Connection Winter 2015

125

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CONTENTS 4

Up Front News and notes around campus

9

Homecoming Celebrate the 125th

10 GC Reacts The world has changed

14 Cover Story 125 years of academics

18 The Making of the 125 Recognizing the most inuential

22 Student Organizations Students at the center of GC

24 History of School Spirit Competition promotes spirit

26 Class Notes

Alumni Weekend Moves to November

Reenactment of Dr. Julia Flisch’s speech on the importance of education for women by Dr. Amy Pinney.

Please save the date for Alumni Weekend Nov. 13-14, 2015. We will celebrate with reunion groups, and there will be numerous cultural and historical events taking place on campus. More information about this event will be featured in our summer issue of Connection.

 Winter 2015 Vol. XXIV, No.1 Copyright 2015.

All rights reserved.

Published by University Communications 231 W. Hancock St. Milledgeville, GA 31061

President Steve Dorman Vice President for University Advancement Monica Delisa Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications John Hachtel Editor/Director of Marketing and Publications Victoria Fowler, ‘12 Writers Brittiny Johnson Daniel McDonald Aubrie L. Sofala, ‘12 Al Weston Design Jon Scott, ‘83 Brooks Hinton Photography Tim Vacula, ‘86

Please send change of address and class notes to: University Advancement Campus Box 113 Milledgeville, GA 31061 connection@gcsu.edu

No person shall, on the grounds of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or genetic information be excluded from employment or participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination, under any program or activity conducted by Georgia College.

Alumni artists from ‘1937 to 2014’ celebrate the opening of Ennis Hall

The Department of Art celebrated moving to a new building by honoring their past.

Artwork on display showcased graduates from 1937 to those as recent as 2014, hence the exhibit’s title.

The first art exhibition held in the newly renovated and reopened Ennis Hall, titled “1937 to 2014,” brought together generations of Georgia College alumni artists.

The exhibit represented a large range of talents with works on display from paintings and drawings to etchings and photography.

“We had 34 artists on display for this exhibition,” said Associate Professor of Art Carlos Herrera. “There were some artists from Milledgeville and others from Savannah. I think the furthest away was from Louisiana.”

Ennis Hall was reopened in June 2014 after a two-and-a-half year transformation from the remnants of a 1920s women’s dormitory to a highly interactive, useable home for the Georgia College Department of Art.

Georgia College welcomes new associate provost Georgia College announces a new member of the university’s leadership team. Dr. Carolyn Denard will serve as associate provost for student success and strategic initiatives, and director for the Center for Student Success.

Denard was most recently the dean of the college at Connecticut College in New London, Conn. She has also served as assistant dean of the Emory University graduate school, associate dean of the college at Emory University and associate dean of the college at Brown University.

“I am delighted to be joining the Georgia College community, and I look forward to working with the provost and the staff in the Student Success Center, the Learning Center and the other units and programs involved with student success initiatives at the college,” said Denard.

She began her new role at Georgia College on Jan. 1, 2015. connection magazine | 4 | gcsu.edu

celebrates legacy of learning, launches campaign Throughout this academic year, Georgia College proudly celebrates the quasquicentennial, or 125th anniversary, of the university.

In honor of that, the university hosted a Scholarship Gala in November 2014 to not only celebrate Georgia College's legacy of learning, but also to support future generations of students by providing scholarships with the money raised. The university has launched a yearlong scholarship campaign with the goal of creating 125 newly funded scholarships.

The Georgia College & State University Foundation has pledged to match the donations to eligible scholarships during the quasquicentennial year.

Funding opportunities include endowed scholarships, gifts to current scholarships or gifts to the Legacy Fund endowment for first-generation students.

Also at the gala, 125 individuals and groups who have paved the way for Georgia College's place in the higher education landscape were honored. The 125 most influential individuals and groups in the history of the university were recognized for their transformational contributions of time, talent and treasure to the institution.

For more information on the 125th anniversary celebration, visit gcsu.edu/125.

125th anniversary celebrated during Charter Week In honor of Georgia College’s chartering on Nov. 8, 1889, as Georgia Normal & Industrial College, the university held a weeklong celebration Nov. 3 - 8, 2014.

Activities included the Presidents’ Memorial Tour of Memory Hill Cemetery, student celebration on front campus, alumni reception and community charter day celebration.

A 125th anniversary time capsule was dedicated, and students, faculty, staff and community members enjoyed a lecture about the history of the college, as well as a reenactment of Dr. Julia Flisch’s speech on the importance of education for women.

Charter Week culminated with the Scholarship Gala.

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New program focuses on recruiting

African-American male educators

A new program to Georgia College looks to increase the pool of available teachers from a broader and more diverse background.

The Call Me MISTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models) program at Georgia College is the first of its kind in the state.

Student participants will be largely selected from under-represented populations, with a targeted focus on African-American males.

Program benefits include financial assistance, residential living environments, mentorship through peer cohort programs and intensive learning and hands-on training to become transformative educators.

“Education is perhaps the most powerful and transformative tool that we have at our disposal,” said Emmanuel Little, ’07, program director. “I can still remember the impact that certain teachers had not only upon my retention of the subject matter being taught, but also on my entire worldview. Unfortunately, there are very few instances where I had an instructor who resembled me. The goal of Call Me MISTER is to change that.”

Little is currently recruiting the first cohort of students in the program at Georgia College for fall 2015.

Senior wins awards for poetry, fiction pieces

Senior Whitney Gray won first place for her poem, “Sweet Something,” in the Margaret Harvin Wilson Writing Award competition, taking home $1,000 for her manuscript.

She also placed fourth for her short story, “Listen.”

“Whitney Gray has been one of our most outstanding creative writers, and I invited her to complete a special senior capstone project, a chapbook of her poetry. As part of that project, Whitney is participating in our Masters of Fine Arts graduate level workshop in poetry this semester,” said Creative Writing Program Coordinator Martin Lammon. “So I wasn’t at all surprised that the final judges chose her poem ‘Sweet Something’ as the 2014 Wilson Award winning manuscript.”

The award was established in memory of Margaret Harvin Wilson, ’34, who was born Nov. 11, 1913, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The 2014 award was given out on what would have been her 101st birthday.

Granted annually to a Georgia College undergraduate student, the Margaret Harvin Wilson Writing Award offers a cash prize, a certificate of achievement and recognition at a public ceremony as a celebration of excellence in writing.

