Spring 2008 PDF - University of South Carolina Upstate
Spring 2008 PDF - University of South Carolina Upstate
Spring 2008 PDF - University of South Carolina Upstate
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
<strong>University</strong><br />
The<br />
Review<br />
SPRING <strong>2008</strong><br />
The George Dean<br />
Johnson, Jr.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Business<br />
and Economics at<br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> Makes<br />
Spartanburg a Place<br />
to Live, Work and<br />
Prosper
4<br />
7<br />
8<br />
14<br />
10<br />
11<br />
12<br />
16<br />
13<br />
15<br />
16<br />
17<br />
<strong>University</strong><br />
The<br />
2 <strong>University</strong> Review<br />
Review<br />
<strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2008</strong><br />
Business<br />
George Dean Johnson, Jr. College <strong>of</strong> Business Administration and<br />
Economics to locate downtown, making Spartanburg A Place to Live,<br />
Work and Prosper. By Tammy E. Whaley<br />
Spartans Athletics<br />
From a farm in the Great Rift Valley <strong>of</strong> Kenya to the world <strong>of</strong> NCAA<br />
Division I Track and Cross Country competition, Emily Tangwar is Running<br />
for Peace, Racing for Opportunities. By Claire Sachse<br />
Arts and Sciences<br />
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Arts recently donated 152 <strong>of</strong> the<br />
artist’s photographs to USC <strong>Upstate</strong>, Bringing the Pop Icon’s Influence<br />
to the <strong>University</strong>’s Permanent Collection. By Tammy E. Whaley<br />
From Vietnam to The Pill, from fraternity parties to Existentialism, <br />
By Tammy E. Whaley<br />
Nursing<br />
A partnership between the Mary Black School <strong>of</strong> Nursing and Mobile<br />
Meals <strong>of</strong> Spartanburg allows nursing students to Bring Care and<br />
Compassion to the Homebound. By Heather Alexander-Engelbrecht<br />
Education<br />
The daily agenda <strong>of</strong> 23 area ninth graders earning college credits in USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong>’s Scholars Academy includes The <strong>University</strong> by Morning and<br />
High School by Afternoon. By Claire Sachse<br />
Community Outreach and Philanthropy<br />
Job satisfaction for Nonpr<strong>of</strong>it Administration majors is More Than a<br />
Paycheck. By Heather Alexander-Engelbrecht<br />
Leaving the cold long winters <strong>of</strong> Indiana behind, Michael E. Irvin has been<br />
Tapped to Lead Development Efforts as the <strong>University</strong>’s new Vice<br />
Chancellor for Advancement. By Tammy E. Whaley<br />
Founders’ Day Celebration Honors Loyal Supporters with awards for<br />
dedicated and distinguished service to the <strong>University</strong>. By Tammy E. Whaley<br />
Special Features<br />
The USC <strong>Upstate</strong> campus was busy with presidential campaign activity<br />
in the run-up to the <strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong> primary, so Could USC <strong>Upstate</strong> be a<br />
Stepping Stone to the Presidency By Claire Sachse<br />
Log on to the <strong>University</strong> Web site for a range <strong>of</strong> Web Highlights including<br />
photos, video, newsletters, class notes and more. By Heather Alexander-<br />
Engelbrecht<br />
40 Alumni for 40 Years: USC <strong>Upstate</strong>’s alumni have great stories to<br />
tell about their lives after leaving campus – their ambitions, career paths,<br />
volunteer work and families – as well as some interesting remembrances<br />
<strong>of</strong> their years on campus. Take a peek! By Stephanie Bingham (’07),<br />
Heather Alexander-Engelbrecht and Claire Sachse<br />
<br />
Editor: Tammy E. Whaley<br />
Designer: Bridget Kirkland<br />
Photography: Les Duggins<br />
The <strong>University</strong> Review is published three times a year.<br />
Editorial Office<br />
Office <strong>of</strong> <strong>University</strong> Communications<br />
800 <strong>University</strong> Way, Spartanburg, SC 29303<br />
Phone: 864-503-5210, Fax: 864-503-5072<br />
E-mail: twhaley@uscupstate.edu<br />
Class News<br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> Alumni Association<br />
800 <strong>University</strong> Way, Spartanburg, SC 29303<br />
Phone: 864-503-5235, Fax: 864-503-5264<br />
E-mail: bwsmith@uscupstate.edu<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong> <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
John C. Stockwell, Ph.D., Chancellor <strong>of</strong> USC <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
Andrew A. Sorensen, Ph.D., President <strong>of</strong> USC<br />
The <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong> Board <strong>of</strong> Trustees<br />
Mark Sanford, Governor Herbert C. Adams, Chairman<br />
Miles Loadholt, Vice Chairman<br />
Arthur S. Bahnmuller, William L. Bethea Jr., James Bradley, Mark W. Buyck<br />
Jr., John W. Fields, C. Edward Floyd, M.D., Samuel R. Foster II, William<br />
C. Hubbard, William W. Jones Jr., Toney J. Lister, Darla D. Moore, Michael<br />
J. Mungo, James H. Rex, M. Wayne Staton, John C. von Lehe Jr., Eugene<br />
P. Warr Jr., Mack I. Whittle Jr., Othniel H. Wienges Jr., Thomas L. Stepp,<br />
Secretary<br />
Spartanburg County Commission for Higher Education<br />
James R. Smith, Chair Milton A. Smith Jr., Vice-Chair<br />
Charles H. Babb, Secretary-Treasurer<br />
C. Dan Adams, J. Eugene Adams, Esq., Sheila S. Breitweiser, Ed.D., Susan<br />
G. Clary, William R. Cobb, Katherine A. Dunleavy, Harold E. Fleming, M.D.,<br />
MBA, Audrey T. Grant, Ph.D., John S. Poole, Albert V. Smith, Esq., John B.<br />
Travers, L. Andrew Westbrook III, Emerson F. Wolfe, Jr., Thomas R. Young III<br />
Ex-Officio: Toney J. Lister, Esq., Jim O. Ray<br />
Emeritus Members: John L. Cobb, Cleveland S. Harley, G.B. Hodge, M.D.,<br />
emeritus chair<br />
Board <strong>of</strong> Advisors<br />
Terry Cash, Chair<br />
Athletics: Frank Allgood, Wendy Fleming-Bailey, Eric Grubbs, David Miller,<br />
Neil Willis<br />
Johnson College <strong>of</strong> Business: Barney Gosnell, Ben Haskew, Kathleen<br />
McKinney, Marion McMillan, Jr., Stewart Spinks<br />
School <strong>of</strong> Education: Kim Ashby, Glen Carson, Scott Mercer, Patricia S.<br />
Paul, Scott Turner, Ed.D.<br />
Mary Black School <strong>of</strong> Nursing: Jane Bottsford, RN, Susan Duggar, MSN,<br />
RN, Jo Ann McMillan, Larry Warr, M.D.<br />
At-Large: Ingo Angermeier, Vic C. Bailey, Jr., William Barnet III, Philip B.<br />
Belcher, Glenn Breed, Rosemary H. Byerly, Jerry L. Calvert, Ruth L. Cate,<br />
Esq., Foster Chapman, H. Howell Clyborne Jr., David Cordeau, John H.<br />
Dargan, Frederick B. Dent, Jr., John T. Gramling II, Marianna B. Habisreutinger,<br />
P. Kathryn Hicks, Phil Lane, Zerno B. Martin, Jr., Max K. Metcalf,<br />
Gary W. Poliak<strong>of</strong>f, Princess C. Porter, David O. Roberts, Mark Scott, Rev.<br />
Benjamin D. Snoddy, L. Cody Sossamon, Jr., Dan L. Terhune, Ph.D., Nick A.<br />
Theodore, Rev. Dr. Clay H. Turner, William J. Whitener, Col. USA Ret.<br />
<strong>Carolina</strong> Piedmont Foundation<br />
Thomas R. Young III, President<br />
David B. Dedmon, D.M.D., V.P.<br />
for Administration<br />
Associate Editor: Heather Engelbrecht<br />
Contributors: Claire Sachse<br />
John S. Poole, V.P. for Finance<br />
Nancy S. Riehle, V.P. for Development<br />
Mike Irvin, Executive Director<br />
Jane G. Bottsford, Raymond H. Brandt, CPA, Robert A. Brannon, Karen<br />
J. Calhoun, Terry L. Cash, David L. Church, William R. Cobb, Robert A.<br />
Coleman, Timothy L. Drummond, Elizabeth B. Fleming, Steven B. Ford,<br />
Barney G. Gosnell, CPA, George Wm. Gramling, Kerin L. Hannah, P.<br />
Kathryn Hicks, Timothy R. Justice, Charles W. Lowe Jr., Julie W. Lowry, Don<br />
L. Martin, Cathy H. McCabe, Esq., John D. Montgomery, Russell R. Raines,<br />
Thomas L. Robinson, Albert V. Smith, Esq., David Jeffrey Smith, James R.<br />
Smith, James W. Terry, Irvine T. Welling<br />
Ex-Officio: Susan U. Holland, John F. Perry, Shane W. Rogers, Esq., Jack<br />
A. Turner, Ph.D., John C. Stockwell, Ph.D.<br />
Emeritus: Bruce H. Carlson, Katie A. Hodge, Susan C. Jacobs
Susu and George Dean Johnson, Jr. at the<br />
December Press Conference.<br />
A member <strong>of</strong> the Patriot Guard leads the<br />
motorcycle escort for The Wall That Heals.<br />
A Disabled American Veteran salutes<br />
wreaths in memory <strong>of</strong> his fellow soldiers.<br />
Rotarian presidents and Dr. Stockwell at<br />
the Rotary Peace Park Dedication.<br />
D<br />
uring the 2007-08 academic year, the<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong> <strong>Upstate</strong> celebrated<br />
forty years <strong>of</strong> growth.<br />
We all know the stories…starting with<br />
a two-year nursing program in the basement<br />
<strong>of</strong> Spartanburg General, acquiring<br />
campus properties piecemeal, building<br />
the Administration Building and moving<br />
to four-year degrees and a thousand<br />
students within four years; hiring a great<br />
core faculty, <strong>of</strong>fices in a motel, a national<br />
basketball championship, more buildings…Dr.<br />
Hodge and the Commission<br />
fighting with governors, the State Commission<br />
and others for our very survival.<br />
Frieda Davison, dean <strong>of</strong> the Library, led<br />
a committee that assembled a cluster <strong>of</strong><br />
celebratory events throughout this year.<br />
We recognized and engaged emeriti,<br />
alumni, faculty, staff, friends and neighbors;<br />
and we connected lectures and<br />
presentations related to the historic period<br />
<strong>of</strong> our founding in 1967, the period,<br />
by the way, during which many <strong>of</strong> the<br />
nation’s metropolitan universities were<br />
founded.<br />
One <strong>of</strong> our most important connections<br />
was with the era <strong>of</strong> Vietnam. The <strong>University</strong><br />
hosted the traveling Wall That<br />
Heals, a half-size replica <strong>of</strong> the Vietnam<br />
Wall Memorial in Washington, D.C. Over<br />
17,754 people visited the Wall while it<br />
was on campus, including an unbelievable<br />
phalanx <strong>of</strong> 1,300 motorcyclists who<br />
escorted the Wall on the last leg <strong>of</strong> its<br />
journey to the campus. It was a moving<br />
week <strong>of</strong> ceremony, visitations and remembrance.<br />
During that same mid-April week, the<br />
<strong>University</strong> dedicated The Rotary Peace<br />
Park installed on six acres at the entrance<br />
to the campus, a park supported<br />
by the generosity <strong>of</strong> Spartanburg’s Rotary<br />
Clubs and the dedicated effort <strong>of</strong><br />
Rotarian Elizabeth Belenchia. With its<br />
hundreds <strong>of</strong> newly planted trees and its<br />
benches, walkways, amphitheatre, bridges,<br />
lake and fountain, the <strong>University</strong>’s<br />
Rotary Peace Park, together with other<br />
Rotary Peace parks around the world,<br />
will serve as a continuing reminder <strong>of</strong> the<br />
work <strong>of</strong> peace.<br />
Who could have anticipated in 1967<br />
what USC <strong>Upstate</strong> would become…a<br />
residential campus with 5,000 students,<br />
300 acres, 17,000 living alumni and<br />
1,000 graduates a year and climbing<br />
And even as recently as last year, who<br />
could have imagined not only the residential<br />
campus, but a new downtown<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional campus for the <strong>University</strong>’s<br />
fastest growing programs in business<br />
and economics Who could have imagined<br />
the partnership with the City <strong>of</strong><br />
Spartanburg making possible the downtown<br />
property and a major new parking<br />
facility<br />
Most importantly, who could have imagined<br />
the significant personal financial<br />
commitments that would have made<br />
possible the construction and endowment<br />
<strong>of</strong> this new downtown campus<br />
And who could have imagined the name:<br />
The George Dean Johnson, Jr. College<br />
<strong>of</strong> Business and Economics<br />
This issue <strong>of</strong> The <strong>University</strong> Review begins<br />
to tell the even more exciting story<br />
<strong>of</strong> the second forty years.<br />
Dr. John C. Stockwell, Chancellor
A Place<br />
and<br />
To<br />
Prosper<br />
Live,Work<br />
The George Dean Johnson, Jr. College <strong>of</strong><br />
Business and Economics at USC <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
currently enrolls nearly 850 majors and is the<br />
fastest growing unit in the <strong>University</strong>. It is fully<br />
accredited by the Association for the Advancement<br />
<strong>of</strong> Collegiate Schools <strong>of</strong> Business, one <strong>of</strong> 41<br />
institutions worldwide with undergraduate only<br />
programs that are accredited. Few business<br />
schools in the nation with a predominantly<br />
undergraduate mission are accredited by this<br />
prestigious international association. In addition<br />
to its major programs in business administration,<br />
finance, marketing, management, accounting and<br />
economics, the College will <strong>of</strong>fer USC’s PMBA<br />
degree on-site.<br />
BY TAMMY E. WHALEY<br />
His hometown, once prosperous<br />
from peach orchards and textile<br />
mills, now fights to recruit<br />
white collar jobs that will entice<br />
generations <strong>of</strong> young leaders to<br />
stay in the community. He believes<br />
that education is the answer to<br />
recruiting these jobs to the area,<br />
bringing with them a higher per<br />
capita income and increase in the<br />
quality <strong>of</strong> living.<br />
It is this belief that led George<br />
Dean Johnson, Jr. to explore<br />
ways in which he could help the<br />
Spartanburg community, now and<br />
for generations to come, to prosper<br />
as others from his hometown once<br />
prospered.<br />
While Johnson is as well-known<br />
for his business acumen as he<br />
is for the philanthropic efforts he<br />
and his wife, Susu, have made to<br />
education and the arts, he is adding<br />
a new dimension to his legacy. The<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong> <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
announced in December the naming<br />
<strong>of</strong> the George Dean Johnson, Jr.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Business and Economics<br />
and the promise <strong>of</strong> a new downtown<br />
location that will assist in economic<br />
development, aid in pre-start-up<br />
and incubation support <strong>of</strong> small<br />
business, and introduce thousands<br />
<strong>of</strong> business majors over the years to<br />
the opportunities for investment in<br />
the City.<br />
“The <strong>University</strong> is greatly honored<br />
by the identification <strong>of</strong> its business<br />
school with Mr. Johnson. And<br />
locating the George Dean<br />
Johnson, Jr. College <strong>of</strong> Business<br />
and Economics in the center<br />
<strong>of</strong> Renaissance Park will be a<br />
tremendous asset not only to<br />
downtown development but,<br />
because <strong>of</strong> the naming, to the<br />
reputation <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong>,” said<br />
Dr. John Stockwell, chancellor <strong>of</strong><br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong>.<br />
Johnson is a man <strong>of</strong> immense<br />
talent and versatility — former<br />
practicing attorney, legislator, State<br />
Development Board chairman and<br />
State Chamber <strong>of</strong> Commerce<br />
president — and one <strong>of</strong> the nation’s<br />
most successful entrepreneurs. He<br />
is founder, former Chief Executive<br />
Officer and a former Director<br />
<strong>of</strong> Extended Stay America, Inc.<br />
Johnson is a former President <strong>of</strong><br />
the domestic consumer division<br />
<strong>of</strong> Blockbuster Entertainment, a<br />
division <strong>of</strong> Viacom, Inc. He was<br />
formerly the managing general<br />
partner <strong>of</strong> WJB Video, the largest<br />
Blockbuster franchisee, which<br />
developed over 200 video stores<br />
prior to a merger with Blockbuster<br />
