Voices of
Gullah Spring / Summer 2014
From the PRESIDENT CCU in the Community With the approach of our 60th anniversary in September, this is a good occasion to reflect on all that Coastal Carolina University has achieved in its brief history. It’s instructive at such moments to try to put ourselves in the place of our founding fathers and attempt to gauge their dreams of 1954 against the reality of 2014. Although they were visionary individuals, I think the founders would be utterly astounded by the growth of the institution—by our enrollment (more than 9,400 students) and by the imposing beauty of our thriving campus. I think they would be impressed by the academic attainment we have achieved across the curricular spectrum and by the acumen and industry of our faculty. But the thing I believe would give our founders the greatest sense of satisfaction and pride is the way that Coastal Carolina University has served its community. The college was founded in response to the real needs of local people who wanted to better themselves and the place where they lived and worked. From the earliest days, CCU has maintained a close, mutually advantageous relationship with the local community and the wider surrounding region. Many of the University’s most successful academic programs are based on unique aspects of the area’s geography and economy, such as our highly rated Professional Golf Management program and the College of Science’s multilevel marine science activities that have added so much to the life of our coastal environment. Our founders would be pleased that the outreach programs in our academic colleges give priority to meaningful community service projects. The Jackson Scholars, for example, sponsor a junior scholars summer camp for area sixth-graders designed to foster moral development and responsibility. Part of the mission of the Swain Scholar program is to raise awareness about community health issues, and every Swain Scholar class develops a project that directly involves our students in efforts that help others, from child obesity initiatives in area elementary schools to bike safety in Myrtle Beach and surrounding communities. I think the founders would be most proud of the way our students are stepping up for community service projects, sometimes creating new ones on their own initiative. As part of her capstone class, Nicole Slatky, a communication major, started an Adopt-A-Family program to help families in need last Thanksgiving. Her original goal was to provide food baskets for 35 families, but, working in conjunction with CCU’s Office of Civic Engagement and Orientation, she and her fellow students ended up serving more than 100 families. The University plans to continue the program into the future. What a legacy! These are just a few examples of many acts of service performed by students, faculty and staff that have enriched and improved our community. As Coastal Carolina University continues to grow, achieve and succeed, I hope we will always understand the need and the value of serving our community and region.
David A. DeCenzo, President
COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Gov. Nikki Haley, Ex Officio member D. Wyatt Henderson ’98, Chairman Gary W. Brown, Vice Chairman Larry L. Biddle, Sec./Treas. William S. Biggs Samuel H. Frink Natasha M. Hanna ’94 Carlos C. Johnson William L. Lyles Jr. Marion B. Lee Charles E. Lewis Daniel W. R. Moore Sr. George E. Mullen Oran P. Smith Eugene C. Spivey ’91 Samuel J. Swad ’87 Robert G. Templeton William E. Turner III ’96 PRESIDENT
David A. DeCenzo EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT/ CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Edgar L. Dyer PROVOST and SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT for ACADEMIC and STUDENT AFFAIRS
J. Ralph Byington ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT for UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATION
William M. Plate
EDITOR
Doug Bell ART DIRECTOR
Rob Wyeth DESIGNERS
Jonathan Ady Regis Minerd PHOTOGRAPHY
William Edmonds CONTRIBUTORS
Ryan Borawski ’13 Josh Hoke ’06 Patricia O’Connor
Change of address notices should be sent with the mailing panel on this magazine to: Office of University Communication Coastal Carolina University P.O. Box 261954 Conway, SC 29528-6054 Copyright 2014 Coastal Carolina University
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FEATURES
12 Voices of Gullah
Coastal Carolina University is helping to preserve one of our state’s richest cultures.
20 The Mike Tolbert Moment
The Panthers’ powerhouse fullback is profiled by former Chanticleer teammate Josh Hoke
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DEPARTMENTS 2 10 30 32 36
Of Note Published Of Interest Teal & Bronze Alumni
26 The Buffett Blog
CCU students rub shoulders with the one of the world’s richest—and wisest—men.
On the cover: From
Jonathan Green’s painting, Yellow Boat, (see page 17)
Coastal Carolina University Magazine is produced twice a year through the office of University Communication.
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Of NOTE CCU names new athletic leadership “Voice of the Chanticleers” Matt Hogue was named interim director of athletics in March, after the departure of Hunter Yurachek, who accepted a position at the University of Houston. Hogue joined the CCU staff in 1997 and served in several different roles in the Matt Hogue Department of Athletics and in the Office of University Communication, where he led CCU’s marketing and trademark-licensing efforts. As the principal announcer on the Chanticleer Sports Network, he provided live game broadcasts, features and weekly programs about CCU athletics. “Matt has distinguished himself as the consummate athletics professional and is highly regarded in the field,” said CCU President David A. DeCenzo in his announcement of the appointment. “He has worked to secure sponsorships, supervised
sports programs, taken the lead on NCAA championship hosting, and he began his tenure in media relations.” As part of a comprehensive plan to review and re-evaluate the University’s athletic program, DeCenzo also named CCU Head Football Coach Joe Moglia chair of the Athletics Division. With these added duties, Moglia will provide strategic oversight for athletics, working with Hogue to develop a thorough review of all aspects of the athletics program. “I believe that this is critical in establishing an athletic roadmap that will take us well into the future. Undoubtedly, Joe’s experience and knowledge in these areas will be an invaluable asset,” DeCenzo said. DeCenzo has chosen to forego a director of athletics search for an indefinite period of time in order to achieve this new alignment between athletics and the university as a whole. “With this change in leadership, we are in an advantageous position to examine our program and decide the future of CCU Athletics.”
Ground broken for student housing complex
Ground was broken January 23 for CCU’s major new Student Housing Complex, which will be located behind the HTC Center on property acquired from the Elvington family. The $85 million complex will include four residence halls that will provide 1,270 beds. Construction of the facility for first-year students will take place on a three-year, multiphase schedule. The residence halls will be arranged in “communities” of four suites grouped around a common social space. In addition, each building will include a community wing with a large lounge, laundry, multipurpose room, resident director office and apartment, workroom and recycling center. The placement of the four buildings on the site allows for the development of a large green space that accommodates two existing ponds and a stand of mature oak and maple trees. The new housing will be designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. Quackenbush Architects + Planners are the designers. This housing project will help meet the University’s Strategic Plan to grow to 12,500 students.
Architect’s rendering of CCU’s new Student Housing Complex.
49 QUICK FACT
The current number of buildings dedicated to University Housing.
U.H. accommodates more than 3,600 students. 2 •
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CCU goes tobacco-free next semester
Coastal Explorer makes waves CCU has launched a new era of ocean research. The acquisition of the Coastal Explorer in late 2013 will significantly expand the College of Science’s already considerable research initiatives across the board, according to Professor Paul Gayes, director of CCU’s School of Coastal and Marine Systems Science. The 54-foot vessel is equipped with state-ofthe-art geophysical instrumentation for ocean research. The vessel has an 8,000-pound lift capacity designed to deploy buoys and equipment for water/sediment sampling, underwater video, seafloor mapping and sub-seafloor sampling. The ship also has a lab with three data acquisition workstations and two additional workstations on the bridge. “In keeping with the mission of the School
of Coastal and Marine Systems Science, the Coastal Explorer will allow us to focus on developing a better understanding of the complex coastal systems and associated natural resources that serve as the basis of significant portions of the local and state economy,” said Michael Roberts, dean of the College of Science at CCU. “By engaging students in ongoing research and studies, we’re working to train the next generation of coastal scientists to help better predict future coastal behavior—erosion, water quality, hurricane tracks and activity/surges, etc.—and convey that information to aid society in effectively managing these resources to protect our coastal resources, infrastructure and economy,” said Gayes.
CCU to acquire University Boulevard from SC DOT CCU will be acquiring University Boulevard, the university’s main thoroughfare, through a conveyance from the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SC DOT). According to University officials, the move will allow CCU to more effectively implement and control safety measures along the campus’ most heavily trafficked roadway, which is used by thousands of drivers and pedestrians including students, faculty, staff and community members. In the past, when CCU has asked for additional crosswalks, traffic lights, speed bumps and pedestrian timers along the boulevard to improve safety for the thousands who use the road, the requests were denied because they didn’t comply with state standards, according to DOT. Other measures that CCU will now be able to control include speed limits and lighting. The acquisition will take place after the road is resurfaced this summer through funds provided by the Horry County Transportation Committee.
CCU will become a smoke-free and tobaccofree campus. The board of trustees approved the measure in December 2013, and the policy will go into effect on Aug. 1. In preparation, CCU launched a Tobacco-Free Campus Initiative that involved smoking cessation support programs and an educational campaign that promotes healthy living in general. The initiative follows national and state trends that show more and more institutions of higher education going tobacco free. Nationally, 1,127 campuses have adopted 100 percent smoke-free policies, including 23 higher education institutions in South Carolina. Peer-reviewed published studies show that when campuses go smoke-free, the number of students who smoke dramatically decreases and that students who do smoke consume fewer cigarettes. Since 2008, smoking on campus has been allowed only in designated gazebos around campus. As part of the initiative, smoking cessation classes and other aids began in January 2014 in order to prepare the university community for the change.
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of note
Students recognized for good deed
(left to right) President DeCenzo, Ricki Damico, Shane Wolchak and Johnny Quartuccio.