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Newell Scholar to focus on Central State Hospital, community and mental health Dr. Mab Segrest was chosen as the new Martha Daniel Newell Visiting Distinguished Scholar for spring 2015. Her work revolves around the tumultuous history behind the local landmark Central State Hospital (CSH) in Milledgeville.

Segrest arrived on campus in January and is teaching a course entitled “Milledgeville and the Mind,” as well as giving various lectures throughout the semester.

Born in Alabama, Segrest is a writer and social activist, who has a diverse background in academia and working for various social justice organizations. She received her master’s and doctorate in modern British literature from Duke University and was appointed the Fuller-Matthai Professor of Gender & Women’s Studies at Connecticut

Students intern for Georgia representatives as part of the GC in DC program During the quasquicentennial year, the university launched the Georgia College in Washington program (GC in DC).

Three students interned in Washington, D.C. during the fall 2014 semester: political science major Thomas Zoeckler, political science major Charles Morgan and international student Anamika Bhasker.

Created by Dr. Costas Spirou, chair of the government and sociology department, the program places students in a range of internships in Washington, D.C., including in the House of Representatives, Senate, White House and the Council of Foreign Relations.

The program is available for students majoring in the humanities, mass communication, business, social sciences, natural sciences and environmental and related sciences.

College in 2004. She’s authored works such as “My Mama’s Dead Squirrel: Lesbian Essays on Southern Culture,” “Born to Belonging: Writings on Spirit and Justice” and “Memoir of a Race Traitor.”

The Martha Daniel Newell Visiting Scholar program was established in 2011 with an endowment from Georgia College alumna, Martha Daniel Newell, ’42. The program is designed to reinforce Georgia College's liberal arts mission by providing a rare and exciting opportunity for the college community to work alongside a nationally recognized scholar-in-residence.

Martha Daniel Newell was named to the list of the “125 Most Influential” in Georgia College history.

Georgia College continues to climb in U.S. News & World Report rankings Georgia College continues its climb in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. The 2015 “Best Colleges” guidebook shows Georgia College moved up one place on the list of best regional universities in the South to 28th.

Georgia College was also designated 10th among the top public regional universities and was Georgia’s only university to be ranked in that category. This is the second year in a row Georgia College has received that rank.

“These new rankings show that Georgia College is continuing to excel in and gain recognition for its programs both on the regional and national level,” said President Dr. Steve Dorman. “Our rankings speak volumes about the quality of our students and the dedication of our faculty and staff. It also shows that our peers can see the opportunities provided by our university.”

US News & World Report also recognized several Georgia College programs in their 2015 "Best Online Programs" rankings. The online graduate nursing program was rated as one of the top 20 programs in the country and the online graduate nursing programs were the highest rated in the state of Georgia. The online Master of Business Administration (Georgia WebMBA® at Georgia College) was ranked 25th in the country.

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New Director of Admissions Ramon Blakley began his tenure as director of the Georgia College Office of Admissions Dec. 1, 2014. Blakley brings 16 years of public and private higher education enrollment management experience to the university. Most recently before joining Georgia College, he served as director of admissions at Texas A&M University-Kingsville in Kingsville, Texas and as senior associate director of admissions at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Mo. Blakley was also recently selected as a National Rising Star by the National Association of College Admission Counseling for a professional development program he coordinated.

In his new role, Blakley hopes to lead the Georgia College admissions office in helping grow the college’s national profile, while increasing diversity and the university’s out-ofstate footprint.

“When I first visited, the campus simply took my breath away. With small class sizes, bright and inquisitive students and the strong sense of community, Georgia College represents what a liberal arts university should be,” said Blakley. “It’s clear from our profile that many of the brightest students in Georgia know this. Now it’s time we share this experience on a national scale.”

Dean announced for The

John H. Lounsbury College of Education Georgia College has named Dr. Joseph M. Peters the new dean of the John H. Lounsbury College of Education.

“Dr. Peters brings both a breadth and depth of experiences needed to meet the challenges of the teaching profession,” said Dr. Kelli Brown, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “His K-12 and higher education leadership experience brings the needed skills and knowledge to work with our local school communities as well as guide the teaching and learning scholarship within the college.”

Peters has worked in higher education in various capacities including his most recent position as dean of education at Chaminade University in Honolulu, Hawaii. He has also served as director of the School of Education at Northern Marianas College in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands and professor in the School of Education at the University Of West Florida in Pensacola, Fla. “I look forward to working collaboratively with faculty, staff and students to solidify the university’s mission, vision, values and governance structure, promote external and internal partnerships, broaden the diversity of the faculty and students, create professional development opportunities and explore ways to improve learning through the use of technology,” said Peters.

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Homecoming Celebrate the 125th anniversary this Homecoming Weekend—Feb. 20 and 21

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eturning to your alma mater for homecoming includes seeing all that remains the same, learning about the new and reconnecting with friends. This ritual brings campus together, no matter what year you attended. But this year’s Georgia College Homecoming is sure to shine brighter, as the quasquicentennial celebration focuses on the institution’s 125-year history.

On Feb. 20 and 21, the campus community will celebrate this year’s homecoming with a 125th anniversary theme. By celebrating the 125th anniversary, we hope to underline the shared sense of belonging between current and future alumni. In this year’s theme, we also recognize that no matter when we attended, we all benefitted from the education we received here at GC. Although current students will begin celebrating earlier in the week, festivities will start Friday, Feb. 20 with GC Jamfest, Georgia College's annual homecoming concert. Saturday’s event will kick off with a decades theme for the annual parade, spotlighting the many fashions and events that parallel the history of Georgia College during the 20th Century.

Tent City will also give alumni the chance to tailgate together in anticipation of the homecoming match-up in women’s and men’s basketball against the Georgia Southwestern State University Hurricanes.

If you can’t make it back to Milledgeville homecoming weekend, we’d like you to help us celebrate by sharing your Georgia College experience on Throwback Thursday, Feb. 12. Share memories or post photos from your years here at the college for a chance to win official Homecoming 2015 T-shirts and tickets to this year’s GC Jamfest. We want to fill the Georgia College Alumni Facebook page with images of Georgia College past and present.

Georgia College Homecoming 2015 Schedule Friday, Feb. 20 2 - 5:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

6 p.m.

7 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

Alumni Registration – Sallie Ellis Davis House Alumni Welcome Reception – Sallie Ellis Davis House Homecoming Concert doors open – Centennial Center GC Jamfest 2015 begins For information on performers, visit homecoming.gcsu.edu Theatre Performance "Anything Goes" - Russell Auditorium

Saturday, Feb. 21 Blue and Green Day 8:30 a.m.

