Shorter University honors alumni during homecoming weekend

October 4, 2010 - Shorter University honored five of its alumni during Shorter’s Annual Alumni Association meeting held this past Saturday. Dr. Andrew Kyle Carney, (’01), Bob (’72) and Beverly (’75) Harris and Charles (’71) and Lee (’73) Hight were honored with special alumni service awards on Saturday, Oct. 2.

Distinguished Young Alumnus Award

Dr. Carney received the Distinguished Young Alumnus Award. This award is presented to alumni who have graduated from Shorter during the preceding 15 years and who show promise through their professional achievement, community service, and/or dedication to the university, and who embrace the Shorter University mission. Dr. Carney (‘01) is a member of the Shorter University Board of Trustees and also serves as the developmental chairman of the Board of Directors for the Open Door Home. He is a partner at Hortman Carney Dental, Inc. and serves as treasurer for the Floyd County Dental Society. In addition, he is a Steven Taylor Memorial Dental Study Club member, a Georgia Dental Association member, an American Dental Association member, a member of the Rome Rotary Club and a member of Calvary Baptist Church. Dr. Carney serves as a Fellowship of Christian Athletes sponsor, a Battlefield Ministries sponsor and volunteers at the Baptist Mobile Dental Clinic and the Free Dental Clinic of Rome. He is married to the former Jessica Laney and they have two children, Laney, 3-and-a-half, and Davis, 11 months.

Distinguished Alumni Award Bob and Beverly Harris received the Distinguished Alumni Award. This award recognizes alumni who exhibit outstanding professional achievement, public service, or accomplishment in the arts and sciences. Mr. Harris (‘72) and Mrs. Harris (‘75) are active members of the First Baptist Church of Rome, where Mrs. Harris serves as pianist and Mr. Harris serves as video director. Both have been recognized for their contributions to the educational profession as Mrs. Harris was awarded Teacher of the Year for Floyd County Schools in 2007 and Mr. Harris was honored as Teacher of the Year for Rome City Schools in 2003. Mr. Harris is also a professional storyteller and has served with the Rome Area Council for the Arts and previously served as the adviser for the Creative Arts Society at Coosa Middle School in Rome. They have two children, Brian Harris and Brooke Harris Caesar.

Distinguished Service Award Charles and Lee Hight received the Distinguished Service Award. This award is given to alumni who have given outstanding service to the college in leadership, volunteerism, on-campus service, recruiting efforts or financial support. Mr. Hight (‘71) and Mrs. Hight (‘73) have both actively supported Shorter and its mission. Together, they have served as co-presidents of the Alumni Governing Board from 2006 to present, served as co-chairs of the recent “Library Campaign for Excellence” and as co-chairs of the “Shorter, A Community” campaign. Mr. Hight, former vice president of Simpson Grocery, volunteers at the Rome/Floyd County Boys and Girls Club. He is also the past chair of the Floyd County Wildlife Association, co-chair of the NRA of Rome, past chair of Rome Ducks Unlimited.

Mr. Hight is a Rome Rotary Paul Harris Fellow and is a member of the Floyd County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team. Mrs. Hight, a former educator at Darlington Lower School, is a past recipient of the Heart of the Community Award and serves as current chair of the Northwest Georgia Housing Authority. She also serves as a member of the Myrtle Hill-Oak Hill Memorial Association, the Junior Service League, the Rome/Floyd County Tourism Board and the Garden Club. She volunteers at the Rome/Floyd County Soup Kitchen and Good Neighbor Ministry.

They are members of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Rome and they have three children, Mary Sawhill, Betsy Richie and Charlie Hight (‘99), and three grandchildren.


Founded in 1873, Shorter University is a Christian college committed to excellence in education. Since 2003, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Shorter among the South’s best baccalaureate colleges, and the Princeton Review annually includes Shorter on its lists of best value and best Southeastern college. The university offers traditional bachelor’s degrees in 48 major areas as well as undergraduate degree programs for working adults, the Master of Business Administration, the Master of Education and the Master of Arts in Leadership. General education and calculus courses are offered in an online format, and Shorter recently launched online programs that lead toward the Associate of Science, the Bachelor of Business Administration, and the Master of Accountancy degrees. For more information, visit www.shorter.edu.


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