FMU Focus Magazine Spring/Summer 2023

FRANCIS MARION

FOCUS

A MAN AND HIS TURTLES A FOND FAREWELL TO DR. KING SPRING/SUMMER 2023 SPRING / SUMMER 2023 | 1

LETTER FROM

THE PRESIDENT

All organizations undergo change periodically, and the measure of a resilient organization is its adaptability to necessary change. This is especially true for universities.

That is where we find ourselves today with FMU. After years of planning and hard work, the university has arrived at a good place, but a different place from where it was 25 years ago. It is poised for decades of growth and progress in the years ahead while retaining core values so essential for defining our academic excellence.

The coming years will see a cascade of new programs and new construction that will fundamentally change, in a very positive way, what we do, while continuing to remind us who we are – a community of scholars.

With this future clearly on the horizon, it is time to fine-tune the structure of the senior staff to accommodate it.

The University has recently implemented a series of changes to better prepare us for the years ahead. This new structure, replete with new roles, and a new face or two, will give us the administrative expertise we’ll need in the years ahead. Here’s a look at what we’ve done and some of the people who will help lead us forward: •

Darryl Bridges is the university’s executive vice president. This is a new position at FMU, one that’s needed to allow better coordination of the many projects the senior staff is asked to manage. All the vice presidents at the university will continue to report directly to the president, but Darryl will be tasked with coordinating certain projects across departmental and divisional lines as needed.

If the position is new, the man who is filling it is not. Darryl Bridges has served FMU for more than 25 years in a variety of roles, most recently as vice president for finance and facilities. He has proven his competency across four different departments and in three different vice presidencies, and has been the model of a loyal and faithful servant of the university. I could not ask for a better person to take over this important role at this critical juncture.

•

Dr. Alissa Warters is the university’s new provost. She replaces our good friend Peter King, who is retiring this spring. Alissa is a brilliant political scientist and professor who has proven herself to be a capable administrator. She is a strong supporter of FMU’s proud tradition of shared governance between faculty and administration and was a logical choice to follow Dr. King as the university’s chief academic officer. I know she’ll do well.

•

Dr. John Rowan will replace Dr. Warters as the vice president for enrollment management. He comes to FMU after five years as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Louisiana Alexandria. Dr. Rowan was selected as a finalist during FMU’s last search for provost. He impressed the administrative staff, the search committee, and virtually everyone who had the chance to meet him. John received both his undergraduate degree and his doctorate from the University of Virginia. He will bring initiative, energy, and intellect to his new position.

•

With Darryl Bridges taking on additional responsibilities as our first executive VP, it was clear that FMU needed additional senior level representation in the critical areas under his management. Promoting Ralph Davis to vice president for construction and facilities made perfect sense. Ralph, a Navy veteran and FMU grad, has served the university well for almost 20 years. His calm demeanor and positive attitude have been a boon to FMU’s facility maintenance areas for a long time. He will bring great knowledge and maturity to his new role.

This new organization will enhance the university’s ability to manage its future growth and advancement. At the same time, it reinforces our long-time values. We are looking to expand our capabilities without expanding the size of the senior staff in a major way — that’s how a well-run university can keep its tuition frozen for five straight years. We’re developing our own leaders and augmenting them, when needed, with new people who fit our style and culture.

These are important changes, and changes that allow us to operate more efficaciously.

They are also changes that prepare us for an exciting future that is, frankly, already here.

Dr. Fred Carter, President 2 | FRANCIS MARION FOCUS

WHAT’S IN

THIS ISSUE

AN EVENING WITH DARLA MOORE | 4 It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for FMU’s Darla Moore scholars when the scholarship’s benefactor dropped in for dinner.

A FOND FAREWELL FOR THE PROVOST | 8 Dr. Peter King leaves behind a legacy of goodwill and good works.

FMU’S NEW BASKETBALL COACH, FROM A TO Z | 12 Meet Jake Zehnder, FMU’s energetic new men’s basketball coach.

A SPECIAL REPORT

FMU AND THE HEALTH OF THE COMMUNITY | 14 Once again the university is part of bold initiatives that will advance healthcare in the Pee Dee region.

FOCUS ON STUDENTS Alex Cox 24

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

ALUMNI FOCUS Lee Carter

35

SPECIAL FEATURES

Making Some Room in the Wild 20 Marion Medallion 22

FMU Focus is produced twice a year by Francis Marion University’s Office of Communications. Send comments or ideas to fmufocus@fmarion.edu.

SPRING / SUMMER 2023 | 3

AN EVENING WITH

DARLA MOORE

DARLA MOORE ANSWERS A QUESTION FROM A MOORE SCHOLAR AT THE JOHN G. RAE III ECOLOGY CENTER AT FMU 4 | FRANCIS MARION FOCUS

FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY’S DARLA MOORE SCHOLARS RECEIVED A SPECIAL TREAT WHEN DARLA MOORE HERSELF JOINED THEM FOR DINNER AND A UNIQUE QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSION IN FEBRUARY AT THE JOHN G. RAE III ECOLOGY CENTER.

M

ore than 30 FMU students, all recipients of the prestigious Moore Scholarship, which is designed to help South Carolina residents attain their college goals, joined Moore, FMU President Fred Carter, and FMU faculty and staff at the event.

The Moore Scholarship is funded by a $5 million gift from the Darla Moore Foundation. Moore, and the Moore Foundation, are dedicated to enhancing the lives of citizens in South Carolina and the United States. Education has been an area of keen interest. Moore and the Foundation have donated to several South Carolina universities, and was behind the funding of the $25 million Continuum, a regional education center in Lake City.

Moore is a native of Lake City who enjoyed an ultra-successful career as a businesswoman and entrepreneur. She spends most of her time in the Pee Dee Region now.

During a lively Q&A session moderated by Dr. Carter, Moore shared wisdom culled from her long and extraordinary career in business and finance. Some highlights:

everyone of you to graduate and I plan to be back in four years to see your diplomas. I expect you to accept this gift and give your best in return.”

THE DARLA MOORE SCHOLARSHIP AT FMU The Darla Moore Scholarship is funded by a generous $5 million gift from the Darla Moore Foundation, and its eponymous founder, renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist Darla Moore of Lake City.

The first group of Moore Scholars enrolled at FMU in 2022.

Currently, there are more than 30 students in the program.

Dr. Fred Carter, FMU’s president, says the Moore Foundation’s substantial gift “supports those who would not attend college otherwise. It helps us educate some of our neediest students.

I’m deeply appreciative to Darla for this generous gift.”

WHO THE SCHOLARSHIP HELPS To be eligible to become a Darla Moore Scholar, students must be South Carolina residents, enrolling in full-time undergraduate studies, and demonstrate a financial need based on FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), with family income generally not exceeding $75,000. The scholarship is primarily, but not exclusively, geared toward students who will be the first in their family to attend college.

WHO’S ELIGIBLE, HOW TO APPLY • “Find something that you’re good at and get really, really, really good at it. If you are good at something, you’ll normally love it,” said Moore. Moore told the students that she launched her own career by following that bit of advice.

• “Don’t take things personally and pick which battles you fight.

It’s natural to want to fight them all, but you have to pick a few that you can manage and on which you will be able to follow through.”

• “Working hard is very important. Learn everything you can about a certain area and get really, really good at it. That is the path to success.”

• “Manage your time within certain time constraints. You must decide how much time you’re comfortable devoting to something.

Allot that much time for it and don’t overextend yourself.”

Moore told the students that she started the Darla Moore Foundation because she reached a point where she had all she’d ever need and wanted to give back to others. She also reminded them that she is a philanthropist who pays attention to “the return. …. I expect

The scholarship is available to incoming freshmen. Contact FMU Admissions to learn more about the application process.

Once a student is a Moore Scholar, they remain eligible throughout their undergraduate career as long as they maintain a 2.7 grade point average (GPA). All tuition and housing costs are covered for Moore Scholars and recipients are required to live on campus.