Bobcat Ramble – The Depot 9 a.m.

Tent City opens – Centennial Square 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Alumni Registration – Sallie Ellis Davis House 11 a.m.

Homecoming Parade Begins 11:30 a.m.

Divine 9 Alumni Picnic – Peabody Garden 12 p.m.

Tailgating Begins at Reunion Tents – Centennial Square Featuring local bands on the community stage 1 p.m.

Campus Tour – Student Center 2 p.m.

Cornhole Tournament – Centennial Square 3:30 p.m.

Women’s Basketball vs. Georgia Southwestern – Centennial Center Women’s Half-time: Introduction of King and Queen Introduction of Kings and Queens 5:30 p.m.

Men’s Basketball vs. Georgia Southwestern – Centennial Center Announcements of: Parade Winners King and Queen Winners Student Government Association (SGA) Election Results 7:30 p.m.

Theatre Performance "Anything Goes" - Russell Auditorium 8 p.m.

Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Betty Jaynes, '67, Geza Martiny and Michelle Palethorpe, '97 Magnolia Ballroom

For more information and updates, go to homecoming.gcsu.edu.

To register for homecoming, visit: https://alumni.gcsu.edu/alumni-weekend-2015-registration.

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GEORGIA COLLEGE REACTS TO

WORLD EVENTS Over the course of the last 125 years, the world has had many moments that have significantly changed it — two world wars, natural disasters, the ebb and flow of the economy and the attacks of Sept. 11—just to name a few. Although some of these did not directly affect the college,

the university has always strived to play a supporting role.

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

he Great Depression of the 1930s, while a significant time of decline for many, didn’t affect Georgia College in the ways most might think.

“The Depression turned out good for us, due to the Works Progress Administration funds, which allowed us to build the campus which you see today,” said Archivist Joshua Kitchens. “We as a campus sort of blossomed out of the Great Depression. And while it did hit some communities hard— people in the campus community kept going.”

The sense of community was kept strong over the course of 1943 to 1945, when Georgia College acted as a training facility for Women Appointed for Voluntary Emergency Services (WAVES). During that two-year span, 15,000 women trained on the campus. Kitchens says the relationship between students and WAVES wasn’t always what the administration hoped it would be.

“It was overcrowded at the time and you had WAVES coming in and being put into buildings, which essentially crammed students into dorms,” said Kitchens.

Kitchens also says it was an eye-opening experience for many of the students.

“It was a complete culture shock for these girls from small town Georgia to all of sudden have these WAVES in their school, who came from all over the country,” said Kitchens.

Georgia College played its part in the war effort and the WAVES departure returned normalcy on the campus. The next somewhat tumultuous time that struck campus was during the 1960s and 70s with the heightening of the Vietnam War. What was a turbulent time for the country was also a shaky time for the university.

"University records and first-hand accounts depict lots of unrest on campus during that time, as well as some protests that weren’t always peaceful,” said Kitchens. “At that time in our history, we were dealing with deep cultural shifts.”

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The cultural shifts mirrored those playing 0n TV sets across the nation. Integration of schools and the Civil Rights Movement was taking off. The first African-American student entered the school in 1964, to no real contest at the time.

“The college integrated with our first AfricanAmerican student Cellestine Hill in 1964, but what we really didn’t see is us as a college dealing with the issue,” said Kitchens.

Although not always political, world events do have ways of shaking society to its core. Disasters such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 caused rallying of support from the student body.

One such effort was faculty at Georgia College partnering with the Oconee Valley chapter of the American Red Cross to form the very first Disaster Team in Middle Georgia. According to an archived Colonnade article, the purpose of the team was to support temporary shelters that were helping refugees who were fleeing into Georgia.

GIVE Center Director Kendall Stiles says this outreach is normal for campus to do in times of need.

“I’m not surprised at all by what our students continue to do when situations like this happen,” said Stiles. “It always depends on the students and what’s going on, but our students usually come to me asking to do something— they truly care about what’s happening and want to help.”

In January 2010, the Colonnade ran several articles depicting the outreach of the community and campus to the Haitian community. The outreach including a fundraiser to help victims of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in the country’s capital of Port-au-Prince, as well as bringing it home to many students by running a profile on a Haitian student.

“What you’ll see is when we can put a face to a disaster—it makes it all the more real to the students here,” said Stiles. “But regardless, they are aware of what’s happening, and they understand they have a role to play in this.”

Perhaps one of the most significant times in American history came on Sept. 11, 2001, with the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City. For Kitchens, who was a freshman at Georgia College at the time, it’s a day that he remembers clearly.

“Campus just stopped at around 10 a.m.,” said Kitchens. “You had people going back to their dorms, making calls and watching what was happening on TV. Like many felt that day, it was a sense of shock around campus.”

Monumental events such as Sept. 11 have the tendency to create a sense of unity, which is similar to what played out at Georgia College. That same sense of unity is also at times met with relentless giving, support and outreach that begins to spark hope on campus. ■

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COVER STORY

125 Years of Academics at Georgia College From Normal and Industrial to the state’s designated liberal arts university

In 1904, Julia Flisch wrote in a history of the university called

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“Snap Shots” that “more than 90 percent of its graduates have followed for a livelihood the business that they learned here.”

Now 125 years after its charter, Georgia College still prides itself on

providing exceptional learning opportunities to lead students to a lifetime of success.

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F

or 125 years, Georgia College has provided an exemplary educational experience for its students. Throughout the years, the name of the university may have changed, but the dedication to provide students opportunities to develop extensive knowledge and strategic skills to thrive as productive citizens has not.

When chartered as Georgia Normal & Industrial College (GNIC) in 1889, the focus was educational geared toward developing teachers.

Baldwin County children beginning in 1891. In 1927, Peabody expanded its services and began operating as Baldwin County's four-year high school.

At Peabody, students in the teaching program received experience before they got their first teaching job.

Sophomores and juniors in the Normal School (School of Education) observed classes at Peabody, and seniors Julia Flisch, an outspoken advocate of taught at Peabody for one hour each day.

education for women, represented the women of the state at the laying of the cornerstone for Georgia Normal & Industrial College (GNIC). Flisch later became a professor of history at GNIC.

“The name ‘normal’ means teaching school,” said Dr. Robert J. Wilson III, professor and university historian. “The goal then was to educate young women in the workforce. Graduates typically went into teaching, but for others, the ‘industrial’ part of the name signified education in typing, bookkeeping and other similar jobs.”

