AHA!
SOUTH CAROLINA HONORS COLLEGE / UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA / WINTER 2017–18
The International Issue ROBERT VIOLETTE: MAKING IT NEW
plus GOING GLOBAL SMALL TOWN TO BIG CITY
Contents p. 4
Woodford Folk Festival in Australia “I got to work at a few festivals, and stage-managed at Woodford Folk Festival where I got to see nearly 100,000
WINTER 2017-18 South Carolina Honors College Dean / Steven Lynn Managing Editor / Writer / Aïda Rogers Director of Communications / Anna Redwine
people join us to celebrate New Year’s. In all, it was one of the best experiences of my life. I would do it again in a heartbeat.” —Cory Alpert, SCHC ’17
Honors College Partnership Board Marshall Winn Catherine Heigel Chairman Vice Chairwoman Roger Barnette Anita Hood, M.D. Jay Cain Eddie Jones Dan D’Alberto Ben Rex Bill Duncan Thomas Scott Lori Clos Fisher Jacob Shuford Kevin Hall Sherri Timmons Steve Hibbard Jeff Vinzani
Stay Connected University Home Page: sc.edu SCHC Home Page: sc.edu/HonorsCollege Facebook: facebook.com/SCHonorsCollege Twitter: twitter.com/SCHonorsCollege LinkedIn: “South Carolina Honors College Alumni” Instagram: schonorscollege Communications and Public Affairs / The Writers Group The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, genetics, age, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The University of South Carolina has designated as the ADA Title II, Section 504 and Title IX coordinator the Executive Assistant to the President for Equal Opportunity Programs. The Office of the Executive Assistant to the President for Equal Opportunity Programs is located at 1600 Hampton Street, Suite 805, Columbia, SC; telephone 803-777-3854. 17-10344 11/17
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In this issue 4/
Going Global More than 2,225 SCHC students have crossed an ocean or a border for study abroad since 2009 — and the experiences have been well worth it.
6/
‘This Big Blue Ball’ From Scotland to Singapore and Germany to New Zealand, SCHC alumni make their homes abroad.
8 / ON THE COVER Making it New Robert Violette, ’87 BARSC, has made his home in London since 1988 as a visual artist, publisher and musician.
10 / Small Town to Big City The Washington Semester Program has special meaning for Mandy Young and Patrick Norton, SCHC alumni and former fellows of the program who are now supporting it for future students.
On the cover: Robert Violette in front of his Untitled Wall Piece at a 2016 installation in London. Photograph by Mariell Lind Hansen.
Dear Alumni and Friends, What do Antarctica and Tunisia, Moscow and Madrid, New Zealand and Oxford have in common? They are, of course, study abroad destinations for our Honors College students, and since more than 70 percent of them do study abroad, those are just a few of the places they go. Wherever students study — Costa Rica, Vienna, Beijing, Paris, Edinburgh (it’s a vast list of possibilities) — they return with knowledge, experience and confidence they probably couldn’t have gotten any other way. When I ask them to describe their study away experience, they usually say some variation on “life-changing.” Many are often savvy and experienced travelers already, with well-decorated passports, while others have scarcely left their home ZIP code. Regardless, they all benefit from study away, we believe, and we want to make that experience
DEAN STEVEN LYNN
possible for every student who desires it. We simply cannot do this without the support of our alumni and friends. And so I’m especially pleased to announce that Victoria and Jeff Vinzani and their family have created an endowed fund for our Study Abroad program in honor of Jeff’s father, Ted, and in memory of his mother, Gladys. The son of Italian immigrants, Ted Vinzani was the first in his family to graduate from college. He chose Carolina. So did his three sons, and now Jeff’s son, Michael, has continued the Honors College tradition. I also want to celebrate another testimony to true philanthropy: the endowed Study Abroad Fund created by Bob Hill, who graduated in 1963, when the Honors College was just a glimmering in a few faculty members’ neurons. Bob created the fund in memory of his mother, Catherine Finley Hill, and to honor his longtime partner, Frank Romanowicz, who ran the Study Abroad program at the University of Alabama. These gifts complement one made by Catherine Heigel, ’92, in memory of her mother Deborah Y. Edwards, which assists with passport funding. We will continue to grow this program, watching it enrich the lives of our students — with the help of our generous donors, alumni and friends. We appreciate your support in this and every other endeavor more than we can possibly say. Cordially,
Steven Lynn Photos, right: (top) Some of the Vinzani clan: Ted, ’52; Jack, 5th grade; Jeff, ’83; Michael, class of 2019; (bottom) Dean Lynn with Bob Hill
