FMU Focus Magazine Spring/Summer 2024

FRANCIS MARION

Standardized testing has been back in the news recently.

As if it ever left.

The latest developments: research reveals testing to be a reliable predictor of academic achievement; and research reveals testing to be an inaccurate predictor of student success. Standardized admissions testing and its predictive abilities has been the impetus for a massive library of articles, papers, books, and charts, all broken down by assorted categories and variables.

I won’t bore you with the details. There are many.

At Francis Marion, standardized testing has played a role in our admissions process over the years. We have struggled with its meaning, its biases, its incongruities, for decades. It is an imperfect tool, but one thrust upon us.

COVID gave us a literal pause in testing for a while. Along with most colleges and universities, we suspended SAT requirements.

We used that break to reflect on standardized testing and what it meant to our students and to the makeup of our student body.

The most significant conclusion was that the testing pause created a unique opportunity for prospective students who clearly had academic ability, but who, for a variety of reasons, didn’t test particularly well. It allowed them to be more competitive for admission to good colleges and universities. This caused much consternation at many institutions, but at FMU our basic thought was “isn’t that a good thing?”

Numbers are certainly useful for identifying trends and formulating generalities, but an individual score ought not be the basis for determining academic potential or career ability. Above all, the answers to a few hundred questions on any given day should not determine life’s direction.

We used the pause to do something about that.

So, when testing resumed, we made it optional and broadened our admissions criteria to include other factors.

We are not alone in these actions. Many colleges across the country followed suit, and many programs no longer limit admission to the highest-scoring students. Instead, they are selecting people who possess the intellectual ability to master college academics, but who possess more extensive interactive and affective skills. When they graduate, they’ll be better equipped to serve their patients, clients, and customers. They’ll be among the best in whatever career they choose.

This makes sense for the work arena. It makes sense in college admissions, too.

To understand more about the factors contributing to student success, we are now spending more time looking holistically at the background and the experiences that have shaped the lives of the young men and women who apply here. We are considering where they are from, and what they have done outside the classroom. We are listening to people who know them best, both inside the school and throughout the community. As a result, we are creating more interesting and more productive classes, filled with students who have the potential to grow and learn.

Of course, standardized testing remains essential for many of our students because it remains imbedded in the system. The ability to acquire important scholarships, such as South Carolina’s LIFE and HOPE awards, are influenced by these scores. Students can qualify for these scholarships without a test score, but doing so restricts the criteria by which they may qualify. So, at the same time we are de-emphasizing standardized tests in our admissions process, we also recognize that they remain an essential part of the funding equation for many students. We’ll keep that in mind as we continue to provide still more opportunity for a broader array of students.

But it will not be our guiding star. Instead, we will focus on attracting and admitting students who will benefit most from the very special academic community at FMU, regardless of what the numbers say. Surely that’s a better course than relying on mechanisms that constrain the potential of so many deserving students, desperately trying to pursue a college degree.

For decades, one of this country’s greatest assets was its teacher colleges. At those institutions, you would find young men and women availing themselves of the opportunity for a good education and then devoting their lives to sharing it with others. Sometimes they came from modest backgrounds, but credentials mattered less than good character and the willingness to work hard.

That was a good model, but somehow it slipped away from us. We stopped looking at individuals and started looking at scores. It was easier. It was not better.

Now we are finding our way again. The exigencies of a crisis forced us to go back and look again, to return to those young men and women who are so desirous of having an education in order to serve others. Some will still be teachers. Some will be engineers, biologists, or healthcare professionals. Some might even choose to study and understand the nature and treatment of autism through our newest major — autism studies (see story, page 4).

Our efforts in this regard underscore the essence of what this university is and always has been: a place where good people earn a fine education and then go out and make the world better.

It is hard to find a test that predicts that.

Maybe we should quit trying.

Dr. Fred Carter, President

COMPLETING THE CIRCLE

A surprising – and serendipitous – moment in the South Carolina legislature has pushed FMU to the forefront of autism education.

THE LAND OF FMU

Careful planning and thoughtful acquisitions have tripled the size of FMU's campus.

Francis Marion Focus Magazine

SPRING/SUMMER 2024

CONTRIBUTORS

Tucker Mitchell

Anna Todd

Anna Kathryn Strom

DESIGNER

Tori Payne

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Anna Kathryn Strom Breanna Lisenby

A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT

New developmental teams at FMU are expanding opportunities and growing Patriot athletics.

A NEW LOOK FOR THE HOME OF THE PATRIOTS

A major renovation transforms the venerable Smith Center at FMU.

Annabelle

The FMU Focus Magazine is a semi-annual publication of Francis Marion University. It is distributed digitally to University alumni, donors, and friends. Print copies can be requested. The magazine is published by FMU’s University Communications office.

COMPLETING THE CIRCLE

A surprising – and serendipitous – moment in the South Carolina legislature has pushed FMU to the forefront of autism education.

By TUCKER MITCHELL

Francis Marion President Fred Carter gets around. It’s part of the job of being a university president, or at least it is the way he does it.

Most of Carter’s travel is quite purposeful, with set agendas and goals, but all of it is accompanied by the thought of a possible connection to … something else. You know the old saying: one thing leads to another. With Fred Carter, it almost always does – often to very big things.

So it was that several years ago, Carter found himself touring a grade school in Marion County. Entering one particular classroom, Carter saw children sitting in a circle. Well, some of them. There were three or four sitting back, outside the circle, not engaged.

Carter asked the classroom’s teacher why those students were not more effectively engaged, and the teacher explained, in a sad whisper, that the uncircled students were “on the spectrum,” meaning, of course, that they had been diagnosed with autism.

Fast forward to last spring and Carter’s annual testimony before the South Carolina House Ways and Means Committee’s subcommittee on higher education funding. Finished with his prepared remarks, Carter fielded some questions from the legislators present. Representative Nathan Ballentine, the committee’s chairman, asked Carter to talk briefly about areas the university was considering for expansion in the years to come. Carter pondered this for a moment and then a vision from a classroom visit popped into his head. He started talking about autism.

He told the story of his Marion visit, and concluded by saying, “Rep. Ballentine, today I think we have a lot of children in our state sitting outside that circle.”

Not long after, Carter received a call from Ballentine asking if a $500,000 recurring appropriation would be enough to start a program designed to address autism at FMU. Carter said it would and graciously accepted the unexpected funds. And then, a short time after that, he received a call from State Senator Ronnie Cromer who told Carter he’d always had a special interest in the topic of autism. And was a $500,000 appropriation from the House really enough?

“I told the senator, ‘you know, for these kinds of maladies, there’s never enough,’” Carter recalls.

The appropriation was soon doubled to $1 million per year and FMU’s autism program was airborne.

A year later, Carter is still shaking his head at the unparalleled legislative events.

“Listen, we’ve gotten great support, appropriations and more, from the legislature over the years. A lot of people have been very good to us,” says Carter. “But I’ve never gotten one I didn’t ask for. On this occasion, Senator Cromer and Chairman Ballentine were sufficiently moved, and here we are. And it’s going to be a terrific program. The need is great. We’re glad we can do our part in addressing it.”

The fast-developing new program, which could start as early as this fall, is built around an innovative, multi-disciplinary approach that will prepare both educators and clinical practitioners to tackle autism. It will involve faculty and instruction from the School of Education, the School of Health Sciences, and the College of Liberal Arts, and will be organized as a special Center for Autism Studies with its own director.

The center will be housed in the School of Education. The search for the dedicated director is underway.

Thanks to a seven-figure gift from alums Jim (’77) and Candace Brown (’92), the directorship will be endowed and money will be available for scholarships in the program right from the start.

“So, in a period of about six months, we had the state putting in about $1 million recurring on the table, and a couple of our very generous alumni with seven figures in scholarships and an endowed chair. … It’s an extraordinary beginning,” says Carter.

As the funding developed, Carter pulled together the deans and department chairs of the academic areas that could be involved to begin a running discussion on how to structure a program. The conversations quickly pointed towards a multidisciplinary approach.

“The question was ‘would an interdisciplinary approach be meaningful, be effective, in this situation’ and of course the answer was ‘yes,’” says Dr. Callum Johnston, professor of education and the interim dean of the FMU School of Education. “(Autism) is a diagnosis with so many facets. We think that through this program, we can provide new services in Occupational Therapy (OT, a new graduate program that is currently accepting applications for its first class of students), SpeechLanguage Pathology, and Psychology, and through special education, where we train teachers to work with children and family. This approach has the potential to have a big impact.”