For the education students, they received hands-on learning opportunities at the Peabody Model School.

Peabody served as a public elementary school for

“During the early 20th century, the university had the reputation as the state’s premier teaching institution,” said Wilson. “At that time, most degrees offered were only two-year. Beginning in 1921, we were able to award four-year comprehensive degrees, and the named changed to Georgia State College for Women (GSCW).”

Growing demands for teachers during that time allowed for many graduates to find jobs with city schools after graduation, and in 1938, the number of enrolled students, known as “Jessies” from the sound of GSCW, peaked at 1,500.

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World War II affected the university and its educational offerings in several ways. First in 1943, GSCW was selected as one of four colleges for training U.S. Navy WAVES. Over the course of two years, 15,000 women received training on campus in storekeeping and clerical duties for the Navy. Then after the war, enrollment sunk to a low of 585 as the majority of postwar women began to prefer coeducational colleges.

“New educational opportunity did open up on campus in 1957 as the college began its first graduate program, a Master of Education degree,” said Wilson.

From the beginning, training teachers was a primary focus for the university, however, with coeducation that shifted in several ways.

“As a women’s college, students came from all over the state. They lived here, and their life was here,” said Wilson. “When men were admitted in 1967, the university became more of a suitcase college recruiting students from about a 50 mile radius of Milledgeville.”

At that time, the growth in the College of Business and other programs began to boom. Enrollment

followed suit, growing to 3,770 students in 1975, and with that, new opportunities began to develop for students like study abroad and exchange programs.

The educational environment made a decisive shift in 1997 when the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia designated Georgia College as the state’s public liberal arts institution.

“With that came a focus on intellectual development and broader academic opportunities instead of only focusing on the development of professional skills,” said Wilson. “Adjustments to the curriculum were made across the board to fit the liberals arts mold.”

The liberal arts mission continues to define the delivery of education, and with that comes new and innovative ways for students to learn at Georgia College including the launch of the new Quality Enhancement Plan, ENGAGE. The plan focuses on “Building a Culture of Engaged Learning” to strategically and intentionally build communitybased engaged learning opportunities.

“We are in the first semester of the five-year implementation period. We are just getting started, but thus far we have recognized six ENGAGE fellows,

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three apprentice fellows, awarded 10 grants and have a class of 10 community-based engaged learning apprentices who are developing community engagement experiences for Georgia College students,” said Dr. Julia Metzker, director of ENGAGE. Georgia College has expanded its focus on communitybased learning offerings with opportunities such as: the creation of a mural at the Collins P. Lee Community Center in the Harrisburg community of Baldwin County by art and sociology students; the Public Memory GC1Y course taught by Dr. Katie Simon, which collaborated with the Ina Dillard Russell Library, the Georgia War Veterans Home and California-based artist Jack Leamy to host a pop-up museum that preserved memories of war veterans; and students in Dr. Jan Clark’s Public Achievement course coaching elementary students as they chose and implemented community improvement projects that served the public good in their neighborhoods, schools and communities.

“GC also recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Environmental Protection Agency and the city of Eatonton as part of the College/Underserved Community Partnerships Program,” said Metzker. “This collaboration will provide opportunities for students to work with city officials in Eatonton to address issues that affect the health of citizens and infrastructure of the city.”

Community engagement by definition takes learning beyond the traditional classroom. These types of opportunities allow our students to develop extensive hands-on skills from their experiences.

“This idea fits right with the concept of a liberal arts education in which students have a firm grounding in a range of topics and are able to use what they learn to creatively solve issues that affect their community,” said Metzker. “Our ultimate goal is to increase the number of community engagement opportunities for students, so every student has the opportunity to participate in ENGAGE. We are reaching out to community clubs, faith-based organizations, established community organizations, local schools and other organizations to find opportunities where Georgia College students cannot only have an impact, but also learn from the talented individuals they work with.”

When you look back over the 125 year history of the university, you find that from allowing education students to work with children at the Peabody school in the late 1880s to current ENGAGE projects, there is one central premise at the foundation of a Georgia College education − student-centered programs that develop the intellectual, professional and civic skills giving graduates a lifelong a passion for achievement, curiosity and exuberance for learning. ■

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The Making of the 125

I

n the spring of 2014, preparations began to celebrate the university’s quasquicentennial. To help recognize some of the most influential people and groups during the history of the university, a call for nominations was issued to the campus community and alumni.

The intent of the university was to recognize some of the individuals and organizations during the history of the college for their contributions. These contributions have influenced the direction of the institution or made a positive impact on society.

More than 300 nominations were received and then sent to a selection panel for review. This panel included alumni, Milledgeville community members and Georgia College faculty and staff with extensive knowledge of the university and its history.

After careful consideration, a list of 125 individuals and groups was composed for special recognition during the school’s quasquicentennial celebration. Georgia College honors this group for helping to shape the institution to date and for preparing the college to continue to educate future classes for years to come.

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The 125 Ethel Adams HA ’63 Stan Aldridge Alumni Association Board of Directors Peyton Anderson Foundation William and Susan Atkinson Atlanta Alumni Club Leola Beeson Miller Bell George and Barbara Beiswanger Carol Black ’37 Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia Euri Belle Bolton ’15 Frank Bone James Bonner Anne Wells Branscomb Tad Brown HA ’13 L.R. Godfrey Burfitt Dwight Call Inez Lord Carpenter ’17 Genie Snyder Chamberlin ’82 Barbara Chandler ’34 Bob Chandler Pierre Clements ’86 Lucretia Coleman ’69, ’71 The Colonnade Pamela Cook Council of Student Ambassadors Paul Coverdell HA ’01 R. Linton Cox HA ’83 E. Max Crook Frances Potter Daniels Susan Daniels Edward Dawson Sandra Dunagan Deal ’64, ’66 Therry Deal David DeVries Michael Digby Larry Elowitz Mildred English Julia Flish Sylvester Ford ’83 Foundation Board of Trustees

Linton Fowler Floride Moore Gardner ’36 Georgia Governors Georgia Power Company The GIVE Center Sarah Gordon HA ’95 Helen Greene ’28 Alex Gregory ’78, ’79 Jean Guitton William Hair James Hammond Janice Hardy HA ’77 John Hargaden Bill Hartley ’74 Ralph Hemphill Charles Holmes Herty Cellestine Hill ’68 Paul Jahr Amanda Johnson Kaolin Industry Martha Turner Keber John S. & James L. Knight Foundation John Kurtz Mary Jean Land John Lounsbury HA ’83 Donald MacMahon Kimberly Hall Martin ’82 Geza Martiny Mary Thomas Maxwell Bill McDaniel Margaret Meaders ’26 Milledgeville Legislative Delegation Zell Miller David Moore Susan Myrick ’11 Alice Napier HA ’60 Luttie Neese HA ’64 Dorrie Neligan ’65, ’88 Sarah Nelson Martha Daniel Newell ’42 Olza “Tony” Nicely ’86 Max Noah Flannery O’Connor ’45

