Points of Pride, Summer 2017

Points of Pride

Summer 2017

Greensboro College’s growing Theatre program is attracting more students like Caroline Meisner ’19. p. 16

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Points of Pride

Dear Alumni and Friends of Greensboro College: If you have received emails from some of us here at the college, looked at the website, or had the opportunity to examine some of our printed admissions material, you might have noticed that the college is now using the phrase, “Think critically. Act justly. Live faithfully.”

The phrase was created by our Department of Religion, Ethics and Philosophy faculty to use on their departmental web page. But we found it so relevant to the mission of the college that we appropriated it for the college as a whole.

That’s because the three points of the slogan match up neatly with the three pillars of the college’s five-year strategic plan, “GC2020: A Clear Vision with a Sharp Focus.” Those pillars summarize what we are about: We are a liberal-arts college (“Think critically.”). We are becoming a Universal Design for Learning institution (“Act justly.”). And we are a college of the church (“Live faithfully.”).

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The slogan’s useful summary of the pillars of our mission also ties neatly into our current capital campaign, “GC2020: Uniquely Focused.” The campaign will provide financial support for initiatives involving all three of the pillars. It will help enhance curriculum (“Think critically.”). It will pay for improving and updating our facilities not only to address long-overdue Americans with Disabilities Act renovations but also to accommodate the varied learning styles of Greensboro College’s students (“Act justly.”) And it will support and enhance religious life at the college (“Live faithfully.”)

This alignment in our mission, GC2020 fund raising, and marketing makes it likelier that Greensboro College will accomplish its goals in the current, challenging environment for small, private, churchaffiliated liberal-arts colleges. And it reflects the hard work of many of our faculty and staff members who strive daily to support and execute the college’s mission: Greensboro College provides a liberal arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.

The GC2020 capital campaign provides all of us a way to help ensure that the college will be prepared to tackle the educational challenges of the 2020s and beyond. We invite you to join with us in supporting this effort and to get in touch if you have any questions about it. And we look forward to seeing you on campus again soon.

With Pride,

2 GC2020: Uniquely Focused Capital Campaign 6 GC Ready to Welcome Chinese Students 10 Alumni Weekend

Larry

12 Commencement 2017 16 GC’s Theatre Program has Doubled in Two Years 18 Pride Notes

Cover photo by Michelle Hines.

Points of Pride, Summer 2017 • Managing Editor: Lex Alexander • Contributing Writers: Kristen Brown, Kaleigh Hemstock, Elena Henry, Michelle Hines, Anne Hurd, Tom Saitta • Design: Donna Wojek Gibbs • Greensboro College, 815 West Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27401 • www.greensboro.edu • 336-272-7102 • Submit Class Notes: https://www.greensboro.edu/ pride-notes-form.php • Read Class Notes: gcpridenotes.blogspot.com • Alumni Relations: alumni@greensboro.edu

Think critically. Act justly. Live faithfully.

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Greensboro College

www.greensboro.edu

Points of Pride

Greensboro College Launches the Public Phase of GC2020: Uniquely Focused Capital Campaign

Capital Campaign Cabinet

Dennie, Walter and Bonnie Newton

Dennie and Walter Newton, Board Chair 2012-16, Campaign Chairs Kevin Green ’78, Board of Trustees Chair, 2017-20 Dr. Carolyn Chappell and Dr. Larry Czarda, College President, 2010Nancy Nikiforow and Dr. Brent DeVore, Trustee & Interim President, 2009-10 Candace Lambeth Kime ’69, Trustee First Vice President Barbara Reynolds Valentine ’57, Trustee Pat and Lynn Lewis Lane ’73, Trustee Gene Edwards ’58 and Frederick Jones, Trustee Karen Riegel Anzola ’86, Trustee & Alumni Board President, 2015-17 Ashley Roseboro ’04, Alumni Board President, 2017-2019 Nickolay Bochilo ’03, Trustee Ken and Gail Brower Huggins ’65, Trustee Bonita Watson ’01 and Shannon Scales ’01, Trustee BJ Williams ’58, Trustee Russ Myers ’82, Trustee Rebecca Blomgren, Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Education Bill MacReynolds, Dean of the School of Business Dan Malotky, Dean of the School of Humanities David Schram, Dean of the School of Arts Jessica Sharpe, Dean of the School of Sciences and Mathematics Nan and John Bayersdorfer, Parents Council Anne Jones Hurd ’81, Vice President Chief Advancement Officer Ellie Puckett Yearns ’05, Assistant Vice President for Development

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reensboro College kicked off the public phase of its capital campaign, GC2020: Uniquely Focused, Feb. 2 with the announcement of a $6 million planned estate gift, the largest single gift in the college’s 178year history, from Walter and Dennie Newton of Durham.

The Newtons, son and daughter-in-law of a 1943 alumna, Mary Hall Newton, will co-chair the college’s $15 million capital campaign. More than $13 million already has been secured in the quiet phase of the campaign during the past two years.

Kevin Green, a Greensboro real-estate broker and 1978 graduate, made the announcement as his first official act since succeeding Walter Newton as chair of the college’s Board of Trustees Jan. 1. Newton had chaired the board since 2012.

“This incredible gift will ultimately add significantly to endowments already created by Walter and Dennie Newton to support scholarships, faculty salaries and professional development, and ongoing development for the Board of Trustees,” said Lawrence D. Czarda, Ph.D., Greensboro College’s president.

The college’s priorities for funding through the “GC2020: Uniquely Focused” campaign are:

• student financial assistance • faculty and staff compensation and professional development • academic programs, and • capital improvements to existing buildings and the campus.

The $13.2 million secured thus far is a combination of current gifts, pledges paid over the next five years, and estate gifts planned for the future. In the last year, giving from alumni and friends has significantly increased.