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Going global STUDY ABROAD OFFERS VALUABLE LESSONS, PRICELESS EXPERIENCES There’s no telling what can happen when you’re studying abroad. If you’re Cory Alpert, ’17 sociology, you take a road trip up the east coast of Australia and wake up in your car one morning to see kangaroos jumping across the beach. If you’re Kelley Kennedy, ’17 international business/ economics, you make friends from all over Europe at a Christmas market in Edinburgh, and sample real Scotch together. What’s likely is that no matter where SCHC students go, their minds get stretched, their perspectives forever altered. There’s nothing like going there, doing that and being better for the experience. “I had a fantasy of Paris as this romantic, fanciful city filled with ornate old buildings, little cafes and, of course, the looming Eiffel Tower,” confesses Rebecca Steptoe, an English/history junior from Irmo. “And in one sense, Paris really is all those things.” But taking photos atop the Galeries Lafayette department store, her fantasy dissolved. From there, the Eiffel Tower was tiny in the far distance. And with tour buses and celebrity ads crowding her view, Steptoe learned something valuable. “Paris is as much a product of modernity as any other large city,” she observes. “Just because they speak French and drink a lot of espresso doesn’t mean Parisians are somehow stuck in a romantic, pre-modern vision. Going to Paris helped me see it as a real city, a city filled with real people who have way more in common with me than I originally imagined.” Steptoe entered one of those photos in the SCHC’s study abroad photo contest. As with other entries, it crystalizes lessons learned and triggers memories of adventures had. That so many life lessons happen during travel is no surprise to Megan Tone Campbell, ’10, SCHC study abroad coordinator, who points out the practicality of the program. “A global perspective is essential for a successful professional in today’s globalized world,” Campbell says. “Many employers look for a study abroad experience on resumes, and having it
4 / S O UTH C A R O L IN A HONORS COLLEGE
shows you are open-minded and able to appreciate the differences in culture and people.” Eighty countries, from Argentina to Zambia, have accepted SCHC students into their classrooms, labs and field studies. Since 2009, more than 2,225 SCHC students have crossed an ocean or a border to study. Besides countries in Western Europe, the most popular destinations are Chile, China, Costa Rica and Hong Kong. Students in the sciences, languages, history, international studies, business, and biomedical engineering are most likely to study abroad, Campbell’s records show. More programs started this year. In addition to a partnership with the Honors College at the American College of Greece in Athens, four Global Classrooms are studying British Literature in London and the Surrounding Countryside, Tracing the Holocaust in Eastern Europe, and examining Social Capital in Rome and Art and Culture in Japan. A popular Honors College course is a language exchange with a university in France in which SCHC students host Parisian students for a week at USC before traveling to Paris for spring break. There also is a partnership with the USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications in Malawi. Students soak up more than beauty. For Brooke Troxell,’17 biological sciences, nothing could surpass the Hamelin Pool stromatolites in Shark Bay, Western Australia. The first conclusive fossil evidence of life on earth, stromatolites pumped the first bits of oxygen into the atmosphere, and are rarely found on earth today. “Lots of people marvel at sharks and crocodiles, how they have remained relatively unchanged for even millions of years,” Troxell reflects. “But when I stepped onto the boardwalk at Hamelin Pool in Shark Bay, I was transported to a world even more ancient. I could see the Earth over three billion years ago — hot and salty with almost no atmosphere. It was surreal to translate a picture in a textbook to a real-life experience.”
Where do our Honors College students study abroad? Argentina • Aruba • Australia • Austria • Belgium • Belize • Bermuda • Bhutan • Brazil • Canada • Chile • China • Colombia • Costa Rica • Croatia Cuba • Cyprus • Czech Republic • Denmark • Dominican Republic • Ecuador • Egypt • England • Fiji • France • Germany • Ghana • Greece • Honduras Hong Kong • Hungary • Iceland • India • Ireland • Israel • Italy • Jamaica • Japan • Jordan • Kenya • Mali • Mexico • Morocco • Mozambique • Nepal New Zealand • Nicaragua • Norway • Palestinian Territory • Peru • Poland • Portugal • Romania • Russia • Rwanda • Saint Lucia • Scotland • Senegal Slovakia • South Africa • South Korea • Spain • Sweden • Switzerland • Taiwan • Tajikistan • Tanzania • Thailand • The Netherlands • Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia • Turkey • Uganda • United Arab Emirates • United Kingdom • Uruguay • Virgin Islands • Wales • Zambia
From left, clockwise Abigail Hardee ’17, international business “Huangshan (the Yellow Mountains) are a World Historic Site, and the view moved most of our group to tears at being able to witness such beauty and clear air after being accustomed to the polluted, urban atmosphere that surrounds Shanghai.” Sidney Cutter, Class of 2018, French “The name ‘Senegal’ comes from Wolof sunu gal, meaning ‘our boat,’ a reminder that we — the people of the world — are all in the same boat together and should constantly be helping each other.” Rebecca Steptoe, Class of 2019, English “I love in this picture how small the Eiffel Tower looks. It seems like every picture or conception of Paris is centered on that tower, so seeing it offset and cast in a diminutive light helped me appreciate the many other architectural beauties of Paris.” Jessica McMinn, Class of 2019, international business “Despite my inability to speak Hindi and my friend’s family’s limited English, they embraced me with open arms and endless love.”
