southeasternSUMMER 2012 National Leadership Forum With Tim Tebow on campus, Southeastern announced its possible expansion into football. Look inside for the 2013 Forum speakers > GROUP 1 CREW brings hope through their music seu.edu 5 national leadership forum 9 seu’s oldest alumnus remembers when... 10 7 12 TO OUR READERS ON CAMPUS 2 / FROM THE PRESIDENT 5 / NATIONAL LEADERSHIP FORUM 8 / MISSIONS EMPHASIS 2013 lineup just released. More than 300 students participated 3 / FROM THE ALUMNI DIRECTOR in short-term mission trips. 6 / NEW PROGRAMS 4 / FROM THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT 10-month MBA and ESE 4+1 added. 8 / SEU RECOGNIZED BY IDA The International Dyslexia Association 7 / SPORTS NEWS recognizes the College of Education. The Fire adds four new teams. In This Issue 18 inauguration of seu’s 15th president FEATURES 9 / SEU’S OLDEST ALUMNUS REMEMBERS WHEN… Gladys Lowery fondly remembers her days at Southeastern. 10 / MAKING MUSIC: INSPIRING HOPE Manwell Reyes and Group 1 Crew bring hope through their music. 12 / HOMECOMING Highlights from the February 2012 Homecoming Reunion > Joe Register > Tommy Kyllonen > Jaime Vaughn > Trisha Schutter 18 / SEU INAUGURATES 15TH PRESIDENT The entire SEU community celebrated Dr. Kent Ingle’s inauguration. ALUMNI NEWS IN EVERY ISSUE 20 / ITUNES U 31 / UPCOMING EVENTS 22 / FACULTY FEATS Another way to stay connected. Come back to campus and enjoy the 2 4 / CLASS NOTES many performing arts events put on by 21 / REUNION NEWS 3 2 / PERSPECTIVE our students each year. Alumni from 1957-1961 to meet in 3 3 / HISTORY Springfield. President’s Message In the pages that follow, you My heart is to see our alumni will read about the journeys of community grow and develop TO OUR many SEU alumni, but I want into a close-knit network of READERS you to pay close attention to Christians passionately living two in particular, Gladys Lowery out their missional call! Our President – one of our oldest alumni – and alumni network functions as a Kent J. Ingle Manwell “Manny” Reyes, the support for you to thrive and Vice President for University founder of Group 1 Crew. They excel in your strengths and Advancement Brian Carroll ‘06 & ‘07 embody a selfless ambition to vocation. serve God and capitalize on Executive Director of University I commend the leadership of Advancement their strengths and potential. Amy Mason Mark Anthony and Priya Arul Our passion is to empower Alumni Relations Director in building the network and students to become alumni who Priya Arul ‘06 & ‘10 The missional drive of creating opportunities for you live in fulfillment of their true Editor Southeastern University is to reconnect with your alumni character. Dana Davis to equip students to family around the world. We Contributing Writers Today, many young people held a successful Homecoming Annalee Cole ’12 discover their divine Erica Earl ’12 design so they may serve are pressured into becoming in February and are excited Brandt Merritt something God did not design to host another one in the Katie Reilly ’13 the world through Christ- Kelly Wood ’11 them to be. However, at SEU fall – we hope you can join us! empowered learning, Photography Credits we inspire students to discover Southeastern is your university Zach Connell ’12 leading and living. Our their true God-given identity. and we’re here to support Cheryl Roth Paul Wharton journey as a Christ- Mark Batterson, pastor of you in building and cultivating Ashley Wright ’12 centered academic National Community Church in relationships that encourage Office of Alumni Relations institution is deeply Washington, D.C., writes in his you to accomplish your life 863.667.5400 book Soul Print, “He (God) sets mission! www.seu.edu entrenched in the us free from what we’re not, so timeless truth that Published two times a year by the we can become who we were Office of University Advancement for each and every single destined to be.” Kent J. Ingle Southeastern University’s alumni, person is designed faculty, staff and friends. Please send Our passion is for all our comments and contributions to: uniquely for a mission students to realize this freedom SOUTHEASTERN and a purpose! When University Advancement and be awakened to their true Southeastern University we as Christian educators identity, so we can empower 1000 Longfellow Blvd. PRESIDENT, Lakeland, FL 33801 seize every opportunity to them to maximize the potential of their divine design. Since SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Submissions should be accompanied challenge, maximize and by the name, address, phone number, empower our learners to its beginning, SEU has trained and email address of the sender. over 20,000 students to Contents of Southeastern may not be flourish in their divine reproduced or redistributed in any implement their strengths to manner, either whole or in part, design, then