Spring 2010 - Claflin University

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences 

Newsletter 

Fall 2010 

Volume 10 No. 1 

By Dr. Peggy S. Ratliff, Dean 

Claflin University 

Dr. Henry N. Tisdale, President 

The World Needs Visionaries 

The award-winning School of 

Humanities and Social Sciences 

welcomes back all faculty, staff and 

students. We have added several new 

faculty and staff members to our School 

and the Claflin Family. 

Read the column Goodbye and 

welcome to get acquainted with new 

Dr. Peggy Ratliff faculty members who have joined the 

School. 

Congratulations to Dr. Camille Kantor, who recently 

earned her doctoral degree in geography. She is no stranger 

to the University, having served for several semesters as an 

adjunct professor; she joins the Department of History and 

Sociology as an instructor of geography. 

Additionally, we are proud to welcome two new staff 

members: Ms. Tynisha Jones joins the Department of English 

and Foreign Languages as an associate administrative 

assistant, and Ms. Carolyn Goodman, associate administrative 

assistant, joins the Department of Philosophy and Religion. 

With the experience and skills of these new faculty and 

staff members, we are even better equipped to serve the 

Claflin family and the surrounding community. Moreover, we 

are looking forward to working with these new members as 

we implement several new majors and mentor returning 

students who have selected a major in a discipline in the 

humanities or social sciences. 

A section on new faculty provides more information on 

the faculty listed above and sections on each department 

also provide accomplishments of our faculty, staff and 

students. 

We were deeply saddened in May 2010 by the passing 

of Dr. Preston Blakely, associate professor of mass 

communication. Be sure to read the special section of this 

newsletter as we lift him up in memoriam as a colleague and 

a friend. 

Overall, the School is off to a good start, and we are 

looking forward to a most productive academic year. 

By Mandakini Hiremath 

We develop the whole person 

Stand to make a positive 

difference 

When a friend of mine said that she had been wrongfully 

insulted, I bombarded her with “What? When? 

Where? Why? How” before she finished her sentence. 

However, she seemed very hurt and wasn’t ready to talk 

about what had happened. I tried to provide her with solace 

by speaking about the positive aspects that we encounter 

in everyday life. The world we live in may not be 

perfect, but it is still a wonderful place to live. Therefore, I 

asked her to try to put that incident out of her mind, hoping 

that the guilty party’s conscience will have to answer 

for the injustice. 

Let us bow our heads in faith to thank the God Almighty 

for his amazing creation. Should we pause to glance 

at those who are loud and vain or too passive to lend a 

hand to make a positive contribution, to make a difference, 

and say to them, “Thank you for nothing”? Or should 

we follow William James’ pearl of wisdom, “The art of 

being wise is knowing what to ignore,” and move forward 

in gratitude with a smile for those who take a firm stand 

and lend their firm hands to make this world each day a 

better place to live in peace and justice? 

Each one’s time on earth is limited. There is only so 

much energy that anyone is bestowed with in this life time. 

Energy is power. One should not waste it. One can do 

only so much in a given time, so he or she should not dwell 

on negative things. One should be happy to join the community 

of just, happy and positive thinkers who are always 

ready to lend a hand to uplift the downtrodden, to 

make a difference. These positive contributors are destined 

to stay on top because they need always to stand on 

top in order to be able to lift someone else up. They are 

See POSITIVE DIFFERENCE, page16 

This newsletter is available on the website http://www.claflin.edu/Academic/School_Hum-SocialSciences.html

Page 2 

The School of Humanities and 

Social Sciences Newsletter 

Dean 

Dr. Peggy S. Ratliff 

Compiler 

Mandakini Hiremath 

Editors 

Linda R. Hill 


Design and Layout 


Special Thanks to 

Dr. Peggy S. Ratliff, dean of the school 

of Humanities and Social Sciences, for 

giving me the opportunity to produce the 

newsletter. 

Ms. Linda R. Hill, assistant professor of 

English, for agreeing to work with me 

as an editor. 

Members of the School and Department 

Chairs for their contributions. 

Dr. Henry N. Tisdale, president, and 

Dr. George E. Miller, III, vice president 

for academic affairs, for encouragement. 

Finally, I sincerely appreciate all the 

compliments from my administrators, 

co-workers, students, and friends on the 

previous issues of the newsletter and the 

columns that are printed in The Times 

and Democrat. These encouraging 

words are a source of motivation. 

************************************ 

The School of Humanities and 

Social Sciences publishes its 

newsletter periodically; therefore, 

please bring your stories to the 

compiler, Mrs. Hiremath. I am in 

the Writing Center, GTK, room # 

228, ext. 5422. Your stories should 

be typed using Microsoft word. 

You may e-mail attachments at 

mhiremath@claflin.edu. 

Humanities and Social Sciences Newsletter 

Department of Art 

By Mr. Winston Kennedy, Chair 

Dr. Kod Igwe, professor of art, has been doing applied research and creating 

a unique sculpture that will be unveiled at the Orangeburg County Fine Arts 

Center on October 27, 2010, at 5:30 p.m. The artwork, recently approved by 

the City Council, is dedicated to the mayor and the City Council of the City of 

Orangeburg. The Fine Arts Center is located at 649 Riverside Drive. 

Mr. Herman Keith, assistant professor and immediate past director of the 

Arthur Rose Museum, is also the former chairman of the Department of Art. 

Mr. Keith has been a significant chronicler of the legacy of Arthur Rose, a 

pioneering art educator who left us a rich tradition in the visual arts at Claflin 

University. After organizing a series of important exhibitions over the years, Mr. 

Keith has vigorously returned to his studio. This past summer he created a 

series of twenty paintings. He employed his “key motif” when he attended 

FACETS – the Fine Arts Enrichment Teaching Studios, here in Orangeburg. 

Mr. Habibur Rahman, associate professor and immediate past chair of 

the Department of Art, is the founding professor of the digital design program in 

the department. He was awarded a 2010 Summer Research Grant from the 

Center for Excellence in Teaching at Claflin University. Mr. Rahman began the 

task of organizing, writing and editing a monograph on the graphic design work 

that he has created for the Arthur Rose Museum over the last several years. 

Due to the fact that his computers have been upgraded more than three times 

during his tenure, retrieval of images and text has been a problematic task – 

increasing the difficulty of the present work. It is an important moment in a 

graphic designer’s life when a monograph is organized and published. In this 

instance the monograph, in one sense, is a catalogue raisonne. It permits 

Claflin University and beyond to reflect and understand an important aspect of 

his contributions to the visual art and design programs at Claflin University. 

Mr. Jelani Thomas, assistant professor, began a large series of artworks 

that will eventually contain at least twenty paintings and drawings that visually 

reference and investigate the Afro Brazilian Capoeira of Angola art form. Subject 

categories represented in the series are derived from the musical instruments 

of Capoeira; the singing of traditional songs; the martial games of Capoeira 

Angola; and, from within these games, the ritual calls and gestures known as 

chamadas. In his applied research Mr. Thomas 

employs four different media to convey the discrete 

formal visual references 

to realize his imaging: pen and ink; pastels; oil paints; 

and digital painting. The completed series will contain 

five works executed in each medium. The series 

will be completed by April 2011. 

Additionally, Mr. Thomas attended a one-week 

Art Educators Forum at the Savannah College of 

Art and Design during the summer of 2010. His research 

during this program was funded through a 

Summer Research Grant from the Center for Excellence 

in Teaching at Claflin University. His re- 

Study of Flamingo by 

Mr. Terrance Robinson 

See ART DEPARTMENT, page 12

Page 3 


As the 2009-2010 academic year ended, a few colleagues 

moved on to their chosen destinations. Our school 

misses each departing member, but life has to go on. As it’s 

said, persons may come and go, but institutions stay intact. 

The beginning of each academic year is filled with new aspirations, 

promises and challenges. Each member of the Claflin 

family is expected to persevere and to meet expectations. 

As we welcome new freshmen and transfer students, we 

also gladly welcome new faculty members who have joined 

the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Let us look 

forward to working together to accomplish Claflin 

University’s mission. 

Dr. Tiffany Boyd Adams joins us as an assistant professor 

in the Department of English and 

Foreign Languages. Before coming to 

Claflin University, she was an adjunct 

professor at Winthrop University in Rock 

Hill, SC, and at UNC-Charlotte. 

Dr. Adams earned her Ph.D. in English 

from the University of Georgia in 

Dr. T. Adams 

Goodbye and welcome 

Athens in December 2009, her master’s 

degree from Morgan State University in 

Baltimore, MD, and her bachelor’s de- 

gree from the University of South Carolina, Columbia. Her 

teaching and research areas of specialization are twentiethcentury 

Anglophone Caribbean literature and twentieth-century 

African American literature. 

Dr. Adams was awarded the Manuscript, Archive, and 

Rare Books Library (MARBL) Fellowship in July 2009 

from Emory University. She studied the non-fiction prose of 

Alice Walker and the Universal Negro Improvement 

Association’s (U.N.I.A.) business and personal letters of 

Marcus Garvey and his wife Amy Garvey. She lived and 

studied in Trinidad at the University of the West Indies. 

When asked why she chose Claflin and what she plans 

to accomplish, Dr. Adams answered, “I chose to work at 

Claflin University because it can provide me with opportunities 

for growth and leadership.” She added, “While at 

Claflin, I plan to lead my students by example. I am committed 

to being a responsible and knowledgeable teacher 

who aims to make her students informed, global citizens. I 

also plan to continue to build a strong record of publications 

and research so that I can be an influential voice in Caribbean 

Studies.” 

