The Official Magazine of the College of Coastal Georgia Fall 2015 Brightwork

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE COLLEGE OF COASTAL GEORGIA FALL 2015 BRIGHTWORK In this issue 2 ....................................Loud and Proud: CCGA Pep Band 4 ...............................................Student Profile: Harvest Hale 5 ......................................................Overboard Entertainment 6 ............................................................Interdisciplinary Studies 8 ...................................................................Spring Sports Recap 11 .......................................................Brandies Goes For Gold 12 ..........................................SGA President, Robert Mydell 14 .............................................................................Mariner Village 16 .................................................Student Profile: Kyle Meyer 18 ...............................................Nursing: Above and Beyond 20 ............................................. Radiologic Sciences Program 21 ...............................Student Profile: Samantha Womack 22 .......................................Student Profile: Jonathan Parker 23 ................ Student Profile: Michelle Thompson Smith 24 .................................. Student Profile: Jonathan Erickson 25 .........................Careerlink: Linking Students With Jobs 26 ........................................Alumnus Profile: Philip Lyons, Jr. 27 ..................................................................................Class Notes 28 ..........................................................Faculty and Staff News Brightwork is produced by the Office of Advancement for the College of Coastal Georgia with the support of Advancementthe College of Coastal Office Georgia Foundation. Mick Cumbie, Vice President for Advancement John Cornell, Director of Marketing and PR Peggy Golden, Staff Writer/Special Projects Sandy Ault, Assistant to the VP for Advancement ManagingAbby Born, Editor/Layout Graphic Designer and Design Editor/SeniorJohn Cornell/Abby Writer Born EditorialPeggy Golden Assistance Kevin Price, Charlie Felder ‘15, Kim Leggett ‘88, Hannah Carmichael ’16, Elizabeth Tasciotti ’15 PhotographyTaylor Priest ‘16, and Tyler Coen ‘16 Photography by John Cornell and Abby Born Coverunless Photootherwise noted. Campus Illustration by Saint Simons Island artist ED Hose. Kristine Alvarez moving into Lakeside Village on move in day. From the QuarterDeck ow do you measure success? In the academic world, we tend to Hlook at numbers, trying to quantify success in some tangible way. Isn’t that what measurement implies? Students look at test scores, grade point averages, and credit hours towards graduation. College administrators review indicators such as the enrollment numbers, retention and progression statistics, degrees awarded, and program funding. The coaches watch the scoreboards and the win-loss records. As we start the 2015-2016 academic year, we have much to celebrate: • We are still basking in the glow of back-to-back national championships for the Mariner men’s golf team. Additionally, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics has designated four of our athletic teams – women’s basketball, men’s and women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball – as NAIA Scholar-Teams in recognition of their academic performance. This speaks to our College and our Athletic Department’s commitment to graduating successful students who are prepared to be good citizens and good stewards as they move forward in life. • This fall we are launching three new bachelor’s degrees: a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies, designed to help adult learners utilize work experience and military credit to progress to degree completion, and B.A. degrees in French and in Spanish through a new online eMajor system approved by the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents. • Our academic programs are achieving noteworthy success. For instance, 100% of our School of Education and Teacher Preparation graduates passed the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Education. In the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, 100% of the B.S.N. graduates passed the National Council Licensure Examination for the licensing of nurses and the degree program rates #1 across all three ranking categories in the NCLEX report. • The current construction of Mariner Village, the second phase of our on-campus student housing which is being built by Corvius Campus Living, is particularly timely. Our new student enrollment increased by 10%, including more students from Alabama, Florida and South Carolina who are taking advantage of the new Border Resident Waiver. Our Career Services office is compiling the results of the inaugural First Destination Survey of