Dr. Karen Gittings, Dean of FMU’s School of Health Sciences, says the prospect of a collaborative effort was challenging in its complexity, but exciting in what it could mean.

“The group (assembled by Dr. Carter) was given a broad charge: what can we do for our students to make sure they’re ready to work in this field, but just as importantly, what can we do for the community that is so affected by this. It was humbling to consider, but also energizing to take on something like that.

“It’s so exciting here in health sciences to be involved in collaboration and teamwork like this. We try to do that all the time amongst the health professions, but this is on a broader scale and it’s really the epitome of how it can work. We think we’ll have OT, SLP, nursing, and even healthcare administration involved.”

IN DEMAND

As noted, the new center will be housed, organizationally, in the School of Education, and the primary focus will be the new degree: Bachelor of Science in Education, Multi-categorical Special Education: Autism Studies, Pre-K through 12. Students who graduate from FMU’s program will bring a special set of skills that will enable them to assist in the preparation and delivery of programs for autistic children at all three educational levels (early childhood, elementary and secondary). They’ll be licensed as special education teachers through the South Carolina Department of Education, and will be equipped to teach students with a variety of needs. But they will have additional

education focused on autism, that Johnston says “will be more specific, and I think, much more helpful.

“We think the teachers we’ll prepare in this program will be great resources for others at the schools from the moment they’re hired,” says Johnston. “They’ll be very much in demand.”

One innovative aspect of the program is the psychology component which will qualify graduates to sit for the Board Certified Assistant Behavioral Analyst (BCaBA) certificate. That opens several additional career paths — BCaBAs often work in healthcare and related fields — and provides still greater expertise for grads in the education field.

The program is also designed to prepare students for future graduate studies in education, health sciences, and/or psychology for graduate school. “The curriculum will allow students to move into the clinical school psychology program or to move into a grad program, and that will be true for OT or SLP, as well,” says Dr. Crystal Hill-Chapman, chair of the Department of Psychology. “The primary purpose is to serve kids in schools, and I can’t tell you how important that is. There are school psychologists who can perform some of these tasks, who have this knowledge, but there is such a shortage in that area. Whichever direction (a graduate) goes, their presence will be felt.”

Hill-Chapman and Gittings think the program’s flexibility will attract interest from an array of education and healthcare professionals interested in acquiring new degrees. A psychology major could use the program to move towards a behavioral analyst certification, or an advanced degree. Graduates of this program may also choose to expand their expertise through further study in other disciplines.

‘LOTS OF PATHS’

The curriculum will be based on existing special education courses, and core courses in psychology related to behavioral analysis and connected subjects. The education courses will be tailored to include specific instruction with regard to autism and the three age-levelappropriate instruction already mentioned. Students will also take courses in Occupational Therapy, Psychology, and Speech-Language Pathology. The major requires 63 credit hours.

“I think it’s really going to take off, really going to put a spotlight on FMU"

Dr. Callum Johnston, interim dean, FMU School of Education

The undergraduate curriculum will allow most grads to move directly into graduate programs in any of the curriculums involved. Students will find themselves in classes and labs with students in other, related majors. That’s another plus, given that after graduation, they’ll find themselves engaging across disciplines again.

Creating those multiple alignments was one of the more complicated parts of the programbuilding process, but program leaders say it was well worth the time.

“The priority is making sure community needs are served,” says Hill-Chapman. “But that can be done with a variety of practitioners addressing this area from different angles. For our students, we’ve really left the door open. They’ll have a lot of paths.”

CLINICS: PUBLIC ACCESS

The autism major, and its grads, will pair with private clinics that FMU already operates in Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology (an Occupational Therapy Clinic will likely follow). The clinics, which operate out of FMU’s Leatherman Medical Education Complex in downtown Florence, provide access to professional services delivered by FMU faculty and graduate students operating under their supervision.

The services are much in demand. FMU’s clinic is especially attractive because of its affordability.

The psychology clinic sees patients with a variety of diagnoses, but autism is one of the more significant issues. Access to that service is vital to families in need.

Dr. Shayna Wrighten, an associate professor of biology at FMU and the director of the university’s African American Studies

program, has been bringing her (now) sixyear-old son, Carter, who is diagnosed with autism, to the FMU clinic for two years. Prior to that, he was on a lengthy wait list for private treatment.

“We were told that we should get him into an Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) program,” says Wrighten. “We were recommended to a program in Florence that had a wait list that was years long. Then, the FMU ABA clinic opened, and we were able to get in.

“My son has been a patient there for about a year and a half. In that time, he has shown a lot of growth. He has worked with therapists who he looks forward to seeing, and often looks forward to going to ABA.”

Wrighten says Carter is especially appreciative of “getting snacks.”

“He also enjoyed playing with the therapists, and he would always be excited to share with them what kind of day he had in school once he started kindergarten (they get different colored faces at school each day based on their behavior). We’re happy to see more resources for children on the Autism Spectrum finally coming to Florence.”

The Speech-Language Pathology clinic, and the coming Occupational Therapy clinic will impact patients with diagnoses on the Autism Spectrum in different ways. Children with autism often face challenges with communication that SpeechLanguage Pathologists can help by building skills. Occupational therapy, despite the connotations associated with its name, is actually directed as much at daily living as it is as a vocational training or rehabilitation. A major part of living for children is “play,” so occupational therapists can help improve their participation and interest in daily activities leading to increased independence for the young patients its practitioners may see.

An additional benefit of the ramped up clinical presence for the university is the addition of new clinical sites and experiences for FMU students, and that could include students from a number of fields. Students in all the disciplines involved in the new program have a required number of clinical hours as part of their majors. Gittings thinks nursing students could rotate through the clinics as well.

“It’s another resource for obtaining practicum hours,” says Gittings, “but more importantly,

it’s also a place to gain invaluable experience, working with children with autism under the guidance of expert faculty. There are just so many possibilities.”

‘CAN’T WAIT TO GET STARTED’

FMU’s clinics expect to grow as new students enroll in the autism major, and it will continue to serve Florence and the surrounding area. University leaders hope that many of the program’s graduates will stay in the Pee Dee, too. Serving that particular community with education that addresses critical needs has long been baked into FMU’s mission.

But as the program leaders note, the need for professionals in this field is acute, and FMU’s new program will be unique, “in the state, and really

in the Southeast,” says the School of Education’s Johnston.

“I think it’s really going to take off, really going to put a spotlight on FMU,” says Johnston. “We already have students wanting to know when they can apply, and we’ve had outside organizations contacting us, wanting to establish a partnership or some other kind of relationship. This will certainly impact care in our backyard, but I think our students will be in demand in many places.

“It’s a fast-growing field with a lot of need,” he says. “To come together with other departments to offer a service of this magnitude … It’s an amazing experience. I can’t wait for us to get started.”

Creating an important new major across two schools and one academic department required a willingness to work together for a common goal. Dr. Crystal Hill-Chapman, chair of the Department of Psychology, Dr. Karen Gittings, Dean of the School of Health Sciences, and Dr. Callum Johnston, Interim Dean of the School of Education, were more than ready to join hands.

The Land of FMU

By TUCKER MITCHELL

Francis Marion University’s campus has always been about the land. Access to a viable, affordable site is why it is where it is.

In the past few decades, FMU’s land has grown, more than tripling the campus acreage when FMU opened in the early 1970s.

Thanks to a series of strategic acquisitions, FMU now owns more than 850 acres. It is among the largest holdings of any comprehensive public university in the state, and is a critical asset that positions FMU to grow as needed in the decades ahead.

The university, of course, has seen marked growth in recent years, with the addition of a dozen new buildings on campus, but more will be needed in the years ahead. Hence, the need for more space.

That represents prudent thinking and planning tied to the university’s longstanding vision of creating a campus with a “park-like character” that “presents great opportunities” for growth and development.

Here’s a guide to the Lands of FMU.

E. PALMETTO ST. HEYWARD

HARLAN G. HAWKINS DRIVE

WALLACE WOODS ROAD

More than 850 acres. Triple the land. Unlimited future potential.

Highway frontage, 2006-2007. 20.7 acres

Additional entries to Griffin Athletic Complex, office space, future development.

Griffin Athletic Complex, 2006. 81.5 acres

Home of Cormell Field, Hartzler Soccer Stadium, the FMU Softball Stadium, and Webb Lake.

West Campus expansion, 2011-2016. 205.1 acres

Land purchases adjacent to Griffin Athletic Complex. Includes the site of the future Forestry Science building and space for future development.