Proud mom, Dr. Adams says, “I have an awesome 

daughter named Naima Simone.” 


Ms. Gloria D. Brogdon, native of Aylett, Virginia, joins 

us as an instructor in the Department of 

Mass Communications. She earned her 

B.S. in print journalism from Bowie State 

University and MLA in broadcast journalism/television 

production and 

scriptwriting from Oklahoma City Uni- 

Ms. G. Brogdon 

versity. Ms. Brogdon has thirteen years 

of teaching experience at both the uni- 

versity and secondary levels. She served as a department 

chair at Virginia Union University for three years and has 

extensive experience with software for website development 

and use, Adobe Creative Suites, media technology, and media 

education. Ms. Brogdon teaches basic writing and web convergence/production 

classes and will assist with our online 

website for The Panther. 

Ms. Brogdon is a professional videographer, and has 

created several full-length and short productions. Currently 

Ms. Brogdon is a Ph.D. candidate in media art and text 

(MATX) interdisciplinary studies at Virginia Commonwealth 

University. 


to accomplish, Ms. Brogdon answered, “I chose Claflin 

because I feel the University has a great Communications 

Department. My accomplishments at Claflin University are 

directly connected to the needs of the students.” 

Dr. Nathaniel Frederick, II, a 2002 Claflin graduate, 

returns to his alma mater as an assistant 

professor in the Department of Mass 

Communications. Dr. Frederick earned 

his Ph.D. in mass communications in 

2009 and his master’s degree in media 

Dr. N. Frederick 

studies in 2004 from the Pennsylvania 

State University and his B.A. in mass 

communications from Claflin University. 

Dr. Frederick spent several years teaching as an adjunct 

and teaching assistant while attending school, and served as 

the Frederick Douglass Postdoctoral Scholar in the Communication 

Studies Department at the California University 

of Pennsylvania before joining the faculty. Dr. Frederick 

teaches theory and foundations courses for the department 

and will oversee the honors thesis courses and development 

for the department. Most recently he was invited to speak 

on a panel; he discussed the topic Gospel Music and Social 

Consciousness, 1945-1960. 

See, NEW MEMBERS, page 4 


Page 4 

NEW MEMBERS - continued from page 3 

Dr. Frederick has presented his research twice overseas 

at international conferences at the Collegium for African 

American Research in Bremen, Germany. His research was 

also competitively selected for the International Communication 

Association Conference in Dresden, Germany. There 

he presented a paper entitled A Couple of White Guys 

Sittin’ ‘Round Talkin’: Representations of Masculinity and 

Commodification in ‘Frasier.’ 

When asked why he chose Claflin and what he plans to 

accomplish, Dr. Frederick answered, “Claflin University is 

my alma mater, and Orangeburg is my hometown. I have a 

special relationship with this university and the community. 

When I finished my degree from Claflin, I wanted to work in 

the television industry. In graduate school, I took a course 

that made me realize that media is constructed to make us 

think a certain way about the world. This course led me to 

think about media more critically. Instead of working in the 

industry, I chose to study the industry. As a professor, I can 

share these ideas with students. My greatest satisfaction as 

a teacher is having a positive influence on young persons 

and showing them new ways to think about the world. That 

type of influence stays with someone for a lifetime. My professors 

at Claflin inspired me to attend graduate school, so 

my goal is to be that inspiration for someone else.” He added, 

“I hope to expose students to different aspects of media by 

inviting both media practitioners as well as scholars to share 

their experiences and insights.” 

In his spare time, Dr. Frederick enjoys traveling and 

watching movies, especially documentaries. 

Dr. Camelia-Maria Kantor, originally from Romania, 

Eastern Europe, after teaching part time for 

two years, joins us as an instructor of geography 

in the Department of History and Sociology. 

She earned her Ph.D. in human geography 

and regional development from 

Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Ro- 

Dr. C. Kantor 

mania, and her M.B.A. from Claflin University, 

Orangeburg, South Carolina, in 2010. 

In addition she has earned following degrees: 

• Master’s degree in education management, 1 

Decembrie 1918 University, Alba-Iulia, Romania 

(2006) 

• Master’s degree in regional development, Babes- 

Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (2005) 

• Undergraduate studies in geo-informatics , Babes- 



• Bachelor’s degree (French and English), Babes- 



to accomplish, Dr. Kantor answered, “I chose to become a 

member of the Claflin University family primarily because I 

found here a lot of warmth, understanding, and friendly 

people. From the very first days of school, I felt integrated 

and received support from faculty and staff, which made my 

transition almost imperceptible. Being both a Claflin graduate 

student and a part-time faculty for two years, I proudly 

felt like a liaison between the student body and the faculty, 

which made me even more aware of the bonds that have 

been established throughout the years between the two, leading 

to the creation of a successful institution.” She added, 

“My goal for the future is to establish a full-fledged geography 

department, but mostly to introduce GIS courses, since 

HBCU’s have had little access to this relatively new technology, 

which could benefit all majors, not only those interested 

in areas related to geography.” 

Talking about her academic special achievements, adventures, 

and contributions, Dr. Kantor said, “My most recent 

achievement of which I am particularly proud is getting 

my Ph.D., the result of five years of intensive study and individual 

work. Secondly, I managed to present at four conferences 

this year, two of which were international conferences, 

Rural Space and Local Development, Romania, and the 2 nd 

Serbian Geographers Congress. The other two were held 

by Duke University and Claflin University. I was also a recipient 

of Who’s Who in America and graduated with a 4.00 

GPA from the MBA program at Claflin University.” 

Mr. Winston Kennedy joins as a professor of art, chair 

of the Department of Art, and director 

of the Arthur Rose Museum. He comes 

from the suburbs of Washington, DC, 

Hyattsville, MD. He has also lived in 

New York City and Washington, DC. 

He earned the Bachelor of Arts degree 

(magna cum laude) from North 

Mr. W. Kennedy 

Carolina Central University, Durham, 

North Carolina, in 1970 and the Master 

of Fine Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at 

Chapel Hill in 1972. 

Mr. Kennedy was previously chairman of the Department 

of Art and director of the Gallery of Art at Howard University, 

where he accomplished most of his academic and 

See, NEW MEMBERS, page 5

Page 5 


administrative goals. He took early retirement from Howard 

University in 2001. His wife, at that time, had won the 

McArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship, and she was 

subsequently offered her dream professorship at New York 

University. He thought it was appropriate to support her 

dreams, so they moved to New York City. In New York, he 

became a Schomburg Scholar at the Schomburg Center for 

Research in Black Culture, NYPL. He did research in 

documents and art objects concerning two subjects: “Out of 

the Shadows: The Image of Black Men in Fine Arts and 

Popular Prints” and “A History of African American 

Printmakers from 1724 to the Present Day.” Although he 

has written articles and given lectures in the United States 

and Europe (University of Paris 7) on this subject, he, 

nevertheless, anticipate that he will complete this research 

and publish on the same early in his tenure at Claflin University. 

He has found some interesting materials concerning 

Charleston slave printers working in 1750 at the South 

Carolina Historical Society in Charleston. This work 

continues. 


accomplish, Mr. Kennedy answered, “I was impressed by 

Claflin University’s ranking by external evaluators, especially 

its ranking among HBCU’s. Additionally, although I was born 

in Bridgeton, NJ, I consider Orangeburg to be my primary 

ancestral home on my maternal side. I lived here for ten 

years as a child, although on my paternal side my ancestral 

home is Jamaica, WI.” He added, “I plan to build a superior 

art program at Claflin University. I believe that the faculty 

has begun to assist me in that process through their current 

careful review of and recommendations on the various 

programs in the Department. Our intent is to become a 

regionally important art program in two to three years. After 

this time, with continuing effective work, we should be able 

to obtain a national ranking as a leader in African American 

art. We wish to challenge the standing of Howard University 

and Spelman in the visual arts. We wish to deliver an 

increasingly superior program for our students.” 

Mr. Kennedy states that one of his academic 

achievements during his first tenure as chair of the Art 

Department was tripling the departmental budget from 

$15,000 to $45,000. The Gallery of Art’s budget was also 

tripled from $7,000 to $21,000. The Art Department’s 

general operating budget was $1,300,000+. Mr. Kennedy 

presented a series of annual exhibitions in the Gallery of Art. 


Many were reviewed by the Washington Post. He 

wrote the NASAD self-study report and hosted the 

evaluation team, nurturing the eventual full accreditation of 

the department. During his second term as chair, he advanced 

student enrollment in the Art Department from 60 students 

to 160 students and completely replaced all studio and office 

furniture and was able to secure a major warehouse facility 

to which their sculpture program was relocated; additionally, 

individual studios were provided for MFA graduate students. 

Dr. Emmanuel N. Ngwang joins us as a professor in 

the Department of English and Foreign 

Languages. After graduating from the 

University of Yaoundé with a B.A. in 1977 

and an MAT in English and Teaching English 

in 1978, Dr. Ngwang gained admission into 

Dr. Ngwang 

the University of Wisconsin in the fall of 1980 

to do an M.A. in American literature. 

However, in the spring of 1981, he transferred to Central 

State University (now the University of Central Oklahoma), 

Edmond, Oklahoma, where he later obtained an M.A. in 

English in December 1981. That spring he gained admission 

into Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, where he 

earned his Ph.D. in American literature with a specialization 

in 19 th and 20 th Century American drama in 1986. Before 

coming to Claflin Dr. Ngwang taught at Oklahoma State 

University for four years as a graduate associate; University 

of Yaoundé, Cameroon, from 1987-1997, where he moved 

up to the rank of associate professor and acting chair of the 

Department of English, coordinator of Graduate (M.A. and 

doctoral) Programs; Kentucky State University, Frankfort, 

Kentucky from 1997-2003 and Mississippi Valley State 

University from 2003-2010. 

