• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Fall 2007::Vol.1 No.2 InsideEDGE: 4 GGC’s Director of Facili- ties Maurice Blount is keeping campus construction on track. 7 Students and faculty at Georgia Gwinnett College celebrated National Chemistry Week on October 22 and 23 by making homemade ice cream using liquid nitrogen as the freezing agent. Steffi Simon (L) stirs the bowl of ingredients as fellow chemistry student Sarah Iqbal (R) pours nitrogen into the bowl. Steffi and Sarah are just two examples of students blossoming into tomorrow’s leaders. Mr. Gladston Mealor GGC and Its Students: Building & Blossoming and family donated the college’s first major gift. by Creston Mapes “The faculty and staff sincerely care about students and are strongly committed to making sure that each student meets 8 The students of Georgia Gwinnett College come from all his or her personal goals,” says Torres. “My professors walks of life, but the one thing they have in common is the continually encourage me to push my limits. Without them, I desire to be part of an innovative college that’s doing higher probably wouldn’t have decided to attend graduate school.” education differently—and preparing them to fulfill their Rico’s hobbies include snowboarding and spending time career paths and their dreams. with friends. With a major in business administration, a Rico Torres, 22, of Fort Gordon, Georgia, says he had a “less concentration in marketing and plans to earn his MBA, than stellar” grade point average from a two-year college Rico hopes to work within the University System of Secretary of State Karen where he earned a degree that felt meaningless, but when he Georgia or become the president of an organization. Handel met with Presi- transferred to GGC, things began to change. “Over a one-year Andrea Ide, a 22-year-old psychology major from dent Daniel J. Kaufman to hear GGC’s plans for period I’ve turned into a student with true passion for my Suwanee, Georgia, says the students who are fortunate future growth. education and a 3.5 GPA. GGC has made a significant impact enough to get in on the ground floor at GGC are not on my growth.” viewed merely as students, but as an “integral” group Rico, who works full-time at the Publix Distribution Center of people who are actually helping build the “Campus and part-time in GGC’s Library, has a full class load and is of Tomorrow.” Andrea has played a key role in starting involved with the Student Government Association (SGA), two of the six new clubs on campus, serving as secretary the Organization of Latin American Studies, and is starting a for the SGA and Psychology Club. “Everyone around new club, the Business Students Association. me has encouraged me to be involved at GGC,” says Continued on page 5 Faculty “Psyched” to Help Build the “Campus of Tomorrow” by Creston Mapes Holly Haynes grew up in Gwinnett County, graduated from Meadowcreek High School and went on to earn, count them, three degrees from Harvard. Why did she choose to become a professor of psychology at Georgia Gwinnett College? For largely the same reason as the other 85 new professors leading classes at GGC—she wants to help design and build the “Campus of Tomorrow” where students are being inspired for greatness. “I want to encourage the student who has Georgia Gwinnett’s 85 new professors attended been told ‘No you can’t’ one too many times an orientation August 1-15 to prepare them for that he or she can build a great future,” says the Fall 2007 freshman class. More than 1500 applications were received from individuals at Haynes. “I want to inspire students to think universities across the nation. Continued on page 2 Faculty “Psyched” continued from page 1. critically about how they can change the “The reason for all of us wanting to come “During orientation, new faculty members world. Harvard teaches you about critical here is multi-faceted, but I’m willing to bet gained a clearer picture of the College’s thinking, taking risks and being a voice for there is one underlying theme,” says GGC mission and vision, and they’ve begun to change, and GGC is the perfect place for me Biology Professor Christopher Brandon Jr., understand how unique we are,” says Victoria to put my training to the test. There’s so much “and that’s to be able to come to a brand new Johnson, dean of the school of business. opportunity to create here at GGC.” institution of higher learning where teaching “A camaraderie has formed among our Haynes is not alone. She is joined by is the central activity, and where we can build professors. This is a very exciting time as they seasoned professors from across the country, the College from the ground up, the way we embrace our mission, vision and priorities.” each carrying Ph.D. degrees from top-tier want it, not just as another college.” Indeed, a genuine buzz of excitement is institutions such as Harvard University, After two weeks of