CCU President David DeCenzo recently recognized three students who helped a man who nearly drowned after his boat overturned near the jetties in Garden City Beach in late January. Ricki Damico, Shane Wolchak and Johnny Quartuccio received certificates of recognition for offering aid to a 64-yearold man who had been in the frigid water for more than an
Byington named provost J. Ralph Byington assumed the position of Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs in March. He had served as interim provost since June 2013. Previously, he had served as dean of CCU’s E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration since 2010. Byington served as dean of the J. Ralph Byington School of Business Administration at the University of South Carolina-Aiken and interim dean, associate dean and founding director of the School of Accountancy at Georgia Southern University. He was director of the Office of Internal Audit at the University of Southern Mississippi, and he was also chief fiscal officer for the Mississippi Governor’s Office for Federal Programs. The provost is responsible for the administration of all functions of the University involving academic and student affairs, including all instructional and research activities. All five of CCU’s academic colleges report to the provost, as well as many other campus departments including Kimbel Library, Career Services, the Registrar’s office, Student Affiars, International Programs and Services, and the Honors Program. 4 •
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hour before washing up on shore. “You really demonstrate what Coastal students are all about,” said DeCenzo. “You noticed something wrong, and you offered help.You took the initiative.” The three students were fishing in an isolated area on the point in Garden City Beach when they noticed the waterlogged man crawling onto shore in a dazed condition. “We called 911 and got him out of his soaked clothes and gave him our jackets,” said Damico, a senior marketing major from Syracuse, N.Y. “We rubbed his back and his hands, trying to get him warm. It was very cold and very windy,” said Quartuccio, a junior sport management major from Avenel, N.J. A second boater drowned in the incident, and his body washed ashore while the students were helping the first man. CCU Dean of Students Travis Overton said the students would be recognized at a Step Up! gathering later in the year for “students who have done extraordinary things.” He commended them for being “a true reflection of Coastal spirit.” Step Up! is a prosocial behavior and bystander intervention program that educates students to be proactive in helping others.
CCU establishes Institute for Leadership and Public Policy CCU has established the Institute for Leadership and Public Policy (ILPP), a new resource that will have far-reaching significance for the university and the region. Administered through the Department of Politics and Geography in CCU’s Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts, the ILPP will focus on three primary activities: (1) polling, (2) policy analysis and (3) leadership opportunities for students. In conjunction with CCU’s emphasis on experiential learning, the new institute is designed to involve students in all aspects of its activities. The polling component of the initiative will focus primarily on issues relating to governance and policy questions, providing scholars with an outlet for investigating important questions of public concern. In addition to the valuable data that the polling projects will produce and the exposure CCU will receive in their dissemination, university officials believe the program’s major advantage is the depth of student involvement. “Students are learning how to write surveys and polls, how to administer them and collect data, and how to analyze survey results,” says Holley Tankersley, chair of CCU’s Department of Politics and Geography.
Poet Laureate is commencement speaker
Natasha D.Trethewey
CCU Greeks gather to Stop Hunger Now More than 550 students from CCU’s Greek community, along with faculty, staff and other volunteers, rolled up their sleeves in January for the Stop Hunger Now program. The volunteers packaged more than 30,000 dehydrated meals of high nutritional value. The Greek community plans to raise $7,500 for the program. Established in 1998, Stop Hunger Now has a mission to end hunger across the globe and also helps in disaster relief efforts by delivering clothes, school supplies, medical and food supplies to 65 different countries.
CCU aims to increase study abroad opportunities
CCU has pledged to join the Institute of International Education’s (IIE) Generation Study Abroad initiative, which aims to double the number of American students who study abroad by the end of the decade. “Our goal is to increase participation in study abroad programs through CCU by 60 percent by 2019-2020.” says Darla Domke-Damonte, executive director of global initiatives at CCU. “We will accomplish this through curricular integration activities, novel programming and enhanced support for faculty and students. CCU is also working to expand participation in international internships through novel initiatives.” IIE is launching Generation Study Abroad because of its conviction that the number and proportion of today’s students who graduate with an educational experience abroad is far too low. Currently, fewer than 10 percent of all U.S. college students study abroad at some point in their academic career. With 2.6 million students graduating with associate’s or baccalaureate degrees each year, major segments of America’s young people are not getting the international experience they will need to advance their careers and participate in the global economy or to work together across borders to address global issues. Generation Study Abroad aims to grow participation in study abroad so that the annual total reported will reach 600,000 by the end of the decade. For more information about CCU’s participation in the Generation Study Abroad initiative, contact Darla Domke-Damonte at 843.349.2129 or ddamonte@coastal.edu.
Natasha D. Trethewey, America’s poet laureate since 2012, is the speaker at the Spring 2014 Commencement exercises on May 10. She will also receive the honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters. Trethewey, who won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for poetry, is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University. She is best known for her collections, Native Guard (2006) and Bellocq’s Ophelia (2002). Her work draws on U.S. history, particularly relating to the American South and its racial legacy. She is also the author of Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. A memoir is forthcoming in 2015. Born in Gulfport, Miss., in 1966, Trethewey earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Georgia, a master’s degree in English and creative writing from Hollins University and an M.F.A. In poetry from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As poet laureate, Trethewey’s signature project is a feature on the PSB NewsHour Poetry Series called Where Poetry Lives. In this series, she travels with senior correspondent Jeffrey Brown to various cities across the U.S. in order to explore societal issues through the lens of poetry, literature and her own personal experiences.
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of note Burroughs heads Horry County Archives Center Atheneum yearbooks are first digitization project
All the yearbooks published by Coastal Carolina (first College and then University)—30 volumes covering the years 1969 (pictured left) to 1997—can now be viewed online, thanks to the efforts of the Horry County Archives Center.
Ben Burroughs
The Horry County Archives Center recently opened its new digs on the second floor of Kimbel Library. There you will find an attractive, book-lined research room with polished wooden tables and chairs. The books are those from the library’s old “Waccamaw Room,” a collection (including some rare first editions) that deals with local history. But even though center director Ben Burroughs is proud of the room and fond of books and libraries in general, he is focusing on digitizing historical information so that it can be accessed online anywhere, anytime.
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The yearbooks were the first of a series of projects he has lined up. Also completed is a sequence of Civil War letters by Conway citizen John Beaty, and Burroughs is now working on digitizing the complete quarterly journals of the Horry County Historical Society, a collection of historical Horry County photographs, the compete file of the Chanticleer student newspaper, and the James L. Michie Archaeology Collection. The Coastal Carolina University Digital Collection has been established through a partnership with the Low Country Digital Library, based at the College of Charleston. Burroughs, a Conway native who has devoted much of his life to researching and preserving local history, explains that part of the center’s mission is community outreach. Consequently, the center is also involved in restoration projects at Vereen Memorial Gardens in Little River and Conway City Hall, as well as in organizing public talks and forums on historical subjects. Created and largely funded by the Horry County Higher Education Commission, the center primarily focuses on researching the history of Horry County, but also deals with the entire northeastern section of South Carolina
that made up the old Georgetown Judicial District established in 1769. Burroughs is grateful for Kimbel Library’s support. Library personnel Scott Bacon and Brian Briones have been instrumental in the digitization process. “The Archives Center aims to maintain a balance between Coastal Carolina University projects and community projects,” according to Burroughs, who is excited about the center’s direction and scope of activities. The center’s research room is available to all CCU students, staff and faculty, as well as to the community at large. Burroughs hopes that this resource will promote a better understanding of the complex history of the area and how it is interwoven into the history of our state and nation. “I love discovering nuggets of information that have been lost or forgotten and bringing them back to life by sharing them with other people,” says Burroughs. “Sometimes there’s a perception that, historically speaking, nothing significant ever happened in Horry County—it’s all about Charleston or Georgetown. But that’s just not true.” The Horry County Archive Center is located in room 220 of the Kimbel Library on the CCU campus.
2014 WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE Winston and Laura Hoy, Donna Nix, Lance Thompson
Mark DeCenzo, Jen DeCenzo, David DeCenzo Paula Harper Bethea, Ed and Betty Shelly
Rose Marie Hussey Johnson and Chris Johnson
Marjorie and Lance Thompson
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Byington
WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE The 2014 Women’s Leadership Conference attracted a record 606 participants for the fourth annual event at the Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Feb. 27. The theme of the event was “Lead the Change.” Gabriella DeCenzo, Kelsey Sapp Octavia Drummond, Naomi Dantzler
Jody and Scott MacKenzie
LaVasia Jackson, Deeariah Jenkins, Thomasena Mosley Michelle Fowle, Meghan Laffin, Dominique Witt
Mary Chaffin
Vivian Cleveland
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2014 RELAY FOR LIFE
Justin Ferrello, Cancer Survivor
Debbie Conner, CCU President David DeCenzo
David Segun, Joshua Finne, Eric DiCroce, Ben Rutherford
Maya Burney, Bertha Fladger
Members of Sigma Sigma Sigma
RELAY FOR LIFE Benefiting the American Cancer Society, Relay for Life is one of CCU’s major philanthropic events. A total of 58 teams of 92 participants took part in this year’s event on April 4, raising more than $90,000. Hannah Lewis, Shelby Dangerfield (Miss Summerville) The relay gets underway
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Relay Activities
Adrienne Covington, Brianna Cotes, Armondo Alford, Deeariah Jenkins, Breanna Gatling Members of Gamma Phi Beta
Members of Pi Kappa Phi
Jo’Wan Williams, Catharine Gordon, Haley Wright, Matthew Fox
Lauren Stymanski, Corina Cudebec
Jennifer and Jaxton Poindexter, Jennie Cassidy
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PUBLISHED Applied Technologies for Teachers By Joseph Winslow, Jeremy Dickerson and Cheng-Yuan Lee Kendall Hunt Publishing
Fighting for the Enemy: Koreans in Japan’s War, 1937-1945
Rammstein on Fire: New Perspectives on the Music and Performances
By Brandon Palmer University of Washington Press
Edited by John T. Littlejohn and Michael T. Putnam McFarland
Spadoni College of Education professor Joe Winslow, with his colleagues Jeremy Dickerson and Cheng-Yuan Lee, has written a guide to help teachers understand, design and integrate technological resources as a systemic part of their instructional method. The authors offer concepts that help educators “create a process that improves effectiveness and efficiency in teaching and learning while providing modern, technology-rich educational experiences.”