WHAT THE SCHOLARSHIP COVERS FMU has frozen its tuition since 2018 and hence, remains one of South Carolina’s most affordable universities. But the cost of college remains a burden for many families. The Darla Moore Scholarship covers all tuition, room and board, or school fees, depending on the individual recipient’s needs each semester.

ABOUT THE DARLA MOORE FOUNDATION The Darla Moore Foundation was founded in 2010

by Lake City, SC philanthropist and financier Darla Moore with the mission of enhancing the lives of the residents of South Carolina and the United States.

SPRING / SUMMER 2023 | 5

DARLA MOORE SCHOLARS

“

When I found out I received the scholarship, my mom was opening the mail and she started screaming and jumping.

I ran to see what was going on and she told me I had earned a full-ride scholarship.

I didn’t even believe her at first, but after everything settled down, it really sunk in.

Jalum White 6 | FRANCIS MARION FOCUS

TYTREZ DIXON Darlington, SC

SAMANTHA HEBERT Westminster, SC

High School: Darlington High School

High School: West-Oak High School

High School Honors and Achievements: Darlington High School Valedictorian; Member of the Falcon Young Men of Distinction; National Technical Honor Society member; Member of Mayo High School for Math, Science and Technology’s Chess Club; All-A Honor Roll; Darlington High School Junior Marshall; Mayo High School Academic Letter; Darlington High School Key Club; camera operator for The Rebound Church in Florence, SC

High School Honors and Achievements: Member of the varsity softball and volleyball teams; animal shelter volunteer; pharmacy technician

At FMU: Major undecided; National Society of Leadership and Success What was your reaction when you found out you were being awarded the Darla Moore Scholarship?

“I was really happy. Taking on student loans was a very big concern for me. To know that I wouldn’t have to worry about student loans and I could just focus on college life and my education, that was a huge relief and a big weight off my shoulders. I know first hand how student loan debt can really hold you back. I don’t want that for myself. So I was very happy when I learned that I was being awarded the scholarship.”

What led you to choose FMU? “I really liked the environment. I really felt like I could fit in here. I didn’t feel comfortable going somewhere super big. Another main thing was the cost. With this scholarship and others I received, I have all my expenses covered.”

At FMU: Pre-nursing major; first generation college student How did you feel when you found out you received the scholarship?

“The scholarship is very helpful. I have a lot of freedom because of it. That’s huge for me. I was going to have to pay my own way through college without it.”

What goals do you have at Francis Marion?

“College is the time where you make your lifelong friends. I also want to set myself up well for after graduation by making really good grades.”

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

EDEN MILLER

JALUM WHITE

High School: Newberry High School

High School: Timberland High School

High School: Georgetown High School

High School Honors and Achievements: Member of the varsity volleyball team; Beta Club; National Technical Honor Society; National Unity for Service Exchange Club Reward

High School Honors and Achievements: Honor Roll student; Captain of the marching band; Community Service Award

High School Honors and Achievements: Principal’s Honor Roll; Graduated with Highest Honors; Participated in community service and fundraisers through HOSA-Future Health Professionals (Health Occupations Students of America); nominated for the Congress of Future Medical Leaders Award

Newberry, SC

At FMU: Mass communication major, business minor; NAACP at FMU; FMU Cheerleader What was your reaction when you found out you were being awarded the Darla Moore Scholarship?

“I was very shocked when I received this scholarship. I was very grateful. Listening to my friends talk about paying their tuition, I feel very lucky that I don’t have that problem.”

How will the scholarship help you achieve your education or career goals?

“The scholarship is helping me stay focused so I can keep my GPA high. It gives me motivation to keep doing well in school so that I keep the scholarship. Hopefully, that will also help me get into the Honors Program eventually.”

Pineville, SC

At FMU: Psychology major, education minor; NAACP at FMU; National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) What was your reaction when you found out you were being awarded the Darla Moore Scholarship?

“When I found out I received the scholarship, my mom was opening the mail and she started screaming and jumping. I ran to see what was going on and she told me I had earned a full-ride scholarship. I didn’t even believe her at first, but after everything settled down, it really sunk in.”

How will the scholarship help you achieve your education or career goals?

“Many African-Americans don’t get the chance that I have. So I hope that I can inspire somebody else to push hard and apply for scholarships that can give them the opportunity that I have. Knowing I won’t have any financial issues holding me back is a good feeling. I just have to do well in class, which is what I’m here to do.”

CHELSEA HANCOCK Georgetown, SC

At FMU: Pre-nursing major; Member of BCM core study group How did you feel when you found out you received the scholarship?

“I was thinking, ‘This is a dream come true!’ I was so excited, and it was so surreal. I worked extremely hard throughout high school to set myself up for college. Receiving this scholarship was proof that it all paid off.”

“I am extremely grateful for the Darla Moore Scholarship, and for Francis Marion admissions for selecting me. The scholarship has impacted my life so much. With all the hard times I’ve been through, I am just really thankful.”

When did you decide to study nursing?

“I’ve always been a very empathetic person. I want to help people, that’s my ultimate passion.

I want to be able to save someone’s life, impact someone’s life. While helping my father and my grandma, I got some experience caring for patients. Watching the nurses care for my family made me fall in love with the profession. I want to be that person to be good to someone else.”

SPRING / SUMMER 2023 | 7

THE ACCIDENTAL PROVOST

BY TUCKER MITCHELL

DR. PETER KING DIDN’T GROW UP LONGING TO BE AN ACADEMIC, DIDN’T EXPECT TO LIVE IN AMERICA, AND NEVER IMAGINED HE’D BECOME A UNIVERSITY PROVOST. ISN’T IT GREAT WHEN A PLAN WORKS OUT?

I

t would be wrong to say that Peter King came to Francis Marion University by accident, but it was hardly the result of a careful plan.

We all know how that goes. Mice, men. The best plans, laid, unlaid or waylaid. Such is life. Such is the cascading set of circumstances that brought a late-in-life biology professor from Sydney, Australia to a small public university in the wilds of South Carolina, and, more to the point, never let him go back.

8 | FRANCIS MARION FOCUS

King, his wife Annie, and their two sons arrived in the fall of 1996. This spring Dr. King will say his official goodbye, retiring as FMU’s provost following a long and distinguished career filled with turns and non-turns that he never imagined.

As it all winds down, it’s hard for King to say which of those is most improbable.

“Originally, of course, the plan was always to get the degree (his doctorate, from North Carolina State University) and then go

right back (to Australia),” says King. “But it was … complicated.

We had kids in high school at that time. They came to the U.S. with me to go to school. It didn’t seem like a great time to move.

“So we got here and we were still looking to go back, but we just felt very much at home (in Florence, at FMU), right from the start. So, the longer we stayed, the better it got, and the less we talked about moving back.

“I remember, about four years after we arrived, we went on a visit home to see friends, family. We drove around (southeastern Australia) quite a bit, visiting friends and what, and Annie and I would say to each other, ‘want to live here? … How about here?’

We never found a place where we said, ‘yes, here,’ and I think it began to dawn on us that that was because we liked where we were. And then, of course, some other things happened …”

Other things that King didn’t imagine either. A dedicated physiologist and an accomplished researcher (his field is herpetology, particularly turtles), he never dreamed of taking the leap into administration. He was amazed that anyone would hire a freshly minted professor in his 40s in the first place, and once FMU did, he was absolutely positive that that was as far as it would go. Department chair? Surely not a job for an Aussie.

“I mean, I wasn’t from the U.S.,” says King. “I really couldn’t see it happening.”

But others could. His colleagues in biology elected him as department chair, where, by all accounts, he performed admirably. FMU President Fred Carter and former provost Dr. Richard Chapman took note of the new chair and brought him to the Stokes Building a few years later as an associate provost for enrollment management.

And then Chapman retired and King, now with years of administrative experience under his belt, was the logical choice to fill those shoes.

“The move to associate provost, that was the big move,” says King. “There was some pressure to take the position. It was not something I applied for and it is hard to say ‘no.’ … At the same time there was some pressure from within. I think when you’re in a situation like that you’ve always got to wonder, if you don’t do it, could I have done it? It was the same thing with the opportunity to move to the provost position, although by then I saw it as more of an opportunity. Can I do this? Yes, I think so.”