Original Campus, 1970-1980. 303.4 acres

Site of the original campus. Significant recent development includes the addition of the Lee Nursing Building, the new Lee-Dozier School of Business/School of Education Building (under construction) and new residence halls. Some additional space remains for future development.

Development in the 2000s and beyond

Francis Marion University Recording Studio

Carter Center for Health Sciences

New Development, 2009-2019

Downtown Properties, 2009-2019. 8.1 acres

Includes properties associated with the FMU Performing Arts Center, The Hugh and Jean Leatherman Medical Complex, the Carter Center for Health Sciences, the FMU Recording Studio and the Medical Consortium Building (project in planning stages).

PALMETTO ST.

CHEVES ST.

EVANS ST. IRBY

Freshwater Ecology Complex, 2019

Ecology Center, 2019. 144 acres

Site for Rae Ecology Center, FMU Conference Center. Includes a 27-acre lake.

Walking Trails

Goodson Pond 4 3 2 1

Freshwater Ecology Complex Meeting Room

Freshwater Ecology Complex Classrooms

2 3 4 1

A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT

By TUCKER MITCHELL

NEW DEVELOPMENTAL TEAMS AT FMU ARE EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES AND GROWING PATRIOT ATHLETICS.

Adonis Cole has moved from FMU's developmental basketball team to starting on the varsity.

Adonis Cole’s future came crashing down around him late in the summer of 2022.

A basketball scholarship to a South Carolina junior college fell apart, thanks to a series of coaching changes and institutional drama beyond his reach or understanding, and as the school year began, the Charleston native was an athlete and a student without a home.

And then the phone rang. It was Jake Zehnder, the head basketball coach at Francis Marion University, and he had an offer that Cole could neither imagine nor refuse.

There was an opening, Coach Z said. Come to FMU and play on the Patriots’ developmental team. No promises, but if Cole did well, who knows? One day he might move up to varsity.

And, oh yeah. School started the next day. Could he be there by 9 a.m.?

“I told him I’d be there,” says Cole. “So me and my mom, we started packing. I’m not sure I really understood everything he (Zehnder) was saying, but he had me at ‘play college basketball.’ As for a developmental team … I wasn’t even sure that was a thing.”

It was a thing, though, and a pretty good one for Cole, as it turned out.

He came to FMU, enrolled in classes, and began to practice basketball with his developmental squad teammates.

Five games into the season, Zehnder called to tell him he was bringing him up to the Patriots’ varsity team to help provide better competition in practice. By the end of the season, Cole was a starter. He’s been a starter, or a regular member of FMU’s rotation, ever since. The 6-1, 205-pounder’s aggressive, athletic play has helped propel FMU to the top tier of the Conference Carolina standings following a slow start this season.

“All I wanted was an opportunity,” says Cole, “and that’s what I got. It was up to me to do something with it.”

FMU is extending that same opportunity to dozens of athletes these days. Using a phased approach that began with simply expanding varsity rosters, FMU has added developmental teams in men’s basketball, baseball and men’s soccer. The women’s soccer team has expanded its roster and expects to field a developmental team soon. Discussions are ongoing about developmental teams in other sports.

The addition of the developmental teams has added 6070 student-athletes to the mix at FMU. Coupled with the recent addition of an acrobatics and tumbling team, and an expansion of the Patriot track and field team (see story, page 15), FMU is fast closing in on 400 student-athletes, or close to a tenth of the student body.

‘BIG SUCCESS STORY’

job finding kids who want to play, and who can do the work.

“It’s been a big success story for us.”

FMU began investigating the idea of developmental teams several years ago, as the Patriots began their move to a new athletic conference, Conference Carolinas. The new league includes considerably more private schools than the Peach Belt, FMU’s previous sports league, and private schools have some tradition in expanded athletic competition, often using it to help drive enrollment. FMU leaders knew their developmental teams would be able to play quality opponents in meaningful games in Conference Carolinas.

At the same time, they were moving to meet a need. There was clearly interest by more students in intercollegiate athletics than there were team slots to meet the need.

The idea received an enthusiastic reception across campus.

Dr. Fred Carter, FMU’s president, says providing more students with the opportunity to be real student-athletes, was a relatively easy decision to make.

“More students can be involved in intercollegiate athletics — and this is intercollegiate athletics, not club sports —  and all the way around that’s a wonderful opportunity, both for the institution, for students, and

That can present challenges, but Murray Hartzler, FMU’s director of athletics, says the expansion has been a big plus.

“The developmental teams have gone well, and we’re really just getting started,” says Harztler. “The biggest thing I’m pleased about, is that even though we’re raising the number of student-athletes, we have shown that we can maintain the academics, which is always foremost in our minds.

“As we were putting this together, the worry was that we might have students coming in — and since it’s the developmental team, most are non-scholarship — and if they are not having success, they might not put as much time and effort into academics. But our grade point average (GPA) for student athletes barely moved when we started, and this past fall, it was over 3.0 (GPA) again. So basically, we’ve been able to maintain the rate, even with 100 more student-athletes. I’ll have to say I was pleasantly surprised, and I have to give most of the credit there to our coaches and the careful way in which they’ve recruited. People think, ‘oh, they’ll just be taking anybody and everybody.’ But we’re not. This is a school with challenging academics and the coaches have done a great

frankly for the sports themselves.”

Hartzler and Carter worked hard from the start to put together a program that gives the developmental teams as close to a varsity experience as possible. That meant access to all of FMU’s superb athletic facilities, support staff, and quality coaching.

In most of the sports, new coaches were hired to lead the developmental squads. Most also have additional duties with the varsity teams.

Equipment is identical to what the varsity teams use. The developmental teams do wear hand-me-down uniforms from the varsity, but FMU buys new uniforms in most sports on a two-year cycle, so the used unis are not very used.

“When Dr. Carter and I sat down together, we agreed that it’s very important that we treat them exactly the same as everyone else, as the varsity players,” says Hartzler. “We knew that if we didn’t do that, we wouldn’t have retention, and it would become harder to recruit for those teams because word would get around.

“We’ve done a pretty good job with that,” says Harztler. “The coaches who coach those teams coach up the players just like they’re on the

varsity. We have had to make some special accommodations while our locker rooms were under construction (FMU recently remodeled and expanded its locker rooms in the Smith University Center. See story, page 26.), but we take good care of them. And we’ve been careful to put together a quality schedule.”

CONFERENCE SUPPORT

With help from Conference Carolinas, whose member schools are committed to providing top-notch experiences for all its athletes, developmental team schedules include games against conference opponents. Several sports — men’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling, men’s volleyball, and baseball — even have conference tournaments where champions are crowned. FMU’s developmental soccer squad won the conference tournament last fall in its first season of competition, and FMU has hosted two of the baseball championships at the request of the conference, which likes to show off the Griffin Athletic Complex, one of the league’s best facilities.

Chris Colvin, commissioner of Conference Carolinas, says the developmental team idea was driven by conference members, but has blossomed with help from the league office. The developmental tournaments were launched during his watch.

“Our fundamental idea is always to help our member schools accomplish their mission through athletics,” says Colvin. “We had a number of schools who were doing this, so we asked them, ‘how can we help?’ We support it in a number of ways, but the tournament is

the most visible. And it’s really been a neat thing. We have more kids playing intercollegiate athletics and they really seem to like it. Some of the championship celebrations (at developmental tournaments) have been bigger than anything we’ve seen with varsity teams.”

Says FMU’s Hartzler, “It is great for our teams to have something to look forward to, to play for something. Makes a difference in terms of concentration. It was not in place when FMU joined, it was just getting talked about, but Chris Colvin and company got it going not long after he got there. It came together and has added to this initiative.”

The majority of the developmental games in every sport are home games, another tip of the hat to the university’s commitment to academics. Avoiding long road trips helps ensure the players have sufficient time for their studies. Schedules vary by sports. Baseball at FMU is playing a 14-game schedule, plus the tournament. Basketball and soccer played 8-10 games.

DEVELOPING PLAYERS

FMU Baseball Coach Art Inabinet oversees the largest developmental squad at FMU. The Patriot baseball program now has 65-70 team members. The numbers break roughly into 35-40 varsity players and 30 on the developmental team, but the counts are fluid because of the way the program is managed.

The entire team practices together, with instruction and supervision from the entire coaching staff. The team uses the same locker rooms and training facilities, too.

“The only time there’s any separation is on game days,” says Inabinet. “The varsity goes to play their games when it's time, and the developmental team goes and plays its games.