Kevin Green ’78, chairman of the Board of Trustees, announcing the Newtons’ gift Newton, who rotated off the Board of Trustees Dec. 31, had served on the board since 1995. Working closely with President Czarda, who had been hired in 2010, the two college leaders navigated the college through its financial recovery after the 2008 recession. The college has emerged in good standing with its accreditors, its bank and the U.S. Department of Education, and enrollment is growing.

Newton family ties to the college date to the 1920s, when some of Mary Hall Newton’s cousins attended then allwomen Greensboro Female College, the oldest college for women in North Carolina and second-oldest in the South.

Walter Newton succeeded his father, George Newton, as president of Newton Instrument Co. in Butner. The college conferred the honorary doctor of business degree upon Newton during its 2016 Commencement exercises. Dennie Newton has been an active honorary member of the Alumni Association Board since 2013.

“Chairing ‘GC2020: Uniquely Focused’ is a labor of love for Dennie and me,” Newton said. “We have benefited from the experience my mother had at Greensboro College in ways we probably will never quite understand.”

Anyone interested in contributing to the capital campaign or setting up a planned gift may contact Anne Hurd ’81, vice president and chief advancement officer, at 336-272-7102, ext. 5743, or by emailing anne.hurd@greensboro.edu.

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Greensboro College

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Case for Financial Support For more than 175 years, Greensboro College has offered a liberal-arts education in the Methodist tradition of openness to all at the intersection of faith and reason. Despite challenges over the decades ranging from debt to structure fires, the college has not only endured, but also thrived. Greensboro College alumni have excelled in business, the arts and sciences, education, and beyond, leaving their mark in leadership roles from the local classroom, office, studio, and pulpit to the U.S. Congress.

The college has had an impact in its community, from its earliest days as the second college for women in the South to current support of local charities. Its students have a long history of community service, and it has opened its doors to the community for art exhibits, performances, lectures, and other events. Its estimated direct, annual economic impact in greater Greensboro is more than $60 million.

Having overcome recent financial challenges during the Great Recession, today GC is in good standing with its accrediting bodies, vendors, banks and the federal Department of Education. On a balanced and realistic budget it serves roughly 1,000 traditional undergraduates, adult learners, and middle college students, preparing all for a lifetime of learning, work, and service in a close-knit community with deep ties to downtown Greensboro, from business to the arts and other nonprofits.

Now freed from previous operational and strategic limitations, Greensboro College is focused on the future. The college has developed, approved, and undertaken a five-year strategic plan, “GC2020: A Clear Vision With a Sharp Focus,” based upon revised vision and mission statements that reaffirm the college’s historical values while looking ahead to the promise and challenges of the new century. The five-year strategic plan rests upon three pillars: 1. Greensboro College is and will be a liberal-arts college. 2. It is a college of the church, affiliated with the United Methodist Church. 3. Within five years it will become a Universal Design for Learning environment at the institutional level.

The college is in the quiet phase of a capital campaign GC2020: Uniquely Focused, with the hope of a public campaign launch in February 2017.

Our Strategic Priorities Greensboro College’s Latin motto, Palma Non Sine Pulvere, commonly is translated as, “No prize without effort.” The college has set a goal of $15 million in cash, in-kind gifts, estate gifts, and pledges to be committed by June 30, 2020, to implement the more than 100 specific goals of the strategic plan, as well as to pay the costs associated with the campaign.

To fund the work of the strategic plan, Greensboro College has launched a capital campaign to provide for four major areas of need: • student financial assistance • faculty and staff compensation and professional development • academic programs • facilities updates Financial Assistance: Funding for student financial assistance is our most critical ongoing need. A majority of students who attend a private college need help to afford it. Financial assistance in the form of scholarships is crucial for GC students to afford tuition and minimize student-loan debt. In fact, all students who attended GC throughout the years have benefited from the generosity of those who came before them. Donors may support financial assistance in two ways: by establishing a scholarship endowment fund (or giving to an existing one) and/or making a yearly gift to the GC Fund. Part of every

gift to the GC Fund helps support financial assistance through the college’s operating budget. Increasing the college’s endowment is an important way to strengthen its financial operations and, in an era of college costs growing much faster than inflation, makes additional student financial aid possible. Many donors like to give annual gifts and then endow those gifts in perpetuity through an estate gift that funds that annual gift forever. Student financial assistance remains our top priority in building endowment for the future.

Faculty and Staff Compensation and Professional Development: At the heart of the Greensboro College educational experience are faculty and staff who are experts in their fields and committed to building the close personal relationships with students that help them to thrive. Our largest annual budget expense – about 53% – is dedicated to compensation and professional development of those who provide the curricular and extracurricular experience of our students.

Giving to The GC Fund is critical in providing operating funds and is the most immediate way a donor can impact every student and every educator. Our operating revenue is provided largely by tuition, so growing annual giving to the GC Fund is critical to increasing budget revenue and the college’s financial security. Endowment funds that support operations are also an important way donors can support GC. A robust enrollment, and growing the annual fund – the GC Fund – will allow us to offer market-competitive faculty and staff compensation, which is a top budget priority.

Academic Programs: We must invest in academics to ensure that the education program remains timely and relevant for today and for the student’s lifetime. We are seeking current and endowment funds for academic program improvements and enhancements.

Facilities: The GC2020 Strategic Plan does not call for major new construction, and specific priorities for capital improvements still are being determined. General priorities are: 1) health and life safety; 2) building integrity; 3) providing student support and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (as a matter of law and as part of the implementation of UDL), and 4) connect with the Downtown Greenway.

Summary of Priority Needs GC Fund (annual funds) Endowment Funds Capital Improvements

$1.5 million $10.0 million $3.5 million ___________ $15.0 million

Donor recognition and stewardship is an important part of a capital campaign.