Doug Oetter Anne Patterson ’68 Peabody School J. Michael Peeler Stephen Portch Marjorie Gray Prentice Presidents of Georgia College Carol Pryor ’39 Randolph Puckett Isabel “Izzie” Rogers HA ’00 The Russell Family Ken Saladin John Sallstrom HA ’94 Save Atkinson Hall Patrons Edwin Hobart Scott Todd Shiver ’07 Ann Simpson Smith ’21, ’24 Hallie Turner Smith ’17 Ted Smith Joseph Specht HA ’85 Stephen Stewart ’77, ’80 Susan Stewart ’70 Student Government Association Catherine Summerlin Chan Minter Tagliabue ’64 Hoy Taylor Kate Thrash Thunder Crew Jessie Trawick ’22, ’24 Alice Lenore Tucker Ken Vance ’78 Carl Vinson Peggy Harris Walker ’74 Rose Lee Walston HA ’72 Watson-Brown Foundation Harriet Whipple HA ’85 Bob Wilson HA ’07 Stan Wilson ’77 Robert Woodruff Foundation Kathleen Wilkinson Wooten *HA Denotes Honorary Alumnus

Learn more about the 125 most influential people and groups during Georgia College's history by visiting: gcsu.edu/125.

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Student Organizations

continue to shape Georgia College Students have always been at the center of Georgia College.

Whether they are bringing visiting artists to campus, organizing community events or fundraising for a cause, they have been inuential in creating the culture of Georgia College today.

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“The thing with student groups that you see is that it really is a ground-up approach to it,” said Archivist Joshua Kitchens.

“Student groups really started on campus because the students were looking for an outlet.”

What began with a handful of student groups at Georgia College has grown to more than 160 student organizations today.

From spiritual groups to the arts to service led groups — organizations run the gamut on campus. Tracing student groups roots, Kitchens says the beginning of all organizations on campus owe a great deal to the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), which was established in 1894.

“In the beginning of the college the YWCA really was the most important group,” said Kitchens. “They were responsible for most of the activities and events on campus.”

The YWCA played an important role in sponsoring events, hosting annual gatherings such as the tree planting on Arbor Day, as well as in later years playing an important role in the history of integration by starting a Race Committee in the 1930s.

“You really saw the YWCA being a bit radical for that time period, and I really think that was reflective of the whole campus as well.”

In 1925, the Colonnade was created from the YWCA, in hopes to bring news that dealt with campus interests to the forefront. The original news outlet was the YWCA’s Triangled Thoughts, which was a bimonthly paper. In its debut, the Colonnade subscription fee was 50 cents per semester.

“In the early years, they really were funny and had some snark,” said Kitchens. “I think they needed that creative and emotional outlet. It wasn’t until later years in the 70s and 80s did we see them take this serious direction into investigative journalism.”

Current Colonnade Editor-in-Chief Kelly Mainor says that direction into hard-hitting news is one she’s trying to balance with the editorial side of newspaper.

“It’s interesting to look back at old issues of the paper and see where they placed value in news that was written back then,” said Mainor.

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Mainor wants a return to the original mission of the Colonnade, which was to write about news relevant to campus interests.

“At a liberal arts institution we have an opportunity to have our paper be more editorialized and to push those boundaries,” said Mainor. “Why not add color and voice to the paper? We are representing the student voice.”

Along with the Colonnade, other groups began forming around the 1920s. Soon groups turned into more interest-based groups such as the History Club, which is still active on campus today.

“The History Club was responsible for the creation of Special Collections,” said Kitchens. “The first collection was built on books they bought in the 1930s.”

Another important landmark for the university was the creation of a student government organization.

Established in 1934 under the Beeson administration, students called for a group that gave them a voice in campus policies, which created the first student government association.

Jackson also says that having a voice in policies is what makes all the difference. The relationship with administration is what Jackson says makes the university stand out among others. Another advantage of SGA Jackson says is it provides students with unique opportunities to get involved, hands-on experience and prepares them for their future career.

Another student group that has been influential to the college atmosphere is the Council of Student Ambassadors. Active on campus since 1998, the team’s role has fluctuated over time, but it has become one of the foundations of the Georgia College experience.

“We started out with a small group, with less that 15 members,” said Suzanne Pitman, associate vice president of enrollment management. “Now it’s grown to almost 60 members, and those are usually the best and brightest examples of Georgia College students.”

Pittman says the Ambassador Team is a continually growing organization, which is in part due to their high demand. Ambassadors help with everything from alumni events, tours, freshman orientation to even welcoming donors and legislators to campus.

Now 80 years later, current Student Government Association (SGA) President Juawn Jackson says the mission of the organization hasn’t changed much during that time span.

“There really is a level of professionalism that is inherent in the group,” said Pittman. “They have to be able to interact with people and know how to represent the college well. What I see with our ambassadors is there’s always a deep love of university.”

“What has changed about SGA is that we have evolved into a more professional organization over the years,” said Jackson. “We’ve also proven to the faculty and the administration that we are capable of intellectual conversation that leads to achieving interests that are important to the collegiate experience.”

That same sense of campus and community that runs throughout the Ambassador Team can be seen throughout most student organizations today — whether they have lasted for 80 years such as SGA, or even the groups who are celebrating their first year on campus. ■

connection magazine | 23 | gcsu.edu

History of GC school spirit, athletics

A

history of competition is one that runs throughout the timeline of Georgia College.

School spirit has also been part of the legacy of athletics at the college, which spans through all 125 years. From the early days of organized competition with the Golden Slipper to the college's athletics program that we know today— the idea of competition and sport has been strong within the college.

“We had sports and activities on campus at a very early date.

Legend has it that the very first basketball game in the state of Georgia was played on our campus by our students,” said Archivist Joshua Kitchens.

Many sports and activities on campus started from scratch.

During the early years, many intramural sports were played and originated from the Recreation Association.

“We knew early on our students were playing basketball, volleyball, lawn-tennis and eventually baseball and softball,” said Kitchens.