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D
‘THIS BIG BLUE BALL’ From Scotland to Singapore and Germany to New Zealand, SCHC alumni make their homes abroad. For the past 15 years Ron Edwards, ’02 anthropology, has lived in Bangkok. That’s more than 80 percent of his adult life, he points out. So when he says “It’s a small world,” he’s confident about his reasoning. “You’re never more than a day or so from almost anywhere,” he observes. “I’ve come across USC alumni in cities from Bangkok to Paris.” And indeed, the SCHC has many Gamecocks living abroad. They’re working in finance in Beijing, Panama and Toronto and teaching school and coaching cricket in Dusseldorf. In Ansbach, Germany, Kyle Applegate is an Army helicopter pilot, his 2014 classmate and wife, Emily Padget, by his side. An hour and a half northeast of them in Grafenwoehr are Ryan and Bethany Griffith, both 2010 graduates. Ryan is an Army dentist. There are others in Scotland and Singapore, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. Only the continents of Antarctica and Africa appear to be bereft of SCHC alumni (but if we’re wrong about that, please let us know). Edwards, an Irmo, S.C., native, visited Thailand on his way home from India, where he spent his junior year. Besides exploring Buddhist ruins there, he took in “the technicolor streets of Hong Kong” and a village in Nepal where his anthropology professor Laura Ahearn did her fieldwork. He returned to Thailand after graduation, planning to stay only a year or two. Fifteen years on, he’s head of content for Minor Hotels, a Bangkok-headquartered company that owns or manages 150-plus hotels across the world. His partner and many of his friends are Thai, and that’s the language he slips in and out of throughout the day. “Despite all of that, some of my absolute best friends in the world are those I bonded with at the Honors College,” he reflects. How is he different having lived so far from home for so long? “That’s hard to say, but getting to know people from all corners of the world and all walks of life helps build bonds of empathy and an understanding of our shared humanity,” he says. “Looking back across the ocean, it seems like there’s a lot of pain and discord now that could be helped if everyone understood that all of us on this big blue ball, no matter who we are, are in this together.” Ron Edwards visiting Cambodia, near his home in Bangkok
6 / S OUTH C A R O LIN A HONORS COLLEGE
L
S
C B
R
M F
O
H G
J E I
T
P
Q N
A K
A. Australia 2 alumni; New South Wales, West Melbourne B. Bolivia 2 alumni; Cochabamba, La Paz C. Brazil 1 alumnus; Rio D. Canada 9 alumni; 3 in Toronto, Waterloo Ontario, Saskatoon, Vancouver, Montreal, Burnaby, Sarnia Ontario
E. China 5 alumni; 2 in Shanghai, Beijing, Kowloon, Quarry Bay F. England 6 alumni; 2 in London, Middlesex, Oxford, Croydon, Virginia Water (near Surrey) G. France 3 alumni; Chateauneufsur-Charente, Paris, Sagy H. Germany 5 alumni; 1 in Dusseldorf, 2 in Ansbach, 2 in Grafenwoehr
I. Hong Kong 1 alumnus
P. Taiwan 1 alumnus in Taipei
J. Kosovo 1 alumnus in Pristina
Q. Thailand 1 alumnus in Bangkok
K. New Zealand 1 alumnus in Wellington
R. The Netherlands 1 alumnus in Haarlem
L. Panama 1 alumnus in Colon
S. Trinidad & Tobago 1 alumnus
M. Scotland 2 alumni in Edinburgh
T. United Arab Emirates 1 alumnus in Dubai
N. Singapore 1 alumnus O. Slovakia 1 alumnus in Zilina
We know this is just a sampling of our alumni living across the globe. If you or a classmate are missing from our map, please email us at alumni@schc.sc.edu.
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MAKING IT NEW ARTIST/PUBLISHER COLLABORATES AND GOES SOLO TO CREATE ORIGINAL WORKS Here’s a challenge: adequately describing Robert Violette in 650 words. Ink on paper can’t capture him — the visual artist, the publisher, the musician, the fundraiser for victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster in London, where he’s made his home since 1988. A personality profile is simply insufficient. Thankfully, he’s aware of that frustration, having spent 29 years creating, editing and producing dozens of art books and magazines, first as a publications director at a contemporary art gallery, then on his own since 1995 with Violette Editions, his independent publishing company. Collaborating with leading contemporary artists and designers — among them Louise Bourgeois, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Tom Dixon and Sir Paul Smith — Violette has helped bring new work into the world, much of it at the cutting edge. To that end, he is also a founding adviser of the London-based Block Universe performance art festival, now in its fourth year. Besides focusing on the talents of fashion and furniture designers, photographers and architects, Violette Editions mixes things up editorially. Collaborating with French conceptual artist Sophie Calle, he added the fiction of Paul Auster based on or inspired by her work. Double Game remains in print 18 years later and will soon enter its fifth edition. “When I undertake to publish a book with an artist for Violette Editions, it is always driven by the desire to work with that specific artist and to make a book that has never been created before,” Violette observes. “For me, it’s about the experience of working with another artist, not about the business of publishing.” A 1987 BARSC graduate from Lowell, Mass., Violette abandoned an offer from Boston College to enter the SCHC. Finding an encouraging spirit in Dean Bill Mould, Violette also did an independent study with acclaimed printmaker Boyd Saunders in the USC art department, and spent a year at the University of Warwick in England, where he met his future wife, Sandy. He also was introduced, through his thesis director Bill Matalene, to the works of philosopher Morse Peckham, a Carolina professor who died in 1993. Though Violette never met Peckham, Peckham’s transdisciplinary theory of language and human behavior resonated. When Violette restructured his company in 2015 to focus again on his own art, he found Peckham’s scholarship still inspired and intrigued.