Naming opportunities are available to recognize major gifts; however, all donors will be recognized regardless of the size of the gift. There are permanent naming opportunities for scholarships; professorships and staff positions; the five academic schools; certain campus buildings, rooms and other architectural and campus ground features; and lecture series. The list is available on the website and from the Office of Institutional Advancement.

If you would like more information about the Greensboro College campaign, please contact: Institutional Advancement Officers Anne Jones Hurd ’81 Vice President Chief Advancement Officer Major and Planned Gifts anne.hurd@greensboro.edu 336-217-7266

Ellie Puckett Yearns ’05 Assistant Vice President Major Gifts, GC Fund, and Pride Club ellie.yearns@greensboro.edu 336-217-7267

Campus Improvements Spring 2017 Recent campus improvements, including renovation of former pool space in Hanes Gym; new Main Building boiler; front sidewalks; Main Building Welcome Center; first-floor Main Building hardwoods.

A flurry of campus improvements has been visible at Greensboro College since winter gave way to spring.

On front campus, now that the cranes needed for work on building roofs and facades have left, workers and equipment have been able to come in to replace the cracked and broken sidewalks. Much of that work took place over spring break, so few students were inconvenienced.

A project of longer standing, the renovation of the former pool space in Hanes Gymnasium, is under way. The pool has been filled in, and the large room that now contains it is ready for upfitting once a study on how best to use the space has been completed.

In Main Building, several improvements should benefit staff and visitors alike. The building’s boiler, which had reached the end of its useful life, has been replaced; the new model should help control energy costs.

An office on the first floor of Main has been converted into a Welcome Center for visitors. Staff member Virginia Reid works there and also handles the college switchboard during business hours.

Also on the first floor of Main, old carpeting has been pulled up to reveal hardwood flooring, which has been refinished. And the old building directory sign has been replaced with a large monitor with easily updated directory information.

Less visible but just as important campus improvements have included various exterior and interior repairs in Hill, Greensboro, Jones, Proctor, Hanes and West; coping, roof repairs and HVAC work in Odell; replacing Finch Chapel’s roof; replacing the package unit at Reynolds; improved exterior lighting; and replacing the kitchen service elevator in Fowler Dining Hall.

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Greensboro College

www.greensboro.edu

Points of Pride

Greensboro College Ready to Welcome

Chinese Students

The world is more interconnected than ever, and Greensboro College is keeping pace. The college is laying the foundation to recruit and support an increasing number of international students and working to bring a broader, more global perspective to campus.

A budding partnership with China leads the way, with expectations of drawing 20-50 new Chinese students each fall, starting as early as Fall 2017.

The college also is building relationships with universities in Germany, Britain, Ireland and Nigeria.

According to Cathryn Bennett, GC’s director of international programs, the presence of international students on campus benefits not only them but their American counterparts as well.

Both groups gain an understanding of another culture, with different national, religious and ethical perspectives.

“Every culture has normative values that inform how people think, behave, and interact,” Bennett says. “The beautiful thing about the world, though, is that each country, culture, and even region has its own approach. Students, whether

local or international, require direct, personal experiences in encountering and respecting differences. The presence of international students allows traditional students an opportunity to learn about these other approaches, and the same is true of international students learning from local students.”

Greensboro College is one of a handful of colleges and universities in North Carolina and Virginia invited to join the Global Classroom Alliance, a

selective network of universities with an interest in recruiting and enrolling Chinese students. The college is partnering with Ambow Educational Group, a Taiwanbased organization that works with schools, universities and technical colleges in mainland China.

“The leaders of Ambow have been integral in making introductions in Chinese schools, universities and training institutions for Greensboro College to develop a broad array of options for students in China to discover our unique, liberal-arts education opportunities,” Bennett says. “Ambow is deploying a range of marketing and recruitment efforts in cooperation with GC personnel.”

The college hired Bennett in August 2016 to lay the groundwork for international partnerships. She will serve as de facto house mother to the Chinese students and other international students, although she won’t live in the residence halls.

She has also established the Global Commons – a dedicated space for international students – just across from her office on the third floor of Main Building.

“The formation of the international programs director position is a muchneeded support for all international students; with a dedicated position for internationalization, students who come to Greensboro College have a person on call 24/7/365,” Bennett says. “This is essential for those who arrive to the U.S. without the implicit benefit of support networks like friends and family or

Did you know? We Tsung Zung was Greensboro College’s first international student. The music major from Shanghai, China, graduated with the Class of 1917.

lived experience of the culture. … I provide full wrap-around services for international students, from technical items like administering student visas to acculturation activities, such as familiarizing students with implicit cultural protocols such as tipping in a restaurant. Because of the nature of the work, I know every undergraduate international student personally.”

Bennett was part of a college contingent that traveled to China in October to see the country and finalize the agreement with Ambow.

She says she hopes to dispel the misconceptions and generalizations on both sides that can plague relations between the Chinese and Americans. For example, many Americans have the idea that all Chinese students excel in math or science, are poor in writing or communicating, and have poor social skills.

“As with all stereotypes, these are not uniformly true,” Bennett says.

“Regardless of culture or country of origin, the human race contains multitudes of experience, nuance, and exceptions. Where stereotypes become particularly relevant, though, is that international students may require assistance in acquainting themselves with the realities of American higher education, culture and student life. Stereotypes go both ways, so it may be the case that incoming international students anticipate American culture is predicated upon fast food, jeans and lax personal ethical standards.

While these things exist in American culture, they are not exclusively American culture.”

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Greensboro College

www.greensboro.edu

Points of Pride

Alumni Giving Participation Award Honors Alumna and Long-Time Staff Member

Influx of Alumni Adds Talent and New Viewpoints to Board of Trustees On Jan. 1, Walter Newton stepped down as chairman of Greensboro College’s Board of Trustees. He had held that position since 2012 and had served on the board for about 20 years.