TROUBLED WATERS

King’s intuition turned out to be right. King helped Carter guide FMU through a critical and diverse time in the university’s history.

It was a period of great growth, marked by the launch of dozens of

new academic programs, expansion of FMU’s international study offerings, lots of new construction, and more. And, it included riding out the storm created by the global pandemic.

Colleagues laud the affable, low-key King for the long hours he put in and for his steadying presence during those difficult days.

Faculty who worked with him closely say he’s a good guy to have on your side “in the clutch.”

Carter agrees, saying, “Peter was someone I could count on — we all could. He just did a fine job of leading FMU during an important, and, at times, difficult period.

“What I’m struck most by in Peter is that he is one of those wonderful faculty we seem to attract who came here relatively early in his career; came to love our university, our students, this region, so profoundly, that he stayed. As people got to know him, they valued his abilities and so he became chair, associate provost, and provost. And then, over the course of the years, we had so much in common on so many issues that we became the very best of friends.

“I’ll miss him a lot. A lot of people will.”

NATURE’S CALL

The early years of Peter King’s adult life offered little suggestion of all that was to come.

He completed a business degree from New South Wales Institute of Technology in 1980, and went to work in the family business.

His father started a small manufacturer’s rep agency that King’s older brother Bill took over after his dad passed away. The Kings promoted and marketed producers and grocery products — dog food, Canadian salmon, and California almonds were some of the better accounts — to Australia’s big supermarket chains.

After six or seven years on the dog food beat, King left to start a horticultural tree service, an inkling of the biology career to come.

He completed a one-year course at the local technical college to earn the necessary certificate. A few years later, he and Annie bought a small farm along the Bellinger River in a rural part of the State of New South Wales, between Sydney and Brisbane. They grew kiwis and other crops for commercial sale. King spent his spare time exploring the local flora and fauna.

Of special interest were the turtles he and his growing family found in the Bellinger, which bisected the property. King regularly captured some specimens which he brought back to his office at the farm.

Continued on page 10 SPRING / SUMMER 2023 | 9

Continued from page 9 The “a-ha moment” that led King down a new career path occurred a few winters into the farming life. King’s self-effacing description suggests something less than an epiphany, but it changed his life all the same.

“I had this aquarium in my office on the farm,” says King. “I’d catch things from the river and put them in it, you know, just something I was interested in. Anyway, we caught a couple of hatchlings of these turtles and put them in, and then, as they were growing, I noticed they’d sink to the bottom and just stay there. It got pretty cold in that room, sometimes. I guess it felt like winter to the turtles. Anyway, these little guys would just sit there on the bottom. They didn’t look like they were breathing, but then they also weren’t dead.

“That kind of got me to wondering just how that got on (that is, how they stayed alive without breathing) and that ended up being a research project, and you know, from there …”

From there King moved from farming to academics. He enrolled in a correspondence course in biology at the nearby University of New England in Armidale — “It really was correspondence, there was no ‘online’ then,” he says — and excelled, eventually moving to campus to finish up his biology degree in person. One of his professors was Dr. Harold Heatwole, an American who’d moved to Australia to teach. Heatwole, sometimes described as one of the fathers of herpetology in Australia, was well on his way to becoming a research legend down under when King met up with him.

King completed his undergraduate degree and his “honors” year, which in the Australian system is equivalent to a masters.

Dr. Heatwole had already agreed to take King on as a doctoral student, when Heatwole was suddenly hired as chair of the zoology department at faraway N.C. State, in the US of A. Heatwole asked King to follow him on the 10,000-mile journey and become his first doctoral student in the U.S. King, who’d been inspired by Heatwole’s intense love for research, agreed. After all, it would only be a few years of study and then he and Annie would be back in Australia.

ON TO FMU

King prospered at N.C. State, where he graduated with a PhD. in zoology. After graduation, he joined FMU’s renowned biology department during a time of transition, when some of the original “pillars” were reaching the end of their tenure. That probably helped him fit in. He assumed the role of the department’s physiologist, working under the tutelage of the highly respected Dr. Tom Roop.

10 | FRANCIS MARION FOCUS

Above: Dr. Fred Carter and Dr. Peter King at a commencement ceremony.

Facing Page: Dr. King with his wife, Annie.

“I was kind of his protégé, if you like, and that was not a bad thing to be at FMU,” says King. “But really there was just this big group — Julia Krebs, Jeff Camper, Travis Knowles, Lisa Pike, Jerry Long, and Larry Swails, who was the chair then, who all just made me feel right at home. In retrospect, it was very, very easy. You would hope all new professors have a reception like that.”

Knowles, still a close friend, says King was an easy man to like. He had a sense of humor, was very collegial, and clearly enjoyed what he did.

“Peter always thought about students, engaging them both in the classroom and in his own research with Diamondback Terrapins, a high priority conservation species in South Carolina,” says Knowles. “He was right in there with his students, wading through water in Winyah Bay, pulling a seine to collect and mark terrapins. … But, he was quickly recognized for his administrative skills.”

The implication: it was obvious to Knowles that his friend would be moving on.

FAST LEARNER

King admits he faced a steep learning curve when he moved into the provost’s chair. His predecessor, Chapman, held the post for 17 years, knew its many ins and out, and seemed to handle it all effortlessly. It was not so for King. The multi-faceted nature of the job brought unrelenting pressure and forced him into some uncomfortable positions. But he persevered, applying the traits that have served him all his life: be fair, be consistent, work hard.

FMU Professor Dr. Chris Kennedy served as an associate provost under King and often joined him for late afternoon walks across campus. He lauds his friend’s integrity and stability and notes that King was one of the “kindest, most thoughtful, most genuine people I’ve run across in academics.

“I’m going to miss our walks,” Kennedy says.

Dr. Mark Blackwell, president of FMU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), an advocacy group for faculty rights and standards, says King’s knowledge of the faculty “rule book” allowed him to master his role as the faculty leader and its primary conduit to the university’s administration.

“He knew it all backwards and forwards. There’s nobody in this state who knows those rules and procedures better than Peter King,” says Blackwell. “And, he insisted that we follow the rules to the letter. In that way, and others, he was a great advocate for the principles of shared governance. Because of the culture at FMU, there are few things that are more important.”

FMU has been recognized repeatedly by the AAUP and others for its effective system of shared governance. It is part of the university’s DNA, that coursed through long-timers like King.

A DIFFERENCE MADE

King says he’ll always cherish his classroom days and missed the student interactions during the back half of his career. But, as his tenure as an administrator grew, he found satisfaction in that area as well. He had a knack for certain aspects of the job. Because of his business background, he brought skills to the post — reading a budget for instance — that might be beyond the experience of many academicians. And, he had the good fortune, as he sees it, to work at FMU.

King quickly points out that, from his perspective, it’s Fred Carter who has directed much of that change.

“He’s an extraordinary man whose vision for FMU, its place in the state, is really just something to behold,” says King. “His breadth of knowledge, his abilities as an administrator … there’s not much that gets around him. I’m fortunate to have had the opportunities to work with him that I’ve had. I’m grateful for that. He’s been a good leader, and over the years as we’ve gotten to know each other more, a good friend.”

As he moves into retirement, Peter King won’t be moving. He and Annie will stay in Florence, the place they call home. King will dabble in the garden, maybe find a turtle or two, and they’ll travel to Wisconsin and San Francisco to visit their sons and their grandchildren (two, so far).

They have friends here, too, both at the university and beyond.

King says one of the things he is most looking forward to is making up for lost time with some of them.

“If I’m honest, I must say that being provost is a little lonely sometimes,” says King. “There are … restrictions on social life, or at least I thought so. So, I look forward to spending more time with friends, in social settings. Yeah. … I think that will be nice.”

It sounds like a good plan.

