FMU Focus Magazine Fall/Winter 2024

FRANCIS MARION

FOCUS FALL/WINTER 2024

FITTING HONORS

A NEW BUILDING IS NAMED FOR FAITHFUL FMU TRUSTEES RANDY DOZIER ('77) AND ROBERT LEE ('87) FAL L / WI NTE R 2024

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W

e all wish we didn’t need police officers, but we know this is not a realistic expectation. There are menacing people in this society, and it is reassuring to know that the thin blue line is always there to protect us.

Unless it gets too thin.

Finding well-qualified officers is a national problem. It is also a problem for law enforcement agencies in the Pee Dee. Over the past few years, discussions with local police chiefs and sheriffs helped us understand just how serious that problem has become. Most departments face serious personnel shortages.

In particular, they lack college-educated recruits capable of advancing to command positions.

Good police officers can come from a variety of backgrounds, but there’s solid evidence that officers who hold a four-year degree are more accomplished and committed professionally. An expansive education, rich in the liberal arts, prepares them to think more effectively and provides them with a better perspective and context on their job and its responsibilities.

We were continually asked by the surrounding areas if FMU could play a more substantial role in educating police officers.

We could, and we did.

Our departments of sociology and political science went to work and crafted a new baccalaureate degree in criminal justice. Our first class began their studies this fall.

Read more about it on page 8.

That’s one example of how FMU responds to the needs of its community.

In fact, creating sensible degree programs that meet workforce needs has become our calling card during the past couple of decades.

The list of such programs is extensive and would certainly begin with the many professional healthcare programs that we have established. FMU’s long tradition as the place to educate nurses at the baccalaureate level

gave us the perfect platform for jumping into advanced degrees in nursing and allied fields. We have so many programs – 11 at last count – that we formed a new School of Health Sciences several years ago and built or acquired two new buildings in downtown Florence (a third is on the way – see yet another story on page 10).

FMU’s superb physics faculty built an engineering program from scratch less than a decade ago. We already have two strong majors and are eyeing more.

The biology department recently added two new degree programs in environmental sciences and policy.

We’ll enroll our first students in our new forestry major in 2026.

There are many others, and more are expected. Next up – a perfect complement to criminal justice, a degree in social work.

Social workers are companions to law enforcement.

In the best scenarios, their work prevents problems that might require policing before they happen. When that fails, the social workers are often the first in line to help families and individuals pick up the pieces.

Social workers fill roles in hospitals, in public clinics, and in a variety of community settings. This can be intrinsically rewarding work, as evidenced by the low “quit rate” in the field. But it is never easy work, it has not always been well-compensated, and the need is growing.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a shortfall of 74,000 social workers nationally by the year 2030. That’s more than a tenth of the current social work labor force.

The need is acute in South Carolina, especially in the rural regions. We’ve talked with numerous providers, and they’ve told us they need help desperately.

So, we’re stepping into the breach once again.

It is another burden we are willing to shoulder for the community we are obligated – and delighted – to serve.

Dr. Fred Carter, President

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What’s in THI S I S S U E

8 MORE JUSTICE IS A GOOD THING FMU’s new Criminal Justice major will supply needed manpower for the region’s law enforcement organizations, and a promising future for graduates.

Francis Marion Focus Magazine FA L L / WI N T E R 2024 CO N T R I B UTOR S Tucker Mitchell Anna Todd Betty Suggs D E S I GN E R Tori Payne

14 KIM BOOKER’S INDOMITABLE, ALL-AMERICAN SPIRIT

PH OTO GR APH E R S Breanna Lisenby Betty Suggs

Kim Booker (’24) always got the job done on the field or court. Who’s surprised she finally finished her college degree?

18 A GLOBAL HR CAREER, LAUNCHED AT FMU

Always a “people person,” Debbie Pollock-Berry is now the Chief People Officer for a Michelle Obama startup.

30 GREENER FIELDS AWAIT: ART INABINET BIDS FAREWELL

After 24 seasons as FMU’s baseball coach, Art Inabinet is settling into retirement.

STUDENT FOCUS Paisley Hanna Tyson Jackson

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ALUMNI FOCUS

Evan Dyne and Bryant Massey Alumni Trip to Ireland

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

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.

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Send comments or ideas to fmufocus@fmarion.edu.

FAL L / WINTE R 2024

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PERFECT FIT Alums Randy Dozier (’77) and Robert E. Lee (’87) made their mark on the university and the world

By TUCKER MITCHELL

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FMU’s long tradition of naming buildings and facilities after its sons and daughters continued this fall when the wings of the university’s new business and education building were named after alums Robert E. Lee (’87) and Dr. H. Randall Dozier (’77).

It is a fitting honor.

The new building might have been built if they hadn’t been around, but the university would be an entirely different place if not for their faithful, behind-the-scenes service on FMU’s Board of Trustees.

Dozier and Lee have both been on the board for more than two decades. Both have chaired it several times, and, perhaps most importantly, both were part of the movement that brought Dr. Fred Carter to FMU in 1999. Carter’s arrival, as every Patriot knows, ushered in an era of unprecedented growth and unlocked the promise of the future still to come.

Carter, now in his 25th year at FMU, says that while casting the votes for change was important, that wasn’t their most critical contribution.

“Robert, Randy – and I’d certainly include other long-term trustees like Ken Jackson and George McIntyre – they were the major advocates in pulling people together for change at an important time in the university’s history,” says Carter. “That can’t be understated. But what they also did was change the perspective, from a board of trustees that heavily influenced the administration and faculty to one that was focused on policy.

They stepped away from trying to manage the day-to-day affairs.

“Which,” Carter says, “is exactly the opposite of what you see from most boards and board members, and which is one of the great secrets to any success we may have had here.”

Says Lee, who was elected board chairman just as Carter became FMU’s new president, “From the beginning (with Carter) we talked about this thing called shared governance. … We started moving towards that model.

“It’s not complicated, really,” says Lee. “Everyone has a job and stays in their lane. We got the board out of management, out of academics. We set policy. Dr. Carter and the administration can handle that, and faculty can handle the academic side. You trust each other enough to do your job, and that’s what we did and as you can see, it really works well.”

Carter says naming the wings of the new building is the perfect tribute for “two loyal alums who have worked hand in hand on so many issues through the years. It’s a great way for us to honor and remember them, and they should be remembered.

They made a tremendous difference in this university.”

The wing housing FMU’s School of Education is named for Dozier, a long-time teacher and educational administrator. He served in the Greenville School District for many years before moving to the Georgetown County School District in 2003 as its superintendent.

Dozier calls the honor “very humbling, but very meaningful to me, to my family.

“You know I was here, I can remember when there weren’t that many buildings at FMU," says Dozier. "To have my name on one, especially on one that looks like this, it’s just hard to grasp.”

The School of Business wing is named for Lee, a lawyer, but an enthusiastic business grad who still recalls with great fondness professors like Dr. Morgan Coker, the first dean of business, and Dr. Don Kelley.

“I do remember at my graduation, looking up on the stage and seeing all those people and thinking to myself, ‘gee wouldn’t

it be great if some day I could do something to get up there,’” says Lee, “but to be honest, I never imagined I’d receive any real honors, and not in my wildest dreams did I imagine that one day I’d have my name on a building. I mean, I was surprised the first time I saw my name on one of the new building plaques.

“That’s not why you serve, but I am honored. It really means a lot.”

No moon, but plenty of stars There was no clear path to a career in education for Randy Dozier. In fact, the first idea was that dream of every little boy of a certain era: he’d be an astronaut.

It might have happened. Dozier was the product of a large, somewhat connected family from Marion County. Among his parents' 25 – 25! – brothers and sisters were numerous military men and women. So he had the background. He was a pretty sharp student in high school, an athlete, too. He looked the part.

An application to the Air Force Academy was assembled, Congressman Ed Young and Senator Strom Thurmond providing the necessary recommendations. He was on his way. …

And then, at a routine doctor’s appointment, Dozier discovered he had Type 1 Diabetes.

“I mean, I was really surprised,” says Dozier. “I’d played lots of sports, been active … had already passed the flight physicals with no issues. Everybody wanted to be in the Air Force then – the moon shots and all. I don’t know. My grades might have been on the border. I probably would have made it. If not, maybe another service academy. That’s the way I was headed. But, I didn’t get what I was expecting. Sometimes that’s the way life happens.”

Some re-thinking led him to a practical option: Francis Marion College, the local school that had just moved to a fouryear model a few years before.

It turned out to be the perfect place for Dozier, a practical guy. He could work (in the radiology department at McLeod), go to class, get a great education, earn his degree, and finish with no debt (which he still thinks is a very good thing).

“It was a quality education,” says Dozier. “I have four college degrees, including an earned PhD. I was in a total of something like 300 (credit) hours of class and went to school with a lot of people from all over the country, people from a lot of places, Wake Forest, Duke, others. And I was just as prepared, maybe more so. I never had a problem with the work. The professors I had at FMU actually knew you, people like Joe Heyward, Dr. (Lorraine) de Montluzin, Ron Faulkenberry, Joe Stukes. They knew who you were and what you did. And when you needed a little guidance, they were there.”

Dozier majored in political science and history and pondered a career in the law, but “kind of ran out of money.”

So, he stayed through one extra year at FMU and earned his teacher’s certification. He figured teaching and coaching would be a good life, a way to give back, and that’s what he did for seven years. But he was still the talented young man who might have been an astronaut. It wasn’t long before he was approached about school administration.

He became a principal in Greenville County, then moved to central administration. His portfolio wound up touching on a variety of areas – transportation, construction, facilities management – thankless jobs in many ways, but a natural course for a person who exuded competence and confidence.

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And, superb training, as it turned out, for a future superintendent.

“I was never afraid of any assignment, and I wound up doing a lot of stuff that others did not want to,” says Dozier. “It made me better.”

He landed a deputy superintendent’s job in Georgetown, back near his family’s old stomping grounds, in the early 2000s. A few years later, the superintendent left in mid-year and Dozier was named interim. After a search, he landed the post on a permanent basis.

