Focus by Bill Sutley

VOLUME 14 NO. 1

Bill Birkhead, CSU biology department chair

SPRING 2007

Adding Value to Our World The concept of “added value” has always held interest for me because it says something about our ability to measure the worth of a process or even of an organization. Added value in the manufacturing world suggests the societal value of a finished product as compared to the actual value of the raw materials that went into production. At Columbus State, the added value of which we speak has to do with the quality of the educational services we offer, given a student’s (or a community’s) starting point, whether in academic courses or in Frank D. Brown community outreach. An even broader measurement would have to do with evaluating the contributions of our graduates to society, looking at the enhanced marketability of students who have come through our programs and, even more to the point, watching students who have been exposed to life-changing experiences, whether in the classroom or in activities such as study abroad opportunities. As they contribute to enhancing the quality of life within their own families, within their communities or within the broader workplace of the world, we would see their “added value.” In this issue of Focus, you will have an opportunity to read about the outstanding work of Dr. Susan Andrews, superintendent of Harris County schools. Dr. Andrews is a CSU graduate, and we take some credit for enriching her educational experience while she was with us, in effect, adding value to her previous experience. In her professional life, she is now in the business of adding value to the educational experience Harris County students receive, both in and out of the classroom, in concert with her faculty and staff. In our outreach programs, a good example of added value is the law enforcement Command College program, which adds value to the law enforcement skills and training of our state’s leading law enforcement personnel. And in the same vein, in CSU’s servant leadership program, there is a value-added concept. The program is designed to cultivate the students’ understanding of servant leadership and their interest in contributing to the community, preparing them to deliver, in turn, added value to those they serve. In the faculty ranks, Dr. Bill Birkhead, professor of biology, is a great example of one who has been adding value to his students’ classroom and laboratory experience for years. Dr. Birkhead is one of those faculty who came to us early in his career and decided, years ago, to remain at Columbus State. Because of his value-added approach in education and the good work that he and his colleagues have contributed over the years, the sciences remain one of our strongest academic areas at Columbus State. As you read this issue, appreciate the good works described by those who are featured in the articles and take a moment to reflect on the role that you and other consistent encouragers of Columbus State have played in guiding this institution. Your partnership allows us to provide services that truly change the lives of those we touch. Many thanks to you for your strong and unwavering support, helping us “add value” to our community. Sincerely,

Frank D. Brown President

Spring 2007

Contents

Writers/Editors

Butler scholars learn benefits of servant leadership efforts

April Davis John Lester Chris Russell Greg Muraski Bill Sutley Magazine Design & Layout Sally Morgan/Wendy Timmons Kis Creative, Inc. Contributing Photographers Kay Ingram John Lester Greg Rodriguez/Artworks Mike Peacock Bill Sutley About the Cover: Bill Birkhead, chair of CSU’s biology department, enjoys taking classes out to CSU’s Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center, where his students can get an up-close look at an alligator, one of his favorite reptiles. Photo by Greg Rodriguez/Artworks

Biologist still enjoys hands-on gator work

Georgia’s top superintendent learned crucial lessons at CSU

Address Correspondence to: Focus Office of Public Relations Columbus State University 4225 University Ave. Columbus, GA 31907 e-mail: lester_john@colstate.edu Vice President for University Advancement Kayron Laska Executive Director of the Alumni Association and Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Ray Lakes Director of Public Relations John Lester

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14 Command College is where Georgia’s top cops learn more

16 Video game degree opens new doors for computer scientists

4225 University Avenue Columbus, Georgia 31907-5645

CAMPUS NEWS

CSU Archives Honored as One of Georgia’s Best

Web Site Helps Parents Prepare Children for College CSU is embracing the involvement of parents with their children’s college lives with a new Web site designed to educate and inform parents and other family members. Now accessible from the CSU home page at www.colstate.edu by clicking on “Parents & Family,” the new Web site includes advice on how to help choose which university best fits the student, how to apply for college and what parents can do to help their children succeed before college, while in school and after graduation. ‘When it comes to making decisions about college, research shows that parents are the most influential people in a child’s life,” said Kathy Carlisle, executive director of CSU’s Enrollment Services office. “However, knowing what to say and how to impress a teenager can be a daunting task. The CSU parent site is designed to provide information so parents can effectively talk to their child about how to apply for college and how to be successful once they enroll.” Parents will find up-to-date information on financial aid, visitation programs, choosing a major and other resources. Parents of today’s college students are so involved in their child’s education, officials nationwide have coined a new term, “helicopter parents,” because they often hover around. The term hints of the extent to which parents participate in their students’ college careers, from picking a university to choosing a major and even the scheduling of classes.

The CSU Archives has earned the 2006 Outstanding Archives Award for Excellence in Archival Program Development from the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board. The award, established in 2003, honors historical records repositories or local government agencies in Georgia that demonstrate outstanding efforts in archives and records work. CSU’s Archives focuses on preserving and making accessible historical and cultural materials related to the university, Columbus and the surrounding Chattahoochee Valley in both print and digital format. In the past five years, CSU has received grants from the board, the Historic Chattahoochee Commission and the National Endowment of the Humanities to assist with basic preservation and enhance both onsite and digital access to archival collections. Established in 1975, the CSU Archives is in the Simon Schwob Memorial Library and encompasses manuscripts, photographs, maps and oral histories. The archives is open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call Archivist Reagan Grimsley at 706-568-2247.

www.colstate.edu/parents/

http://archives.colstate.edu.

SACS Accreditation Official for Another 10 Years CSU got the official word in December that it has been reaccredited for another 10 years by the Southern Association of College and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges. The official reaffirmation extends to all CSU associate, baccalaureate and master’s degree programs and confirms the university has fully complied with the criteria for accreditation, including complete documentation. SACS-member schools must be reaccredited every 10 years. The status is important because it allows CSU students to transfer credit and gain admission to other institutions, and it qualifies the university for certain types of federal student aid and faculty development and research grants, among other benefits. 2

SACS is the recognized regional accrediting body in 11 Southern states for degree-granting institutions of higher education. Representatives of the Atlantabased association visited CSU in March 2006 in the culminating step in a reaccreditation process that CSU began with a self-study in fall 2004. The accreditation process also produced a CSU Quality Enhancement Plan, defined by SACS as an effort to improve the quality of student learning. CSU’s plan is called “Writing the Solution: Steps Toward Developing Competent and Professional Student Writers.” Endorsed by SACS, the plan aims to improve grammar and critical analysis by freshmen and sophomores, and to develop professional standards for students closing in on their degrees. http://sacs.colstate.edu/