He was succeeded by Kevin Green ’78, one of a number of alumni who have brought a mix of talents and backgrounds to the board in the past few years.

Of 28 current board members, 14 are Greensboro College alumni, and of those 14, nine, including Green, have joined the board for the first time in just the past three years.

That level of interest “shows the value our graduates place on their alma mater, through both the importance of the college helping them become successful in their careers and the desire to see the college thrive so that it may continue to provide a similar experience for the generation of students to come,” says Kristen Crutchfield Brown ’04, director of alumni programs.

Green, a prominent Greensboro real-estate agent, joined the board in 2014, leading what has turned out to be a strong new influx of alumni. He was followed in 2015 by educator Karen Anzola ’86, an ex officio board member by virtue of her having been elected president of the Greensboro

Anzola

Bochilo

Green

The Office of Institutional Advancement is honoring a Greensboro College alumna and longtime staff member with its new alumni-giving award.

The Mary C. Brock Award will be given annually to the alumni class with the highest participation rate in giving between July 1 and Alumni Weekend of each academic year. The inaugural winner this year was the Class of 1957, of whose living alumni almost 60 percent donated to the college.

College Alumni Association. Her two-year term in that position expired in April, and she began a full, four-year term as a board member, succeeded in the Alumni Association’s ex-officio seat by Ashley Roseboro ’04.

Participation – the percentage of a college’s alumni who give to the college in a given year – is a crucial metric. Outside prospective donors such as foundations often use a college’s participation rate to decide whether to make gifts of their own. U.S. News & World Report, which ranks colleges and universities every year on a variety of metrics, uses participation as its only standard with respect to alumni.

Also joining the board in 2015 was Russ Myers ’82, president of Blue Ridge Capital Holdings.

Four alumni joined the board at once at the beginning of 2016: Nickolay Bochilo ’03, senior vice president of Bell Partnerships; the Rev. Samuel Moore ’87, senior pastor of Hickory Grove United Methodist Church in Charlotte; Shannon Scales ’01, a financial-center leader with BB&T; and John Tricoli ’81, owner and president of Orlando-based Teph Seal.

Most recently, Freddy Johnson ’77, long-time boys’ basketball coach at Greensboro Day School, joined the board in January.

“Alumni have always been instrumental to the success of Greensboro College,” Brown says. “This new wave of alumni support and involvement on the Board of Trustees level speaks volumes about how this college impacts its students and truly becomes a part of your family.”

Johnson

Moore

Myers

Roseboro

Scales

Tricoli

For that reason, Brock, who retired from the staff in 1969 and died in 1993, is an excellent alumna after whom to name the award, says Anne Jones Hurd ’81, vice president and chief advancement officer.

“She wanted alumni to be proud of their college and support their college,” Hurd says. “Miss Brock was known to be persuasive and would have strongly -and frequently -- encouraged alumni to give.”

Brock graduated from Greensboro College in 1924; an aunt, her two sisters and at least five cousins also were alumnae. At various times she served as assistant registrar, director of the student placement (careers) office, and alumni secretary.

She helped create the college’s Brock Historical Museum, and she and her sisters left an endowment for it in their estates.

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2017

Greensboro College

www.greensboro.edu

Points of Pride

Alumni Weekend ) Past, present, and future Alumni Board 1 leadership: from left, Shani Porter Lester ‘92; Ashley Roseboro ‘04; Karen Anzola ‘86; Anne Jones Hurd ‘81; and Gene Edwards Jones ‘58.

2) Paul Leslie, Naomi Leslie, and Sam Leslie ‘16 catch their breaths at Alumni Weekend.

3) Jann Haynes Gilmore ‘68 speaks on artist Olive Rush at the Tannenbaum-Sternberger Colloquium.

4) Helen Prince Rice ‘44, the oldest alumna to attend Alumni Weekend.

5) Julie Schatz ‘89 receives the Distinguished Alumni Service award from outgoing Alumni Board president Karen Anzola ‘86.

6) Donald Watkins ‘10 receives the Young Alumni Award.

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7) Patty Raube Keller ‘98 receives the Alumni Excellence Award.

8) Earlene Barnes and Millie Johnson present the Class of 1967’s 50th Reunion gift to President Lawrence D. Czarda, Ph.D. 9) Members of the Golden Classes after Alumni Awards and Senior Investiture.

10) The Class of ‘67.

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Greensboro College

2017

May Day + Commencement ) Gail Brower Huggins ‘65, a former May 1 Queen, crowns Samara Alba ‘17 May Queen in the college’s first May Day celebration since 1980.

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2) Paul Freeman ’17 (left) is assisted by his father, Jody Freeman, with robing during the Baccalaureate/Cap and Gown ceremony.

3) Jean Lojko, left, hugs Senior Vice President/Chief Academic Officer Paul Leslie after receiving a surprise promotion to full professor. Lojko recently marked 35 years of service to the college.

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4) Lynette Tannis, Ed.D. ‘95 delivers the Commencement address.

5) Vanessa Carroll and Roy E. Carroll II ’85 receive the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters and Doctor of Business degree, respectively, during Commencement.

6) Andrew Mails ’17 receives the Martha Grant and Willliam Henry Likins Award for the outstanding adult undergraduate student from President Czarda during Commencement.

7) Maria Madrid Manzano receives the Distinguished Graduate Student Award from President Czarda during Commencement.

8) Professor Deirdre Sommerlad-Rogers receives a plaque from President Czarda after being named to the Moore Professorship for 2017-2018.

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9) Paul Freeman ’17 receives the Harold H. Hutson Award for the outstanding traditional undergraduate student from President Lawrence D. Czarda, Ph.D., during Commencement.

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10) College Chaplain Robert Brewer speaks at Baccalaureate/Cap and Gown ceremony.