“That’s how Dr. Carter and Murray envisioned it, and it makes a lot of sense,” says Inabinet. “I can put myself in the player’s shoes. If I felt like I was being treated in some kind of second-class manner, practicing in a different place or at a different time, with different equipment, I might not be too interested in this. As it is, we don’t have any trouble getting players interested in this, and our retention has been good, surprisingly good, I think.”

Like men’s basketball, baseball has already received important, onfield contributions from at least one player. Chesterfield’s Josh Adams came to FMU as a developmental player for the 2021-22 season, but quickly blossomed. He was among FMU’s best pitchers out of the bullpen in ’22-23 (3-0, 2.75 ERA, 5 saves), and is now one of the Patriots’ three weekend starters.

“He’s a kid who learned what he needed to be successful at this level and then developed it very quickly,” says Inabinet. “That’s exactly the kind of opportunity that’s available here.”

Inabinet has also seen a player, Peyton Britt, graduate after spending four years at FMU as a developmental player. He dressed for, but didn’t play in varsity games, his senior year. Degree in hand, he’s now preparing for a career in law enforcement.

Inabinet and company have also used the developmental team to find game experience for varsity players. A player who isn’t getting a lot of varsity playing time can get a few live at-bats, or pitch an inning or two, continuing his development while biding his time.

“(The developmental program) has allowed us to make sure everyone who comes here gets to play,” says Inabinet. “That’s been a big benefit. It’s been good for us, but I think it’s been good for the young men here, too. We’re giving more students the opportunity to participate in college sports. I think that’s a very good thing.”

Hartzler says the new teams have exceeded most expectations.

“We’re giving more kids an opportunity and we’re doing it the way we’ve always done it,” says Hartzler. “They have to perform in the classroom, and they have to come to practice and work hard. They’re always told that the best will play. If one of the best is on the developmental squad, well, then that will happen.” >>

>> JUST ASK ADONIS COLE.

MORE TEAMS, BIGGER TEAMS

ATHLETIC EXPANSION INCLUDES NEW ACROBATICS & TUMBLING TEAM AND TRACK AND FIELD EXPANSION.

The growing number of student athletes on FMU’s campus is due mostly to the university’s new developmental teams (see story, page 12), but some of it is due to the addition of women’s acrobatics and tumbling to the varsity roster and the expansion of the track and field team.

Altogether, the additions have added more than 100 student athletes to FMU’s rosters. The number will likely surpass 400 total athletes in the next few years, or about a tenth of FMU’s total student body, says Murray Hartzler, FMU’s director of athletics.

“It’s great to see all the athletes on campus,” says Hartzler. “We’ve had a good tradition in athletics for a long time. Part of that tradition is the academic abilities of our student athletes. They’re often some of the best students on campus. Because we’ve been careful (while expanding) to only take kids who can really do the work, that should continue to be the case.”

FLYING PATRIOTS

“THIS ISN’T HOW I IMAGINED MY CAREER WOULD GO,” COLE SAYS, “BUT THIS HAS REALLY BEEN GREAT. IT’S A GREAT IDEA. YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE I KNOW BACK HOME IN CHARLESTON WHO, WHEN I TELL THEM ABOUT THIS, SAY, ‘HOW CAN I DO THAT?’ IT’S A BIG DEAL.”

FMU hired a coach (Brittany Rueb) and began recruiting athletes for the acrobatics and tumbling team more than a year ago. There are now 21 athletes on the roster. They competed in their first varsity season this spring after beginning training and practice in the fall.

Victory on the mat was a little hard to come by early on — not surprising for a squad with 12 freshmen — but Hartzler is confident that will come. He says coach Rueb will build a solid program.

“The more we’re around her, the more fortunate we feel that we got her,” says Hartzler. “She’s done an exceptional job. Recruiting a team from scratch isn’t easy. There’s another team in our conference that started the same time we did and wasn’t able to pull a team together for this season. We had a goal of 20 this year and she surpassed that. Eventually, we’d like to have 30, and I think she’ll reach that number very soon. She’s already got 25 on the roster for next year. We may have one of the biggest squads

in the region next year. We’re already one of the larger teams in the conference.”

Acrobatic tumblers compete in nine events during a meet. Some athletes compete in all nine, some in just a few. A minimum number of athletes is required, but depth matters for development and insurance against injury.

Hartzler says he’s also been impressed with how Rueb’s athletes carry themselves.

The sport was a natural addition for FMU. Tumbling is a big sport in South Carolina. Most of the initial squad comes from the Palmetto State, although Rueb used her West Coast connections — she came to FMU from Arizona Christian University — to bring in a couple of athletes from far afield.

FIND A BIGGER BUS

FMU is growing its track and field team because Hartzler believed it could. He saw potential in the number of track and field athletes in the area and developed a plan to recruit some of them to compete at FMU.

The initial results are promising. The team grew from 12 women and 16 men a year ago to 15 women and 20 men. Hartzler says the goal is to get to about 30 for each team.

“I think we’ll get close,” he says. “If we can get there, it will allow us to attend more meets, and that will make us more attractive still.”

FMU has track facilities on campus, but will take advantage of the brand new track and field set up at the Florence Sports Complex. It opened in 2023.

“Everyone is excited about that, no question,” says Hartzler. “We’ll have a good team before too long. We have not put an emphasis on track and field. Before, it was basically cross country and a few others. Now we’re adding some student athletes just for track. We do have some funds for that. We can go after some who are just sprinters, not cross country. We’ll still have some crossover kids, cross country and track, but we’re expanding into the sprints and even some field events as well.”

Mark Bluman, FMU’s long-time cross country and track and field coach, continues to direct both teams.

An Expanding Itinerary

By TUCKER MITCHELL

FMU’s new International Study Centers will make travel abroad a consistent part of the university’s curriculum – and will help make it more affordable, too.

Francis Marion University’s life-changing, horizon-expanding program in international studies is adding another leg on its journey.

The university is creating a group of International Study Centers (ISCs) that will offer students and faculty a consistent schedule and location for short-term international study experiences.

The first ISC will be based at FMU’s WildSumaco Biological Research Station in Ecuador. Classes will begin there this spring and summer.

The WildSumaco ISC, and those that follow, will differ from other travel abroad programs at FMU in two important ways. First, the centers will have ongoing funding attached to subsidize a set amount of student travel each year. Secondly, the centers will offer regular FMU curriculum, planned a year or more in advance, giving both students and faculty the ability to arrange their schedules to fit.

Biology Professor Travis Knowles, the director of the ISC at WildSumaco as well as director of the WildSumaco Station, says the faculty has wrestled with overcoming the cost hurdle for as long as the station has been open – 13 years.

think it’s a bargain in many ways, but it’s expensive to them.

“There is always great interest (in traveling to WildSumaco), but there are always a number of students who express interest but don’t end up going, and I’m sure that’s for a variety of reasons,” Knowles says. “But clearly one of those is economic. Having some funding available to cover at least some of the travel is going to make a world of difference.”

“What a student gets out of a course like the ones we’re talking about at WildSumaco, we all know it’s a bargain for the price,” says Knowles. “That said, we also know that many of our students are financially underprivileged, may be responsible for some or all of their tuition, work to pay for school and on and on. The travel is expensive. We do

The available funds will subsidize travel for eight students in two courses each summer, or the equivalent of 16 students overall. Courses at WildSumaco can be a bit larger than that — the field station, set in one of the world’s highest rain forests, can accommodate 18 — but that’s enough funding to make sure both courses have enough students to be taught each year and that students who need help will have it.

This year, Dr. Nathan Harness, assistant professor of biology and the coordinator of FMU’s Biology: Secondary Education Program, will take a group of biology/education students to WildSumaco in May. Knowles will lead a tropical ecology course in July. Harness’ course is already full, says Knowles.

Besides providing encouragement through funding, the ISC program will allow some international study courses to become a regular, planned part of FMU’s curriculum. That’s in contrast to FMU’s current international programs, which include exchange programs where students choose their curriculum individually, and international

travel studies, which offer courses of study planned on more of an ad hoc basis. Typically, those curriculums are not repeated from year to year, so students either latch on when they become available, or they have to wait to see what the next year will bring.

“This funding allows us to plan well in advance,” says Knowles. “We can do this a year in advance, if not more. So, we can start recruiting earlier, getting courses in front of students, and it helps students, too. They can plan well ahead, lining up funding and making schedules. I think everyone benefits.”

FMU President Fred Carter, a long-time advocate of travel in education and the driving force behind the university’s expansion into international programming in recent years, calls the international study center initiative a “major step for FMU.”