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Spring 2007

New Director Named for Music School An accomplished composer and conductor has been chosen as the next director of CSU’s Schwob School of Music. Fred Cohen, a professor of music and past department chair at Montclair State University in New Jersey, will assume the posiFred Cohen tion July 1. “The Schwob school is the kind of school I want to be involved with,” Cohen said. “It has a distinguished history, it’s an institution that’s already going places, and it’s a place where there’s tremendous potential for growth. Plus, Columbus offers the level of support on campus and in the community necessary to move the school to the next level.” Cohen has served as chair of music departments at Montclair (2002-2005) and the University of Richmond (1996-2001). He came to Richmond after completing his Doctor of Musical Arts at Cornell University in 1987, and he also earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1980. He has served as conductor or guest conductor of the Richmond Symphony, University of Richmond Orchestra, the Richmond Intercollegiate Orchestra and several other ensembles. An accomplished composer, he recently enjoyed three premieres of his compositions. In 2006, he won two fellowships in support of his work as a composer. Cohen and his wife, Judith, a special education teacher and violist, have three daughters, including one who’s a student at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. Spring 2007

CSU Names Associate VP New Vice President for Business and Finance Tom Helton became CSU’s new vice president for business and finance Jan. 1, moving up from associate vice president to take over from longtime VP Charles Pattillo, who retired. “After receiving the recommendation of the campus search committee, I talked with many administrators, faculty and staff about this decision and I have devoted a significant amount of time to analysis and evaluation of the candidates,” President Frank Brown said last fall. “Helton is one I am proud to announce. He is a capable, experienced administrator who is dedicated to his profession and committed to Columbus State. His background as a chief financial officer in another institution, his understanding of the University System of Georgia and his work with us over the last six years all combine to prepare him for this important position.” Helton has been with CSU since 2000, serving as director of planned giving and assistant direc-

tor of the CSU Foundation and Foundation Properties, Inc., before moving to the business and finance office. Prior to CSU, he was at Judson College in Alabama for nine years, serving in various positions, including senior vice president and chief financial officer. Helton has a bachelor’s degree from Samford University, has done graduate work at LaGrange College and Troy University, has a master’s of higher Tom Helton education administration from the University of Alabama and is working on an education specialist degree in educational leadership from CSU. The vice president for business and finance works closely with CSU’s foundations and oversees all of the university’s financial processes. http://vpbusiness.colstate.edu/

Teachers Benefit from Policy Change Licensed or certified teachers will no longer need to take a standard admissions exam to enter CSU’s graduate-level education programs. CSU’s College of Education has waived the Revised Graduate Record Exam, or GRE, requirement for entry into its master’s degree programs. David Rock The change is good news for licensed teachers from throughout the area who comprise the majority of college’s graduate degree candidates, said David Rock, dean of CSU’s College of Education. “We’ve essentially eliminated an extra hoop to jump through by placing a high value on

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state teaching credentials.” Instead of passing the GRE, applicants now can be accepted by submitting a copy of “a clear and renewable teaching license,” which requires passing either the national or state certification exam. “Those are the tests we, in education, value for licensure the most,” Rock said. The admission change also will provide some relief to teachers’ pocketbooks as the GRE fee ($130 at CSU) has compounded the state and national testing fees that can total more than $200 collectively. Rock said the benefit will be mutual and far-reaching. “We stand to increase our enrollment from a greater pool of candidates, which will further our ability to meet the regional demand for teachers, both in quality and quantity.” http://te.colstate.edu/

Photos by John Lester

Instructor Hannah Israel, right, and her students have more room for graphic arts projects.

Classes Start in New Downtown Art & Theatre Complex In an amazing example of public-private partnerships, Columbus State in January opened a new $35 million art and theatre education complex along the river in historic downtown Columbus. Classes started in January at CSU’s new 125,000-square-foot art and theatre complex, the latest in of a string of university projects that have helped revitalize the Columbus downtown area. Most efforts are centered on the university’s music, theatre or art departments, creating a university downtown fine and performing arts campus that may be unequaled, both in terms of facilities and in terms of community impact. University projects have pumped more than $100 million into downtown Columbus over the last decade, including lofts and apartments for 350 students; continuing education and outreach centers; and academic spaces that are attracting attention. CSU’s Schwob School of Music, now housed in the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, was the first academic unit to move downtown. Now, new arts venues are open nearby. Just down the street from the RiverCenter, faculty and students are settling into riverfront 4

Students gather downtown. facilities for CSU’s departments of art and theatre. The complex includes two theatres, a lighting lab, costume shop, design studio, woodworking spaces, the Illges Gallery and almost a dozen spaces customized for art study, work and display in the Corn Center for the Visual Arts. “It is not unusual for colleges and universities to establish branch campuses for the purpose of better serving the people of their area. And it is not unusual for colleges and universities to emphasize certain academic programs, such as the fine and performing arts,” said CSU President Frank Brown. “What is unusual is the creation of a new campus, some distance away from the university, which will serve the fine and performing arts exclusively, including the provision of the

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complete campus experience of on-site housing, student services, facilities which are, by any measure, world class, and a faculty and staff dedicated to providing an enriching, growth experience.” The new art and theatre complex was paid for entirely with private funds raised during a recent capital campaign that raised more than $100 million. Columbus State’s development downtown has attracted some interest nationally. University Business magazine recently featured the complex, and many leaders in the Southeast have come to town to see what’s happened here. The chancellor of the University of South Carolina Upstate, John Stockwell, was one recent visitor. Upon his return, he sent a letter to CSU’s Brown, saying “I am amazed at the magnitude of the projects accomplished and underway downtown. They far exceeded my expectations, and set a very high bar for any other university in the nation. I have read about ‘engaged universities’ and ‘partnership universities’... Most are puffery compared to the very concrete character of what you are accomplishing.” http://www.colstate.edu/riverpark/

Spring 2006

MBA Classes to be Offered at Downtown Campus To better serve a growing downtown business community, CSU will soon offer Master’s of Business Administration classes at the new downtown campus. MBA classes will start this fall in the Yancey Center at One Arsenal Place, next door to the Columbus Convention and Trade Center. “This move allows the university to again better serve this community,” CSU President Frank Brown said. “Having MBA classes downtown will give professionals in that area easy access to a program that recently achieved the highest level of accreditation possible, international accreditation from AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Linda Hadley Schools of Business.” Holding some business classes downtown on CSU’s RiverPark campus is a logical next step for the D. Abbott Turner College of Business, said Dean Linda Hadley. “This move is part of a larger effort to broaden our program delivery methods, including expanded availability of online courses to better meet the needs of current and prospective students,” Hadley said. “We will offer MBA courses, undergraduate prerequisites to the MBA program and courses leading to an undergraduate minor in business for non-business majors.” The MBA is a general management degree that prepares individuals for administrative positions in business, industry or government. The program accommodates students who have business and non-business bachelor’s degrees and provides the student with a broad understanding of management and its role in society. The professional degree has no language or thesis requirement. Research projects and formal papers are required in specific courses. The program can be completed with 30 semester credits of graduate course work, depending upon the student’s prior education. For more information on the MBA program, call Hadley at 706-5682044 or MBA Director Mike Daniels at 706-568-2296. To apply for fall semester classes, go online to http://www.colstate.edu/future/apply/. http://mba.colstate.edu/