It’s where he stayed the rest of his career. He retired in 2020.

Dozier approached his career with a large dose of humility.

When he left FMU in 1978, he wasn’t trying to save the world.

“I just wanted to, you know, find a way to pay a few bills, make a way for a family,” Dozier says.

Along the way he discovered he was good at what he did and was, in fact, helping people.

An often-stern man, emotions bubble surprisingly close to the surface of Dozier’s exterior shell. He tears up easily talking about kids who’ve told him about the difference he made in their lives.

He cannot hide the joy in relating the story of a former Georgetown County student who graduated from FMU a few years later. Dozier was chair of FMU’s board of trustees at the time – he’s served in that role several times – and as a result, his signature was on the student’s FMU diploma.

Just as it had been on the student’s high school diploma.

“This kid was a terrific student,” says Dozier.

“We had kind of funneled him towards FMU. He majored in physics. He’s working at a nuclear plant now. Anyway, at graduation he comes up to me and says, ‘you signed my high school diploma and now my FMU diploma, too!

That’s really cool!’

“I’ll have to say that that was nice,” says Dozier. “It kind of makes it all worthwhile. I mean, signing two diplomas for the same kid?

And there are actually several of them around now. If anyone can beat that, I’d like to hear about it.”

It might even be better than going to the moon.

And it does fit. Robert E. Lee may not be a stereotypical son of the South. He is certainly the son of a missionary. He was born in Nashville, not far from Gallatin, but spent his formative years in Africa. Most of his education came from the Ivory Coast Academy, a school for missionary kids from all around northern and eastern Africa. His father, a licensed nurse practitioner, ran a mission hospital. His mother taught reading in the local school.

“Bobby” rode a school bus a long way to school and back, an education in itself and one that has stayed with him forever. He does not look at the world just like everyone else.

About the time their elder child was ready to start college, the Lees ended their 14-year missionary journey and moved back home to the Pee Dee Region in South Carolina. “Bobby” went to Nyack College in New York, an institution with roots as a missionary training school, and one, consequently, that was often attended by missionary kids. But he eventually decided to move home and go to the local public college, a place called Francis Marion.

His mother was a grad. It was close to home.

“It just made sense,” Lee says.

Lee flourished at FMU, graduating with one of the university’s first business degrees. He went to law school at the University of South Carolina. He returned to the Pee Dee area, to Florence, to begin crusading for a variety of clients in a practice that has now stretched to 30 years.

That was his first calling. His second came in the late 1990s, when he learned his collegiate alma mater was floundering. He began a new career of sorts, crusading this time as a member of the FMU Board of Trustees for the changes needed to get his school fixed. After affecting what was really the one absolutely necessary change – bringing Dr. Fred Carter to FMU as president – he set about doing all he could to support the man he calls “the greatest college president ever.”

“I can still remember the first time (a group of the trustees) went to see (Fred Carter),” says Lee. “There was this little bald-headed guy in his office at the (South Carolina) Budget and Control Board, smoking a pipe. It didn’t take long being around him to see that he was the person we needed. It was apparent the first time he walked into a meeting. You could feel the energy. He already understood all the problems, and was already working on ways to solve them.

It’s not an overstatement to say he saved us. I’m just glad to be around him. He made all the hours I’ve put in well worth it.”

Lee says he’s comfortable with his board of trustee work being his legacy. As he learned years ago in Africa, the world is a big place but everyone can find a worthwhile place in it.

“Friends will sometimes ask me, ‘when are you getting off the board?’ They figure it’s a big burden and that I’m always ready to go,” he says. “I tell them ‘no, I’m not going anytime soon if I can help it. What I’m trying to do is to figure out what’s next.’

“I’ve become addicted to ‘what’s next?’ I guess you could say.

There’s never an end, a stopping point, at FMU. That’s not the way it works here. As long as there’s one first generation student out there who can be helped, we’ll be looking for new ways to help them. I want to be a part of that.” •

"As long as there’s one first generation student out there who can be helped, we’ll be looking for new ways to help them. I want to be a part of that.”

Not that Robert E. He’s an attorney from Marion, S.C., who likes to fish and wear bow ties, and, when it gets real hot, which it always does, seersucker suits, too. His name is Robert E. Lee, and upon hearing that, most people say, or at least think, well, that fits.

And it does, but not in the way people imagine. His family name is Lee, but the Robert E. part? That is something entirely different.

He is named after Robert Eugene Picirilli, a professor at Welch College, a Free Will Baptist college in Gallatin, Tenn., who, once upon a time, inspired and mentored a ministerial student named Sherwood Lee. Sherwood married Bada and when it came time to name their first boy, dad could think of no one better to name him after than Robert E. Picirilli. Mom liked Sebastian, for a popular TV star at the time. In this one instance, she was overruled.

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New building, old friends FMU honored four retired faculty members, and one current faculty member, by naming classrooms inside the new Lee School of Business and Dozier School of Education. The university family gathered shortly after the fall semester began to celebrate their accomplishments.

Photo 1 — Honoree Dr. Ben Kyer with Dean Hari Rajagopalan and FMU President Dr. Fred Carter.

2. FMU alum and current trustee Robert E. Lee with his family. 3. — Dr. Stephen E. Taylor with Dean Eric Lowry and Dr. Carter.

4. Former School of Ed Dean Dr. Shirley Bausmith with Lowry and Carter. 5. Dr. Kay Lowrimore-Belanger addresses the crowd.

6. FMU alum and current trustee Dr. Randy Dozier with his family at the opening celebration.

Dr. Dorothy Harris also had a classroom named after her but was unable to attend.

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MORE JUSTICE IS A GOOD THING FMU’S NEW CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAJOR WILL SUPPLY NEEDED MANPOWER FOR THE REGION’S LAW ENFORCEMENT ORGANIZATIONS, AND A PROMISING FUTURE FOR GRADUATES

By TUCKER MITCHELL

Law enforcement organizations across the nation are struggling to fill funded positions. Recent studies show twothirds to three-fourths of all police and sheriff departments report significant vacancies and hiring backlogs.

The situation in South Carolina is no different. A lack of qualified candidates to fill law enforcement jobs is a serious problem, say state officials.

Now, Francis Marion University is stepping up to help.

The university recently established a new criminal justice major. The expectation is that as it begins to turn out graduates in the next few years, it will be a boon both for local law enforcement seeking well-educated, well-prepared candidates, and for FMU students who want to enter the profession.

Dr. Dillon Tatum, chair of FMU’s Department of Political Science, is the coordinator for the new major, which is a joint venture of the political science and sociology departments at FMU. He says the new degree program, like much of the recent curricula at the university, is based on meeting an identified need in the community.

“In our conversations with leaders in local and regional law enforcement and corrections organizations, it’s clear that there’s a critical need,” says Tatum. “In particular, there’s an increasing 8 | F R A N C I S M A RI O N FO CUS

demand to have officers with a four-year education. That demand really forced us to think, ‘how can we help? How can we respond?

How can we improve their work force?’”

Tatum says the focus of graduates from FMU’s new program will be more on placing officers who are headed into managerial positions in police and corrections organizations. But, he adds, “it’s clear from my conversations with police and law enforcement leaders that this is just a good idea for the criminal justice profession in general.

“Part of that is simply having a quality liberal arts education,” says Tatum. “Individuals who do that become and feel a little more competent in reasoning skills and overall abilities, better focused on critical thinking skills, and have a better awareness of how what they’re doing integrates with society in general. I think that helps.

“There’s good data showing educated officers are less accident prone, less likely to quit, and less likely to suffer from stress and related issues as well. That’s the case nationally, and that’s the case around here, too. It’s a good policy.”

Dr. Fred Carter, FMU’s president, says the new major addresses needs both in the community and at the university.

“Many smaller police departments and sheriff ’s offices around

the region are going, or will soon go through accreditation,” says Carter. “They need officers and leaders with the credentials we offer to reach those standards, and frankly, we needed this major, too. We already had as many students graduating in criminal justice as we had in political science or sociology. There was great interest there. This just made sense.”

MULTIPLE TRACKS FMU has taught criminal justice for a long time, and a number of graduates have excelled in that field. But the courses were always part of a degree in political science or sociology. A concentration requiring 24 hours of specified coursework was offered – it still is for students who enrolled prior to this fall.

The new major enhances those studies by giving students the opportunity to explore a greater variety of topics in political science, sociology, or both, on the way to a degree. Some courses in other disciplines – psychology and forensic chemistry for example – are also included to further broaden students' knowledge.

The new major features three tracks: Criminal Justice – Crime and Behavior; Criminal Justice – Administration and Policy; and Criminal Justice – Law, Justice and Institutions. All three majors require students to take a half dozen foundational courses, including Introduction to Criminal Justice. The various tracks differ in the follow-on courses.

EASY TRANSITION Dr. Jessica Doucet, chair of FMU’s Department of Sociology, says one particularly appealing aspect of the new major is that it was such a good fit for what the affected departments were already doing.

“The criminal justice degree was created by utilizing existing coursework in both sociology and political science,” says Doucet. “Each department’s contributions can be found in both the required core courses, as well as each of the tracks.”

Doucet and Tatum say the new degree did not require the creation of an entirely new curriculum, or the hiring of new specialists, because it was already an area where the two departments excelled.

“We needed to build a few new special topics courses, but for the most part, we are using courses and resources already on the books,” says Tatum. “We’re doing things we’re good at, which makes for a strong major.

“Historically, we’ve always had good interest in this area,” says Tatum. “Something like 40 percent, and sociology, I think close to 60-70 percent, have had concentrations in this area. We’re optimistic we’ll have very good interest (in the major), especially as we move forward and gain some experience and produce a track record.”

Tatum says he and other faculty have already had considerable communication with both incoming and current students thinking about moving into the new major.

Doucet says the sociology department modified its existing criminal justice track into a criminology and deviance

specialization, a relatively simple adjustment.