“We have long organized all kinds of trips overseas — faculty-led trips, student exchange,” says Carter. “This will be a little different approach. We’ll designate a series of international studies centers. The first will be WildSumaco. We’ll have funds set aside to accommodate a certain number of kids each year, and then there will be the recurring curriculum element. That makes it more of an integral part of the curriculum, as opposed to something of an aside.

“We’ll still retain a good deal of flexibility, which is important. This could be an intensive course of study during spring break or Maymester, or it could be something longer in the summer. But what’s critical is that it would involve recurring trips, recurring groups of students, on a systematic basis, studying standard curriculum. We think that will make it more inviting to our students and therefore, open this door to more of them.”

Carter says the university expects to open 1-2 additional ISCs in the next few years. Starting at WildSumaco made sense because FMU manages that facility and has first call on its resources (other universities send students there as well). The next ISCs are likely to be at universities overseas where FMU has an existing relationship. An example is the University of Landau, in Landau in der Pfalz, Germany, which has hosted FMU students for a number of years.

for some time. Experiencing it in person will let them start imagining what they might do for our students here. Some might like to teach a particular course. Some might plan independent study projects.

“This new structure (the ISCs) will allow a lot of variety,” says Knowles. “The funds set aside will cover a 15-day stay, or thereabouts. But it could certainly be a little longer, and it could be a little shorter, too. I think it will open the door to a lot of new experiences. The good news is all of them will be built around travel. We’re so fortunate to have a president here who has the vision to understand how important that is. It’s really unbelievable for us to have something like this here.”

Expanded locations will mean expansion across FMU’s academic disciplines as well, although Knowles says plans are already in the works to bring disciplines beyond biology and education to WildSumaco. Assistant Professor Brittany Gilbert of FMU’s fine arts department, and associate professor Julie Mixon, who teaches photography at FMU, are both planning to travel to WildSumaco this summer for the first of what Knowles hopes will be many “familiarization trips” by faculty from many disciplines.

“The site (WildSumaco) is so unique, so beautiful, that I think it will lend itself to many uses, many inspirations,” says Knowles. “We’ve been talking about bringing artists, writers, and thinkers of all kinds here

THE

MAINE IDEA

By TUCKER MITCHELL

When not busy in the classroom or leading FMU’s new Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program, Professor Tiffany Pressley delivers online mental healthcare to an obscure tribe in the state of Maine. So far, it’s been a good connection.

In the rapidly changing world of modern healthcare, frontline providers find themselves wearing all kinds of hats. Few wear more unique ones than Dr. Tiffany Pressley, coordinator of the MSN/Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track at Francis Marion University.

Pressley is a full-time faculty member at FMU, where she leads one of the university’s newest advanced practice degree programs while teaching in both the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs.

And then, every Monday and Friday she spends 4-5 hours delivering mental health services remotely to members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe in northeastern Maine.

“It’s an unusual combination to be sure,” says Pressley.

Pressley has about 200 patients. She tries to visit the clinics she serves in person once a year, but obviously, most of her work is done online.

Pressley came to FMU in the summer of 2020. She’s been handling tele-medicine duties at two separate Passamaquoddy health centers serving two different tribal reserves since the end of that year.

Pressley says juggling tasks can be challenging, but the rewards, both professionally and personally, make it worthwhile. Her telemedicine work has allowed her to continue her professional practice in a new direction and that has also enriched her teaching in unexpected ways.

Yes, Pressley can now share first-hand experience regarding all the challenges associated with practicing medicine in a different culture some 1,200 miles away. Internet connections don’t work perfectly all the time and some patients do find online health confusing. But she’s also gained new insights into patient relations and practitioner selfcare as well.

“I’ve learned a lot in several different areas, but they all connect,” says Pressley. “For instance, I have Native American patients. So you have to learn, culturally, how best to understand and cater to their belief system, which is not something with which I’m familiar. All that

ties into professional etiquette in general, and how to engage over a screen, which, of course, is different than engaging in person. How do you preface the sessions? How do you make it comfortable?”

Pressley says she thought being an outsider in the world — worse still, an outsider dropping out of the sky via video screen — would be very challenging. In fact, her out-of-the-community positioning has been a benefit. The communities her patients come from are so small, so insular, that sharing and communicating about personal problems is often difficult.

“In the past, there were some trust issues, some concerns about confidentiality — it was just such a small space, a small community, and most of the employees were part of the group,” says Pressley. “Me being an outsider, several steps removed, actually has been beneficial. I’m viewed as a truly unbiased third party.

“Technology is a big struggle,” says Pressley. “Obviously, weather up there, snowing, harsh conditions, but even other so-called normal times, the signal can be affected, which means problems with how well I’m able to see and be seen. So it’s good to have been involved in that. I can definitely speak from some experience on that with my students, all of whom will likely work this way at some point. My best tip is that you have to build all the relationships you can, because when the signal goes out, you have to be able to call someone there to get it fixed. It may be on a satellite, but it may be the antenna on the side of the building. You have to have those boots on the ground.”

Pressley says her best tip overall is for practitioners to be aware of, and monitor, their own health.

“We are generally drawn to this field because we care so much,” says Pressley. “It’s easy to get pulled too far in. You have to be aware.”

Pressley says that while every practitioner coming into the field now will likely use video calling technology at some point to deliver services, she thinks that will be even more true for students at FMU.

“Our mission is to prepare students to work in the area, to stay here,” says Pressley. “There are similarities. This is a rural area once you get outside of Florence. Telehealth is already a big deal here. I don’t see that changing.”

A loyal friend who keeps on giving

Sen. Hugh Leatherman’s contributions to FMU are continuing — two-and-a-half years after he passed away.

By TUCKER MITCHELL

Throughout his 40-year legislative career, and especially during the past two decades when he was chair of the South Carolina Senate’s powerful Finance Committee, the late Hugh Leatherman was as good a friend as Francis Marion University could hope to have, his tireless legislative work ensuring the university had the resources it needed to grow and prosper.

That friendship is continuing — even now, more than two years after Leatherman passed away.

Leatherman’s family recently donated the residual funds from the senator’s campaign account to FMU, as is allowed by state law. The total of $175,129.77 will be used in at least two ways.

A beginning total of $50,000 has been set aside to create the Jean and Hugh Leatherman International Support Fund, to help pay certain expenses for FMU students traveling abroad to study.

Another $25,000 will go towards the purchase of a new research vessel for FMU’s Department of Biology, in particular its new Fisheries Science & Management program.

Additional uses for the fund, and particulars of how the international support funding will be distributed, are still under consideration in consultation with the family.

FMU’s President Fred Carter says the gift extends Leatherman’s legacy at FMU.

“Two years after he passes away, Hugh’s still bringing resources to us,” says Carter. “That’s not surprising. This university, in the community he represented for so long in the Senate, was one of his real loves. He made that decision — he and Jean did — before he passed. We’re grateful for what the funds will mean for our students and our faculty, but we’re also happy that Hugh and his many contributions will be remembered in yet another way.”

The Leatherman Science Facility at FMU and the Hugh and Jean Leatherman Medical

Complex in downtown Florence are both named for the senator.

Jean Leatherman says there was “never any doubt where remaining campaign funds should be used.

“Hugh Leatherman’s greatest loyalty was to Francis Marion University,” she says. “Hugh and I both grew up in rural areas of the Carolinas with limited resources. His degree in civil engineering touched every facet of his 90 years and propelled a passion for public service. Hugh’s service for 41 years in the South Carolina Senate was perpetually influenced by his friendship with President Fred Carter. No one understands South Carolina government better than President Carter. Their almost daily conversations planned a strategy that still provides success for our region.

“We are forever grateful that Francis Marion University is dedicated to students from area families that are the first to attend a university. Fred and Folly Carter and Francis Marion University are changing lives one student at a time and one family at a time each day! Our family is proud to support our university, the Carters, the faculty, the staff and especially the students.”

FMU donors have long provided some support for students in need who wished to study abroad. But the funds available were always outstripped by the need. That’s even more true today as FMU’s overseas study opportunities grow with the establishment of its new International Study Centers (see story, page 16).

FMU recently launched its fisheries management degree program. It’s part of a significant commitment to studies in ecology and the environment, fueled by the opening

of FMU’s new Ecology Center adjacent to a 22-acre lake just north of the university’s main campus. The program has already attracted significant attention. It is well-suited at FMU, given its location in an ecologically diverse region known for its rivers and wetlands, and adjacent to the South Carolina coast.