8 / S O UTH C A R O LIN A HONORS COLLEGE
A view of works by Robert Violette from December 2016. Photo by Mariell Lind Hansen
Violette’s West London studio stands next to Grenfell Tower, the apartment building that burned June 17, killing 80 and leaving hundreds homeless. Violette joined other artists in donating work to be auctioned for the victims, raising a total of almost £40,000. Here, a diptych of the tower and the artist, taken specially for AHA! by distinguished photographer Norbert Schoerner, whose book Third Life was published by Violette Editions in 2012. “The sadness and trauma here have been inescapable, and the suffering of the families unimaginable,” Violette notes. Donations are accepted at the London Evening Standard’s Dispossessed Fund (http://www.dispossessedfund.org.uk/). Photos by Norbert Schoerner
“Like life and language, and our interaction with people and the world and art, when you throw a ball against a wall it always bounces back, one way or another. It’s forever a continuous cycle of infinite variations,” he explains about an untitled installation from 2016, pictured on the cover. “What happens when it doesn’t bounce back? That relates to Peckham, but there are also nuances relating to theories of play, psychoanalysis and to the puzzling behavior of quantum particles. Simple, eh?” Violette’s work has gained notice. In 2001 he was the first illustrated book publisher selected as a fellow for the Jerusalem International Book Fair. In 2005 he was one of four finalists for the Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award; the September 2011 anniversary issue of Wallpaper* magazine named him “one of 150 international movers, shakers and makers of the last 15 years.” An occasional leader of creative
A shelf of titles from Violette Editions; courtesy of Violette Editions
workshops — he’s conducted them at the Royal College of Art, the BBC and the University of the Arts in London, among others — his “editorial lecture performance” at the London College of Fashion’s Centenary Conference no doubt was entirely unexpected. Starting at the lectern in the usual way, Violette discussed editorial strategies and showed slide images. Then while he spoke the floor-to-ceiling wall behind him was unfolded to reveal 30 creatives and editors working in full view of the audience for a ‘live’ publication based on the content of the conference. “The only boundaries we face are the ones we create for ourselves” is one lesson Violette learned from Mould, and one he’d pass on to SCHC students today. He’d add a few others, including “Follow your drives and desires even if they’re unpopular. If some path or opportunity doesn’t exist for you, try to make it new.”
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SMALL TOWN TO BIG CITY Life-changing experiences in D.C. inspire couple to give back to Washington Semester Program Mandy Young and Patrick Norton aren’t afraid to live in big cities, travel to remote places, or keep going to school. Nor are they afraid to give back to the SCHC. For them, the Washington Semester Program has special meaning. As Fellows of the program — Young in 2006, Norton in 2004 — they recognize the opportunities a semester in D.C. can provide. “I hadn’t even received my I.D. badge before I was participating in meetings with a delegation from Bulgaria and constituents from the district,” says Young, ’08 political science/Russian. A Chapin, S.C., native, Young worked for Congressman Joe Wilson during her semester. For Norton, ’05 political science, ’08 I.M.B.A., watching Iztak Perlman from the president’s box at the Kennedy Center was an unforgettable moment. Norton, from Lugoff, S.C., worked for Congressman John Spratt. They can even thank the WSP — and Norton’s senior-year-roommate and fellow Carolina Scholar Thomas Scott — for bringing them together. When Scott introduced them, Young, a Boren Scholar, realized she’d clipped news articles quoting Norton, then working
Young and Norton visited Antarctica in early 2017
for the Democratic National Committee, while she worked for Wilson. Washington, D.C. is even where they started their careers and lived for six years. Norton is a quantitative financial analyst with the Division of Trading and Markets at the Securities and Exchange Commission; Young is a financial analyst. Both earned master’s degrees in real estate, concentrating in finance, from Georgetown University. Though they’ve recently moved to Boston, where Young is working on an M.B.A. in financial technology from MIT Sloan, they know Washington, D.C., is a stimulating city that can redirect futures. That’s why they’ve made a gift that will support students like them. “The Washington Semester Program was an important part of our experience and we wanted to help provide more opportunities for students to participate,” Norton explains. “We want students who have stayed in state to have an opportunity to live, work, and study in a different region as part of their university experience.” The Norton-Young Washington Semester Program Endowed Scholarship Fund stipulates that recipients be graduates of a South Carolina public high school. For Norton, who had never traveled beyond the Southeast before his semester in D.C., the program proved the world beyond your back yard is there to be explored. Living in a big city gives you confidence, he says. They like not needing a car, and the “conveniences and energy” cities offer. Adventurous travelers, they’ve visited six continents, “camping in Africa for a few months or doing a jungle trek in Southeast Asia to disconnect.” Next on their list are the countries of Oceania, and then — space, they say. Until then, they’ve got advice for today’s SC Honors College students. “Embrace your weaknesses and find a way to turn them into strengths,” Norton says. From his wife: “I’ll recycle the advice Dean Peter Sederberg gave my incoming class — ‘Be a barracuda!’ His meaning is we should be aggressive in going after what we want. It inspired me to apply myself even when I thought I might fail.”