“This specialization complements the crime and criminal behavior track within the criminal justice degree program,” she says. “Furthermore, it provides students interested in the sociological aspects of crime an excellent opportunity to double major in both sociology and criminal justice.”

Students in any of the criminal justice tracks can attain a double major in either sociology or political science by completing a few additional courses. They’ll gain additional knowledge in their field, and acquire an additional credential that will be useful as they start their professional career.

REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE The new special topics courses will investigate areas like policing and alternatives to incarceration. Most, if not all, of those courses will be taught by practitioners in the field. Some courses will feature a number of practitioners serving as guest lecturers.

“So students, as they near the end of the major, will have an opportunity to hear from, and work with, professionals who are already in the field,” says Tatum.

That dovetails nicely with internships and other experiential opportunities that Tatum says have long been a strong point of both the political science and sociology departments at FMU. “We’ve been successful in locating and utilizing internships for many of our majors,” says Tatum, “and that’s been true for those on the criminal justice track as well as others. We’ve had interns in the probation office, the state police (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, or SLED), with local sheriffs, police departments, corrections. We’ve been happy with that, but with our new major in place, we think it will get even better.”

ONE NEW MAJOR, THREE TRACKS

FMU’s new criminal justice major offers students three courses of study, each designed for a particular aspect of the growing field.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE // CRIME AND BEHAVIOR Focuses on frontline activities in policing and law enforcement. Offers course options in Sociology (Juvenile Delinquency, Hate Crimes and Terrorist Organizations, Rural Crime, among others), Political Science (Violence in Politics, among others), and a thoughtful selection from other departments. Students could take a course in Forensic Psychology, Forensic Chemistry, or Biological Anthropology, for example.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE // ADMINISTRATION AND POLICY Provides students with a broad overview of the criminal justice system and its interplay with overall government. Students on this track will typically see a more political science-heavy curriculum with courses focused on local government, comparative politics, and the politics of criminal justice. Some may even take an organizational management course from the School of Business.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE // LAW, JUSTICE AND INSTITUTIONS Students on this track are grounded in the law and may enter a career more associated with the courts and the legal system. It immerses students in topics like the constitution and international law.

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WHAT’S NEXT?

SPRING 2025

Architectural rendering – C. Edward Floyd Medical Building

C. EDWARD FLOYD MEDICAL BUILDING

Plans were recently completed and contracts let for Francis Marion University’s next big construction project for its downtown campus.

Work is expected to begin next spring on the C. Edward Floyd Medical Building on Gregg Avenue. The 45,000-square foot building is a project of the Pee Dee Medical Consortium, which includes FMU, the University of South Carolina, the Medical University of South Carolina and its MUSC-Florence Hospital, and McLeod Medical Center.

When complete, the state-of-the-art building will house classrooms, laboratories, and administrative space that will serve as the home to 3rd- and 4th-year medical students from MUSC and the USC School of Medicine. Dozens of

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students from the two schools are already based in Florence as they complete their studies and clinical rotations. The number will increase when the Floyd Building is complete.

The building is also expected to house students from FMU and MUSC in allied health fields. Specific programs that may be housed at the Floyd Center have yet to be identified, but could include existing programs at both universities, new programs, or joint ventures.

The Floyd Center is named after Dr. C. Edward “Eddie” Floyd. Floyd is a retired Florence heart surgeon from Lake City, S.C. He’s a member of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees and a USC alumni, but also a long-time friend and supporter of FMU.

SUMMER 2025

FORESTRY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES BUILDING

Planning is underway and contracts have been let for FMU’s Forestry and Environmental Sciences building. The 45,000-square foot building will begin to come out of the ground next year. It’s being built on the “west side” of campus, in the area south of the athletic complex.

When work is complete, the new building will be situated on a to-bebuilt lake and will complement the new regional headquarters building for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Work on the SLED office began earlier this summer.

The Forestry and Environmental Sciences building will provide classroom and laboratory space for FMU’s burgeoning field of environmental studies, and for the university’s new Forestry major.

FMU launched its twin programs in Environmental Sciences (BS) and Environmental Studies (BA) two years

ago. It’s quickly become a popular course of study for the university’s undergraduate students. The potential for graduate programs in the near future is bright.

The Forestry program seeks to train the next generation of forestry professionals to meet the growing demand for the management and protection of forests for recreation and commercial use, in the region, the state and beyond. It will offer students a rigorous academic curriculum that will be coupled with practical experience in the field. The combination will give students the necessary skills to solve current and future forestry challenges.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry is for students wishing to pursue careers in forestry and natural resources management. The start of the program is tied to progress with the building.

Architectural rendering – new Forestry and Environmental Sciences Building

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OTD

Occupational Therapy Doctorate

By ANNA TODD Francis Marion University welcomed the first class of students to its new Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) program this fall. The three-year program will give graduates the necessary skills and credentials to enter the OT profession. It’s yet another opportunity in FMU’s growing School of Health Sciences, and another way the university can serve its community by providing the healthcare providers it needs.

Here’s a look at a few of the faces of the first class.

“I love that occupational therapy is like a big puzzle.

You take all of the pieces of the patient and put them back together in a way that improves their well-being.” ­— Brianna Howell 12 | F RA N C I S M A RI O N FOCUS

Emily Vining

Ashley Jones

Undergraduate Degree: Public Health, University of South Carolina, May 2024

Undergraduate Degree: Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, December 2023

Manning, SC

Why OT? I always knew I wanted to work in healthcare, but after seeing the positive impacts occupational therapy had on my brother who has ADHD and my foster brother with Cerebal Palsy, I knew I found my calling. Being an occupational therapist will allow me to help others gain independence in ways that best suit their interests.

Why FMU? I was hooked on FMU after attending the first informational session with Dr. Rachelle Lydell (the director of FMU’s OTD program). I could see her enthusiasm for the program and for me as a potential student. FMU felt like the right place for me from my first interaction through the interview process. It was also exciting to be part of the first cohort of the OTD program.

FMU is so different from the other programs I considered because of the hands-on approach it takes. The program itself is very strenuous, but the faculty provide an incredible support system. I know I will be ready to treat patients on my first day in practice because of all of the experience I will have treating actual patients as a student.

Future Goals: I would like to start a practice primarily working with children.

In my home county, there are very few occupational therapists, but the need is great. I’d also like to take occupational therapy services to the independent schools in my area who are currently unable to provide these types of services to their students.

Charleston, SC

Why OT? I have no personal connection to occupational therapy, but I love the practicality of it. With OT, you are not tied to a particular setting, which is something that is attractive to me. The prospect of incorporating activities that are meaningful to different individuals to help them succeed is what excites me about this field.

Why FMU? The personal connection I felt upon my first visit to FMU’s OTD program is unmatched. I could immediately tell that I was going to be valued as an individual and a student.

Coming from a large high school (Wando High School in Mount Pleasant) and university, I really appreciate the smaller size of the program we have at FMU and how it allows all of us to receive personal attention. I also knew I wanted a doctoral program with evidenced-based practice. FMU was just the right fit. When I graduate, I know I’ll be a well-rounded practitioner because of this program.

Future Goals: Right now, I am leaning towards working in geriatrics. I know I want to have a private practice because I like the relational aspect of having clients for longer periods of time and seeing their growth.

Brianna Howell

Kamryn Cox

O’Connor Boykin

Undergraduate Degree: Biology, Francis Marion University, May 2024

Undergraduate Degree: Music Therapy, East Carolina University, May 2023

Undergraduate Degree: Biology, Pre-Med, Francis Marion University, May 2023

Why OT? In high school, I was in a job shadowing program at Lexington Medical Center and was introduced to occupational therapy for the first time.

I was drawn to it because it was unlike any other healthcare profession. I was intrigued by the assessments and the way each patient’s treatment plan varied based on their needs.

Why OT? I was not familiar with OT until my grandmother suffered a stroke. When I visited her in a rehab center and saw the work occupational therapists did with her, I knew that the field was something I wanted to pursue. I love how occupational therapy is so personalized and unique.

Why OT? OT stood out to me because I am really drawn to the idea of helping patients get back to their normal and determining what is meaningful and purposeful to them. During my undergrad at FMU, I participated in a job shadowing program at McLeod Health which first introduced me to this field. Seeing how providers in OT help patients put the puzzle pieces back together really appealed to me.

Lexington, SC

Why FMU? When looking at OT programs, FMU really stood out to me because not only am I learning the science behind everything, it is also competency-based, meaning it’s more hands-on. I really like this model because I am receiving the academic training needed while learning how to work with patients through the creative curriculum provided in the program. In just the first few months, I have already learned so much about the psychological side of the patient and how it is crucial in the physical treatment.

Future Goals: After graduation, I want to be a provider in my home community and advocate for those who need occupational therapy services.

Tabor City, NC

In undergrad, I majored in music therapy specifically because I wanted to one day be able to meld that passion (music) with occupational therapy. I’ve already seen how things I learned in music therapy can be transferred to my current studies in occupational therapy.

Why FMU? FMU was really appealing to me because it is a smaller program and I really appreciate the out-of-the-box approach the curriculum takes. It was important to me to enroll in a program where I can earn a doctorate because I know that it will give me more field experience and also the knowledge I need to operate my own practice in the future.

Future Goals: After graduating, I would like to open a practice where occupational therapists can work with speech, physical, and music therapists. I am also interested in discovering ways OT can help treat people with OCD.

Pinewood, SC

Why FMU? I had a wonderful experience as an undergraduate student at FMU, so I was very interested in being part of the first cohort of OTD students. I also knew I wanted to pursue a doctorate of OT because of the breadth of knowledge it provides. The culture and community at FMU is just so distinct.

Future Goals: After graduating, I would like to open a local clinic so that more people can have access to occupational therapy services. There is a large deficit of OTs in this area. It’s important to me to give back.