Art and theatre complex, as seen from across the Chattahoochee River. Spring 2007

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CSU Singer Wins National Competition Michael Sumuel, a senior voice performance major in CSU’s Schwob School of Music, won the Music Teachers National Association Young Artists Collegiate Voice Competition on March 25 in Toronto. Sumuel, a baritone, is the first CSU student to capture first place in any category of this national-level Michael Sumuel competition. He was accompanied by pianist and CSU adjunct professor Janie Lee Bullock. Sumuel, of Odessa, Texas, is a student of Professor Earl Coleman, CSU’s William and Isabelle Curry Distinguished Faculty Chair in Voice. “As Michael’s teacher, I could be no prouder,” Coleman said. “He represented CSU at the highest level, and I had some of the best known musicians in this country give me accolades on his performance.” The MTNA competition is among North America’s most prestigious performance competitions. For example, instrumental and chamber music winners represented the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, N.Y.), the New England Conservatory, Florida State University and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. Rex Whiddon, CSU director of major gifts and university stewardship, is a former president of the MTNA, a nonprofit organization of about 24,000 independent and collegiate music teachers. Sumuel will present his senior voice recital, which is open to the public, at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 28 in Legacy Hall of the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts.

CSU Honors Activist, Hears from ‘Little Rock Nine’ Participant CSU heard from a “Little Rock Nine” participant, honored longtime Columbus activist Lonnie Jackson and celebrated the power of gospel music during Black History Month activities in February. Jackson, who died at age 77 in September, was recognized as the recipient of the Dr. John Townsend Award, named after CSU’s first African-American student, during CSU’s 24th annual Black Applause Banquet. Outstanding students were also honored, and Bismarck Myrick, a former U.S. ambassador to two African nations, delivered the keynote address at the Feb. 23 event. Myrick is the father of Todd Myrick, CSU’s associate director of Residence Life. The Townsend Achievement Award, which recognized Jackson’s outstanding community service and leadership, was presented to Jackson’s daughter, Lonya Jackson-Sarden on behalf of Combined Communities of Southeast Columbus, a service organization that Jackson founded in 1983. The tutoring program has served more than 26,000 K-8 students over the past 25 years. CSU students have often been among the program’s volunteers. Other CCSC efforts include regular voting awareness, anti-litter and community beautification campaigns. “Our friend Lonnie Jackson had a heart for service,” CSU President Frank Brown said. “His outstanding community work on behalf of students, and in building pride in our neighborhoods and our country, will not soon be forgotten.” Minnijean Brown Trickey, who was among nine black students who faced down angry crowds to integrate Little Rock’s Central High in 1957, delivered a lecture on campus Feb. 20 and also spoke to a Diversity in Education class. Trickey’s visit was particularly significant because 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of the Little Rock crisis, which was the first significant challenge of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Brown decision. On Feb. 11, an exhuberant crowd enjoyed CSU’s annual Gospel Extravaganza, including performances by the CSU Gospel Choir, the Gospel Messengers and Music’s Definition, a teen quartet that featured Columbus’ Devin Johnson, an American Idol group-audition finalist last year.

Lula Huff, above left, Lonya JacksonSarden visit at Black Applause Banquet.

Trickey chats with Cathy Anderson, associate dean of students.

Photos by Kay Ingram

Music’s Definition entertains at Gospel Extravaganza.

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Spring 2007

Leading Investment even of CSU’s top students have returned this spring with full stipends in the university’s heralded Servant Leadership program because of a $1 million endowment established by Jim and Susan Butler. Established during Columbus State’s Investment in People capital campaign, the Susan Chappell Butler Endowment for Servant Leadership is bene- Susan Butler fiting its second class of students this academic year. Each student receives a $1,250 stipend each semester for successful completion of the program requirements, which include maintaining a 3.0 minimum GPA and an impressive schedule of community service, mentoring projects and meetings. For Jessica Bennett, a sophomore from the Atlanta area, the Servant Leadership program and the accompanying stipend she’s received for the last two years have opened up a new world. “By being a part of this program I have been given opportunities that are not available to everyone,” she said. “This opportunity reassured me that I had made the right decision in choosing my college. I looked at several other universities, and none of them offered a program like Servant Leadership. I have been a member of this program for a year now, and I can already see changes in my life“ For Chelsea Thornton, a freshman nursing major from Smiths, Ala., being named a Butler Scholar made the difference in which college to attend.

Spring 2007

By John Lester

If she had not been awarded the scholarship, “I would have either gone to Mercer or (University of Alabama at Birmingham),” she said. “I have had a great transition from high school to college. I am really excited about the next four years at school and in the program.” “This is an investment in one of our most precious commodities – tomorrow’s leaders,” said CSU President Frank Brown. “The students in our Servant Leadership program are learning that peo- Chelsea Thornton, a freshman nursing ple are the key to any major, offers John E. Hicks of Columbus juice organization’s success, during a recent chemotherapy session at and that we all have a the John B. Amos Cancer Center, where she volunteers through the Servant responsibility to give Leadership program. back.” A partner in the Columbus and Atlanta law firm of and the House of Mercy. She is currently president of the Board Butler, Wooten and Fryhofer, Jim of Twin Cedars Youth Services. Butler is recognized as one of the “When I think of the country’s top plaintiffs’ lawyers. Columbus State University Susan Chappell Butler, a CSU Servant Leadership students, I alumna and former member of am reminded of this quote: the CSU Foundation Board of ‘Never doubt that a small group Trustees, has demonstrated her of thoughtful, committed people commitment to her community can change the world. Indeed, it through long, active service to is the only thing that ever has,’” many local organizations, includshe said. “It is truly an honor to ing the Anne Elizabeth Shepherd be part of CSU’s Servant Home and ARTS Reach, a proLeadership Program. This wongram to bring the great performderful group of students demonances at the RiverCenter to children who might not otherwise strates every day that giving back have the opportunity to see them. to the community is a responsibility and is important – that they She also is a former member of can indeed bring about positive the Brookstone Board of change. These students are our Trustees, the St. Francis country’s future – a very, very Foundation, the Columbus bright future.” Symphony, the Salvation Army

Photo by Bill Sutley

$1 Million Butler Endowment Benefits Servant Leadership Students

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Gator Love Longtime Prof Continues Hands-On Research

Photos by Greg Rodriguez/Artworks

By Chris Russell

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Spring 2007

Project Benefits Refuge I

t started as a part-time job four decades ago. Bill Birkhead, now chair of Columbus State’s biology department, was toiling away on his undergraduate degree at Cornell University in upstate New York when he and a friend saw an ad for guides for a nearby serpentarium. “We needed jobs, and they needed help,” said Birkhead, a Pennsylvania native. “For those who came for the tour, we would give an educational talk, show them the various reptiles, pick up an alligator and end the tour by extracting venom from one of the snakes.” For Birkhead, that part-time job at The New York Serpentarium in 1960-1961 was his hands-on introduction to a love affair with reptiles that has continued ever since, even encompassing a present-day survey that has him on the lookout for alligators sunning beside Lake Eufaula in 2007. “It was fun and a way for me to make a little money and be involved with what I was studying.” Birkhead said. After graduating from Cornell in 1963, Birkhead moved to Austin, Texas, where he eventually completed his master’s and doctorate in vertebrate biology at the University of Birkhead poses with a gator in the 1970s.