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Donor Honor Roll Thank you to the 442 alumni, businesses, and friends who contributed
$1,000 to $1,800
Terry and Anthony Ng
$525,400 to the Honors College and to the Carolina Scholars Program.
Paul Anderson
Pat Conroy Literary Center
Your faithful generosity is vitally important in providing the scholarships, research stipends, course enhancements, and personal attention that give our students an exceptional educational experience. Bold indicates Dean’s Circle members.
$25,000 and above
Christopher Bardi
Joan and Al Lopez
Bill and Connie Timmons Foundation
Miriam and Duncan Breckenridge
Courtney Hopkins Mann
Chi Omega
Faye and Bill McAnulty Laura and Matt McGinley
Estate of William B. Douglas
Sona Shah Arora Evelyn and Eldon Bailey
Julia Royall
Beth and Jimmy Bailey
Lea and Barry Saunders
Lee Royall
Brooke Barnett
Thomas Scott
Niki and Bob Barr Stephen Brown
Jan Love and Peter Sederberg
Carolyn and Bill Burns
Keri Shull
Lisa and John Courson
Daniel Silvester
Mary and Francis Dannerbeck
Saundra and Andy Smoak
The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc.
Janet and Rick Sullivan
Lucille Mould
The David W. & Susan G. Robinson Foundation
Amanda Young and Patrick Norton
Margaret and Lee Dixon
$10,000 to $24,999
Lisa and Thomas Engoren
Yu Hui Zhou-McGovern and John McGovern
Ernst & Young Foun dation
Deedra and Brian Nunnally
Pat and Tom Fortson
Ellis Pearce
Alana and Bob Griffin
Dorothy A. Poston
Jamie and Kevin Hall
Sidney and Ben Rex
Jack S. Graybill
Candice and Aaron Hark
Susan and John Shimp
Jodie W. McLean
Catherine Heigel
Cathy and Jacob Shuford
R.C. McEntire & Company, Inc.
Mary and Steve Hibbard
Andrea and Jerre Sumter
Allen Klump
Jeannette and Marshall Winn
Judie and Tom Hoffman
Kathi and Bill Tangney
Lawrence Laddaga
Leslie and John Brunelli
$1,801 to $9,999
Michelle and Michael Hogue
Marilyn and Charles Tatum
Annette and Steve Lynn
Patty and Edward Campbell
Victoria and Jeff Vinzani
Laura Anne and John McElwaine
Emily and Eric Carlisle
Flora C. Hopkins
Christy and Thad Westbrook
Kathy McKinless
Lorraine Dustan
Beth Benko and James Atkinson
Debbie and Mark Husband
Julia and Joe Moore
Tracy and Eddie Jones
Marcella and Albert Fedalei
Bank of America
Carrie and Whit Lanier
Melissa and James Whittingham
Robert H. Hill
Anonymous Charles Timmons Foundation Lori Clos Fisher and Edmond Fisher Kim and Gus Dixon
Clara and Jim Addison Allison and Paul Aitchison
Rhonda and Lincoln McGinnis
Elizabeth Endler and Gary Wells
Carolyn and John Taylor Mahesh Thiagarajah
Carol and Don Fowler
Roger Ward
Alison and Kenneth Franklin
Patricia and John Watkins
Jennifer Gohlke Anne Gregg Holly and John Hoey
$500 to $999 Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc.
Ben Iseman
Todd Bailey
Lynn and Jim Karegeannes
Jim and Claire Banks
Aaron Knowlton
Joseph Muller
Gretchen Van Der Veer and Steve Beckham
Pamela Cobb
Bold indicates Dean’s Circle members, who have given $1,000 or more to the Honors College this fiscal year, 7/1/16 - 6/30/17. For a complete list of donors, visit sc.edu/honorscollege
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Stacey and Christopher Field Susan McBurney and Michael Gadd Sarah Gluek and Gregory Smith
Elizabeth and Brian Wieber $100 to $499 Jenn Aiosa Dorcas Alexander
Cox and Cole, LLC
Thomas Holmes
Bill Norton
Pamela and Richard Davenport
Elke and William Hood Victoria and Fritz Hood
Betsy and Bob Oakman
James Davis
Kathryn Hope
Mark Openshaw
Deloitte & Touche
TJ Horan
Maja Osterman
Terrell P. Dolbier
Matt Hutchins
Susan and Paul Dominick
Beth Hutchison
Elizabeth and Liam Palmer
Barbara and Jim Guignard
Judy and Alan Alexander
Jamie Hammill
Susan Alexander
Christy Hancock
American Nurses Foundation
James Duckett
Lorraine Aun
Jean and Mike Dumiak
Meghan and Wesley Hickman
Mary Gordon Baker
Stefanie and Gregory Eaves
Jenny and Marc Horne
Rebecca Bandy
Teresa MacPherson and Brad Hutto
Kay Banks Catherine Barall
Julia Hunt and Matthew Jochim
Nancy and Daniel Barnes
Colleen Jones P.K. Kamath
Yisi and Curtis Barrineau
Theresa Knoepp
Stephanie Bedard
Deanna Leamon and Davis Baird
Mary and Bobby Bernstein
Paula Herrmann and Stuart Olson
Jacqueline Lewis Pamela and Richard Litwin Lorrie and Michael Moran Deepti and Rajinder Parmar Timothy Perrin Denise and Tom Pulte Julie and Brad Reback Alicia Sikes Misty and Jonathan Skvoretz Lynette and Larry Slovensky Melody and Brian Smith South Carolina Nurses Assn. Marion and James Stickle
Matt Ballard
Meg and Chris Dorsel
Anne and Ted Ellefson Timur Engin Jacquelyn and Philip Evatt ExxonMobil Foundation Ashley and Ryan Floyd The Fluor Foundation Jonathan Flynn Mary and Wade Franks
Randi Berry