“Administration … it is rewarding in its own way,” says King. “There are things that you can do, affects you can have, that you cannot even begin to hope for in the classroom. (As an administrator) you are providing opportunities, and making paths for lots and lots of students, and you’re more likely to actually see them come to fruition.

“Francis Marion just gives people, students, a wonderful opportunity,” says King. “I think about the kid who just kind of creeps through with 2.0 (grade point average). Not the best student from a teacher’s point of view, perhaps, but what a difference that degree, that accomplishment, makes in their lives. It opens doors.

That’s rewarding. And that’s the terrific thing about FMU. You can be in the administration here and really feel that. At a bigger place, at a large research university, maybe you’re chasing papers around and building reputations. I don’t really know. Haven’t been there.

But I do know that here, we’re changing student’s lives.”

SPRING / SUMMER 2023 | 11

High energy and hard work have paved the way for Jake Zehnder, FMU’s brand new men’s basketball coach. The Patriots’ future looks bright.

BY CHRIS DAY

J

ake Zehnder’s work space moved about 12 inches to the right this basketball season.

Doesn’t sound like much, but it was a big move all the same.

Zehnder’s foot-long slide occurred when he transitioned from assistant basketball coach at Francis Marion University to the program’s 12 | FRANCIS MARION FOCUS

head coach. The opportunity came suddenly, after long-time FMU Coach Gary Edwards retired in October. Zehnder was named interim coach, and then in January, Francis Marion University officials removed the interim tag, making him the seventh head coach in the program’s 53-year history.

Zehnder says he was ready. He’s just 33 years old and only 11 years into his coaching

career, but he’s already learned that change comes faster than the fastest of fast breaks in his chosen profession.

“There is always something coming at you, and you are never quite as prepared as you think you might be,” Zehnder says. “This is what I’ve always wanted. No matter what is thrown at me. I’ll figure it out. I may not

have the answer, but I will find the answer.

It may take me a little bit of time. It’s been a whirlwind to say the least.”

Zehnder says he is learning daily. What he hasn’t had to learn is how to bring energy to his team. The early trademark of the Zehnder era at FMU is fast-paced basketball — as the 2022-23 season neared an end, FMU was second in Conference Carolinas, and 22nd nationally in scoring — led by a fast-paced coach already known for his intensity and animation on the sideline.

During practice, Zehnder can often be found running up and down the court instructing players on the fly. He may be sweatier than the players after practice, and his routine doesn’t change much — although there is a coaching box to remember — during games.

“Those guys know that I am bringing the energy every day,” says Zehnder. “That’s not going anywhere. If I’m not bringing the energy then something probably isn’t going right. That’s how I would describe myself – just really enthusiastic, energetic and I’m going to fight for my guys.”

Zehnder says Francis Marion University’s men’s basketball team will play hard and compete in every game, and so far that’s been the case. The Patriots were the surprise of their league at the start of the season, winning six of their first seven Conference Carolinas games while knocking off league powers UNC-Pembroke and Belmont Abbey. Close losses down the stretch have knocked Zehnder’s first team back a bit, but they haven’t dampened many spirits.

“We’ve had some ups and downs, but you learn a lot. I am really excited about where we are headed,” Zehnder says. “You have to be able to adjust to the ebbs and flows of a season. Adversity is something everybody will face at some point in time. It’s inevitable.

Not everybody can grow from it and harness it. That’s what we are trying to do.”

His goal, both now and down the road, is to build a program and a team that will make the FMU community proud.

AN UNUSUAL PATH

Zehnder is a basketball nut who has been involved with the sport his entire life.

The Florida native played high school basketball at Harmony High School in St. Cloud, Florida, and Florida Air Academy in Melbourne, Florida.

Zehnder was injured late in his high school career, and couldn’t finish it on the court, so he helped his high school coach on the bench.

“I’m sitting there at 17 years old making substitutions and fell in love with coaching,” Zehnder says. “I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I went off to school, and ended up dropping out because I didn’t really see the need to sit in an English class. So, I started coaching AAU (American Athletics Union) basketball. I was coaching high school basketball at 18 years old.”

of Applied Science degree in business and organizational management.

“It was a real roundabout path to coaching,” Zehnder said. “I wasn’t a high-level player.

My father didn’t coach college or high school, and I wasn’t a manager for (Duke’s) Coach K or (former Florida coach) Billy Donovan.”

It wasn’t the easiest path, but Zehnder says he wouldn’t change it for the world. The struggles he faced, the long days and nights, the strange situations in which he found himself, prepared him for anything.

Like a lot of very young men, Zehnder thought he had it all figured out. He landed an assistant coaching job at the Rock School, a private school in Gainesville, Fla., and was as happy as could be. He thought coaching would help him advance his career faster than a college degree.

For instance, Zehnder was still working for Ryan at the College of Central Florida in 2019, when the Patriots’ program — coincidentally, CCF was nicknamed the Patriots, too — was dropped by the school.

That’s not the best career break, but it worked out.

His thinking changed after a visit with Florida State University Associate Head Basketball Coach Stan Jones. Jones saw Zehnder working with a post player during a high school practice. He asked Zehnder where he went to college and who his mentors were. Zehnder told him he didn’t go to college and had no real mentors. After a brief pause, Jones basically told him, “good luck with that.”

Zehnder was hired shortly after by a small, picturesque school in South Carolina. A place called Francis Marion University.

“What he said was, ‘You didn’t go to college?’

And I said, ‘No.’ And he said, ‘Great. I’ll see you back here (meaning in the same place with the same job) in 15 years,’” says Zehnder.

Zehnder received the university’s 2021-22 Frankie Award for Assistant Coach of the Year.

BACK TO SCHOOL

AN IMMEDIATE HIT

Zehnder was an immediate hit at FMU. The players loved his style and his AAU ties in Florida provided some quick dividends on the recruiting trail. He recruited most of the players he coached in his first year on the job.

It wasn’t the first time he’d been recognized, and in all likelihood, it won’t be the last.

Message received. The next day Zehnder emailed every college coach in the state of Florida, looking for a job that would help him pay for school.

FMU runs a spread offense patterned on the offenses run by Oregon Coach Dana Altman and Illinois Coach Brad Underwood. Smart coaches “steal” from successful ones, he says.

He knew he had to get his degree.

Defensively, the Patriots use a hybrid system that switches between man-to-man and zone. It is, says Zehnder, “a strange brand of basketball on the defensive side.”

Zehnder says he sent about 70 emails.

He received two replies.

One was from the College of Central Florida coach Tim Ryan. He received the email on a Thursday and was talking to Ryan the next Monday. Ryan said he really didn’t need much help at the time, but Zehnder could sit in and watch.

Zehnder jumped at the chance and eventually became an assistant coach at the College of Central Florida where he earned a Bachelor

It is a tricky defense to learn and some of the Patriots’ younger players struggled with it, Zehnder says. But it’s helped the Patriots be successful.

The team will get better at it over time, says Zehnder.

It’s likely their new coach will, too.

SPRING / SUMMER 2023 | 13

A SPECIAL REPORT

BY TUCKER MITCHELL

FMU & the HEALTH of the COMMUNITY Francis Marion University’s investment in the health of the Pee Dee community is as old as the college itself and as deep as the namesake river that runs through it. For more than 50 years, FMU has trained critical providers and served as a critical catalyst for improving healthcare in this part of South Carolina.

creation of a regional mental health center (story begins on page 15), that will transform the quality and quantity of care available to residents of the Pee Dee.

But this is only the beginning.

“New programs, new cadres of young women and men matriculating towards professional healthcare degrees, new partnerships, all aimed at bringing the highest possible healthcare to a region that so desperately needs it. It’s going to be an amazing time. I can’t wait to see it unfold.”

Building on the momentum of the past decade, FMU is now poised to assume a markedly bigger role in supporting the dramatic acceleration of healthcare in the region. The university is at the center of two new initiatives, the Pee Dee Health Consortium (story begins on page 17) and the

14 | FRANCIS MARION FOCUS

“The years ahead, the next decade, are going to be remarkable,” says FMU President Dr. Fred Carter.

