treatment program for children
Rebecca New ’05 Sarah Purcell ’85
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