in 1993. Since 1985, Johnson<br />
has been the managing general<br />
partner <strong>of</strong> American Storage<br />
Limited Partnership, a chain <strong>of</strong><br />
28 self-storage facilities located<br />
in the <strong>Carolina</strong>s and Georgia. His<br />
real estate development company,<br />
Johnson Development Associates,<br />
Inc., has developed and manages<br />
in excess <strong>of</strong> 6 million square feet <strong>of</strong><br />
retail space, industrial space, <strong>of</strong>fice<br />
space and apartments.<br />
Stockwell adds that the new facility<br />
will be located along Saint John<br />
Street adjacent to the Chapman<br />
Cultural Center. The facility will be<br />
a three-story, 44,000 square foot<br />
building. The <strong>University</strong> expects to<br />
break ground in late fall <strong>2008</strong> and<br />
anticipates that construction will be<br />
completed in December 2009.<br />
“Our future is tied to education<br />
and I believe that this project will<br />
help us all in ways that we can’t<br />
yet imagine,” said Johnson. “This<br />
is an investment in the <strong>University</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong> <strong>Upstate</strong> and<br />
in the College <strong>of</strong> Business and<br />
Economics but more importantly, it<br />
is an investment in the community.<br />
It is setting the stage for economic<br />
development, the creation <strong>of</strong><br />
4 <strong>University</strong> Review
entrepreneurs and for life-long<br />
learning. It is an investment in<br />
Spartanburg—one that I hope<br />
will give people’s children and<br />
grandchildren a place to live, work<br />
and prosper.”<br />
Johnson has become wellacquainted<br />
with educational<br />
statistics and can quote those as<br />
easily as he can explain investment<br />
returns. He talks <strong>of</strong> how only 66<br />
percent <strong>of</strong> high school students<br />
in Spartanburg County actually<br />
receive a high school diploma and<br />
only 33 percent <strong>of</strong> those students<br />
seek further education. Johnson<br />
has great concerns that only 18<br />
percent <strong>of</strong> Spartanburg residents<br />
have a college<br />
degree, making it<br />
harder to build a<br />
knowledge-based<br />
economy which is<br />
the way <strong>of</strong> the future.<br />
He cites that our per<br />
capita income, which<br />
is the measure <strong>of</strong> our<br />
economic and social<br />
health, is lower than<br />
the state average.<br />
“With this bold move to locate the<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Business downtown,<br />
it is one step in having a vibrant<br />
downtown,” said Johnson.<br />
“Spartanburg County cannot<br />
be successful unless the City is<br />
dynamic and vital because we<br />
cannot recruit knowledge-based<br />
jobs. The road out <strong>of</strong> poverty<br />
runs directly by the school house<br />
door. If we have the boldness and<br />
the confidence to invest in USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> we will be successful as<br />
a community and our per capita<br />
income will grow.”<br />
Mayor Bill Barnet agrees and says<br />
that bringing the Johnson College<br />
<strong>of</strong> Business and Economics<br />
to downtown Spartanburg will<br />
create a new energy, untapped<br />
opportunities, and an enthusiastic<br />
commitment to education.<br />
“We spawn another great project<br />
that will move the momentum <strong>of</strong><br />
our community forward and that<br />
can benefit the next generation as<br />
we had hoped to do,” said Barnet.<br />
“This is a dream for the City. Dream<br />
with me <strong>of</strong> the 850 college students<br />
and all the potential they will bring,<br />
a distinguished faculty that will be<br />
housed in the center <strong>of</strong> our city,<br />
the potential for our entrepreneurial<br />
talents, the possibilities for<br />
internships, and the promise for<br />
retail and housing. This community<br />
can and will be all that it should be.”<br />
The City <strong>of</strong> Spartanburg is<br />
partnering with USC <strong>Upstate</strong> to<br />
make this new $26 million facility<br />
a reality. The City’s provision <strong>of</strong><br />
land (approximately one acre) is<br />
I see this as an investment in USC <strong>Upstate</strong>,<br />
an investment in the College <strong>of</strong> Business,<br />
and more importantly an investment in<br />
our community. It is an investment in<br />
Spartanburg—one that I hope will give<br />
people’s children and grandchildren a place<br />
“to live, work and prosper.<br />
—Johnson<br />
”<br />
valued at $650,000 and the City<br />
will partner with the <strong>University</strong> in<br />
the construction <strong>of</strong> a new 780-<br />
space parking garage at a cost <strong>of</strong><br />
$11 million with a minimum <strong>of</strong> 250<br />
parking spaces provided for USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong>. The City will also provide<br />
infrastructure to include sidewalks,<br />
streets and landscaping.<br />
In addition to the City’s financial<br />
commitment, more than $10 million<br />
in private contributions, including<br />
$2 million to endow the College,<br />
was raised in less than 30 days. The<br />
<strong>University</strong> will contribute $5 million<br />
toward the project. The capital<br />
project will be developed and<br />
managed by the <strong>Carolina</strong> Piedmont<br />
Foundation Properties II, LLC.<br />
“The Johnson College <strong>of</strong> Business<br />
and Economics is a gift to this<br />
community in many ways,” said City<br />
Manager Mark Scott. “The St. John<br />
Street address should be among<br />
the best in the entire <strong>Upstate</strong> and<br />
our Downtown Master Plan singles<br />
Dr. John Stockwell, Dr. Diane Vecchio, Susu and<br />
George Dean Johnson, Jr. and Mayor Bill Barnet<br />
Ned Johnson<br />
Stewart Johnson, Sr.<br />
Valerie and Bill Barnet<br />
Susu and George Dean Johnson, Jr.<br />
<strong>University</strong> Review 5
Dr. John Stockwell, George Dean Johnson, Jr. and Dr. Darrell Parker<br />
George Dean Johnson, Jr. and<br />
Cantey Heath<br />
Lenna Fulmer<br />
Roger Milliken and Katie Hodge<br />
Rob Chapman<br />
out the Renaissance Park area for future growth. In addition, it<br />
as key to our future downtown will permit the development <strong>of</strong><br />
development. The Johnson College specialized instructional space<br />
<strong>of</strong> Business and Economics will including dedicated computer<br />
stimulate pedestrian activity, labs with business s<strong>of</strong>tware, a<br />
generate pr<strong>of</strong>essional level job<br />
creation in the area, bring meetings<br />
and tourism to the Marriott Hotel,<br />
stock market trading room for<br />
finance classes, and classrooms<br />
with computers to permit students<br />
and perhaps best <strong>of</strong> all, it will to individually run educational<br />
expose thousands <strong>of</strong> future s<strong>of</strong>tware during class. It will also<br />
business leaders to the joys <strong>of</strong><br />
living and working in downtown<br />
Spartanburg. It would be hard to<br />
find a better fit for the goals the<br />
Master Plan presents.”<br />
Dr. Stockwell acknowledged that<br />
“this project would not be possible<br />
support executive education and<br />
other academic outreach activities,<br />
enabling expanded services for<br />
small businesses and connecting<br />
business leaders with the <strong>University</strong><br />
and its students.”<br />
The magnitude <strong>of</strong> this new facility<br />
without the private financial and having Johnson’s name<br />
resources <strong>of</strong> very committed donors<br />
and the leadership <strong>of</strong> Mayor Barnet,<br />
the City Council, City Manager Mark<br />
Scott and the City planning team.”<br />
attached to it is certainly not lost<br />
on Jim Smith, a 1972 graduate <strong>of</strong><br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> and chairman <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Spartanburg County Commission<br />
With the announcement <strong>of</strong> the<br />
for Higher Education. “In 1967<br />
new name and architectural and<br />
we stood at the threshold <strong>of</strong><br />
construction plans currently in<br />
tremendous opportunity with the<br />
progress, it has been hard to<br />
opening <strong>of</strong> USC <strong>Upstate</strong> with 177<br />
contain the enthusiasm and<br />
students and big dreams. Today<br />
excitement <strong>of</strong> Dr. Darrell Parker,<br />
we likewise stand at the threshold<br />
dean <strong>of</strong> the Johnson College <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> a tremendous opportunity. This<br />
Business and Economics.<br />
is a benchmark in the life <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>University</strong> and in our City. It takes<br />
“First priorities for the College<br />
are modern facilities with current<br />
the <strong>University</strong> a tremendous step<br />
forward toward becoming the<br />
technology, shared space preeminent metropolitan institution<br />
for executive and continuing in the <strong>South</strong>east which we aspire<br />
education opportunities, and a<br />
“Class A” <strong>of</strong>fice environment that<br />
welcomes and serves the business<br />
community,” said Parker. “This new<br />
facility will relieve pressures on<br />
restricted space for teaching and<br />
to be. George Dean Johnson, Jr.<br />
has set a standard <strong>of</strong> citizenship<br />
and stewardship <strong>of</strong> which every<br />
business person and every citizen<br />
in Spartanburg should hold in the<br />
highest regard.”<br />
learning through the creation <strong>of</strong><br />
sufficient classrooms and <strong>of</strong>fices<br />
6 <strong>University</strong> Review
RUNNING For Peace<br />
RACING For Opportunities<br />
BY CLAIRE SACHSE<br />
For Emily Cheptoo Tangwar, distance running has been part <strong>of</strong> her daily routine for her entire life. As an elementary school<br />
student in Eldoret, Kenya, Emily ran back and forth to school from her home on a farm, an average <strong>of</strong> eight miles a day.<br />
Now, this petite 5-foot-2-inch, 97-pound USC <strong>Upstate</strong> freshman runs for her school, on USC <strong>Upstate</strong>’s first cross country<br />
team fielded since the Spartans joined NCAA Division I in the Atlantic Sun Conference and on the inaugural track and field<br />
team.<br />
Emily competes in the 800 meters, one mile, 3,000 meters and 5K events, but her race <strong>of</strong> preference is the 5K. In fact,<br />
in all <strong>of</strong> the six cross country meets held last fall, she finished in the top five. For her efforts last season she was named<br />
Atlantic Sun Freshman <strong>of</strong> the Year, All-Conference and All-Freshman. But she proves equally versatile in the shorter races.<br />
So far into the <strong>2008</strong> track and field season, she is ranked number one in the conference for the 3,000 meters and is in the<br />
top three for the mile and 800 meters. At the recent A-Sun Indoor Track & Field Championships, Emily won three individual<br />
championships–3,000 meter, 5,000 meter, 1 mile–and was named the Atlantic Sun Most Outstanding Runner and Most<br />
Outstanding Freshman.<br />
“Emily is very kind, very humble, but fearless once she steps on the track,” says Ed Schlichter, assistant track and field coach.<br />
“She preys on her competition as she patiently waits for the right moment to surge past.”<br />
One <strong>of</strong> nine children growing up on a farm in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, Emily knew her chances for a college education<br />
would be dependent on her running ability. She had planned to attend college after graduating from Loreto High School,<br />
but the death <strong>of</strong> her father in 2003 derailed those plans for a time. In 2006, another opportunity came along for her, and she<br />
briefly attended the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Alaska Fairbanks, where she realized “it was just too cold.” She was able to transfer to USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> in the fall <strong>of</strong> 2007 on a full athletic scholarship.<br />
Being so far from home and family has not been easy for Emily, especially since the recent election violence that erupted in<br />
Kenya after the December 2007 elections. She now knows that her family, while near areas where violence broke out, is safe.<br />
Electric power has been intermittent, making cell phone conversations and e-mail communication erratic.<br />
“I am affected mentally,” says Emily, “and <strong>of</strong> course I worry about their safety, but Kenya is such a nice country, a peaceful<br />
country.” Emily adds that she has “high hopes” for a United Nations brokered peace deal between the tribes <strong>of</strong> the opposition<br />
leader and the sitting president as she sees some normalcy returning to her country.<br />
“What has happened in her homeland has definitely taken a toll on her,” says Schlichter, who, along with the other coaches,<br />
teammates, teachers and friends, surrounded her with support during the worst periods. “But with her support system and things<br />
starting to calm down a bit in Kenya, Emily has really begun to take <strong>of</strong>f.”<br />
Head coach Jimmy Stephens observed Emily during the months <strong>of</strong> unrest in Kenya and says that while<br />
the uncertainty did affect her training, she has now “turned it into motivation to run and train faster.”<br />
“I will get to go home in December this year,” says Emily who has not seen her family since 2006. When she returns to USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> after the winter break, she will begin courses in the Mary Black School <strong>of</strong> Nursing. After she graduates, Emily plans<br />
to return to her native Kenya to begin a nursing career.<br />
“My focus is on general health issues,” she says. Emily adds that she will be equipped to handle the medical, technical<br />
and equipment advances that will come to Kenya in the future because <strong>of</strong> her education in the United States here at USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong>. She also states that she is very thankful to the United States government for allowing her to study in America.<br />
“Emily’s number one strength is her character,” says Coach Stephens. Coach Schlichter echoes Stephens’ comments, adding<br />
that Emily “is a tremendous person and athlete, and what she does and how she does it should be an inspiration to everyone.”<br />
<strong>University</strong> Review 7
Andy Warhol<br />
Photos<br />
Bring Pop Icon’s Influence To<br />
<strong>University</strong>’s Permanent Collection<br />
BY TAMMY E. WHALEY<br />
Andy Warhol is an artist <strong>of</strong> many mediums—<br />
painting, film, books and photography<br />
—who is <strong>of</strong>ten remembered as much<br />
for his art as for his influence on pop<br />
culture. After all, he did take common<br />
American products such as Campbell’s<br />
Soup cans and Coca-Cola and turn<br />
them into art in the 1960s.<br />
As the debate <strong>of</strong> Warhol’s art and<br />
influence remains popular in the art<br />
world, the Andy Warhol Foundation<br />
for the Visual Arts recently celebrated<br />
its 20th anniversary. To commemorate<br />
the anniversary, the Andy Warhol<br />
Photographic Legacy Program<br />
was established and made an<br />
unprecedented gift <strong>of</strong> 28,543 original<br />
Warhol photographs to 183 college<br />
and university art museums across the<br />
U.S., an overall gift valued in excess <strong>of</strong><br />
$28 million.<br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> was fortunate to be<br />
selected as one <strong>of</strong> the recipients and<br />
recently took possession <strong>of</strong> 152 original<br />
Warhol photographs, original Polaroid<br />
photographs and gelatin silver prints.<br />
“Andy Warhol is recognized as a pop<br />
artist icon and having his original<br />
work in the permanent collection<br />