our Class of 2015. That will provide us additional benchmarks for comparison, such as the percentage of graduates employed and their average starting salary, as well as the percentage continuing their education for a higher degree. With over 45% of our student body identifying themselves as first-generation college students – the first in their family who will graduate from college – and the predominantly rural nature of southeastern Georgia, which is finally beginning to recover from the Great Recession, our graduates are looking at a much different future today than we could have prepared them for a decade ago as a two-year commuting college. That’s a success story of accessibility, affordability, and quality. A little harder to quantify, but real nonetheless, as these pages and student stories will illustrate. Greg LOUD AND PROUD CCGA PEP BAND CONTINUES TO GROW WRITTEN BY: PEGGY GOLDEN | PHOTO BY: JOHN CORNELL J ames Furness ’18 played trumpet in the Glynn Academy The band members take credit for starting the “Hail the band throughout his four years of high school. So when he Sail” chant that is now a routine refrain. They say there is one came to Coastal Georgia and discovered there was no band, big reason why they formed the pep band – fun. “We really he got together with some of his classmates to create one. got into basketball,” Furness said. “We were screaming and “Eric Seals, Eli Gentry and I were at Glynn Academy cheering. It was pretty physical.” together. We knew some players from Brunswick High “This is a good way to get students involved and come out School who were going to Coastal as well. So we emailed for the games,” Gentry chimed in. Jaime Parker-Lewis who put us in touch with Dr. Hartman “Even when the team lost, students were there to support and we recruited more friends to make it happen,” he said, them,” Finney added. describing the birth of the Mariners’ pep band. “There were For saxophonist Eric Seals ’18, playing for volleyball 17 of us this past year, mostly freshmen, but we expect to games was equally exciting. “More championships – yes! have 25 by fall semester.” We want to cheer and give our team the best home court Elijah Gentry ’18 wasn’t planning to enroll at his hometown advantage possible.” college until Furness and Seals started talking about a band “We all want to play, but that doesn’t mean we want to club. “The larger we are and the bigger the sound, the more be music majors or anything like that. I’m interested in exciting it is. And we’ll be playing even more music this engineering, so I’m focused on math,” Furness said. “But second year.” music is a great escape – a real stress-buster.” The larger we are and the bigger the sound, Gentry, who plays the trumpet, agreed: “It’s a nice outlet from the everyday grind of classes and studying.” the more exciting it is. And we’ll be playing “It’s very important to me,” stressed clarinet player even more music this second year Geraldine Moore ’18. “Pep band is a social network, a way to meet new people on campus and make friends. This is something we all have in common – we love music.” “We don’t go on road trips with the teams. We can’t take that much time away from our classes. We’d rather have “More? I lose my voice now! We are loud and rowdy for money for instruments than travel,” Furness continued. the Mariners!” laughed Daniel Finney ’18, a trombone At this point, band recruits need to furnish their own player. Finney heard through the campus grapevine about a instruments as well as their contagious enthusiasm, but pep band starting up and promptly volunteered. “Sneakers the band’s budget is expanding with the new academic year squeaking on the floor were about the only sound you heard to buy a bass guitar, a piccolo, and a baritone. Purchased at games before. Now the gym rocks! It’s like a big university instruments are the property of the College, available for 2atmosphere packed in there!” Brightworkfuture band members to play. Left to Right: Eric Seals, James Furness, Geraldine Moore, Daniel Finney, and Elijah Gentry “We’d like to buy a baritone sax next. Awesome sound,” Furness concluded, “Maybe we’ll eventually be big enough he added. “We’d also like to buy more music. Mickey Wendel to become a concert band. But for starters, there’s nothing with the Golden Isles Community Band has been a big help more fun than a pep band. I think our enthusiasm makes a and both high schools have shared sheet music with us so we good college recruiting tool!” could add to our repertoire.” Jaime Parker-Lewis is Director of Campus Center and In addition to more members, music, and instruments, Student Life. Dr. Sarah Hartman is Assistant Professor of the pep band seeks more opportunities to play. They Education and a Glynn County school system “band mom” provided music for the VALOR spring cookout and

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