A definite change for the university came in the late 1960s when deciding a new nickname for the athletics team. A contest was held, which yielded suggestions such as the Falcons, Wildcats or Tigers. However, the school decided on the Colonials, in honor of Georgia as one of the 13 colonies.

An emphasis on intercollegiate activity came with the coeducation of the college in the 1970s. During that time, the university also began hosting more intramural sports.

Also during the 1970s and 80s, the gymnastics team had many significant accolades including hosting the first Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women National Gymnastics Championship; hosting three National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championships, with ESPN coverage; and winning the 1981 NAIA National Women’s Gymnastics Championship.

Moving into the 1990s, Georgia College athletics was one of the inaugural members of the then-Peach Belt Athletic

timeline 1969

1981

First season of Gymnastics Georgia College National Championship Athletics (baseball, gymnastics, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s soccer)

1982

1990-91 1992

Gymnastics First PBC National Championship Champion- for Women’s ship Basketball (only two national championships in school history)

1995

World Series Inaugural season of the Runner-Up for Peach Belt Baseball Conference and move to Division II for Georgia College Athletics

1996

First NCAA Tournament Appearance for Women’s Basketball

connection magazine | 24 | gcsu.edu

1997

1997

1999

2000

First PBC Championship for Men’s Basketball

First NCAA Tournament game for Men’s Basketball

First PBC Championship for Women’s Tennis

NCAA Regional Championship for Men’s Basketball

Conference (now Peach Belt Conference) in 1990-91. The move also took GC Athletics’ nine varsity sports from the NAIA to the NCAA, as members of Division II. The Colonials were competitive immediately, tying for second in the PBAC in women’s basketball, and third in men’s hoops.

Another transition in school spirit came in 1997-98, when Georgia College made the mascot switch to Bobcats, spending one more season in brown and gold before adopting the current blue and green colors in 1998-99.

In 2004, Georgia College added women’s soccer, returning soccer back to the athletic department for the first time since dissolving the Colonial men’s team in 1995. GC Athletics added its 11th and most recent varsity sport with the addition of Bobcat Volleyball in 2013.

The first PBAC title came from GC women’s basketball just one season after joining the league, when head coach John Carrick led the 22-7 Colonials to share the 1991-92 conference championship with Augusta College. GC Women’s Basketball has won two regularseason titles and five PBC Tournament Championships.

In 1995, Georgia College baseball posted a 49-19-1 mark, qualifying as an at-large team to the NCAA Tournament, and not stopping until they were Region Champs and National Runners-Up. GC Baseball now owns three PBC Regular-Season titles and a PBC Tournament Championship, adding another trip the Division II World Series in 2010.

Men’s Basketball’s first PBC Championship came in 1996-97, going 25-5 overall under head coach Terry Sellers. He would go on to coach four total PBC Regular Season titleholders, and a pair of PBC Tournament wins.

The most decorated season for Bobcat basketball came in 1999-2000 when, led by GC Athletics Hall of Famer Julius Joseph, Georgia College won the NCAA Region Championship, advancing to the NCAA Elite 8 for the first time in program history.

Bobcat Women’s Tennis went 23-3 in 1999, picking up the program’s first PBC Championship. GC Women’s Tennis has three PBC Championships and two conference tournament titles. The Bobcat women have been chosen for the NCAA Tournament field for each of the past 20 seasons, and have made the semifinal round

2000

2002

2005

First PBC First College First Season Championship World Series of Women’s for Men’s Golf for Softball, Soccer finished runner-up

2006

First PBC Championship for Baseball

2006

of the NCAA Tournament three times. The GC Women’s Tennis program boasts two four-time All-Americans in GC Athletics Hall of Famers Lilia Biktyakova (19982001) and Julia Roudkovskaya (1999-2002).

GC Men’s Golf has been equally strong, making 17 straight NCAA Tournament appearances. The Bobcats won their first PBC Championship in 2000 and added another in 2010. The Bobcats have nine NCAA Finals appearances and own two NCAA SuperRegional Championships, the most recent coming in 2012. The golf program boasts the only male in GC Athletics’ history to be named All-America in each of his four seasons. That distinction goes to Niclas Johansson, an All-American from 2006-2010.

In 2003, the Bobcat Softball team put up its best season, going 42-9 en route to a trip to the World Series.

Led by GC Hall of Fame Pitcher Jennifer Joiner, the Bobcats fell one win short of a National Championship.

The Bobcats returned to the World Series in 2006, own a PBC Tournament title and have made seven total appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

GC Women’s Soccer made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2008, just five seasons into its existence.

Mary Rob Plunkett was the first Bobcat Women’s Soccer Player to earn All-America honors in 2009.

GC Men’s Tennis owns a PBC Title in 2009, seeing that season come to a close with their best NCAA finish, advancing to the Elite 8. The Bobcats boast 14 AllAmericans and 14 NCAA Tournament Appearances. ■

2006

College World GC Athletics Series for Hall of Fame Softball Established, 10-member inaugural class

2008

2009

First NCAA Tournament appearance for Women’s Soccer

First PBC Championship for Men’s Tennis

2009

2010

2013

Back-to-Back First GC Commissioner’s Volleyball Cups match in school history GC awarded PBC Commissioner’s Cup (all-sports trophy for on-the-field success)

for first time in program history connection magazine | 25 | gcsu.edu

Class Notes

1960s Tom and Sandra Rosseter, ’62, pose with Thunder during the Quasquicentennial Scholarship Gala held in November.

1970s Ida Beal Harding attended Georgia College in ’71.

Harding taught teacher education courses in universities. She was also a director of an Academic Skills Center and assistant dean of students. In addition, she worked as a project manager for IBM. Currently, she travels the world volunteering in a water charity she helped found called Wells Bring Hope – drilling wells for water in impoverished countries.

Nancy Josey, ’79, recently became a senior buyer of Capital Supply at Thiele Kaolin Company.

1980s Gary Lister, ’82, ’87, is a recently retired deputy director of the Fighter Avionics Squadron at the Warner Robins Air Logistic Complex where he managed the repair of F-15, F-16, F-22 and F-35 avionic systems, electronic warfare systems and countermeasures. Lister also serves as an adjunct professor at Middle Georgia State College School of Business. For several years, he has served as a consultant, corporate trainer, instructor, mentor, coach and advisor. In addition, he authored the book: “Mastering Project, Program, and Portfolio Management: Models for Structuring and Executing the Project Hierarchy.” connection magazine | 26 | gcsu.edu

David Coker, ’84, became a regional vice president with XPO Logistics Inc. in September 2014. He previously served as president of the Gainesville Branch.