11) The Rev. Dan Martin, pastor of West Market Street United Methodist Church, speaks at Baccalaureate/Cap and Gown ceremony.

12) Alexandra DiStefano ’17 waves to family members as graduates process at the beginning of Commencement exercises.

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Give4GC:

Greensboro College

www.greensboro.edu

Points of Pride

GC Football Marks 20th Anniversary with Homecoming Reunion

One Day. One Gift. One Pride.

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reensboro College’s football program will mark its 20th anniversary with a reunion tailgate before the Homecoming football game on Saturday, Oct. 7, at Grimsley High School’s Jamieson Stadium.

Watch your email and the athletics website at greensborocollegesports.com for additional information. And read this letter that former football player Brian Cardwell ’05 wrote in January:

Left to right: Director of Advancement Services Elena Henry ‘02 and Senior VP/Chief Academic Officer Paul Leslie rock out on Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” on the Main Building patio after one of the donation goals was achieved. President Lawrence Czarda lays down the beat in Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” Students enjoy dunking members of the athletic staff.

Give4GC, Greensboro College’s first 24-hour giving campaign, exceeded all expectation on April 4, with 390 students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and friends donating a total of $33,926.

The original goal had been 150 donors. But trustees John Tricoli ’81 and Russ Myers ’82 offered challenge gifts for higher numbers of donors, ultimately totaling $10,000.

The event included fun challenges, entertainment and drawings. Members of the athletics staff agreed to be dunked in a dunking tank to help raise money, and professors Mike Sistrom, Allison Palmadessa and Joy Lough were pied by students.

Ellie Yearns, assistant vice president for development, says Give4GC emphasizes common goals, a sense of community, and teamwork rather than a dollar amount.

Freshman guitarist Nicholas Michael shreds the solo in Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.”

“Give4GC is about coming together as a community to support today’s students and celebrate the very positive position that the college is in now,” she says. “We want everyone — alumni, parents, friends, faculty, staff and students — to make a gift of any amount to support Greensboro College. It’s less about how much and more about the power of what we can do when we all come together.”

Give 4GC donors were rewarded with numerous thank-you gifts, some of them priceless. At a late-afternoon reception, President Lawrence Czarda had to make good on a challenge reward that he would “play the drums on back campus.” He was backed by a hastily assembled band consisting of Senior VP/Chief Academic Officer Paul Leslie on bass; Assistant Professor Perry Morgan-Hall on keyboards, Director of Advancement Services Elena Henry ‘02 on vocals, and freshman Nicholas Michael on guitar in a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.”

Senior Savannah “Savvy” Bowen pies history professor Mike Sistrom as part of the Give4GC fundraiser April 4.

Campus Security Chief Calvin Gilmore, who has spent decades keeping students from playing in the fountain in front of Main, even agreed to splash around in the fountain himself during the Fountain Centennial celebration on Alumni Weekend if all goals were met – and they were.

… In the 12 years since I have graduated from Greensboro College, I can count on both hands how many football games I have been back for. I still live in the area! It embarrasses me because I can come up with many excuses as to why, but it’s still an excuse. …

Security Chief Calvin Gilmore playing in the fountain.

Twenty-four-hour giving challenges like Give4GC have become popular on campuses across the country over the past five years. The idea is to create a sense of urgency around giving to a college’s annual fund and to harness modern platforms such as social media, texts, email and video as tools for philanthropy, Yearns says.

“Creating a culture of philanthropy is vital to the financial health of any college,” she says. “We want to get alumni in the habit of supporting GC annually because it creates opportunities for today’s students and increases our alumni participation rate, which is one way we are ranked as a school in publications like U.S. News & World Report.”

Is there ever an amount too small to give to GC? Yearns says no way.

“Five dollars is the minimum to make an online gift, but that’s simply because we have to account for credit-card processing fees. But we appreciate gifts of any amount.”

For more information about giving opportunities at GC, visit https://www.greensboro.edu/givetogc.php

I ask myself, “What have I done for the college?”

Nothing. … But how can I just compartmentalize that important time in my life? …

Today, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. … There were a lot of things that teams I played on didn’t have. But the one thing we did have was PRIDE. I believe everyone wants to see Greensboro College football be successful.

Success is earned by learning how to fail and then learning how to change. There have been numerous alumni upset over the years of disappointment on the field. I get it; it’s the competitive nature in us all. …

This fall, I felt like I was finally at a point in my career and with my family that I could spend some time focusing on Greensboro College. What can I do to help the very program that played such an important role in my life a decade ago? …

Through the help of Coach (Greg) Crum, an alumni committee was established for football. … In early November, a few alumni showed up for a meeting with administration regarding the “state of the program.” President (Larry) Czarda did not mince words when he spoke of his commitment to the program. The goal is to bring football on campus and GC is headed in that direction. …

So the question I ask myself again is, “What can I do to help?” I challenge you to ask yourself the same question. Maybe it’s showing up for a practice or the games. Maybe it’s participating in a mentor program for the student athletes in the football program. … Whatever it is, be the difference that you want to see.

It’s ironic that our mascot is the PRIDE. Think about a pride of lions. … They live their whole lives within that group. … What kind of PRIDE do YOU take in providing for your family?

The message is simple. It’s time for the family to come back home.

Brian Cardwell ’05

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Greensboro College

Growing Theatre and the Arts:

How Greensboro College’s Theatre Program Has Doubled in the Past Two Years Meisner came from Florida. She received a threequarter-tuition scholarship established by Lynn Lane ’73 and her husband, Pat. As a freshman, she landed the title role in GC Theatre’s huge musical production of “Mary Poppins.”

“I was drawn to the GC Theatre Department because of its small, intimate environment,” Meisner says. “When I first visited … Professor David Schram and (current alumna) Lilly Allemond sat down with my parents and spoke to us for about an hour, answering all of our questions and concerns. … The whole campus was so welcoming and open to helping me find the right fit.”