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ALUMNI FOCUS

An All-American Spirit KIM BOOKER ('24) ALWAYS GOT THE JOB DONE ON THE FIELD OR COURT. WHO’S SURPRISED SHE FINALLY FINISHED HER COLLEGE DEGREE?

By TUCKER MITCHELL

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It all came so easily for Kim Booker.

Growing up just outside the little Union County town of Carlisle, S.C., she did what she wanted to do and she usually did it well.

Make good grades? No problem. Re-line the brakes on the family car? Got that.

Sports? Oh, c’mon.

Run, jump, throw? Easy. Shoot a tennis ball through a homemade hoop? Hit a rock with a stick? Do anything with any kind of ball?

Of course. It was simple for Kim, like waking up every morning and falling out of bed. Maybe easier.

“I would guess you would say I was a natural,” says Booker.

“Whatever it was, I usually picked it up pretty quick. I could take something apart and put it back together. I could play all the sports the first time I tried. I guess you could say I was blessed.”

Booker’s gifts led her down a magical path in the world of competitive athletics.

At Union County High School, she powered both the girls' basketball team and the softball team to unbeaten seasons and state titles in 1984. She starred on the volleyball team in her spare time.

Booker’s basketball coach at Union was Anne Long, the South Carolina coaching legend. Long says Booker, her point guard, was a little raw, but possessed a rare combination of abilities.

“She had not played a lot of basketball when I met her,” says Long, “but she was a quick learner, soaked stuff up like a sponge.

And she was a good athlete, quick and fast, and physically strong. But as important as that was, I’d say that she was an even better person. She had a strong character, really put everything into the game. She was a coach’s player.”

Long, who won eight state titles at two different South Carolina high schools, says she can still see Booker diving out of bounds after a loose ball in the 1984 championship game.

“If she thought it helped the team, she did it,” says Long.

“You could depend on her.”

Booker was a softball phenom. In 170 career games, Booker hit .413, scored 215 runs, pounded 29 homers, and stole 131 bases. She was named to the All-America team every year she played.

FMU went 142-35 in softball the four years Booker played, and went to the NAIA World Series three times. In 1987, they reached the finals before losing to Kearney State 1-0.

Ann Beeson, who coached Booker in softball at FMU, says Booker could do just about anything she wanted on the softball field.

“She was a tremendous athlete,” says Beeson. “College was a big deal for Kim, and FMU was a good landing spot, a good fit.

But she could have played for any school in the country, NAIA or NCAA. She had power, speed, a great throwing arm. … She had a knack for extra base hits, and because of that, she received a lot of intentional walks. But with her speed, that often turned

FMU: A GOOD FIT

Booker’s high school exploits drew the attention of a number of colleges. She chose Francis Marion University. It was relatively close, was not too big, and one of her assistant coaches in high school, Pearl Moore, had done fairly well there, as most followers of FMU athletics will recall.

Booker did well, too.

She began her career playing (and excelling) at three varsity sports – softball, basketball and volleyball – before being forced to give up hoops because all the running made her short of breath. It turned out she had a lung condition related to emphysema. The doctor who made the diagnosis wanted her to quit every sport.

“But I said, ‘No doc! You’ve got to let me at least play softball,’” recalls Booker. “He said ‘okay’, and then I kind of snuck into volleyball, too.”

Kim Booker was a four-time All-American softball player at FMU who led the Patriots to the NAIA World Series in 1987.

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into an extra base anyway when she’d steal a base or two. She was a real headache for other teams. We were blessed to have her.”

And then the blessings stopped.

ONE CLASS SHORT

Booker’s senior year at FMU was a struggle. The team still possessed the dynamic duo of Booker and catcher Kristi Anderson, also a four-time All-American, but injuries depleted the roster. Booker had to change positions, moving from centerfield to shortstop. She was okay there, but not as good as she’d been in center. The switch may have cost her her fourth berth on the NAIA All-American first team. If she’d managed the feat, she’d have been the only player in NAIA history to accomplish it.

“We’ll never know that, of course,” says Beeson. “I think it may have hurt a little bit. She was a great center fielder, but just a ‘good’ shortstop. But, it’s what we had to do, and she was all for it. She was all about the team.”

The team sagged to a 27-12 record and missed the World Series. That was disappointing, but a more significant setback came in the academic field.

One of Booker’s classes was canceled in the middle of her final semester. Booker recalls it having something to do with the professor quitting or having to leave unexpectedly. Whatever the case, the result was unfortunate for the affected students, especially for Booker, who had just enough credits to graduate if she passed that class. Canceling the class – it was too late in the semester to add a new one at that point – meant Booker wouldn’t graduate on time.

In fact, it would take her another 35 years.

HERE COMES LIFE …AND MS

Booker admits it now. Leaving school that spring without a diploma was just plain dumb, but 21-year-olds sometimes do dumb things.

“It’s easy to see now that I was hard-headed,” she says. “But I was so done with school that spring. That’s how I felt. ‘I’m not going back.’ That was my official position. And I didn’t. It was time to move on.”

Life was calling. A job, a career, a family maybe.

Booker moved back home and all that did happen. But then, another interruption.

While still a young woman – she wasn’t out of her 20s yet – she started getting the oddest sensations in her hands and face.

It was kind of like numbness, but it was also kind of not. She went to a doctor who asked her some strange questions about travel to certain places, pursed his lips, looked out the window, and scratched his head. Finally he said, “it looks like you have multiple sclerosis.”

The natural athlete couldn’t believe it. She asked for a second opinion and received it: you really do have MS. She began the normal pharmaceutical regimen and got busy figuring out how to deal with the waves of symptoms that came her way.

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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a relatively common, progressive neurological disease that is typically diagnosed in young adults.

Perhaps half a million Americans have MS. Despite its prevalence, the disease and its causes are not well understood. MS is related to a compromised immune system.

In patients with MS, the immune system mistakenly orders the body to attack its own brain and central nervous system. Such attacks can – no surprise here – cause severe debilitation. But MS is not predictable. Some sufferers experience only mild symptoms or even none at all. Others battle severe disorders that include numbness, tremors, loss of vision, loss of balance, paralysis, depression, and changes in mental function.

Booker’s daughter, Shekima Moore, recalls the day when she was in elementary school when her mother set her down for a frank talk about an unlikely subject. It was, says Moore, “a strange day.

“She said, ‘now Shekima, there may be some days coming when I wake up and don’t know who you are. Don’t worry about that. We’ll pray about it, and it probably won’t last, and we’ll get through it,’” says Moore. “What she said did happen and we did get through it. … I worked to keep her spirits up. I still do. But I’ll tell you, despite all that was going on, I never heard much bad from her, no complaining, no bad JuJu.” Booker experienced a variety of symptoms, many of which came and went. She held regular jobs, primarily with FedEx, for many years, though not without some difficulty. Finally, a few years ago, her condition reached a point where she had to retire.

That wasn’t what she wanted to do, but as the door to a so-called normal life swung shut, other doors opened. Booker began volunteering at her church, and in the Union County school system, where she mentors students needing extra support.

And, she decided she was ready to become a student again.

FIRST GENERATION

Booker came from a family with sturdy roots and a terrific pool of athletic genes. Her brother, Gerald, was a superb football player in high school and at Clemson. His sons, Trevor, Devin, and Darrion, were star basketball players at Union County High and all went on to play college basketball. Trevor played nine seasons in the NBA. Devin, who played with Trevor at Clemson, played professionally in Europe.

Kim says her mother, Ruth Booker, was a wonderful athlete as well, although Kim didn’t know that until just before her mother died when an aunt told her that her mom had been as good as Kim, if not better.

“I said, ‘mom why didn’t you ever tell me that?’” Booker says. “Mom said, ‘oh, I didn’t want you being bothered by being compared to me’.”

Ruth Booker and her husband, McElroy, didn’t finish school.

Mom got a little further than dad, but neither made it to high school, much less out of it. Nonetheless, they stressed education.

It was clear to Kim that if she didn’t bring home good grades there’d be no sports. So, she did well.

“All us kids (four sisters, one brother) did well in school,”

says Booker. “There was no one in our family who had been to college until that generation. But I went and my brother did and my sisters all have associate degrees. I don’t know where their (her parents) interest in education came from – maybe it was because they didn’t have an education and saw how hard it was – but they pushed us to do well and it worked.”

Kim promised her mother that she’d go back and get her degree. She made the same vow to her children.

Life kept getting in the way. Work, family, her physical condition – besides MS, a few years ago she was diagnosed with Lupus, another autoimmune disorder.

“A lot of people were on me about it (getting the degree),” says Booker. “I was on me, too. It was on my mind. One day I was visiting my doctor and he said, ‘are you ever going to get it?’

He knew what was happening to me. It seemed like now or never. I told my daughter, ‘I’m going for it.’”

ROAD SCHOLAR

Booker needed one class to graduate when she left school in 1989, but by the time she decided to go back, she needed 30 hours. That’s the rule for students who’ve been out of school for more than 10 years. It recognizes the potential for change in curriculum and student abilities, and it protects the academic integrity of the degree.

That meant the equivalent of two full semesters for Booker. Most of the courses could be completed online, from her home. But she needed to complete two labs that could only be done in person.

FMU worked with Booker to schedule the labs on the same day so she and her daughter (Shekima did the driving) would only have to make one trip per week from Carlisle. The accommodation helped, but it was still grueling. Booker was in her 50s and she had MS. Would she have energy tomorrow? Would she be able to concentrate for five or six hours? She never knew.

“It was very different,” says Booker. “I hadn’t done it for a long time. The folks at FMU were great. They supported me, were so encouraging. Dr. (Ednaliz) Rodriguez in biology told me I was going to do great in the lab. ‘Age is nothing but a number,’ she said. ‘I expect you to make an A or a B.’ But I hadn’t been in a lab since my freshman year. It was tough. I couldn’t have gotten

through it without my professors.”

She had help at home, too.

Shekima recalls her mother coming home after one lab and telling her, “‘Shekima, I sat in there for two or three hours and I didn’t understand a word they were saying.’

