December 2008

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Graduates “lift off” into the future On Saturday, Dec. 13, 454 Shorter College students opened a new chapter in their lives as they received their diplomas during commencement services held at the Winthrop-King Centre. Helping usher in the transition from student to alumni was keynote speaker and NASA astronaut Stephanie D. Wilson. Wilson has logged more than 28 days in space and is a veteran of two space flights. She is the only African-American woman to have traveled to space on more than one mission. Wilson has been tapped for a third mission slated for 2010. She is the cousin of Shorter graduate Sandra Terry (’88), who serves as assistant vice president for the college’s Professional Studies program. Click here to read more about Wilson>

Get close to the gridiron action with tickets to the NAIA

Why settle for watching football on T.V. during the holidays when you could have an action-packed seat at the hottest event in town?

Shorter, along with partners Rome and Floyd County, will host the Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship game at noon at Rome’s Historic Barron Stadium on Dec. 20. Tickets are on sale now!!

Reserved seating tickets are $25 each; general admission tickets are $20 each. A group rate of $15 per ticket is available for groups of 10 or more.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.NAIANationalChampionship.com, the Shorter College Box Office, the Rome Visitor’s Center on Jackson Hill, or the Rome-Floyd County Parks and Recreation Authority Office. The game will be televised live on CBS College Sports TV.

For all things NAIA, visit www.NAIANationalChampionship.com.

Students experiment with science, technology thanks to new program at Shorter

Eighth-graders in Rome and Floyd County are being offered the chance to get hands-on learning and group instruction with the launch of a new enrichment program at Shorter College.

Shorter and the Etowah Georgia Youth Science and Technology Center (GYSTC) have partnered to sponsor SCIO – an academic learning program that will begin in February 2009. SCIO, an acronym for Student Curiosity, Innovation and Opportunity, is also a Latin verb meaning “to know” from which the English word science is derived.

Privately funded through a donation made by Massachusetts resident Mark Gelfand, Shorter’s SCIO program will give 16 local students an opportunity to work closely with higher education science specialists to develop science fair projects that will be showcased to the community in March 2009. “It's really important that students have the opportunity to experience the fun and creative world of science, technology, engineering and math,” said Gelfand, whose philanthropic giving to the advancement of science in young minds has been felt as far away as Africa.

Click here to read more about SCIO>

MORE NEWS

‘Stock’ing around the Christmas tree

Thinking of making a year-end gift to honor someone? Why not make a donation to Shorter College’s scholarship fund in their name?  There are many ways to make such a gift.  One such way is to make a gift of stock.

“The end of the year is a great time to transfer stock,” explained Vice President of Institutional Advancement Ken Fincher (’84). “However, it must be done before Jan. 1 to maximize tax advantages.”  In addition to the tax advantages for year-end giving, your donation to Shorter College makes a worthwhile investment in the future of the college and the future of our students. 

Please follow the stock transfer instructions online at hawkspace.shorter.edu or contact Ken Fincher at kfincher@shorter.edu or (706) 233-7293. He will be happy to help you gain financial advantages during this holiday season.

Eager minds learn from seasoned professionals

Shorter students were able to share a meal, mingle and open up their minds to new career opportunities as they met with a roomful of successful alumni and business professionals during the annual Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow (STAT) dinner held in November. Sponsored by the Student Government Association, Student Activities, Advancement and Career Services, the dinner was held on the Shorter campus inside the Eubanks Room.

Community guests participating in the dinner included Anthony Barba, Bob Berry, Ember Bishop (’07), Susan Bradshaw (’72), Dr. Kyle Carney (’01), Siri Gundersen (’03), Jonas Jarvholm (’02), Terry Ledbetter, Brooks Mathis (’05), Karli Morgan, Nolan Robinson, Dr. Kevin Snodgrass and Ronnie Wallace (’75). They shared insights from their work as attorneys, medical professionals, business leaders and more during the well-attended event.

“It was a great way to debut and show off the use of color in this publication,” said Shorter’s Assistant Professor of Communications and yearbook adviser Allison Hattaway. The Argo was one of four collegiate publications that garnered the “Best in Show” award in the zero-to-300 page category.

Click here to read more about the yearbook staff’s win>

A different perspective on sports

BlazeSports America and Shorter’s sports management instructors teamed up to bring students a different perspective on some of the nation’s most popular sports.