Joan and Gary Gabel
Novella Fortner Beskid
Betty Jo and David Garner
IBM Corporation Matching Grants Program
Jamie and Louis Isganitis
Helen and Frederick Piellusch
Kathryn and Norman Jones
Angie and Carl Pierce
Susan and Gediminas Kalinauskas Angela and Fred Kingsmore
Maria and William Polleys
Wade Kolb
Jennifer Poon
Maribeth and Paul Kowalski
Bert Pooser
Sharon and John Larson Kathy Layden
Lee and William Rambo
Janis K. Leaphart
Marie-Louise Ramsdale
Lisa and Robert Lisson
Felicity and Sik Boen
Teresa deBorde Glenn and Terrell Glenn
Adair and Chris Locke
Kiri and Stephen Rawson
Stacy and Joel Brandon
Susan and Phil Goodman
Elizabeth Mack and Weston Rice
Karen and Gregory Breal
Ann and Michael Grace
Sara Mareno
Bethany and Ryan Griffith
Julie and Mark Mayson
Robert Regal
Bets McCurley
Judy Rehberg
Kathy McKinney
Carol and Ronald Reimer
Cameron Blazer The Boeing Company
Sherry and Joe Brockington Rebecca and DeWitt Brown
Katie and William Guerin
Raytheon Company Lucy Reep and Andrew Foster
Thomas Guilderson
Susan and Paul McLaughlin
Bonnie and Jim Byrd
Tracy and Charles Hardaway
Dale and Richard McMahan
Louisa and Bill Campbell
Amanda Harding
Marilu and James Metherell
France and Tola Roberts
Terri and Harry Miley
Daisy and Corwin Robison
Edie and Steven Burritt
Starr and Patrick Carr Susan Carstensen and Ed Munn Sanchez
Nicole and Adam Hark Cynthia and Glenn Heins Laura and Geoffrey Hendrick
Shirley and Eugene Mills
Heather and Britt Cooper
Virginia and John Herrick
Deborah and Glenn Cornwell
Rebecca and Edwin Hinds
Gladys and Wayne Cousar
Susan Hitchcock
Lauren and Theron Neese
Shannon and Kaz Holley
Eleanor and Herb Niestat
12 / S O UTH C A R O L IN A H ONORS COLLEGE
Lynn Pruitt-Timko and Joseph Timko
Kimberly and Raymond Gibson
Victoria Black
Terri and Steven Hendrickson
Megan and Jason Westmeyer
Barbara and Tom Pietras Caroline and John Plyler
Christanne Coffey
Krystal Webber
Maria and Edsel Pena
Robyn Kelly
Dianne and Bradley Thiergartner
Dorothy and Wesley Walker
Beverly Pascoe Kacie and Bryan Payne
Ann and John Catalano
Mary and Chris Vlahoplus
Tracie and Hud Paschal
Lynn and David Isenhower
Elva Stinson and Basil Garzia
Judy Thompson
Jackie Parnell
Alex Chapman
Mary and Hanson Cowan
Liz and Michael Reynolds Ellen and Tom Rippeto
Karen and Greg Rollins
Chase Mizzell
John Roszmann
Jamie Monogan
Korey Rothman
Linda and Vince Mooney
Julie Roughton
Mitzie Rothman
Thomas Moye
S.C. Nurses Foundation
Laura Musselman
Allie and Ramachellapp Sairam SCANA Services, Inc. Ann and John Schmitt
Lynn and Ken Seise
Robert Thompson
Brittany and Jay Shaffer
Sherri and Chuck Timmons
Harry Sharp
Christy Tinnes
Jennifer Shepard
Brian Turner
Carrie and Reid Sherard
Unum Corporation
Sharika Shropshire Rachel and Rick Silver Wendy and Al Simmons Melanie and Barry Slade
Deborah and Bruce Walker Laura Waring and Robert Gruber Pam and Patrick Warren
SCHC ANNOUNCES NEW DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Jennifer M. Shepard has joined the SCHC as senior director of development. She brings an impressive array of experiences with a variety of higher education and arts institutions. Most recently she was senior advancement officer for principal gifts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. She also has held several development positions over the past 23 years with the Philadelphia Orchestra, University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Boston University. “My office overlooks the Horseshoe, which couldn’t be
Leigh Watson
a better view for someone new to the University of South
Kathy and Emerson Smith
Ingrid and Larry Watson
Carolina and Columbia,” Shepard said. “It’s great inspiration
Cindy and Phillip Smith
Mary Watzin
Erin and Adam Snyder
Travis Weatherford
Martha and Benjamin Spawr
Tracey and Gregg Welborn
Allyson and Chris Speaks
Jennifer and Mack Whittle
Sarah Spruill
Adam Wilson
Tara and Chadwick Stamper
Chappell and Marty Wilson
Lynne and Milt Stombler
Jeannette and Marshall Winn
Randy Stowe
Melissa Wuthier
Kerry Stubbs
Virginia Youngblood and Thomas Yoke
Dipu and Sanjay Swami Susan Tarnower Elaine and Ernie Thompson
Kathy and Frank Zanin Pamela and Gunnar Zorn
for me to build on the programs at the Honors College and create a few of my own.” Shepard is a native of Dalton, Mass., which is nestled in the Berkshire Hills. “I am really enjoying the true southern hospitality of all my colleagues at USC and Honors. It is a great pleasure to join the team.” An avid swimmer and gardener, Shepard is spending her free time at the Strom Thurmond Wellness Center and learning about local flora and foliage. She holds a B.A. in art history from Westfield State University in Westfield, Mass.