“And so we opened up her book and read it together, and stayed up to 4:00, 4:30 a.m. trying to figure out what it was all about. And we did. She did. She got it done.”

Raw emotion was the order of the day when Booker graduated last spring. Tears flowed when FMU president Dr. Fred Carter brought Kim Booker’s diploma to her seat in the Smith Center.

Shekima says the feelings were a mix of joy and happiness, amazement and … relief.

“Coming from the family she came from where no one had graduated from a fouryear college, being the first to do that, and then doing it the way she did … well, you just wondered if this was really happening,” says Moore.

Pearl Moore, Booker’s high school coach and also a sort of sister-in-law since Booker’s two children are by her brother Wes, says she was “so very happy” when Booker got her degree.

“I’d been on her for a long time,” says Moore. “You can’t go to school for that long just for sports. You got to finish it up. When I was coming out, I had an offer to go play professional basketball right out of school, but I told ‘em, ‘no, I’ve got to finish this degree.’ We’ve had several of the (female athletes) who’ve done well at FMU who have come back lately and completed their work. I’m glad Kim is one of them.”

“There were times last March when I wanted to give up,” says Kim Booker. “But I said the Lord has brought me this far. He’s not going to leave me behind. I heard mom and dad’s voices, talking to me, telling me not to quit. And I didn’t. I did what I had to do and I got my degree. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Better than all her great moments in sports?

Booker nods. “No comparison,” she says.

It was an easy question. •

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ALUMNI FOCUS

A GLOBAL HR CAREER, LAUNCHED AT FMU DEBBIE POLLOCK-BERRY WAS ALWAYS A “PEOPLE PERSON.” NOW SHE’S THE CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER FOR A MICHELLE OBAMA STARTUP.

By ANNA TODD Debbie Pollock-Berry

FMU alumna Debbie PollockBerry ('88) knows a thing or two about managing people and making them feel valued and enabled to reach for their goals.

She employs those skills daily at PLEZi Nutrition, a new, healthconscious kid’s beverage company, cofounded by former First Lady Michelle Obama, where she is the Chief People & Culture Officer. Pollock-Berry says she began developing those abilities years ago at Francis Marion University.

“FMU was instrumental in shaping me in ways I never could have imagined,” she shared. “It gave me a sense of belonging and value while empowering me to know that I could be successful. Throughout my career, I’ve sought to recreate that same feeling as I 18 | F RA N C I S M A RI O N FO CUS

lead others and help to create a culture where everyone can feel empowered and valued.”

Pollock-Berry moved to Northern Virginia soon after graduation, marrying her college sweetheart, Richard T. “Scooter” Berry, Jr. The two met at FMU, where Scooter played basketball, and married soon after college. Together, they have three children, Richie, Blair, and Blake.

Pollock-Berry began her professional career as a global and domestic human resources executive. For more than two decades, her passion for people, and her talent for management, has propelled her on an ascending career path with Fortune 500 companies and national organizations.

She was recently recognized as one

of CIO Today magazine’s Top CPO’s to watch in 2024. Previously, she was heralded as one of the Top Influential Women in Corporate America multiple times, received Smart CEO’s Executive Management Award, and was the recipient of Hampton University’s Head Over Heels Award.

Pollock-Berry serves on numerous boards including Forbes' Human Resources Council, LEADVA, and Smart CEO’s Executive Management Selection Committee.

Pollock has led HR efforts at AOL, Verizon Communications, North American Energy Alliance, the Federal Realty Investment Trust, and just prior to joining PLEZi, at Save the Children.

No matter where she’s landed, investing in people has been the

Theatre’s production of “The Fantasticks,” and was the 1986 Homecoming Queen.

She majored in English, with a minor in communications.

Pollock-Berry says she remains committed to her passion — people-centered leadership. Her journey, grounded in the values of care, respect, and community, is an inspiring testament to the lasting impact of a strong foundation and the transformative power of investing in others.

cornerstone of her rewarding career.

“I want to treat people the way they want to be treated,” says Pollock-Berry. “It’s important to me to invest time in getting to know people and learning how they are most effective. This started for me at FMU because of the way I was treated. I felt like I was the only one who mattered. This philosophy of putting people first has guided me through every step of my career.

“One of the most incredible things about Francis Marion was its environment,” says Pollock-Berry. “It was a place where I felt empowered to go after my dreams. Faculty and staff members across the campus were truly invested in the students and encouraged us in a way that made us know we could accomplish whatever we put our minds to.”

Pollock-Berry, an Aiken native, discovered Francis Marion during her senior year in high school. She was thrilled when she received her acceptance letter from Marvin Lynch, FMU’s admissions director at the time.

During the summer between her high school graduation and freshman year in college, Pollock-Berry was selected to participate in a minority student academic program on campus. This two-month program truly set her up for a successful academic career at FMU as it gave her the skills necessary to be a strong student.

Pollock-Berry jumped into her collegiate experience head-first, immersing herself in as many campus activities as possible. She wrote for the campus newspaper, The Campus Crier, was a cheerleader, eventually becoming co-captain of the squad, was a little sister for Lambda Lambda Omega Psi Phi, acted in the FMC FAL L / WIN TE R 2024

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PATRIOTS TAKE TO THE SKIES FMU ALUMS CHOSE THE SAME FLIGHT PATTERN AFTER SCHOOL

By ANNA TODD

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E

van Dyne ('06) and Bryant Massey ('05) both studied business at Francis Marion University.

After that, their careers took off.

They’re both commercial airline pilots for Delta Air Lines, based out of the company’s massive hub operation in Atlanta.

Periodically, they meet in the airport on the way to and from their flights, to catch up and talk shop.

“While we haven’t gotten the chance to co-pilot, we occasionally run into each other in one of the crew rooms between flights,” says Massey. “It’s always nice to have a few minutes to catch up before we’re off to the skies.”

Both Dyne and Massey have long-time interests in flying, but neither left FMU planning on careers as a pilot. Each had other career ideas, and becoming a pilot is a long haul.

Commercial pilots must earn single- and multi-engine aircraft licenses (the equivalent of a traditional driver’s license), instrument ratings for flying in any weather, a commercial certificate (after 250 hours of flight time), and flight instructor ratings. After that, pilots are required to build up to 1500 hours of flight time to make it to the “majors” like Delta Air Lines.

Massey has had an interest in aviation for a long time. He heard stories from his grandfather, a Navy pilot in World War II, while growing up. As he got older, his interest in aviation grew, so much so that he decided to start skydiving. That, says Massey, “jump started” his career as a pilot.

“I remember being in this plane, getting ready to skydive and just looking over at the pilot and thinking ‘Wow, this is cool. I should learn to fly,’” recalls Massey.

He says he knew at that point that he would one day get his private pilot’s license. He began working towards that shortly after earning his Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing in 2005.

Massey moved to Charleston after graduation where he took a job as a full-time firefighter while pursuing his private pilot’s license. He earned all of his ratings – private, instrument, and commercial – on his days off. Eventually, he left his firefighting job to build flight time and earn his instructor ratings.

Like Massey, Dyne had always been interested in flying, but didn’t start working on a pilot’s license until after college.

Dyne moved back to his hometown of Sumter after completing his marketing degree in 2006 and took a job at a bank. While working at the bank he started flying along with a co-worker who had his private pilot license. After work, Dyne would regularly hop in his colleague’s plane and fly to Myrtle Beach for dinner.

The thought of being able to do that himself was more exciting to Dyne than his banking job.

When Dyne and his wife, Sarah (nee Carpenter, '07), moved to Georgia so she could attend graduate school at Georgia State, Dyne decided to enroll in flight school.

He attended ATP Flight School in Lawrenceville, GA, and enrolled in an accelerated program that took just seven months to complete. Says Dyne, “it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. Every day, for seven months, I did nothing but study and fly.”

At the end of the program, Dyne had his commercial license.

Although they followed different paths to licensure, the FMU grads’ journey to the big leagues of flying both took about a decade and followed a similar trajectory. Dyne began at Atlantic Southeast Airlines in 2013 before moving to Endeavor Air in late 2017. Massey began with Endeavor in 2011. Both also worked as flight instructors during this time, earning the hours necessary to become “big league” pilots.

A decade later they reconnected at Anderson County Airport when both were flight instructors for different companies.

Massey was working for Airwolf Aviation based in Anderson, while Dyne worked out of Peachtree City.

Dyne flew to Anderson with one of his students who was going for a check ride (a practical test given by the Federal Aviation Administration for a person to earn or renew their license). While waiting for his student, Dyne headed into the Fixed Based Operations area of the airport where pilots can relax or do planning for their next flight. Massey just so happened to be there, and a mini-reunion began. It’s continued ever since.

Dyne and Massey both started as pilots for Delta Air Lines in 2022. Dyne lives a short, 20-minute drive from the Atlanta airport. Massey resides in the upstate of South Carolina with his wife Lindsey (nee Harte, '07) and their two sons.

Massey flies a 757 and 767, while Dyne pilots the 737.

Currently, all their flights start and end in Atlanta. Both enjoy the

Evan Dyne (’06), left, and Bryant Massey (’05), right FAL L / WINTE R 2024

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culture and camaraderie at Delta. It reminds them of FMU. Dyne, a native of Sumter, SC, and graduate of Lakewood High School and Massey, a product of T.L. Hanna High School from Anderson, SC, both knew Francis Marion was the place for them when they began their education at the university over 20 years ago. Something about FMU just felt like home.

The two met through mutual friends on campus, but didn’t have overlapping classes. Both credit their involvement in the business program with contributing to their success as pilots.

“There are over 17,000 pilots at Delta,” says Massey. “Every time I fly, I’m working with someone different.

Pictured clockwise from top: Dyne; Dyne with his family following his FMU graduation in May 2006; Dyne and wife Sarah; Massey with his wife, Lindsey, and their two children; Massey; Massey and his family on vacation.

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The team work that was so prevalent in many of my marketing classes helps me everyday.”