Dozens of Shorter students participated in the college’s Disability Sports Awareness Day held recently at the Winthrop-King Centre. “This is a great way to see and participate in a few of the many disability sports offered to people with physical disabilities all over the world,” said Assistant Professor of Sport Management Jennifer Ruddell. BlazeSports, born out of the 1996 Paralympic Games held in Atlanta, is a national program funded through corporate sponsorships, grants and individual donations. The program visits schools, colleges and local recreation departments to highlight the wide variety of sports offered to people with disabilities. Shorter students were able to participate in games of wheelchair volleyball, sit volleyball, wheelchair tennis and goalball.

Students expand global knowledge during International Education Week

As part of Shorter College’s International Education Week, held Nov. 17-20, renowned dance instructor Julie Baggenstoss visited the campus to teach students a crash course in flamenco dance. Baggenstoss spoke to students about the dance’s history and background, then concentrated on specific dance moves, helping students grasp the concept of the flamenco.

Shorter students also learned the importance of studying globally as Dr. Carolyn Bishop, president of the Consortium for Global Education (CGE), was the featured guest speaker during a Monday, Nov. 17, presentation.

Click here to read more about Bishop and her work>

Trip offers chance to study Biblical sites in Turkey, Greece

Dr. Alan Hix (’82), associate professor of religion and chair of the department of religion, invites Shorter College alumni to join him on a 13-day trip to Biblical sites in Turkey and Greece. The trip, offered in cooperation with the Alumni Office, will include tours of the sites of the seven churches of Revelation as well as a Greek Island tour. “The purpose of this tour is to discover the full message of the letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation as well as to explore sites that are also connected to the ministry of the Apostle Paul,” Dr. Hix said.

Click here to learn more about the trip>

SPORTS NEWS

Jones, Cooley, Lollis sweep Mid-South Conference football awards After earning a trip to its first-ever postseason competition and taking a share of the Mid-South Conference Western Division title, the Shorter College Hawks football team has been given yet another reason to celebrate an impressive season.

In the year-end conference divisional awards, Phil Jones was named Coach of the Year, A.J. Cooley was named Offensive Player of the Year, Logan Lollis was named Defensive Player of the Year, and the Hawks placed nine on the All-Conference team, three more than any other school.

Click here for more on the football awards> Shorter’s Whitnell named to NAIA All-American Honorable Mention Team Shorter soccer standout Robert Whitnell has the distinction of being the first Hawk ever to be named to the NAIA All-American Honorable Mention Team. Whitnell led Shorter in goals with an impressive 15, tacking on eight assists on the year. He was named the Southern States Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week four times this season, including a National Soccer Player of the Year honor on Sept. 22. Click here to read more about Whitnell>

Five Hawks soar to NAIA scholar status

Shorter College is flying high with the naming of five students as the 2008 Daktronics-NAIA Men’s and Women’s Soccer scholar athletes. Shorter students receiving the honor include Kyle Timberlake from the men's side, and Mallory Barnes, Renee Glenfield, Jessica Hoskinson and Sarah Locklear from the women's side.

Click here to read more about the requirements of becoming an NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete>

Soccer wins first regular-season conference title; Severns named Coach of the Year

This season will go down in the record books for the Shorter men’s soccer team as the team won its first regular season conference title and had its first-time program wins over Berry College, Lee University, Auburn-Montgomery and Southern Polytechnic. Shorter peaked in the NAIA Top 25 standings mid-season reaching as high as No. 16. The team also went from a sixth-place conference finish last season to a regular season conference championship; and head coach Josh Severns was named the SSAC Coach of the Year, his first such award.

Click here to read more about the men’s soccer program>

Lady Hawks golf ranked 16 in NAIA fall ratings

The Shorter College women's golf team received 202 total points and a ranking of 16th in the 2008 National Association Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Women's Golf Fall Rating released on Dec 2. The first spring rating will be released on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

Click here to see a complete NAIA poll listing>

Lady Hawks Cross Country take second at SSAC tourney; Mudy takes third at NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Championship

At November’s Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament Women's Cross Country tournament, the Lady Hawks took second place with 43 points, just three points behind first-place Berry College. Shorter's Justyna Mudy took first in the race, running a 17:22.63, additionally, Mudy was named the SSAC Runner of the year for her top finish.

Read more about the Lady Hawks Cross Country program>

After winning every regular season race she competed in, Shorter's Justyna Mudy took a third place finish to lead the Lady Hawks at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championship, the highest finish for any Shorter runner in history and good enough for All-American status. Find out more about Mudy’s win>

Van Der Henst named First Team All-Conference; seven named All-Academic

In the year-end women's soccer awards at the Southern States Athletic Conference recently, Shorter College Lady Hawk Pauline Van Der Henst was named First Team All-Conference. Additionally, seven Shorter played were named to the conference's All-Academic team. Van Der Henst played in 17 games for Shorter this season, tallying a team-leading 12 goals and four assists. She had 32 shots on goal.