‘The right fit’

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lutter threatens to swallow Perry Morgan’s office in Odell Building, but Morgan knows it means growth for GC’s arts programs.

In Georgia alone he watched about 200 high school juniors and more than 200 high school seniors and also interviewed 30 costume designers, lighting designers, and set designers.

Papers on the piano represent prospective students whom Morgan, theatre professor and arts recruiter, has auditioned from North Carolina to New Jersey. A large binder on his desk holds profiles of prospects from Georgia’s Thespian Conference.

Besides public school and homeschool theatre conferences, Morgan also has visited private schools, and he scouts for musicians, singers and artists.

Since Morgan, previously an adjunct professor, stepped into the half-time recruiting, half-time teaching role two years ago, the college’s theatre program has doubled to about 65 students.

“I don’t know what the magic is, what the secret is,” he says. “I try to bring one theatre major with me when I go to Florida, to Georgia, to Virginia, just because the traffic at the table gets really, really busy.”

He sends music prospects to Jane McKinney, chair of the Music Department. Lighting and stage design prospects go to John Saari, costume design prospects to Marion Seaman, both fellow theatre professors.

Morgan makes scholarship offers to students he wants to enroll. Caroline Meisner, a sophomore Theatre Education major, works with Morgan at this stage, enlisting other theatre majors to try to entice prospects into the program.

Morgan also emphasizes finding the right fit: He gives prospective students and their parents a 360-degree overview of the program, the college and the city.

“I tell them that every school has an outstanding theatre program so go and see everybody because I want you to have the program that’s right for you,” he says. “We’re telling them everything, not just, ‘Come to my program.’”

But Morgan has good selling points to work with.

First, unlike at larger schools, students accepted to GC’s Musical Theatre track do not need to re-audition.

Second, GC gives students the broad, firsthand experience that will serve them well professionally. For example, Jo Hall, an acting professor and Morgan’s wife, is currently on leave, touring with the Royal National Theatre’s production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.”

“We get you ready for the real world,” Morgan says. “We’re not just sitting in our offices collecting royalties from acting books we wrote – we’re out there doing it. … That’s because,

www.greensboro.edu

first, I’m a director, and (Jo is) an actor. … The more connections we make, the more connection our students have when they graduate and go out into the real world.”

A third plus is the intimate learning environment and individualized attention that attracted Meisner. The college’s student/faculty ration is low – about 12 to 1. Morgan says theatre faculty want to cap the program at about 70 students.

Points of Pride

“A big selling point is the individual attention you’re gonna get, not only in the theatre program but in your English class and in your biology class,” Morgan says. “(GC) President (Lawrence) Czarda will say hello to you because he knows who you are, because he goes to the shows. …

Professors come to the shows, and the basketball team comes to the shows. And the football team.

And the volleyball team.”

Lastly, many students are attracted to the number of shows GC Theatre produces.

“By the time November rolls around, we’ve already opened and closed two shows where most universities are still trying to put up their first show,” Morgan says. “We keep you busy – and that’s a good thing.”

The Curious Case of the Missing Theatre Professor: Jo Hall Lends her Versatility to Touring Production Hall, right, directs a student in the GC Theatre program.

Jo Hall, assistant professor of theatre, hasn’t professed much lately – she’s touring nationally with the Royal National Theatre’s production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.”

Hall doesn’t just teach, she’s also a busy working actress. When she was offered the opportunity to understudy four roles in the production’s U.S. tour, she couldn’t say no.

Hall initially auditioned in April 2016 in New York, with the show’s casting director, Daniel Swee, looking on. Swee also happens to be the casting director for Lincoln Center, and his presence assured her that the open-call auditions weren’t a case of “just going through the motions.”

After a video audition two months later while Hall was in her native England came the in-person movement audition, then a final audition in front of Swee and the show’s director, Benjamin Klein, who called Hall back and had her re-read monologues, this time with direction. Hall called it “a dream audition.”

So Hall is now on the road as understudy for four different roles: Siobhan, the teacher; Judy, the mother; Mrs. Shears/Mrs. Gasgoyne; and Mrs. Alexander. The show opened in September 2016 in Rochester, N.Y., and closes this September with a final week in Las Vegas.

“I was thrilled, but I wanted to make sure I had the support of the college before accepting,” she says. “Being an understudy made me wonder if the college would be as supportive as I needed them to be, (but) everyone has been terrific.”

An extraordinary show “Curious Incident” was adapted from a 2003 mystery novel by British writer Mark Haddon. The play is about a 15-year-old boy, Christopher, who is “extraordinary,” Hall says.

“He finds his neighbor’s dog dead in the front yard and sets out to solve the mystery of who killed Wellington,” Hall says. “It is intimated that Christopher is on the autism spectrum. The play is from his point of view and captures the way he sees the world.”

The show is so demanding physically that the tour has its own physical therapist. But the torn calf muscles, torn meniscus, and other aches and pains have given Hall opportunities to perform.

The original Mrs. Shears injured herself during rehearsals and as of late March had yet to join the tour. Hall performed all the previews in Rochester and opened in that role at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. So far, she has also performed the role of Siobhan twice.

Being an understudy is bittersweet. Because of her versatility, Hall is more valuable as an understudy than in any one role.

“It is frustrating being stuck backstage, and when I’m not covering a role, I usually do not go on stage,” she says. “But I have performed a lot, for which I am very grateful, and it is such an amazing play to be involved with that I’m just thrilled to be doing this job.”

Hall’s biggest challenge is staying on her toes for each of the four parts she understudies. Once she went on with only 20 minutes’ notice.

“As I learned the roles, the hardest part was keeping them straight,” she says. “The tricky part was getting the extremely precise blocking down … when all four actors I cover are on stage at the same time.”