In this special report, we’ll take a look at the progress of the new initiatives and their connection with FMU’s fast-growing programs in the health sciences.

A NEW MODEL FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SOUTH CAROLINA’S NEW PLAN CALLS FOR BEEFING UP TREATMENT OPTIONS AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL. FMU WILL PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE AS A NEW BEHAVIORAL HEALTH MODEL IS DEVELOPED IN THE PEE DEE.

D

elivering effective behavioral healthcare across its wide spectrum of need is an issue that has dogged South Carolina and the nation for years. It’s a complex problem made more challenging by an accelerating awareness of the magnitude of behavioral health needs. Behavioral health is not an isolated issue. One way or another, it affects millions and millions of lives.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is that South Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is on the precipice of launching a new system for the delivery of behavioral healthcare. Plans have been made and funds set aside to launch the new program.

The pilot will be located in Florence, S.C., and Francis Marion University will play a pivotal role in its implementation and long-term success.

DHHS Director Robby Kerr says the Florence initiative will be centered on a new regional behavioral health hospital in Florence. The proposed new behavioral health hub will have 60-plus inpatient beds and include access to outpatient behavioral health services as well. DHHS hopes this innovative behavioral health hub can serve as a model that can be replicated in other regions of the state in the future.

“The hospital alone will address a significant need,” says Kerr, “but along with it we are diligently working to pull together a system of crisis management and community assistance.

We want to put these beds out there — that’s

important — but what we’d really like to do is keep people out of those beds.”

“To help do that we’ve committed $35 million statewide of grant funding to help acute care hospitals avoid having to warehouse patients in regular hospital beds,” says Kerr. “We’ve also launched a school-based mental health initiative to help our schools serve as an early detection system and provide direct access to early intervention in the form of quality mental health counseling services. These efforts and our work in the Pee Dee work together to provide resources and a more integrated behavioral health delivery system. If we can get the model to function as we think it can in the Pee Dee, we’ll be in a good place. Each region is different, but there are a lot of similarities that will help us as we move forward.”

Kerr says the Pee Dee was chosen because it is a region with the largest need in this area. State surveys show it has by far the lowest number of behavioral health beds of any region in the state with a per capita inpatient psychiatric bed ratio of just one per 6,983 residents. That’s well above the recommended bed per capita average of one to 1,667. He also points to the ongoing advocacy of the late Sen. Hugh Leatherman of Florence. Leatherman championed the behavioral health hospital for years and his many former colleagues in the state legislature are determined to make sure his legacy dream comes to fruition.

DHHS Director Robert Kerr

Kerr says the goal is for the new hospital to be built within the next 24 months. The final site Continued on page 16 SPRING / SUMMER 2023 | 15

A SPECIAL REPORT Continued from page 15

selection process is almost done and partnerships have already been developed with both of Florence’s large hospital providers, the Medical University of South Carolina-Florence, and McLeod Health.

Other partners are in place as well, says Kerr. DHHS has tried to involve everyone, from schools, to emergency medical service providers, to the “988” suicide hotline. One innovative aspect of the plan calls for giving 988 workers access to scheduling software for behavioral health partners in the region. They could set up appointments, if appropriate, while on a call.

“We’re trying to cover as many bases as we can,” says Kerr.

Francis Marion University is an important partner, too, although in a different way. The university is not a direct provider of community health services, but as is so often the case, is involved in a number of ways that have moved, and will continue to move, the project forward.

Dr. Fred Carter, FMU’s president, has served on DHHS’ statewide mental health task force that has helped develop and facilitate the pilot program, and has also played his customary role as a community leader who helps bring others to the table.

FMU may play an even bigger role in the future when the hospital and other elements of the new regional model are up and running.

The university’s rapidly expanding School of Health Sciences will be counted upon to provide new behavioral health practitioners.

That is an absolutely critical need, says Kerr.

“If there is an Achilles Heel for anything we’re doing, in the mental health area or otherwise, it’s lack of workforce,” says Kerr. “But that’s especially true in this area and it goes right up the chain from frontline personnel, to nurses and nurse practitioners, to psychologists and psychiatrists. We’re going to build 60-some (behavioral health) beds in the Pee Dee. That will happen. Now we’ve got to figure out how we’re going to staff them. We’re working on that and what’s going on at Francis Marion is going to make a big difference.

“There’s great need and tremendous potential for the programs that FMU has developed, and is developing, to fill it,” says Kerr. “And while I know

16 | FRANCIS MARION FOCUS

FMU’s focus is providing professionals in the Pee Dee, I really think what they’re doing could spill out across the state. It almost has to…”

FMU just graduated its first class of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners in December. The new Psychology Doctorate program is well down the developmental pipeline and could begin as early as next January.

“Those programs,” says FMU’s Carter, “provide exactly the kind of professionals needed to operate these new programs, in addition to psychiatrists and some others. They’d be principal caregivers…

“FMU has a long history of stepping up to meet the needs of this community, particularly in regards to healthcare and health services,” says Carter. “And we’re ready to do it again.”

·

PARTNERING FOR BETTER HEALTHCARE PEE DEE CONSORTIUM AIMS TO BRING MORE PROVIDERS TO THE REGION. FMU, MUSC, AND USC PARTNER TO ENHANCE HEALTH EDUCATION.

T

he first step in improving the healthcare opportunities for any community is to improve the quality of its healthcare providers.

A big part of that in many South Carolina towns and counties is simply increasing the quantity of providers.

Study after study has shown that much of South Carolina is “medically underserved” when it comes to providers; meaning, in other words, there aren’t enough certified nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, technicians, and assorted other specialists to go around. Those studies also show that the Pee Dee Region, where some counties are completely devoid of doctors, is in the worst shape of all.

With that in mind, local leaders, including the late senator Hugh Leatherman of Florence, Dr. Eddie Floyd

of the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation, Former Mayor Stephen Wukela, and FMU President Fred Carter, among others, began work almost a decade ago to address this issue, especially as it relates to medical doctors. Their efforts resulted in the State of South Carolina creating a new medical and health science collaboration, the Pee Dee Medical and Health Sciences Education Consortium.

The presidents of the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina, and Francis Marion University serve as its board of directors.

The Consortium, as it is known, now has a full head of steam, and more than $30 million in its coffers, and is busy funding and coordinating new educational initiatives that will recruit more physicians and health science professionals for the Pee Dee Region.

USC has been sending third- and fourth-year medical students to Florence since 2017, when the partnership between USC and FMU first

Continued on page 18

SPRING / SUMMER 2023 | 17

A SPECIAL REPORT Continued from page 17 began. The students use FMU facilities in downtown Florence for the classroom portion of their work while at the same time completing their clinical rotations at local hospitals, medical clinics, and practices.

Supported by consortium funding, USC is now expanding its Florence-based program, and MUSC is set to join it. Third- and fourth-year students from MUSC will begin studies and rotations in Florence in 2024 or 2025.

During the next two to three years the number of students completing their basic medical education in Florence is expected to more than double, to 60-70 students per year, and that number could climb appreciably in the future.

At the same time, both MUSC-Florence and McLeod Health have launched feasibility studies — again, funded by the Consortium — focused on starting or expanding post-graduate medical residencies at regional hospitals. New physicians will be employed as resident physicians at hospitals for specialty-oriented training.

The length of a residency varies by medical specialty.

McLeod Health has hosted family practice residents for a number of years. MUSC is looking to begin a program focused on obstetrics and gynecology and internal medicine.

The programs will likely continue to grow in the future. Some additional hospitals in the region could join in as well.

The point of training these new physicians in the Pee Dee is to retain them permanently. Studies show what common sense also supports: physicians frequently remain employed in the area where they acquired their residency training.

“Physicians, nurse practitioners, and other health professionals who complete their education in the region become comfortable with the facilities and people here, and understand the need here,” says FMU’s Carter. “Many choose to build their career here when the training is complete.”

The existing program involving third- and fourth-year students from the USC School of Medicine has already delivered returns on the program’s promise, especially in terms of those students from the Pee Dee area choosing to come home to complete their studies.