at USC <strong>Upstate</strong> is an exciting and<br />
8 <strong>University</strong> Review<br />
unprecedented opportunity for a<br />
university <strong>of</strong> our age and size,” said Jane<br />
Nodine, pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> art and director <strong>of</strong><br />
the <strong>University</strong> Gallery. “We look forward<br />
to promoting and making public the<br />
collection through exhibition and<br />
research venues in the near future.”<br />
The intent <strong>of</strong> donating Warhol’s<br />
photographs is to provide greater<br />
access to his artwork and process, and<br />
to enable a wide range <strong>of</strong> people from<br />
communities across the country to view<br />
and study this important yet relatively<br />
unknown body <strong>of</strong> Warhol’s work. The<br />
program <strong>of</strong>fers institutions that do<br />
not have the means to acquire works<br />
by Warhol the opportunity to bring a<br />
significant number <strong>of</strong> photographs into<br />
their permanent collections.<br />
“It’s one thing to read about Andy<br />
Warhol and his art work in class, but<br />
to actually have a sample <strong>of</strong> his work<br />
here on campus is very special,” said<br />
Laura Buchanan, a senior from Lyman.<br />
“Having the Andy Warhol photographs<br />
on campus gives every student the<br />
chance to see work from famous artists<br />
without having to travel to New York or<br />
Europe.”<br />
Dr. Rachel Snow, assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
<strong>of</strong> art history, notes that her History <strong>of</strong><br />
Photography and Twentieth Century Art<br />
classes will be able to conduct research<br />
on original Warhol photographs. For<br />
example, art education majors can use<br />
the photographs to write unique lesson<br />
plans that allow students to think about<br />
how popular culture relates to fine art<br />
culture. Art studio majors can use these<br />
images to think about how to organize<br />
and design art exhibitions and how to<br />
research and write educational materials<br />
that will help the public get the most out<br />
<strong>of</strong> such an exhibition.<br />
In addition to opening up a variety <strong>of</strong><br />
independent study opportunities to<br />
students, including the opportunity<br />
to help catalog, research and write<br />
about art using primary sources,<br />
these photographs will bring more<br />
attention to USC <strong>Upstate</strong>’s already<br />
outstanding collection <strong>of</strong> original<br />
artwork, which includes a number <strong>of</strong><br />
valuable Jerry Uelsmann photographs<br />
and a substantial number <strong>of</strong> paintings<br />
by the well-known and respected artist<br />
Beatrice Riese.<br />
“Unlike photographs that have negatives<br />
that allow them to be reproduced in<br />
great quantities, these Polaroids are<br />
unique images that are made and
developed in the camera, they have no negative from<br />
which other copies can be made,” said Snow. “These<br />
truly are one-<strong>of</strong>-a-kind photographs.”<br />
Snow referenced Polaroid’s recent announcement<br />
that the company will discontinue producing the<br />
kinds <strong>of</strong> cameras and supplies Warhol used to<br />
produce these images.<br />
“Although we have all seen and are familiar with<br />
Polaroid instant photographs, one or two generations<br />
from now, these once ubiquitous images will seem<br />
as unfamiliar and curious to viewers as other, now<br />
defunct modes <strong>of</strong> making photographs (such as<br />
Daguerreotypes) seem to us now, ” said Snow.<br />
Warhol would <strong>of</strong>ten shoot a person or event with<br />
both cameras, cropping one in Polaroid color as a<br />
“photograph” and snapping the other in black and<br />
white as a “picture.” By presenting both kinds <strong>of</strong><br />
images side by side, viewers can move back and<br />
forth between moments <strong>of</strong> Warhol’s “art,” “work” and<br />
“life” —inseparable parts <strong>of</strong> a fascinating whole.<br />
“A wealth <strong>of</strong> information about Warhol’s process<br />
and his interactions with his sitters is revealed<br />
in these images,” said Jenny Moore, curator <strong>of</strong><br />
the Photographic Legacy Program. “Through his<br />
rigorous—though almost unconscious—consistency<br />
in shooting, the true idiosyncrasies <strong>of</strong> his subjects<br />
were revealed.”<br />
Nodine is currently working on exhibit space for the<br />
Warhol Collection and expects to have an opening<br />
in fall <strong>2008</strong>.<br />
Warhol displays a<br />
self-portrait.<br />
Andy Warhol<br />
Visual arts students Alexis Rogers, Keith Ball and<br />
Tyler Greenlee, along with Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Jane Nodine,<br />
get a first glance at the Andy Warhol photographs.<br />
Nodine is holding a 1980s black and white photo <strong>of</strong><br />
Lauren Hutton.<br />
<strong>University</strong> Review 9
Bringing<br />
Care<br />
and<br />
Compassion<br />
to the Homebound<br />
Nursing student Heather Chapman<br />
enjoys interacting with patients such as<br />
Mrs. Lewis as part <strong>of</strong> her placement with<br />
the Mobile Meals nursing ministry.<br />
BY HEATHER ALEXANDER-ENGELBRECHT<br />
It is one thing to sit in a classroom, or even in a laboratory, and<br />
learn the ins and outs <strong>of</strong> one’s desired pr<strong>of</strong>ession. It is quite<br />
another to put that knowledge into action. But that is just what<br />
a partnership between Mobile Meals <strong>of</strong> Spartanburg and the<br />
Mary Black School <strong>of</strong> Nursing at USC <strong>Upstate</strong> is doing for<br />
today’s nursing students.<br />
Course coordinator Charlene Walton, EdD, RN, and Jenny<br />
Holmes, MSN, RN, select eight senior nursing students per<br />
semester to work with nurses from Mobile Meals nursing<br />
ministry in conducting in-home visits to meal recipients. During<br />
these visits the students, who work in pairs, initially conduct a<br />
health history and family assessment to identify the healthcare<br />
needs <strong>of</strong> each client. Based on that information, the students<br />
then develop a teaching/learning plan and over the course<br />
<strong>of</strong> the next five weeks, implement that plan. These plans can<br />
cover anything from vascular disease and nutritional education<br />
to proper medication management and home safety.<br />
Since 1977, Mobile Meals has been delivering meals and<br />
compassion to the frail and homebound in the Spartanburg<br />
area. After seeing that many <strong>of</strong> the neediest people in the<br />
county had no access to healthcare, Mobile Meals president<br />
and CEO Jayne McQueen led the effort to secure $288,000<br />
in seed money from the Mary Black Foundation, and in 2002,<br />
with the help <strong>of</strong> Wylene Bailey, RN, and Janet Shaw, both<br />
former Mobile Meals board members, the organization’s<br />
Nursing Ministry began serving patients.<br />
While no one can quite remember just how this partnership<br />
between Mobile Meals and the <strong>University</strong>’s nursing students<br />
developed, everyone involved agrees that it is an invaluable<br />
learning experience for future nurses and a great asset to one<br />
<strong>of</strong> Spartanburg’s vital community agencies. “Anytime you can<br />
partner with others in the community it helps to further your<br />
own [organization’s] mission,” says Bailey. Dr. Marsha Dowell,<br />
dean <strong>of</strong> the Mary Black School <strong>of</strong> Nursing, agrees. “Whenever<br />
an academic unit can partner with someone in the community<br />
to augment and enhance a program while students learn is<br />
beneficial to everyone. Our students help vulnerable members<br />
<strong>of</strong> the community and learn to apply both theories and caring<br />
in an environment that is incredibly supportive <strong>of</strong> them.”<br />
During the five-week community nursing rotation, students<br />
have an opportunity to experience first-hand the challenges and<br />
rewards that come from working with patients who <strong>of</strong>ten fall<br />
through the cracks <strong>of</strong> traditional medical services. “Community<br />
health allows you to remember this is a whole person,” says<br />
Shaw. “In clinical settings, people are <strong>of</strong>ten categorized by the<br />
disease [they have], but community nurses see them in their<br />
homes and it gives them a broader picture <strong>of</strong> the person.” In<br />
addition to taking vital signs and helping the patients with their<br />
healthcare needs, <strong>of</strong>ten what the patient needs most is just a<br />
visitor to listen to their thoughts and concerns. “The greatest<br />
need for many <strong>of</strong> our patients is loneliness,” says Bailey. “They<br />
love the youthful energy the students bring when they visit.”<br />
Heather Chapman, a senior nursing student, has found her<br />
placement with the Mobile Meals nursing ministry to be a<br />
perfect match. “I would recommend this experience 100% to<br />
other nursing students. This experience humbles you as you<br />
visit so many different types <strong>of</strong> homes,” says Chapman. “Just<br />
because you think you know what people are going through,<br />
you see a whole different perspective when you go into their<br />
environment.”<br />
As Mrs. Lewis opens the door, her face lights up at the sight <strong>of</strong><br />
the students who have come to visit her. Mobile Meals began<br />
visiting Mrs. Lewis and her husband <strong>of</strong> 54 years when he got<br />
sick with Parkinson’s disease. Now that he is in a nursing<br />
home, Mrs. Lewis says it does get lonely but she appreciates<br />
the nursing ministry’s visits. Bailey, one <strong>of</strong> the two full-time<br />
nurses who staff the nursing ministry, stops by regularly to see<br />
how she is doing and to just listen. Mrs. Lewis also enjoys<br />
the students’ visits. “The students are so nice. I had my 81st<br />
birthday and Heather brought me a birthday card. It was the<br />
sweetest thing,” she said. “It means so much to me. They’re so<br />
loving and kind.”<br />
As they sit and talk about how she’s feeling and her recent<br />
visit to her husband, it is obvious Mrs. Lewis has had just as<br />
much <strong>of</strong> an impact on Chapman. “Mrs. Lewis has given me<br />
more than I could have ever imagined. She is an absolute joy<br />
to work with.”<br />
10 <strong>University</strong> Review
<strong>University</strong> by Morning and<br />
High School by Afternoon<br />
Area Ninth Graders Earn College Credits in Scholars Academy<br />
BY CLAIRE SACHSE<br />
Dalton Fowler, Forrest Rossi and<br />
Kortney Schumann take notes<br />
during a government class.<br />
Hilary Martin listens intently to a<br />
lecture by Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Tim Dale.<br />
Students in the first Scholars<br />
Academy class hail from:<br />
Boiling <strong>Spring</strong>s High School<br />
Broome High School<br />
Byrnes High School<br />
Chapman High School<br />
Chesnee High School<br />
Dorman Freshman Campus<br />
Landrum High School<br />
Imagine being 14-years old with college<br />
credits already under your belt! For a<br />
select group <strong>of</strong> Spartanburg County ninth<br />
graders, this scenario is a reality, thanks to a<br />
$2.6 million U.S. Department <strong>of</strong> Education<br />
funded grant program called the Scholars<br />
Academy.<br />
The <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong> <strong>Upstate</strong>,<br />
in coordination with educators in seven<br />
Spartanburg County school districts,<br />
implemented this competitive program<br />
which allows academically advanced ninth<br />
graders to take courses on the college<br />
campus during their high school years,<br />
starting in the 2007-<strong>2008</strong> school year. By<br />
the time they graduate from high school,<br />
they will have 45 – 60 college credit hours<br />
to their name, giving them a jump on their<br />
college careers and saving their parents<br />
thousands in college tuition.<br />
Twenty-three students from various high<br />
schools spent half their day on the USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> campus during the 2007-08<br />
academic year. They arrived by bus from<br />
their home high schools at 8:30 a.m.,<br />
attended core classes together until noon,<br />
had lunch in the Campus Life Center<br />
Cafeteria, and returned by bus to their<br />
respective high schools to complete their<br />
day and attend extracurricular events.<br />
Core classes include English, American<br />
history, math, government, physical<br />
science and wellness/fitness. First year<br />
math and advanced English are taught by<br />
certified high school teachers and the rest<br />
<strong>of</strong> their classes are taught by <strong>University</strong><br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essors. As the students advance to<br />
their sophomore, junior and senior years <strong>of</strong><br />
high school, they will be blended gradually<br />
into classes with college students.<br />
“They are <strong>of</strong>ficial college students,” says<br />
Melissa Deloach, director <strong>of</strong> the program.<br />
“They have a college transcript after one<br />
semester and they are able to do all on<br />
campus that normal students do.” They<br />
are provided USC <strong>Upstate</strong> student e-<br />
mail accounts, and they have access to<br />
Blackboard, the electronic forum for course<br />
information, assignments and studentpr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
communication.<br />
But Deloach, who has been a teacher for<br />
19 years and an assistant principal at the<br />
Dorman Freshman Campus, knows that<br />
even though they are on a college campus,<br />
the Scholars Academy students are still<br />
“kids.” Like a mother hen, she supervises<br />
the students while they are on campus and<br />
is careful to ensure they stay together and<br />
have the necessary adult supervision at all<br />
times.<br />
“We want to keep the kids together for<br />
security and maturity reasons for the first<br />
two years,” she says, adding that by their<br />
junior and senior years “they’ll have a lot<br />
more freedom to take what they want.”<br />
Even though the students are considered<br />
academically advanced, they are still new to<br />
college study habits. Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Paul Grady,<br />
who taught American history over the fall<br />
semester, says that many <strong>of</strong> his students<br />
were surprised to receive C’s and lower<br />
on tests at the start <strong>of</strong> the semester. “But<br />
as the semester progressed and as they<br />
realized they had to put more effort into<br />
studying for college level classes than they<br />
were used to, the students quickly shifted<br />
into gear, and finished the semester quite<br />
well.”<br />
Entrance to the Academy is competitive, as<br />
the students must complete an interview<br />
process, which includes their parents<br />
and pr<strong>of</strong>essors. A ratings system is also<br />
used, which includes the students’ grades<br />
to date. There is no charge for students<br />
to participate in Scholars Academy. For<br />
further information about the program,<br />
contact Melissa Deloach by calling (864)<br />
503-5506 or e-mail her at mdeloach@<br />
uscupstate.edu or visit the Scholars<br />
Academy Web site www.uscupstate.edu/<br />
academics/education/scholars_academy.<br />
<strong>University</strong> Review 11
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> alumna Carolyn Turner ‘07<br />
organized the tax preparation clinic at<br />
the Middle Tyger Community Center to<br />
help low income and elderly community<br />
members file their taxes online.<br />
More Than a Paycheck<br />
BY HEATHER ALEXANDER-ENGELBRECHTENGELBRECHT<br />
For a relatively small program that has<br />
only 40 majors, USC <strong>Upstate</strong>’s Nonpr<strong>of</strong>it<br />
Administration students and pr<strong>of</strong>essors<br />