Hall misses her teaching job, but she also knows that her experience can be passed on to her students when she returns – a fact her husband and colleague, Perry Morgan, uses to recruit theatre students to Greensboro College.

“I tell students and parents that the head of our acting program is out doing the national tour of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,’” he says. “‘She’s not here this year, she’s away on sabbatical, but she’s coming back when the tour is done.’ And that piques everybody’s interest.”

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Points of Pride

Greensboro College

www.greensboro.edu

Points of Pride

engagements

PrideNotes All cities/towns are in North Carolina except where noted.

Maxine Scarborough Thomasson 1955, Oak Hill, Va., and husband Larry have moved to northern Virginia to be near their three daughters and their families. It was difficult for them to leave Manteo after 23 years overlooking the Croatan Sound, near her sister and other family members, plus their Mt. Olivet UMC family.

They have kept their home in Manteo, which has become Westside Inn for vacation and specialevents rental. They intend to spend some time at the Outer Banks, God willing.

Frances Eckstein Roberton 1969, Gaithersburg, Md., was visiting in Georgia after her granddaughter, Libby, was born in August and had lunch at a local pizza shop with Betty Jo Rathner Sutherland 1966, who now lives in Snellville, Ga. The two hadn’t seen each other in more than 40 years!

Penny Shamberger Nichols 1973, Greensboro, was the featured presenter in Finch Chapel on Feb. 7 as part of the college’s Black History Month events. Penny, who graduated with a music degree and was a long-time music educator, was the first AfricanAmerican graduate of Greensboro College.

She performed several musical selections and shared her story from her time as a student.

Sharon Coffey Kralick 1977, Rocky Mount, “Attending Greensboro College has helped me live my life not with my cup half full but overflowing!”

Haywood W. Evans Jr. 1983, La Plata, Md., is now the director of the Department of Community Services for the Charles County Government.

The Rev. Dr. Timothy S. Moore 1996, Statesville, has been appointed to the newly created position of Associate Dean and Campus and Continuing Education Coordinator for the Charlotte location of Pfeiffer University.

Amy C. Spivey 1996, Statesville, is a minister at Monticello United Methodist Church.

Galina “Allie” Petrova 2003, Greensboro, launched her law firm, Petrova Law, in 2016. The firm is based in Greensboro and serves businesses and individuals across North Carolina. Allie counsels businesses on formation, financing, acquisitions, ownership changes, and day-to-day business matters.

The firm handles tax issues before the Internal Revenue Service for businesses and individuals, and assists with tax planning for transactions. Allie earned her J.D. and LL.M. in Taxation degrees from the Georgetown University Law Center. She earned her LL.M. in International Economic Law from the Sorbonne in Paris, France. Before launching the firm, she practiced corporate law in Greensboro.

Prior to returning home to Greensboro, Allie advised clients on M&A tax matters in New York City. She actively contributes to the work of the Greensboro College School of Business Advisory Council and the Tax Section of the North Carolina Bar Association.

Jon Hardister 2006, Greensboro, spoke on campus Feb. 27 about his time at the college and how it prepared him to move into a successful career in state politics, at an event sponsored by the Careers in Business course.

Jon, who graduated with a degree in political science, is currently serving as Majority Whip in the N.C. House of Representatives.

https://gcpridenotes.blogspot.com

Jamie Trout Smothers 2006, Browns Summit, was the featured speaker at this year’s Senior Salute dinner Jan. 26. Jamie is the Senior VP and Financial Advisor for First Citizens Investor Services.

Tara J. Titcombe 2008, Cleveland, Ohio, helped create the runof-show and game content for the World Series as project manager for the Cleveland Indians.

Joseph S. Morrow 2012, Graham, recently received his North Carolina CPA certificate, dated Jan. 23, 2017, from The North Carolina State Board of Certified Public Accountant Examiners.

Wyatt S. Clay 2014, Lovettsville, Va., is currently serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Quito, Ecuador.

He has been there since May 2015 and is currently working at an organization called CENIT, which focuses on the prevention of child labor. Although a large part of his job is promoting education of children and working with them in different programs, he also works with their parents.

They do monthly training on topics ranging from children’s rights to nutrition. Wyatt uses what he learned at Greensboro College to help create new financial opportunities for the women in the community. He is helping manage the production, promotion, and sales of sustainable, recycled products that are being exported to multiple other countries. 100% of

the profits from their sales go to the women in the community to help create financial stability within their families, which helps keep them from needing to depend on their children for income.

Holly E. Jones 2014, Wilmington, got engaged in December 2016 to Josh Ferreira and will be married in July 2017.

Holly E. Jones 2014, Wilmington, is in grad school at UNC Wilmington pursuing a Master of Science degree.

She is an Environmental Studies major, with concentrations in Environmental Conservation & Management and Coastal Management. She is also pursuing a post-baccalaureate certificate in Geographic Information Systems. Holly is also a teaching and research assistant at UNCW. Her current research, in conjunction with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, is a study to determine fox populations in N.C. She will also be researching the effectiveness of the cameras that are used to camera-trap wildlife.

Births

Daniel N. Longworth 2014, Greensboro, has been working for Neff Rental at the Greensboro branch since October 2014. He started at an inside sales role, as a sales coordinator. In late March 2016, he was promoted within the branch to become one of two Outside Sales Representatives. He was able to generate $1.31 million in revenue throughout the remainder of the calendar year.

Taylor Babb 2015, Greensboro, has been named the head boys lacrosse coach for Page High School in Greensboro. Babb is also an assistant football coach and math teacher at the school.

Alexis L. Gregory 2016 and Bray Tilley 2016, Kernersville, are getting married in Finch Chapel on June 24. They both work for Guilford County Schools and recently bought their first house together in Kernersville.