18 | FRANCIS MARION FOCUS

The Consortium funds, acquired through ongoing appropriations from the South Carolina legislature as well as contributions from the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation, support many of the administrative costs of the program. They also provide the students with housing stipends.

The state legislature has also appropriated money for the construction of a new medical education facility for these medical students in downtown Florence. It will be located at the site of the old Circle Park School.

The state-of-the-art facility will provide study, lecture, clinical, and administrative space for the medical students. Eventually, some of that space will be shared by students in allied healthcare programs being delivered by FMU. FMU’s School of Health Sciences is expanding at a rapid pace to meet the need for regional, state, and national providers. FMU’s renowned nursing program has been a critical provider of nurses since it opened on the FMU campus in the early 2000s. FMU has launched nine new healthcare education programs in the past decade, and more are on the way.

The university has built or refurbished two new buildings downtown to accommodate those programs, the Carter Center for Health Sciences, and the Hugh and Jean Leatherman Medical Complex. They have plenty of capacity now, but as the programs grow, more will be needed.

·

Photos Top, page 16: Tanisha Tart (left) and Ursula Townsend (right) were part of the first cohort to graduate in FMU’s new Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program.

Bottom, page 16-17: Dr. Tiffany Pressley demonstrates telehealth capabilities used in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track.

Bottom, page 19: Dr. Rhonda Brogdon and students in the Anatomy Lab in the Carter Center.

About the Consortium

FMU School of Health Sciences

The Pee Dee Medical and Health Sciences Education Consortium (PDMHSEC) is a non-profit organization composed of the University of South Carolina, the Medical University of South Carolina, and Francis Marion University.

Francis Marion University’s School of Health Sciences offers more than a dozen programs for educational degrees in the healthcare field, with more in development. The School has grown quickly since its founding in 2016. Allied programs in psychology, including the new Psychology doctoral degree, are offered through FMU’s Department of Psychology. Here’s a look at the health sciences programs currently offered at the school:

The Consortium was created to increase the presence and scope of healthcare providers across the northeastern quadrant of South Carolina, primarily establishing and expanding graduate medical and undergraduate medical, nursing and healthcare education programs in the region. The organization’s initial focus has been clinical placement opportunities for third- and fourth-year medical students, medical residents, and graduate healthcare professional students, but is expected to expand both programmatically and geographically (that is, throughout the region) in the future. The Consortium’s mission includes: •

•

•

Providing funding for proposals to advance healthcare education in the Pee Dee Region (stipends for undergraduate medical students, support for medical education, studies and start-up expenses for medical residencies).

Supporting a cooperative approach to establishing and expanding medical and graduate health science education in the Pee Dee Region.

Collaborating with regional healthcare providers to expand capacity for medical and health science education.

The presidents of the three universities serve as its executive board. The top academic and financial administrators of the universities involved also serve in various administrative capacities. All initiatives of the Consortium must be approved unanimously by the three presidents.

Nursing • • • • • •

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) RN to BSN Program MSN Family Nurse Practitioner MSN Nurse Educator and Post-Master’s NE Certificate MSN Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Occupational Therapy •

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program (entry-level)

Speech-Language Pathology •

Master of Speech-Language Pathology (MSLP)

Healthcare Administration • • •

Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration (BS) Healthcare Executive Management MBA with Concentration in Healthcare Executive Management**

**--Offered in conjunction with FMU School of Business For more information: www.fmarion.edu/healthsciences/

SPRING / SUMMER 2023 | 19

MAKING SOME ROOM

IN THE WILD FMU’S WILDSUMACO BIOLOGICAL STATION IS READY TO GROW, OPENING THE DOOR TO EVEN MORE EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES.

BY TUCKER MITCHELL

20 | FRANCIS MARION FOCUS

T

he Wildsumaco Biological Research Station, the unique teaching lab operated by Francis Marion University, UNCWilmington, and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, has delivered once-in-a-lifetime learning experiences to thousands of students since it opened 10 years ago.

Adventures at the outpost, which is situated in a remote rain forest next to a dormant volcano in Ecuador’s Andes Mountains, have led to the discovery of new species, the launch of unexpected careers, and the changing of lives.

Now it’s time to open the doors to even more adventures and more learning.

teachers to visit at once, but not much more. The one nonresidential building houses the classroom space and also doubles as a lab … and dining room, and kitchen, and anything else that’s not needed for storage and sleeping.

The first phase of the planned expansion would add two more buildings, one each for a laboratory and dedicated classroom.

Future phases call for a third dorm space, another classroom, and eventually, discreet housing for visiting researchers.

The new plan for the station, funded by a National Science Function grant, is functional and efficient, but not grandiose. It is just right for what Wildsumaco should become.

“There are no plans that this will ever become some huge The partner universities have put together a plan that calls for biological research facility,” says Knowles. “That wouldn’t fit the eventually tripling the size of the structures at the site. It still site and it wouldn’t fit our vision either. We kind of like the scale won’t be a big place — the current buildings take up less than we have now.”

4,000 square feet — but the additions will allow for growth in both the Although, they certainly want to quantity and quality of the educational “THERE’S REALLY NO LIMIT TO WHAT increase the numbers and broaden programming.

MIGHT BE DONE,” SAYS KNOWLES. the diversity of those partaking in Wildsumaco's wonders.

“We have a functional station now,” “THE ARTS, THE SCIENCES, says FMU Professor Travis Knowles, REALLY ALMOST ANY FIELD HAS The Wildsumaco station was drawing the co-director of the station. “But it’s CONNECTIONS. IT’S JUST SUCH AN close to 1,000 visitors a year before time we made a little room. When you EXTRAORDINARY PLACE. I’M REALLY COVID hit, ending travel until see the transformation that occurs in last summer. About two thirds of the young people — and frankly, in LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING that number were from the partner some of the older people, too — who WHAT OCCURS.” institutions, including FMU. make the trip, you long for a little more space, a little more capacity. It’s PROF. TRAVIS KNOWLES During the station’s first decade, a great resource. We’d like to make this most of the FMU students traveling available to as many people as possible.” to Wildsumaco have been biology majors. Last summer, a group of education majors, some with an The project began more than a decade ago through a collaboration eye on specializing in biology through FMU’s concentration in between Knowles and a former graduate school classmate of that field, visited the site. his, Brian Arbogast, now a member of the biology faculty at UNCW. While conducting bird research, Knowles and Arbogast Knowles would like to see Wildsumaco’s branches spreading met Jim and Bonnie Olson and Jonas Nilsson, the co-founders into more new spaces. An artist-in-residence series has been of the Wildsumaco Sanctuary, a 2,000-plus acre eco-tourism discussed, the thought being that the station’s overwhelming site in Ecuador. The Olsons were seeking a research facility to beauty and teeming wildlife could inspire writers, musicians, and pair with their birding lodge. One thing led to another after the artists of many stripes. Current FMU student Brittany Sehnke serendipitous meeting, and the Wildsumaco station was born. exhibited the potential of this idea with her captivating sketches from Wildsumaco, profiled in last winter’s edition of Focus.

The Wildsumaco Lodge leases the research site to the collaborating institutions for a nominal fee. The Olsons have since retired back “There’s really no limit to what might be done,” says Knowles. to the U.S., but Knowles says everyone is still on board for a long“The arts, the sciences, really almost any field has connections. term future in which the ecotourism business both supports and It’s just such an extraordinary place. We’re continuing to reach benefits from the research facility. out to our colleagues across campus, to solicit ideas and stoke interest. I’m really looking forward to seeing what occurs.”

The current facility consists of three small buildings. There’s enough space for 18 tightly packed students and researcherSPRING / SUMMER 2023 | 21

FMU and the COMMUNITY

MARION MEDALLION TURNS 10 PRESTIGIOUS AWARD RECOGNIZES DISTINGUISHED SERVICE IN THE PEE DEE REGION.

BY CHRIS DAY he Marion Medallion is an award with some

T real heft to it.