CCU history professor Brian Palmer offers the first in-depth analysis of Japan’s complex wartime handling of the Korean population. Between 1937 and 1945, more than 4 million Koreans, including women, were mobilized to serve the empire’s war effort. Palmer’s exhaustive research challenges long-held popular beliefs about the coercion and exploitation of Koreans by the Japanese. The book examines military conscription versus volunteerism and the mobilization of colonial labor.
Buddhism Goes to the Movies: An Introduction to Buddhist Thought and Practice
Searching for a King: Muslim Nonviolence and the Future of Islam
By Ronald Green Routledge Press
CCU religion professor Ronald Green explores the basics of Buddhism by examining a variety of films that demonstrate different aspects of the religion’s themes and practices. Films covered in the book include Broken Blossoms, Lost Horizon, Fight Club, I Heart Huckabees,The Burmese Harp and Windhorse. The book also looks into contemporary developments, such as socially engaged Buddhism associated with such figures as the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh. 100 •
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By Jeffry Halverson Syracuse University Press
Jeffrey Halverson, CCU religion professor and Islam specialist, offers a hopeful alternative to the madness of jihad in this book, based on his deep scholarship of Islam and his personal insight into its culture and traditions. The author traces the history of nonviolence and examines the lives of Muslim peace activists such as Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Halverson predicts advances in economic stability and women’s rights as a result of nonviolence.
Coedited by CCU communication lecturer John Littlejohn, this volume collects 13 essays about the German electronic metal band Rammstein, known for its dramatic, sometimes dangerous, pyrotechnical stage shows. The essays address many aspects of the band’s achievements, including its cultural influence, political character, the artistic relevance of its lyrics and compositions, even the aesthetics of its album artwork. The band was named for an air show disaster at Ramstein Air Force Base in 1988, which killed seven people. Data Collection in Sociolinguistics: Methods and Applications By Christine Mallinson, Becky Childs and Gerland Van Herk Routledge Press
This textbook and reference tool, coauthored by CCU English professor Becky Childs, provides the latest word on data collection in the field of sociolinguistics, the study of language in relation to a variety of social factors including region, class and gender. “A primary aim of sociolinguistics,” state the authors, “is to create and refine methods for the collection of data that reflects spoken and written language in use.”
Fear, Loathing and Victorian Xenophobia Edited by Marlene Tromp, Maria Bachman and Heidi Kaufman The Ohio State University Press
Maria Bachman, chair of CCU’s Department of English and an expert on British lit of the 19th century, coedited this collection of essays exploring the phenomenon of xenophobia in Victorian letters and culture. Defining xenophobia as a “psychopathological condition, marked by a distrust and loathing of foreignness,” the editors describe how complex social upheavals caused by industrialization and trade gave rise to “…the perceived foreignness of people, objects and locations as a threat to English culture and identity.” Statistical Techniques in Business and Economics By Douglas Lind, William Marchal and Samuel Wathen McGraw Hill
Now in its 16th edition, this successful textbook coauthored with two members of the Wall College of Business faculty— Sam Wathen and Douglas Lind— is a perennial market best seller due to its comprehensive coverage of statistical concepts and methods delivered in a student friendly, step-by-step format. The text presents concepts clearly and succinctly with a conversational writing style and illustrates concepts through the liberal use of business-focused examples that are relevant to the world of a current college student.
Neighbors of Nothing By Jason Ockert Dzanc Books
A collection of 10 short stories by CCU English professor Jason Ockert, Neighbors of Nothing takes its title from a poem by Mark Strand. The stories are linked by the presence of characters “who find themselves searching for new identities in worlds they no longer recognize” and who are involved in “the complex human struggle to exist with purpose.” The book won the Dzanc Short Story Collection Contest. A short video featuring Ockert reading an excerpt can be accessed on his website jasonockert.com. Best Practice in Motivation and Management in the Classroom By Dennis G. Wiseman and Gilbert H. Hunt Charles C Thomas Publishers Ltd.
The third edition of a textbook by retired Spadoni College of Education deans Dennis Wiseman and Gilbert Hunt has been published. The book, designed to help K-12 teachers meet the challenges of today’s classrooms, offers practical information for both beginning and experienced teachers. The goal of the book is to offer today’s K-12 teachers practical techniques that will help them increase their effectiveness in the classroom. The authors focus on student motivation and classroom management, two areas that are crucial to maintaining effective educational environments.
The Early Modern Italian Domestic Interior, 1400-1700 Edited by Erin J. Campbell, Stephanie R. Miller and Elizabeth Carroll Ashgate
Anyone interested in learning about the look and feel of domestic life in Renaissance Italy can learn a lot from this collection of essays co-edited by CCU art professor Stephanie Miller. “This book springs from the desire to enter the Italian palazzo or casa, to experience the rooms of the palazzo fully furnished and lived in…” write the editors. The book’s 13 essays examine everything from furniture and art to food and childrearing, from country houses in Bologna to the living quarters of the infamous Lucrezia Borgia. Environmental Issues: Looking Toward a Sustainable Future By Daniel C. Abel and Robert L. McConnel Benjamin Cummings
Coauthored by marine science professor Dan Abel, this textbook, now in its fourth edition, takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining simple math and critical thinking to gain insight into relevant local, regional and global environmental issues. It focuses on sustainability, integrating a broad overview of the essentials. The presentation of real-world issues and examples fosters the development of the math and analytical skills necessary to think critically and to understand these complex issues. Coastal Carolina University Magazine
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Voices of
Gullah by Trisha O’Connor
One of the cultural glories of South Carolina is becoming endangered. A group of Coastal Carolina University faculty and students are studying Gullah and preserving its voices in creative ways.
A
major creative effort to embrace and preserve Gullah culture, particularly the spirituals sung in the praise houses of St. Helena Island, near Beaufort, S.C., has connected Coastal Carolina University students and faculty from four different departments in a year of study and experience, work that is just beginning. What began as a project proposal for CCU’s Athenaeum Press is now a CD box set and a digital publication that will secure the music and culture for generations to come. The project, Gullah:TheVoice of an Island, involves students and faculty in the
departments of music recording, English, history and visual arts and encompasses the music, history, culture and language of the island’s people as part of a multi-year focus on the Gullah culture in the South Carolina Lowcountry. The students’ task was to understand Gullah origins and to create ways to use the past as a means for culture survival. Gullah people have lived along the South Carolina coast since they were first brought from West Africa as slaves in the early 1800s. Due to St. Helena Island’s geographic isolation, many of the Gullah spirituals have remain unchanged for more than 100 years
(left) Anita Singleton-Prather (as Aunt Pearlie Sue) performing at Penn Center Heritage Days (photo by Brant Barrett); (inset) Marshland near Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Islanders were baptized (photo by Emily Munn). Coastal Carolina University Magazine
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(clockwise from above) Soloists Rosa and Joseph Murray in their living room on St. Helena Island (photo by Amanda O’Brien); Soloist James Garfield Smalls during his interview with
Eric Crawford on his farm on St. Helena Island (photo by Brant Barrett); Student photographers Emily Munn and Amanda O’Brien taking the Murrays’ portrait (photo by Armon Means).
and still retain melodies, song texts and rhythms from West Africa and the early South. The advanced age of the few remaining song leaders and the changing lives of the current generation of Gullah makes the preservation effort an urgent concern. CCU senior Tevin Turner’s defining moment for the project came as he sat in Deacon James Garfield’s living room on St. Helena Island while the 93-year-old sang his signature spirituals. Turner was recording the songs and conversation with Garfield which he later edited and mixed in the University’s state-of-the-art recording studio. “He gave us a sacred entrée into his life. It’s why I work on the music with such great care,” Turner said. “You can’t search the internet for this, so preserving it is so important.” Coastal junior Derek Barthiaume recalled being part of an island praise or pray’s (short for prayers) service that showed him the uniqueness of Gullah music and culture. “I wasn’t prepared for the energy that was about to fill that tiny room that day. The performers came in first and then others from the community. And the songs just spontaneously began. One person shouts out the first line, and all join in. Children, young people, everyone knew the words,” Barthiaume said. 14 •
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“Gullah music is the missing component if you want to understand American music, There is a uniqueness to it, to the songs, to the rhythms. It is why preserving and understanding it is important.” —Matt White
“It was like the entire community came together.” The project began as an extension of a collaboration between Matt White, CCU assistant professor of music, and Eric Crawford, a music professor at Norfolk State University who has researched the St. Helena Island Gullah community for more than eight years. Gullah music and culture had been the focus of academic research around the turn of the 20th century and during the 1970s, but has been largely ignored, according to White. “Gullah music is the missing component if you want to understand American music,” White said. “There is a uniqueness to it, to the songs, to the rhythms. It is why preserving and understanding it is important.” Four of the island’s aging song leaders are featured on the CD box set—Deacon Garfield, Deacon Joseph and Rosa Murray and Minnie Grace Gadson—and each of them has taken particular songs as their own. During services, these elders lead the congregation’s singing. The spirituals have become synonymous with song leaders as they have been sung, without instrumentation, for hundreds of years, the words and rhythms passed down through generations. Minnie Gracie Gadson, who is featured on the CD, has “her” songs that are her favorites to perform, including “Adam in the Garden.” Coastal Carolina University Magazine
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(clockwise from above) Coffin Point Praise House, one of the three remaining praise houses on the island (photo by Lauren Rose); Pastor Kenneth Doe, Bethesda Christian Fellowship,
holding his annotated bible before a praise service (photo by Amanda O’Brien); Soloist Minnie Gracie Gadson in front of her house on St. Helena Island (photo by Amanda O’Brien); participants at a community praise service during Penn Center Heritage Days at Bethesda Christian Fellowship (photo by Amanda O’Brien); photographers Amanda O’Brien and Emily Munn at the Chapel of Ease (photo by Armon Means).