Echoes Dyne, “The rigor of the School of Business not only helped me during some of the most challenging months of my life in flight school, it also gave me the confidence that I needed – though I didn’t know it at the time – to be a pilot. I never dreamed I’d be addressing a plane full of people when I was a student at FMU, but the skills I learned certainly help me when I talk to passengers 30,000 feet in the air.” •

STUDENT FOCUS

PAISLEY HANNA

By ANNA TODD

Paisley Hanna Paisley Hanna has always loved learning.

Now she’s preparing to share some of that love with others.

Hanna, a senior at FMU, is an elementary education major in FMU’s School of Education.

A 2022 graduate of East Clarendon High School and native of Lake City, SC, a small town about 30 minutes from FMU, Hanna loved to learn but the idea of becoming a teacher is fairly new. It really began, she says, near the end of her high school career when she began helping with her younger sister’s Sunday school class. Later, she taught summer school for sixth grade students at East Clarendon Middle/High School between her junior and senior years of high school.

A self-proclaimed “Type A” student – Hanna earned an associates degree from Central Carolina Technical College before graduating from high school – she began working on a plan to become a teacher after finding that career to her liking.

She applied for the South Carolina’s Teaching Fellows program, which provides prospective teachers who are top students with significant scholarship funding and special experiences in exchange for committing to the teaching profession.

“From my first day on campus (at FMU) as a high school student attending a preparation workshop for students applying for the Teaching Fellows program through CERRA, I could just picture myself at FMU,” says Hanna. “Everyone was so nice and friendly, from the students who gave us tips to the faculty who shared strategies to prepare us for interviews.”

Hanna says her decision has been confirmed in her three years at FMU. She says the school’s small class sizes (FMU has a 12:1 student to faculty ratio) made her feel at home right from the beginning and allowed her to get to know her professors and fellow students.

She also found it easy to immerse herself in campus academic life. Among the organizations she joined was Teaching Children of Poverty Scholars (TCOPS) which is led by Drs. Tammy Powloski and Jane Brandis. The group meets monthly. Its members are exposed to different strategies and foundations of learning that can be applied in the classroom, in particular, as the name suggests, to classrooms filled with students who are poverty-stricken.

“I’m in my second school placement (at J.C. Lynch Elementary in Coward) and I’ve already been able to use many of the strategies I’ve learned from TCOPS as I’m working with so many different types of students,” says Hanna.

Hanna says the Teaching Fellows program has been instrumental in her development as a future teacher. The Teaching Fellows program has afforded her the opportunity to attend at least one conference each year.

The program has also provided ample opportunities for community service and professional development.

Hanna has worked with FMU’s Teacher Cadet program, which is designed to introduce high school students to the education profession. The Teacher Cadet program lines up university partners with local schools. FMU has one of the largest

programs of its kind in the state. Hanna was in the FMU program while in high school, so it made sense to her to volunteer with the program now. She meets with high school students during FMU open houses and special Teacher Cadet events to discuss teaching, teaching education, and related topics.

Hanna has been busy outside of academics, and outside of FMU. She joined a sorority, was part of FMU’s inaugural Acro Tumbling team (she taught tumbling from 7th grade until this past August), and was vice president of the FMU Education Club.

She’s been the junior varsity cheer coach at The Carolina Academy in Lake City the past two years, and has been involved in her younger siblings’ lives as well, cheering them on at school athletic events, and helping out with programs at church.

The ability to stay in touch with family and community life was an important factor in her decision to attend FMU. Hanna is now looking forward to launching her education career.

She hopes to teach fourth or sixth grade next year, and would like to be certified for Middle School ELA (English and Language Arts) soon. That’s her favorite academic area, and the additional certification would allow her to teach that subject to 7th and 8th graders.

Down the road, Hanna can imagine herself returning for still more education – remember, she loves to learn! – and becoming a school administrator.

Considering all she’s done so far, it's not hard for others to imagine that as well.

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STUDENT FOCUS

A YOUNG MAN ON THE RUN BETWEEN INTERNSHIPS, CROSS COUNTRY, AND CAMPUS LIFE, FMU SENIOR TYSON JACKSON HAS STAYED BUSY AS HE PREPARES FOR THE ROAD AHEAD.

By BETTY SUGGS “The classroom experience at FMU is great,” says Tyson Jackson, but nothing beats a little hands-on experience.

The Florence native is getting a taste of that … well, first hand.

Since enrolling at FMU in 2021, the Supply Chain and Economics double major has worked in the School of Business office, completed an internship at The Post and Courier, and is currently an apprentice at the North Eastern Strategic Alliance (NESA), a business development and recruiting entity that’s based in Florence.

All three experiences allowed him to take the information gleaned in the classroom and apply it to the real world. Because of these positions, Jackson feels more prepared to begin a career when he graduates next spring.

“One of the things that I appreciate most about FMU, and particularly the School of Business, is

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that there are so many opportunities for me as a student to learn about the business world besides just inside the classroom,” says Jackson. “One of the activities outside of the classroom I really enjoyed was the etiquette dinner.

It provided me with skills I will need as I begin my career in just a few months.”

At NESA, Jackson is utilizing databases to gather information for businesses looking to relocate or expand in this nine-county region.

This experience has been invaluable to Jackson.

Last summer, Jackson completed a marketing internship at The Post and Courier - Pee Dee. He managed the paper’s social media accounts and coordinated its planned events, while also assisting the marketing director with various tasks. During his time at The Post and Courier, he received a Digital Marketing certification, a professional credential he added to his already lengthy resume.

A native of Florence, the studentathlete has made the most of his collegiate years at Francis Marion University.

During his time working in the School of Business office, he assisted faculty at events and created content for the School of Business's social media campaigns. This position allowed him to work with not only students and faculty, but also business owners in the region.

The networking experience he received during this time prepared him for the internships that followed and have helped him in the classroom.

The senior says he chose to study supply chain management because he likes the idea of managing different projects in the business world.

“I’ve also always had a passion for economics because it answers all of today’s questions and gives you a better understanding of everything around you.”

When choosing a college a few years ago, Jackson had no doubt FMU was the right fit for him.

He says he was drawn to FMU

initially because it is close to home and it’s where his sister, August Marie Bazen, is an Early Childhood Education major.

“Seeing the experience my sister had at FMU made me very eager to attend the university as well,” says Jackson. “She grew so much academically in just her first year at Francis Marion. I knew that I wanted to be a part of the special environment at FMU and follow her example.”

Another reason he chose FMU is because he did not want to incur any student debt.

“It was very important to me to go to a university where I would not only get the best education possible, but would also be able to graduate with little to no debt,” says Jackson. “Francis Marion has afforded me this opportunity and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.”

In high school, Jackson was a member of the West Florence track and cross country teams. He decided he wasn’t ready for his athletic career to end when he started college and joined the university’s cross country and track and field program. Running at FMU has not only kept Jackson in shape, it has also presented him with life skills and helped him to appreciate the camaraderie that comes with being on an athletic team.

“Being a student-athlete on the track and cross country teams has really helped me with my time management and communication skills, and has taught me how to have more patience,” says Jackson. “I have a better understanding of how to talk with my teammates from different backgrounds. I know these skills will stay with me off the course and outside of the classroom as I move into a career in business.”

In addition to his academic work, his training with the cross country and track team, and his internships, Jackson is also involved on campus. He participates and volunteers at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, is a member of the National Society for Leadership and Success, the

Green Club, the Accounting Club, and he serves as a student orientation leader.

Jackson also spent time abroad in a travel-study program in Germany and France led by his favorite FMU professor, Dr. Caroliniana Padgett, an associate professor of economics. During this travel-study program, he studied culture and sustainability.

“Traveling abroad truly opened my mind to how sustainable other countries are and how differently Europeans live their everyday lives compared to Americans,” says Jackson. “I will forever be grateful for this experience provided

by FMU as well as to Dr. Padgett as she has made a huge impact on my life and opened my eyes to things going on in the real world and not just the classroom.”

Jackson continues to manage a work-life balance with his busy schedule. When he is not in school, at his internship, working, or running, he finds time doing the things he enjoys like staying active physically and in his church.

“In my free time, I play pickleball and I teach a children’s class on Sunday nights as well as help with all of the children’s activities at Lake Swamp Baptist Church,” Jackson explained. “I spend a lot of time with my dog, named Levon. I enjoy playing fetch with him.”

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NEW FIRST COLLEGE PROGRAM IS A UNIQUE DUAL ENROLLMENT PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN FMU AND THE FLORENCE 1 SCHOOL DISTRICT.

By BETTY SUGGS Francis Marion University and Florence 1 Schools have partnered yet again to offer students an opportunity to get a head start on college. First College, a new dual enrollment partnership program, allows students to take university-level courses while continuing their high school education. Students from South Florence, West Florence, and Wilson High schools are eligible for this program.

While the university has long had dual enrollment programs for students throughout the Pee Dee, First College offers something new: Students accepted into First College choose their area of study – business, education, engineering, or pre-nursing – at the start of the program. Each track has its own plan of courses that follow a specific sequence, and roll right into a major field of study at FMU. In their junior year in high school, the majority of students enrolled will take two dual enrollment courses per semester. During their senior year, students are considered “full-time college students” and take four classes each semester, says Dr. John Rowan, Vice President of Enrollment Management at FMU. “In the past, and currently, students who are qualified may enroll in college-level courses in various disciplines, but those are selected one course at a time,” says Rowan. “First College is unique in that it takes into account which discipline the students 26 | F R A N C IS M A RI O N FOCUS

selects and lays out a plan of study of courses during the junior and senior years of high school. Students in this program will finish well on their way to completing a major in college. This program is more intentional, focused, and prescribed than the traditional dual enrollment program.”

The program, which began this fall, is already off to a successful start.

Fifteen to 20 students are enrolled in First College. Francis Marion and Florence 1 leaders expect to expand the program in the future.

Florence 1 is the largest school district in the Pee Dee, with slightly more than 16,000 students enrolled.