Dr. Ngwang has won significant recognition in academia 

both in Cameroon and the U.S. Of particular note are the 

2000 Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers; 2002 Who’s 

Who Among American Teachers; 2002-2003 College of 

Arts and Sciences Excellence in Scholarship & Creative 

Award, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, Kentucky; 

and the 2004 Mississippi Humanities Teacher Award for 

Excellence in Teaching & Research, Jackson, Mississippi. 

Dr. Ngwang’s research interests have shifted to postcolonial 

literature with emphasis on dramatic literature. Some of his 

recent publications include “Arrah’s Existential Dilemma: A 

Study of Tanyi-Tang’s Arrah” in Cameroon Literature in 

English: Critical Essay on Fiction and Drama (2010); 

See, NEW MEMBERS, page 6

Page 6 


“Spaces, Gender, and Healing in Alice Walker’s The Color 

Purple (1982); “Mariama Bâ’s So Long a Letter,” a 

chapter in New Urges in Postcolonial Literature: 

Widening Horizons (2009); “Re-Configuration of 

Colonialism or the Negation of the Self in Postcolonial 

Cameroon in Bole Butake’s Plays,” a chapter in 

Reconceiving Postcolonialism: Visions and Revisions 

(2009); “Buchi Emecheta’s Destination Biafra: A Feminist 

(Re)-Writing of the Nigerian Civil War,” a chapter in The 

Journal of African Literature, Vol. 5: War and Conflict 

(2008); “In Search of Cultural Identity or a Futile Search 

for Anchor: Africa in Selected African American Literary 

Works” in Identities and Voices: ALIZES No.12; Revue 

Angliciste de la Réeunion (2007); “Female Empowerment 

and Political Change: A Study of Bole Butake’s Lake God, 

The Survivors, and And Palm Wine Will Flow…” in 

ALIZES (TRADE WINDS): A Journal of English Studies. 

No.23 (2004); and “Literature as Politics: Revisiting Bole 

Butake’s Lake God and Other Plays in The Literary 

Griot: An International Journal of African-World 

Expressive Culture Studies, Vol. 14. 


accomplish, Dr. Ngwang answered, “I was attracted to 

Claflin University because of Claflin University’s history and 

reputation. As I move towards the end of my teaching career, 

I want to end it with and on a winning team; I wanted to be 

part of the growing popularity of the Claflin family that has 

distinguished itself in the many fields of excellence and 

tradition. For a poor teacher, there is no greater joy and 

reward than moving into the world and meeting visionary 

leaders who can point back at you and say, ‘He was my 

teacher.’ And who doesn’t want to be part of a winning 

team!” He added, “I bring with me a global perspective 

built on the experience of having studied and taught on two 

continents and lived in several different states and other 

parts of the U.S. I hope to accomplish an extra push for 

love of scholarship and publication among the students. I 

want to infect the students with my love for scholarship, 

publications, and research and hope to add African 

Literature, which does not feature prominently in the 

literature program except in the English Department’s World 

Literature II. I strongly believe that every HBCU should 

endeavor to teach a pure African-based program as part 

of its historical heritage, and African Literature tends to 

encompass and embrace the humanistic values of such 

programs. Hopefully, I can add this missing link to the English 

The World Needs Visionaries 


program and to the African American Studies specialization. 

So far I have been encouraged by the fellowship and 

friendliness of my colleagues and the eagerness and thirst 

for knowledge I have discerned in my students.” 

Dr. Ngwang’s special interests include traveling, reading, 

and playing soccer (football). 

Dr. Donald K. Pardlow, a resident of Chattanooga, 

Tennessee, joins us as an assistant professor 

of English in the Department of English and 

Foreign Languages. He earned his Ph.D. in 

English Rhetoric and Linguistics from Indiana 

University of Pennsylvania in 2003, an M.A. 

Dr. Pardlow 

in British and American literature from the 

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 

1994, and a B.A. in writing and American literature from 

the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1990. 

Having taught in the community college system of Georgia 

for the past nine years, he now teaches sections of English 

composition and the Honors thesis seminars at Claflin. 


accomplish, Dr. Pardlow answered, “Since I finished my 

dissertation, I had been looking to move on to a four-year 

college, an institution where I could teach a wider variety 

of classes and complete more of my research. I think that 

my cognition-centered pedagogies for teaching language 

could well serve the university’s unique goal of training 

visionary thinkers and leaders.” 

His revised dissertation, Flight for Flatland, was 

published last year by VDM Verlag Dr. Mueller Publishing, 

and his first volume of verse, Notes of a “Gypsy” Scholar, 

is currently under editorial review by University Research 

Press (NM). In addition to a collection of short fiction, he 

is currently working on monographs about deductive logic 

and student creativity. His hobbies are creative writing, 

ancient languages, and chess. 

Mr. Colin Patrick Pool, a native of Mobile, Alabama, 

joined us as an instructor of mass 

communications in the Spring of 2010 to 

fill our need for a sound production faculty 

member. He earned the Master of Fine 

Arts degree in Recording Arts and 

Mr. Colin Pool 

Technologies from Middle Tennessee 

State University in Murfreesboro and 

Bachelor of Arts in History and Bachelor 

of Music degrees from the University of South Alabama. 

See, NEW MEMBERS, page10

Page 7 Humanities and Social Sciences Newsletter 

Department of English and Foreign Languages 

The Department of English and Foreign Languages 

welcomes five new members: Dr. Tiffany Boyd-Adams, 

assistant professor of English; Dr. Emanuel Ngwang, 

professor of English; Dr. David Pardlow, assistant professor 

of English; Dr. Jorge Salvo, associate professor of Spanish. 

Our faculty members continue to engage in research and 

attend conferences and workshops. Dr. Sharynn Owens 

Etheridge attended the UNCF Mellon Faculty Seminar in 

Atlanta, Georgia, July 6-12. Its theme was “UNCF Mellon 

Programs Archival Research Institute Legacies and Treasures: 

Exploring the Archival Collection of Black Intellectual 

Scholar-Activists.” Her research focus was African American 

Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes. 

She also attended the Summative ADEPT Formal 

Evaluation of Classroom-Based Teacher Training recently. 

The training was sponsored by the South Carolina 

Department of Education. 

Dr. Gaynell Gavin’s recent publications include essays 

and a poem: “The Wedding,” Vermont Literary Review, 

XII, 2010, 67-74; “Anarchy Barbie, Attorney-at-Large,” 

“In Brief: An American Tale,” and “Leftovers,” Legal Studies 

Forum XXXIV.2, 2010, 633-650; and “The Change,” 

Arcadia 1, Spring 2010, 77. 

With summer 2010 funding assistance from the Center 

for Excellence in Teaching, Dr. Gavin attended the Rustbelt 

Roethke Writers Conference at Saginaw Valley State 

Study abroad notes 

By Dr. D. Gene Pace, Director of Study Abroad. 

Recently, Claflin University students 

have taken a particular interest in foreign 

study. During the fall 2010 semester alone, 

seven students are studying abroad, a 

larger number than in the previous two 

years combined (2008-2010). Several 

Dr. D. Gene Pace additional students plan to do so during 

the fall 2011 semester. Those studying in 

foreign countries during the fall semester are Carolyn Smith 

(Kenya), 

Brandon Singleton (Japan), Amani Turnage (England), 

Mary Remy (France), Aaron Shepard (Spain), Beije Allen- 

Nichols (Spain), and Afton Anderson (Spain). During the 

previous two years, five of the six Claflin University studyabroad 

students were from Trinidad; the other was from 

the U.S. (five females, one male). This semester, all seven 

University in July. While at the conference, she gave a wellattended 

invited reading at the United Church of Christ in 

Midland, MI. 

Last spring, at the invitation of Dr. Mitch Mackinem, Dr. 

Gavin gave the presentation “Some of My Best Friends are 

Sociologists: Literary Nonfiction and Sociology” as the 

keynote address at the Annual Meeting of the South Carolina 

Sociological Association. 

The Ninth Annual Claflin University Conference on 

Contemporary English and Language Arts Pedagogy in 

Secondary and Postsecondary Institutions was held on 

October 27-29, 2010, in Ministers’ Hall, Claflin University. 

The theme for the Conference was “Locating Voices: 

Community and Literacy.” 

Also joining the department are approximately 10 new 

majors. These students will major in English, English 

Education or American Studies. The Department offers 

majors in English, American Studies, and English Education, 

and minors in the aforementioned subjects and Gender 

Studies, French, Spanish and Theatre. 

Speaking of majors, the Department is proud of the 

accomplishments of all its majors, but would especially like 

to congratulate Tiffany Miller on being named a Woodrow 

Wilson Fellow, and UNCF/Mellon Fellows Isaiah Jones, 

Erin Swinney and Shatavia Wynn. 

study-abroad students are African-American (five females, 

two males). 