The gold-plated, bronze medallion weighs five pounds and often surprises recipients when it is handed to them. It’s not lightweight.

And neither are the people who receive it.

In the just more than 10 years since the award was created by Francis Marion University and the Florence Morning News, it’s been awarded to an astonishing array of community heroes. Some have toiled away for years in the guts of local nonprofits. Others have dedicated their lives to children or other fragile elements of society. Some used their resources to set examples of powerful philanthropy.

All have delivered “distinguished service to the people of the Pee Dee,” which is the sole criteria for the award and the phrase that is etched on the medal itself.

22 | FRANCIS MARION FOCUS

The award, which is named after Revolutionary War hero General Francis Marion, was created in 2012 through collaboration by FMU and the Morning News. The initiative was born from the Interstate 95 Corridor Human Needs Assessment, a joint project developed by FMU and South Carolina State University.

The 2009 study, which included an extensive survey of residents of the area, determined that the 17 counties along I-95 from North Carolina to Georgia (that is, the counties that touch I-95 in South Carolina) suffered underdevelopment, especially in comparison to other counties along the 1,924-mile interstate corridor that runs up and down the east coast. Problems identified ranged from struggling schools to cyclical poverty.

The study identified six fundamental priorities for the region. Among those was to bring attention to good work

being done in the region, especially as it pertained to the connection between local leadership, the business community, and philanthropy.

There’s no set number of medallions awarded each year, and the criteria is deliberately broad. But Carter says the winners always share some similarities.

The Marion Medallion proved a terrific answer to that challenge, says FMU President Fred Carter, and the day it is awarded each year — Feb. 27, General Marion’s official state holiday — has become something of a local holiday.

“First, they are always reluctant to receive the honor,” says Carter. “Secondly, when people read the names of the Marion Medallion winners each year they say, ‘Of course, they should have received the Medallion.’ That’s part of the tradition.”

“The Marion Medallion is the signature public service award in the Pee Dee Region,” says Carter. “The prestige surrounding it continues to grow, as does the interest in the community. FMU is proud to have played a role.”

The first Marion Medallions were presented in 2012 to Kathy Baxley, Henry Johnson and Heyward King.

PAST WINNERS

There is no official nominating process for the awards. A small committee, consisting of senior leadership at the two sponsoring organizations (FMU and the Morning News) confer and make the selections.

Over the years, 31 people or organizations have been awarded the Marion Medallion.

Most recently, businessmen Jim Brown and Tim Norwood and former Florence City Councilor and community activist Pat Gibson-Hye Moore received Marion Medallions during a ceremony at the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center.

2012 Kathy Baxley Henry Johnson and Heyward King

2018 W.O. “Billy” Powers Help 4 Kids

2013 Bill and Olive Timberlake Ralph Porter

2019 Chuck McNeil Parking Lot Ministry

2014 Henry Badie and Clyde Odom Henry Brunson

2020 Mayor Stephen Wukela Allen Floyd

2015 John and Vicki Kirby Paige Alexander, Deanna Strickland

2021 Allie E. Brooks Hope Health

2016 Carlos Washington Manna House

2022 Jean Leatherman Ellen Hamilton

2017 Regi Armstrong Carl Harmon Courtney Graham

2023 Jim Brown and Tim Norwood Pat Gibson-Hye Moore

SPRING / SUMMER 2023 | 23

FOCUS on FMU Students

FIFTH TIME WAS A CHARM …

AND A SURPRISE

BY CHRIS DAY 24 | FRANCIS MARION FOCUS

ALEX COX DIDN’T THINK HE'D PLAY ANOTHER YEAR OF BASKETBALL AT FMU, BUT HE’S GLAD HE DID.

F

ive years ago, a spindly freshman from North Carolina came to Francis Marion University to play some basketball and work on an accounting degree.

Cox is making the most of his time at FMU, a place that’s really become his home. He is pursuing a double major in accounting and finance and is on track to finish this spring.

Five years later, and much to his surprise, he’s still at it.

That’s a good thing for FMU super senior Alex Cox, and it’s a good thing for the FMU men’s basketball team too. Cox, a sharp-shooting guard, was the team’s third-leading scorer (15.4 points a game) and twice received Conference Carolinas player of the week honors.

Cox says he knew he wanted to be an accountant before arriving at FMU. The double major was an easy decision because he just “loves numbers.”

It was all a big surprise for Cox. He wasn’t expecting to play basketball this year — the plan had been for him to help out with some coaching while he finished his studies — and so he didn’t pick up a basketball for eight months following the 202122 season.

“Last year was my fourth year and I told everybody that I was done,” Cox said. “I thought I was going to coach because all summer we talked about me helping out with the team.”

But when Jake Zehnder was named interim coach in October, one of the first things he did was tell Cox that he had a spot for him — on the roster.

Cox jumped at the chance because he said he loves Francis Marion University and he loves basketball.

“I wanted to leave everything out on the court and have no regrets,” Cox said.

The months away from basketball might have allowed a little rust to form on Cox’s game, but they also revived Cox physically and mentally. It took a while to get back into the flow of practice and games, he said, but he eventually found his groove.

“To have the season I'm having now is just a blessing in disguise,” Cox said. “I’m having the best time of my life.”

“And, if basketball doesn’t work out as a career, I will have the two degrees I can fall back on,” he says. “That opens up a lot of possibilities.”

Cox is going to give basketball the first shot, though. He’s been in the sport ever since he fell in love with the game as a child.

Cox’s grandmother bought him a Little Tikes basketball goal when he was toddler and he started playing YMCA basketball when he was two and a half.

Cox played other sports along the way — he’s an excellent athlete — but decided to focus on basketball in high school.

He graduated from the Cannon School, a private school in Concord, North Carolina and was selected to play in North Carolina’s private school all-star game.

“I haven’t looked back ever since (I was two),” says Cox. “I’ve been playing for 20 or 21 years now. I have a lot of memories with it. I have a lot of memories with my family playing it. It’s just something I love to do.”

Cox wants to play professional basketball overseas. He would like to either play in Europe or Australia.

“Coach Zehnder said he will help me find something after the season,” Cox says.

Zehnder says finding Cox a place shouldn’t be difficult.

“There’s just not many kids like him,” says Zehnder. “He is a heck of a basketball player. Man, you’re talking about a great human being. There’s not many better than him.”

SPRING / SUMMER 2023 | 25

FMU TIMELINE

A LOOK AT RECENT EVENTS ACROSS CAMPUS AND IN THE FMU COMMUNITY.

FMU’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution approving a new program offering accelerated master degrees in Montessori Early Childhood Education and Montessori Elementary Education.

Students can begin pursuing these graduate degrees in the fall of 2023.

26 | FRANCIS MARION FOCUS

FIRST STUDENTS INDUCTED INTO NSLS

The FMU math department was awarded the Inspiring Programs in STEM Award for its efforts to support and retain math students.

The award was given by INSIGHT Into Diversity. Seventy-seven organizations received the award, and FMU was only one of two higher education institutions in South Carolina to receive it.

FMU inducted its first class of National Society of Leadership and Success students in a December 2022 ceremony. More than 200 students were inducted into the university’s chapter.

Members engage in motivational leadership training focused on goal setting, persistence, resilience, teamwork, inclusion, and impact.

DECEMBER 2022

NOVEMBER 2022

NEW MASTERS FOR MONTESSORI

FMU MATHEMATICS LANDS NATIONAL STEM AWARD

FALL COMMENCEMENT Nearly 250 degrees were awarded to fall 2022 graduates during the fall 2022 commencement ceremonies. Ninety-six percent of the graduates were South Carolina residents. The fall class included FMU’s grads in the new Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program.

SPRING / SUMMER 2023 | 27

BRAINIACAL MADNESS WINS THE PRESIDENT’S BOWL Brainiacal Madness, a group of FMU Honors students, won the fifth annual President’s Bowl at FMU, besting a field of 20 other teams.