Spring 2007

Texas. Along the way, he found a Texas serpentarium looking for help. Same scenario. Even the same owner, and working with alligators deepened. “It’s interesting how things worked out,” Birkhead said. “I pretty much ended up doing the same type of tours for the same people I had worked for in New York.” After leaving Texas, Birkhead worked as a North Carolina State University research assistant, supervising a study on the ecological effects of a nuclear power plant on the salt marshes and estuaries of eastern North Carolina. Once again, gators played a role. “While I was there, I began to sample changes in some of the animal life in these tidal creeks,” Birkhead said. “These waterways had a pretty good-size alligator population and, as the primary focus of the ecological study continued, I began to census their number, size and location to see how, or if, they were being affected by the encroachment of a discharge canal from the nuclear plant into their habitat.” That led to Birkhead publishing an academic paper that charted the effects of dredging and the changing salinity of the water on the alligators of these North Carolina estuaries. “Alligators are normally found in fresh water, and I was interested to see if the dredging, and the increase of salt in the water, affected how and where the alligators lived,” Birkhead said. “It was a fascinating study and eventually helped to chart how manmade changes affected the gator population in that area.” While still in the North Carolina, Birkhead discovered

Brittany Culp, one of Birkhead's graduate students, shows off a kingsnake. that two N.C. State professors were studying alligators at a nearby hunting and fishing preserve. They had heard of Birkhead’s earlier work with alligators and asked him to join them. Those studies took place during a time when alligators were listed as a threatened species but, because of a growing number of alligators in the area, talks surfaced about allowing a controlled hunting season. “As more and more people moved into the areas where gators lived, serious discussions began to come up on how to best control them, “ Birkhead said. “Controlled hunting was one way to help do this, and our study helped determine if this should be allowed.” Alligators were listed as an endangered species in 1967 as a result of hunting and habitat loss, and many scientists were concerned the unique reptile wouldn’t recover. But a combined effort by federal and state wildlife agencies in the South led to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 1987 pronouncement that the species was no longer threatened. The feds still regulate the legal trade in alligator skins, and products made from them, to protect several similar species that are still in trouble. When Birkhead came to CSU in 1978, he was told that alligator census studies were being conducted at the 11,184-acre Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge straddling the Alabama-Georgia border about 50

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Birkhead shows students a Ball python during a field trip to CSUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center.

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Spring 2007

miles south of Columbus. Birkhead told refuge officials he would be willing to help. In 2006, wildlife officials hired Birkhead to resurvey the refuge gator population. Last summer, he and student assistants began to count, size and locate the gators of the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge, which attracts 325,000 visitors annually. “We are not sure if the alligator population, in and around the refuge, is growing or not,” said Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge biologist Milton Hubbard. “One thing is certain: The human population is. We want alligators to be a part of the refuge, and we want them to be visible to those who visit. But, as more homes and subdivisions are being built around the refuge, there is a need to make sure the alligator population does not endanger those who live near the lake.” Alligators will eat just about anything but primarily consume fish, turtles and snails. Small animals that come to the water’s edge to drink make easy prey for alligators. Although alligators haven’t bothered humans at Lake Eufaula, Hubbard said an accurate gator count was essential to determine if control measures were needed. “As more people move into the area, they may clean fish near the water or inadvertently dump food off docks into the lake,” Hubbard said. “Gators naturally gravitate toward more easily accessible “The gator study feeding grounds and, many times, these are was needed, and the campgrounds and living areas that surDr. Birkhead was the round the lake. The gator study was needideal choice to coned, and Dr. Birkhead was the ideal choice duct it. His study will to conduct it. His study will give us the data give us the data we we need to determine if control measures need …” need to be taken.” Wildlife officials have tried relocating – Milton Hubbard, gators to less-populated areas, only to Eufaula National discover they often end up back where Wildlife Refuge they started. “Really, the only way to effectively keep the gator population under control and keep them from possibly endangering people is to create a more liberal hunting season,” Hubbard said. “We were approached by the Alabama Department of Conservation asking us to allow a limited gator hunting season on the refuge. Before we are able to allow this, we needed the study that Dr. Birkhead is conducting.” Birkhead said he’s doing “pretty much the same thing I did in North Carolina – for pretty much the same reasons, and we are conducting it in a very similar manner.” Birkhead uses two methods for his gator census. “By using a spotlight at night, we were able to move around to shine and reveal the gator’s eyes,” he said. “This was good for a simple count, but we also needed to get a basking count during the day as the gators sunned themselves on rocks and the banks of the lake. This allowed us to get a better index of their size and to determine if they were male, female or juveniles.” Hubbard hopes for a long-term relationship between the refuge, Birkhead and the gators. “We are a wildlife refuge that wants to be able to have our visitors, and those who live in the area, see and appreciate all the wildlife that make Eufaula unique,” Hubbard said. “Dr. Birkhead is helping us do exactly that. If we can put together a series of studies over the next few years, we will understand the gators of Eufaula better and, at the same time, make the lake and the refuge safer for everyone.”

Spring 2007

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SUPER-intendent!

ByBy BillBill Sutley Sutley

Harris County’s Top Educator Honored as State’s Best

And I loved school.” That love affair apparently continued at then Columbus College, where she earned her education bachelor’s in 1977 and her education master’s three years later. “She was extremely conscientious,” recalls Carolyn Cartledge, an emeritus professor of education. “Susan was just very eager to learn – just a perfect student.” Andrews says the material she learned in Cartledge’s research methods class stuck with her. “She led you through the process,” Andrews said. “I still use what I learned how to do there.” Andrews also earned an Ed.D. from Auburn and an education specialist degree from West Georgia, but CSU holds special memories. “I got such an excellent foundation there,” she says. “And I still see that in the teachers we hire from down there. Teachers who went through Columbus State are excellent in the fundamentals.” But knowing how to teach isn’t good enough for Andrews. She bristles when she hears young people talk about careers and having teaching as a fall-back alternative. “You don’t ‘just teach,’” she said. “I look at it as a calling.” Susan Andrews She tries to assists with chemistry nurture that callexperiment. ing and is proud to have hired 10 teachers who were former Harris County students. Through a “teacher cadet” program that involves CSU, Harris County High School students who are interested in education learn about its rewards and challenges as a career.

usan Andrews doesn’t have to look far to dredge up memories that led to her becoming Georgia’s 2007 Superintendent of the Year and a finalist for similar honors on the national level. Born and raised in Harris County, she now leads the county’s 5,100-student district from an office inside the building that served as her childhood school. The Hamilton building is also where Andrews taught her first class after graduating from CSU and joining the district as a teacher 30 years ago. Since then, she’s learned a few lessons on her own about influence, leadership and the special “calling” to be an educator. “The people who had such an influence on my life when I was growing up were teachers and people at church,” said Andrews, daughter of Janette and Billy Colquitt, pastor of the Pine Mountain Valley Church of God for more than 35 years. “I used to set my dolls up in the chicken house and play school.