Afton Anderson wrote from Spain: “Both Baije and I 

did, indeed, arrive at our destinations safely. As you may 

know, our first destination was London, which I absolutely 

loved! We took a tour of the city and I was amazed by the 

ancient and modern architecture London has to offer. We 

also got a chance to see the queen’s palace, which was a 

phenomenal sight. I was really awed by the richness of the 

city, the shopping, the architecture, the monuments, the 

PEOPLE! It was a different world altogether and I definitely 

would not mind living there one day if I ever got the 

opportunity. We arrived in Granada on Tuesday, where we 

met our host families. I absolutely love ours! Our senora is 

See, STUDY ABROAD, page 8


By Dr. Susan Till 

Dr. Susan Till 

Claflin University’s Eighth Annual Pedagogy Conference 

Dr. Till and students in the linguistics class 

presented a paper entitled “One Poem, 

Many Journeys” at the ninth annual 

Pedagogy Conference sponsored by the 

Department of English and Foreign Languages 

on October 27-29, 2010. In 

their study of how home and community 

experiences 

shape not only 

one’s literacy but also one’s identity, 

the students wrote their own 

“Where I’m From” poems. The 

students created a collective presentation, 

consisting of one stanza 

from each of their individual poems. 

The combined poem reflected 

a collage of life events, beginning 

with birth and ending with 

the present. Each student read her 

original stanza. After the session, 

the student writers/linguists answered 

questions from the audience 

about their insights in constructing 

personal “Where I’m 

From” poems. 

Women in Popular Culture Conference 

Dr. Susan Till presented a paper at the Women in Popular 

Culture Conference held at South Carolina State University, 

October 21-23. Her presentation, entitled “Gender 

Roles in the American South: Voices from The Color Purple 

so nice and she feeds us very well :-) We have already 

started our intensive Spanish courses, where are taught in 

Spanish with not a lick of English! lol but it is great because 

it forces us to use Spanish and learn the language. Even the 

people in Granada, in the stores, restaurants . . . speak 

[no] or little English; so I hope to be fluent when I get 

back. Yesterday, we visited the Alhambra. It was the most 

magnificent sight I have seen since I have been in Granada. 

This fortified palace was jaw-dropping, as every room and 

every ruin held some of the richest history one could only 

imagine. From the Alhambra, there was the most fantastic 

view of the ancient town, which we will be visiting next 

Top Left to Right: Destinee Moore, Danielle Scott, 

Patrice Cooper, Rasheeda Wright, Tasha Smith, 

Bottom Left to Right: Katrina Dickey, Angela Primus, 

Tanika Morrison 

Absent from Photo: Mary Chisolm, Christina Grant, 

Vestina Jackson 

STUDY ABROAD - continued from page 7 

by Alice Walker and Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy 

Allison,” examines the hegemonic origin and structure of 

gender roles in novels written by Southern women. Dr. Till 

contends that societal and institutional structures of hierarchy 

that privilege some and marginalize other are often invisible 

to readers who simply “read literature” rather than 

“study texts.” She explores the paradigm developed by 

the linguist Norman Fairclough for 

critical language study. 

Fairclough provides an approach 

for collective groups, such as college 

and university classes, to unmask 

power structures in language. 

When students critically 

examine the narratives of the female 

protagonists Celie in The 

Color Purple by Alice Walker 

and Bone in Bastard Out of 

Carolina by Dorothy Allison, 

they uncover continuing systems 

of hegemony that reify feminine 

compliance and masculine dominance. 

The novels reveal a patriarchal 

world, reinforced by society, 

church, and family. Walker and 

Allison narrate stories told by young girls imprisoned by 

the normalization of male dominance and female submission, 

a reality that results in violence, which dehumanizes 

perpetrators as well as victims. 

week. I loved the Alhambra as well and if I ever get the 

chance, I will definitely go back :-)” 

We are currently seeking to expand the number of 

exchange programs with foreign institutions to include such 

countries as Turkey, China, Equatorial Guinea, and 

Cameroon. Brandon Singleton’s blog may be found at http:/ 

/neoclassical09injapan.blogspot.com/. Dr. Pace plans to 

collaborate with and support Mr. Lee Tant, assistant 

director of public relations at CU, to sustain an international 

studies blog that will feature all of our students who study 

abroad.

Page 9 

By Dr. Christopher Curtis, Chair 

Department of History and Sociology 

It would be foolish to think that 

research excellence is found only 

in the biotechnology and chemistry 

laboratories at Claflin. After only 

its second year in existence, the 

Department’s Social Science Research 

Initiative is already bearing 

substantial fruit. Last spring, de- 

Dr. C. Curtis partmental students travelled 

across the region to deliver research 

presentations at academic conferences. In March, 

senior Bridget Perry and junior Keara Washington made 

presentations at the Black Psychology Conference hosted 

by Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. 

Perry presented her paper on changing perceptions 

among African Americans on death and mourning, while 

Washington presented her poster analyzing factors that recur 

when domestic abuse devolves into homicide. In April, 

eight students – Shawna Griffin, Karon Hopkins, Nicola 

Whitley, Takiah Corbett, Keara Washington, Tris Thrower, 

Maggie Malloy, and Mary Remy – travelled to Myrtle Beach 

to present papers and posters at the Carolina Undergraduate 

Social Science Symposium (CUSS). It was the fourth 

consecutive year that our students have participated in this 

state-wide conference, but the first time that we had more 

than three students on the program. Karon Hopkins, Mary 

Remy, and Shawna Griffin were awarded $500 scholarships 

to attend the Southern Sociological Society meeting 

in Atlanta. The idea behind these competitive scholarships 

is to expose promising minority students to the habits of the 

discipline and to foster their interest in graduate study. This 

past summer, two of our Politics and Justice Studies majors, 

Kiara Drake and Mary Remy, participated in the Leadership 

Alliance program. Additionally, Natia Marshall (Politics 

and Justice Studies) and Karon Hopkins (Sociology) 

also participated in prestigious summer internship programs 

with the law firm of Rogers, Townsend, and Thomas and 

the Social Security Administration, respectively. We also 

have two students studying away from campus this semester: 

Mary Remy is taking a semester abroad in France, 

while Claros Morean is spending the semester as a Congressional 

intern in Washington, D.C. 

The proliferation of quality research among our students 

is not so surprising when one considers that they are 

simply following in the footsteps of their faculty mentors. 

Our professors continue to set the standards of teaching 


and research excellence at Claflin University with more than 

half of our faculty presenting papers at national, international, 

or regional conferences last spring, and by maintaining a consistent 

pace in peer-reviewed publications. Faculty in the Department 

of History and Sociology are not merely proposing 

to research promising projects; they are producing, and doing 

so on a nationally recognized level. Dr. Kema Irogbe’s 

most recent article, “Food Insecurity in Post-Independent 

Sub-Saharan Africa: Causes and Prospects,” The Journal 

of International Governmental Systems and Structure 

(June 2010), was published in both English and French. Dr. 

Mitchell Mackinem continued his string of publications with 

his essay “Losing Hope: The Production of Failure in Drug 

Court,” Research in Social Problems and Public Policy, 

17 (2010). Dr. Lisa Dilks, in the midst of completing her 

first-year here at Claflin, published what is already becoming 

a widely-acclaimed article, “Socializing Economic Theories 

of Discrimination: Lessons from Survivor” (the television 

show), Social Science Research (2010). Other faculty members 

are achieving national recognition for their scholarship. 

Ms. Anisah Bagasra recently presented a timely paper: “Development 

and Testing of an Acculturation Scale for Muslim 

Americans” at the American Psychological Association Annual 

Conference that was featured in the October issue of 

that association’s leading journal, Monitor on Psychology. 

Dr. Millicent Brown has been named to the Smithsonian 

Institute’s advisory council on the “Civil Rights Oral History 

Project” for the forthcoming Museum of African American 

History, which will open in Washington, D.C., in 2015. 

It might be worthwhile to note that the faculty’s engagement 

and success in research publications has not diminished 

their commitment to teaching excellence. The spring 

student evaluations for departmental faculty were off the 

charts. While the overall performance mean for faculty at the 

university was 3.54 (an impressive number in itself), the departmental 

mean stands at 3.61 with nine of thirteen faculty 

members ranked above the university standard. Five faculty 

members were scored above 3.7. With this kind of personal 

attention and successful learning going on in the classrooms, 

it is easy to see why the department continues to attract students. 

It has been a very busy fall semester for the Department 

already. In August, the departmental office and six of our 

See, HISTORY AND SOCIOLOGY, page 10

Page 10 


Over this past summer, Mr. Pool attended Indiana 

University School of Journalism’s Teaching Fellows 

Workshop. Before coming to Claflin, he worked as an 

independent audio engineer in Nashville, gaining production 

credits on a variety of independent and demonstration 

recordings. As a graduate assistant with MTSU’s Walker 

Library, he helped upgrade the library’s educational 

materials for distance learners, including a series of webbased 

Flash tutorials. And most recently he worked as an 

adjunct at Belmont University, Nashville, TN. 


accomplish, Mr. Pool answered, “I was attracted by the 

location, the small, close-knit community, and the 

opportunity to participate in the building up of the mass 

communications program.” He added, “I hope to prepare 

my students for the professional world, while working to 

increase the prominence of the university.” He says, “One 

short-term goal is preparing the student radio station, 

WCUR, for possible expansion onto the Internet.” 

Mr. Pool is a member of the Audio Engineering Society, 

Alpha Epsilon Rho, Phi Kappa Phi, and Golden Key 

International Honor Society. His interests include electronic 

music composition, college football, and cooking. 

Dr. Jorge Salvo joins us from University of South 

Carolina as an associate professor of Spanish in the 

Department of English and Foreign Languages. 

Dr. Salvo earned his Ph.D. in Spanish American 

literature from Florida State University and his master’s 

faculty members moved into our new location on Goff Avenue. 