logged more than 5,636 hours<br />
in 2007 volunteering or interning with<br />
nonpr<strong>of</strong>it organizations to help make<br />
our community a better place to live,<br />
work and play. The Nonpr<strong>of</strong>it Administration<br />
program, <strong>of</strong>fered by the Center<br />
for Nonpr<strong>of</strong>it Leadership as both a<br />
major and a minor, prepares graduates<br />
for careers in management and administrative<br />
positions within a wide variety<br />
<strong>of</strong> nonpr<strong>of</strong>it organizations such as social<br />
services, youth activities, health, the<br />
environment and the arts. Basic leadership<br />
and management principles are<br />
key components <strong>of</strong> the curriculum.<br />
Students also gain real-world experience<br />
through the required internships<br />
and service learning projects with local<br />
nonpr<strong>of</strong>its and have a chance to see<br />
if a career in the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it sector is a<br />
good fit for them. “We’re able to connect<br />
academic majors with practical experience,”<br />
says Dr. Theresa Ricke-Kiely,<br />
director <strong>of</strong> the Center. “Often an organization<br />
will mentor the student during<br />
the internship and create a position for<br />
them after they graduate.”<br />
And more <strong>of</strong>ten than not, the hard work<br />
and energy the students bring to their<br />
internships continues to flow into the<br />
community after graduation as most<br />
nonpr<strong>of</strong>it leadership graduates find<br />
full-time jobs with nonpr<strong>of</strong>its in the<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong>. At one such organization,<br />
12 <strong>University</strong> Review<br />
the United Way <strong>of</strong> the Piedmont, several<br />
recent USC <strong>Upstate</strong> graduates are<br />
working in the community through the<br />
AmeriCorps*VISTA program, a national<br />
service program that places volunteers<br />
with other agencies in communities<br />
to alleviate poverty by building capacity<br />
and programs to sustain their missions.<br />
Rochelle Ladson ’07 is working with<br />
Bethlehem Center in Spartanburg, providing<br />
public relations assistance and<br />
volunteer recruitment and has made it<br />
a personal goal to help keep the food<br />
pantry stocked. She joined the VISTA<br />
program “because I wasn’t done giving<br />
back.” Ladson graduated from <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
with a degree in interdisciplinary studies<br />
and credits her experience with the<br />
nonpr<strong>of</strong>it leadership program as shaping<br />
her as a person. “Nonpr<strong>of</strong>it leadership<br />
is a good fit for people who aren’t<br />
just looking for a paycheck,” she says.<br />
Lakisha Spears ’07 agrees and says<br />
all students should take at least one<br />
class in nonpr<strong>of</strong>it leadership. During<br />
her senior seminar, Chris Steed,<br />
vice president <strong>of</strong> community impact at<br />
United Way, gave a presentation about<br />
the VISTA program and she liked what<br />
she saw. “I was the first person to sign<br />
up!” Spears is working at SAFE Homes<br />
Rape Crisis Coalition in Spartanburg<br />
providing domestic violence and sexual<br />
assault education in an age-appropriate<br />
manner to K-2 students. The outreach<br />
program she is helping to develop will<br />
eventually be used in all schools in<br />
Spartanburg and Cherokee counties.<br />
Spears will soon begin a new position<br />
with the Girl Scouts <strong>of</strong> <strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong><br />
Mountains to Midlands as a development<br />
and marketing assistant. Her advice<br />
to students “Join AmeriCorps. It is<br />
a great learning experience,” she says.<br />
As a nonpr<strong>of</strong>it administration intern<br />
with the United Way last spring, Carolyn<br />
Turner ’07 helped Chris Steed write<br />
the grant that now funds the VISTA<br />
program at the United Way. She is<br />
now a VISTA member herself, working<br />
with the Middle Tyger Community<br />
Center where she is researching parenting<br />
among adolescents, creating a<br />
volunteer training manual and writing<br />
a report on programs to address teen<br />
pregnancy. Turner says working with<br />
the center “makes you very appreciative<br />
<strong>of</strong> all you have.”<br />
“The agencies we work with have<br />
had great experiences with VISTA<br />
members,” says Callie Hammond, director<br />
<strong>of</strong> Volunteer Connections &<br />
AmeriCorps*VISTA at United Way.<br />
She adds that the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it leadership<br />
graduates “have a clear understanding<br />
<strong>of</strong> the structure <strong>of</strong> nonpr<strong>of</strong>it agencies;<br />
however I think they have really learned<br />
a lot from actually working in nonpr<strong>of</strong>its.<br />
They all have been extremely grateful<br />
for their experiences. What you learn<br />
in a book can <strong>of</strong>ten be a lot different in<br />
reality.”
Founders’ Day Celebration<br />
Honors Loyal Supporters<br />
BY TAMMY E. WHALEY<br />
Toney J. Lister J. Eugene (Gene) Adams H. Spencer King<br />
Each February the <strong>University</strong> holds its Founders’ Day<br />
Celebration to honor friends and supporters <strong>of</strong> USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> who have been instrumental in the development <strong>of</strong><br />
the institution. This year was exceptionally special as we are<br />
celebrating the institution’s 40th anniversary.<br />
“As we look at today’s campus and reflect on our humble<br />
beginnings, the sheer magnitude <strong>of</strong> our accomplishments is<br />
sometimes hard to fathom,” said Chancellor John Stockwell<br />
at the February 19 reception. “We owe our thanks to<br />
dedicated individuals, such as those we celebrate tonight,<br />
for believing in USC <strong>Upstate</strong> and leading the way for this<br />
<strong>University</strong> to become a driving force in the <strong>Upstate</strong>.”<br />
Both the Spartanburg County Commission for Higher<br />
Education and the <strong>Carolina</strong> Piedmont Foundation presented<br />
awards at Founders’ Day.<br />
The Commission bestows its prestigious Founders’ Day<br />
Distinguished Service Award to friends and supporters<br />
<strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong> who have made special and important<br />
contributions to USC <strong>Upstate</strong> and to the community the<br />
<strong>University</strong> serves. Receiving the <strong>2008</strong> Distinguished Service<br />
Award were Joel Eugene (Gene) Adams, H. Spencer King<br />
and Toney J. Lister.<br />
The Commission also presented two Awards for<br />
Distinguished Service in honor <strong>of</strong> long and distinguished<br />
careers <strong>of</strong> service to the <strong>University</strong>. Nancy Bailey, who<br />
retired as budget director and financial planner after a 27-<br />
year career, and Howard “Buddy” Nance, who retired from<br />
the facilities department after a 32-year career, received this<br />
award.<br />
“The careers <strong>of</strong> Nancy and Buddy are both characterized by<br />
exceptional dedication, exceptional work ethic and persistent<br />
commitment to quality,” said Jim Smith ‘72, chairman <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Commission.<br />
The <strong>Carolina</strong> Piedmont Foundation, the fundraising entity <strong>of</strong><br />
the <strong>University</strong>, presented two awards at Founders’ Day. The<br />
Service Award, given to the individual who represents the<br />
very ideals <strong>of</strong> volunteerism and commitment, was presented<br />
to Karen Calhoun. The Foundation Award, given to the<br />
individual or organization that has provided exceptional<br />
philanthropic support, was presented to The JM Smith<br />
Foundation.<br />
“The Foundation and the <strong>University</strong> are indeed blessed to<br />
have generous and supportive friends, such as Karen and The<br />
JM Smith Foundation, who work to ensure that our students<br />
have access to scholarships, facilities and technology,” said<br />
Mike Irvin, vice chancellor for advancement and executive<br />
director <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Carolina</strong> Piedmont Foundation.<br />
<strong>University</strong> Review 13
Freedom, Civil Rights, Vietnam and Drugs:<br />
Tilt 68 Author Explores Issues <strong>of</strong> the ‘60s<br />
BY TAMMY E. WHALEY<br />
Sarah Colton, author <strong>of</strong> Tilt 68, shares some <strong>of</strong> her challenges as a writer with<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> English Dr. Thomas McConnell.<br />
From Vietnam to The Pill, from fraternity parties to<br />
Existentialism, the novel Tilt 68 brings the late 1960s to life<br />
through the pr<strong>of</strong>ound changes experienced by one <strong>South</strong>ern<br />
woman who dares to look at her own life with open eyes.<br />
Sarah Colton, author <strong>of</strong> Tilt 68, shared her stories with the<br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> campus this <strong>Spring</strong> when she spoke to several<br />
classes and gave an author lecture.<br />
“USC <strong>Upstate</strong> students don’t <strong>of</strong>ten have the opportunity to<br />
meet a living writer in the flesh, so it was a great delight for<br />
them to have one on campus,” said Dr. Thomas McConnell,<br />
associate pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> English. “The chance to pitch your<br />
questions to someone who’s already been through and<br />
conquered the challenges you’re facing as a young writer is<br />
a real privilege. Luckily, we had the benefit <strong>of</strong> Sarah Colton’s<br />
wisdom.”<br />
Colton says she always knew she would write a novel.<br />
Following her graduation from UNC Chapel Hill in 1971, she<br />
worked as a legislative assistant on Capitol Hill for one year<br />
before cashing in all her savings, and moving to Europe with<br />
nothing but a small canvas suitcase stuffed with dreams <strong>of</strong><br />
adventure. What she didn’t realize was that the novel would<br />
be 20 years in the making.<br />
“I began writing a series <strong>of</strong> essays centered around a<br />
burning question which had troubled me for more than two<br />
decades: ‘What happened to me during my first two years <strong>of</strong><br />
college (the years 1967 to 1969)’ Somehow, it seems that<br />
I had entered them as one person and emerged as someone<br />
fundamentally different. So did most <strong>of</strong> my friends. What<br />
happened to us How could we and an entire society have<br />
changed so drastically in such a short time” asked Colton.<br />
Tilt 68 is a novel grounded in the energy and icons <strong>of</strong> the<br />
1960s and tells the story <strong>of</strong> Louisa Ellington, an 18-year old<br />
freshman at a <strong>South</strong>ern women’s college. Louisa is a coed<br />
when the sudden and widespread availability <strong>of</strong> The Pill<br />
thrusts unprecedented freedom on an entire generation <strong>of</strong><br />
women—all within the context <strong>of</strong> the Civil Rights movement,<br />
the Vietnam War and the arrival <strong>of</strong> drugs on campus.<br />
“Tilt 68 will speak to any reader who has ever challenged<br />
authority and wrestled with the conflicting doubts and<br />
convictions unleashed by power shifts along the elemental<br />
fault-lines <strong>of</strong> life: sex, politics, race, religion and war,” said<br />
Colton.<br />
A native <strong>of</strong> North <strong>Carolina</strong>, Colton now divides her time<br />
between Asheville and Paris. Although Tilt 68 is Colton’s first<br />
novel, her articles and fiction have appeared in publications<br />
such as Glamour and Redbook and the short-story anthology<br />
They Only Laughed Later.<br />
14 <strong>University</strong> Review
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> a Stepping Stone<br />
BY CLAIRE SACHSE<br />
to the Presidency<br />
The campaign trail swings through campus<br />
Presidential campaigns were a<br />
frequent occurrence on the campus<br />
<strong>of</strong> USC <strong>Upstate</strong> this past fall. As the<br />
<strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong> primaries drew near in<br />
January, the candidates increased their<br />
presence in the <strong>Upstate</strong> by attending<br />
a variety <strong>of</strong> local events and visiting<br />
numerous local venues, including the<br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> campus.<br />
In its 40-year history, USC <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
has never hosted a U.S. president or<br />
former president, that is, until October<br />
29, 2007, when former President Bill<br />
Clinton visited campus to rally support<br />
for his wife, Hillary Clinton, who is<br />
running on the Democratic ticket.<br />
Greeted by a cheering crowd <strong>of</strong> about<br />
1,400 supporters, spotlighted by<br />
national media crews, and surrounded<br />
by his Secret Service detail, Clinton<br />
spoke passionately, yet in his trademark<br />
conversational style, about the hot<br />
button issues <strong>of</strong> the <strong>2008</strong> campaign,<br />
including the environment, the economy,<br />
health care and the war in Iraq.<br />
Xavier Pearson, president <strong>of</strong> the<br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> Student Government<br />
Association, was selected by the<br />
campaign and the <strong>University</strong> to deliver<br />
opening remarks at the event.<br />
“I don’t know many people, Republican,<br />
Democrat or independent, who are<br />
not somehow inspired by President<br />
Clinton,” Pearson says. A political<br />
science major with future political<br />
ambitions, Pearson says that the<br />
election has dominated the discussions<br />
in many <strong>of</strong> his courses, as well as<br />
outside the classroom.<br />
“While he was here, Clinton said that<br />
maybe I will be president one day. I<br />
don’t know about all that, but we’ll see,”<br />
says Pearson.<br />
Clinton’s campaign stop to the Hodge<br />
Gym also included a private meeting<br />
with African American religious leaders<br />
from Spartanburg area congregations.<br />
Other notable campaign visits have<br />
included Senator John McCain (R-<br />
Ariz.) who arrived aboard the “Straight<br />
Talk Express” tour bus on October 18.<br />
After a tour <strong>of</strong> the Mary Black School <strong>of</strong><br />
Nursing, McCain delivered his remarks<br />
in the nursing auditorium to a standingroom-only<br />
crowd.<br />
McCain focused his remarks on health<br />
care issues but also included his views<br />
on his opponents, the war in Iraq and<br />
U.S. foreign policy. Students and<br />
faculty also engaged him in a lively<br />
question and answer session.<br />
Hollywood actress Kathleen Turner,<br />
serving as an ambassador for Barack<br />
Obama’s campaign, paid a visit to USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> on August 30. Speaking to<br />
theatre and nursing students, the star <strong>of</strong><br />
Romancing the Stone and When Peggy<br />
Sue Got Married discussed women’s<br />
health issues and women’s rights,<br />
issues she says are close to her heart<br />
and the Obama campaign. Additionally<br />
she dispensed acting advice to many<br />
aspiring theatre students.<br />
And just days before the democratic<br />
primary, actress Kerry Washington, who<br />
starred in the movie Ray as the wife <strong>of</strong><br />
Ray Charles, and actor/comedian Chris<br />
Tucker, from Rush Hour fame, spoke to<br />
a lunchtime gathering <strong>of</strong> students on<br />
behalf <strong>of</strong> the Obama campaign in the<br />
Campus Life Center. On the eve <strong>of</strong><br />
the primary, Chelsea Clinton dropped<br />
in on behalf <strong>of</strong> her mother’s campaign,<br />
and spoke at length in private, casual<br />
discussions with students at the<br />
Campus Life Center.<br />
“It is exciting that candidates are<br />