Elizabeth “Libby” Hart Sorkin born on Aug. 6, 2016, to Kate Roberton Sorkin 2005 and Justin Sorkin.

Libby is named (in part) after Kate’s great-aunt, Elizabeth Winn Reynolds 1934, and Kate’s aunt, Elizabeth Eckstein Chase 1960.

Daniel N. Longworth 2014, Greensboro, got engaged to Allie Cantrell on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, in the company of their parents and some family friends.

Zoey McAlister Young born on Feb. 9, 2017, to Kelly Flora Young 2010 and Jeremy Young. Zoey is the granddaughter of Anne Jones Hurd 1981, great-niece of F. Thomas Jones III 1984, and greatgranddaughter of Gene Edwards Jones 1958 and Fred Jones, college administrator from 1963 to 1985 and current trustee. The family is hoping that she’ll become a member of the Class of 2038, the Bicentennial year for Greensboro College.

Sympathy Extended to Charlotte Hunt Kornegay 1949 in the passing of her brother, L. Hadley Hunt,

on Feb. 25, 2017.

Gaynelle Gwyn McMaster 1950 in the passing of her husband, Billy McMaster, on

Nov. 23, 2015.

Anne Ewing Carroll 1953 in the passing of her granddaughter, Isabel McNair Whitcomb,

on Oct. 2, 2016.

Carolyn Evans Hart 1953 in the passing of her husband, Dr. Joseph T. Hart, on Dec. 9, 2016.

Dr. JoAnn Padley Hunt 1956, in the passing of her sister, Betty J. Padley 1957, on

Feb. 10, 2017, and in the passing of her husband, L. Hadley Hunt, on Feb. 25, 2017.

Martha Rape Baucom 1959 in the passing of her husband, Ray Baucom, on Jan. 29, 2017.

Boo Hunt Jobe 1961 in the passing of her brother, L. Hadley Hunt, on Feb. 25, 2017.

Susan Long Smith 1982 in the passing of her mother, Martha Johnson Long 1948,

on Dec. 21, 2016.

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Points of Pride

Greensboro College

Deaths Mary Lib Robbins Johnson 1936 passed away Feb. 26, 2017.

Vivian Branson Glover 1937 passed away Nov. 3, 2016.

Hester “Nicky” Tulburt Booker 1938 passed away Oct. 21, 2016.

Frances Dailey Farthing 1939 passed away Jan. 7, 2017.

Mary Nobel Angel Bennett 1941 passed away May 10, 2014.

Mary Lou Wimbish Waterstradt 1941 passed away Feb. 2, 2017.

Virginia Clarke Gray-Backus 1942 passed away Jan. 18, 2017.

Margaret Brown Michaels 1942 passed away Dec. 8, 2016.

Muriel Levy Glaser 1944 passed away Oct. 25, 2016.

Jane Sanderlin Morgan 1944 passed away Dec. 3, 2016.

Louise Somers Pardue 1945 passed away Dec. 22, 2016.

Frances Bradley Woodard 1946 passed away Nov. 1, 2016.

Emily Ridenhour Givens 1947 passed away June 20, 2016.

Doris Dulin Maness 1947 passed away April 18, 2016.

Mary Britt Marsh 1947 passed away Jan. 11, 2017.

Brownie Dail McLawhorn 1947 passed away Feb. 7, 2017.

Martha Johnson Long 1948 passed away Dec. 21, 2016.

Edla Earley Trnka 1948 passed away Oct. 30, 2016.

Margaret Parker Coltrane 1949 passed away July 23, 2016.

Emma Janet Highfill Collins 1950 passed away April 23, 2016.

Phyllis Smith Mueller 1951 passed away June 28, 2016.

Katherine Hege Rierson 1951 passed away Jan. 8, 2017.

Frances Aman Ward 1951 passed away Nov. 14, 2016.

Carlene Freeman Blackmon 1952 passed away Oct. 2, 2016.

Carolyn Gillespie Tutzauer 1952 passed away May 12, 2016.

Virginia Coble White 1952 passed away Sept. 24, 2016.

Margaret Pinner Pond Smith 1953 passed away Dec. 28, 2016.

Winifred White Millar 1957 passed away Dec. 19, 2016.

Betty J. Padley 1957 passed away Feb. 10, 2017.

Jacquelyn Yelverton Coggins 1960 passed away Oct. 13, 2016.

Elizabeth Carrington O’Connell 1961 passed away Nov. 30, 2016.

Dr. John G. Cockey 1966 passed away Jan. 18, 2017.

Joem Dwiggins Phillips 1980 passed away Nov. 28, 2016.

Doug Montgomery passed away Oct. 22, 2016. Doug was a long-time employee who oversaw the college’s maintenance, housekeeping, and grounds crews for more than 20 years.

Dr. Elmer L. Puryear passed away Dec. 30, 2016. Dr. Puryear served as Dean of the College, and a professor of history & political science from 1962 to 1971.

Upcoming Alumni Events

Sun., Aug. 13: New-Student Convocation Sat., Sept. 9: Alumni Board meeting Fri., Sept. 22: 17 Days of Art/Music for a

Great Space concert Fri., Oct. 6: Board of Trustees meeting Sat., Oct. 7: Homecoming 2017 and 20th

anniversary of the football program Sun., Dec. 3: 52nd Annual Festival of

Lessons & Carols Thur., Feb. 8: Board of Trustees meeting Fri.-Sun., April 6-8: Alumni Weekend Fri., May 11: Board of Trustees meeting Fri., May 11: Baccalaureate/Cap &

Gown Service Sat., May 12: Commencement

815 West Market Street Greensboro, North Carolina, 27401 www.greensboro.edu

SAVE THE DATE

2017 Homecoming – Saturday, Oct. 7 Keep up with Greensboro College on social media!

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