We are very pleased with the accommodations, particularly 

since the new house includes a conference room 

in which we can now conduct our departmental meetings 

and Honors seminars. There is also sufficient space for 

expansion that would allow for the entire department to be 

housed in one location and could also provide classroom 

space and a much-needed departmental computer lab. In 

September, the department hosted its Third Annual Politics 

Forum as well. Our students were introduced to and 

engaged prominent, federally-appointed law and justice 

HISTORY AND SOCIOLOGY 

-– continued from page 9 


and bachelor’s degrees in Spanish from 

Florida International University. 

Dr. Salvo proudly says that he wrote 

the first doctoral dissertation on the topic 

of Hispanic African literature, which 

comes from Equatorial Guinea, a small 

Spanish-speaking country in the Gulf of 

Dr. J. Salvo Guinea on the West Coast of Africa. 

Equatorial Guinea is the only Spanishspeaking 

Sub-Saharan country. The dissertation was 

published by the Biblioteca Miguel de Cervantes 

(www.cervantesvirtual.com) of the University of Alicante, 

Spain. He has written number of short stories and a novel, 

which are published in different outlets. 

When asked why he chose Claflin and what he plans 

to accomplish, Dr. Salvo answered, “Because as a private 

institution and a Historically Black College, Claflin provides 

us, faculty, with a sense of purpose, a clear direction in 

which our efforts are part of a vision that brings the whole 

university on a sensible path.” He added, “I plan to 

generate an effort for greater comprehension and 

collaboration between the two bigger minorities in the U.S.: 

African Americans and Hispanics.” 

Dr. Salvo is one of the founders of CESGE (Centro 

de Estudios Guineo Ecuatorianos), the first think tank for 

Equatorial Guinea. 

officers in the forum setting. Participating this year were 

Federal Judge Michelle Childs, US District Attorney Bill 

Nettles, and Federal Marshall Kelvin Washington. And, 

finally, we want to welcome our newest full-time faculty 

member, Dr. Camelia Kantor, who completed her doctoral 

work in Romania over the summer. 

When you try to achieve your goal and fail, 

don’t be disappointed. Accept it and stand up. 

Wipe your tears, study and learn once again. 

You might achieve even more than you’ve 

set out for. 


Page 11 

The Pre-Law Society (PLS) has grown increasingly active 

during my three years at Claflin University. A highlight of 

the 2009-2010 academic year was the informative and wellattended 

second annual law student alumni panel, which 

was held on November 20, 2009. The topic was “Law 

School and Beyond.” Panelists included Harriet Huell 

(chair), then a law student at UNC. Other panelists were 

Chyrra Greene (USC), Krystal Johnson (Charleston), and 

Antoine Marshall (Wake Forest). We missed 2008 panel 

chair, Waverly Gordon (Duke), who was studying abroad 

in Italy. Concluding remarks were made by Drs. Roosevelt 

and Peggy Ratliff. The November 2010 panel is being cochaired 

by Ms. Huell and Mr. Marshall. Another highlight 

occurred in spring 2010 when First Circuit Solicitor David 

Pascoe spoke to the PLS of his life-long dream to become 

a prosecutor and the achievements he finds most meaningful. 

He engaged in a lively question-and-answer session 

with students, covering topics ranging from how he prepared 

for the LSAT to prosecuting a capital murder case. 

Constitution Day brought “An Evening with South 

Carolina’s Federally Appointed Legal and Law Enforcement 

Professionals” on September 17, 2010. Under the 

guidance of Mr. Robert Nance and my co-adviser, Dr. Chris 

Curtis, the PLS co-sponsored this event with the Department 

of History and Sociology. Featured panelists were 

U.S. District Court Judge Michelle Childs, United States 

Attorney for South Carolina William Nettles, and United 

States Marshal for the District of South Carolina Kelvin 

Washington. Tonya Brown, General Assignment Reporter 

at WPDE NewsChannel 15 Presentations were followed 

by a Q-and-A session. After many questions, the panelists 

remained to meet and converse informally with students. 

The following week brought Bryan Jeffries, of the Jeffries 

Law Firm, as the featured speaker at the September PLS 

meeting. Mr. Jeffries’ private practice includes personal injury, 

wrongful death, and criminal defense. He is also a 

part-time First Circuit Assistant Solicitor. Mr. Jeffries explained 

that he does not do criminal defense work in the 

circuit where he prosecutes crimes and elaborated on the 

concept of conflict of interest. He answered many questions 

about his majors before law school (criminal justice 

and English), life as a law student and his subsequent broad 

range of law practice experience. The guest speaker at 

October’s PLS meeting is CU’s own Dr. Caroletta Shuler, 

who brings expertise to share on the CLEO (Council on 

Legal Education Opportunity) program. 


Claflin University Pre-Law Society news 

PLS Member News 

PLS VP Kiara Drake, a senior with a double major in 

American Studies and Politics and Justice Studies (PLJS), 

had her first experience with the Leadership Alliance at 

Yale University in 2009, where she was startled to learn 

that she would research and write a 25-30 page paper. 

Rising to the occasion, she began work on “Legalized Discrimination 

in the Land of Liberty,” arguing against discrimination 

that gay and lesbian Americans continue to face 

regarding the institution of marriage, which formed the basis 

for her senior honors thesis. She also participated in the 

John Marshall Law School Legal Education Access Program, 

which provided an introduction to law school curriculum 

and a Kaplan Law School Admissions Test preparation 

class. Kiara was awarded Best Opening Statement 

and Best Overall Team in a mock trial competition and 

(pending application and acceptance) received a $10,000 

award toward tuition at John Marshall. Her second summer 

with the Leadership Alliance, 2010, was at Cornell 

University, where she took on another constitutional law 

project, “Practicability and Democracy in Antonin Scalia’s 

Originalism and Stephen Breyer’s Living Constitutionalism.” 

Kiara is in the process of applying to law schools. 

Nzingha Hooker, PLS president, interned at the 

Orangeburg County Probate Court under the Honorable 

Pandora Jones-Glover in summer 2010. Nzingha’s many 

duties included preparing case summaries, pre-hearing 

notes, marriage licenses, and other legal documents. She 

attended hearings on settlement of estates, will contests, 

conservatorships, guardianships, commitment of the mentally 

ill, and performance of marriages. Nzingha also attended 

meetings at which the judge decided how she would 

rule and gained knowledge of the legal system’s “inner 

workings.” A senior, Nzingha is now applying to law 

schools. 

In summer 2010, PLS secretary-treasurer and parliamentarian 

Natia Marshall was CU’s first intern at the law 

firm of Rogers Townsend and Thomas, where she took on 

a wide variety of duties in technology, business law, event 

planning, and reports/accounting. She had to learn the firm’s 

data bases quickly and had three supervisors assigning various 

projects with deadlines to her. Under the supervision 

of a corporate attorney, she also had the opportunity to 

replace a paralegal who left for summer vacation. Discussing 

See, PRE-LAW SOCIETY NEWS, page 12

Page 12 

PRE-LAW SOCIETY NEWS 

-- continued from page 11 

her internship, Natia, a junior PLJS major, concluded 

exuberantly, “I greatly appreciate this chance to broaden 

my horizons in the field of law!” 

Alumni News 

Waverly Gordon, who majored in biochemistry at CU, 

went on to obtain a Master of Health Administration at 

The Ohio State University, followed by a JD from Duke 

University in spring 2010. During law school, she interned 

in the Office of the Majority Whip of the U.S. House of 

Representatives, Congressman James E. Clyburn. She 

now serves as a Louis Stokes Urban Health Policy Fellow 

through the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. 

Her fellowship is a 20-month program, which includes 

work on health care issues in the office of Del. 

Donna Christensen, who is the Delegate to the U.S. House 

of Representatives from the Virgin Islands, and on a congressional 

committee with jurisdiction over health care. 

Harriet Huell obtained a BA in mass communications 

from CU, followed by an MA in media studies from The 

Pennsylvania State University in 2007, and a JD from the 

University of North Carolina School of Law in 2010. 

She has joined The Banks Law Firm, P.A., in Research 

Triangle Park, North Carolina. Her areas of concentration 

are commercial real estate, community economic development/affordable 

housing law, and general civil litigation. 

Ms. Huell is licensed to practice in North Carolina 

and the District of Columbia, and will also take the 

South Carolina bar exam. She serves on the Board of 

Directors for the New Beginnings Women’s Resource 

Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, and as General Counsel 

for Kingdom Apostolic Community Worship Center. 

Antoine Marshall graduated from CU with a BA in 

American Studies and is thriving in his second year of 

law school at Wake Forest University. Over the summer 

he worked for the North Carolina Institute of Minority 

Economic Development as a policy analyst. He monitored 

bills at the state and federal levels that affect small 

businesses, HBCUs, home-ownership, loans and debt. 

He also created a database of the evolution of state laws 

affecting minority-, women-, and service-disabled veteran-owned 

businesses. 

Drafted by Dr. Gaynell Gavin, Advisor to the PLS & Pre-Law 

Contributors to this column: Kiara Drake, Waverly Gordon, 

Nzingha Hooker, Harriet Huell, Antoine Marshall, and Natia 

Marshall 

ART DEPARTMENT-continued from page 2 

search consisted of a mining of the question of the relative 

integrity and/or artistic merits of digital arts validity as a medium 

in fine arts production. After attending courses concerning 

both digital and classical forms of fine art production 

during the forum, he was able, after returning home, to recreate 

a project that he had sampled while in residence at SCAD. 

He completed the applied research with an essay that described 

and analyzed his experiences through the use of a 

formal comparative analysis. Finally, he was able to organize 

an opinion as to the visual differences and visual qualities associated 

with the final visual art works. 