choosing USC <strong>Upstate</strong> for visits,” says<br />
political science Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Tim Dale.<br />
“It makes sense for several reasons:<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> <strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong> includes many<br />
undecided voters to whom candidates<br />
need to speak; the issues facing<br />
Spartanburg and the surrounding<br />
area are typical for the key issues<br />
in this race (economy, environment,<br />
employment, education); USC <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
is one <strong>of</strong> the larger institutions <strong>of</strong> higher<br />
education in the <strong>Upstate</strong>, and we are<br />
in a higher population metropolitan<br />
area; and candidates demonstrate<br />
support for higher education by visiting<br />
college campuses, especially public<br />
institutions.”<br />
Photo galleries <strong>of</strong> Bill Clinton and John<br />
McCain campaign stops are on the<br />
Web at www.uscupstate.edu/images.<br />
Kathleen Turner’s discussion is also<br />
posted to the Web as a podcast, at<br />
www.uscupstate.edu/podcasts.<br />
Bill Clinton,<br />
John McCain<br />
and Chelsea<br />
Clinton<br />
engaged<br />
the campus<br />
community in<br />
lively political<br />
discussions.<br />
<strong>University</strong> Review 15
BY TAMMY E. WHALEY<br />
Michael E. Irvin was<br />
recently named vice<br />
chancellor for advancement<br />
and executive<br />
director <strong>of</strong><br />
the <strong>Carolina</strong> Piedmont<br />
Foundation.<br />
Prior to coming to<br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong>, Irvin<br />
was the director <strong>of</strong><br />
advancement for<br />
Purdue Agriculture<br />
at Purdue <strong>University</strong> where he successfully led a campaign<br />
in exceeding a $146 million goal as part <strong>of</strong> a seven-year<br />
$1.7 billion campaign.<br />
“We are fortunate to have recruited someone <strong>of</strong> Mike’s caliber<br />
for this very critical position at USC <strong>Upstate</strong>,” said Dr.<br />
John Stockwell, chancellor. “As USC <strong>Upstate</strong> moves toward<br />
fulfilling its mission <strong>of</strong> becoming one <strong>of</strong> the <strong>South</strong>east’s<br />
leading metropolitan universities, Mike’s development experience<br />
will be key.”<br />
Irvin Tapped To Lead<br />
Development Efforts<br />
“As president <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Carolina</strong> Piedmont Foundation, I am extremely<br />
happy and proud that Mike has joined our Foundation<br />
and look forward to his leadership,” said Tommy Young.<br />
“We hope to see the Foundation grow in the amount <strong>of</strong><br />
funds it brings in and in its role <strong>of</strong> advancing the mission <strong>of</strong><br />
the <strong>University</strong>.”<br />
In previous years, Irvin has served as president <strong>of</strong> the Chamber<br />
<strong>of</strong> Commerce in Danville, Illinois; as director <strong>of</strong> annual<br />
giving and major gifts for Habitat for Humanity International<br />
in Americus, Georgia; and as executive director <strong>of</strong> the Danville<br />
Area Community College Foundation in Danville, Illinois.<br />
Irvin earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the <strong>University</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> Illinois.<br />
“Opportunities like this generally come along only once in<br />
a person’s career, so I am honored and humbled to be <strong>of</strong>fered<br />
this position,” said Irvin. “My wife, Diana, and I are truly<br />
excited to be joining the USC <strong>Upstate</strong> family and the Spartanburg<br />
community.”<br />
Irvin can be reached at (864) 503-5217 or mirvin@uscupstate.edu.<br />
Web Highlights<br />
Have you visited the USC <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
Web site lately If not, here are a few<br />
things you’ll want to see:<br />
The <strong>University</strong> Review is now<br />
online. Go to www.uscupstate.edu/<br />
<strong>University</strong>Review/ to view the entire<br />
magazine online, print copies <strong>of</strong> stories,<br />
or e-mail your friends a link to a story.<br />
Special “Web Exclusive” content for<br />
each issue is available online as well<br />
as an archive <strong>of</strong> past issues. And while<br />
you’re there, don’t forget to submit your<br />
Class Notes!<br />
Speaking <strong>of</strong> Class Notes, you might<br />
have noticed there are no Class<br />
Notes in this print edition. Instead,<br />
we’ve included 40 alumni pr<strong>of</strong>iles in<br />
celebration <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong>’s 40th<br />
Anniversary. To coincide with the<br />
launch <strong>of</strong> the new Web site, we’ve<br />
included Class Notes as this issue’s<br />
Web Exclusive content. Go to www.<br />
uscupstate.edu/<strong>University</strong>Review/<br />
16 <strong>University</strong> Review<br />
classnotes/ to find out what your<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> friends have been up to.<br />
The Office <strong>of</strong> Alumni Affairs has<br />
partnered with Harris Connect, a<br />
third party technology company, to<br />
<strong>of</strong>fer e-mail blasts, alumni newsletters,<br />
online communities and online giving.<br />
This is a great way to communicate<br />
with our graduates and keep them<br />
abreast <strong>of</strong> all <strong>University</strong> activities. Each<br />
alum will create their own password<br />
and user name for access to the<br />
online community. Any alumni with a<br />
valid e-mail address will be invited to<br />
join. Go to uscupstate.edu/alumni/<br />
for details.<br />
The Wall that Heals, a replica <strong>of</strong><br />
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in<br />
Washington, D.C., made a stop on<br />
campus that brought over 17,000<br />
visitors to campus. Go to www.<br />
uscupstate.edu/40/wall/ for more<br />
information and photos.<br />
Progress on the construction <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Health Education Complex can be<br />
viewed via the Web cam and photo<br />
archives at www.uscupstate.edu/hec/. A<br />
fall completion date is expected on this<br />
facility, which will house the Mary Black<br />
School <strong>of</strong> Nursing, School <strong>of</strong> Education,<br />
Bookstore, Enrollment Services and a<br />
Wellness/Fitness Center.<br />
The latest issue <strong>of</strong> the Parent<br />
Newsletter is now online and<br />
includes important information about<br />
fall student housing options and the<br />
Global Discovery Program. Go to www.<br />
uscupstate.edu/parents/ and click on the<br />
Parent Newsletter link.<br />
The Department <strong>of</strong> History, Political<br />
Science, Philosophy and American<br />
Studies’ newsletter, Generally<br />
Speaking, can be found online at<br />
www.uscupstate.edu/academics/arts_<br />
sciences/history/.
USC <strong>Upstate</strong>’s alumni have great stories to tell about<br />
their lives after leaving campus – their ambitions, career<br />
paths, volunteer work and families – as well as some<br />
interesting remembrances <strong>of</strong> their years on campus. In<br />
celebration <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong>’s 40th anniversary, these<br />
40 alumni highlighted on the next 12 pages, tell a varied<br />
and rich story about the power <strong>of</strong> their USC <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
degree, and the influence <strong>of</strong> the institution on their<br />
daily lives. We salute these and all <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong>’s<br />
17,000 graduates!<br />
1971<br />
Joy McGaha<br />
Joy was a member <strong>of</strong> one <strong>of</strong><br />
the first classes to graduate<br />
from then-USCS, with an<br />
associate degree in nursing.<br />
She remembers feeling like<br />
“a part <strong>of</strong> history” on her first<br />
day <strong>of</strong> registration because<br />
news media were<br />
everywhere due to the fact<br />
that construction <strong>of</strong> the Administration Building fronting<br />
I-585 had just been completed and the building was<br />
open for business. Joy has been a nurse for her entire<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional career, starting out as a staff RN, and<br />
working her way up to the position she has held since<br />
1989 as director <strong>of</strong> health services for the District<br />
5 School system. In this position, she is responsible<br />
for coordinating comprehensive health services for<br />
over 6,800 students, supervising nine full-time nurses<br />
throughout the schools, and ensuring that everyone has<br />
access to emergency care as well as routine daily care.<br />
“My nursing degree,” she says, “gave me a wonderful<br />
foundation for my career…my instructors taught me to<br />
be a true pr<strong>of</strong>essional.” Currently residing in Duncan, this<br />
Spartanburg County native is married to her husband <strong>of</strong><br />
38 years, Chuck, and they have a grown son, Ryan. She<br />
is an active member <strong>of</strong> Cudd Memorial Baptist Church<br />
and has served on various boards including Healthy<br />
Smiles and Middle Tyger Community Center.<br />
development business, and he met his future business<br />
partner, Jim Smith, with whom he has embarked upon<br />
a successful real estate development company, Smith<br />
and Lowe Development. As a real estate developer, he<br />
feels his biggest accomplishment was the development<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Lake Adger community in Polk County, N.C.<br />
He has two children and in his spare time he enjoys<br />
boating and skiing with them. In addition to being on<br />
the <strong>Carolina</strong> Piedmont Foundation board <strong>of</strong> directors,<br />
he also serves on the board <strong>of</strong> realtors for Spartanburg,<br />
<strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong>, and Polk County. He has many fond<br />
memories <strong>of</strong> USC <strong>Upstate</strong>, and has kept up friendships<br />
and business relationships with many fellow graduates.<br />
1975<br />
Nick Small<br />
Nick was a student at USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> when the campus<br />
was transitioning from a<br />
two-year associate degree<br />
campus to a four-year degree<br />
program. After he completed<br />
two years in Spartanburg<br />
with an associate degree in science,<br />
he transferred to the USC College <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy,<br />
where he obtained his bachelor <strong>of</strong> science degree in<br />
pharmacy. Nick says that the small classes and the oneon-one<br />
relationships with pr<strong>of</strong>essors were very helpful<br />
in preparation for his career. Although several faculty<br />
members left lasting impressions on him, Dr. Tom Davis<br />
was a stand-out because no matter how busy he was, “he<br />
always made time for me with any concerns that I had.”<br />
Currently, Nick is employed as the assistant pharmacy<br />
manager at Publix Pharmacy at Hillcrest Shopping Center<br />
where he fills prescriptions and counsels patients about<br />
their medications. Married for 25 years to Maria, also an<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> graduate (’85), Nick has two children, Andrew<br />
and Despina. He spends much <strong>of</strong> his spare time at his<br />
church and with his elderly parents. Whenever possible,<br />
he tries to squeeze in golf.<br />
Alumni Pr<strong>of</strong>iles<br />
<br />
Chuck Lowe<br />
Originally from Boiling <strong>Spring</strong>s,<br />
this dean’s list student says<br />
he was well prepared for the<br />
workforce after he finished his<br />
degree back in the days when<br />
the <strong>University</strong> was a two-year<br />
institution. At <strong>Upstate</strong>, he<br />
majored in business administration which<br />
readied him for the demands <strong>of</strong> the real estate and<br />
1976<br />
Mary Lou Hodge<br />
Mary Lou was a non-traditional<br />
student with a husband<br />
and two children when she<br />
attended USC <strong>Upstate</strong>. She<br />
obtained her ADN in 1976<br />
and her BSN degree in<br />
1982. “I now know the entire<br />
experience <strong>of</strong> college was a building<br />
experience and at the end I began to realize how my<br />
<strong>University</strong> Review 17
Alumni Pr<strong>of</strong>iles<br />
18 <strong>University</strong> Review<br />
college experience shaped my life. I think differently and<br />
am able to view the world in a more mature and confident<br />
manner,” says Mary Lou. Immediately after graduation,<br />
Mary Lou worked at the Spartanburg Regional Medical<br />
Center. In 1982, she joined USC <strong>Upstate</strong>’s nursing<br />
faculty, but left in 1992 to work at Gardner-Webb<br />
<strong>University</strong>. Eventually, Mary found her way back to USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> in 2002, working full time. She is a member<br />
<strong>of</strong> the American Nurses Association, the USC <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
Alumni Board <strong>of</strong> Directors, and coordinates a living<br />
window for Spartanburg’s holiday celebration, Dickens<br />
<strong>of</strong> a Christmas. In Mary Lou’s free time she loves to be<br />
with her family, read and cook at family gatherings.<br />
1979<br />
Rita Vinson<br />
Rita was a little older than the<br />
typical college student when<br />
she began attending classes<br />
at USC <strong>Upstate</strong>, and even<br />
though people asked her “Do<br />
you know how old you will be<br />
when you graduate” she was<br />
undaunted by the challenge. As she<br />
walked out <strong>of</strong> her last exam on the last day <strong>of</strong> her college<br />
career, she realized that she was the same age that day<br />
as she would have been if she hadn’t pursued her dream.<br />
After graduating with honors with a degree in business<br />
administration with an accounting concentration, she<br />
worked for the IRS and then passed the CPA exam.<br />
In 1985 she opened her own accounting firm, where<br />
she still practices, at the Woodland Executive Center in<br />
Spartanburg. The small firm handles payrolls, financial<br />
statements, and tax returns for individuals, corporations,<br />
estates, partnerships and other entities. “My education<br />
at USC <strong>Upstate</strong> was a great investment for my future,”<br />
she says, adding that she feels she received a very<br />
good education for a reasonable tuition rate. A member<br />
<strong>of</strong> the R&B Shag Club, Rita resides in Inman with her<br />
husband, Gene, who also loves to shag. She has three<br />
grandchildren whom she loves to spoil, she says.<br />
1979<br />
Freddie Wilson<br />
Although she planned to<br />
graduate from USC <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
and pursue a career using<br />
her business administration<br />
degree, and in fact was part<br />
owner <strong>of</strong> three pharmacies<br />
which were sold to Rite Aid in<br />
1980, life took an unexpected turn for<br />
Freddie Wilson. Her husband Jesse became sick with<br />
a long-term illness so she never had the opportunity<br />
to develop a career. She did, however, make room for<br />
numerous volunteer activities, including serving a threeyear<br />
term as state president <strong>of</strong> the <strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong><br />
Congress <strong>of</strong> Parents & Teachers, a title which she refers<br />
to as her biggest accomplishment. Additionally, she was<br />
awarded the Order <strong>of</strong> the Palmetto in 2004 by Rep.<br />
Lanny Littlejohn. Her other civic engagements include<br />
judging flower shows and pursuing gardening initiatives<br />
on the local and state level. She is also on the board<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Mountain View Nursing Home. This native <strong>of</strong><br />
Charleston was one <strong>of</strong> eight children, has two children<br />
and one grandchild, and is very proud <strong>of</strong> all their<br />