SEDERBERG HONORED AS ‘EXEMPLAR IN HONORS EDUCATION’ The Spring/Summer 2017 issue of the Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Coun-
This list includes donors of $100 or more for
cil was dedicated to Peter C. Sederberg, dean of the South Carolina Honors College
the 2017 fiscal year (July 1, 2016 - June 30,
from 1994 to 2005. Described by the JNCHC editorial staff as “an exemplar in the field
2017.) Every effort has been made to ensure
of honors education,” Sederberg came to Carolina in 1971 as an assistant professor of
accuracy. For a complete list of donors, visit
political science. In 1976, he began his long involvement with the SCHC.
the Donor Honor Roll on the Honors College website.
“The merger of ambitious scholarship and administration has been the hallmark of his career,” the JNCHC states in its dedication, lauding Sederberg for his scholarly work and publishing output: six books, 20 referred journal articles and 12 book chapters, and many speeches, conference papers and reviews. Now living in Atlanta, where he worked for three years at Emory University as special assistant to the provost for undergraduate initiatives, Sederberg is retired and writing his memoirs.
THANK YOU!
After 11 years captaining one of the country’s top public honors colleges and
A special thank you to the Robert and Janice
almost 30 years helping it reach its potential, Sederberg naturally is giving the SCHC
McNair Foundation and the Stamps Family
plenty of print — about 27,000 words, he reports. “Helping to establish and then lead-
Charitable Foundation for their substantial
ing the South Carolina Honors College,” he says, “was the most creative and rewarding
support of scholarships at USC.
professional experience of my life.”
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Alumni News
“AT LEAST 10 OF US TOOK THAT TRAVEL THING TO HEART”
1970
1990
John Jamrogowicz, ’77, retired in 2016 after 26 years of service at Trident Technical College, where he spent the past 13 years as dean of enrollment management. John lives in Goose Creek, S.C.
University College of Law in DeKalb, Ill. Clanitra received the 2017 Minority Leadership Development Award from the American Association of Law Libraries.
1980
Michelle Schohn, ’89, is a foreign service officer for the U.S. Department of State. She recently returned from a two-year assignment in Pristina, Kosovo, where she headed the public affairs section at the U.S. Embassy. Michelle is director of the Office of Policy Planning and Public Diplomacy in the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.
Matt Jochim, ’92, moved to London in 2014, where he is a partner at McKinsey and Co. He and his wife, Julia Hunt, and children Ava and Bobby enjoy the diversity of friends and amazing travel opportunities in Europe and the Middle East. Jeff Davis, ’93, has joined Palmetto Health-USC Medical Group as a marketing strategist. He lives in Columbia. Clanitra Stewart Nejdl, ’97, is a reference and instructional services librarian at the David C. Shapiro Memorial Law Library at Northern Illinois
We would like to include you in the Alumni News section. Please send us your news or update your contact information at sc.edu/honorscollege. Search “Keep In Touch.”
14 / S O UTH C A R O L IN A H ONORS COLLEGE
Lori Oxford, ’98, is head of the Department of World Languages at Western Carolina University as well as coordinator of the Spanish B.A. program and an associate professor of Spanish. This year Lori celebrated a milestone: She’s taken 100-plus students to study abroad with her in Spain and Cuba.
Mitch Boatwright, ’99, is completing an assignment in
Europe with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and has been privileged to plan or participate in six different international training exercises focused on increasing the inter-operable capacity among various NATO allies. Mitch’s most recent assignment was Troop Commander for the Regimental Signal Troop. He has relocated to Fort Gordon in Augusta, Ga., as a small group leader for the U.S. Army Signal School.
J.D. from Boston University School of Law, where he served as an editor of the Boston University Law Review and as a law clerk in the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He and his wife, Sarah, live in Mount Pleasant. Beth Monahan Brown, ’02, lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she works as a senior planning and reporting manager for Tesco Bank. She had her first child in July 2017, a boy named Ruairidh.