Mr. Terrance Robinson, assistant professor, has created 

visual works in several media in visual arts. Over the 

summer months he taught elders at The Oaks of Orangeburg, 

a senior-citizen facility located in the area. The purpose of his 

collage workshop was to provide the elders an opportunity 

to reflect and remember through their individually created 

collages. This autobiographical process caused deep reflection 

on the past and present moments by the participants— 

creating their collages became a moment of art therapy for 

the elders. He continued his applied research at the Art Center 

of Columbia. He is attempting to “discover how clay bodies 

can be manipulated into twists, folds, and planes as elastic, 

plastic, and rubber are.” 

Later, Mr. Robinson presented twelve paintings in a oneperson 

exhibition at the Art Center in Columbia. The exhibition, 

entitled Abstraction: Phase I, was exhibited from August 

21 to September 15, 2010. 

Mr. Robinson has accomplished much in professional 

development during the summer: He attended a screen-printing 

workshop at the Savannah College of Art and Design; took a 

basic welding course at Midland Technical College; and was 

a participant in the UNCF/Claflin University Institute for Teaching 

and Learning. Currently, he is executing the cover design 

for Dr. Ronald Neal’s book, which is entitled Democracy 

21 st Century America: Notes on Race, Class and Religion. 

Finally, he is preparing 

works for the 

following exhibitions: 

Richland County Library, 

Columbia, SC; 

Museum of Nebraska 

Art, Kearney, Nebraska; 

Harvest Food 

Bank, Columbia, SC; 

and the William Percy 

Library, Greenville, 

MS. 


Mr. Robinson with the elders at The 

Oaks of Orangeburg, a 

senior-citizen facility


Department of Mass Communications 

By Dr. Donna Gough, Chair 

Dr. Donna Gough 

Faculty and students in the Department 

of Mass Communications are looking 

forward to another great year. The 

Panther, WCUT Television and 

WCUR Radio are ready for another 

slate of programs. Under the direction 

of Journalist-in-Residence Mr. Lee 

Harter, The Panther is headed by Editor Brittany Brown, 

Assistant Editor Jessica Taylor, and Photographer Kemet 

Alston. Under the direction of faculty member Mr. Colin 

Pool, the campus radio station, WCUR, is headed by Station 

Manager Antonio Shands, Program Director Asa 

Gillyard, and Music Director Jonqwel Prioleau. Under the 

direction of Mr. Michael Fairwell, the campus television station, 

WCUT, is headed by Station Manager Kalen Robinson, 

Program Director Jessica Brown, and Production Manager 

Nicholas Jackson. 

Mass Communications supports the internship efforts of 

students. The following are some of the internships that students 

participated in this year: Steven Dial interned at WGCL 

CBS Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia; Donique Tyler interned in 

the Public Relations Department for the Richmond Raiders 

Arena Football Team in Richmond, Virginia; Janda Anderson 

interned at Publix in Savannah, Georgia; Yolanda 

Middleton interned at Dash Promotions in Atlanta, Georgia; 

Latisha Ford interned at Shawn Johnson & Associates in 

Charleston, South Carolina, … The names of those on the 

interns list goes on too long to include all the names. In addition 

to internships, students attend workshops to receive additional 

training and career fairs to learn about employment 

opportunities. Tony Talley and Alan Brooks attended the 

Center of Excellence Advertising Boot Camp at Howard 

University in Washington, DC, this summer. 

Department of Mass Communications faculty were involved 

in a number of professional activities over the summer. 

Ms. Yolanda McCutchen and Mr. Colin Pool were accepted 

into the Indiana University School of Journalism 

Teaching Fellowship Program, June 13 – 17, 2010, in 

Bloomington, Indiana. The program provides training for faculty 

new to teaching in the field of mass communications. 

Ms. Yolanda 

McCutchen served as a 

judge for the Casey Medals, 

a national journalism 

Ms. McCutchen serves as a judge 

award given by the Journalism 

Center on Children 

& Families and the Phillip Merrill College of Journalism at 

the University of Maryland. Ms. McCutchen delivered the 

keynote address at the T. Howard Foundation’s Internship 

Orientation, attended the National Association of Black Journalists 

Convention in San Diego, California, and attended 

the Blogging While Brown Conference in Washington, DC. 

Also, Ms. McCutchen served as a judge for the Oklahoma 

Speech Theatre Communication Association’s 2010 Convention 

Student Public Relations Competition and participated 

on a panel with her presentation, entitled “Reality PR 

& Mass Communication Education.” 

Dr. Donna Gough served as the vice president of the 

Oklahoma Speech Theatre Communication Association 

(OSTCA) and was responsible for planning the OSTCA 

2010 Convention held on September 11, 2010, at Rogers 

State University in Claremore, Oklahoma. Dr. Gough became 

the president of OSTCA during the convention and, 

as a result, is the first woman to be the president of both 

statewide organizations, the Oklahoma Speech Theatre 

Communication Association and the Oklahoma Broadcast 

Education Association. 

Dr. Julian Williams and Dr. Nathaniel Frederick attended 

a conference on Saturday, September 25, 2010, in Atlanta, 

Georgia. The conference, “Media Law in the Digital Age: 

What You Need To Know,” was sponsored by Kennesaw 

State University and Harvard Law School. Dr. Williams will 

be presenting a paper entitled “Man at the Microphone: Jesse 

Helms’ Early Years As a Broadcaster,” at the annual convention 

of the American Journalism Historians Association. 

The convention will be held in Tucson, Arizona, on October 

6-9, 2010. 

The Department of Mass Communications has been selected 

to develop two major initiatives for the university. The 

first initiative is the partnership between Claflin University 

and Boston University (BU) that was established to provide 

exchange programs for students and faculty and to assist 

program graduates with seamless matriculation into the 

graduate program in communication at BU. Claflin mass communications 

majors Kristen Bell, 

Andre Rodriguez, Kelli Marie 

Carroll, and Jarrell Rogers, along 

with department chair Dr. Donna 

Gough, traveled to Boston to attend 

the BU Matriculation events, 

August 29 - September 1, 2010. Mass Comm. students at BU 

See MASS COMMUNICATIONS, page 17

Page 14 

By Dr. Isaiah McGee, Chair 

Dr. Meisha Adderley was a 

recipient of a 2010 Faculty 

Summer Research Grant from 

Claflin University’s Center for 

Excellence in Teaching. As a 

component of the grant project, 

Adderley recorded a CD of works 

by Afro-American female 

Dr. Isaiah McGee composers with GEM Recording 

Studios. The project culminated in 

a presentation at the World Piano Conference in Novi Sad, 

Serbia, where she designed a lecture that investigated the 

lives of the female composers and provided a detailed 

analysis of their concert piano works. 

Dr. Richard House, director of University bands, 

authored two music reviews for the trumpet ensemble works 

Newton Antiphonies by Carson P. Cooman and Fantasy 

Fanfare by Michael Bretz. The reviews were published in 

the June 2010 International Trumpet Guild Journal. A 

third review for the brass ensemble arrangement of Modest 

Mussorgsky’s “The Great Gate of Kiev” from Pictures at 

an Exhibition will be published in January 2011. 

On February 23, 2010, Dr. Meisha Adderley and 

Ms. Stacey Holliday, faculty pianists, performed a duo 

piano recital for the Art of Music series at the Columbia 

Dr. Adderley and 

Ms. Holiday 

Music Department 


Museum of Art. In addition to works from the 17th – 21st 

centuries, the concert featured a world premiere by South 

Carolina composer and Associate Vice President for 

Academic Affairs (Claflin University) Dr. Cedric Adderley. 

Dr. Laura J. Keith was invited to serve on the Music 

Content Advisory Committee of the National Evaluation 

Series for Pearson Publishing Company during the week of 

July 19, 2010, in St. Louis, Missouri. During the National 

Benchmark Conference, K-12 educators and university 

faculty members from across the country met to recommend 

a performance level that would be expected of an entrylevel 

educator in each field, with Dr. Keith serving in the 

area of music. 

2010 Graduate Amanda Bailey is currently attending 

Johnson and Wales University of Culinary Arts in Charlotte, 

NC. 

2010 Graduate Curtis Bates is currently assistant band 

director at Columbia High School in Columbia, SC, where 

he also serves as a substitute teacher. He plans to attend 

graduate school at the University of South Carolina in Fall 

2011. 

2010 Graduate Titus Gant is pursuing a graduate degree 

in Jazz Studies at North Carolina Central University in 

Durham, NC. 

Recording contract offered by Albany Records to two 

Music faculty members 

Dr. Meisha Adderley, assistant 

professor of music/piano, and Ms. 

Stacey Holliday, instructor of music 

and accompanist for the Department, 

recently signed with Albany Records, 

one of the most prominent classical 

record labels in the country. 

Scheduled to be released in Spring 

2012, their CD will be comprised of 

60-79 minutes of piano duo and solo 

works by Afro-American composers. Recently, the pianists 

were contacted by Susan Bush, president of Albany 

Records, who commended them on their choice of 

repertoire and their “fine playing” on their demo CD. 

To date, no piano duets by Afro-American composers 

have been recorded. The Center for Black Music Research 

at Columbia College in Chicago holds the unpublished piano 

duet scores of eight Afro-American composers in its 

archives. Over the past year, Dr. Adderley and Ms. Holliday 

have been uncovering these concert duet works as well as 

solo works by Afro-Americans, performing them at various 

venues throughout the country. Although a considerable 

amount of Afro-American piano music has been written, 

further scholarly research and recordings are needed to 

uncover and document the composers and their works and 

to spark an interest in their obvious value. As we move 

farther into the twenty-first century with a transformed 

interest in the music of Afro-Americans, the duets and solo 

works of Afro-American composers on the CD will be 

veritable treasures for listening, analysis, future study, and 

performance.