accomplishments.<br />
<br />
Madora Holder<br />
Madora is now retired after<br />
a twenty year career in<br />
nursing that included jobs at<br />
Doctor’s Memorial Hospital<br />
in Spartanburg; Providence<br />
Hospital in Columbia; Blue<br />
Cross<br />
Blue Shield in Columbia and<br />
Greenville; Kanawha Insurance Company in Lancaster;<br />
and DHEC Home Health. A licensed practical nurse<br />
for 20 years, she came to <strong>Upstate</strong> to get her RN degree<br />
and graduated in 1981. Looking back on her education<br />
at <strong>Upstate</strong>, two pr<strong>of</strong>essors stand out in her mind:<br />
“Nancy Babb, RN, and Juanita Thackston, RN, left<br />
lasting impressions on me because they were excellent<br />
teachers and good role models,” says Madora. In her free<br />
time, Madora volunteers as the congregational nurse at<br />
her church, Ben Avon United Methodist in Spartanburg,<br />
and she enjoys exploring genealogy. She is a member<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Daughters <strong>of</strong> the American Revolution, United<br />
Daughters <strong>of</strong> the Confederacy and the Colonial Dames<br />
organizations.<br />
<br />
Teresa Hough<br />
“I think I was an excellent<br />
teacher,” says Teresa Hough<br />
proudly. “I was Teacher <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Year three times, Wal-Mart<br />
Teacher <strong>of</strong> the Year and in the<br />
Who’s Who among Teachers<br />
and Educators,” she says.<br />
Now retired, Teresa can look<br />
back and appreciate the difference she made in<br />
the lives <strong>of</strong> her students. “My greatest accomplishment
is knowing that I affected so many precious children in<br />
my lifetime,” she says. Teresa appreciates her education<br />
at <strong>Upstate</strong> and remembers Dr. Leo Bonner and his<br />
amazing support and kindness he showed his students.<br />
In her retirement, Teresa is teaching drama classes at the<br />
Spartanburg Youth Theatre and when she is not teaching<br />
or spending time with her family, she enjoys riding horses,<br />
writing scripts and gardening.<br />
<br />
Bill Weathers<br />
Bill was one <strong>of</strong> those students<br />
who had a lot <strong>of</strong> fun during his<br />
college years. A self-described<br />
“average student,” after four<br />
years <strong>of</strong> basketball — including<br />
the first basketball district<br />
championship—and two years<br />
<strong>of</strong> Epsilon Lambda fraternity fun, he says<br />
he was “thankful to graduate.” Dr. Earl Gordon, Dr. Olin<br />
Sansbury and Dr. Tom Davis all provided significant<br />
guidance, support and encouragement throughout his<br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> career. Since graduating with a degree in<br />
business administration with emphasis on information<br />
management systems, Bill’s entire pr<strong>of</strong>essional career<br />
has been in the information technology field, either in<br />
sales support or a sales executive role. He is currently<br />
employed as a senior sales executive, responsible for<br />
sales and account management, with SAS Institute, a<br />
leader in business intelligence and predictive analytics<br />
s<strong>of</strong>tware. Bill lives in Alpharetta, Ga., with his wife Beth<br />
and their 16 year old son. An outdoorsman in his spare<br />
time, Bill enjoys lacrosse, basketball and tennis, and<br />
even calls himself a “weekend gentleman farmer.”<br />
<br />
Sandra Faulkner<br />
Sandra has held one job since<br />
graduating with a degree in<br />
education with honors from USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong>, and she has held that<br />
same job for 25 years, teaching<br />
from 130 to 175 children every<br />
year at Wren High School in<br />
Anderson District 1 just outside Greenville.<br />
When she graduated from the School <strong>of</strong> Education,<br />
she was well prepared to “write lesson plans, deal with<br />
administration, work with parents, help coach s<strong>of</strong>tball,<br />
serve as newspaper advisor, yearbook advisor and stage<br />
manager, attend staff meetings, perform hall duty…and<br />
oh, yes, teach my subjects!” she quips. Sandra is very<br />
proud <strong>of</strong> both her children: Todd served in the Navy and<br />
is married to a teacher and has two sons, and Shannon,<br />
who famously challenged The Citadel in 1995 for the<br />
right to attend the all-male institution. Married for 44<br />
years, Sandra is active in Bethesda United Methodist<br />
Church, and has become a certified lay minister. As a<br />
charter member <strong>of</strong> the Greenville Chapter <strong>of</strong> the Red<br />
Hat Organization she is “devoted to fun” and “meeting<br />
other women who will not let age change our outlook on<br />
having fun and acting young, even if the calendar makes<br />
mistakes.”<br />
<br />
Kathleen Elam<br />
Kathlen Elam came to<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> from New Orleans,<br />
La., as a non-traditional<br />
student with three children in<br />
high school. She remembers<br />
being a determined student<br />
who graduated with a 3.6<br />
GPAandaBAinele<br />
a elementary education. Kathleen<br />
worked as an elementary school teacher for more than<br />
22 years, and is now retired. In 1994, she was one <strong>of</strong><br />
the first six teachers in <strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong> to receive the<br />
National Board <strong>of</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Teaching Standards<br />
Certification. Kathleen’s fondest memory <strong>of</strong> <strong>Upstate</strong> was<br />
when she and another student were given an assignment<br />
to portray themselves to the public as students with<br />
special disabilities. She says she will never forget how<br />
the public responded to them. “This realistic happening<br />
gave me insights that remained all during my career as<br />
an educator,” she adds. Two <strong>of</strong> Kathleen’s three children<br />
are also graduates <strong>of</strong> USC <strong>Upstate</strong>.<br />
<br />
Claus Foerster<br />
Originally from Bobingen,<br />
Germany, Claus Foerster<br />
received his BS in biology from<br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong>. Claus credits<br />
Dr. Jack Turner, pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong><br />
biology, with leaving a lasting<br />
impression on him. He also<br />
appreciates<br />
at “being encouraged to solve<br />
problems on my own and being held accountable for<br />
the decisions I made” during his time at <strong>Upstate</strong>. “While<br />
I’m not using my degree in my career, the experience did<br />
help me gain confidence and make a smoother transition<br />
from academics to the real world,” said Claus. After<br />
graduation, Claus worked as the regional supervisor for<br />
a rental company for five years before moving into the<br />
investment and financial planning industry. He handled<br />
Alumni Pr<strong>of</strong>iles<br />
<strong>University</strong> Review 19
Alumni Pr<strong>of</strong>iles<br />
20 <strong>University</strong> Review<br />
the financial affairs for a group <strong>of</strong> families and private<br />
foundations in the <strong>South</strong>east - first with J.C. Bradford<br />
and then with Smith Barney. Claus recently became vice<br />
president <strong>of</strong> Morgan Keegan, another financial planning<br />
firm with <strong>of</strong>fices in Greenville. But even as a successful<br />
businessman, he counts his biggest accomplishment as<br />
helping his wife, Laura, raise their two daughters. Claus<br />
enjoys spending his free time fishing and hunting at the<br />
family’s house in Seabrook.<br />
<br />
Patrick McLaughlin<br />
As a member <strong>of</strong> the cross-country<br />
team Patrick McLaughlin learned<br />
that teamwork, consistency,<br />
discipline and confidence were<br />
keys to succeeding in life. “I still<br />
use those invaluable principles<br />
today as a navy <strong>of</strong>ficer and<br />
author,” said<br />
McLaughlin. “USC <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
allowed me to be a student-athlete and learn lessons<br />
in both areas.” When asked about his fondest memory<br />
<strong>of</strong> USC <strong>Upstate</strong>, McLaughlin said, “Easy! The people —<br />
whether it was students or my teammates. In the early<br />
1980s USC <strong>Upstate</strong> was smaller and the student body<br />
was fairly close knit. It was a fun place to be as a student.”<br />
Coming in a close second was his memory <strong>of</strong> setting the<br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> course record in cross-country (25:43 for<br />
five miles), making the all-district team and representing<br />
the school in the NAIA national championships in 1982.<br />
Having received a master’s in divinity and a master’s <strong>of</strong><br />
sacred theology, McLaughlin is currently a commander in<br />
the Navy and the Second Marine Logistics Group Forward<br />
Chaplain where he supervises 20 chaplains and religious<br />
program specialists on three bases forward deployed in<br />
the Al Anbar Province <strong>of</strong> Iraq. He also embarked upon<br />
a career as an author with his first book, No Atheists<br />
in Foxholes, was recently released by Thomas Nelson<br />
Publishing.<br />
<br />
Danny Duncan<br />
Landrum native Danny Duncan,<br />
who graduated with a degree<br />
in computer science, started<br />
his own computer services and<br />
consulting company, Respect<br />
Technology, Inc. in November<br />
2007. After spending 20 years<br />
with Hamrick’s and ASI, respectively,<br />
performing various functions ranging from programmer<br />
and customer trainer to hardware and s<strong>of</strong>tware installer,<br />
program writer and information services director,<br />
his new company is <strong>of</strong>fering computer services and<br />
consulting, “from IBM iSeries to pc’s to networking<br />
and anything in between.” Computers are not only how<br />
he earns a living – they occupy his spare time as well.<br />
In his free time as a student he enjoyed being in the<br />
computer club, and today he spends his spare time<br />
learning new computer programming languages and<br />
techniques. Danny is married to Tammy and he has a<br />
13-year old stepson. He stays involved with Five Forks<br />
Baptist Church in Simpsonville and enjoys playing and<br />
watching football with his son.<br />
<br />
Kelly Bryson<br />
According to Kelly, she was<br />
a<br />
typical student. “I always<br />
read ahead on the syllabus to<br />
see how long I could put <strong>of</strong>f<br />
writing the required papers<br />
as it was my least favorite<br />
academic task but overall, I<br />
enjoyed<br />
the classes and interactions<br />
with the classmates,” says Kelly who earned her BA in<br />
early childhood education in 1998 and her M.Ed. in early<br />
childhood education in 1997. “P.O.E.T.S. Days,” or Put<br />
Off Everything ‘Till Saturday Days, are a fond memory<br />
for Kelly, who says that the campus community would<br />
get together on the Quad for these Friday afternoon<br />
events. The late Dr. Bryan “Doc” Lindsay left a lasting<br />
impression with Kelly who says that “he dared us to think<br />
beyond our capabilities, face challenges, try new things,<br />
think about other people’s perspectives in relation to<br />
our own and to value ourselves and others.” For the<br />
past 18 years, Kelly has worked at Burrough’s Child<br />
Development Center, located on <strong>Upstate</strong>’s campus,<br />
where she is responsible for supervising clinical<br />
students, student teachers and supervising the center<br />
when the director is absent. She says she feels a sense<br />
<strong>of</strong> pride seeing young children learn and grow, and<br />
seeing parents being able to complete their education<br />
at <strong>Upstate</strong> while their children are attending the CDC.<br />
In her leisure time she enjoys photography and painting.<br />
“I like the challenge <strong>of</strong> recreating the images on canvas<br />
and combining elements <strong>of</strong> my favorite photographs,”<br />
says Kelly. This Little Chicago, S.C. native currently lives<br />
in Inman, with her husband and their two dogs.<br />
<br />
Traci Farrington<br />
Working as a pitching instructor, raising two children<br />
and being a wife, Traci Farrington stays very busy. Since
her graduation from <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
with a BS in physical education,<br />
she has worked as a physical<br />
education teacher for all grade<br />
levels, a back rehabilitation<br />
specialist, and as a pitching<br />
coach assistant for <strong>Upstate</strong>. Traci<br />
currently works at <strong>South</strong>east<br />
Region Fastpitch. She believes<br />
her biggest accomplishments are being a<br />
wife and mother, and influencing young people through<br />
sports and making a difference at <strong>Upstate</strong>. She is<br />
heavily involved in her community, but when she is not<br />
working, volunteering or spending time with her family<br />
she like to SCUBA dive.<br />
<br />
Rusty Williams<br />
Listed in the Wall Street Journal<br />
as one <strong>of</strong> the top 200 real estate<br />
agents in the nation for closed<br />
transactions, and as a member<br />
<strong>of</strong> the RE/MAX 2007 Hall <strong>of</strong><br />
Fame, Rusty credits his business<br />
management degree from USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> as<br />
the “perfect match for working<br />
in today’s real estate market and for operating a real<br />
estate <strong>of</strong>fice that specializes in foreclosures and bank<br />
owned properties.” Now a licensed realtor and broker<br />
for RE/MAX in Spartanburg, this Spartanburg native<br />
focuses on marketing, maintaining and disposing <strong>of</strong><br />
foreclosed bank assets in the <strong>Upstate</strong> as well as parts<br />
<strong>of</strong> North <strong>Carolina</strong>. Rusty has six full-time assistants and<br />
three work crews. Offshore boating and travel abroad<br />
are his leisure-time hobbies, and he is involved with<br />
Spartanburg Children’s Shelter, the Peace Center for<br />
the Performing Arts, Hatcher Gardens and with USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong>’s own Susan Jacobs Arboretum.<br />
<br />
Victor Austin<br />
It’s been a busy 18 years since<br />
graduation for Greenville native<br />
Victor Austin, who left USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> with a bachelor <strong>of</strong><br />
science in marketing. He has<br />
worked for Fed Ex, Met Life, and<br />
owned a Port City Java C<strong>of</strong>fee<br />
House. He got married along the way and<br />
has three children. Currently, he owns Palmetto Home<br />
Care <strong>Upstate</strong>, a company that provides in-home care<br />
to individuals who want to maintain an independent<br />
lifestyle. Victor has served the Boy Scouts <strong>of</strong> America<br />
on the board <strong>of</strong> directors and as district commissioner.<br />
He was a member <strong>of</strong> Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and<br />
served two years as president <strong>of</strong> the African American<br />
Association while a student and says that his years<br />
at <strong>Upstate</strong> were marked by active and involved<br />
participation.<br />
<br />
Tracey Jackson<br />
Many USC <strong>Upstate</strong> students<br />
have found that pr<strong>of</strong>essors<br />
can be a great connection for<br />
finding summer internships<br />
or research opportunities<br />
and even landing that first<br />
job. Tracey Jackson is one<br />
such alumnae who launched<br />
her successful career with the help <strong>of</strong> an <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor. A cum laude graduate in political science,<br />
Jackson credits Dr. Ron Romine with helping her find<br />
her first job as a campaign coordinator for the Harris for<br />
House campaign. Tracey is now the executive director <strong>of</strong><br />
Piedmont Care, Inc. Located in Spartanburg, Piedmont<br />
Care is a nonpr<strong>of</strong>it organization providing HIV and AIDS<br />