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“I don’t think educators are ordinary people,” Andrews says. “The expectations are greater. Teachers don’t realize the impact they have on students. Everything you do is important. You’ve got to be above the fray and live – I hate to say it – a separated life. You’re passing on values.” But she’s not looking for cookiecutter educators. “I don’t expect or think everyone should be just like me,” she said. “But I do expect teachers to be good citizens.” Andrews was hesitant to move up when, after teaching lower grades for more than a decade, she was asked to become a co-principal at Harris County Middle School in 1986. “I thought it all happened (in the classroom),” she said. “It took me about a year and a half after I left the classroom to get used to administrative work.” Arnold Jackson, M.Ed. ’75, now Harris County Middle School principal and then co-principal with Andrews, said she’s still the “same person.” “She’s real positive, always upbeat,” he said. “She’s approachable, a good listener and she always tries to do what’s in the best interest of the boys and girls. I knew she had all the makings to make it.” When she reflects on her 21 years as an administrator, Andrews quotes leadership guru John C. Maxwell: “Leadership is influence.” And, just as she recalls the influence of her teachers, Andrews has learned the importance of building relationships with those she oversees. “Let them know you care,” she said. “Let them figure out your motives and that it’s for the good of the organization. People want a leader – a big-picture thinker.”

Spring 2007

Gail Sheppard, above left, who teaches history and geography at Harris County High School, is the district's sole remaining faculty member who taught Susan Andrews when she was a student and known for her eagerness to learn. Right: Andrews is proud of this trophy, which recognizes HCHS for being a state leader in improved SAT scores.

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Photos by Bill Sutley

Andrews, 51, has her hands full thinking about the future of her school system, mainly because of the growth of Harris County, just north of Columbus. A military base realignment that’s expected to swell Fort Benning’s ranks makes growth estimates a moving target. “We’ve had to struggle to keep up with the growth,” she said. “We’re always on the bubble of needing another building.” She’s confident she will be able to find workable growth solutions with the Harris County School Board, which unanimously recommended her to the Georgia School Superintendents Association for top superintendent honors. “We have a high level of trust between us,” she says of the board that promoted her in 2000 from assistant superintendent for curriculum. “We try not to embarrass each other in public. It’s OK to disagree. We have some good debates. The goal is always what’s best for the kids. It’s not anyone’s personal agenda.” This was her third consecutive year as a finalist to be named Georgia’s top superintendent. “I told everyone that, if I don’t win this year, I’m retiring because I don’t want to embarrass my board again,” she joked. She had only a few weeks to get used to the idea of winning before being informed by the American Association of School Administrators that she was one of four finalists for 2007 National Superintendent of the Year, along with peers from Kansas, Washington and Oregon. In January, she flew to Washington, D.C., for interviews that are part of the national award process. On March 30, she learned that the Oregon finalist had won the national honors. Becoming a finalist among 14,000 superintendents across the U.S. was an honor, but Andrews said she’s happy focusing on her day-to-day duties and making “the community proud of their schools.” “I want to live my life, to do my work, to make a difference.” Apparently, many in Harris County believe she has.

Armed with Knowledge CSU’s Command College Offers Top Cops Practical Lessons By Bill Sutley

ook beyond the badges carried by police chiefs, sheriffs and other law enforcement brass throughout Georgia, and you’ll likely find a CSU master’s degree. After a dozen years and nearly 500 such degrees, CSU’s Georgia Law Enforcement Command College is still growing strong and playing a vital role in educating Georgia’s next generation of top cops about the finer points of leadership, law, finance and other crucial topics. “We’re starting to assume a major role in the law enforcement community,” said Archie Rainey, the cop-turned-professor who has guided the Command College since its birth in 1995. “We’re building a lot of credibility as it relates to the upward mobility of law enforcement.” Indeed, most of the men and women who attend classes at the college’s command center, across University Avenue from CSU’s main campus, are well-trained in the law enforcement techniques more likely to be featured on bullet-fueled primetime TV. But they find the college’s management courses to be equally valuable. “Every class I’ve had here, it gives you stuff to take back and use every day,” said Chief Deputy Tom Caldwell, who oversees operations of the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office in Rome. “These lessons are practical; you use them day in, day out if you’re a law enforcement executive.” In all, the law enforcement pros complete seven required 40-hour courses – starting with Effective Leadership and ending

Photo by Bill Sutley

Archie Rainey displays group photos of every Command College graduating class since its birth in 1995. with an Independent Research Project – during week-long stays at the Command College, usually funded by their agencies. Terri Fisher, an assistant deputy director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, credits the classes she’s taking in pursuit of a master’s in public administration with improving her supervision skills. “It’s really helped my management abilities,” Fisher said. “You learn what to do, what not to do. I’ve learned to open up the lines of communication. You make sure information flows both ways.” Col. Bill Hitchens, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety and Georgia State

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Patrol commander, said he noticed the difference Command College participation has made in his top officers’ awareness of laws relevant to their management duties. “When you get people exposed to Command College, they have a better grasp of legal issues,” he said. That’s the kind of practical application that the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police had in mind in 1994 when its leaders approached Rainey, already at CSU 20 years, and asked him to create a unique program that would give higher-ranking law enforcement the educational background they needed. It helped that Rainey had more

Spring 2007

Terri Fisher

than a decade of police experience himself, first as a military MP, three years as a Savannah, Tenn., officer and then nine years as an officer in the Tennessee Highway Patrol. (Look closely at one blackand-white photo hanging in his office and you see a 28-year-old Rainey participating in the arrest of James Earl Ray, later convicted in the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.) Rainey, now 65, spent almost a year “barnstorming and brainstorming” with police agencies and others in organizing the program that debuted in October 1995. “It’s pretty significant that it was a part-time operation when it started in 1995, and there’s five (classes) starting each year now,” said Dorinda Dowis, chair of CSU’s Criminal Justice Department, who teaches part-time in the Command College. Rainey works to build camaraderie among the 22 or so law enforcement pros who enter one of the two classes starting each fall, two classes starting each spring or one starting each summer. It helps that most of the officers live at the same motel, a nearby Sheraton, and that Rainey arranges at least two dutch-treat group meals. They start their weeks on Sunday afternoon and end them Friday at lunch. “Team building is part of what we do,” Rainey said. The GBI’s Fisher, taking a break during a September class, said she appreciates the opportunity to network and discuss with colleagues spread across the state the trials of moving up the chain of

Spring 2007

command. “Other people in the class understand everything you’re going through,” she said. “That, in and of itself, has been invaluable.” Beyond the seven required courses, students return for another five weeklong courses, but they have more say-so on in choosing among electives. In all, the students attend 400 hours of classes spread out over 12 weeks over two and a half years – enough time to satisfy the academic rigor of the university and yet spread over enough months for officers to get the time off from their agencies. “There’s no program in the nation like this where law enforcement are able to fulfill their training requirements and obtain a master’s degree,” Rainey said. Executives from more than 200 law enforcement or justice administration agencies – including a handful of pros from beyond Georgia – have taken the Command College route to a master’s, leading the justice administration sequence of CSU’s MPA degree to enjoy nearly 64 percent growth from 2000-2005. Rainey said he’s happy with master’s program’s success, plus the growth of offerings in the Command College’s Professional Management Program that trains rank-and-file law enforcement and corrections officers, often off campus. “We really don’t need to get that much bigger,” he said. “We only have two classrooms and we want to keep it that way. I don’t want it to get where people don’t know each other.”