Page 15 

By Dr. Daniel Hembree, Chair 

Philosophy and Religion Department 

The Department of Philosophy and Religion 

remains committed to the views, values and 

guiding principles of Claflin University by ensuring 

that their graduates are equipped with 

the necessary tools and skills needed to navigate 

through the world. Three of our students 

graduated in May and are now gradu- 

Dr. Hembree ate students in religious and theological studies. 

Jessica Baker is a first-year student at 

Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in the Master of 

Divinity program. Jamal Wilkerson was accepted into the 

School of Divinity at Howard University, while Marcus Givens 

is currently enrolled at Springfield College in Charleston, 

SC, working toward a master’s degree in community 

counseling. They join the list of recent alumni from our pro- 

By Ms. Anisah Bagasra 

Ms. Anisah Bagasra, an instructor of psychology 

in the Department of History and 

Sociology, has spent the last several years 

exploring issues pertinent to the Muslim community 

in the United States. The results of her 

Ms. Bagasra 

doctoral research are beginning to garner attention 

in the psychological community, and serve to fill existing 

gaps in current knowledge regarding acculturation, 

religious commitment, and Muslim Americans’ perceptions 

of mental illness. The initial goal of her research was to understand 

how Muslims in America view mental illness, what 

they attribute as the cause of mental illness, and attitudes 

toward various treatment options. In addition, her research 

explores help-seeking preferences and allowed participants 

to share personal experiences with mental illness and mental 

health providers. The results of the open-ended portion 

of her study have revealed mixed experiences with American 

mental health care providers, and a heavy reliance among 

participants on religious-based coping mechanisms. The 

results of the close-ended survey suggest that, when faced 

with general questions about mental illness, Muslim Americans 

attribute mental illness to various causes, both Western 

clinical ideas of causation and cultural and spiritual attributions. 

Muslim Americans are also likely to endorse both 

spiritual and psychotherapeutic interventions over medica- 


gram who are currently pursuing graduate degrees in theology 

and law. 

We begin the 2010-2011 academic year with both excitement 

and anticipation of meeting new students enrolled 

in the philosophy and religion program. We are also pleased 

to welcome our new faculty member, the Rev. Dr. Robin 

Dease, to our department. The Rev. Dease is a Claflin University 

alumna. She received both the Master of Divinity 

and Doctorate of Ministry degrees from Wesley Theological 

Seminary in Washington, DC, where Claflin University 

alumna Lakisha Lockhart is enrolled. She comes to our 

department with great experience and will serve as an adjunct 

professor teaching courses in the Bible. She currently 

serves as the pastor of John Wesley United Methodist Church 

in Greenville, SC. We extend a big welcome to the Rev. 

Dease, and we are excited about her being here at Claflin 

University. 

Claflin instructor’s research focuses on Muslim Americans 

tion. Help-seeking preferences among participants reflect 

existing literature that shows a preference to turn to family 

and friends before seeking outside help. The secondary part 

of this study examined the role of acculturation and religious 

commitment as possible mediating factors in perceptions of 

mental illness. Though no solid relationship appeared in the 

statistical analysis, the research led to the development of 

two new psychosocial instruments – an acculturation scale 

for Muslim Americans and a Muslim religious commitment 

scale. The development and testing of these scales has led 

Ms. Bagasra to present the results at major national conferences. 

In August, she traveled to San Diego to present at 

the Annual American Psychological Association Convention. 

The presentation was well-received and led to a report 

in October’s edition of the Monitor on Psychology. 

Later this month, she traveled to Atlanta to present at the 

American Academy of Religion’s Annual meeting regarding 

Muslim identity formation in the 21 st century. Initial results 

from her doctoral presentation were also presented at the 

Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) 

in New Orleans in June, highlighting the help-seeking preferences 

and experiences with mental health practitioners of 

Muslim participants. Ms. Bagasra is now awaiting the final 

approval of her dissertation and has plans to continue with 

her research and publish the results in academic journals.

Page 16 

POSITIVE DIFFERENCE -- continued from page 1 

happy because they know that they 

are making others happy by instilling 

justice in society. It is better to join 

the team of uplifters than those who 

always stand at the bottom in order 

to pull someone else down. Thank 

God Almighty that the number of pessimists 

is far exceeded by the number 

Mandakini Hiremath of positive contributors. 

Reflecting on a situation like this 

makes me ponder President Henry N. Tisdale’s favorite 

“Paradoxical Commandments of Leadership,” produced 

by Kent Keith. He read these at the conclusion of his spring 

semester address to Claflin faculty and staff at the Honors 

and Recognition Ceremony. 

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered: 

Love them anyway. 2. If you do good, people will accuse 

you of selfish, ulterior motives: Do good anyway. 3. If you 

are successful, you win false friends and true enemies: succeed 

anyway. 4. The good you do today will be forgotten 

tomorrow: Do good anyway. 5. Honesty and frankness 

makes you vulnerable: Be honest and frank anyway. 6. 

The biggest men (and women) with the biggest ideas can 

be shot down by the smallest men (and women) with the 

smallest minds: Think big anyway. 7. People favor underdogs 

but follow only top dogs: Fight for a few underdogs 

anyway. 8. What you spend years building may be destroyed 

overnight: Build anyway. 9. People really need 

help but may attack you if you do help them: Help them 

anyway. 10. Give the world the best you have and you will 

get kicked in the teeth: Give the world the best you have 

anyway. 

Obviously, Dr. Tisdale has modeled these commandments 

in faith and proved himself as an outstanding leader 

not just to the Claflin University family but also to the larger 

community by setting an example, by not just demanding 

that his co-workers follow these commandments but showing 

them how to incorporate them in their daily lives. In 

addition, since it is human to forget or overlook these principles 

for selfish reasons or at times for no reason, Dr. Tisdale 

reminds us time and again of his belief: Life would be a lot 

happier if we praised the good we see, for there’s such a 

lot of goodness in the worst of each one. 


He admonishes us to be kinder and fair. In the words 

of “I Know Something Good about You,” a poem he 

shares with us, he asks, “Wouldn’t it be nice to practice 

this fine way of thinking too—‘You know something good 

about me. / I know something good about you!’” While 

speaking at the 2002 Matriculation Day convocation, he 

read the poem “The Cold Within” to stress the importance 

of unity. (“The Cold Within” is about six people 

trapped by coincidence in black and bitter cold. Each one 

possesses a stick of wood. While their dying fire is in need 

of logs, everyone holds his/her log back, for the first one 

notices that one of the others is black; the next man sees 

one who doesn’t go to his church; the third one sits in 

tattered clothes and asks why his log should be put to use 

to warm the idle rich. The rich man just sits back and 

thinks of the wealth that he has earned and how he keeps 

what he has earned from the “lazy shiftless poor”; the black 

man’s face speaks revenge as the fire passes from his sight, 

for all he sees in his stick of wood is a chance to spite the 

white men; and the last man in this forlorn group believes 

in giving only to those who give. Holding their logs in their 

tight fists, all six die, not from the cold without, but from 

the cold within. As the unknown poet puts it, their acts 

were “a proof of human sin.”) 

Dr. Tisdale concluded his address by enumerating 

the lessons learned through the building of Noah’s ark. 

Dr. Tisdale always stresses the importance of co-workers 

getting along and working together as a family, the Claflin 

University family. 

As Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner has 

stated, “Make each day a good day. Try to do a little 

good each day, for you don’t know how many more days 

you have got on this earth.” 

Our time on earth is precious and limited, so make it 

strategic and execute it wisely. As we end each day, let’s 

thank the people that lend a hand to justice and teach us 

how to be positive contributors. Let’s pray and thank the 

Lord for the bounty of kindness and love He has placed 

on this earth to make each life specially gifted, precious 

and worth living. 

It is always better to light a 

candle than to blame the darkness.

Page 17 


On the afternoon of 

Wednesday, November 27, Dr. 

Kod Igwe, professor of art at 

Claflin University, helped 

Orangeburg Mayor Paul Miller 

unveil the sculpture “Revivification” 

at the Orangeburg County Fine 

Arts Center. Saying, “The 

sculpture fits with the city’s 

revitalization efforts…. This gives 

a nice new setting to the front of 

the Arts Center,” the Mayor added, 

“I want to accept this treasure that 

we will have for many, many years 

to come.” Parks and Recreation 

Director Buster Smith said the new 

landscaping and Igwe’s sculpture 

“Revivification” adorns Art Center entrance 

add color to Edisto Memorial Gardens. Orangeburg 

County Fine Arts Center Executive Director Beth Thomas 

opined that the sculpture and landscaping give another 

attractive entrance to the gardens. 

By donating this beautiful piece of abstract art, Dr. Igwe 

desires to create an environment where we as people will 

continue to know that art is very important in the city of 

Orangeburg. Beneath the psychology of the conscious 

mind, what the eyes see is different from the true nature of 

an object. We only see what is on the surface, not what is. 

Larry Hardy/T&D 

Claflin University Professor Dr. Kod Igwe and 

Orangeburg Mayor Paul Miller unveil the sculpture 

“Revivification” at the Orangeburg County Fine Arts 

Center. 

MASS COMMUNICATIONS – continued from page 13 

Claflin students had several meetings with various BU officials 

throughout the trip. The BU officials included Mass 

Communications Exchange Program Coordinator and Professor 

Jo O’Connor, Dr. Kenn Elmore, Dean of Students; 

Dr. Tom Fiedler, Dean of the College of Communication; 

Dr. Urbain (Ben) De Winter, the Associate Provost for the 

International Programs, and Ms. Katherine Kennedy, the 

director of the Howard Thurman Center for Race, Culture 

& Ethnicity. 