Rowan says Florence One gets credit for the way the district enhances the education of their students both academically and financially.

First College students will also have the opportunity to earn a scholarship to Francis Marion. Rowan says many dual enrollment students already qualify for significant scholarships because of their academic achievement, but First College students who matriculate to FMU will receive an additional $2,500 scholarship for their freshman year on top of other scholarships and aid. It's an additional incentive to continue moving on the track they started in high school.

“First College is a wonderful opportunity to help bridge the change from high school to college,” says Rowan. “Traditionally,

that transition has been very sudden. This initiative makes it much more seamless.”

Students enrolling in First College focus on a specific discipline during their junior year of high school. That allows them to learn more about that area by the time they graduate high school, giving them a good sense of which specialties they may want to pursue in those disciplines. In addition, it gives students a head start on determining whether they enjoy a specific discipline.

Students who complete First College will be ahead of schedule with regards to their collegiate matriculation, too. Most will graduate from college within three years as their senior year of high school essentially becomes their first full year of college.

“This program is extremely beneficial to juniors and seniors in high school due to its intentional framework and focus on a specific area,” says Rowan. “It also provides college courses at no cost to the student.”

Rowan is excited for the future of First College and its possible expansion.

“I would like to see it expanded to other school districts in the Pee Dee region,” he says. “We have a fair number of first generation students who would be the first in their families to go to college and to graduate. Often, a program like First College can help these students to clarify college and career plans in a financially savvy way.”

Francis Marion currently has 17 different dual enrollment partnerships including one homeschool association, five private schools, and 11 public schools.

Pictured clockwise from left: West Florence High, South Florence High, and Wilson High School enrollees in the First College Program.

AT FMU Francis Marion University's innovative dual enrollment program gives area high school students the opportunity to earn college course credits while still in high school by taking collegelevel courses their junior and senior year. The students also receive course credit towards their high school degree, hence, they are "dual enrolled" — in high school and college at the same time.

Students may take up to four dual enrollment courses per semester, allowing them to pile up a year’s worth of college credit before they set foot on FMU’s campus as a full-fledged college student. For students able to handle this level of work, that's a real benefit. They reduce the time it takes to earn a college degree and save money on tuition and other college costs.

FMU offers a variety of classes that fulfill general education requirements needed for all FMU degrees.

Dual enrollment courses are offered at a number of locations including The Continuum in Lake City and online.

Students wishing to participate in FMU’s Dual Enrollment Program should be enrolled in a partnering high school, have a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA, be juniors or seniors, and receive school permission to participate in the courses.

All that's needed to enroll is a copy of an up-to-date high school transcript, including current class schedule, proof of US citizenship (copy of South Carolina driver’s license, birth certificate, or passport), and a Dual Enrollment Application which can be accessed at https://www.fmarion.edu/dualenrollment/.

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Updates FALL 2024

THE WORLD COMES TO FMU

FMU is host to a record 13 exchange students this fall from six different countries. They're part of FMU's growing International Studies program which includes overseas study agreements with 11 different universities in six countries, including the latest addition in Burgos, Spain. FMU's international group, pictured above, includes: Top, L-R: Leon Dittman – RPTU Landau, Germany Leo Breunig – RPTU Landau, Germany Salomé Baudet – Universitè Caen Normandie, France Simon Hayn – RPTU Landau, Germany Middle, L-R: Laura Greven – RPTU Landau, Germany Maëlle Laporte-Hamon – Rennes School of Business, France Hermine Guiomard– Rennes School of Business, France

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Bottom, L-R: Maria Cronin – University College Cork, Ireland Domitille Viaux – Universitè Caen Normandie, France David Mardus – EAH Jena, Germany Ambre Quernée – Rennes School of Business, France Marvin Kanzler – RPTU Landau, Germany

NEW YEAR, FRESH LOOK The ongoing wave of construction at FMU included infrastructure updates, including new signage featuring the ubiquitous "FMU Red" brick, and resurfacing of all major campus roads. The road and signage work was completed just in time for the opening of the fall semester.

FMU has long had one of South Carolina's most beautiful campuses.

Now, it looks even better.

SCHOLARSHIPS KEEP GROWING FMU's commitment to making education affordable continues to grow. The university awarded more than $4.4 million in scholarships this year, among the largest years on record.

Nearly 1,200 students received over 1,599 scholarships.

This is all on top of FMU's tuition freeze — now in its 7th straight year.

Scholarships have been boosted in recent years by new programs like the Darla Moore Scholarship, and generous gifts from a growing number of donors.

University leaders expect that FMU's ability to make a college degree affordable and accessible will continue to grow as its alumni base (now 26,000 and counting) grows and matures.

ATHLETIC TOTAL SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

227

FOUNDATION TOTAL SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

443

UNIVERSITY TOTAL SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

861

GRAND TOTAL

1,531

ATHLETIC TOTAL DOLLARS AWARDED

1,312,882

$

FOUNDATION TOTAL DOLLARS AWARDED

1,318,670

$

UNIVERSITY TOTAL DOLLARS AWARDED

1,809,635

$

TOTAL $ AWARDED

$

4,441,188

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GREENER FIELDS AWAIT AFTER 24 SEASONS AS FMU’S BASEBALL COACH, ART INABINET IS SETTLING INTO RETIREMENT.

By TUCKER MITCHELL

Art Inabinet and his wife Kim, at home with Nala.

The life of a baseball coach has its ups and downs, just like the game itself. Some days are fair and some are foul. You win some, as the old saying goes, and you lose some.

Art Inabinet won a lot more than he lost in his 24 years as Francis Marion’s baseball coach, but as he ponders the first season of his adult life in which he will not be coaching college baseball – Inabinet retired last summer – that’s not where his mind turns first.

Instead, he thinks about the places he’s been, and the young men he coached, and … … Maybe even the grass.

“My senior year as a player (at Winthrop), we lost an assistant coach right at the start of the season, so coach Horace Turbeville needed a little help and he knew I was interested (in coaching) so he asked me to help out,” says Inabinet. “So, I’d cut grass, do some field work, that kind of thing and, I don’t know why exactly, but I kind of enjoyed that.

“Baseball moves at its own pace and there are those things – throwing batting practice, cutting grass, working on the field – that is just a part of it,” says Inabinet. “Baseball fields should look a certain way. You want to carry on the tradition. And you know, edging the field, adding some material to the warning track, some conditioner to the infield dirt, getting it all fixed up, making it right, it’s just … fun. I did that all the time I coached, right up to the end. I could have told one of my assistants to do it, but I wasn’t going to ask them to do something I wouldn’t do myself. That didn’t seem like good leadership.

I guess I kind of had that thought, but to be honest I liked doing it.

And when you make a field look spectacular, well, that’s a real feeling of accomplishment.”

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Art Inabinet loved baseball from the time he first picked up a bat.

Little League ball was a big deal in his hometown of St. Matthews, S.C., and he was a big deal in the local Little League, a terrific hitter with some pop.

He was a star there and then at Calhoun Academy and with the Orangeburg Post 4 Legion team. That attracted the attention of some local colleges. Both The Citadel and Winthrop offered him scholarships.

He liked Turbeville, the future hall of famer, and decided to go there.

HIDDEN AT THIRD BASE Inabinet was a solid player for the Eagles, although his self-scouting report sounds like a cynical old coach who’s seen a lot of players in his time: “I could hit a little, could not field or run a bit. They hid me at third base.”

The Big South league’s all-conference selectors found him after a junior year in which he batted .386 with 11 homers. Then, the next year, his coaching career began with his emergency gig for Turbeville. That worked out pretty well and Turbeville apparently saw the sparkle of coaching passion in Inabinet’s eye, so he invited him back as a graduate assistant. Inabinet spent two years in that post, earning a masters and gaining valuable experience.

There was an opening at North Greenville College, which was moving from a two-year school to a four-year school, and was looking to transition its athletic teams. Inabinet applied, and with some help from Turbeville and others, landed the job.

He coached there for six seasons, leading the Trailblazers to a 155122 mark, including an 84-54 record against four-year competition.

Inabinet was on a recruiting trip one day during what would

turn out to be his last year at NGC, looking at some prospects from Brookland-Cayce High in a state championship. Seats were scarce but a few had been saved for college scouts. Inabinet found himself sitting beside Gerald Griffin, the only baseball coach at FMU up to that point.

“During the course of our conversation, he asked me if I had any interest in being an assistant at FMU,” says Inabinet. “I told him that if they could meet my base salary I’d do it. Well, I forgot about it afterwards, and then August rolled around and one day (Griffin) called and said, ‘Okay, I’ve done it (matched the salary). You need to quit and get down here right away.’”

GREAT MENTORS Inabinet worked under Griffin for two years, then took over as head coach. The promotion was not as planned as it sounds, although Inabinet says it was clear when he came to FMU that Griffin would be stepping down … at some point.

Until this season, Griffin and Inabinet were the only coaches in FMU history. Inabinet coached 24 years and eventually surpassed the man who hired him, winning 704 games at FMU. Inabinet’s teams, powered by talent from the baseball-rich Pee Dee, were competitive and then some. He led the Patriots to seven berths in the NCAA Division II national tournament, including an appearance in the World Series in 2006. Nine of his teams appeared in the top 30 in the final season poll.

Inabinet says he did well because he was taught well.

“I was fortunate at a young age, 23, 24, to be a head coach,” says Inabinet. “I knew for a long time I was going to coach, but I figured it would be in high school. But I got on a good path and wound up working with two great mentors in Griffin and Turbeville.

“Turbeville was really good on pitching and defense,” says Inabinet, “and Griffin was one of the best offensive minds I’ve been around.

I caught both of them at the end of their careers when they’d been through a lot, knew a lot, and was able to get all the knowledge that they had, that they could share. That’s something like 60 or 70 years of experience. They knew a lot and they were both men of high character.

You know, I learned real quick, that you have to be somebody who communicates with kids, have to be professional. It was a great lesson. I can’t be thankful enough.”

