around campus
Festival celebrates Panther Athletics HEAD CHOSEN FOR NEW ROLE ON CAMPUS Dr. John Head has joined the college as Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Experience. He comes to the post after more than three decades of work in higher education enrollment and student affairs at both public and private institutions. “John brings a wealth of successful enrollment growth experiences to LaGrange,” said President Susanna Baxter. “He has a history of working creatively and effectively to impact both recruitment and retention. “He will be able to make a difference quickly on our campus and will be a wonderful addition to our team.” Dr. Head has achieved enrollment growth at multiple institutions, most recently serving at Gordon State College in Barnesville, Georgia; Loyola University in New Orleans; and University of West Georgia in Carrollton. “I am humbled and honored to be joining Dr. Baxter and her team at LaGrange College,” he said. “LaGrange has a long history of educating the whole person, helping students understand that we all have a responsibility to work to help others. It also has a great academic reputation, and I am looking forward to serving alongside the many talented faculty, staff and alumni of the college.” 4
Panther Athletics kicked off the new year in August by welcoming the community to the inaugural Panther Pride Festival. The event featured autograph sessions with LC athletes, live music, community vendors and children’s games, as well as food from local businesses were available for purchase. “Every team’s station had interactive activities for children, such as a putting green for golf, T-ball for baseball and a portable hoop for basketball,” said Terlynn Olds, Director of Athletics and Recreation. “Everyone had a great time.” The festival concluded with an intersquad football game between Team Pres (Dr. Susanna Baxter) and Team AD (Terlynn Olds). The “coaches” chose their teams in a live draft at noon on the Saturday before the game on the
LaGrange Panthers Facebook page. More than 25 arts and crafts vendors, a flea market and a farmer’s market participated, while the Suber Archives had a display of vintage athletic programs, photos and gear. Olds said the event exemplifies her vision for LC Athletics. “We want to have a positive impact on the community and focus on being ‘One LaGrange’ with the college and community,” she said.
Alums explore shadow and light in exhibition
Merri Lawrence ’77 and Ann Beason H’14 were surprised to learn many “nuisance” plants make interesting subjects for a photo technique called photogram. The result of their work, “Chiaro Ombra” at Lamar Dodd Art Center, featured more than 100 photograms and prints of those materials. Beason had become intrigued by the process where a photographic print is made by laying objects onto photographic paper and exposing the paper to light. Wanting to learn more about it, she asked Lawrence to collaborate with her on a project. Once getting Lawrence on board, Beason knew exactly where to go for advice. “Merri and I asked her husband (retired photography professor John Lawrence) to teach us how to make photograms,” she said. “He set up a darkroom for us in an old storage room in
the barn on our farm.” They then began gathering items for their project, deciding to begin with plant materials. They later expanded their materials to bones, feathers, insects and marine life. Beason said it didn’t take long to discover that many of the weeds and vines that are usually pulled and pruned in gardens and fields made for good subjects. “In the exhibition, you will see kudzu, cat’s briar, wild strawberry and many other plants that most people find undesirable in the garden,” she said. “We discovered beauty in the ordinary.”