Jeff Beggs, ’85, became director of athletics/assistant headmaster of Piedmont Academy in July 2014. He was previously director of athletics for Atlanta public schools.

Deborah Robertson, ’85, wrote and published “How Real People Are Using the Internet to Create a Second Income” after retiring with more than 30 years in working with the Newton County Schools and serving the last 12 years as associate superintendent of administrative services. In her book, Robertson relates her success in network marketing.

Donna Cottle, ’86, recently began working as an evidencebased order specialist with Hospital Corporation of America. She previously worked at Coliseum Health System as a registered nurse.

Timothy Welch, ’87, has become a senior director of the Supply Chain Finance at Rust-Oleum Corporation in Chicago. He came from Dean Foods as vice president of Finance.

Daniel Carrasco, ’88, has recently become an application engineer and deployments at AirWatch by VMware in the Greater Atlanta area. He previously was in software development and IT operations, a manager, assistant manager and product specialist with JVC for more than 25 years.

1990s Roger Coover, ’91, recently became president of the California Newspaper Publishers Association. He has been a publisher of the San Joaquin Media Group for 17 years.

Cassandra Duncan, ’98. After traveling with her family from Georgia, to New York, to Germany, the Duncan’s settled in Maryland to raise their children. She was in retail management since 1993, but changed careers to loss prevention where she has been very successful the last eight years. Duncan is the loss prevention/safety manager for Bethesda, Md. and oversees NEX retail operations in Arlington, Navy Yard and Joint Base Anacostia in Washington, D.C.

2000s Amy Thompson, ’00, was named Jones County’s Teacher of the Year in November. The 15-year veteran teacher instructs first grade at Turner Woods Elementary. She received her undergraduate degree in early childhood education from Georgia College and a Master of Science in Education degree from Nova Southeastern University.

Joseph “Pete” Kelly, ’04, joined Hixson Architecture in Mount Adams, Ohio recently as an environmental health and safety consultant where he assists clients with environmental permitting/reporting, air pollution and waste water consulting and other environmental health and safety issues.

Wylly Harrison, ’04, ’07, is a project manager at the Georgia Department of Economic Development where he recruits domestic and international companies to Georgia for the Aerospace, Defense and Manufacturing team. He also works with local governments, the utilities and other partners to locate jobs throughout Georgia.

connection magazine | 27 | gcsu.edu

Joel “Eric” Tillirson, ’04, has been named president of Thiele Kaolin Company and will assume his new duties in this capacity on Feb. 1. He has worked for the Sandersville, Ga. company since 1999 serving as the manager of marketing, director of marketing, vice president of sales, marketing and technical service. Since 2013, Tillirson has been the senior vice president and director of sales development.

Chan Layson, ’05, is an assistant vice president and loan officer at the Century Bank & Trust Greensboro Loan Production Office. Layson previously served as director of Business Development where he originated and underwrote both Small Business Administration (SBA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) loans.

Bill Torgerson, ’05, ’07, is a professor in the Institute for Writing Studies at St. John’s University in New York following an 11-year public school teaching career where he taught English and coached basketball in Indiana and North Carolina.

He also has written two novels published

by Cherokee McGhee Press. Torgerson tells of his Georgia College experience, “I was struck by how generous the faculty were in getting to know me and spending lots of time reading my work.”

2010s Ryan James Barr, ’11, is the founder and newly-elected chairman of the Old Capitol Young Republicans. The Old Capitol Young Republicans is the newest chapter of the Georgia Young Republicans, and it covers both Baldwin and Putnam counties.

Alex Allison, ’13, was promoted in October with Camstar Systems Inc. where he transitioned from market development associate to market development representative. He cultivates relationships with individuals in the semiconductor and medical device industries to better assess their manufacturing challenges. Allison also articulates how Camstar’s manufacturing technology can help them reduce costs, increase throughput and increase product quality.

Weddings, Anniversaries, Engagements and Births

The Coxen Wedding Party

Stephen Coxen, '99, is a current member of the Alumni Board of Directors. Coxen married Jennifer Serafin Coxen on March 22, 2014. He was president of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, president of the Interfraternity Council and was a founding member of the President's Student Ambassador Team. Georgia College Alumni Ryan McDonald, ’05, Matthew McKinney, ’99, Steven Prance, ’05 and Brit Treadway, ’02, were in the wedding party.

Coxen owns his own law firm in Covington, Ga. while his wife, Jennifer, is an educator in Johns Creek, Ga. The couple resides in Decatur, Ga.

Macrae Brennan-Fuller, ‘06, married Ryan Fuller on Sept. 20, 2014. The couple resides in Loganville.

Maggie Perkins, ’14, married James Perkins on July 18, 2014. Two fellow Bobcats were bridesmaids –Jeannine Torres,’14, and Joanie Hebert, ’14. The couple lives and works in Lilburn, Ga. on a 4.5 acre farm learning about sustainably living off the land.

Andrew Adams, ’09, ’13, and Jessica Adams Whiteside, ’09, ’12, welcomed their first child, Evangeline Marie, on March 1, 2014.

Elyssa Sanner, '09, and Tim Gould were married on Aug. 23, 2014, in Marquette, Mich. Sanner is employed at the University of Michigan Law Library in Ann Arbor.

connection magazine | 28 | gcsu.edu

In Memoriam Claudia Layfield Chambers* Marjorie Polk Wright* Alice Ginn Wischmeyer, ’04 Mattie Sims Webb, ’11 Mattie Myers Creen, ’17 Lucille Chancellor Florence, ’17 Edith Morris Googe, ’18 Emily Long Pilcher, ’18 Ruth Sutton Odom, ’19 Louise Culpepper, ’21 Mary Candler Eyler, ’21 Uviah Hughes Jenks, ’21 Lena Carnes Kelley, ’21 Argie Cole Mack, ’21 Louise Stotesbury, ’21 Clarilee Burney Sullivan, ’21 Closs Pickren Mizell, ’22 Mildred Perryman, ’22 Annie Upshaw Eberhart, ’23 Grace Hurst Forte, ’25 Kathleen Lawrence Boggess, ’28 Mildred E. Merrell, ’30 Lura Evans Avret, ’31 Mattie Holton, ’31 Sara L. Roberts, ’31 Carol Reed Cleaveland, ’33 Mary Wike Cochran, ’33 Sara Melton Kizziah, ’33 Ethel Tye Ensign, ’34 Mary Laine Holton, ’34 Dorothy Sapp Seaton, ’34 Rhosland Leaptrott McCluney, ’35 Carolyn Stevens Ford, ’37 Ruth H. Harris, ’37 Martha Hardy Price, ’37 Mary Hiler Spann, ’37 Carolyn Smith Wilfong, ’37 Olivia Lawrence Bennett, ’38* Louise McNeal Durham, ’38 Jane M. Haddock, ’38 Winifred Evans High, ’38 Dorothy “DeeDee” Botdorf White, ’38 Carol G. Pryor, ’39 Catharine Combs Watts, ’39 Louise Keel Helton, ’40* Mary Humphreys Webb, ’40 Martha “Kathryn” Mulkey Bridges, ’41