The new marine studies boat will be permanently docked on the Sampit River at the boardwalk in Georgetown, S.C., a space used jointly by FMU and Coastal Carolina University.

Dr. Jason Doll, director of the fisheries management program, says the new craft will expand teaching and research opportunities in the lower Great Pee Dee basin and the delta region of the Great Pee Dee River and coastal estuaries. The boat will be used in a variety of courses including Ichthyology, Fisheries Science and Management, Ornithology, Entomology, and Water Resources.

“All of these opportunities in classes will give students an immersive experience as they explore the natural history, ecology, and hydrology of coastal rivers and estuaries,” says Doll. “The pontoon boat will bring new research opportunities such as evaluating environmental water and sediment samples for contaminants, surveying fish with a variety of nets, and evaluating the hydrology of this unique system.”

Photo: The late Senator Hugh K. Leatherman

DEFENDING THE FINS

FMU's Kylie Reif stands up for sharks

By ANNA KATHRYN STROM

What does FMU soccer player Kylie Reif have in common with sharks?

Both are good swimmers, possess an ambitious nature, and have a fierce love of the ocean.

Reif’s interest in sharks took concrete form last year when she founded Definders, an organization created to educate humans about sharks, and to advocate for shark conservation. Reif’s goal is to produce a public that is better informed about the important role sharks play in the oceanic ecosystem, and not as quick to assume the worst when they see a shark coming.

Sharks are a species in desperate need of advocacy, says Reif.

Due to the unfavorable, exaggerated stereotypes perpetuated by the entertainment industry, sharks are not a popular cause. Most people view them as man-eating monsters, and are more inclined to believe we need protection from them, rather than the other way around.

Sharks are hunted for sport, which, along with some other factors, has led to a massive decline in their population. Recent research by the Pew Charitable Trusts shows the worldwide shark population has fallen by a whopping 70 percent since 1970.

“Sharks are very misunderstood, and I felt very misunderstood growing up,” Reif says. “I couldn’t imagine being killed for being misunderstood. They don’t deserve that pain, that misunderstanding. They don’t have a voice, so I decided to be their voice.”

Reif’s first step with her new organization was to create a website — www.defendthefins.org. She learned as she went, developing the necessary site-building skills while working on the site.

While that was underway, Reif assembled a team of people she met on research excursions in Florida and Fiji. The newly formed group began developing content and social media channels. The Definders social media accounts now have a steady pipeline of educational content.

Reif’s goal is for Definders to become a shark conservation organization, funded by donors big and small from around the world. For now, she is focused on reaching as many people as she can.

“Like with every startup, it’s hard,” Reif says. “It’s not going to take off immediately. I’m fighting a very strong stigma in society. But if I reach just one more person and get one more view on our videos, that’s a win to me. Obviously, I’d love to have thousands of views, but you never see where people start, you just see where they end up. So my goal is to find that next person. That’s enough for me right now.”

Reif credits her mom, Diana Reif, with instilling her love of the ocean. As a child, Reif went snorkeling with her mother in Hawaii. Or, more precisely, she went out on the ocean with her mother while her mother snorkeled.

Reif was afraid to get in the water. She stayed on the boat while her

Photos: Kylie Reif

mom pleaded with her to come see the beauty and wonder that was under the surface.

Her mom finally talked her into putting her face in. The first thing Reif saw when she peered down into the ocean was a giant sea turtle. From that moment, she was hooked.

“A switch went off inside me,” Reif says. “I became obsessed with the ocean. After that day, I was out in the water from dawn until dusk the rest of the trip. I often think, ‘Where would I be if not for that day?’”

Reif obtained her scuba certification when she was 15, which opened up new opportunities in the water. She fell in love with sharks soon after.

“As a kid, I had the ocean all wrong,” Reif says “I started to wonder if I had other things wrong, too. So I started researching sharks and interacting with them. The first few times I saw them, it was intimidating. But, I realized they just come and go. And every place I saw them, the ocean was thriving. That can’t be a coincidence. I realized how amazing these creatures are and how evolutionarily fascinating they are.”

When she’s not advocating for sharks, Reif is an important contributor for the FMU women’s soccer team and an accomplished student. She was a Conference Carolinas Presidential All-Academic team selection, and has made the Swamp Fox Academic Honor Roll three times in her short career at FMU.

The Indiana native is advancing her academic pursuits at FMU as well, taking advantage of the university’s growing marine biology and ecology programs.

This summer, Reif and FMU biology professor Dr. Jason Doll will conduct a diversity survey of elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays) at Winyah Bay in Georgetown County.

Doll says Reif will study and compare gear types commonly used to survey elasmobranchs.

“She will compare species diversity indices from elasmobranchs captured in longlines and tangle nets,” Doll says. “Kylie is a passionate and inquisitive student, and I know she will be the perfect student to lead this project.”

Reif hopes to use her research and online platform to help oceanic wildlife firsthand. She already has experience with that under supervision and would like to continue on that path. She plans to use Definders to continue building on her momentum in the battle to save sharks.

“If we don’t stop and pay attention to what we’re doing to these supposed ‘monsters of the sea,’ we’re going to lose everything in our oceans,” says Reif. “I want to save it. I know I can’t singlehandedly save it, but I want to start a community that wants to save it too. I want to start that tidal wave.”

By ANNA TODD

Annabelle Smith, a Florence native and December 2019 graduate of FMU, always knew she was destined to move to New York and credits FMU for getting her there.

A year after graduating from Francis Marion with degrees in Human Resource Management and Marketing, Smith took a leap of faith and moved to New York City during the height of the pandemic. Careful planning and saving for a year while she stayed home and worked as director of programs for Extreme Cheer and Tumble – where she worked all throughout high school and college –allowed her to confidently move to the city without a job.

Always true to herself, Smith gave herself a year in New York, enough time, she thought, to move into an apartment, get acclimated to big city life, and find a job. As you can imagine, finding a job while the world was shut down proved to be challenging, but if there was anyone up for a challenge, it was Smith.

She landed a job at Dow Jones, one of the largest business and financial news companies in the world. In her first year with the company, she was selected for the prestigious America’s Rookie of the Year Award based on her stellar performance. This wasn’t the only achievement she had during her first year — she was also promoted to New Business Sales Executive, quite a feat at a company of the caliber of Dow Jones.

All of this, she says, can be attributed to the education she received at Francis Marion.

“I feel confident that wherever I go in my career, I

have a great foundation thanks to the education and support I received during my time at FMU.”

She also credits the university’s faculty, in particular, Dr. Kay Lawrimore-Belanger, professor of marketing, for setting her up for success.

“Dr. Lawrimore had a huge impact on me during my time at FMU,” says Smith. “The constant encouragement as well as the push she gives her students to be better and learn more is truly amazing. I find myself pulling out old notes from her class even today to help me in my current role. To me, that’s something that’s pretty special.”

Lawrimore also had nothing but praise for Smith.

“So often, I’ll have students walk in on the first day of class and tell me they are going to move to New York and work in marketing,” says Lawrimore-Belanger. “When Annabelle told me she aspired to do that, I knew she would. I couldn’t be more proud of the business woman she has become.”

A 2017 graduate of South Florence High School, Smith had an extensive college search, looking at many schools of business. She knew she wanted to study business and had a checklist of items she

Annabelle Smith ('19) says her FMU education prepared her for life in New York and a career in the financial services industry.

Above: The Rookie of the Year Award from Dow Jones was awarded to Smith.

was looking for in a university: national recognition, small class sizes, personal attention, and the ability to work while in school. Francis Marion checked each box for her.

Smith was particularly impressed that FMU’s School of Business holds AACSBInternational accreditation, something that only 5% of business schools in the world have. This accreditation checked box one for Smith.

Knowing her ultimate goal was to move to NYC after graduating, she wanted to be able to work and study at the same time. This was something she found she could do easily at FMU, as she was able to continue the job she held throughout high school during her college years. Box number two, checked.

She also knew she wanted a place where she’d be challenged to grow, but have smaller classes where her professors knew her by name. With an average class size of 16, and faculty dedicated to getting to know their students on day one, FMU easily checked off this box.

During her two and a half years at FMU – she entered the university with quite a few credits – she studied Human Resource Management and Marketing. A creative person by nature, she knew she wanted to have a people-forward position, so learning about HR Management was the right track. After taking a marketing course required for all business majors regardless of focus, she decided to add marketing to her degree.