“When she sings it, the power in the words and the voice wash over you,” said Barthiaume, who conducted historical research for the project. Photography students faced a special challenge as they worked to respect the sacred space inside the island’s praise houses while documenting the services. “Respecting the wishes of the community and their traditions was, of course, our first priority,” said Armon Means, assistant professor of visual arts at CCU. “But it became the hard part when your goal is to capture something specific.” 16 •
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Alli Crandell, digital content manager in the Edwards College, directed the students as they coordinated the multiple parts of the work. “The goal for both the music and digital components was to provide an emotional connection for the audience,” Crandell said. “It is creating a link to today. This is not a tradition that is passing or dying; it is transitioning as the next generation takes over.” The digital publication interweaves oral history and song with historical documents to provide context for
the spirituals, according to Crandell. A partnership with St. Helena’s Penn Center, the site of one of the country’s first schools for freed slaves and one of the most significant African American historical and cultural institutions in existence, was important to the work as staff there shared historic photographs and other material with students and faculty. Because student experiential, “hands-on” learning was central to the preservation effort, faculty members underscored student learning and ownership of the work.
Jen Boyle, associate professor of English who directed the project’s digital publication, described a discussion about preserving and explaining Gullah culture that resulted in insights she believes students could not have reached if the project involved only readings and classroom discussion and not multiple trips to the island. “One particular student looked up at the group and said, ‘You know, I’m not sure about how we are using the word culture in this; these people are not exotics but members of American society and members of our community.’ “He was articulating our deep and complex relationship to those who both live right next to us and a world apart. And guiding students to a point where they understand the delicate choreography of weaving together pieces of a canvas—a text, an image, a scene—with direct and imagined fragments of lived experience is a rare and lovely event and typically takes time. Here, it was in a moment,” Boyle said. Coastal Carolina University Magazine
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The digital publication took the students into work that is only happening at a few universities as they discussed virtual/online artifacts and preservation, and how the organization and maintenance of the artifacts—visual, aural and textual—has tremendous implications for diversifying readership, according to Boyle. Scott Mann, assistant professor of visual arts who guided the design of the CD set and its accompanying booklet, said the experience of producing a quality, complete body of work as an undergraduate provided countless benefits for students, including the opportunity to work in a “real world” team environment with cross collaboration and decision making. Recording music studio student Turner said his participation helped him see his future more clearly. “Now, I can see myself doing this kind of work forever. Working on the Gullah preservation has opened up a whole lot of opportunities for me that I never thought of,” he said. “This CD is like my baby now. I can see my name on it.” The St. Helena Island project is the first phase of an expanded study of Gullah music, history, culture and language and is published by the Athenaeum Press, a part of the Edwards College. Beginning in the fall semester, students will focus the project’s second phase in the Waccamaw Neck and across Georgetown and Horry counties. Dan Ennis, dean of the Edwards College, said the Gullah project represents a renewed commitment to the study and preservation of Gullah heritage and the continuation of the scholarship begun by Charles Joyner and other Coastal faculty members. “We are making this a permanent part of our educational offerings at CCU,” Ennis said. Trisha O’Connor is Media Executive-in-Residence in CCU’s Department of Communications, Languages and Cultures. The CD and accompanying booklet on the St. Helena Island spirituals is available for purchase at theathenaeumpress.com, Amazon.com and the CCU bookstore. A portion of the proceeds go to preservation of the praise houses on St. Helena Island.
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(above) Students and faculty collaborative meeting at CCU. (below) Chapel of Ease, St. Helena Island. (right) Emily Munn on fishing docks, St. Helena Island (photos by Armon Means, Emily Munn and Amanda O’Brien)
Gullah and CCU Coastal Carolina University has a long and distinguished academic connection to the study and preservation of Gullah.
Veronica Gerald, who has been on the CCU English faculty since 1980, has spent more than 25 years bringing attention to the importance of recognizing and preserving the history and culture of the Gullah Geechee people. Given a leave of absence by CCU in 2000, she spent two years as director of history and culture at the Penn Center on St. Helena Island, the site of one of the country’s first schools for freed Veronica Gerald slaves. A recipient of the South Carolina Governor’s Award in Humanities, Gerald is a descendant of Gullah Geechee slaves who worked on Brookgreen and Longwood plantations in Georgetown County. Long known for her expertise and commitment to the preservation of Gullah culture, she was appointed Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Commissioner by the U.S. Department of Interior in 2005. She is coauthor of The Ultimate Gullah Cookbook: a Taste of Food, History and Culture from the Gullah People and co-owner of Ultimate Gullah, a gift shop that focuses on art and crafts created and/or inspired by the Gullah Geechee people. She has led numerous community outreach projects that promote awareness of Gullah, including her scholarship, lectures and dramatic performances. Charles Joyner, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Southern History and Culture at CCU, is an eminent scholar of American slavery. Joyner, who taught at CCU from 1988 to 2006, is best known for his groundbreaking work, Down by the Riverside: A South Carolina Slave Community (1984), a chronicle of rice plantations of the Waccamaw Neck that won the National University Press Book Award. The book Charles Joyner carefully reconstructs the daily life of this vibrant Gullah community, covering its language, religion, folk traditions and music. His other books include Remember Me: Slave Life in Coastal Georgia and Shared Traditions: Southern History and Folk Culture. Joyner was also narrator and principle consultant for the film Gullah Tales (1988), which was nominated for an Academy Award for best short subject.
Jim Michie
Coastal Carolina University has also led archaeological projects that have contributed to the study of Gullah history in South Carolina. The late Jim Michie, who laid the foundation for CCU’s Center for Archaeology and Anthropology, conducted excavations of Mansfield, Wachesaw, Richmond Hill, the Oaks and other area plantations beginning in the 1980s.
Cover Art
“Yellow Boat” 2000, Oil on Linen 48”x 60” © Jonathan Green The painting on the cover of this issue of Coastal Carolina University Magazine is by Jonathan Green, an internationally recognized artist who has been profoundly influenced by Gullah. Green received an honorary degree, Doctor of Fine Arts, from Coastal Carolina University in December 2009, and he delivered the commencement address. A native of Gardens Corner, S.C., he was one of the first known artists of Gullah heritage to receive formal training at a professional art school, the Art Institute of Chicago, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1982. While his appeal and perspective are truly modern and cosmopolitan, Green looks to the familiar images of his ancestral home for the subjects of his paintings. Green has received numerous awards throughout the United States for his art and his contributions to cultural and educational institutions. His work can be viewed at Jonathan Green Studios on Daniel Island, S.C., or at jonathangreenstudios.com.
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From Coastal standout to NFL Pro Bowler, the former CCU fullback is making his own way. A profile of the Carolina Panthers’ Mike Tolbert by his former Chanticleer teammate Josh Hoke
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Coastal Carolina University Magazine
Photo by Kent Smith, courtesy of Carolina Panthers
...it’s hard to find players as good at so many different roles.