CELEBRATING MLK

SPRING SEMESTER BEGINS 1/10

28 | FRANCIS MARION FOCUS

FMU’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration featured the Rev. Norman Gamble, pastor of Florence’s New Ebenezer Baptist Church, as the keynote speaker.

FMU Professor Emeriti Yvette Hammonds Pierce presented a lecture entitled, “A Plantation Economy and African Americans at Mars Bluff: A Brief Historical Perspective.” Refurbishing the cabins, a long-time historical site at FMU, is part of ongoing capital improvements on campus.

FEBRUARY 2023

JANUARY 2023

HEWN TIMBER CABINS IN PERSPECTIVE

A NICE GIFT, A NEW CHAIR IN AUTISM STUDIES

TIM BROWN SCHOLARSHIP AT FMU The CareFIRST Carolina Foundation and CareSouth Carolina presented FMU with $25,000 through the Archie “Tim” Brown Master of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner Scholarship in honor and memory of beloved community leader and nurse practitioner Archie Tim Brown.

Alumni Jim (’77) and Candace (’92) Brown recently gave a gift to the university for the establishment of the James R. Faulkenberry Endowed Chair in Autism Studies in honor of Dr. Ron Faulkenberry who retired from FMU in 2013 after teaching in the School of Education for nearly forty years.

HOPLA HONORED

BY AANP Dr. Deborah Hopla, DNP, APRNBC was honored by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners as the 2023 recipient of the AANP Advocate State Award for Excellence in South Carolina.

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2023

FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY

patriots

HOMECOMING FEBRUARY 13-18

2023

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FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY

The FMU family gathered on campus and beyond for Homecoming ’23, Feb. 13-18.

Highlights included the Red & Blue bonfire; tailgating, where Frank the Fox met up with some friends; an array of athletic events; and the crowning of homecoming king Adrien McClintock, and homecoming queen Jayla Frieson (above). During Saturday’s basketball games, two new members were inducted into FMU’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

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18 IN A ROW FOR FMU WOMEN!

AAFSC HONORS WAGES WITH DIVERSITY AWARD Dr. Charlene Wages, Vice President for Administration and Planning, received the FMU African-American Faculty and Staff Coalition’s Diversity Award at the organization’s 22nd annual scholarship reception. Attorney Linward C. Edwards, II (’04) served as keynote speaker and received the inaugural “Together We Can” award in recognition of his civic involvement.

SPRING CAREER FAIR

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TUITION STILL FROZEN

MARCH 2023

Dr. Charlene Wages stands with Dr. Todd Couch, Assistant Professor of Sociology and President of the FMU AAFSC

From Dec. 14 to the end of the regular season, the Lady Patriots won 18 straight games, the third-longest winning streak in the program’s storied history. FMU finished the season at 20-7 after falling to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in overtime in the Conference Carolinas semifinals.

FMU’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution for the creation of the Doctor of Psychology degree, making it the third doctoral degree offered at the university. Students may begin pursuing this graduate degree in spring of 2024. The Trustees also voted to freeze tuition for the sixth year in a row.

MILITARY FRIENDLY (AGAIN) FMU was once again recognized as a Military Friendly School because of its work with military veterans, service members, and their dependents. The award is a result of a nationwide survey measuring how welcoming academic institutions are to veterans and their families. Over 1,800 schools participated in the 2023-2024 survey.

FREEMAN (’92) WINS BUSINESS ALUM HONOR

Alumni Awardees from left to right: Vicki Elliott, Deandre Cain, Amy McAllister-Skinner, Watson E. Snowden, and Mayor Teresa Myers Ervin.

Tracy Freeman (’92) was honored by the FMU School of Business as the 2023 Morgan B. Coker Outstanding Alumni at its annual alumni reception.

Freeman serves as president of Fidelity One Construction, a residential construction company in North Augusta, SC, and is the manager of Freeman Septic Tank, Inc. He serves on the FMU Board of Trustees and is active in his community where he currently serves as chairman of the Edgefield County Fire Board and sits on the County Line Fire Department board.

ALUMNI AWARDS Five distinguished alumni were honored at the annual Alumni Awards Ceremony on March 2. Mayor Teresa Myers Ervin (’90) was recognized as the 2023 Outstanding Alumni.

Watson E. Snowden, III (’77) received the Professional Industry Award in Public Service and Law. Amy McAllister-Skinner (’07) was awarded the Professional Industry Award in Education and Arts. Deandre Cain (’13) was honored with the Benjamin Wall Ingram III Young Alumnus Award. Vicki Elliott (’93) was recognized with the Volunteer of the Year award.

MAR. 13 - 17 SPRING BREAK

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MORAN ADDRESS Dr. Ronald T. Murphy, who recently retired as a faculty member from the Department of Psychology, delivered the 14th annual William C. Moran Address. His address titled “Harnessing FMU’s Resources to Address Homelessness and Poverty in Florence” was inspired by a brief period of homelessness he experienced after being displaced from his New Orleans home by Hurricane Katrina. Murphy is actively involved in the community where he works with veterans and the homeless through the Mayor’s Youth Initiative, Florence Family Support Center, and Veterans Resource Center.

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A NEW MS. FMU Jocelyn Franks of Effingham, SC, was crowned the 2023 Ms. FMU during the annual Ms. FMU Scholarship Pageant on March 24.

Alumni FOCUS

LEE CARTER JOINS ALL 4 AUTISM TO BRING RESOURCES AND SUPPORT TO THE PEE DEE

BY ANNA KATHRYN STROM Lee Carter (’98) is passionate about helping the community that helped him.

For Carter, a Partner and Client Wealth Manager at Armstrong Wealth Management Group in Florence, that’s meant devoting time and energy to All 4 Autism, a seven-year-old charity that supports autism awareness and assistance in the Pee Dee. Carter and his wife, Courtney, first joined the local Autism community after receiving a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder for their son Holdon, who is now 11 years old.

“When you get a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder for your child, life significantly changes,” Carter says. “All your energy is directed towards figuring out your next steps. Then, you learn quickly you have to take things day by day.”

For the Carter family, that meant leaning on a close friend who had embarked on the same journey a few years prior. They found great value in having someone to talk to and support them as they navigated their new way of life. The support they received is what led them to help provide similar support to others by joining All 4 Autism.

“It was a blessing to be able to call on our friends and ask questions,” Carter says. “I wanted to help make that process easier for everyone and be a part of a local organization that serves families in our region.”

Soon after All 4 Autism was created, the organization invited Carter to join the Board of Directors.

He eagerly agreed and even served as the President of the Board for three years. Carter continues to help with fundraising, speak to groups in the community about autism, and share his family’s journey with autism spectrum disorder.

The organization has grown significantly since it was created in 2016 by founding members Jessica Brown and Amy Pennington, Carter says. It has helped a lot of people along the way — including the Carters.

Above: Lee, Courtney and Holdon Carter

“I was more than willing to help and get involved because of my family’s experience,” Carter said. “There was not a local organization to help us navigate the process and find the services we needed.

That’s why I was glad to step in, to help other families that came after us down the same path. I wanted others to have a resource available right in their own backyard.”

In the future, Carter anticipates All 4 Autism expanding its services beyond autism to include other disabilities.

“I can see All 4 Autism becoming a hub for resources and support for disabilities in general,” Carter said. “Many parents seek the same support and services regardless of the diagnosis.”

Carter came to Francis Marion in 1994 after the head baseball coach at the time, Gerald Griffin, presented him with a scholarship opportunity.

The Kingstree native found FMU to be a good fit and stayed busy throughout his college career. In addition to baseball, Carter also juggled academic and social commitments— he was a member of FMU’s Kappa Alpha Order fraternity. Carter’s many responsibilities helped him develop skills that have been useful throughout his life.

“I had a very well-rounded college experience,” says Carter.

“The biggest lesson I learned as a student was time management.

Between athletics, academics and other activities, I did not have a lot of free time. My schedule was always very busy, and learning how to prioritize has benefitted me as I’ve grown in the business world.”

Carter joined Armstrong Wealth Management Group shortly after graduation. He’s been with the growing firm for 21 years.

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