“I fell in love with marketing and the creative aspect of business during one of my early marketing classes,” says Smith. “I knew I wanted to work with people and help move them forward. The combination of marketing and HR management was the perfect fit for me.”

Not only were her areas of study the perfect fit for her, they also seemed to be the perfect fit for Dow Jones. Smith’s multifaceted role at the company allows her to work with many different areas within the organization. She is able to use the skills she learned in both marketing and HR management as she works with clients across the nation, as well as some of Dow Jones’ brands like the Wall Street Journal.

Annabelle Smith in New York. Photos courtesy of Annabelle Smith.

TYING THE KNOT:

Photos by Josie Derrick

Shana Wanco’s craftsman letterpress company ties weddings together across the country

By ANNA KATHRYN STROM

Shana Wanco is no stranger to taking chances.

As an undergraduate at Francis Marion, she changed her major from nursing to visual communications without telling her parents. Wanco loved working with a variety of mediums and techniques while studying visual communications and design at FMU. But after she left school, she felt unsatisfied with her role at a design firm.

So, true to form, she decided to take another risk — trusting that her talent would help her succeed in the “nichy” business of letterpress printing. Wanco purchased a vintage 1920s letterpress off of Craigslist and started her own business printing high end wedding stationery. Her risk taking has paid off. Wanco’s six-year-old company, Iris + Marie, has become a major player in the small, but lucrative sector of the wedding industry.

Letterpress printers are old school, machines not far from the one famously invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century. Letterpress machines use the traditional technique of relief printing to transfer art and text to paper. Raised forms and letters are inked and pressed into the paper, creating a tactile impression on the page. The machines were replaced by faster offset presses in the mid-20th century, but letterpress printing has enjoyed a revival in recent years as an artisanal craft.

Letterpress printing can be slightly crisper than offset printing. Modern letterpress printers apply pressure to the paper so that a slight indentation is not only tangible, but visible. The indentation was once considered sort of a flaw, hence the rise of offset printing. But the stamp of the press gives the work a certain handcrafted quality that marks the product as a genuine letterpress creation.

The Iris + Marie company name is a combination of Wanco’s own middle name, Marie, and the name she gave her beloved press, Iris. The company began as a local business serving clients in the Columbia area. It quickly exploded into a national name in the wedding industry, thanks to client references and Wanco’s carefully curated social media channels.

“It grew organically on Instagram, and a lot — especially at the beginning — was from word of mouth,” Wanco says. “Now wedding planners and designers seek me out from all over the country. Many have become repeat clients.”

Because of the painstaking nature of the letterpress process, Wanco serves a very small number of clientele. She typically only takes on six wedding clients per year. Wanco also offers branding services for local Columbia businesses. One of her most visible projects is Azalea Coffee Bar, a locally owned coffee shop on Devine Street that opened in 2021.

Wanco’s handcrafted stationery has become exclusive and highly sought out. The time consuming process and the relative scarcity of letterpress operations contribute to the businesses’ value and its rapid rise. But Wanco’s unique trademark style has played a big role, too.

“I have a unique and distinct style, but it kind of flows between which client I’m working for,” Wanco says. “Overall, I would say my style is very whimsical, a little bit quirky and definitely very colorful. I take a lot of inspiration from vintage pieces, especially something groovy or a little kitschy.”

Wanco’s business idea can be traced back to her days at FMU. Her first encounter with letterpress was in Dr. Gregory Fry’s class, where the art professor introduced students to the traditional, laborious art form.

“One of my graphic design professors, Gregory Fry, was really awesome,” Wanco says. “He is the one who introduced me to letterpress, which is the path that I took after college. I had not seen letterpress first hand until then. Now, that is a big part of my business.” That experience planted the seed. Years later, feeling frustrated with her 9-to-5 job, Wanco happened upon “Iris,” which proved to be her ticket into entrepreneurship.

She hasn’t looked back since.

“The best part of my job is when I get to connect with wedding clients to create something that captures their story and expresses who they are through artwork,” Wanco says. “People commission artwork all the time, but it’s different with wedding invitations because all your family and friends will see them. And having a wedding suite be a true reflection of yourself, that’s really exciting. It’s always very fun to see how creativity brings my clients’ stories to life on paper.”

(Above) Shana Wanco at work on her letterpress. (Below) Some samples of Wanco's exquisite work.

A NEW LOOK FOR THE HOME OF THE PATRIOTS

MAJOR RENOVATION ADDS FACILITIES, MODERNIZED DECOR TO THE SMITH CENTER

By FMU COMMUNICATIONS STAFF

The Smith University Center, home to Patriot athletics, the university bookstore, and much of student life at FMU, has a shiny new look.

A major renovation project was completed last November, just in time for fall commencement. The project, which shut the doors of the UC for the better part of a year, included a new student fitness center, new athletic training space and expanded locker room space for the Patriot teams that compete in the Smith Center, and brighter, updated decor, flooring, and furniture all around.

“It turned out superbly,” says FMU President Fred Carter. “It’s bright, it’s inviting, the space is being used in a manner that better fits our current needs. I think all alumni will be proud when they see it.”

Closing FMU’s indoor pool created space for the new student fitness center as well as the expanded space for athletic facilities. Carter says while most students won’t see the athletic space — new locker rooms and athletic training areas —  it is a big difference maker to the teams that utilize it.

“That part of the complex is now every bit as modern as Griffin Athletic Complex spaces are across the way,” says Carter. “With the renovation, FMU clearly has some of the finest Division II athletic facilities in the Southeast.”

The Smith Center is one of FMU’s original core buildings and is the largest structure on campus. It was built in 1974. The recent renovation work totaled near $4 million and was funded using existing athletic bonds.

EVERYTHING U.C. IS BRAND NEW!

Left: New locker rooms lifted FMU athletic teams based in the University Center to a new level.

Far right: The seating in FMU's gymnasium was upgraded and everyone is in the know with the new video scoreboards.

Below: A new student fitness center keeps all Patriots in shape.

Below right, opposite page: Expanded training facilities is a real boon for FMU athletes.

SHE'S ALWAYS HAD A SONG IN HER HEART

By ANNA TODD

Tabitha Modrell, an FMU senior from Oates, South Carolina, has always had a passion for music.

She was born into a musical family – both her father and brother have degrees in music – and began playing music and singing at an early age. She has a lovely voice and plays piano, acoustic guitar, and a number of percussion instruments.

She’s also written more than 100 songs.

The past four years, she’s honed her interests and abilities in FMU’s highly regarded Music Industry program. Students in the Music Industry program perform, write, and study music. They also immerse themselves in the production side of the business.

That’s exactly what Modrell was looking for when she began looking at colleges. Luckily for her, she found it in her backyard (Oates is in western Darlington County, less than a 30-minute drive from FMU.).

Modrell says she was attracted to FMU’s program because of its state-ofthe-art recording studio, the small class sizes which naturally lend themselves to strong relationships between students and professors, the hands-on learning opportunities she knew she would get to participate in, and the beautiful education wing of the FMU Performing Arts Center in downtown Florence where the majority of her music industry courses have been based.

The music industry major has allowed Modrell to learn more about the industry side of music and prepared her for the future. Though her coursework has focused on industry practice, music technology, and recording, she has also received the classical foundation in theory. As someone who began writing her own songs at only seven years old, classical training was important to her. Modrell says her abilities in that area are just a gift.

compilation, available on Spotify. She wrote “Vibes” when she was 14.

Modrell is writing her own story at FMU.

She is very involved and has been all of her four years as a student at FMU.

She is a member of the pop/rock Music Industry Ensemble, works as a stagehand at the FMU Performing Arts Center, and is a recording engineer at the FMU Recording Studio. She was a mentor in the Patriot Mentor Program, and is active in FMU’s Baptist Collegiate Ministries. She spent the Fall 2023 semester studying abroad at De Montfort University in England.

“My process of songwriting is hard to explain, yet it’s simple,” says Modrell. “Sometimes, I’ll read a book and the storyline will inspire lyrics and a tune. Other times, I’ll just hear it in my mind and sit down to write it whether I’m at home or in the food court at the local mall. I just love that music tells a story. Whether it’s a song about Jesus or a love song, there’s a story to be told through music and I’m just thankful that I’m able to tell those stories through song.”

Modrell’s songs include a commissioned ‘first dance’ song and a piece entitled “Vibes” that was selected for FMU’s own Music Industry

“I am so glad I took the opportunity to study abroad,” says Modrell. “Taking classes in music production in England and being able to experience another part of the world was such an enriching experience that I will hold close the rest of my life.”