BACK TO THE GRASS Inabinet says he’ll always remember going to the World Series in ’06, and of course, beating the defending Division I national champions from the University of South Carolina in 2012, when FMU christened its new field (at the Gerald Griffin Athletic Complex).

He’ll also revel in the associations with his players and coaches.

“I’m lucky,” he says. “I still have really good relationships with lots of players. Hopefully, some of those will continue. Even since I retired, some of them have continued to reach out for references. I’ve written a bunch of those, for all kinds of jobs. I enjoy doing that.”

Retirement for the 60-year-old Inabinet will involve some fishing and hunting, and a lot of time spent with friends and family. His wife Kim, an assistant vice president at McLeod Health, still has a few years of work life remaining, but they’ll be on the go. Their son, Reese, just graduated from FMU and is, says Inabinet, “finally off the payroll.”

Inabinet says he will go to see some baseball games, at FMU and elsewhere.

He has also started a small business, just something to keep him occupied.

He’s cutting grass.

“It’s something I still like to do,” he says.

ONE TO REMEMBER Top: Inabinet at the Francis Marion–Carolina game in 2012 Bottom: Inabinet (standing, far right) and the Patriots pose for a team photo following their 5-4 victory of the University of the South Carolina in 2012. The game marked the opening of the Griffith Athletic Complex, and was a highlight of Inabinet's coaching career.

A TALL ORDER FOR NUMBER 3 Jeff Jefferson is the third baseball coach in FMU history.

He’s facing a high career bar. His predecessors, Gerald Griffin and Art Inabinet, coached for 52 seasons and combined to win 1,359 games.

Jefferson says he’s “honored” to have the opportunity to build on that legacy.

Jefferson comes to Francis Marion after 10 seasons as an assistant coach at UNC Pembroke. A native of Danville, Va., he played collegiate baseball at Liberty University, then served as an assistant coach at Concord University and then at Shepherd University. Both schools are in West Virginia. He came to Pembroke in 2015. Jefferson also coached two seasons of summer baseball in New Market, Va. FAL L / WIN TE R 2024

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MORAN ADDRESS Dr. Jon Tuttle, Director of FMU Honors and professor of English, delivered the 15th Annual William C. Moran Address. The Moran Address is given each spring by a retiring or recently retired faculty member.

OUTSTANDING ALUM! Cherry Drulis ('08) was awarded the 2024 Morgan B. Coker Outstanding Alumni award at the annual FMU School of Business Alumni Awards Ceremony.

MARCH

APRIL

GUNTHER NAMED FMU TRUSTEE RESEARCH SCHOLAR Dr. Jeanne Gunther, Professor of Education, was named as a FMU Board of Trustees’ Research Scholar.

TIMELINE FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY

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JOLLEY GOOD STUDENT LIFE Student groups were recognized at an awards ceremony for their contributions to Student Life at FMU throughout the academic year.

FMU RECOGNIZES ACHIEVEMENTS OF STUDENTS The University held its annual Academic Awards ceremony recognizing students for academic excellence.

Roy Ann Jolley ('75, '84), was presented with the Educator Alumni Award at the FMU School of Education’s annual award ceremony. Jolley has served as principal of Delmae Heights Elementary School in Florence for over 25 years.

ARTS INTERNATIONAL – DOWNTOWN! Arts International, a celebration of arts and culture, was held in downtown Florence on the grounds of the FMU Performing Arts Center. This year’s festival included musicians and other performers including Analog Saints, Aroha Afro Latin Dance, Guerreros Quetzalcoatl, Orquesta 704, and Lion Dance by Kaizen Way. The event also hosted an artisan fair, community mural, and children’s activities.

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FMU FACULTY AWARDS Four faculty members were honored for their outstanding work during the university’s annual faculty awards night.

Dr. J. Mark Blackwell, Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, was awarded the Charlene Wages Shared Governance Award. Dr. Ana-Elisa Iglesias, Assistant Professor of Management, received the Award for Excellence in Teaching; Dr. Jason Doll, Assistant Professor of Fisheries, was honored with the Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship; and Dr. Hubert Setzler, Professor of Management, received the Award for Excellence in Professional Service.

PIKE NAMED FMU'S '23-'24 DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR Lisa Pike, professor of Biology, was recognized as the J. Lorin Mason Distinguished Professor at Francis Marion University for 2023-2024.

The Distinguished Professor Award is the highest honor bestowed upon a faculty member.

MAY

SPRING 2024 COMMENCEMENT During the Spring 2024 commencement ceremonies, the Honorable Debra O. Jackson, Representative G. Murrell Smith, Jr., Dr. E. Lorraine de Montluzin, and Donna Isgett were presented with honorary doctorate of humanities degrees from the university.

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STAFF AWARDS

CURRENTS EVENTS The first edition of Carolina Currents: Studies in South Carolina Culture, a scholarly series edited by Dr. Christopher D. Johnson, Professor of English, was published. Carolina Currents is a cooperative project between FMU and the University of South Carolina Press and focuses on essays that explore South Carolina’s different cultures and histories.

Four employees were recognized for their outstanding service to the university at the annual FMU Staff Awards luncheon. This year’s honorees included: Chad A. Herlong who received the John J. Kispert Leadership Award, Karen M. Herbert who was awarded the Marvin Lynch Humanitarian Award, and Tina T. Gause and Benjamin M. Johnson who were recipients of the two Outstanding Staff Service Awards.

JUNE

JULY

JUNETEENTH AT FMU Dr. Bernard E. Powers, Jr., a historian and Professor Emeritus from the College of Charleston, spoke at the university’s annual Juneteenth Celebration held at the Leatherman Medical Education Complex in downtown Florence.

DAVE MASON PAC Season begins with Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam tour.

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FIRST FRIDAY

NEW PROGRAMS FMU’s Fall semester kicks off with the addition of three new programs - Autism Studies, Criminal Justice, and the Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program.

The university held its much anticipated annual First Friday event during the first week of the fall semester. Students, faculty and staff, and alumni enjoyed live music, games, and food trucks as they kicked off the new academic year.

AUGUST

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING EARNS ACCREDITATION FMU’s Mechanical Engineering program earned accreditation by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. FMU’s Industrial Engineering is accredited through the same organization.

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SEPTEMBER

NEW DIGS The new School of Business/ School of Education Building, a 54,000 square-foot, $23 million project, funded entirely by the state, opened for classes in August. The state-of-the-art facility houses faculty from the two schools along with superb classroom and meeting space.

HOPLA, MYERS NAMED BOT RESEARCH SCHOLARS Dr. Deborah Hopla, a professor of nursing and director of the Family Nurse Practitioner tracks in the Master of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs, and Dr. Jeannette Myers, a professor of astronomy and Director of Dooley Planetarium and the FMU Observatory, were named Board of Trustee Research Scholars.

LYLES HONORED AS 2024 HONORS FACULTY MENTOR Dr. Jennifer Lyles, associate professor of Biology, was awarded the 2024 Honors Faculty Mentor Award at the fall Honors Student Reception.

OCTOBER

FREEDOM TO READ The Pee Dee Freedom to Read Rally was held at the FMU Performing Arts Center’s amphitheatre and included volunteer readers from the community sharing selections from historically banned books.

RICE CULTURE The Rice Grower’s Historical marker was dedicated and a presentation of the rice growing culture in the Pee Dee took place during a Celebration of the Pee Dee Rice Culture event held on campus.

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Right: The FMU Alumni Affairs group shows the flag during its May 2024 trip to Ireland.

L to R: Jamal Lightborne ('16), Lauren Stanton ('09, '13), and Brooke Thibodaux ('16) Jamal is an FMU Alumnus working for TikTok while living in Europe. He was able to meet up with the FMU Alumni group on his last day in Ireland before moving to Amsterdam.

Above left: The group of FMU Alumni enjoying dinner in Ireland.

Above right: FMU Veterans Affairs Coordinator Grace Sanderson at Blarney Castle.

Right: Dr. Shirley Bausmith ('91, '94) and her husband Bert.

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IRELA

Left: Brooke Thibodaux ('16) in front of Blarney Castle.

Below: FMU Faculty Dr. Karen Fries (Education) in the library at Carlow College.

FMU Alumni Affairs launched its Alumni Travel program in May. An intrepid group spent a week in Ireland, the land of legends, of misty mountains, of lovely lakes and friendly greetings.

We traveled across the Emerald Isle, seeing many of its most famous sites, and we made special trips to a couple of FMU’s international education partners.

Here are some of the highlights.

AND Above: Kayla Wilson ('16, '17), Bob Wilson ('82, '91), and Peggy Wilson ('83) Right: Paul ('89) and Ashley Reardon ('89) Below, L to R: Peggy Wilson ('83), Lauren Stanton ('09, '13), Brooke Thibodaux ('16), Kayla Wilson ('16, '17), and Bob Wilson ('82, '91)

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Office of Communications PO Box 100547 Florence, SC 29502

France JOIN US IN

MON | APR 21

Paris

Explore the capital’s grand boulevards and worldfamous landmarks

THURS | APR 24

APRIL 21-28, 2025 OPEN TO FMU ALUMNI, FRIENDS, FACULTY & STAFF

TUES | APR 22

WED | APR 23

Rouen, Honfleur

Deauville

Follow River Seine to Rouen and it’s ancient cathedral

Normandy Beach and D-Day Landings

FRI | APR 25

SAT | APR 26

Saint-Malo

Rennes

Loire Valley

City of the Corsairs, Intra Muros, the walled city, and optional Cancale

Rennes School of Business, continue to the beautiful Loire Valley

Discover the Stunning French Châteaux, and Chapel of Saint-Huber

SUN | APR 27

MON | APR 28

Register Today

SCAN THE QR CODE for travel information or call (843) 661-1225

Paris

Farewell Paris

Chartres and its beautiful Roman Catholic cathedral

A fond au revoir to France

ALUMNI TRAVEL FMUALUMNI.COM

40 | F R A N C IS M A RI O N FO CUS