State Rep. Burke Day, R-Tybee Island, chairman of the Public Safety Committee in the Georgia House, observed Command College classes and spoke with participants during a Sept. 27 visit. Later, he said he was impressed with the quality of the program and saw the potential for similar initiatives to educate public employees in other areas. He even planned with Rainey a 2007 return visit – as a student. “This is the model of what the state needs to do,” Day said. “And they’re playing beautifully into the future of Georgia law enforcement. They’re promoting excellence.”

Photo by Kay Ingram

Tom Caldwell

Photo by Bill Sutley

State Rep. Burke Day, left in photo at right, R-Tybee Island, chairman of the House Public Safety Committee, visited classes last September and said CSU's Command College “may be the answer for how you reward professional law enforcement.”

Officers and others going through Command College go out to eat, Dutch treat, at least once a week.

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New Degree Program Responds to Thriving Video Game Industry By Greg Muraski

ike many kids raised in the 1990s, Kim Watson collected and played video games avidly. But eventually she “grew up,” entered college and then the professional world. “I got my first game system – a Nintendo – for my ninth birthday and played all the time through high school until it was time ‘to get serious,’” said Watson, a computer programmer with TSYS and CSU computer science graduate student. However a new CSU course, “Introduction to Computer Game Programming,” has rekindled Watson’s interest in gaming while broadening her professional skills. “I’ve dusted off my PS2, and I’m Kim Watson thinking about rebuilding my (game) collection,” she said. In the long run, I may try this professionally.” Introduced last year as an elective, the course will anchor a new computer science bachelor’s degree track in computer game programming that goes into effect in fall 2007. The program is designed to produce developers of both “serious games,” for professional training purposes and games that represent a thriving mainstream entertainment industry marked by U.S. computer and video game software sales that have tripled since 1996 to $7.4 billion in 2006. Watson’s realization that video and computer games are no longer

just kids’ play parallels a growing and aging demographic of game enthusiasts – the average age of whom is 33, according to the Entertainment Software Association, which also reports: • Sixty-nine percent of American heads of households play computer and video games. • Ninety-three percent of people who purchase computer games and 83 percent of people who purchase video games are age 18 or older. • Fifty-three percent of game players expect to be playing as much or more 10 years from now than they do today. Such a robust industry makes game programming an increasingly viable and attractive career choice among computer-savvy high school students, said Wayne Summers, CSU computer science professor. Summers and colleague Rodrigo Obando have created the new curriculum alongside general “applied” and advanced “systems” computer science degree tracks. Summers, who chairs CSU’s TSYS Department of Computer Science, forecasts a new-student enrollment surge in the next couple years among traditional-age students, including many who will be attracted by the entertainmentindustry connection. However, those students will have to deal with a challenging and diverse curriculum. “It’s pretty rigorous, incorporating required courses in math and physics, plus creative writing and sociology and psychology,” said Summers. These disciplines, added

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Summers, are applicable in highlevel game production, which represents an elaborate fusion of stagecraft, story-building and technology. “Not only will successful graduates be able to contribute to a major game design and production, they’ll be prepared to lead the development team,” he said. Reflecting Summers’ point, game enthusiast Erik Seijo said he enrolled in the current gameprogramming class out of curiosity about the behind-the-scenes aspects of the industry. “It’s been eye-opening to experience how complex and layered the process is.” Seijo, a graduate student and newly hired IBM software engineer, is part of a collaborative class project to develop an original game. His classmate Watson describes the yet-toErik Seijo be titled game as a “Lord of the Rings-inspired actionadventure in medieval settings, built around a first-person shooter, with elements of racing and magic.” Game development, said Obando, has four primary steps: 1) Conceptualizing 2) Design drafting (on paper) 3) Language programming and software implementation 4) Testing and maintenance These steps also apply to “serious game” programming utilized by the likes of NASA, for which Obando formerly designed

Spring 2007

"Urban Checkpoint," a simulation program to train soldiers, was developed by three employees of military contractor Omega Training Group, Inc., who were enrolled in the CSU game-programming course.

and programmed training simulation software. With Obando’s experienced guidance, CSU’s new-degree curriculum also will prepare students to meet a growing job market demand – apart from the entertainment industry – for designers and programmers of computer simulations that assist decisionmaking in the military, many levels of government, corporate management, health care and other areas. In Columbus, military contractor Omega Training Group, Inc., employs “serious game” programming and last year enrolled staffers Justin Huot, Danny Wyatt and James Chambers in the CSU-game programming course. In Obando’s class, the Omega trio developed “Urban Checkpoint,” a simulation program to train soldiers to inspect vehicles, ask for identification and carry out other related scenarios. Chambers, also a master’s degree candidate through CSU’s online computer science program, said the U.S. Army has expressed strong interest in utilizing the program, James with ongoing Chambers modifications by Chambers and his colleagues. Though assigned by his employer to develop a “serious game” program course, Chambers said he drew on previous experi-

Spring 2007

Professor Rodrigo Obando and Erik Seijo discuss the next step in creating a video game, which is a class project for this spring’s Introduction to Computer Game Programming course. A still image from the yet-to-be-named game is displayed on the large screen. ence developing more simple, twodimensional entertainment games. “Working with an advanced, 3-D program was a great skill-building experience,” he said. “I highly recommend the course.” In addition to in-class team projects, Summers said an “exciting development” through the new curriculum is that “it’s presenting opportunities for collaboration with departments across campus.” For example, music professor Bradley Palmer and his students contributed the musical scores

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to demo games created by other students in last spring’s first programming class. “We’re exploring opportunities with the art department for graphic design support, Language and Literature for story development, and it’s our goal to integrate more departments into the program,” Summers said. With the program, CSU joins a small but growing number of traditional higher-education institutions offering game design or programming degrees. Other noted programs operate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Southern California and Georgia Tech, currently the only other such University System of Georgia school. Regarding post-degree prospects, Summers said established game programmers generally earn high-end yearly salaries – between $60,000 and $100,000 – for the computer programming field. A new grad can make $50,000 a year right out of college and twice as much if he or she is part of a team that produces a hit video game. For more information about CSU’s computer game programming degree track, visit http://cs.colstate.edu and click on Game Programming Track.