the mission complete God’s mission in their without prior permission from Southeastern University. of God is guaranteed to lives. We strive to catalyze this Send Class Notes updates to move forward. revolutionary discovery in all [email protected] or the address above. our students, so they can join Telephone: 863.667.5020 the empowered SEU alumni Please send address changes to: who are moving the mission of Alumni Relations God forward. Southeastern University 1000 Longfellow Blvd. Lakeland, FL 33801 2 southeastern alumni magazine | SUMMER 2012 Alumni Director’s Message MESSAGE FROM THE ALUMNI DIRECTOR dear esteemed alumni, Homecoming Reunion for the first plans are underway for reunions in time in a very long time. We were Detroit, Mich.; New York City, N.Y.; Warm greetings from sunny Lakeland, expecting to have 200 alumni in Charlotte, N.C.; Columbia, S.C.; Atlanta, Fla. I am extremely grateful to God for attendance, but over 400 alumni Ga. and Birmingham, Ala. Look all that He is doing in the Southeastern came and participated in the reunion for more information about these University community. I want to give activities and made the event a reunions, and make plans to come you a brief report on the Alumni huge success. I want to thank all the and reconnect with your friends. Association’s accomplishments in the alumni who came and invite each of last year. our alumni to participate in the next We have also been working on homecoming reunion – November creating a benefit package for alumni After an extensive search for 2 & 3, 2012. We are moving the who join the Southeastern University board members, we formed a homecoming event to the fall as we Alumni Association. Be on the lookout new Alumni Association Board. have plans to start an SEU football for details! Members of the board include program in the near future. Alumni Association President Mark These are exciting days to be a part Anthony ’92, Brian Carroll ’06, We also officially welcomed 571 new of the SEU family. Please stay in touch Mike Ennis ’84, Carrie Henry ’09, Matt graduates to the Alumni Association with us, and let us know about the big Huett ’97, Frank Kendrick ’11, Phil Krist this year. This spring and summer changes and exciting events that are ’78, Cindy Kuck ’90, Sherrie Nickell Southeastern University was shaping your life. ’79 and Mike Rippy ’85. These board represented at nine District Councils, Priya Arul / ‘06 & ‘10 members are committed to building a and we were able to connect with [email protected] strong Alumni Association and have many of our alumni and pastors in offered their time and resources to these districts. help fulfill the mission of the Alumni Association. We are excited to announce that we are planning to host regional alumni This past February, our association reunions in six different cities this was able to host an Alumni coming academic year. Tentative southeastern alumni magazine | SUMMER 2012 3 Alumni Association’s President’s Message Joseph Gordon (left), Sonam ºBY Parvez (center), and Mark Anthony MARK during a recent trip to Ladakh in ANTHONY the Himalaya Mountains. 15 ’92 Have you ever struggled with jet lag? You walk around your house aimlessly at three in the morning wondering why you are wide awake. I believe it all starts with the plane ride. It is impossible to sleep in such a confined the world that most people don’t even know Ladakh. Last year alone, five Tibetan Buddhist area. Murphy’s law requires that a screaming exists. His name is Sonam. monks were baptized in water. toddler be placed in the seat to your right and a talkative conspiracy theorist on your left. Sonam was a successful executive with the What does this have to do with SEU? Sonam Last week was the first time I ever thanked Honda Corporation, but resigned in order to was mentored by a former plumber from Jesus for Tylenol PM. What a blessing from be a missionary to his own people in Ladakh, Americus, Ga. This plumber, Joseph Gordon, heaven! the northern most state India. Across the attended SEU within a year of coming to know breathtaking landscape of the Himalaya Christ himself. Now, he and his wife Laurie While journeying from Delhi to Atlanta Mountains, a spiritual darkness has settled into Schmitt (both graduated SEU in ’93) are recently, I wondered how many Southeastern the hearts of its people. Young Tibetan monks serving in another needy country in Asia. graduates served in each of the time zones are trained in Buddhism for up to 18 hours a Lufthansa flew through. Each zone is roughly day. Until recently, there has not been a single I am thankful for the education I received at SEU. This education trained the Gordons to properly mentor a young Indian man who / FREDERICK BUECHNER ONCE WROTE, “If we are to love our neighbors, before doing has become an apostle to one of the darkest anything else we must see our neighbors.