care, prevention and advocacy. Piedmont Care provides<br />
outpatient medical care, medication, transportation,<br />
nutrition, housing, insurance assistance and other<br />
services to local community members living with HIV/<br />
AIDS. Tracey considers the growth <strong>of</strong> Piedmont Care<br />
as one <strong>of</strong> her greatest accomplishments. Under her<br />
vision and leadership, Piedmont Care grew from a<br />
volunteer-run clinic that was only open one day a week<br />
to a full-time clinic with eight staff members. In addition<br />
to her busy pr<strong>of</strong>essional life, Tracey maintains an active<br />
civic life, serving as treasurer <strong>of</strong> The Snail’s Pace, on<br />
the family selection and support committee for Habitat<br />
for Humanity, as a volunteer and member <strong>of</strong> Fernwood<br />
Baptist Church, and as a member <strong>of</strong> the Board <strong>of</strong><br />
Advisors for USC <strong>Upstate</strong>’s Center for Women’s and<br />
Gender Studies.<br />
<br />
David Miller<br />
Banking is David Miller’s life<br />
passion. While a student<br />
at <strong>Upstate</strong>, he founded<br />
the <strong>University</strong> Business<br />
Society with guidance from<br />
Dr. Lilly Lancaster. After<br />
graduating with a BS in<br />
business administration with a concentration in<br />
Alumni Pr<strong>of</strong>iles<br />
<strong>University</strong> Review 21
Alumni Pr<strong>of</strong>iles<br />
management, he worked fifteen years for four different<br />
banks, going through the ups and downs <strong>of</strong> mergers<br />
and acquisitions, management and culture changes.<br />
He realized that along the way he had made excellent<br />
connections and customer relationships that would<br />
benefit from a bank with a simple motto: “The customer<br />
comes first.” So, with partner Allan Ducker, Miller opened<br />
Community<strong>South</strong> Bank & Trust, a bank with $340<br />
million in assets that covers the Spartanburg, Greenville,<br />
Greer, Anderson, Easley and Mauldin markets. With<br />
85 employees and expansion plans on the table, the<br />
president <strong>of</strong> this successful startup bank still has time<br />
for his wife <strong>of</strong> 15 years, Sharon, their two children,<br />
the Rotary and Sertoma clubs, as well as golfing and<br />
SCUBA diving.<br />
1991<br />
Jayne Case<br />
A non-traditional student<br />
graduating with a 3.7 GPA,<br />
Jayne Case claims that she<br />
owes half her degree to her<br />
husband because he took care<br />
<strong>of</strong> the house and their two<br />
children while she attended<br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> to<br />
get her nursing degree. “I was<br />
a Mary Black Memorial Hospital Scholarship recipient<br />
for all three years so I had to keep grades high to retain<br />
the scholarship,” says Jayne. She credits Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Jim<br />
Ferrell for his “gentle demeanor the helped students<br />
to learn with less intimidation.” After graduation, Jayne<br />
worked at the Mary Black Memorial Hospital. In 1996,<br />
she began teaching at Spartanburg Community College.<br />
Recently, Jayne received her master’s degree from<br />
Clemson and is currently serving as the department’s<br />
interim department head. She is very proud <strong>of</strong> her<br />
two sons, Will and Nathan, and believes that raising<br />
them to be successful men has truly been the biggest<br />
accomplishment <strong>of</strong> her life.<br />
1991<br />
John Feith<br />
As a psychology major, John<br />
Feith learned early on in his time<br />
at USC <strong>Upstate</strong> “that to ‘get<br />
along and get ahead’ in the<br />
workplace you have to be very<br />
perceptive <strong>of</strong> what goes on<br />
around you because there are<br />
all sorts <strong>of</strong><br />
formal and informal networks<br />
in the workplace…and anywhere, really.” While many<br />
psychology concepts make sense in the academic<br />
setting, John’s pr<strong>of</strong>essors were quick to point out that<br />
22 <strong>University</strong> Review<br />
applying those concepts to the workplace is not as cut<br />
and dry. “They made me understand that the better I<br />
understood these concepts, the better prepared I would<br />
be in the workforce, managing a workforce and managing<br />
workforce behaviors,” he said. John and his family live in<br />
Dyersburg, Tenn., where he is CEO <strong>of</strong> a string <strong>of</strong> medical<br />
clinics across West Tennessee. He uses the lessons<br />
learned as a student daily in two <strong>of</strong> his most important<br />
roles: hiring employees who can lead and work well in<br />
teams, and staying accessible to his workforce. When<br />
asked if any faculty left a lasting impression on him, John<br />
says that he owes a great debt <strong>of</strong> gratitude to Dr. Jan<br />
Griffin. “As a child, I had always struggled with school and<br />
I was perfectly content to do the absolute minimum to get<br />
by,” he says. “But when I met Dr. Griffin, she wouldn’t<br />
let me slide by. After my first test in her class she pulled<br />
me aside, looked me straight in the eye and basically<br />
told me that she wouldn’t accept mediocre work from<br />
someone who could do much better. If Dr. Griffin had<br />
not intervened and persevered with me, I’m certain that<br />
I would still be struggling for direction and living a much<br />
different outcome.”<br />
1991<br />
Eric Hunter<br />
Farming was not the career<br />
choice Eric Hunter had planned<br />
while a student and baseball<br />
player at USC <strong>Upstate</strong>.<br />
But he did always have the<br />
entrepreneurial spirit, even<br />
while working post-graduation<br />
management jobs in retail<br />
and restaurants. After he and his wife,<br />
Kristi Ulmer, also a USC <strong>Upstate</strong> graduate, adopted<br />
a son Ryan, now 11, Eric struck out in the strawberry<br />
growing business on acreage near Easley in 1997 as a<br />
part-time venture that would allow his wife to be a stayat-home<br />
mother. But when the “Hunter Farms” business<br />
took <strong>of</strong>f, he became a farmer full-time. A pumpkin crop<br />
was added as well as the greenhouse business where he<br />
grows bedding plants, and a corn maze soon followed.<br />
While he began farming “with absolutely no experience<br />
whatsoever – I had never in my life grown anything,” the<br />
farm grew into a family affair with his wife and mother<br />
employed full-time, and 15 – 20 part-timers employed at<br />
the peak <strong>of</strong> the season. Always an athlete, Eric uses his<br />
spare time to compete in triathlons both on the <strong>South</strong><br />
<strong>Carolina</strong> level, where he finished the year ranked ninth<br />
for his age group, and on the international “Ironman” level<br />
where he competed in Cancun, Mexico, and Clearwater,<br />
Fla., last year. On Sundays, you can find Eric at Set Free<br />
Christian Fellowship in Powdersville where he is a care<br />
pastor and a teacher in the children’s ministry.
Michael Moton<br />
All the jobs Michael has held<br />
since graduating with a degree<br />
in business administration with<br />
a concentration in accounting<br />
have been in the accounting<br />
sectors as a bookkeeper,<br />
business analyst and financial<br />
accountant. Recently, however,<br />
he made a career switch and is now employed by USC<br />
Union as a transfer/career counselor where he advises<br />
students with career choices and transfer opportunities.<br />
Originally from McCormick County and currently residing<br />
in Inman, Michael says that the “leadership opportunities<br />
at <strong>Upstate</strong> gave me the practice and confidence to<br />
meet most challenges” and that his service in student<br />
organizations improved his interpersonal skills and<br />
helped him meet his job expectations. He fondly recalls<br />
Drs. Carson, Wiles, Drucker, Martino, Rector, Butler and<br />
Clary and says that “overall, I enjoyed all my pr<strong>of</strong>essors,<br />
the staff and classes.” Other memorable moments<br />
include seeing (and blushing at) the French Quarter<br />
while in New Orleans for a Gamma Beta Phi convention,<br />
winning the Earl Gordon Medal, and walking across the<br />
stage to graduate. Married to Nikki, Michael is raising<br />
a son, Shaquielle, now in the ninth grade. In his leisure<br />
time, he enjoys listening to NPR, reading and “tinkering”<br />
with his Web site muatas-quest.com.<br />
1994<br />
Shelly Butterfield<br />
2005 was a momentous<br />
year for Spartanburg native<br />
Shelly Butterfield. She gave<br />
birth to twins Beth Anne and<br />
Zachary, and she opened her<br />
own business, a CPA firm<br />
specializing in small business<br />
tax accounting. As the owner<br />
<strong>of</strong> a growing Greenville firm that integrates accounting<br />
and tax preparation and planning for entrepreneurs,<br />
Shelly is in charge <strong>of</strong> “networking, human resources,<br />
administration and sometimes washing dishes!” A nontraditional<br />
student who says that she was more serious<br />
about college after her first attempt, Shelly credits Dr.<br />
Diana Clary and Dr. Meyer Drucker for encouraging her<br />
to succeed giving her practical advice to jump into her<br />
career. Shelly has been married to Marc for 12 years,<br />
and she is active in various civic groups including Dining<br />
For Women, Downtown Sertoma Club and the YWCA.<br />
1995<br />
Carolyn Farr Smith<br />
As a communications/<br />
journalism major, “working on<br />
deadline” is a familiar phrase to<br />
newspaper and TV journalist<br />
Carolyn Farr Smith, who<br />
graduated with newspaper<br />
experience already under her<br />
belt from working on the student-run<br />
newspaper, The Carolinian. Her Carolinian experience,<br />
in addition to Dr. Ray Merlock and Dr. Nancy Moore’s<br />
friendship and advice, taught her the importance <strong>of</strong><br />
deadlines, “which has served me well in my career.” After<br />
stints at The Union Daily Times as lifestyles editor and<br />
the Spartanburg Herald-Journal as features editor, she<br />
made a career switch to TV. As the assignment editor<br />
at Fox <strong>Carolina</strong> news, she gathers and assigns news<br />
stories to the reporters and photographers, monitors<br />
various news sites for possible news stories, and talks<br />
with members <strong>of</strong> the community about upcoming events,<br />
possible story ideas and important issues to viewers.<br />
Married with a two-year-old son, this Greenville native<br />
also serves as chair <strong>of</strong> Piedmont Media Pr<strong>of</strong>essionals,<br />
president <strong>of</strong> Media Women <strong>of</strong> <strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong>, and on<br />
the USC <strong>Upstate</strong> alumni board.<br />
1996, 1997<br />
Stacey and Jackie<br />
Mills<br />
S<br />
Alumni Pr<strong>of</strong>iles<br />
Stacey and Jackie Mills<br />
first met in the Dean <strong>of</strong><br />
Students’ <strong>of</strong>fice where Jackie<br />
was working as a student<br />
assistant. Married for ten<br />
years with three children,<br />
Stacey<br />
is now a senior minister<br />
at Mountain View Baptist Church in Greenville and a<br />
teacher at Woodmont High School while Jackie teaches<br />
biology at Eastside High School in Greenville. During<br />
their time at USC <strong>Upstate</strong>, the couple was very active<br />
in student life activities on campus, each serving as<br />
president <strong>of</strong> student organizations and participating in<br />
leadership development sessions. “We were exposed to<br />
community and human service organizations which gave<br />
us opportunities to work in the trenches with everyday<br />
people who struggle to make life work for them,” they<br />
said. “Those experiences, coupled with the faculty<br />
and staff who pushed us to succeed, have given us a<br />
sincere desire to give back to our community in many<br />
ways.” In addition to the obvious highpoint <strong>of</strong> meeting<br />
each other, the Mills’ count their involvement with the<br />
search committee that brought Chancellor Stockwell to<br />
<strong>University</strong> Review 23
Alumni Pr<strong>of</strong>iles<br />
24 <strong>University</strong> Review<br />
campus as one <strong>of</strong> their fondest memories. “That was a<br />
historic event for USC <strong>Upstate</strong> and we were involved<br />
with the search committees and the inauguration,” they<br />
said. “It was an incredible time.” Stacey and Jackie<br />
consider their work with young people in the community<br />
to be one <strong>of</strong> their biggest accomplishments thus far.<br />
“Our family backgrounds and personal experiences<br />
have given us insight into potential obstacles that<br />
keep people from achieving their goals,” they said.<br />
“We partnered with Greenville Technical College at<br />
our church last spring to <strong>of</strong>fer a GED program in the<br />
community. Twenty-two people enrolled in the class,<br />
ranging in ages from 18 to 75. Watching those who<br />
thought they couldn’t do it, prepare and take the GED<br />
test was definitely rewarding.”<br />
1997<br />
Tim Drummond<br />
Tim Drummond was a nontraditional<br />
student in more ways<br />
than one. Drummond actually<br />
started his first business<br />
before graduating. Currently<br />
an executive recruiter at his<br />
company, Drum Up Personnel<br />
located in Simpsonville, his experience at<br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> was instrumental in laying the groundwork<br />
for his successful career. “I wasn’t an excellent student,<br />
but I understood the value <strong>of</strong> a quality education and<br />
how it would benefit my career,” says Drummond. “I<br />
was taught the necessary skills needed to become a<br />
better business leader, a better manager, and better at<br />
building sound business relationships.” During his time<br />
at USC <strong>Upstate</strong>, Leon Wiles left an indelible impression<br />
on Drummond. “Leon Wiles is very passionate about<br />
helping students accomplish their goals. He always had<br />
a positive attitude and a way <strong>of</strong> encouraging students to<br />
do their best. He was definitely a role model,” Drummond<br />
says. Drummond’s biggest accomplishment to date has<br />
been obtaining his BS and MBA degrees. “It is very<br />
important for me to be a role model for my two sons,” he<br />
says.<br />
1997<br />
Joey Hines<br />
Every college student likes<br />
their pizza and beer, but<br />
when you use them to help<br />
explain economic principles,<br />
as Dr. Duncan Bailey did for<br />
Hines, “it allowed me to put<br />
economics to use in real life<br />
situations.” situations” A nontraditional student who commuted to<br />
school, worked 25 hours a week at his father’s business<br />
and interned at Merrill Lynch for 10 hours a week for<br />
two years, Hines feels that his degree in business<br />
administration with a concentration in economics from<br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> has helped him tremendously in the<br />
financial planning and wealth management career field.<br />
He worked his way up at Merrill Lynch from intern to<br />
client associate to financial advisor, and then left in<br />
2004 to help build the wealth management firm, Global<br />
View, LLC, a company that now manages $130 million<br />
for its clients. As a certified financial planner, he works<br />
with individuals and business owners on retirement<br />
plans, education funding, estate planning and asset<br />
protection. Hines resides in Greenville with his wife and<br />
when he has leisure time he enjoys reading, hunting<br />
and fishing. He also serves on the USC <strong>Upstate</strong> alumni<br />
advisory board.<br />
1999<br />
Frank Allgood<br />
Frank Allgood may have been,<br />
in his words “an average<br />
[high school] student with<br />
average grades,” but this<br />
Earl Gordon Medal recipient<br />
proved himself anything but<br />
average in his time at USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong>. t After meeting his future wife, Jeneane (formerly<br />