The purpose 

of the trip was 

to generate 

interest in the 

Student & 

Team Claflin members meet with BU officials 

Faculty Ex- 


This abstract piece of art will 

continue to stump interpretive 

minds. Great interpretation is 

sealed with a plea of confidence. 

It conveys the message of life, 

growth, prosperity, and the 

struggle in between. This art 

represents growth, which is an 

element of existence; in art, this 

growth is seen as a continuation 

of existence in the life of the city of 

Orangeburg. It is said, “Beauty in 

things exists merely in the mind 

which contemplates them” and 

“Beauty is in the eye of the 

beholder.” Sculptor Igwe’s 

sculpture “Revivification,” an 

abstract work of art, stands 

proudly symbolizing the City of Orangeburg, its coming to 

life and resurgence; it invites varied symbolic interpretations 

from different beholders. 

Dr. Igwe says, “In my art, I seek perfection. I believe 

that my art will endlessly continue to express the impressions 

that are visualized by the human mind and captivated by my 

thoughts. As aspects of my world continue to evolve, I bring 

my vast emotions to formulate my timeless art, which speaks 

to my soul. For my art, growth is my element of existence.” 

And we all know growth is evidence of life. 

change Program and the Seamless Graduate School Matriculation 

Program, to meet with BU officials to begin to 

finalize the procedures for the exchange, and to get answers 

to questions that students have concerning the program. 

The second initiative is the Cooperative Learning Program 

at the BMW Corporation. Mass Communications major 

Sharon Hadden is the first Claflin University student to be 

selected to participate in this program. As a result, the department 

faculty and chair and the Dean of the School of 

Humanities and Social Sciences together with Academic 

Affairs, Student Affairs, and the Career Development Office 

have been working together to develop and implement 

guidelines for this program. Ms. Hadden is currently onsite 

at BMW and works in the test analysis division.

Page 18 


Remembering Dr. Preston Blakely 

From the Department Chair, Dr. Donna L. Gough 

I had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Preston Blakely for 

only a short time. But even so, Dr. Blakely made an impact 

on me with his kindness, sharp wit and indomitable spirit. 

As the chair of the department, I knew that Dr. Blakely had 

devoted his life to the media profession and to teaching 

students. 

He began his career at Hampton 

University, where he taught classes and 

produced television programs and 

special videos for the university in 

conjunction with the local ABC affiliate. 

Then, Dr. Blakely became a marketing 

sales representative for Viacom 

Cablevision in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Later, he became a general manager for 

WCLK-FM, the National Public Radio 

affiliate at Clark Atlanta University in 

Atlanta, Georgia; and then, he became 

the general manager at WEAA-FM, 

the National Public Radio affiliate at 

Morgan State University in Baltimore, 

Maryland. Dr. Blakely made his way 

to Claflin University in 2006 and served 

as the department chair during the 

2007-2008 school year. Dr. Blakely 

promoted the importance of media education to both 

students and the community. He spent most of his working 

life in and around universities and influenced the 

lives and minds of many. 

I went to the online tribute for Dr. Blakely that was 

published by The Morning Journal in Lorain, Ohio, Dr. 

Blakely’s hometown. There I read the tributes to Dr. Blakely 

from his friends, colleagues and former students. 

One person wrote, “I am deeply saddened of the news 

of Dr. Preston Blakely. A great man who taught me so much. 

He was a mentor, co-worker and friend. I miss him already. 

His legacy will live on through his family, his students and 

those of us whom he molded into professionals. 

Another wrote, “Preston hired me as his Music Director 

of WEAA/Morgan State University - my first job out of 

college. He gave me the break that, after sending 51 resumes 

and air check tapes and hearing nothing back, I thought I 

would never get. For this I am eternally grateful. In his own 

special way, Preston led and developed the next generation 

of professionals. Anyone who has worked with him or 

Dr. Preston Blakely 

Dr. Preston Blakely 

learned from him knows how special he was. Thank you 

for everything, dear brother.” 

And another wrote, “Dr. Blakely, Thank You for being 

such a great person and working so well with me my first 

year of college. I will never forget you or the hard work 

you made me put in. I remember all of 

the times I’ve made you laugh and smile 

and I’ll never forget them. I’m very glad 

to say I have had the opportunity to have 

you in my life as a leader and an 

outstanding professor.” 

One of the most moving tributes was 

from his former colleagues at Morgan 

State University: 

On behalf of the Morgan State 

University Community, I express to the 

family of Dr. Preston Blakely our 

condolences on his sudden passing. For 

many years, Dr. Blakely was one of the 

major intellectual forces on Morgan’s 

campus as general manager of the 

award-winning WEAA-FM Radio 

Station and, later, as assistant professor 

of communication studies. Dr. Blakely 

played a major role in mentoring a 

generation of radio personalities and professionals and in 

training a generation of mass communications graduates at 

Morgan. They bear the imprint of his professionalism and 

his inspiring instruction and guidance. Though we have lost 

his physical presence and will miss his “individual being,” 

we are comforted to know that the presence of his absence 

does not mean the absence of his presence in our lives. 

Preston will live with us forever, and the records of Morgan 

State University will always speak of his remarkable 

contribution to the education of our students. 

But the tribute with which I most identify was the one 

that said, “Dear Preston: The last time we spoke, I was 

teasing you. I always got a kick out of seeing you smile. 

Most of the time you had a very serious look on your face.” 

I remember one afternoon, shortly after I had arrived 

at Claflin, Dr. Blakely came to see me. I, too, thought that 

he looked like a very stern and serious no-nonsense person. 

But, before our meeting was over, the two of us were almost 

rolling on the floor because we were laughing so hard. I 

See, DEPARTMENT CHAIR, page 19 


Page 19 

Although I only had the pleasure of being in a class 

of six students with Dr. Blakely for one semester, I’ll 

never forget his unique teaching approach. His students 

would be sure to hear the frequent “But why?” or “I just 

don’t understand” partnered with a puzzled expression. 

I can say he was the first professor I’ve had that declined 

to sugarcoat his advice on my personal career path. I 

remember turning in my final the last week of school and 

saying, “See you next semester,” anticipating his next 

course. It finally hits hard that I won’t be able to receive 

any more of his much appreciated insight. Dr. Blakely, 

you will be truly missed. 

By Jeremy Holder 


Remembering Dr. Blakely -- continued from page 18 

DEPARTMENT CHAIR - continued from page 18 Dr. Blakely will certainly be missed 

don’t even remember what we were laughing about, but 

I remember the twinkle in Dr. Blakely’s eye and the smile 

on his face. 

I saw that twinkle again when we were in meetings 

and later, when he and I attended the Broadcast 

Education Association National Convention in Las Vegas. 

The two of us were meeting to divide up sessions between 

us so that we could cover more presentations and 

represent Claflin at both of the district meetings. 

While we were talking, I asked him how his trip had 

been and how he was enjoying Las Vegas. In his very 

minimal and quiet way, he told me that things were fine. 

I, of course, saw my opportunity to tease him. I told him 

that I thought his account of his trip was more than a bit 

boring and if that was all that he was going to say, then I 

was going to come back to Claflin with a big story about 

him, a Las Vegas show girl and the police. Of course, he 

admonished me with a very strong, “Don’t you dare!” 

But I noticed once again the twinkle in his eye and the 

smile on his face. 

Dr. Blakely worked hard, always cared for and about 

students, especially during the times when he had to be 

tough, assisted young people with employment 

opportunities and always, always had time for a good 

laugh. We will miss him very much. 

Dr. Blakely, you will be truly missed 

I first met Dr. Preston Blakely in 2006, when he came 

to Claflin to interview for the position of associate professor 

of mass communications. Over the next few years, 

I really got a chance to know him well. He often came 

by my office to discuss academic issues and policies. 

Through our visits, I became aware that he was a serious, 

humble, caring and warm-hearted gentleman with a 

keen sense of humor. We shared many laughs over the 

years. Dr. Blakely was diligent in teaching his students. 

From 2007-2008, he served as acting chair of the Mass 

Communications Department. Dr. Blakely will certainly 

be missed for his unwavering loyalty and support of his 

dean and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, 

the professional and personal mentoring of our mass 

communication students and the overall contributions 

that he made to Claflin University. 

By Dr. Peggy S.Ratliff 

Your presence will truly be missed 

Your presence will truly be missed 

They are all gone into the world of light, 

And I alone sit lingering here; 

Their very memory is fair and bright, 

And my sad thoughts doth clear. 

Dr. Preston Blakely, your presence will truly be missed 

and you have definitely touched several lives in the 

Department of Mass Communications. You were a great 

leader, colleague and father figure. 

By Michael Fairwell 

Dr. Blakely was a very private 

but highly respected person 

Although Dr. Blakely was a very private person, he 

was highly respected by the Department of Mass 

Communications. His students loved him. I believe that 

he would want the faculty and staff to press on to the 

goal that President Tisdale spoke of earlier this school 

year – that is, the goal of making Claflin a world-class 

institution. 

By Dr. Julian M. Williams


MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR 

Love Hope Joy Peace 

To those 

we love -and 

see each day 

And other loved ones 

far away 

To all good friends 

whose friendship means so much 

And those with whom 

we are somehow out of touch 

Season’s Greetings from 

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences 

Wishing you every happiness this holiday season 

and throughout the coming year

Spring 2010 - Claflin University

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