he Mike Tolbert moment. Everybody has one, though they almost all differ in time and circumstance. Mine came in late July of 2004. The talk of Tolbert’s immense talent had preceded the true freshman fullback’s arrival on campus for several months, almost to the point that we expected big onfield contributions in the second season of Coastal Carolina football. Blue-chip recruits are almost like radio personalities — you develop an image of them in your head, almost always overestimating how much more athletic or awesome they are than the rest of us. Reality is usually a letdown, as was the case when I first laid eyes on Tolbert at our preseason camp cookout that year. A pudgy, stumpy teammate none of us had ever seen was loading his plate during a trip through the buffet line. He drew our attention, both because he didn’t look in shape nor did he seem, based on his dimensions, to have a position that suited him. When I learned that it was Tolbert, my response was loaded with cynicism: “This guy is going to help us?” Just hours later at our first practice, the question was answered. In fact, Tolbert didn’t even wait until practice had started to leave his first football-playing impression. The quarterbacks were throwing swing routes out of the backfield to the tailbacks and fullbacks. In Tolbert’s first repetition, the quarterback’s throw was astray, low and hard a few yards in front of Tolbert’s projected path. Instead of watching it bounce incomplete, Tolbert accelerated and reached down with his right arm, smoothly corralling the pass, which was no higher than 8 inches off the ground. He pulled the football in next to his body and ran another 10 yards before returning to the back of the line. It was a seemingly insignificant moment, but it was the first time that many of us realized that Tolbert was special. Few players could have made that catch — a very small percentage played a position other than wide receiver. All the hype we had heard was legitimate. For others, both inside and outside of the program, there were other moments that stood out. Perhaps it was the first time they saw him level a linebacker in the hole and make a spin move on the perimeter after making an acrobatic catch. Or perhaps it was the pummeling run at Gardner-Webb in 2006 or maybe the 86-yard touchdown run against VMI in 2007, a game that saw him run for a school-record 244 yards. Others had to wait for him to arrive in the NFL, perhaps witnessing his brilliance for the first time on a goal-line touchdown or on a big special teams hit. No matter the timing, Tolbert always seems to create the moment, the instant when he makes it apparent that not only does he belong — but he deserves to be recognized among his peers as one of the best. CCU Standout: Coastal fullback Mike Tolbert during the 2006 season
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Charger: Tolbert made his NFL debut with the San Diego Chargers in 2008. Photo courtesy of San Diego Chargers
Praise is heaped upon Tolbert these days. Widely considered to be among the best fullbacks in the NFL, he has started cementing his legacy through the constant need to prove himself to others. Although Tolbert has more athleticism than he’s given credit for, there are certainly fullbacks in the NFL with better ball-carrying, blocking and pass-catching skills. But what Tolbert might lack in top-end skills, he makes up for in versatility. Sure, other players might be better than him at one thing or another, but it’s hard to find players as good at so many different roles. In the NFL, sometimes it pays — literally, in Tolbert’s case — to be better than average at everything instead of great at some tasks and terrible at others. Tolbert earned his first career Pro Bowl invitation in 2014,
capping a season that saw him rush 101 times for 361 yards and five touchdowns. He also caught 27 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. The numbers may seem modest, but he was one of the foundational rocks that Carolina rode to a 12-4 record and the team’s first playoff berth in six years. The success came in the first year of new offensive coordinator Mike Shula, who used Tolbert much more in the running game than his predecessor, Rob Chudzinski. “When I came back for offseason workouts [in the spring of 2013], we talked for a good 20 or 30 minutes one day,” Tolbert said of Shula. “He said, ‘I’m going to be leaning on you heavy,’ and that’s not just to play fullback or running back or to block. He was leaning on me a lot to be a leader. That means a lot —
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just knowing that he had the faith in me to know that I could do different things. I think I’m pretty good at what I do. For him to validate it definitely feels good.” Tolbert is a consummate jokester, using his wacky, posttouchdown end zone dances to become a fan favorite. For the same reason, he’s also a player favorite, helping to keep his teammates loose with his locker room antics. That has also helped increase his value as a player, earning him a four-year, $10-million contract before the 2012 season. Over the course of his career, Tolbert has accumulated almost 3,500 total rushing and receiving yards, scoring 40 touchdowns. He was also a special teams ace during his four seasons in San Diego, where he started his career as an undrafted free agent. “He’s just so versatile,” said former Coastal Carolina and NFL safety Quinton Teal, who spent the 2010 season playing with Tolbert in San Diego. “If you give Mike a task, he’s going to do it. He still lives by that today.You need me to do this? I can do it.You need me to catch the ball? I can do it.You need me to pass protect? I can do it. Whatever you need, I can do it. He still has that bluecollar mentality, even though he’s in the NFL now. “He’s just that hard-nosed player. He’s also a clown that keeps the team loose. But when it came time to work, he worked. He’s working so hard that you knew you had to come out and work just as hard.”
These days Tolbert is a family man. The apple never fell far from the tree, which is one of the reasons he left San Diego, which tried to re-sign him in 2012, for Carolina. His mom, Secelia Tolbert, still lives in his hometown of Douglasville, Ga. Though she attended every game he played for the Chargers, Tolbert wanted to make it easier for his mom, other family and friends to see him play. They supported him along the way, so he wanted the chance to show them his appreciation. Panther: Tolbert signed with the Carolina Panthers
as a free agent in 2012.
Photo by Kent Smith, courtesy of Carolina Panthers
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“Out in San Diego, I was playing great football, but it was rare that my family and friends got to see me play,” he said. “Now that I’m back in the Southeast, friends that I’ve known for years and families members who really couldn’t get out to see me play in San Diego can see me play in Charlotte. That’s a great feeling.” Still, it doesn’t compare to the lack of worry on his mother’s face or in her words. She struggled to raise her two children as a single parent, often working two jobs to make ends meet. One of Tolbert’s first priorities when he got paid in the NFL was to ensure his mother never had to worry about money again. She always told her children to keep getting good grades, and she would worry about the rest. “There’s no concern about how am I going to get this done [financially] when I ask her how everything is going,” he said. “Being able to have the ability to write a check and buy my mom a house is something that I can’t explain. To say that when she retires, she’ll have money put away for her, is great. It’s nice to know that everybody in my family has been or will be taken care of.” First and foremost, that includes his wife of three years and his two children, who have become the center of his life. For all the stories you hear about NFL players taking advantage of their stature, Tolbert seems to be the antithesis. Instead of hanging out with teammates or with fans, he instead rushes home after games to see his family. It’s those characteristics that make his mother even more proud of what he has become. “I’m a proud momma,” Secelia Tolbert said. “He told me that he wanted to buy me a house, and I wanted him to know that he didn’t owe me anything. The only thing he owed me was to be a good person who loved God and loved his family. “I’m just so proud of him for the father that he is. He has matured into a great young man. ... When I told him how proud I am of him, he told me that since his dad was never there, he knows what he doesn’t want his children to go through. He is a wonderful husband who loves his wife and a wonderful father.”
In multiple ways, Tolbert is returning to his roots this offseason. He lives in San Diego for half of the year, but he’s also enrolled as a CCU distance student this spring. He promised his mom that he would eventually graduate and is just a few online credits shy of walking across the stage in May. Though now entrenched as a key component of Carolina’s offense, the 28-year-old knows each off-season is integral in his career. That’s why he works harder than ever.
Photo by Kent Smith, courtesy of Carolina Panthers
At his age, most NFL fullbacks and running backs are starting to wear down, the result of the endless pounding they take in the trenches. LaDainian Tomlinson and Lorenzo Neal were nearing the ends of their careers in San Diego about the time that Tolbert was starting his, providing the opportunity to glean some wisdom. They told him to always be concerned about somebody working harder than he is. “My first few years in the NFL, I was looking over my shoulder, looking to see who would be the guy like me that was going to come and take my job,” Tolbert said. “Now I’ve proven myself in the game enough to know my capabilities. I don’t look over my shoulder nearly as much. I still take a peek back from time to time, but I’ve worked my tail off to know that nobody is working as hard as me. Nobody is doing the things in the off-season that I am to make myself mentally and physically ready to play the game. “I’ve put in the work. And, honestly, I think I’ve been the best fullback in football for the past two, three or four years, but that’s just my personal opinion. I know there are guys out there that want to take that from me, but they have to come prove it. I think I’ve gotten better over the course of my career.” —Josh Hoke, a 2006 graduate of CCU, was a member of the Chanticleer football team from 2002 to 2006. He is owner/head coach of Crossfit Mountain Island, a fitness clinic in Charlotte, N.C.
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The
Room at the Top: 23 Coastal Carolina University students posed for a group shot on the roof of the TD 00 • Coastal Carolina University magazine Ameritrade headquarters as part of their trip to Omaha. Blogger Ryan Borawski is fourth from the right.
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Last semester, a group of 23 Coastal Carolina University students received one of the most coveted invitations in the business world: Warren Buffett’s Friday luncheon with college students at his Berkshire Hathaway headquarters in Omaha. Our students made the most of the occasion, with two days of eye-opening activities. One of the attendees, Ryan Borawski, an MBA student who graduated in December, created a blog about the trip.
We woke up today extremely excited for what was in store for us. Today was our planned visit to TD Ameritrade, one of the top online brokerage firms in the United States. At 10:30 a.m., we pulled up to an interesting looking building that had the TD Ameritrade logo stamped at the very top. It looked relatively new, but it was difficult to tell with the unique design and engineering concept. There’s 525,000 square feet of workspace that includes a gym, cafeteria, basketball and volleyball courts, and state-of-the-art classrooms for training their highly qualified employees, who wear casual dress clothes to work. It’s not uncommon to come across a ping-pong or foosball table as you roam the halls that are splashed with sunlight through the glass exterior. The entire building was glass—a newly developed environmentally friendly glass that keeps the heat inside and the cold Omaha winter air outside. All of the water used in the building comes from the 35,000-gallon tank that fills up from rainfall or snowmelt. The doors are made of bamboo. The walls are insulated with denim. Each room is strategically placed to face a certain direction so that sunlight won’t hinder productivity. Dozens of solar panels line the rooftop, with windmills that could create enough energy to power the entire facility. The total cost: $250 million—or just four months cash flow for the online broker juggernaut.
Tricks of the Trade: Bill Gerber, CFO of TD Ameritrade, answers questions posed by CCU Students.
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The only thing better than the state-of-the-art facility was the culture and the people we met today. We were welcomed by enthusiastic employees who wanted to give us the best experience possible, beginning with Leah, the executive assistant who took our pictures. Then, Bill Gerber, the CFO of the company, walked out front to meet us and explained what we would be doing for the day. It was a tour, lunch, questions, more questions, some final questions and a final tour. As an MBA student, I thought it was just an incredible experience to pick the brain of one of the top executives in corporate America—and one of the funniest. We discussed the history and current strategy of TD Ameritrade, the economy, management, politics, family life, company culture and the importance of self-improvement. The session included in-depth talks, a lot of note taking, nonstop laughter, information and advice that we will use for a lifetime. What an experience, and this was just day number one.
Stepping Up: CCU students toured five corporations in two days: TD Ameritrade, Berkshire Hathaway, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Borsheim’s Fine Jewelry and the Oriental Trading Company.