Dorothy C. Hudson, ’41 Mary S. Gibbs, ’42 Angela Cronic Hale, ’42 Elsie Simmons Hill, ’42 Bernice Jones Massey, ’42 Kathryn Coleman Myers, ’42 Helen Wright Dennard, ’43 Myra Scott Feldman, ’43 Louise Rountree Pratt, ’43 Sara McLendon Veatch, ’43 Audrey Sandifer Watson, ’43 Calene Rahn Wren, ’43 Doris Council Hulbert, ’44 Hilda Zachry Harvey, ’44* Irilla G. Lewis, ’44 Mary McWatty Roush, ’44 Martha Howard Harper, ’45 Lonnie Smith McKneely, ’45 Sybil Little Rainey, ’45 Mildred Johnson Atkins, ’46 Ora Spivey Groover, ’46 Jewell Radford Jarka, ’46 Rebecca Wall Maddox, ’46 Annie Walker Miller, ’46 Dorothy Thompson McCallum, ’47 Rubinell Christmas Bowen, ’49 Florence Smith Harrison, ’49 Margaret H. Williams, ’49 Myrtice Winslett Henderson, ’50 Katherine “BeeBe” Kent, ’50 Doris McLarty Pfleghardt, ’50 Vera Haley Jones, ’51 Margie Casey Young, ’51 Mobley Gamble Ross, ’52 Ellen King Stewart, ’52 Sara Ayers Bagby, ’54 Natalie Harrison Hendrix, ’54 Mildred Greene Newberry, ’54 Margaret Price Bowling, ’56 Sonya Riddick Laubscher, ’56 Carlieze “Cindy” Wilbanks Spencer, ’56 Sondra Maynor Aiken, ’59 Eloise Carmichael Edwards, ’60 Miriam J. McAfee, ’60 Mary Thomas Ward, ’60 Joan Lawrence Baker, ’61 Patricia Reece Hawkins, ’61

Mildred McNair Moo, ’61 Susanne Byrle Rockett, ’61 Mae C. Bell, ’63 Eva Linda Akins Suddeth, ’63 Lynda Hollums Peterson, ’64 Carolyn Franklin Stewart, ’66 Michael J. Garvin, ’67 Irene Cissy Vinson Hall, ’67 Denise Pryor Gentile, ’68 Herman T. Williams, ’69 Mary Vaughn Coleman, ’71 Sandra Huff Wright, ’71 Joseph S. McDaniel, ’72 Mary Hoylene Head Noble, ’72 Edelene M. McNeal, ’73 Charles “Chuck” Nesmith, ’73 Christobal “Chris” Valdes, ’74 James T. Barry, ’76 Barry D. Vandigriff, ’76 Gussie Moseley Cawthon, ’78 Mary Alice Lunsford Click, ’78 Marie Lyons Crider, ’78 Brian W. Grimsley, ’79 Mary “Mary Jo” Thompson, ’79* Robert G. Bale, ’80 Dennis D. Crow, ’80 Drexel Pitts, ’80 Bill O. Lenderman, ’81 Troy N. Thompson, ’81 Maureen Fowler Willenborg, ’81 JoAnn Howard Stewart, ’82 Keith B. Henry, ’86 Dana Cox Tuten, ’87 Billy M. Phillips, ’88 Tammy Johnson Jiles, ’90 Robert J. Williams, ’94 Shirley A. Stanton, ’95 Robert J. Stevenson, ’95 Sandra J. Tomlinson, ’96 Christopher Sloan Taylor, ’97 Sarah Carlyle Herbert Dorroh, ’98 Mary F. Purcell, ’98 Richard Tripp, ’00 Amy Sparks Julien, ’04 Donald W. Spinks, ’04 Bond C. Crosby, ’08 Colin A. Maldonado, ’13

*Denotes alumni of Peabody School.

This list recognizes deceased alumni that the college has been made aware of since July 1, 2014 connection magazine | 29 | gcsu.edu

Bob Hope Radio show broadcast in Russell Auditorium, 1943

University Communications Campus Box 97 Milledgeville, GA 31061

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

gcsu.edu/alumni facebook.com/georgiacollegealumni

125 for 125 A Matching Campaign for Scholarships Give a gift toward scholarships, and the Georgia College & State University Foundation will match it! It’s our 125 for 125 Scholarship Campaign – aimed at initiating 125 newly funded scholarships during Georgia College’s quasquicentennial year.

Funding opportunities include: • Endowed scholarships matched from $10,000 to $25,000 • Endowed scholarships initiated by alumni of the classes of 2004-2014 matched from $5,000 to $25,000 • Gifts to current endowed scholarships matched up to $25,000 • Gifts of any size to the Legacy Fund or 125th Scholarship matched 1:1 All scholarship donors who contribute during the campaign will receive special designation and recognition. But more importantly, you will continue to grow Georgia College’s legacy of connecting what matters by helping students reach their full potential.

Your gift will provide generations of Georgia College students with the opportunity to lead a life of success and significance.

To learn more, visit: gcsu.edu/125scholarships or contact Bill Doerr at bill.doerr@gcsu.edu.

L

ast summer, Georgia College senior Julie Coppedge took her accounting studies to Costa Rica. Besides participating in fun activities, like visiting a sloth sanctuary, she served local community members as the trip was based on service learning.

“I would not have been able to go and study abroad in Costa Rica if I hadn’t had such incredible people donate to help me,” says Coppedge. “They gave me the experience of a lifetime, and I am so grateful for that.”

Considering she is nearing completion of her undergraduate degree, Coppedge was able to count her classes in Costa Rica as graduate-level courses, but that meant that Georgia’s HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) scholarship didn’t apply.

Coppedge’s goal of receiving an internship in accounting was realized when she landed offers from three accounting firms. She feels that sharing her Costa Rica experience with potential employers aided her in this regard.