2010
2000 William Norton, ’01, has been selected to join the membership of Motley Rice LLC, one of the nation’s largest plaintiffs litigation firms, headquartered in Mount Pleasant, S.C. Bill has worked with Motley Rice since 2008, representing individuals and institutions in securities fraud, corporate governance and other complex class action and commercial litigations. Previously, he practiced securities and commercial litigation in the New York office of an international law firm. He received his
Priscilla Larkin Harris, ’05, lives northwest of Paris with husband Trevor Harris, ’12, and son William Trevor Nathanael, who was born in 2015. Priscilla is teaching English part-time at ESSEC Business School in Cergy, France, while Trevor pastors a French-speaking Baptist church.
Ryan Griffith, ’10, serves as a general dentist in the United State Army. He married fellow SCHC alumna Bethany McKinney Griffith, ’10, in 2012. In 2014, he graduated with his doctor of dental medicine from the Medical University of South Carolina and was commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Army Dental Corps. The Griffiths are stationed in Grafenwoehr, Germany, until 2019. Both are enjoying living abroad and traveling throughout Europe. Daniel Peach, ’10, began the MBA program at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England, in fall 2017. Caitlin Musgrave Mardis, 11, joined the faculty of the College of Pharmacy at USC in September 2017 as director of continuing education and assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Outcomes Sciences. Cathy Hardin Gonsalves, ’12, graduated from the University of Florida’s College of Medicine in Gainesville in May 2017. She graduated with several honors, including a Distinction in the Medical Humanities Discovery Pathway, the Dr. Sigurd J.
Normann Excellence in Pathology Award, the Office of Student Counseling and Development Outstanding Service Award, and was honored for her research. She and her husband, Drew Gonsalves, a USC alumnus, will live in Gainesville, Fla., while Cathy completes a five-year residency in pathology.
Caroline Crouch Ruder, ’12, married Heath Ruder in October 2016. In January 2017 the couple moved to Seattle to work for Amazon, Caroline as a senior program manager and Heath as a senior operations manager. Charissa Ruth, ’12, is an education officer aboard the Joides Resolution, a scientific drilling vessel. She and her fellow crew members are conducting research off the coast of Australia during the ship’s Expedition 369. For the past two years Charissa was a freelance educator in various museums and nonprofits in Brooklyn and New York City. Daniel Anthony, ’13, left Eastman Chemical Company this summer to pursue his MBA at EDHEC Business
School in Nice, France, starting fall 2017. Justin Jensen, ’13, moved to the United Kingdom after graduation to pursue a master’s in development studies at the University of Cambridge. After completing his master’s, he moved to Dubai to work as a management consultant for Oliver Wyman. Since then, he has relocated to the Stockholm branch to work more closely with European clients. He specializes in financial services, but has also consulted aviation, telecommunications, retail and public sector clients. Taylor Jones, ’13, married Perrin Thompson in April 2017. Director of digital marketing for Soft-Tex International, Taylor graduated with an MBA in leadership from Queens University of Charlotte in 2016.
Katie James Ray, ’13, graduated from the University of Houston Law Center and is now practicing with Davis Law Group in Houston.
Jennifer Leaphart, ’14, graduated from Tulane Law School in May 2017. During law school, she served as senior managing editor for Volume 91 of Tulane Law Review and published her comments on taxing the sharing economy. Jennifer joined the Tax Group at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York City in September 2017. Marie Morrissette, ’14, graduated in May 2017 with her doctorate in physical therapy from East Carolina University, where she held a research position in the Human Movement Analysis Lab. Haley Carpenter, ’15, is working in Textron’s integrated supply chain Leadership Development Program in Wichita, Kan. As a member of the company’s training program, Haley will move to a new Textron facility every six months. Antwon Dallas, ’15, lives in Greenville, S.C., and works in sales at UPS.
Delaney Horel, ’15, just finished her twoyear commitment with the Teach for America New York City Corps. In September, Delaney graduated with an M.A.T. in teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education and started her third year of teaching 8th grade math at her placement school in the Bronx. Natalie Swift, ’15, is working on her master’s of mass communication at USC. Natalie has interned in corporate communications at Textron and BMW and is interning with Chernoff Newman. Katie LaWall, ’16, is a senior program assistant in the health and medicine division at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in Wash ington, D.C.
Phillip Key, ’17, and Lauren Strzyzewski, ’17, are engaged to be married. They are medical students at the Homer J. Stryker School of Medicine in Kalamazoo, Mich.
KEEPING IT ALL ‘IN THE FAMILY’ Did you meet your spouse in the South Carolina Honors College? Do you have a child in the SCHC? Let us know. We’re trying to make connections. Contact the director of alumni engagement, at alumni@schc.sc.edu
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We make South Carolina stronger. Being consumer-owned drives South Carolina’s 20 electric cooperatives to provide more than electricity to the communities they serve in the state’s 46 counties. Mike Couick sees the co-ops building stronger communities through the arts, education and better health, knowing that affordable and reliable power is only one part of a better future.
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