Modrell shared a flat with students from Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany. The flatmates have kept up and have a threeweek road trip planned across the U.S. in September.

Modrell says what she loves most about her classroom experiences at FMU are the interactions she’s had with faculty. She says the faculty have all been intentional about working with the students on their goals for the future, and not just getting them through the class. That’s been true in her major, but also in the general education courses every student takes such as English.

Modrell points to Dr. Brandon Goff and Dr. Paolo Gualdi in the Music Industry program for the impact they had on her career. Gualdi, for example, encouraged Modrell to begin teaching, and has taught her better ways to explain concepts and skills to her own students.

Modrell took Gualdi’s advice to heart. She opened her own music studio, The Florence Music Academy, last spring. She had given a few piano lessons prior to that, but saw a significant increase when she opened a formal studio.

Modrell now has more than 30 students who take lessons in piano, drums, guitar, and voice each week. She’s also hired several instructors who teach alongside her. Most are FMU graduates.

Modrell plans to continue growing The Florence Music Academy after she graduates. She’ll use it to make a living while she focuses on songwriting.

HERE’S TO YOUR HEALTH

PIONEERING PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN FMU AND WELVISTA WILL BOOST ACCESS TO PRESCRIPTION DRUGS FOR THE STUDENTS WHO NEED IT MOST

Francis Marion University is pioneering a new and innovative approach to help students with their healthcare.

The university is partnering with Welvista, a non-profit pharmaceutical company based in Columbia, SC. Welvista operates a mail order pharmacy and uses collective pricing power to make a variety of medications available to uninsured and underserved clients.

FMU is the first institution in the state to partner with Welvista. The company will offer free pharmaceuticals to eligible students and employees who are South Carolina residents without health insurance.

FMU’s Student Government Association led the push to bring Welvista to FMU. Student body president Devan Campbell says the new program will help lots of students at FMU.

“Welvista is the biggest initiative that the Student Government took up this year,” Campbell says. “My administration wanted to give back to the students this year, and we did – big time. This way, students do not have to pick between paying for food and medicine. We are proud to serve our community, and I am blessed to be president of this student body.”

Campbell, a senior double-major in history and political science, was

elected as Student Body President for the 2023-24 school year. The Greer, SC native hopes the Welvista partnership will be an enduring legacy of his service.

FMU President Fred Carter says Welvista is a worthwhile program that will help FMU students the same way it’s helped thousands of South Carolinians through the years.

“I’ve had the privilege to work with Welvista over the years. It is a compassionate non-profit, which is widely respected for healthcare outreach – especially those supporting underserved populations,” says Carter. “I’m delighted that FMU will be its first collegiate partner for pharmaceutical services. A sizable number of our students will benefit from this collaboration.”

The initiative became effective in March with a rollout event on the UC Lawn. The partnership benefits not only students, but qualifying employees as well.

Welvista started in 1991 and has been growing ever since. In 2022, Welvista provided 257,153 free prescriptions for chronic diseases to nearly 20,000 patients across the state. Its children’s dental programs serve students in 28 high-need districts in South Carolina.

President Carter and FMU VP for Student Life, Dr. Chris Kennedy, with FMU student leaders at a ceremony to sign the new campus healthcare agreement with Welvista.

FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY TIMELINE

PREMIER PLEDGE SCHOLARSHIP

FMU announces the creation of the Premier Pledge scholarship program, a new initiative that underscores the university’s unwavering commitment to affordable and accessible education. The Premier Pledge scholarship program is available to all admitted in-state students who are First Generation or fullyeligible Pell students.

NOVEMBER OCTOBER

LANDON HOULE NAMED TRUSTEES' RESEARCH SCHOLAR

Associate professor of English and creative writing Dr. Landon Houle becomes Francis Marion’s newest Board of Trustees’ Research Scholar.

HONORS CENTER NAMING CEREMONY

The FMU Board of Trustees voted to name three areas in the building after longtime faculty members who have played important roles in establishing the Honors program at FMU. The newly named spaces include the Duane P. Myers Seminar Room, the Pamela A. Rooks Classroom and the Jon W. Tuttle Atrium

AUTISM STUDIES DEGREE APPROVED

The Board of Trustees approves a Bachelor of Science in Education, Multicategorical Special Education: Autism Studies, Pre-K through 12. Beginning fall 2024, this new program will focus on the needs of autistic individuals and students with other neurodevelopmental disorders. (See story page 4)

PEE DEE FICTION AND POETRY FESTIVAL

FMU hosts the 16th annual Pee Dee Fiction and Poetry Festival.

DECEMBER

PAUSE 4 PAWS

Students unwind before finals at Pause 4 Paws, a semi-annual event hosted by the Florence Area Humane Society and FMU’s pre-vet club.

COMMENCEMENT

Commencement comes home to FMU’s campus after one semester at the Florence Center while the Smith University Center went through renovations. Honorary degrees were awarded to Senator Thomas C. Alexander, Senator Katrina Frye Shealy, Daniel S. Dukes, IV, and Mayor of Camden Alfred Mae Drakeford.

DR. CHRISTOPHER M. KENNEDY NAMED DIRECTOR OF THE FMU HONORS PROGRAM

Dr. Christopher M. Kennedy is named Director of the FMU Honors program. Kennedy, a professor of History, previously served as assistant provost and as Vice President for Student Life.

JANUARY

MS. LATASHA D. BRAND ('02) IS FMU’S NEW VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT LIFE

Ms. LaTasha D. Brand ('02) is FMU’s new Vice President for Student Life. Brand, a former student body president at FMU, has served in a number of roles at the university including Dean of Students.

Sen. McLeod, right, With FMU Student Alison Ziengenfelder, who created this portrait of King during a song at the celebration.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. CELEBRATION

FMU hosted its 25th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration with keynote speaker Senator Mia McLeod.

DAY OF GIVING

FMU’s annual Day of Giving raised funds for student scholarships.

the stage at the Performing Arts Center. RUMOURS ATL TAKES THE STAGE

Fleetwood Mac tribute band Rumours takes

SANKOFA TRAVELLING MUSEUM

FMU celebrated Black History Month with the Sankofa African American Museum on Wheels Exhibition. The traveling exhibit portrays African-Americans’ challenges throughout history as well as the many contributions they’ve given to the nation and the world.

FEBRUARY

FMU accounting students offer free tax return prep services through the Internal Revenue Service’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

FMU hosts STEM Day for high schoolers and families. The daylong program offered participants the opportunity to conduct hands-on learning activities with FMU faculty and students.

Students gathered before Homecoming for food, games, and dancing at the Patriot Block Party.

VITA TAX PREP

STEM DAY

PATRIOT BLOCK PARTY

FIRST ACRO & TUMBLING MEET

FMU’s Acrobatics & Tumbling team hosted the first home meet of its inaugural season.

Lauryn Taylor set a new NCAA record for number of rebounds in a single game. With 43 rebounds, Taylor put FMU in the spotlight of the national collegiate sports landscape.

HOMECOMING

FMU alumni, students, and employees came together to celebrate Homecoming. The Patriot community cheered on athletic teams, as well as the new Homecoming King and Queen.

PRESIDENT'S BOWL

Winning team Acids are Based was crowned victorious of the 2024 President’s Bowl.

LAURYN TAYLOR

MARION MEDALLION

Mirah Horowitz, Founder and CEO of Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, and Jayne Boswell, President of the Florence Area Humane Society, received the 2024 Marion Medallions.

CAREER FAIR

Over 70 employers filled up the UC gym for the spring career fair. Students had the opportunity to network with local and regional employers seeking talented, driven additions to their teams.

MARCH

AAFSC BANQUET

Dr. Christopher Barton, associate professor of archaeology at Francis Marion University, received the FMU African-American Faculty and Staff Coalition’s Diversity Award at the organization’s 23rd annual scholarship reception.

ALUMNI

AWARDS

FMU honored five distinguished alumni at its annual Alumni Awards Ceremony. The honorees include Tyler Pate ('14), Dr. Philip Fulmer ('89), John Odorisio ('83), Dr. Harrell Docherty ('89), and Dr. Shirley Bausmith ('91, '94). Jay Pate accepted the award on his brother's behalf.

FOREVER MOTOWN

Forever Motown brought a soulful groove to FMU's Performing Arts Center in front of a sold out crowd.

SPRING

BREAK FEC TRAIL OPENING

FMU students enjoyed a well-deserved mid-semester break from classes.

FMU announced the opening of public trails and fishing access at the Freshwater Ecology Center.