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Today was the big day. Today we were going to meet the most renowned investor in the history of the United States, Warren Buffett, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. This is a man who has a net worth of over $50 billion, yet is humble and down to earth. As part of our itinerary, we were scheduled to visit a few Berkshire Hathaway companies. The day started at The Nebraska Furniture Mart. The facility was enormous, the inventory was incredible, and the management was great. We were one of six schools that met there: Kansas State, University of Maryland, Notre Dame, University of Nebraska, Brigham Young University, and yours truly, Coastal Carolina University. When we pulled up to the Berkshire Hathaway headquarters in downtown Omaha, we were ushered into a room on the 14th floor with about 100 other students. Before we knew it, Warren Buffett walked in from the back of the room. After some hilarious jokes, he covered the background and the reasoning behind the purchase of The Nebraska Furniture Mart for Berkshire Hathaway. Then he opened it up to questions, in alphabetical order by school. BYU asked their question, and then it was Coastal Carolina University’s turn. Initially, Mr. Buffet was less interested in our question than with how the Coastal Carolina football team was doing. Many stone-faced students from other institutions seemed dumbfounded that Coastal Carolina football was on Warren Buffett’s mind. Our question was about Warren’s mentors and the degree of influence they had on his life and career. He spent well over 10 minutes answering the question. Every word that came out of this gentleman’s mouth was insightful. In total, every school asked two questions. Our next question addressed equality and women in the workforce. His response showed strong support for women in executive positions. In fact, he referred to that question a few more times as the presentation went on. The entire meeting lasted about two hours. At this point, everybody’s notebooks were covered in ink, and our brains were filled with new information that we had never heard before. The meeting wrapped up, and we were ready to go to Piccolo Pete’s for lunch—on Mr. Buffett’s dime. The food was great, the reflection of the experience
even better. After lunch, we presented him with a custom-made football signed by Coach Moglia. Mr. Buffett proceeded to yell, “This is great, go deep!” We then squished in for a group picture. He asked us to say hello to Coach Moglia. “Tell Joe that I recently arm wrestled Ndamukong Suh [former Nebraska and current Detroit Lions defensive tackle] and beat him. I made him sign a waiver before the wrestling match so that I wouldn’t get in trouble once I hurt him and, yes, I won!” What a trip and what an experience! Of course this opportunity could not take place if it weren’t for the help of some amazing people. Alexander Klaus, who was named last year’s Coastal Carolina Alumnus of the Year, was extremely instrumental in making this trip happen. Rob Reed and Cara Scheuer were great faculty advisers and did an incredible job arranging the details. Ken Small and Gina Cummings of the Wall College made the trip with us and were invaluable in preparing us for the daily events. Finally, to the 23 students who were chosen for the trip: there is no other group of students that I would rather be with and no other school that I would rather represent than Coastal Carolina University.
Winning Combination: CCU freshman finance major Ryan Barkley, an
offensive lineman on the Chanticleer football team, hands off a jersey to TD Ameritrade CFO Bill Gerber.
One Chance in a Billion: Legendary philanthropist and investor Warren Buffett (center) accepts a signed football from the CCU group. (From left to right) Brianna Brown, Shana Ernst, Lindsey Weintraub, Shaneka Diggs, Naomi Dantzler, Tabitha Yagle, Cora Panos, Ryan Barkley, Amanda Thompson, Gina Cummings, Dominique De Wit, Ken Small, Diane Loscalzo, Warren Buffett, Alexander Klaus, Zachary Burns, Matthew Zellars, Patrick Beaver, Ryan Borawski, Lee Franks, Caitlin Vatcher, Joshua Chesner, Britany Higdon and Natalia Copenhaver.
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of interest campus life
1,444
CCU AStro club Students experience astronomy-themed events and attend stargazing “star parties.” They learn how to use telescopes and all about the features visible in the night sky.
student organization events Held between Aug. 2013—May 2014.
COASTAL CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS
Participating in campus activities is at the heart of a successful college experience, and CCU has more than 203 clubs and organizations. Whether it’s culture and the arts, community service, sports or undersea life, there is something for everyone. By getting involved at CCU, students make a difference in the world and the University. For more information go to coastal.edu/osal.
COASTAL Climb The 38-foot indoor rock wall is located in the HTC Student Recreation and Convocation Center. The climbing routes have varying degrees of difficulty. All equipment (shoes, harnesses, helmets, etc.) are provided for free.
Student Organizations The following is just a sample of CCU’s many student organizations: • African American Association
• International Club
• Coastal Activities Board
• Marching Band
• The Chanticleer
• STAR (community service)
(Student Newspaper)
• Student Government Association
• CHANTNATION
• Students for Environmental Action
• Dance Team
• Veterans Club
• Fraternities and Sororities
• WCCU Radio
• Gospel Choir
GREEK LIFE
203 Clubs and Organizations
29 Honor Societies
20 CLUB SPORTS
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Number of CCU
Fraternities and Sororities
Numbers & Bytes Club This club is focused on technology, networking, job opportunities and gaming. In 2013 N&B went to California to E3 Expo and took a private tour of Riot Games.
Sports-Oriented Clubs
The following is a sample of the many active CCU Club Sports:
Archery Baseball Lacrosse Softball Bowling 30 •
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Surfing WakeSports Paintball Basketball Equestrian
Rugby Tennis Field Hockey Triathlon Fishing
Soccer Ice Hockey Volleyball Ultimate Frisbee Swimming
campus life of interest Academic-Oriented Clubs CCU Entrepreneur Organization
History & Anthropology Club
Designed to support the student entrepreneur. For students who want to run a business, lead organizations in fund-raising or make a living following their passion.
Seeks members with an avid interest in and appreciation for history and the study of the human past. Activities include trips to historical sites and a yearly fundraiser. Open to all students.
Coastal National Security Club
This club is an organization designed for students who are interested in topics which include national security and intelligence.
Philosophy Club
Presents interesting and lively discussions about the most fascinating issues in philosophy, as well as the opportunity to make friends with likeminded individuals.
Biochemistry & Chemistry Club
This club is an organization that allows everyone, student and faculty, to be involved with other people interested in chemistry.
CHROMA Art & Design Club
Provides an art and design community for students outside of the classroom, offering workshops, art charity events and exhibitions. All students are welcome!
OUTDOOrS-Oriented Clubs Outdoor Adventure Club Promotes interest in all types of outdoor activities (camping, hiking, climbing) in a safe, fun, and encouraging environment.
CCU Equestrian Club This club is dedicated to facilitating those with a commitment to competitive horseback riding. Eco-Reps Program This club’s purpose is to create sustainability awareness and inspire change through programming and educational initiatives at CCU.
CCU Quidditch Club promotes fitness with the goals of creativity, friendly competition and community among Harry Potter fans.
CCU SWIM club Is a competitive organization that promotes good swimming techniques. We practice hard, but have a good time. Open to anyone interested in swimming competitively.
Marine-Oriented Clubs
Coastal Elasmobranch Society Devoted to researching and studying the biology, ecology and conservation of sharks, skates and rays.
Coastal CORNHOLE Club This social group is bringing students together through the popular sport of cornhole, organizing both charity and non-charity tournaments.
CCU fishing club Exposes members to different fishing techniques and teaches conservation. All skill levels are welcome.
Coastal Underwater Divers Association (CUDA) The SCUBA diving club at CCU welcomes experienced divers and novices. Local dive shops give presentations about the area diving scene.
Coastal Sea Turtle Club The goal is to educate and increase public awareness about sea turtles and their conservation. Coastal Carolina University Magazine
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TEAL & BRONZE
Gilmore WINS
1,000
Coach earns landmark victory
Gary Gilmore won his very first game as a head baseball coach against Presbyterian College in 1990, when he was at USC Aiken. Twenty-four years later, on April 17, 2014, the Chanticleers beat Presbyterian in a dramatic 4-3 win in 13 innings, giving Coach Gilmore his 1,000th victory. Gilmore is the 50th NCAA Division I coach to reach 1,000 career wins and is one of 16 active coaches to reach the milestone. His career record now stands at 1,000-489-2 in his 25th year as a head coach, including a 747-387 mark in 19 years at CCU (1996-present) and a 253-102-2 record in six years (1990-95) at USC Aiken.
GILMORE’S MILESTONE WINS
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Win
Date
1 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1,000
Game 1 , 1990 Feb. 22, 1992 March 19, 1994 May 2, 1997 May 16, 2000 Feb. 22, 2003 April 2, 2005 May 15, 2007 May 16, 2009 May 27, 2011 April 17, 2014
Opponent Presbyterian E. Tennessee State Columbus State Liberty Winthrop Delaware Texas-Pan American at #5 Virginia Charleston Southern Liberty Presbyterian
Coastal Carolina University Magazine
Score 10-0 7-0 4-2 5-0 4-2 4-2 5-3 11-7 3-1 3-2 4-3
GARY GILMORE’S CCU COACHING HIGHLIGHTS • 12 NCAA Regional appearances: 2001, ’02, ’03, ’04, ’05, ’07, ’08, ’09, ’10, ’11, ’12, ’13 • Advanced to two NCAA Super Regionals: 2008, ’10 • 10 Big South regular-season titles: 2001, ’02, ’03, ’04, ’07, ’08, ’09, ’10, ’11, ’12 • Nine Big South tournament titles: 1999, ’02, ’05, ’07, ’08, ’09, ’10, ’11, ’12 (opposite page bottom) Victory: CCU President David A. DeCenzo (left) presents Gilmore with a
framed 1,000 number shirt commemorating his milestone win.
(above) Showers of Blessing: Coach Gilmore receives a congratulatory Powerade bath from his players. (left) Hugs All Around: Gilmore is embraced by family members after achieving his 1,000th win. (below) Banner Day: Members of the Chanticleer baseball team salute their coach with a banner on his big day.