Class Notes 1967 Sue B. Dalelio, Title I resource teacher at Downtown Elementary School in Columbus, was one of 191 Georgia teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 2006.

1970 Dr. John Sinnott is the associate dean for international affairs at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, the James A. Cullison Professor of Medicine and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine.

1976 Juliann M. Allen was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Allen Elementary in the Muscogee County School District.

1977 Bennett Adams is a county administrator for the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners. Richard B. Carney, business education teacher at Northside High School, was one of 191 Georgia teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 2006. Paul Thomas Hackett Jr. was inducted into the College of Education Hall of Fame at the College of Education-Alumni Association Awards Banquet in April 2006.

1972 Frank Bonner Jr. has joined W. Thomas Miller Jr., CPA of Columbus as a senior associate.

1973 Eddie V. Akers was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Shaw High School in the Muscogee County School District. Debra L. Lane was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Clubview Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District. Craiger C. Parker retired from the Army as a full colonel in 1996 and went to work as director of student affairs at Central Pennsylvania College. He was later named dean and was dean emeritus when he died Oct. 31, 2000. The college named an outdoor amphitheater after him. John J. Rodgers served on the Columbus City Council as mayor pro tem until Dec. 31, 2006. Terry H. Scott, who served as a tennis pro for the city of Columbus for 19 years, won at least 37 senior state tennis titles and nine Southern tennis championships and two father-son titles with his son, Randy Scott, ’73, was inducted into the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame on Feb. 17, 2007.

1974 William J. “Jim” Wetherington was elected mayor of the city of Columbus in November 2006.

1975

Wenonah E. Leigh was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Eddy Middle School in the Muscogee County School District. Evelyn Turner Pugh became the first woman mayor pro tem on the Columbus City Council in January 2007.

Teresa F. Morgan was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Cusseta Road Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District.

1983 Philip A. Badcock was promoted by Columbus Bank and Trust Company to executive vice president of the division that provides products and services to other Synovus banks. Judy L. Bausch was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Blackmon Road Middle School in the Muscogee County School District. Bernard Michael Coleman, owner of California-based Coleman Investments, reports that he is “one investment away from a million dollar real estate investment portfolio.”

1985 Lisa K. Dryden was named a co-recipient of the 2006 Spirit of St. Francis Award for performing extraordinary acts of service at St. Francis Hospital, where she is a nurse.

Nathan Suber served on the Columbus City Council until Dec. 31, 2006.

Cynthia A. Spraggins was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Eastway Elementary in the Muscogee County School District.

1979

1986

Agnes A. Shelton was named a co-recipient of the 2006 Spirit of St. Francis Award for performing extraordinary acts of service at the Bradley Center of St. Francis, where she is a charge nurse.

Nancy E. Mims was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Northside High School in the Muscogee County School District.

1980

Carolyn G. Mull was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Johnson Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District.

George W. Downey, counselor at Blackmon Road Middle School, was one of 191 Georgia teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 2006.

Claire P. Derr was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Richards Middle School in the Muscogee County School District.

Laura S. Mitchell was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Mathews Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District.

Linda H. Gillis was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Fox Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District.

1981

Polly M. Rhodes was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Midland Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District.

Cherry D. Chambers, an English instructor at Coastal Georgia Community College reports that she has bought a camper and is having a blast traveling, especially with other family members. She also had her own son as a student last year. She is proud to say that he aced the class.

1982

P. Jan Hyatt was inducted into the College of Education Hall of Fame at the College of Education-Alumni Association Awards Banquet in April 2006.

Jane J. Anthony, an English teacher at Midland Middle School, was one of 191 Georgia teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 2006.

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1987

1988 Thomas P. McKenna was promoted to vice president and deputy general counsel for Aflac, Inc. He manages Aflac’s legal division and is responsible for monitoring U.S. litigation and coordinating legal functions with other departments, especially marketing, claims and IT. Leslie P. Robertson was inducted into the College of Education Hall of Fame at the Spring 2007

College of Education-Alumni Association Awards banquet in April 2006.

1989 Carol A. Jones was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Britt David Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District. Janet S. LaFortune was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Brewer Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District.

Got Memories? For a future project, we want to hear from CSU alumni about their favorite memories of their time here. Send them to alumni@colstate.edu.

Judith A. Russell joined Merrill Lynch as a financial adviser in May of 2006. Tracy M. Wilson was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Double Churches Middle School in the Muscogee County School District.

1990 Melvin F. Bishop was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the Army and is currently stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. Karen R. Metasavage was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Muscogee Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District. Joy B. Wells has been promoted to vice president at Synovus Innovative Solutions. She manages the Green Dot prepaid MasterCard and Vista portfolios.

1992 Cynthia C. Holloway, media specialist at Wesley Heights Elementary School, was one of 191 Georgia teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 2006.

and distributors. The company is one of the newest tenants in the Columbus Technology Incubator at the Cunningham Center on the CSU campus. Lynn D. Kelly was promoted to clinical nurse manager at Hughston Orthopedic Hospital. Doyle C. Wright, health and physical education teacher at Rothschild Middle School, was one of 191 Georgia teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 2006.

Marie K. McIntosh was recognized as St. Francis Hospital’s 2006 registered nurse of the year. Thomas W. Porter, a major and director of the patient administration branch of the U.S. Army Medical Command, has been selected by the Personnel Command to complete his master’s of business administration at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio through the Army’s Long Term Health Education and Training Program, beginning in fall 2008.

1994 Kevin B. Boykin has founded Rebate Management Services, Inc., a company focused on streamlining the rebate management process for medical suppliers Spring 2007

Johannes Mueller-Stosch has been appointed the new music directorconductor of the Holland Symphony Orchestra in Holland, Mich. Kristina Paschal Whitley recently collaborated with several other music teachers in Fulton County, Ga., to create Music a la Cart, a resource book and survival guide for music teachers that do not have their own classrooms and, therefore, have to move supplies from room to room on a cart.

1998 Lisa K. Cheatham was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Kendrick High School in the Muscogee County School District.

1995

Joyce Dent-Fitzpatrick was appointed to the West Georgia Easter Seals Board in September 2006. She also serves on the Valley Collaborative Suicide Prevention board.

Kimberly R. Goare was promoted to director of case management at Hughston Orthopedic Hospital.

Charles Todd Quintard Jr. is a youth minister at Wynnbrook Baptist Church.

Craig C. Harrison was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Key Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District. Pamela A. McCoy was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Double Churches Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District.

1993 Belva E. Dorsey was promoted to executive director of the Enrichment Services Program, Inc., Columbus, Georgia.

Carolyn L. Mitchell was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Marshall Middle School in the Muscogee County School District.

Joseph J. Pollock was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Jordan High School in the Muscogee County School District.

1996 Virginia M. Cannady was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Dawson Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District. Melissa D. Dennis was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Dimon Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District. Matthew M. Unwin is an assistant professor of biology at Kennesaw State University.