Rekowski), during his senior year <strong>of</strong> high school, Frank<br />
began taking education more seriously and became<br />
very active in campus activities, <strong>University</strong> committees,<br />
the Spartanburg community and the Pi Kappa Phi<br />
Fraternity. “My experience was more than ink on paper<br />
at the end <strong>of</strong> a four-year term,” said Frank. “I was taught<br />
to be decisive, to be innovative, proactive and how to<br />
be a team player. More than anything, I was taught how<br />
to be a good leader.” Now the managing editor <strong>of</strong> GSA<br />
Business, the bi-weekly business journal for <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> <strong>Carolina</strong>, he credits his success in business with<br />
the experience gained at <strong>Upstate</strong>. “Perhaps the greatest<br />
challenge for most graduates is too many think in terms<br />
<strong>of</strong> a job and not a career. And they are not prepared<br />
to deal with corporate culture. My experience with<br />
SGA, Pi Kappa Phi, other organizations and university<br />
committees, as well as working as news editor for The<br />
Carolinian, equipped me with the tools necessary to<br />
succeed in business.”<br />
1999<br />
Kimberly Suber<br />
While there have been plenty <strong>of</strong> changes in Kimberly’s<br />
life since graduating from USC <strong>Upstate</strong>, such as<br />
becoming a mom twice, earning a master’s degree in
teaching school administration,<br />
and a move back to her home<br />
town – she says that two<br />
things have not changed. “At<br />
USCS I was known for my<br />
hair and shopping habits and<br />
those habits have not changed<br />
— I love shopping and being<br />
fabulous!” she says. Now<br />
pursuing a doctorate degree in education,<br />
Kimberly is enjoying being the assistant principal at<br />
Newberry High School, where she helps students “to<br />
understand their purpose and once they understand<br />
their purpose then they will know their possibilities.”<br />
This former member <strong>of</strong> the USC <strong>Upstate</strong> Gospel Choir<br />
proudly boasts that Newberry High has initiated its<br />
own gospel choir, with students readying to travel to<br />
New York for a competition. Dr. Warren Carson, who<br />
directed Kimberly in the USC <strong>Upstate</strong> Choir, challenged<br />
her to do more than just get by because “just enough<br />
was not good enough.” Kimberly says that Dr. Carson’s<br />
“confidence in my leadership skills and by sending me<br />
to a leadership conference, inspired me to be who I<br />
am today.” Kimberly graduated from USC <strong>Upstate</strong> in<br />
1999 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies with a<br />
concentration in sociology and<br />
criminal justice.<br />
<br />
Tonya Beaty<br />
A teacher since graduating<br />
in 2000 with her master’s in<br />
education, Tonya is currently<br />
employed as a master teacher<br />
at Houston Elementary School,<br />
a 4K-6th grade school in the heart <strong>of</strong><br />
Spartanburg School District 7. Named Spartanburg<br />
School District 7 Teacher <strong>of</strong> the Year in 2007-<strong>2008</strong>,<br />
Tonya was surprised to receive the recognition for her<br />
school and “totally floored” when she won for the entire<br />
district. When Tonya came to <strong>Upstate</strong> for her graduate<br />
degree she was working full-time as a teacher, and she<br />
was a wife, mother and taking classes part-time. “I was<br />
a hard worker. I could not afford to mess up, to fail any<br />
classes, or to be slack about getting my post-graduate<br />
degree because my family and career would suffer if<br />
I took any longer than I did getting my degree,” says<br />
Tonya. She credits Dr. Charles Love for contributing<br />
to her success as a teacher because he “gave us<br />
meaningful assignments that made us think on much<br />
higher levels then we were used to…he was fun in<br />
class but he was also serious about helping us become<br />
better educators.” When she is not teaching, she is an<br />
avid reader in her spare time. She also enjoys writing<br />
poetry, and has recently written a teen novel that she is<br />
looking to publish.<br />
<br />
Todd Hardy<br />
In the eight years since<br />
he graduated from USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> with a bachelor <strong>of</strong><br />
science in education, Todd<br />
Hardy worked his way from<br />
social studies teacher up the<br />
ranks toassistant principal and is now<br />
the principal <strong>of</strong> James F. Byrnes Freshman Academy in<br />
Duncan. With a staff <strong>of</strong> 60, Todd is responsible for the<br />
full operation <strong>of</strong> the school which is designed to provide<br />
the “fundamental steps for successful transition into<br />
high school” for students living in Spartanburg School<br />
District 5. Todd remembers his time at USC <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
fondly, saying that Dr. Jim Charles was a mentor to<br />
him along his non-traditional path through college, and<br />
that he was well-prepared for his career due to the<br />
“wonderful, practical knowledge” he gained here as a<br />
student. Married for seven years, Todd has two children<br />
and spends his free time enjoying his family, church,<br />
reading and working out. Todd serves on the board<br />
<strong>of</strong> directors for the Middle Tyger Community Center,<br />
board <strong>of</strong> trustees for Piney Grove Baptist Church, and<br />
was runner-up for the Mary L. Thomas Award for Civic<br />
Leadership and Community<br />
Change.<br />
<br />
Dan Collins<br />
Having attained the position <strong>of</strong><br />
director <strong>of</strong> global operations<br />
for corporate security with<br />
Fluor Corporation, Dan<br />
Collins says that he had<br />
much support along his<br />
career path and as a nontraditional student at USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong>. He attended classes year-round in the<br />
evenings and worked full-time during the day, drawing<br />
support from both Dr. Eb Barnes, pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> physics,<br />
and his wife, Angie, who he says “was the sustaining<br />
force <strong>of</strong> the family during those years <strong>of</strong> school.” The<br />
scope <strong>of</strong> Dan’s job with Fluor, the world’s largest<br />
publicly held engineering, procurement, construction<br />
management and maintenance service providers, has<br />
led him to travel abroad extensively, including trips to<br />
Iraq and Afghanistan, to oversee security operations<br />
for the company. But family comes first when he has<br />
free time at home in Greer, where together they enjoy<br />
Alumni Pr<strong>of</strong>iles<br />
<strong>University</strong> Review 25
Alumni Pr<strong>of</strong>iles<br />
26 <strong>University</strong> Review<br />
Gamecocks football games and boating. Dan received<br />
a bachelor <strong>of</strong> science in interdisciplinary studies.<br />
<br />
Cameron Haggerty<br />
There was no “getting one over”<br />
on business pr<strong>of</strong>essor Dr. Faruk<br />
Tanyel, Cameron remembers<br />
fondly about classes at <strong>Upstate</strong>.<br />
“He could see through a<br />
bogus presentation or sales<br />
pitch like it was nothing and<br />
he would not tolerate anything less<br />
than a maximum effort. I remember thinking that he<br />
was the worst thing that could ever happen to a soonto-be<br />
college grad!” says Cameron. But it was through<br />
meeting the tough standards <strong>of</strong> his pr<strong>of</strong>essors that led<br />
this business administration major to accept and excel<br />
at the challenges presented to him in the working world,<br />
he feels. After working for Fairway Outdoor Advertising<br />
as an account representative, he moved on to become a<br />
sales rep for Signature Graphics, a company specializing<br />
in production <strong>of</strong> large format graphics. He is based in<br />
Alpharetta, Ga. Cameron grew up in Spartanburg but is<br />
now enjoying all the cultural, sports and dining attractions,<br />
as well as the numerous networking groups, available in<br />
the Atlanta area.<br />
<br />
Travis Bryant<br />
For Travis Bryant, two <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
faculty members made a<br />
lasting impression on him<br />
in his time at USC <strong>Upstate</strong>.<br />
Laura Puckett-Boler, dean <strong>of</strong><br />
students, “was there to give<br />
me praise and encouragement<br />
when needed,” he said. “Dean Boler<br />
gave me an opportunity to make a big impact at USC<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong>. It was great to have a faculty member that I<br />
looked up to and received great advice from.” Dr. Tony<br />
Pritchard, assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> education, also made<br />
an impact on Travis’ life. “He pushed me in every class<br />
that I had with him. I was convinced that he was trying<br />
to fail me,” he said. But, as it turned out, “the pushing<br />
from Tony was exactly what I needed. I still hear his<br />
voice in my head.” In addition to earning his degree in<br />
physical education, Travis was very involved on campus<br />
with a number <strong>of</strong> organizations and activities including<br />
Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, Orientation Leader, CAB and<br />
Campus Recreation. Now an elementary physical<br />
education teacher at Belleview Elementary School in<br />
his home town <strong>of</strong> Rock Hill, S.C., Travis was recently<br />
named the Elementary Beginning Teacher <strong>of</strong> the Year<br />
for Rock Hill School District 3. In addition to teaching<br />
kindergarten through fifth grade during the school day,<br />
he also is the fifth grade teacher in the after school<br />
program.<br />
<br />
April Dove<br />
Originally from southern<br />
Virginia, April Dove moved to<br />
Greenville with her husband<br />
in 2003 and graduated from<br />
USC <strong>Upstate</strong> two years<br />
later with a BA in sociology.<br />
Now as a graduate student<br />
working towards a Ph.D. in<br />
sociology at USC Columbia, April feels her experience<br />
at <strong>Upstate</strong> helped prepare her for the transition from<br />
undergraduate to graduate work. While at <strong>Upstate</strong>, Dr.<br />
Lizabeth Zack became April’s mentor and encouraged<br />
her to pursue a graduate degree in sociology. April<br />
remembers Dr. Zack’s classes as challenging the<br />
students to be the best they can be. “I worked harder in<br />
her classes than any others that I took,” said April. “She<br />
was an excellent mentor. I’m glad to say that we are still<br />
in contact and are very good friends.” In fact April and<br />
Dr. Zack are working together on a research project they<br />
began in her last year at USC <strong>Upstate</strong> and plan to send<br />
the manuscript to a peer-reviewed sociology journal this<br />
year. April also credits her husband, Nathan, for playing<br />
an important role in her success. “He’s always been very<br />
supportive <strong>of</strong> what I do and he is definitely one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
driving forces behind my success so far. I appreciate<br />
him more than I can say.”<br />
<br />
Laura Fowler<br />
Currently working at St. Louis<br />
Children’s Hospital, named<br />
the seventh best children’s<br />
hospital in the country by<br />
Child Magazine, nursing<br />
graduate Laura Fowler is<br />
extremely happy with her job.<br />
“I sleep well at night knowing that<br />
I have made a difference in someone’s life,” says Laura.<br />
Originally from Spartanburg, she found her calling in<br />
Missouri at St. Louis Children’s Hospital where she<br />
works with patients with congenital heart defects, or<br />
who need heart and lung transplants. Laura looks back<br />
on her education at <strong>Upstate</strong> and recalls a pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
who stood out from the rest: “Dr. Rush’s passion for
teaching was palpable, and her love <strong>of</strong> nursing was an<br />
inspiration to many nursing students,” says Laura. Her<br />
fondest memory <strong>of</strong> USC <strong>Upstate</strong> is being a work-study<br />
student in the <strong>of</strong>fice <strong>of</strong> Alumni Affairs. Laura is currently<br />
in graduate school working towards a master’s degree<br />
in nursing education. She claims if she hadn’t had such<br />
a “loving and supportive environment” from her family,<br />
she would not be where she is today.<br />
<br />
Barbra “Annie”<br />
Trout<br />
“I had a wonderful experience<br />
at USC <strong>Upstate</strong>,” says this<br />
Fountain Inn native who<br />
graduated recently with a<br />
bachelor <strong>of</strong> science degree in<br />
nursing. The nursing program<br />
was like a “close group <strong>of</strong> friends,<br />
and it felt like my second family because we shared the<br />
same interests and the same challenges,” she adds.<br />
Upon graduation, Annie went to work part-time as a staff<br />
nurse at Allen Bennett Memorial Hospital, which is part <strong>of</strong><br />
the Greenville Hospital System, on the medical/surgical<br />
floor. A typical day for her could include everything<br />
from a hysterectomy to a stroke patient to a total knee<br />
replacement. Annie is also excited to be in the master’s<br />
program at Clemson, having been encouraged by her<br />
undergraduate nursing pr<strong>of</strong>essors to pursue further<br />
educational opportunities. She is also working part-time<br />
as a clinical instructor at USC <strong>Upstate</strong>, where she takes<br />
two groups <strong>of</strong> nursing students to Mary Black Hospital<br />
to show them the fundamentals <strong>of</strong> nursing. Married with<br />
three children ages 11, 9 and 18 months, Annie, who<br />
now lives in Landrum, still finds time to exercise and stay<br />
involved in the nursing ministry team at her church.<br />
<strong>Upstate</strong> has made him a competent nurse, saying that<br />
“USC <strong>Upstate</strong> helped me develop the skills necessary<br />
to becoming a critical care nurse.” When he is not<br />
working, a lot <strong>of</strong> his free time is spent in activities with<br />
his five children. He also enjoys traveling, snow skiing<br />
and hiking.<br />
Compiled by Stephanie Bingham (‘07), Heather<br />
Alexander-Engelbrecht and Claire Sachse<br />
We want<br />
to hear<br />
from You!<br />
In addition to sharing your news, births or marriages<br />
with us, we also want to hear about what<br />
exceptional and interesting things our alumni are<br />
doing. Please use the space provided for Alumni<br />
News on the inserted envelope or e-mail information,<br />
updates and digital photos to: bwsmith@<br />
uscupstate.edu.<br />
Alumni Pr<strong>of</strong>iles<br />
<br />
Drew Fisher<br />
Drew excelled vastly while<br />
obtaining his bachelor <strong>of</strong><br />
science degree in nursing<br />
from USC <strong>Upstate</strong>. He was<br />
on the Dean’s list every year,<br />
was selected president <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Student Nurses’ Association,<br />
and received the School<br />
<strong>of</strong> Nursing Leadership Award and the Dean’s<br />
Award. After an eight-year stint in pharmaceutical sales,<br />
he decided to change career paths and become a<br />
nurse. He is currently working at the Greenville Hospital<br />
as a nurse in the Coronary Care Unit. Drew believes that<br />
<strong>University</strong> Review 27
Recent Events at USC <strong>Upstate</strong><br />
On the front cover: George Dean Johnson, Jr. surveys the site on Saint John Street t in downtown<br />
Spartanburg where ground will be broken this fall for the George Dean Johnson, Jr. College<br />
<strong>of</strong> Business and Economics. The new facility will be located adjacent to the Chapman Cultural<br />
Center in the Renaissance Park.<br />
800 <strong>University</strong> Way<br />
Spartanburg, SC 29303<br />
Address Service Requested<br />
NONPROFIT<br />
ORGANIZATION<br />
US POSTAGE<br />
PAID<br />
GREENVILLE, SC<br />
PERMIT N0. 1234