• Nine CCU players have been finalists or semifinalists for a National Player of the Year Award. • Coached 19 players to a total of 45 All-American honors at CCU. • Coached eight Freshman All-Americans. • Coached 17 players to a total of 20 All-Region/All-District honors. • Coached the Big South Player of the Year nine times. • Since the award began in 2007, has coached the Big South Pitcher of the Year five times. • Coached players earning 101 All-Big South honors. • Coached the 2010 and 2012 Big South Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and four Big South Baseball Scholar-Athletes of the Year. • CCU is the only Big South team to win 50 games in a season (a feat accomplished four times) and set school and Big South records by winning 55 games in 2010. The 55 wins also led the NCAA, as did CCU’s .846 winning percentage (55-10). • In 2010, Coastal became the first Big South team to go undefeated in league play (25-0) and in the Big South Tournament (4-0) in the same year. • Had 49 CCU players drafted and 86 players sign professional contracts, including 15 in the top 10 rounds at CCU.
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Teal & Bronze
Invitation to the Dance For the first time in 21 years, the Chants earn a spot in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament For the first time since 1993, Coastal Carolina University made it to the Big Dance. Earning a 16 seed in the East Region, the men’s basketball team played No. 1 seed Virginia on March 21 in Raleigh, N.C. Coastal Carolina University did well enough in the first half to allow the Chanticleers to believe they could become the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The event brought unprecedented positive media exposure to the university. Based a on media tracking report commissioned by CCU, the game generated approximately 5,000 news stories that promoted the University and the Chanticleers. The advertising value equivalency—what this exposure would cost if it were advertising space or time—of this coverage adds up to nearly $85 million with more than 9 billion potential viewers.
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Coastal Carolina University Magazine
The Chanticleers led by 10 in the first half and five at halftime. Although the game finally ended in a 70-59 loss, the coach, the team and the fans felt that the Chants competed respectably. “We felt real good at halftime,” guard Eric Smith said. “We did a good job early on following the game plan, which was to control the boards, take good shots when we get them.” It was the Chants’ third appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 1993. CCU’s first trip to the tournament came in 1991. Head coach Cliff Ellis is just the 10th coach in NCAA Division I history to lead four different programs in the NCAA Tournament and holds a career 6-7 record in the NCAA Tournament. He has taken two teams to the “Sweet 16,” including his 1990 Clemson squad and his 1999 Auburn team.
Ellis receives the Gene Bartow Award Coastal Carolina University men’s basketball head coach Cliff Ellis recently received the 2014 Gene Bartow Award from CollegeInsider.com. Ellis led Coastal to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993 and became just the 10th coach in NCAA Division I history to lead four different programs to the NCAA Tournament. He holds a career 8-9 record in the NCAA Tournament. He has taken three teams to the “Sweet 16” including his 1990 Clemson squad, his 1999 Auburn team and his 2003 Auburn team. This is the second year of the Gene Bartow Award, named after longtime coach Gene Bartow. The award recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to the game, on and off the floor. Last season, Pacific’s retiring coach Bob Thomason won the inaugural award. (Below) The Chanticleers celebrate winning the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Conference Championship game over instate rival Winthrop University on March 9. This is the Chanticleers’ third Big South Championship title.
(above)
ElijahWilson (#22) shoots a three pointer. Gillis (#0) drives to the hoop.
(left) Warren
Coastal Carolina University Magazine
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Class Notes
1986-1987 Women’s Golf Team: Coach Eddie Dyer (center) poses with CCU’s first women’s golf team on the driving range of the former Quail Creek Golf Club.
1977
Clark Bradley Parker, former president of the Coastal Carolina Alumni Association, has served on the Horry County Higher Education Commission and was chairman in 1993 when CCU became independent. He was a CCU trustee for 12 years and is now trustee emeritus. A CPA for more than 30 years, he is currently a partner in Parker Hunter Skipper CPAs. Parker is married to Marcia Wells. They have three sons, Bradley, Curtis and Stephen, and two granddaughters, Lily, 3, and Iris, who was born in 2013.
1978
Gus A. Becker Jr. has recently retired and is now living in Texas.
1981
William Keith Andersen is a senior estimator with Palmetto Corp. of Conway. He is the former president and chairman of CCU’s Alumni Association and is currently serving on the Alumni Board of Directors. Mark Singleton is an internationally recognized expert in counterterrorism and anti-terrorism, with seven years of experience in special operations. A DOD-certified sniper and sniper instructor, he has trained 36 •
Coastal Carolina University Magazine
more than 2,500 law enforcement and other professional personnel. Singleton is currently serving on the CCU Alumni Association board of directors for a three-year term. A U.S. Marine officer for nearly 29 years before retiring at the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2004, he has taught politics at Coastal Carolina University and currently serves as an adjunct professor at Horry-Georgetown Technical College, teaching politics and U.S. history.
1993
Leslie Graves Moore worked with Hospice of Georgetown County (now Tidelands Hospice) after graduation, where she was the volunteer coordinator/development director. She then became executive director of Habitat for Humanity Georgetown County. Since 2004, she has been an editor for Strand Media Group. The company publishes Sasee, Charleston Gateway, Strand and several private publications, and manages the Pawleys Island Festival of Music & Art. Her son is a senior at USC in Columbia, and her daughter is married and just had her first child.
1994
Sarah Loudin Thomas announces that her first novel, Miracle in a Dry Season, will be released in August 2014 by Bethany House. She and her husband, Jim Thomas, live in the mountains of western North
Carolina. In addition to writing, she oversees fundraising and communications for a Christian children’s home in Black Mountain, N.C.
1996
Patricia Apone has been named to the position of Director of Airports in Horry County. Apone has been an employee of the Horry County Department of Airports since 1997 and has served as the deputy director of finance and administration and assistant director of airports. She earned a master’s degree in finance from Winthrop University, and she has received the designation Accredited Airport Executive from the American Association of Airport Executives.
1997
Stephanie M. Foot is now serving as the director of the new Master of Science in first-year studies at Kennesaw State University. She is also an associate professor of education in the Department of First-Year and Transition Studies at KSU. She is married to fellow CCU alumnus Jason Plafcan. Duane Carlton Lewis has been promoted to the position of chief financial officer at HTC Inc. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from Winthrop University in 2000, achieved his certification as a certified financial manager (CFM) in 2005 and as a
certified management accountant (CMA) in 2008. He was honored as a senior fellow in Class II of the Waccamaw Community Foundation’s American Leadership Forum in 2011. He also serves on the advisory board for the Department of Finance at CCU. He and his wife Abigail have two children, Claire and Cade. Rob Shelton graduated from the USC School of Law in 2000 and has been with the Bellamy Law Firm since 1998. Active in the CCU community, he has taught political science as an adjunct and serves as a board member for several organizations, including the Chanticleer Athletic Foundation and the Edwards College Board of Visitors. He said he’s enjoyed “watching the community/city of Conway grow to embrace the Coastal Carolina community.” Rob and his wife Tabby Shelton ’99 started the local nonprofit organization Fostering Hope, which provides clothing and school supplies to more than 100 children each month.
1998
Leonard D. Henderson is attending online classes at Kaplan University to earn a master’s degree in environmental policy. He has a one-yearold granddaughter in Utah. He and his wife Liana live in Chester, S.C. Tabby Shelton (See Class of 1997)
2001
Diana Tata, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at Daytona State College School of Biological and Physical Sciences in New Smryna Beach and Daytona Beach. She earned her doctorate in biology in 2009 from Florida Institute of Technology with a specialization in cell and molecular biology.
2002
Brian Richardson has been promoted to sales manager at WFXB FOX TV in Florence. He lives in Conway with his wife, Cayman. They welcomed their first child in November.
2003
Michelle De Souza-Hydrick earned an MBA from The Citadel. She has joined SouthCon Building Group as the accounting and administrative manager. Previously, she was senior accountant at Carolina Eastern Inc. CPT Jason J. Madey, M.D., completed his neurology residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in 2013. He is currently an Army neurologist at Fort Belvoir, Va. Tina N. Gerrald married Benjamin McCrackin on Nov. 2, 2013. Mark A. McPartland has been appointed vice president of corporate development and communications at Stellar Biotechnologies in Port Hueneme, Calif. He will lead Stellar’s corporate development and investor-related programs, including management of stakeholder relationships, commercial collaborating, capital markets strategy, external communications, media relations and public affairs.
of building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. As chair of this event, Ford led the event’s executive leadership team (ELT). Lisa Sharpe is a biotechnology professional who has worked at DSM NeoResins as a manufacturing chemist. She previously worked at Purdue University. Sharpe now lives in Rossville, Ind., with her daughter Hannah, a senior in high school. After a serious illness forced her to rethink life’s possibilities, she now serves as an advocate for others facing similar life-altering circumstances.
Swain Hall lab named for candle chemist
2006
Allanah Dobson completed her master’s degree in public health from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 2009. She lives in her hometown of Hampton, S.C., and is the head athletic trainer for Wade Hampton High School. She is the founder of Absolute Wisdom of Empowerment, through which she tutors and mentors young people.
2007
Dominick Duggan is engaged to Kim Marie Clark ‘10. Duggan is a medical device sales representative for Stryker, and Clark is a second-grade teacher at Lowell Elementary School in Phoenix, Ariz. They live in Arizona and will be married in June 2014 in Connecticut. Nathan Ernest was named Carolina Forest High School Teacher of the Year. This is the first level of a threelevel extensive interview process to be considered for South Carolina Teacher of the Year overall.
2005
Ebony T. Hills has taken a position at the Florida Air National Guard and was recently promoted to the rank of e5/staff sergeant in Jacksonville, Fla.
Woody Ford served as chair of the 2014 American Heart Association’s (AHA) Myrtle Beach Heart Ball. The event raises money with the mission
Michael Rullo is living in New York and is engaged to be married. The wedding is set for July 2014. He recently accepted a job with Ernst & Young as an account support associate in the firm’s Times Square office in New York City.
Amanda L. Belt is quality assurance manager at Richmond Corrugated Box Company in Richmond, Va.