1997 Shannon L. Hustick was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Hannan Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District.

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1999 Veronica E. Allen was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Reese Road Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District. Storie L. Atkins was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Columbus High School in the Muscogee County School District. LaShaunda Jackson recently relocated from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. She is currently serving as an intelligence officer in South Korea.

2000 Sarina R. Dowdell Lyles has joined KidsPeace National Centers as a family consultant.

2001 Clairmont J. “Pops” Barnes Sr. took office on the Columbus City Council in January 2007. Jeremy A. Dockery graduated with a Ph.D. in educational administration in August 2006. Lawrence R. Farrar was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Rose Hill Center in the Muscogee County School District. 19

Kelly M. Murdock, softball coach at Mill Creek High School in Hoschston, Ga., was named Georgia coach of the year by the Women’s Intersport Network at its National Girls and Women in Sports Day banquet on February 7. She led Mill Creek to a third place finish in Class AAAAA.

2002 Ashley K. Blanton was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Gentian Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District. Daria A. Cruzen has been promoted to incharge accountant at Robinson, Grimes & Company, P.C. of Columbus. Natalie M. Dean was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Davis Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District. Gina C. Reynolds was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Arnold Middle School in the Muscogee County School District. Alicia D. Sims has been promoted to incharge accountant Robinson, Grimes & Company, P.C. of Columbus.

2003 April D. Flynn was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Edgewood Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District. Elizabeth Porter was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Carver High School in the Muscogee County School District. Cynthia K. Swafford was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for Wynnton Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District.

2004 Jaime Miller Chavez graduated from Troy University with a master’s degree in business administration in May 2006. Jennifer O. Dobbins was named 2007 Teacher of the Year for St. Elmo Center Elementary School in the Muscogee County School District. Christopher Paul Graham was named Georgia’s Department of Technical and Adult Education’s Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year. He will serve as Georgia’s ambassador for technical education this year.

Debra Van Pelt has been promoted by the Muscogee County School District to supervisor of the Printing, Graphics, and Mail Department. She previously was with the Muscogee County School District school nutrition program for 20 years.

2005 Lauren R. Becker was recently promoted to web designer at Aflac in the national advertising department. Sandra K. Gaither and her husband recently bought their first home in November 2006 in Social Circle, Ga., outside of Conyers. Shanna M. Jones has joined Hughston Orthopedic Hospital as director of health information management. Ronald Wayne Partridge Jr. is now in doctoral study at Oxford University. He reports that he was formally inducted into the program in October that included a spoken Latin ceremony.

Update your info at: http:alumni.colstate.edu/

ift & Estate Planning can help you create a gift plan that will best express your desire to benefit the University, at the same time fulfilling your personal financial goals. A properly designed gift can complement your own goals in several ways:

* * * * * *

Build a brighter future for your university Provide life-long income Convert low-yielding assets into a higher income stream Reduce or eliminate taxes on capital gains Generate a substantial federal income tax deduction Eliminate or reduce federal estate taxes

For more information, contact: Rex Whiddon Director of Major Gifts (706) 568-5185 whiddon_rex@colstate.edu

Do you want answers to all of your estate planning questions? Visit Columbus State University on the Web at www.colstate.edu/plannedgiving 20

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Spring 2007

Enjoy astronomy nights

Network at sales luncheons

Catch fastpitch softball during April

Calendar of Events April 2007 – August 2007 APRIL

26 Coca-Cola Space Science Center. Astronomy Night. 8 p.m. Coca-Cola Space Science Center.

15 Cougar Baseball. USC Aiken. Peach Belt Conference. 1 p.m. Ragsdale Field.

JUNE

15 Schwob School of Music. University Singers and CSU Chorale. $5 General Admission. 4 p.m. RiverCenter’s Legacy Hall.

1, 3 Schwob School of Music. “The Marriage of Figaro.” 7:30 p.m. RiverCenter’s Bill Heard Theatre.

17 Schwob School of Music. CSU Contemporary Ensemble. Free. 7:30 p.m. RiverCenter’s Legacy Hall.

4 Coca-Cola Space Science Center. Astronomy Night. 8 p.m. Callaway Gardens.

18 Cougar Softball. West Georgia. 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Lady Cougar Field.

10 Oxbow Meadows. Second Sunday Series. $2 per person, 2 p.m. Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center

19 D. Abbott Turner College of Business Lecture by nationally known economist Donald Ratajczak. 2 p.m. Theatre on the Park, downtown Columbus

11, 18, 25 Coca-Cola Space Science Center. Astronomy Night. 8 p.m. Callaway Gardens.

20 Cougar Baseball. West Florida. 6 p.m. Ragsdale Field.

16 Coca-Cola Space Science Center. Astronomy Night. 8 p.m. Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park.

21 Cougar Baseball. West Florida. 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Ragsdale Field.

18 CSU Alumni Association. Annual Meeting. 6:30 p.m. Cunningham Center. Call 706-568-2280 for more info.

21 Coca-Cola Space Science Center. Astronomy Night. 8:30 p.m. Callaway Gardens.

JULY

24 Cougar Baseball. Montevallo. 6 p.m. Ragsdale Field.

2, 16, 23, 30 Coca-Cola Space Science Center. Astronomy Night. 8 p.m. Callaway Gardens.

25 Cougar Softball. Albany State. 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Lady Cougar Field. 26 Schwob School of Music. CSU Philharmonic Orchestra. $5 General Admission 7:30 p.m. RiverCenter’s Legacy Hall. 27 Cougar Baseball. USC Upstate. Peach Belt Conference 6 p.m. Ragsdale Field. 28 Cougar Baseball. USC Upstate. Peach Belt Conference. 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Ragsdale Field.

8 Oxbow Meadows. Second Sunday Series. $2 per person, 2 p.m. Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center 9 Coca-Cola Space Science Center. Astronomy Night. 8 p.m. Callaway Gardens. 13 Cunningham Sales Institute Quarterly Sales Luncheon. 706-568-5101. 14 Coca-Cola Space Science Center. Astronomy Night. 8 p.m. Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park.

28 Honors Program. Honors Colloquium: Best of student research, creative work. 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Center for Commerce and Technology.

AUGUST

MAY

6 Coca-Cola Space Science Center. Astronomy Night. 8 p.m. Callaway Gardens.

12 Columbus State University. Spring Graduation Ceremonies. 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Lumpkin Center.

12 Oxbow Meadows. Second Sunday Series. $2 per person, 2 p.m. Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center.

13 Oxbow Meadows. Second Sunday Series. Animal Mothers. $2 per person, 2 p.m. Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center

27-28 Cunningham Center for Leadership Development Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum. 706-568-5101.

To learn more about CSUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s May 29-Aug. 3, 2007 camps, visit

http://conted.colstate.edu

or call 706-568-2023 and request a summer catalog.

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Parents: If this issue is addressed to a son or daughter who no longer lives at home, please send the correct address to the Alumni Office at the address above. Thank you.