Click here to read more about Van Der Henst and the members of the All-Academic team>

Lady Hawks volleyball take runner-up in SSAC tournament

After a dramatic run through the Southern States Athletic Conference volleyball tournament, the No. 3-seeded Shorter College Lady Hawks were named runner-up after a 3-0 loss to No. 2-seeded Lee University on Nov. 15. Shorter's season ended with a 20-18 record and 9-7 in the SSAC. They entered the tournament as the third seed and beat the conference champion Berry to advance to the championship.

Read more about Shorter’s Volleyball team>

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS

For more information on the events listed below, call the Alumni Office at 1-800-868-6980, ext. 7353 or 706-233-7353 or e-mail sgraves@shorter.edu.

	Dec. 20 - NAIA Football National Championship Game Saturday, Dec. 20, at 12:00 p.m., Barron Stadium Reserved seating tickets are $25 each; general admission tickets are $20 each. A group rate of $15 per ticket is available for groups of 10 or more. Tickets may be purchased online at NAIANationalChampionship.com, the Shorter College Box Office, the Rome Visitor’s Center on Jackson Hill, or the Rome-Floyd County Parks and Recreation Authority Office. The game will be televised live on CBS College Sports TV.
	Jan. 15 - Jan. 18 - Massenet's Cinderella English translation by Dwight Coleman , directed by Linda Lister. Thursday, Jan.15 - Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009 at 2 p.m. Callaway Theatre. Tickets are $12 for adults; $8 for seniors and students. See the beloved fairy tale come to life in Jules Massenet's operatic rendering. Based on Charles Perrault's version of the classic story, the opera is filled with the charming sweetness of dancing fairies, the evil humor of conniving step-sisters, and the magic of a dream-like ball and happy ending. Come and see Cinderella find her Prince Charming as depicted in Massenet's lush and romantic score.
	Jan. 24 - Friends of Theatre Showcase Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009. Time and venue to be announced.
	Jan. 20 - Feb. 20 - Guest Artist Eilis Crean presents “Presence” Reception and Artist Lecture Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. inside the Arnold Gallery. Eilis Crean's two current series of painting, Memorial Wall and Portraits, connect with philosophical issues of presence and being. Her work is held in state collections in Ireland, Latvia, and France; the collections of the LaGrange Art Museum and King and Spalding, Atlanta; and private collections in Ireland and the United States. She has exhibited in numerous juried and group shows of national acclaim. Crean is a native of Ireland and is currently an assistant professor of painting at University of West Georgia.
	Jan. 26 - Guest Artist Series Recital featuring Leon Couch, Organ Monday, Jan. 26, 2009 at 7:30 p.m., Brookes Chapel, free to the public With two doctoral degrees from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music: the D.M.A. in Organ Performance and the Ph.D. in Music Theory, Couch has educational training to match his talent as an organist. An active conference presenter, lecturer, performer and church musician, he served as the 2007 visiting scholar at Northwestern College.
	Feb. 2 - Faculty Recital featuring Brian Nedvin, Tenor Monday, Feb. 2, 2009 at 7:30 p.m., Brookes Chapel
	Feb. 16 - Faculty Recital featuring David Oliver, Piano Monday, Feb. 16, 2009 at 7:30 p.m., Brookes Chapel
	Feb. 20-21 and 25-28; March 1 – Spring Musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie” February 20-21 and 25-28, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 22 and March 1, 2009 at 2 p.m., Callaway Theatre $12 for general admission; $8 for students and senior adults Thoroughly Modern Millie is a high-spirited musical romp that took Broadway by storm. Taking place in New York City in 1922, Thoroughly Modern Mille tells the story of young Millie Dillmount, who has just moved to the city in search of a new life for herself. It's a New York full of intrigue and jazz - a time when women were entering the workforce and the rules of love and social behavior were changing forever. Based on the popular movie, the stage version of Thoroughly Modern Millie includes a full score of new songs and bright dance numbers.
	Feb. 23 - Guest Artist Series featuring Martin Bruns, Baritone Monday, February 23, 2009 at 7:30 p.m., Brookes Chapel Swiss baritone Martin Bruns has won much acclaim for his concert, oratorio, and opera appearances at major concert halls and festivals. Garnering praise for his "warm, open voice" and "magnificent interpretation," he has been a soloist with major European orchestras and has been hailed as a "superior lieder singer."

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Virtually Shorter is compiled by Shorter Public Relations. If you have questions, comments or suggestions for our e-newsletter, e-mail Aimee Harmison at aharmison@shorter.edu.

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