[ Alumni Profile ]
When she was a biology major at Coastal Carolina University back in the mid-1990s, Teresa Reed-Barnette felt that she was “having to take way too much chemistry.” But, today, she says, “I realize it worked out to my advantage.” After graduating in 1997, she got a job as a chemist at Bath and Body Works’ main lab in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. There was an opening in the candle research department, where she did extensive research on soy candles. After three years at Bath and Body Works, Reed-Barnette opened her own business, Teresa’s Candles and Scents, in 2000. The thriving online business offers a variety of products, including more than 60 types of fragrant candles made from soy wax. In addition to her online store (teresascandles.com), her products are being sold in several locations around the United States. Recognizing that the origins of her successful business were in the science labs at CCU, Reed-Barnette decided to donate $30,000 toward a laboratory in the new Kenneth E. Swain Hall science facility. The Teresa Reed-Barnette Microbiology Lab was officially dedicated on Nov. 1, 2013. Her gift will provide funds to purchase equipment and technology for the lab for many years to come. “Those were good years at Coastal,” she recalls. “I got a lot of one-on-one, personal attention as a student. I really felt that the faculty loved their jobs, cared about you, and wanted you to get the most out of your education.” Reed-Barnette lives in Hoover, Ala., near Birmingham, with her husband Doug Barnette, a sports agent with Player Management International. They have three children, J.D., D.J. and Lauren. Coastal Carolina University Magazine
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Class Notes 2008
Sean M. Bishop and Amanda Loach ’11 are engaged to be married. Melissa B. Oliver joined the Graduate Biomedical Sciences Microbiology Graduate Theme program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. After publishing two papers, she was the first theme student to graduate with a Ph.D. in microbiology. She will begin a postdoctoral research fellowship position at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem, N.C., studying polymicrobial infections in the context of otitis media. She and James Ryan Coker recently celebrated their eighth anniversary.
[ Alumni Profile ]
Caitlyn Pollock appeared on last season’s The Sing-Off on NBC. She performed with her all-female a cappella group Element. She lives in New York City and was recently engaged to be married. Brandi J. Sturdevant is enrolled in the PACE program and teaches at Longleaf Middle School in Richland County School District. She has been teaching eighth-grade science since August.
2009
Todd A. Harwell is living in Peru and is serving as an environmental volunteer in the Peace Corps. He lives in a coastal community called Paracas about four hours south of
Coastal Carolina University Magazine
Ashton Hilderand is a real estate agent with Watermark Real Estate Group. Ralph Jones and Kaitlin Wilkes ‘10 are engaged to be married. They live in Raleigh, N.C., where Jones is a senior consultant in the international tax practice at Deloitte Tax LLP, and Wilkes is a senior associate in the assurance practice at BDO USA LLP. They will be married in July 2014 in Charleston.
Jeffrey Renchen and Gabrielle Renchen were married in 2010. Both have earned master’s degrees in marine and environmental science from the University of the Virgin Islands. They are working as marine biologists for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in the Florida Keys.
2010
Kim Marie Clark (See Class of 2007) Amanda Elliott received a master’s degree in historic preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She is currently an education specialist at the College Park Aviation Museum in College Park, Md.
For Love and Money: faculty alumnus creates scholarship
Chad Casselman ’98 doesn’t exactly look the part of a successful business entrepreneur. He occupies one of a row of faculty offices in the Coastal Science Center, where he works as a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science. He wears jeans and T-shirts (the one he wears today quips “We never really grow up we only learn how to act in public”), and his desk is adorned with assorted brain teasing puzzles and nerdy toys, including a plastic Brain from Pinky and the Brain fame. “I went two days without food to buy this Pinky when I was in grad school,” says Casselman, who is doing well enough now that he recently gave $30,000 to CCU to establish a scholarship for students majoring in computer science and
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Lima. He also works with local marine protected islands to help manage ecotourism and conserve the biodiversity of sea lions, Humboldt penguins and marine birds. He will serve in the Peace Corps through November 2014.
information systems. Creating a scholarship at CCU is something he decided to do back when he first started earning money in his career. “When I was at Coastal I was on a ton of small scholarships,” says Casselman, who was born in Andrews, grew up in Myrtle Beach and graduated from Socastee High School. “My mother and I were making it on $11,000 a year and living at Lakewood Campground. I wouldn’t have anything today without those scholarships.” After graduating from CCU in 1998 with a degree in computer science and a minor in math, Casselman earned his master’s degree at N.C. State in 2000 and worked as a software consultant before returning to teach at CCU six years ago. His “side” businesses are the source of his financial success, however. When he was still an undergraduate, he started Casselware, a software development company. In November 2011, he and two partners founded JVZoo, an online marketplace for sellers of information products, and the company has become highly profitable. Teaching, however, is clearly where Casselman’s heart is. “Nothing can compare with the opportunity to positively change a person’s life forever,” he says. “I keep explaining to my partners: This is what I want to do when I retire, and I’m already doing it!”
Pathway to
Excellence
fellow alumni who are also J oin leaving their marks on the
Alumni Walk that welcomes guests to the newly renovated Atheneum Hall Alumni Center.
Personalize your very own brick today at CCUBrick.com or call 843.349.ALUM (2856) Jesse R. Ford earned his M.Ed. in higher education and student affairs from the University of South Carolina in May 2012. He serves as the assistant director of Multicultural Student Affairs at the University of Miami. Emma Fortune was engaged to Ross Brackett in January 2014. They live in Greenville, where Emma is a kindergarten teacher at Grove Elementary. She is working toward her Master of Education in Language and Literacy degree at the University of South Carolina. Alicia Grier and Presont Moorehead became engaged this past December at Brookgreen Gardens during the Nights of a Thousand Candles. Grier serves on the board of directors of the CCU Alumni Association.
Rachel Kohn has graduated from the University of Western States College of Chiropractic and is now a Doctor of Chiropractic with an additional bachelor’s degree in human biology. Dr. Kohn is living in West Linn, Ore., with her dog, Lochie, and cat, Butternut. Jeffery Lucas is employed with the Irvin Law Firm in Myrtle Beach and works directly with James Irvin Jr. as a law clerk. He works on criminal cases, civil and personal injury law. He is currently waiting on the results of the bar exam. Brett Robertson and Amanda Rotella were married in March 2014. They met at CCU during a summer job at the beach before their senior year.
Kaitlin Wilkes (See Class of 2009)
2011
Jennifer Dawson is teaching third grade at Green Sea Floyds Elementary School. She and David Page are planning to be married in May 2014 in Galivants Ferry. Colin A. Keane is the lacrosse operations manager for Major League Lacrosse in Boston. He oversees on-field operations, event logistics, scheduling and compensation of players. Emily Keener has been named New Teacher of the Year by the Rotary Club of Lowcountry, S.C. She has been employed by Beaufort Middle
School as a Spanish teacher since August 2012. Amanda Loach teaches economics, government, psychology and sociology at North Augusta High School. She and Sean Madison Bishop ’08 were engaged in September 2013. Christian Mendez moved from New York to Washington, D.C., and is now working for the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (DHS/ FEMA) as a contract specialist. Jamie Page married Dominick Bezmen on Nov. 14, 2013. Elainna S. Rubenstein has been living in Connecticut since graduation. She is currently working at ESPN on the assignment desk covering Major Coastal Carolina University Magazine
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Class Notes League Baseball and golf. She also assists with coverage of all NCAA sports, NBA and NHL.
Robert M. Evans is currently the head of I.T. operations for Skutchi Designs, where he began as a web developer. He completed his first full marathon this past January.
Texas A&M University at Galveston. She is pursuing a master’s degree in marine resource management.
Ryan Borawski has begun a new position with Liberty Mutual Insurance.
Valerie A. Gilbert co-presented a poster at the American Psychological Association conference in August, titled “Centrality of Religion and Spiritual Growth Following Trauma.” She is beginning her second semester of graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Stephanie Boglioli earned a Master of Accountancy degree and is working with Elliott Davis in Charlotte, N.C., as a tax staff accountant. She is also working toward the completion of her CPA license.
2012
Angela M. Devincentis is the sales manager at WonderWorks in Myrtle Beach. She is engaged, with a wedding date set for September 2014. Matthew Endicott is the spring training operations coordinator for the San Francisco Giants.
Saquoia Riley has completed her first semester of graduate school at
2013
Theresa Crouse is the owner of Crouse’s Cafe in Indiana, Pa. Her family has been in the restaurant industry since 1976.
Toni Georgiana is pursuing a master’s degree in social work at Smith College. In addition to classes on campus in Northampton, Mass., the program includes field training in Durham, N.C. Timothy J. Gianelli is a client support specialist at Building Engines, a provider of web and mobile property management software for the commercial real estate industry. The company is based in Waltham, Mass.
IN MEMORIAM Gary Dean James
CCU License PlateS In Memorium
! W O N E L B A L I AVA
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Coastal Carolina University Magazine
PRESORTED NON PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAID GREENVILLE, SC
PERMIT NO. 1460
Office of University Communication P.O. Box 261954 Conway, SC 29528-6054
STUDENTS USING REAL MONEY TO GAIN REAL EXPERIENCE. The Gerald Boyles Student Investment Fund was created to honor the teaching legacy of Gerald Boyles, a retired CCU finance professor who had a profound effect on his students both as a professor and a mentor. The fund, which will be managed by students and a board of academic and business professionals, will Gerald Boyles give students the opportunity to sharpen their financial knowledge and skills by using real money to make real investments. Your donation to this fund will honor the achievement of Professor Boyles and contribute to the quality of instruction our finance students receive.
For more information about the fund or to give, call 843.349.2010 or visit coastal.edu/BoylesFund