intensive orientation for reverberating throughout the GGC campus, as Central Michigan University, Emory the new faculty in August, which included new friendships form, classrooms come alive University, University of Georgia, Oglethorpe workshops covering the history of GGC, with discussion and Georgia’s newest college University, Seattle University, Cairo University, strategic vision, team building, technology, in 100 years takes shape. Florida State University, University of Miami and mentoring, the professors are more and many others. inspired than ever. What she loves What he loves What she loves most about GGC: most about GGC: most about GGC: “I love that we are “What I love most “I love the creating a learning is the innovative excitement and community philosophy that challenge of that supports exists here. We starting a new the holistic are given the institution and development of freedom to try the creativity, students. I like the anything in an innovation, and fact that everyone effort to enhance leadership of the is engaged in a the classroom administration Professor: Holly A. Haynes common purpose. Professor: Christopher Brandon Jr. experience. Professor: Victoria Johnson and faculty.” Position: Assistant Professor I have forged some Position: Assistant Professor This includes Position: Dean of the School of Psychology of Biology of Business Classes she teaches: great relationships Classes he teaches: Principles of technology Classes she teaches: Teaching Introduction to Psychology, with the students, Biology I & II, Cell Biology, Labs, and teaching and Research in Ethics, Leadership Introduction of Developmental staff, faculty and Microbiology and Anatomy, techniques. If and Strategy, Senior Business Psychology, Senior Project administration. Physiology something doesn’t Capstone Proposal, Writing for Psychology Educational credentials: Ph.D. Educational credentials: Ph.D. Educational credentials: The environment and master’s degrees from the work, we scrap it from the University of Georgia; Doctorate, master’s and bachelor’s is one that makes College of Veterinary Medicine and try something master’s and bachelor’s degrees degrees from Harvard University. you thrive!” at the University of Georgia; brand new.” from Georgia State University. bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky. Teachers and style video centered on conservation biology. Elsewhere, Assistant Professor Meg Keiley- Students Bring Listermann is applying new technology to enliven her discussion of political science. She Classroom has introduced streaming video segments in the classroom to offer a more vivid presenta- Technology to Life tion of her topic. She also “captures” the class by Jeff Corbin sessions, so students can have access to all the recorded audio and presentation slides they For Bagie George, having a cell phone was experienced in the class which helps them in simply a convenience for long car trips or their review. This allows Listermann to extend something to be left locked in the office, not a the classroom experience beyond face-to-face tool for daily tasks. sessions. But the professor of biology was one of She also offers recorded mini-lectures for GGC’s faculty members who jumped into the students to watch and then submit questions early pilot project to incorporate cell phones in before the class even starts. “That gives me the classroom. the ability to target a particular aspect of the “I was never one of those people who car- content and be more prepared,” she says. “The ried around a cell phone,” George says. “Now discussion in the classroom is much more I’m one of those people who always has a cell rich, the questions are more sophisticated and GGC Freshman Scott Ake experiences the College’s high- phone with them. That was a hard thing for students are displaying critical thinking, which tech classroom environment first-hand. me to accept at first; I was excited, but I was is the goal.” still kind of hesitant.” Freshman Scott Ake, a student of Lister- gradual learning process. And I like the tech- George has found ways to use phones in her mann, says all the available technology is nology; it’s really useful.” coursework for the benefit of students. First, helping him focus on the material more than But the college is not unveiling resources for she assigned students with the task of photo- worrying about taking notes. the sake of promoting their tech prowess. graphing three different insects in a particular “The teachers already have their lectures Kristine Nagel, associate vice president for order using camera phones. Students then set up,” Ake says. “All the lectures are pretty technical development and evaluation, said submitted the photos electronically. much in PowerPoint presentations, and they the GGC approach to technology differs from Some of the images were hard to identify are posted on the teachers’ WebCTs.

Load more

  8

Copy Link